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For visiting today I want to 
welcome you my name is Kyle who 

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serves as the lead pastor as you
find your seat we're going to be

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in first Corinthians 15 this 
morning. 

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First Corinthians chapter 15 
title for the sermon today is If

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Christ has not been raised. 
If Christ has not been raised. 

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So when Paul comes to the 15th 
chapter here of First 

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Corinthians, he's addressing the
greatest reality in all of 

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scripture, which is the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

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It's the greatest reality in all
of Scripture. 

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Everything rises or falls upon 
this truth. 

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If Christ has not been raised, 
then Christianity absolutely 

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collapses. 
It's a meaningless religion. 

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But if Christ is risen and he is
risen, then everything changes. 

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Amen. 
Everything changes. 

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So last week in verses one 
through 11, as we were looking 

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at chapter 15, Paul laid out the
facts and it was just what I 

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called white hot gospel, right? 
I mean, it's, it was just right 

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with the gospel. 
It was really timely. 

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It's one of those sermons, as a 
preacher, you wish you could 

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preach every week, right? 
But he laid out the facts, and 

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what he said was that Christ 
died for our sins, that he was 

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buried, and that he rose on the 
third day according to the 

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Scriptures. 
And when he references the 

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Scriptures, he's referencing 
past prophecies that these 

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things are coming true. 
They have come true in Christ 

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that he was he died first sins, 
he was buried, He rose on the 

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third day that this was 
witnessed by hundreds. 

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It was witnessed by the apostles
themselves. 

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It was witnessed by Paul who was
later called. 

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But beginning in verse 12, where
we'll be today, Paul moves from 

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this historical certainty of the
resurrection that it is true to 

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its theological necessity. 
All right, it's a historical 

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certainty. 
Was last week theological 

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necessity this week we have to 
have the doctrine of the 

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resurrection. 
It's essential. 

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So apparently there are some 
within the Corinthian church who

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were saying something to the 
effect of there is no 

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resurrection of the dead. 
They didn't deny that Jesus rose

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necessarily, but they denied 
that believers would rise. 

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They denied that there would be 
any any past life hope all 

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right. 
To them resurrection was either 

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unnecessary or impossible. 
A brief reflection of grief. 

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Greek philosophy shows us that 
they despised the physical and 

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they prized the eternal. 
So much of Greek philosophy is 

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about the spiritual nature of a 
man and denies any of the 

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benefits of the physical nature 
of man. 

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So Paul's answer here flies in 
the face of that. 

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It's both pastoral and powerful.
He he argues that if you deny 

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the resurrection of believers, 
then you destroy the gospel 

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itself. 
So I would agree, Christianity 

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without the resurrection is 
empty. 

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Christianity without the 
resurrection has no meaning for 

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us. 
He's going to say that much, 

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that we are of all people to be 
pitied. 

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But Christianity with a risen 
Christ, well, that's 

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unstoppable. 
That that transcends cultures. 

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It transcends time. 
You and I sit here today as 

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Christians, many of us, because 
the faithfulness of those 

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initial ones who were called to 
go and preach the Gospel, Amen. 

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And so we stand on the shoulders
of a historic faith, a faith 

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that's rooted in the 
resurrection. 

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So Paul's argument unfolds today
in this passage in three 

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movements, begins with the 
logical, It moves to the 

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theological, and then finally to
the practical. 

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Why do these things matter so 
much? 

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What does it mean for our life 
today? 

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And so if you're able bodied, 
would you please stand to your 

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feet? 
First Corinthians 1512 through 

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34. 
When I'm finished reading the 

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passage, I'll say this is the 
word of the Lord and you can 

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respond, thanks be to God. 
I'll try to remember this week. 

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Verse 12 Now if Christ is 
proclaimed as raised from the 

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dead, how can some of you say 
there is no resurrection of the 

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dead? 
But if there is no resurrection 

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of the dead, then not even 
Christ has been raised. 

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And if Christ has not been 
raised, then our preaching is in

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vain and your faith is in vain. 
We are even found to be 

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misrepresenting God because we 
testified about God that He 

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raised Christ, whom he did not 
raise, if it is true that the 

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dead are not raised. 
For if the dead are not raised, 

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not even Christ has been raised,
and if Christ has not been 

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raised, your faith is futile, 
and you are still in your sins. 

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Then also those who then those 
also who have fallen asleep in 

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Christ have perished. 
If in Christ we have hope in 

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this life only, we are of all 
people most to be pitied. 

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But in in fact Christ has been 
raised from the dead, the 

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firstfruits of those who have 
fallen asleep. 

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For as by a man came death, by a
man has come also the 

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resurrection of the dead. 
For as an Adam all dies, so also

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in Christ shall all be made 
alive, but each in his own 

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order. 
Christ the firstfruits then at 

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his coming those who belong to 
Christ. 

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Then comes the end, when He 
delivers the Kingdom to God the 

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Father, after destroying every 
rule and every authority and 

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power. 
For He must reign until he has 

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put all enemies under his feet. 
The last enemy to be destroyed 

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is death. 
For God has put all things in 

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subjection under his feet. 
But when it says all things are 

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put in subjection, it is plain 
that He is expected accepted, 

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Who put all things in subjection
under Him. 

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When all things are subjected to
him, then the Son Himself will 

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also be subjected to him who put
all things in subjection under 

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him, that God may be All in all.
Otherwise, what do people mean 

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by being baptized on behalf of 
the dead? 

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If the dead were not raised at 
all, why are people being 

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baptized on their behalf? 
Why are we in danger? 

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Every hour I protest, brothers, 
by my pride in you, which I have

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in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die 
every day. 

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But what do I gain if, humanly 
speaking, I fought with the 

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beast at Ephesus? 
If the dead are not raised, let 

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us eat and drink, for tomorrow 
we die. 

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Do not be deceived. 
Bad company ruins good morals. 

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Wake up from your drunken stupor
as is right, and do not go on 

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sinning, for some have no 
knowledge of God. 

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I say this to your shame. 
This is the word of the Lord. 

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Thanks be to God, let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we open our 

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Bibles now to 1st Corinthians 15
where we see one of the most 

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important truths of our faith, 
the doctrine of the resurrection

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God. 
It is my hope that you would use

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this text to strengthen our 
faith in Christ, to strengthen 

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our faith in you, Father, to 
strengthen our faith in the 

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spirits, that we would see this 
as a central truth, not some 

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third way issue, but a central 
truth. 

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Father, to what we say we 
believe about Christ. 

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Lord, we thank you that we hold 
this truth that you have raised 

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Christ from the dead, and so too
will we who are in Christ be 

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raised. 
And Father, I ask that you would

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open our hearts and minds to 
hear your word today, to 

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understand it, to believe it, 
and to live it out with all 

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faith and faithfulness. 
It's in the name of Christ to 

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ask these things. 
Amen. 

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Amen. 
You may be seated. 

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Our world runs on what if 
questions, right? 

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Our world runs on what if 
questions. 

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We buy insurance because what if
all right, what if there's a 

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tornado that blows our house 
down? 

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What if there's a flood? 
What if what if my life is taken

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from me early? 
How will my family be taken care

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of, all right? 
What if questions. 

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We check the weather before we 
go on a trip because what if, 

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what if it's really cold? 
What if it's really hot? 

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What if it's raining or if it's 
snowing, right? 

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We need to know those answers. 
We save money for retirement 

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because what if, all right? 
What if we get the end to the 

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end of our working career and we
have nothing to live on? 

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We'll become a drain to our 
children and their children, 

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right? 
What if we have nothing to leave

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our children and their children?
All right, so. 

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But in First Corinthians 15, 
Paul raises really the most 

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important what if question. 
Right. 

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What if Christ has not been 
raised? 

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What if Christ has not been 
raised? 

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Now that question shakes the 
very foundation of the Christian

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faith, because if Christ has not
been raised, if Jesus is still 

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in the tomb, then everything 
else collapses. 

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Our faith is worthless, our sins
remain unforgiven. 

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And just based on last week, we 
know what it means to stand 

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before God as one who has been 
unforgiven. 

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Our future is hopeless, and our 
message to the world is 

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meaningless. 
All. 

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Right. 
But Paul doesn't leave us in 

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that despair. 
He's just asking the question, 

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what if Christ has not been 
raised from the dead? 

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What Paul does is he walks us 
through the logical consequences

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if Christ has not been raised. 
And then he lifts our eyes to 

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this glorious reality that 
Christ has been raised. 

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So here's the main point. 
If you're taking notes, you can 

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write this down. 
Because Christ has been raised 

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from the dead, our faith, 
forgiveness, future, and 

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faithfulness all stand secure. 
Because Christ has been raised 

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from the dead, our faith, 
forgiveness, future, and 

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faithfulness all stand secure. 
As you're writing that, I'm just

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going to show you how Paul's 
going to reveal this to us in 

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three movements. 
The first place is going to take

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us is if Christ has not been 
raised, then our faith is empty.

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We're going to see that in 
verses 12 through 19 where Paul 

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shows us that without 
resurrection the entire gospel 

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collapses. 
Second place is going to take us

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is because Christ has been 
raised, then our future is 

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certain. 
And verses 20 through 28. 

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So Christ's resurrection 
guarantees our own resurrection 

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and ensures his victory over 
death at the end of all things. 

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And then the final movement 
we'll see is because Christ has 

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been raised, our lives have 
meaning. 

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Our lives have a purpose in 
verses 29 through 34, where we 

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see that the resurrection shapes
how we live, it shapes how we 

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suffer, and it shapes how we 
endure today. 

