Sermon Outline: 2008 Resurrection Day Reflections at CrossCulture

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Background: 

1. Christianity is the only religion or faith that celebrates the death of its founder with rejoicing.
2. Christianity is the only religion or faith that is founded on the resurrection of its founder from the dead. (1 Cor. 15:14-19)

 What does Christ’s resurrection mean?

 There is life after death.

1. 1 Cor. 15:20

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

2. Colossians 1:18:

 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

3. Revelations 1:5:

 “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,”

4. Lazarus, Jairus daughter died again. Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration were spirits without bodies. The saints who rose from their graves during the crucifixion died again in Matt. 27:51-53:

 “⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”

5. We will have glorified bodies

                                                              i.      Incoruptible bodies – 1 Cor. 15:35ff

                                                            ii.      Flesh and bones – Luke 24:39:

 ³⁶ Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

                                                          iii.      Walk through walls – John 20:19:

¹⁹ Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

                                                          iv.      Eat and enjoy food and drink - Luke 24:41-43:

⁴¹ But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. ⁴³ And He took it and ate in their presence.

                                                            v.      Travel at the speed of thought. - Jesus appeared to several people over several miles apart. Emmaus, Jerusalem, Sea of Tiberias – Mark 16:9-14:

“⁹ Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. ¹² After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. ¹³ And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. ¹⁴ Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”

                                                          vi.      No more pain or mortality – Rev. 21:4:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

2. Jesus Christ is God the Son. All His statements, promises and declaration are true and validated by His resurrection.
1. Matt 2, Mark 9, Luke 5 – Jesus has authority to forgive sin.
2. Acts 1:1-3:

“¹ The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ² until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, ³ to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

3. Jesus means what He says and says what He means. God means what He says and says what He means.
1. We have a FATHER who LOVES and a FATHER to LOVE

                                                              i.      PROMISES to claim, BLESSINGS to partake, CURSES and CONSEQUENCES to avoid

 Application:

 Among other things:

 Jesus deals with His saint’s individually and personally (relationally)

1. John 21:19 – 23:

“¹⁹ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” ²⁰ Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” ²¹ Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
²² Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
²³ Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”  ”

2. Tree of Life, Man’s rebellion, and God’s enduring Love, Resurrection is the Restoration of the Tree of Life:
1. Genesis 2:9,15-17

“And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… ¹⁵ Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

2. Genesis 3:22-24

“²² Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

3. Genesis 6:5-8:

“⁵ Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”

4. Revelation 2:7:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

5. Revelation 22:2:

“In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

6. Revelation 22:14:

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”