He Told No Lie

1 Cor 15:12-19

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

Intro:

Throughout history language has so-cvalled evloved. Terms and words that meant something in one generation could mean something tottally diffrent in a new generation.

Fo instance in one generation when you said something was bad, it meant that is was not good, it was bad. But another generation turned the word bad o what is good. They would say, yo, that is bad!

To one genration if you ask do you know what I mean, that was a question demanding an answer. To another, do you know what I mean, meant a rethorical question not demanding an answer but emephasing what was just said, do you know what I mean.

Language has evloved. You have the Kings English, Common English, and so-called urban English so eloquently spoken by black folk that has found its way in websters english dictionary and even fostered a socalled urban dictionary. So may even call it a sanitized version of ebonics, the langauge your Pastor speaks along with Greek and Hebrew.

For instance, lets talk. I found out when doing this study on the Ressurection that Jesus was true in what He said, what He came to do, and what He said He would do. He said that on the third day, He will rsie from the dead. As a matter of fact Scripture would bare witness

The O.T. talked about a future resuurection

The OT anticipated the resurrection of the body in the last day (Job 19:26–27; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2)

Demarest, B. A. (1997). The cross and salvation: the doctrine of salvation (p. 475). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

N.T. Talks about the resurection of the redemption of our bodies

Rom 8:23

23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,* including the new bodies he has promised us.

2 Cor 5:1-5

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.* 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

The New International Version (1984) On the Road to Emmaus

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

The New International Version (1984) The Resurrection

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Jesus told them in John 2:19

The New International Version (1984) Jesus Clears the Temple

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

So as we can see, in any language or any generation Jesus told no lie. Today isnt that what we are celebrating, that Jesus has Risen from the dead. It anint about some pagan holiday celebrating a rebirth symbolized by an egg, otr a bunng symbloized by fertility and birth, but about a Savor who came to die for our sins on a Cross, sufferd, nailed, whipped, spit on, and otterd seven last words on a cross, in front of Hos mother and His beloved disciles, and buried in a tomb nerver used and three days later from a cross to resurrection, He told no lie, He was raised from the dead.

Death could not hold Him down and He did it for us, because He loved us. Our sins and disobedianced desearved the pentaly of death, but He took death for us so that we would not die but live abd be born aganin and be with Him forver when we belive in Him.

This is the story of Easter, better yet Resurrection Sunday.

In this generation, they would say, No Cap. He said He would raise, No Cap. The Scriptures decalred He would, No Cap. He has Risen, He has Risen, He has Risen indeed, No Cap.

If you are wondering what No Cap means, let me help you out. According to an article I read in USA today

The phrase is rooted in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or Black speech separate from standard English. As early as the 1900s, "to cap" meant to brag, exaggerate or lie about something, according to Dictionary.com.

Additionally, "no cap" can be used to describe something that has no limit. In the "Green’s Dictionary of Slang" in the 1940s, "to cap" meant "to surpass." Therefore, "cap" could be defined as the "top" or "upper limit", according to Dictionary.com.

But today, "No cap" means "no lie" or "for real", according to Dictionary.com. "Cap" is another word for lie, so "no cap" emphasizes when someone is being truthful. If someone is "capping," they are lying.

Jesus would delcare on the Third Day, No Cap, He told no Lie!

For those who said He was Just a gret teach, a powerful philospher, a religious leader. I declare to you, He told no lie, He is the Son Of God, The Lamb of God would die to take the sins of the world away from us by His grace and mercy and that is no Cap!

He told no lie, He is what He says He is, if not Paul says we have beeen as Denzel declared in Malcolm X, Bamboozled! We have been lied to. Jesus was capping. The world would love for you to beleive this because the world is ignorantand afraid of the power of the ressurection of Jesus Christ because His Ressurection defeated the greatest power on this earth that people are afriad of and that is the judgment of death.

