RESURRECTION DAY!

                                                       1 Corinthians 15:1-26

INTRODUCTION: The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the centerpiece of our faith.

Our having a risen living Savior is the thing that separates Christianity from all other religions.

Only Biblical Christianity has a living Savior Who died for the sins of His people and rose from

the dead and is alive forevermore! Revelation 1:18.

I. JESUS CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN!

Our Lord Jesus did not come down from heaven to see what was wrong among mankind.

He already knew what was wrong with mankind. The story of our Lord Jesus Christ begins in

eternity past. John 1:1-3. Jesus Christ came down from heaven to save sinners: 1 Timothy

1:15; John 3:17; Luke 19:10; John 10:10. When our Lord left heaven to come to this sin cursed

earth no one pushed Him over the edge. He came willingly out of love for mankind:

Philippians 2:5-7. All those who saw Jesus on this earth who were honest saw Jesus as perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26. For thirty-three years our Lord Jesus was

perfectly sinless. We will never understand the life of Jesus until we learn some things about

the death of Jesus: 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:4-5. It wasn’t just the physical pain our Lord Jesus

suffered, He suffered under the weight of the sins of all mankind and the wrath of His heavenly

Father. 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 27:45-46. Jesus became sin for us so that we

might become the righteousness of God in Him.

II. JESUS WENT ALL THE WAY IN!

Our Lord Jesus not only came all the way down from heaven; He went all the way into the

tomb! Ezekiel 18:20 is true because Romans 6:23 is true! Jesus Christ is the only Person to

ever chose to die. All the rest of us have no choice: Hebrews 9:27. The Bible teaches us that

Jesus Christ is our substitute so we don’t need to die spiritually: 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1

Thessalonians 5:9-10; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:4-6.

III. JESUS GOT ALL THE WAY UP!

The message of the church has always been that Jesus came to this world and died as a

substitute and sacrifice for sinners and that this truth was confirmed by the greatest event of all

time. The physical bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ resurrection gives

us eternal hope, and a confident faith the He is exactly Who He said He was, the Son of the

living God! 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. If Jesus, the One we all call on is dead, stop calling:

1 Corinthians 15:12-13. Without the resurrection of our Lord Jesus our preaching is vain: 1

Corinthians 15:14. And not only is our preaching vain, but our faith in Jesus Christ is also vain!

If there is no resurrection, we are all lairs and our witnessing is vain: 1 Corinthians 15:15. If

Jesus Christ did not bodily raise from the dead we are all on our way to hell:

1 Corinthians 15:16-17. If Jesus Christ did not raise from the dead all our loved ones who died

trusting the Lord Jesus are not in heaven: 1 Corinthians 15:18. If Jesus Christ did not raise from

the dead then we are of all people to be most pitted. However, the Scriptures clearly tell us

that Jesus Christ did indeed raise from the dead so we can rejoice: 1 Corinthians 15:20. Many

men of Jesus day saw Him in His resurrection body: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Every promise we find

in the Word of God is true only if our Lord Jesus Christ actually rose bodily from the dead!

There is power for living for Christians because our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead!