Hope ALIVE

Let me once again welcome all of you who are here in person and those joining us online. I am Cal and I am the pastor of Hope Bible Fellowship. We’re glad you have chosen to join us this morning.

It’s a great morning because the tomb is empty and Jesus is alive!

If you wanted to, you could go and dig up the remains of any religious leader in history except one… Jesus Christ. Because our God is ALIVE! He is RISEN! Amen.

This morning, we are going to talk about our living hope in a risen savior and KING.

Pray

Easter is the celebration of new life. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the fact that it means we can be raised to new life in Him. Resurrection is more than just a re-living, though; it’s eternal life with God Himself. When Jesus saves you, your resurrection isn’t an indefinite extension of your physical existence. Your salvation in Christ transforms you into a completely new person.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. It’s not to be treated as the icing on the cake but something more akin to the flour or eggs. The final product doesn’t work without a main ingredient.

Paul hammers this home in our passage for today. This morning, we are going to walk through Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian believers of the message of the gospel and proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hope wins. Our hope is alive. Jesus truly is our living hope.

In the resurrection, hope conquers:

• Defeatism. Your victory is to come.

• Anxiety. Your worries have an answer.

• Fear. You can be calm in the storm.

• Doubt. You have assurance even when you’re not sure.

• Death. Your victory is assured because Jesus is alive.

A resurrection hope is God’s pursuit of us – His willingness to die for us followed by His coming to life again.

In I Corinthians 15:1-11

Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of the Gospel.

• That he preached.

• That they had received.

• In which they stand.

• By which they are saved.

• If they hold fast.

• Unless they believed in vain.

Paul lays out this gospel that he preached and that they had believed.

1. JESUS DIED FOR US

Jesus died for you. Because there was no other way for you to have peace with God. You are a sinner. I am a sinner. We have a sin nature.

Paul speaks in this chapter about the gospel, and he focuses first on the fact that Christ died according to the Scriptures.

Imagine the scene. The King between two thieves, surrounded by mocking sinners. Sinners at their worst... and God acting out in love. The merciful Savior took all the merciless insults on our behalf.

Isaiah 53helps us to think about the death of Jesus, too.

Isaiah 53 ESV

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

• Jesus was rejected so we can be accepted.

• He suffered so we would be relieved.

• He was despised so we could be glorified.

• He carried our pain so we would find comfort.

• He was struck down so we could be lifted up.

• He was wounded so we could be healed.

• He was oppressed so we would be free.

• He was cut off so we could come near.

• He was assigned to the grave, crushed, counted among rebels... so our rebel- lion could be exchanged for eternal life.

The death of Jesus is a reminder that Jesus relentlessly pursues us when we are at our worst. Jesus could have poured out the wrath of God on everyone. But, He instead absorbed God’s wrath.

• We killed God with our sin, and He chases us down with His grace.

The great exchange.

2. JESUS WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY

Everyone needs this miracle because no one escapes death. Death exists for everyone, universally; it haunts us, a shadow that threatens all. Death is that stalker, always just behind us, creeping towards us.

Death is unsettling because we can’t control it, though we try.

But through Jesus, death opens into eternal life. Jesus Himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Death does not have to lead to darkness; Jesus’ resurrection can bring you into the light.

John 11:25 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Many in the world today have no help, but God has an answer: the promise of resurrection.

Paul gives three proofs for the resurrection. That should reassure and encourage the Corinthians and our hearts as well. Proofs that we have not believed in vain. Proofs that the resurrection happened:

PROOF 1 - Their Salvation

● Paul had come and preached the Gospel in Corinth

● The people put their faith in Christ and the gospel transformed their lives

● An integral part of the Gospel is Christ's resurrection

○ A dead Savior cannot save anybody

● The readers of this letter to the Corinthian church had received the Word, trusted Christ, been saved, and were now standing on that Word.

● The fact that they were standing firm was proof that their faith was genuine and not empty.

PROOF 2 - The Old Testament Scriptures

• when Paul writes, “according to the scriptures” – He’s talking about the Old Testament.

Psalm 16:8–11 ESV

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Isaiah 53:10–12 ESV

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

- Acts 13 helps us understand that these passages are pointing to the resurrection.

