Sunnyside First Baptist Church
The Resurrection of Christ... So What
- Rescuer
- This Is Amazing Grace
- O Praise The Name (Anástasis)
- So Far...Beginning next week 7/4 will be outside at the Christian Reformed Church for the month of July. We will be looking at the Beatitudes. I’ll be preaching the first two weeks and Pastor Joel will be speaking the last two weeks. We will have the FM transmitter set up so you can listen from your car.The last week 7/25 we will have a little brunch at the CRC gym.This is our last week in 1Corinthians. When we come back inside in August, We will pick it up in 2 Corinthians.The second week of August, August 8th. We will have a Day of Celebration.If you want to be baptized…If you want to rededicate your life and be baptized...if you want your children dedicated...if you want to join the churchIf you have a “praise” that you want to sharePLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE SO WE CAN PLANWe will sing and Praise God all day...Paul was called by God 1, 2, 3 times to the City of Corinth. Not because they were to be commended but because they kept slipping.They saw and experienced what it was to be introduced and practice the Gospel but that soon led to church division over some very petty issues.Always these issues lead to the Gospel being set aside for:the purpose of arguing who they were baptized into and how.Filing lawsuits among believers,having the courts decide things instead of allowing the church to take of it.And food sacrificed to idols...Paul says these things are ALL trivial things in comparison to rewards and joy that you have setting all of that stuff behind you and resting in Joy of the Lord and in His salvation.They kept slipping back into their old ways of idol worship, Judaism, temple prostitution and everything they had once left.Why is that..? Well… maybe a better question is pointed directly at us.Why do we, once we have tasted the sweetness of God, His Grace and Mercy, return to our sinful ways?Why do we return to our idol worship?We’ve been here before… it is common to man.It might be said that sin is common to man and even though we pray, do 5 bible studies a week, even though we have tasted the sweetness of a relationship with Christ we still fallback to our “old” ways.We fight and fight attempting to walk in accordance with the ways of God and it seems at our first opportunity we slide back over yonder where we don’t even recognize ourselves.Such was the case with the Corinthians. By the time that Paul left this city each time, he had won many thousands to Christ. Then each time he returned to a shambles of a church.Open your Bibles or your apps to 1Corinthians 15.Stand up if you can
1 Corinthians 15:1–11 NIV84 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.-----------------------------------In this last instructive chapter Paul brings us back to what he came to give.Here is our QUESTION FOR TODAY… What is the MOST important part of a relationship with Christ?What are the values that we ALL share. Whether Baptist, Presbyterian, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist and any of the mainline denominations..?The Centrality of the Resurrection to the Gospel---------------Without the resurrection… the victory over death that we enjoy because of our faith in the Gospel is NOTHING.The RESURRECTION is the answer to all of doubts and questions about the power and might of God, The Father.And the willingness of God The Son to follow the wishes of His Father.I’m not here to try and divide the nature of God the Father and God the Son. THEY ARE for all intents and purposes INDIVISIBLE.Let’s play this one out… Let’s just sayWhen Jesus died, so did “The Way.”Matthew 27:64–66 (NIV84)64 So [Pilate] give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.----------------------So let’s just say...There is no resurrection, there is no Great commission,Jesus is yet another of the prophets that came and went and left the world with lots of good things but He is NOT the Christ, the Messiah he is just a really good man.On the road to Emmaus, Jesus didn’t encounter the dejected, down trodden Apostles.Luke 24:13–14 NIV84 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.They just kept walking...The “Gospel” the “Good News” did not, could not catch fire without the Disciples.All we would have was the stories and promises that were made and were never made true because Jesus died and stayed dead.Let that sink in a bit...Without the resurrection… Everything changes… Everything...Let me give you an example...Have you ever wanted to win the lottery so bad that you could almost taste the winnings. Especially when it gets above 500 million.You have to have said… well someone has to win, it just as well be me...Here are some of things that we might say...I’ll make sure the church is taken care of financially.I want to see that Jeff and Jill are rich beyond there wildest dreams well into retirement and beyond.I will give all of my winnings away and go be a missionary in the Congo.Never mind that that you just wasted your $2. The chances are you’re NOT going to win.191.1 million people in the US that play the lottery each year. They all think there is a chance that they are going to be rich!!! And all of that money will change my life beyond all measure.Actually 2.5 persons per 10,000 that play, win ANYTHING!!There is a better path to life long riches...1 Corinthians 15:3–6 (NIV84)3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.The Gospel was validated not only to the Apostles, Disciples and those closet to Jesus “but also to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time.”I have a shocking idea for you… you can decide for yourself but...Is this case the Gospel has a better “payout” than 2,000,000 lotto tickets.My example is a bit absurd… But from the first century to the 21st century we put more faith in a game of chance, pure, by random chance that we do in the Gospel of Jesus.This Gospel was spoken, recorded in 4 different perspectives but yet come together to form one verifiable story.This Gospel was believed and defended to the death by the Apostles, Disciples and many 100’s and 1000’s that were martyred and died for that Gospel.But if what if it wasn’t all that we have said...1 Corinthians 15:13–14 NIV84 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.-----------------------Our preaching and our faith is useless… IF Christ is not resurrected from the dead… Thank God he did!1 Corinthians 15:15–16 NIV84 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.Then the whole house of cards comes apart and everything 100’s of millions and billions of people have believed in this myth.1 Corinthians 15:17 NIV84 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.WE ARE LOST… WE ARE DEAD… WE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN ACTORS ON A STAGE!Verse 20 starts withBut...There is no more important summary statement to be found in all of scripture1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV84 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.------------------------Unequivocally, Christ has indeed been RESURRECTED and that single act gives Jesus the victory over death.His lotto ticket was picked every time… He is the largest jackpot FOREVER and FOR ALL TIME!We were condemned to death by the actions of one man...You see, Adam started this whole thing… Because Adam sinned the world shifted from the perfection that God created for Adam to the situation and circumstances that we currently live in.1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV84)22 For as in Adam all die, — so in Christ all will be made alive.Adam represents our sinful past… we no longer have to live like this.We no longer have to dabble and see what we can get away with.We no longer are called to test God for His goodness… because in the person and work of Christ we no longer need to test God.We will ALL BE MADE ALIVE BY FAITH IN GOD1 Corinthians 15:26 NIV84 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.The ultimate, final enemy in our quest for eternal life is DEATH.Jesus will come and destroy the final enemy...Death will NOT overcome the Life and Resurrection of Christ.Remember the question from earlier...What is the MOST important part of a relationship with Christ?To be fully found faithful at his return to the earth from which he rose.1 Corinthians 15:56–58 NIV84 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1–11ESV
Matthew 27:64–66ESV
Luke 24:13–14ESV
1 Corinthians 15:13–14ESV
1 Corinthians 15:15–16ESV
1 Corinthians 15:17ESV
1 Corinthians 15:20ESV
1 Corinthians 15:26ESV
1 Corinthians 15:56–58ESV
- Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)
Sunnyside First Baptist Church
509-837-3084
11 members • 3 followers