It Really Does Matter

It Really Matters

Last week we talked about the idea that the reality of

This concept is one of the hardest to wrap our minds around and it has been since the very beginning.

So the question for is Christianity dependent on the Resurrection being true? Paul is dealing with this question in the passaged of Scripture.

The Resurrection of the Dead, NLT

I coached with a head coach that said only three things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad…So it is better to throw the ball as little as possible.

I know a lot of other coaches that subscribe to the same philosophy and what most of them have in common is that they are nominally successful. They don’t lose a lot of games but they never tend to win the big games.

They take very few chances because they fail to believe the risk is worth the pay off. In short they tend to believe only in what they are already used to.

They also fail to believe that there are truly negative consequences to not embracing at least a mild passing game.

In a similar vein one of the reasons people tend to struggle with living a life of hope is that for some reason or another they fail to understand or think about the power of the Resurrection of Jesus.

I am not saying they do not believe in the Resurrection narrative but they often fail to see it’s on going power for everyday life.

Paul was dealing with people that did not believe that resurrection was even a thing, This was an on going fight in Judaism…(Sadducees no) (Pharisees Yes)

This concept is one of the hardest to wrap our minds around and it has been since the very beginning.

So the question for is Christianity dependent on the Resurrection being true? Paul is dealing with this question in the passaged of Scripture.

Paul was dealing with people that did not believe that resurrection was even a thing, This was an on going fight in Judaism…(Sadducees no) (Pharisees Yes)

Then outlined the consequences of this lack of belief…He was not arguing that the resurrection was not true just the implications…if there is not resurrection here are the implications...

1. Implications

a. If there is no such thing as resurrection then Jesus has not been raised. 12,13

b. If there is no resurrection and Jesus is not raised then the messages is a worthless lie v 14-15

c. If there is no resurrection we are still guilty of sin and lost v 16-18

d. If there is no resurrection those who live the Good News are missing out on life v19

This is bleak place to be. If the good news is not true and there is no hope of our resurrection then everything that Paul has taught is for nothing.

Its bleak for us as well. If there is no resurrection then there is no real hope. Are you inspired yet? I have to tell you that this is not a great pep talk so far from Paul

I don’t for a second believe that any of us would say we do not believe in the resurrection. As a matter of fact last week we focused on the importance of this being true.

This week The question to guide our time is not “Are we denying the resurrection?” but “What difference does the resurrection make?”

In a few weeks we are going to start recognizing Lent…a time where we start our walk toward the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It will be the storm before the calm where we focus on Jesus teaching, his humiliation, his betrayal and eventually His death.

Then on that Glorious morning when Mary goes to the tomb only to find out that He has Risen from the dead. All Glory will break loose.

Paul is reminding us of the implication of no resurrection so we can be inspired by Hope.

So we can live a life of meaning even if we cannot wrap our minds around the RISEN Christ!

I think we just like the Corinthians have a tendency to be more practical or materialistic in our thinking than we would like to admit.

We tend to get caught up in the “what about me?” mentality instead of resting in the What about the rest of the world mentality not because we don’t believe in the resurrection but because maybe we have not allowed in to make a continual difference in the world.

Last week I went to a conference we Call the M conference or the Mission Conference and our focus was on the importance of evangelism.

The one thing I kept seeing in all the work shops and plenary sessions was it is important to speak of Mission not How we do the mission.

Part of the problem in modern day Christianity is Christians struggling with the How to accomplish the mission instead of the Mission itself.

When I think about the missional work being done by us I want to make sure that we tell people more than the good news of our great music or the good news of our growing children’s program or the good news of our upcoming renovations. All of this is great but it is not our mission.

Again, all well and good, but not the resurrection!

When we boil down our belief in God to how a service makes us feel or how much money is in the bank or how much influence we carry with people we run the risk of losing hope that comes from knowing Sin and Death have been overcome.

I believe Paul shared this to remind the Corinthians of just how bleak life was before the good news was presented to them.

When we boil down our belief in God to how a service makes us feel or how much money is in the bank or how much influence we carry with people we runt he risk of losing hope that comes from knowing Sin and Death have been overcome

However just because there are a lot of negative consequences for something does not mean that those things are not true.

1. We do a lot of things that carry a lot of negative consequences.

a. Fly

b. Drive a car

c. Cross the street

d. Exercise

We do these things despite how many things can go wrong because we know the positive far outweighs the negative.

We also see people accomplish these things a regular basis and we know them be safe.

So Paul does not leave us with the implications of no resurrection..he then moves to assurance.

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead...

Can you see it or feel it…It is just like a plot twist in a movie that we were not expecting. Or like finding money in our coat pocket. Paul says basically ARE YOU NOT GLAD THAT THE RESURRECTION IS TRUE!

I believe that if we focus on the power of the resurrection every time we are faced with a difficulty we will be elevated to a place of Holiness.

As if this proclamation was not enough…Paul saves the best for last...

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died

As if this proclamation was not enough…Paul saves the best for last...

He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died

Jesus is not the last one that will be resurrected…He is the first of a great harvest of ALL who have died. You and I have the promise of resurrection as well…We said good by to Masako Beluew’s earthly body but because she believed in this truth she will meet us as we are all resurrected.

Today I know there are some of us that need to stop focusing on the implications of no resurection of the implications of losing something and start focusing on the wonderful implications of living a resurrected life.

There are some here that have been living in defeat instead of victory.

CALL UP PRAISE TEAM

We have been saying hope wins but if we truly want this to be true we have to embrace not only the truth of resurrection but the hope it brings.

As we sing this song I want to open the altar for you to come and exchange pain for Joy.

Love Your Enemies

Forgive all offence

Feed the Hungry

Eat with Sinners

Love each other

Altar

Spend so much time with sinners that it soils your reputation with Church people. (Quote)

When we do this our belief moves from a way to escape this life and go to heaven to allowing the Good News of Jesus resurrection and our eventual resurrection to inspire Hope for our lives

When these things become a natural outflow of our lives it proves the Power of resurrection for all the world to see.

It also moves us to a genuine place of hope not just positive thinking.

Communion Reminds us that Jesus has in fact Risen. It Reminds us that He will return again because he has never died.

Communion gives us a tangible way to embrace hope over positive thinking.

As you come to the table and receive this tangible expression of God’s very real presence picture yourself in the embrace of Jesus.

Hope does win…as Hope embraces you come and embrace hope

We are an open Communion Church so we invite all who know Jesus as Savior to come to the table and receive the presence of Jesus inside of us through the symbols of the Juice and the Bread.

All the elements are gluten free…as you come to receive the elements please exit your row to the right to receive communion from the servers in your section. Then circle back to your row by first aisle to your left.

Pray: Go with the presence of God into a resurrected every day life.

No matter the sin in your past, or the mistakes in your present nothing is able to stand against the special favor God has poured out on you.

All the elements are gluten free…as you come to receive the elements please exit your row to the right to receive communion from the servers in your section. Then circle back to your row by first aisle to your left.