SPECIAL OCCASION: EASTER SUNDAY
TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-22
TITLE: “WHO’S ON FIRST?”
INTRODUCTION: A. Growing up in Kentucky, I can testify to the fact that there is a huge rivalry in college
basketball between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
-- Bob Russell tells a story that at one of the games between the two schools, an
elderly woman was sitting alone in Rupp Arena with an empty seat next to her.
Someone approached her and said, “Ma’am, I have rarely seen an empty seat in
Rupp Arena for any Kentucky basketball game, let alone at a game between these
two teams. Whose seat is this?”
The woman responded that she and her late husband had been UK season-ticket
holders for 28 years and the seat belonged to him. He had recently passed away.
The fellow looked kind of bewildered and asked, “Couldn’t you find a friend or
relative to come to the game with you?”
She replied, “Are you kidding? They’re all at my husband’s funeral.”
1. What’s most important in your life?
2. How do you decide what’s most important?
3. How well do you do at keeping what is truly most important most important?
B. Most of you here this morning probably remember the classic comedy bit by Abbott
and Costello called, “Who’s On First?”
--It’s a very clever exchange concerning the name of the guy playing first base on a
baseball team and the confusion over the name
1. So many of us are confused over what should be the most important thing
--We try to make it our families, our jobs, our ambitions, our passions, or even our
hobbies
2. In the passage we’re going to look at this morning, the apostle Paul says that he
wants to remind us concerning what is “of first importance”
a. Unlike Abbot and Costello’s comic routine, “of first importance” is not a what, a
how, or a why
b. Of first importance is a “who”
--It’s Jesus Christ and the gospel concerning Jesus Christ
c. Let’s see where that gospel fits in with this day of celebration of Jesus’
resurrection and how it applies to how we live our lives in the 21st century
I. A REMINDER OF THE GOSPEL
--1 Cor. 15:1-4 – “Now, brothers, 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. 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…”
A. What is the gospel?
1. Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures
a. Notice – He died both for our sins and according to the Scriptures
b. Is. 53:4-5 – “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him
stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds
we are healed.
2. Jesus was buried
a. After his death, he was placed in the tomb for the better part of three days
b. Jesus prophesied that his burial would take place
--He said that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, so would he be in the grave
for three days
3. Jesus was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
--Is. 53:11 – “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied...”
B. Why is the gospel important to remember?
--Saved by it – Rom. 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes…”
1. Receive it
--you don’t earn it; you accept it through faith and obedience
2. Take your stand on it
--when everything else seems unstable, you can trust the gospel and build your life on it
3. Hold firmly to it
--it is your only hope
II. THE REALITY OF THE GOSPEL
--1 Cor. 15:5-11 – [he was raised on the third day according to scripture] “…and that he appeared to Peter,
and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers 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. For I am the least of
the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. , I worked harder than all
of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we
preach, and this is what you believed..”
A. The core message of the gospel is what sets Christianity apart from any other belief system
--The core message: Jesus death, burial, and resurrection
1. It’s the resurrection that separates Jesus from all other religious leaders in world history
--Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius all made impacts on the world with their religious teachings
but they died, never to be seen alive again
2. Jesus was more than just a teacher or a mortal man
--He was and is the Son of God who has power over sin and death
B. Four things about Jesus’ resurrection that prove the reality of the gospel:
1. The empty tomb
--Just because the tomb was empty doesn’t conclusively prove that Jesus rose from the dead. Three
alternative explanations:
a. 1st alternative: Jesus really didn’t die on the cross. He just went into a coma
-- I think the obvious answer to that theory comes from a story about a lady who had listened to a
preacher on the radio. She wrote to the radio preacher:
“Dear Sir, Our preacher said on Easter that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples
nursed him back to health. What do you think? [signed] Sincerely, Bewildered.”
