Hope Conquers.

Well, let me welcome all of you who are here in person and those joining us online. I am Cal and I am the pastor of Hope Bible Fellowship. We’re glad you have chosen to join us this morning. It’s a great morning because the tomb is empty!

If you wanted to, you could go and dig up the remains of any religious leader in history except one… Jesus Christ. Because our God is ALIVE! He is RISEN! Amen.

This morning, we are going to talk about the resurrection of Jesus and then we are going celebrate the Lord’s Supper together as a church family. I am excited to do that for the first time since coming to pastor this church. But first, let’s pray and ask for the Lord’s help as we dive into His Word this morning.

Pray

Introduction:

Easter is the celebration of new life. Resurrection is more than just a re-living, though; it’s eternal life with God Himself. When Jesus saves you, your resurrection isn’t an indefinite extension of your physical existence. Your salvation in Christ transforms you into a completely new person.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. It’s not to be treated as the icing on the cake but something more akin to the flour or eggs. The final product doesn’t work without a main ingredient.

Paul is going to hammer this home in our passage. This morning we are going to walk through Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian believers of the Gospel, the Priority that Paul saw in that Gospel, and Paul’s assumption of a humble status among the apostles.

In the resurrection, hope conquers:

Defeatism. Your victory is to come.

Anxiety. Your worries have an answer.

Fear. You can be calm in the storm.

Doubt. You have assurance even when you’re not sure.

Death. Your victory is assured because Jesus is alive.

A resurrection hope is God’s pursuit of us – His willingness to die for us followed by His coming to life again.

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 ESV

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of the Gospel.

That he preached.

That they had recieved.

In which they stand.

By which they are saved.

If they hold fast.

Unless they believed in vain.

1. JESUS DIED FOR US

Jesus died for you. Because there was no other way for you to have peace with God. You are a sinner. I am a sinner. We have a sin nature.

Paul speaks in this chapter about the gospel, and he focuses first on the fact that Christ died according to the Scriptures.

Imagine the scene. The King between two thieves, surrounded by mocking sinners. Sin- ners at their worst... and God acting out in love. The merciful Savior took all the merciless insults on our behalf.

Isaiah 53 helps us to think about the death of Jesus, too.

Isaiah 53 ESV

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus was rejected so we can be accepted.

He suffered so we would be relieved.

He was despised so we could be glorified.

He carried our pain so we would find comfort.

He was struck down so we could be lifted up.

He was wounded so we could be healed.

He was oppressed so we would be free.

He was cut off so we could come near.

He was assigned to the grave, crushed, counted among rebels... so our rebel- lion could be exchanged for eternal life.

The death of Jesus is a reminder that Jesus relentlessly pursues us when we are at our worst. Jesus could have poured out the wrath of God on everyone. But, He instead absorbed God’s wrath.

• We killed God with our sin, and He chases us down with His grace.

The great exchange.

2. JESUS WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY

Everyone needs this miracle because no one escapes death. Death exists for everyone, universally; it haunts us, a shadow that threatens all. Death is that stalker, always just behind us, creeping towards us.

Death is unsettling because we can’t control it, though we try.

But through Jesus, death opens into eternal life. Jesus Himself said, “I am the resurrec- tion and the life” (John 11:25). Death does not have to lead to darkness; Jesus’ resurrec- tion can bring you into the light.

John 11:25 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Many in the world today have no help, but God has an answer: the promise of resurrection.

He appeared to His followers. - Paul lists the appearances

Cephas

the 12

Then more than 500 brothers at once.

To James

To all the Apostles (hadn’t he already?)

Last of all: to Paul.

Some in the Corinthian church, though, were arguing there is no resurrection, but Paul

clearly affirmed it. As many as 500 people at once saw Christ alive again.

We have eye witness accounts. It was as if Paul was pointing out that some of these people were alive even then as he wrote to the Corinthians and if they were so inclined they could have gone and heard from them. We have eye witness accounts written down in the Word of God.

Is the resurrection really that important? Can we still salvage faith without the resurrection? What if Jesus rose again only metaphorically, figuratively? What if Jesus rose again only in the hearts of the disciples? You surely cannot imagine saying something like . . .

To your wife: “I’ll install the ceiling fan metaphorically.”

To your landlord: “I’ll pay the rent figuratively.”

To your children: “I’ll love you allegorically.”

To your boss: “I’ll work symbolically.”

Of course, none of that would ever work. Jesus literally rose again because God quite literally loves us! In fact, without the resurrection, our faith is worthless. We are still dead in our sins.

3. THROUGH THE MIRACLE OF THE RESURRECTION, LOVE DEFEATS FAILURE

Luke 24:1–3 ESV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

When the women brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body, they knew the tomb was covered by a large stone. The spices they were carrying showed that they were not expecting a resurrection.

