If we can master the truth of 1 Corinthians 15, we will become  bold in our pursuit of who Jesus is and fear will lose a lot of power over our lives.

1 Corinthians is talking about the fear of death over people.

  1. Paul is answering the question, is there a resurrection?
  2. Paul is sharing that without a resurrection, we have no basis for our belief system
  3. Jesus was the “first fruit” in what we will become.
    1. He “linked with judgement” so we will only fall asleep
    2. He was buried so we are sown
  4. Jesus was seen by the apostles, 500 witnesses, and finally by pul himself.
  1. No Resurrection? Vs 12, 13
  1. The Corinthians are accepting a feel good religion.
    1. Without the resurrection, we are no different than any other religion and what is the purpose.
    2. This should be a warning, Just because you feel something, does not make it true.
  2. Paul has shown the proof of the resurrection, now he is going to spend the rest of the chapter showing the results of the resurrection and the vanity of life if there is no resurrection.
  3. Paul started with fact and now is showing the results.
  4. He mentioned “Christ” and not just the name Jesus.  He is showing that it was God himself that did this and not just another man like Lazarus would be when he rose from the dead.
  5. No resurrection, then Christ has not risen.  You can’t have it both ways.

2.  Preaching in Vain if Christ not risen. V 14

  1. Like today, there were people who did not believe in a physical resurrection but a releasing of the spirit from this body.
    1. Some believe in the spiritual resurrection of Jesus.
    2. They were not denying life after death, they were denying a physical resurrection of our bodies.
  2. Without a physical resurrection, then everything we are teaching is worthless.
  3. The people will fire back, “what kind of bodies will they have then?” (See Verse 35) (We will get to this later.
  4. Resurrection stops the belief that people are christian because of where they are born, or like the moral teaching of Christ, but consider the resurrection a myth or beyond comprehension.
  5. It was a key to the Apostles teaching in Acts (2: 22 – 36; 3:12 – 16; 4:10 – 12, 33; 5:29-32 10:34-43; 13:16-41)
    1. It needs to be the most important part of our message also.
  6. We might as well teach great philosopher’s thoughts with Jesus teachings if there is no resurrection.

3. Is Christ Dead? Vs 15 – 18

  1. Paul is stating,”Do you think that I and the apostles are all liars?”
  2. Proof in the resurrection is in your hearts as your lives have been changed.
  3. “useless” like a bubble with no content and very fragile
  4. We are still in our sins
    1. If there is no ultimate victory, then why try?
    2. There is no motivation to live any different than anyone else.
      1. Christianity is nothing more than a theory or guide for being a nice person
    3. We cannot perfect morality without christianity. (impossible to be good without power of Christ in our lives.  There is always a selfish motive behind everything we do)
  5. Then we who believed are lost
    1. All of Christ’s teachings are worthless
  6. We accuse God of doing something he did not do.
    1. How much blame is put on God for things he never did.
    2. If Jesus lied in one area, then we can’t trust any area.

4. We live for more than this life Vs 19

  1. If this life is all there is, then we are miserable
    1. Man promised a fortune only to have it taken away before he can inherit it.
  2. In the soul, there is a cry for…
    1. Justice to happen
    2. Evil routed
    3. Aspirations satisfied.
  3. Before Christ, the future was a fearful speculation, but now it is a joyful expectation.
  4. Going with the verse before of being in our sins, there is no real reason to battle to overcome anything.
  5. We are pitied
    1. We have based our lives on a pipe dream
    2. Then God himself has died and how can that be?
    3. We have no hope or future
  6. Looking back over the last chapters, Why love and not just live for ourselves.
  7. We are blasphemers as we accuse Jesus of something he is not.