Lessons on the Resurrection
On the lighter side of life: Are you over-saved?
Thesis: Paul speaks of the resurrection of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead and the resurrection of the body to remind us that this life is not our final destination – Heaven is!
Scripture Text: 1 Cor. 15 (Listen to chapter as the narrator reads)
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
12But 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? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More 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. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
33Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
35But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Introduction:
Paul speaks of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Resurrection of the dead and the Resurrection of the body to remind us that this life is not our final destination – Heaven is! We are living this life God gave us so as to prepare for eternity and to help us prepare for our divine role in Heaven. This time on earth is vitally important to where and how we will spend eternity. Each person here has a divine purpose and God has a divine plan for you as part of the New Life Body of believers. Each of you has gifts which are essential to the ministry of New Life Community Church. You are all vital pieces of the puzzle here at New Life. Each one of you must stand firm in your faith and do what God wants you to do as part of this ministry. We must never allow anything to divert us from our personal missions. No person should distract us from serving God and working for God. We are all responsible to God to fulfill our divine purpose because this is what our faith is rooted in.
Our faith is rooted in Jesus Christ – not a man, not a denomination, not a methodology of ministry. Our faith is to be rooted in the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus Resurrection is the hinge pin of Christianity.
Quest Study Bible notes this about the question,” What changed at this pivotal point in history?”
The resurrection vindicated Jesus’ claims about himself, that he was the Son of God in the flesh, the fulfillment of God’s dealings with humankind. No longer would people have to follow rules and traditions to find salvation (Col. 2:20-23). The old covenant had been superseded by the new and the proof was in the resurrection. Because Jesus lives, he is the Messiah, the one to trust. Another way to look at this question is to ask what would be different if Jesus had not risen from the dead. If there had been no resurrection, Christianity as we know it would not exist. At most, Christians would be following the teachings of just another popular rabbi. His words merely would have joined the countless words of other religious writings. People would be left with no other option for salvation then to strive for absolute obedience. But the resurrection changed everything. People follow Christ’s teachings, not to BECOME saved, but because they ARE saved. They’ve discovered something even better than knowing WORDS; they’ve found what it means to know HIM! Because he was raised from the dead, we can be too. We can live-really live- both now and through all eternity (1463).
Our greatest joy should be in knowing that one day we too will participate in the resurrection like Jesus. We too will experience the ecstasy of the resurrection. We will as Christ did defeat the power of death and sin and then ascend into Heaven like Jesus did. We too will experience the reality of Heaven. We too one day will meet Love face to face and we too will see things that we had only dreamed of. Yes we will one day proceed from here to eternity. We will leave this physical realm filled with hate, sin, destruction and evil and move into a spiritual state filled with love, joy, peace, and Jesus Himself. We will receive resurrected spiritual bodies. No more concern about physical elements to the body that will fade into the past. All this was made possible for us because of Jesus sacrifice and his willingness to follow the will and the plan of the Father.
T.S. – Yes the resurrection of Jesus is a crucial teaching of Christianity and it needs to be given first priority in our life and doctrine.
I. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (15:1-11)
a. Jesus Resurrection is the key event which separates Christianity from all other religions in the world.
i. Jesus defeat of death sets this religion apart from all others in the world.
ii. Without the Resurrection there would be no salvation, no redemption and really no hope.
iii. The Resurrection of Jesus affirms that our faith is in the right person and in the truth.
iv. Jesus resurrection paved the way for our resurrection – you could say Jesus built the road and the way that leads to our resurrection.
b. Jesus Resurrection is not a myth but a fact and it is documented by 100’s of eye witnesses.
i. In the court of law one or two witnesses are needed to verify something is true or not. Jesus had 100’s testify to his Resurrection from the dead.
ii. God confirmed his plan for this world when Christ rose from the dead and affirmed everything He had declared He would do.
1. It is the exclamation point of Jesus ministry.
2. It affirmed all His promises and verified His authenticity as the Son of God.
3. Remember Jesus is the only one in the history of the world to have done this supernatural feat.
a. This is why we need to place our faith and trust in Him!
T.S. – Jesus’ resurrection opened the door for the resurrection of the dead and the two resurrections are linked together to tells us that we too will experience the resurrection like Jesus did if we surrender our life to Jesus.
II. The Resurrection of the Dead (15:12-34)
a. Death is not the final end of our life but actually the beginning if we have Jesus as the central part of it!
i. The act of placing our faith in Jesus assures us that we too will rise from the dead – just like Jesus did.
1. He promised that all who follow Him and place their faith in Him will overcome death and its destructive power.
ii. We too need to hold onto to this truth and live our lives in light of this truth that we too will be raised from the dead.
