The Resurrection of Christ and the lost
1 cor.15:
Prayer-
Father, today in your goodness, would you manifest your goodness in our lives? Would you allow your Spirit to energize us, fill us to overflowing with your power, allow us to look this morning at the cross not only as the finished work of Christ but the empowerment of your saints as we serve you here until you bring us home to glory. Amen.
Introduction-
Last week we looked at the life of Paul and the thorn that God had permitted in his life.
“I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
The thorn was given by God, delivered by Satan, for a purpose.
He prayed about it and The Lord said no, my grace is sufficient for you and in your weakness, you will see my power.”
Anybody want that for their life!
This morning, I want to remind you of the cross-
We know that Jesus went to the cross,
We know that salvation comes from the cross, but where is the power that we are supposed to see active in our lives?
Where are the people coming to the Lord seeking salvation?
Where are the testimonies of people receiving God’s blessings? Did they stop or did we stop looking for them?
If you were here last week…The Lord showed up! In our worship, in the testimonies shared, and when the word was spoken. You could not leave here and not know that we were given the word to change our lives concerning the thorns that torment and hinder our lives. That is not a one-time thing that happens, if we are being sensitive to what the Lord is saying, I believe every week He desires to encourage, rebuke, teach, heal us, and allow our hearts to be stirred by the Word of God and the Spirit of God to draw us into a closer relationship with Him.
The question becomes do you want it and how bad do you want it?
Paul says to the church at Cornith 1 Corinthians 15:1 - “Now brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, otherwise you have believed in vain.”
Do we have to be reminded of the gospel?
Do we need to be reminded of the importance of the cross in our lives?
In the lives of those we have contact with? Yes! Yes we do. Paul goes on to tell us that it is to be the “first importance.”
Someone say…yes we do!
It was the business of the apostles to assert and establish the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ. I could understand the apostles having trouble bringing the truth to the unbelievers, but the apostles are speaking to the church at Cornith as well!
Some of them flatly denied the resurrection.
Some had turned the resurrection into a nice little story. (I am speaking to some this morning)
Some made it appear as if there was no power in the resurrection so why would they put their faith in the resurrection.
Christianity rest in the resurrection of Christ- no resurrection, no salvation.
No salvation, and your faith is worthless.
They were treating the truth of God as worthless! Not of the first importance!
(3) “For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance: that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
The resurrection of Christ is the life blood of the faith.
If we truly believe that, it will change our lives and it should change the lives of those we have contact with.
Paul tells us that the gospel he preached was the same gospel we need to share with others.
He says that he didn’t water it down, he didn’t change it, it was the same doctrine taught and received.
It was not a strange doctrine.
Why is it that strange doctrine is more accepted and received than the gospel that comes with power and anointing?
I have more people stop me and share strange doctrine than people telling me of the gospel of Christ.
Why is it that the foundation of so many Christians can be destroyed by false prophets and false teachings?
Let me share some scripture with you- words that will change your life if you let them.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19- Read from Bible
If this is not true, your faith is worthless. If this is not true, you can get up out of here because I would not have anything to say!
(Paul speaking ) But you know the truth- you have experienced the truth, you have seen the savior. There has been over 500 witnesses that seen the risen savior.
“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
If there is no resurrection, there are a lot of Christians who are dead in their sins-
There is “no name under heaven upon which to be saved except the name of Jesus” and if there is not resurrection, we are lost people.
Paul faced it then and we still face today- Why is the church struggling in sharing the life changing power of the resurrection with a world that needs to hear that message? God help us to be a voice in this troubled world.
1 Corinthians 15:20-24 read from Bible
How do I know that? God’s recorded witnesses and fact that your spirit bears witness with His Spirit. Amen.
I know that it is true because my spirit bears witness with His Spirit and He lets me know that this is true.
Why do we not see more people coming to Christ?
Why do we not see more healings?
Why do not see the churches of God full on a Sunday morning?
Because we have not gone out and shared our faith and life experiences. (Come on now!)
We have not told people what God has done in our lives.
