Focus on the Resurrection

Special Introduction

Good morning! In case you don't know me, my name is Josh King. I am currently on staff here at Chapel. And today is actually a special Sunday. Today is my last official day on staff here. I'm in the process of transitioning to Young Life staff, and I get to preach on my last day here. I can't think of a better way to end my essentially 6 years here at Chapel, but to preach through 1st Corinthians 15. This message has been incredibly powerful in my life and I hope the same for you.

Being Sure

The reason that this verse is so powerful, is that it gives me assurance that what we believe is true. And this is what I'm going to be talking about this morning: being sure that Jesus died and came back to life. Because life gets complicated and messy. We go through seasons of doubt where we have trouble sorting through what is true or what is a lie.

Underwear Story

A quick funny story to illustrate this… this happened well over a decade ago when my wife and I lived in our first house. Back then, Amazon was just starting to pick up steam and we were starting to order things through the mail. And so we would get brown boxes or brown envelopes in the mail.

One afternoon, the mail is delivered and my wife brings me this brown envelope. It's addressed to me. And I don't recognize the return address, so I'm assuming it's something from Amazon.

I opened it up, and it's a pair of my underwear.

And this was the look on my face!

How many of you thought that I actually would have had a pair of underwear? This is church! If this was young life club, then probably I would have gotten a silly pair of underwear. But for now we have the expression that I had on my face.

I was absolutely stunned. I was at a loss for words.

My wife had a couple words though. Actually asked me, “So who is sending you your underwear?”

I said I have absolutely no idea. I know this looks bad. I have no idea who this person is. I have no idea how they got my underwear. I can assure you that I am not cheating or anything like that. I am sure that there is a reasonable explanation for this. And I will let you know what that reasonable explanation is once I discover it.

Explanation

It turns out that just the weekend before we stayed at a bed and breakfast for a family wedding. Apparently a piece of my underwear didn't make it into my suitcase. And must have fallen under the bed or something like that. Instead of just throwing it away, the bed and breakfast owners decided to mail it to me. How nice.

Similar to Faith

As silly as this is, something similar can happen with our faith. Someone will say something or will read something on the internet that seems to undermine our Christian faith. We don't immediately have the reasonable explanation as to why our Christian faith is true. And this can make our heart sick.

I hope and pray that this morning is the antidote to that heart sickness of doubt. Let's read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and pray for this morning.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

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. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 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. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

The Importance of the Resurrection

I just told a silly story about underwear. But I wanted to up the stakes a little bit here. Because I think Paul does. In verse 2, Paul talks about the need to hold on to the truth of the Gospel, otherwise we believe in vain.

Up the Stakes - More than Underwear

Also later in this chapter he says, “17 ...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

Not 100% Sure about Paul’s Words

We are not exactly sure what the Corinthian Church was struggling with, but Paul is essentially saying you need to believe that Jesus actually and physically rose from the dead, otherwise everything is meaningless. We are not sure if certain people in the Corinthian church believed the truth at first and then drifted away, or if Paul is just using strong language to get their attention. Either way, believing in the real Jesus is crucial.

911 Paramedic Story

Before I worked for the church, I was a 911 paramedic. And I have a story that I think captures the emotions that involved here.

The call came in as a person who passed out. We arrive on scene and it's a beautiful home. And there is a husband and wife there in the kitchen. When you walk in you start to assess the situation, and the husband has this look on his face of shock and fear.

He said that everything was normal. They were at the kitchen table. And then all the sudden his wife passed out and then woke up. The part that was so scary is that she didn't recognize who he was. Also, she was speaking a different language.

And so all the sudden in a matter of a few minutes, his relationship with his wife is completely and utterly changed. She doesn't recognize him. She can't even communicate with him.

Husband by Side

The husband was still loving and caring. He never left her side. He came with us in the ambulance. And he was with her the entire time in the hospital.

Medical Explanation

In full honesty, I am not sure what the outcome of this story is. This is one of the hardest parts about being a paramedic is when we dropped them off at the hospital, we don't have any other update.

The only information that we received is that she grew up speaking Spanish and then learned how to speak English fluently. When she had this medical event, her memory was erased, and it caused her to revert to her native tongue. Her husband didn't know that she grew up speaking Spanish.

