Well, turn in your Bibles, please, to 1 Corinthians.
We're going to be looking at different parts of the Bible today.
But we're going to be looking or starting in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
So if you have your Bibles there, please open them to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
Amen.
We've been going through the big story of the Bible.
And we come this morning to the resurrection.
So we're going to pray and ask for God's help as we look at this together.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this truth of Jesus written from the dead, alive today.
And while you are not present with us physically, we know that you are here present with us
and in those who believe by your Holy Spirit.
And so we ask that by your Spirit, you would encourage us afresh in your truth.
Build us up in faith.
Give us courage that we may be people who proclaim the Easter Rising.
We ask for your help.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Well, on Easter Monday, the 24th of April, 1916, about 12 noon,
Podrick Pierce read out the Proclamation of Ireland from the steps of the GPO in Dublin.
We declare the rights of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland
and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible.
Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world,
we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a sovereign, independent state.
The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens
and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all its parts.
And we know from history that at the cost of their lives and the lives of many others,
Ireland gained her independence from Britain after 800 years of foreign rule.
Now, while we might celebrate our national freedom,
it's not a true freedom.
We might be an independent, sovereign state,
but Ireland is still very much a broken nation.
And I don't mean politically or economically.
It's much, much deeper than that.
As we've been seeing over the week,
the story of the Bible reminds us
that we are still living under the effects of an ancient but ongoing rebellion against God
that has left us enslaved to sin,
cursed by suffering,
and separated from God.
So despite the heroic acts of 1916,
we are still not free from the sinful, violent acts of gangland war
or the silent abuse behind closed doors.
While our past leaders promised a better life,
we are still suffering tragic accidents like the family who drowned in Buncrana
or cancers that rob us of family and friends.
Even though our proclamation of all those years ago offers happiness,
we are still searching for a temporal happiness
while at the same time facing eternal separation from God
and all that is good and beautiful.
You see, we might celebrate a national freedom,
but it is not a true freedom.
Ireland is still broken.
So what we need is a new proclamation.
A proclamation that deals with the greatest problem of the people of Ireland.
Sin, suffering, and our separation from God.
Listen to the proclamation of God through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.
Let's read from verse 1.
Great words, great truths.
Chapter 15, verse 1.
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preach to you.
Here is the good news that I proclaim to you,
which you received,
on which you have taken your stand.
By this gospel you are saved,
if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you.
Otherwise you have believed in vain.
What is that gospel?
What's that proclamation?
Well, here it is in verse 3.
For 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,
and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Verse 20.
But 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 also comes through a man.
For as in Adam all die,
so in Christ all will be made alive.
This is the proclamation of the true Easter rising.
The true story of Jesus Christ,
the God-man who is risen from the dead.
You see, it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ
that is the hope for our lives and for our nation.
Through the resurrection,
God reverses the effects of the ongoing rebellion against him.
It's because Jesus has risen
that God has dealt with the greatest problems of all,
the problem of sin and suffering
and our separation from him.
So let's together this morning see
how this new proclamation gets worked out,
how God reverses the effects of sin,
suffering and separation.
First of all,
we need to remember the story of death.
1 Corinthians 15 verse 22.
Do you see what it says?
Verse 22.
For as in Adam all die.
The story of the Bible is telling us so clearly
that each one of us here
are all related to Adam,
the first man.
Forget our nationality,
the country of our birth,
wherever we come from,
each one of us,
we all have Adam's nature.
So because Adam rebelled against God,
we are people who are born
who seek to live life without God.
We're in rebellion against God.
And the consequences are exactly the same.
Verse 22.
Just as Adam dies,
we too die.
You remember what God said to Adam in the garden.
You mustn't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
For when you eat of that fruit,
you will surely die.
And ever since that first rebellious action,
death has ruined and wrecked our lives
and the world in which we live.
It has destroyed us
and it has broken us.
Now we must understand
the far-reaching consequences
of this death
that comes to all people.
three things very simply and quickly.
Three deaths.
First,
we die spiritually.
You see,
when Adam first sinned,
his whole nature changed.
And our nature is one of a sinful nature.
So rather than love and obey God,
we fight and we disobey Him.
In fact,
we no longer have the capacity
or the desire within us
to choose what is right
and what is good
all the time.
If we had the ability
to choose right and good all the time,
then this nation and this world
wouldn't be the broken mess that it is.
