1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-202004 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

As we continue on now, 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

We find verses 12 through 19, the Apostle Paul is talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, as I mentioned two weeks ago, as we studied the first part of chapter 15, we understood that the Apostle Paul wrote all of chapter 15 in dealing with

The subject of resurrection. We talked about in the first 11 verses the importance of the resurrection as a part of the gospel message. You might remember as we studied verses 3 and 4 of chapter 15 two weeks ago, that there was three elements that we found that are a part of the gospel message.

of the message that we preach. What are those three elements? Well, number one is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That's the first element. We're very familiar with that. We need to know and understand that that's an important part of the gospel message.

The second part, the second element that Paul said was that he was buried. Not only did he die, but he was buried in the tomb or the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. He set him aside and buried him in his private tomb. Why is that different? Why is that unique? Well, most people who were crucified were thrown into a common grave and their bodies would be there and unaccounted for.

But Jesus Christ was different. He died. He was buried. There's eyewitnesses to his death, to his burial. They know that he was buried in that tomb. But then the third element, the third part that Paul says is a part of the gospel message is that Jesus Christ rose again. He didn't just die and was buried. And that wasn't the end of the story. But on the third day...

He resurrected. He came back to life and he walked this earth for 40 more days and then ascended to the Father. And now he's at the right hand of the throne of God. So these three elements, he died, he was buried, and he rose again. Paul taught us all those things in verses 1 through 11, reminding us that it's an important part of the gospel message. Now, verses 12 through 19, Paul continues this discussion and explains to us

Why Jesus' death is so important, actually why Jesus' resurrection is so important to us. That it is not just part of the message, but really it is the element that pulls it all together. It's the element that proves to us that what Jesus said is true. That he was who he claimed to be.

In verses 12 through 19, we find Paul presenting a logical argument to the church there at Corinth and to you and I this morning, saying, yes, Jesus Christ is resurrected, and if you don't believe in the resurrection, then you're in trouble. You're in big trouble. Let's read verse 12. It says this.

Now, if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? He says, if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead. Now, we've just discussed this. He's just explained it in verses 1 through 11. Christ is preached.

Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead. That's the part of the message that we're sharing. It's the third thing. He died, he was buried, and he rose again. Christ is preached that he rose from the dead. It's an essential part of the gospel message. Why is it essential? Why is it important? Well, because it authenticates the message that Jesus Christ had. It authenticates the ministry that he claimed to have. It authenticates everything about his life.

It proves that He was who He said He was. It proves that He could do what He said He would do. It proves to us and authenticates the ministry, the message, the life, the person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12, it's in the New Testament. It's the first book of the New Testament. Matthew chapter 12 says,

In Matthew chapter 12, we find Jesus talking with the scribes, the Pharisees, the teachers of the law at that time. And they're going back and forth. He's talking to them about demon possession and how he has the right, the authority to cast out demons. But they're accusing him of not casting out demons by God, but by Beelzebub. And you might remember the story, Beelzebub being the prince of demons, being Satan himself.

They were saying, hey, he doesn't cast it out by God. It's not a work of God, but it's a work of Satan. It's a work of the devil that he is doing. But Jesus, in response to that, rebukes them. Jesus actually says, no, that's not true. A house divided cannot stand. The work that I do is the work of God the Father.

In verse 38, we find their response. It says, Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. As Jesus is there rebuking and correcting these scribes, these leaders, these teachers of the Jewish faith,

They say, okay, maybe what you say is true. But in order for us to believe it, in order for us to believe that you are who you say you are, because if you're the Son of God, then you should be able to provide for us some type of sign, some type of proof, something to authenticate that what you're saying is true, that you really do have this authority, that you really are who you say you are. So,

So Jesus responds in verse 39, But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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 in judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And indeed, a greater than Jonah is here. Jesus, in response, compares himself and says, look, I'm not going to give you a sign. I'm not going to demonstrate it right now. There will be a sign, though, and it's the sign of the prophet Jonah.

The prophet Jonah, who had run from God and God did a work with him, he caused a great fish to swallow him. And for three days and three nights, Jonah was in the belly of this fish. Finally, he repented and the fish spewed him out onto land and he went and did the work of God.

