The Power Of The Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15: 12-34 Lesson 15
Key verse 15:24 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has
destroyed all dominion, authority and power."
In verses 1-11, we learned the contents of the Gospel; first, Jesus died for our sins; and second, Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. We learned that this Gospel is good news of great joy to all people for it is the solution to all problems of life and ministry. So often we think that our problems are due to “surface” issues. But there are core factors that keep us ensnared and entrapped. When all is stripped away we discover that that our core problems are actually sin and death problems. Paul was convinced that the gospel wonderfully solves these two problems, when a person accepts the gospel by faith. That is why Paul was so eager to share the Gospel as a most precious gift. In this passage we will learn; first, why the resurrection of Christ is absolutely necessary (12-19); second, what the Risen Christ's power is like (20-28); and third, a short warning, "Do not be misled." (29-34) Paul teaches us about the power of the Risen Christ, power to change lives, to heal, to save and to raise us from the dead. When our lives are transformed by this powerful gospel we can stand as witnesses of the Risen, living Christ. May God make each of you into a witness of the Risen Lord Jesus to the students of your respective campus’. Let’s see…
Part l: “How Can Some Of You Say There Is No Resurrection Of The Dead.” (12)
Apparently there were some in Corinth who did not believe the resurrection of the dead. Look at verse 12. "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" These people were Christians, within the church. Surprising isn’t it. You would think that Christians would automatically believe in the resurrection. They did not deny the resurrection of Christ. How could they? They had the apostles, eyes witnesses to the resurrected Jesus, living among them. Their own lives have been changed by the living, Lord Jesus. Some of them may have been among the 500 brothers (6) that the Risen Jesus revealed himself to in the 40 days that he appeared and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. (Acts 1:3) To these people, the resurrection of Jesus was not the primary issue. What they denied is the bodily resurrection of believers.
Why would Christians ever deny the bodily resurrection of believers? Among popular religions there was belief in the resurrection of a person’s soul, but not necessarily of the body. Most Greeks did not believe that people's bodies would be resurrected after death. They saw the afterlife as a reality of the soul alone. The soul was the real thing, imprisoned in a physical body, and at death the soul was released. To them, there is no immortality for the body, but the soul entered into an eternal state. The church at Corinth was immersed in Greek culture. So we can understand why Corinthian believers had a difficult time believing in a bodily resurrection.
But even today there are many, even within the church, who don’t believe in the resurrection from the dead. It is because believing in the resurrection of the dead has repercussions. It means that our hope has to be in the kingdom of God and if you have this hope then you necessarily have to live with this hope. You can no longer live your life as if living in this world was the only life worth living for. Believing in the resurrection seems impractical to our everyday lives. We can easily believe in Jesus’ love and forgiveness. We can accept his moral teachings. Our ears perk up when we hear of God’s blessings. All of these things involve making our lives a little better in this life. But what about the resurrection? Belief in the resurrection appears to bring only disruption and reminds us that we are going to die one day. But we will discover that the resurrection of the dead is absolutely true and necessary to our Christian lives.
But in Christianity, we believe in a bodily resurrection. Paul declares the necessity of the resurrection, the power of the resurrection. As we proceed through this passage, Paul exposes their logical fallacy and explains how Christ's resurrection relates to the resurrection of all believers. Let’s see…
Part ll: The Necessity Of The Resurrection (13-19).
In these verses, Paul assumes, for the sake of argument, that there is no resurrection of the dead. What would the implication be if that were true? Well, there would be some serious repercussions. There are serious consequences to our faith and our lives if Jesus has not been raised. Let’s think about some of them. Let’s read verse 13 & 14, “If there were no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ had been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” If there was no resurrection then our preaching of our Christian faith would be useless. There would be others more useful things to apply our lives to. We would also be inviting students to sacrifice some study time, sleep time and socializing time in order to do something useless.
Even worse, preaching Christ's resurrection would make us liars. Let’s read verse 15, “More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.” Not only would we be liars, propogating fairy tale, but we would also be preaching a about a weak God who has been overcome by the power of death, rather than a victorious God. Who wants to give their lives to a weak, limited God? But this is not the case for us. We are not liars and our God is all powerful. The God of the Bible, the God who raised Christ from the dead is living. He is the Almighty God. He is our God and we are telling the truth about him when we preach the Gospel.
