Embracing Resurrection: Transformative Power and Enduring Faith

The essence of the truth of biblical resurrection is presented from the esqueological perspective like more than just being revived because what happened to all those people one one scholar tried to create a word I don't know whether this is a English word or not I was sitting at rhley Bible college and This guy said it's not it's not just being revived like Lazarus and all those guys. It was he said he could use the word I don't know is that a word revivification which is being revived because after that they died. Yeah. But resurrection that that the Bible talks about the resurrection for eternity that we that we're going to have. [01:19:58]

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. That's the Old Testament faith. But you and I have the advantage of we have seen and we have read what was written. Abraham did did not have the scripture. Noah did not have the scripture. You and I do. Yeah. Those guys heroes. They did not have the scripture. You and I do. Yeah. Some people rest for the dead, but they didn't come to see Jesus raised himself up by the Holy Spirit. [01:33:13]

So then some start to start to deny the the the existence of resurrection in that in that sense. In other words, being raised and never to see death again. And because of that Paul then let's go back to verse one first Corinthians chapter chapter verse one. He said, "Now I would remind you." He said, "Okay, let let's go back to when I when I preach to you guys. I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you receive, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word that I preached to you, unless you believe in vain." [01:21:57]

You are you are being saved if you hold fast to it. You notice the uh the the uh grammatical thing. You are being saved. In other words, the gospel is a sustain something that sustain us in our journey. And we are until Jesus comes back, we are being saved. And another another passage where Jo said uh uh Paul said we are being transformed. from glory to glory. That's the journey of being saved. As a matter of fact, somebody this is like long time ago I heard there are three aspect. You were saved, you being saved and you will be saved means the completion of the whole thing. [01:22:49]

Salvation. You and I, we were saved when we received Jesus. But at the same time we are being saved being transformed from glory to glory. One degree of glory to another degree of glory. And then until that time we will be completely saved. Yeah. So Paul remind them. Let me remind you about the gospel that I preached to you. you've been infiltrated by these idiots. Let me remind you of the gospel that I preached to you. And he start talking about resurrection. Before we we we uh go deeper into the above verse into this passage, I want to read something a statement made by How many have have heard the guy called Chuck. [01:23:42]

Chuck Olson is a guy one of the President Nixon's uh key men. He was he was caught up in in the whole Watergate. Has anybody heard of Watergate thing? Right. Yeah. Watergate scandal. And he was in prison. He was in prison. And I mean he got saved and he got saved and became a minister. As a matter of fact, D and I when he visited Australia in somewhere 84, 85, whatever D and I were invited to sing, you know. before his his uh thing that American guy. Yeah. Yeah. He came and so he he got saved and he wrote something like this. He said this is word for word, right? [01:24:47]

I know the resurrection is a fact and Watergate proved it to me. Really? Okay. How? Because 12 men 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead and they proclaimed the truth for 40 years never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned and but and put in prison. They would not have endured endured those things if it weren't true. The resurrection went through. And then he said, "What a great embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world and they could not keep alive for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep alive for 40 years? Absolutely impossible." [01:25:45]

And I read that and I thought, "Sounds great. But let's see what Paul how Paul asserts the truth about resurrection of Jesus. Let's start from verse three. I mean it's great great great testimony but let's see how Paul make his argument or his assertion here is from verse three. For I deliver to you as of first importance that I also receive that Christ died for our sins. Listen to this. In accordance with the scriptures. And that he was buried and was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Are you guys getting something here? [01:26:25]

And that he appeared to Cphus and then to the 12 then appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time. Most of them are still alive. though some have fallen asleep. Verse seven, then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I work harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is in me. [01:27:06]

Whether then it was I or they, so we speak, and so you believe the this is the I'm trying to push two points here or some points. The prime foundation of Paul's assertion in presenting the truth of resurrection is what is written. He pushed that. He He said Jesus was crucified that as it is written. He was quoting from Isaiah 53. Written in the scripture. It is a sure foundation what is written. Okay. Christ died for us in accordance with the scripture. He was buried and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scripture. [01:28:21]

In other words, it is impossible to deny the resurrection. I mean, you 500 people saw it at one time. Yeah. And then Paul himself, I like the way he said untimely born. As I look, I thought that's an interesting way of or abnormally born. So, he's referring to himself in this way. Okay. The reason for use this terminology is because the way Paul's apostolic status came into being. His apostolic status is unlike the other apostles who came to their apostolic status after being with Jesus three and a half years. [01:29:28]

