Embark on a profound journey of faith as we uncover the deep roots of resurrection hope that have sustained believers for two millennia. We weave the ancient wisdom of 1 Corinthians 15 with the remarkable longevity of Maria Marrera, the world's oldest person as of January 2023, to bring you a message of everlasting life and the futility of a faith without the resurrection. The historical credibility of the Gospel of Luke stands as a testament to this miraculous event, prompting both believers and skeptics to explore its truth. Through heartfelt prayer and introspection, we extend an invitation to all, regardless of where you stand in your faith, to find solace and strength in the promise of Jesus' victory over death.
As we celebrate Easter, we delve into the concrete evidences for the resurrection that affirm our Christian hope. We dissect four pivotal 'E's—Execution, Empty tomb, Eyewitnesses, and Early accounts—to reinforce the historical reality of Christ's rising, a cornerstone of our faith that offers peace and purpose beyond material desires. C.S. Lewis's transformative journey from atheism to belief sheds light on the immense significance of accepting this truth. We close with a powerful prayer, inviting you to experience the transformative power of faith and the anticipation of our own resurrection, while offering our support as you navigate the path to salvation and a life changed through surrender to Jesus.
Embark on a profound journey of faith as we uncover the deep roots of resurrection hope that have sustained believers for two millennia. We weave the ancient wisdom of 1 Corinthians 15 with the remarkable longevity of Maria Marrera, the world's oldest person as of January 2023, to bring you a message of everlasting life and the futility of a faith without the resurrection. The historical credibility of the Gospel of Luke stands as a testament to this miraculous event, prompting both believers and skeptics to explore its truth. Through heartfelt prayer and introspection, we extend an invitation to all, regardless of where you stand in your faith, to find solace and strength in the promise of Jesus' victory over death.
As we celebrate Easter, we delve into the concrete evidences for the resurrection that affirm our Christian hope. We dissect four pivotal 'E's—Execution, Empty tomb, Eyewitnesses, and Early accounts—to reinforce the historical reality of Christ's rising, a cornerstone of our faith that offers peace and purpose beyond material desires. C.S. Lewis's transformative journey from atheism to belief sheds light on the immense significance of accepting this truth. We close with a powerful prayer, inviting you to experience the transformative power of faith and the anticipation of our own resurrection, while offering our support as you navigate the path to salvation and a life changed through surrender to Jesus.
Hi and welcome to the FBC El Dorado Sermon Podcast. We hope God will use this week's message to both inspire and challenge you as you seek to walk closer with the Lord. Now join me as we listen in to this week's sermon. I want to invite you, if you would please be taking your Bibles and turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. We're going to be looking in 1 Corinthians 15.
Speaker 1:A moment ago, out of Luke 24, we read the resurrection story and just so thankful for the opportunity that we have together here today to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. You know, every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. We have the privilege of gathering week in and week out and declaring what Jesus Christ has done for us. I am again. If you're not normally here, if you don't normally attend church on a Sunday, I don't know specifically why you're here this morning. I assume it's because we're celebrating Easter and, again, I'm so thankful to you for your willingness to do that. And so, as we read about the resurrection, as we did a moment ago, the question has to be asked these events occurred 2000 years ago. These events occurred 2,000 years ago. What does it matter? 2,000 years later, 20 centuries later? Why does this matter? Well, let me give you a very practical example of why this matters.
Speaker 1:There is a woman living in Catalonia, spain. Her name is Maria Marrera, and the story that I read a moment ago really matters to Maria. She has a very interesting title because in January of 2023, she became the only person on the surface of the earth to have this particular title, and that is the title of the world's oldest person. March 4th of this year, she turned 117. Can you imagine sitting down to a computer and Googling your name if Maria did that and finding out, in a world of 8 billion people, you are the oldest person alive? Again, she became the world's oldest person in January of 2023. You know how she came to be the oldest person? Because in January of 2023, the oldest person then alive died. It's a title that you don't hold for long.
Speaker 1:As a matter of fact, we're able to know and affirm and acknowledge that death is the fate that awaits all of mankind, and so the question for us today is, as I stand before you, I know I'm not going to ever get to the title of the world's oldest person. It's not going to happen but even if it did, the question remains is there any hope? And that's what leads us to Easter. That's what brings us back to these events that occurred 2,000 years ago, to the resurrection of Jesus. Our future, our hope, hinges on Jesus of Nazareth rising from the dead. As a matter of fact, in this chapter, the apostle Paul writes and says, in verses 17 through 19,. Here he says these words if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. And listen to verse 19. If, in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are, of all men, the most pitiable. Now we know it to be true. I stand here today wholeheartedly believing it to be true. How can we know that it is true? Matter of fact, this past week I encountered someone and I was talking about Easter and mentioned that I'd been born on Easter Sunday, and I looked at this individual, this young lady, and I said I just I'm curious, do you believe Jesus rose from the dead? And she kind of you know, she averted her eyes and she said oh yeah. I said, do you really believe he rose from the dead? Well, I don't know, I'm not so sure. With that in mind.
