You can listen to the Worship Service and sermon preached at The Blue Point Bible Church at the following link, https://www.buzzsprout.com/11630/12472439-3-19-bpbc-worship-service-crazycorinthians-catch-the-power-resurrection-the-gospel
“Catch The Power of This” – “Resurrection” & The Gospel
1 Corinthians 15:11-19
Review
I began having us think through these Scriputures called 1 & 2 Corinthians, or better said these 2 letters sent by the Apostles, Paul & Sosthenes, to the church at Corinth in, with a 3 part sermon called OT texts, syllogisms, & debates. I hope reading through the 2 particular texts that Paul cites from, Hosea chapter 6 and Isaiah chapter 53, helped you gain a bit of context regarding the “hope of Israel”. This is all about restoration to God and a means of righteousness attained by God’s people. By way of syllogism, I have put in your hands opportunity to review other texts and previous sermons regarding the timing, nature, and reality of the resurrection – looking at Matthew chapter 24, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15. However please know we are not limited to these correlating texts, more will be revealed as we continue through the New Testament documents.
I’ve mentioned the past and present debates regarding the ‘resurrection of the dead’ that have been had and are being had, not focusing on those outside and with the church, but rather those within the church, to show that this is not a doctrine we should presume or assume thoughts about. We must seek, search, study and prove the things of the Scripures, defending God’s truth, maintain the one hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and appreciate God bringing forth reformation and revival, not just in past generations, but right now in ours.
Let’s go to the text, 1 Corinthian chapter 15.
v. 11 -12 – “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 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?”
- “We preached, you believed”
What did they preach that was believed?
Jesus Christ; Already but not yet; soon; change was coming; the judgement; resurrection; salvation - “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead…”
Cleary they preached Christ and that He had been raised from the dead.
Physically raised – yes, however, to what affect? Some seem confused about this. We need not be.
Jump ahead in time a bit to gain a bit of clarity here – (see, 1 Peter 3:18-22) - What does 1 Peter 3:18-22 establish about the suffering and resurrection of Christ? What does it provide for us?
v. 13 – 19
“Each of these consequences represented a state or condition that the Corinthians knew to be false.” – Max King
(A) Christ has not been raised/ Christ had been raised.
(B) Paul’s preaching was in vain/ Paul’s preaching was not in vain.
(C) you faith is in vain/ their faith was not in vain
(D) apostles are found to be false witnesses of God/ Paul was not a false witness
(E) ye are still in your sins/ they were not still in their sins
(F) those who had fallen asleep in Christ had perished/ those who fell asleep in Christ had not perished
Define resurrection of the dead (ones) as established at this point (OT texts, syllogisms, & previous points).
- Like Adam, they violated the covenant – Adam was shamed and removed from the Garden. God would restore. 3rd day imagery.
- The “Suffering Servant” would bear the sins of His people, remove their sin and shame.
- See, Colossians 1:13 – 23
Why would Christ not be raised?
Remember now, these ins the Church of Corinth believed in the Gospel of Jesus dying for sin and raising from the dead, in fulfillment of the OT promises. The resurrection this statement talks about is the picture we gained from 1 Peter chapter 3. This is the resurrection of Christ out of from among the dead ones (see chart), so that the rest of the dead ones can be raised. If the dead are not raised, and that was the very prophetic purpose of Christ’s resurrection, then Christ has not been raised from among the dead ones, despite the physical resurrection many claimed to have seen, witnessed, and touched Him after.

Why would your faith be in vain if there was and is no resurrection of the dead?
You are putting your hope in faithless realities.
Christ come to bear the sins of His people, that was an Old Covenant promise. If it meant nothing for them (the Old Covenant dead who died hoping), the dead are not raised, God has not been faithful to those promises, then your faith, which is in Christ being the fulfillment of the promises, is for nothing. It dissolves right in front of you.
As Paul explains in Romans chapter 1, the Gospel is the to the “Jew first”. “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). God accomplishes those promises. Jesus came to fulfilled every detail, “jot and tittle” of the Old Covenant. The outpouring of that faithfulness would even bring salvation to the Gentiles. This my brethren is the “hope of Israel” accomplished!
