I
Cor. Chapter 15:1-58
Memory
verses for this week: James
5:16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much..
Introduction:
Last
week in Chapter 14, we found that of the three special spiritual
gifts given to those in the early church, that the greatest of those
was the ability to prophesy.
Speaking in tongues and interpreting those languages were
special gifts, but prophecy built up the whole church.
I.
The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
1
Cor 15:1 Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1
Cor 15:2 By which also
ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless
ye have believed in vain.
1
Cor 15:3 For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1
Cor 15:4 And that he
was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:
The
first four verses of this chapter declare the resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ. And
the definition of the gospel is clearly given in verses 3 and 4.
The Gospel is how Christ died for our sins, how he was
buried, and after three days and three nights, he arose victorious
out of the grave. And
the death, burial, and resurrection were all done according to the
Old Testament Scriptures. Verse
2 teaches that if we believe in any other thing besides the true
Gospel, we are believing in vain.
It is Christ and Christ alone who saves us from our sins, and
it is all of grace. Our
works, no matter how great they might be, will never come into play
in regards to our salvation.
1
Cor 15:5 And that he
was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1
Cor 15:6 After that, he
was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1
Cor 15:7 After that, he
was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1
Cor 15:8 And last of
all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Paul
mentions a number of people who saw Jesus after His resurrection.
It is not like we have to believe just Mary and the apostles.
There were more than 500 brethren that witnessed Christ after
His resurrection. Paul
mentions that he was one born out of due time.
He means that during this time, the Jews had been cut off and
did not see things accurately concerning Jesus Christ.
Even today, we still live in the age of the Gentiles.
But like Paul, there are still some Jews who believe in
Christ and have obtained salvation.
We know that God has promised that the Jewish nation will be
born again when He returns to earth at the close of the great
tribulation.
Isa
66:6 A voice of noise
from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that
rendereth recompense to his enemies.
Isa
66:7 Before she
travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was
delivered of a man child.
Isa
66:8 Who hath heard
such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to
bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as
soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Isa
66:9 Shall I bring to
the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I
cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Isa
66:10 Rejoice ye with
Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for
joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
II.
The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection
1
Cor 15:9 For I am the
least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
1
Cor 15:10 But by the
grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon
me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all:
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1
Cor 15:11 Therefore
whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
1
Cor 15:12 Now if Christ
be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that
there is no resurrection of the dead?
As
great a man as Paul was, he had a very humble opinion of himself. It seemed that although God had forgiven him for persecuting
the church, Paul could not forgive himself.
He said he was not meet to be called an apostle.
But as he goes
on to say, it is the grace of God that makes us what we are.
Without Jesus, we are nothing.
Some during Paul’s day denied the resurrection of the dead
and did not believe that Jesus rose from the grave.
But man can deny, but the Holy Spirit has witnessed with my
spirit that Jesus did come out of the grave and is sitting at the
right hand of the Father always making intercession for me.
Rom
8:34 Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us.
1
Cor 15:13 But if there
be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
1
Cor 15:14 And if Christ
be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain.
1
Cor 15:15 Yea, and we
are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God
that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the
dead rise not.
1
Cor 15:16 For if the
dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1
Cor 15:17 And if Christ
be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1
Cor 15:18 Then they
also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
1
Cor 15:19 If in this
life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
There
are so many things that would be vain if Christ was not risen from
the dead. Our presence
in church services would be of no value if we worship a god that is
dead. Many
worship false gods like Buda and Mohammed, but our God is different.
Jesus is the only one who has died and come back to life.
If Christ was not real, we would be false witnesses, and all
of our efforts to preach would be in vain.
But we are not still in our sins, because Jesus did rise up
out of the tomb after three days and three nights.
III.
The Order of the Resurrection
1
Cor 15:20 But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept.
1
Cor 15:21 For since by
man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1
Cor 15:22 For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Christ
became the first fruits of the dead.
Some teach that Moses was raised from the dead, but if that
is true, it had to be after Christ was resurrected because verse 20
says Jesus became the firstfruits of them that slept.
Because Adam and Eve sinned, we all have inherited the sin
nature. We are all fallen and have no ability to have
fellowship with God without first coming to Christ for salvation. As by the one man Adam came death, by the one man,
Jesus Christ, who was God incarnate, we are made alive when we come
to Him for salvation.
1
Cor 15:23 But every man
in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming.
1
Cor 15:24 Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even
the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power.
1
Cor 15:25 For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
There
is an order to those who will be resurrected:
1.
Christ is the firstfruits
2.
They that are His (the saved) at His coming (I Thes. 4:13)
3.
The lost at the close of the 1,000 year Millennial reign of
Christ
At the close of the one
thousand year reign of Christ, He will deliver up the kingdom to the
Father and then Christ shall reign forever in the new earth.
Rev
20:4 And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
Rev
20:5 But the rest of
the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
Rev
20:6 Blessed and holy
is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.
1
Cor 15:26 The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1
Cor 15:27 For he hath
put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put
under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all
things under him.
1
Cor 15:28 And when all
things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be
subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all
in all.
God
the Father has put all things under Christ’s feet.
