1 Corinthians 15:3

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He was seen of Cephas, or Peter, and of the twelve. After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some have fallen asleep, or they have died. After that, He was seen of James, and then of all the apostles, and last of all, He was seen of me as one born out of due time.

For I am the least of the apostles, and I am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it were I or they, so we preached, and so you believed.

Now, if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is vain also. Yea, and we are found as false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, and you are dead in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Father, we thank You that by Your power, You have raised up Christ from the dead. By that same power, You have quickened us, who were dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ, and given us an abundant life. Lord, even though we know there are many in this world who still walk as the living dead, they walk not knowing You or the life that You give. We know that perhaps even at this very moment, there are some in this room who are in that position, Lord, and they need Your life and Your power to bring life.

We pray that You would do that through the preaching of Your Word. We pray that You would do that through our bold witness as we live out the abundant life that You've given to us in this world. Lord, speak to us from this passage today. Continue to quicken our minds and transform us, Lord, that we would shine so brightly in the dark world in which we live. We ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Paul, in verse 3 of 1 Corinthians 15, outlines very simply the message of the gospel that he preached. Not only did he preach it, but all the followers, disciples, and apostles of Christ preached this very same gospel. It was not something that Paul was taught by men; in Galatians chapter 1, he makes it very clear that he received it by revelation of God. Once again, he says that he received it, and so he simply declares this very clear message: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

Now, the fact that Jesus died on a cross 2,000 years ago is fairly incontestable. There are some who contest whether or not there was a historical figure, Jesus of Nazareth, who lived and moved through the area of Galilee and Judea 2,000 years ago. However, it is a very small group of deniers that are out there regarding the humanity of this one Jesus of Nazareth. Most will agree that there was an individual who lived, served, ministered, and preached.

In that region in the first century, they will even say that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem around 30 A.D. on a Roman cross. However, it is the issue of Him dying for our sins that people sometimes stumble over. Many people do not even want to recognize or confess that they are sinners. The Bible declares from Genesis to Revelation the sinfulness of man and the need for redemption, the need for atonement.

The Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the anointed Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Two thousand years ago, on a Roman cross, He died not for His own sins or crimes, but for the crimes of humanity; He died in our place. We remember this when we partake of communion. Pastor Richard pointed out the great passage in Isaiah, chapter 53, where we are told, 700 years before Jesus came, that a suffering servant would come and that He would die in the place of many of us.

Why? Because verse six says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way." Then what does the prophet say? "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." He was oppressed and afflicted; He opened not His mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before its shearers is dumb; He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. And who shall declare His generation? What a good question. Who shall declare His generation?

Yet ever since His death, burial, and resurrection, there have been multitudes going about the whole world declaring His wonderful work. "He died for our sins" is a profound statement. One might stand up and say, "I'm going to die for your sins," and you might respond, "Well, that's a pretty heavy thing to say." You might think that person is lacking a little humility unless it were true. But how would you be able to validate whether or not it was true?

Paul continues in verse four, stating that the dead Christ was buried as proof of His death. He was buried and then rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, as a very clear declaration that God the Father accepted the sacrifice that was offered in the Son on the cross. He who knew no sin became sin for us, Paul says in Second Corinthians, chapter five.

Verse 21 states that Jesus died for the unjust, that we might receive His righteousness. Jesus died as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His lifeless body was placed in a tomb, sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers. On the Sunday following His death, He rose from the dead in fulfillment of prophecy—Old Testament prophecy. One such prophecy was given by David in Psalm 16, which speaks about the just one not seeing corruption; he would rise from the dead.

This is not just Old Testament prophecy, but also His own prediction. In John chapter 2, Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up." Many of those hearing Him misunderstood and thought He was speaking about the physical temple in Jerusalem. They said, "It's been being built for 46 years, and you will raise it up?" The author of the Gospel of John clarifies that He spoke of His body, the temple of His body.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus begins to tell His disciples that they are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests. They will deliver Him into the hands of the Romans, and He will be crucified. On the third day, He will rise again. This is stated in Matthew 16, verse 21. He reiterates this in Matthew 17, verse 23, proclaiming to His disciples that the Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, killed, and on the third day, He shall rise again.