That is why they rather put their faith in eggs and bunnies, and Easter bonnents becausde it is safe. Nobody had to die for ehat we did. Our Sins were so grieveous God himself came in the form of humaniyty, being perfectfly human o shed His blood for those who were distined to the penralty of death for our wrongdoings, trapesseses, law breaking. The shedding of blood is necessary for the forgivenness of sins and He shed it for us and the sacrifce overwhelmed the penalty and He rose from the dead never to die again and He now represnts us and when the pently of death tries to hunt us down, all it sees is the Blood of Jesus Christ because we are free from the pentaly and we are forgiven and everyone we belives in Him are free from death and are given life and that is no cap!

He told no lie, for everyone who calls on Him, they will be saved.

Trans: Imagine if this was not true. Imagine if this was a falbe, a myth, a hope of a desparate people looking for sometyhing to give them hope. Imagine if this belief is fro uneducated gulliable people who would fall for anything. Imgine if you coming to church, living your life for Christ was really all capp, it was not true.

Paul is answering this Question In 1 Cor 15. There were some telling to church some untruths, they were telling lies on the Savior, they were capping, perpetrating a fruad. They were front and putting on the front. For those high siddity folk unfasmialir with the urban slang, they were telling untruths. They were lying.

Background

Saving Gospel (v 1-2)

• Paul preached (1 Cor 2: 1-2)•Community saved/Hold firm- Hold firm to the Gosepl. the good news of the birth, death, resurrection, and Glorification of Jesus Christ. Paul is challengeing some who declared that the ressurection of Christ did not happen!

Sure Gospel (v 3-6)

•Christ died/Christ buried•Christ resurrected/Christ appeared , in other words, we saw it, others still alive today saw it, and I would declare even Roman and Jewish Histrians talked about say that the resurrection, was no cap, He told no lie

Pliny the Younger was a Roman administrator and author, governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor; two volumes of his letters are extant today. The tenth of his correspondence books (written ca. AD 112) contains the earliest non-biblical description of Christian worship: "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god." Note that believers worshiped Christ as God in AD 112, not centuries later after their beliefs "evolved," as some critics claim.

Finally, consider Josephus' most famous statement about Jesus (Antiquities 18.3.3): "Now, there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works,--a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." While most historians do not believe that this paragraph represents Josephus's own faith commitment, it does document the beliefs of the earliest Christians regarding Jesus. Note that it was written before the end of the first century.

Sent Gospel (v 7-11)

•The Apostles, Apostle Paul,  Paul’s witness, and Paul’s credibility•All preach Christ, we are not some charlatans willing to die for a lie. Many will believe a lie, but will not die for a lie they know is a lie

Trans: And Paul in 1 Cor 15:12-19 declares that since Jesus has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection, that there is no guarantee of eternal life because  some have declared He is not Risen, But Paul argues He was raised from the dead that we also will be raised from the dead and if He did not, If by chance Jesus was not raised from the dead our preaching and our faith and trust in Him is in vain.

If Jesus did not arise from the pit of death, the Muslims would be right, the Buddhists would be right, The agnostics and atheists would be right that He is not The God the Christians trust and the Christians have a vain and unreliable faith!

· Our faith would be baseless, without results, empty and Christianity would have no hope for we would be placing all our hope for life on a dead man

· The Gospel would have no power to save those who are trapped in the bondage of Sin

· The Gospel, if the Son of God was not resurrected, would be declared false and improvable to the faithless

· If the resurrection did not happen then the Church would have no reason to exist because we would be proclaiming false doctrine and utter nonsense for weak  minded individuals

· And if it is not true, Our Faith that holds us together, our belief that He died for our Sins, Our trust that He is the Lamb of God would takes away the sins of the world would leave us trapped and dead in our sin and Christ therefore would be a Liar, and make the life we live to be a lie and when we die, we have no hope, no future. Our prayers, our trust, our belief, if it is not true it would be all vanity. If it is not true, The Bible on all its contents, sixty six books over written over a 1400 year period would be declared false and we would be in a state of alienation of a God whose word would declare Him untrue!

