"What If"
Part II
“But now is Christ Risen from the dead...”!
(In the last post I focused on the “what if” Paul gave us by saying, “But if Christ be not risen.” Now we will focus on “But now is Christ risen from the dead.”)
The fact is we will never have to worry about the “what if” of Christ not being risen! Therefore all the former things mentioned in my previous post do have meaning. Our preaching is not in vain! Our Faith is not in vain! We are no longer in our sins!
Our preaching is not vain!
This Sunday when I stand up and preach, I can preach with confidence knowing I am preaching truth. Not only this Sunday, but every time I preach the Word of God. Every time I witness for the Lord, I can know I am giving truth. Every time I hear a Biblical sermon, I can truly say, “Amen!”
Neither is my faith vain!
I have not put my faith and thus my life in something that is a lie. Buddah is still dead. Muhammed is still dead. I am so glad my faith is not in a “dead” religion. The fact that I am sitting in Papua New Guinea is not in vain! My work here on this island is not in vain! Every moment in prayer is worth it! Christian, every stand you make for Christ is not in vain. Every battle you face because of your faith is not in vain. All of the Biblical convictions you have, truly, do serve a purpose! Our FAITH is not in vain!
We are no longer in our sins!
The very thing that separates us from God almighty has been removed, sin. Salvation is available to all! Heaven truly is the home of every Christian! I am so glad to know this earth is not my home.
None of this would be possible, if Christ be not Risen! Oh, the importance of the resurrection! However the chapter is not finished yet. There is still more to consider as a result of the
resurrection.Lets look at verse 57, “But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What is this victory that comes as a result of Jesus and His resurrection? We have the answer to this from verse 20 through verse 56. The victory is over sin, death, the law, and the grave! Man-kind’s biggest enemies! Think of all that man-kind is doing and has done in history to try and defeat those enemies. All they need to do is turn to Jesus Christ and they can have victory!
In closing, we have heard how with great truth comes great responsibility. We see this fact in verse 58. We have been given a great truth with the resurrection, and verse 58 gives us a responsibility.
I Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore my beloved brethren be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Knowing this truth of the Resurrection, ought to be enough to persuade us to be faithful in our service to God. It ought to convince us to remove the sin that “doth so easily beset us.” May each of our lives, whether we are missionaries, clerks, salesman, technicians, pastors, doctors, mechanics, housewives, managers etc… be characterized by this verse; steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!
I hope, after reading this, you have a taste of the importance of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!!!
3 comments:
Thanks Terry for the second part. I actually ended up preaching from Psalm 22 yesterday, but I touched down a bit on the importance of the resurrection at the end of the Psalm, where it refers to Jesus declaring God's name among His brethren and His praise in the congregation - He has to be alive to do that! And also He has to be alive to have a generation/seed to serve Him (compare Psalm 22:22 with Isaiah 53:8).
It is certainly a good reminder that there is a lot at stake if the resurrection was not true! The phrase "Ye are yet in your sins" sure got everyone's attention. The fact of the resurrection is not something you can give or take - it is foundational to our faith, a fundamental of Christianity (cannot be saved apart from a belief in this essential truth), and absolutely essential to our being forgiven and having a home in Heaven. I think some people at the Gospel Mission never thought of it quite like that before!
I really appreciate you letting me use these two messages. Thank you.
Great post. I pray that as you preach God's Word you will do it with passion and clarity and may God give you souls for your labor.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Jerry,
I am glad the post was of use to you!! Sounds like you had a great day preaching at the mission.
Gordon,
Thanks for the prayer! Glad you came to visit the blog. I have read many of your comments at pyro. I pray you too will have a great Resurrection day!!
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