The Importance of the Resurrection

OPENING

Illustration

Let me take you back to October 30, 1938—a quiet Sunday evening.

Families were gathering around their radios, as they did back then, to listen to music or the latest dramas.

That’s when a voice came through the airwaves,

a voice filled with urgency, dread, and panic.

It was the voice of a young Orson Welles, delivering what sounded like breaking news:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this broadcast to bring you an emergency bulletin…”

He reported strange explosions on Mars,

followed by a mysterious object landing in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey.

Then came chilling details:

alien creatures emerging from the object—

giant, menacing, with heat rays powerful enough to destroy anything in their path.

Reporters on the scene described chaos, screams, and destruction.

Towns were obliterated. People were fleeing.

The broadcast felt so real, so immediate, that listeners across America believed it.

People ran into the streets, warning neighbours.

Phone lines jammed as people tried to get updates.

Some packed their belongings and fled their homes, convinced the end of the world was upon them.

But here’s the thing—it wasn’t real.

It was all a work of fiction: a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds.

Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre troupe had crafted it to sound like a live news report.

Here’s the twist: the program was clearly labeled as a drama,

but many people tuned in late, missing that crucial disclaimer.

And in 1938, during an era when international tensions were high and the news was often grim,

it wasn’t hard for people to jump to conclusions.

By the next day, the nation was buzzing.

Newspapers called it a scandal.

How could so many people have believed it?

Orson Welles claims he didn’t set out to deceive the nation.

He wanted to bring the story to life and make it feel real,

but he had no idea it would have the impact that it did.

Summary

So many people believed the story because it did feel so real,

but no matter how real it felt,

it was all just a story.

Transition to Text

That’s how many people see the Bible.

It is a great work of literature,

with amazing stories of the impossible,

but that’s all they think it is…

Just a story.

This includes how they view the resurrection.

Most people believe Jesus was a real person, maybe even a prophet,

but definitely not God.

They believe He was simply a man.

For this reason, they don’t believe in the resurrection.

Maybe Jesus wasn’t actually dead… or

Maybe the disciples stole his body…

but he couldn’t have risen from the dead…

that’s just a story!

Summary

Brothers and sisters,

we cannot underestimate how important the resurrection is to our faith!

BILLBOARD

This morning we are going to see:

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

Without The Resurrection, Our Message Is Meaningless

Without The Resurrection, Our Witness Is Worthless

Without The Resurrection, Our Faith Is Fruitless

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, how can we keep our ways pure?

By guarding it according to Your Word!

Help us by the power of Your Spirit to seek You with all our hearts,

help us not to wander from Your commandments.

May we store up Your Word in our hearts,

that we might not sin against You.

We praise You and thank You for Your Word,

and ask that You would teach it to us…

that we would declare Your rules with our mouths,

and delight in it more than riches.

May it be our joy to meditate on Your Word daily so that we do not forget it,

and that You would be gracious to us so that we may live and obey You.

As we study Your Word together this morning Lord,

open our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things!

In Jesus’ name we ask… amen!

(Go to title slide as you announce Scripture.)

The Importance of the Resurrection

Announce Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:12—19.

Scripture Introduction

We have been going through 1 Corinthians,

which is a letter that Paul wrote to the church he started in the city of Corinth.

Someone asked me the other day how long we’ve been in this book,

so I looked back and we started it in May,

which was 7 months ago.

We are going to finish up the Sunday before Christmas,

but hopefully you have been richly blessed through our study together.

Read Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 ESV

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.

Paul wants to emphasize the importance of the resurrection.

His first point is that…

1. Without The Resurrection, Our Message Is Meaningless

The message that Paul had been proclaiming is:

Christ died for our sins…

Christ was buried…

Christ was raised on the third day…

all of this was in fulfilment of God’s promises,

according to the Scriptures.

But if there is no resurrection…

THIS MESSAGE IS TOTALLY MEANINGLESS!

Because, if there is no resurrection of the dead,

that means Christ did not rise from the dead!

And…

EXPLAIN

If Christ didn’t rise from the dead,

that means…

a. We preach in vain

1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain

Paul had been preaching this message of Christ wherever he went.

This is what he said back in…

1 Corinthians 4:17 ESV

17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

It was Paul’s mission to spread the Gospel, the Good News, everywhere through preaching,

so that people would come to know Christ.

But if Christ has not been raised from the dead,

all of his work, all of his sacrifice, all of his preaching was in vain…

useless…

pointless…

meaningless…

A dead Jesus equals dead preaching!

If Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead,

This also means…

b. We believe in vain

1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

The message of Christ is what Paul was preaching everywhere he went,

and it was the message people were believing in.