Again, if Christ has not been raised, we are still in our sins (17). The way to get out of our sins is to repent of our sins and receive the forgiveness of God. We place all of our hope in the kingdom of God and have a new, clear life direction. We have power and a reason to come out of our sins and make a new beginning in Jesus. And God is there to help us each step of the way, (if we are willing.) To still be in our sins, means that we are not forgiven of our sins; that we are living with unrepentant sins. We are suffering day to day, chewing the wages of our sins. One day will stand before the judgment seat of God while still in our sins. There will be no hope for us.
Also, if there is no resurrection then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost (18). We like to say of our loved ones, “They are going to a better place.” or “I will see them again in heaven.” But if there is no resurrection then these are just kind words that are not true. Also, if there is no resurrection then Christians are to be pitied more than all people (19). Many believers sacrificed everything to participate in the suffering of Christ. Some even became martyrs. But if there is no resurrection, then all is lost and believers are the most foolish people on earth, deceived by a false hope. We are the most pitiful, sacrificing Sunday after Sunday to prepare for worship service. Julie and I are so foolish to maintain both a house and a Bible house over these last seven years. We are so foolish to commute to Chicago and Triton and DuPage to co-work with other chapters to promote a Gospel that is not true. But we are not foolish and the gospel of Jesus is absolutely true and the most precious thing in this world. We are offering up our lives to worship Jesus, who has indeed been raised from the dead. He rules from heaven and one day we will follow him there. Our preaching is vital and necessary and changing the course of history and our faith is more precious than pure gold and is life-giving.
Third, The Power Of The Resurrection (20-28).
Christ's resurrection is a fact, an event that happened in history. Look at verse 20. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." There are so many reasons to show that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact. There is the empty tomb. There is evidence of the burial clothes folded up upon itself in the tomb. There is no grave of Jesus. There are over 500 eyewitness accounts of the Risen Jesus. There is also the most compelling evidence, the changed lives of believers who have met the risen Jesus very personally. They have testimonies of how their lives have been touched, and are transformed, day by day, by the living Lord, Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can do the things that have occurred in their lives. Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus is connected to the resurrection of believers. To explain this, Paul calls Christ the "firstfruits." If we think about a fruit tree, the firstfruits is the first apple or the first orange of the season. When we see this first fruit then we know one thing for certain, there are many more fruits to come. Christ's resurrection is a sign of the resurrection of all believers. It gives us great hope that we, too, will be raised like Christ.
Some may wonder how they can be sure of their resurrection based on one person's resurrection. Paul answered in verse 21. "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man." This is simply a premise of the Bible. Sin came into the world through one man Adam. Death came into the world because the wages of sin is death. We are born in this world filled with sin and death. It is our inheritance. That is just the way it is. Thank you, Adam. (Just joking.) When we are in Adam we are ruled by the power of sin. We did not commit Adam's sin, yet we are ruled by Adam's sin. Likewise, one man, Christ, sets us free. Look at verse 22. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." John 5:24 reads, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me will not be condemned, He was crossed over from death to life.” John 1:4 reads, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.” There is no reason to live in the death, and be ruled by the elements of sin and death any longer. The Risen Christ has the power to make us alive with him forever, starting now! Christ rules us with life-giving power and will resurrect us in glory when he comes again (23). We can be resurrected from the deadness of our hearts right now, if we only believe.
The power of Christ's resurrection is not limited to giving life to believers. It also brings an amazing change to the whole universe. Let’s read verse 24, “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” Jesus' resurrection destroys all the power of darkness and restores God's righteous reign in life. All forces that have opposed God and have kept this world mired and suffering in the darkness will be destroyed. After Jesus has subjected everything, he himself will submit to God the Father and God will be all in all (28). Then believers will rule together with Christ and the new heaven and new earth will come. Perfect paradise will ultimately be restored through the resurrection of Christ.
Part lV: Practical Resurrection Faith (29-34).
