1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (KJV)
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The resurrection is the fundamental difference between Christianity and all of the other religions of the world.
· It is the reason all other faiths should be rejected
· It is the reason the atheist is without argument
· It is the reason the agnostic is without excuse
· It is the reason the backslider should return and
· It is the reason the believer should give more of himself to Christ
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most documented events in history.
There is more evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than of any historical event more than 2000 years old.
· Alexander the Great
· Julius Caesar
· Cleopatra
And so much other ancient history that is assumed to be irrefutable all rests on much less documentation than there is of the resurrection of Jesus.
And, as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is, bound to it is the promise of the resurrection of all those who “sleep in Christ.”
· The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a certifiable fact.[1]and
· His resurrection is the earnest for the promise of our own.
[1][1]Based in part upon: The number of eyewitnesses, the character of those eyewitnesses, the number of references made by those people who knew those witnesses, the proximity of the extant evidence to the event.
We’ve worked out way through 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter noting
The way, or the means of the resurrection – which is the gospel.
The facts of the resurrection, of the order in which it happens
We come not to the triumph of the resurrection.
· If there is no resurrection, we are of all men most miserable.
· But since there is a resurrection, we are of all men most victorious
There are three things we will gain the triumph or victory over at the Resurrection:
*I. TRIUMPH OVER SIN
1 Corinthians 15:56 (KJV)
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
We fight, more than anything else in this life, our own sin.
The sin in our bodies causes us to fail the Lord:
· It causes us to disobey the Bible
· It causes us to mistreat our families
· It causes us to be weak soul winners
· It causes us to make problems in churches
Sin is the cause of disease and death.
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
James 1:15 (KJV)
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1 John 1:8-10 (KJV)
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The plain truth is that we have a sin problem.
Not a little problem, it’s a huge problem.
But when the resurrection occurs, we will have triumphed over sin. No sin in heaven.
*II. TRIUMPH OVER DEATH
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (KJV)
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Death is an overriding point in all of life.
From the moment we are conceived, death becomes a reality to us.
· We fear death
· We avoid death
· We need comforted at the deaths of loved ones
We make decisions based on how safe a thing might be.
Some people even get twisted in their heads and think there is some entertainment in doing things that “cheat” death.
I think it gives them a sense of victory over death.
If they can do some death-defying stunt – and if they can live through it and even enjoy it – in some way they feel like they have conquered death.
But check their stories, plenty of them get swallowed up by death before everything is said and done.
And even those who quit cheating death find out that sooner or later death catches up to them anyway.
But at the resurrection we will have triumphed over death.
There will be no death in heaven, no disease, no chance of dying.
*III. TRIUMPH OVER LABOR
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
This earth is a place of labor.
It was a part of the curse. Work is not a curse, but labor is, the fact that we have to work so hard to get ahead.
Heaven will be a land of rest.[1]
When we work there, everything we do will work right.
And because that is true, the labor we do for the Lord here isn’t in vain.
We will get to heaven and see all our struggles for Christ on this earth, though they seemed weak and fraught with trials, will have been for a good purpose.
Conclusion
The resurrection is the highlight doctrine of the Christian.
It is the goal we all shoot for.
It is the hope we have for the future and the reason we work for the Lord today.
Thanks be unto God which given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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