They received it and put their faith in it.

But Paul is saying that if Christ has not been raised from the dead,

your faith is in vain:

It means absolutely nothing!

It doesn’t matter how sincere you are,

if what you believe in is a lie,

then your faith means nothing!

A dead Jesus equals dead faith!

Summary

Without the resurrection,

our message is meaningless.

It is useless to preach it,

or put faith in it!

ILLUSTRATE

Maybe you’ve heard the name Bernie Madoff.

He died a few years ago,

and was responsible for the largest fraud in US history.

Bernie worked on Wall Street,

and gained a reputation as a trustworthy, successful investor,

so many wealthy people and charities put their faith in Bernie Madoff,

and invested their money with him.

But, he wasn’t a success story…

he was a con artist.

Instead of using people’s money for legitimate investments,

he used their money to pay returns to earlier ones.

This made him look successful.

He is estimated to have defrauded investors out of an estimated $65 Billion dollars!

His scheme began to unravel in the 2008 financial crisis.

As clients rushed to withdraw their investments,

Madoff couldn’t keep up,

and he confessed.

He was sentenced to 150 years in prison,

and he died back in 2021.

Summary

Families and charities believed in Bernie Madoff.

They trusted him, and probably told others how good he was,

and encouraged them to invest with him as well.

But it was all a lie!

Families lost everything…

Charities had to close their doors…

Some even ended their lives because they couldn’t bear the loss!

It didn’t matter how much they believed in Bernie

the truth came out in the end,

and all their faith in him was meaningless!

APPLY

The same is true for us if the resurrection is not true!

It doesn’t matter how sincere we are…

It doesn’t matter how passionate our preaching is…

It doesn’t matter how strong our faith is…

If Christ has not been raised from the dead,

then our message is meaningless!

Thankfully, our message is NOT meaningless!

We can have the confidence that Christ has risen from the grave!

Last week Pastor Jonah talked about Paul and his emphasis on the Gospel.

There Paul gives a list of people Jesus appeared to.

Eye-witnesses of Jesus’ physical, resurrected body!

Jesus appeared to:

Cephas (Peter)

The twelve disciples

500 believers at the same time

James

All the apostles

Paul

And all of this happened in accordance with the Scriptures,

meaning it was a result of God being faithful to His promises!

Summary

Since we can have the confidence that Jesus rose from the dead,

our message is the most meaningful message in the world!

Therefore:

We should put all our faith and trust in the message of the gospel,

and preach and share it with boldness and confidence…

because it the only message that has the power to save!

Paul’s next argument is that…

2. Without The Resurrection, Our Witness Is Worthless

EXPLAIN

No matter how sincere our faith/belief is,

if we believe and tell others about something that’s not true,

then our witness is worthless… it means nothing!

Paul’s desire throughout his ministry to Christ,

was to be a faithful witness to what he had seen and heard.

We see this a number of times in his letters…

Romans 9:1 ESV

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—

2 Corinthians 11:31 ESV

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

Galatians 1:20 ESV

20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)

1 Timothy 2:7 ESV

7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Paul’s desire was to be a man of integrity,

a man that people could trust,

and we see that in this passage as well.

Paul had been preaching that God raised Christ from the dead,

but if that isn’t true…

He says in…

1 Corinthians 15:15–16 ESV

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.

Paul is saying that if Christ hasn’t been raised,

then we’re lying about God,

because we’re saying He rose Jesus,

when in fact He didn’t.

Paul’s desire was to be faithful and accurate in his witness.

This is because of

his love for God…

his devotion toward God…

his reverence for God.

Paul was so committed to speaking the truth about God,

that he was willing to endure suffering,

and indeed he did endure suffering for speaking the truth about God!

He suffered:

imprisonments…

beatings… often near death…

received lashings…

beaten with rods…

stoned…

shipwrecked…

adrift at sea…

in danger from:

rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles, in the city, in the wilderness…

Paul was so committed to speaking the truth,

that he endured all of this suffering,

so that he could share the gospel,

and testify to the power and work of God!

But if Christ hadn’t been raised from the dead…

If He is still in the grave…

then it was all for nothing!

Summary

Without the resurrection,

Paul’s witness was worthless!

ILLUSTRATE

Have you ever had somebody tell you something you didn’t believe at first but turned out to be true?

That happened to me a 2 years ago.

As a family we had spent a wonderful day at Seacliffe beach.

You know how sandy you get after a day at the beach…

so everyone needed to take a shower when we got home.

While I was in the shower one of our sons knocked on the door and asked,

“Where’s the van?”

I thought this was a ridiculous question.

