“THANKFUL FOR OUR VICTORY!” 1 Cor. 15:57
FBCF – 11/3/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Might look at sermon title & think I’m talking about who’s going to win the Presidential election this Tue but that’s not the subject of this message. However, due of the magnitude of this election, I do want to speak to it for just a moment.
I’ve heard people say that if one of the candidates for President wins the election, then we are all doomed. I can confidently say that that is not the truth. This Bible tells me that the only people who are doomed are those who die w/out knowing Jesus Christ as their Savior & Lord, which is why no matter who wins this election, the Church must & will continue to march forward to proclaim the Gospel. And which is why, if you don’t know Jesus, you need to call out to Him & be saved today!
I absolutely do believe that it’s important that you go vote this Tuesday. I absolutely do believe that this election is one of the most important, if not the most important election in our lifetime. I absolutely do believe that the Church – THIS Church – must stand stronger than ever on the foundational truths of the Word of God & proclaim the Gospel louder & stronger than we ever have before in the 137 yrs of our existence.
And I also absolutely believe that our hope is in the eternal Son of God, not in any man or woman in any position of governmental leadership or any political party – “My hope is built on nothing less…” So, I want to encourage & exhort you w/ these statements. No matter what happens Tuesday - no matter the outcome – no matter if your candidate gets elected or not, I challenge you to:
Look to God, not the government – He does not change – His laws & precepts do not change – He has all power & authority over any & every governmental leader in any office at any level of government. HE places people in positions of power & HE removes them. Look to HIM – Trust HIM – Obey HIM – If you will obey Him & walk w/ Him, He will take care of you & meet every need that you have. The government cannot & will not do that.
Look to the Word, not to Washington – His Word is truth, a commodity that is hard to find sometimes in Washington, no matter which side of the aisle you’re on. So, look to the Word! Listen to it being preached & taught – Read it – Study it – Memorize it – Meditate on it – Apply it to your life & live it out, no matter what happens in Washington. If you’ll do that, you will experience Him working in your life in “immeasurably more” ways than you could ever imagine!
Look to heaven, not to the House on Pennsylvania Avenue – John 14:1-3 – “In my Father’s House are many mansions…” – Make sure that you have a place reserved for you in heaven by giving your heart & life to Jesus. The House on Pennsylvania Ave, the White House, may be an opulent home for the President & his family. But it is a shanty compared to the house that is waiting on those of us who know Jesus! If you’re just playing games w/ Jesus & just going through the motions, then there is no home in heaven awaiting you. But if you’ll come to Him today in total faith in Christ & Christ alone, you’ll have that home waiting on you when you die.
Look to the promises of God, not to the poll numbers – Click on any news outlet of your choice right now & you’ll find some poll somewhere that will make it sound like your candidate is a shoe-in – You’ll find some poll numbers somewhere by some polling organization that will say your candidate is leading in this swing state, w/ this target group, w/ this voting bloc, among this age group or ethnic group or this class of people. And come Tuesday, some of those polls are going to be dead wrong. But God’s promises will NEVER be wrong, no matter what anyone says & no matter what happens Tuesday. No matter who gets elected, you & I better cling to the promises of God every day of every year, not just every 4 years. If you know & are clinging to His promises, you will make it through whatever storm comes your way. If you’re not, you’re going down!
Look to the state of your salvation, not to the state of the union – No matter who gets elected Tue, the state of the union – of our nation will still be in desperate need of revival & spiritual awakening. Economy might get better – inflation may go down – Crime may decrease. But demonic forces are at work in every level of our nation’s gov’t. You can see that when one party’s platform is firmly planted on the lie of “reproductive justice” that will allow an unborn baby to be murdered at any stage of its development. You can see the demonic forces at work in our nation when “gender-affirming care” for children is applauded & supported. But, more important than the state of the union is the state of your salvation. So, what IS the state of your salvation? Is it unwavering, firmly founded on the unchanging truths of the W of G? Or is the state of your salvation uncertain? Right now, are you thinking, “I HOPE I’m saved…I THINK I’m saved…I’m not sure I’m saved”? If that’s what you’re thinking today, then get it right RIGHT NOW! If you’re more concerned about who’s going to win Tue than you are about the state of your salvation, then you’re in big trouble.
- Our King is coming back from heaven on a white horse, not from the White House in a black limousine.
