The Domino Effect

Dominoes tip one over, they all go.

Triple Spiral Dominoes video

I want to talk about the first domino. The most important Domino. The Domino that triggers everything.

We’re going to finish our series on the Apostle’s Creed tonight and start a new series next week as we move into the month of March.

Who has been here for the whole series? Every message in CREED?

Read the Creed

*Dominoes Pizza, 30 mins or its free*

We’re gonna dig into one of the most impactful chapters in the whole Bible tonight.

Turn in your bibles to 1 Cor 15

The Gospel (1-11)

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 NLT

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

Paul says he wants to make the Gospel clear and that the gospel is the most important thing he can deliver to them.

So let’s start there. What are the facts?

the facts:

Died (for our sins)

Jesus didn’t die because he got caught by the bad guys. God the Son became incarnate as a human being because we were in open rebellion against God. We were disloyal to God. We had missed the mark. And someone had to come and make it right between us and God because we couldn’t do it ourselves. So his death was sacrificial, it was for you, and it took the full punishment that you deserved!

Buried (he wasn’t faking it)

You don’t bury someone who is faking it. There are some who say Jesus just passed out, or that he faked his death by pretending to be asleep. But the fact is, you don’t bury someone who is faking, and if you did, they would en up dead.

Raised (on the third day, according to the scriptures)

Fact, Jesus is alive. The bible said jesus would be raised to new life after three days and it happened just like it says it did. It is so beautiful that Jesus died for you. But he didn’t just die for you, he also rose from the dead for you! He proved that sin, and death had no more power anymore because he got up.

Appeared (Cephas, 12, 500, James, apostles, Paul - THEY WITNESSED IT)

And the last fact that Paul delivers is that tons of people actually saw Jesus after the resurrection.

Peter saw him, the 12 disciples saw him, then a group of 500 saw him, then James, Jesus’ brother, saw him, then eventually Paul saw him too. It’s not like one person started a rumor that everyone believed, over 500 people saw Jesus after he rose from the dead.

So let’s dig into the rest of this chapter because the main issue that Paul needs to address is whether or not Jesus actually rose from the dead.

I have 4 big points I want you to walk away with

His Resurrection is Everything (12-19)

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 NLT

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

The people are saying, Resurrection doesn’t exist. It’s a myth, it’s a fairy tale, it is the stuff of stories and movies. It’s not real.

So Paul starts setting up some Dominoes. basically he builds a Jenga Tower.

(Jenga blocks)

There is no hope for anybody else who has lived and died

You are trapped in Sin and there is no hope for you

You are a LIAR - you’ve been telling people fake news about God

Your faith is FAKE (in vain), it doesn’t matter

Christ didn’t raise from the dead

No Resurrection

We believe in the resurrection because it is the first Domino in the chain, it’s the bottom block on the Jenga tower.

This is what makes a Christian a Christian. We follow Jesus because HE GOT UP.

Without resurrection, my life has been wasted. And if you’re a follower of Jesus like me, your life has been wasted too.

His Resurrection Is A Promise For Your Future (20-28)

The promise is simple.

If Jesus HAS been raised…which Paul (and I am saying) then you will be resurrected too.

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 NLT

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

That is a promise. Christ died and rose again. He was first. And when he comes again, we get up too.

So let this promise give you hope for your future. What if the worst thing you could imagine comes true? What if something horrible happens to you?

Hold onto this promise: resurrection is for you because Jesus was first.

His Resurrection is A Promise For Your Present (29-34)

It’s not just for the future. Nice, thanks Danny. This will help me when i literally DIE! but what about right now? How does this help me live in 2021. With online school. And friend group drama. And fighting with my mom. And basketball games, and...

Paul talks about this too:

1 Corinthians 15:30–32 NLT

And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Paul’s like, I’m utting my life on the line. I’m in dangerous places telling people about Jesus, but if he isn’t alive, then it doesn’t matter.

Let us eat and drink…YOLO!

might as well.

BUT!

If it’s all true.

Then Jesus’ resurrection is a promise for you to hold onto right now.

Your life has purpose. Your life has value. What you do with your body matters to God. How you speak to your mom or your friends matters to God.

Your resurrection in the future is also a promise for now. This life is infused with meaning and purpose.

His Resurrection Means Victory (51-58)

1 Corinthians 15:53–55 NLT

For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Jesus’ resurrection the first domino of our faith, the bottom Jenga block means you get victory over sin, victory over shame, victory over guilt, and victory over death.

Why do we need to be resurrected?

Because this life is not all that there is.

Go and Read Revelation 21