Jesus says, I'm not saying I'm like this prophet, I'm running from God. But like this prophet was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale. So the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Three days and three nights. Sound familiar? Yes. Because we know that Jesus died yesterday.

He was buried and three days later he rose again. Jesus himself was giving this as a sign. He says, guys, I'm not going to give you a sign right now, but I will give you a sign. The sign will be similar to the prophet of Jonah. For three days and three nights,

He was in the belly of the well. I'm going to die. I'm going to be buried for three days and three nights. And then on the third day, I'm going to be resurrected. I'm going to rise again. Just as Jonah was spewed out, I'm going to be spewed out of the grave. I'm going to be resurrected and brought to life again. God is going to bring me back to life. Jesus says, you want a sign? I'll give you a sign. And what was the sign he gave him? The resurrection. Turn with me now to John chapter 2. The book of John, a few books over to the right. Chapter 2.

In John chapter 2, we find another confrontation between Jesus and these Jewish leaders, the rabbis, the teachers of their time. He comes into their temple and it's right after he had turned the water into wine. It's at the very beginning of his ministry. He comes in and he finds the money changers. They're ripping off the people, those who are coming to worship. He finds those who are selling the animals for sacrifice and again, ripping off the people of God. And it had become a way to...

rather than a way to provide a convenience or rather than something that they could do in worship of God. They were there trying to profit within the temple area. Within the temple, they were trying to rip off God's people and somehow benefit themselves by that. And so Jesus comes in and he is filled with righteous indignation. He says...

hey, you guys should not be here. This is supposed to be a house of prayer. And he makes a cord or a whip of cords, it says, and he drives them out. He overturns the tables and you probably remember that story as well. Well, we find the Pharisees don't,

You know, they're not very excited about what Jesus is doing at this point. And in verse 18, it says, So the Jews answered him and said, What sign do you show to us since you do these things? Very similar to what we saw in the book of Matthew chapter 12. He's in there. He's turning over tables. He's driving out the herds. He's telling them, Hey, you cannot be doing this in my father's house. And the Jews, they say, Well, who are you? What sign do you show?

How can you prove to us that you have the authority to do this? How can you prove to us that you are allowed to do these things, that you have the right to do these things? How do you prove to us that he really is your father, that you are the son of God who you claim to be? Well, Jesus in verse 19 answers and says, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

Then the Jews said, It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days. But he was speaking of the temple of his body. Therefore, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Jesus in response says, You want a sign? Here's a sign. Destroy this temple, and in three days I'll raise it up again.

And the Jews, they're looking at the temple, the big glorious building that was before them, and they say, in three days, it's taken us 46 years to build this temple. Get real. You're not going to do it in three days. But it tells us, and it goes on to explain, that Jesus wasn't talking about the physical temple and the destruction of that temple, but he was referring to his body. He says, you destroy my body, you crucify me.

I'll die and I'll be buried. But on the third day, I will rise again. What sign does he give them? He gives them the sign of the resurrection. The sign that he will come back to life. He'll be resurrected and he'll go on in the ministry that God has given him. And then it says, the disciples, after he'd

then raised from the dead, remembered. Oh yeah! Remember the time when Jesus said this? It's all making sense now. Yes, he was referring to his own body. That he was died, he was buried, and he rose again. That's what the resurrection is for. The resurrection proves to us. Because as a result, what does it say about the disciples? It says they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

They believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said. That's the role that the resurrection plays for us. It causes us to believe. It causes us to know and to understand and to trust in the things that the Bible says. It causes us to know and believe that Jesus Christ came, he died, and he is alive.

He has the right, the power, the authority to save us from our sins. He has the right, the power, the authority to lead us and guide us, to carry us through whatever trial, whatever situation we're going through. Jesus Christ resurrected. He is alive. His resurrection is proof to us.

of his claims. It's proof that he was who he claimed to be. There's been lots of teachers. There's been lots of philosophers and rabbis and people who made crazy claims and promises about themselves. But only one has fulfilled them. Only one has raised from the dead. And that was Jesus Christ. Jesus gave us a sign.