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So Paul doesn't just want to 
prove that Jesus rose. 

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Much of that was last week, 
right? 

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He died, he was buried. 
He rose again on the third day. 

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According to the Scriptures. 
He's proven the point. 

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We'll walk through some of that,
but he's proven the point in the

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previous verses. 
What Paul's doing here is he 

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wants to show why this doctrine 
matters right now, why it 

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matters for the Corinthians and 
for us. 

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It's not an abstract theology. 
He's right. 

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It's not some Picasso painting 
that's really difficult to 

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figure out at times. 
Well, it's very clear, all 

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right. 
It's the heartbeat of Christian 

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hope. 
The resurrection is the 

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heartbeat of Christian hope. 
So let's walk through the 

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passage together. 
So let's see how the 

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resurrection changes everything.
Point #1 If Christ has not been 

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raised, our faith is empty. 
Verses 12 through 19, verse 12 

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all writes. 
Now if Christ is proclaimed as 

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raised from the dead, how can 
some of you say there is no 

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resurrection of the dead? 
But if there's no resurrection 

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of the dead, then not even 
Christ has been raised. 

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00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,120
And if Christ has not been 
raised, that our preaching is in

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00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,280
vain and your faith is in vain. 
We are even found to be 

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00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,680
misrepresenting God, because we 
testified about God that He 

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00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:04,880
raised Christ, whom He did not 
raise. 

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00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,800
If it is true that the dead are 
not raised. 

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For if the dead are not raised, 
not even Christ has been raised.

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00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,680
And if Christ has not been 
raised, your faith is futile and

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you are still in your sins, then
those also who have fallen 

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00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,800
asleep in Christ have perished. 
If in Christ we have hope in 

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this life only, we are of all 
people to be pitied, right? 

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So Paul begins with this 
devastating question in verse 

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12. 
Now if Christ has proclaimed as 

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raised from the dead, how can 
some of you say that there is no

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resurrection of the dead? 
What Paul wants to show is this 

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isn't a hypothetical issue. 
Some of the people in the church

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have been influenced by Greek 
philosophy that viewed the body 

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as a prison for the soul. 
They wanted a Christianity that 

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was spiritual but not physical. 
A gospel that can that comforted

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the mind but didn't demand a 
bodily future. 

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Right. 
But Paul shows that such 

229
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:11,600
thinking collapses in on itself.
In verse 12, we see this denial 

230
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:13,800
that undermines the gospel, 
right? 

231
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,600
If you deny the resurrection in 
general, you deny the 

232
00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,840
resurrection of Christ in 
particular, right? 

233
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:22,840
You, you can't have it both 
ways. 

234
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:27,920
If dead men don't rise in 
Christ, then Jesus didn't rise 

235
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,680
either. 
And if Jesus didn't rise, then 

236
00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:34,200
Christianity becomes a lie, all 
right. 

237
00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:39,600
Paul's reasoning flows from this
union with Christ, another one 

238
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,480
of the great doctrines of 
Scripture. 

239
00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,920
If you're curious about your 
union with Christ, Ephesians 1 

240
00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,560
is so helpful. 
Right. 

241
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:52,720
But what is true of Christ 
becomes true of all who are in 

242
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,080
him. 
That's essentially what it means

243
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:56,760
when we talk about our union 
with Christ. 

244
00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,840
What is true of Christ becomes 
true of all who are in him. 

245
00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,760
So to deny bodily resurrection 
is to deny that union, and to 

246
00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:10,240
deny that union would sever the 
lifeline of salvation itself. 

247
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,640
It's like cutting down a tree 
and expecting the branches to 

248
00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:19,800
live as the tree lays on the 
ground. 

249
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,080
If the root dies, then 
everything connected to it must 

250
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,160
die also. 
So too, if Christ is not raised,

251
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,680
every hope that grows from him 
Withers. 

252
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:37,040
It will die. 
So as Christians, what this 

253
00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,040
means for us is that we must be 
aware of any teaching that 

254
00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:46,120
spiritualizes Christianity and 
empties it of its supernatural 

255
00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:51,880
and physical power. 
Faith in a dead Christ is no 

256
00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:57,360
faith at all. 
And verses 13 through 15, Paul 

257
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,560
takes us through this logical 
collapse that follows. 

258
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,720
I love reading this argument 
because it's instructive to us 

259
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,560
as Christians about how we 
should reason with others 

260
00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:13,000
according to the faith. 
There's a lot of if then 

261
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,760
statements, right? 
He's drawing conclusions through

262
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,400
asking questions. 
He's helping reveal the flaw in 

263
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:24,640
the doctrine so that he can 
rightly teach sound doctrine. 

264
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,400
So Paul reasons, if Christ has 
not been raised and our 

265
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,680
preaching is in vain, and more 
than that, your own faith is in 

266
00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,240
vain, right? 
If Christ is still dead, the 

267
00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:41,960
apostles are liars. 
They didn't witness his 

268
00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,400
resurrection. 
They're lying, right? 

269
00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:51,040
If Christ is still dead, then 
the Bible is false, right? 

270
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,880
If the resurrection doctrine is 
not true, then how can we 

271
00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,800
believe anything else? 
And more than that, all the 

272
00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:02,080
other doctrines depend upon a 
resurrected Christ. 

273
00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,640
If Christ is not risen, then the
gospel becomes fiction. 

274
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,360
It's nothing more than a fairy 
tale. 

275
00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:22,040
So the resurrection vindicates 
the divine identity of Jesus 

276
00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,440
Christ as the Son of God. 
Romans 1/3 through 4. 

277
00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,920
Paul makes this very argument as
he opens the book. 

278
00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,560
There he says Jesus Christ was 
descended from David according 

279
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,320
to the flesh, and was declared 
to be the Son of God in power 

280
00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:40,320
according to the spirit of 
holiness by his resurrection 

281
00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:46,440
from the dead. 
So without it, right, without 

282
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,520
the resurrection, his death 
accomplishes nothing eternal. 

283
00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:55,600
If Jesus Christ didn't rise, 
then the promise might look 

284
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,280
good, but there's no power to 
it. 

285
00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,480
There's no hope for those who 
are dead in their trespasses and

286
00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:07,400
sins. 
If Christ is not risen, you see,

287
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,800
your faith is only as good as 
the object of it. 

288
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,520
And if Christ is not alive, 
prayer and worship become empty,

289
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,160
right? 
But if Christ lives, then every 

290
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,600
act of faith reverberates in 
heaven. 

291
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,320
Every act of faith becomes 
meaningful for eternity. 

292
00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,800
In 16 through 19, Paul shows the
spiritual ruin that results from

293
00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:36,480
denying the resurrection. 
He says, For if the dead are not

294
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:40,240
raised, not even Christ has been
raised, and if Christ has not 

295
00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:44,320
been raised, your faith is 
futile and you are still in your

296
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:51,360
sins, then those also who have 
fallen asleep in Christ have 

297
00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:53,200
perished. 
They haven't gained eternal 

298
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,600
life. 
They've perished, right? 

299
00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,800
You're still in your sins. 
When you die, you will perish. 

300
00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,880
You see, without resurrection, 
the cross doesn't save, it 

301
00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,800
fails. 
The resurrection is the Father's

302
00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,560
Amen to the sons. 
It is finished. 

303
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,760
Romans 425 declares He was 
delivered up for our trespasses 

304
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,440
and raised for our 
justification. 

305
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,240
The resurrection is proof of the
acceptance of the payments. 

306
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,760
The empty tomb is the divine 
receipt that's stamped paid in 

307
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:34,560
full. 
So if you picture a man who's 

308
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,600
paid off his mortgage, but he 
never receives this letter of 

309
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:44,280
release, he's forever uncertain 
whether or not he's still in 

310
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:52,640
debt, right? 
The resurrection is God's signed

311
00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,520
release. 
It's proof that the debt is gone

312
00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,240
forever. 
If Christ is not risen, then not

313
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:04,000
only are you still in your sins,
but every Christian funeral is a

314
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:09,840
cruel deception, right? 
Those asleep in Christ would 

315
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,040
have simply perished. 
We cannot preach the hope of 

316
00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,920
heaven at funerals if Christ is 
not risen. 

317
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:24,640
But because he lives, grief is 
mingled with hope. 

318
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,400
We grieve as those who have 
hope. 

319
00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,240
Hope in what? 
Hope in the resurrection? 

320
00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,880
Hope that Christ has defeated 
death, right? 

321
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,080
We bury our dead and 
expectation. 

322
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:45,160
We don't bury them in despair, 
we bury our dead and expectation

323
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,720
that we will see them again. 
If they're in Christ, and we're 

324
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,960
in Christ, we will see them 
again. 

325
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,480
Amen. 
They will be raised. 

326
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:59,120
And if in Christ we have hope in
this life only, as Paul writes, 

327
00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:02,240
then we are of all people most 
to be pitied. 

328
00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:09,120
The second place Paul takes us 
to in verses 20 through 28 is 

329
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:13,760
because Christ has been raised, 
our future is certain, brothers 

330
00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,080
and sisters, our future is 
certain. 

331
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,040
Verse 20 burst forth in triumph,
right? 

332
00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:28,720
He's asking all these questions.
He's dealing with this false 

333
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:34,280
doctrine, this false teaching, 
this false understanding, and as

334
00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,280
he's dealt with it, he burst 
forth with triumph. 