In these verses Paul teaches what kind of life we should live. Paul said, "I die every day" (31). In order to follow Jesus, Paul died to himself every day. He died to his desire for comfort, and for worldly honor. He died to his sinful desires. He died to serve others sacrificially. He was ready to lose everything for Christ. How could he do so? Paul lived by resurrection faith.
On the other hand, those without resurrection faith ultimately turn to a pleasure seeking lifestyle. Look at verse 33. Their motto is, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die" (33). If life on earth is the end, we naturally seek to maximize our pleasure. When we get into our 30’s or 40’s we think, “I am getting older. I need to enjoy myself before it is too late” And so we embark on adventure after adventure, enjoying pleasure after pleasure, until they are too old, too weak or too poor to do anything else. Then they become very sad and long for death. But those who have faith in the resurrection have a heavenly hope. They are happy and content to follow Jesus and live by the truth of God’s word. They are happy to serve others with the love of God. They find great satisfaction giving their hearts to God’s mission in their lives. This is the opposite of a pleasure seeking lifestyle, but it is indeed a life of spiritual pleasure.
Paul had resurrection faith and with this faith Paul sacrificed temporary pleasure for eternal benefits and goodness. He was willing to fight the enemies of the gospel, through prayer and preaching and disciple-raising, though it was like fighting wild beasts. (32) I am going to share something about Apostle Paul, not to scare you, but to show you the power of the resurrection manifest in his life. In the book of Acts Paul was preaching in Iconium. Some Jewish religious leaders came from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowd, They stoned Paul, and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But Paul was not dead. What did do? After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went in to the city. He continued to preach the gospel. (Acts 14:19-20) His body may have been black and blue and bloodied, but he was more than alive. His spirit was undaunted. He was full of power and zeal because of his resurrection faith. He suffered in so many ways. Listen to his own description in 1 Cor 11:23b-28, “…I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” How could he do this? Well, we get a clue from his words in the last passage. “No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Cor 15:10b) It was not only the grace of Jesus, but also his faith in the resurrection of Jesus. With this faith Paul gave his life for Jesus and the gospel and experienced great joy and spiritual victory when he did so.
He encouraged the Corinthian believers to watch their hearts in verses 33-34 by watching who they associate with. "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.' Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning..." (33-34). Who are bad company? Surely it is not the people of the world, for if we did not make friends with them, we could never introduce them to our living Lord and Savior Jesus. Bad company are those who call themselves Christians but who deny the resurrection or who do not live with resurrection faith in their hearts. Rather they live by the principle, “Let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” Those who sin like this are ignorant of God. We must come back to our senses and stop sinning. We must live by resurrection faith and “die” every day, to ourselves, in order to serve God’s purpose in our lives. We must hold onto our heavenly hope and our lives should follow suit. In this way we will truly experience spiritual power and overflowing heavenly joy.
How can resurrection faith be practical in our own lives? I am not saying to look for opportunities where you can be stoned to death and be shipwrecked in the open sea. No. But there are practical aspects to our own life of faith. There are times when we feel that we cannot carry on in our school, in our family, at our job or with our own inner spiritual struggles. But with faith in the resurrection we can get up off the floor, brush ourselves off and try again and again with renewed vigor. We don’t have to be depressed thinking that we are running out of time in life and opportunities are passing us by. We can rest in the thought that we will be raised with Jesus and have already won the final victory, everything else is gravy. There are times when the hardships of life and the people of this world push us to ignore Jesus and enjoy a hedonistic lifestyle. But with hope in the resurrection we can know for certain that picking up our crosses and following Jesus is the best thing to do. We are not running out of time, we have eternal life. We do not need earthy pleasures, all the time, to satisfy our hearts. We have heavenly joy poured out on us from Jesus who went on before us.
In this passage we learned the absolute necessity of the gospel of Jesus death and resurrection. We need the gospel to come out of our sins and the repercussions of our sins. We need the Gospel to have eternal life. Our hope, our mission and reason for our existence is intimately linked to the Gospel of Jesus. Faith in the resurrection fills our hearts with the life of God and resurrection power. May your life and ministry reflect the awesome power of the resurrection.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Christ Was Raised According To The Scriptures
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NIU UBF 2/28/10
Key verse 15:3-4
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...."
