1. Certain Resurrection: Be certain that you will be resurrected because Christ was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-16).
2. Effective Resurrection: Rejoice in the results of Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
Application Questions
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good when he made that was church. Good to see all of you. My name is Nathan. I'm one of the pastors. Dan Jarms. The guy who is usually up here, three out of four Sundays is at a church called his place. When he said last week, he was going to his place. And he talked about me preaching. So if you thought he was going to some place, that was my place, but that's not actually what it is. It's just the name of a church, that his is referring to God, or Christ. So the church is reaching out as in Post Falls, the church that we have some connections with there, and he's blessing them this week by being out there. So we'll pray for him in a minute. As he preaches at the church called his place in Post Falls, it's really good to gather together as a family, a lot of us have known each other for a long time, some of us are newer friends. And I just encourage you, as John did, to get to know the people around you, and let's really love each other well and welcome each other. And it's been such a joy for me and for my family to be part of this church for a long time, and to be loved by you and to grow together in Christ with you. And I'm really excited, we get to do that this morning with God's word. So let's look at First Corinthians 15. Through 19, we continue to learn about the resurrection. So if you want to grab your copy of God's word and stand with me if you're able to, let's read first Corinthians 1512, through 19, together. Now if Christ is proclaimed, as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there's no resurrection of the dead. But if there's no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain. And your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because He testified about God that He raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins, then then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. In Christ, we have hope. In this life only. We are of all people most to be pitied. This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray together. God, we thank You for Your Word. We thank you for this amazing reality that we can be confident in the resurrection of the dead. Christ, we praise you that you have risen from the dead, we are confident and we know that you are no longer dead, you paid for our sins, and you rose. And now you are raining at the right hand of the Father and we worship you. And I pray that this morning, you give each of us certainty, give us confidence in the reality that we too will be resurrected as you have been resurrected. I pray that that hope would motivate us would empower us would shape our lives, our priorities, that you would comfort us, encourage us through that hope of the resurrection. Help us to see what it means. Help us to be understanding and confident in the results of your resurrection, the forgiveness of our sins, the hope that we have that will last forever. God, we're so thankful for you. And I pray that you would encourage everyone this morning who is discouraged, strengthen those who are weak. And I pray for those who maybe don't know you are living in rebellion against you that you would give faith, Grant repentance to them, to pay for everyone here that we will all know you that your spirit and speak to us by your word. Help us to trust in you and to be confident in you gotta pray for churches around our city. As we go out today for the faith and five door hanger initiative. I pray for other churches in a five minute radius of faith Bible Church or pay for Grace Christian Fellowship Central Campus, for Beth sweet and Dave Nelson over there, and the other elders and all the members there that you would bless them, strengthen them as they seek to be a light to the community around them, as they seek to make disciples of the people there who pray for Christ or hope just down the road, and John Smith or your brother there that you would strengthen them help them as they make disciples and proclaim Christ to their neighborhood. Help us as we go out, we pray for the 10,000 houses around our church building, that you would draw people from that area to yourself, open up blind eyes to see who Christ is, draw people to want to be part of you and what you're doing and be part of your church. Give us courage and boldness even for our our own friends and co workers and wherever we live. We pray also for our governing authorities. You have given us as humans the task of governing under your rule. And we asked for those governing authorities locally, statewide, even nationally and internationally that you would grant them wisdom. Many of them do not know you and they do not honor you with their decisions and we pray that You would give them wisdom, help them to turn to you and to do you make decisions that would honor You. Help us to honor you. We pray right now that you would strengthen us to hear Your word and to respond in worship and thanksgiving. We bring your name Christ and then maybe seated. We are hardwired by God for hope, hope. Hope is the eager anticipation of something that has been promised something that's certainly coming We need hope to live more than we need air more than food and water. We need hope we need when we don't have hope. We get depressed, we get overwhelmed by despair. We need hope. Think back on last week, what were the little things that you put your hope in? Maybe you got to watch your favorite TV show that comes on once a week, although that's less and less now with streaming services, right? But But you look forward to that show. I'm gonna watch it. It's gonna be fun. You look forward to watching this X play and when goes Zags, right? We look forward to March Madness and all the basketball or whatever sport you like. We look forward to seeing our bank account go up when we get paid. And then it goes down as you pay the bills, right? We look forward to that Amazon package arriving and hoping that nobody steals it off your porch or they don't return it and figure out how that works. We look forward to a fun adventure with someone you love. going and doing something that you enjoy together. Maybe you look forward to a delicious bowl of Tillamook ice cream creamy and rich, unless you're very free. And if so I'm really sorry, maybe look forward to that amazing a slice of pizza. The weekend today off, those are little things we look forward to we have hope. We have hope and you look forward, we're created to look forward to things to hope, and what's going to happen. Those big things, we look forward to your first girlfriend and first boyfriend, getting married, having kids having a vacation, getting a career, advancing in your career retiring, the list goes on and on. We all have things we hope in hopes and dreams. But many of those things never come. And the little things and even on the big things list. There's lots of disappointment. You're hoping something then it doesn't happen. Where it happens. And it wasn't as good as you thought it was going to be. Or it happens but it's over and you're like ah, but there was not long enough.