335
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,240
But in fact, Christ has been 
raised from the dead, the first 

336
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,280
fruits of those who have fallen 
asleep. 

337
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:50,160
Praise God. 
Paul's, in fact, is emphatic. 

338
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,440
He's saying, in fact, he's 
saying now as a reality itself. 

339
00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:01,480
Now Christ is risen. 
He's been raised from the dead. 

340
00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:05,680
Against every doubt. 
He declares the resurrection not

341
00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:10,520
as a metaphor, but as a fact of 
history and the foundation of 

342
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:17,840
all eternity. 
In verse 20 we get Christ the 

343
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,760
first fruits. 
He calls Christ the first 

344
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,400
fruits. 
In verse 20 he says, But if in 

345
00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,840
fact, I'm sorry, but in fact 
Christ has been raised from the 

346
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,560
dead, the first fruits of those 
who have fallen asleep. 

347
00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,240
So calling Christ the first 
fruits ties resurrection hope to

348
00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,640
this Old Testament or to the Old
Testament harvest festivals. 

349
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,400
You can see some of those in 
Leviticus 23. 

350
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,520
There we see that the first 
sheaf of grain offered to God 

351
00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,960
guaranteed the rest of the crop 
was coming. 

352
00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:55,880
So Christ's resurrection is the 
first installment of the final 

353
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,080
harvest. 
It'll be the resurrection of all

354
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,960
who belong to him. 
He's the first fruits of that. 

355
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,560
Amen. 
He's the one who secures it for 

356
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,640
us. 
Now, this image shows for us 

357
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,680
both continuity and guarantee. 
All right? 

358
00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,360
It's the same kind of life that 
what we see is that the same 

359
00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:19,440
kind of life that burst forth in
Christ's glorified body will one

360
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:24,440
day burst forth in our glorified
bodies, which is where Ephesians

361
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,760
15 is going to take us next 
week. 

362
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,560
The grave is not a permanent 
loss, brothers and sisters. 

363
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,920
It's a waiting field ready for 
harvest. 

364
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:47,840
When you stand beside a 
believer's grave, you need to 

365
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,760
understand you're standing on 
future farmland. 

366
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,960
Resurrection is not wishful 
thinking. 

367
00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,160
It's the promised harvest of the
risen Christ. 

368
00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,720
When our family goes to our 
daughter's graveside and we 

369
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:14,440
stand there and we reflect, or 
we sing, or we read Scripture, 

370
00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:26,120
or we sit in silence. 
The one truth, but the one truth

371
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:35,800
that keeps me going, it keeps my
wife and my sons going, is that 

372
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:40,520
Winnie will rise on the day of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

373
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:47,200
The same is true for your loved 
ones who are in Christ. 

374
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,640
The same is true for you if you 
were in Christ. 

375
00:25:53,200 --> 00:26:01,960
Without that hope and the Lord 
graciously preserving me and our

376
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,040
family, I would not be standing 
here right now. 

377
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:16,800
There's no way that that 
doctrine sustains in the midst 

378
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:22,400
of death. 
It it keeps us near to God when 

379
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:28,360
we wrestle with the brevity of 
life, when we wrestle with what 

380
00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:33,120
we might think the unfairness of
an early death. 

381
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:43,800
But that doctrine is not some 
some false hope. 

382
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,160
That doctrine is tied to the 
resurrection of our Lord Jesus 

383
00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:52,720
Christ. 
We gather on the Lord's Day 

384
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,480
because the Lord's Day marks the
first day of the week. 

385
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,680
Do you know what happened on the
first day of the week after 

386
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,880
Christ's death? 
He rose again. 

387
00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:07,840
And so we gather on the Lord's 
Day to commemorate the Lord's 

388
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,720
rising from the grave. 
Why do we commemorate the Lord's

389
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,080
rising from the grave? 
Because everything that we 

390
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,800
believe about Christ hinges on 
his resurrection. 

391
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,680
And so we gather to worship him.
We gather to have our hearts 

392
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,760
strengthened and renewed by the 
truths of Scripture and the 

393
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:29,800
songs we sing, the prayers we 
pray. 

394
00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,960
As we've received the Lord's 
Supper, as we observe A baptism,

395
00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:42,600
as we hear the Word preached, 
we're reminded of great truth. 

396
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,440
And that sustains us in this 
life. 

397
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,400
We know that we're destined for 
a heavenly homeland. 

398
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,480
We know that. 
And so we need this. 

399
00:27:54,480 --> 00:28:00,400
We need Sundays, we need 
worship, we need the gathering 

400
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,640
of the Saints. 
We need to encourage one 

401
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:07,000
another. 
You see, in the South, it's easy

402
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,280
to think that Sunday is just 
simply something we do 

403
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,920
culturally. 
And to be honest, I'm grateful, 

404
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,400
I really am grateful that many 
people are raised in the South 

405
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:23,200
thinking that at least Sunday, 
I'm saying at least at least 

406
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,480
Sunday. 
Going to church is a cultural 

407
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:36,360
thing, but it's so much more. 
It's a real truth, It's a deep 

408
00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:41,880
reality, and it transforms our 
lives, changes everything about 

409
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:49,040
who we are. 
In verses 21 through 22, Paul 

410
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,440
shows us that we have received 
death through Adam. 

411
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,800
Here he's talking about the idea
of federal headship. 

412
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:01,040
And you receive life through 
Christ as your new head. 

413
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,960
All right, he says. 
For as by one man or by a man. 

414
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,200
Sorry, I was quoting Romans 5. 
Therefore, as by a man came, 

415
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,240
death by a man also came. 
Also the resurrection of the 

416
00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:16,000
debt. 
For as in Adam all die, so also 

417
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,680
in Christ shall all be made 
alive. 

418
00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,680
So here Paul anchors 
resurrection in this 

419
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:29,320
representative headship. 
Humanity's story is written in 

420
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:34,080
two men, the first Adam and the 
second Adam. 

421
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,360
The first Adam brought death. 
The second Adam, which is Jesus 

422
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,640
Christ, brings life. 
The first man's sin brought 

423
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,800
decay. 
The second man's obedience 

424
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,880
brought restoration. 
This is covenant theology in 

425
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:55,160
miniature, the doctrine of union
and representation. 

426
00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,680
You are either in Adam or in 
Christ. 

427
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,600
There is no middle ground. 
No one stands alone. 

428
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,640
You are either in Adam or in or 
in Christ. 

429
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:12,280
The resurrection of Christ 
reverses the curse of Eden that 

430
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:17,200
Adam incurred and inaugurates 
the new creation in Christ. 

431
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:22,600
We become new creations in 
Christ and so all creation will 

432
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:29,760
be renewed on the day of His 
return in verse 20. 

433
00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,000
Well, So what that means for us 
is that if you are in Christ, 

434
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:43,280
death can touch you, but it 
cannot keep you, right? 

435
00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:47,720
The same power, Ephesians, one 
tells us this, that the same 

436
00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:51,480
power that raised Christ from 
the dead will raise us. 

437
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,440
It resides in US, which is the 
Spirit of God. 

438
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:59,160
And so your union with Christ is
stronger than the grip of the 

439
00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:05,360
grave. 
Death is the doorway into 

440
00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:11,160
eternity for the believer. 
Death is the doorway into 

441
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:13,520
eternal life, I should say, for 
the believer. 

442
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,080
Right? 
And verse 23 we get the order of

443
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:23,240
how this resurrection will come,
Paul writes, but each in his own

444
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:25,840
order. 
Christ the firstfruits, then at 

445
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,280
his coming those who belong to 
Christ. 

446
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,200
So Paul sets resurrection in 
sequence for us. 

447
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:38,960
The Greek word here for order 
means rank or military order. 

448
00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,520
Christ rose 1st and so He leads 
the procession. 

449
00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,440
Amen. 
He's the King of kings who will 

450
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,840
March out in front of his 
resurrected ones. 

451
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,760
When He returns, all who belong 
to him will follow. 

452
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:03,560
Pulse teaching rules out any 
confusion, Any confusion about 

453
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:07,200
timing or scope, right? 
The resurrection of believers is

454
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:13,080
not happening piece meal, right?
It will occur at His visible 

455
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:18,240
bodily return. 
You don't need to fear missing 

456
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:23,440
your resurrection, brothers and 
sisters, or the rapture for that

457
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:29,360
matter. 
You don't need to fear missing 

458
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:33,400
your resurrection. 
It's scheduled in God's perfect 

459
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:38,760
order, it's guaranteed by Christ
victory, and it's synchronized 

460
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,920
with His return. 
The the the end and the reign 

461
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,000
are revealed in verses 24 
through 26. 

462
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:50,120
Then comes the end when he 
delivers the Kingdom to God the 

463
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,920
Father, after destroying every 
rule and every authority and 

464
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,600
power. 
For he must reign until he has 

465
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,280
put all his enemies under his 
feet. 

466
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,400
The last enemy to be destroyed 
is death. 

467
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,360
So now Paul's looking forward, 
right? 

468
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:12,480
If Christ hasn't been raised and
we are of all pity to be or 

469
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:17,600
we've all people to be pitied. 
Christ has been raised and so 

470
00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:21,640
you 2 will rise again. 
You will rise with him if you 

471
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:27,640
were in Christ. 
And then the next movement of 

472
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,880
this that we see is that there's
going to be a consummation of 

473
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,920
Christ reign. 
Paul looks forward to this 

474
00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,280
consummation of the reign of 
Christ, the word end here. 

475
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,880
Then comes the end. 
It's Taylor's. 

