Sermon

Death In Vain Forbids Him Rise

Sewee Bay Baptist Church Sermons

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  1. Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the book of 1 Corinthians.

  2. ! 1 Corinthians.

  3. And our passage this morning is chapter 15, verses 1 through 28.

  4. If you don't have a Bible with you, that's okay.

  5. We provide those for you in the seat back in front of you.

  6. You should be able to find one nearby.

  7. And if you're using the one in the seat back in front of you,

  8. you can find this on page 904.

  9. Or either way, I'd encourage you to have a copy of God's Word open in front of you

  10. as we walk through the passage together.

  11. So page 904 of the seat back in front of you.

  12. And if you don't have a Bible at all,

  13. then please feel free to take that one home with you as our gift to you.

  14. And on the one condition, that you let us know on the way out the door

  15. so that we can help connect you with somebody who can help you read it and understand it.

  16. It's a big book, often a complicated book,

  17. and we would love nothing more than to help you read and understand God's Word.

  18. So 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 28.

    1 Corinthians 15:1–28

  19. And when you found that in your Bible,

  20. let's stand in honor of the reading of God's Word this morning.

  21. Please listen along as I read.

  22. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you,

  23. which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved,

  24. if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,

  25. unless you believed in vain.

  26. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

  27. that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

  28. that He was buried,

  29. that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

  30. in that He appeared to Cephas,

  31. then to the twelve,

  32. then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time,

  33. most of whom are still alive,

  34. though some have fallen asleep.

  35. Then He appeared to James,

  36. and then to all the apostles.

  37. Last of all, as to one untimely born,

  38. He appeared also to me.

  39. For I am the least of the apostles,

  40. unworthy to be called an apostle,

  41. because I persecuted the church of God.

  42. But by the grace of God, I am what I am,

  43. and His grace toward me was not in vain.

  44. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them,

  45. though it was not I,

  46. but the grace of God that was with me.

  47. Whether then it was I or they,

  48. so we preach, and so you believed.

  49. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,

  50. how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

  51. But if there's no resurrection of the dead,

  52. then not even Christ has been raised.

  53. And if Christ has not been raised,

  54. then our preaching is in vain,

  55. and your faith is in vain.

  56. We are even found to be misrepresenting God,

  57. because we testified about God,

  58. that He raised Christ,

  59. whom He did not raise,

  60. if it is true that the dead are not raised.

  61. For if the dead are not raised,

  62. not even Christ has been raised.

  63. And if Christ has not been raised,

  64. your faith is futile,

  65. and you are still in your sins.

  66. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

  67. If in Christ we have hope in this life only,

  68. we are of all people most to be pitied.

  69. But in fact,

  70. Christ has been raised from the dead,

  71. the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

  72. For as by a man came death,

  73. by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead.

  74. For as in Adam all die,

  75. so also in Christ shall all be made alive,

  76. but each in his own order.

  77. Christ the firstfruits,

  78. then at His coming those who belong to Christ.

  79. Then comes the end,

  80. when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father,

  81. after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

  82. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

  83. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

  84. For God has put all things in subjection under His feet.

  85. But when it says all things are put in subjection,

  86. it is plain that He is accepted who put all things in subjection under Him.

  87. When all things are subjected to Him,

  88. then the Son of Man Himself will also be subjected to Him,

  89. who put all things in subjection under Him,

  90. that God may be all in all.

  91. The grass withers,

  92. the flower fades,

  93. but the word of the Lord endures forever.

  94. Father, we pray now as we open up Your Word

  95. and ask You to speak through it.

  96. Lord, we pray that You would draw our hearts to Christ,

  97. that we would be moved by His resurrection from the dead.

  98. We pray this in Jesus' name.

  99. Amen.

  100. You may be seated.

  101. Amen.

  102. Amen.

  103. Amen.

  104. My family and I like to play games.

  105. We've been in a board game kick lately.

  106. It's been, lately it's been Clue, Ticket to Ride.

  107. The boys had a spring break last week.

  108. We settled the land of Catan.

  109. We played a game or two of Yahtzee.

  110. But before that, I remember there was a season

  111. when we were playing a lot of Jenga.

  112. Kids in the room, y'all let me know

  113. if you've ever played the game Jenga.

  114. It's a pretty simple game.

  115. Really, it's just a big stack of blocks.

  116. And to set it up, you put three wooden blocks

  117. on three wooden blocks on three wooden blocks.

  118. And it builds up, stacks up to build a tall tower.

  119. And the goal of the game is to very carefully remove a block.

  120. And then if you're successful,

  121. very carefully stack that block back on top

  122. without having the whole structure collapse to the ground.

  123. But you have to choose carefully

  124. because if you happen to choose the wrong block,

  125. if you pull out a foundational piece,

  126. if that piece is load-bearing in any sort of way,

  127. well then the whole tower collapses

  128. and you very loudly lose the game of Jenga.

  129. And my boys are older now.

  130. They're at the age now where they don't need as much help.

  131. But I remember there was a time when

  132. every time they reached to pull out a block,

  133. they would look over at me

  134. and see if I approved of the choice that they were making.

  135. And if it was a good one,

  136. I would nod my head,

  137. yes, that seems safe.

  138. But if not,

  139. I would shake my head and say,

  140. no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

  141. Don't pull out that piece.

  142. If you pull that piece out,

  143. the whole structure is about to come

  144. crumbling down to the ground.