A third time, in Matthew chapter 20, Jesus tells His disciples, "I am going to be betrayed into the hands of these Romans. They are going to crucify me, and on the third day, I will rise again." The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is proof that His death is the acceptable, propitiating sacrifice for our sins. It is sufficient. That is why Jesus could say on the cross, "It is finished," referring to the payment for sin.

Thus, the resurrection of Jesus becomes the pivotal issue for the Christian faith. I would go a step further and say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the crux of all human history.

The resurrection of Jesus is the crux of all human history. Therefore, it becomes the most important issue for Christians to know and understand. If the resurrection is invalid, then the rest of the faith is a complete waste of time. The Christian faith is built upon this foundational statement: Jesus is alive. If He is not alive, if He merely died on that cross and never rose again, then none of the things He said are true. None of the faith that we have in Him is real. Thus, it is the pivotal point for all Christianity, and I would say it is a crux issue for all humanity in history—the resurrection.

Christians believe that Jesus is alive. This fact was announced by angels in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Matthew chapter 28, verses five through seven, in Mark chapter 16, verse six, and in Luke chapter 24, verses six and seven, angels announced the resurrection of Jesus from the dead to the disciples who came to finish preparing His body for burial on the third day after His crucifixion. They were met with an open tomb, an empty tomb, and the angels said, "He is not here; He is risen." The fact of Jesus's resurrection is proclaimed and announced by angels.

Furthermore, it is what the religious leaders in Jerusalem sought to cover up. The religious leaders knew that Jesus had proclaimed that He would rise from the dead. After He was buried in a tomb, they all knew where that tomb was located. They set a group of Roman soldiers to guard it because they were fearful that His disciples might come and try to steal away the body of Jesus, and then they would proclaim that He had risen from the dead. They made the tomb secure at the end of Matthew chapter 28.

However, the problem arose a few days later when He did rise from the dead. The Roman soldiers knew that the tomb was empty and that His disciples did not come to steal the body. Consequently, the religious leaders paid them off, bribed them, and instructed them to tell people that...

His disciples came and stole the body. It's a good story that his disciples, who all fled when he was arrested and were hiding for three days, were despairing, dejected, and fearful for their own lives. They came, amassed an assault against a group of trained Roman soldiers—probably the same soldiers who crucified the Lord just a few days later. They beat them up, cast them aside, stole away the body of Jesus, and lied about it. It's a good story, but it didn't work. The tomb was empty. It was known by the people of Jerusalem in that day, although the religious leaders sought to cover it up.

His resurrection was announced by angels and covered up by the religious leaders of the day. Thirdly, this is what the early disciples witnessed: they saw the risen Lord. Many passages in the Gospels and the Book of Acts bear witness to this fact. In Matthew 28, verses 9 and 10, he was witnessed by a group of women followers who came to the tomb on the Sunday following his crucifixion. In Matthew 28, verses 17 through 20, he was seen by his disciples as Jesus commissioned them in the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples.

In Mark, chapter 16, verse 9, he was seen by a group of women followers, specifically in verses 12 and 14. He was later seen by the rest of his disciples. In Luke's Gospel, chapter 24, verses 13 through 35, Jesus was seen by two disciples, followers of him, as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. He spent the entire seven-mile journey walking and talking with them. They only came to the realization that it was him when he broke bread with them after they arrived in the city of Emmaus. They immediately ran back to Jerusalem to bear witness that they had seen the risen Lord. When they got there, they found that Peter had seen the risen Lord as well, as noted in Luke, chapter 24, verse 36.

In John's Gospel, chapter 20, verses 14 through 16, Jesus is seen by a group of his women followers. In chapter 20, verses 19 through 21, Jesus meets with his disciples on that Sunday evening following his crucifixion in an upper room and reveals himself as alive. He tells them to put their hands and touch him, to come and see the nail prints in his hands. One of his disciples, Thomas, was not there. We call him Doubting Thomas because when they told him they had seen the Lord, he said, "I don't know if that's true; I'll have to see him and put my hand in his side."

So, Jesus appeared to Thomas eight days later, along with the rest assembled there, and said, "Hey, Thomas, come on, put your hand on my side. Let's see." Thomas bowed before him and said, "My Lord and my God."