So that we don't have to have blind faith. We don't have to just say, oh, that's a nice story, I believe it. But we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jesus Christ was resurrected and his ministry was authentic. The things he said are true. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

So Paul, back in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, is reminding us the resurrection of Jesus Christ is important. And if he's being preached as being resurrected, if that's a sign that he gave us, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection? That's an essential part of the message.

Now, it's not really certain who was saying that there was no resurrection, but it's obvious that they were there. Why would they teach and share that there's no resurrection? Again, that's not certain. It's not something that's well known, but there's several speculations. There's several ideas that we could look at. There's always been groups of people who say, you know,

There's not really going to be a resurrection. He didn't mean literally. He didn't mean your body. He didn't mean what you think it means. So, it doesn't really matter because this body is evil.

This body is wicked. This body is vile. And it's not a part of the resurrection. It's not a part of what God's plan is in the future. So you can just live however you want to in this body. You can be involved in sin. You can be involved in things that are not right. Because it doesn't matter. It's not going to be resurrected anyways. God only cares about your spirit. So just make sure you have a good spirit. And then you can do whatever you want with your body. Well, that's a false teaching. But it is out there and it happens very frequently.

We also know that there were the Sadducees during that time that Jesus had to speak with a few times. And in Matthew chapter 22, he rebukes them for their belief because they did not believe in the resurrection. They didn't believe in angels. They didn't believe in anything supernatural. Yet they held themselves, they gave themselves the title of teachers, of rabbis, of prophets.

They said, no, we understand, we believe the word of God, but we just don't really believe it's saying, you know, what you think it might be saying about resurrection and angels and stuff, you know. We just believe the real parts, not the kind of illustrative parts. But Jesus rebuked them and said, no, no, no, there is a resurrection because God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He's not the God of the dead, but of the living. Basically, we understand from this that you cannot pick and choose what you want to believe.

You can't pick and choose, well, I like this part of the Bible, I like this part of Christianity or what Jesus said, but, you know, I don't really like this other part. So that part, he must have not meant that. He must have not meant what he said there. It must not really mean what we think it means. No, no, we can't pick and choose. It's you believe it or you don't. You walk in it or you don't. Jesus didn't leave room for us to decide what we wanted to hear.

He made some pretty outrageous claims. He claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed to be the only way, the only truth, the only life. And so either Jesus Christ was telling the truth and he was who he said he was, or he was lying, or he was crazy and just deceived himself. That's all the choices you have. You don't have any other choices. Oh, most of what he taught is good? Well, he didn't leave room for that. Because if he was who he claimed to be, then he's God. He will always be right.

The things he said are perfect and they're true. And he is the only way, truth, and life. And so we have a choice to make. What are we going to believe about Jesus Christ? Well, he provides to us a sign so that we can believe, we can trust, we can know that his ministry was real, that he was real, that God is real, and that he was sent by God to save us from our sins. Paul, as he continues on in chapter 15...

He says, okay, you're saying that there's no resurrection. Doesn't make any sense. Sounds foolish. But...

Let's assume you're right. Let's follow the logic. Let's follow the argument. You say that there's no resurrection. What would that really be like? What would Christianity be like if there is no resurrection? As he shares this argument, as he shares this logic, there's six points that result of not believing in the resurrection. Six points that will result.

He goes on to explain one by one these six things that say, if you don't believe in the resurrection, then you must be saying this. What's the first one? We find it in verse 13. Very simple. He says, but if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. If there is no resurrection, which you guys are saying, he says, then Christ is not risen. Why? Why?

Well, because you just said there's no resurrection. So if there's no resurrection, then how could Jesus Christ have been resurrected? The idea of the resurrection, if it doesn't exist, if there's no resurrection...

It destroys the gospel if it's true, because it means that Jesus Christ himself was not resurrected. And we've just discussed verses 1 through 11 of 15. That's an important part of the gospel message. He died, he was buried, and he rose again. So he says, if you believe that there's no resurrection, then you must also admit that Jesus Christ did not rise again, because there is no resurrection. At least that's what you're saying. That's what you assume to be true.

