340. Great Chapters of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 15 (It Is Written) SDA

[Music] [Applause] [Music] this is it is written I'm John Bradshaw thanks for joining me the late Charles Colson special counsel to u.s. President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal is probably best remembered for his Christian conversion experience took place during the time he stood for trial for his role in the Watergate conspiracy in later years he would point out that what he and other Watergate defendants endured as a result of their crimes provided some of the very best evidence for the literal truth of Jesus resurrection from the dead the lesson of Watergate Colson said is that a lie cannot live for long here were 10 of the most powerful men in the United States Coulson said referring to the leading Watergate conspirators with all that power we couldn't contain a lie for two weeks on that basis Colson dismissed out of hand the theory of certain ones that the accounts of Jesus resurrection were a conspiracy perpetuated by his disciples take it from one who was involved in conspiracy who saw the frailty of man firsthand Colson declared there is no way the 11 apostles who were with Jesus at the time of the resurrection could ever have gone around for 40 years proclaiming Jesus resurrection unless it were true had the New Testament account not been true he explained Peter would have been exactly like John Dean referring of course to the White House legal counsel who blew the whistle on the Watergate cover-up if the Apostles story about the resurrection had begun to unravel as the Watergate cover-up did Colson maintained that like himself and his fellow Watergate defendants the Apostles would have sold out to save their skins let's also try to keep in mind that those Watergate conspirators who in fact were sentenced to prison like mr. Colson served their prison time and relatively comfortable surroundings unlike the disciples of Jesus all but one of whom died a martyr's death on account of their witness for Christ the Watergate defendants never even remotely confronted the possibility of death for the conspiracy that they created that means the disciples of Jesus had every reason to break down and admit the falsity of the resurrection story if in fact the story was not true the point is if the resurrection story is in fact a myth it's the strangest myth in the history of the human race because if the resurrection story is a lie it's the first time human beings have invented a lie in order to get themselves killed people tell lies to get themselves out of trouble not to get themselves into it now some will always come back with the argument that millions of people throughout the history of the world have given their lives for something that turned out to be not true and that's correct but when they gave their lives for the lie they thought the lie was true they didn't know the lie was a lie Crusaders terrorists Nazis communists millions have in fact given their lives for a host of falsehoods those who flew airplanes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on 9/11 certainly died for a falsehood but again they thought the falsehood was true when they died for it they didn't know it was a falsehood at the time this is the bottom line with the resurrection story if in fact it's not true those who invented or just exaggerated the story and went on to deceive millions would have known the story was false when they were faced with a martyr's death they would have died for a lie they knew was a lie and who would do such a thing as we continue our series great chapters of the Bible we're going to look at the literal truth of Jesus resurrection from the dead and why it matters for our salvation the chapter our study will focus on is 1st Corinthians 15 one of the most powerful discussions in all the Bible on the subject of the resurrection Paul starts this chapter by making it clear just how important this topic is moreover brethren I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you which also you received and in which you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain that's first Corinthians 15:1 and - in other words Paul is saying that what he's about to share with them what they and he have believed already is the means of their salvation he then goes on to speak of the Old Testament foundation for this New Testament truth and the reality of all the witnesses who can verify the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and that he was seen by Cephas that's Peter then by the twelve after that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once of whom the greater part remain to the present but some have fallen asleep after that he was seen by James then by all the apostles then last of all he was seen by me also as one born out of due time first Corinthians 15 verses three through eight it's important to notice that Paul doesn't make up this doctrine of the Resurrection nor the doctrine of Jesus being sacrificed for the sins of humanity it's the Old Testament Scriptures that foretell this decisive event in the sacred story the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is one of the most powerful forecasts of the sufferings of Christ and how he would die for the whole world but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by His stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all that's Isaiah 53 five and six the Old Testament even pinpoints the time when Jesus would come to die the prophet Daniel gives this information in Chapter 9 of the book he wrote in fact you can see it in Daniel 9:24 through 27 and that's a fascinating study in itself now in a moment even though the Bible is so plain on this there are many Christians and even church leaders who don't believe in the resurrection how could that be I'll be right back death is a cold-hearted mystery that can invade our lives without warning and leave us with questions as big as a loss that we feel today's free offer the mystery of death provides biblical answers for the questions that haunt the topic of death what happens when we die where does our soul go is there an afterlife to discover answers to these questions and many more call eight hundred two fifty three three thousand write to the address on your screen or visit a iw offer com thanks for joining me on it is written I'm John Bradshaw we're looking at first Corinthians 15 as part of our ongoing series great chapters of the Bible Paul is unequivocal in this chapter Jesus died he says and Jesus rose again in fact when he summarized what the gospel was at the start of the chapter he made clear that to him the resurrection is an integral part of the gospel no resurrection of Jesus no gospel for the world and what gives him his confidence not only does Paul point back to the Old Testament as the basis for Jesus mission to die for our sins and rise again he makes it clear that eyewitnesses can verify the testimony that he's giving we saw how he reminds his readers that he himself as one of those eyewitnesses appoint the book of Acts records in its account of Paul's conversion that's x9 one through six in pause listing of the witnesses in first Corinthians 15 we find an interesting note