The Hinge of History: Why the Resurrection Still Matters

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-34

1. THE GOSPEL OF FIRST IMPORTANCE (vv. 1-11)

• 1 Cor 15:1-2 

1. Now I want to make clear (remind you) for you, brothers and sisters, THE gospel I preached to you, which YOU RECEIVED, on which YOU HAVE TAKEN YOUR STAND and by which YOU ARE BEING SAVED, IF you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain (without effect, all for naught, thoughtlessly, without proper consideration).
2. YOU RECEIVED IT: took to your side, received with favor, welcomed
3. YOU TAKE YOUR STAND ON IT: and continue now in a state of standing
4. YOU ARE BEING SAVED Through this Gospel, 

• We are BEING SAVED every day.
• We are being sanctified - made Holy - every day.
• This is a work in action.
• For I passed on to you as most important what I also received:
• Not "secondary importance." Not "religious hobby." MOST IMPORTANT

1. 1 Cor 15:3-4 

• For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ (the Messiah) DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures, that HE WAS BURIED, that HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY according to the Scriptures,
• The Gospel is this: 
• Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES

1. In our place; as a substitute

• He was buried, 

1. HE WAS DEAD!

• AND He was raised on the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES
• He physically, literally, got up out of the dirt.

1. Because He was Raised - We know He is really who He said He was
2. Because He was Raised - We believe our sins are forgiven
3. Because He was Raised - we have a reason to live with purpose
4. Because He was Raised - WE HAVE A HOPE

• Paul says, “LET ME SHOW YOU THE TRUTH.”
• 1 Cor 15:5-11 

1. and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James (most believe this is the half-brother of Jesus), then to all the apostles. 
2. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy 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 toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.

• Paul lists the witnesses: 
• Peter, 
• the Twelve, 
• 500 people at once, 
• Paul also says about himself
• 1 Cor 15:8-9

1. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, He also appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

• Paul is saying, “I wasn’t looking for this. I was opposing it. I was trying to destroy it and Jesus interrupted me.”
• If Jesus is alive, He is Lord. 

1. And if He is Lord, He’s the only one who can actually fix what’s broken in your soul and in this country.

• Christianity didn’t spread because people felt inspired.
• IT SPREAD BECAUSE PEOPLE SAW A DEAD MAN ALIVE!

1. NO RESURRECTION; NO GOSPEL (vv. 12-19)

• 1 Cor 15:12-19

1. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 

• (Many Greeks and the Saduccees did not believe in a physical resurrection)

1. 13 IF there is NO resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 
2. 14 and IF Christ has NOT BEEN raised, then our proclamation is in vain (empty, futile, foolish), and SO IS YOUR FAITH.
3. Moreover, we are found to be FALSE WITNESSES ABOUT GOD, because we have testified wrongly about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up, if in fact 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 worthless; 
• you are still in your sins. 
• Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished (The Dead are Lost). 
• If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
• LET’S UNDERSTAND THE END RESULT OF THIS:
• If there is no resurrection, then the chaos we see in our streets and our politics is all there is. THERE IS NO HOPE
• But Paul is setting up the "BUT."

1. THE RESURRECTION CHANGES HISTORY - AND YOUR FUTURE (vv. 20-28)

• 1 Cor 15:20 

1. BUT as it is, CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 
2. 21 For since death came through a (one) man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a (one) man. 22 For just as in Adam ALL die, so also in Christ ALL will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 
3. 24 Then comes the end, when HE hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when HE abolishes ALL rule and ALL authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts ALL his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put EVERYTHING under his feet. Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. 

• Because He rose, He is the "firstfruits." 
• Death came through Adam
• Resurrection comes through Jesus
• Verse 25 says, 
• 1 Cor 15:25-27

1. For he must REIGN until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet.(Everything is under His feet right now)

• Paul says JESUS is reigning right now. 

1. SO WHAT? (vv. 29-34)

• 1 Cor 15:29

1. Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them?

• 1 Cor 15:32-33

1. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

• Paul is saying, “If there is no resurrection, why suffer for Jesus?”
• Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning."
• If the Resurrection is true, then how we live matters.

1. Why would we share the Gospel? 

• Because as Paul says, 
• 1 Cor 15:34
• Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. 
• The Bottom Line
• Because here's the truth: America doesn't need a political savior. America doesn't need a social revolution. America doesn't need more self-help.
• America needs Jesus.

Reflection/Application Questions

1. What does it look like in practical terms to "hold fast" to the gospel in your daily life? What are the things that most tempt you to drift away from it or add to it?
2. Which of these four gospel truths do you find yourself forgetting or minimizing most often; Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised, or appeared to witnesses? Do you tend to focus on Jesus as a moral teacher but downplay His substitutionary death, or believe intellectually in the resurrection but live like this life is all there is?
3. What parts of your past do you struggle to believe God's grace is sufficient for? Be specific about one area where you've seen gospel transformation in your life in the last year.
4. Why do you think our culture (and sometimes even Christians) is comfortable with a "spiritual but not supernatural" version of Jesus? What would you actually lose if you found out tomorrow that Jesus didn't physically rise from the dead?
5. When you look at the chaos and brokenness in our world right now - or in your own life; how does the truth that "Jesus wins" change your perspective? What would it look like to live this week with confidence in His ultimate victory?
6. How does belief in the resurrection change the way you make decisions about your time, money, relationships, and career? Are there specific areas where you've been living like "this life is all there is" rather than in light of eternity?
7. Who are the people in your life who are pulling you toward Jesus and the gospel, and who are the people pulling you away from it? Do you have community with believers who will challenge you and remind you of the truth?
8. Who is one specific person in your life who needs to hear the gospel - that they're sinners in need of a Savior who died and rose for them? What's keeping you from sharing it with them this week?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?