This document is a sermon about the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15 given at Flushing Bible Church. It discusses the gospel and Christ's resurrection according to scripture and its purposes. It then discusses the purposes of our resurrection at the rapture as believers and the end times resurrections of Jews and unbelievers to face judgment. The sermon concludes that our faith is not worthless if we persevere in light of the power of Christ's resurrection and our future resurrection at the rapture.

1. Welcome to
Flushing Bible Church
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God
stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

2. Is Our Faith Worthless?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19

3. Is Our Faith Worthless?
 The Gospel and the Resurrection
 The Purpose of Christ’s Resurrection
 The Purpose of Our Resurrection
 The Purpose of the “end time” Resurrections

4. The Gospel and the
Resurrection
 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word
which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. (1 Cor
15:1-2)
 … make known… Now I will tell you what the gospel is,
BROTHERS, i.e. you who have believed.
 … which also you received… parelabete (paralabete): take
to oneself, take over, receive
 “Sometimes the emphasis lies not so much on receiving or
taking over, as on the fact that the word implies agreement or
approval, accept.” (BDAG)

5. The Gospel and the
Resurrection
 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which
also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you
hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you
believed in vain. (1 Cor 15:1-2)
 … in which also you stand, ἵστημι (histeemi): present
active indicative. They are living in light of what they
believe
 … by (through) which also you are saved… swzw
(sozo) present passive indicative. Present tense =
sanctification

6. Three Tenses of Salvation
Justification Sanctification Glorification
(Past) (Present)
(Future)
Penalty Power Presence

7. The Gospel and the
Resurrection
 … in which also you stand, ἵστημι (histeemi): present
active indicative. They are living in light of what they
believe
 … by (through) which also you are saved… swzw
(sozo) present passive indicative. Present tense =
sanctification
 … if you hold fast (then you will be sanctified)… unless
you believed in vain (your faith is worthless/dead,
James 2:14-26)

8. The Gospel and the
Resurrection
 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor 15:3-4
 … first importance… prwtoiς (protois) plural, all the things he
taught them, justification, sanctification, etc.
 Christ died… according to the Scriptures
 Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12:10, Genesis 3:15, etc.
 Christ was raised… according to the Scriptures
 Psalm 16, Matt 16:21, 17:23, 20:19, Luke 18:33, 24:7, and
every passage that foretells His second coming!

9. The Gospel and the
Resurrection
 Christ appeared to hundreds of people! 1 Corinthians
15:5-8
 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from
the dead, how do some among you say that there is no
resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection
of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if
Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain,
your faith also is vain. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14)
 WHY?

10. The Purpose of Christ’s
Resurrection
 Because of who He is: Acts 2:24
 To fulfill prophecy: Acts 2:25-31, Rom 1:4, Jer 33:20-21,
Luke 1:31-33. David’s Son who would reign forever
cannot die.
 To become the bestower of life: Rom 7:4, 1 Cor 15:45
 To impart power: Eph 1:19-20, Rom 6:4, Matt 28:18-20
 To be Head over all things to the Church: Eph 1:22-23,
Col 1:18
 To become the means of justification: Rom 4:25
 To be the first fruits: Phil 3:21, 1 Cor 15:22-23

11. The Purpose of Our
Resurrection
 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first
fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man
came death, by a man also came the resurrection of
the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all
will be made alive. (1 Cor 15:20-22)
 All believers will be resurrected
 Why?

12. What is Our Resurrection?
 Our resurrection is the Rapture of the Church
 “Rapture”: derived from the Latin word “rapio,” from the
Vulgate (Latin translation from the Greek)
 To catch up, caught away, take away
 Greek word is ἁρπαζω (harpazo)
 1 Thess 4:17; Acts 8:39; 2 Cor 12:2-4
 John 14:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians
15:50-57

13. The Purpose of Our
Resurrection
 To give us hope for the future: Titus 2:11-14, Romans
8:30, 1 Peter 1:3-5
 To save us from the wrath to come: 1 Thess 1:10, 5:9-
10, Rom 5:9, Isaiah 26:20-21
 To remove the restrainer of the Antichrist: 2 Thess 2:1-8
 To reward us for the lives we have lived: 1 Cor 3:8, Rev
22:12
 To give us a body fit for eternity: 1 Thess 4:17, 1 Cor
15:50-53
 Kingdom Now? 1 Cor 15:50

14. The Purpose of “End Time”
Resurrections: The Jews
 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have
opened your graves and caused you to come up out of
your graves, My people. (Ezekiel 37:13)
 So that the Israelites will know that He is the “I Am”.
 Ezekiel 20:33-38
 To bring them into judgment, so that the righteous will
populate the Millennial Kingdom
 Daniel 12:1-2
 Bodies fit for eternity

15. The Purpose of “End Time”
Resurrections: Unbelievers
 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it,
from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no
place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and
the small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life; and the dead were judged from the things which were
written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades
gave up the dead which were in them; and they were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is
the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was
not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)
 Given bodies fit for eternity: a sobering thought

16. Is Our Faith Worthless?
 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1
Corinthians 15:58)
 Don’t fall into the trap of vain faith
 Live in light of the power of the resurrection
 Live with hope for the future, our future resurrection…
Therefore, comfort one another with these words!