CHRIST IS RISEN...How It Impacts You
CHRIST IS RISEN:
How This Fact Impacts You
It is one thing to believe a fact; it is another to believe it impacts you. It is a fact that fuel costs have gone up; it is also true that it affects your pocketbook. Such is true of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead some 2000 years ago.
The challenge before us is to understand this historical fact and then to understand how it affects our lives. Whether you are a Christian this morning or not; the resurrection of Jesus impacts your life and will impact your eternal destiny.
1 Corinthians 15:1-19
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel (the good news about Jesus) which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand (remain firm), 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain (as though it never happened). 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received (in a series of things this one is of first importance), that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit 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 did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
How Does Christ’s Resurrection Impact You? (Whether a Christian or non-Christian)
1. Insures Salvation For All Who Believe
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed (worthy to be praised) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope (newness of life fit for heaven today though not complete because our bodies have not been redeemed; to live again for God’s pleasure) through (by means of) the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Philippians 3:10
Paul states…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (to die for the sake of others knowing Christ)
Bottom line: No resurrection of Christ; no deliverance from our sins; no life fit for heaven; no change-same person!
2. Insures Justification For All Who Believe
Romans 4:22-25
22 Therefore it was also credited to him (abraham) as righteousness. 23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
When Christ was raised from the dead, it was God’s declaration of approval of Christ’s work of redemption. The Father needed not to hold His Son in death because the penalty for sin was paid in full. Watch this! God the Father laid our sins on His Son and He took the sin of everyone, the Father judged His own Son who bore our sins unto death. Now, the Father no longer counted His Son guilty but righteous in His sight and raised Him from the dead. By our union with Christ, the Father imputed Christ’s righteousness to our account. We, too, now are declared right with God forever.
Bottom line: No resurrection of Christ; we do have Christ’s righteousness to present to our God. We have only our righteousness which is declared by God to be nothing more than filthy rags.
1. It insures salvation
2. It insures justification
3. It insures a bodily resurrection
1 Corinthians 6:14
Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
(Do not click this verse, I will) Corinthians 15:12-20
12 Now if Christ is preached,
that He has been raised from the dead,
how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
not even Christ has been raised;
14 and
if Christ has not been raised,
then our preaching is vain (as though it never happened),
your faith also is vain.
15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God,
because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise,
if in fact 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 worthless (has no content);
you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (if this were so, you and I would be lying at the funeral of a friend when we say they are in a better place)..
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only,
we are of all men most to be pitied (because of their miserable condition).
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who are asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (taunts death as if it were a bee whose sting was removed)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Christ has conquered the sting of the law)
CHALLLENGE: To the believer
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast (have conviction), immovable (steady), always abounding in the work (that which has been assigned to you) of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain (not without result) in the Lord.
…be steadfast
…be immovable
…be abounding in God’s work
To the unbeliever
Hebrews 9:27
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 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.
…will be judge according to your deeds
…will be cast into eternal lake of fire