The Biggest If
I Corinthians 15:1-28
There have always been people who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead
Paul said if there is no resurrection then there are seven facts that will hold true.
Some theories that are around denying Christ resurrection: Swoon theory, Hallucination theory, Kidnap theory
If There Be No Resurrection, the Resurrection of Jesus Would be a Fallacy vs. 13
Jesus died. If there is no resurrection then He could not have risen. That means He is dead. If Jesus is dead, He cannot help me.
If Jesus did not rise again, we can’t trust anything Jesus said. He told His disciples He would rise again. That means He lied.
If There Be No Resurrection, then all Preaching Would be Meaningless vs. 14
There has been a lot of preaching over the entire world. All the Bible preaching has been centered on one thing, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus did not rise, then all the preaching has been a waste of time.
If There Be No Resurrection, then Faith Becomes an Empty Dream vs. 14
Faith means “a confident expectation of someone or something sure to come.” If Jesus did not rise from the grave, we cannot expect Him to do what we said to forgive our sins and allow us to have peace with God.
If There Be No Resurrection, then all Christians are False Witnesses vs. 15
If Jesus didn’t rise again, Christians have been lying for all these years. Paul said he saw him. If that wasn’t true, 14 books of the New Testament have to be removed.
John said he saw Jesus. If that is not true, another five books of the New Testament is removed.
Peter said he saw Jesus. If that is true then more books are removed.
If There Be No Resurrection, then We are Yet in Our Sins vs. 17
We cannot be saved and forgiven if Jesus did not rise from the grave
Romans 10:9-10
When Jesus died He paid the price of our sins. When He rose again, it proved that Jesus was God and that God was satisfied with the payment that we made.
If Jesus did not rise again, we have no guarantee or hope that our sins are paid for.
If There Be No Resurrection, then Our Loved Ones are Perished vs. 18
If Jesus did not live, we have no hope of seeing our loved ones who died before us again. If there is no resurrection, they are gone forever.
I Thessalonians 4:13-17
If There Be No Resurrection, then We are Men Most Miserable vs. 19
If Jesus does not live, we are wasting our time serving the Lord. We are living in a would that is out of control. We live in a place that has no reason or logic.
But Christ is Risen! Vs. 20
Because He lives, we have hope!