476
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,040
It means completion. 
Then comes the completion. 

477
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,560
It's it's not a termination, 
right? 

478
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,640
So often we think of because we 
watch movies and they might say 

479
00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,400
at the end of the end or the 
credits roll and we know that's 

480
00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:57,360
the end of the movie. 
That's the termination of its 

481
00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:04,600
duration. 
But for the believer, the end is

482
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,880
the completion. 
It's the entryway into all 

483
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:11,920
things eternal. 
It's the fulfillment of God's 

484
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:18,000
redemptive plan. 
You see, Christ is reigning now.

485
00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:23,159
He's raining right now. 
He's not waiting to rain. 

486
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:25,840
He it's not that he will rain 
when he returns. 

487
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:29,080
No, He's raining right now from 
heaven. 

488
00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:32,920
He, his resurrection, enthroned 
him as King. 

489
00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:36,440
Psalm 110, one tells us this. 
The Lord says to my Lord, sit at

490
00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:40,560
my right hand until I make your 
enemies your footstool. 

491
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,360
Ephesians 120 and 22 tell us 
this. 

492
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:49,320
The ongoing subjugation of his 
enemies is happening even as the

493
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,199
gospel spreads. 
Do you understand this? 

494
00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:56,080
The being fruitful and 
multiplying and exercising 

495
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,760
dominion on the earth and 
subduing all of creation is 

496
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:04,840
happening as the gospel spreads 
to new human hearts, right? 

497
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,560
Sometimes in your own home, as 
your children come to believe, 

498
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,240
as family members come to 
believe, right. 

499
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,480
Sometimes in your own city, as 
friends, neighbors come to 

500
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,120
believe the gospel message. 
You see the rule of Christ 

501
00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:30,280
moving across the earth. 
The Lord is reigning from 

502
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,120
heaven. 
He is subjugating all things. 

503
00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:43,760
But death remains the final foe,
and its destruction is 

504
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,080
guaranteed because the tomb is 
empty. 

505
00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:57,680
Brothers and sisters. 
When Jesus died, I have no doubt

506
00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:02,320
that Satan and all his demons 
rejoiced. 

507
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,760
I have no doubt that everyone on
the earth at the time who hated 

508
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:14,600
Christ rejoiced this movement. 
Maybe they even mocked him as 

509
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:16,520
he's cried out. 
It is finished. 

510
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,760
Maybe, they said, you're right, 
it is finished. 

511
00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:35,600
It looked like defeat, but on 
that third day, up from the 

512
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:42,200
grave, he rose. 
And when he rose, the full 

513
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:48,040
message came through. 
Death is defeated, brothers and 

514
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,360
sisters. 
When death feels powerful, 

515
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,760
remember it is already a 
conquered enemy. 

516
00:36:55,720 --> 00:36:58,720
When death feels power powerful,
remember that it's been 

517
00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,600
conquered by Christ's 
resurrection. 

518
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:07,200
Christ reigns even now, and the 
day is coming when the grave 

519
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:13,480
will lose its final power. 
Those who are in Christ will be 

520
00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:19,760
raised. 
In verses 27 through 28 we see 

521
00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:24,040
the sons final submission. 
Paul writes there for God has 

522
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,560
put all things in subjection 
under his feet. 

523
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,520
But when it says all things are 
put in subjection, it is plain 

524
00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:34,120
that he is accepted who put all 
things in subjection under him. 

525
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:37,120
So he's saying God is the 
exception to this, the Father is

526
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,520
the exception to this. 
When all things are subjected to

527
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,400
him, then the Son himself will 
also be subjected to him who put

528
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:50,320
all things in subjection under 
him, that God may be All in all.

529
00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:55,400
Now Paul is carefully guarding 
the glory of the Father. 

530
00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,280
He is carefully guarding the 
unity of the Trinity. 

531
00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:04,920
The Son's submission here is not
inferiority. 

532
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:09,120
He's not inferior, no, the Son's
submission here is the 

533
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,080
consummation of his mediatorial 
work, that Christ is our 

534
00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:17,160
mediator. 
Once redemption is complete, 

535
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:21,080
then the Son will hand the fully
restored Kingdom to the Father, 

536
00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:25,640
and divine harmony will fill the
cosmos, brothers and sisters. 

537
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:33,600
So what Paul is writing here is 
doxological, meaning it's 

538
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,520
praise. 
He's describing glory to the 

539
00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:42,240
Father and to the Son. 
He's rejoicing in the truth. 

540
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:47,600
It's not hierarchical, right? 
The the Son's mission to redeem 

541
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:51,160
and to restore will have 
achieved its goal. 

542
00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:54,400
He's he's exercising doxology 
here. 

543
00:38:56,840 --> 00:39:01,440
And Paul says then the triune 
God will be All in all, meaning 

544
00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:06,080
his rule, his glory, his 
presence will permeate all 

545
00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:10,080
things. 
So resurrection is not only 

546
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:16,200
personal, it's cosmic. 
It's it's not just about you, 

547
00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:20,240
it's about the entire universe 
and all that's in it. 

548
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,680
The risen Christ is not just 
saving souls, He's restoring the

549
00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:29,360
universe. 
Every corner of creation will 

550
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:33,240
one day reflect the Father's 
glory. 

551
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:41,480
Habakkuk 214 says that the 
knowledge of God and his glory 

552
00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:45,400
will cover the earth as the 
water covers the seas. 

553
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,360
So Paul's vision in verses 20 
through 28 stretches from Christ

554
00:39:53,360 --> 00:40:00,720
empty tomb to the universe's 
final restoration That day that 

555
00:40:00,720 --> 00:40:03,160
we see in Revelation. 
I believe it's chapter 21 where 

556
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:11,640
Christ says, behold, I'm making 
all things new because Christ 

557
00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:14,160
lives. 
The entire created order is 

558
00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:23,240
moving toward renewal. 
We, we live in this time where 

559
00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:26,120
we want to say all the time that
things are just getting worse. 

560
00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:31,360
Things are getting worse. 
Do you not think that Christians

561
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:36,040
in the 1500s felt like things 
were getting worse as the 

562
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,080
Christian religion, the 
Protestant religion, was 

563
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:46,720
normally nearly snuffed out? 
Do you not think that there have

564
00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:50,160
been great movements across 
history where Christians felt 

565
00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:53,360
like this has to be the very 
worst it can be? 

566
00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:59,560
Instead, what we observe is the 
cyclical nature. 

567
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,080
I'm an all millennialist, OK, so
this is showing up here. 

568
00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:08,800
But what we observe is a 
cyclical nature where things get

569
00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:11,800
bad. 
The gospel goes forward in 

570
00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:15,920
darkness, all right, post 
tenebrous luxe light after 

571
00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:22,960
darkness cry of the Reformation 
and then people get comfortable 

572
00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,120
in their sins again. 
It reads a lot like judges. 

573
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,920
Generations rise up that neither
no Christ nor no God nor fear 

574
00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:32,640
him. 
They do all that their heart 

575
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:35,920
desires. 
And then what? 

576
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:42,560
God has a remnant for himself, a
people, a holy nation, a royal 

577
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:45,320
priesthood of people set apart 
for his very own possession. 

578
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:51,280
First Peter 2. 
And those people boldly, 

579
00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:57,480
courageously proclaim the good 
news, and people believe it. 

580
00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:03,400
Our nation, our world, is 
experiencing in many ways 

581
00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:10,000
terrible persecution and yet 
great revival. 

582
00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:16,800
People coming to the faith. 
There are more young men, more 

583
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:21,760
young men between the ages of 
like 18 to 25 in church in 

584
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,840
America now than any generation 
previously. 

585
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:33,680
Why? 
But because they see the truth 

586
00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:36,240
that's being proclaimed, they're
believing it. 

587
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:37,760
They're searching. 
And I'm not saying all those men

588
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:39,080
are saved. 
I'm just saying they're, they're

589
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:50,720
searching in the right places. 
But one day Christ will return 

590
00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:55,320
and the universe will be finally
restored in the new heavens and 

591
00:42:55,320 --> 00:43:02,280
new earth, because he lives the 
entire created order, as I said 

592
00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:05,520
among the goes, heading toward 
moving toward renewal. 

593
00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:10,200
And that certainty anchors us in
hope. 

594
00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:14,080
I'm not afraid to raise sons in 
the world today. 

595
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,880
Not at all, not one bit. 
I I wish that the Lord would 

596
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:21,920
grant me more sons to raise, 
more daughters to raise. 

597
00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:25,560
Why? 
So that we can send them out as 

598
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:30,240
a force for good. 
A medieval so that we can raise 

599
00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:33,520
them to love the Lord, to fear 
Him above all else, to exercise 

600
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:39,720
wisdom, to love their neighbor, 
to see Christ save their souls. 

601
00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,280
So they go and raise families 
who do the same so that 

602
00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:48,240
generations may be impacted for 
His glory and the good of man. 

603
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,400
That's not to say I think my 
sons will go be world changers 

604
00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:57,520
in the sense that, you know, if 
you grew up in youth groups 

605
00:43:57,520 --> 00:43:59,560
around the time I did, 
everything was about becoming a 

606
00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:03,160
world changer. 
And what you find as you become 

607
00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:07,200
an adult is that you're not 
offered many opportunities that 

608
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:09,440
look like world changing 
opportunities. 

609
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,440
And what you find also is that 
this aligns with the very 

610
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,280
ordinary life that God gives to 
his people. 

611
00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:21,520
You become husbands and fathers 
and wives and mothers. 

