The Essential Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Good evening students! It is great to see everyone here tonight! I hope you have had a great week. If you have your Bibles, open up with me to the book of 1 Corinthians 15. Last week, we finished up our series through the parables. Now, we are approaching Easter on this Sunday. Because of that, I found it essential that we take a look at the Resurrection as it is essential to the Gospel.
Understand this, the resurrection of Jesus is vital to the Gospel because without it there would be no hope. There would be no victory over sin, death, and satan. Jesus would have come to earth, died, and that would be it. However, we know that is not the case because Jesus’s tomb is empty. No body was found, and as we will see tonight, Jesus appeared to some 500 people after His resurrection.
With that being said, let take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy 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 was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Pray.
Paul is the writer of 1 Corinthians, and he is writing to a body of believers that had some saying that there was no resurrection. Because of this, Paul writes to remind these believers of the Gospel. He specifically states that he would remind them of the Gospel. This leads us to the first point.
We need constant reminding of the Gospel.
We need constant reminding of the Gospel.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
As Paul writes, notice, the first thing he says in this chapter is, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.” From this, we understand that Paul is writing to the Corinthian church simply to first remind them of the Gospel. As Paul reminds them of the Gospel, he points out the four things regarding the Gospel as relates to the church at Corinth.
First, Paul reminds them that this is the Gospel he preached to them. Paul was a missionary and would travel place to place taking the Gospel. So, he had obviously taken the Gospel to Corinth and preached it to the church at Corinth. He is reminding them of the Gospel as he will seek to point out the necessity of the resurrection.
Paul then reminds the Corinthian church that they had received the Gospel. This means that as Paul preached the Gospel the church had obvious received the Gospel meaning they had believed in the message of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, burial, and resurrection.
As Paul had preached the Gospel and the church had received the Gospel, Paul points out that the church now stands in the Gospel. As we recall from our study through the book of Ephesians, the church belongs to Jesus. Jesus is the head of the church. Therefore, the church at Corinth can only stand by their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The church is made up of individuals who have placed their faith in Christ. Therefore, the church stands in the Gospel.
Then, Paul reminds the church that it is the Gospel that is contributing to their salvation. However, I want you to notice something with me. We see here that Paul says, “being saved.” You may be thinking, “I thought that once you placed your faith in Christ you are saved.” That is correct. However, as we walk on the face of the earth, we are being saved by Jesus’s death burial and resurrection. Likewise, because of the resurrection and its significance to the Gospel, others continue to be saved. As the Gospel goes out, more and more people are coming to Christ. They are hearing the message of Jesus’s death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection. As they hear of the hope that is in Christ, they repent and believe and are saved.
As we walk on the face of the earth we are continually being saved as the Gospel continues to work within our lives. The Gospel is not just something that we believe in and are saved. Then, we carryon living our lives however we want. The Gospel is also not something that the believer need occasionally. No, the Gospel is for all of life. The Gospel is to permeate the life of the believer. What I mean is that the Gospel is to be on the mind of the believer every single day. As we wake up, we must be reminded of how Christ has forgiven us through His death on the cross and His resurrection. As Jesus has been raised from the grave, He has victory, and as we walk through life reminding ourselves of the Gospel, we will be reminded of our victory through our faith in Him. Then, we will be inclined to share Christ with others.
The Gospel is not just an insurance policy used to get us out of hell. The Gospel is the saving message of Jesus Christ that impacts the way in which we live and calls us to share Jesus with the world.
I wake up each day and seek to spend time in God’s Word and prayer in order that I may be reminded of the Gospel. It is vital to my spiritual walk. There are days I do not feel like it; however, I know that I must spend time with God. I am not legalistic about it. There are days that I may miss my quiet time in the morning; however, I can pick it up later the day or the next day. That being said, it is essential for the believer to be reminded of the Gospel.
Maybe you are the star athlete on the field and it is easy for you to harvest pride or arrogance. Be reminded that apart from Christ you are a wretched sinner, but in Christ, you are a redeemed saint called to be humble. In my life, I have to remind myself of the Gospel when it comes to academics. There is no amount of knowledge that I can possess that will get me to heaven. Likewise, I must guard against arrogance in obtaining knowledge. Therefore, I must remind myself that faith in Jesus is the only way in which I am made right before the holy God. In every life situation, the believer must remind himself or herself of the Gospel. As we do so, we less inclined to think of self and more inclined to worship a gracious Savior Jesus Christ who bore our sin on the cross of Calvary. Be sure to remind yourself daily of the Gospel.