But Paul is not content to allow anybody to declare He has not risen. And he states that if you don't want to believe the Bible, If you don't want to trust The Biblical witness, then understand

· He was seen in 1 Cor 15:3 by over 500 witnesses and if you know anything about witnesses, most people can't get the story straight between just three people, but 500 saw Him after the resurrection and some of them are still alive today and they would declare they saw Him with their own eyes. How can 500 people see the same thing and yet not one has come forth and declare they did not see Him!

And if you do believe the Bible that Christ died according to the Scriptures, He was buried, That He rose from the Dead on the Third day according to the Scriptures, and He appeared to Peter, and He appeared to the Twelve

But to the skeptic who do not think it is true or does not appeals to reason and the things they can see, there is somebody else that He appeared to, somebody else who saw Him, somebody else He raised out of the pit of sin and raised with Him to a new Life, a New beginning and that is Me!

Is it True, If you don't want to believe the 500 witnesses, if you don't want to believe the Scriptures, then look at my life

I was once an unbeliever but now I believe, I was once lost but now I am found, I once have no hope but now I have Hope, I was in desperation but now I am Saved and the way I think is not the same way as I use to think, I am not the same person I used to be, I know how to love for He first loved me, I know how to treat people right because He has been right with me, I don't try to lead my own Live but I yield to Him and I follow Him, I don't rely on my own understanding but in all my ways I acknowledge Him so He can direct my path,

I have a new nature, because He is Risen,

I have a new Spirit because He is Risen,

I have found Joy, Peace, Victory even over what had me bound because

You see this Jesus, Very God and Very Man is He who empathizes and sympathizes with our greatest need and a deepest distress, show us by being nailed at the cross, He can identify with our deepest despair, He know what we are going through

•           He knows what it feels like when people who is supposed to love you, abandon you, divorce you, forsake you,

•           He knows what it feels like when you are abused, misused, misunderstood, misspoken about, hated for your ethnicity, and ridiculed for your faith

•           He knows when you feel so alone, so isolated, so depressed, so hopeless, so broken

Why because He is Immanuel- God is with Us no matter who is not with us!

The Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ answers then the Ontological Argument- Does God exists?

•           Well on Friday He thirsted, but on Sunday He became the Thirst quencher

•           On Friday He thirsted on a Cross, But on Sunday the Cross quenched the thirst of sin and death

•           On Friday He thirsted, But on Sunday He watered us with the Holy Spirit to be able to deal with life

•           O Friday He had a Need, On Sunday, He became all we need

•           On Friday He died, On Sunday, Death is Shallowed Up!

It is True, He Has Risen and because He has risen, He changed my life and made me brand new! The Sign of if Jesus is who he really is, is a transformed and changed life!

2 Cor 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

It is True, He told no Lie, if anybody doubt that Jesus has rose from the dead on the third day, look at my life, where I was I am no longer there, and where I am right now is because He rose on the third day,  our faith is not in vain, and we don't have an unreasonable faith- Christ has risen because the Word says He did, The 500 witnesses saw that He did, and my life bears witness that it is true, He has Risen!

So waht does this all mean, I say you get a A

1. Access

I heard that it is not what you know but who you know that can open doors for you. When you declare that you have access you are stating that you have a pathway, a doorway, and entry point to someone of influence that can change your situation or circumstances. Better yet, that can change your life.  

Why was the resurrection of Jesus so important because it granted us access. Access to God even though it cost the life of the Son of God. To understand this, you must go to the beginning. In Genesis, all God created was good until Adam and Eve decided for themselves what good is.  

They did not know nothing about the world that they lived in, but they wanted to be their own God and rule over the world God gave tHem without Him.  

And what was prophesied to them by God because the promise of death due to sin and rebellion resulting in separation from God is that they no longer having access to God, who is the source of life.

They had access in the beginning , they walked with God in the garden but that was not enough. And when God is not enough for you, you seek what you lost and gave up  and seek in other sources which will never satisfy you. Sin brought separation but Blood brought access!