Now again, you can't just pick and choose. Well, okay, I believe the resurrection for Jesus, but not really for us. I mean, he was just talking, you know, whatever. No, you can't pick and choose. He didn't leave room for that. Not only that, but Jesus Christ and his resurrection, we'll talk about this in two weeks as we continue on in chapter 15. His resurrection proves to us, demonstrates to us, guarantees us that our resurrection is to come.

that we will be resurrected, that we will live eternally, whether it be with him or without him. That's our choice, but it will happen. And so we can know and understand that there is a resurrection coming from us or for us. So Paul says, look, first thing, if you don't believe in the resurrection, then you also do not believe that Christ is risen. The second point that he gives to us is found in verse 14, and it says this,

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty. If Christ is not risen, our preaching is empty. He's building a stepping stone here. First thing, you say that there's no resurrection. If that's true, then that means that Christ is not risen. If Christ is not risen, then that means that our preaching is empty. Our preaching is empty. The things that we're saying are hollow. That's what the word empty means. It means hollow, without substance.

He says our preaching is hollow. It's without substance. There's no real reality to it because we're preaching Christ resurrected. But if that's not true, then it's empty preaching. It's hollow preaching. It means nothing. There's no power in the gospel unless you include the message of the resurrection.

Can you imagine? You're on the street. You say, hey, I'm going to go pass out tracts and flyers and I'm going to encourage people and tell people about Jesus. And so you run into someone and you say, hey, Jesus loves you. And they say, really? Well, who's Jesus? Well, see, he was this guy. He lived about 2,000 years ago and really great guy. He had three years of wonderful ministry and he accomplished a lot, did lots of great miracles and healed a lot of people. And then he was crucified and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

But if the story stops there, then the guy's like, okay, there's lots of people that lived and had great ministries and died. What difference does that make to me? There's no power in that. What's Jesus going to do for me today? Well, he's dead. Sorry, he's still in the tomb. But, you know, he's a great guy. You should believe in him. He loves you. There's no power there. There's no substance there. There's nothing of value there. Because if he's dead, the ministry, the gospel, this Bible is dead.

Without Jesus Christ, there's no point. It's hollow. It's empty. There's no substance to it. It would make him like any other good teacher, philosopher, you name it. He'd just be like everybody else because he lived and he died. And that was the end of the story. So Paul says, if you say there's no resurrection, then you also must say that Christ is not risen. And since you say that Christ is not risen...

then you must also understand and admit that preaching then is empty, it's hollow, has no substance. He goes on to explain to us the third thing. Continuing on in verse 14, he says, not only is our preaching empty, he says, your faith also is empty. Not only is it your preaching that's empty, but it's your faith.

Well, what's your faith? Well, your faith is in Jesus Christ. I pray and I hope as I look at you and as you look at me, that our faith is in Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ is who we trust in, who we believe in, who we rely upon for everything. But Paul says, look, if there's no resurrection, if Christ is not risen...

Our preaching is empty, but not only that, our faith is empty. Because what good does it do to trust in a dead guy? To trust in a guy who cannot deliver you? No, our faith is in a risen Savior. Our faith is in someone who is alive, who's here, who's with us even now, as we speak, as we share, as we hear what He's saying to us. But without the resurrection, without the risen Lord, without a risen Savior, our faith is empty, it's hollow, it's useless, and it's pointless.

In Romans chapter 10, verse 9, it says, If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. If your faith is in anything else except the risen Lord, it's empty, it's hollow, there's no substance, it cannot save you. He says, if you confess with your mouth...

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved. That's what it takes. This resurrection of Jesus Christ must be believed and trusted by you and I in order for us to be saved. It's an important part and it's an essential part of what we believe. Without it, our faith is empty. It's worthless. So, he says, there's no resurrection,

That means that Christ is not risen. That means that our preaching is empty, it's hollow. Our faith as well is hollow and empty. The fourth thing we find in verse 15. He says, Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead do not rise. What's the fifth thing? Well, He says, If...

He didn't rise, then we're going to be found to be false witnesses. Why? Well, again, going back to verses 1 through 11 of chapter 15, He had explained to us all of these different people that saw Jesus, that walked with Jesus, after He had been raised again. They saw Him when He was living, they saw Him be crucified, they saw Him be buried, and then they saw Him be alive again three days later.