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So what is our hope? What is our greatest hope? What's the one hope that will never disappoint us? I want to tell you from what Paul is saying in First Corinthians 15 that the hope you can count on that will never disappoint you as the resurrection, we will die. And then we will be resurrected in physical resurrected bodies that will live forever. We will live in those new bodies on the New Earth or like a fire. Depending on if we know Christ as Savior or not forever. That future reality that resurrection should give you lots of hope. If you've trusted in Christ, you're gonna receive a new body that has increased in perfect capacity, that you can live forever, never die, never sin, perfectly love God, perfectly love others, perfectly work and worship God in the New Earth forever. That's hope that should prioritize how we spend our time. We should be laying up treasures, investing in that hope, thinking about what matters for that future event. And no matter what's happening, no matter how hard things are, whatever trial your focus is facing whatever difficult thing is happening. You can have hope in the resurrection, you can look forward to the day that you will be resurrected as Christ was resurrected. None of us who are believers in Christ would deny that Christ was risen from the dead or that we're going to be resurrected. But functionally, does that help impact us? Does it change how you think about this week? Does it change how you decide what to spend your time on? How much are we really putting our hope in Christ and the resurrection That we will experience with him? Listen to what Paul says in Colossians three, one and two. It says if you've been raised up with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated the right hand of God, Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. How do we do that? I want to show you from First Corinthians 15, that you can be certain that you will be resurrected with Christ because He was resurrected. And I want you to have confidence in that and to have hope. Because of that we hold a certain resurrection of Christ, and be certain that you too, will be resurrected to eternal life in Christ if you've trusted in him. What does Paul doing in this passage? Why is he so concerned that they be convinced that they'd be certain about the resurrection? Well, the people in Paul's day in Corinth and even now had embraced a teaching of Aristotle or Plato that the physical matter physical stuff is the problem. Some people have embraced the idea that the reason why things go bad is because the physical Earth is corrupt. This earth we live on the systems, our own bodies are corrupt. So their hope for the good life was to escape. Get out of the physical and live in a spiritual existence the kind of like the Buddhists or Hindus might might teach not exactly the same, but similar to that idea of like, you got to escape the physical, get to the spiritual, the really good. So for them, to tell them, you're gonna be resurrected. They're like, Wait a second. Is that good? Do I want to be resurrected? Do I want to live in a physical body forever if it's if it's inherently evil, but what Paul understands from scripture, well, we should understand is that God made the earth very good. And it's redeemable Christ's death, resurrection, ascension return. He's redeeming the Earth. He's making all things new. So we can live in physical bodies and have hope we can look forward to a future like Romans eight talks about that is redeemed that's perfect on the millennial kingdom and then You haven't been raised with Christ, we have a certain resurrection, we can be certain that we will be resurrected because Christ was raised from the dead. I'm gonna read first Corinthians 15 until they're 16. Again, now want you to notice that four times, Paul gives us the same idea. He says that Christ being raised from the dead, should make us confident that we too will be resurrected. You saying you can't believe that Jesus rose from the dead and then say, but the rest of us are not gonna be resurrected. He is telling us those things go together. And he says it four times. When you tell something to your kids, or your friend four times, you really mean it. He means that we will be resurrected one day, because Christ was resurrected. Listen to First Corinthians 1512 through 16 again, now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there's no resurrection of the dead? If there's no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, and our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain, we are even founded in this representing God, because we testified about God, that He raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. He's telling them over and over, If Christ has been raised, and we know that he has, then you can be confident you too will be raised from the dead. It's like a life vest. If you're swimming around in priest Lake and your mom had you wear a life vest, and you see something really cool about 10 feet down, you're trying to get down with that life that's just pulling you up. It's constantly giving you boy, it's making you go up. If that life has to strap down to you, maybe you've got one that goes through your legs too. So it's like a really secure life vest. You're not going where the life vest doesn't go, you're gonna go where it goes, if it goes to the top, you're gonna go to the top, and it won't go to the bottom without you forcing it down