  145. That piece is far too important to be removed.

  146. This morning, as we look at our passage here

  147. in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,

    1 Corinthians 15 chapter mention

  148. hopefully you picked up on the situation here.

  149. There's an issue here in the church at Corinth.

  150. The Christians there at the church at Corinth

  151. are trying to remove a key fundamental piece

  152. of Christian doctrine.

  153. They are trying to pull out

  154. from the structure of Christianity

  155. the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead.

  156. They say, well, surely we can remove this piece

  157. and still be okay, right?

  158. Skeptics in the room would agree.

  159. Somebody raising from the dead is impossible.

  160. Surely we can remove that doctrine

  161. and keep the framework,

  162. keep the morality of Christianity,

  163. keep the teachings of Jesus,

  164. keep the structure of the practice of the faith.

  165. We can remove the resurrection and be okay, right?

  166. In our passage, we get to look over at the Apostle Paul

  167. and we see him shaking his head.

  168. No, do not remove this fundamental foundational piece

  169. because if you do,

  170. the whole structure of Christianity

  171. comes crumbling down to the ground.

  172. Why?

  173. Because as we've sung and discussed this morning,

  174. the reason why we're gathered here this morning

  175. is because the entirety of the Christian faith,

  176. the whole structure of what we believe,

  177. the whole thing from beginning to end

  178. hangs upon, it centers itself

  179. on the resurrection from the dead

  180. of a man named Jesus.

  181. Pastor Greg Gilbert says it like this.

  182. He says,

  183. the resurrection of Jesus is the hinge

  184. on which all Christianity turns,

  185. is the foundation on which everything else rests,

  186. and is the capstone that holds everything else

  187. about Christianity together.

  188. Everything hinges on the actual resurrection

  189. of Jesus Christ from the dead.

  190. And if that's true,

  191. then friend, we owe it to ourselves this morning

  192. here on Easter Sunday

  193. to determine whether or not

  194. this resurrection thing actually happened.

  195. I'll be straightforward with you this morning.

  196. My aim today

  197. is that you would leave here

  198. thoroughly convinced of the resurrection of Jesus.

  199. This is Paul's aim in the passage.

  200. It is my aim for us this morning

  201. that you would leave here

  202. thoroughly convinced

  203. of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

  204. But not just convinced.

  205. My aim is that you would leave here

  206. moved by it.

  207. Moved to trust Him.

  208. Moved to love Him.

  209. Moved to worship Him.

  210. Moved to live for Him.

  211. Moved by the resurrection of Christ

  212. from the dead.

  213. So let's look at this claim this morning.

  214. The claim that we're making is

  215. Jesus is alive.

  216. Jesus is risen from the grave.

  217. This is going to be our outline this morning.

  218. We're going to see it in two parts here.

  219. First, we see evidences of the resurrection.

  220. And second, we'll see the effects of the resurrection.

  221. This is our outline.

  222. If you're taking notes,

  223. it might help you to follow along.

  224. First, we see the evidences of the resurrection.

  225. And second, the effects of the resurrection.

  226. So first, let's look at evidences

  227. of the resurrection of Jesus.

  228. You know, if we're going to make a big claim like this,

  229. claims like this need to be backed up, right?

  230. Now, if you claim something this big

  231. that somebody actually got up from the grave,

  232. we need to hear some evidence.

  233. I don't know about you,

  234. but I don't want to base my life

  235. on something that has zero proof,

  236. that has zero substance behind it.

  237. So what evidence does Paul give us here

  238. to support his claim

  239. that Christ Jesus has, in fact,

  240. died and risen from the grave?

  241. I count at least three evidences

  242. that Paul gives us here

  243. in verses 1 through 11.

  244. Look there with me.

  245. For one, Paul says,

  246. the scriptures give evidence

  247. of the resurrection of Jesus.

  248. He says the resurrection

  249. is according to the scriptures.

  250. You notice the repetition there

  251. in verses 3 and 4.

  252. He says,

  253. I delivered to you as of first importance

  254. what I also received.

  255. In other words,

  256. this is foundational.

  257. Christ died for our sins

  258. in accordance with the scriptures.

  259. He was buried.

  260. He was raised on the third day

  261. in accordance with the scriptures.

  262. He tells us Christ died for our sins

  263. in accordance with the scriptures.

  264. You might think of Isaiah 53,

  265. the passage that Treg just prayed through

  266. moments ago for us,

  267. this beautiful passage

  268. about the suffering servant.

  269. And it's hard to believe

  270. as we read through it.

  271. This passage was written

  272. 700 years before Jesus was born.

  273. Listen to what it says.

  274. Surely he has borne our griefs

  275. and carried our sorrows.

  276. Yet we esteemed him stricken,

  277. smitten by God and afflicted.

  278. But he was pierced

  279. for our transgressions.

  280. He was crushed for our iniquities.

  281. Upon him was the chastisement

  282. that brought us peace.

  283. And with his wounds,

  284. we are healed.

  285. All we like sheep have gone astray.

  286. We've turned everyone to his own way.

  287. And the Lord has laid on him

  288. the iniquity of us all.

  289. 700 years before the death of Jesus,

  290. the scriptures prophesied about his death.

  291. His death is in accordance

  292. with the scriptures.

  293. But not only his death,

  294. Paul says his burial

  295. is in accordance with the scriptures.

  296. If you keep reading in the same prophetic passage,

  297. Isaiah 53,

  298. it speaks of his burial.

  299. It says they made his grave

  300. with the wicked

  301. and with a rich man in his death.