I thank God for the upcoming Easter season. It is time that we can throw off the coldness of a long winter and face the spring with new life and new hope. God has filled spring with budding trees and young plants, pushing their way up through the wet soil. The birds are starting to sing. Young, expectant couples are driving around looking at potential, new starter homes. Yes spring! A time for new life and new hope. That is the essence of Easter. Jesus brought us new life, through his death on the cross, freeing us from the cold, dark, confines of our sins and into the warm, life of God. He has given a new hope and new life full of potential and expectation, extending all the way into eternity. During this month, let us deeply accept the Gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let us prepare for the upcoming Easter conference at Hamburger University.
In this first message, Paul begins his letter by bringing the Corinthians back to the cross of Jesus, highlighting some of the core elements of the Gospel. He mentions many resurrection witnesses, including the witness of the Scriptures. He wants the Corinthians to find new life and freedom from their personal and ministry problems that have entangled them. When they accept the Gospel newly they could fly like birds set free from a cage and be witnesses of the Risen Lord. May your soul be released from all that entangles it through being reminded of the Gospel of Jesus and be filled with new hope and new life direction.
Part I: Let’s Be Reminded Of The Gospel (1-4)
In verses 1-4 Paul summarizes the contents of the gospel. First, the gospel is the solution. Look at verse 1. "Now brothers I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand." Why did he remind them of the gospel? It was because they were losing gospel faith as time passed by. At first, they had accepted the gospel through Paul with great joy, confessing their sins, and standing firm in faith. They were born again. A new church was born. It was an exciting time. They came out of the darkness and into the light of God. These new believers had come into a vital and fresh relationship with Jesus. Everything was new to them. They were excited about their faith and God was working powerfully as he introduced the gospel to the Gentile world. Praise God for their new and fresh faith! But as time passed, their spirit waned. Their spiritual life became routine and habitual. The temptations of this sinful world wore away at their souls. They became weak spiritually and entertained false ideas and bad cultural influences, such as sexual immorality, which they had previously been delivered from. They began to drift in the current of the times. Some things that were happening in the church sound shocking to us. So Paul gave them the only “surefire” solution to all of their problems that he knew….he reminded them of the gospel. Paul knew that by this gospel they were saved, if they held firmly to the word he preached to them. Otherwise, they had believed in vain (2).
The Gospel is given to us by God as a most precious gift. Look at verse 3a. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance...." The gospel is not a man-made story, but a God-made story. Paul received it personally and passed it on to the Corinthians. The gospel has been passed on through the generations, from one gospel servant to another in along chain, all the way to us. I received the Gospel through the Bible teaching and prayers of the Canadian missionaries, especially through those of missionary Ruth Hwang. The gospel grew and developed in my heart through the preaching of Pastor Teddy and more lately through the ministry of Chicago UBF. God wants to pass the gospel on to the next generation through you and your Bible teaching/discipleship raising ministry. Can you remember who passed the gospel onto to you?
The gospel is the most important thing in our lives for when we hold firmly to the gospel, we are saved for our sins, the power of death and from condemnation. Let us think a little more deeply about this Gospel that God has given to us. Let’s read verses 3b-4. "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." In the gospel there are two main elements: Christ's death, and Christ's resurrection. Let’s think about the first part, Christ’s death. What are peoples’ fundamental problem? Nowadays, it seems to be a poor economy and world wide terrorism. But the Bible says our core problem is our sin problem. What is sin? Sin, means to separate or to cut. Sin cuts man's relationship with God and with one another. Sin is not accepting God as God, nor glorifying God, nor giving thanks to him (Ro 1:21). Sin is disobedience to the word of God and rebellion against God. Sin grows through pride-trying to make us live without God. The consequences of sin are very serious. Because of sin, people lose the glorious image of God and degenerate to the “animal level”. Many people think sin is enjoyable. However, sin destroys our character, our bodies, our families, our relationships with others and society. Sin brings unbearable guilt and shame, tormenting peoples’ consciences night and day. Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve did not sin. They had unbroken fellowship with God. They had eternal life. But now, after the fall, people die in this world because of the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23a).