there. You're going with life. This goes, Well Paul is telling them in this passage is what has happened to Christ is what will happen to you, you in Christ together. If Christ was resurrected, you will be resurrected. All human beings will be resurrected because Christ has been resurrected. He shows us that some sort of life and some to judgment. How do we know Christ isn't resurrected? Remember last week, Dan sermon, Christ has been resurrected. If you look back at verse three, and four, we see he was buried verse four, and he was raised in the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures taught us the Christ was gonna be raised from the dead, the Messiah will be raised. Psalm 1610. Governor, see, allow His Holy One to undergo to Cain, Isaiah 53, he would see the reward of the sufferings, we see hints all throughout the Old Testament that that Messiah was going to live forever. The son of David was going to live forever. And then Jesus Himself, what did Jesus say to His disciples, I'm going to die. And they're like, No, you can't die. And then he says, but I'm going to raise from the dead and they were like, so confused. They didn't they didn't get it. But Jesus said over and over, he was gonna die and be raised. So we know from Jesus's testimony from the Old Testament, that Christ had to be raised. And then what happens? We see following verses five through eight, and First Corinthians 15, many eyewitnesses saw Jesus, people who were so convinced they'd seen Jesus resurrected, that they were willing to die. Because of that belief. We know he rose from the dead and finally received transformation. Paul's life was transformed from being a persecutor of Christians, to being a proclaimer of Christ, because he saw the risen Christ. We know because of the scriptures, because of the appearances to the eyewitnesses, and because of the transformation that Christ has risen from the dead, He has risen. And therefore, Paul is saying you need to be confident that you also will rise from the dead. Paul's giving them an if then statement. For example, if I say Charlotte is a pig and she flies, then it must be true that pigs fly if Charlotte, if pigs can't fly and starlets of pigs, and pigs don't fly. So either one is true or the other is true. You can't say Charlotte's a pig, and she flies, but pigs don't fly. That wouldn't make sense. The only way that it's true is if Charlotte to pick and pigs fly or things don't fly. And Charlotte also didn't fly. silly example. But the true. The true thing that Paul's saying here is that if Christ has been raised, you too will be raised, be certain you will be resurrected from the dead. That would be enough evidence. The Corinthians should be like, okay, Paul, we were wrong, the resurrection of the dead. That's, that's a thing. We stand corrected. When Paul keeps on going. And he tells them three other things to convince them even further, that certainly the dead will be raised, because Jesus was raised. And so the first thing he says in verse 14, he says that, if there's no resurrection of Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain. It's empty. It's empty words. If Christ was not raised from the dead, that message that Paul preached, they talked about in First Corinthians to the message of the apostles, that they preach with power with certainty that the people in Corinth heard. It's not true, it's empty. And the Corinthians would have heard Paul say that and say, no, no, no, you're right, Paul. Okay. Your message wasn't vain. So it must be true that Christ rose from the dead. Paul is telling them the message of the apostles is not like a salad bar. You can't say I'm gonna take the incarnation. Put some of that on my plate. I'll take Jesus perfect life but that on my plate, I'll take the miracles but that on my plate, I'll take the death on the cross for my sins. Definitely want that on my plate. Resurrection. enough, I'm going to leave that in the bar, I'm not going to take that there's no like that. You can't leave out the resurrection. You can't take all this part about Jesus in the message and then reject the resurrection. If you reject the resurrection, you lose the whole thing. It's a package. It says together, it's integral. Christ's resurrection is essential, and cannot be denied. If we want to believe the message of the apostles message, the Bible, he continues on, there would have been enough to say what he's already said. But he also says not only is our message in vain, but your faith is in vain. You're actually not saved. There's your faith is doing nothing. It's like a limp noodle doing nothing is not having any effect. And then they would have said, No, Paul, we know that our faith is having an effect. We believed, we have a new perspective on life, we're confident that Christ died and rose again, we love other people, they wouldn't make up about the reasons in part, but anyway, they would have had confidence, their life was being transformed. So they know their faith wasn't empty. And then he goes on to say, not only would my preaching my message be vain, your faith is vain. But if Christ isn't raised from the dead, then we're misrepresenting God, we're lying about God. We're lying about God raising from the dead. And not only is Paul lying, but the apostles are lying. In fact, Jesus design, if God didn't raise Christ in the dead, then Christ Himself was lying, and he's a liar, or he's crazy. And we know that's not true. We know Jesus is actually Lord, so he must have risen from the dead.