The reality is
we are spiritually dead.
We are enslaved to a life of sin.
That is our first death.
Second,
we die physically.
Adam's sin
resulted in the curse
of a physical death
and physical suffering.
So every single person,
ourselves included,
as we're born into this world,
we all suffer through illness
and sickness.
We get cancers and diseases.
We face disability and weakness.
But not only that,
the world in which we live in
is a creation that suffers.
That's why we hear of stories
and countries
where there are destructive hurricanes
and devastating earthquakes.
We live in physical bodies
that suffer.
And we live in a world
that suffers.
And the end result of it all
is physical death.
We live under a curse
of suffering.
So we die spiritually.
We die physically.
And we die eternally.
You see, Adam's rebellion
ended in physical death.
And we, one day,
will end in death.
But that death
is an eternal death.
Because we've turned against God,
because we've been,
we are now separated from God.
Just as Adam was shut out
from the garden,
so we have been banished
from the presence of God.
We live a life
without God,
apart from Him.
But that separation
doesn't end with death,
as if it's just a nothingness,
an emptiness.
No, it tells us
that it continues on
eternally
in hell.
Hell is God's
final judgment
upon a world
that continues
to reject Him
and ignore Him
and exclude Him
and push Him out.
It's an eternity
of being separated
from God,
from all that is good
and beautiful
forever.
This is the tragic
and sad story
of death.
death.
These are the effects
of living in rebellion
against God.
This is what death
has done to us.
We are enslaved
to sin.
We are cursed
by suffering.
And we are separated
from God.
In Adam,
all die.
that is the story
of death.
And that is what
we as a nation
face.
But then there's
the story
of resurrection.
The story of life.
Verse 21.
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.
In Christ
all live.
You see,
it is the resurrection
that changes
everything.
C.S. Lewis,
the great writer,
put it like this
as he was speaking
about the resurrection.
He says this,
Jesus has forced
open a door
that has been
locked
since the death
of the first man.
He has met,
fought,
and beaten
the king of death.
Everything is
different
because he has
done so.
This is the
beginning
of the new
creation.
A new chapter
in cosmic
history
has opened.
You see,
death
closes the
door
on life.
The resurrection
opens the
door
to new
life.
So what does
the resurrection
bring?
Well,
it reverses
the effects
of death.
It is the
beginning of
a new
creation,
a new
chapter in
cosmic
history
where
everything
is now
changed.
So look at the
reversal
that the
resurrection
brings about.
First,
resurrection
freedom,
overcoming
our sin.
have a
look at
Romans
chapter 6
verse 5.
This is the
first section
we're going to
look at.
Romans
chapter 6
verse 5.
Romans 6
verse 5.
If we have been
united with
Christ like
this in
his death,
we will
certainly
also be
united with
Christ in
his
resurrection.
You see,
through faith,
we are united
to Christ.
In our
birth,
we are
united to
Adam.
Through our
faith,
united to
Christ.
That means
as Christ
dies for
our sin,
we die
to our
sin.
But it
also means
that just
as Christ
rises to
live,
so we
also rise
to live.
No longer
to live
for sin,
but now
to live
for God.
No longer
are we
enslaved to
sin,
we have
now been
given a
brand new
nature.
Look at
verse 6.
For we
know that
our old
self was
crucified
with him,
so that
the body
of sin
might be
done away
with,
that we
should no
longer be
slaves to
sin,
because anyone
who has
died has
been freed
from sin.
Now,
if we
died with
Christ,
we believe
that we
will also
live with
him,
for we
know that
since Christ
was raised
from the
dead,
he cannot
die again.
Death
no longer
has mastery
over him.
The death
he died,
he died
to sin
once for
all,
but the
life he
lives,
he lives
to God.
Do you
see how
the resurrection
reverses
everything?
Where once
we were
enslaved
to sin,
we are
now set
free to
live for
God.
Before we
didn't have
the desire
or the
capacity to
do what
is right
or good,
once we
were spiritually
dead,
we had no
choice but
to sin.
Now,
we have
been given
resurrection
freedom
to live
for God,
to obey
him,
to love
him,
to forgive
others,
and not
to retaliate,
to love
others,
and not
to hate,
to bless
others,
and not
to curse.
Of course,
it doesn't
mean that
we're
perfect,
but it
means that
we now
use our
new freedom
from Christ
to fight
sin and
to serve
God.