That is not to say that Christ is elevated above the Father,
but that all things here on earth and above are under Christ’s
rule. Because of Christ
overcoming death, we that know Jesus as Lord will never experience
separation from God. Death
has been overcome when Jesus arose victoriously from the grave.
One of the greatest promises we have is at the end of this
chapter.
1
Cor 15:55 O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1
Cor 15:56 The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1
Cor 15:57 But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1
Cor 15:29 Else what
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not
at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
1
Cor 15:30 And why stand
we in jeopardy every hour?
1
Cor 15:31 I protest by
your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1
Cor 15:32 If after the
manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth
it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we
die.
1
Cor 15:33 Be not
deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1
Cor 15:34 Awake to
righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God:
I speak this to your shame.
Paul
asks a good question in verse 29.
If there was no resurrection, why were all of these people
being baptized. Baptism
in itself is a picture of the of the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ. We see
our old man, the man of the flesh being put to death as we go down
into the water, and the new man, the spiritually reborn man, rising
up to walk in newness of life.
Paul points out that if there is no resurrection, why do
people like him jeopardize their lives to preach the gospel.
If Christ is not real, we might as well live like the world
and never consider walking a life that is pleasing to God.
But like Paul, we know Christ is true and we gain by living a
separated life patterned after Jesus.
We should so believe in our faith that we are willing to tell
others. He tells us to
wake unto righteousness. Paul
said some in his day did not have the knowledge of God, and that was
to their shame. It
could be said of us today I am afraid.
Every chance we get we should speak of the hope that lies
within us.
1
Pet 3:15 But sanctify
the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear:
1
Pet 3:16 Having a good
conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers,
they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in
Christ.
1
Pet 3:17 For it is
better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing,
than for evil doing.
IV.
The Method of Resurrection
1
Cor 15:35 But some man
will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they
come?
1
Cor 15:36 Thou fool,
that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1
Cor 15:37 And that
which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare
grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1
Cor 15:38 But God
giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own
body.
Paul
asks two questions in verse 35… “How are the dead raised up?”
and “With what body do they come?”
He goes on to explain this by using the sowing of a seed as
an example. To all
appearances, when a seed is sown, it dies.
Later, it rises to a larger and more glorious life.
God gives us a body (the seed) as it pleases him.
1
Cor 15:39 All flesh is
not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another
flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
1
Cor 15:40 There are
also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the
celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
1
Cor 15:41 There is one
glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory
of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
Not
all flesh is the same as are all bodies.
Paul explains how that there is a kind of flesh of man,
whereas there is another flesh of beasts and other types of animals.
And there are different bodies.
In the celestial, we have stars, the moon, and the sun.
Here on earth, we have bodies of men, animals, and plants.
The beauty of the heavenly bodies is unique and different
from the earthly bodies. All
things, were created for God, and He deserves to receive glory from
His creation.
1
Cor 15:42 So also is
the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised
in incorruption:
1
Cor 15:43 It is sown in
dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is
raised in power:
1
Cor 15:44 It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural
body, and there is a spiritual body.
1
Cor 15:45 And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam
was made a quickening spirit.
1
Cor 15:46 Howbeit that
was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and
afterward that which is spiritual.
1
Cor 15:47 The first man
is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1
Cor 15:48 As is the
earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly,
such are they also that are heavenly.
1
Cor 15:49 And as we
have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly.
1
Cor 15:50 Now this I
say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
As
there is a difference in the glory of the different types of bodies,
so is there with the resurrected body.
This body will be changed into a gloried body at the
resurrection.
1
Cor 15:51 Behold, I
show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed,
1
Cor 15:52 In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
1
Cor 15:53 For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality.
The
resurrection truly is a mystery.
We don’t know the day nor the hour, but it might be even
today. And as quick as
the twinkling of an eye, that trumpet will sound and we will all be
changed into the glorious body fashioned after the glorified body of
Jesus Christ.
1
John 3:2 Beloved, now
are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we
shall see him as he is.
V.
The Final Victory Over Death
1
Cor 15:54 So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1
Cor 15:55 O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1
Cor 15:56 The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1
Cor 15:57 But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
only way we can have victory over the grave is to know Christ as our
Lord and Savior. When
we have Jesus, death has no power over us.
Rom
5:12 Wherefore, as by
one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom
5:13 (For until the law
sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Rom
5:14 Nevertheless death
reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after
the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him
that was to come.
Rom
5:15 But not as the
offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one
many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom
5:16 And not as it was
by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto
justification.
Rom
5:17 For if by one
man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ.)
VI.
Challenge to All Who Know the Lord
1
Cor 15:58 Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not
in vain in the Lord.
This
is a verse that is both a challenge and a promise.
We are told to do three things.
1.
Be stedfast
2.
Unmoveable
3.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
When we do this, we can trust
in the promise that none of our work we do for the Lord is in vain.
We may never receive a thank you or any recognition on this
side of glory, but God will not be unfaithful to reward our efforts.
Even a glass of cold water given in God’s name will result
in a reward one day.
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Practice
Random Acts of Kindness. Each
act spreads, and many will be blessed.