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"Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lor...
Keep Readingin a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (I Corinthians 15:52). Paul shares that when the trumpet sounds, all who have died will be raised from the graves with heavenly bodies. We will be changed. For Christians, that will be the most life-altering experience that...
Keep ReadingTherefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you knowthat your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15: 58). Before diving into this study on 1 Corinthians 15, I felt like I already had a handle on the Good News of Jesus. Jesus died for our sins. He was buried, and three...
Keep ReadingGod gives us the victory [over sin and death] through our Lord Jesus Christ, [so] alwaysgive yourselves fully to the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:57-58). How often has the weight of past mistakes robbed you of present joy? Maybe we don't want to call those mistakes sin, but once we realize there is a God who calls mistakes for what they really are, those sins feel even hea...
Keep ReadingTherefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). It can be rather hard to know exactly what to do with Easter. Christmas is so much easier: stars, manger, magi, shepherds, people we can relate to (Mary, Joseph) Santa, fir trees, presents, sleigh bells tingling, ches...
Keep ReadingSome skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant.1 Corint...
Keep ReadingWhen you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one ...
Keep ReadingSo will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15: 42-44). I love using metaphors. Metaphors are amazing springboards for helping us simplify ...
Keep ReadingBut someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. (I Corinthians 15:35-36) Questions about the resurrection abounded in Paul's time just as much as it does today. People asked questions like, "How are the dead raised?" or "With what kind of body will they come?" I wonder ...
Keep ReadingSo it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being;"the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45). Welcome to this new week in our Hungry for a Savior series. This series is "parking" in just one chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15, settling into a different section week by week. This week we're focusing on verses 35 - 45. One of the goals of thi...
Keep ReadingIf all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of thosewho are going to leave the cemeteries (1 Corinthians 15:19,20 MSG). I don't fancy myself an innovator. I definitely lean toward "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I'm grateful for everyo...
Keep ReadingBut Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV). Have y...
Keep ReadingFor since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). In these weeks leading up to Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, we have been taking a "deep dive" into Paul's passionate plea to the Corinthian church to understand Jesus's death, burial, an...
Keep Readingif Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins (I Cor. 15:17). Having traveled extensively across the world, I've noticed a striking diversity in religious beliefs. It is estimated that there are over 4,000 different religions that are classified into five major groups Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. What sets Ch...
Keep ReadingFor as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). "In Adam, all die." Welcome to Week 2 of our Hungry for a Savior series: What a way to start a Monday, a new week! But maybe a good and needed way? Paul does not simply mean that our bodies eventually run out of gas and down we go. If only that were the worst of it! In fact, our physical...
Keep ReadingFriends, let me go over the Message with you one final timethis Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I'm assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you're in this for good and holding fast.)1 Corinthians 15:1, 2 MSG My teenagers like to ...
Keep Reading[T]hat he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared ...
Keep ReadingFor what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are...
Keep ReadingNow, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to youfor what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.(1 Corinthians 15:1,3) When I got married, my mother (who, in fairness, only had a simple ceremony in her mother's home) took charge. When I wanted lemon filling in the cake, my mother insisted it wasn't traditional. Pecan pies (Scott's favorite...
Keep Reading1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Saved by the bell! A stitch in time saves nine! A penny saved Saved at the last moment, in the nick of time! Amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me! This week we begin the second half of our Hungry series. First, we have looked at what it means to be Hungry for God; now, in these weeks leading up to Easter, we'll look at Hungry for a Savior. We'...
Keep ReadingI have seen you in the sanctuary, and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watche...
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