Look at
verse 13
of chapter
6.
So because
of the
resurrection,
do not
offer the
parts of
your body
to sin
as instruments
of wickedness,
but rather
offer yourselves
to God
as those
who have
been brought
from death
into life
and offer
the parts
of your
body to
him as
instruments
of righteousness.
So God
has given
us a brand
new way
to live,
a new way
in which we
can offer
ourselves to
God and
to others
to do
good,
to bring
peace to
the hurting,
to bring
healing to
the broken,
to bring
grace to
the lost.
Through the
resurrection,
the door
has now
been opened
to a new
way of
living.
It reverses
the effects
of death.
So first
we have
resurrection
freedom.
The second
thing we have
because of
the resurrection
is power,
resurrection
power,
overcoming
suffering.
Have a look
at 1 Peter.
1 Peter
chapter 1.
If you've
got a page
number,
it's always
a difficult
one to find.
If anyone
has it,
I'll call
it out.
it's on
page
1217.
Resurrection
power.
Overcoming
suffering.
Let's read
chapter 1
verse 3.
1 Peter
praise be
to the
God and
Father of
our Lord
Jesus Christ.
In his
great mercy,
he has
given us
new birth
into a
living hope
through the
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ
from the
dead.
Because of
the resurrection
of Jesus,
we now
have and
we enter
into not
a dead
hope,
but a
living hope.
And you
see what
that hope
is?
Verse 4.
An
inheritance
that can
never
perish,
spoil,
or fade,
kept in
heaven for
you.
It's the
promise to
us that
physical death
and suffering
do not
have the
last word
on our
lives.
Cancer,
sickness,
disability,
and the
grave is
not the
end.
We have
an inheritance
that can
never perish
because of
death,
spoil because
of our
illness,
fade because
of suffering.
It is
kept for
us.
But more
than that,
God keeps
us for
that inheritance.
Look at
verse 5.
who
through
faith,
faith in
the
resurrection,
who through
faith are
shielded by
God's
power until
the coming
of the
salvation that
is ready to
be revealed
in the last
time.
The power
that raised
Christ from
the dead,
the power
that defeated
death itself,
the power
that burst
open the
tomb and
had Jesus
walking
again,
is the
same power
that will
shield us
and keep
us
for heaven.
God will
see to it
that nothing
in our lives
or in this
world will
keep us
from our
inheritance.
There is no
death,
there is no
suffering that
can steal
away what
God has
for his
people.
There is no
sickness or
disaster that
can ruin
what God
has kept
for us.
Even when
our own
strength goes,
even when
our suffering
shatters our
faith and
we doubt and
we don't know
whether we
believe anymore,
even in the
darkest time
of our lives,
God's
resurrection
power will
shield us
and will
keep us
for eternity.
Of course,
that does not
mean we are
immune from
suffering now.
Look what it
says in verse
6.
In this
you greatly
rejoice,
though now
for a little
while you
may have had
to suffer
grief in
all kinds
of trials.
you see,
each one of
us here,
and some
of you
experience it
today in
more ways
than others,
that we
live in a
broken world
which involves
physical
suffering and
eventual
death.
But God's
resurrection
power will
keep you.
He will
not let
you fall.
Through the
resurrection,
the door
has been
opened to
life.
It
overcomes
sin,
giving us
a new
way to
live.
It
overcomes
suffering,
giving us
a power
within to
face
everything
that we
may come
up against.
The
resurrection
reverses
the consequences
of death.
Third,
then,
the resurrection
life,
overcoming
separation.
For this,
we're going
to go to
1 Thessalonians.
So you
need to go
back a few
pages.
Again, if
somebody has
the page
number, I'll
call it out.
1 Thessalonians
chapter 4.
1, 1, 8, 7.
1 Thessalonians
chapter 4.
And verse 13.
1, 1, 9.
Resurrection
life, overcoming
our separation
from God.
Verse 13.
Brothers and
sisters, we do
not want you to
be ignorant about
those who fall
asleep, that is
those who die,
or to grieve
like the rest of
men who have
no hope.
You see, many
people today
have no hope.
For them,
death is
the end.
It's what
separates us
from family
and friends.
One writer
put it like
this.
Life has
no reasons.
A struggling
through the
gloom, and
the senseless
end of it
is the
insult
of the
tomb.