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And in fact, it's not just that all of the Bible would not be true if Christ was not resurrected. How can a dead Savior crush the head of the serpent like God told even out of in Genesis 315? How can the dead Savior bless all the families of the earth through Abraham? Like God said in Genesis 12, that he would do through Abraham's offspring? How can a dead son of David rain on the throne of David and fulfill the promises God made to David? How can a dead Savior give us new hearts that love God and love each other and live on the earth He's given us forever? Can't. Paul is saying, as loud as possible. In the words of a letter, it's like a Howler. He's saying, you will be resurrected, Christ was resurrected, so be certain you too, will be resurrected, be confident, you are going to raise from the dead because Christ rose from the dead. He says it again in verse 16, he says, the same thing. Numbers are a little fundamental. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. He says the same thing for the fourth time. If we say the dead are not raised, then we have to say Christ was not raised. But we know that Christ was raised. So we can be confident that the debt will be raised. as Christ was raised. The message of the apostles is true. Our faith is true and real. If we're if it's in Christ, Paul is not lying. Jesus was not lying, the Bible is not lying, you will be resurrected. And if you're in Christ, you're gonna live forever with Him. And that's worth celebrating, right? That's worth saying, Amen. It's worth praising God, that we will live forever with Him. As Christ goes, so will his people go, if he died, and rose, we also died to our sins with him, and we're gonna raise with him. If he's ready to get the right hand of the Father, we're gonna be ready on the right hand of the Father. That's something to look forward to. If he's gonna live on the New Earth and the new heavens, and do what God's purpose was for Adam and Eve forever, that's what we're going to be doing. That's worth celebrating, we will reign with Him forever. Some of you have lost loved ones, maybe your spouse died, maybe you lost a child, maybe you lost the best friend, a parent, you can be confident if they are in Christ, and if you are in Christ, you are going to live forever with God in the new heavens and new earth in resurrected bodies, you're going to recognize them, they're going to recognize you, you're going to celebrate God's grace, this kindness to us in Christ forever. And so the effects of sin, the effects of the curse, they've been overcome by Christ, he has been resurrected and we will be resurrected with him to reign. What sort of body are we going to have? We're not gonna be like ghosts or spirits floating around. You see, like the cartoons you know, the ghosts floating on a cloud playing a harp. That's not going to be us forever. We die. If you're in Christ. You stay with him your spirit, you gotta live with him. And Randy Alcorn says get a new like temporary body, which sounds smart. Thanks, Randy. And then when Jesus comes back in the dead, or raise your daddy, which was either cremated or buried and beaten by worms, or whatever the case may be, it's gonna be resurrected. It'd be joined with here with you and you're gonna be in that resurrected body like Christ forever. What is that resurrected body gonna be like? Well, we know that Jesus was fully God took on full humanity, 100% Deity, 100%. humanity together and one divine man, Hebrews through 17 says, he became like us in every respect, except without sin. His perfect full humanity died on the cross was buried, rose from the dead, and now is resurrected body is the perfect human body, fully God fully man living. God has joined himself to humanity forever. Like he's not trying to get rid of us. There's a there's a God man, Jesus, fully God, fully man at the right hand of the Father. God has said, these are my people. I am there God, I will live with Him forever and the resurrection makes that possible. What kind of body is is that Jesus has look at First Corinthians 1553 53. We see what kind of body he has and what kind Nobody we will have First Corinthians chapter 15, verse 50, I tell you this brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, known as the perishable inherit the imperishable. We hold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep, we should all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound in the dead will be raised and perishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body you must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body you must put on immortality. Look at what Christ gets and what we get. We will be raised with an immortal, imperishable body, never to die again. Like you remember Captain America. He's like this wimpy little soldier guy, and he goes through some weird chemical scientific experiment, and then Captain America's room really strong. Like you get maybe you could die, but I don't know. It doesn't seem like it could really die. He can do lots of cool stuff. And the end, it doesn't turn out to be as great as he thought it was. So he goes back to his other way. Spoiler sorry, but the Captain America is like pretty amazing, like an incredible human. Jesus, the resurrected Christ. Now that was a fake story, real story. Jesus is resurrected, an immortal body, imperishable, like milk is perishable, very perishable, it doesn't last very long. Our bodies are also perishable that right, like we're all we're perishing. We're slowly dying from the moment Adam and Eve said, everyone's dying. We are going to put on an imperishable, immortal body and live together as people who never can sin. We can reign forever with God. That's what Christ is doing right now. Listen to this article by Dr. Nick Needham. He wrote an article called Christ ascended for us. You can Google it if you want to Christ ascended for us, Nick need him? Like I need him or like, I need bacon. I need him. I need him. He's British, though, so I'm just gonna say it that way. So anyway, the article says this about Jesus. He says the Savior is human nature has received an immeasurable enrichment of gifts and power and capacities, which make them fit and able to reign over the universe, as the Victoria second atom, the son of man seated at the right hand of the Father, here that enrichment of gifts and powers and capacities which make him able to reign. He goes on to say it's only in the exalted Christ that human nature comes into its full bloom, its full flowering, its final development of powers and capacities. If I want to see what human nature is ultimately capable of, I do not look at my own stunted, twisted the forms of disease, the shattered and pathetic shell of humanity. No, I look at the man, Christ Jesus risen from the dead, exalted to the right hand of the Father. That is real humanity, human nature according to God's final definition and purpose. That is human nature brought to its ultimate maturity of grace and glory. And I think I almost have to say something like this, Lord Jesus Christ compared with you. I'm only on the way to becoming human. You've arrived, you're the true, perfect, glorious man, oh, to be like you because only then will God's definition of humanity, be fulfilled in me. That is humanity in its full bloom and blossom. Humanity in me is at best, at his best is only in the early springtime, humanity in the exalted Jesus isn't as glorious and eternal summer. And that's the pattern according to which God the Father intends to mold you and me. Our final death, Destiny is what is to be conformed to the exalted humanity of Christ. It's amazing. Jesus is what God created Adam to be sinless, immortal, unable to die, able to rule, his capacities as a human or improved, now fallen, still able to eat, able to talk, it will be recognized by those who knew him. But now forever, God has linked himself inexorably inexorably with humanity. He is now what we will be immortal, perfect, sinless, we can trust him. Philippians 321 says that Christ will conform all of us, to his own image to he'll make us like himself. If you haven't confessed, confess to Christ as your Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you're also gonna be resurrected. But your resurrection will be to judgment, you will be given a resurrected body that's able to suffer and endure God's judgment forever. That's not what you want. You want the resurrection to life. Look at John five with me turn back in your Bibles to the left to John five. I want to read verses 24 to 29, to see that Jesus has the authority to resurrect us, we can be confident that we will be resurrected because Christ was resurrected and because he has the authority given to him by the Father to resurrect every single person. John chapter five, verse 24, says, I truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but his past from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself. So he has granted the son to have also done life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. To not marvel at this for now is coming when all who are in the tombs we hear His voice and come out those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Christ has been given authority by the Father to call people out by his own words to say come forward, and He will resurrect from the dead every single human being, either to life with Him forever or to judgment. He has authority The resurrection is certain ensure and you should count on it. Listen to John 11, we hear the story about Jesus, his friend Lazarus who died. Jesus shows us that he has this authority to call people out.