  302. Although he had done no violence

  303. and there was no deceit in his mouth,

  304. his burial is in accordance

  305. with the scriptures.

  306. But not only this,

  307. his resurrection

  308. is in accordance

  309. with the scriptures.

  310. Hundreds of years in advance,

  311. the scriptures have been prophesying,

  312. paving the way,

  313. foretelling about this event

  314. that we're celebrating here this morning,

  315. the resurrection of the Messiah.

  316. Yet it was the will of the Lord

  317. to crush him.

  318. He has put him to grief.

  319. When his soul makes an offering for guilt,

  320. he shall see his offspring.

  321. He shall prolong his days.

  322. In other words,

  323. he's alive even though he died.

  324. He is alive,

  325. seeing the fruit

  326. of what his death accomplished.

  327. Paul says the scriptures speak clearly

  328. about the death,

  329. the burial,

  330. the resurrection of the Messiah

  331. hundreds of years before it happened.

  332. Paul says evidence number one,

  333. the resurrection of Jesus

  334. is according to the scriptures.

  335. But that's not all.

  336. Second piece of evidence here,

  337. starting in verse five.

  338. He says the resurrected Jesus

  339. appeared to eyewitnesses.

  340. And so not only is the resurrection

  341. prophesied and predicted in scripture,

  342. now Paul says it's actually verified

  343. in human history.

  344. This is absolutely crucial for us

  345. because we're not dealing

  346. with simply a religious claim now.

  347. We're dealing with a historical claim.

  348. You understand the difference?

  349. Paul is rooting this argument

  350. that Jesus is alive,

  351. not in just some religious practice.

  352. He's saying this actually happened

  353. in human history

  354. and he lists out eyewitnesses

  355. to back it up.

  356. Ask yourself,

  357. why do you believe

  358. that Abraham Lincoln

  359. was the 16th president

  360. of the United States?

  361. He weren't there.

  362. Why do we believe

  363. that Leonardo da Vinci

  364. was born in Italy

  365. in the 1500s

  366. and none of us were there?

  367. We believe those things

  368. on the basis of reliable,

  369. credible,

  370. historical testimony.

  371. Eyewitnesses who were there

  372. and recorded those facts for us.

  373. That's exactly what Paul

  374. is doing for us here.

  375. He says,

  376. many witnesses saw

  377. the resurrected Christ.

  378. He appeared to Cephas,

  379. that's Peter,

  380. and then to the 12,

  381. and then to more than 500 brothers

  382. at one time,

  383. most of whom are still alive.

  384. In other words,

  385. if you don't take my word for it,

  386. you can go ask them yourself.

  387. They'll tell you what they saw.

  388. Then he appeared to James

  389. and then to all the apostles.

  390. Then last of all,

  391. Paul says,

  392. he appeared also to me

  393. for 40 days after his death,

  394. we're told in the scriptures.

  395. Jesus appeared,

  396. resurrected to many.

  397. He appeared to individuals.

  398. He appeared to groups.

  399. He appeared to men.

  400. He appeared to women.

  401. He talked with them.

  402. He ate with them.

  403. He spoke with them.

  404. He forgave them.

  405. They saw him with their eyes.

  406. They touched him with their hands.

  407. They interacted with him

  408. and they worshiped him.

  409. Over 500 eyewitnesses.

  410. What do we do

  411. with that sort of testimony?

  412. Charles Spurgeon,

  413. the prince of preachers,

  414. he said,

  415. the resurrection of Jesus Christ

  416. from the dead

  417. is one of the best

  418. attested facts on record.

  419. There were so many witnesses

  420. to behold it

  421. that if we do

  422. in the least degree

  423. receive the credibility

  424. of men's testimonies,

  425. we cannot

  426. and we dare not

  427. doubt

  428. that Jesus

  429. rose from the dead.

  430. They saw

  431. the risen

  432. Christ.

  433. As you read on

  434. through the rest of your Bible,

  435. as you read on

  436. in the New Testament,

  437. you can see the impact

  438. that that had

  439. on their lives,

  440. which is the third piece

  441. of evidence

  442. that we have here.

  443. Third piece of evidence

  444. for the resurrection

  445. is the transformation

  446. of the disciples

  447. of Jesus.

  448. What happened

  449. to change

  450. these men?

  451. And no doubt

  452. something happened

  453. to change the lives

  454. of these men.

  455. How do you explain

  456. the curious case

  457. of the Apostle Peter

  458. who went from

  459. denying Jesus

  460. three times

  461. before his death

  462. to now becoming

  463. one of the

  464. pillar leaders

  465. of the church

  466. in Jerusalem?

  467. What happened?

  468. He saw

  469. the risen

  470. Lord Jesus

  471. who forgave him

  472. and restored him

  473. and commissioned him.

  474. How do you explain

  475. the curious case

  476. of the Apostle James?

  477. The half-brother

  478. of Jesus

  479. who knew Jesus

  480. for years

  481. for his whole life

  482. but didn't believe

  483. Jesus was the Messiah

  484. until

  485. after the resurrection.

  486. And then he too

  487. becomes a pillar

  488. of the church

  489. in Jerusalem.

  490. What happened?

  491. He saw

  492. the risen

  493. Lord Jesus.

  494. And how in the world

  495. do you explain

  496. the curious case

  497. of the Apostle Paul?

  498. You know the story

  499. of Paul.

  500. Paul alludes to it

  501. here in verse 9

  502. doesn't he?

  503. I am the least

  504. of the apostles

  505. unworthy

  506. to be called

  507. an apostle

  508. because I persecuted

  509. the church

  510. of God.

