1 Corinthians 15:1-23 In The Age of Anxiety Why Believe Jesus is the Saviour

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-23 In The Age of Anxiety Why Believe Jesus is the Saviour

Slide 1 1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Tim Keller writes: "Even before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and its aftermath, the Western world had been experiencing a growing crisis of hope.

For at least two centuries Western cultures had been animated by a powerful hope that history was progressive, that the human race was moving inevitably toward creating a world of greater and greater safety, prosperity, and freedom. In short, there was a strong belief that overall every generation of human beings would experience a better world than the previous generation. This is one of the legacies of the European Enlightenment, whose many figures predicted that human reason, ingenuity, and science, once freed from superstitions of the past, would inevitably bring in a better future.  But then came the twentieth century. In 1947 W. H. Auden wrote his book-length poem The Age of Anxiety.  Yet when the Cold War ended in 1989, the older belief in inevitable human progress seemed to revive. Some even declared "the end of history," meaning that the lethal struggles between the great ideologies—fascism, communism, and Western-style democracy—were finally over. The fears of warfare that could bring about worldwide conflagration were diminished. International capitalism, fueled by globalization, went into high gear and many economies seemed to be thriving. The Age of Anxiety was over; the earlier optimism of the Enlightenment was rekindling. The number of people who said that children today will grow up to be better off than their parents' generation went up to over 50 percent of the population. The human dilemma from time immemorial has not only been about how to control nature "out there" but—the far more difficult challenge—how to control nature "in here," that is, the many enigmas and problems of human nature itself. We hunger for meaning and purpose. We find that things that we thought would bring us satisfaction do not. We are shocked at the evil things other human beings—and we ourselves—are capable of doing. What can we do about us? As Sullivan indicates, controlling external nature is not enough, and there is plenty of evidence in a year of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are far from having done even that.

With Covid 19 and its many variants, with the war in Ukraine and the threatened war with China, we are beyond the age of anxiety. We have entered the age of despair.  The Daily Telegraph had an article the other day. "Decade of Concern Australia unprepared for war with China."

One of the reasons for the remarkable rise of Christianity in its earliest centuries was that it offered resources for hope in the face of the numerous urban pandemics that were devastating the Roman world. Kyle Harper, a historian who has written on ancient pandemics, was interviewed and asked about how Christianity kept thriving and growing in the bleakness of those times. He said: "For [Christians], it was a positive program. This life was always meant to be transitory, and just part of a larger story. What was important to the Christians was to orient one's life towards the larger story, the cosmic story, the story of eternity. They did live in this world, experience pain, and loved others. But the Christians of that time were called to see the story of this life as just one of the stories in which they lived. The hidden map was this larger picture. The Christian "hidden map" went far beyond ordinary religious consolations. For example, other religions spoke of the uncertain possibility of a better hereafter if our moral performance was sufficient. The Christian hope exceeded such quavering wishful thinking in every way. The biblical word elpida, translated as the weaker English word hope, means profound certainty. Christians view even the hardest circumstances as part of a history guided by God at every turn toward not merely some kind of afterlife but toward the resurrection of our bodies and souls into new, remade heavens and earth. And all this hope centers on one explosive event—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is what Christianity offers a world that has lost hope.

The gospel begins with the reporting of certain historical events. Christianity is rightly seen as a life-changing experience, but it will transform you only if you accept as facts that certain events occurred in history.

No other religious faith started by saying, "Above all and before everything else, you must believe that these historical events happened." Certainly all the religions had origin stories and accounts of various heroes of the faith. But such stories were provided primarily as examples to emulate. The main message was "Live in this way and find the path of wisdom and you will find unity with the infinite." Christianity opens not with "Here's how you have to live," but "Here's what Jesus did for you in history." First, he died for our sins and was buried, and second, he was raised to life on the third day and he appeared to many eyewitnesses.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are about the historicity of these events.  Something happened in history that made Easter the focus of all history past present and future. The electrifying original message was this: God's power has come from outside of history into this world. Jesus died for our sins in our place so that through faith we can know his love and receive a guarantee of eternal life—all by grace, as a gift. He also rose from the dead to bring into history the powers of the age to come, in which we will all be resurrected and every tear will be wiped away (Hebrews 6:5; 2 Peter 3:13; Romans 8:18–25). Because Jesus' death for sin and resurrection happened in history, everything has changed. Everything.

Slide 2    Without the gospel there is hopelessness (15:12-19)

If He is not risen there is no proof of life after death 15:12,13 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;

Preaching and faith useless (15:14) "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless," and the Greek word for useless is kenos, without power.