612
00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,240
You serve the Lord your God with
all your heart and mind and soul

613
00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:28,160
and strength. 
You teach your children to do 

614
00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:31,600
the same. 
And so you become a world 

615
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:36,800
changer in that way. 
It's really refreshing that not 

616
00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:41,960
all of us have to be Billy 
Graham or Francis Schaeffer or 

617
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:47,640
John Piper, RC Sprole or John 
MacArthur or Martin Luther or 

618
00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:51,480
John Calvin, right? 
The Lord grants especially, you 

619
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:53,960
know, some people receive 10 
talents, some receive 5, some 

620
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:57,680
receive one, right? 
So God certainly calls men up. 

621
00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:01,440
Charlie Kirk was one of these 
men and and he gives them a 

622
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,520
great task and he calls them to 
extraordinary things. 

623
00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:08,680
But for the most of us, life 
looks pretty normal. 

624
00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:14,960
And I'm telling you, that's how 
God transforms the world. 

625
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:21,080
It's people, regular people, 
believing in resurrection hope, 

626
00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:26,600
preaching it, living it, sharing
it, and carrying it out until 

627
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:34,840
death do they part this earth. 
A kind of hope. 

628
00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:39,080
That hope anchors us, the 
certainty of Christ's 

629
00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:42,120
resurrection, the certainty that
Christ will return and we will 

630
00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,160
be raised with him. 
That kind of hope cannot be 

631
00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,200
shaken by death and decay and 
doubt. 

632
00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:55,880
It just can't. 
I'm getting very practical, and 

633
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:59,480
I jumped ahead of Paul. 
Paul's very practical in the 

634
00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:05,000
next section #3 because Christ 
has been raised, our lives have 

635
00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:06,840
meaning. 
So hold on to what we were just 

636
00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:10,200
talking about and dwell on it as
we talk through these things. 

637
00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:16,640
Verses 29 through 34, Paul 
writes otherwise. 

638
00:46:16,640 --> 00:46:19,320
What do people mean by being 
baptized on behalf of the dead? 

639
00:46:19,640 --> 00:46:22,240
If the dead are not raised at 
all, why are people baptized on 

640
00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:24,480
their behalf? 
Why are we in danger? 

641
00:46:24,480 --> 00:46:27,960
Every hour? 
I protest, brothers, by my pride

642
00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:31,920
in you, which I have in Christ 
Jesus our Lord, I die every day.

643
00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:34,720
What do I gain? 
If, humanly speaking, I fought 

644
00:46:34,720 --> 00:46:39,160
with beasts at Ephesus? 
If the dead are not raised, let 

645
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,960
us eat and drink, for tomorrow 
we die. 

646
00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:47,920
Do not be deceived. 
Bad company ruins good morals. 

647
00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:52,040
Wake up from your drunken 
stupor, as is right, and do not 

648
00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:55,280
go on sinning, for some have no 
knowledge of God. 

649
00:46:55,280 --> 00:47:03,600
And I say this to your shame. 
So Paul's proven the necessity 

650
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,120
and the certainty of the 
resurrection. 

651
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:09,720
The necessity is that if Christ 
is not raised, then our 

652
00:47:09,720 --> 00:47:11,840
preaching is in vain, and your 
faith is in vain. 

653
00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:15,240
The certainty of it is that He 
has been raised, and so too will

654
00:47:15,240 --> 00:47:19,120
we rise with Him. 
He's subjugating all things now,

655
00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:22,680
and one day all those things 
will be put under His feet and 

656
00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:25,560
he'll give those things to the 
Father and the great 

657
00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:29,440
consummation, and we will be 
with God eternally. 

658
00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:33,400
So he's shown the necessity, 
shown the certainty of the 

659
00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:35,360
resurrection. 
Now he turns to the practical 

660
00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:39,600
impact. 
Why does this matter, Corinth, 

661
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,960
for your life today? 
What? 

662
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:45,800
What's the big deal about the 
doctrine of the resurrection? 

663
00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:49,080
What difference does 
resurrection truth make for 

664
00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:52,960
daily living? 
Everything. 

665
00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:00,000
It makes every difference. 
That's what Paul says. 

666
00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,680
He's saying it makes every 
difference. 

667
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,280
If Christ has been raised, then 
what do we do? 

668
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:08,920
How do we live what we endure 
for him? 

669
00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:12,280
All of these things will carry 
eternal weight. 

670
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:17,880
Verse 29, you see the confusion 
of the Corinthians. 

671
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:23,240
Otherwise, Paul says what people
mean by being baptized on behalf

672
00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:25,520
of the dead. 
If the dead are not raised at 

673
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:28,240
all, why are people being 
baptized on their behalf? 

674
00:48:29,680 --> 00:48:32,600
Now, I'll admit to you this 
verse has puzzled interpreters 

675
00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:38,280
for a long time. 
Paul doesn't explain the 

676
00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:43,280
practice in detail, but he's not
endorsing the practice either. 

677
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:48,320
This isn't some command, you 
know, some new sacrament for the

678
00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:52,280
church to adhere to. 
The point of his argument is 

679
00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:56,400
simple and rhetorical. 
Why would anyone participate in 

680
00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:59,560
a practice that assumes 
resurrection if they actually 

681
00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:03,560
deny it? 
So the Corinthians apparently 

682
00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:05,800
held some sort of inconsistent 
theology. 

683
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:09,280
We've seen that very it's very 
prevalent throughout the book of

684
00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:11,960
First Corinthians. 
But here's another one right? 

685
00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:18,400
Some denied resurrection while 
still practicing those rights 

686
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:22,600
that assumed it, and so Paul's 
just exposing the contradiction 

687
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:26,480
here. 
Even your rituals, even the 

688
00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:30,800
things you're doing, admit that 
death is not the end, right? 

689
00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:33,640
Paul's not teaching baptism for 
the dead as a legitimate 

690
00:49:33,840 --> 00:49:37,400
Christian practice. 
Scripture elsewhere refutes this

691
00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:40,480
idea. 
He's simply using their 

692
00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:44,280
inconsistency as evidence that 
belief and resurrection is 

693
00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:47,880
unavoidable if one holds to the 
gospel. 

694
00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:51,560
Right. 
So Romans 6, Paul lays out very,

695
00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:56,600
very, very, very clearly that 
our baptism depicts our 

696
00:49:56,600 --> 00:50:00,960
resurrection in Christ. 
We are buried with him in 

697
00:50:00,960 --> 00:50:05,080
baptism, and we're raised to 
walk in the newness of life. 

698
00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:12,560
So Paul's logic presses home a 
question for us. 

699
00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:20,920
Do our practices match our 
profession? 

700
00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:29,120
We can claim to believe in 
eternal life, but do your 

701
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:34,400
choices reveal that you actually
believe in eternal life? 

702
00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:41,960
Does the use of your time reveal
that you believe in eternal 

703
00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:48,200
life? 
Does your pursuits of holiness 

704
00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:51,120
prove that you believe in 
eternal life? 

705
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:56,720
Does your endurance in trials, 
your endurance in suffering, 

706
00:50:56,920 --> 00:50:59,160
prove that you believe in 
eternal life? 

707
00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:05,440
Do those things actually reflect
resurrection hope? 

708
00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:11,160
Right. 
And so Paul gets into this daily

709
00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:13,840
risk for the gospel in verses 30
through 32. 

710
00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:18,480
Why are we in danger? 
Every hour? 

711
00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:23,560
I protest, brothers, by my pride
in you, which I have in Christ 

712
00:51:23,560 --> 00:51:27,920
Jesus our Lord. 
I die every day. 

713
00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:34,160
I die every day. 
You may ride in your margin. 

714
00:51:34,160 --> 00:51:37,880
What I think is the great plea 
of the disciples, the great 

715
00:51:37,880 --> 00:51:41,720
prayer of the disciple. 
Galatians 224. 

716
00:51:41,720 --> 00:51:46,280
I've been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but 

717
00:51:46,280 --> 00:51:51,320
Christ who lives in me in the 
life I now live in the flesh. 

718
00:51:51,520 --> 00:51:55,760
I live by faith in the Son of 
God who loved me and gave 

719
00:51:55,760 --> 00:52:00,720
himself for me. 
I saw a mantra of brothers and 

720
00:52:00,720 --> 00:52:09,220
sisters. 
So Paul's turning from the 

721
00:52:09,220 --> 00:52:14,180
Corinthians inconsistency to his
own integrity as an example. 

722
00:52:14,180 --> 00:52:18,360
For thou follow me as I follow 
Christ, imitate me as I imitate 

723
00:52:18,680 --> 00:52:22,560
Christ. 
His daily suffering for Christ 

724
00:52:22,560 --> 00:52:25,440
makes no sense. 
No sense if there's no 

725
00:52:25,440 --> 00:52:27,680
resurrection. 
Why? 

726
00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:32,120
Why would you endure the things 
that Paul's endured if there's 

727
00:52:32,120 --> 00:52:36,840
no resurrection? 
Every risk he's taken, every 

728
00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:40,760
beating he's incurred, every 
imprisonments, all of those 

729
00:52:40,760 --> 00:52:44,280
things are fueled by the 
certainty that Christ had 

730
00:52:44,280 --> 00:52:51,880
conquered death. 
Philippians, one right? 

731
00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:53,160
You've been coming on Sunday 
nights. 