1. Our life is not over when we die it really is just beginning.
a. John Bevere’s thoughts from his book Driven by Eternity.
i. There are numerous individuals in church unaware that they will give an account of what they’ve done in their short stay on earth. Many have the erroneous idea that all future judgment is eradicated by their salvation. Indeed, Jesus blood cleanses us from the sins that would have kept us from the kingdom; however, it does not exempt us from the judgment of how we conducted ourselves as believers, whether good or bad. The judgments or decisions rendered over us at His seat will be eternal; they will last forever; never altered or changed. Pause a moment and reflect back to our discussions in the first chapter, when we tried to mentally grasp eternity. James states our temporary life on earth is a passing vapor (James 4:14). This is his figurative way of comparing a lifetime of eighty to one hundred years with eternity. If he possessed the mathematical knowledge we have today, he could have been more exact in his portrayal. As a student of mathematics in college, I learned early in my education that anything divided by infinity is zero. 80 years divided infinity (eternity) = 0 or 100 years divided infinity (eternity) = 0 any finite number divided by, or compared to, infinity is zero. It doesn’t matter how long you live on earth. Even if you were to make it 150 years before dying; our life on earth is zero compared to eternity. That means, as believers in Jesus Christ, everything we do here in this zero window of time will determine how we spend eternity. Remember, where we spend eternity is determined by what we do with the cross of Jesus and His saving grace, but how we will live for eternity in His kingdom is determined by the way we lived here as believers (Pages 186, 187 Driven By Eternity).
iii. The resurrection of each of us comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1. Man was created by God to live for eternity but the problem was man let sin into the picture and therefore they allowed themselves to become infected with the result of sin – which is death.
2. But Christ reinstated mankind to the pre-fall condition and made a way for mankind to live on into eternity again like they were suppose too.
b. Death is the last enemy that we will face on this earth.
i. Sin is always pushing us toward the point of death.
1. Remember Satan’s plan is to kill, steal and destroy.
2. He wants people to die in the grip of sin because then there is no hope for eternal life for that person.
3. His plan is to eliminate as many opponents as possible for the last great battle at the end of time.
ii. Jesus took on the power of death and defeated it decisively.
1. How many remember - The song the Champion – by Carmen?
c. Our philosophy of life is not to be “Eat, drink, have a great party life and then die!” but as Christians we are to “Have faith, die to self, trust Jesus and receive eternal life and live!”
i. Too many people have the previous mindset in our culture today and yes their final destination is death but the believers is eternal life – Their promise from a resurrected Lord is that they will experience a resurrection from the dead and then they will be given eternal life that is to be lived on, on and on.
ii. Paul warns the Corinthians Christians to not allow their character to be corrupted by the lie’s of the enemy and its followers.
1. He says, “Bad company corrupts good character.”
a. In other words keep the right influence in your life – hang with the people who are going to live for eternity and quit allowing the ones who are going to die to bring you with them into their path of death.
i. Many Colleges suck young teens into this philosophy of death!
1. “Eat drink and be merry because tomorrow we all die!”
b. We need to encourage one another in the body of Christ as to our destiny and help each other stay focused on the goal of life – life’s goal is eternal life not death!
i. Life’s goal and purpose and to stand firm in the faith and keep working for the Kingdom of God!
2. We need to keep our spiritual senses sharp and focused. These senses will point us to what is most important in this temporary state we live in. The most important thing is to use our lives for something that is significant and which has eternal value.
a. Bevere’s thoughts: “There are a large number of men and women in the church whose businesses are very successful; however, many give to the kingdom a fraction of what they’ve earned. Even though they are hugely successful in society’s eyes, what will be the Master’s view of what they’ve held on to? Even in they made millions, will they be judged as the one who hid his mina? They didn’t multiply what was given them for the sake of the kingdom. These who live in this manner are not driven by eternity” (page 239 Driven By Eternity).
3. Too many people today are being driven done the road of death by the lie – that life is a party and then you die! This is not the truth but a lie that many people buy into – we need to lead people to the truth that they too can defeat death and it’s sting if they surrender their life to Jesus and then follow Him home.
T.S. – The teaching on the resurrection of the dead reminds us that our final destination is not death but eternity and with that comes a new spiritual body.
III. The Resurrection of the Body (15:35-58).
a. The big question of many “So what will my body be like?”
i. Muscular, thin, curvy, handsome, beautiful?
1. Will I have the same type of body I have now?
a. Will my body reflect what I looked like in my teens or even my twenties?
ii. Paul says that God will give us the body type that He says we are suppose to have in Heaven – I think it is connected with how well we did what we were called to do here on the earth!
1. We must remember our bodies will not be physical but spiritual, when we die the physical dimensions passes away and our higher being takes over!
2. We will have spiritual bodies!
a. Why because flesh and blood will not proceed into the spiritual realm of Heaven.
b. These bodies are nothing more than temporary houses for such a time as this.
3. This life is only the preparation time for how we will spend eternity.
b. At the point when we inherit our new spiritual body death will be ultimately defeated in our lives – so will the urge to sin.
i. We will experience a victory that is more joyful than when our favorite football team wins the Super Bowl.
1. This will be our pinnacle moment of our life!
ii. It will be more joyful than any sports victory we have previously experienced.
1. The joy you feel when all of Heaven is looking at you and you hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant will be your highest high of life!”