Paul, he became an apostle while he was on the way to kill some Christians, to arrest some Christians on the way road to Damascus. Like that's why it's so untimely born. It's like, you know, it's weird, but that's how God works. Those guys spent three and a half years with Jesus being disciple. I was on the way with you on my horse ready to arrest some Christians and maybe to kill them and then confronted by Jesus and then he presented himself like because of that I see myself as I'm not willing to be an apostle or the least of the apostles and yet you know he's the most prominent apostle in the church history in the New Testament. [01:30:31]

Yeah. I read this church history by by this guy called FF Bruce. He said he wrote he wrote this Christianity began as a Jewish sect. That's how Christianity began as a Jewish sect. And this is what he said. And yet within just over a generation, this Jewish sect become became the majority religion in the whole of Roman Empire between just over generation. No email, no telegram, no nothing, no Facebook, nothing. He said just over generations. You know how big Roman Empire at that time become the majority religion in the whole Roman Empire. [01:31:30]

And he said all that I can put down after studying history to the work of one man, the work and the writing of one man whose name was Paul. And yet he saw himself as the least of the apostles. Yeah. Now let's see go back again resurrection in the context of this thing that we call enduring faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. That's the Old Testament faith. But you and I have the advantage of we have seen and we have read what was written. Abraham did did not have the scripture. Noah did not have the scripture. You and I do. [01:32:35]

Some people rest for the dead, but they didn't come to see Jesus raised himself up by the Holy Spirit. They didn't see that. You and I. It's not to certain extent. It's not the unseen faith. It's like, yeah, we've we've heard what is written and we've seen in the scripture. We have the upper hand as far as faith to the heroes of the faith. In the book of Hebrews, verse 13, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, you and I have received what was promised. But having seen them, greeted them from afar, having acknowledged that they were strangers in exile on earth. [01:33:33]

And verse 39, all these all the Old Testament saints though commended through their faith did not receive what was promised, which is the resurrection. Oh yeah, they received forgiveness. They experienced forgiveness by God. They experienced aspect of redemption through the the law through the sacrificial offering and all that. But when it comes to when it comes to the Russian resurrection power, let me read you this scripture. Romans 8 verse 11. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Hello. Shall I read that again? [01:34:13]

If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. In other words, there's an aspect of future that we are living in now through the power of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus. There is an invasion of the future. I'm talking about esquetological future to now. Whoa. That's who we you and I are. So let's live a life of the power of the Holy Spirit by which we are being saved and being transformed from one degree of glory to another degree of glory to higher degree of glory. [01:34:56]

That when people look at you it's like I know you don't make sense but I like what I'm seeing. There's something about you that I need to know more. We're going to continue on this thing on Corinthians 15 into more details. Paul gives the principle of the whole thing how it works. So let's all stand up. Oh man, reading that scripture, I I I got down on my knees. I want to surrender more to Jesus. It's like, oh Jesus, this is this is so I mean, I don't care what's what's going to happen to me. I'm just going to I'm owned by you, Jesus. [01:35:59]

So then some start to start to deny the the the existence of resurrection in that in that sense. In other words, being raised and never to see death again. And because of that Paul then let's go back to verse one first Corinthians chapter chapter verse one. He said, "Now I would remind you." He said, "Okay, let let's go back to when I when I preach to you guys. I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you receive, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word that I preached to you, unless you believe in vain." [01:21:57]

You are you are being saved if you hold fast to it. You notice the uh the the uh grammatical thing. You are being saved. In other words, the gospel is a sustain something that sustain us in our journey. And we are until Jesus comes back, we are being saved. And another another passage where Jo said uh uh Paul said we are being transformed. from glory to glory. That's the journey of being saved. As a matter of fact, somebody this is like long time ago I heard there are three aspect. You were saved, you being saved and you will be saved means the completion of the whole thing. [01:22:49]

Salvation. You and I, we were saved when we received Jesus. But at the same time we are being saved being transformed from glory to glory. One degree of glory to another degree of glory. And then until that time we will be completely saved. Yeah. So Paul remind them. Let me remind you about the gospel that I preached to you. you've been infiltrated by these idiots. Let me remind you of the gospel that I preached to you. And he start talking about resurrection. Before we we we uh go deeper into the above verse into this passage, I want to read something a statement made by How many have have heard the guy called Chuck. [01:23:42]

Chuck Olson is a guy one of the President Nixon's uh key men. He was he was caught up in in the whole Watergate. Has anybody heard of Watergate thing? Right. Yeah. Watergate scandal. And he was in prison. He was in prison. And I mean he got saved and he got saved and became a minister. As a matter of fact, D and I when he visited Australia in somewhere 84, 85, whatever D and I were invited to sing, you know. before his his uh thing that American guy. Yeah. Yeah. He came and so he he got saved and he wrote something like this. He said this is word for word, right? [01:24:47]