732
00:52:53,160 --> 00:52:59,760
You might remember this, Paul 
writes there for to me, to live 

733
00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:05,320
is Christ, but to die is gain. 
He says it's my great 

734
00:53:05,320 --> 00:53:08,040
expectation and hope that 
whether by life or by death, 

735
00:53:08,240 --> 00:53:11,880
Christ will be glorified or 
exalted in my body. 

736
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:17,160
He's writing that from prison, 
where he thinks maybe I don't 

737
00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:21,400
get out of here alive. 
To live is Christ. 

738
00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:24,800
To die is gain. 
To live as Christ means I get to

739
00:53:24,800 --> 00:53:28,000
go on proclaiming Christ. 
I get to go on exalting Christ. 

740
00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:30,840
I get to go on encouraging the 
brothers and sisters in the 

741
00:53:30,840 --> 00:53:32,560
Lord. 
I get to go on planting churches

742
00:53:32,560 --> 00:53:34,680
and strengthening the churches 
that have been planted. 

743
00:53:34,680 --> 00:53:43,760
I get to go on in the mission. 
But to die, that's great gain. 

744
00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:48,320
Why? 
Because I'm saved finally from 

745
00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:52,400
this suffering. 
I'm saved finally from the from 

746
00:53:52,400 --> 00:53:56,800
the the fear of death, the 
doubt, the worry about what will

747
00:53:56,800 --> 00:53:59,360
happen tomorrow, what will 
happen today. 

748
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:03,440
I'm saved finally, and I'm 
granted eternal life with 

749
00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:13,400
Christ. 
It's great gain that certainty 

750
00:54:13,400 --> 00:54:16,720
in the resurrection has fueled 
everything that Paul has 

751
00:54:16,720 --> 00:54:20,160
endured. 
Faith in the resurrection 

752
00:54:20,160 --> 00:54:23,360
produces courageous 
perseverance. 

753
00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:31,440
It stiffens your spine. 
It strengthens your heart. 

754
00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:37,320
It helps you to overcome 
temptation and sin. 

755
00:54:39,120 --> 00:54:42,480
It helps you to to want to work 
through the marriage failures. 

756
00:54:42,480 --> 00:54:45,000
It helps you to want to work 
through the parenting issues. 

757
00:54:45,160 --> 00:54:47,360
It helps you to want to 
reconcile with brothers and 

758
00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:50,400
sisters in the Lord who have 
failed you or you have failed 

759
00:54:50,400 --> 00:54:55,720
them and bones you to proclaim 
the gospel in your life. 

760
00:54:57,200 --> 00:54:59,440
The resurrection hope grounds 
everything that we do. 

761
00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:05,320
It's a certainty for us. 
It gives a courageous 

762
00:55:05,320 --> 00:55:08,760
perseverance. 
Only a living Savior can sustain

763
00:55:08,760 --> 00:55:13,960
dying Saints. 
Paul says I die every day. 

764
00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:18,360
He means that his life was 1 
long martyrdom. 

765
00:55:22,560 --> 00:55:27,720
Today, not my will, but your 
will be done, O Lord. 

766
00:55:28,200 --> 00:55:32,240
Today, Not my Kingdom come, but 
your Kingdom come on earth as it

767
00:55:32,240 --> 00:55:36,360
is in heaven. 
O Lord, see what I'm saying? 

768
00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:40,560
He's giving himself to the Lord 
every day. 

769
00:55:41,280 --> 00:55:45,120
It's a daily surrender to the 
cost of following Jesus. 

770
00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:48,880
He says. 
What do I gain if humanly 

771
00:55:48,880 --> 00:55:51,880
speaking, I fought with the 
beast at Ephesus? 

772
00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:56,880
Some people like to assert that 
there's no name calling in the 

773
00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:58,520
Scriptures. 
Oh, there's name calling, 

774
00:55:58,520 --> 00:56:04,800
brothers and sisters. 
It's referencing the fierce 

775
00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:09,040
opposition that he faced. 
Why should I have endured such 

776
00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,760
hardship if there's no 
resurrection? 

777
00:56:13,800 --> 00:56:18,560
Why not just say, you know what,
I'm going to go home. 

778
00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:22,960
Why not be like the Israelites 
who say, Moses, could you please

779
00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:28,200
just take us back to Egypt? 
We were far better as slaves. 

780
00:56:31,520 --> 00:56:34,640
All right. 
But the one who says I die daily

781
00:56:35,240 --> 00:56:39,720
to my desires, I die daily to my
wants, I die daily to those 

782
00:56:39,720 --> 00:56:44,360
things. 
That person goes on courageously

783
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:52,320
to serve the Lord. 
In the early church, there's a 

784
00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:59,360
man named Polycarp of Smyrna. 
Now Polycarp was asked to 

785
00:56:59,360 --> 00:57:02,400
renounce Christ. 
He was demanded actually that he

786
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:07,000
renounce Christ. 
If he wasn't going to renounce 

787
00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:09,720
Christ, he was told, we will 
kill you. 

788
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:17,680
When threatened with death, you 
got to hear Polycarps answer. 

789
00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:23,000
When threatened with death, 
Polycarp said 80 and six years. 

790
00:57:23,000 --> 00:57:28,800
What a way to speak. 80 and six 
years I have served him and he 

791
00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:34,360
has done me no wrong. 
How then can I blasphemy my King

792
00:57:34,600 --> 00:57:40,040
who saved me? 
You see, that kind of faith 

793
00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:45,520
makes no sense apart from 
resurrection certainty. 

794
00:57:48,320 --> 00:57:51,640
The resurrection gives meaning 
to every risk that you take for 

795
00:57:51,640 --> 00:57:54,680
Christ. 
It gives meaning to your 

796
00:57:54,680 --> 00:57:57,480
sacrifices. 
They're not wasted. 

797
00:58:02,790 --> 00:58:05,910
Every moment of obedience, every
unseen act of faithfulness, 

798
00:58:05,910 --> 00:58:10,750
every hardship that's endured in
His name will be vindicated, 

799
00:58:10,750 --> 00:58:12,950
brothers and sisters, on 
resurrection morning. 

800
00:58:14,150 --> 00:58:18,510
It will be not. 
Maybe it will be. 

801
00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:24,520
And so Paul reveals this folly 
of earthly living without 

802
00:58:24,520 --> 00:58:26,480
resurrection, hope. 
And 32 B. 

803
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:31,360
He says if the dead are not 
raised, let us eat and drink, 

804
00:58:31,520 --> 00:58:38,680
for tomorrow we die. 
He's quoting Isaiah 2213, and 

805
00:58:38,680 --> 00:58:42,720
he's exposing this logical 
conclusion of unbelief. 

806
00:58:44,560 --> 00:58:49,200
If you don't believe that Christ
is going to raise you, then go 

807
00:58:49,200 --> 00:58:52,400
be a hedonist of the highest 
order. 

808
00:58:53,920 --> 00:59:03,640
Eat, drink, die, serve yourself.
Withhold nothing from yourself 

809
00:59:03,640 --> 00:59:10,120
that your heart desires. 
If there is no resurrection, 

810
00:59:10,120 --> 00:59:13,880
Paul is saying, then pleasure is
the only purpose left. 

811
00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:19,560
You should enjoy every moment to
its fullest, not worrying about 

812
00:59:19,560 --> 00:59:21,920
sin, not worrying about 
holiness, not worrying about a 

813
00:59:21,920 --> 00:59:23,960
God who will judge you on that 
last day. 

814
00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:27,000
You should go do whatever you 
want. 

815
00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:33,840
Is that not the creed of a 
Christless world? 

816
00:59:36,160 --> 00:59:37,960
Is that not the creed of a 
Christless world? 

817
00:59:37,960 --> 00:59:41,520
That without Christian hope we 
should just eat and drink and 

818
00:59:41,520 --> 00:59:47,160
die? 
You should live for today, 

819
00:59:47,160 --> 00:59:50,040
because tomorrow the grave 
winds. 

820
00:59:52,560 --> 00:59:55,400
This is hedonism at its core, 
brothers and sisters. 

821
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:59,000
It's the natural religion of 
unbelief. 

822
01:00:00,200 --> 01:00:04,240
Without resurrection, sin makes 
sense. 

823
01:00:06,000 --> 01:00:09,680
If If there's no resurrection, 
then sin makes sense. 

824
01:00:11,400 --> 01:00:17,440
Holiness makes no sense. 
Without eternal life, self 

825
01:00:17,440 --> 01:00:25,080
indulgence becomes very logical.
And so that's why you can look 

826
01:00:25,080 --> 01:00:28,800
at a world that's deceived and 
you can have pity on them 

827
01:00:29,680 --> 01:00:32,680
because they're so deceived in 
the thinking that life has no 

828
01:00:32,680 --> 01:00:35,840
meaning, that they'll give 
themselves to whatever their 

829
01:00:35,840 --> 01:00:38,160
heart desires, whatever their 
flesh craves. 

830
01:00:40,440 --> 01:00:42,400
There's no understanding of sin.
There's no understanding of 

831
01:00:42,400 --> 01:00:43,600
holiness. 
There's no understanding of a 

832
01:00:43,600 --> 01:00:45,120
holy God that we've rebelled 
against. 

833
01:00:45,120 --> 01:00:47,240
And we will stand before one 
day. 

834
01:00:48,280 --> 01:00:51,000
And so they eat and drink and 
die. 

835
01:00:54,440 --> 01:00:57,840
Our culture preaches the same 
message in a modern form. 

