Resurrection Power 1 Corinthians 15:3-23
I. Introduction
INTRO.- ILL.- In 1173 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: A separately standing eight-story bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa. The tower was to be eight-stories and 185-foot tall. There was just one "little" problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the foundation was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure!
And sure enough, before long the whole structure had begun to tilt... and it continued to tilt... until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again.
It took 174 years to build the Tower of Pisa and during that time many things were done to try and compensate for the "tilt." The foundation was shored up; the upper levels were even built at an angle to try to make the top of the tower look straight. Nothing worked. The tower has stood for over 800 years, but it leans 18 feet away from where it should be (10 degrees from the vertical, for all the engineers). One day, experts say, it will fall and all because it wasn’t built on the right foundation.
And this may well happen. Things do crumble in this life and especially, if they don’t have the right foundation. But it’s not just buildings that crumble and fall. It’s lives as well.
John 11:25-26 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest feat in the annals of human history. It is the very “capstone in the arch of Christianity Without it, all else crumbles. Without resurrection, there is no hope. Indeed without resurrection, there would be no Christianity.”
II. The Reality of the Resurrection
A. We must realize the Reality of the Resurrection
1.The resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than a fairy tale
2.A legend or religious symbol.
B. It is a historical fact that is indisputable.
ILL.- “The Resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith — without it there would be no Christianity. It elevates Christianity above all other world religions Christ demonstrated that He does not stand in a line of peers with Abraham, Buddha, Confucius, or Muhammad. Jesus Christ is utterly unique. He had the power not only to lay down His life, but also to take it up again.”
- Fatal Torment
A. “For the Resurrection to have any significance, Jesus had
To be dead first.”
1. Suffered in prayer at the Garden when he says,
Luke 22:44 says, “his sweat was like drops of blood falling
the ground.”,
2.His suffering continued throughout his interrogations before
Annas and Caiaphas, spit upon and beaten.
3.And continued as he taken to Pilate, where he was flogged,
given a crown of thorns, spit upon.
4.The flogging alone was so brutal that it is amazing he lasted
until His crucifixion.
“The Roman system of crucifixion had been fine-tuned to produce maximum pain. They used 5 to 7 inch spikes to hammer him to the wooden beams of the cross.
B. In John 19 the guards breaking the legs of the thieves
to hasten their death so that the bodies would not left on
the crosses during the Sabbath.
1. Came to Jesus, he was dead and they speared His side instead. This produced a sudden flow of blood and water. If he wasn’t dead, he would be dead now.
Mark 15:44-45 NIV says, “Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.” He was dead. No doubt about it.
He bore our sins in His body on the tree 2 Cor 5:21,”God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us..”
I. Jesus said, “I Am the Resurrection…”
A. What was different about the resurrection of the
Lord and others raised from the dead in the Bible?
1. Ever wondered what Paul meant in 1 Cor 15:20 that
Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of
them that slept.”
2.Why say that when there are earlier records of
people being brought back to life in both the Old and
New Testaments???
a. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the
Dead--- (1 Kings 17:17-22).
b. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from
The dead (2 Kings 4:32-35).
c. A man was raised from the dead when his body
touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20, 21).
d. Many saints rose from the dead at the death of
Jesus (Matt. 27:52). 52 And the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
e. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead
(Luke 7:14-15). 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they
that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto
thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak.
f. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke
8:54-55). 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand,
and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again,
and she arose straightway:
7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). 43 And
when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come
forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot
with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
8. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:40). 40 But Peter
put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning
him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes:
and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
9. And Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Acts
20:9,10).
B. How did their raisings differ from that of Jesus?
1. The person raised in each situation mentioned died again.
2. Jesus’ resurrection was unique. When he was raised, he
did not die again – he ascended into heaven and lives
today.
Jesus was not only raised from the dead
He is the resurrection of the dead.
I. His resurrection proves His word is true.
If He be not risen we have no hope…” 1 Corinthians 15:12-22… skeptics deny His resurrection, people that say resurrection be proven and anybody that believes it is a fool. There is more evidence for His resurrection than there is for most court cases?
- Empty Tomb
A. Matthew 27:51-61 it gives the account of Jesus’ burial.
1. Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sandhedrin, placed Jesus’ body in his tomb.
2. Tomb is sealed and guards are posted!
3. After Jesus had risen, and the guards had reported everything that had happened, the chief priests bribed them to circulate a false story that the disciples had stolen the body (read Matthew 28:11-15).
The tomb was discovered empty because it was empty. Nobody got the tombs mixed up. Nobody stole the body. It was empty, period.
- Appearances
A. One of the greatest proofs of the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ was His many post-resurrection appearances.
How many believe that Timothy McVeigh was guilty
of the OKC bombing?