EXPLANATION – 1 Corinthians 15:57
1 Cor. 15 – Paul teaching a truth that was very different from the prevailing thought in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Most people believed that death completely obliterated & extinguished life, or that death moved a person into some type of shadowy but insubstantial existence – “The idea that God would resurrect a corpse revolted the Greco-Roman pagans. They believed that the material body has no future beyond the grave & that only the immaterial soul is immortal” (study note, NIV Grace & Truth Study Bible, p. 1594).
But the word “resurrection” is a key term in our doctrine & theology. B/c Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave, you & I will also be resurrected if we truly know Jesus as our Savior & Lord. Resurrection is our hope, our joy, our victory! We preach it – We live in light of its truth – We show it by our baptism – We sing it in our worship.
- Great old hymn by Charles Wesley, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” – sing it at Easter – last verse:
- “Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!”
And as Paul said in v. 19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
- “If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.” (CSB)
- Our victory come through Jesus in this life & in the life to come!
- There is no victory in this life or in the life to come w/out the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
APPLICATION – True victory comes through knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord.
When you know Jesus, you have victory over:
DOUBT – V. 3-7 – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – one of most succinct, definitive descriptions of the Gospel in the entire NT. Clear & concise – Factual & foundational.
- Jesus died for our sins – He didn’t just swoon or faint or pass out. He died. His heart stopped. His lungs stopped. His brain activity stopped. He was dead.
- Jesus was buried – Buried in a borrowed tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. Fulfilled Isaiah 53:9 – “And they made his grave w/ the wicked & w/ a rich man in his death.”
- Jesus rose from the dead – Another reason for the borrowed tomb – He didn’t need it for long!!!
- That’s it! That’s the Gospel!
Then Paul went on to outline some of those who saw Jesus after His resurrection, removing all doubt about Him being alive today. And just as His resurrection dispelled all their doubt about His majesty & authority as the King of kings & Lord of lords, His resurrection removes our doubts & fears & anxieties! When you know Jesus, there’s no doubt about:
- Your eternal life – John 10:28-29
- Your abundant life – John 10:10
- Your supplied life – Philippians 4:19
- Your confident life – Philippians 1:6
DEMONS – V. 24-25 – Right now, while you & I are there in this place, there is an unseen battle going on all around us. Powerful demonic forces are constantly coming against us to wreak havoc on the earth & in our lives. Right now, in this room, after we have sung songs of praise to Jesus; after we have prayed fervent prayers to Him; right now, as we are studying His Word, someone could put down their Bible & take out their phone & in just a few seconds be looking at the most vile, perverse images imaginable while sitting in this worship service. Someone could be sitting in here looking spiritual on the outside & yet, on the inside, be thinking horrible, hurtful thoughts about someone sitting on the other side of the room. Someone could be writing notes on my sermon at one moment, & the next moment be sending a sinful gossip-filled text to someone. We could be saying “Amen” in church this morning & saying cuss words Tue night if their candidate loses the election. Why is that? B/c there is a war going on! Right now, “every rule & authority & power” of demons that is active & working against us (v. 24) – “all His enemies” (v. 25) are still actively coming against us all the time, even when we are in church. Satan’s demons are working all the time, striving to trip us up & pull us away from our walk w/ Jesus.
But, b/c of Christ, we have been given everything we need to live in victory over the demons who have been assigned to us & are actively coming against us.
- Ephesians 6:14-18 – the armor of God
- 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 - 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
DEATH – V. 50-57 – The 1st 2 points refer to our victory in this present life – victory over doubt in this life, & victory over demons in this life. But this last point moves us into the life to come w/ our victory over death.
Just as v. 3-4 give one of the most powerful descriptions of the Gospel of Jesus, v. 50-57 give some of the most powerful promises of our promised victory over death through our resurrection. Ponder & rejoice in these truths:
- V. 50 – These bodies we are in right now cannot inherit the K’dom of God. They are corruptible, perishable, & feeble. Every day another pain, another weakness, another frailty, another doctor’s appt., another reminder that these bodies are wasting away. So, these bodies must be changed from perishable & decaying to imperishable & durable.
- V. 51-52 – And the good news is: We WILL be changed! – “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” The trumpet will sound, Jesus will descend w/ a shout, & the Rapture will happen. Those who knew Jesus & have died will be resurrected from their graves, & those who are still alive will be caught up together w/ them. And we will meet Jesus in the air to be w/ the Lord forever & ever!
- V. 54 – And in that God-promised instant, our archenemy called death will be defeated – “swallowed up in victory!”
- V. 57 – And that victory over death comes ONLY THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ & only TO those who know Him.
CONCLUSION – No matter what happens Tue, Jesus will still be Lord. So, come to Him NOW so you can live the victorious life that He has for you.