People think that death is the end of everything. They think that they can escape death by ending their lives, like the Marie Osmond’s son and the actor from “Growing Pains”, Andrew Koenig. But death is not the end. People are destined to die once and after that to face judgment (Heb 9:27). No one escapes God's judgment (2 Cor 5:10). No one can endure the eternal punishment (Rev 21:8). It is so horrible that we don't want to think about it. But it is real and we should never opt for it. Knowledge of our death and judgment brings anxiety, fear and despair into our lives.
Mankind has not been able to solve their sin and death problems on their own. People have tried hard through various means. Some try to overcome a burdened conscience through forgetting about it all in the cyber world, or electronic entertainment; through enjoying hedonism; travelling endlessly; sleeping a lot; adopting an empty philosophy of life to believe in. They try to immortalize themselves through health and exercise, through writing books, producing music, sports achievements and, like my father, documenting genealogy. Some have frozen their brains in liquid nitrogen (cryogenics) in hopes that their minds can be resurrected in a new body sometimes in the future. (That is if anyone cares enough to do so.) But no matter how hard people try, there is no way overcome our sin and death problems, and the fruits of such, on our own.
The great news is, is that God has solved this problem for us. Verse 3 says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ shed his precious blood on the cross to pay off the demand of sin. Christ forgave our sins and freed us from the consequences of sin. Our souls are set free from all condemnations. We no longer have to live in unsettled feelings, anxiety and in the expectation of judgment. Our souls are set free through the power of God’s forgiveness and his grace. Our sins are forgiven and we granted and new beginning with a clean, fresh start. When we know this, we can have strength to move forward in our lives and bear the fruit of the Gospel. We can rest in the knowledge that we are children of God and have been granted eternal life. Thank you Jesus for solving our sin and death problems through your precious gospel.
Let’s think a little more deeply about Christ’s resurrection. Look at verse 4. "...that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." Christ defeated the power of death through his resurrection (Ro 6:9). To me this is a fantastic hope. As a nurse death is always before me. I know how short life is. Nobody can fool me on this. I would suffer so much that the sands of time are running out on me. But because Jesus’ resurrection I know that death is not the end. Those who are found in Christ will be raise with Jesus. And by the blood of Jesus I am one of those who are found in Jesus. By his grace I have a living hope in the kingdom of God. (1 Peter 1:3,4) This hope frees me from the confines of this world, the depression of thinking that my own time is short, and it gives me a great and glorious hope. I am no longer swimming in a sea of death, but in an ocean of living water. The same is true for anyone who repents of their sins and come to Jesus by faith. Christ's resurrection gives us final victory over the power of death. Christ's resurrection gives us a living hope in the kingdom of God. Praise God!
The words "according to the Scriptures," are important. The Gospel did not happen by chance. It was planned long ago by God and fulfilled by God. We have the words of the prophets. There are so many references to Jesus and his ministry and this gospel in the Old Testament. The gospel, that we hold, has a solid foundation in Scripture and history. We can trust the gospel and entrust our lives and future to Jesus.
Part ll: The Witnesses Of The Gospel (5-11)
Second, Paul refers to many witnesses of the resurrection (5-11). In the gospels we can find the evidence of Christ's resurrection, such as the empty tomb, the words of angels, and Christ's appearance to women. However, Paul introduces only male eyewitnesses to prove the fact of Christ's resurrection. In a court of law, in Jewish society, and even in Mediterranean society this would be the strongest evidence. Let’s think about these witnesses. The Risen Christ first appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve as they hid in an upper room, including doubting Thomas. After Jesus appeared to Thomas, his doubt turned to worship. He said, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) Over a period of forty days, Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. (Acts 1:3) Paul mentions that the Risen Christ appeared to more than 500 believers at the same time, most of whom were living when Paul wrote this letter. Then the Risen Christ appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, to Paul also. These men were changed from fearful to courageous, from selfish to sacrificial, from self-centered to God-centered. Among them, Peter and Paul are the best examples. Only the power of a living, resurrected Jesus can ever change the lives of these witnesses.