Speaker 1:I want us to look here at first Corinthians, chapterthians, chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. Let's read the first eight verses where it says this. It says, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand by, which you are saved if you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain, for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas and then by the twelve, and after that, he was seen by over five hundred at once, of whom the greater part remained to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by over 500 at once, of whom the greater part remained 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 by one born out of due time. I want to, I want to pray for a moment, lord, we want to invite you to directly speak into our hearts and lives today, and if there is someone here today who is searching for the truth, I am asking that you would speak to them today. If there is someone who is here out of tradition or because they promised their son or daughter, or they promised their mom and dad, I pray that you would speak to them today. I pray for those Christians in this room today that we would wholeheartedly affirm the resurrection of Jesus. That empowers us to live every day as though Jesus Christ is the most important person in our lives and it is in his name that I pray Amen.
Speaker 1:I think it's important for us to note that when these documents, when these books of the Bible, were written. I love history and I won't bore you with history. This morning we need to talk about Jesus and whether or not he's still in the tomb, but it's important for us to affirm that. I read a moment ago out of Luke, chapter 24. Did you know that the gospel of Luke was written about 60, maybe 60 to 64 AD, about 30 years after Jesus rose from the dead? But it's important for us to also note did you know that 1 Corinthians was written before the gospel of Luke? 1 Corinthians, we know for a fact was written either in 54 or 55 AD, as Paul wrote this important letter to the church at Corinth.
Speaker 1:And then, as we look at this passage of Scripture, you're able to see verses 3 through 7, where Paul starts by saying I delivered to you first of all that which I received. Paul is referencing this passage of Scripture and saying just after he became a follower of Jesus, he received this. This is what he was taught, and scholars not only Christian scholars, but also secular scholars affirm that verses three through five or potentially even three through seven are very early passages of scripture. They refer to this as a very early Christian creed that was probably formulated months after Jesus' death and resurrection, and if not that, then certainly by two or three years after Jesus' resurrection. This was the message that the Christians had to proclaim, and so let's look at this, let's look at these verses verses three through seven and see the elements of this passage concerning our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the first thing I want you to know is Jesus Christ died for our sins, and I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before. I had somebody back in the month of February. I sat down with them and I explained the gospel and their response to me was no one has ever shared this with me before, and so I want you to know today that Jesus Christ has died for your sins. That is what verse three tells us. It says I delivered to you first of all that which I received that Christ died for our sins.
Speaker 1:According to the Scriptures, the Bible teaches us that Jesus atoned for our sins, that he paid for our sins. You and I deserve to be punished for the sins that we have committed. Our sin results in us being separated from God. But, as was read a moment ago as the choir sang so triumphantly, 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 21, says God made him who knew no sin, that is, jesus. He made him, who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And so if you've never heard that before, you need to know. Jesus didn't go to the cross to set a good example. Jesus didn't go to the cross just to demonstrate an act of love. Jesus went to the cross because someone has to pay for our sins, and he paid for yours and for mine.
Speaker 1:The second element of this passage of Scripture is that he was buried. Verse 4 very clearly says that it says and that he was buried. That is what Paul taught the church at Corinth. And as he emphasizes that in this passage of Scripture, you know what I think the Apostle Paul, in this very early Christian creed, was stating. It is stating that Jesus was dead. You know that back in the 19th century it became popular for people to argue that Jesus had not actually died, that he had passed out and somehow was resuscitated in the tomb and managed to muscle that giant stone away from the opening and walk out and look like everything was okay and convince his followers that he'd risen from the dead. But several years ago the Journal of the American Medical Association conducted research on the execution of Jesus and do you know what they concluded? Jesus was dead. Jesus really did die at the hand of those expert executioners, that is, the Romans. Jesus died for our sins. He was buried.
