Key verses: 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 

Key thought: The resurrection power is that power of God that raised Jesus from the and is at work in all believers 

The power of the resurrection is the gracious and loving act by God to raise Jesus from the dead to fulfil the claims, promises and prophecies about Jesus and His work.

This power is at work even when believers die, it cannot be compared to any other power for it is the power of God himself

The resurrection is a remarkable feat because without it the work of Jesus would have not been complete.

Many particularly Greeks in the times of Jesus and Paul stumbled over the resurrection of Jesus, rejecting the resurrection of Jesus is denying the Jesus and the power of God. 

Even today many would try to pass it as fiction or figurative but Paul in the text does not assume like that, there resurrection is a historical fact.

Jesus walked on earth, died and was buried and on the third day, He rose from the dead.

In the text, it appears there some people at Corinth that denied the reality of the resurrection.   

Paul argues in this chapter that the doctrine of the resurrection holds together our faith in Jesus, Christianity   minus the resurrection is as useless as other religions.

Paul presents a compelling argument to the believers at Corinth and says this Christ indeed rose from the dead and there were witnesses who were alive at that point.

We are looking at this from history but Paul at that point daring to his audience that they could verify the over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus.

False claims about the resurrection

With the passage of time there are many that would want to discount the physical death and resurrection of Christ and we must be careful not to be led in error by such doctrines. 

Some of these claims are as follows;

• Jesus did not die but was only unconscious, this is one lie use to take the potency and significance in the resurrection, therefore what we resurrection was just resuscitation. 
• Some have advanced the lie that his body was substituted or stolen and the one people saw was an impostor but this too is unattainable. 

The Bible says that the Chief priests and Pharisees actually requested Pilate to have guards at the tomb

Matthew 28:11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 and when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 and if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. 

• Some would think its just a historical myth but there were many witnesses and accounts of those who saw and interacted with the risen Christ.
• Some claim that the resurrection was spiritual not physical, the Bible and history records that many witnesses saw Jesus in the flesh having resurrected from the dead.

 So, Paul argues that if we are to believe in God and put our faith in Him, then we have to believe in the doctrine of the resurrection.

Science cannot even explain the resection, the resurrection is so powerful because it pronounces that Jesus who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, was declared to be the Son of God with power scoring to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead Romans 1:4.

I want to submit that we must also walk in and embrace this power of the resurrection that God has made available to us believers.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us?

1. The resurrection provides a firm foundation to our faith
   • It is because Christ rose from the dead that deity and mission, Jesus Christ is no ordinary religious leader but the ‘lamb of God who takes away the sin of all men’
     1Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 
   • The resurrection sets Christianity apart, all other faiths and religions are in vain, there is only one way to a relationship with God and that’s through faith in Jesus Christ.   
   • The resurrection proves that the messianic prophecies were on point, it gives credence to the work and claims of Jesus.
   • Jesus in John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 
   • Jesus is the source of the resurrection and life, and because he resurrected from the dead we too will rise from the dead.
2. The power of the resurrection enables us to overcome sin and the flesh
   • Through the resurrection we attain the forgiveness of sins, the scriptures assures us of the forgiveness of sins when we repent.
   • The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and many can testify to a transformed life because of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.
   • The most important element about the resurrection is that we are resurrected from spiritual death, God has made alive again
   • The power of the resurrection gives us power of over sin and condemnation. 
   • The resurrection is an important piece of the sacrifice Christ offered, it was vicarious. He carried the burden and penalty of our sins
     Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  
   • We could have never had this newness of life if Christ was not raised.
   • We could have never had come close to God without the resurrection, if Christ would suffer and die without rising from the dead, it would have been an ordinary death.
   • Even though we suffer t effects of sin, the Spirit of God that raised Jesus helps us to overcome carnality
   • That Spirit is the Holy Spirit that dwells in us, it is that same Spirit that empowers us to be bold witnesses for Jesus.
3. The power of the resurrection gives us hope for life
   • Our hope is different from the hope people of the world have. We have confidence and the boldness to face the future because of Christ who lives in us.
     1Co 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 
   • But we are not to be pitied because Christ rose from the dead, our hope is on a firm foundation.
   • There is a very good future and an inheritance God has prepared for us.
   • We have been called to be hopeful and also bring hope to the world.
     1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 
   • We are carriers of hope and must reach out to others that they too can access the hope we have found in Christ
   • This hope we have must affect our speech and approach to life, Jesus is coming again to give this promised inheritance that is imperishable.
   • Titus 2:13 looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 
   • Our hope is connected to our future, there is no future without the resurrection
4. The power of the resurrection secures our future
   • Because Christ resurrected, we are certain that He will come again
   • Our resurrection will be possible because of our union with Christ, because he rose again, we have the hope of rising again.
   • Jesus Christ is coming again, and we will reign with Him forever!
   • Because of the resurrection there is a properly laid out end game, the earth will continue like this forever.
   • The resurrection gives us the reliability of the promises of Christ. He told the disciples that He will suffer and rise again, and He surely did.
   • He said He is coming again, we know with certainty that He will come indeed.
     1 Corinthians 15:22 for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 but each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 
   • As we look forward to that day, we have no reason to be afraid, we were born in in but through faith in Jesus we have been made alive again.
   • Those who have died in Christ will be resurrected at his coming. Death should not scare us as believers because like Christ we will be resurrected. 
   • The biggest tragedy is dying without Christ, even for those of us that have believed we must make sure we do not backslide.
   • We can guarantee our future through appropriating the power of the resurrection.