Let’s think about Peter. Peter loved Jesus. However, he had many weaknesses and made many mistakes. Most critically, he denied Jesus three times during Jesus' passion. Then Peter met the Risen Christ. He was changed into a courageous man of God, the rock of Jesus' first century church. Paul had persecuted the church of Christ the most. He consented to the stoning of St. Stephen. Then, on his way to Damascus to arrest believers, he met the Risen Christ. He was born again, and became a witness of Christ's resurrection. In the past Paul had been very proud. But after meeting the Risen Christ, he became so humble, the least of all. He remembered what kind of person he had been and how Christ had been so gracious to him. To bear this grace he worked hard, harder than all the others. Paul and the other witnesses preached the resurrection of Christ. The Corinthian believers heard the message and believed.
The witness of the Risen Jesus did not end here. Jesus rose again from the dead. That means that he is alive right now, reigning from heaven. He is still working in the hearts of his people to transform them into new creations. He is revealing his grace and mercy in their lives and their transforming power. We can see the work of God working powerfully in each of our hearts and lives. There are five kids living for the glory of God. There is Andrew offering up is talents for the glory of God. There is Tim breaking down walls and making new beginnings in Jesus. There is Kathleen growing in the word of God and trying to lead her family to Jesus. There is Julie faithfully co-working with one of the most difficult people in the world, i.e., me. When we believe, we too can meet the Risen Christ, be changed and become resurrection witnesses. This Easter let God work in your hearts and lives and let’s be set free and transformed by the power of the Gospel. Let us become resurrection witnesses to the risen Jesus who is alive and at work in each of us. Let us tell the world that the only solution to their sin and death problem is the gospel of Jesus and death and resurrection.
In this passage we learned the essence of the gospel, "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." This gospel saves us and gives us forgiveness, new life and a new hope. The gospel makes us witnesses of the Risen Lord. This gospel is the solution to all of our problems in life and ministry. Will you hold onto to Jesus’ gospel as of first importance? Will you make time in your life to hold firmly to the word that was preached to you? Make time…don’t be so busy. For this Gospel is the only source of salvation given to us. It is tried and true. There is no other way but Jesus. Give your heart and life to him and the power of the gospel will work and miracles will happen.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NIU UBF 2/28/10
Key verse 15:3-4
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...."
I thank God for the upcoming Easter season. It is time that we can throw off the coldness of a long winter and face the spring with new life and new hope. God has filled spring with budding trees and young plants, pushing their way up through the wet soil. The birds are starting to sing. Young, expectant couples are driving around looking at potential, new starter homes. Yes spring! A time for new life and new hope. That is the essence of Easter. Jesus brought us new life, through his death on the cross, freeing us from the cold, dark, confines of our sins and into the warm, life of God. He has given a new hope and new life full of potential and expectation, extending all the way into eternity. During this month, let us deeply accept the Gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let us prepare for the upcoming Easter conference at Hamburger University.
In this first message, Paul begins his letter by bringing the Corinthians back to the cross of Jesus, highlighting some of the core elements of the Gospel. He mentions many resurrection witnesses, including the witness of the Scriptures. He wants the Corinthians to find new life and freedom from their personal and ministry problems that have entangled them. When they accept the Gospel newly they could fly like birds set free from a cage and be witnesses of the Risen Lord. May your soul be released from all that entangles it through being reminded of the Gospel of Jesus and be filled with new hope and new life direction.
Part I: Let’s Be Reminded Of The Gospel (1-4)
In verses 1-4 Paul summarizes the contents of the gospel. First, the gospel is the solution. Look at verse 1. "Now brothers I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand." Why did he remind them of the gospel? It was because they were losing gospel faith as time passed by. At first, they had accepted the gospel through Paul with great joy, confessing their sins, and standing firm in faith. They were born again. A new church was born. It was an exciting time. They came out of the darkness and into the light of God. These new believers had come into a vital and fresh relationship with Jesus. Everything was new to them. They were excited about their faith and God was working powerfully as he introduced the gospel to the Gentile world. Praise God for their new and fresh faith! But as time passed, their spirit waned. Their spiritual life became routine and habitual. The temptations of this sinful world wore away at their souls. They became weak spiritually and entertained false ideas and bad cultural influences, such as sexual immorality, which they had previously been delivered from. They began to drift in the current of the times. Some things that were happening in the church sound shocking to us. So Paul gave them the only “surefire” solution to all of their problems that he knew….he reminded them of the gospel. Paul knew that by this gospel they were saved, if they held firmly to the word he preached to them. Otherwise, they had believed in vain (2).