This was an absolutely bizarre situation, and I've hardly heard of anything quite like it.

Like a Crisis of Faith

But the reason I tell it is this:

Sometimes in our faith walk, we encounter little doubts or little questions in our minds. Kinda like someone mailing you your underwear. There is a quick explanation. All is well.

But sometimes there is a huge question that we have. And this causes intense doubt. It's similar to what this couple went through. Everything was normal and then all of a sudden it feels like we're disconnected from God. It feels like we're speaking a different language. We don't know where to turn. These are the emotions involved. Just like the husband in the story, God never leaves our side, but we feel detached.

My Story with Faith

This is what happened to me. Instead of having a medical emergency, I had a crisis of faith. When I graduated high school and I was entering my freshman year of college, I started interacting with a lot of different people from different faith backgrounds. The internet was picking up steam, and I was reading online about how some people thought everything in the Bible was made up. That Jesus never really existed.

I had a genuine faith, but it felt like a house of cards. One person said one thing, and the whole thing collapsed.

No Answer

What if the Bible is made up?

I had no answer to this question.

If you can lose your salvation, I did. This is a complex topic. And I'm not going to dive into it this morning. All I'm saying is that it felt like I did. This doubt that I had in my mind rocked me to my core. I felt like that patient sitting there around her kitchen table. You don't remember anything. You can't even communicate with anybody. I felt so alone and afraid.

Young Life Leaders

But this is not the end of the story.

I am so grateful for some amazing Christian men in my life. I was able to be honest with my father with some of my doubts and he was able to point me in a good direction. I also had some amazing Young Life leaders. I remember talking with Chris and John about my crisis of Faith. John was able to give me some books to read. And Chris was able to meet with me several times and really dive into these issues. I didn't have to pretend like I had it all together. I could be honest with myself and I could be honest with them. It was like the patients’ husband in the ER. Never left her side, even though she was going through a lot.

Help Driving Doubt Into the Ground

They were able to help me drive this doubt into the ground.

And while I had several questions, 1st Corinthians 15:3-5 is the Bible verse that provided the most evidence and proof of Jesus's resurrection. And And even until today, I cling to this verse.

Final Paper

Just last year in seminary I took a doctoral level class covering Jesus in history. For my final project, I studied these three versus as deeply as I possibly could. What I'm about to present to you now is a quick summary of the research I was able to do under the guidance of Dr. Mark Strauss. If you wanted to read this paper, it is on my website. You can ask me later how to access it.

The Bedrock of the Resurrection

Just to set the stage again, let's read 1st Corinthians 15:3-5.

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.

We are going to take these three verses one phrase at a time and talk about how amazing they are and what they mean.

Received and Passed On - Paul’s story

The first phrase is what I received I passed on to you.

Paul’s Story

If you don't know Paul's story, he talks about it briefly in this passage. He also talks about it in Galatians chapter 1, which we will dive into in a little bit. Also, in Acts chapter 9, we have Paul's story. Paul was a violent man. He was actively going around the region and killing Christians. And then all of a sudden, one day while he was traveling to a city called Damascus, Jesus met him on the road and said stop killing everybody.

This was a miraculous event. Paul was blind for 3 days, and the first Christians took him in, cared for him, and prayed for him. After these 3 days, Paul regained his vision and now had the new mission of spreading the good news about Jesus instead of killing everyone who was a Christian.

Historical Proof

This was an incredible historical event that no one would have made up. Paul’s story alone gives us amazing historical evidence.

Paul is not inventing the idea that Jesus died and came back to life. He was told by Jesus himself and he was taught these essential truths by those first Christians.

Technical Terms

The words received and passed on are actually technical terms. They refer to how Paul received this oral tradition and passed it on to others. This was part of their culture. Reading and writing were difficult and expensive back then. They really relied on people memorizing small phrases or large passages of the Bible and passing them on to others. And this is exactly what Paul is talking about here.

Not Telephone

This is a well-documented and reliable part of their culture. Don't listen to anyone who says that the early Christians essentially played “telephone” and their message changed over time. It's simply not true.