These people, the apostles, the women that Jesus appeared to, the 500 at one time that Paul refers to, they saw the risen Lord. They saw the risen Jesus Christ. They were going around sharing the fact that, yes, I saw him. He did rise again. But Paul says, look, if you're saying that there's no resurrection and Christ is not risen, then we're all found to be false witnesses.

People who are lying and not telling the truth because if there is no resurrection and if Christ is not risen, then how can we teach that we saw him risen? It's not true. If, in fact, there is no resurrection. Paul says, look, since we proclaim that he did rise, since we say that we saw him, saying that there is no resurrection makes us false witnesses and we're all liars. None of us are telling the truth. Now, not only that, not only those who are here, but...

I myself would become a false witness because I stand before you today and I say, yes, I know that Jesus Christ is alive. How do I know? Well, because I have a relationship with him. I've experienced him. In fact, even last night,

It was wonderful as I was up at the youth retreat. I got to see Jesus Christ at work. I got to see another proof, another testimony that yes, he is alive. Yes, he is working. And I saw young men and women give their hearts to him. They themselves came in contact with Jesus Christ. They can testify to you as well. Ask them when they come down the mountain if Jesus Christ is real. And they'll be able to say yes, because I saw God work. I know God spoke to me. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Paul says, look, if it's not true, then we're all false witnesses. Then we haven't seen him, then we haven't experienced him, then we don't know really that he's risen again, that he's risen from the dead. In verse 16, he reiterates for us the importance of this or the necessity of holding to this argument. He says, for if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. Okay, reminder, you're saying dead don't rise, then Christ isn't risen. You can't

say the dead don't rise but Christ did well that's what we believe that's what's true you can't just say well Jesus did but you know we're not going to or anything like that no no no if the dead don't rise Christ is not risen then our preaching is empty our faith is empty we're all found to be false witnesses number five found in verse 17 and if Christ is not risen your faith is futile or futile however you want to pronounce it you are still in your sins

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you're still in your sins. The word futile means pointless or aimless. There's no point, there's no purpose in having faith in a lie. There's no value to it. You don't accomplish anything by it.

If it's a lie, if it's not true, it's worthless to believe. It's worthless to trust. It's worthless to have faith in that. There's no point. There's no aim to it. Romans chapter 4 verse 25, Paul tells us that he was raised for our justification.

What is justification? Well, I've shared it with you before. If I'm justified, it's just as if I'd never sinned. He wipes the slate clean. That's what justification is. He was resurrected and that is proof that we have been justified as we believe in him, as we trust in him. He cleanses us. He washes us. He purges all the sin from us. It doesn't matter if it was last night. It doesn't matter if it was two years ago. It doesn't matter if you're thinking, man, won't this preacher shut up?

That's okay. He forgives that sin too. Just don't think it too much, okay? But he forgives it. Our sin is forgiven. We've been justified. It's just as if we've never sinned if we believe in him. If we follow Romans 10, 9, confess him with our mouth and believe that Jesus, that he raised from the dead, then we'll be saved. So Paul says, look, your faith is futile. You're still in your sins because if he's not resurrected, then we're not forgiven. We're not justified.

then we're not washed clean. We're still sinful people. We still are not in a good relationship, not in a good standing before God because He still needs to judge the sin. Without resurrection, Jesus, His claims, His promises, they're false. He wasn't who He said He was and so He wasn't able to forgive sins. He wasn't able then to

to forgive you and I of the things that we've done. He wasn't able to bring us into a right relationship with God if in fact the resurrection is not true, if there is no resurrection. Paul says, look, if there's no resurrection, Christ is not risen. Our preaching is empty. Our faith is empty. We're false witnesses. Not only that, but we're still in our sins. Now, as we're going through this, as we're understanding what Paul is saying to us, what a gloomy, gruesome, ugly message to give.

There's no resurrection. You're still in your sin. You have no hope. There's nothing you can do. You're preaching your faith. The things that you believe, it's just all empty. What a gruesome and ugly message for people to be giving in the church of Corinth. But there are so many today throughout the church.

that teach false doctrines, that teach this very same thing, that teach very similar things, that lead people astray, that get them to look to themselves instead of looking to Jesus Christ. But we need to remember, it's all about Him and not about us. Like John the Baptist said, He must increase and I must decrease. It's all about Jesus Christ. If this is true, oh, how pitiful are we. In fact, Paul will say that as well as he concludes in verse 19.

