Truth

3 Weeks of Easter Truth - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 April 6, 2025 It's almost Easter time, so we've decided to do things a little different this year. We'll begin our Easter messaging a couple of weeks earlier than usual in a short series we're calling "3 weeks of Easter." It was supposed to be "4 weeks of Easter," but I made a mistake. You ever make a mistake? Yeah, me too. We're doing this short series to encourage you to look at the deeper meaning of the events surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. This morning, we look at the topic of truth. Specifically proving that Jesus was resurrected. Let me paint a picture for you as we dive into this topic. I am going to make a statement. This will be the interactive part of the sermon. I do this from time to time for two reasons. One, to make sure you're awake and paying attention. And, two, to get you engaged in the message. Mostly the first, but nonetheless. So, here's the instruction: I will make a statement. If you believe that statement to be true, raise your hand. Here it is ... ready? I have a dog. Raise your hand if you believe me. So, I want you to lower your hand if you have never seen my dog (either in person or online). Now, for those of you who lowered your hand, as you look around at all of these hands raised, would you still believe that my statement was true? Probably, right? There are enough people here who have seen my dog. Now, if no one kept their hands raised, would you believe the statement to be true? Possibly, but unlikely. But, if you were to speak to my neighbors, I assure you that they would confirm that I do have a dog, as they see me walking her a couple times a day. So, the power behind knowing the truth - at least in this example - is where? The eyewitnesses. Guess what? In our passage this morning, Paul is reminding the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15 of the most important truth. That Jesus was resurrected. He will use several methods - to include eyewitnesses - to prove this, and we will walk along those methods with him this morning. Here is why. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:14, 14 AND IF CHRIST HAS NOT BEEN RAISED, THEN OUR PREACHING IS IN VAIN AND YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN A few verses later in verse 17, he says again ... 17 AND IF CHRIST HAS NOT BEEN RAISED, YOUR FAITH IS FUTILE AND YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS. It is because of the resurrection that we are gathered together today. So, Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians will remind the skeptic of this very thing. Pointing them to the truth. Namely, where to find the truth. But before we get into the text, I want to briefly catch up to where we are in this letter to the Corinthians, as we are jumping 14 chapters to get to our passage this morning. Up until this point, Paul has been pastorally addressing various social and moral issues that were running rampant in Corinth and within the Church at Corinth. So, Paul uses these prior 14 chapters to address these issues with Christ as the foundation. So, by the time that he gets here to 1 Corinthians 15, he's already set up what he claims to be of the utmost importance - the resurrection. Effectively saying, "if you don't believe in what I'm about to say, nothing that I've said before matters." It's a bold statement. But it is a true statement. So, let's see what Paul says this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11: 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. 9 FOR I AM THE LEAST OF THE APOSTLES, UNWORTHY TO BE CALLED AN APOSTLE, BECAUSE I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD. 10 BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM, AND HIS GRACE TOWARD ME WAS NOT IN VAIN. ON THE CONTRARY, I WORKED HARDER THAN ANY OF THEM, THOUGH IT WAS NOT I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD THAT IS WITH ME. 11 WHETHER THEN IT WAS I OR THEY, SO WE PREACH AND SO YOU BELIEVED. This passage is instructive. Paul is clearly putting the resurrection of Christ - as he expresses in verse 3 - at the top of the importance list. The first step, really, in understanding the Resurrection is believing that it is true. So, we must look there first. Why? I'll allow our main idea to answer that question: If the resurrection of Jesus is not true, then my faith isn't either. So, the question remains: HOW TO KNOW THE RESURRECTION IS TRUE * I must first have faith in the Gospel message (vv.1-2) o In Galatians 1, Paul reminds us that he was given the Gospel by Jesus Himself. o He reminds the reader, even in this passage, that his road to his call as Apostle was unique. o Unfortunately, Paul had to do this with many of the churches because they questioned his credibility. This is why later in verse 11, he affirms that his Gospel is the same as the others, and it must be received. o He adds a couple of other terms in these opening verses that are critical to how we are to receive and respond to the message. * First word is "STAND," which could also be translated "stand firm" or "stand ready" or "taken a stance" which implies a defensive stance for the Gospel. * The other important phrase here is "HOLD FAST" which means to "possess" or to "lay hold of" or to "take," so there is a since here of grasping and holding tight this message. o So, before we dig too deep, what is this message? What is the Gospel? o We will answer this in more detail in verses 3-4 - at least in its literal since, but generally, the message of the Gospel is one of hope. o It is the hope that God gives to everyone of being reconciled with Him. o This is why we must look to the message of the Gospel. o But there is a problem. o The problem is, not everyone wants to be reconciled with God, or in some cases they don't believe they need to be reconciled with God. o The term "gospel" simply means "good news." o Christians have adopted the word to be directly associated with the message of salvation in Christ Jesus. o They use this known term, because it is the greatest news. o And, as we'll see momentarily, verses 3-4 includes the resurrection as part of that good news. o So, the Gospel is the good news of hope. o This leads us to our next answer to how do I know the resurrection is true? Namely that ... * I can look to the Scriptures that reveal the Gospel (vv.3-4) o Notice the qualifier for each of the stages of the Gospel - according to the Scriptures. Paul - once again - is standing on the foundation of the Word of God and urging us to do the same. o The Word of God reveals to us everything that He wants us to know here on earth, on this side of heaven, about Himself and the overall story of redemption that is carried from Genesis 3 through Revelation 22. o That is what the Bible is about. o It's the story of reconciliation and