Every generation is waiting for a sign- like God must prove Himself to all of us before we believe.
Match that to those that don’t share their faith and we see a world grasping for strange doctrine and not being offered the truths of God.
Let me share why we do not see more people coming to faith.
Turn to the book of Jonah- In the Old Testament almost at the end between Obadiah and Micah. This 4 chapter book reveals why we do not see more people coming to Christ than we do.
If you are there say your there- if not, say you better go on without me-
Jonah 1:1- The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai- “Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before the Lord.”
(If you feel like it…go to Ninevah1)
(If you are good at preaching, Go to Ninevah)
(If you can fit into your busy schedule… go to Ninevah)
God gave Jonah a directive- Go preach against the lifestyle found in Ninevah.
God gives each one of us a directive to go share His word-
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We take that verse as if it is for everyone else except us.
Unless you name is surely,
“Shirley” “Surely, I am with you always, to the end of time.”
He is told to go, and Jonah runs away- “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”
He went the opposite way of the way the Lord commanded him. (Anybody?)
He hated the people of Ninevah and their souls didn’t matter to him.
He wasn’t around those people anymore and didn’t know how he would relate to them
He found a ship headed in the direction he wanted to go and fled from the Lord.
It isn’t comfortable to do what you don’t like, so he said no, and went his own way.
How many know it is easier to run than do what the Lord wants of us? At least in the beginning!
How many understand that the devil will find a way to pay your fare to get you away from the things of God and life appears good as you make your way from the Lord.
In time, the good times don’t seem so good, it seems the hounds of heaven have found you and you are always being drawn back to the original command of the Lord and that is obedience.
(4) “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.”
Instead of doing what we are supposed to do, this is where the strange teachings start filtering into lives that are not grounded in the Lord.
Attempting to call on any god who would listen.
Dabbling in Mediums and Tarot Cards, witchcraft… like there is such a thing as white magic!
Throwing off some of the cargo that is sinking our ship… but not all of it.
Not the precious stuff we will not let go. We would rather sink than give that up.
(6) “The captain went to him and said,” How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we do not perish.”
Those that are going through a whirlwind are calling on us to tell them what is going on and what they can do to find peace and direction that the Lord has given us.”
They are drawing at straws, listening to strange doctrine, false teachings, and we have opportunity to share the truth of God with them.
When we do not respond, we are hindering them from finding the truth that we have.
At some point in our lives, we need to stop running from God, and take the responsibility each of us has a believer and trust God to right a wrong.
We need to come to the Lord with a heart of repentance and a heart that is sensitive to those that need Christ.
(15) “They took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.’
The raging sea grew calm, like the day after 911- when we are in the thjck of problems, we get spiritual, we seek God out, but when the waters go calm, we go back to the same old same old. We need to be a nation of 9/12 that is searching out the things of God wither we are in a jam or we riding a high.
The Lord begins to work on all hearts in different ways- The men sought out God maybe for the first time and Jonah is on his knees in the middle of the great fish-
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help.”
Everyone wants signs- Jesus says the only sign now that we will get is the sign of Jonah- 3 days in the belly of the great fish and he was resurrected from death to life. Jonah was spit up on the shore and rescued.
The work of Christ for us later at the cross and His resurrection was our rescue!
Close,
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Go to the great city of Ninevah and proclaim the message I give you.
Notice the message didn’t change- Go to Ninevah-
Jonah 3:7-10 Read from Bible
“Who knows what God will do when you invite someone!
Perhaps they will not perish!
Perhaps the Lord has already been ministering to them!
Jonah as a believer had a responsibility to be faithful and obedient. Jonah doesn’t save anybody and neither do we- we are told to Go and let God work through us.
The wonder of divine mercy here in the sparing of the Ninevites is seen in their repentance.
Jonah doing what God called him to do and God working through that to reach people.
Jonah repenting and going-
Ninevites repenting and seeing God rescue them. We all need rescue! Amen.
LOVE THE SONG- CASTING CROWNS
I am a nobody wanting to tell everybody about somebody that saved my soul
Prayer time and a time of reflection.
