Because He Is Risen
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Because He Is Risen
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Six longings that I believe are rooted in every human heart:
“If Christ be Not Risen...”
Paul says there are 6 things that would fall apart if Christ did not rise from the dead.
Then in v20, he reverses the whole paragraph:
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
“…if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,...”
“and your faith is also vain”
“We are found false witnesses of God;”
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
“they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”
“we are of all men most miserable.”
The Flip Side of the Coin:
The Flip Side of the Coin:
Stating the Negatives in Positive Terms:
You can best see how 6 of your deepest longings are met here by the resurrection of Jesus, by going back and restating each of these 6 reversals in positive terms.
We’ll follow the order that it happens in our lives:
1. We Are Forgiven of Our Sins
1. We Are Forgiven of Our Sins
Instead of saying negatively, that we are not still i our sins, we can say positively that because of the resurrection we are forgiven of our sins.
If God holds our sins against us - we all have sinned!
And there is no hope of anything else in God.
The foundation of every blessing from God...
Everything hangs on forgiveness
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Everybody in this room this morning needs forgiveness
And deep inside, even when we don’t thing about it, we long for it.
We long to be accepted by God
We fear the alienation of our guilt
But Paul says, because Christ rose, we are no longer in our sins.
This is the first and most basic longing of our hearts.
2. Our Faith Is Well-Founded
2. Our Faith Is Well-Founded
Instead of saying that our faith is not in vain, we can say positively that our faith is well-founded.
There is someone we can trust absolutely!
Deep in the heart of every person is a longing for someone that:
You can count on through thick and thin.
is absolutely trustworthy
if your faith is in Him, he wont let you down.
He will always be there.
We are designed to trust God for everything we need.
The death of Jesus proves His love for us
The resurrection proves His power over every enemy of life.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
3. The Apostles Preach What is True
3. The Apostles Preach What is True
Instead of saying negatively that the apostles are not false witnesses, we can say positively that because of the resurrection, what they preach is true.
Our young people are being taught that there is no absolute truth - something that is true all the time and everywhere, whether people know it or like it.
Sin is wrong for everybody, not just those who think it is wrong.
Without the conviction that there are absolutes.
Without this basis for society, the only end will be anarchy where everyone does what is right in his own eyes.
Therefore the need for truth is a deep need of the human soul and society.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
4/5. We Are to Be Envied
4/5. We Are to Be Envied
Instead of saying negatively that we are not to be pitied, we can say positively that because of the resurrection we are to be envied.
We all have a longing that our lives be well spent.
that our lives count for something...
Our live are not in vain
Our lives are not empty,
Our lives are not pointless,
Our lives are not useless
Our lives are not insignificant
Our lives are not miserable
That’s why Paul ends this chapter with:
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
6. Those Who Have Fallen Asleep Are Alive
6. Those Who Have Fallen Asleep Are Alive
Finally, there is the longing that we can live forever in joy.
Instead of saying those who have fallen asleep in Him have not perished - we can say positively, they are alive!
They will live forever!
God satisfies all of these deep longings in our lives and does it in such a way that I don’t become self-centered, but Christ-centered!
Therefore I urge you with all of my heart to lift up your heart and say with the choirs on earth and in heaven:
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Cancel culture is the inversion of the gospel.
30 pieces of silver
The price of a common slave
SS Lesson: When Fear and Joy Collide
SS Focus: Press on through fear and joy will win in the end.
Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) Six Gifts of the Resurrection
Six Gifts of the Resurrection
March 31, 1991
Easter Sunday
1 Cor 15:12-20 Paul proclaims the good news that the resurrection of Jesus satisfies six of our deepest needs and longings.