1
Corinthians 15:10-19 “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. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is
what you believed. But if it is preached
that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that
there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of
the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been
raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 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. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ
has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith
is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen
asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in
Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Last
Sunday, Our Youth Pastor Kevin preached a message on “Resurrection: the coming
back to life”, and used the church’s High School group as the illustration. The
1828 Webster’s dictionary defines “resurrection” as: A rising again; chiefly, the revival of the dead of the human race, or
their return from the grave, particularly at the general judgment. By
the resurrection of Christ we have assurance of the future resurrection of men.
There is a great duty of each and every generation to connect with the next
generation. Because we are always one generation away from losing the knowledge
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the
responsible obligation of every Christian, every family and every church to
pass on the Word of God and the gospel to the succeeding generation. There are
only three options: hold back, be on the fence or go all in.
Romans
10:14 “How, then, can they
call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one
of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to
them?”
The
point is that if Jesus is not raised, then everything we do is completely
worthless. There is a theory that there is no resurrection from the dead. Why
are we here then? What is the purpose of life? Jesus Christ is the foundational
block that if pulled will collapse the point of forgiveness and salvation - your faith is futile. The greatest hope is
gone. If Jesus is not raised then Christianity is founded on a like we are
still stuck in our sin and the wrath of God is our destiny. John
3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects
the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Why? Romans
6:23 says, “For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” If we do not believe this gospel of Jesus Christ, then we make God
out to be a liar. We might as well eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die
and it’s all over. There is no point in standing up for anything for there is
no definition of what is good, right and moral.
1
Corinthians 15:20-22 “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 comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ
all will be made alive.”
But,
in fact, Jesus has been raised and has an amazing reality for us. God counters
and conquers our sin with Jesus atoning substitution death on the cross,
resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father in glory. In
believing by faith in this gospel, we are completely redeemed, forgiven,
regenerated and reconciled to the Lord God in perfect relationship. We can follow
Jesus with confidence. Jesus’ Apostles, would not endure torture and horrific
death for a lie. They saw the resurrected Lord and nothing was going to making
these empowered fishermen from telling the world. Sin has been put to death and
new life is available. The “born again” Christian believer is well-equipped by
the indwelling Holy Spirit to handle the temptations of sin now. We have
something far better to look forward to in heaven. We set our eyes on our
future with Jesus. This is the eternal perspective that the Christian has
today. We desire Him as our source of hope and joy. Possessions don’t really
matter, because the one at the end with the most toys, money, power and stuff
is still dead. The one with Jesus Christ at the ends wins.
John
3:15-17 “That everyone who
believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
We
see changed lives for the better by people turning their eyes upon Jesus and
following Him forever. Lives free from sin and the bondage of the mind and
soul. Forgiveness; not guilt. Understand what the gospel of Jesus Christ means
and does in our lives. Get it and be clear. We really have nothing under
control. Then, invest in ministry and the lives of others, so that they may
turn their eyes upon Jesus for resurrection life.
In
Christ, Brian
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