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Lazarus is dead now for four days, and Jesus is talking to Lazarus, his sisters, his friends, Martha and Mary. He's saying to Martha, he's gonna, her brother will rise again, Martha says John 11, verse 24, John 1124, Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection in the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. If you believe in me, even though you die, your physical body dies, you will be raised up, you will live forever. And if you believe in me, you won't die. And what he's saying there is you're not going to die spiritually, you're never going to be separated from God. And then Jesus shows us illustrations, he just does the best illustrations. Just read what he does in the Gospels. He's the best teacher, he shows us that He has authority to raise the dead. They go to Lazarus, Jesus weeps with Mary, and then at the sorrow of their brother dying to sorrow, the effect of sin in the world. And yet, he tells them roll away that roll that that that stone away. Remember the King James, they said, No, but he's been dead for four days. He's thinketh. It's my favorite word in the King James Bible is thinketh. It's very applicable in so many situations, but he's thinketh. It's like, No, Jesus said, No, if you just believe you're gonna see God's glory, with what Jesus does. And John 11 Verse 43, when he said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus come out. What is Lazarus? Do? The dead guy gets up, walks out, because Jesus has the authority to raise the dead. It's like if you said, Laurie, come out, Victoria, come out. Michael, come out, Dan, come out. Roy come out, he calls us out. He's gonna call you out. And your dead body will be raised from the dead and you will join him in a glorious resurrected body with no sin with no separation from God with no struggling to love your brothers and sisters forever, with these increased capacities that he gives us to live forever with Him to rule with Him. Imagine Christ's calling your name, your brother, your sister, come and you raise with him forever. And you're never bored. It's not like a movie you've watched four times you're like, Okay. I've already seen this one. I know exactly. It's going to happen. No living with God and the new heavens and new earth, it's always going to be new. I never tasted like this before God eating some fruit that he makes tastes different. Or we're getting to build this thing or make this thing together. Or he makes some new animal I don't know, there's gonna be all kinds of cool things we're going to do with God, never getting bored of looking at him. Who can you be hold forever, and never get tired of holding. When you behold Christ in his face, you behold the glory of the Father. Behold, the Triune God, Father, Son in spirit, you will never grow tired of worshiping Him, of loving him of seeing him. That is what we are looking forward to. How can you be certain that you'll be resurrected to life? We need to understand a couple of things. Some of us have been learning two ways to live. There's a crown, the bigger peak in the middle, right? God is that ruler? He rules over the world. Why? Because he made the world and He made us to rule over the world with him. But what are we all done? Since Adam and Eve we've rejected God? We rejected him as well. We cross out his rule. Put it on me see how that feels. I don't want to be in charge. I'll do things my own way. What's God gonna do? He's gonna judge that we see that everybody dies, there's the judgment of death, there's gonna be a second death and like a fire of resurrection to judgment. That's what everyone looks forward to, because of their sin, apart from Christ, but what did Jesus do? Jesus comes to earth, he joins humanity. He perfectly lives under God's rule. He's the perfect man, perfect human. And he dies on the cross for our sins, takes that punishment we deserve, was buried and rose again on the third day. Now he is the king of the earth. He's raining over the earth, and he's able to give forgiveness, to give life to anyone who trusts in Him to give a relationship with God. So the question is, which way are you living? Are you rejecting God as king and living your own way, trusting in yourself? Or have you trusted in Christ in His death on the cross and his resurrection? Or Is He your King? Now? Is God your king? Which way are you living? If you're trusting in Christ, you can be confident you will raise from the dead and live with Him forever? If you haven't trusted him, if you're living your own way, you're going to be raised from the dead, to be judged by God forever. What is your choice? What are the implications of this? Paul is telling us over and over Christ has been raised from the dead you will be raised in the dead so what should we think about this? We don't need to fear death. The confidence you have that Christ will resurrect you should free you from the fear of death without a First Corinthians 15 Verse 55 Oh, death where's your Victory or death? Where's your sting? The sting of death to sin and the power of sinners the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have confidence in the resurrection of Christ in our own resurrection. So we don't have to be afraid of death. What's the worst that they can do to us? That can kill us, right? But it can't take away our confidence in the resurrection. You can follow Christ no matter what it costs you. So Jesus told his disciples, anyone wants to follow me, you got to take up your cross, be willing to die. But we don't have to fear we can know our end, which is eternal reign with Christ with new bodies. We should consider Christ's reign right now. What does he want? First, John three says that one day when we see Jesus as He is, we're gonna become like him, you're gonna see Jesus in His glorified, resurrected, perfect immortal, imperishable body, you're gonna see his full glory, and you will become like him because he's going to conform you to him. In First John, chapter three, verse three, he says, if you have this hope, fixed on Christ, you