First Importance

And Paul says that what he received from Jesus and from the first Christians is of “first importance.”

Bare Bones

One scholar (Gordon Fee) says the couple verses are the “bare bones” of Christianity. These are the most important things.

Prioritize Beliefs

I absolutely love this. It gives us categories of beliefs. There are matters of first importance, and so there are matters of second importance and third importance. Chapel and Young Life have this in common: It is biblical and healthy to prioritize your beliefs.

It is a good thing to focus on Jesus and his resurrection.

Paul is reminding the Corinthians of those basic core beliefs that every Christian has to have. These are essential. These are core.

Quick Overview: 2 Claims and 2 Proofs

The next two verses have an almost poetic and rhythmic equality to them. There are two claims about Jesus. And then each claim has a proof. So claim number one will have proof number one. And claim number two will have proof number two.

And all of this is to fulfill the old testament scriptures. And the phrase “according to the scriptures” is repeated just to drive home this idea that Jesus is fulfilling God's plan to save the world.

Claim #1 & Proof #1

Claim #1…

The first claim is “that Christ died for our sins.”

People in that age were expecting a savior to come and drive out the Roman empire. They were expecting a military leader. But Jesus was a different type of leader. His kingdom was not of this world. And to save the world, he died on a cross. He died for our sins.

This was something unexpected and embarassing. Historians talk about the “criterion of embarrassment.” If you were trying to invent a religion, your savior would not die on a Roman cross. If you were truly trying to invent a religion or start a military revolution, you would come up with some other story. You'd make something else up. But what we have here is the first Christians simply telling the truth. Jesus was fully God and fully human. And he really died for our sins. He died on a Roman cross, which was embarrassing and humiliating.

Proof #1

And what is the proof of this? “That he was buried.” People knew where the tomb was. People could go see the tomb. This was something that really happened.

But that's not the end of the story.

Claim #2 & Proof #2

Claim #2

What is the second claim? “...that he was raised on the third day.”

Back to Life

Jesus is no longer dead. He came back to life. He was resurrected.

Combination of Expected & Unexpected

From a historian's perspective, this passage and the early Christians’ message provide very strong historical evidence. Something happened 2,000 years ago, and why in the world would these Jewish men and women just invent these stories about Jesus?

Talking about Jesus's resurrection, there was something both expected and unexpected about it. Many Jewish people believed in a physical Resurrection when we reach heaven, but it was very surprising to have Jesus be resurrected first. In many ways, this combination of this being expected and unexpected checks all of the boxes for the “criteria of authenticity” that many historians look at. Thinking as a historian, this is remarkable.

Proof #2

And what is the proof of this? “that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”

The tomb is empty. He proved this by appearing to many people, including his designated representatives for the world. These are his apostles. Cephas is another name for Peter. Peter was the head of the apostles. And “the Twelve” is a collective term for Jesus’s representatives that will share his message. This eyewitness testimony is proof that he came back to life.

The Historicity of the Resurrection - Gal. 1:20

Quickly turning to Galatians chapter 1 . Paul discusses his story from his point of view. I love verse 20, it says this: “I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.”

Paul is not lying. He really encountered Jesus in a powerful way Jesus changed his life. I resonate with that. I have had similar experiences where I encountered Jesus. It like he was righ there next to me.

Jesus changes you. It's as simple as that.

Book Recommendation - 16 Scholars

It wouldn't be a Josh sermon if it didn't have a book recommendation. And so this time I'm recommending The Bedrock of Christianity by Justin Bass.

In this book, he outlines the results of 16 different scholars' research on Paul's life and the passage we just read. Several of these scholars aren't even Christian, but the historical evidence is so strong this is what they piece together.

In the months or years after Jesus died and came back to life, the very first Christians put together the passage we read in 1st Corinthians. Combining this with Paul's timeline in Galatians 1:17-18, many scholars date 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 to the year 33 or even earlier. This is absolutely astounding historical evidence. It blows every other religion out of the water. And just to say it again, even non-Christian Scholars believe this timeline because the historical evidence is so strong.

