Easter

Easter Sunday

1. Scripture Reading – Isaiah 53:1-12

2. Song

3. Scripture Reading – John 19:16-18, 28-30,

4. Song

5. Scripture Reading – Mark 16:1-7

6. Song

Introduction

Goals: Is your faith real? Issue of sin? Life transformation?

Illustration – Tightrope with wheelbarrow

· Head knowledge (mere belief) vs True faith (heart knowledge)

Romans 10:9

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

· “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.”

· Paul writes to church in Corinth to address issues causing harm to the church.

· Resurrection of the body is the most important and saved for last of letter.

· Passage written roughly 2000 years ago.

· This passage could have been written today.

· As we read, internalize the passage, examine yourself in reflection to what Paul wrote.

· Comes down to “Do you believe or not?”

· Answer has eternal ramifications

· Black or white, no grey areas.

1 Corinthians 15:1-9, 12-26

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

54 “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Exegesis

VS 15:1-2

Members of the Corinthian church were confused, and even denied the resurrection of the body that Jesus fulfilled in His resurrection.

Vs 1-8

· Paul first lays the foundation of the truthfulness of believers resurrection because Christ was raised.

· “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you.”

· In Paul’s use of the “Gospel” he establishes that the resurrection is essential to the gospel

· The church received the Gospel message. But it is more than just hearing it.

· Received translated means to accept.

· The church accepted or in faith, believed in the truth of the Gospel.

· An unshakable faith in Christ’s death and resurrection gives the believer the strength to stand firm. Not to be persuaded otherwise.

· Notice: “By which you are being saved”

· Now but not yet. Ex: Son or daughter receives inheritance but not until parents pass away.

· Salvation is a past assurance that we are saved when we first come to faith in Christ. We cannot lose our salvation.

· But we are also being saved because we look forward to the fulfillment of salvation when are present with God in eternal life.

· However, Paul puts a condition to receiving all the promises of the Gospel.

· To “Hold fast to the word preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

· Means there was no genuine belief to begin with.

· There probably was a cognitive understanding but not a genuine belief from the heart. No true-life transformation.

· Their belief was in vain (of no purpose, un-true, and without careful thought)

· If we are not sure of the fundamentals of the gospel, we will not be assured of the resurrection of the dead.

VS 3-8

· As of 1stimportance – not how to be a Christian, morals, go to church, etc.

· “Of first importance” implies that although everything in the Bible is important, not everything is equally important. Some doctrines are more important than others. The gospel is most important. Jesus the Messiah died “for our sins,” that is, on our behalf and in our place. He atoned as a penal substitute

· Paul then reminds them of the Gospel message He received, not from man, but from the Lords with 2 proofs.

Gospel in A-B-A-B

A. Died in accordance to the Scriptures – Psalm 16:8-10

His sacrificial and substitutionary death is “in accordance with the Scriptures” (plural) because it fulfills the O.T. as a whole.

B. Buried

A. Raised on 3rd day in accordance with the Scriptures

Jesus the Messiah “was raised on the third day”—just as he had predicted. His resurrection was “in accordance with the Scriptures.” – OT

B. Eye witness proof

As proof that Jesus rose from the dead, Paul cites a sampling of six individuals or groups to whom Jesus appeared

VS 12-19

· Paul directly addresses the issue in the church, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

7 Consequences if Christ had not been raised

(1) The apostles preached in vain.

(2) The Corinthians believe in vain

(3) The apostles are “misrepresenting God

(4) The Corinthians are believing futilely

(5) The Corinthians are “still in [their] sins

(6) Believers who have died have perished

(7) Believers are of all people most to be pitied if their hope in Christ is limited to this life only

VS 20-26

However, since Christ has been raised, believers can know that God will raise those who belong to Christ and thus will destroy death. In God’s sovereign plan, he must defeat death to “be all in all”

Jesus is the Firstfruit to be raised.

Firstfruit: The season’s first agricultural produce, signaling that a full harvest is yet to come. Ex: First ear of corn indicates that the harvest of corn will come.

15:21 This verse supports verse 20b: Christ is the firstfruits of dead believers becausedeath came by a man (Adam) and the resurrection of the dead also comes by a man (Christ).

Application

· Gospel that leaves out our depraved nature because our sin is not the Gospel.

· All love, but no judgment.

· Leads to works, done more good than bad.

· Fundamental to the gospel and the reality of our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is our confidence concerning the resurrection of the dead

· Self-examination

· This passage has a lot of information.

· But the truth of the matter comes down to one things-Do you believe?