Bible ReadingMatthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men. The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.” So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
[58:16] [01:06:38] [01:08:10]1 Corinthians 15:1-22 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
[58:23] [01:12:27] [01:14:43] [01:21:04] [01:22:50] [01:29:19]Romans 6:8-11 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
[01:27:15]Observation questions- In Matthew 28, what details show that the women did not come to the tomb expecting resurrection, and what does the angel tell them to do next? [01:09:50]
- In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, what parts of the gospel does Paul call “most important,” and which witnesses does he list as having seen the risen Jesus? [01:12:27]
- According to 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, what specific consequences would follow if Christ had not been raised? [01:21:35]
- In 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, what two images or comparisons does Paul use to explain the resurrection—“firstfruits” and Adam versus Christ? [01:30:25]
Interpretation questions- Paul says the gospel includes not only that Christ died and was buried, but also that he was raised. Why does the resurrection make the gospel saving news rather than only a tragic story? [01:14:43]
- Paul points to many eyewitnesses, including more than five hundred at one time. What does that add to Christian confidence, and why does it matter that the resurrection is treated as a real event in history? [01:18:42]
- Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, faith is worthless and people are still in their sins. How does that show the difference between living faith in Jesus and empty religion? [01:25:51]
- Paul calls Christ the “firstfruits” of those who have fallen asleep. How does that language reshape the way believers understand death, grief, and future hope? [01:31:03]
Application questions- Hope is only as secure as the one it rests on. When life gets heavy, what does hope usually lean on first—health, money, family, routine, self-control, religious effort? What helps reveal where hope is really resting? [01:03:13]
- The women came to the tomb carrying spices for a dead body, and they left with fear and great joy. Where does life currently feel like a tomb—something disappointing, buried, or final—and what would it look like to bring that place honestly before the risen Jesus? [01:06:38]
- Faith is not made strong by sincerity alone. Where is there a temptation to trust in being a good person, knowing the right things, or keeping up religious habits instead of resting in the living Christ? [01:01:23]
- If Christ has been raised, then sin no longer gets the last word. Is there a specific sin pattern, accusation, or guilt that still feels like it has more authority than it should? What would it look like this week to consider oneself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus? [01:27:15]
- The phrase “fallen asleep in Christ” does not remove the pain of death, but it does change its final meaning. How has death or the fear of death touched this group recently, and how does the resurrection speak into that pain without pretending it does not hurt? [01:31:17]
- The resurrection is the Christian’s D-Day: the decisive victory has already happened, even though battles still continue. What present struggle makes it hard to believe that victory is already secured—suffering, temptation, grief, anxiety, or something else? How might that truth steady the heart this week? [01:34:36]
- Jesus can resurrect what looks dead. What part of life most needs that hope right now—a marriage, a habit, courage to obey, joy, endurance, or something deeper in the soul? What would be a small but honest step of trust in the risen Jesus this week? [01:35:15]
