1 Corinthians 15:12-23
THE BENEFITS OF THE RESURRECTION
Intro: There is a principle in Bible study known as "The
Full-mention Principle." It refers to those places in the
Bible where a subject is treated in its entirety. A couple
of examples of this principle are 1 Corinthians 13,
where the subject of love is given full treatment, and
James 3, where the tongue is addressed. This
principle is also in view here in 1 Corinthians 15. In
this monumental passage, the Apostle Paul addresses,
in detail, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, this doctrine is one of the most important
doctrine of the Bible. I will go a step further and say
that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a
fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. If Jesus did
not rise from the dead, then we have no faith and
Christianity is no better than any other cult or false
religion in the world.
However, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead is a documented historical fact. Something that
Paul points out in verses 5-8. We have the testimony
of Peter, Paul, all the disciples and of over 500 brethren
who all saw the risen Lord on one occasion. The
resurrection is documented in the Bible, Luke 24; John
20-21; Matt. 28; Mark 16; Acts 1:3, etc. It is also a
documented fact of secular history. The Jewish
historian Josephus, who lived shortly after the time of
Christ, writes the following concerning Jesus, "Now
there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be
lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of
wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive
the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both
many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was
[the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of
the principal men amongst us, had condemned him
to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not
forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the
third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these
and ten thousand other wonderful things
concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so
named from him, are not extinct at this day." There
are other sources that could be named this morning, but
these are sufficient to let us know that the resurrection
of Jesus really happened, just like the Bible says it did!
Now, since His resurrection is real, when does it
means for us? In these verses, Paul tells us about the
benefits of the resurrection. It is those benefits that
Paul mentions that I want to focus in one this morning.
I. V. 12-23 THE BENEFIT OF A GENUINE FAITH
A. V. 12-19 A Terrifying Assumption - If Paul's
line of thinking is followed to its logical
conclusion, then you are I are facing some
terrible consequences this morning. If there is
no resurrection from the dead, then our lives
mean nothing and we have wasted out time
even getting up this morning. Let's let Paul
show us what would be true if there was no
resurrection from the dead.
1. v.13 CHRIST IS NOT RISEN
A. He died in vain - Rom. 4:24; 5:10
B. He lied - Mt. 16:21; 12:40
C. He had no power to save, and certainly
cannot save today!
2. v.14 OUR PREACHING IS A WASTE OF
TIME - (Ill. A big lie!) (We can help no one,
all will go to hell!)
3. v.14 OUR FAITH IS FOOLISH - All we go,
our praying, studying, witnessing, working,
hoping, holiness, praising is a waste of
time!
4. v.15 ALL CHRISTIANS ARE LIARS - Our
testimony is false, we are mentally
deranged! (Ill. to make matters worse, we have all lied on God and that is
blaspheme!)
5. v.17 WE ARE ALL LOST IN OUR SINS -
Rom. 10:9; 5:10 Ill. Heb. 7:25 - A dead
Savior can save no one!
6. v.18 OUR DEPARTED LOVED ONES
ARE GONE FOREVER - They are all dead
and in the ground, or in Hell today!
7. v.19 WE ARE TO BE PITIED - We are all
fools, building our lives and our hopes on
the corpse of a dead man. We are all hell
bound B. V. 20-23 A Triumphant Assertion - Paul's
announcement is that the message of the angels
at the tomb was true, Matt. 28:1-6! Jesus did
rise from the dead just as He said He would. By
the power of God, Jesus conquered death and
rose again from the dead! According to Paul,
the first Adam brought death, Romans 5:21.
However, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus,
brought life and salvation, John 11:25-26!
When Jesus arose from the dead, He became
the promise of more to follow. He is the
firstfruits! Because He lives, the graves of this
world will yield a rich harvest of the redeemed
when He returns in His glory!
(Ill. Because Jesus lives, all the things Paul
mentioned are not true! Jesus is risen! Our
preaching is not a waste of time! Our faith is not
wasted! We are not liars! We are not lost! Our
departed loved ones live on in His presence!
We are not to be pitied, but to be envied by all
who see us live the new life and hear our
message of salvation through the shed blood of
Jesus and His empty tomb! Thank God, this
things is real!)