Preachers are liars 15:15-16 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;

No forgiveness 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

No heaven 15:18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Most pitiful creature 15:19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Paul is saying that mere ethical exhortations—that "we need to work against injustice" or "we need to keep up hope in the face of anxiety"—as right as they are, are nonetheless impotent if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead in history. If he was raised, we have not only every reason in the world to work for the good, but also the actual inward power to do so. But if he was not raised, then, both the ancient philosophers and modern scientists agree, the world will eventually burn up, and no one will be around to mourn for it, and nothing anyone does will in the end make any difference.

Because Christianity is a historical faith, it is also a reasonable one, and 1 Corinthians 15 is brimming with reasons to believe.

Slide 3 The Full Gospel

Slide 4  Christ's resurrection is a key part of the gospel.
It is the proof that we have a Saviour (15:1-11).

Slide  5  What's the Difference?

1. Confucius' grave is occupied.  2. Buddha's grave is occupied.  3. Mohammed's grave is occupied.

4. Jesus' grave is empty.

You can take Confucius out of Confucianism and still have Confucianism.

You can take Buddha out of Buddhism and still have Buddhism.

You can take Mohammed out of Islam and still basically have Islam.

You cannot take Jesus out of Christianity and still have Christianity.  Christianity is not a creed, a code, a cause or a church; it is Christ.   A real historical person who because of His death and resurrection can change your life completely and can introduce you now into a vital relationship with God.

Listen to how a fellow named Mathetes put it in 130 AD.

Mathetes to Diognetus  "As long then as the former time  endured, He permitted us to be borne along by unruly impulses, being drawn away by the desire of pleasure and various lusts. This was not that He at all delighted in our sins, but that He simply endured them; nor that He approved the time of working iniquity which then was, but that He sought to form a mind conscious of righteousness,  so that being convinced in that time of our unworthiness of attaining life through our own works, it should now, through the kindness of God, be vouchsafed to us; and having made it manifest that in ourselves we were unable to enter into the kingdom of God, we might through the power of God be made able. But when our wickedness had reached its height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward,  punishment and death, was impending over us; and when the time had come which God had before appointed for manifesting His own kindness and power, how the one love of God, through exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with hatred, nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but showed great long-suffering, and bore with us,  He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!  Having therefore convinced us in the former time  that our nature was unable to attain to life, and having now revealed the Saviour who is able to save even those things which it was [formerly] impossible to save, by both these facts He desired to lead us to trust in His kindness, to esteem Him our Nourisher, Father, Teacher, Counsellor, Healer, our Wisdom, Light, Honour, Glory, Power, and Life, so that we should not be anxious  concerning clothing and food.

Slide  6  The resurrection produces a certain hope (15:20-28)

Hope for resurrection (15:20-23 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,

Will reign with Christ 15:24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.

His Kingdom is over all (15:27b-28) But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Is all of this a fantasy? Is it all just like the words of Imagine.

"Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people Livin' for today Ah Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too  Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man"

Communism "socialism hasn't worked for the Russian people. Sid Grobachev athe hand over of power to Russian President Yeltsin.  It still doesn't. Ask Ukraine how that is working out? It turned out just to be a bad dream. No unity of people under atheism, just power and exploitation.

And Christianity? Is our Hope a bad dream? No not at all.

1. Slide 7  Your Hope Is Certain Because of Scriptural Reasons

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Fulfilled Prophecies  Isaiah 53He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Unifying Messianic Theme

Accuracy of the Bible Archeology

Slide 8

2. Your Hope Is Certain Because of Historical Reasons

An Empty Tomb  "An empty tomb is there to show my Saviour lives."

Slide9

Slide 10

Slide 11  Eyewitness Testimonies       and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

Established Transformations

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3. Your Hope Is Certain Because of Spiritual Reasons  Slide 14

9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking  method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.  They have a common table, but not a common bed.  They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh.  They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.  They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life.  They are poor, yet make many rich;  they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless;  they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

4. Your Hope Is Certain Because of Personal Reasons

Slide 15 ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain;

Jesus alone is the answer to your heart's need.   There is nowhere else to go except to Jesus.

No one else has the answer to your sin. Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures (Isa 53:6)  He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him… 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong. Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

No one else can fill the longing in your heart.

No one else can give you peace that passes understanding.

No one else has the words of eternal life.

No one else walked out of that grave, but Jesus did.

Do you know Jesus personally? If not, you can pray to Him today and ask Him to come into your life.

Call upon Jesus today. Repent (turn) from your sins, and turn to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and acknowledge Him as Lord of your life.