When they got there, though, they didn’t face an immovable stone. Rather, they saw the glory of an angel. The horrors of the cross became the surprise of an empty tomb.

Jesus died. For three days human destiny hung in the balance. Then God raised Him from the dead. Death was murdered in the tomb. The entire path of the universe reversed course. The world was given the greatest miracle of all. And, love defeated failure.

Conclusion:

Paul assumed a humble status.

A. This was in opposition to the status seeking attitude of the Corinthians. (explain)

B. What grace had produced in Paul. Humility, constantly putting himself at the back of the pack.

What had Paul been before Christ? One who persecuted the church. On the day that the Lord Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, Saul, as he was called, was on his way to chain up those who followed Christ.

It was a crisp fall day and football was in the air—literally. The University of Colorado Buffaloes were playing the University of Michigan Wolverines. Both of these teams were undefeated, and both hoped to stay that way. Michigan had the advantage because the game was being played on their home field before 105,000 fans.

The game was everything diehard football fans hoped for. Every play was crucial, and every tackle was bone jarring. There were lots of big plays. The biggest one seemed to happen during the last two minutes of the game when Michigan scored a touchdown to go ahead of Colorado by four points. When Michigan kicked off and Colorado received the ball, they had only one minute to go eighty yards down the field. They could not just score a three-point field goal; they had to score a touchdown. Time to go. Over. Forget it. But wait.

As one wag said, “The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” In other words, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Colorado had the ball. They tried two passes and failed. Now they had only six seconds left. Time for the “Hail Mary” pass. The “Hail Mary” play is when all the receivers run toward the end zone and the quarterback heaves the ball with all of his might toward the end zone, hoping one of his guys will catch the ball and score. Everybody in the stadium knew this was coming, especially Michigan’s football team. They were ready.

The ball was snapped and the Colorado quarterback dropped back and threw the ball with all his might, approximately sixty yards to the end zone. The Michigan defenders were in the end zone to block the pass and the Colorado receivers were there to try to catch it. The ball came sailing into the end zone—and the unthinkable happened. The ball was tipped by a Michigan defender as a Colorado receiver was falling to the ground. Amazingly, the ball was tipped in such a way that as the Colorado receiver was falling he caught the ball on his way to the ground.

One hundred and five thousand people stared in stunned silence while the Colorado football team, first in shock and then delirium, began to jump and shout. This desperation play won the game. “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

This is how we as believers are to live life. We never put a period on a sentence. We put a comma and let God finish it. Just ask a wiry teenager named David, armed with only a sling and a stone, who defeated a giant over nine feet tall by the name of Goliath. Or how about the fleeing Israelites? An Egyptian army was approaching and they had no possible way to escape except through the Red Sea. Against nature and reversing the pull of gravity, the water opened up and allowed Moses and the Hebrews to walk across. Who would have thought it?

Or, how about a place called Golgotha and a sealed tomb? It was found empty three days later. With God, anything is possible. He has a way of bypassing what seems inevitable. Do not be too quick to come to any conclusions. Be open. When the Lord is in something, anything is possible. Just ask a handful of disciples who saw their Lord crucified, only to find he had risen three days later. This truth of the good news ended up turning the world upside down. Who would have thought it? No one but God.

Application:

Do you feel defeated today? a failure? The hope God gives conquers all because that hope is based on the resurrected Lord.

If you feel this way today, turn to Christ. Repent of your sin and believe this good news.

If you are a believer, thank God for the victory we have in the resurrected Christ. REJOICE!!!

Sharing of the Lord’s Supper Together

Fencing

This sacred time at the Lord’s Table is for believers who have rested all their hope on the death and resurrection of Christ. If you are not yet a believer, you should refrain from partaking until you come to faith in Christ—and then joyfully partake along with the body of Christ. We encourage those of you who are believers to examine your hearts, so that you can partake in a worthy manner. If your heart is harboring unrepentant sin, refrain until you can come freely to partake. As the bread and the cup are served, we ask that you hold them, so that we all partake together.

The Bread

I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:23–24)

Prayer for the Bread

Christ Jesus, when you came into the world, you said to the Father: “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.” Then you said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book” (Heb. 10:5–7). You came in the incarnation, and by a single offering of your body on the cross you achieved what all the offerings on Jewish altars could never accomplish—the complete forgiveness of our sins. Bread of Heaven, as we now partake of the symbol, ravish our hearts and refresh our souls. Amen.

Partaking of the Bread

Jesus said: “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:24b).

Silence

The Cup

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:25)

Prayer for the Cup

Our gracious God, we thank you this day for the new covenant, the covenant sealed through the blood of Jesus Christ, your Son. And we drink this cup in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, asking him even now, through the Spirit, to commune with us as we commune with each other. With grateful hearts, O Christ, we drink of you and to you. Amen.

Partaking of the Cup

Jesus said, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25b).

Silence

Benediction

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). Amen.

SONG

PRAYER

DISMISS