SERMON OUTLINE:
• Proof #1 - Their Salvation (vs 1-2).
• Proof # 2 - The Old Testament Scriptures (vs 3-4).
• Proof #3 - Christ Was Seen by Witnesses (vs 5-11).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• You may not know the name, but you will have all heard his voice.
• Mel Blanc has been called, “The man of 1,000 voices”.
• Some of those voices you will instantly recognise.
• ‘Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Sylvester & Tweety Pie’
• On his gravestone, just under the Star of David (he was Jewish),
• Is the inscription, “That’s all folks!”
• Because Mel Blanc was the voice for the end picture on those Warner Brothers cartoons,
• TRANSITION: Many people view life that way,
• When you are dead, you are dead - “That’s all folks!”
• Yet, Easter is a reminder that ‘death is not the end” - there is more to follow!
• Yesterday was the funeral of Prince Philip,
• As a nation we said our goodbyes for we will never see him ‘in the flesh’ again.
• He died, he will be buried and “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
• In contrast Jesus Christ died, was buried and three days later rose again,
• To change Mel Blanc’s classic saying, “That’s NOT all folks!”
Quote: Andrew Murray:
“Jesus Christ was born twice.
The birth at Bethlehem was a birth into a life of weakness.
The second time he was born from the grave – “the first born from the dead” – into the glory of heaven and the throne of God”.
This letter (1st Corinthians) was written to a Church in ancient Corinth.
• Corinth was a Greek city, 40 miles away from Athens.
• Corinth and Athens were very much like Edinburgh and Glasgow today.
• Athens was the University city where the philosophers lived, and art festivals were held.
• Corinth was a bustling port.
• Greek philosophy was the background of Corinth’s beliefs.
• And the Greeks did not believe in the resurrection' of the dead.
• One Epicurean epitaph read (student of the Greek philosopher Epicurus.):
• ‘Non fui, fui, non-sum, non curo’ (‘I was not; I was I am not; I do not care’)
Ill:
• That belief was so dominant that when the apostle Paul had first preached at Athens.
• (Read about it in Acts chapter 17 verse 32).
• They listened until he mentioned the resurrection of Christ,
• Then some of those listening actually laughed at him!
• They mocked him!
In New Testament times:
• Most Greek philosophers considered the human body a prison,
• And they welcomed death as deliverance from bondage.
• This sceptical attitude had somehow invaded the church and Paul had to face it head-on.
• So, in this chapter Paul dealt with the subject of ‘resurrection’ by answering 4 basic questions.
Ill:
• Question 1: Are the Dead Raised? (That is answered in verses 1-19).
• Question 2: When are the dead raised? (That is answered in verses 20-28).
• Question 3: Why are the dead raised? (That is answered in verses 29-34 & 49-58).
• Question 4: How are the dead raised? (That is answered in verses 35-49).
This morning I want us to look at the glory of Christ’s resurrection:
• And that overlaps the first question Paul answers in this chapter:
• Are the Dead Raised? (verses 15:1-19)
Note:
• Now although the Christians at Corinth denied the resurrection of their own bodies,
• They did believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
• So, on this point the apostle Paul starts to build his argument.
• He presented three proofs to assure his readers that Jesus Christ,
• Had indeed had been raised from the dead.
• And later he will teach in this chapter,
• If Christ was physically raised from the dead so will all who believe in him.
PROOF #1 - THEIR SALVATION (vs 1-2).
“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.”
In verse 1 the apostle Paul describes a three-fold process in conversion:
(1). THERE IS ALWAYS A SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE.
• “I preached to you”.
• That vehicle may be a preacher, or maybe a Christian simply witnessing.
• It may be a Bible that has been read or may be some other Christian literature,
• But knowledge must be transmitted.
• Christianity is a taught religion; the gospel needs to be proclaimed and explained.
(2). THERE IS ALWAYS A RECEIVER.
• “Which you received”.
• There is always a recipient, beneficiary, a receiver.
• Who hears that preacher, or talks to that Christian, or reads that Bible or literature?
(3). THERE IS ALWAYS AN ACCEPTANCE.
• “On which you have taken your stand”.
• In other words, you heard the gospel, you believed the gospel.
• And you embraced or received the gospel.
