Sermon Tone Analysis

THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION

INTRODUCTION:

AGAIN, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, EVERYTHING IS POINTING TOWARD EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1ST.

AND AS I THINK ABOUT EASTER, MY MIND IS TURNED TOWARD THE REFERENCES TO THE RESURRECTION WHICH ARE REPORTED IN SCRIPTURE…

RESURRECTION, AS A CONCEPT, SEEMS A BIT OUTLANDISH, BUT FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS, IT WAS A COMMON THEME…

IT CERTAINLY WAS VIEWED WITH AN AIR OF MYSTERY, AND RIGHTLY SO, BECAUSE WHO AMONG US CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF SOMEONE RISING FROM THE DEAD?

BUT IT WAS A WELL-ACCEPTED THEME OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND SOMETHING THAT IS MENTIONED DOZENS OF TIMES IN SCRIPTURE…

TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND OPEN IT TO THE BOOK OF 1 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 15.

LET’S STAND TOGETHER AS WE TAKE VERSES 1 THROUGH 11 AS OUR TEXT FOR THIS MORNING…

STAND – READ – PRAY

THE RESURRECTION IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE…

IF YOU EXCLUDE THE RESURRECTION, YOU DON’T HAVE THE GOSPEL…

AND HERE IN THE TEXT WE READ FOR THIS MORNING, PAUL IS STATING HIS CASE FOR WHY HE PREACHES THE GOSPEL MESSAGE…

SO THE “SO WHAT?” OF THIS TEXT COULD BE STATED THIS WAY…WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL?

LET’S LOOK AT PAUL’S SHORT TREATISE ON THE GOSPEL’S EFFECT, ITS MESSAGE, ITS CONFIRMATION, AND ITS POWER…

1. THE GOSPEL’S EFFECT…

a. (ESV) - 15 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.

b.

IT IS PROCLAIMED…

i. PREACHERS PREACH…

ii.

IT’S WHAT WE DO…

iii.

AND WE CAN PREACH, BECAUSE WE HAVE A MESSAGE TO DELIVER…

1. THE GOSPEL MESSAGE PROMPTS PREACHERS TO PREACH…

iv.

PAUL SAID THIS IS THE GOSPEL I PREACHED TO YOU…

c. IT IS RECEIVED…

i. AS LONG AS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IS GIVEN, IT WILL BE RECEIVED BY SOMEONE…

1. THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN IT IS RECEIVED BY LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE…

2. AND THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN ONLY A FEW WILL RESPOND TO IT…

3. BUT IT WILL BE RECEIVED…

d.

IT IS SECURE…

i. PAUL REMARKS TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH THAT IT IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST THAT THEY ARE STANDING UPON.

1. AND IT IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST THAT WE STAND UPON TODAY…

2. IT IS A MESSAGE OF SECURITY…A MESSAGE OF ASSURANCE…A MESSAGE THAT GIVES THOSE WHO STAND UPON IT THE ABILITY EVEN TO STAND ALONE, IF NECESSARY…

e. – 13 THEREFORE TAKE UP THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND FIRM.

f.

IT IS THE SOURCE OF SALVATION…

i. IT IS THE WORD BY WHICH YOU ARE BEING SAVED, IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST…

g.

IT IS THE PATTERN FOR LIFE…

i. UNLESS YOU BELIEVED IN VAIN…

1. VAIN – IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE MEANS WITHOUT CAUSE OR WITHOUT SUCCESS…

ii.

PAUL’S POINT HERE IS THAT IF ONE REJECTS THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS, THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF JESUS IS OF NO EFFECT…

iii.

TO REJECT THE RESURRECTION IS TO REJECT THE ENTIRE GOSPEL…

iv.

IT MAKES THE GOSPEL MESSAGE WITHOUT SUCCESS…

h.

HENRY MORRIS – THE FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH, WHICH IS THE ORGANIZATION FOR WHICH KEN HAM WORKED BEFORE HE STARTED ANSWERS IN GENESIS, SAID THIS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST…

i. “THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD IS THE CROWNING PROOF OF CHRISTIANITY.

IF THE RESURRECTION DID NOT TAKE PLACE, THEN CHRISTIANITY IS A FALSE RELIGION.

IF IT DID TAKE PLACE, THEN CHRIST IS GOD AND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH.”

i. THE SUSTAINING FORCE FOR THE BELIEVER IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST…

1. THE COMPLETE GOSPEL…

2. IT IS WHAT DRIVES US TO DO WHAT WE DO AS INDIVIDUALS…

ii.

IT QUICKENS OUR SPIRITS – MAKES US ALIVE AND ENREGIZES US TO DO THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL…

iii.

IT IS WHAT DRIVES US TO DO WHAT WE DO AS A CHURCH…

1. IT IS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH ALL OF OUR MINISTRIES REST…

iv.

IT IS WHAT KEEPS US MOVING, EVEN WHEN THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IS NOT AS WELL RECEIVED AS IT USED TO BE…

j.

AND KNOW THIS, IT DOES HAVE A MESSAGE…PAUL SHARES THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IN VERSES 3 AND 4.

2. THE GOSPEL’S MESSAGE…

a. (ESV) - 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…

b.

CHRIST DIED…

i. ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES…

c.

THE DEATH OF CHRIST IS AT THE SAME TIME THE MOST TRAGIC AND THE MOST GLORIOUS EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY…

i. TRAGIC IN THAT IT PICTURES THE SINFUL STATE OF ALL MANKIND…

1. SO SINFUL THAT THEY WOULD CRUCIFY THE LORD OF GLORY…

ii.

GLORIOUS IN THAT IT PICTURES THE INCREDIBLE LOVE THAT GOD HAS FOR HIS CREATION…

1. THAT CHRIST WOULD WILLINGLY GO TO THAT CROSS AND BECOME OUR SACRIFICE FOR SIN…

2. CHRIST DIED ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES…

d.

CHRIST WAS BURIED…

i. HE WAS BURIED IN A BORROWED TOMB…

ii.

BORROWED, BECAUSE HE ONLY NEEDED IT FOR A FEW DAYS…

iii.

IT’S INTERESTING THAT PAUL DOESN’T TAG CHRIST’S BURIAL WITH THE PHRASE “ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURE,” EVEN THOUGH SCRIPTURE IS VERY CLEAR THAT HE WAS BURIED…

e. BUT HIS BURIAL IS NOT WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT…

i. WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT HE WAS CRUCIFIED FOR OUR REDEMPTION, AND HE WAS RESURRECTED TO GIVE US HOPE OF LIFE BEYOND THIS LIFE…

f.

AND CHRIST WAS RAISED…

i. ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES…

ii.

THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST CRUCIFIED AND RAISED FROM THE DEAD…

g.

IT IS A MESSAGE THAT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED…

h.

LOOK AT…

3. THE GOSPEL’S CONFIRMATION…