  511. This man Paul

  512. hated the church.

  513. He hated

  514. Christians.

  515. Absolutely

  516. hated

  517. Jesus.

  518. He went from

  519. town to town

  520. place to

  521. arrest

  522. Christians.

  523. He went from

  524. town to town

  525. approving of

  526. their execution.

  527. But now

  528. here he is

  529. going from

  530. town to town

  531. proclaiming

  532. the risen

  533. Lord Jesus.

  534. Why?

  535. What happened?

  536. He saw

  537. the resurrected

  538. Jesus

  539. and it changed

  540. everything for him.

  541. By the grace

  542. of God

  543. he says

  544. I am

  545. what I am.

  546. These men

  547. saw

  548. the resurrected

  549. Christ

  550. and it changed

  551. everything for

  552. him.

  553. And you

  554. who know

  555. church history

  556. know that

  557. these same

  558. disciples would

  559. go on to

  560. give their

  561. lives for

  562. the spread

  563. of this

  564. message.

  565. I mean

  566. clearly they

  567. were convinced

  568. that Jesus

  569. Christ

  570. actually rose

  571. from the

  572. grave.

  573. Some of you

  574. know the

  575. story of

  576. Charles Colson

  577. one of the

  578. Watergate

  579. seven.

  580. Charles

  581. Colson

  582. he said

  583. I know

  584. the resurrection

  585. is a fact

  586. and Watergate

  587. proved it to

  588. me.

  589. How?

  590. Because

  591. twelve men

  592. testified

  593. that they

  594. had seen

  595. Jesus

  596. raised from

  597. the dead

  598. and then

  599. they proclaimed

  600. that truth

  601. for forty

  602. years

  603. never once

  604. denying it.

  605. Every one

  606. of them

  607. was beaten

  608. tortured

  609. stoned

  610. put in

  611. prison.

  612. They would

  613. not have

  614. endured it

  615. if that

  616. weren't

  617. true.

  618. Watergate

  619. embroiled

  620. twelve of

  621. the most

  622. powerful men

  623. in the

  624. world

  625. and they

  626. couldn't

  627. keep alive

  628. for three

  629. weeks.

  630. You're

  631. telling me

  632. twelve

  633. apostles

  634. could keep

  635. alive

  636. for forty

  637. years?

  638. Absolutely

  639. impossible.

  640. Paul gives

  641. us these

  642. pieces of

  643. evidence

  644. that our

  645. faith might

  646. be in

  647. an actual

  648. historical

  649. real

  650. risen

  651. reigning

  652. Christ.

  653. Three pieces

  654. of evidence

  655. here that I

  656. believe anchor

  657. our faith

  658. that Jesus

  659. Christ really

  660. truly

  661. actually

  662. physically

  663. rose from

  664. the grave

  665. and is alive

  666. this very

  667. minute.

  668. But now

  669. in our

  670. second

  671. point we

  672. ask why

  673. does it

  674. matter?

  675. Why

  676. can we

  677. not pull

  678. that piece

  679. out of

  680. the structure

  681. of Christianity

  682. and keep

  683. the framework?

  684. Why does it

  685. matter?