Did you know no witnesses watched Timothy McVeigh load
explosives into a Ryder rental truck, drive the vehicle to
the front of the federal building in Oklahoma City,
detonate the bomb. Yet he was convicted of that crime.
While not one of the 137 people called to the witness
stand had seen McVeigh commit the crime,
1.A businessman said McVeigh rented a Ryder truck,
2. A friend said McVeigh talked about bombing the building out of anger against the government.
3. A scientist said McVeigh’s clothes contained a residue of explosives when he was arrested.
4.All adding up to a convincing web of evidence from which McVeigh was unable to release himself.
Many have denied the resurrection of Christ because they did not see His resurrected body for themselves. They say there is not enough evidence to prove it. Yet, there is more evidence that Christ is risen, than there is that McVeigh is guilty of the bombing.
1 Corinthians 15:6 NIV: 6After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
1. The Bible tells us that the risen Lord was seen 1st by 2
women, Peter, John, the disciples on the road to Emmaus,
10 apostles, Thomas, by more than 500 brethren, James,
and finally by Paul.
2. That alone is more evidence than they had against McVeigh.
- Transformation
A transformation in Jesus’ followers took place. This is evidence of the reality of the resurrection.
This little band of disciples went from hiding to preaching They were willing to go through horrible torture and death. Lee Strobel writes, “Nobody willingly dies for something that they know is false. But they knew it to be true. They knew Jesus had died, they knew there was an empty tomb.
B. On the day of the trial they were afraid of any hint of
trouble.
1. But after the resurrection they were bold in their witness. Acts 4:6-20…
2. It is also confirmed by the growth of the Christian church. The original followers and the hearers of that first century were so radically transformed that they affected their culture big time. And the transformation of people has been continuing for 2000 years.
III. The Relevance of the Resurrection
‘Why should Christ’s resurrection be important to me?’
A. The Resurrection proves Jesus is God-not imposter
1. In John 2 Jesus chased out the money changers out because
they’d turned the Temple into a marketing venture. They
asked Him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove
your authority to do all this?”
1.This is what Jesus told them:“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19 NIV)
2.Thought he was referring to the Temple, but verse 21 tells us He was referring to His body.
Paul opened the letter to the Romans like this:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:1-4 NIV
B. The Resurrection proves Jesus to be the Son of God and
that He is who He claimed to be, God.
1.The founder of every other religion died and stayed dead.
2.Jesus rose again. This is important to you because it forces you to make a decision in your life. Since Christ is who He claimed to be, how will you respond to Him?
C. The Resurrection makes your salvation possible
Without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ every person is still dead in their sins. Rom. 4:25 NIV says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
1. Paul writes, “14And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty… 17And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 1 Cor 15:14,17-18 NKJ).
2. If no resurrection, then Christ proved Himself nothing more
than a self-deceived prophet or crazy man and all of us are
fools for trusting Him.
3.BUT the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact.
4. Faith in Christ is not in vain.
5.Jesus’ being alive means the way to God has been ‘paved’ by Christ and you can be made right with Him and have relationship with Him this morning.
C. The Resurrection makes your resurrection possible
1.Our resurrected bodies will be transformed, will be bodies completely perfect
2.Granted, the resurrection if we have died will not take place until the church is raptured.
Listen to Romans 8:23-24 (NLT):
23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,£ including the new bodies he has promised us.
3.Our spirits have been saved -- we are waiting the day our bodies are made new and free of the weight of sin and totally dominated by the Holy Spirit.
4.“5Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee..”The Resurrection is our hope.
ILL.- It was said that Henry Ford was an automotive genius. He came up with great ideas and handed them to researchers for development. One of his ideas was the concept of an engine in which the pistons were set at an angle to each other rather than in a straight line. He sketched out his idea for the V-8 motor and took it to his engineers. After he left they looked it over and shook their heads for the boss’ ignorance of basic engineering. Somebody volunteered to tell that his idea was impossible. Ford said, “Do it anyway and stay at it until you succeed.”
It took over one year and many designs but eventually Ford’s researchers came up with the design of the most powerful automobile engine known to us today. His refusal to acknowledge the impossible laid the foundation for turning an idea into a working design.
Ford was indeed something of an automotive genius, but God is the greatest genius of all! Who would have ever thought that the death of His son on a cross would be the ultimate victory over sin, Satan, death, and hell? And then to bring Him back from the dead; that was frosting on the cake!
ILL: Cartoon of two Roman soldiers standing by the empty tomb. The stone is rolled away and one soldier is looking very worried but the other one is shrugging and says, “Don’t worry about it. A hundred years from now, who will remember?”
b. But a hundred years went by and people did remember. And 500 and 1000 and nearly 2,000 years later, God’s people still gather and remember.
