April 20th, 2025
Easter 2025
The Glory of Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
April 20, 2025
Memory Verse:
“Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
1 Corinthians 15:22 NLT
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today is a great reminder that our God is the god of resurrection. This means that there is nothing He cannot restore back to life that's been dead into its most normal and working condition. Praise to Risen Lord!
It's not an accident that you are here today. Take this opportunity to reflect on your own faith. What do you really believe in? Do you have a strong anchor in life that no matter what life may bring you know that your faith will keep you in tact? That is the question I would like to challenge you this morning. There are three things I want you to remember about resurrection.
Main Pointers:
“Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-9 NLT
1. The evidence of resurrection.
A. The sentiment of many people today is the question of the evidence of what you believe in. Some may like to discredit what you believe based on evidence or lack of it.
B. The Bible tells us that blessed are those who believe without seeing but that doesn't necessarily mean that evidence is not important. In this case the apostle Paul emphasized the word "seen/saw" four different times by firsthand eyewitness.
C. “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!"
Isaiah 64:4 NLT
2. The assurance of resurrection.
“But tell me this— since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 NLT
A. One of my favorite synonyms of the word assurance is the word "guaranteed." It's a word that connotes confidence and certainty. How confident are you with your faith?
B. Paul here addressed the question of the certainty of resurrection. If there is no resurrection then it's a domino effect, and the only conclusion is that our faith is useless and we are to be pitied in all the world.
3. The glory of resurrection.
“But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all
things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
1 Corinthians 15:23-28 NLT
A. The uniqueness of resurrection is what sets us apart from any other religion that falsely claims a way to eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus was the first fruit of the harvest which means that those who belong to him will be raised back to life when He returns.
B. “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT
Conclusion:
Easter is about Jesus winning so we don’t have to live in defeat anymore. It's an opportunity for us to re-evaluate our faith. We all need an anchor in life. Some finds comfort in knowing that they have money and power to keep them safe, some put their trust on material things, some in people, and some just don't believe at all.
What about you this morning? Where would you put your anchor in? What gives you the confidence that no matter what happens in this life that you are secured, assured, and certain that your faith is not useless because your faith is in Christ alone!
The Glory of Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
April 20, 2025
Memory Verse:
“Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
1 Corinthians 15:22 NLT
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today is a great reminder that our God is the god of resurrection. This means that there is nothing He cannot restore back to life that's been dead into its most normal and working condition. Praise to Risen Lord!
It's not an accident that you are here today. Take this opportunity to reflect on your own faith. What do you really believe in? Do you have a strong anchor in life that no matter what life may bring you know that your faith will keep you in tact? That is the question I would like to challenge you this morning. There are three things I want you to remember about resurrection.
Main Pointers:
“Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-9 NLT
1. The evidence of resurrection.
A. The sentiment of many people today is the question of the evidence of what you believe in. Some may like to discredit what you believe based on evidence or lack of it.
B. The Bible tells us that blessed are those who believe without seeing but that doesn't necessarily mean that evidence is not important. In this case the apostle Paul emphasized the word "seen/saw" four different times by firsthand eyewitness.
C. “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!"
Isaiah 64:4 NLT
2. The assurance of resurrection.
“But tell me this— since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 NLT
A. One of my favorite synonyms of the word assurance is the word "guaranteed." It's a word that connotes confidence and certainty. How confident are you with your faith?
B. Paul here addressed the question of the certainty of resurrection. If there is no resurrection then it's a domino effect, and the only conclusion is that our faith is useless and we are to be pitied in all the world.
3. The glory of resurrection.
“But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all
things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
1 Corinthians 15:23-28 NLT
A. The uniqueness of resurrection is what sets us apart from any other religion that falsely claims a way to eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus was the first fruit of the harvest which means that those who belong to him will be raised back to life when He returns.
B. “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT
Conclusion:
Easter is about Jesus winning so we don’t have to live in defeat anymore. It's an opportunity for us to re-evaluate our faith. We all need an anchor in life. Some finds comfort in knowing that they have money and power to keep them safe, some put their trust on material things, some in people, and some just don't believe at all.
What about you this morning? Where would you put your anchor in? What gives you the confidence that no matter what happens in this life that you are secured, assured, and certain that your faith is not useless because your faith is in Christ alone!
Recent
Archive
Categories
no categories
Tags
no tags
No Comments