Why would you still be in your sins if there was and is no resurrection of the dead?
If Christ did not accomplish the fulfillment of the hope, it’s most likely that His dying on the cross for sin, wasn’t the fulfillments of anything either. Your sins have not been removed, taken away, etc.
“The error of some at Corinth was that of interpreting their present state in Christ (as opposed to Israel’s continuing hardness), as meaning that Israel was being excluded from their own promised future; that the Gentiles were becoming the replacement of Israel”. To the contrary, “…the validity of Christ’s gospel was grounded in the fidelity of God to His covenant people, Israel. But if Israel is excluded from her own salvation, God’s faithfulness to His promise is invalidated, and therefore, what is to be gained by the inclusion of others (Gentiles) into that which has already failed?”. – Max King, The Cross & The Parousia
———————
Lately there have been some conversations around me and about me regarding the focus on “the power of preterism” as if this rivals the power of the Gospel. By no means. Or that somehow there is a way to pit Preterism versus the Gospel in our focus, attention, efforts, etc. I’d like to speak to that this morning.
Please allow me to share an analogy that comes to mind.
Could one say, stop loving your wife so much, focus on loving you family?
Obviously not. You’re wife is part of your family. Leave your mother and father and cleave to your wife, is what we read in Scripture. The wife becomes the very foundation of the family system. Loving your wife should be encouraged within the family and prayerfully encourages you to love your family – mother, father, sister, brother, children, etc. all the more! Your church family as well. The love for each of these is mutually-inclusive and interdependent. So it is with the Preterism and the Gospel. If it wasn’t for the saving and efficacious work of Jesus Christ, I wouldn’t care about Preterism, which simply highlights all that He has accomplished.
Taking your mind back to the wife and family analogy. Sure, there are some that have allowed an idea of love for their wife to detract from their love for family or their idea of love for family to detract from their love for their wife. This is simply put, aberrant ideas of love. So the same with Preterism and the Gospel. It is possible to have an aberrant view one way other another. There are some who have a great understanding of the Gospel, however a weak or inconsistent eschatology. Whereas there are some who have come to understand Preterism however have fostered aberrant ideas regarding the Gospel.
Gospel – talk
Just the other day, a social media friend, asked me “How is someone saved?”. That’s a valid and great question. And while we have covered that in teaching, discipleship, orthodoxy and orthopraxis, I’d live to respond to that bit this morning. In light of what we have already established regarding Christ saving His people from their sins and providing resurrection – to the living and the dead.
Romans 1:16-17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Gospel of Christ = power of God unto salvation
For everyone who believes
Jew first
Greek/ Nations
Righteousness of God
“The just shall live by faith” (cf. Habakkuk 2:4)
God does the planting (Isa. 5:1-2; Psalm 1)
God does the growing (1 Cor. 3:7)
What there fruit looks like (Galatians 5:22-23)
A few texts;
Matthew 5:19-20 – a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees
John 13:8 – washed by Jesus
Romans 10:8-10 – What does it say? If… Confess with mouth, belief in heart – Jesus is Lord!
1 Timothy 1:5 – goal of faith = love from pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith
2 Peter 1:8-11 – his divide power, possess and increase
(ie., “Immersed Discipleship)
Conclusion
Did you catch the power of all of this, this morning?
- The complexity of Corinthians & Bible prophecy
Is it important? Yes. Need we get caught up in confusion? No.
Simplicity of the Gospel.
Saved – by a faithful God, by and to His promises.
Revived – A God who continues to breathe life into things
Reformed – ever-reforming faith; seeking, searching, studying, and proving the things of God.
Full Preterism: Proclaiming the Presence & Purpose of God. – appreciating all that God has accomplished & provided.
“From hoping to having”. – Glenn Hill
Today’s texts:
1 Corinthians 15:11 – 19
1 Peter 3:18 – 22
Colossians 1:13 – 23
Romans 1:16 – 17
Habakkuk 2:4
Isa. 5:1 – 2
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 3:7
Galatians 5:22 – 23
Matthew 5:19 – 20
John 13:8
Romans 10:8 – 10
1 Timothy 1:5
2 Peter 1:8 – 11
Find more notes at www.MianoGoneWild.Wordpress.com