“Mythicists” & Flat Earthers

The only scholars that I'm aware of that deny this are called “mythicists.” These are a very fringe group of scholars who believe that Jesus was only a myth. They represent a very small minority in scholarship, and they are not well-respected in the academy.

And just so you guys are aware… From a historian’s point of view, if you deny that Jesus even existed, it is very similar to believing that the Earth is flat. You will find some people out there who have these extreme views, but they are not very well respected. And so when you hear someone say, “I think Jesus probably existed.” This is the same thing as saying, “Yeah, I think the earth is round. I probably won't fall off the edge of the earth.” I just want us all to be informed about where historians are landing in terms of Jesus as a historical figure.

Faith is still needed - Not just a thought exercise

Obviously, it takes faith to believe that Jesus was God and that he died on the cross and came back to life, but this is not due to a lack of historical evidence. Some people don’t believe because they don't want to give their whole life to Jesus. If Jesus really came back to life, then it changes everything. There are always complexities, but I believe it's not that some can't believe in Jesus, it's just that they won't. They are holding onto something.

Application

Are You Sure Enough?

In closing, I just want to read Paul's last words in this section. They are from verse 58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”

Are you sure enough to trust Jesus with your whole life?

Are you standing firm on the resurrection? If not, what is holding you back?

Sometimes when we think about making a decision for Jesus, we think we need absolutely all of our questions answered, but this is simply not possible. We're never going to have 100% of our questions answered. Life is always messy and mysterious. But at some point you have to make a decision.

Proposal Story

It's similar to entering into a marriage relationship. Here is a picture of when I proposed to my wife Caitlin.

I had this amazing plan about proposing at this really fancy restaurant. For the last course, instead of our actual dessert, everyone else had an empty plate with a silver cover on it. But Caitlin got a plate with a silver cover and a ring under the cover.

I was pretty nervous, but the server was even more nervous. She came out with the plates all chattering. And she ended up dropping my plate on the floor. This made the entire restaurant stop and look at us. My buddy that was eating with us. You shouted out, “5-second rule!” And then, the waitress picked up my plate from the floor and put it back on the table.

We were all really confused, but Caitlin still picked up her plate and saw the ring. Then I got down on one knee, and I proposed to her.

Messy, but Know Enough

Did everything go to plan? No. It was kind of a disaster. It was messy.

More importatnly… Did we know everything about each other at this point? No. But we knew enough.

But I knew enough that I wanted to propose. And Caitlin knew enough to say yes. We were married about a year later, and we've been married for 15 years. And we are still learning about ourselves and learning about each other.

You don't need to know everything about someone to enter into a relationship with them.

Know Enough About Jesus?

Similar thing with Jesus. He knows everything about you, but do you know enough about him? He knows all the bad things you have done, but he is not going to leave your side.

You don’t need to know everything, but you need to know enough. He was fully God and fully human. He died on the cross for your sins, and he came back to life. He is asking you, “Do you want to have a relationship with me? What is holding you back?”

Life is always going to be messy. There's always going to be some confusion. Is it really some more information that you need? If so, do your research. Ask good questions. But most likely, it's something deeper. It's about letting go of your life and trusting Jesus with everything. It's truly about surrendering your life. Are you sure enough about Jesus to trust him with your life?

Give Yourself to the work

And if you have already given your life to Jesus, I would encourage you with the rest of Paul's words, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

When we work hard for Jesus, it is not in vain. And one of the absolute best things that we can do is share Jesus with others. It is such a joy to share Jesus with another person and have them take that first step of Faith.

I would encourage every believer here to make time to build relationships with people who don't know Jesus yet. Be hospitable. Be open to who God is sending your way. This is not a waste; it is quite the opposite. It is one of the most important things that you can do. Are you sure enough about Jesus to share him with others?

Closing Prayer

We are going to close our service with a song and a time of prayer. If you haven't given your life to Jesus, you have an opportunity to do so this morning. I or any members of the prayer team would love to pray with you to receive Jesus for the first time.

You can also ask for prayer for help in sharing Jesus with others. Maybe you have someone in mind that you want to pray for it. Now is an opportunity.

And if you have any other prayer requests, we would love to pray with you.

Let's pray.