Living the Power of the Resurrection
Summary
Summary
Christ is risen—this is the heartbeat of our faith and the reason we gather, especially on Resurrection Sunday. The resurrection of Jesus is not just a historical claim or a theological idea; it is the very foundation upon which Christian hope, purpose, and identity are built. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 remind us that the gospel is not something we outgrow or move past. It is the message we must continually return to, rehearse, and hand down to the next generation. The Corinthians, much like many today, struggled with separating the spiritual from the physical, believing that what they did with their bodies was inconsequential. But the resurrection affirms that God cares about all of us—body, soul, and spirit. Christ’s resurrection is not just a spiritual metaphor; it is a bodily reality that promises the redemption of our whole selves.
Paul emphasizes that the gospel he received and passed on is rooted in historical events: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day, all according to the Scriptures. The resurrection is validated by eyewitnesses—individuals and groups whose lives were radically transformed by encountering the risen Christ. Peter, James, Paul himself, and over 500 others saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion. Their changed lives and willingness to suffer and die for this truth are powerful evidence that something world-changing happened.
If Christ is not raised, then our faith is empty, our hope is futile, and our morality is unanchored. But because he lives, everything changes. The resurrection gives life meaning and purpose, inspires us to love and serve, and assures us that suffering and evil do not have the final word. The Christian story is not just about personal transformation but about a community that, throughout history, has shaped the world—caring for the sick, pursuing justice, and overcoming evil with good. Ultimately, the resurrection puts an expiration date on pain and suffering, promising that God’s goodness will prevail. When arguments and explanations fall short, the most compelling evidence of the resurrection is a life lived and, if necessary, a death embraced with love.
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Key Takeaways
- The Resurrection Affirms the Value of the Whole Person
The resurrection is not just about spiritual renewal but about the redemption of our entire being—body, soul, and spirit. God’s salvation is holistic, and what we do with our bodies matters because Christ’s own body was raised and glorified. This challenges the tendency to separate the spiritual from the physical and calls us to honor God with every aspect of our lives. [13:04]
- Faith Must Be Handed Down with Intention and Repetition
Paul’s use of the word “paradidomy” highlights the importance of passing down the faith as a sacred trust. In a world where traditions and truths can easily be lost, it is vital for each generation to intentionally teach, model, and repeat the gospel so that it is not forgotten. The faith is not self-perpetuating; it requires deliberate transmission through word and life. [14:46]
- The Resurrection is Rooted in History and Validated by Changed Lives
The resurrection is not a myth or a private experience but a public event witnessed by many. The transformation of people like Peter, James, and Paul, as well as the testimony of over 500 witnesses, provides compelling evidence. The fact that these individuals were willing to suffer and die for their testimony points to the reality of what they experienced. [23:30]
- The Resurrection Gives Life Meaning, Inspires Goodness, and Anchors Hope
Because Christ is risen, life has purpose beyond the present moment. The resurrection motivates us to love, serve, and pursue justice, knowing that our actions have eternal significance. It is the foundation for Christian contributions to society—such as healthcare, science, and social justice—and gives us hope that transcends suffering and death. [37:19]
- Evil and Suffering Have an Expiration Date Because of the Resurrection
The resurrection is God’s definitive answer to the problem of evil and suffering. It assures us that pain and injustice are temporary, and that God’s goodness will ultimately prevail. Christians are called to live in the light of this hope, overcoming evil with good and bearing witness to the world by how we live and love, even when words fail. [42:40]
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Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[03:05] - Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15
[05:30] - The Story of Lee Strobel’s Search
[06:36] - The Gospel Presented to the Corinthians
[07:56] - Gifted but Immature: The Corinthian Challenge
[11:28] - Misunderstanding the Body and Resurrection
[13:04] - All of Me Belongs to God
[14:46] - The Importance of Handing Down the Faith
[17:55] - Christ’s Death: More Than an Example
[20:15] - Validation: Eyewitnesses of the Resurrection
[23:30] - Transformation of the Witnesses
[27:43] - The Significance of Bodily Resurrection
[31:30] - The Reliability of the New Testament
[35:41] - The Resurrection’s Impact on Life and Morality
[37:19] - Christian Contributions to Society
[40:16] - Victory Over Death and Suffering
[42:40] - The Resurrection Ends the Story of Evil
[44:00] - Living and Dying with Love: The Final Apologetic
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Reality of the Resurrection
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### Bible Reading
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 13
(NIV)
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
...
