The Resurrection: God Lives

Well, turn in your Bibles, please, to 1 Corinthians.

We're going to be looking at different parts of the Bible today.

But we're going to be looking or starting in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

So if you have your Bibles there, please open them to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Amen.

We've been going through the big story of the Bible.

And we come this morning to the resurrection.

So we're going to pray and ask for God's help as we look at this together.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for this truth of Jesus written from the dead, alive today.

And while you are not present with us physically, we know that you are here present with us

and in those who believe by your Holy Spirit.

And so we ask that by your Spirit, you would encourage us afresh in your truth.

Build us up in faith.

Give us courage that we may be people who proclaim the Easter Rising.

We ask for your help.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Well, on Easter Monday, the 24th of April, 1916, about 12 noon,

Podrick Pierce read out the Proclamation of Ireland from the steps of the GPO in Dublin.

We declare the rights of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland

and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible.

Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world,

we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a sovereign, independent state.

The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens

and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all its parts.

And we know from history that at the cost of their lives and the lives of many others,

Ireland gained her independence from Britain after 800 years of foreign rule.

Now, while we might celebrate our national freedom,

it's not a true freedom.

We might be an independent, sovereign state,

but Ireland is still very much a broken nation.

And I don't mean politically or economically.

It's much, much deeper than that.

As we've been seeing over the week,

the story of the Bible reminds us

that we are still living under the effects of an ancient but ongoing rebellion against God

that has left us enslaved to sin,

cursed by suffering,

and separated from God.

So despite the heroic acts of 1916,

we are still not free from the sinful, violent acts of gangland war

or the silent abuse behind closed doors.

While our past leaders promised a better life,

we are still suffering tragic accidents like the family who drowned in Buncrana

or cancers that rob us of family and friends.

Even though our proclamation of all those years ago offers happiness,

we are still searching for a temporal happiness

while at the same time facing eternal separation from God

and all that is good and beautiful.

You see, we might celebrate a national freedom,

but it is not a true freedom.

Ireland is still broken.

So what we need is a new proclamation.

A proclamation that deals with the greatest problem of the people of Ireland.

Sin, suffering, and our separation from God.

Listen to the proclamation of God through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

Let's read from verse 1.

Great words, great truths.

Chapter 15, verse 1.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preach to you.

Here is the good news that I proclaim to you,

which you received,

on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved,

if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you.

Otherwise you have believed in vain.

What is that gospel?

What's that proclamation?

Well, here it is in verse 3.

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,

and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Verse 20.

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 also comes through a man.

For as in Adam all die,

so in Christ all will be made alive.

This is the proclamation of the true Easter rising.

The true story of Jesus Christ,

the God-man who is risen from the dead.

You see, it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ

that is the hope for our lives and for our nation.

Through the resurrection,

God reverses the effects of the ongoing rebellion against him.

It's because Jesus has risen

that God has dealt with the greatest problems of all,

the problem of sin and suffering

and our separation from him.

So let's together this morning see

how this new proclamation gets worked out,

how God reverses the effects of sin,

suffering and separation.

First of all,

we need to remember the story of death.

1 Corinthians 15 verse 22.

1 Corinthians 15:22

Do you see what it says?

Verse 22.

For as in Adam all die.

The story of the Bible is telling us so clearly

that each one of us here

are all related to Adam,

the first man.

Forget our nationality,

the country of our birth,

wherever we come from,

each one of us,

we all have Adam's nature.

So because Adam rebelled against God,

we are people who are born

who seek to live life without God.

We're in rebellion against God.

And the consequences are exactly the same.

Verse 22.

Just as Adam dies,

we too die.

You remember what God said to Adam in the garden.

You mustn't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

For when you eat of that fruit,

you will surely die.

And ever since that first rebellious action,

death has ruined and wrecked our lives

and the world in which we live.

It has destroyed us

and it has broken us.

Now we must understand

the far-reaching consequences

of this death

that comes to all people.

three things very simply and quickly.

Three deaths.

First,

we die spiritually.

You see,

when Adam first sinned,

his whole nature changed.

And our nature is one of a sinful nature.

So rather than love and obey God,

we fight and we disobey Him.

In fact,

we no longer have the capacity

or the desire within us

to choose what is right

and what is good

all the time.

If we had the ability

to choose right and good all the time,

then this nation and this world

wouldn't be the broken mess that it is.