There's no point, there's no purpose to us believing, to us trusting, to us walking with Him, if in fact there is no resurrection. The sixth thing he says, found in verse 18, Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. He says not only that, the last thing, if there's no resurrection, then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, have been destroyed. Why is that? Well,

If there's no resurrection, if Christ is not risen, if our preaching, our faith is empty, if there are found to be false witnesses, if we're still in our sins, then those who died were still in their sins. They were still out of favor with God. They were not reconciled. They were not brought into a right relationship with God. They died in their sins and therefore would have to be judged. Paul says if there's no resurrection, those who have previously died will be judged.

They've perished. They're gone. There's no hope for them because they were still in their sins. Now, that's not what we believe. That's not what the Bible teaches. But Paul says, if your argument is true, if you want to believe that there's no resurrection, this is the result. It's devastating. It's ugly. It's gruesome. It's gloomy. There's no hope. There's no power. There's no point. In 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 14 says,

Paul says, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. He gives us hope in 1 Thessalonians 4. He reminds us, hey, this isn't true. Those who have fallen asleep haven't perished. There is the hope that we will be with them for eternity. It goes on to say in chapter 14 that they'll come with him and we'll meet them in the clouds at the rapture of the church and we'll spend the rest of eternity with him alone.

Most importantly, but also with them. We'll worship him together and serve him together. These six things, Paul says, are the result of you not believing in the resurrection. It's foolish. It's pointless. It's a bad argument, guys. Basically, drop it. There's no point. If you say that there's no resurrection, then why are you even here? Why do you read the Bible? Why do you do anything?

Because if there's no resurrection, he says, then Christ is not risen. Then our preaching is empty. Then our faith is empty. Then we're false witnesses. Then we're still in our sins. And if there's no resurrection, then those who have died previously have perished. They're lost and they have no hope. Paul says, none of those things are true. None of those things are true. Read verse 19 with me. He says, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

He says, look, if these six things be true, if only in this life we have hope, then we're the most wretched of all men.

What were the most wretched of all people? Here we are, thinking we have eternal life, thinking we can walk with God, thinking we have a right relationship with God, and none of it's true. Here we are, disciplining ourselves, taking care of things that we know are wrong, that we shouldn't be involved in. You know, sometimes as Christians, we have to deal with things that are not pleasant, that are not easy. We have to change our ways, and sometimes it's not very comfortable. It's not areas that we would want to change.

We have to go through things and trials and temptations and endure and persevere through heartache and hardship. And if it's only for this life that we do these things, he says, we're the most pitiable. We're the most wretched. You should have much pity, much sorrow for us because we're doing all this. We're suffering and enduring these things for no point, no purpose, no reason. It's empty, pointless, aimless. Paul says, look, if it's just for this life that we have Christ, then we should just give him up.

We should just enjoy life. We should just do whatever we want because there's no eternal consequences. There's no value in keeping ourselves pure or walking with him. Paul says, look, this is the result. If you say that there's no resurrection, the result is the casting away of the entire religion, of the entire walk with the Lord. You can't continue on in him and still believe that there's no resurrection. You can't have hope. You can't have life.

You can't have security and say that there's no resurrection. You must believe that there is a resurrection. Paul says, if all this is true, woe to us. We're deceived. We're hopeless. Woe to us. We're the most pitiable. Now, let's read on though. Verse 20. Just this next verse. He says, but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Paul says, look, okay, I've endured your argument long enough. Enough nonsense. But now, it's not true. Christ is risen. He is risen, and it says he's the firstfruits among those who have fallen asleep.

He's the first, meaning that he is the first to be resurrected. Like I said, his resurrection proves to us, promises to us, that ours will follow. And we'll look at that in more detail in the next coming weeks. But Paul says, enough nonsense. Enough foolishness, enough enduring your arguments and looking at those six points. He says, there is a resurrection. Christ is risen. And because of that, we have hope, we have life,

We can believe His word. We can believe His promises. We can know that Jesus Christ is alive. Do you realize that? He's not dead. He's not buried. Jesus Christ is alive. He's very real. He's as real as the chair that you're sitting on. In fact, He's sitting there with you. Look at the person next to you and tell them, Jesus is alive. You guys don't sound very convinced, by the way. Jesus is alive! Jesus is alive!