The preacher wrote back: “Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with
39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross, hang him in the sun for six hours, run a spear through his
side. Then put him in an airless tomb for three days and see what happens.”
b. 2nd alternative: The disciples stole the body
--first offered by the Jewish leaders after Jesus’ resurrection
1). The Roman soldiers would have had to give their permission or be asleep on duty
--If they gave their permission, they would have disobeyed direct orders and if asleep, they
would be found derelict in their duties. They would face the death penalty for either infraction
of Roman military law
2).. The disciples could not have moved the heavy stone and carried Jesus’ body out of the tomb and
away from the area before the Roman soldiers stopped them
c. 3rd alternative: The disciples were hallucinating
--Jesus disciples wanted to believe so badly that He was still alive that they saw something that
wasn’t there
1). The truth is that when reports of the resurrection were first made to the disciples, they didn’t
believe them
--Mk. 16:11 – “When they heard that Jesus was alive and that some had seen him, they did not
believe them.”
2). Secondly, hundreds of people in several different locations over a forty-day period couldn’t
have the same hallucination
--That would be proof FOR the resurrection and not a hallucination
d. The best explanation for the empty tomb is that God raised Jesus from the dead
2. 2nd thing that proves resurrection: testimony of the eyewitnesses
--the apostle Paul lists several post-resurrection appearances of Christ in 1 Cor. 15
a. Peter
--Luke 24, we find Peter running to the tomb to find it empty. Then, two fellows go to the Upper
Room and report their experience with the resurrected Jesus and find that Christ had appeared to
Peter first.
b. Twelve
--Jesus appeared several times to gatherings of His closest disciples
c. Five hundred
--Paul reports that Jesus appeared before a mass gathering of 500 people, most of whom were still
alive and could verify what they had experienced
d. James – the half-brother of Jesus
--James and his three other brothers refused to believe that Jesus was Lord and Messiah until after
Jesus’ resurrection. We then find them with the other disciples in the upper room in Acts 1 and
later in Acts 15, James is a leader in the Jerusalem church
e. Paul
--Paul had his first experience on the road to Damascus and it changed his life
3. 3rd proof of the resurrection: Change in the lives of the disciples
a. In fact, the resurrection of Jesus changed all of these eyewitnesses’ lives
--they turned from being timid to being confident and Paul turned from being a detractor to being an
avid disciple
b. What would possess these disciples to put their lives on the line for a lie?
1). Would you be willing to stake your reputation, your family, your possessions, and your well-
being for a lie?
--Almost every one of Jesus’ closest followers were executed for their faith in Him
2). They were serious about proclaiming the resurrection because it was real!
4. 4th proof of the resurrection: The work of Jesus in people today
a. Did you know that over the last several years more people were won to Christ than ever before?
b. There are people in this church today that can testify to what Christ has accomplished in their lives
--He has saved their marriages, brought them out of deep depression, and given them a purpose in
life
C. Dr. David Seamands tells of a Muslim in Africa who became a Christian. Some of his friends asked
him, “Why did you become a Christian?” The man answered, “Well, it’s like this: Suppose you were
going down the road and the road forked in two directions and you didn’t know which way to go.
There at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive. Which one would you ask which
way to go?”
III. THE RELEVANCE OF THE GOSPEL
--1 Cor. 15:12-19 – “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you
say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ
has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More
than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he
raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are
not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile;
you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life
we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”
A. Two boys were playing basketball in Bloomington [IN] when one of the boys was attacked by a rabid
Rottweiler. Thinking quickly, the other boy ripped a board off a nearby fence, wedged it down the
dog’s collar and twisted it as hard as he could The dog’s neck was broken before he could bite the other
boy.
A reporter from the Bloomington Herald-Times saw the incident take place and rushed over to
interview the boy. He wrote in his notebook: “Young Hoosier Fan Saves Friend from Vicious Animal.”
When the boy saw what he wrote, he said, “But I’m not an IU fan.”
So the reporter starts writing again. “Notre Dame Fan Rescues Friend from Terrible Attack.” The
boy says, “I’m not a Notre Dame fan, either.” The reporter asks, “Are you a Purdue fan?” The boy
replies, “Heavens, no! I’m a Kentucky Wildcat fan.”
