The Glory Of The Resurrection

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.