  686. So second

  687. let's consider

  688. the effects

  689. of the

  690. resurrection

  691. and what

  692. Paul does

  693. in the rest

  694. of the

  695. passages

  696. he explores

  697. two polar

  698. opposite

  699. realities

  700. and these

  701. are two

  702. just

  703. distinct

  704. universes

  705. what

  706. would it

  707. mean

  708. if

  709. Jesus

  710. were

  711. not

  712. risen

  713. from

  714. the

  715. dead

  716. let's

  717. just

  718. entertain

  719. that

  720. for a

  721. minute

  722. and what

  723. does it

  724. mean

  725. then

  726. that

  727. he

  728. is

  729. risen

  730. from

  731. the

  732. dead

  733. so

  734. we'll

  735. start

  736. here

  737. with

  738. the

  739. negative

  740. what

  741. would

  742. it

  743. mean

  744. if

  745. Jesus

  746. were

  747. not

  748. risen

  749. from

  750. the

  751. dead

  752. Paul

  753. says

  754. let's

  755. just

  756. play

  757. along

  758. for

  759. a

  760. minute

  761. what's

  762. going

  763. to

  764. happen

  765. if

  766. you

  767. pull

  768. that

  769. block

  770. out

  771. and

  772. he

  773. gives

  774. us

  775. six

  776. tragic

  777. effects

  778. here

  779. of

  780. no

  781. resurrection

  782. this

  783. is

  784. the

  785. anti

  786. Easter

  787. message

  788. okay

  789. six

  790. effects

  791. of

  792. no

  793. resurrection

  794. effect

  795. number

  796. one

  797. he

  798. says

  799. our

  800. preaching

  801. is

  802. in

  803. vain

  804. verse

  805. 14

  806. if

  807. Christ

  808. has

  809. not

  810. been

  811. raised

  812. then

  813. our

  814. preaching

  815. is

  816. in

  817. vain

  818. he

  819. starts

  820. with

  821. himself

  822. first

  823. in

  824. other

  825. words

  826. Paul

  827. the

  828. church

  829. planting

  830. apostle

  831. who

  832. went

  833. from

  834. town

  835. to

  836. town

  837. to

  838. town

  839. proclaiming

  840. the

  841. good

  842. news

  843. of

  844. the

  845. resurrection

  846. of

  847. Jesus

  848. he

  849. is

  850. proclaiming

  851. risking

  852. his

  853. life

  854. telling

  855. other

  856. people

  857. that

  858. Jesus

  859. is

  860. alive

  861. he

  862. says

  863. well

  864. if

  865. he's

  866. dead

  867. I'm

  868. wasting

  869. my

  870. time

  871. it

  872. is

  873. a

  874. waste

  875. of

  876. time

  877. to

  878. proclaim

  879. a

  880. dead

  881. teacher

  882. and

  883. he

  884. sends

  885. another

  886. letter

  887. to

  888. the

  889. same

  890. church

  891. in

  892. Corinth

  893. if

  894. we

  895. were

  896. to

  897. flip

  898. a

  899. few

  900. pages

  901. forward

  902. the

  903. book

  904. of

  905. 2nd

  906. Corinthians

  907. Paul

  908. describes

  909. some of

  910. what

  911. he

  912. endured

  913. as

  914. he

  915. preached

  916. the

  917. gospel

  918. I'll

  919. read

  920. it

  921. to

  922. you

  923. he

  924. said

  925. imprisonments

  926. with

  927. countless

  928. beatings

  929. often

  930. near

  931. death

  932. five

  933. times

  934. I

  935. received

  936. at

  937. the

  938. hands

  939. of

  940. the

  941. Jews

  942. the

  943. forty

  944. lashes

  945. less

  946. one

  947. three

  948. times

  949. I

  950. was

  951. beaten

  952. with

  953. rods

  954. once

  955. I

  956. was

  957. stoned

  958. three

  959. times

  960. I

  961. was

  962. shipwrecked

  963. a

  964. night

  965. and a

  966. day

  967. I

  968. was

  969. adrift

  970. at

  971. sea

  972. on

  973. frequent

  974. journeys

  975. danger

  976. from

  977. rivers

  978. danger

  979. from

  980. robbers

  981. danger

  982. from

  983. my

  984. own

  985. people

  986. danger

  987. from

  988. gentiles

  989. danger

  990. in

  991. the

  992. city

  993. danger

  994. in

  995. the

  996. wilderness

  997. danger

  998. at

  999. sea

  1000. danger

  1001. from

  1002. false

  1003. brothers

  1004. and

  1005. toil

  1006. and

  1007. hardship

  1008. through

  1009. many

  1010. a

  1011. sleepless

  1012. night

  1013. and hunger

  1014. and thirst

  1015. often

  1016. without

  1017. food

  1018. and cold

  1019. and exposure

  1020. and apart

  1021. from other

  1022. things

  1023. there's

  1024. this

  1025. daily

  1026. pressure

  1027. on me

  1028. of my

  1029. anxiety

  1030. for all

  1031. the

  1032. churches

  1033. I

  1034. mean

  1035. talk

  1036. about

  1037. a

  1038. hard

  1039. job

  1040. I

  1041. cannot

  1042. imagine

  1043. a worse

  1044. way

  1045. to

  1046. live

  1047. if

  1048. it's

  1049. all

  1050. for

  1051. nothing

  1052. I'll

  1053. tell you

  1054. my