The reporter turns to a new sheet of paper and writes, “Little Hoodlum Kills Faithful Family Pet.”
1. We don’t all see things the same way
2. But we all need to see the relevance of the gospel in the same way
B. Paul points out three things of relevance if the gospel isn’t true:
1. Christ has not been raised
--the resurrection is a hoax
2. If the resurrection is a hoax, then our preaching and our faith are empty and useless
a. Even worse, we misrepresent God
--if the resurrection isn’t true, then none of it’s true
4. The worst thing of all: we’re still in our sins
--If Christ wasn’t resurrected, then His death was for nothing
IV. THE REASSURANCE OF THE GOSPEL
--1 Cor. 15:20-22 – “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a
man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
**four reassurances:
A. It reassures us that death is disarmed
1. Yesterday was April 15 – tax day
--You’ve probably heard the saying: “The only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes.”
2. Four friends were discussing death. One of them asked the other three, “When you’re in your
casket and people are mourning your death, what would you like to hear them say?”
The first man replied, “I’d like to hear them say that I was a caring physician and a great family
man.”
The second man said, “I’d like to hear them say that I was a wonderful husband and father and a
school teacher who made a difference in the lives of the children that I taught.”
The third man said, “I’d like to hear them say, ‘Look! He’s moving! He’s alive!’”
--You’re probably saying that you identify with the third man
3. Death is like a bomb waiting to go off in every person’s life
a. We don’t know when and we don’t know how
b. Now that Jesus has overcome the grave, we know that our physical bodies pass on but our spirits
go to live with Him for eternity
B. It reassures us that the devil is defeated
1. Rom. 6:23a tells us that “the wages of sin is death...”
a. Satan tempted our ancestors in the Garden and led them into sin
b. Sin then entered our nature and held us prisoner
--It kept us separated from God and brought death as its consequence
2. Rom. 6:23a gives the bad news: “the wages of sin is death...”
--but 23b gives the good news: “...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
a.. Although the payment owed for sin is death, God made that payment for us in His Son, Jesus
Christ
b. We owed a debt that we couldn’t pay. Jesus paid a debt that he didn’t owe
--Rom. 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.”.
C. It reassures us that the debilitated are delivered
1. Rom. 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
--sin is universal and no one gets around it
2. Rom. 3:24 tells the rest of the story: “...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus.”
3. Those of us who
a. are crippled by the guilt and shame of sin
b. who have been imprisoned and held captive by sin
c. have had our lives decimated and debilitated by sin
--Can be delivered through Jesus Christ and live an abundant and full life on this earth and live a
rich and royal life in eternity
D. It reassures us that our destination is determined
1. Do you ever wonder what happens when you die?
--scripture is very clear:
a. Heb. 9:27 tells us that we are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...”
b. Ecc. 12:7 says that “the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who
gave it
2. God determines your eternal destiny
--and He determines that destiny based on our relationship with His Son
3. Paul mentions Jesus as being “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”
a. The Jews celebrated a festival called “Firstfruits”
--it was a time when the firstfuits of the harvest were waved before the Lord as a pledge of that
harvest
b. Just as that celebration carried a pledge of that harvest, the resurrection of Jesus carries a pledge of
the resurrection of all people
--some to eternal life and others to eternal punishment
CONCLUSION: A. There once was a former world chess champion player who visited a famous art
gallery. He went with a friend who had told him about a painting that had attracted a lot
of attention. The painting portrayed a young man who sat despairingly at a chessboard,
while the devil sat opposite of him with a look of malicious triumph on his face. The
title of the painting was a single expressive word: “Checkmated.”
The champion chess player stood in front of that picture, his brow curled in
concentration. Suddenly, he cried out, “Bring me a chessboard. I can save him!” And
sure enough, the champion had discovered a way out.
--Jesus provides the way out of the power of sin and death. He is our champion.
B. Song: “Champion of Love”
C. Will you make Jesus and His gospel “of first importance” in your life?
--Will you allow Him to be your “Champion”?