Speaker 1:The third element of this passage of scripture is that he rose on the third day. That is what we see here at the end of verse four. He rose again on the third day. According to the scriptures, there was a moment in human history when Jesus' heart stopped beating, when his blood stopped pumping. He was completely dead. But on that Easter Sunday morning, God demonstrated his power in enabling Jesus Christ's heart to start beating, his blood to start pumping. He regained consciousness, he came completely back to life. He walked out of that tomb that morning and in a way that no one else has ever done in all of human history, jesus now lives, never to die again. Never again is Jesus going to die. He lives and he lives forevermore. He has risen from the dead.
Speaker 1:And then the fourth element that we see in this passage is found in verse 5. It says then he was seen by Cephas that's another name for Peter. Then he was seen by Cephas, then by the 12. After that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained to the present, but some have fallen asleep. And then after that he was seen by James, and then by all the apostles. So he was seen. He rises from the dead. We read a moment ago the women who were at the tomb. They were the first ones to bear witness to Jesus having risen from the dead. And then he appears to Peter, then he appears to the other disciples. And then he appears to this group of 500. And do you catch what is said there, most of whom are still alive? Remember this is being written in 54 or 55 AD, paul's in Ephesus. When he writes it he sends it back to the church at Corinth. And catch what he is saying. If any of you Corinthians doubt that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, you can go back to Jerusalem, because there are 500 people to whom Jesus appeared at one moment. Now some of them have died, you can't interview all of them, but most of them are still alive and they can bear witness to the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives forever more. And then it says he appeared to James, that is, james, the half brother of Jesus and then to the apostles, and then, ultimately, the apostle Paul says he even appeared to me on the road to Damascus and that launched Paul into his ministry of sharing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:There's a man by the name of Lee Strobel who used to be a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He was an atheist and his wife wasn't a follower of Jesus either, but throughout the course of their marriage they had some troubles and she looked into it and ultimately gave her heart and life over to the Lord. Jesus Christ. Affirmed faith in Jesus made Lee so mad, thought their marriage was over, thought their life of fun was over and it was just going to destroy them, and gone are the days of being happy in their marriage. So he set out to demonstrate that Christianity is foolishness and it's a fairy tale and it's a crutch. And guess what happened? When he finished all of his research? He bowed his knee and his heart and his life to Jesus of Nazareth, because he had to acknowledge that Jesus Christ really did walk out of that tomb. Matter of fact, he's written several books, but if you want to look into it, the Case for Christ is the one that is a great demonstration of the accuracy of the Gospels and the legitimacy of the Christian faith. But as he speaks of the resurrection, if you have questions about the legitimacy of the resurrection, he uses four words, and I want you, as Christians, to remember these four words in an effort to explain why we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:The first one is execution, and they all start with E, so they're easy to remember. But the first one is execution, and that is. The Romans knew what they were doing when it came to crucifixion. Jesus really was dead. The second one is empty. The tomb was dead. The second one is empty. The tomb was empty. You know what the best thing would have done for the opponents of Jesus to have snuffed out Christianity? It would have been to locate his body and parade it through the streets and say this is what happens to people who follow Jesus. But they never could do it. The tomb was empty. His body could never be found. Tomb was empty, his body could never be found.
Speaker 1:The third is eyewitnesses. There are people who saw for themselves the risen Jesus. Yes, those 500 that we mentioned a moment ago. They could be interviewed. But also the disciples.
Speaker 1:Now you think about, as we know from history, not only from the Bible, but we also know from secular sources, that the disciples went on to proclaim the resurrected Jesus and they gave their lives for it. They died for preaching that Jesus has risen from the dead. Now we know that there are people all around the world that are willing to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs. You can hold your belief so strongly that you're willing to die for them. People can die for a lie, but they don't die knowing it's a lie. And that's what sets the disciples apart because they knew what they saw. Remember, the disciples were the first skeptics. In the gospel of Luke it says they didn't believe when the women reported that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were skeptical of this. But they go on to give their lives in faith to the Lord Jesus. They were willing to die because they knew that it was true. You look into the fate of the disciples. They were unwilling to recant because they knew Jesus had really risen from the dead. And the last one is you have execution, empty eyewitnesses and early the fact that this passage here in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, is written so early after the ministry of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Some people will claim the Gospels were written in the second century and that it was so far removed from Jesus that they had to make up things about Jesus. Listen, you need to look into it for yourself. You are going to find that is simply not the case. The message of a risen Jesus was very clear very shortly after Jesus had risen from the dead. And so I stand here before you this morning.
