The Significance of The Faith Pt. 3
The Faith Once Delivered • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
We are in part 3 learning about the significance of the faith tonight...
In the past couple of weeks, we have been in 1 Corinthians 15, learning about the faith mentioned in Jude 3 that we are to earnestly contend for...
We began a couple of weeks ago looking at an introduction of how the faith has been preached powerfully, the faith has been received personally, and the faith has been verified previously - those things are all found in verse 1...
Last week, we looked at the ingredients for the faith from verses 3 through 8…The ingredients are Christ’s substitutionary death, Christ’s secured burial, and Christ’s sure resurrection...
Tonight, we will be looking at “The Implications of The Faith” from our text that I’ve just read to you.
The heart of chapter 15, which is verses 9-27…focuses on how our lives and ministries are affected by the reality of the faith - specifically, the faith in the resurrection.
Apparently, there were some members of the church in Corinth who doubted the truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. In this chapter, Paul is writing to remind them that the resurrection is essential to salvation and to any hope of Heaven. In an effort to awaken the Corinthian believers to the importance of the resurrection, he paints a dismal picture of what life would be like if there had been no resurrection. You see, if there had been no resurrection from the dead, then we would be in sad shape today!
I’m talking about the implications of the faith tonight…the broader consequences or ramifications of the faith...
I-Our Message Revolves Around The Resurrection
I-Our Message Revolves Around The Resurrection
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
We have one message and one message only - Jesus Christ, who rose victoriously over sin and death and provides salvation for all who believe. Everything else we preach is like a spoke that begins and extends from the hub, or center, which is Christ.
Paul tells us that if Jesus is dead, then all the preachers have wasted their words and time proclaiming the message of the resurrection.
Form the first witness, Mary Magdalene—John 20:2, to the several hundred mentioned in verses 5–8 of our text, to great men like Spurgeon, Wesley, Sunday, Jones, Graham, Edwards, Talmadge, Moody, Criswell, Evans, Carroll, and millions of others have been fools, if Jesus did not raise from the dead!
If Christ did not rise from the grave, then the disciples and apostles would be a bunch of liars, frauds, fakes, and hypocrites. Their actions would be the biggest coverup in the history of the world. Jesus Himself would have been dishonest because He claimed to have the power to raise us up from the grave.
Just consider for a moment what a leap of faith this is!
Paul was a man of wealth, social standing, influence and great education. Yet, he was willing to throw all of that away for the cause of Jesus. He was beaten, imprisoned, assaulted, stoned and left for dead, all for the name of Jesus. Here is a man who was at one time dead-set against Christians and Christianity. His single purpose in life was to destroy everyone and everything associated with, “that name!” For Paul to turn his back on everything he loved and then devote his life to spreading a lie is simply too much to believe. If Paul did this, then he was absolutely crazy!
Our message revolves around the resurrection...
II-Our Forgiveness Hinges Upon The Resurrection
II-Our Forgiveness Hinges Upon The Resurrection
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Had Jesus not risen from the grave, our sins would still separate us from God, robbing us of our security...
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Paul now tells us that if Jesus isn’t alive, then we are still lost, hell bound and still in our sins.
The heart of the Gospel message is the great truth that Jesus Christ left Heaven above, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, and it doesn’t stop there!
The Bible goes on to say that He rose again the third day for our justification!
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
If Jesus is still dead, then we cannot be justified and we are still lost in sin!
Our forgiveness hinges upon the resurrection...
III-Our Future Depends On The Resurrection
III-Our Future Depends On The Resurrection
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
If Christ had not risen, then we would never see loved ones again that have died.
Death would be a permanent “Good-bye,” not a “Good night.” Funerals would be catastrophic and overwhelming, crushing blows to us.
This characterizes the funerals of those without Christ today, but not the funerals of Christians. We are saddened by the death of loved ones, but rejoice for those who have gone on before us because they are with the Lord now. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That TRUTH, that FACT comforts us.
We will be reunited with saved loved ones again one day.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
He isn’t speaking of a “hope so” salvation in those verses, but a “know so” salvation. Our hope and assurance in Christ is not limited to this life. All who are born again can rest in the confidence of knowing that we will live eternally with Christ!
Our ability to be comforted during times of loss is based on our FAITH in the resurrection!
Because Christ lives, we too can live beyond the grave. Because He slept and awoke, we know that for us as Christians, death is merely sleep.
Were it not for Christ’s resurrection, we would have no assurance of the future, for ourselves or for those who we love...
Our future depends on the resurrection...
IV-Our Joy and Hope are Found In The Resurrection
IV-Our Joy and Hope are Found In The Resurrection
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
The alternative to life with Christ is a miserable option!
Not knowing why we are here or for what purpose we have been created would lead to a miserable life, instead of to the hope, joy, and meaning that is found in a relationship with Christ.
The reason many people are miserable today is because they do not have the risen Savior in their hearts. He is the ONE that makes the difference in a person’s life.
His power and presence in us.…
* transforms our trials and troubles into triumph,
* conforms us into the character and image of Jesus Christ,
* informs us of sin when we stray from doing what is right,
* reforms our rebellious attitude by His redemption into righteousness and submission to His will.
* performs His promise to us to cleanse and conquer sin and to give us eternal life at death.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have the victory today because Christ resurrected victorious!
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Because of the faith in the Gospel, we can live our lives with confident assurance that our God is in control and that the ultimate victory is ours through Him!
Conclusion
Conclusion
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Paul states, for the record, the thrilling fact that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead! He lives today just like the Bible says He does.
The storied penned by the Gospel writers aren’t just the ranting of deluded men, but are in fact the truth of God and the means of salvation for lost souls. When the angel told the women that Jesus was risen, his witness was true! He lives! He lives!
The implications of the faith...
Our message revolves around it.
Our forgiveness hinges on it.
Our future depends on it.
Our joy and hope are found in it.