836
01:00:58,040 --> 01:01:04,480
Yolo, the old school. 
But the idea that you only live 

837
01:01:04,640 --> 01:01:08,720
once. 
But every Christian knows 

838
01:01:08,720 --> 01:01:12,400
better, or the should. 
Every Christian should know 

839
01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:14,840
better because of the 
resurrection. 

840
01:01:14,840 --> 01:01:17,240
We don't live once, we live 
forever. 

841
01:01:18,840 --> 01:01:22,880
Death cannot hold us. 
And so that truth should shape 

842
01:01:22,880 --> 01:01:26,480
every decision, from how we 
spend money, to how we pursue 

843
01:01:26,480 --> 01:01:28,840
purity to how we pursue our 
purpose. 

844
01:01:29,560 --> 01:01:34,080
It shapes everything. 
And so Paul then reveals the 

845
01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:36,760
moral danger of false teaching 
in the next verses. 

846
01:01:36,960 --> 01:01:41,360
Do not be deceived. 
Bad company corrupts or ruins 

847
01:01:41,360 --> 01:01:45,320
good morals. 
Wake up, he says, from your 

848
01:01:45,320 --> 01:01:51,000
drunken stupor, as is right, and
do not go on sinning. 

849
01:01:52,520 --> 01:01:56,760
So Paul now exposes the moral 
fallout of false doctrine. 

850
01:01:57,560 --> 01:02:01,400
You see, there's a price to pay 
when we get the gospel wrong. 

851
01:02:01,400 --> 01:02:04,920
There's a price to pay when we 
ignore the gospel altogether. 

852
01:02:06,160 --> 01:02:09,320
It's not just that the person 
pays the price. 

853
01:02:09,440 --> 01:02:12,440
It's that society around them 
pays the price. 

854
01:02:12,560 --> 01:02:15,840
Their families pay the price. 
Their children pay the price. 

855
01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:19,120
Their spouses pay the price. 
Their neighbors and coworkers 

856
01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:28,120
pay the price. 
Wrong beliefs lead to wrong 

857
01:02:28,120 --> 01:02:31,840
living. 
While Paul writes a whole letter

858
01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:35,400
to Titus, and the point of the 
letter to Titus is that sound 

859
01:02:35,400 --> 01:02:43,400
doctrine leads to sound lives, 
The The denial of resurrection 

860
01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:46,800
isn't just a theological 
mistake. 

861
01:02:47,520 --> 01:02:51,360
It's pronouncing moral decay. 
It's producing moral decay in 

862
01:02:51,360 --> 01:02:56,000
the church. 
When we read the phrase bad 

863
01:02:56,000 --> 01:02:58,760
company, it's it's not just 
about the friendships you keep. 

864
01:02:58,800 --> 01:03:03,840
Well, that's important. 
What Paul's exposing here is 

865
01:03:03,840 --> 01:03:07,120
that it's about fellowship with 
error. 

866
01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:11,200
The core of the Corinthian 
church is in error. 

867
01:03:13,160 --> 01:03:18,520
That bad company is producing A 
moral corruptness. 

868
01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:23,640
In chapter 5, we have a man who 
is sleeping with his stepmother,

869
01:03:25,240 --> 01:03:29,760
and the church is tolerating it,
ignoring it, giving approval to 

870
01:03:29,760 --> 01:03:33,240
it. 
That's moral corruption, 

871
01:03:33,240 --> 01:03:40,160
brothers and sisters. 
When the Church tolerates 

872
01:03:40,160 --> 01:03:44,880
teaching that dole's eternal 
realities, then holiness begins 

873
01:03:44,880 --> 01:03:49,360
to die. 
A ship, right? 

874
01:03:50,120 --> 01:03:57,680
A ship that drifts 1°, 1° off 
course ends up miles away from 

875
01:03:57,680 --> 01:04:02,040
its destination over time. 
Well, the same is true for the 

876
01:04:02,040 --> 01:04:05,480
church. 
Drifting 1° from truth leads to 

877
01:04:05,480 --> 01:04:10,920
ruin over time. 
And so Paul is saying here, 

878
01:04:10,920 --> 01:04:12,840
guard your mind, guard your 
heart. 

879
01:04:13,360 --> 01:04:16,960
Proverbs 423 Keep your heart 
with all vigilance, for from it 

880
01:04:16,960 --> 01:04:22,760
flow the springs of life. 
Doctrine matters because your 

881
01:04:22,760 --> 01:04:29,200
life will always follow your 
theology, your life will always 

882
01:04:29,200 --> 01:04:33,720
follow what you believe. 
So Paul's encouraging them, Stay

883
01:04:33,720 --> 01:04:37,720
anchored in the gospel of the 
risen Christ, or you're going to

884
01:04:37,720 --> 01:04:41,320
slowly drift toward the moral 
sleep that he's warning them 

885
01:04:41,320 --> 01:04:46,320
about. 
In verse 34 B, we see the shame 

886
01:04:46,320 --> 01:04:49,600
of spiritual apathy, for some 
have no knowledge of God. 

887
01:04:49,600 --> 01:04:54,640
I say this to your shame. 
So Paul ends the section. 

888
01:04:54,640 --> 01:05:00,920
I mean, it's there's a lot of 
encouragement here, but he ends 

889
01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:05,160
the section not with comfort, 
but with confrontation. 

890
01:05:08,320 --> 01:05:11,600
There were people in the church 
who claimed to know Christ but 

891
01:05:11,600 --> 01:05:14,720
lived as though the resurrection
were fiction. 

892
01:05:17,720 --> 01:05:20,880
To deny the resurrection is not 
a small error. 

893
01:05:21,720 --> 01:05:27,320
It's a denial of the character 
of God himself, the God who says

894
01:05:28,160 --> 01:05:32,280
Matthew 2232, we read this, not 
the God of the dead, but of the 

895
01:05:32,280 --> 01:05:35,800
living. 
It's like God describes himself 

896
01:05:35,800 --> 01:05:37,720
in the Scriptures, that he's not
the God of the dead, he's the 

897
01:05:37,720 --> 01:05:42,760
God of the living. 
It's possible. 

898
01:05:44,640 --> 01:05:46,480
So I talked about some of the 
benefits of a cultural 

899
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:48,000
Christianity. 
Here's some of the negative 

900
01:05:49,120 --> 01:05:53,080
effects. 
It's possible to attend church, 

901
01:05:54,360 --> 01:05:59,480
to sing the songs, to listen to 
the Word, preach, even to nod 

902
01:05:59,480 --> 01:06:03,160
your head in agreement at times,
and still live as though 

903
01:06:03,240 --> 01:06:08,480
eternity isn't real. 
And so Paul's call here 

904
01:06:08,560 --> 01:06:14,760
literally wake up. 
Wake up from your drunken stupor

905
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:19,280
as is right. 
His call is to live as a 

906
01:06:19,280 --> 01:06:23,920
resurrection people, a people 
who are awake of people who are 

907
01:06:23,920 --> 01:06:27,840
alerts, of people who are holy 
and a people who are hopeful, 

908
01:06:29,200 --> 01:06:34,080
and a world that sleeps in sin. 
We are called to be alert, 

909
01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:37,440
awake. 
And so Paul's closing warning 

910
01:06:37,440 --> 01:06:40,800
here shows that resurrection 
truth is not only something to 

911
01:06:40,800 --> 01:06:48,040
believe, it's something to live.
Every decision, every hardship, 

912
01:06:48,040 --> 01:06:50,680
every act of obedience finds its
meaning in this. 

913
01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:57,400
Christ has been raised. 
And without that truth we drift.

914
01:06:58,880 --> 01:07:03,440
But with it, we stay the course,
and we endure. 

915
01:07:15,520 --> 01:07:25,240
Friend, if you have not trusted 
Christ to be risen, to be the 

916
01:07:25,240 --> 01:07:32,360
one who defeated death, hell and
the grave, to be your Lord, then

917
01:07:32,680 --> 01:07:36,080
you need to understand what 
Paul's words mean for you. 

918
01:07:39,800 --> 01:07:45,880
The resurrection that gives 
believers hope also guarantees 

919
01:07:46,480 --> 01:07:50,600
that you will one day stand 
before the living judge. 

920
01:07:53,680 --> 01:07:57,800
The Bible says in Acts 1731 God 
has fixed the day on which he 

921
01:07:57,800 --> 01:08:01,640
will judge the world in 
righteousness by a man whom he 

922
01:08:01,640 --> 01:08:06,400
has appointed, and of this he 
has given assurance to all by 

923
01:08:06,400 --> 01:08:13,120
raising him from the dead. 
So the resurrection is not just 

924
01:08:13,120 --> 01:08:18,279
proof of life after death, it's 
proof of judgment after death. 

925
01:08:20,720 --> 01:08:27,760
If Christ has not been raised, 
then sin wins, there is no 

926
01:08:27,760 --> 01:08:31,720
justice. 
But because he has been raised, 

927
01:08:31,720 --> 01:08:35,560
sin will be judged, and every 
wrong will be made right. 

928
01:08:38,120 --> 01:08:45,600
And so the empty tomb declares 2
things for US1 grace, that in 

929
01:08:45,600 --> 01:08:49,720
great grace God has put His Son 
forward on our behalf. 

930
01:08:51,120 --> 01:08:55,120
They crucified Him, bearing the 
weight of the sin of all those 

931
01:08:55,120 --> 01:08:57,319
who will call upon His name for 
salvation. 

