New Life Bible Fellowship Church
4/5/2026

      • 1 Corinthians 15:20–22KJV1900

  • Christ Arose
  • Because He Lives

      • Proverbs 19KJV1900

  • Doxology

  • Communion:

    In just a few moments, I'm going to preach a sermon about resurrection — about an empty tomb and a conquered grave and a living Savior. But before we get there, we need to start where the story demands we start. We need to start at the cross.
    Paul explains to us what happen that night:
    1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV
    23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    That's what this Table does. It takes us back to Friday before it lets us celebrate Sunday. The bread we are about to break represents the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for us — real flesh, real suffering, a real death on a real cross for real sinners. The cup represents His blood, the blood of the new covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. And we dare not rush past Friday to get to Sunday. The empty tomb means nothing without the cross that came before it. The resurrection is glorious precisely because of how terrible and how costly the death was.
    But I want you to notice something as we take these elements. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." Until He comes. You only wait for someone who is alive. Paul does not say we proclaim the death of a dead man. We proclaim the death of a living one — a risen, reigning, returning King. So even here, at the Table, the resurrection is already breaking through.
    This morning, let the bread and the cup settle you at the foot of the cross. Remember what your sin cost. Remember what your Savior endured. And then, when we've given the cross its due weight and its due reverence, I'm going to open God's Word and show you why this meal is not a funeral — why the death we proclaim here is the most triumphant death in the history of the world. Because the One who died is not here. He is risen.
    Let us eat and drink together, and then let us hear the rest of the story.

    Introduction:

    For months now, we've been hearing Paul insist that the message of the cross is the power of God. On Palm Sunday, we watched a humble King ride toward that cross. On Friday night, we stood at its foot and saw the wisdom of God displayed in the darkest moment of human history. And if the story ended there — if Good Friday were the final chapter — then Paul's critics in Corinth would be right. The cross would be foolishness. A dead Messiah is no Messiah at all. But the story does not end there. This is why 1 Corinthians doesn't end at chapter 2. Paul builds and builds until he arrives at chapter 15, where he delivers what he calls the message "of first importance" — the gospel itself: "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (15:3–4). The resurrection is not an epilogue to the cross. It is the cross's vindication. It is God the Father's thundering declaration that the sacrifice was accepted, that sin is conquered, that death is defeated, and that everything Paul has been telling the Corinthians — and everything I've been telling you — is true. Christ is risen. And because He is, everything has changed.

    Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, 17–20, 54–57 & Matthew 28:1–10

    1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV
    1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
    1 Corinthians 15:17–20 ESV
    17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
    1 Corinthians 15:54–57 ESV
    54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Matthew 28:1–10 ESV
    1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

    Main Idea: The resurrection is the Father's vindication of everything the cross accomplished — it is the proof that the "foolishness" Paul has been preaching is in fact the power of God unto salvation, and it transforms everything for those who believe.

    We shall look this morning briefly at three aspects of this vindication as a result of the resurrection:
    The Resurrection Validates the Cross
    The Resurrection Defeats Our Greatest Enemies
    The Resurrection Transforms How We Live Now

    I. The Resurrection Validates the Cross (1 Cor. 15:1–4, 17; Rom. 1:4)

    Paul grounds the gospel in historical events: Christ died, was buried, was raised, and appeared (1 Cor. 15:3–5). These are not metaphors. The gospel is an announcement about things that happened in space and time.
    1 Corinthians 15:3–5 ESV
    3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
    Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). The resurrection is the receipt that proves the payment was accepted. It is the Father's "Amen" to the Son's "It is finished."
    1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV
    17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
    Romans 1:4 tells us Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead." The One who appeared weak on Friday was declared powerful on Sunday. This is the pattern we've seen throughout 1 Corinthians: God's power revealed through apparent weakness.
    Romans 1:4 ESV
    4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