that isn't found anywhere else in the New Testament not even in the four Gospels we saw how Paul says that Jesus after his resurrection was seen by over 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remain to the present but some have fallen asleep that's verse 6 now you won't find reference to this encounter anywhere else in the Bible it's like that statement of the book of Hebrews about the time when Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter you won't find that incident recounted in the Old Testament story of Moses it's like the verse in Acts chapter 20 verse 35 which quotes Jesus is saying it's all blessed to give than to receive you won't find the saying of Jesus and any of the Gospel accounts but it clearly happened and it's quoted there in the book of Acts now this helps us understand that in order to understand the full truth of the Bible we have to consider everything it includes regarding a subject or an historical event obviously the story of the 500 seeing Jesus after his resurrection is one of those examples it was a fact well known to the Apostles and the witnesses in question were obviously still alive many of them when Paul wrote this passage to the church at Corinth Paul continues in 1st Corinthians 15 to point out that if Jesus didn't rise from the dead the faith of the Christian loses all meaning now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead how do some of you say that there is no resurrection of the Dead but if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ is not risen and if Christ is not risen then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain for if the dead do not rise then Christ is not risen and if Christ is not risen your faith is futile you are still in your sins verses 12 to 14 and 16 and 17 in fact he goes on to say in verse 19 in the King James Version if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable but a survey commissioned by the BBC in Great Britain a survey of Christians in Great Britain revealed that a quarter of British Christians don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus the idea seems to go all the way up to the highest levels of church leadership in Britain a senior church official acting as his denominations and basa dur to the Vatican City has been quoted as saying that the resurrection of Jesus shouldn't be seen in physical terms but as a spiritual reality he said the disciples only felt Jesus presence after his death and that what we read in the Gospels isn't an historical record as we would write history today in other words the Bible clearly says it but you can reject it if you wish in fact he says you should reject it but in 1st Corinthians 15 Paul explains why the resurrection is essential to the Christian faith and why without it the enemies of the gospel remain victorious he wrote for since by man came death by man also came the resurrection of the dead or as in Adam all die even so in Christ all shall be made alive for he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that will be destroyed is death verses 21 and 22 and 25 and 26 here we find Paul taking up a theme he explains elsewhere in his writings in chapter 5 of the book of Romans he speaks of how the first human being Adam was the one who brought sin and death to the world and that as a result Jesus has come to this world to make available salvation and life everlasting in the book of Genesis death was the first great enemy presented to Adam and Eve this is why god forbade them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the Genesis story tells us that the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die Genesis 2:17 when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and eat of this fruit it became important that the sin they had committed not become immortalized it was for this reason that God said they couldn't stay in the garden after the fall in case they should eat of the fruit of the tree of life and make sin last forever sin in other words must die and all who cling to sin according to the Bible a distant to die along with it it's Romans 6:23 that says the wages of sin is death and once the wicked are forever destroyed in the fires of hell the Bible tells us what will happen then and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying there shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away revelation 21 verse 4 that's what Paul means in 1st Corinthians 15 when he says the last enemy that will be destroyed is death the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate guarantee that the final enemy death will one day cease to be that's why Paul describes Jesus as the firstfruits of those who fallen asleep but if Jesus hadn't been raised from the dead then this hope doesn't exist the first and final enemy of God's universe death which the entrance of sin made inevitable would always be the persistent companion of God's children if Jesus hadn't shown that it could be conquered because in fact Jesus has achieved this conquest we can be certain that his victory over death can be ours as well no is there every time that you wished you could do something about your body maybe you wish there was less of it you want to lose weight you might wish you here was different well that you had here you might wish your back didn't ache or that you could walk again or that you didn't get migraines or that you could see better well if you've ever had a thought like that I've got good news for you Paul offers us real hope I'll tell you more in just a moment thank you for remembering that it is written exists because of the kindness of people just like you to support this international life changing ministry please call us now at 802-528-2122 chaos a town was completely destroyed more than 300 people were left dead and thousands left homeless it remains one of the nation's least known atrocities yet it was one of the most destructive of race riots in United States history join it is written on location in Tulsa Oklahoma for black wall street as we look at the problem of evil will investigate the destruction of a community and ask some searching questions how can this happen and who would do such a thing how do good people commit truly wicked acts black wall street we'll take you there to the very streets where evil reared its ugly head in a way not often seen don't miss black Wall Street on it is written TV [Music] thanks for joining me today on it is written first Corinthians chapter 15 is truly one of the great chapters of the Bible and in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 the writer Paul offers us great hope he tells us that Jesus has conquered grave and the death in fact that through Jesus death has been destroyed and he offers you and me real hope on a very practical tangible level if you've ever had a backache or a knee ache or a sore throat or a head ache or a sore shoulder or a bad back or an accident of some kind and you've you've felt less than satisfied about your physical condition now Paul offers us hope when he tells us that our resurrected bodies will be different from our present natural bodies and the reason for that is because they will be made to last forever starting in verse 40 he writes there