will purify yourself, you will think Christ is my king, I want to please him, I want to lay up treasures in heaven, I want to do what matters for my future with God, I want to invest in that I want to build to give him more glory now, and then we consider his reign now. We seek holiness, we want to love Christ. If you've ever met somebody, and you thought, I'm not going to be around this person for very long, I'm gonna only be hanging out with them for the next three months. So you don't really want to get that close. Because when they leave, then what's going to happen? What if they're only around for a week, then they leave and you're like, Ah, I'm gonna be sad, I'm gonna miss my friend, Jesus is going to be your friend, your Savior, your Lord for eternity, forever. So love him now get close to him. And then us, our brothers and sisters in Christ, we're going to live together with Him forever also. So love each other, invest in our relationships, right? Even if you know a brother and sister in Christ for a day, you're going to spend eternity together, right, we're gonna be able to love each other, and reign with Christ forever. So invest in those relationships, love Christ. He actually wants to be with you for eternity. He just joined himself to humanity. God wants us to be with him, and he has chosen to be with us. You can be freed from FOMO from the fear of missing out. What if I miss this fun thing? Or that fun thing? What if I don't invest in the right thing? What if I'd spend my time over here instead of over there, like, Be wise, be discerning about your time, but you don't have to fear missing out you are confident if you're in Christ, about the resurrection, you will be resurrected with Christ, you're not going to miss out. If you do, like Frank talked about last night, we can go to Papa New Guinea and invest your life there. You're not missing out. When you choose to sacrifice what maybe you would prefer to love your brother or sister to love your neighbor, to reach out to someone that isn't reaching out to you. It's worth it. Because of Christ. You're not missing out. If you do like what Mike cuts that's gonna talk about the end of the service today about investing in other people coming to us from the nation and you're not missing out. Don't be afraid of missing out if you have Christ. Rejoice that God has not given up on restoring as good Christian, you can serve God with your physical body. The answer is not just escaping this you can use your resources, your skills, the things that God's given you now for His glory, live in your physical earthly body to His glory. And trust that God is going to make all this new, he's going to restore and redeem the Fallen Earth. Finally ask this question, what would my 500 year old self taught me to do in this situation? Thinking about 500 years from now, you're in the millennial kingdom or on the New Earth? You've been with Christ for 400 and something years seeing him rain? What would you counsel yourself now? How would your 500 year old self counsel you about that relationship, that difficult conversation, that purchase that you're about to make that investment of your time? That temptation was sin? What is your 500 year old self gonna say about what you should do? Listen to them. Counsel yourself, and there's some people older than 500 years, whether they're not they weren't alive that long, but like Solomon, Moses, God's wisdom, and how long has God been around so we can listen to the wisdom we have in the word right? We see that here in the Bible so we can listen, and to make choices based on the wisdom of God. So our second point, should be little shorter. I want you to see that the resurrection not only gives us certainty about our own resurrection, but also it's effective. It's an effective result resurrection, rejoice in the results of Christ's resurrection. His resurrection is effective. He does what he intends to do. Paul is continuing to prove to the Corinthians that they should believe that they will be resurrected because Christ was resurrected. So he explains to them how essential the resurrection is. Look at verses 17 to 19. First Corinthians 15. He says,
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And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ, we have hope, in this life only. We are of all people most to be pitied. Showing them how essential the resurrection is. He says that our faith is futile. It's like the word in verse 14 saying our faith is vain. It's useless, idle, worthless, lacking power. It's like a waterlogged piece of flooring. What do you do with a piece of flooring that's waterlogged and just, you know, breakable and molding and rotting, it's useless, you take it to the dump. It's like a stripped out bolt, right? You gotta bolt this stripped out, and there's no more threads on there. And it's all messed up. What's up? Well, good for, I mean, you might get a half a penny from the metal recycling place for that thing is worthless, a broken dryer that doesn't dry anything anymore. A piece of rotten bread or cheese is grown a lot of mold on it, it's worthless, or empty threats to your kids that have no value in correcting their bad behavior. It's worthless, it's futile. Paul is saying of Christ was not raised. Your faith is worthless. It does not do anything. And bears no fruit gives you no forgiveness, no hope, no redemption, no salvation, no power to change. You saying the resurrection is essential? And what is Paul going to say in verse 17? He says, Your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. He's saying if Christ was not raised, you would still be in your sins. This is a huge claim. Have you thought about this, the resurrection is not just a nice tack on a nice bonus to the gospel. It is essential. If I go to the store, and I buy a coat from the thrift store, and I pay the person at the cash register, and I go to walk out of the store. And then they stop being like No, put it back. Either they're unjust, or I didn't actually pay for it. Like if I if I paid for it, I should be able to take it with me. Right? If