redemption. o And the resurrection is - as Paul puts it - of first importance in that story. o Paul defines the Gospel in these two verses perfectly. What is the Gospel, according to Paul? * Christ died * Christ was buried * Christ rose * Christ appeared o Everything here can be verified, which is the point he makes next. o But first, let's quickly run through each of these points. * We know He died because He was buried, His death was confirmed before He was taken down off the cross, see John 19:31-37 * His burial was a fulfillment of prophecy - namely Isaiah 53:9, also see Matthew 27:57-60 o So, let's now look at the resurrection, which covers those last two points: that He rose and that appeared. o And to believe that the resurrection is true ... * I can look to the evidence presented (vv.5-8) o What's the evidence that we are given here? o Right. The eyewitnesses. Just like we talked about earlier. o Eyewitnesses are reliable sources. o For example, one of the qualifications for an Apostle was that they saw the risen Lord - which, by the way, is why contemporary Christians do not believe there are any Apostles after Paul. o I want you to notice something, because the Scriptures actually reveal more about the eyewitnesses than what Paul does here. o For example, Mary Magdelene was the first one to see the risen Christ, this is found in Mark 16 and John 20 o So, why didn't Paul mention her - or the other women who saw the risen Lord - here? o He was approaching this legally. In the courts of those times, a woman's testimony was not binding. So, he went with Peter, then the Twelve, then the 500, then to James, then to the Twelve again, then lastly to himself. o So. The picture is that Paul is trying to prove - legally - that Jesus was resurrected. o Think about that even in today's context. o How many of you have served on a jury? o I have. Two criminal cases, in fact. o If you have , then you know that a jury is supposed to come to a verdict based off of whether or not there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. o Paul is presenting some of the most powerful testimony, those of eyewitnesses. You want to know why Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar? Because they were written with information complied by eyewitnesses - often including themselves. o Paul makes it a point that many of the 500 who saw Jesus were still alive. o Notice that he didn't say that there were thousands who heard about the resurrection, but that there were hundreds who saw the risen Christ. o So, what this section really implies is that there may have been Christians in Corinth who were questioning the validity of the resurrection. o And one of his concerns is revealed in the next section. Because, if a Christian does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then they cannot believe in the resurrection of the saints. As a result, there is no hope without the resurrection of Jesus. o So, Paul, concerned for their Spiritual health is reminding them of those who saw the risen Lord. o He reminds them that they heard and believed in the Gospel that was preached, but more than that, they need to believe in a Jesus that lives. Why? o Because, as Wiersbe put it , because "a dead savior cannot save anybody" o The fact the Christ rose proves that all of the Scriptures were correct. o Here is how one bible teacher put it: * Because he rose, we know that He was really who He said He was. * Because he rose, we believe that our sins are forgiven. * Because he rose, we have a reason for living. o Apparently, in the days after the French Revolution, a man tried to start a new religion that he believed was superior to Christianity. But he was disappointed at his lack of success. He revealed his frustration to a clergyman and asked what he could do. * The clergyman replied that it was no easy task to begin a new religion-so difficult that he had nothing to suggest. But after a moment's reflection, he said, "There's one plan that you might want to consider. Why don't you get yourself crucified and rise again the third day?" o Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. I suspect you'll hear that a lot in the next 3 weeks. o The question is. Do you believe in the resurrection? o There's one more point that Paul makes, though ... how do I know the resurrection is true? * I can look to Paul as living proof of the impact of the resurrection (vv.9-11) o The study of apologetics is a study of the defense of your faith. o Peter urges us to always be ready to defend what we believe. o And one of the many proofs that apologists use are the people that God had changed through the Gospel and their encounters with Jesus. o Biblically, Matthew, the tax collector, who once stole from his own people, later became one of the Twelve, one who wrote the first book of the New Testament. o Peter, the reckless and aggressive fisherman, became of the pillars of the church ... and apparently the first pope? I don't remember seeing that in the Bible anywhere. o Paul, a murderer and persecutor, who became (my words) the greatest Christian of all time. o Paul recognized the impact of the Gospel on individuals, so he used himself as an example as yet another proof of the resurrection. o As noted previously, Paul had the most unique appointment as an Apostle. o Even after Judas took his own life, the Twelve (Eleven) appointed Matthias as his replacement, and Paul of course was appointed later. But Paul was uniquely appointed by Christ Himself, well after the resurrection and ascension, not by man. o Paul understood grace better than most, which I'm sure contributed to why he preached this subject so often, and even here in verse 10 Paul acknowledged that everything he did was because of grace. o And when we receive that grace, Paul says that we need to use that to lead others to that same grace. Pointing them to the risen Christ. o Of course, none of that would be possible without a risen Christ. o Again, do you believe it? I must believe in the resurrection of Christ. Earlier we said if the resurrection of Jesus is not true, then my faith isn't either. Josh McDowell wrote a book, that I'm sure many of you are familiar with, called More than a Carpenter, which is a great book about Jesus, and the skepticism surrounding His life, His deity, and His resurrection. Chapter 2 of his book tells us that people will see Jesus in three ways, He was Lord, He was a liar, or He was a lunatic. He says it that way because, historically, most people believe in the Man Jesus. They just cannot wrap their heads around His claims and the Biblical account of His life and ministry - to include the resurrection. We too need to make this determination, who is Jesus to you? Is He Lord? Or was He a liar or a lunatic? The Bible clearly points to Jesus as Lord, and His resurrection is proof of that statement. Do you believe? Let's pray. 2