Celebrating the Transformative Power of the Resurrection

Church, it is no secret that we are living in a world of disinformation and manipulation which has permeated throughout our culture. We see it in our political system. We see it on our social media platforms. We also see it within our religious sector of our current society. [00:43:32]

And when one would examine the history of Christianity, many within the academy and atheists, and oftentimes they are one and the same, have made attempts to dismantle the truth of God's word by denying the fact or by spreading disinformation about the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as if it is some fabricated myth or a fabricated story. [00:43:56]

We don't have to get upset because in the words of the urban slain, you got receipts. Yeah, you got proof. You got evidence to back up the truth that Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. And church, I'm looking at a couple of y 'all this morning that can testify when you look at your own life. [00:44:37]

Because, church, what it has me doing, it has me think about Friday. Because on Friday, they put nails in his hand. They put nails in his feet. They put a crown of thorns on his head. And he died on Friday. It has me thinking about Saturday. Because Saturday, there is no hope. Jesus is dead. He's in the grave. [00:48:48]

That's why I understand how somebody got to stand up here every Sunday morning and tell you to put your right hand into your left hand. Ain't nobody got to make you worship your God for all the sacrifice he's done on your behalf. [00:49:33]

Well, here in our text, the Apostle Paul is writing to a church. And if I can keep it 100 with ASO AC, the church is just like us. They jacked up from the flow up. So when you read Corinthians, don't you go in there judging as if you got it all together. [00:51:39]

certainty of the resurrection of believers but what they didn't understand you cannot here it is separate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the resurrection of believers so let me pull the receipts because on the receipts there's three items that you and I need to be aware of first one is the truth of the gospel that's the first item on the receipt when you look at verses 1 and 2 Paul reminds the Corinthian believers about the good news that they had previously heard that they are now currently standing in and that will one day and continue to allow them to continue to stand in it is the gospel of Jesus Christ church that justified them that gave them eternal life that was presently sanctifying them as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ church that word save you look at your Bible in verse 2 it has and describes this present tense salvation for them it is also a present tense salvation for you and I when we think about uh the tense of salvation there are three tense of salvation we have been saved we were saved we call that justification it is all of a work of God it means that we you and I were free from the penalty of sin but then we are being saved we call that sanctification that means that you and I are free from the power of sin in other words when you sin you choose to sin as believers because God has already given you power over sin but then one day we're gonna fold up our tent and move upstairs and that's called glorification that you will one day be saved and that's free from the presence of sin when we see in verse 2 Paul is identifying the second sanctification process in terms of us being saved it's a continuous action and it helps us to understand church that the only way you and I will be able to continue to be saved according to the text is that we hold fast yeah I'm in your bible that we hold fast and abide in the true knowledge and application of the word of God so here's the question here's the question we have to ask and answer what is the gospel I'm glad you asked because in verse 3 and 4 Paul paints a clear picture of what the gospel is notice in verse 3 what he says here it is he says Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures when we think about the term sin when we can define sin it literally means to miss the moral mark of God it's like having a 50 foot basketball goal and no matter what you have whether a golf ball basketball baseball football soccer ball a tennis ball it doesn't matter you can never make a shot no matter how how many times you throw it up there you are missing the mark of God and when you miss the mark of God it's because Isaiah says that our righteousness are like filthy rags before God why because you have a notice in society everybody everybody wants to talk about God being love that God is love but the chief character of God hear me closely is not love let me say that one more and again the chief character of God is not love it's him being holy [00:52:19]

you skip over the holiness trying to get to the love but he he can't deny his holiness because it is because he is holy why his son died for you and I and so as a result we find out because we were born in Adam meaning we have been imputed in the unrighteousness of sin because when you and I was born we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity but the second Adam Jesus [00:56:46]

Christ imputed his righteousness unto us so that positionally you and I as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we are right with God even though our practice may still be jacked up what God wants you to do is to get your everyday practice to match what you already he says that you already are it's like you being a part of the royal court and want to live down with peasants too many believers are living beneath themselves because you got a holy father that wants you to be holy and righteous and as a result of that he wants you to have that and so he did something you could not do he died for sin the Bible says Christ died for sin watch this and he took our place [00:57:35]

now why is this significant church this is significant because of who Jesus is you got to remember he is the God man he is the word that became flesh he is the second person of the Godhead he is watch this fully God and fully man he has a divine nature and a human nature and they do not mix with each other and they will never mix he became a man without giving up his deity why is that because man could die but he could not satisfy the righteousness of God but with God could not die but he could watch this satisfy the righteousness and holiness of God the father so God had to become the God man in Jesus Christ so that he can die on our behalf but still satisfy the payment and the wrath that the father demanded for sin even [00:58:31]

so as a result of that death that he died guess what you and I are forgiven [00:59:33]

you're forgiven you have eternal life and now you are saved but notice something else in verse 4 because in verse 4 he says that we he was buried that he was raised on the third day according to the scripture church the evidence that Jesus died is that he was buried this was not a Hollywood hoax y 'all know what I'm thinking about them people coming back and opening the door you know Gail and them act like they ain't been out of space they ain't been out of space this was not a Hollywood hoax matter of fact it was prophesied in the book of Isaiah chapter 53 it predicted that the Messiah would give up his life as a sacrificial offering Bible says that on the third day Jesus rose from the grave and church that resurrection watch it now is your receipt [01:00:44]