Jesus shed blood ripped the temple curtain in two at His death, which separated the presence of God from the people of God so that we are no longer separated from God, no longer need an intermediary to get to God, no longer need to offer a sheep or Lamb but because of the Lamb of God, because He is the only sacrifice that can wash us of our sins, we now have access to God, so much so, Jesus declares, I am the way, the truth, and the Life, none can could to the Father except through Me because only through Him we have access.

Meaning because of His death, our faith in Him has given us forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation to God. The sinful can now walk boldly into Holiness of God, into the presence of God and as Hebrews 4 declares.

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Meaning because of Access we got help! We got help from the One who made heaven and earth, we got help from the One who said let their be light, we got help from the One who breathe into mankind and we who were dust because a living soul,  

we got help, that Ezekiel was astounded when dry bones became alive from the sinews, to the muscles, to the flesh, we got help form the One who parted the Red Sea,  

We got help from the Onewho Walked on water, said Peace be Still to the Storm, Rose Lazarus from the dead, who casted our demons, healed the sick, cured leprosy, called those things as not as though they were, who destroyed the works of the devil, rose from the grave, conquered sin and yes death, who names every star, counted the hairs on our head, who declare if God be with you, who can be against you, that is the help you received because of the power of the resurrection because access aligns you to your help!  

He gives you grace to make it and mercy to keep you from falling. He has a throne and now you have access, you don’t need nobody to go for you, you can go yourself into the throne of God which is in the presence of God because you have access to your help because of what Jesus did two thousand years ago from a borrowed tomb.

And He is an ever-present help in the time of trouble. Meaning you have admission to grace, you have the way to power, you have entrance into mercy that even when I mess up, I have access to His help when I need it most!

Trans: The power of the resurrection means as believers, we have:  

1. Acceptance

Romans 5:1 -2

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we not only have access we have rights! Christ through His death and His resurrection proving than His death was not in vain, gave us by faith a right standing with God.  

Our sins kept us from God but through Christ and His righteousness made us right with God. So much so, we do not rely on our own righteousness which are like filthy rags,  to be accepted by God. We are right with God because Christ has given us His righteousness through faith in Him.  

So, when the devil accuses me of my weakness, tries to condemn me because of my faults, Christ through His death and His resurrection covers me up in His Righteousness and tells the devil, look at the Blood.

I cover them, I rescued them, they are right and alright with Me regardless of their weakness, failures, backsliding, struggles, they are alright with Me and because I love them, they are the righteous of God and by my grace they will live up to what I went down for. They are mine because they have right standing with God.  

Meaning the hostility is over, they are declared righteous, their debt, paid in full, they don’t have to worry about judgment, they have rights to eternal life, they don’t have to worry about shame, they have rights to glory, they don’t have to worry about guilt, they have rights to grace, they don’t have to worry about the privileges, possessions, and power of this world, they have rights to my glory, they have rights to my power, they have rights to my protection, they have rights to my peace!

When the devil and all those who he uses accuses me, God rescues me from my past and declare that I am right by Him. Meaning if I am right, He has accepted me. With so many looking for acceptance, looking for approval, looking to be loved. The power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals He accepts me.  

He knows I aint always got it together, but He approves of me, not because of what I have done but because of what he did. He reconciled with us and lives in us and give us His Holy Spirit to reveal how much He loves, approves, and accept us.  

And this approval according to Romans 8:1 declares there is not condemnation to those In Christ. Why because He gave His life because He loves us, He got up because He loves us, He lives in us because He loves us.

Many may not accept me, but He died and rose up for me. Many may not have approved of me, but His Holy Spirit confirms to my spirit I am His child, many may not love me, want to love me, make me think nobody will love me. But I got a testimony, when everybody left, He stayed, when everybody gossiped, He helped, when everybody looked down on me, He lifted me up.

I got rights and I am accepted, I got rights and I am loved. I got a testimony and I agree with Paul in Romans 8: 33- 37

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  

Get this in your spirit, nothing, absolutely nothing can separate the Love of God from you because we have rights, right-standing with God and no matter what we face, overwhelming victory is ours!