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
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### Observation Questions
1. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, what are the core elements of the gospel he “handed down” to the Corinthians? [03:05]
2. What evidence does Paul give for the resurrection of Jesus in these verses? Who are some of the people and groups he mentions as witnesses? [20:15]
3. How did the Corinthians misunderstand the relationship between their spiritual life and their physical bodies? [11:28]
4. What does Paul say is at stake if Christ has not been raised from the dead? [27:43]
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Paul emphasize that the gospel is something “handed down” and not just a new idea? What does this say about the nature of Christian faith? [14:46]
2. The sermon mentions that the resurrection validates the value of our bodies, not just our souls. Why is this important for how Christians view themselves and live out their faith? [13:04]
3. Paul points to the transformation of people like Peter, James, and himself as evidence for the resurrection. What does this suggest about the power of encountering the risen Christ? [23:30]
4. If the resurrection is not true, Paul says our faith is “in vain.” How does this challenge the way we think about the purpose and hope of the Christian life? [27:43]
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### Application Questions
1. The sermon says the resurrection is the “heartbeat” of our faith. In your daily life, what are some ways you can keep the reality of the resurrection at the center of your thoughts and actions? [03:05]
2. Paul challenges the idea that what we do with our bodies doesn’t matter. Are there areas in your life where you tend to separate your faith from your physical actions or choices? What would it look like to honor God with your whole self—body, soul, and spirit? [13:04]
3. The gospel is described as a “living tradition” that is handed down. Who handed the faith down to you, and who are you handing it down to? Is there someone in your life you could intentionally share your faith story with this month? [14:46]
4. The sermon highlights the transformation of people who encountered the risen Christ. Can you think of a specific way your life has changed because of your faith in Jesus? Is there an area where you are still hoping for transformation? [23:30]
5. The resurrection gives hope that suffering and evil have an expiration date. Is there a struggle or pain in your life where you need to remember this hope? How can you remind yourself of God’s promise this week? [42:40]
6. The pastor said, “When our arguments fail, simply watch us live and die with love.” What is one practical way you can show the love of Christ to someone who doesn’t share your faith? [44:00]
7. The resurrection has inspired Christians to lead in compassion, science, and justice. Is there a cause or area of service where you feel called to make a difference because of your hope in Christ? What is one step you can take this month? [37:19]
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Devotional
Day 1: Resurrection as the Unshakable Foundation of Faith
The resurrection of Christ is not merely a tradition or a hopeful story; it is the very foundation upon which the Christian faith is built. Without the reality of Jesus rising from the dead, the entire gospel message collapses into meaninglessness. Our hope, identity, and purpose hinge on this truth. When Christ is alive, it means that God’s promises are trustworthy and that death does not have the final word. This assurance transforms how believers live daily, giving courage to face trials and confidence that their faith is not in vain. The resurrection is the heartbeat of Christian identity, calling us to live in the power of a risen Savior. [03:05]
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Reflection: What is one way you can remind yourself today that your faith is grounded in the reality of the resurrection, not just in ideas or feelings?
Day 2: God’s Redemption Encompasses Body, Soul, and Spirit
God’s redemption is holistic, embracing every part of who you are—body, soul, and spirit. The tendency to separate the spiritual from the physical is a misunderstanding that diminishes the fullness of God’s saving work. The resurrection affirms that your body matters deeply to God and that it will be renewed and glorified. This truth calls you to honor God with your whole self, resisting the temptation to compartmentalize your faith or neglect your physical well-being. Your embodied life is sacred, and the hope of resurrection means that even your frail body has eternal significance. [13:04]
“For as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” — 1 Corinthians 15:49
Reflection: In what practical ways can you begin to honor God with your body today, recognizing it as part of your redeemed self?
Day 3: The Gospel Is a Living Tradition Rooted in Eyewitness History
The gospel is not a private invention or a fleeting idea but a sacred trust passed down through generations. It is anchored in the eyewitness testimony of those who encountered the risen Christ. This historical grounding strengthens the reliability of the message and invites you to join a living tradition that has endured through time. The consistency of the core gospel message, even amid differing details, points to its authenticity. Embracing this tradition means receiving a faith that is both deeply personal and communally rooted in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. [14:46]
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” — 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Reflection: How can you intentionally connect with the community and history of believers to deepen your trust in the gospel’s living tradition?