You see,
for many,
death is not
only final,
it makes a
mockery
of life.
We live,
we die,
and that's
it.
But it's
telling us
that death
is not
the end.
In fact,
to die
without
Christ
is not
just
hopeless,
it is
serious.
have a look
at 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5,
or sorry,
2 Thessalonians
chapter 1.
Just turn
over a page,
2 Thessalonians
chapter 1,
verse 8.
You see,
for those
who continue
in their
rebellion
against God,
for those
who reject
Christ's
death
and resurrection,
who seek
to live
independently
from Him,
one day
the risen
Jesus
will come
again,
and here's
what it
says,
2 Thessalonians
chapter 1,
verse 8.
He,
that is
Jesus,
will punish
those
who do
not know
God
and do
not obey
the gospel
of our
Lord Jesus.
They will
be punished
with an
everlasting
destruction
and shut
out
from the
presence
of the
Lord
and from
the majesty
of His
power
on the
day He
comes
to be
glorified.
You see,
this separation
is eternal.
It is
hell.
It is to
have an
eternal
existence
without
God,
the loving
Creator.
It is a
life for
an eternity
without
love,
without
beauty,
without
justice,
without
happiness.
It's a
life without
God.
But
through
our
faith
in the
resurrection,
that
separation
does not
need to
be eternal.
That
separation
can be
corrected
and put
right and
we can
have life
with God
forever.
So go
back to
1 Thessalonians
chapter 4
and verse
14.
Look at
the difference,
the contrast
that there
is for
those whose
hope is
in Christ.
1 Thessalonians
4 verse
14.
For we
believe that
Jesus died
and rose
again and
so we
believe that
God will
bring with
Jesus those
who have
fallen asleep
in him.
According to
the Lord's
own word,
we tell you
that we
who are
still alive,
who are
left till
the coming
of the
Lord,
will certainly
not precede
those who
have fallen
asleep.
For the
Lord himself
will come
down from
heaven with
a loud
command,
with the
voice of
the archangel
and with
the trumpet
call of
God and
the dead
in Christ
will rise
first.
After that,
we who are
still alive
and are
left will
be caught
up together
with them
in the
clouds to
meet the
Lord in
the air.
and so
we will
be with
the Lord
forever.
We will
be with
the Lord
forever.
Therefore,
encourage each
other with
these words.
To be
with the
Lord forever
is to
experience
life as
God intended.
It is
almost,
we get a
glimpse of
it back
in the
garden of
Eden before
sin entered
the world
where man
lived in
that perfect
harmony with
the world
and with
God,
where there
was no
sin,
where there
was no
suffering,
and when
there was
no separation
from the
creator and
the giver
of life.
The
resurrection
opens the
door
to life.
It is
what reverses
the effect
of death.
So on
this Easter
Sunday,
as we
remember the
Easter
rising,
we are to
proclaim
the true
Easter story.
The
proclamation
of 1916
has great
words and
we should be
very proud,
food,
but it
does not
have power.
It does
not have
power to
change the
greatest
problems of
sin,
suffering,
and
separation
from God.
Our faith
rests not
in men
who died,
but our
faith rests
in Jesus
Christ,
the God
man who
is risen
from the
dead.
we may
remember and
celebrate events
of a hundred
years ago,
but as a
risen people
today,
we are to
proclaim the
true historical
fact of the
resurrection.
This is
the hope
for our
lives,
for this
nation,
and for the
nations of
the world.
Let me
reread the
words we
started with
this morning.
1 Corinthians
15.
Brothers and
sisters,
I want to
remind you of
the gospel I
preach to
you.
Here is the
good news.
This is the
proclamation
which you
received,
and which you
have taken
your stand.
By this
gospel are
we saved.
If we hold
firmly to the
word we
preach to
you,
otherwise,
your faith
is in
vain.
For what
we received,
we now
pass on to
others of
first importance,
that Christ
died for our
sins,
according to
the scriptures,
that Christ
was buried,
and that
Christ was
raised from
the dead
on the
third day.
proclaim the
Easter story.
The risen
Jesus,
who reverses
the effects
of sin,
being enslaved
to sin,
cursed by
suffering,
separated from
God.
Know the
freedom,
and the
power,
and the
life of the
resurrection,
that bursts
open the
door from
death,
and takes
us into
a new
life,
now,
and for
all eternity.
Let's pray
together.
Amen.