WEBVTT 00:00:00.580 --> 00:00:02.720 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:08.620 We thank you, Father, that your word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:00:09.179 --> 00:00:11.839 Thank you, Father, that you are gracious and merciful with us today. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.860 So, Father, as we open your word, we ask that you would be with us, 00:00:16.420 --> 00:00:20.100 that you would minister to us, that you would open our hearts to believe your word. 00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:27.019 And, Father, we ask that you would dwell with us and teach us what you want us to believe 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:28.800 and what you want us to know. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:33.620 So, Father, would you bless this time, and we commend this time to you in Jesus' name. 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:34.759 Amen. 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:43.520 So, about a month ago, I bought a car. 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:45.920 And it's not my first car. 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:47.240 It's my second car. 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:49.179 And it's not my first used car. 00:00:49.219 --> 00:00:50.400 It was my second used car. 00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:54.480 And when I bought the car, you know, it was a good deal. 00:00:54.540 --> 00:00:55.200 It was a really good car. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.640 I'm really, really happy for the car. 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.299 And I actually sincerely believe that it's a blessing from God. 00:01:01.480 --> 00:01:03.020 But I bought it from a stranger. 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:09.099 And when you buy things from a stranger, you kind of have to have faith in this fellow stranger 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:11.680 that they are telling you the truth. 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:13.859 And, you know, the price is good. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:14.680 The mileage is good. 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:15.760 I want it to be true. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:20.859 And I don't really have anything to which I can base this desire on. 00:01:21.100 --> 00:01:23.020 Because, really, I don't know the person. 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:24.260 And I don't know if they're lying to me. 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.180 So, I paid a good price. 00:01:27.520 --> 00:01:31.380 And I had to go through the safety and all those different things. 00:01:31.540 --> 00:01:33.560 And it ended up costing me a little bit more. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:37.400 Actually, quite a bit more than I expected at first. 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:43.260 And for many people, they actually see the Christian faith just in the same light. 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:46.440 Where there isn't actually any proof for Christianity. 00:01:46.660 --> 00:01:48.840 You kind of have to just believe what the others say. 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:52.960 And you kind of have to kind of go blindly towards Christianity and say, 00:01:53.080 --> 00:01:53.580 Well, you know what? 00:01:53.580 --> 00:01:54.240 I'll believe it. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.740 And they find out later, well, this is not true. 00:01:57.820 --> 00:01:59.680 This is not based on reality. 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:02.600 And so, today we're going to look at something very interesting. 00:02:03.099 --> 00:02:06.259 It's a letter from the Apostle Paul who talks to the Corinthian church. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:11.979 And essentially, what Paul is doing, he's going to open up the fine print of Christianity. 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:14.740 He's going to look at what Christianity is all about. 00:02:14.799 --> 00:02:17.659 What is the main essential claim of Christianity? 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.699 And he's going to open it up right wide open so that we can look at it. 00:02:21.959 --> 00:02:24.139 And see for ourselves if this is true. 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:25.259 If this is worth believing. 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:30.699 So, if you have your Bibles, I would ask you to open to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:33.439 And we're going to read verses 1 to 11. 00:02:38.959 --> 00:02:43.319 Now, I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached to you, 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:48.219 which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, 00:02:48.579 --> 00:02:53.379 if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 00:02:54.239 --> 00:02:57.719 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:01.099 that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:05.659 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:09.280 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.319 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:17.280 most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:20.960 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:26.560 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:30.500 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, 00:03:30.900 --> 00:03:33.379 because I persecuted the church of God. 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:39.280 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:42.600 On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.360 though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:52.040 Whether then it was I or they, so he preached, and so he believed. 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:53.620 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:55.880 --> 00:03:58.760 So here Paul is, I'll just give a bit of a context. 00:03:58.940 --> 00:04:00.660 Paul is writing to a Corinthian church. 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:05.480 And this happens about twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus. 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:11.140 And so Paul is writing to them, and if you read the first, say, eleven chapters of Corinthians, 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.340 this letter that he wrote to them, he's essentially giving them a rebuke. 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:17.579 He's correcting them for the things that went wrong within the church. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:21.720 And now he's giving them a bit of hope. 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:26.000 He's turning the tone of the letter into, this is what you should do. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:29.720 You should go back to the basics of the Christian faith and what you actually first believed. 