The Gospel is given to us by God as a most precious gift. Look at verse 3a. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance...." The gospel is not a man-made story, but a God-made story. Paul received it personally and passed it on to the Corinthians. The gospel has been passed on through the generations, from one gospel servant to another in along chain, all the way to us. I received the Gospel through the Bible teaching and prayers of the Canadian missionaries, especially through those of missionary Ruth Hwang. The gospel grew and developed in my heart through the preaching of Pastor Teddy and more lately through the ministry of Chicago UBF. God wants to pass the gospel on to the next generation through you and your Bible teaching/discipleship raising ministry. Can you remember who passed the gospel onto to you?
The gospel is the most important thing in our lives for when we hold firmly to the gospel, we are saved for our sins, the power of death and from condemnation. Let us think a little more deeply about this Gospel that God has given to us. Let’s read verses 3b-4. "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." In the gospel there are two main elements: Christ's death, and Christ's resurrection. Let’s think about the first part, Christ’s death. What are peoples’ fundamental problem? Nowadays, it seems to be a poor economy and world wide terrorism. But the Bible says our core problem is our sin problem. What is sin? Sin, means to separate or to cut. Sin cuts man's relationship with God and with one another. Sin is not accepting God as God, nor glorifying God, nor giving thanks to him (Ro 1:21). Sin is disobedience to the word of God and rebellion against God. Sin grows through pride-trying to make us live without God. The consequences of sin are very serious. Because of sin, people lose the glorious image of God and degenerate to the “animal level”. Many people think sin is enjoyable. However, sin destroys our character, our bodies, our families, our relationships with others and society. Sin brings unbearable guilt and shame, tormenting peoples’ consciences night and day. Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve did not sin. They had unbroken fellowship with God. They had eternal life. But now, after the fall, people die in this world because of the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23a).
People think that death is the end of everything. They think that they can escape death by ending their lives, like the Marie Osmond’s son and the actor from “Growing Pains”, Andrew Koenig. But death is not the end. People are destined to die once and after that to face judgment (Heb 9:27). No one escapes God's judgment (2 Cor 5:10). No one can endure the eternal punishment (Rev 21:8). It is so horrible that we don't want to think about it. But it is real and we should never opt for it. Knowledge of our death and judgment brings anxiety, fear and despair into our lives.
Mankind has not been able to solve their sin and death problems on their own. People have tried hard through various means. Some try to overcome a burdened conscience through forgetting about it all in the cyber world, or electronic entertainment; through enjoying hedonism; travelling endlessly; sleeping a lot; adopting an empty philosophy of life to believe in. They try to immortalize themselves through health and exercise, through writing books, producing music, sports achievements and, like my father, documenting genealogy. Some have frozen their brains in liquid nitrogen (cryogenics) in hopes that their minds can be resurrected in a new body sometimes in the future. (That is if anyone cares enough to do so.) But no matter how hard people try, there is no way overcome our sin and death problems, and the fruits of such, on our own.
The great news is, is that God has solved this problem for us. Verse 3 says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ shed his precious blood on the cross to pay off the demand of sin. Christ forgave our sins and freed us from the consequences of sin. Our souls are set free from all condemnations. We no longer have to live in unsettled feelings, anxiety and in the expectation of judgment. Our souls are set free through the power of God’s forgiveness and his grace. Our sins are forgiven and we granted and new beginning with a clean, fresh start. When we know this, we can have strength to move forward in our lives and bear the fruit of the Gospel. We can rest in the knowledge that we are children of God and have been granted eternal life. Thank you Jesus for solving our sin and death problems through your precious gospel.
