If Christ Be Not Risen - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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If Christ Be Not Risen

I Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Intro: The subject of life after death has been a subject that has been debated and discussed since the beginning of time.  The oldest book in the Bible is the book of Job, and in this book we find Job asking:

·        Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again?

One of the oldest Patriarchs, Abraham, believed in the resurrection.

·        Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

During the ministry of Christ, there was a group called the Sadducees.

They refused to believe in the resurrection.

They are mentioned in Matthew, Mark and Luke as not believing in the resurrection.

When Paul the Apostle preached on Mars Hill, his mention of the resurrection was met with scoffing and mockery.

·        Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

Today, we have a large group of people that deny the resurrection of Christ.

Many of them claim to be Christians yet they deny this vital fundamental doctrine.

The liberal Bible colleges and seminaries are pumping out a generation of preachers that deny the resurrection.

If Christ Be Not Risen, then…

I. The Prophetic Manuscripts were Fables

Peter said in 2 Peter 1:

·        16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

·        19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

·        20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

·        21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

If Christ be not risen, the prophecies of the scripture are pure fiction; unreliable fables.

That includes:

A. Old Testament Prophecies

·        Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2

·        29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

·        30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

·        31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

·        32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

·        Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

B. New Testament Prophecies

Multiple times throughout the ministry of Christ, He taught His disciples that the resurrection would take place.

·        Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

·        Matthew 20:17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Matthew 27

·        62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

·        63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

·        John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  But he spake of the temple of his body.

If Christ Be Not Risen, then…

II. The Preached Message is False

·        1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

IF CHRIST BE NOT RISEN, every one of the people that testified that they saw the risen Lord are liars.

They are “false witnesses of God” according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14.

·        Mary - John 20:16.

·        The women - Matthew 28:5-9.

·        Peter - Luke 24:34.

·        The two disciples on the Road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35.

·        The disciples in the Upper Room - John 20:19.

·        The disciples, with Thomas present - John 20:26-29.

·        John and Peter - John 21:5-7.

·        The Eleven - Matthew 28:16; Acts 1:4.

·        A whole company of believers — I Corinthians 15:4-7.

·        Paul - 1 Corinthians 15:8.

·        Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and every other New Testament author are all false witnesses…

…IF CHRIST BE NOT RISEN!!

Imagine all the preaching that has taken place since the resurrection.

Imagine the hundreds of thousands of pastors, evangelists, laymen, missionaries that have stood in pulpits and preached the Gospel message.

Imagine the thousands and thousands of hours of studying and preparing that has gone into the gospel message being preached all around the world over the past 2,000 years.

Imagine all the thousands of books that have been written, commentaries, gospel tracts.

Paul said it right – If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching and teaching is false.

That makes me a false witness because I have been preaching it all over the world for nearly 32 years.

If Christ Be Not Risen, then…

III. The Promised Messiah was a Fake

If Jesus be no risen from the dead, He cannot be the promised Messiah.

God said over and over again that He would not permit His Holy One to see corruption.

TURN TO Acts 13:29-38

If Jesus Christ was not Who He said He was, we are in serious trouble this morning!

If the Promised Messiah was a Fake…

A. Our Faith is Lost – vs. 14; 17

Paul made this point in numerous places.

·        14 ...and your faith is also vain.

How can we expect Christ to “quicken” us and raise us from the dead if He couldn’t raise Himself?

·        Romans 5:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

·        Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

·        Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

·        Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

·        I Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Paul said in verse 17 – if Christ be not raised, ye are YET IN YOUR SINS!

·        That means your sins have never been forgiven!

·        That means your prayers are not being heard and none of them have ever been answered!

·        That means that the change that has taken place in your life has not been a work of the Holy Spirit!

·        That means that the joy and the peace in your heart is imaginary; it’s not real!

·        That means that strength you draw from the Scripture is all in your head!

Paul is saying – If Christ Be Not Risen, we are still on our way to Hell!

If the Promised Messiah was a Fake…

B. Our Fathers are Lost

·        18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Paul pointed out one devastating truth; if Christ be not raised, then our forefathers that are fallen asleep in Christ are in Hell today!

He was talking about those that have already died, putting their faith and trust in Christ.

·        This would include John the Baptist who was beheaded for his preaching.

·        This would include James the brother of John that was killed by Herod in Acts 12.

·        This would include all of the martyrs and the Apostles that died for their faith.

·        This would include every man, woman, boy and girl that has died trusting in Christ.

·        This would include my great-grandfather that preached all over South Georgia as a circuit riding preacher.

·        This would include my granddaddy that preached on the Grace of God like other preacher I’ve ever heard.

·        This would include my wife’s grandmother, Mama Joe, that died hearing angels singing.

·        This would include those old time preachers that we’ve always enjoyed hearing.

·        Dr. Harold Sightler, Dr. Lee Roberson, Billy Kelly, Oliver B. Greene, Maze Jackson, Edgar Thomas, Sammy Allen…

If the Promised Messiah was a Fake…

C. Our Future is Lost

·        vs. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Paul goes on to make a case for the second coming of Christ.

BUT – if Christ be not risen, we have no hope of ever living again after we die.

·        There is no resurrection.

·        There is no rapture.

·        There is no Heaven.

·        There is no Judgment Seat of Christ.

·        There is no Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

·        There is no singing around the throne of God.

·        There is no walking down the streets of gold.

·        There is no eating of the fruit of the tree of life.

IF CHRIST BE NOT RISEN – our whole future is lost!

Conclusion: But thanks be unto God – But now is Christ risen!!!

1 Corinthians 15

·        19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

·        20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

·        21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

·        22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

We know this is true because the Scriptures tells us He’s alive!

We know this because He quickened us and made us alive!

We know this because He lives within our hearts!!

It’s NOT all a lie! It’s not all lost! Jesus is alive, and He can make you alive today!