Evidence Of The Resurrection: The Church (Part 2)

EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION

EXHIBIT A: THE CHURCH (PART 2)

I Corinthians 15:1-2

Several years ago, a man named John was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. As a result of his condition, his complexion was pale, his body was weak, he was unable to breathe without an oxygen tank, and he could not walk without assistance. As time went on, John’s condition grew progressively worse, and his only hope of survival was to receive a heart transplant. When it seemed that the end was imminent, he received a call that changed his life dramatically. A young man had died in a car accident and John was to receive his heart.

Immediately after the transplant, John’s condition improved significantly. His color returned, his body grew stronger, and he no longer needed supplemental oxygen. Today he is happy, healthy and has even participated in a triathlon. John says that he cannot put into words how humbling it is to know that in order for him to live, someone else had to die.

The members of the Church at Corinth experienced a transformation that was even more impressive than John’s. The change that took place in their lives was not physical, it was spiritual. For this to happen, someone had to die. Though they were vile, wretched sinners, the sinless Son of God willingly died physically to that they could live eternally. The same is true for us!

All who have received salvation through Jesus Christ are living proof that He is alive and working in the hearts and lives of His people all over the world. Though multitudes of people deny His deity and scoff at the biblical teaching that He rose from the grave, the visible transformation that is seen in the lives of Christ’s followers is proof that Jesus did rise, and He lives forevermore. Because He lives, those who belong to Him are assured of their own physical resurrection one day.

In our study of I Corinthians 15, we are examining several different facts that serve as “Evidence For The Resurrection”. When we last assembled we began to consider the fact that Church serves as “Exhibit A” in Paul’s defense of the resurrection. I would like to pick up where we left off last time and continue to examine:

Exhibit A: The Church

- In part one of this message we saw that:

The Church Is Comprised Of

People Who Have Heard The Gospel

The Christians in Corinth, the Saints throughout the ages, and those of us who are followers of Christ today are able to be a part of Christ’s Church because we have heard the gospel. The ability to hear the gospel is a testament to the amazing grace of God. He sent Paul to Corinth to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Likewise, God sent certain people into our lives who were faithful to share this same good news with us.

- While hearing the gospel is essential, simply hearing is not enough. We have also seen in these verses that:

THE CHURCH IS COMPRISED OF

PEOPLE WHO HAVE SURRENDERED TO CHRIST

While hearing the gospel is necessary, becoming a member of Christ’s Church requires us to respond accordingly to what we have heard. The Christians at Corinth were willing to repent and believe in Christ and they were saved as a result.

Untold millions of people in the word today have heard the gospel message and refuse to accept it. In order to live with assurance of your position in Christ, you must go beyond hearing the gospel and “receive” it. You must believe the gospel to the point of putting your faith in Christ for salvation.

- When one responds to the gospel by surrendering to Jesus as Lord, there will be an inevitable transformation that occurs in their life. This leads us to the third truth that I would like to consider about the Church. Notice:

THE CHURCH IS COMPRISED OF PEOPLE

WHO HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY GOD

In order for us to comprehend the amazing change that Jesus had brought into the lives of His followers at Corinth, it is important for us to understand the culture of their day and to see exactly what they had been delivered from.

Ancient Corinth had been completely destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. The city was rebuilt a century later (possibly under the direction of Julius Caesar). The new city was a Roman colony, and it is estimated that by Paul’s time there were several hundred thousand people living in this area. The population was predominantly Roman but there were also large numbers of Greeks, Orientals and at least enough Jews to justify having a local synagogue.

Both the old city and the new Roman colony were known for their shameless and detestable sexual immorality. The most prominent site in this region was the Acrocorinth, (this is a word that means “high city”). This was a near 2,000 ft high granite mound that served as a strategic place of defense, and it also housed the temple of Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty. It is believed that prior to Corinth’s fall to the Romans, this temple housed over a thousand so called “priestesses” who would be better described as temple prostitutes. These women would perform sexual favors in order to gather funds to give to Aphrodite. Whether or not this practice continued in temple of rebuilt Corinth is unknown; but what is indisputable is that the gross sexual immorality in Corinth continued as before. So much so that the secular culture was reflected within the Church at Corinth. This brought about one of the major rebukes from Paul that is contained within this Epistle.