I. The Benefit Of A Genuine Faith
II. THE BENEFIT OF A GODLY FAMILY
V. 24, 50, 58
A. We have already learned this morning that all we
got from our first father Adam was death and sin,
Rom. 5:12. Paul lets us in on the glorious truth
that in Jesus, we got into a new family! Our old
family wasn't much. Spiritually speaking, we
were definitely from the wrong side of the tracks.
B. Notice that God is called "Father" in v. 24. We
are called "brethren" in v. 50, and "beloved
brethren" in v. 58. Sounds to me like someone
thinks we are part of his family! Well, that is
exactly what happens when we trust Jesus by
faith. According to the Bible, we are "born
again", John 3:3, 7, at the instant of our coming
to Jesus. What this means is that when we trust
Christ, we die at that altar, and we are "born
from above", given heavenly life right then and
there, Romans 5! In others words, when we die,
we are removed from Adam, and when we are
born again, we are placed in Christ. We are
taken from the family of death and given a place
in the family of life.
C. Since we are part of a new family, we are
partakers of all that family has to offer.
Therefore, let me tell you a little about our new
Father.
A. He Is Prosperous - Isa. 50:10-12 (In fact,
He owns everything!)
B. He Is Generous - Rom. 8:17 (In fact, He has
given us everything, Luke 12:32)
C. He Is Powerful - Luke 1:37 (In fact, He
controls everything, Romans 8:28)
D. I am glad to be a part of this family! How about
you?
I. The Benefit Of A Genuine Faith
II. The Benefit Of A Godly Family
III. THE BENEFIT OF A GLORIOUS FUTURE
V. 51-57
A. V. 51-52 We Have The Possibility Of A
Change - These verses speaks of that glorious
event known as the Rapture. Paul talks about
this more in 1 Thes, 4:13-18. It is that moment
in time when the Lord Jesus will return to the
clouds above the earth and call His people to
Himself. Those who have died with faith in
Jesus will be resurrected and will meet Him.
Those who are still living at that time will be
instantly changed and will become like Jesus.
Because Jesus Christ overcame death and the
grave, we have the prospect of cheating the
undertaker. We may not have to die!
B. V. 53-56 We Have The Promise Of A Conquest
- In these verses, Paul tells us that whether we
meet the Lord by way of the clouds above or the
clods beneath, we will still obtain the victory over
death! We will still receive a new body! We will
still be changed! These old bodies of sin, death
and decay will forever be replaced with a body
that is filled with the glory of God. These bodies
that we wear this evening are worthless and
have no business in Heaven. In fact, it would be
impossible for them to enter that city, 1 Cor.
15:50. One glimpse of God in all His glory and
these bodies would disintegrate bay into dust
and we would perish! Thank God, when our
Resurrected Redeemer returns in His glory, we
will get a body that see God! We will not only be
with Jesus when He returns, but we will be like
Jesus when He returns, 1 John 3:1-3!
(Ill. Can you comprehend all that means? It
means that we will never again sin against the
Lord and dishonor His Name! It means that we
won't even have an appetite for sin! It means
that our new body will never age or wear out. It
means that we will never lose a loved one to
death, ever again! It means that we will wear
glory in glory. We will be changed!)
C. V. 57-58 The Pledge Of A Conqueror - Verse
57 tells us that we are winners either way! If we
face death and go to the grave, our souls will go
to be with the Lord in glory, 2 Cor. 5:1-8. Our
bodies will go to the grave and decay. However,
when Jesus returns, He will bring our soul with
Him and raise our dead body from the ground,
give in life, change it into a new body and put
that soul back in that body and take the total
package back to Heaven to stay with Him
forever! If we are alive when Jesus returns, so
much the better! Our families can save all that
money at the funeral home. Therefore, I have
incentive to labor for Him, v. 58, because
whether I live or I die, I am assured of the
victory! You see, right now, the Lord Jesus is in
Heaven and He is preparing a place for me,
John 14:1-3.
Conc: Aren't you glad Jesus is alive! I praise God that
early on that Sunday morning, when those ladies went
to that tomb, they found it empty! Yes, Jesus is alive!
The question I want to ask you today is this: Is Jesus
alive in you? Has His resurrection become your
resurrection? Are you benefitting from the benefits of
the resurrection? Are you saved?