As he saw the risen Lord, Acts, chapter one, verse three, recounts how Jesus, the risen Lord, after his crucifixion, appears to his disciples on the Mount of Olives and calls them to a ministry of proclamation. He declares that they had seen the risen Lord. Just as he was announced by angels at his birth, he was also announced at his resurrection. The religious leaders sought to cover it up, but his disciples saw him alive. This is what the early disciples went forth proclaiming, preaching that they had seen the risen Lord.

In the book of Acts, chapter two, Peter stands before a gathered multitude in Jerusalem, 50 days after Jesus's resurrection. He bears witness in verse 23, saying, "Him, Jesus, being delivered by determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you in Jerusalem have taken by wicked hands and crucified him and slain him, whom God has raised up." Peter, backed by 120 disciples, followers of Jesus, probably all of whom had seen the risen Lord, asserts that he is alive because the pangs of death could not hold him. It was not possible for death to do so, as Peter states in Acts, chapter two, verse 31.

After referencing the prophecy that David gave in Psalm 16 about the resurrection, Peter explains that David, seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Christ, stating that the Messiah's soul would not be left in hell, nor would his flesh see corruption. "This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses," he declares, with 120 behind him affirming that they have all witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Acts, chapter three, Peter again speaks before a group of gathered Jews in Jerusalem. He says in verse 13, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his son, Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pontius Pilate when he was determined to let him go. But you denied the Holy One, the Just One, and you desired a murderer to be granted unto you. You killed the Prince of Life, whom God has raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses."

Acts, chapter four, verse two, describes Peter standing before the ruling council in Jerusalem, which had condemned Jesus to die. This ruling council was tired of Peter and the other disciples proclaiming the resurrection. We read in verse two of Acts four that they were grieved that the disciples of Jesus taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They were upset about this.

In verse ten, Peter addresses that same council, which had put Jesus to death a few months earlier. He says, "Be it known unto you all and unto all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him does this man, this lame man that was healed in the beginning of Acts four, stand before you whole." The living Jesus has the power to make lame men whole because He has the same power to raise Himself from the dead.

In verse thirty-three, Peter, before that same group, is described as giving witness with great power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. So, what did the early disciples proclaim? They preached the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. He is not dead; He is alive. They said, "We have seen it."

In Acts, chapter five, verse twenty-nine, Peter and the other apostles answered the ruling council, saying, "Ought we to obey God rather than men?" The council wanted them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Peter questioned, "Should we obey you or Him?" He continued, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hung on a tree."

Then, in Acts, chapter ten, Peter preaches the resurrection in Cornelius's house. It is not just Peter; the Apostle Paul also proclaims the resurrection. During his first missionary journey with Barnabas, they arrive in Antioch of Pisidia. In Acts, chapter thirteen, Paul makes five references to the resurrection of Jesus Christ in verses thirty, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-seven, and fifty. Paul asserts, "He is alive."

Whether it was to Jews in Jerusalem, Gentiles in Caesarea, or Roman citizens in Antioch of Pisidia, the message remained the same.

The ruling elite, the smart guys, the intellectuals at Athens, encountered Paul in Acts, chapter 17, where he preached the resurrection to the intelligentsia there. They thought him a fool because he believed in the resurrection, which they did not accept. As a result, they mocked him when he proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Know for certain that in our day and age, just as it was in Athens in the first century, in America in the 21st century, you will probably be mocked by the society around you when you say, "I believe that Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins on the cross and rose again on the third day." It is foolishness to those who are perishing, a stumbling block, as Paul says in the beginning of First Corinthians. To the Jews, it is foolishness; to Gentiles, it is a stumbling block. But this is what they preached: Jesus is alive. He was announced by angels, sought to be covered up by the religious leaders, and witnessed and proclaimed by His disciples.