  1055. life

  1056. is a

  1057. lot

  1058. more

  1059. comfortable

  1060. than

  1061. the

  1062. apostle

  1063. Paul's

  1064. yours

  1065. is

  1066. too

  1067. but

  1068. I

  1069. agree

  1070. with

  1071. him

  1072. completely

  1073. if

  1074. you

  1075. could

  1076. convince

  1077. me

  1078. that

  1079. Jesus

  1080. Christ

  1081. was

  1082. in

  1083. the

  1084. grave

  1085. I

  1086. would

  1087. leave

  1088. this

  1089. pulpit

  1090. and

  1091. never

  1092. return

  1093. I

  1094. have

  1095. no

  1096. gospel

  1097. to

  1098. preach

  1099. unless

  1100. Christ

  1101. is

  1102. alive

  1103. it's

  1104. a

  1105. vain

  1106. waste

  1107. of

  1108. time

  1109. to

  1110. proclaim

  1111. the

  1112. good

  1113. news

  1114. of

  1115. a

  1116. dead

  1117. God

  1118. not

  1119. only

  1120. my

  1121. preaching

  1122. second

  1123. effect

  1124. he

  1125. says

  1126. verse

  1127. 14

  1128. your

  1129. faith

  1130. is

  1131. in

  1132. vain

  1133. if

  1134. Jesus

  1135. is

  1136. not

  1137. risen

  1138. from

  1139. the

  1140. dead

  1141. your

  1142. faith

  1143. is

  1144. in

  1145. vain

  1146. now

  1147. the

  1148. attention

  1149. is

  1150. turned

  1151. to

  1152. us

  1153. and

  1154. to

  1155. you

  1156. what

  1157. is

  1158. the

  1159. Christian

  1160. faith

  1161. the

  1162. Christian

  1163. faith

  1164. is

  1165. trust

  1166. in

  1167. a

  1168. resurrected

  1169. savior

  1170. sometimes

  1171. the way

  1172. we talk

  1173. about

  1174. faith

  1175. is

  1176. as if

  1177. it

  1178. were

  1179. disconnected

  1180. from

  1181. reality

  1182. we talk

  1183. about

  1184. blind

  1185. faith

  1186. or

  1187. just

  1188. have

  1189. faith

  1190. is

  1191. belief

  1192. without

  1193. evidence

  1194. you should

  1195. know

  1196. that's

  1197. not

  1198. how

  1199. the

  1200. Bible

  1201. talks

  1202. about

  1203. faith

  1204. biblically

  1205. faith

  1206. is

  1207. anchored

  1208. to

  1209. reality

  1210. it's

  1211. tethered

  1212. up

  1213. to

  1214. the

  1215. truth

  1216. faith

  1217. is

  1218. trust

  1219. in

  1220. something

  1221. real

  1222. and

  1223. here

  1224. Paul

  1225. says

  1226. if

  1227. Jesus

  1228. is

  1229. not

  1230. alive

  1231. what

  1232. in

  1233. the

  1234. world

  1235. are

  1236. we

  1237. doing

  1238. having

  1239. faith

  1240. we

  1241. have

  1242. no

  1243. one

  1244. to

  1245. put

  1246. our

  1247. faith

  1248. in

  1249. we

  1250. shouldn't

  1251. be

  1252. here

  1253. singing

  1254. songs

  1255. of

  1256. worship

  1257. opening

  1258. up

  1259. the

  1260. scriptures

  1261. reading

  1262. our

  1263. Bible

  1264. in

  1265. private

  1266. with

  1267. our

  1268. family

  1269. we

  1270. shouldn't

  1271. be

  1272. proclaiming

  1273. the

  1274. good

  1275. news

  1276. of

  1277. Christ

  1278. we

  1279. should

  1280. have

  1281. no

  1282. faith

  1283. at

  1284. all

  1285. if

  1286. we

  1287. have

  1288. no

  1289. one

  1290. to

  1291. put

  1292. our

  1293. faith

  1294. in

  1295. faith

  1296. in

  1297. a

  1298. dead

  1299. man

  1300. is

  1301. vain

  1302. in fact

  1303. !

  1304. he

  1305. says

  1306. !

  1307. if

  1308. Christ

  1309. isn't

  1310. raised

  1311. we're

  1312. even

  1313. misrepresenting

  1314. God

  1315. why?

  1316. well

  1317. we've

  1318. been

  1319. talking

  1320. about

  1321. this

  1322. whole

  1323. time

  1324. God

  1325. raised

  1326. him

  1327. from

  1328. the

  1329. dead

  1330. and

  1331. if

  1332. he's

  1333. not

  1334. raised

  1335. from

  1336. the

  1337. dead

  1338. then

  1339. we're

  1340. lying

  1341. about

  1342. God

  1343. himself

  1344. we've

  1345. completely

  1346. misunderstood

  1347. and

  1348. completely

  1349. misrepresented

  1350. God

  1351. if

  1352. Christ

  1353. is

  1354. not

  1355. raised

  1356. but

  1357. it

  1358. gets

  1359. even

  1360. worse

  1361. are

  1362. you

  1363. depressed

  1364. yet?

  1365. not

  1366. only

  1367. this

  1368. effect

  1369. number

  1370. four

  1371. and

  1372. this

  1373. is

  1374. tragic

  1375. he

  1376. says

  1377. if

  1378. Christ

  1379. isn't

  1380. raised

  1381. you

  1382. are

  1383. still

  1384. in

  1385. your

  1386. sins

  1387. verse

  1388. 17

  1389. if

  1390. Christ

  1391. has

  1392. not

  1393. been

  1394. raised

  1395. your

  1396. faith

  1397. is

  1398. futile

  1399. and

  1400. you

  1401. are

  1402. still

  1403. in

  1404. your

  1405. sins

  1406. and

  1407. this

  1408. is

  1409. the

  1410. problem

  1411. isn't

  1412. it?