Let’s think a little more deeply about Christ’s resurrection. Look at verse 4. "...that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." Christ defeated the power of death through his resurrection (Ro 6:9). To me this is a fantastic hope. As a nurse death is always before me. I know how short life is. Nobody can fool me on this. I would suffer so much that the sands of time are running out on me. But because Jesus’ resurrection I know that death is not the end. Those who are found in Christ will be raise with Jesus. And by the blood of Jesus I am one of those who are found in Jesus. By his grace I have a living hope in the kingdom of God. (1 Peter 1:3,4) This hope frees me from the confines of this world, the depression of thinking that my own time is short, and it gives me a great and glorious hope. I am no longer swimming in a sea of death, but in an ocean of living water. The same is true for anyone who repents of their sins and come to Jesus by faith. Christ's resurrection gives us final victory over the power of death. Christ's resurrection gives us a living hope in the kingdom of God. Praise God!
The words "according to the Scriptures," are important. The Gospel did not happen by chance. It was planned long ago by God and fulfilled by God. We have the words of the prophets. There are so many references to Jesus and his ministry and this gospel in the Old Testament. The gospel, that we hold, has a solid foundation in Scripture and history. We can trust the gospel and entrust our lives and future to Jesus.
Part ll: The Witnesses Of The Gospel (5-11)
Second, Paul refers to many witnesses of the resurrection (5-11). In the gospels we can find the evidence of Christ's resurrection, such as the empty tomb, the words of angels, and Christ's appearance to women. However, Paul introduces only male eyewitnesses to prove the fact of Christ's resurrection. In a court of law, in Jewish society, and even in Mediterranean society this would be the strongest evidence. Let’s think about these witnesses. The Risen Christ first appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve as they hid in an upper room, including doubting Thomas. After Jesus appeared to Thomas, his doubt turned to worship. He said, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) Over a period of forty days, Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. (Acts 1:3) Paul mentions that the Risen Christ appeared to more than 500 believers at the same time, most of whom were living when Paul wrote this letter. Then the Risen Christ appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, to Paul also. These men were changed from fearful to courageous, from selfish to sacrificial, from self-centered to God-centered. Among them, Peter and Paul are the best examples. Only the power of a living, resurrected Jesus can ever change the lives of these witnesses.
Let’s think about Peter. Peter loved Jesus. However, he had many weaknesses and made many mistakes. Most critically, he denied Jesus three times during Jesus' passion. Then Peter met the Risen Christ. He was changed into a courageous man of God, the rock of Jesus' first century church. Paul had persecuted the church of Christ the most. He consented to the stoning of St. Stephen. Then, on his way to Damascus to arrest believers, he met the Risen Christ. He was born again, and became a witness of Christ's resurrection. In the past Paul had been very proud. But after meeting the Risen Christ, he became so humble, the least of all. He remembered what kind of person he had been and how Christ had been so gracious to him. To bear this grace he worked hard, harder than all the others. Paul and the other witnesses preached the resurrection of Christ. The Corinthian believers heard the message and believed.
The witness of the Risen Jesus did not end here. Jesus rose again from the dead. That means that he is alive right now, reigning from heaven. He is still working in the hearts of his people to transform them into new creations. He is revealing his grace and mercy in their lives and their transforming power. We can see the work of God working powerfully in each of our hearts and lives. There are five kids living for the glory of God. There is Andrew offering up is talents for the glory of God. There is Tim breaking down walls and making new beginnings in Jesus. There is Kathleen growing in the word of God and trying to lead her family to Jesus. There is Julie faithfully co-working with one of the most difficult people in the world, i.e., me. When we believe, we too can meet the Risen Christ, be changed and become resurrection witnesses. This Easter let God work in your hearts and lives and let’s be set free and transformed by the power of the Gospel. Let us become resurrection witnesses to the risen Jesus who is alive and at work in each of us. Let us tell the world that the only solution to their sin and death problem is the gospel of Jesus and death and resurrection.
In this passage we learned the essence of the gospel, "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." This gospel saves us and gives us forgiveness, new life and a new hope. The gospel makes us witnesses of the Risen Lord. This gospel is the solution to all of our problems in life and ministry. Will you hold onto to Jesus’ gospel as of first importance? Will you make time in your life to hold firmly to the word that was preached to you? Make time…don’t be so busy. For this Gospel is the only source of salvation given to us. It is tried and true. There is no other way but Jesus. Give your heart and life to him and the power of the gospel will work and miracles will happen.
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