are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another the terrestrial body is sown in corruption it's raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonor it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body verses 40 42 43 and 44 now I do need to point out that while our resurrected body is described as spiritual this doesn't mean it's not also physical Jesus made this plain when he appeared to his disciples in his resurrected body in the upper room and he said to them behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself handle me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have Luke 24:39 first Corinthians 15 just has to be included in any list of the great chapters of the Bible it tells us there is hope beyond the grave it tells us Jesus conquered sin and death it tells us we have so much to look forward to and as the Apostle concludes the chapter he draws back the curtain of the future and tells us how this final victory over death on the part of God's redeemed Saints will occur when Jesus comes back to the earth at his second coming behold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory Oh death where is your sting o Hades that's the grave where is your victory but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ verses 51 to 55 and 57 here Paul gives us a picture of the second coming of Jesus he's clear that some people will be alive when Jesus returns which is why he says we shall not all sleep but he's equally clear that both the Christians who are raised from the dead and those who are taken to heaven without seeing death will have new bodies in 1st Thessalonians Paul describes this breathtaking event in similar language for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore comfort one another with these words 1st Thessalonians 4 or 16 through 18 what a remarkable promise death isn't the end because Jesus died and rose again everyone who believes in him and trusts in him and claims his power and his presence in their life will one day rise again as Jesus was about to perform what might even be his greatest miracle raising his friend Lazarus from the dead he spoke to Martha the sister of Lazarus and he said this your brother will rise again Martha said to him I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day jesus said to her I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me though he may die he shall live and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die John 11 23 to 26 this was the theme Jesus reiterated again and again during his ministry earlier in the Gospel of John Jesus said in John 5 starting in verse 28 do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation death is the one human circumstance that not one of us can do anything about although people are trying there are agencies that believe cryonics is the best hope that we have of living forever cryonics involves freezing people and liquid nitrogen in the hope that one day science will have advanced to the place where frozen people can be thought out and revived no scientists are discussing switching out aging body parts with newer younger parts so that you might be able to stay at say 30 years of age hmm no again no way another thing that's being proposed is that your brain could be uploaded to the cloud and then you could download it into an Android body so they're saying that you could download your brain into an Android a robot basically maybe in India and then you could visit the Taj Mahal without going to India and one of these things likely to happen they say maybe 30 or 40 years from now again mmm No the good news is God has a better plan but the old saying is that there are two things that you can't avoid death and taxes the gospel of Jesus Christ is unique Jesus offers you an end to the tragedy of death once and for all when Jesus returns and establishes his eternal Kingdom in Christ Paul says in first Corinthians 15:22 all shall be made alive we're all too familiar with the pain caused by death the resurrection we read about in 1st Corinthians 15 is the hope of the believer in Jesus when we farewell a loved one receive the tragic news that death is taken away another friend another family member another child another parent another grandparent no promise shines so brightly as the New Testament assurance that the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed as Paul roten first Corinthians 15:57 thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ let me ask you do you have that hub Jesus offers the hope of eternal life the hope of the Resurrection to everyone who will receive hope can be yours today the hope of a tomorrow the hope of a future the hope of a life beyond this life the hope of being in a place where there's no more sin and no death not ever again and that hope becomes yours when you accept it by faith in Jesus hope now Jesus offers it to you now and it's yours the moment you open your heart and say thank you Jesus I believe it's mine death is a cold hearted mystery that can invade our lives without warning and leave us with questions as big as a loss that we feel today's free offer the mystery of death provides biblical answers for the questions that haunt the topic of death what happens when we die where does our soul go is there an afterlife to discover answers to these questions and many more call eight hundred two fifty three thousand write to the address on your screen or visit iw offer calm planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship for this reason it is written is pleased to offer free planned giving and estate services for information on how we can help you please call eight hundred nine ninety two twenty two nineteen call today or visit our web site his legacy com call eight hundred nine ninety two twenty two nineteen let's pray together now our Father in Heaven we thank you today for the hook of the Resurrection a hope that is real not imaginary not a myth but real one day a real Jesus will come back to this real earth and the dead in Christ shall rise and the dead and the living at the time we'll all be caught up together in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air we'll always be with you we'll never age we'll never get sick and we'll never die because death will have been destroyed thanks to Jesus we thank you today for the Gospel friend do you have that hope if youdon't would you invite Jesus to give you that hope now would you believe it as yours would you claim it as yours would you say in your heart Jesus I accept you as my Lord and Savior Heavenly Father I believe in and I I gladly accept the hope of the Resurrection Lord we look forward to it and we pray with John who wrote Revelation even so come Lord Jesus in Jesus name we pray amen [Music] thanks so much for joining me I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time until then remember it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: EL AGUILA300865 - A Message of Peace and Hope

Views: 363

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Keywords: EL AGUILA300865, IT IS WRITTEN, Every Word, A Better Way To Live, Great Chapters of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 15

Id: cVR-H3vGRbc

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 21 2019