  1413. The

  1414. universal

  1415. problem

  1416. of

  1417. all

  1418. mankind

  1419. the

  1420. greatest

  1421. need

  1422. of

  1423. every

  1424. single

  1425. individual

  1426. in the

  1427. universe

  1428. is to

  1429. have a

  1430. solution

  1431. for the

  1432. problem

  1433. of our

  1434. sin

  1435. it is

  1436. our

  1437. sin

  1438. that

  1439. separates

  1440. us

  1441. from

  1442. a

  1443. holy

  1444. God

  1445. it

  1446. is

  1447. sin

  1448. that

  1449. is

  1450. the

  1451. root

  1452. cause

  1453. and

  1454. explanation

  1455. of

  1456. all

  1457. the

  1458. pain

  1459. and

  1460. suffering

  1461. and

  1462. evil

  1463. in

  1464. the

  1465. world

  1466. it's

  1467. sin

  1468. that

  1469. ultimately

  1470. leads

  1471. to

  1472. death

  1473. and

  1474. the

  1475. bad

  1476. news

  1477. is

  1478. every

  1479. one

  1480. of

  1481. us

  1482. are

  1483. sinners

  1484. we

  1485. can

  1486. all

  1487. agree

  1488. on

  1489. this

  1490. I

  1491. hope

  1492. none

  1493. of

  1494. us

  1495. are

  1496. perfect

  1497. myself

  1498. especially

  1499. every

  1500. single

  1501. one

  1502. of

  1503. us

  1504. are

  1505. are

  1506. flawed

  1507. in

  1508. many

  1509. ways

  1510. and

  1511. the

  1512. Bible

  1513. calls

  1514. this

  1515. sin

  1516. but

  1517. it's

  1518. not

  1519. just

  1520. minor

  1521. imperfections

  1522. the

  1523. Bible

  1524. says

  1525. we

  1526. are

  1527. all

  1528. actively

  1529. in

  1530. rebellion

  1531. against

  1532. God

  1533. our

  1534. creator

  1535. that's

  1536. bad

  1537. news

  1538. Paul

  1539. says

  1540. if

  1541. Christ

  1542. is

  1543. not

  1544. risen

  1545. if

  1546. all

  1547. he

  1548. did

  1549. was

  1550. come

  1551. and

  1552. teach

  1553. provide

  1554. a good

  1555. example

  1556. then there

  1557. is no

  1558. answer

  1559. for the

  1560. problem

  1561. of our

  1562. sin

  1563. we

  1564. still have

  1565. no answer

  1566. for our

  1567. pain

  1568. there's

  1569. no

  1570. hope

  1571. for our

  1572. suffering

  1573. no hope

  1574. of

  1575. reconciliation

  1576. with

  1577. God

  1578. and so

  1579. effect

  1580. number

  1581. five

  1582. death

  1583. wins

  1584. if

  1585. Christ

  1586. is

  1587. not

  1588. raised

  1589. look

  1590. at

  1591. verse

  1592. 18

  1593. he

  1594. says

  1595. if

  1596. Christ

  1597. is

  1598. not

  1599. raised

  1600. then

  1601. those

  1602. who

  1603. have

  1604. fallen

  1605. asleep

  1606. that's

  1607. a nice

  1608. way

  1609. to say

  1610. have

  1611. died

  1612. those

  1613. who

  1614. have

  1615. fallen

  1616. asleep

  1617. in

  1618. Christ

  1619. have

  1620. perished

  1621. if

  1622. Christ

  1623. is

  1624. not

  1625. raised

  1626. then

  1627. when

  1628. we

  1629. die

  1630. we

  1631. die

  1632. that's

  1633. it

  1634. it's

  1635. over

  1636. if

  1637. there

  1638. is

  1639. no

  1640. resurrection

  1641. there's

  1642. no

  1643. hope

  1644. after

  1645. the

  1646. grave

  1647. there's

  1648. no

  1649. victory

  1650. over

  1651. the

  1652. grave

  1653. if

  1654. Christ

  1655. has

  1656. not

  1657. risen

  1658. in

  1659. triumph

  1660. over

  1661. the

  1662. grave

  1663. there's

  1664. no

  1665. better

  1666. place

  1667. to

  1668. go

  1669. to

  1670. if

  1671. Jesus

  1672. himself

  1673. lied

  1674. when

  1675. he

  1676. said

  1677. I

  1678. go

  1679. to

  1680. prepare

  1681. a

  1682. place

  1683. for

  1684. you

  1685. the

  1686. dead

  1687. are

  1688. truly

  1689. dead

  1690. it's

  1691. a sad

  1692. version

  1693. of reality

  1694. isn't

  1695. it

  1696. this

  1697. is

  1698. it's

  1699. bleak

  1700. isn't

  1701. it

  1702. which

  1703. is

  1704. why

  1705. Paul

  1706. says

  1707. if

  1708. Christ

  1709. is

  1710. not

  1711. raised

  1712. sixth

  1713. effect

  1714. we

  1715. are

  1716. worthy

  1717. of

  1718. pity

  1719. verse

  1720. 19

  1721. if

  1722. in

  1723. Christ

  1724. we

  1725. have

  1726. hope

  1727. in

  1728. this

  1729. life

  1730. only

  1731. he

  1732. says

  1733. we

  1734. are

  1735. of

  1736. all

  1737. people

  1738. most

  1739. to

  1740. be

  1741. pitied

  1742. we're

  1743. wasting

  1744. our

  1745. time

  1746. the

  1747. Christians

  1748. are

  1749. those

  1750. who

  1751. build

  1752. their

  1753. entire

  1754. lives

  1755. on

  1756. the

  1757. resurrection

  1758. of

  1759. Jesus

  1760. and

  1761. if

  1762. he's

  1763. not

  1764. resurrected

  1765. then

  1766. we

  1767. are

  1768. wasting

  1769. our

  1770. time

  1771. don't

  1772. worship

  1773. a

  1774. dead

  1775. teacher

  1776. don't

  1777. trust

  1778. a

  1779. dead

  1780. prophet

  1781. don't

  1782. spend

  1783. your

  1784. time

  1785. serving

  1786. a

  1787. dead

  1788. god

  1789. go

  1790. have

  1791. your

  1792. fun

  1793. because

  1794. life

  1795. is

  1796. short

  1797. and

  1798. death

  1799. is

  1800. coming

  1801. and

  1802. then

  1803. it's

  1804. done

  1805. I

  1806. can

  1807. hardly

  1808. imagine

  1809. a

  1810. darker

  1811. more

  1812. hopeless

  1813. version

  1814. of reality

  1815. than that

  1816. can you

  1817. but

  1818. the fact

  1819. is

  1820. this

  1821. version

  1822. of

  1823. reality

  1824. is how

  1825. many

  1826. people

  1827. live

  1828. their

  1829. lives

  1830. they

  1831. live

  1832. without

  1833. a

  1834. concept

  1835. of

  1836. resurrection

  1837. they

  1838. have

  1839. no

  1840. clue

  1841. about

  1842. the

  1843. actual

  1844. historical

  1845. resurrected

  1846. Jesus

  1847. rising

  1848. from

  1849. the

  1850. grave

  1851. and

  1852. the

  1853. implications

  1854. of that

  1855. that

  1856. has

  1857. for

  1858. their

  1859. lives

  1860. they

  1861. live

  1862. in

  1863. a

  1864. version

  1865. of

  1866. reality

  1867. where

  1868. their

  1869. lives

  1870. ultimately

  1871. have

  1872. no

  1873. ultimate

  1874. point

  1875. no

  1876. bigger

  1877. picture

  1878. no

  1879. purpose

  1880. no

  1881. hope

  1882. no

  1883. answer

  1884. for

  1885. the

  1886. pain

  1887. and

  1888. the

  1889. sin

  1890. and

  1891. the

  1892. suffering

  1893. no

  1894. comfort

  1895. beyond

  1896. the

  1897. grave

  1898. no

  1899. victory

  1900. over

  1901. sin

  1902. no

  1903. reconciliation

  1904. with

  1905. God

  1906. and I

  1907. have no

  1908. doubt that there are some in this room this morning who live in that version of reality

  1909. !