I know the resurrection is a fact and Watergate proved it to me. Really? Okay. How? Because 12 men 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead and they proclaimed the truth for 40 years never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned and but and put in prison. They would not have endured endured those things if it weren't true. The resurrection went through. And then he said, "What a great embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world and they could not keep alive for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep alive for 40 years? Absolutely impossible." [01:25:45]

And I read that and I thought, "Sounds great. But let's see what Paul how Paul asserts the truth about resurrection of Jesus. Let's start from verse three. I mean it's great great great testimony but let's see how Paul make his argument or his assertion here is from verse three. For I deliver to you as of first importance that I also receive that Christ died for our sins. Listen to this. In accordance with the scriptures. And that he was buried and was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Are you guys getting something here? [01:26:25]

And that he appeared to Cphus and then to the 12 then appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time. Most of them are still alive. though some have fallen asleep. Verse seven, then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I work harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is in me. [01:27:06]

Whether then it was I or they, so we speak, and so you believe the this is the I'm trying to push two points here or some points. The prime foundation of Paul's assertion in presenting the truth of resurrection is what is written. He pushed that. He He said Jesus was crucified that as it is written. He was quoting from Isaiah 53. Written in the scripture. It is a sure foundation what is written. Okay. Christ died for us in accordance with the scripture. He was buried and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scripture. [01:28:21]

In other words, it is impossible to deny the resurrection. I mean, you 500 people saw it at one time. Yeah. And then Paul himself, I like the way he said untimely born. As I look, I thought that's an interesting way of or abnormally born. So, he's referring to himself in this way. Okay. The reason for use this terminology is because the way Paul's apostolic status came into being. His apostolic status is unlike the other apostles who came to their apostolic status after being with Jesus three and a half years. [01:29:28]

Paul, he became an apostle while he was on the way to kill some Christians, to arrest some Christians on the way road to Damascus. Like that's why it's so untimely born. It's like, you know, it's weird, but that's how God works. Those guys spent three and a half years with Jesus being disciple. I was on the way with you on my horse ready to arrest some Christians and maybe to kill them and then confronted by Jesus and then he presented himself like because of that I see myself as I'm not willing to be an apostle or the least of the apostles and yet you know he's the most prominent apostle in the church history in the New Testament. [01:30:31]

Yeah. I read this church history by by this guy called FF Bruce. He said he wrote he wrote this Christianity began as a Jewish sect. That's how Christianity began as a Jewish sect. And this is what he said. And yet within just over a generation, this Jewish sect become became the majority religion in the whole of Roman Empire between just over generation. No email, no telegram, no nothing, no Facebook, nothing. He said just over generations. You know how big Roman Empire at that time become the majority religion in the whole Roman Empire. [01:31:30]

And he said all that I can put down after studying history to the work of one man, the work and the writing of one man whose name was Paul. And yet he saw himself as the least of the apostles. Yeah. Now let's see go back again resurrection in the context of this thing that we call enduring faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. That's the Old Testament faith. But you and I have the advantage of we have seen and we have read what was written. Abraham did did not have the scripture. Noah did not have the scripture. You and I do. [01:32:35]

Some people rest for the dead, but they didn't come to see Jesus raised himself up by the Holy Spirit. They didn't see that. You and I. It's not to certain extent. It's not the unseen faith. It's like, yeah, we've we've heard what is written and we've seen in the scripture. We have the upper hand as far as faith to the heroes of the faith. In the book of Hebrews, verse 13, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, you and I have received what was promised. But having seen them, greeted them from afar, having acknowledged that they were strangers in exile on earth. [01:33:33]

And verse 39, all these all the Old Testament saints though commended through their faith did not receive what was promised, which is the resurrection. Oh yeah, they received forgiveness. They experienced forgiveness by God. They experienced aspect of redemption through the the law through the sacrificial offering and all that. But when it comes to when it comes to the Russian resurrection power, let me read you this scripture. Romans 8 verse 11. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Hello. Shall I read that again? [01:34:13]

If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. In other words, there's an aspect of future that we are living in now through the power of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus. There is an invasion of the future. I'm talking about esquetological future to now. Whoa. That's who we you and I are. So let's live a life of the power of the Holy Spirit by which we are being saved and being transformed from one degree of glory to another degree of glory to higher degree of glory. [01:34:56]

That when people look at you it's like I know you don't make sense but I like what I'm seeing. There's something about you that I need to know more. We're going to continue on this thing on Corinthians 15 into more details. Paul gives the principle of the whole thing how it works. So let's all stand up. Oh man, reading that scripture, I I I got down on my knees. I want to surrender more to Jesus. It's like, oh Jesus, this is this is so I mean, I don't care what's what's going to happen to me. I'm just going to I'm owned by you, Jesus. [01:35:59]