This is what the early believers received and believed. Many early Christians went to their deaths as martyrs, proclaiming that Jesus is alive. Over 500 witnesses saw the risen Lord, and many of them died in brutal ways for this belief. They were killed. You would expect that if it were a made-up lie, at least one of them, in the face of being killed—burned alive, beheaded, crucified, or beaten to death—would have said, "Time out. Okay, we made it up. Don't kill me." But no one did. This is what the church has stood upon for 2,000 years: the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How do we say this is fact? Well, what does Paul say in verses five through eight of First Corinthians, chapter 15? This isn't a made-up story; it is based on eyewitness testimony. The risen Jesus was seen by Peter, also known as Cephas. Not only was He seen by Peter, but then we read that He was seen by the twelve. Some people have a hard time with this because they say Judas was one of the twelve and he died before Jesus was raised from the dead. Judas is obviously not accounted for here. It is very likely that Matthias, who was appointed as the twelfth apostle, is included in this count.

In Acts chapter one, Matthias is probably referenced when Paul says he was seen by Peter and by all of the twelve. Then, in verse six, he was seen by above 500 brethren. Note that he was seen by more than 500 brethren at once—500 men. This does not account for the women and children who were present at this event. We don't exactly know what this event was, but after Jesus's resurrection and before he ascended into heaven, during the 40-day period between his resurrection and ascension, he was seen by a group of more than 500. That's more than there are in this room right now, all at once.

Paul states that the greater part of these witnesses remained alive at that time. Paul wrote this letter around 55 AD, and the resurrection of Jesus took place about 25 years before that. So, within 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there were more than 500 witnesses, many of whom were still alive, although some had died. This means that if you lived in Corinth in 55 AD, when this letter arrived, you could have gone to eyewitnesses and asked, "Where were you when you saw him alive? What was the whole context? What was the setting?"

As you interviewed a dozen, two dozen, or three dozen witnesses, you would find they all had the same testimony: "We were at this place at this time. We saw the risen Lord. This is what he did. This is what he said." Over 500 of them could corroborate that he is alive.

After that, he was seen by James, who is the brother of the Lord. Yes, Mary had children after Jesus. I know there are some within Christianity who have a problem with this, but the Bible says so. James, the brother of the Lord, was not a believer in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, before his death. However, something changed after Jesus died and rose from the dead. James, who grew up with Jesus for the 30 years prior to his ministry, knew him quite well. Now he sees the one who was crucified. His very mother saw him crucified right there, and now he is alive.

Hey, James, do you think he probably fainted? I have a feeling he did. If he didn't, he at least felt a little weak-kneed. You're supposed to be dead, yet here you are alive. How did that affect the life of James? Profoundly. He became the leader of the Jerusalem church and a martyr for his faith.

Lord, that's powerful. After that, he was seen by all the apostles. This obviously speaks of those who are sent bearing witness of Jesus's name apart from the twelve apostles. Paul says, "Lastly, verse eight, last of all, he was seen by me also as one born out of due time."

One scholar, historian N. T. Wright, says this is why, as a historian, he cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb behind. Something had to take place. Luke Johnson, another commentator, says some sort of powerful transformative experience is required to generate the sort of movement that earliest Christianity was. Something happened that drastically changed this group of disciples, who were despairing over the death of their leader and fearful for their lives, into powerful proclaimers and martyrs for the faith.

But then we come to verses nine and ten of First Corinthians 15, which, quite honestly, when you first read through this passage, seem somewhat awkwardly placed. Paul is talking about the resurrection of Jesus. He is discussing the witnesses of the resurrection, and then he says, "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not worthy to be called an apostle. Why? Because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace, which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me."

This is a little parenthetical pause, breaking from the flow of what's being said here. At first reading, one might wonder why it is there. But before we toss it aside, consider the context under which Saul of Tarsus, who would become the Apostle Paul, was converted to faith in the risen Lord.

Saul was a Jewish Pharisee. He was alive at the time of Jesus's life. In fact, he was pretty much the same exact age as Jesus—very close. It's very likely, although he is not mentioned in the Gospels, that he was in the city of Jerusalem studying under Gamaliel, a well-known teacher and scribe there.

At the very time that Jesus was crucified, Gamaliel was on the panel of the seventy, the Sanhedrin. He was there on that panel, and Saul of Tarsus was very likely in the city at that time when Jesus was crucified. After Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, a group of followers began to rise up and preach the resurrection of Jesus. This group claimed that their rabbi, a Galilean carpenter who had been crucified by the Romans, had risen from the dead. They asserted that Jesus was alive after his crucifixion and burial, and therefore, he was God as he had proclaimed himself to be.

