HOPE in Resurrection

Encouraging words about the Resurrection I Corinthians 15

Today's message reminds me of the biography my aunt Jill Morgan wrote about her famous relative, Dr. G Campbell Morgan.  She called the book ,A Man of the Word but somehow it was refered to as , A Man of the World.  If you were to skim I Corinthians you would see that it deals with issues that we would wonder, " how did they get there?" 

A man in the church commited incest and no censure by the church occurs. 

Members were suing other members of the church.

There was a quarrelsome spirit in the church.

Certain men were followed instead of Christ.

There was a question of authority and where it really comes from?

Some members denied the resurrection .

In other words, there was a lot of things that had to be addressed by the Apostle.  But amid all of this it is a very hopeful letter with some of the most famous Scripture vs we know in it.  Here are just a few.

I Cor 10:13  " There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Of course the most famous one is, " Love (charity never fails"

The chapter we are looking at today has some too, " Behold, I show 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 trump"

" O death , where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?"

Today we are looking for a few minutes at the truth of our resurrection, and eternal life which begins at the moment of belief and faith.  This reminds me of the stories of the three buddies who were discussing death.  What would you like people to say about you at your funeral , one asked. " He was a great humanitarian and cared about his community."  " He was a great husband and father, who was an example for many to follow." The last one said,  " Look, he's moving!"  sermoncentral.com ilustrations on resurrection

" Brethren, I have make known to you, the glad tidings which I announced to you , which you also received, in which also ye stand, by which also you are being saved, if you hold fast ( keep in memory) what I preached unto you."

Received.  That is the crux of the matter.  What do we receive?  Do we receive the Scripture as the Word of God?  Or have we not made up our mind yet?  What do we receive then?  All of our lives we have received things .  But perhaps we have not received the greatest gifts God has.  They are the gifts of belief and charity.  It is easy to fall into what others saying without thinking it through.  We need the consistent enlightenment from God that illumines our lives when we think we are without hope . And God has spoken in His Son and the Spirit of God who inspired holy men it says in 2 Peter 1:21 .  This prophecy of the scripture as Peter calls it is in written words of the Scripture.

If we receive the word of God as it comes from Him, we stand in that first of all.  That was cry of the Reformation, " Sola Scriptura"  Scripture alone is our standard .  Scripture as we have received it in our lives can change us and transform our thinking into what is true, right and lovely .  ( Philippians 4:8) Of course when we say that Scripture alone is our standard we are not saying that we cannot glean truth from others, or the Church of course and its leaders and its members who are acquainted with the gentle ways of God. 

To stand in God and in Christ we must first receive .  " The city to which Paul came preaching the gospel was, ....a very cosmopolitan place.  It was an important city.  It was intellectually alert.  It was materially prosperous.  It was morally corrupt.  "  Leon Morris, The 1st Epistle to the Corinthians. 

Postively we have a message to our culture and society as well.  We believe that " Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures..."  This is not an empty fable.  It was witnessed by Peter ( Cephas), the twelve apostles, and then to above 500 brethren . 

We can claim the promise of the good news that we do not have to leave this life without hope.  We have the hope of eternal life which begins now and then continues with Christ .

In this we are " being saved" as the apostle emphasizes.  To be saved is to have all the good news of the faith applied to our hearts and our minds that we so live in this life that we have eternal life in the life to come with Christ.

What greater comfort do we need as we journey through this life with joy and thanksgiving as we look to a future with hope and the presence of God and His saints who dwell with Him forevermore.

To Him be the glory forever.  Amen.