Jesus paid for our sins, if you paid the penalty for our sins, and God said, it's finished, I You're forgiven. The resurrection is evidence. It's proof that our sins are paid for. If Christ didn't raise from the dead, then he didn't actually pay for our sins. God's saying. It's nice. It's a good example of humility and love and sacrifice and all that, like I applaud you for that. But it wasn't enough to actually pay for their sins, or for your sins, or for anything in Christ would stay dead. The one of the effects of sin, why did God tell Adam even the garden, if you eat this fruit, you will die. Jesus pays for all the sins and it's paid for, and he's still dead, then the sin is still having the effect. It wasn't actually fully paid for it. It's not done. It's not finished. If Christ died for our sins, and the father accepted the payment and said it was complete, then the effect of sin, namely death would not continue. So if Jesus wasn't raised, it means that we're still in our sins, there's no forgiveness. God is going to have to punish us all for our sins because his sacrifice wasn't enough. But listen to what Romans 425 says. We know that that's not true in the Corinthians wasn't another century, they would have said, no, no, Paul, of course, Christ rose from the dead. Of course, our faith is not like a stripped out bowl of Chris, of course, our faith is useful. Of course, we're not in our sin still. So Paul is proving to them no, the resurrection is necessary. And it's true. Listen to Romans 425, the Lord Jesus, our Lord was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. He was raised for our justification, we are declared righteous through Christ's resurrection when he was raised from the dead. God, the Father was saying of him, he is righteous, He has been declared righteous. He has conquered sin and death. He has made the full payment. It's all paid for. It's like, oh, but this one over here. Didn't pay for that one. Put that back. No, he paid for all the sins of everyone who has died for all of them. And then the father rose him from the dead, giving evidence that it's paid for, it's complete. So when you look at Christ being resurrected, we celebrate it next week, we celebrated every week, right? You can be confident your sins, if you're in Christ, are forgiving. You are not in your sins. God the Father looks at Jesus dying on the cross. He says, that's where your sins were paid for it. So what does that mean? You don't have to do those things anymore. You don't have to live in them anymore. You don't have to be separated from God anymore. You don't have to be guilty anymore because of those sins. They are paid for finished, finished. When Jesus was on the cross for six hours, right? At the end, he said it's finished. The resurrection shows us it really was finished. He really paid all of our sins. If you're trusting in Christ, every single one of your sins is paid for. First Peter one three says the same thing. The resurrection is necessary for the new birth, for God to be able to give new life to our hearts so we can be in his family. First Peter one three says blessed to be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Through Christ being resurrected God gives us new life. Some of you are women, and you've had babies, God's given life into your body, and that baby's grown. God gives us life spiritually. Remember, Ephesians one, Paul prays that they would understand the greatness of God's power that rose Christ from the dead. Then he says, You were dead. In chapter two verse one of Ephesians, and then chapter two, verse four, he says, God made you alive. How do you do that? Through the resurrection of Christ. He has the power to give life to forgive you to make you come alive to give you a heart like his heart, his nature. You're no longer an alien away from him. You're his you belong to Him and you're like him. To the resurrection is not icing on the cake. It's essential. It's not just a bonus Christ were not raised, there'll be no salvation. God's promised the crush the snake will be alive. God's promise to Abraham would be alive. God's promise to David would be a lie. If Christ did not raise from the dead, he's not victorious. How could he destroy satan and throw Satan in the lake of fire? How can you take that scroll in Revelation five and carry out the plan of salvation for all the earth? If he did not raise from the dead? He couldn't do that. How can he save you now? If he's this nice guy that we remember, and we have a memorial service and we think about him and we're so thankful for what he did, but he's dead. It's not here anymore. What can you do? But he's not dead. He's risen. He's risen, right? We know he's alive. We can be confident. Look at what Paul says in first Corinthians 15, verse 18, he says, he says, Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is futile. We're still in our sins. And even though we've died, even though people have trusted in him, if they've died, they've perished. They're going to face God's wrath. If their sins are forgiven, and they have died believing in Christ. Now they've got nothing to expect except for judgment. So if Christ didn't resurrect, then we would have no hope. In fact, that's what he says in verse 19. He says, If we hope in Christ in this life, we are of all people to be pitied. Think about Paul's life. What did you get for believing in Christ? He got stoned. He got put in prison, he got shipwrecked. He got made fun of he got hated. Other Christians in his time got burned as candles in the Rose Garden, they got fed to wild animals, if they only got that, and there was nothing after that, other than God's judgment because their sins were really paid for. We should pity them. A different example not nearly as severe is treadmill Tim. Let's think about treadmill Tim, he hits the treadmill every day really hard to be healthy. He treadmill Tim, you tell the food, he skips doughnuts and ice cream. Terrible, right? He eats lots of salad and chicken breasts. If it turns out that running and eating healthy was not actually good for you, then Tritonal Timmons to be pitied. He spent hours and hours and years and years training and sweating for nothing. If in the end, it was all lie, he would have been wasting his time. We would pity him if it weren't true. And the same is true for you. If you've hoped in Christ, only in this life, and there's not a resurrection. It's pitiful. You should eat, drink and be merry. Find some other thing. Don't come here on Sunday morning, wasting our time, right if Christ didn't rise from the dead, but look at verse 20. