During the French Revolution somebody said to the Bishop of Autun,

"Oh yes," said the Bishop, "One would only have to get crucified and rise again the third day."

It is difficult on a day like this not to concentrate on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 15 has been described as one of the ten most important chapters in the Bible, one commentator uses the following superlatives to describe it.

Let us consider again, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I suppose we could take as our text these words:

What a thought, what if Christ be not risen? What would it mean?

In recent years some who call themselves Christians have denied the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I wonder do they ever read the Bible?

Paul was writing to these believers in Corinth, remember they were young in the faith, someone was sowing seeds of doubt re. the resurrection from the dead, it was not that they didn’t believe Jesus rose form the dead, but they denied the bodily resurrection of believers.

Paul shows them that the two are inextricable linked.

If they believe Christ has risen, then they too will rise from the dead.

1 Cor. 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Paul reminds them that, I preached.

What did he preach? The Gospel.

He reminds them that they received.

I have preached this Gospel, you have received it, that means you believed.

This is what you depend on, the truth and the authenticity of the message that I have preached to you.

I preached, you received, you stand and you’re saved. Praise God for the power of the Gospel.

Did you believe what I preached to you? If you didn’t then your not saved for no other Gospel will do.

Their very salvation was proof that Jesus rose from the dead, to deny it would indicate that they were never saved at all.

Consider my past, I persecuted the church of God.

Consider my present.

1 Cor. 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.

Look what the grace of God has done in my life, whatever I am, it is only by God’s grace. "I know this message is real, look how it changed me," says Paul.

‘You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.’

Consider my past, my present, consider my passion.

1 Cor. 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Look at the service I do for the Lord, God took a sinner like Paul, changed his life and he now uses that zeal for the Lord’s service only a risen saviour could do such a thing.

Here is the message that Paul preached, the message that changed his life and the life of the Corinthian believers and your life and mine if we are truly his.

You can’t have a gospel without a resurrected Saviour.

In the 18^th century the U.S. Congress, issued a special edition of the Jefferson Bible, Jefferson wanted all references to the supernatural removed from the Bible, the closing words of the Bible were these:

‘There laid they Jesus and rolled a great stone at the mouth of the seplechur and departed.’

Praise God our Bible ends with, ‘He is risen.’

Look at the work of salvation.

Paul is leaving them with absolutely no doubt that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Paul gives many proofs here that Jesus rose from the dead, he calls many witnesses, any inquiry would be glad of so much evidence.

1 Cor. 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Psalm 16:10-11 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. [11] Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Isaiah 53:10-12 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

1 Cor. 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

Call Peter, call the disciples, they would testify that they saw the risen saviour.

Perhaps they would say that, wouldn’t they?

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. [17] And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

1 Cor. 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

The bloody Sunday inquiry will hear thousands of witnesses; perhaps much of which will be treated with scepticism.

Here we have five hundred who saw the Lord, many of whom are still alive; Paul is presenting much proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

What a catalogue of proof, Dr Luke writing in Acts says this:

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

There are at least fourteen groups or persons who saw the Lord after his death, an amazing event, and amazing proof.

Listen to the witnesses, Jesus Christ has risen from the dead

Praise God we have a sound hope, Jesus Christ is alive and alive for evermore.

Consider again our text:

We have a sure hope.

Paul as the master teacher has shown them that the very fact they are saved proves Christ has risen and that they too will rise, he next takes the error of no resurrection to its logical conclusion.

Paul lists seven problems that would be true if Christ be not risen from the dead.

Our preaching is vain, if all we have is a dead hero; we better keep our mouths shut, for we have no good news for sinful man.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Matthew 28:10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Notice in the verses, ‘Come see, go tell’ without a risen saviour we have nothing to say.

1 Cor. 15:13-14 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: [14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Our church choir sings, ‘I’m standing on the solid rock,’ there is no solid rock if Christ be not risen from the dead.

Paul says your faith is empty, it is based on a falsehood, a dead saviour is of no use.

1 Cor. 15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

We are all liars says Paul and worst of all we have roped God into it for we have said that he raised up Christ from the dead.

1 Cor. 15:16-17 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: [17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

A different word is used in v 17 for faith, this time it speaks of the result of our faith, if Christ be not risen then your faith is fruitless, there will be no change in your life and you are a fraud.

1 Cor. 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

The resurrection was God’s amen to Calvary, if Christ be not risen, then he must have been a sinner and couldn’t be our saviour, or he may have been sinless but God didn’t accept the sacrifice.

1 Cor. 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

1 Cor. 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

If Christ be not risen, how sad and hopeless it would be.

Look at verse 20, perhaps the greatest ‘but’ in the Bible.

1 Cor. 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Now is Christ risen from the dead, praise God there is no doubt about it, – he has become the firstfruits. In Old Testament times the firstfruits were an indication and promise of what was to follow, and because he lives, we too shall live eternally.

Hebrews 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Let us look at the positive impact of this glorious truth.

• We have something to say.

‘Tell it around, let it abound, there is life in the risen Lord.’

• We have somewhere to stand.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

• We have been changed, we are no longer the same.

Romans 6:4-5 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

• Our sins are gone.

Praise God the resurrection assures you that the loved one you miss so dearly is with Christ, which is far better.

• We are indwelt by a living Saviour.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

• We are the happiest people on this planet.

If Christ be not risen, what a tragedy.

But now is Christ risen, what a triumph.

Christ is risen henceforth never,

Death or hell shall us enthral.

We are Christ’s in him forever,

We have triumphed over all.

All the doubting and dejection,

Of our trembling hearts have ceased.

‘Tis the day of resurrection, let us rise and keep the feast.