Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Resurrection*

 

*1 Corinthians  15:3-8; 12-19; 20-24; 50-58*

*Easter Morning **3~/27~/05*

 

*Background Passage*

*Matthew 28:1-10 */1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; 4 and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.

6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.

Come, see the place where He was lying.

7 “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into //Galilee//, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them.

And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus ~*said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for //Galilee//, and there they shall see Me.” // /NASB

 

*Introduction*

Even though the Resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, there has always been much mystery and confusion surrounding this most crucial event.

*This morning we will look at this essential doctrine in order to remind ourselves of the **meaning, **reality and **significance of the Resurrection of Christ*.

*The validity of the Gospel* – all that we believe about Jesus – *lies in the reality of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ*.

It is the resurrection that validates who Jesus was and that what he claimed about Himself was true.

*The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivot point on which the whole of the Gospel of Christ stands or falls*.

*Without the resurrection there is no Messiah, no salvation and no point to Christianity*.

Without the resurrection Christianity is *nothing more than another human fabrication* and *can not be distinguished from Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or any other philosophy of human origin*.

*All religions and philosophies have their dead heroes and martyrs, but only Christianity has a proven risen Lord.*

Praise God, *there was a bodily resurrection of Christ.

And it validates all of Christ’s claims and provides the basis for our hope*, *and* is why we are here today celebrating and commemorating the most significant of all the events of redemptive history—*the  resurrection of Jesus Christ.*

*As we consider the Resurrection of Christ we will be looking at 1 Corinthians 15 which provides the most extensive and detailed treatment of the resurrection found in Scripture*.

*Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians is the classic Scriptural treatment of  the resurrection and is the single greatest exposition and explanation of the meaning and implications of the Bodily Resurrection of Christ*.

As we discuss Paul’s treatment of the resurrection, I want us to note 3 things: *The Historical Certainty of the Resurrection*; *The Heresy Paul Confronted concerning the Resurrection*; and the glorious *Hope Confirmed by the Resurrection*.

Note first the Historical Certainty of the Resurrection in verses 3-8 of 1 Corinthians 15.

 

*The Historical Certainty*

*1 Corinthians 15:3-8*/ 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also./

*In these verses Paul establishes the historical certainty of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ*.

He first declares this certainty, and then demonstrates it.

First note:

 

*The Declaration (vv.

3-4)*

*1 Corinthians 15:3-4* /3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures./

Notice first that Paul states that the gospel did not originate with him but was received by him.

He says, “*/I delivered to you what I also received/*.”

*Paul’s gospel was not of human origin but carried divine authorship and authority as he put it in **Galatians 1:11-12*, “/For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but [I received it] through a revelation of Jesus Christ/.”

*Paul’s gospel was the gospel he received by direct revelation from the risen Christ*.

And then note that Paul states that with regard to this gospel, which he had received and then delivered and preached to the Corinthians, that preeminent to everything else is the fact that *Christ died for our sins*, *was buried* and *rose on the third day*.

This is the Gospel in a nutshell.

Note:

 

*That Christ died for our sins is the doctrinal summary of the substitutionary atonement of Christ for believers*.

/(Expound — he died for our sins – and note that the atonement was completed on the cross)./

That He was *buried, and rose on the third day*, *validates the atonement* in that it speaks of a true death – *a body went into the grave* – and a true physical resurrection – *a body came out of the grave – there was no disensouled body in the grave, the tomb was empty*.

*The resurrection validated the atonement and secured and proved Christ’s victory over death.

*

 

*So Paul, in these verses, declares that the resurrection is a certainty and is central to the Gospel*.

And then note *how he demonstrates* the historical certainty of the resurrection in verses 5-8.

*The Demonstration (vv.

5-8)*

*1 Corinthians 15:5-8*/ 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also./

The most reliable testimony in any court case is */eyewitness testimony/*.

In these verses Paul appeals to eyewitnesses as evidence of the historical certainty and reality of the resurrection of Christ.

*Paul says that Jesus appeared in His resurrected state to over 500 different people.

The Lord has used the compelling nature of this evidence to change the mind and lives of many skeptics*.

One such skeptic was Dr. Frank Morrison.

Dr.

Frank Morrison was an English journalist and rationalist.

*As a rationalist he had come to the opinion that the resurrection was nothing more than a fairy tale with a happy ending*.

He felt that he owed it to himself and others to write a book that would present the truth about Jesus and dispel the myth of the resurrection.

*Upon thoroughly researching the matter, however, he was forced by reason to a different conclusion*.

*The sheer weight of the evidence compelled him to conclude that Jesus actually did rise from the dead*.

Morrison wrote his book, but not the one he planned.

It is titled, */Who Moved the Stone/.

*Significantly, the first chapter of the book is titled, “*/The Book Which Refused to be Written/*/.”/

*This is just one of many such skeptics who, upon researching the historical evidence, has come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Christ was indeed a reality*.

Paul marshals this kind of conclusive evidence here in these verses by appealing to eye witness accounts of the resurrection.

Note these occurrences.

*/He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve /*—/ Expound — these men gave their lives for their belief, doubtful they would have done this for a farce./

*/After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep/* —/ Expound — //again, many of these people gave their lives or suffered persecution for their belief/.

*/then He appeared to James (the brother of Jesus) /[a skeptic] *— /Expound — James was a skeptic until the resurrection/.

*/John 7:5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him/*/./

But after the resurrection James believed.

He wouldn’t have changed his mind if the resurrection was a farce.

/ /

*/then to all the apostles – /*/Expound –//this refers to His last appearance at the ascension./

*/and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me /**[/Expound-Paul the enemy/]*/ also /– /Expound //(this marked the last of all Jesus’ resurrection appearances.

It was to these eyewitnesses that God entrusted with the revelation of Scripture)/.

The evidence concerning the historical certainty of the resurrection is absolutely compelling.

*Yet even in the face of all the evidence there is still skepticism and false teaching concerning the resurrection*.

*An example in our day are the liberal theologians, such as the “Jesus Seminar”, which tout outright heresy by denying the miracles of the Bible including the resurrection*.

/(Explain)./

*But even in Paul’s day, so close to the historical event and evidence, there was heretical teaching concerning the resurrection.*

Note the Heresy Confronted by Paul in verses 12-19.

*The Heresy Confronted*

*1 Corinthians 15:12-19*/ 12 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?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

15 Moreover we are even found [to be] false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; *17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.*

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

*19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.*/

In these verses Paul confronts, and logically destroys, a false teaching that was running through the Corinthian church which denied the bodily resurrection of Christ and of the dead.

We will note Paul’s *Indictment*, and then the *Implications* of this dangerous heresy.

First note:

 

*The Indictment (vv.

12-13)*

*1 Corinthians 15:12-13*/ 12 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?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;/

 

*In these verses Paul indicts the Corinthian false teachers for the heresy they are teaching.

In verse 12 the error is identified and in verse 13 the implications of the error are exposed*.

*Verse 12* shows us the nature of the Corinthian error.

Namely, that they denied the bodily resurrection of Christ.

/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?/ – *Expound – they did not deny the resurrection totally, but believed in a spiritual rather than a bodily resurrection.