Can you see there might be a problem for a young, zealous Jewish Pharisee in Jerusalem when a group of people was gaining power, claiming that the Jesus whom they had crucified was God? Saul of Tarsus became, against the counsel of his own teacher, Gamaliel, passionately zealous for destroying this sect, this group of followers of Jesus of Nazareth. He was so determined that he would go to almost any length to eradicate it. He oversaw the stoning and death of Stephen. In Acts chapter seven, it says that those who stoned Stephen threw their clothes and cast their coats at the feet of one Saul of Tarsus.

Acts chapter eight, verse one, states that he began to be a persecutor of the Christians. It was under the banner of persecutor that Saul of Tarsus had a personal, private encounter with the risen Jesus of Nazareth as he was on his way to Damascus. He couldn't stamp out Christianity in Jerusalem; it was starting to spread. He was following those who were taking the gospel to other places. He came with letters from the chief priests that authorized him to arrest and punish those who followed Jesus. As he approached the city of Damascus, he had an encounter with the alive Jesus of Nazareth.

You may want to turn to Acts chapter nine. Let's start specifically at verse three. Get a little excited about this topic.

As Saul journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shone round about him a light from heaven. He fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Now, if that happens to you—a bright, shining light, brighter than the sun—you’re knocked down, and you hear a voice from the midst of that bright, shining light. You might expect that the one speaking to you is powerful, so it's good to give him respect.

"Who are you, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you persecute." Now, what do you think went through this persecutor's mind at that very moment? Oh, snap! Oh, goodness! "I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting." Isn't it hard for you to kick against the goads? In other words, isn't it hard for you to fight with me?

He was speechless. "I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting." Note that Jesus takes it very personally when His children are messed with. I'm sure you do, too. So, Paul, Saul, you're persecuting my people. You're persecuting me. You mess with them; you mess with me. Yes, I'm speaking to you from a bright, shining light from heaven. You're in trouble.

Drunk with hatred, he was immediately sobered. Can you imagine what went through his mind? He thought, "I am doing the work of God passionately, zealously. My brothers in Jerusalem are not doing this. I am doing what they should be doing."

"Saul, why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you?" "I'm Jesus." "What? I'm Jesus. What?"

I've been persecuting and killing the followers of God Himself, and now He is speaking to me from the center of a light brighter than the sun at noonday. Oh no! What would you expect that God, who is just, should do to a wicked-hearted persecutor such as Saul? What should He do? Stand him out? What a phenomenal wonder it must have been as it filled the mind and heart of Saul when he wasn't justly punished for his crimes against a holy God. Instead, God commissions him three days after this to be a minister of the very gospel he sought to destroy.

Could you imagine what went through his mind? God says to him, because Saul asks, "What do you want me to do?" God replies, "Go to Damascus. I'll talk to you in a little bit." It's kind of like when your kids do something really bad, and you say, "Go to your room; we'll talk about this in a minute." That's what God did to Saul.

So, for three days, he is in his room, thinking about this. He's blind and feels he is in trouble. Then a follower of Jesus shows up and says, "Saul, I'm Ananias. I'm a follower of Christ. I'm going to pray for you. He has a message for you."

Here is his message: scales fall from his eyes, and he can see. He has been prayed for. Ananias tells him, "Okay, God wants you to be His servant. He's going to send you to Gentiles to preach the gospel. You're going to be persecuted for His namesake."

Now, it's just a fact of first-century Judaism, especially for a Pharisee. Saul of Tarsus was a staunch racist who hated non-Jews. God said, "You're going to go and preach the gospel to them." That's the backdrop.

Now I think it makes perfect sense why Paul says here, and let me read to you from the J.B. Phillips translation: "I am the least of the messengers, and indeed, I don't deserve the title of messenger at all because I persecuted the church of God. I am what I am only because of God's grace. He should have destroyed me. He should have killed me. The only reason that I have what I have and I am what I am is because He is gracious to me."