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:37.780 So Corinth, in a sense, was a very popular city, 00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:41.899 in the sense that they have a very interesting culture, a culture that is very worldly. 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:45.959 There was an expression that said, they live as in Corinth. 00:04:46.859 --> 00:04:48.199 And to us that doesn't mean anything. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:51.859 But to them, back in the day, someone from Athens would say, 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:53.719 ah, they're living as in Corinth. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:56.120 People would say, oh, okay, okay, I know what you mean. 00:04:56.459 --> 00:05:00.439 And to us, it's essentially the same as saying, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:06.319 And we don't really know what that means, but we have an idea that it's something very sinful, 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:09.079 and maybe we shouldn't ask because it might be a little embarrassing for them. 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:17.779 So here, Paul is talking to these people who kind of let the spirit of Corinth come into the church, 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:20.819 whereas the church was supposed to influence Corinth. 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:23.600 And so he's giving them a direction. 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:25.839 Here we see in verse 1, 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:44.339 So there's this implication that we need to respond to this gospel, 00:05:44.479 --> 00:05:46.859 that there is something that we believe in, 00:05:47.359 --> 00:05:49.859 and that we don't just believe in here in our minds, 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:51.379 but we actually hold on to it. 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:52.720 We cling to it. 00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:54.040 We live by it. 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:55.720 And we hope in it. 00:05:57.100 --> 00:06:00.680 And Paul is making this case that it is the gospel that he preached to them, 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.420 and also this word that he preached to them. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.160 And he's talking about these things. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.080 He's bringing them together, saying that these are one thing. 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:13.240 So the gospel, as we read on the projector, it's the good news. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:15.020 It's another word for good news. 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:22.859 And the word here, in the Greek, is, in a sense, it's really a substance. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:24.339 That's what Paul means here. 00:06:24.419 --> 00:06:28.099 So it's kind of giving a tone to the word, word here. 00:06:28.479 --> 00:06:31.839 So there's a substance in which we believe, and this substance is good news. 00:06:31.919 --> 00:06:33.099 It's talking about an event. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:40.259 So this event, this good news, is something in which we should believe. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.039 Now Paul is implying here when he says, 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:48.840 unless you believed in vain, he's talking about two different ways that we can approach the gospel. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:51.300 There is right belief in the gospel. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:53.700 There's a right way to respond to the gospel. 00:06:54.200 --> 00:06:58.939 And there is a wrong way to respond to the gospel, or a wrong approach to the gospel. 00:06:59.780 --> 00:07:03.980 And we see here, when he talks about it in verse 3, 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:07.100 for I deliver to you as of first importance what I also received. 00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:11.520 He's not saying anything new, anything that comes from Paul. 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.799 He's only passing along the baton to them. 00:07:13.979 --> 00:07:16.719 Something that he received, and he's passing along to them. 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:20.500 So, what is wrong belief? 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:26.299 Well, there are many ways that we can approach that, 00:07:26.359 --> 00:07:27.959 many ways that we can see what is wrong belief. 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:33.259 Some people will believe, or they will believe that they're Christians because they're afraid of hell, 00:07:33.599 --> 00:07:36.199 and that they will become Christians so that they can escape hell. 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:41.159 Other people, it's kind of like the opposite tone of that is the more positive light. 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:42.259 They want to go to heaven. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:45.539 They just, they want to be in heaven when they die, so they become Christians. 00:07:45.819 --> 00:07:49.180 But they don't really know much more than that. 00:07:49.779 --> 00:07:52.240 And other people, it's because they grew up in a Christian family. 00:07:52.339 --> 00:07:55.500 They grew up going to church, and so therefore, they are Christians. 00:07:56.219 --> 00:07:58.259 But Paul is saying something a little bit different here. 00:07:58.259 --> 00:08:02.800 And he, Paul, wants us to go right back to the basics. 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:09.060 Now, I'm reminded of this one time when I had a phone bill come in through the mail. 00:08:09.659 --> 00:08:12.279 And I won't tell you how much it is because my parents are here. 00:08:12.699 --> 00:08:16.839 But I had to call them and say, look, there's something wrong here. 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:20.860 What do you mean my bill is X amount of dollars? 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:25.340 And they had to, you know, explain, you know, sir, this is what you signed up for. 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:27.280 Didn't you look at the fine print? 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:30.319 And, of course, the fine print, I don't read the fine print. 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:31.860 It's about 10 pages long. 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:32.980 The letters are this big. 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:34.560 Like, I don't have time for that. 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:42.039 But it's really important that we shouldn't be surprised when we see that our faith is not working out for us. 00:08:43.180 --> 00:08:46.519 So I have a friend who recently told me that they're no longer Christians. 