it's your receipt that your sins have been forgiven by God and that he accepted Jesus Christ payment for our sins and all of this happened according to the scriptures and church that's a good word for all of us this morning because whether you are in the building or you are watching online listen the fact still remains the only hope that you and I will have in this life to be free from our sins is to have an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ to believe in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ church our belief our trust must be in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because Jesus justified us he gives us eternal life he gives us eternal life and he's now presently sanctifying every believer with an authentic relationship that filters down to God the Father all because we accepted the sacrifice what Jesus did on our behalf church that's the truth of the gospel it brings forth conviction it brings forth repentance it brings forth the truth of the gospel it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings forth conviction it brings it brings forth conviction it brings [01:01:48]

and putting their faith or trust and belief in the truth of the gospel here's a quote you need to understand it's not easy to be a Christian but it's easy to get started [01:02:31]

the reason why is because the work has already been done for you and so church you got receipts number one the truth of the gospel number two we have the testimony of witnesses church the verification of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not made by just some loyal subjects or loyal disciples as a matter of fact Paul provides an argument that Jesus resurrected resurrection excuse me was verified by the scriptures but it was also verified as a historical evidence by people who were alive at that time to see him in his resurrected body what it helps us to understand that there were witnesses that actually provided a witness account that Jesus had resurrected from the dead now remember his burial verifies that he was dead the fact that he appeared to other people verified that he was resurrected how do we know that look at the text because in verse 5 you got your bible open the first male that we see as a witness was Peter then we see the rest of the apostles verse 6 helps us to understand that there were over 500 brothers and sisters who may have heard the great commission in Matthew 28 all at one time in other words this is no conspiracy theory you can't get all them people to lie about the same thing you can't get five people to lie about the same thing somebody gonna mess it up I need to talk to the real folk in here and so as a result Paul says and many of them were still alive when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians but here's the kicker one the kicker one was James he's the Lord's half brother they got the same mama but they got different daddies because Jesus' daddy is God and James' daddy is Joseph [01:02:45]

and yet his half brother saw him grew up and did not believe that he was the Messiah until after he saw him resurrected and so when you got that close of a family member that don't believe they not gonna lie for you church they were all witnesses of the power of the resurrection of Jesus they saw Jesus after he had died and they experienced the transformational power of him and it transformed their life because of the resurrection and family they're not the only ones who are able to witness to give evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because think of it this way you and I are witnesses as well because let me paint this picture for you Jesus on the mount of Olivet goes watch this to the right hand of the father but his promise is to send the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit watch this indwells fills seals and baptizes every blood born again believer the Holy Spirit does not come if Jesus is still dead [01:04:04]

but because he is alive and because he sits at the right hand of the father it helps us to understand that we are witnesses as well of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and church we need to tell the world that there is a way to have a relationship with God and it comes by accepting the death burial and resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ because it'll give you victory over death it'll give you victory over sin so church you got receipts the truth of the gospel the testimony of witnesses and the transformation by grace notice what Paul says in verse 8 Paul says as one who is untimely born what Paul was getting at is that he lacked the gestation of the [01:06:51]

period he lacked the discipleship time period that the rest of the apostles had while Jesus was on earth he didn't get that one -on -one or group discipleship like everyone else and so Paul considered himself watch this the least of the apostles here's the reason why because his background check was bad [01:07:57]

his background check wasn't clean it's in your Bible look at verse 9 he says that he had what persecuted the church and so he considers himself the least of the apostles because he had persecuted the church but what Paul does later he realized church that God's grace is not nullified by our failures and past sins I thought somebody would have shouted right there because what you have to understand is that God will allow you to have your past and I know some of y 'all keep thinking that God can't use me because of my past God can't save me because of my past God can't love me because of my past but you fail to realize and understand God's track record because God has a track record of saving and using liars pimps prostitutes murderers drug dealers felons and all of us they ain't got no title for [01:08:11]

he will use all of us for the glory of him and Paul had to learn and so do we that our past church is simply a backdrop on what God wants to do to display his grace in our life so don't get mad when folk bring up your past and they call you I remember when it's okay I do too but I'm not there no more I've been transformed I've been transformed in my mind I've been transformed in my thinking and when you are transformed you know what you will find yourself doing serving the Lord you will find your listen I'm not talking about you being a church member I'm not talking about you being religious I'm talking about you recognize what God has done in your life ain't no devil in hell ain't nobody gonna stop you from serving the Lord it's the reason why some of us serve so much because we know how hard and how far he had to come get us and we know the amount of stuff that we have done that is forgiven now I have to serve him that's what Paul says Paul says man look I'm gonna serve him greater because of what he has done in my life and church when when God has done something in terms of transforming your heart transforming your mind your spirit your life transforming your talk your walk your outlook your earthly perspective to a kingdom perspective then church you got receipts [01:09:21]