• That gospel is a rock on which you are able to stand.
Paul explains what that gospel is in verses 3-4:
• That gospel was and is a message about Christ!
• His death and also his resurrection.
• After all, a dead Saviour cannot save anybody!
• And so, an integral part of the gospel message is the fact of Christ's resurrection.
Note:
• Paul puts the word in the present tense,
• “By this gospel you ARE saved”.
• He did not say; “By this gospel you WERE saved”.
• He did not say; “By this gospel you WILL be saved”.
• He says that we are now being saved,
• Salvation is a continuous and ongoing process.
Verse 2 is a sombre verse:
“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word, I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”
• Sadly, some people have a superficial faith.
• The profess Christ but do not possess Christ!
• They have knowledge, they have all the answers,
• But they do not allow this gospel to change their lives.
• The test of true faith is that it does not quit,
• The gospel holds us more than we hold it!
In the New testament salvation is spoken of in three ways:
• We are saved, we are being saved and we shall be saved!
• We are saved (from sins punishment),
• We are being saved (from sins power).
• And we shall be saved (from sins presence)
PROOF #2 - THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES (vs 3-4).
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”.
• "Christ died ... Chris was buried ... Chris rose again”.
• Are the basic historical facts upon which the Gospel stands.
The apostle Paul says this message was of “First importance."
• The Gospel is the most important message that the church ever proclaims.
• It is the roots of the gospel.
• While it is good to be involved in social action and helping to meet the needs of people.
• That is the fruit of the gospel.
• But first and foremost, the gospel is a message.
• And that message has to be proclaimed and explained.
The apostle Paul then reminds the Corinthians of the heart of the gospel message:
(1). CHRIST’S DEATH:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”.
• This statement is the theological explanation of the historical facts.
• “Christ died” are the facts – “For our sins” is the theological explanation.
• Many hundreds if not thousands of Jewish men were crucified by the Romans,
• But only ONE "victim" his name Jesus of Nazareth
• Was able to die for the sins of the world. He was unique and his death was unique!
Note:
• When Paul wrote "According to the Scriptures"
• He was of course referring to the 39 books contained in our Old Testament.
• Much of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament,
• Pointed to the sacrifice of Christ as our substitute and Saviour.
• ill: The annual Day of Atonement (Leviticus chapter 16).
• ill: And prophecies like Isaiah chapter 53 & Psalm 22 would also come to mind.
(2). CHRIST’S RESURRECTION:
“That he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”.
Note: Now this might surprise you.
• But there is only one consistent point or truth,
• Made in all the evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts.
• It is not the virgin birth.
• It is not the sinlessness of Christ.
• It is not even the CROSS!
• Surprisingly, the cross is not mentioned in every sermon in the book of Acts.
• It is not the blood of Christ.
• Nor is it the second coming of Christ.
• It is not repentance that is always mentioned,
• Nor is it grace, mercy, faith or forgiveness.
• In the recorded text, the ink on the paper.
• The only constant in all the recorded sermons in the book of Acts is the resurrection!
• Now I am not saying that the apostles did not preach the cross,
• Because you cannot have a resurrection without a death!
• What I am saying is what the text records.
Question: Where does the Old Testament declare His resurrection on the third day?
Answer:
Ill:
• Jesus pointed to the experience of Jonah.
• (Matthew chapter 12 verses 38-41.
• There are of course many prophecies in the Old Testament.
• That refer to the Messiah's resurrection in the Old Testament:
• These are quoted and explained in the New Testament.
• e.g., Psalm 16 verses 8-11 is quoted and explained in Acts chapter 2 verses 25-28.
• e.g., Psalm 22 verse 22 is quoted and explained in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 12),
• e.g., Isaiah chapter 53 verses 10-12, and Psalm 2 verse 7.
• Are explained in Acts chapter 13 verses 32-33.
On the third day:
• To the amazement of the disciples.
• Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament predictions.
• He was not really resuscitated.
• (that is restored to the same mortal life that he had before)
• He was resurrected!
• He came back to life in a form of glorified immortality that the world had never seen before!
Ill:
• It was the same body yet different.
• It was different but the same!
• He had a body that the disciples could touch and inspect.
• It even contained the wounds of the cross and the holes in his hands & feet.