  1910. if that's you

  1911. Paul has good news for you

  1912. here in verse 20

  1913. but in fact

  1914. he says in verse 20

  1915. but in fact

  1916. Christ has been raised from the dead

  1917. Christ has been raised from the dead

  1918. which means we can take all of these bleak

  1919. and we can take all of these bleak

  1920. dark

  1921. hopeless

  1922. false

  1923. realities

  1924. and turn them completely upside down

  1925. because in fact Christ has been raised from the dead which means our preaching

  1926. is not in vain

  1927. this is good news for me

  1928. I stay in here every week and preach about the resurrected Jesus

  1929. I want to give my life to something that matters into eternity and what message could I proclaim that has more more meaning and more significance more impact than this

  1930. Jesus Christ lives to save sinners

  1931. Jesus Christ truly lives to redeem the lost

  1932. Jesus Christ truly has defeated death

  1933. there is hope beyond the grave for all who put their faith in Christ

  1934. I have a gospel to preach because Jesus in fact has risen from the grave

  1935. which means church our evangelism is not in vain

  1936. you're proclaiming the good news to your friends and family members and neighbors and co-workers

  1937. you proclaiming that Jesus is alive is not in vain

  1938. you're teaching your children the good news of Christ is not in vain

  1939. our efforts to spread the gospel to the ends of the world are not in vain

  1940. why? because in fact Christ Jesus has been risen from the dead

  1941. in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

  1942. which means Christian our faith is not in vain

  1943. our trust in Christ is not in vain

  1944. our trust in Christ is not in vain

  1945. if you're looking for help with this problem of sin

  1946. look to the man who rose from the grave

  1947. your faith is not in vain because he lives

  1948. in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

  1949. which means the scriptures from beginning to end

  1950. can be trusted

  1951. every word of the Lord proves true

  1952. all scripture is God breathed

  1953. the word of the Lord endures forever

  1954. God can be trusted

  1955. his word can be trusted

  1956. because Christ is risen from the dead

  1957. and praise God

  1958. in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

  1959. which means believer

  1960. we are no longer in our sins

  1961. sin no more has dominion over you believer

  1962. because Christ has died and risen

  1963. you are no longer living in sin

  1964. and dead towards God

  1965. now we are dead to sin

  1966. and alive to God

  1967. in Christ Jesus our Lord

  1968. in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

  1969. which means friend

  1970. there is certain hope beyond the grave

  1971. and those who have died in Christ

  1972. have not perished

  1973. they have won

  1974. all in Adam die

  1975. but all in Christ shall be made alive

  1976. we can say with Paul

  1977. to live is Christ

  1978. to die is gay

  1979. and so Christian in fact

  1980. because Christ has been raised from the dead

  1981. you are not worthy of pity

  1982. you who trust in the risen Lord Christ

  1983. you are not worthy of pity

  1984. or shame

  1985. or embarrassment

  1986. rather when Christ returns

  1987. you too will be vindicated

  1988. and risen with him

  1989. I can't think of ten better words

  1990. to tell you this morning

  1991. but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead

  1992. friend

  1993. only one of these

  1994. two

  1995. very different versions of reality

  1996. can be real

  1997. each one of us

  1998. has to decide

  1999. which version of reality

  2000. we believe

  2001. will we pull out

  2002. this foundational

  2003. peace

  2004. or will we build

  2005. our lives on it

  2006. Tim Keller says

  2007. if Jesus rose from the dead

  2008. then you have to accept

  2009. all that he said

  2010. if he didn't rise from the dead

  2011. then why worry about any

  2012. of what he said

  2013. the issue on which

  2014. everything hangs

  2015. is not whether or not

  2016. you like his teaching

  2017. but whether or not

  2018. he rose from

  2019. the dead

  2020. I like the way

  2021. Yaroslav Pelikan said it

  2022. listen to this

  2023. if Christ is not risen

  2024. nothing else matters

  2025. and if Christ is risen

  2026. nothing else matters

  2027. we rejoice

  2028. church this morning

  2029. but in fact

  2030. Christ

  2031. has been raised

  2032. from the dead

  2033. amen

  2034. father we praise you

  2035. for the good news

  2036. of the gospel

  2037. we praise you

  2038. that we don't have to live

  2039. in this false reality

  2040. of no hope

  2041. no resurrection

  2042. no answer for sin

  2043. no relationship with God

  2044. but in fact

  2045. Christ has been raised

  2046. to purchase

  2047. all of these things

  2048. for us

  2049. he stands to offer

  2050. eternal life

  2051. to any sinner

  2052. who would turn to him

  2053. in faith

  2054. we praise you

  2055. in the name of Christ

  2056. we praise you

  2057. amen

  2058. we praise you