Acts 13:32–35 ESV

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

Jesus Himself spoke of giving the people the sign of Jonah.

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

PROOF 3 - Christ was seen by witnesses.

On the cross, seen by unbelievers. After the resurrection appeared to believers who could be witnesses of His resurrection.

●Peter saw Him and so did the disciples collectively.

●James was a half brother to Him and became a believer after Jesus appeared to Him

●Over 500 brethren saw him at one time (see I Corinthians 15:6)

●One of the greatest human witnesses of the Resurrection was Paul himself.

○As an unbeliever he was soundly convinced that Jesus was dead.

○Persecuted the church.

○The radical change in His life is evidence that the Lord was raised from the dead. He was clear that salvation was purely an act of God’s grace.

He appeared to His followers. - Paul lists the appearances

Cephas

the 12

Then more than 500 brothers at once.

To James

To all the Apostles (hadn’t he already?)

Last of all: to Paul.

Some in the Corinthian church, though, were arguing there is no resurrection, but Paul

clearly affirmed it. As many as 500 people at once saw Christ alive again.

We have eyewitness accounts. It was as if Paul was pointing out that some of these people were alive even then as he wrote to the Corinthians and if they were so inclined they could have gone and heard from them. We have eyewitness accounts written down in the Word of God.

Is the resurrection really that important? Can we still salvage faith without the resurrection? What if Jesus rose again only metaphorically, figuratively? What if Jesus rose again only in the hearts of the disciples? You surely cannot imagine saying something like . . .

To your wife: “I’ll install the ceiling fan metaphorically.”

To your landlord: “I’ll pay the rent figuratively.”

To your children: “I’ll love you allegorically.”

To your boss: “I’ll work symbolically.”

Of course, none of that would ever work. Jesus literally rose again because God quite literally loves us! In fact, without the resurrection, our faith is worthless. We are still dead in our sins.

3. THROUGH THE MIRACLE OF THE RESURRECTION, LOVE DEFEATS FAILURE

Luke 24:1–3 ESV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

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When the women brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body, they knew the tomb was covered by a large stone. The spices they were carrying showed that they were not expecting a resurrection.

When they got there, though, they didn’t face an immovable stone. Rather, they saw the glory of an angel. The horrors of the cross became the surprise of an empty tomb.

Luke 24:4–12 ESV

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Jesus died. For three days human destiny seemed uncertain, but it was not. God had a plan. Then God raised Jesus from the dead. Death was murdered in the tomb. The entire path of the universe reversed course. The world was given the greatest miracle of all. And love defeated failure.

Conclusion:

Paul assumed a humble status. He could have been boastful but instead used every ounce of life after his conversion to promote Christ and proclaim the truth of the Gopsel.

A. This was in opposition to the status seeking attitude of the Corinthians. (explain)

B. Look at what grace had produced in Paul. Humility, constantly putting himself at the back of the pack.

What had Paul been before Christ? One who persecuted the church. On the day that the Lord Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, Saul, as he was called, was on his way to chain up those who followed Christ.

The resurrection of Jesus changed everything!!

He's Alive!!! We have HOPE. That's a word that gets thrown around a whole lot these days. But we have a real, very true, hope because Jesus defeated sin and the grave once and for all.

● IF Jesus did not rise then you are still in your sins and you have no hope.

● Praise God we have hope!

● Praise God we have a future in eternity!

● Praise God that Jesus is ALIVE!!!

● All of the other world religions worship a dead guy. Our God is alive!

● That's GOOD NEWS people!

● Let's not keep it to ourselves. There is a hurting world that needs the Gospel. Your neighbors need the Gospel. Your kids need the Gospel. And you need the Gospel. We Christians need the gospel as much as the lost do. Let us be people of the Good News. Jesus died to pay our debt. He rose. He's God. He's alive!

Will you believe?

Who will you tell about it?

Do you feel defeated today? a failure? The hope God gives conquers all because that hope is based on the resurrected Lord.

If you feel this way today, turn to Christ. Repent of your sin and believe this good news.

If you are a believer, thank God for the victory we have in the resurrected Christ.

REJOICE!!! Jesus Christ is ALIVE!

Will you love and serve Him with your life?

PRAY

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