There's not a single one of us in this room today who ought not to say that we haven't really recognized who we are and where we came from. Saul utters the words that we should all utter: "I am not worthy to be counted as a messenger of Christ." It's only by God's grace that I'm counted worthy to declare the gracious, glorious good news of the risen Lord. This had to be continually in the mind of this former persecutor. The recollection of his former conduct stirred Paul to spend every ounce of his strength on the salvation of others. He labored more abundantly than they all. The grace of God was not given to him in vain. He determined that no one would ever be able to say of him, "God shouldn't have given him grace." He aimed that he would never take for granted what God had given to him.

Now, what does it mean that grace could be bestowed in vain? This, too, is a sobering reality: that God could extend grace to someone, and they could receive it in vain. The idea is that if you receive the grace of God only to spend it upon yourself and not ultimately to bring glory to God, then it could be said that you have taken His grace in vain. It was extended to you in vain.

Consider this scenario: if we went out to the parking lot after the service today, and I said, "Here, I've got you a gift. Corey, I just bought you a BMW M5, an eighty-six thousand dollar car, complete gift—here, you can have it." You might respond, "Oh, that's great. Thanks!" You jump in, start the car, and go flying down the street. You take it up as fast as you can and slam it into a brick wall just to test if that multipoint airbag system works well. You get out and say, "Man, that does work! Those commercials are true." People might stand back and think, "I don't think he should have given that gift to that guy."

Paul says, "I don't want that ever to be my testimony—that people look and say God shouldn't have given grace to him." So he labored more abundantly. He said, "I will spend and be spent for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." In Second Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 15, he states, "I’ll be poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith."

It's a frightening reality, but a reality nonetheless, that there are people in the church today, perhaps even in this room, who have taken for granted the grace of God and used it foolishly. Quickly, Paul says in verse 11, "Therefore, whether it were I or they, so we preach."

And so you believe, whether it was those multitudes of witnesses who saw the risen Lord or Paul, they all had the same cohesive, unwavering faith and the same cohesive message: Jesus is alive from the dead.

We don't have a lot of time, but let me tell you what I would have shared if we had more time. In verse 12, it states, "Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead?" There were some in Corinth who didn't believe in the resurrection. You see, there were Jews, a group of Sadducees, a great sect called Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection. There were also many Gentiles, Greeks, who didn't believe in a resurrection. These people had become Christians, followers of Jesus.

So, he says there are some here in the church at Corinth who don't believe that there is a resurrection. This poses a problem. Some of you say there is no resurrection from the dead, but in verse 13, it states, "If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Jesus Christ is not risen." That makes perfectly logical sense. If there's no such thing as a resurrection, then Jesus didn't rise from the dead.

However, there's a problem: you cannot be a Christian and deny the resurrection. What are the ramifications of no resurrection? In verse 14, it says, "If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is empty also." Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead do not rise. For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised.

If Christ is not raised, your faith is empty, and you are still dead in your sins. Those who have fallen asleep are those who have already died in Christ; they have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are, of all men, most miserable.

Here are ten quick things that are true if the resurrection is not. If the resurrection is not true:

1. Our preaching is empty. 2. Your faith is empty, having nothing to place its faith upon. 3. Preachers are knowingly or unknowingly deceivers. 4. All of us are still dead in our sins.

Number five: death is final. Number six: our hope of resurrection after this life is completely empty. Number seven: the claims of Jesus are untrue. Number eight: Jesus is not Lord. Number nine: Jesus will not be returning because He is dead. And number ten, and this is the ultimate fact of atheism: life has no ultimate goal, purpose, or meaning. Humanity as a whole has no destiny; it’s going nowhere. The existential realities of that breed insanity. It’s a nihilism that takes one to the destruction of their own brain.

Those ten things are sobering. They bring us back to my thesis argument: the resurrection is the crux issue for all history. If it is not true, there is no point. It’s very hard to level with that, but it’s true.

Verse 20 states, "But now Christ is risen from the dead." What does that mean? You have to come back next week to find out.

Let’s stand and pray. That’s called a hook. Father, we thank You that because You live, we can live also. We thank You that You came to us. We thank You that You came to give life, and that more abundantly. Lord, reveal that life in us as we go from this place, that those of our friends, family members, and co-workers...

Who still don't know You, who are still dead in trespasses and sins, that is in You, in us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.