The reality is

we are spiritually dead.

We are enslaved to a life of sin.

That is our first death.

Second,

we die physically.

Adam's sin

resulted in the curse

of a physical death

and physical suffering.

So every single person,

ourselves included,

as we're born into this world,

we all suffer through illness

and sickness.

We get cancers and diseases.

We face disability and weakness.

But not only that,

the world in which we live in

is a creation that suffers.

That's why we hear of stories

and countries

where there are destructive hurricanes

and devastating earthquakes.

We live in physical bodies

that suffer.

And we live in a world

that suffers.

And the end result of it all

is physical death.

We live under a curse

of suffering.

So we die spiritually.

We die physically.

And we die eternally.

You see, Adam's rebellion

ended in physical death.

And we, one day,

will end in death.

But that death

is an eternal death.

Because we've turned against God,

because we've been,

we are now separated from God.

Just as Adam was shut out

from the garden,

so we have been banished

from the presence of God.

We live a life

without God,

apart from Him.

But that separation

doesn't end with death,

as if it's just a nothingness,

an emptiness.

No, it tells us

that it continues on

eternally

in hell.

Hell is God's

final judgment

upon a world

that continues

to reject Him

and ignore Him

and exclude Him

and push Him out.

It's an eternity

of being separated

from God,

from all that is good

and beautiful

forever.

This is the tragic

and sad story

of death.

death.

These are the effects

of living in rebellion

against God.

This is what death

has done to us.

We are enslaved

to sin.

We are cursed

by suffering.

And we are separated

from God.

In Adam,

all die.

that is the story

of death.

And that is what

we as a nation

face.

But then there's

the story

of resurrection.

The story of life.

Verse 21.

Verse 21.

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.

In Christ

all live.

You see,

it is the resurrection

that changes

everything.

C.S. Lewis,

the great writer,

put it like this

as he was speaking

about the resurrection.

He says this,

Jesus has forced

open a door

that has been

locked

since the death

of the first man.

He has met,

fought,

and beaten

the king of death.

Everything is

different

because he has

done so.

This is the

beginning

of the new

creation.

A new chapter

in cosmic

history

has opened.

You see,

death

closes the

door

on life.

The resurrection

opens the

door

to new

life.

So what does

the resurrection

bring?

Well,

it reverses

the effects

of death.

It is the

beginning of

a new

creation,

a new

chapter in

cosmic

history

where

everything

is now

changed.

So look at the

reversal

that the

resurrection

brings about.

First,

resurrection

freedom,

overcoming

our sin.

have a

look at

Romans

Romans 6:5

chapter 6

verse 5.

This is the

first section

we're going to

look at.

Romans

Romans 6:5

chapter 6

verse 5.

Romans 6

Romans 6:5

verse 5.

If we have been

united with

Christ like

this in

his death,

we will

certainly

also be

united with

Christ in

his

resurrection.

You see,

through faith,

we are united

to Christ.

In our

birth,

we are

united to

Adam.

Through our

faith,

united to

Christ.

That means

as Christ

dies for

our sin,

we die

to our

sin.

But it

also means

that just

as Christ

rises to

live,

so we

also rise

to live.

No longer

to live

for sin,

but now

to live

for God.

No longer

are we

enslaved to

sin,

we have

now been

given a

brand new

nature.

Look at

verse 6.

For we

know that

our old

self was

crucified

with him,

so that

the body

of sin

might be

done away

with,

that we

should no

longer be

slaves to

sin,

because anyone

who has

died has

been freed

from sin.

Now,

if we

died with

Christ,

we believe

that we

will also

live with

him,

for we

know that

since Christ

was raised

from the

dead,

he cannot

die again.

Death

no longer

has mastery

over him.

The death

he died,

he died

to sin

once for

all,

but the

life he

lives,

he lives

to God.

Do you

see how

the resurrection

reverses

everything?

Where once

we were

enslaved

to sin,

we are

now set

free to

live for

God.

Before we

didn't have

the desire

or the

capacity to

do what

is right

or good,

once we

were spiritually

dead,

we had no

choice but

to sin.

Now,

we have

been given

resurrection

freedom

to live

for God,

to obey

him,

to love

him,

to forgive

others,

and not

to retaliate,

to love

others,

and not

to hate,

to bless

others,

and not

to curse.

