The Transformation And The Second Coming Series

James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.

INTRODUCTION

I want to talk about our bodies, the way we’re going to be after Jesus returns and He takes us to heaven. I trust this message will not only instruct you, but inspire you; not only lead you, but also feed you with the reality of the soon return of Jesus and the resurrection of God’s people. Later I will be dealing with more verses in this same chapter as it relates to the glorified, resurrected body of God’s people.

I challenge you first and foremost to not allow the thief of doubt to rob you of the resurrection. I want to say with all the function, unction, and emotion of my soul—if you were to extract the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Gospel, you will have emasculated Christianity. All of Christianity falls apart like a house of cards when one card is removed. You can’t have Christianity without the Resurrection any more than you can have mathematics without numbers or music without the notes of the musical scale.

Paul was a great logician. He said if Christ had not been raised then some things were definitely true. I want to give you six propositions that relate to Jesus being in the grave. These propositions flow one after another.

FIRST, OUR PREACHING IS PROFITLESS

If Christ is in the grave then all of our preaching is profitless. Paul said in verse 14, “And if Christ be not risen then our preaching is in vain.” I want you to see it. If Christ is in the grave, then it is useless to preach the Gospel.

I realize some preaching is profitless. It’s like the two women who were going home after the Sunday service. They were talking about the sermon. The first lady said, “He read his sermon today.” The other lady answered, “He didn’t read it well.” The first lady followed, “Since you brought it up, I don’t think it was worth reading.”

I trust this message is worth hearing. If Jesus is still in the grave our preaching is profitless. It is a waste of time for you to come to church and hear sermons. It is a waste of time to study the Bible. It is a waste of time to grow deeper and deeper in the things of God if Jesus is still in the grave. Not only is our preaching profitless, but our faith is also futile.

SECOND, OUR FAITH IS FUTILE

A) The Resurrection is a Fundamental Belief -- Paul says in verse 14, “And if Christ be not risen then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also vain.” Paul is saying that our faith is no better than its object. If Jesus Christ is still in the grave and dead, then we cannot possibly have faith in Him for our faith is futile. Paul is saying our faith is to be in Christ because He is risen.

Some time ago, in Los Angeles, there was a person called the “Human Fly.” This man could literally climb the sides of department store buildings and slide along the walls without help from any outside force. He was a master. That’s why they called him the “Human Fly.”

One Friday afternoon, a crowd gathered to watch him climb. He had already climbed twenty stories and had ten more to go. Suddenly, he stopped moving. It appeared that he was looking for something to hold on to so he might continue his climb to the top of the building. Gradually, they saw his right hand moving to the side of the building, as if trying to get hold of something there. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell to his death. When they pried open his right hand, they found he was clutching a cobweb. He must have thought he saw something he could hold, instead it was nothing.

There are a lot of people like that. They are grasping for the wrong truths. Their faith is in the wrong object. Since they do not have belief in the Resurrection, their faith is futile and is headed for failure and defeat. I trust you will build your confidence and faith in the Word of God. Jesus is risen. It is a fundamental belief. If Jesus is not risen, the Word of God is a falsehood. Not only is the Resurrection a fundamental belief, but it is a factual belief.

B) The Resurrection is a Factual Belief -- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:3-8, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James, then also of the apostles. And last of all, he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time.”