932
01:08:59,760 --> 01:09:04,439
And He rose again, showing that 
the IT is finished, was paid in 

933
01:09:04,439 --> 01:09:08,800
full. 
But the second thing it reveals 

934
01:09:08,800 --> 01:09:14,600
to us is a warning. 
There is grace for all who 

935
01:09:14,600 --> 01:09:18,640
repent, believe, and there's a 
warning of judgment for all who 

936
01:09:18,640 --> 01:09:22,640
continue in unbelief. 
So if you remain outside of 

937
01:09:22,640 --> 01:09:27,920
Christ, Paul uses the word 
implore. 

938
01:09:27,920 --> 01:09:34,439
I'm going to implore you today, 
urge you today to not leave the 

939
01:09:34,439 --> 01:09:39,880
same way you can. 
The risen Savior offers you full

940
01:09:40,080 --> 01:09:43,080
forgiveness today. 
He offers you redemption of 

941
01:09:43,080 --> 01:09:46,080
life. 
He offers you a new name, a new 

942
01:09:46,080 --> 01:09:52,120
creation. 
He's conquered the grave so that

943
01:09:52,120 --> 01:09:55,920
you might share His life and not
face Him in His wrath. 

944
01:09:57,920 --> 01:10:03,800
Turn from your sin and come to 
Him and know that is Romans 10 

945
01:10:03,800 --> 01:10:07,520
tells us whoever calls upon the 
name of the Lord will be saved. 

946
01:10:11,520 --> 01:10:16,120
Brothers and sisters of Christ 
has not been raised and this 

947
01:10:16,120 --> 01:10:23,680
preaching is useless. 
If Christ has not been raised, 

948
01:10:23,680 --> 01:10:28,920
then faith is empty, it's vain. 
If Christ has not been raised, 

949
01:10:28,920 --> 01:10:33,120
then sin still reigns. 
If Christ has not been raised, 

950
01:10:33,120 --> 01:10:37,200
then the dead are lost. 
If Christ has not been raised, 

951
01:10:37,200 --> 01:10:40,680
then brother or sister, you are 
of most people to be pitied. 

952
01:10:44,440 --> 01:10:49,960
But because Christ has been 
raised, your faith is secure. 

953
01:10:51,600 --> 01:10:54,840
Because Christ has been raised, 
your sins are forgiven. 

954
01:10:56,080 --> 01:10:58,760
Because Christ has been raised, 
your future is certain. 

955
01:10:58,760 --> 01:11:02,800
Because Christ has been raised, 
your lives are meaningful. 

956
01:11:05,480 --> 01:11:08,680
The resurrection isn't just a 
doctrine to affirm, it's a 

957
01:11:08,680 --> 01:11:12,280
reality to live by. 
It changes how we face death. 

958
01:11:12,400 --> 01:11:15,080
It changes how we suffer. 
It changes how we work. 

959
01:11:15,200 --> 01:11:18,800
It changes how we worship. 
It changes literally everything 

960
01:11:18,800 --> 01:11:24,880
about our lives. 
So, believer, would you live as 

961
01:11:24,880 --> 01:11:28,960
one who knows that Christ has 
risen Indeed, believe with 

962
01:11:29,120 --> 01:11:31,360
confidence that your faith is 
not in vain. 

963
01:11:31,880 --> 01:11:35,320
Endure with courage because your
suffering is not in vain. 

964
01:11:35,520 --> 01:11:38,720
Serve with joy because your 
labor is not in vain. 

965
01:11:38,800 --> 01:11:42,920
Stand with hope because death 
has lost its sting. 

966
01:11:44,200 --> 01:11:48,160
Christ is risen, and because he 
lives, so too will we. 

967
01:11:49,040 --> 01:11:52,680
Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you 

968
01:11:52,680 --> 01:11:54,880
for your word. 
We. 

969
01:11:54,880 --> 01:12:00,880
Praise you, praise you for these
truths of the. 

970
01:12:00,880 --> 01:12:05,800
Resurrection for all that. 
It means that Christ was raised 

971
01:12:06,240 --> 01:12:09,040
and the because Christ was 
raised, He resides in heaven 

972
01:12:09,240 --> 01:12:14,000
where all things are being put 
into subjugation under His feet.

973
01:12:16,800 --> 01:12:20,240
And we will. 
Share eternity with him as a Co 

974
01:12:20,240 --> 01:12:27,000
heir. 
To glory, but before. 

975
01:12:27,000 --> 01:12:30,320
That day because Christ has been
raised. 

976
01:12:30,920 --> 01:12:34,360
It transforms everything about 
our lives. 

977
01:12:34,440 --> 01:12:39,240
Now we can believe with 
confidence we can endure. 

978
01:12:39,240 --> 01:12:43,360
With courage we can serve. 
With joy, we can stand with hope

979
01:12:46,720 --> 01:12:48,960
and so. 
We praise you for these truths. 

980
01:12:51,040 --> 01:12:54,560
And Father, I beg you. 
I beg you to. 

981
01:12:54,560 --> 01:12:57,440
Save. 
Anyone here today who? 

982
01:12:57,440 --> 01:12:59,120
Doesn't know you as their Lord 
would. 

983
01:12:59,120 --> 01:13:00,640
You save them. 
From their sins. 

984
01:13:00,640 --> 01:13:02,640
Would you convict them of their 
sins? 

985
01:13:02,640 --> 01:13:05,040
Would you draw them to 
repentance and faith? 

986
01:13:06,560 --> 01:13:12,000
Would you grant them new life? 
Let the old things. 

987
01:13:12,000 --> 01:13:14,280
Passed away and all things 
become new. 

988
01:13:16,640 --> 01:13:18,000
Would you convince them of 
these? 

989
01:13:18,000 --> 01:13:22,400
Truths of your Scripture today. 
Just as you did for all of us in

990
01:13:22,400 --> 01:13:24,400
here. 
Who do call on the? 

991
01:13:24,400 --> 01:13:28,120
Name of the Lord. 
Our lives were once marred by 

992
01:13:28,120 --> 01:13:31,560
sin, marked by transgression and
rebellion. 

993
01:13:32,160 --> 01:13:36,400
And yet graciously, mercifully, 
lovingly, you have saved us out 

994
01:13:36,400 --> 01:13:39,080
of the pit of hell. 
You've granted us life in 

995
01:13:39,080 --> 01:13:42,640
Christ. 
So we don't hold these truths as

996
01:13:42,640 --> 01:13:44,640
those who think we're better. 
Than those around. 

997
01:13:44,640 --> 01:13:52,160
Us who don't know them, but we 
hold these truths with sympathy 

998
01:13:52,160 --> 01:13:54,640
and a. 
Pity for those around us who? 

999
01:13:54,640 --> 01:13:58,640
Don't know them, so would you 
help us be bold and declaring 

1000
01:13:58,640 --> 01:14:05,280
them? 
Would you use us Father to bring

1001
01:14:05,280 --> 01:14:07,520
men, women and children to 
Christ? 

1002
01:14:07,520 --> 01:14:15,620
I'm going to give you a moment 
now there in your seat to pray 

1003
01:14:15,620 --> 01:14:21,360
to seek the Lord as you see fits
whatever from the. 

1004
01:14:21,360 --> 01:14:24,040
Sermon may be calling you to 
obedience, whatever. 

1005
01:14:24,040 --> 01:14:27,280
May be calling you to reflection
and mindfulness. 

1006
01:14:27,280 --> 01:14:30,040
Now. 
Meditate on those truths. 

1007
01:14:30,960 --> 01:14:33,200
Ask the Lord to plant them deep 
in your hearts. 

1008
01:14:37,480 --> 01:14:40,240
Maybe the Lord's calling you to 
repent and to believe. 

1009
01:14:41,760 --> 01:14:44,720
Don't delay, repent and believe 
today. 

1010
01:15:22,360 --> 01:15:25,560
Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for the grace and the mercy and 

1011
01:15:25,560 --> 01:15:28,040
the love. 
That you show sinners and Saints

1012
01:15:28,040 --> 01:15:32,320
alike, we thank you. 
That as Saints of God, you. 

1013
01:15:32,320 --> 01:15:37,640
Are sanctifying. 
Us by your. 

1014
01:15:37,640 --> 01:15:39,720
Spirit, you're convicting us of 
sin. 

1015
01:15:39,720 --> 01:15:42,200
You're challenging the way. 
That we think the way that we 

1016
01:15:42,200 --> 01:15:47,120
act, the things we say, you're 
calling us into further 

1017
01:15:47,120 --> 01:15:48,600
obedience to. 
Christ. 

1018
01:15:49,680 --> 01:15:55,000
You've not left us to ourselves 
to make a ruin of all this. 

1019
01:15:55,880 --> 01:15:59,480
No, You graciously guide us each
and every day because you love 

1020
01:15:59,480 --> 01:16:06,560
us. 
You love us, and it's astounding

1021
01:16:07,080 --> 01:16:13,880
that a perfectly holy just God 
could love people like us who 

1022
01:16:13,880 --> 01:16:27,920
are unfaithful so frequently. 
But we praise you for it. 

1023
01:16:30,880 --> 01:16:34,160
Psalm 100. 
Verse 5 says the Lord is good. 

1024
01:16:35,120 --> 01:16:38,080
And His faithfulness endures to 
every generation. 

1025
01:16:39,880 --> 01:16:44,360
So we here, here, so here we 
sit, representing our 

1026
01:16:44,360 --> 01:16:46,880
generation. 
And we too can. 

1027
01:16:46,880 --> 01:16:50,520
Testify that you are good and 
that you are faithful. 

1028
01:16:54,760 --> 01:16:57,800
We love you. 
Amen.