2. It will be more joyful than any earthly reward for something that we won.
iii. This will be the most joyful moment of our lives - the day we defeat death through the power of the Holy Spirit and the blessings of the gift of grace from Jesus Christ.
1. You will be ecstatic!
c. Paul’s final thought’s in this chapter tells us that we need to make sure that nothing moves us from our divine purpose and or calling.
i. We are to give our whole hearts to the work of the Lord – Why because it’s related to our reward and status in Heaven.
1. I believe it’s related to type of spiritual body and job description we will have in Heaven!
a. The Bible is clear that rewards for service will be given out in Heaven.
2. Why is working for the Lord so important? Because all the time we invest into eternal things brings eternal rewards.
a. The Bible tells us to store up treasures in heaven not treasures on earth!
b. Remember our time is valuable and how we spend it determines not our salvation but how we will live and what we will do in Heaven.
c. How important is time - Illustration: What happens in 30 minutes put the timer on set it for 30 minutes?
i. Review: Do you know - What happens in 30 minutes? “Mission Maker Magazine”, page 18, Edition 2008, (www.WorldChristianDatabase.org).
1. 7,764 souls began life in the world
2. 3,444 souls meet Jesus face-to-face
3. 3,420 baptisms occurred in foreign mission
4. $1,311,888 dollars were given to foreign missions
5. $1,368,924 dollars were embezzled from Christian funds by leaders
6. 10,896 people migrated internationally
7. 402 children became homeless or family-less
8. 2,275 rural poor migrated to cities
9. 1,140 people moved into urban slums
10. 68 people began supporting themselves only by collecting garbage
11. 1,375 children under age five died from preventable starvation related causes
12. 22 million was given to all Christian causes (3% from Christian incomes)
13. 10 Christians died for their faith witness
3. We need to all be reminded that our labor for the Lord is not in vain – it comes with a great reward – that will last forever!
a. What we do for Jesus and the Kingdom lives on forever, and what we do for ourselves fades into non-existence.
i. Bevere states, “However (eternity), it’s not just a matter of ceaseless time, as it is not subject to time. Eternity transcends time. To speak of eternity in terms of merely perpetual duration is to miss the full picture. To capture the best view of eternity, we must look at God Himself. He is not limited in power, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and all glory, just to name a few. He is self-existent, forever was and forever will be God. He is called the ‘Everlasting Father’ (Isa. 9:6). Young’s literal translation read, “Father of Eternity.” He is called the “King of eternity” (1 Timothy 1:17, AMP). All that is eternal is found in Him; in fact, eternity itself is found in Him. All that is outside of Him is temporal and will change. No matter how good, noble, powerful, or enduring it may see, it will eventually cease. Even the earth and universe will change, but He will not… (Bevere, Driven by Eternity page 6, 7).
b. Don’t waste your life! Don’t live to be useless! Don’t live a life that has no eternal value to it!
i. Make a difference with your life work for the Lord not for yourself!
ii. I want to expound on this final thought in this chapter:
1. 1 Cor. 15: “58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
a. Notice the words “Stand firm – not in vain!” Your work for the Lord accomplishes eternal rewards!
2. We are all need to stand firm to our calling – each person in this church was called here by God – not by Pastor Mike. Do you believe this?
a. You need to stand firm for Jesus in this church and in this community.
i. That is why God has called you here.
b. You must let nothing move you from your divine purpose and calling.
c. You must continue to give yourselves to the work of the Lord in spite of what happens around you!
d. Why? Because God will reward your faithfulness- your commitment to Him.
3. Nothing is to move you from your mission – nothing!
a. Do you agree with this?
Conclusion:
Illustration: “God has a Plan!” Video clip from Bluefishtv.com
For the last few months God has been calling Kathy and I on to a new place of ministry. You could say that my time has come to end here at New Life. We are 100% convinced that God has called us back to Christian Hills in Chicago. The church has offered us a call to come back and become their Senior Pastor. Two Sunday nights ago they called as a Congregation to say that they wanted me as their Senior Pastor. I accepted their invitation – Why? Because God has told me and Kathy that we are to go!
I have had had several confirmations that it is time for me to move on to this next phase of ministry.
Kathy knows it is of God.
The girls know it is of God.
I have had personal words from other ministers that it’s God.
I have prayed and fasted about it and been confirmed that it is of God.
I know in my heart this is God’s new plan for us as a family.
I love New Life and all of you but I must be obedient to follow what God has called me to do.
Give a brief history of the church and why you feel this is of God. My time has come to an end here at New Life!
Give your resignation to the New Life Community church.
God has a plan for New Life – He has a plan for a new pastor to come here and to take you to the next spiritual plateau as a church.
God has a plan for me and for New Life and you must stand firm in your faith. Remember you follow Jesus not Michael McCartney.
I want to say this very clearly – if you leave this church because I leave then you’re not following Jesus but a mere man and that is not God’s will for your life.
You need to do what Paul says at the end of this chapter:
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
We need to remember: In regard to your calling; you’ll not be judged according to what you did, but rather according to what you were called to do! (Bevere page 202)
