An INDISPENSABLE RESURRECTION—1Corinthians 15:12-19
The Corinthian’s faith was founded upon the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.
The Christian faith is founded upon Jesus’ resurrection.
Why is Christian faith grounded in the resurrection? OR....
Why is the resurrection key/central/indispensable to the Christian faith?
7 reasons the resurrection is indispensable to the Christian faith.
Rom. 10:9—“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
1—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
BIFURCATED BODY(:12)
Explanation:(:12)
:12—“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
“Some among you”
“Some”—but not all. There is a standard to which the church must align itself. That standard is not our opinion(a ‘dime a dozen’) but is God’s determination thru faith in Christ.
Argumentation:
Rom. 16:17—“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions & offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, & avoid them.”
*1Cor. 1:10-13—“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, & that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind & in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
1Cor. 3:3-5—“for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, & divisions among you, are you not carnal & behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” & another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, & who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?”
*1Cor. 11:18-19—“For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, & in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.”
*Eph. 2:11-16—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”
1Cor. 12:12-14, 24-27—“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”..... “but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
Illustration:
Lightning strikes a large tree/Loses its beauty & appeal/BIFURCATED BODY
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief BIFURCATED the BODY of Christ?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
2—A Dispensable Resurrection yields a...
DEFICIENT DELIVERER(:13)
Explanation:(:13) Firstfruits
:13—“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.”
Concept of Firstfruits:
Gen. 4:3-5—“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.”
Ex. 22:29-30—“You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce & your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. “Likewise you shall do with your oxen & your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.”
Deut. 18:4—“The firstfruits of your grain & your new wine & your oil, & the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.”
*Prov. 3:9—“Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;”
Ezek. 44:30—“The best of all firstfruits of any kind, & every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.”
Argumentation:
1Cor. 15:20-24—“But now Christ is risen from the dead, & has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule & all authority & power.”
Acts 26:22-23—Paul before King Agrippa—“Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small & great, saying no other things than those which the prophets & Moses said would come-- “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, & would proclaim light to the Jewish people & to the Gentiles.””
Rom. 8:11—“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Col. 1:18—“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
Rev. 1:4-6—“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you & peace from Him who is & who was & who is to come, & from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, & from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, & the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us & washed us from our sins in His own blood, & has made us kings & priests to His God & Father, to Him be glory & dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
1Jn. 3:1-3—“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Illustration:
Scuba Diving off of Wilmington,NC/Shipwreck John D. Gill/Arrive at site by boat/Cannot see land/80ft. dive/Beautiful clear water-Marine life-Great dive!/Return to surface to no boat!/DEFICIENT DELIVERER
Christ’s Resurrection speaks of God’s promised DELIVERANCE!
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief made the DELIVERER(Christ) DEFICIENT?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
3—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
EMPTY EDICT(:14)
Explanation:(:14) No substance
:14—“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty & your faith is also empty.”
Based on feeling rather than truth.
Argumentation:
Gal. 2:1-2—“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, & also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, & communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.”
—Paul wanted to be consoled in the fact that their Gospels were one, otherwise he would have been wasting his time with them, which was most valuable.
Illustration:
PBS Preacher—Dr. Wayne Dyer/A self-help guru for the intelligentsia/Psychological solutions for human problem/Some aspects closely parallel Christian understandings/No mention of God or sin or redemption apart from inner human ability to effect change/EMPTY EDICT
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief EMPTIED the EDICT of Christ?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
4—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
DISSENTING DECLARATION / Opposing Oration(:15)
Explanation:(:15)
:15—“Yes, & we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise.”
“False witnesses”—qeudomartur—False witness. ‘Pseudo-martyr.’ Used 3X.
Ex. 20:16—“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Joseph of Arimathea—Lk. 23:50-51—“Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good & just man. He had not consented to their decision & deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.”
then why would we tangle with being stoned
Argumentation:
Jn. 7:5-7—“For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.”
Jn. 15:19—“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Rom. 3:8—“And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?--as we are slanderously reported & as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.”
1Thes. 2:2—“But even after we had suffered before & were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.”
Illustration:
Billy at school trying to ‘do the right-honorable thing’/Picks up books that Jim, the school bully knocked out of a new student’s hands/Badmouths Billy/Everyone knows its Empty talk/DISSENTING DECLARATION
Atheististic or naturalistic pundits/DISSENTING DECLARATION
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief a DISSENTING DECLARATION to Christ?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
5—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
DEAD-End DEPENDENCE (:14, 17)
Explanation:(:14, 17)Futile Faith/Conviction
:14—“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty & your faith is also empty.”
“Empty/Vain/Useless”—kenov— Empty, vain, devoid of truth.
:17—“And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”
“Futile”—mataiov—1) Devoid of force, truth, success, result; 2) Useless, of no purpose.
Argumentation:
Rom. 8:10—“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Jn. 9:39-41—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, & said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”
Illustration:
Buying meat at grocery store/Styrofoam tray shrink-wrapped w. nothing in it!/Take home/Freeze it for later/Trust the meat will be there when you need it/DEAD-End DEPENDENCE
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief brought DEPENDENCE on Christ to a DEAD-End?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
6—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
FALLEN FAMILY(:18)
Explanation:(:18)
:18—“Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”
Death then, is truly worthy of our most distraught emotional release because we will never see them again. They have bought a lie.
“Perished”—apollumi—To destroy—1a) To put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin, 1b) Render useless, 1c) To kill, 1d) To declare that one must be put to death, 1e) Metaph. To devote or give over to eternal misery in hell, 1f) To perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed.
Argumentation:
1Thess. 4:13-18—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, & with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Illustration:
Mrs. Ruth Walker/Sweet-spirited Christian lady/Aging & approach of death produces intensified love Jesus & for outreach/NO FALLEN FAMILY
People without a Resurrected Lord/Aging & Approach of death produces Inescapable Anxiety/Middle-age crisis/Old-age crisis/FALLEN FAMILY
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief caused your FAMILY to FALL from Christ?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
7—A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
HEART-Rending HOPE(:19)
Explanation:(:19)Exited Expectation
:19—“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
What matters is truth, not hope-so hope. Hope-so hope breaks our heart because it never clings to God’s truth, but instead to the temporal & created.
“Pitiable”—eleeinov— To be pitied, miserable.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
1Jo 2:15-17—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Ps. 39:6-7—“Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.”
Mat. 24:35—“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My[Jesus’] words will by no means pass away.”
Mat. 7:21—“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Illustration:
Buddhists/Hindus/Muslims/etc./No hope/
Jehovah’s Witnesses/Give the Governing Board authority in theological matters/HEART-Rending HOPE
Mormons/Archaeological claims unfounded/‘As God was, so man is, As God is, so man will be’/‘Believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God’— >3000 changes since 1830/HEART-Rending HOPE
Application:
?Your Resurrection belief RENT / TORN the HEART of HOPE in Christ?
?Your Resurrection Dispensable or Indispensable?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A Dispensable resurrection yields a...
1. BIFURCATED BODY(:12)
2. DEFICIENT DELIVERER(:13)
3. EMPTY EDICT(:14)
4. DISSENTING DECLARATION / Opposing Oration(:15)
5. DEAD-End DEPENDENCE (:14, 17)
6. FALLEN FAMILY(:18)
7. HEART-Rending HOPE(:19)
Presented 04/04/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
