The Resurrection... and Sundays Other Than Easter April 27, 2014 Ames/Des Moines CityChurch.

The Resurrection . . . and Sundays Other Than Easter

April 27, 2014

Ames/Des Moines CityChurch


On Easter Sunday, we give special focus to the resurrection of Christ.

In the early church, it was a matter of relevance on a weekly basis (continual).

1 Corinthians 15

Today, we will focus on Paul’s teaching in the longest passage in the Bible dealing with the resurrection.

What did he teach? What did he emphasize? And what does it mean for us to respond properly to this teaching . . . as individuals, families, churches, and a citychurch . . . especially on Sundays other than Easter?

1 Corinthians 15

West side: Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:1-34East side: Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

1.What is Paul teaching in this section? What are his main points?2.How does he expect his readers to respond?3.How does it relate to his overall intention with the letter (letters)?

What is Paul Teaching?

1. The Kerygma absolutely includes the resurrection of Christ.

15:1 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.



15:3 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,



15:8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.


2. Our faith is worthless if there is no resurrection.

15:12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.



15:15b But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.


3. The kerygma has a future dimension of Christ’s reign.

15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.



15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.


4. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ, including our baptisms.

15:29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?



1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”



1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.


5. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ, including our behaviors.

15:32b If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.



15:3 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,



15:15b But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.



Gal. 5:19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.



Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.



11:17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.



11:20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!



12:12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.



12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.



13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.



14:26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.


6. Our resurrection bodies will be spiritual.

15:35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.



15:40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.



15:42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.



15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.



2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.



2 Cor. 4:13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.



2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


7. We have victory beyond death.

15:50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.



15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.


8. Endure in your faith.

15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.


9. Participate in the mission.

15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.



16:1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.



16:5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.


1. The Kerygma absolutely includes the resurrection of Christ.2. Our faith is worthless if there is no resurrection.3. The kerygma has a future dimension of Christ’s reign.4. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ,

including our baptisms.5. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ,

including our behaviors.6. Our resurrection bodies will be spiritual.7. We have victory beyond death.8. Endure in your faith.9. Participate in the mission.

So, what? How should we respond to this teaching? . . . as individuals, families, churches, and a citychurch?

West side: Discuss responses to 1 Cor. 15:1-34, esp. 32b-34.

How should the reality of the resurrection help us to “come back to our senses and stop sinning?”

East side: Discuss responses to 1 Cor. 15:35-58 esp. 58.

How should the reality of the resurrection help us to “stand firm” and “always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord?”


On Easter Sunday, we give special focus to the resurrection of Christ.

In the early church, it was a matter of relevance on a weekly basis (continual).

1 Corinthians 15

Today, we focused on Paul’s teaching in the longest passage in the Bible dealing with the resurrection.

What did he teach? What did he emphasize? And what does it mean for us to respond properly to this teaching . . . as individuals, families, churches, and a citychurch . . . especially on Sundays other than Easter?



“Christ died for our sins” is true (v.3), but incomplete without reference to the resurrection (v.4).

His death focuses us on the payment of penalty for sin.His resurrection focuses us on the new life and the power by

which it is to be lived.

Does our taking of the bread and cup sufficiently pay attention to Christ’s resurrection? It can be implied, but is it?



Some of us may have faith in “faith,” rather than faith in God, particularly the God who rose Jesus from the dead.

Faith that is separated from belief in the resurrection of Christ is not really faith in God at all. To what degree is our faith built on the reality of Christ’s resurrection?



In Acts 10:42, Peter’s kerymatic sermon includes reference to Christ as “the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Much of the unfulfilled prophecy about Christ is related to his role as the righteous King and the enforcer of the victory over unrighteousness.

Do we reduce Christ’s role as judge to a micromanager of our fundamentalist rules?

Do we anticipate our future role reigning with Christ?



In our emphasis on baptism as identification with the church, do we still pay sufficient attention to the symbolism of death and resurrection?

Do we see baptism as a connector between the saving work of Christ’s death and resurrection with our renewed lives of service in his kingdom?



Do our churches and relationships function as communities of resurrection-based transformation?

Does the reality of the resurrection (Christ’s in the past and ours in the future) give us a sense of stewardship and discipline with regard to our behavior (as instructed by Christ and the Apostles)?



Is your ultimate hope for a renewal of your physical body to the best form it ever was? Or for the spiritual body that is what God probably intended for you to have when He created humanity?

Do you tend to think about eternity almost entirely in earthly terms (being reunited with lost loved ones)? How well do you embrace the primary aspect of eternity in heavenly terms (being with Christ)?



Are you weary of life on this earth? Are you burdened by the loss of loved ones?

Weariness of life on earth and grieving the deaths of loved ones should help us focus on God’s eternal plan.


8. Endure in your faith.

It is sometimes hard to maintain a resurrection-focus, particularly in the midst of things that are going well in this world . . . and in the midst of things that aren’t necessarily going right in your life or church.

We don’t merely endure in our own strength, but in the strength of resurrection power and in the reality of what that resurrection power is doing in and around us.



Sometimes, our lives and churches seem like fairly insignificant things in God’s plan. Yet, even ordinary people and normal churches are at the core of God’s plan.

And our citychurch has


1. The Kerygma absolutely includes the resurrection of Christ.2. Our faith is worthless if there is no resurrection.3. The kerygma has a future dimension of Christ’s reign.4. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ,

including our baptisms.5. The Didache is absolutely based on the resurrection of Christ,

including our behaviors.6. Our resurrection bodies will be spiritual.7. We have victory beyond death.8. Endure in your faith.9. Participate in the mission.

The Resurrection... and Sundays Other Than Easter April 27, 2014 Ames/Des Moines CityChurch.

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