Of course,

it doesn't

mean that

we're

perfect,

but it

means that

we now

use our

new freedom

from Christ

to fight

sin and

to serve

God.

Look at

verse 13

of chapter

6.

So because

of the

resurrection,

do not

offer the

parts of

your body

to sin

as instruments

of wickedness,

but rather

offer yourselves

to God

as those

who have

been brought

from death

into life

and offer

the parts

of your

body to

him as

instruments

of righteousness.

So God

has given

us a brand

new way

to live,

a new way

in which we

can offer

ourselves to

God and

to others

to do

good,

to bring

peace to

the hurting,

to bring

healing to

the broken,

to bring

grace to

the lost.

Through the

resurrection,

the door

has now

been opened

to a new

way of

living.

It reverses

the effects

of death.

So first

we have

resurrection

freedom.

The second

thing we have

because of

the resurrection

is power,

resurrection

power,

overcoming

suffering.

Have a look

at 1 Peter.

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

If you've

got a page

number,

it's always

a difficult

one to find.

If anyone

has it,

I'll call

it out.

it's on

page

1217.

1217.

Resurrection

power.

Overcoming

suffering.

Let's read

chapter 1

verse 3.

1 Peter

praise be

to the

God and

Father of

our Lord

Jesus Christ.

In his

great mercy,

he has

given us

new birth

into a

living hope

through the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

from the

dead.

Because of

the resurrection

of Jesus,

we now

have and

we enter

into not

a dead

hope,

but a

living hope.

And you

see what

that hope

is?

Verse 4.

An

inheritance

that can

never

perish,

spoil,

or fade,

kept in

heaven for

you.

It's the

promise to

us that

physical death

and suffering

do not

have the

last word

on our

lives.

Cancer,

sickness,

disability,

and the

grave is

not the

end.

We have

an inheritance

that can

never perish

because of

death,

spoil because

of our

illness,

fade because

of suffering.

It is

kept for

us.

But more

than that,

God keeps

us for

that inheritance.

Look at

verse 5.

who

through

faith,

faith in

the

resurrection,

who through

faith are

shielded by

God's

power until

the coming

of the

salvation that

is ready to

be revealed

in the last

time.

The power

that raised

Christ from

the dead,

the power

that defeated

death itself,

the power

that burst

open the

tomb and

had Jesus

walking

again,

is the

same power

that will

shield us

and keep

us

for heaven.

God will

see to it

that nothing

in our lives

or in this

world will

keep us

from our

inheritance.

There is no

death,

there is no

suffering that

can steal

away what

God has

for his

people.

There is no

sickness or

disaster that

can ruin

what God

has kept

for us.

Even when

our own

strength goes,

even when

our suffering

shatters our

faith and

we doubt and

we don't know

whether we

believe anymore,

even in the

darkest time

of our lives,

God's

resurrection

power will

shield us

and will

keep us

for eternity.

Of course,

that does not

mean we are

immune from

suffering now.

Look what it

says in verse

6.

In this

you greatly

rejoice,

though now

for a little

while you

may have had

to suffer

grief in

all kinds

of trials.

you see,

each one of

us here,

and some

of you

experience it

today in

more ways

than others,

that we

live in a

broken world

which involves

physical

suffering and

eventual

death.

But God's

resurrection

power will

keep you.

He will

not let

you fall.

Through the

resurrection,

the door

has been

opened to

life.

It

overcomes

sin,

giving us

a new

way to

live.

It

overcomes

suffering,

giving us

a power

within to

face

everything

that we

may come

up against.

The

resurrection

reverses

the consequences

of death.

Third,

then,

the resurrection

life,

overcoming

separation.

For this,

we're going

to go to

1 Thessalonians.

So you

need to go

back a few

pages.

Again, if

somebody has

the page

number, I'll

call it out.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

1, 1, 8, 7.

1, 1, 8, 7.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

And verse 13.

1, 1, 9.

Resurrection

life, overcoming

our separation

from God.

Verse 13.

Brothers and

sisters, we do

not want you to

be ignorant about

those who fall

asleep, that is

those who die,

or to grieve

like the rest of

men who have

no hope.

You see, many

people today

have no hope.

For them,

death is

the end.

It's what

separates us

from family

and friends.

One writer

put it like

this.

Life has

no reasons.