You guys understand and realize that Jesus Christ is alive. What is the good news about that? Well, that means what He said was true. That means the promises for you and me, they're true. That means He was who He said He was. That means He has the power to forgive us our sins. That means all those six things that we looked at, the opposite is true.

There is a resurrection and so Christ is risen. He is risen. He has been saved or resurrected from the dead. Not only that, but instead of our preaching being empty, our preaching is full.

It's full of substance. It's full of power. Why? Well, because we don't preach a dead guy. We don't preach a hollow deceptive philosophy. We don't preach something that's not true. But instead, we share something we know to be true. We share the only eternal truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came and died on the cross for our sins. He died, He was buried, and He rose again to prove what He said was true.

Our preaching is not empty, but our preaching has power. Our preaching has power. So preach the word. Preach Jesus Christ. Because it's not empty. Rest assured. Be confident. You don't have to be a scholar. You don't have to be a philosopher. You just have to believe in the resurrected Lord. And our preaching becomes powerful. Jesus is alive. He's with us. He loves those around us. He wants to reach them, to have a relationship with them.

Jesus Christ is resurrected. So our preaching is not empty. Our faith is not empty. You know, people around you, they might say, faith, faith, you know, whatever.

Our faith is not empty, but our faith is in Jesus Christ. Well, who's Jesus Christ? He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Well, how do you know? Because he said so, and he raised from the dead to prove it to us. He was resurrected to prove to us that he is God. What does that mean? That means my faith is not empty, that I have the faith, I have trust in a God who's not dead, but who's alive.

I have a faith in a God who's with me right now. I have a faith in a God who cares for me and loves me. I have faith in a God who promised that He would never leave me or forsake me, that He would provide for me all things necessary for this life, that He would carry me through the tough times, the hard times, the trials, the situations. I have a real faith, a faith that has substance because my God is alive and well and He's all-powerful.

I have faith in Jesus Christ. Our preaching is not empty. Our faith is not empty. We're not false witnesses. Those guys who wrote the New Testament, they're not false witnesses. What they wrote is true. What they saw was for real. The experience that I've had is for real because I've experienced Jesus Christ because He's risen from the dead. He's alive and well today and desires to have a relationship with every one of us that we would be His witnesses.

That we would be testimonies. That yes, neighbor. Yes, family member. Yes, co-worker. Jesus is alive. He's real. I've seen him. I've known him. He's at work today. So our preaching is not empty. Our faith is not empty. I'm not a false witness. The greatest thing, the fifth point, we're not still in our sins. He's resurrected. Which means he has the authority, he has the power, he has the ability to

To make us justified. To wipe the slate clean. To forgive us. To cleanse us. To purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins, He, Jesus Christ, is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus Christ has the ability, the authority, the power to forgive sins. He proved that on His earthly ministry. He proved it most of all when He resurrected from the dead.

Jesus Christ saved us from our sins. And then lastly, the sixth point, those who have fallen asleep, they've not perished. If they believed in Jesus Christ, if they confessed Him with their mouth and believed in their heart that He was raised from the dead, they haven't perished, but instead they're with Him. They're with Him and we're going to get to meet with them and spend eternity with them. They haven't perished. There's a hope for us. We'll get to see them again. We'll get to see what God has done. Jesus Christ,

He is alive. And so our preaching is not empty. Our faith is not empty. We're not false witnesses. We're not still in our sins. Those who have fallen asleep have not perished. Instead, God is here. He's alive. He's real. And He's with us. Jesus Christ is alive. What does that mean for us? Well, that means those things that we've been talking about, our preaching and our faith is not empty. That means we know that we're not in our sins any longer.

But it also means that we should, we can, He desires that we have a relationship with Him. Because He's real, because He's alive, He desires more than just this religious functions that we do. He desires to know you. He desires for you to know Him. He desires for you to spend time with Him in His word, in prayer.

