Chapter 15 – Resurrection
Paul taught
about the resurrection of Christ. He
wanted Corinthian believers to remember the gospel by which they were
saved. He wanted them to remember the
importance of it. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scripture,
and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” – 1 Corin. 15:3
The gospel means
“good news”. That “good news” is that we
can be saved from the punishment we deserve from God because of what Jesus did
for us.
Jesus appeared
several different times after His resurrection:
to
Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)
to
Mary mother of James (Matt. 28:1; Mark
16:1; Luke 24:10)
to
Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corin. 15:5)
to
disciples on road the Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
to
the disciples without Thomas, (Luke
24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
to
the disciples with Thomas (John
20:26-29)
to
seven disciples at the Sea of Tibernas (John
21:1-23)
to
eleven disciples at mountain in Galilee (Matt.
28:16-17; 1 Corin. 15:6)
to
His brother James and the apostles, to over five hundred (1 Corin. 15:7)
to
the disciples before the ascension (Luke
24:49-53; Acts 3-11)
to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4)
There are 3
basic beliefs of a Christian found in 1
Corin. 15:3-4:
Christ died for
our sins according to scriptures.
He was buried
according to scriptures.
He was raised on
the 3rd day according to scriptures.
Why are these
facts important to your Christian faith?
How are you
encouraged by these facts?
Resurrection
isn’t merely life after death. It is
victory over death! It is the
continuation of life after death in glorified bodies. Do you believe in the bodily resurrection
of Jesus? If not, there is no
hope. You cannot be a Christian and deny
the resurrection of Jesus. If there is
no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. If Christ has not been raised, preaching is
useless and so is your faith. If there
is no resurrection of the dead, we have been found as false witnesses about
God. If the dead are not raised, then
neither was Jesus. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you
are still in your sins.” – 1
Corin. 15:13-18
We are secure in
that one day that we shall rise from the dead just like Jesus. We are eternally secure because Jesus
saves. We will be resurrected just like
He was. We are secure until we see Him
face to face.
The End Time Events
will take place in the right order:
Christ was the first to rise from the dead. He will come again. Then God will raise all those who belong to
Christ. Then the end will come when
Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroys all
dominion, authority and power. He must
reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Satan will be made subject to Christ. God put everything under Christ, so that God
may be all in all. – (1 Corin. 15:23-28)
When the Lord
Jesus Christ returns, the believer’s body will be raised imperishable, raised
in glory and power, and raised in a spiritual body. It will bear the likeness of Jesus and will
be changed in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable and the mortal with immortality. – (1 Corin. 15:42-54)
Christ’s last
words on the cross were “It is finished” (John 19:30). He had destroyed the power of death. God raised Him from the dead. So He will also raise those who belong to
Christ.
How can you
show you believe in the power of Resurrection?
You could stand firm, let nothing move you, always give yourself fully
to the work of the Lord, be on guard, standing firm in faith, be men and women
of courage, be strong and do everything in love.
Principle: Jesus’
resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all believers.
Are you
gratefully surrendering to Him as Lord?
What is going
on in your life today that you need to call upon God?
How does the
body of Christ look different than the world?
Does your
life look different from the world?
Who in your
life needs to hear about the resurrection?
Chapter 16 - Collections
Paul asked for a
collection to be taken for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. It should be done on the first day of the
week according with their income. This
should be the business of all Christians to relieve the poor members of the
church. This is the Christian moral
duty. (1 Phil 4:18).
Paul had
promised the church in Jerusalem that he would remember the poor people (Gal. 2:9-10). The church supported a large number of widows (Acts 6:1-6). They were also in the middle of a famine (Acts 11:27-30). In 1
Tim. 5 Paul spoke of the responsibility of the church to honor widows.
How do you
help those in need?
Do you tithe
and give offerings each week?
Does your
giving reflect God’s love?
Paul planned to visit
Corinth when he comes through Macedonia.
For now God had given him an opportunity in Ephesus. Paul didn’t rely on his desires, but on God’s
leading. God had opened a great door for
him in Ephesus. He said he would be
sending Timothy and asked that they respect him when he comes. Paul also urged Apollos to go to Corinth who
will go when he had the opportunity.
Do you rely
on God’s leading?
Do you
recognize when God opens door for you?
Paul gave final
instructions for them to stand fast in the faith, be watchful, be brave, to
love and to be strong. This is a good
lesson for us all. We should be watchful,
faithfully and eagerly for Jesus’ return.
Always be ready, because we don’t know when He will return. He told them to love the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Paul means to
watch out for the enemy of Christ. The
devil is like a lion looking for someone to destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Don’t allow
people with wrong ideas and beliefs make your faith weak (Acts 20:30-31).
How can you
grow in your love for the Lord Jesus? You can make it a habit to pray, study His
Word, claim His promises, love as He loved, serve as He served and wait
patiently and eagerly for His return.
How do you
stand firm and remain strong in your faith?
Principle: Believers have the privilege of loving
like Jesus through giving.
Join me here
next week as we go back to our study of Acts
-- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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