Great Results Of The Resurrection 5-24-26 AM

I.        Preaching the gospel is profitable (1 Cor. 15:14).

A.     Paul told them that if Jesus was not risen, then the preaching he and others did was useless.

B.     But because Jesus is risen, there is good news to preach.

C.     Preaching involves telling others about the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead.

a.      This is what separates the gospel from any other religious message.

b.      We preach a risen Savior.

D.     The resurrection was a focal point of all the sermons recorded in Acts 2-5.

E.      It is essential to our salvation (Rom. 10:9-10).

F.      It is essential for baptism to be valid.

a.      Rom. 6:3-4

b.      Col. 2:12.

G.    Because Jesus has been raised from the dead, the preaching of the gospel is profitable and not vain.

II.       Faith is the victory (1 Cor. 15:17).

A.     Without Jesus being raised from the dead, any faith we might have would be useless, and we would still be weighed down by our sins.

B.     But because Jesus has been resurrected, our faith leads to victory.

a.      1 Cor. 15:57.

b.      1 John 5:4.

C.     We can overcome the world by faith because Jesus is risen from the dead.

D.     Satan was defeated the moment Jesus came forth from the grave (Gen. 3:15).

E.      There is great reason to have faith in the resurrection of Jesus.

a.      The eyewitnesses of the resurrection amount to over 500.

1.      1 Cor. 15:5-8.

2.      Someone said that if each witness could testify for fifteen minutes, it would take 129 hours to hear their testimony.

3.      That would be from Monday morning to Friday evening with no breaks hearing their testimony.

b.      The message being sent to the world (Col. 1:23).

c.       The change in the life of Paul is proof of the resurrection.

d.      The sacrifices made by the apostles, who were not even truly expecting a resurrection, attest to its truthfulness.

F.      For these reasons and others, there is no reason to not have faith in the resurrection of Jesus, thus there is no reason to not be victorious.

III.   Life has meaning (1 Cor. 15:18-19).

A.     If there was no resurrection, those that have died would be lost in hell, and our life on earth would be miserable.

B.     There would be no meaning or aim for our lives, and we would wander around aimlessly like so many in the world do.

a.      Paul’s words to the Thessalonians would have no meaning because we would sorrow because of no hope.

b.      This life would be all that there is, and we would be eternally lost.

C.      However, since Jesus came out of that tomb, we have direction and hope.

a.      We have the aim of heaven, ever striving for the goal set before us.

b.      We have hope which saves.

c.       Rom. 8:24.

D.     We know people who go from this to that and on to the next thing, wandering aimlessly because their lives have no direction.

E.      This great gospel, made possible by the Lord’s resurrection, gives us direction.

F.     We know where we are going and how to get there.

IV.  Death is defeated (1 Cor. 15:26).

A.     We all are going to die, unless the Lord returns first (Heb. 9:27).

B.      The death we face and will meet is not the end (1 Cor. 15:54-57).

C.      We will not be as we once were.

a.      1 Cor. 15:42-44.

b.      1 Cor. 15:51-53.

D.      We don’t know what this will be like, but it will be wonderful (1 John 3:2).