Jesus Christ is alive. Get to know him. Allow him to speak to you. Speak to him the things that are going on in your heart. He's alive. He's there. He's real. He loves you and he cares about you. Jesus Christ is alive. Not only that, but since he's alive, let's share him with someone else. Especially this Christmas season. As we celebrate his birth, we also celebrate that he's still alive. That he's still at work.

And so let's share this great news. It's not gloomy news. Hey, you're still in your sins. No, Jesus Christ provided the way. Share the good news. Your preaching is not empty. It's full. And you know what? Those who hear it, they know it. Why? Because the preaching of the word of God, the preaching of the gospel message is accompanied by the power of God.

There's power in the gospel message. There's power in the message that Jesus Christ died, he was buried, and he rose from the dead. His claims are true. What he said was true, and he was who he said he was. So share him with someone. Tell someone else, Jesus is alive. In fact, I challenge you, tell ten people this week that Jesus is alive.

Just see what the Lord does. See if God gives you an opportunity to share a little bit more about what God is doing. To share a little bit more about what it means that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. Jesus is alive. He's alive. He's well. He's with us. He loves us. His promises are true. His promises of forgiveness. His promises of eternal life. His promise that he would never leave us or forsake us. His promise of our own resurrection. His promise of our own resurrection.

His promise that he's coming again. They're true. How do I know? Because he was resurrected. Now, there's a lot of great books, and I would encourage you, if you're interested, to pick them up about the resurrection to prove even further that the resurrection is true. Lee Strobel, a journalist, a reporter, researched it as he would research any other incident, any other thing as a journalist.

And came to the conclusion that yes, it is true. It's a fact. Jesus Christ rose from the grave. You can read that. You can find that out in the book, The Case for Faith. No, The Case for Christ. Sorry, by Lee's Trouble. There's another book too by Josh McDowell. Now, Josh McDowell was not a journalist, but he was a lawyer.

And he researched the resurrection as well. He looked into it as a lawyer. If I'm in court presenting my case, here's my points, boom, boom, boom, boom. He comes to the conclusion, it's the best case I could ever come up with. There's eyewitnesses. There's testimonies. It's a fact. It happened. This is something that really occurred, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His book is The Evidence That Demands a Verdict. You can check it out if it interests you. But we know from what God's Word tells us

that Jesus Christ resurrected. Which means for us today that he's alive, that his promises are true, and we should walk with him. We should live with him. He is the only way. He is the truth. And he is the life. So let's live a life with Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this morning, God. And Lord, I thank you for reminding us, for teaching us, Lord, that you're alive, that you're not dead, Lord, that you're not powerless,

But Lord, you are powerful. And God, you are here with us this morning with all the love of the Heavenly Father. And you desire to have a relationship with us. God, we ask that you would help us to remember that you are alive. Lord, that you're with us wherever we go, whether it be church, whether it be at work, whether it be with our family or friends or coworkers. God, that you're there with us because you're alive. And Lord, you desire to be close to us and to have a relationship with us. And so Lord, right now,

I know that there's many in here, Lord, as well as myself. I say, Lord, have a relationship with me. I give myself to you. Lord, I want to have a relationship with you that's as real as a relationship with anybody else. God, because you are real and you're not dead. So, Lord, draw me close to you. Draw us close to you. Jesus, help us to remember that you are alive. And God, I pray that you would give us opportunities, especially this Christmas season, to share with others the great news.

that you are alive. And because you're alive, your promises are true, your word is true. So Lord, may we share with others that you are the way, the truth, and the life. May we share with others that you were died, that you were buried, and that you resurrected. Lord, that you are who you said you were. And Jesus, you have the ability to forgive us, to cleanse us, to wash us, to take us past the veil that divided the people of Israel from the presence of God.

But Jesus, you promise and you take us right into his presence that we might have an audience before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that we might be able to communicate, to have a relationship with the God of this universe. Lord, we thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for our sins, but that you didn't just leave him there. You raised him from the dead, that we might know you, that we might trust in the things that you told us, Lord, that we might believe your word and know beyond a shadow of a doubt

that you are alive. You are real. So, Lord, bring us into a more intimate, a closer, a more passionate relationship with you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.