Speaker 1:I have hope. It doesn't matter if I hit 117 or don't hit 40, 48. I have hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have peace. I know the day is going to come when he is going to make everything right and I'm going to enjoy being in his presence for all of eternity. And I have purpose when I get up in the morning. My purpose isn't to make more money or to have more influence, or to get a nicer house or a nicer car or a better job, or to even get in better shape. None of those things. Those are not what life is about. Life is about living the life that God created me to live and that is found only through a relationship with him in Christ Jesus. Why do I have all this? Only because Jesus has risen from the dead. That's the only reason. That's the difference that this event in human history makes, because it means that he has the power to rescue us from our sins. It means he has the power to defeat death and to fill our lives with hope and peace and purpose. Do you know what God has done for you? He has created you, he loves you, he has paid the price for sin for you and he invites you today to have a relationship with him through faith in Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Another man from the 20th century who was an atheist, didn't want to have anything to do with God, uninterested in the things of God, but started to look into the claims of Christianity. His name's CS Lewis. Once the dust settled, guess what he did? He had to give his life to Jesus Christ. He had to affirm Jesus really had risen from the dead. Here's something that he says. He says Christianity, if false, is of no importance. If it is true, it is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.
Speaker 1:Now a decision has to be made about Jesus. We celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Easter. What does our society think about those two holidays? When do we start celebrating Christmas? Walmart starts putting up those Christmas trees about late August, don't they? People start playing Christmas music in October. I mean the last fourth of the year is a build-up to Christmas. We love Christmas. It's about a baby and it's warm and it's about giving gifts and sitting around a Christmas tree and singing warm songs and enjoying that together. We don't quite have that with Easter. Why is it? Because Easter requires a decision.
Speaker 1:You have to decide whether or not Jesus walked out of that tomb and if he did if he did, he has to be the Lord of my life, he has to be. There's no option for me. Again, CS Lewis says this. He says, given the evidence, when it comes to Jesus, you've got three options. Jesus was either a liar who claimed to be the savior of the world, but deep down he knew he wasn't and so he was a deceiver. So he was either a liar or he was a lunatic. That being, he claimed to be something he wasn't, but he really thought he was. The only other option left to us is he has to be Lord. He claimed to be the Savior of the world and he really is.
Speaker 1:And that is the invitation for you this day. Matter of fact, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18 says this. It says the message of the cross. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God. You need to be rescued from your sins. Today you need to set your life on a different course, and that comes only as a result of giving your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's what you need to do today you need to believe. You need to believe the facts. You need to believe that Jesus not only lived a sinless life, but that he died on the cross. Those things are well attested. Secular historians attest those. You need to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Secondly, you need to repent of your sin. Repenting of your sin means acknowledging your sinfulness and having a desire to turn from it. Are you willing to do that this day? And then, finally, you need to surrender your life to jesus and make him the lord of your life. Give him control of your life from this day forward. That's the invitation for you today. Are you willing? Are you willing to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus If you really believe he walked out of that tomb that day? That is your only option and that is the invitation today. I want to invite you if you would please bow your head and close your eyes. I want to invite you if you would please bow your head and close your eyes, with your heads bowed and your eyes closed, if you're already a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Today is a day of thanksgiving. It is a day of recognition that our lives are forever changed because of the resurrection of Jesus. Let us be thankful to Him, let's praise Him for who he is and let's continue to surrender and live in that resurrection power. If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you need to. Let me simply say to you, as one who came to realize my sinfulness and my need for a Savior Jesus has transformed me and given me reason to live. You need that today. He can rescue you like he rescued me. In a moment. We're going to be standing down here at the front. Brian and I are going to be standing at the front. If you're ready, if you're ready to give your life to Christ and you need to turn today you need to surrender today. You can do that right there in your seat. You can pray to the Lord right now and ask him to save. We would love to talk with you about what it means to give your life to the one who died so that you can live. Lord, we call on you today. We love you. We are so thankful to you.
Speaker 1:I am wholeheartedly committed to the fact that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. You demonstrated your power to do that. You raised him from the dead. The day is going to do that. You raised him from the dead. The day is going to come. If you don't come before this, the day is going to come when I'm going to die. I'm going to be ushered into your presence and I'm going to be resurrected from the dead as well, and I thank you for that hope. I thank you for that promise.
Speaker 1:We just want that for everyone in this room, everyone watching online. They need the hope of Jesus, so speak into their hearts today, give them a desire to believe, to repent and to surrender control today to the one who can transform them forever. And so it's in your powerful name, the name of your risen son, jesus, that we pray. Amen. I want to invite you, if you would please, stand to your feet, listen as we sing. Today is the day of salvation. Brian and I are going to be standing down here at the front. We would love to pray with you. We would love to talk with you about how Jesus Christ can transform you forever and ever. As we sing. You come.