Day 4: Transformed Lives and Shared Witnesses Confirm the Resurrection
The resurrection is validated not only by empty arguments but by the radical transformation of individuals and the collective witness of many. Peter, James, and Paul were once skeptics but became bold proclaimers of the risen Christ. Over 500 people saw Jesus alive at once, providing a communal foundation for faith. These testimonies are not hallucinations or myths but real encounters that changed lives and shaped the early church. When you experience transformation through Christ, you join this ongoing story of resurrection power that continues to validate the gospel today. [23:30]
“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” — 1 Corinthians 15:6
Reflection: Reflect on a way your life has been changed by Christ’s resurrection. How can you share this transformation with someone who needs to hear it?
Day 5: Resurrection Empowers Hope, Purpose, and Victory Over Evil
Because Christ is risen, your life has eternal meaning beyond present suffering. The resurrection assures you that pain and evil are temporary and that God’s ultimate victory is certain. This hope empowers you to love deeply, do good works, and endure hardships with confidence. Your actions have eternal significance because they flow from the power of the risen Lord. The resurrection is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation that shapes how you live and face challenges. It calls you to embody love and hope as living proof of Christ’s triumph over death. [42:40]
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” — 1 Corinthians 15:20
Reflection: What is one specific way you can live today with the hope and power of the resurrection, especially in the face of a current challenge or hardship?
Quotes
``He didn't simply come as an example, but he came as the vicarious substitutionary agent of death. What's the difference? Well, there are a whole lot of people that have lived lives of exemplar. They say, well, just watch me, and maybe you can attune to something similar. That's not what Christ's death did. He didn't just come as an example. He came as a substitute so that you and I could be covered. Yeah, we can watch him and follow him, but covered from the penalty and the wrath of everlasting sin. [00:18:20] (36 seconds)
Because they think the same way. Watch this. It gets more profound. And some of us even think that way that the real you is what's housed on the inside of you to no effect of what happens to the shell of you. But saints of God, that's unbiblical because, watch this, Jesus died for all of you. [00:12:14] (26 seconds)
He says, put your finger in my handprints, the nail prints. Put your finger, your hand in my side, which means that his body still held visible imprimaturers of the crucifixion that had taken place days earlier. What am I saying? I'm saying that you are not just the inside of you, and this is the point that Paul was trying to get them to see, that you are all of you. God created you from beginning and to end. And so, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you don't get the opportunity to say what this is doesn't matter, but what I really am is on the inside. That's platonic dualism. That is not Christian thinking. [00:12:59] (49 seconds)
He says that he is telling or rehearsing to them again, but he also talks about the fact that it's handed down. I want to spend some time here because typically we don't get a chance to talk about this concept any other time than in resurrection season. So Paul uses a word, it's used some 115 or so times in Greek throughout the New Testament, but it's paradidomy. Paradidomy, it's the same term, we just saw it on last week where Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified. In that sense, he places him in the authority of those who are over the crucifixion. But here, it takes on a different nuance. It literally means hand over, but here, it more so pictures the baton passing of a sacred tradition from one person to the next. So what Paul is saying, he says, I make known to you that which was given to me. It was handed down to me, and guess what? I'm handing it down to you. I don't want to stay here very long, but we live in a world where we need some traditions handed down. We live in a world where we need to make sure that the current and outgoing generation is still communing and handing things down to the generation to come. Why? Because things will get lost if we don't hand down what we... Don't think that everybody knows what you know. Don't think that everybody knows how to cook like you cook. Don't think that everybody knows how to worship like you worship. We've got to hand some things down so that they will not be lost because of time. [00:14:46] (103 seconds)
But perhaps also Paul has in mind the suffering servant of Isaiah 52 and 53. But the main point is this. Paul is making his case that Christ died, and it was prophesied that he would die according to the scriptures. But not only that, Christ was buried. He was buried, and this is connected not to his resurrection, but more so to his death. Why? Because the fact that he was buried was proof that he actually died. [00:19:45] (30 seconds)
You don't bury somebody who's alive. The soldier on the cross, he pierces the spear in his side, and out comes blood and water, which those in the medical field know is a sign of the body having reached a state where it no longer is expiring. And so that was proof. He did that, and that's why they buried him. Why? Because he really died. But then the text says that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Better translated, has been raised. In this particular aspect of the passage, Paul switches from past aorist tense in the Greek to a Greek perfect tense, which signifies a past completed action with results in the present and continuing on to the future. What am I saying? I'm saying this, that Christ has been raised, Christ continues to be raised, and Christ continues in an elevated state on into the future. That's what Paul says. He says, these things are past tense, but the raising of Christ happened in the past, but the effects and the results continue even to now. [00:20:15] (73 seconds)