    II. The Resurrection Defeats Our Greatest Enemies (1 Cor. 15:20, 54–57; Matt. 28:1–6)

    "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). "Firstfruits" is harvest language — it means the resurrection of Jesus is not an isolated event but the beginning of a harvest. His resurrection guarantees ours.
    1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV
    20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
    Paul declares that Christ was the first of many to experience resurrection from the dead, and the metaphor of “firstfruits” carries profound theological weight for understanding this claim. The term “firstfruits” is borrowed from the Old Testament, where it was the name of one of the major Jewish feasts. At the beginning of the harvest calendar, a sheaf of grain was waved before the Lord on the day after Passover Sabbath, serving as a pledge and assurance that the remainder of the harvest belonged to the Lord.
    The metaphor means that in Jesus’ resurrection the certainty of the saints’ resurrection is guaranteed—Jesus is the firstfruit not because he was the first individual ever raised, but because his was the only resurrection that decisively overthrew death itself.
    The angel's words at the tomb — "He is not here, for he has risen, as he said" (Matt. 28:6) — are the most important words ever spoken at a gravesite. Every other tomb in history holds its occupant. This one was vacated.
    Matthew 28:6 ESV
    6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
    Paul breaks into triumph: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:54–57). Sin gave death its sting. The law gave sin its power. The cross dealt with sin. The resurrection broke death's grip. The victory is complete.
    1 Corinthians 15:54–57 ESV
    54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    III. The Resurrection Transforms How We Live Now (1 Cor. 15:58; Matt. 28:8–10)

    Paul's resurrection theology does not end in abstract doctrine — it ends with a "therefore": "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58). The resurrection changes Monday morning.
    1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
    58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
    The women at the tomb went from fear to "great joy" and ran to tell the disciples (Matt. 28:8). The resurrection creates witnesses. It produces people who cannot keep silent. It turns frightened followers into bold proclaimers.
    Matthew 28:8 ESV
    8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
    This is where our entire series in 1 Corinthians has been heading. Paul's corrections about divisions, wisdom, morality, worship, and spiritual gifts all rest on this foundation: Christ is alive, His kingdom is real, and therefore how we live as His church matters. The power of the cross is not just a doctrine to affirm — it is a reality to be lived out in the body of Christ.
    I would like to close this morning with one final word of encouragement, it is found also in Eph. 1:21, where we read of the actions of God the Father towards His son:
    Ephesians 1:17–23 ESV
    17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
    So the encouragement to be stead fast and immovable is the present reign of our risen Lord. Because we are in Him, we have the power and authority to carry out the work of the Lord.

    So What?

    Do we understand that we must believe the gospel is historical fact, not merely spiritual sentiment?
    Paul staked everything on the bodily resurrection of Jesus. He listed eyewitnesses (1 Cor. 15:5–8). The Christian faith is falsifiable — if Christ is not raised, we are to be pitied (v. 19). But He is raised. Ground your faith not in feelings but in the firm reality of the empty tomb.
    Do we understand that we can face death and suffering with resurrection hope?
    If you are grieving, if you have received a hard diagnosis, if you are watching a loved one decline — hear Paul's words: "Death is swallowed up in victory." The resurrection means that every grave is temporary for those who are in Christ. The worst thing is never the last thing.
    Do we understand that we must let the resurrection make us steadfast and immovable in the Lord's work?
    Your labor in the Lord — your parenting, your faithfulness in marriage, your service at this church, your witness to your neighbors, your fight against sin — none of it is in vain. The risen Christ guarantees it. So do not grow weary. Do not lose heart. The power of the cross, confirmed by the empty tomb, is at work in you and through you for God's glory.

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–4ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:17–20ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:54–57ESV

      • Matthew 28:1–10ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–4ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:3–5ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:17ESV

      • Romans 1:4ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:20ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:54–57ESV

      • Matthew 28:1–6ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:20ESV

      • Matthew 28:6ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:54–57ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:58ESV

      • Matthew 28:8–10ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:58ESV

      • Matthew 28:8ESV

      • Ephesians 1:17–23ESV

  • He is Lord
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
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