• Yet it was a body that did not have the fragility and limitations of the former body.
• It could appear and then disappear!
PROOF #3 - CHRIST WAS SEEN BY WITNESSES (vs 5-11).
“And that he appeared to Cephas,
and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
(1). CEPHAS OR PETER.
• “And that he appeared to Cephas,
• Peter is probably mentioned first in this list for several reasons:
• (a). He was known to the Christians in Corinth.
• (Chapter 1 verse 12 he is mentioned by name)
• (b). According to Luke chapter 24 verse 34 Peter received a special appearance.
• It was Peter who failed the Lord by denying him.
• Yet it was Peter who the Lord singled out for a special resurrection appearance!
(2). THE TWELVE (THE DISCIPLES COLLECTIVELY).
• This was the ‘official’ term to describe the apostolic band.
• Judas was obviously not there he had hanged himself.
• Matthias chosen to replace Judas had not yet been appointed.
• But the ‘twelve’ was the collective term to describe the remaining disciples.
(3). CROWD OF 500 PEOPLE.
“After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
• The 500 plus who saw him refutes once and for all.
• Any idea that the resurrection had been a hallucination or a deception.
• One person might experience a hallucination.
• But 500 hundred at one time – unthinkable!
Paul does not say where this sighting occurred:
• He speaks about this event as if it was commonly known.
• Had you been in Corinth you could have found an eyewitness and asked them!
• Because this letter was written 26 years after that event.
• Unfortunately for us we live in 2021 those witnesses have now all fallen asleep!
(3). JAMES.
• James was a half-brother of Jesus.
• John chapter 7 verse 5 tells us that at the start of his ministry he did not believe in Jesus.
• In fact, all of his stepbrothers and sisters were actively hostile towards him.
• In fact, we are told that; “They thought him to be mad.”
• Once again (as with Peter) the Lord appeared to someone who had hurt him deeply.
• But in Acts chapter 1 verse 14 after he met the risen Christ.
• He too became a believer.
(4). THE APOSTLES.
Question: How does this group differ from the twelve?
Answer:
• (a). This appearance may have been at the ascension and so included Matthias.
• (b). Another suggestion is that the twelve saw the Lord in their unbelief,
• On this occasion the Apostles would have seen the Lord in their belief.
(E). PAUL.
“And last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born”.
One of the greatest witnesses of the resurrection was Paul himself:
• Paul is a unique witness in this list.
• All the others mentioned saw the Lord on earth.
• Paul saw the Lord from heaven.
• When he appeared to him on the Damascus Road (Acts chapter 9).
• Paul was not only an unbeliever but also a persecutor of Christ.
• He was soundly convinced that Jesus was dead.
• The radical change in his life from unbeliever to believer.
• Was not an easy one?
• It caused him to experience incredible persecution and suffering.
• But he endured it because he knew that the Lord had indeed been raised from the dead.
Paul describes himself as “One abnormally born”.
• The Greek word means “Miscarriage”.
• Paul saw himself as a miscarriage, an abortion.
• In Paul’s thinking the other disciples, apostles were all born normally.
• He was born abnormally.
Ill:
The other disciples knew Jesus as:
• The man, the teacher the miracle worker from Galilee,
• Eventually they understood him to be the Christ/Messiah.
• Suddenly when they fought, he would set up his kingdom,
• He was arrested & then becoming Jesus the crucified,
• Eventually after the darkest,
• Longest three days of their lives,
• The penny drops and they discover,
• That Christ is risen, alive from the dead.
Ill:
Saul of Tarsus / Paul the Apostle:
• Had it all in reverse.
• His first conception of Jesus was in his risen glory.
• Everything else he knew about Jesus he had extracted by persuasion or torture.
• From Christians he had sought out and arrested!
But now Saul/Paul had encountered the risen, glorified Christ:
• He was speaking to him, he was as real to Paul,
• As where the other people Paul was travelling with!
• We to are here because we have met with the risen Christ!
• Like Saul our appreciation of Christ is growing day by day!
Conclusion:
• We are called to explain and proclaim the gospel.
• We can be confident that it is based on facts.
• We can be confident that it changes lives!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=J3DLo3PN7Ubr0Zogit37mmr6W5Nfegw5