something changed you may not know exactly what changed but but something changed there was a transformation that took place and then he says then to me as one untimely born he says basically he says i really should have been with the other apostles but god decided differently why because paul used him as a post -resurrection witness he was a staunch person staunch pharisee that was actually persecuting the christians he was the one who did not want to see them succeed he was not the one that did not want to see them of progress because he felt like they were um distracting or um uh dis um combobulating this uh faithful belief system of judaism and so he says i'm going to be the fur foremost persecutor of the church and so then then he meets jesus on the damascus road in acts chapter 9 and he says i'm changed and so that's the first category those who had been changed those who before christ had died and was resurrected were living and acting and thinking one kind of way but then after the resurrection he appears to them and their lives do a complete 180 but then the second category are those who see him all at the same time you say what's what's what's the significance of that because well any one person by themselves can hallucinate but hallucinations don't happen in groups and even if we all took the same stuff we're not seeing the same thing [00:23:49] (106 seconds)
bodily not only that if Christ is not raised there is no future kingdom coming to there is no life after death and that we are men and women who are most miserable and so basically he doesn't say this but I must say it because this is the logical conclusion if then there is no bodily resurrection and then if Christ is not raised go ahead do your thing it's what you want to do do you do whatever you are big and bad enough to do do whatever because it will be of no consequence and you will have to answer to no one if Christ has been raised if if in fact Christ has not been raised then um you don't have to abide by rules and law you don't have to yeah you might do it just so you can survive but but no you don't have to do that you don't have to treat people nice you don't have to love one another you don't have to do any of that Paul says all of this is a farce if in fact Christ has not been raised but on the other hand if Christ has been raised then it changes everything about your understanding of reality it changes everything about the way you do what you do and how you do and why you do what you do it changes your perception of morality and what you think the future brings you and what to hope for and so while he's primarily yes talking to believers there are some things that an outsider can continue consider I said we return to the story from up top the father who was wrestling with this question that his daughter asked after being saved by this nurse who God had divinely sent in that direction he became interested he he's a Yale law graduate I mean he's a practicing well actually he's a journalist and so um he everything that he knows is intellection right and evidence -based and so what he does is he says well let me as a trained lawyer do my due diligence and so what he does is he drives to Wisconsin to see a well -known resurrection scholar by the name of Gabby 6 7 7 8 [00:28:35] (141 seconds)
maybe they're just crazy out of their minds and as we shared already she then explains psychologically that hallucinations don't occur in communion they occur individually and so she asks him a question personal question but she says how is your relationship with your father and he responded not good why she said well from my field and what I've studied all history's greatest skeptics had father wounds abusive or absent fathers why because it's hard to imagine a loving father father if you've never experienced one but there's more to that story I don't have time to get it all to you today but Lee whose name is Lee Strobel will go on to write one of the best -selling books in his journey of faith entitled the case for Christ and the last point I want to give you and that is the significance and celebration of the resurrection because of the resurrection saints life has purpose and true meaning life has purpose and true meaning because of the resurrection I have something to live for and look forward to in this world yes [00:34:19] (82 seconds)
but beyond this world and it's not so dreary and dreamy to where I don't know anything about what's going to happen. No, God has given me enough of the story in the end and the future to where I can hope. I can truly hope. I don't have to pray starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight. No, I can hope because I'm expecting him to do something based upon what he's committed himself to be. [00:35:41] (32 seconds)
And for those of you who are saying that, oh, it's easy for me, I'm praying for your soul salvation. Yes, I am. But the resurrection gives you a case of the can't help it. And so when you understand what Christ has done, when you understand that he has bled and died on your behalf, then the only response you know is to live for him and love like he loves. But I got more because the resurrection also gives us inspiration to do good. [00:36:46] (34 seconds)
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