We just came home an hour ago and parked the van in the garage.

“What do you mean where’s the van, it’s in the garage!”

Then he said,

“I was just in there and it’s not in there.”

I couldn’t believe my son was so blind,

but I got out of the shower to go show him how to find a 4,000 lb hunk of metal.

To my shock and surprise, he was right…

the van was gone!

We thought maybe family or friends had taken one of our keys and was playing a joke on us,

so we walked around the yard and to the back of the church,

but couldn’t find it.

After calling everyone we thought would play a trick like this on us and realizing they hadn’t,

we finally realized it had been stolen!

We got the police involved,

and late that night they drove me to go pick it up at A&W in Comber.

A homeless man from Leamington had taken it for a joyride,

used the cash in my wallet to buy himself some dinner,

tipped the seat back and fell asleep.

We were just thankful we got our van back and there was no damage.

Summary

Going back I still don’t know if I would believe my son,

but he was proven right when we couldn’t find the van.

The evidence matched his witness!

APPLY

After Jesus’ resurrection,

many doubted!

Because dead people don’t come back to life!

Thomas doubted the testimony of the disciples…

The disciples doubted the testimony of the women…

The disciples on the road to Emmaus doubted…

The disciples again doubted when he appeared to them all in the house,

so Jesus showed them His wounds and ate food in their presence…

Even Paul must have doubted the resurrection,

since he fought so hard against the early church,

persecuting them and taking them to prison.

But after appearing to so many people,

in so many different ways,

and seeing Him ascend into heaven,

they could no longer deny that Christ truly had been raised from the dead!

Christ’s resurrection was so evident to the disciples,

that they all gave their lives to spreading the gospel,

as witnesses of all that God had done through Christ.

Without the resurrection, their witness was worthless,

but because the resurrection was true,

their witness was eternally valuable!

Summary

We can have the confidence to believe in the testimony of the disciples,

that Christ truly rose from the dead!

This should give us confidence to be faithful witnesses,

telling others what God has done through Christ to save people from their sin,

and giving them hope that they too will rise from the dead to eternal life with Christ!

When we tell of all that God has done,

we are faithful witnesses,

and are speaking the truth of God!

Paul’s next argument is that…

3. Without The Resurrection, Our Faith Is Fruitless

We’ve seen that:

If Christ didn’t rise from the dead,

then the message we have is meaningless!

If Christ didn’t rise from the dead,

then our witness is worthless!

Now we see that:

If Christ didn’t rise from the dead,

then our faith is fruitless!

Without the resurrection,

Our faith accomplishes nothing!

It serves no purpose at all!

It doesn’t benefit us in any way!

EXPLAIN

This is because…

a. Sin remains unforgiven

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Jesus died to take the punishment and pay the penalty for sin.

When Jesus was raised,

it showed that God had accepted His sacrifice,

and now that He is seated at the right hand of the Father,

where He is just to justify us on the basis of His sacrifice.

But Paul’s point is,

that if Christ has not been raised from the dead,

your sin remains unforgiven!

It doesn’t matter how strong your faith is,

If Christ is dead, your faith is fruitless.

If Christ has not been raised from the dead…

b. The grave remains unopened

1 Corinthians 15:18 ESV

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

If Christ has not been raised from the dead,

then neither will anyone be raised from the dead!

This would mean that Jesus is in the grave,

and so is everyone who placed their faith in Him and died,

never to rise again!

The grave remains unopened!

If Christ has not been raised,

there is no hope in any next life...

this is all there is!

Which means…

c. Life remains unfulfilled

1 Corinthians 15:19 ESV

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Some people think that even if Christianity isn’t true,

following it would still make the world a better place.

That may be partially true,

but that’s not Paul’s perspective!

For Paul, if our faith is founded on the lie that Jesus was raised when he is actually still dead,

then we are the most pitiful people on earth!

He goes on to say later in this chapter…

1 Corinthians 15:32 (ESV)

32 If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Paul’s saying that if there is no ressurection,

then the world is right,

and we should just live it up!

Summary

If our faith in Christ is based on a lie,

then it is totally fruitless!

It accomplishes nothing!

ILLUSTRATE

If you’re old enough, you may remember the Y2K scare.

In 1999, people feared there would be a global crisis when the year 2000 hit.

This crisis came from a fear that computer systems would fail.

Many older computer programs only used the last two digits of the year, (‘99 for 1999).

Since it was 1999, they thought when the year switched over to 2000,

the computers would go back to 1900 instead of 2000.

The fear was that it could cause widespread malfunctions in:

banking, utilities, transportation, and government systems,

potentially leading to global chaos.

People began preparing for the worst!