A struggling

through the

gloom, and

the senseless

end of it

is the

insult

of the

tomb.

You see,

for many,

death is not

only final,

it makes a

mockery

of life.

We live,

we die,

and that's

it.

But it's

telling us

that death

is not

the end.

In fact,

to die

without

Christ

is not

just

hopeless,

it is

serious.

have a look

at 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

or sorry,

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

Just turn

over a page,

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1:8

chapter 1,

verse 8.

You see,

for those

who continue

in their

rebellion

against God,

for those

who reject

Christ's

death

and resurrection,

who seek

to live

independently

from Him,

one day

the risen

Jesus

will come

again,

and here's

what it

says,

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1:8

chapter 1,

verse 8.

He,

that is

Jesus,

will punish

those

who do

not know

God

and do

not obey

the gospel

of our

Lord Jesus.

They will

be punished

with an

everlasting

destruction

and shut

out

from the

presence

of the

Lord

and from

the majesty

of His

power

on the

day He

comes

to be

glorified.

You see,

this separation

is eternal.

It is

hell.

It is to

have an

eternal

existence

without

God,

the loving

Creator.

It is a

life for

an eternity

without

love,

without

beauty,

without

justice,

without

happiness.

It's a

life without

God.

But

through

our

faith

in the

resurrection,

that

separation

does not

need to

be eternal.

That

separation

can be

corrected

and put

right and

we can

have life

with God

forever.

So go

back to

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

and verse

14.

Look at

the difference,

the contrast

that there

is for

those whose

hope is

in Christ.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 4:14

4 verse

14.

For we

believe that

Jesus died

and rose

again and

so we

believe that

God will

bring with

Jesus those

who have

fallen asleep

in him.

According to

the Lord's

own word,

we tell you

that we

who are

still alive,

who are

left till

the coming

of the

Lord,

will certainly

not precede

those who

have fallen

asleep.

For the

Lord himself

will come

down from

heaven with

a loud

command,

with the

voice of

the archangel

and with

the trumpet

call of

God and

the dead

in Christ

will rise

first.

After that,

we who are

still alive

and are

left will

be caught

up together

with them

in the

clouds to

meet the

Lord in

the air.

and so

we will

be with

the Lord

forever.

We will

be with

the Lord

forever.

Therefore,

encourage each

other with

these words.

To be

with the

Lord forever

is to

experience

life as

God intended.

It is

almost,

we get a

glimpse of

it back

in the

garden of

Eden before

sin entered

the world

where man

lived in

that perfect

harmony with

the world

and with

God,

where there

was no

sin,

where there

was no

suffering,

and when

there was

no separation

from the

creator and

the giver

of life.

The

resurrection

opens the

door

to life.

It is

what reverses

the effect

of death.

So on

this Easter

Sunday,

as we

remember the

Easter

rising,

we are to

proclaim

the true

Easter story.

The

proclamation

of 1916

has great

words and

we should be

very proud,

food,

but it

does not

have power.

It does

not have

power to

change the

greatest

problems of

sin,

suffering,

and

separation

from God.

Our faith

rests not

in men

who died,

but our

faith rests

in Jesus

Christ,

the God

man who

is risen

from the

dead.

we may

remember and

celebrate events

of a hundred

years ago,

but as a

risen people

today,

we are to

proclaim the

true historical

fact of the

resurrection.

This is

the hope

for our

lives,

for this

nation,

and for the

nations of

the world.

Let me

reread the

words we

started with

this morning.

1 Corinthians

15.

Brothers and

sisters,

I want to

remind you of

the gospel I

preach to

you.

Here is the

good news.

This is the

proclamation

which you

received,

and which you

have taken

your stand.

By this

gospel are

we saved.

If we hold

firmly to the

word we

preach to

you,

otherwise,

your faith

is in

vain.

For what

we received,

we now

pass on to

others of

first importance,

that Christ

died for our

sins,

according to

the scriptures,

that Christ

was buried,

and that

Christ was

raised from

the dead

on the

third day.

proclaim the

Easter story.

The risen

Jesus,

who reverses

the effects

of sin,

being enslaved

to sin,

cursed by

suffering,

separated from

God.

Know the

freedom,

and the

power,

and the

life of the

resurrection,

that bursts

open the

door from

death,

and takes

us into

a new

life,

now,

and for

all eternity.

Let's pray

together.

Amen.