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. So our faith is powerful. God does save us through our faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven. We don't we aren't looking forward to perish and we're gonna live forever after we die in the resurrected bodies on the New Earth with Christ. We are not to be pitied we are we have a great hope. Christ has been raised from the dead he has risen. So what should we do, we should rejoice. Rejoice at the results of Christ's resurrection. Your sins are forgiven. You have been born into God's family if you believed in Christ, our faith in the gospel message is effective. The Gospel power of God to save us is true and real. By faith, we've gone from death to life, from alienated to adopted from enemies to friends, from lost to found from guilty to forgiven. We're not in our sins, we're not going to Paris, we have an amazing hope. We will be raised from the dead, to live in glorious, immortal, imperishable bodies with the glorious risen Christ and his father in the spirit forever on the New Earth. Rejoice brother and sister. If you're in Christ, you have a great Savior. You get to look forward to the resurrection. But not only does this resurrection give us great hope in the future. It's our power now. Right? What does Philippians 310 Say? Paul says I longed to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. Romans eight verse 11. Paul says that the same spirit that rose Christ from the dead gives life to our mortal bodies. How can you endure suffering now? Resurrection power, the power of Christ, the power of God that rose Christ in the dead is operating in you, giving you hope, giving you ability to persevere? How is it that Christ holds you fast? We sing that song he will hold me fast. How does the holdest fast? The resurrection power of Christ keeps us believing? He keeps us hoping he keeps us obeying. What is it that you need that I need when we're tempted to sin, or attempted to lash out in anger when we're tempted to get discouraged to go to some idle? The resurrection power of Christ enables us to say yes to God and say no to our sin. You can be confident in Christ and His power because of the resurrection. How can you have joy and hope when you're facing a long day of changing diapers and training children to obey and be kind?
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Christ's resurrection? How can you have joy and hope when you're facing a long day working for an employer who doesn't always appreciate you doing a job that sometimes is hard or feels empty? Christ is resurrected? How can you have joy and hope as you face your own weaknesses and illnesses and frailties? Christ is resurrected. How can you have joy and hope as you fight sin and seek to obey? How can you have the kind of hope that empowers As you make great sacrifices for Christ's for loving his people, how can you deal with disappointments and the let downs of your earthly hopes and dreams, rejoice at the results of Christ's resurrection, you are forgiven, you will not perish, you will live forever with God, you have this relationship with God because of Christ. Your faith is not vain. It's not futile. Your hope is not empty. You are receiving as a reward of that faith, everything that is in more, we don't deserve any of it. It's all God's grace, His kindness. So what does this mean when things are hard? So we just like say, like, never be sad? Like, just remember the resurrection and never complain about anything. Never, never, never lament? No, look at what Jesus did when Lazarus died, he knew he was gonna raise Lazarus from the dead. But Jesus wept. He saw the effects of sin on Mary and Martha and the world around him, and he worked with them. He sees the effect of sin on you. He knows what he's going to do. But that doesn't make him not hurt with you in that moment, as you fight against that difficulty. That physical suffering, that relational suffering, that sin that you battle against, or that difficulty to obey. He's with you. He understands how hard it is. And he loves you, and He cares. And he's able, so you can lament, you can cry out for help. You can say, God, how long? How long have you come back and I get my resurrected body, I get to see you. Some of you might feel that even more as you go. As we get older and older, you start to feel like I'm ready, Jesus come back. I want that resurrection. We longed for that. And we look forward to that. So I encourage you, brother, sister, we have a great hope, hope in Christ, he is resurrected, and He will resurrect you, because of his grace and mercy and kindness. autopen him Let's pray. God, thank you so much for the hope that we have in you. Thank you that we're not just looking forward to these earthly gifts you give us like family or fun sports or food or entertainment, or even serving you and obeying you here we get to look forward to eternity on the new heavens and new earth and resurrected bodies. where Satan is vanquished where sin is defeated, or death is no longer we look forward to that. Most of all, we look forward to seeing you face to face help us to see you now. Even as we take the Lord's Supper as we sing. Help us to remember you Christ, to hold the hold you to trust in You. Help us to become more and more like you as we look at you and love you. Amen.
Nathan Thiry is the Growth Groups & Outreach Pastor at Faith Bible Church. He enjoys biking and outdoor activities, and has a passion to see the gospel spread throughout our community and the whole world!
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