Some stockpiled food, water, and basic supplies…

Some bought bunkers, and survival gear…

Some people emptied their bank accounts…

Some people quit their jobs thinking they wouldn’t need a job anymore…

So what actually happened?

Well, we’re all here, so we know the world didn’t end!

The transition to 2000 went relatively smooth,

with only a few minor glitches.

Summary

People had no proof or evidence to believe that the world was going to collapse in 2000,

but they believed it anyway!

But their faith was fruitless.

It didn’t bring their fears to reality.

APPLY

This is true for us as believers as well if the resurrection is not true.

No matter how much we believe in Christ,

if He didn’t rise from the dead,

then our faith is fruitless!

Thankfully, we can have hope in the resurrection!

Paul has given us confidence to believe it.

Proofs for the resurrection:

Christ’s physical appearances

Christ Himself appeared to more than 500 people on different occasions over 40 days before His ascension.

Christ’s fulfilment of OT

Christ’s birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension are all according to the Scriptures.

Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people.

The work of the Holy Spirit

Performing miracles in and through the disciples to prove their message.

The disciples’ own commitment

To give their lives to testifying to all what God had done and spreading the gospel…

To be willing to die for their faith.

Summary

All these evidences for the resurrection of Christ give feet to our faith!

We can have confidence that our sins are forgiven through faith in Christ!

We can have confidence that since Christ rose from the dead, we will as well!

We can have confidence not just in this life, but the eternal life to come!

CONCLUSION

Since we can be confident that Christ truly has been raised from the dead,

we can be confident that for those who have placed their faith in Christ,

we too will be raised from the dead,

This wonderful hope gives us confidence to be able to endure difficulty in this life,

looking to the hope we have in Christ in heaven!

That’s just what Justin Martyr did.

Illustration

Justin Martyr is considered one of the early heroes of the Christian faith.

Justin was born around the year 100 AD.

He didn’t grow up knowing God, but was raised in a pagan family

and spent much of his youth searching for meaning.

He studied all the great philosophies of his day

but none of them gave him the answers his heart craved.

One day, as Justin walked along the seashore,

he met an elderly man who changed his life forever.

This man told Justin about Jesus Christ—

the promised Messiah,

the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and

the true source of wisdom and life.

For Justin, it was as if a light switched on.

He embraced the Christian faith wholeheartedly.

Justin became a bold teacher and defender of Christianity,

traveling widely to explain the faith to anyone who would listen.

He eventually settled in Rome,

where he opened a school to train believers and debate skeptics.

Justin wrote letters to emperors and philosophers,

defending Christians against false accusations of immorality

and describing their worship practices.

He argued that Jesus was the Logos—

the divine Word,

the ultimate reason that ordered the universe.

But his boldness came at a cost.

Around 165 AD,

during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius,

Justin and six of his students were arrested.

They were brought before the Roman authorities and

ordered to renounce their faith and worship the Roman gods.

Justin stood firm, saying,

“No one who is rightly minded turns from true belief to false.”

For his unwavering faith,

Justin was scourged and beheaded,

becoming one of the early church’s most well-known martyrs.

To this day, he’s remembered as a courageous defender of the faith—

a man who sought the truth,

found it in Christ, and

held onto it,

no matter the cost.

Justin’s story reminds us that the search for truth ends in Jesus and that:

Faith worth living for is also faith worth dying for!

Application

Since Christ is the Messiah who was raised from the dead,

put all your faith and trust in Him!

Our message is the most important message in the whole world,

since it’s the only message that can save us from God’s wrath!

Our witness is true,

because it faithfully tells of God’s work in and through Christ!

Our faith in Christ is powerful!

Through it we have:

Forgiveness of sins…

The promise we will be resurrected… and

Meaning and purpose in this life and the one to come!

All this gives us the confidence to live for the glory of our Saviour,

even if that means dying for our faith.

Faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour,

is a faith worth living, and dying for!

Gospel

Have you placed your faith in Jesus?

One day everyone will be raised from the dead,

and will stand before the judgement throne of God…

Revelation 20:11–15 (ESV)

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

If God were to judge any one of us based on what we have done,

we would all be guilty because of our sin.

But for those who put their trust in Jesus and sacrifice,

we will be declared innocent because He has paid our debt.

If you’re here today, it’s not by accident.

God loves you, and wants you to experience the peace and joy

of knowing all your sins are forgiven through believing in Jesus’.

He wants to give you the confidence that one day,

you will be raised from the dead,

not to be thrown into the lake of fire,

but brought into heaven,

to enjoy His glorious presence for all eternity!

I encourage you...

Trust in Him today!