I wished someone who declare this over your life, I got rights and overwhelming victory is mine. I am accepted, I am approved, I am loved by God despite all these things that try to tell me differently.

1. Authority

The resurrection of Jesus is about power. His resurrection proved that He has power to destroy the works of the devil. His resurrection power stop and overcame the greatest enemy and the last enemy to all creation and that is death. Jesus laid down His life for us and Had power to pick it back up again!  

Why is this important? Because of His resurrection, He lives in Us and because He lives in us, He has given us resurrection power to do the same things He did for He said greater works will you do because I go to my Father.

Meaning, no weapon formed against me can prosper, the tongues that raise in judgement over me, I will condemn, this is my inheritance, because my righteousness is of the Lord.

And to have authority, you need power. We have power and authority to cast down every stronghold, high place, opinion, and hold in captive to the knowledge, dominion and power of Jesus Christ.

Paul declares in Eph 6:10-12

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  

Meaning we got divine power to walk in authority over the unseen world, the spiritual warfare that comes against us we wage war with power and authority in the Name of Jesus Christ,  

Somebody shout Power

we have power to defeat spiritual wickedness that tries to halt, hinder, harm our families, we have power over regional territorial spiritual forces who oppress our communities, we have resurrecting power to quill and rebuke generational curses.

Understand this, if these spiritual powers could have stopped Jesus, they would have and since that did not have power over Him, they have no power over you because you walk in authority, you have resurrection power, life giving power, for after the resurrection of Jesus, Jesus  in Mk 16:17-18 declared

17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

Because of the miracle of the resurrection, you got power, miracles follow you, power to cast out follow you, do you know who you are, what you handle cannot kill you, what tried to toxify your life, wont rule over you, and what others die from, you will be able to heal!  

Someone declare I got resurrecting Power.

Trans: I got Access, I got Acceptance, I got an Assignment, and I got authority and last, because of The power of the resurrection we as believers, we have:  

1. Authenticity

How many know real, knows real. Just because you believe in the resurrection does not mean your life reveals a resurrected, born-again life. A life that has been changed, transformed, and conformed to the image and character of Jesus Christ.  

To be authentic in who God called us to become means we have a fruitful life. We smell like fruit, taste like fruit, look like fruit.

Jesus declares in John 15:5-6

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.

When we look at this text, we see that there is an authentic relationship between the Lord and His followers, His disciples, His believers that promote intimacy, togetherness, and oneness.  

This union results in us taking on the character and mindset of who we are attached to. When we say we are One with Christ, then we should bear the characteristics of Christ evidence by our Fruit.

And what then is fruit-

1. We believe in God sent His Son

2. That Jesus is the Son of God that we make know God

3. We are now changed from the inside out, new spirit, new mindset, new creation- the old is dead, the new me is resurrected to a new life

4. Because of this new, we are now obediant to Him

5. We are now sensitive to His leading

6. We are now taking on His identity and His Character

7. We now are fruit bearers and not fruit flies chasing after anything that looks sweet- as Paul declares having the fruit of the Spirit  is the character of Christ meaning - Peace is ours, Self control is ours, Love is ours, Joy is ours, Gentleness is ours, patience without complaint is ours, faithfulness is ours- this is now our makeup because we are connected and One with Jesus Christ

And since we have resurrection power we have grace of connection, unity, oneness with Christ that we are authentically like Him by the evidence of His fruit in our lives.  

We cannot be fruitful without Him, He is the vine, the source, and we are the branches,  we must depend on Him to help us be who He called us to be. It is not just about power,  but yielding to the power to be changed.  

True power changes the life of those who yield to it, who obey the One who gives us power, who rely on the One who trusts us with this power.  

Authenticity then is not just what you say you are, but who you are. Authenticity is not just what you do, but whose you are. Authenticity is not just what church you connected to, but the Christ in relationship with!

Resurrection power then is the evidence of Christ-like fruit! For real knows real!  

And lastly, we Have Assurance

He makes us a promise, that Lo I am with you always