The Gospel is of first importance.
The Gospel is of first importance.
Whenever we remind ourselves of the Gospel, we will understand that the Gospel is of first importance.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
As Paul continues to remind these Corinthian believers of the Gospel, he now turns his attention to the Gospel that he delivered to the Corinthian believers. He is reminding them of the details of the Gospel which we will look at to be reminded of the Gospel as well. In verse 3, he begins by pointing out that Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.
Jesus died for our sins. Jesus was in heaven before He stepped down to take on human flesh.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus emptied Himself, meaning He humbled Himself. Jesus humbled Himself to the point of taking on human flesh to redeem us or in order to buy us back out of slavery to sin. He came to earth taking on the form of a servant.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus came down from heaven ready to carry out the Father’s will. The Father’s will was for Jesus to come to earth in order to be crucified on the cruel cruel cross. From Scripture, we see that Jesus did just that.
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Here we see the death of Jesus in Mark 15; however, Paul was more than likely speaking of the Old Testament which was fulfilled by Jesus’s coming and dying. The Old Testament told of a suffering servant in Isaiah 53, and Jesus was the suffering servant who came and died upon the cross for our sins.
After Paul reminds them of Jesus’s death, he reminds them that Jesus was raised from the dead.
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
After Jesus’s death on the cross, He was buried in the grave of a man named Joseph. As Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, He would not stay there. Some of the Corinthians were saying there was no resurrection. If there was no resurrection, there would be no victory. The task would not be finished. Jesus was to come, die, and be raised from the grave. Without the resurrection, there for be no defeat of death for us. The resurrection is essential and it is historically true. Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea who was a member of the very court that had Jesus crucified. Likewise, Scripture testifies to Jesus’s resurrection.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Here, we see the Scriptural evidence of Jesus’s resurrection. Likewise, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that Jesus was seen by some 500 people. Therefore, eyewitness accounts exist of Jesus resurrected. He rose from the grave with victory in hand. That is the Christ we serve. We have hope and victory in Jesus because of His work on the cross and resurrection. He appeared to Paul, Peter, the remaining disciples, and Mary His mother and Mary Magdalene. Jesus is risen from the grave and this is what we celebrate this time of year. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is alive, and we celebrate because it was all for us and all of grace. This leads us to our last point.
The Gospel is all of grace.
The Gospel is all of grace.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Now, Paul makes the Gospel personal for these Corinthian believers. Paul states that he is what he is because of God’s grace toward him. Paul was a Jewish leader that travelled around persecuting the church and killing Christians. But, by God’s grace, Paul was redeemed and was preaching the Gospel.
You see, the Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection was all for His children. Jesus came to earth out of obedience to His Father and out of love for His children. Jesus was in heaven, yet stepped down humbling Himself all for us. Jesus came to earth with one purpose: to died for our sins and raise from the grave. In other words, Jesus came to bring salvation. That is the Gospel. God loves us to much that He sent His very own Son to die for us.
He sent His Son to die for us, and we are so quick t turn our back on Him. We are quick to choose tons of things over the God who poured out His wrath on His Son to save us. WE choose sports, work, education, band, laziness, and apathy. We forget what Christ has done for us. We can partake in each of those things. However, to do so at the expense of our relationship with Christ is tragic. We must choose Christ above all else because He choose us in coming to earth and dying for us. This is why reminding ourselves of the Gospel is essential.
That is grace. We get what we do not deserve. We deserve hell, but through Christ we get forgiveness and eternal life with God. God in His grace and mercy sent Christ to die for us. Likewise, in His grace and mercy, He raised Jesus from the grave with victory in hand. Now, Christians do not have to fear death because to die means to be present with Christ. We have eternity with Jesus to look forward to.
As Adam sinned in the garden of Eden with Eve, sin spread to all of mankind. Now, I am born with a sin fallen nature and so are you. We are worthy of God’s wrath because of our sin. We deserve His wrath because of our disobedience to Him. But, God poured out His wrath on Jesus for you and for me. Now, we are saved by placing our faith in Him. Understand that Jesus went to the cross for me and for you. That is the Gospel, Jesus in my place. Jesus took your place and my place. Now, we can repent and place our faith in Him being saved from sin. Will you do so?
Christian: Will you be reminded of the Gospel this Easter? Will you repent of neglecting to place Christ first?