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:52.179 And this person, this friend, told me why they're not a Christian. 00:08:52.319 --> 00:08:53.860 And they gave me this explanation why. 00:08:54.079 --> 00:08:58.360 And some of the reasons were, well, you know, the Old Testament is very violent. 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:01.259 And God wants us to do those things. 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.899 He wants us to stone people and children and all those things. 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:07.379 And then he went on to tell me how the church is a business. 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:10.120 And they're all about making money and taking your money from them. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:13.480 And I was just like, oh, what are they saying? 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:20.560 So at the end of this big soliloquy, I asked them, so do you believe you're a sinner? 00:09:22.180 --> 00:09:23.700 And the person was thrown off. 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:25.539 Well, no, of course not. 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:32.840 And that's when I realized, oh, this person, this friend does not believe that they're sinful. 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:41.280 And that's why all these different peripheral things, these different peripheral issues in the Bible, they don't make sense to them. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:47.540 It's not actually because these things define God in a way that they want to interpret God. 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:49.759 But it's actually because they don't want to be known. 00:09:50.060 --> 00:09:51.840 They don't want to believe that they're sinful. 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:55.280 They don't want to believe that they have sin that holds them accountable to God. 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:01.500 So here we have the substance of the gospel. 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:07.639 We have Paul saying that there's the gospel, the good news, which is the substance of Christian faith. 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:11.439 And he's talking about as well the substance in here at verse 2. 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:15.720 So when he says, if you hold fast to the substance, I preach to you. 00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:18.179 And he's about to lay it out here. 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:19.019 So verse 3. 00:10:19.019 --> 00:10:37.120 So if you notice here, it talks about in accordance with the scriptures. 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:45.159 And honestly, if the scriptures spoke about one thing and then Jesus did another thing, 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:48.480 then we should abandon the whole thing completely. 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:49.480 Because it doesn't make sense. 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:50.600 There's no cohesiveness. 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:54.740 There's no coherence in the whole story, the big picture of the Bible. 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:56.620 But here's the thing. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:00.560 Jesus makes sense according to the scriptures. 00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:02.560 He was talked about in the scriptures. 00:11:02.940 --> 00:11:08.519 If we look at the big picture of the Bible, we see that in Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth. 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:10.159 And he makes it and it was good. 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:14.259 And then he puts mankind on this earth so that they can have this relationship. 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:20.879 But then we see shortly after that the first man and first woman, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God. 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.279 And so they became enemies of God. 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:26.799 And God made a promise that he would fix it. 00:11:26.939 --> 00:11:27.960 He would fix his project. 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:32.799 He would take care of his project because Adam and Eve and their descendants would not be able to. 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:34.360 So God is going to take care of it. 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:41.340 And when God gathers the people of Israel, he gives them this practice that they should sacrifice animals 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:46.519 so that when they put their hands on the animal, their sin would go into that animal. 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:52.060 And then the animal would be slain and their sins would be remembered no more in God's eyes. 00:11:52.059 --> 00:12:00.519 And now in this time, the flow of the Bible is that God would open up his people to all the Gentiles 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:05.479 so that they can come in so his people would be both Jew and Gentile in Jesus. 00:12:05.939 --> 00:12:11.839 And in sending Jesus, when people put their faith in Jesus, put their trust in Jesus as the Lamb of God, 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:14.139 they will receive salvation. 00:12:14.359 --> 00:12:16.979 Their sins will be remembered no more before God. 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:22.600 So this absolutely makes sense in the whole scope of Scripture. 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:26.560 And when it says in accordance with the Scriptures, we can believe that. 00:12:27.300 --> 00:12:32.200 Verse 4, that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with Scriptures. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:38.220 Now there isn't much saying explicitly about being buried, being three days. 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:44.639 There is something about being buried that Joseph of Arimathea would buy a tomb for him 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:46.680 and that he would be buried there. 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:48.500 And that he would be raised from the dead. 00:12:48.560 --> 00:12:50.720 And that's something that's fairly common in the Old Testament, 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:56.220 that we believe that they had this expectation that the dead would be raised on the last day. 00:12:56.940 --> 00:12:59.639 And so Jesus here is raised from the dead. 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:09.779 Now, in the last month, there's been a few people, or a couple of people that I know that are dear to me, 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.000 who passed away, and I've been to their funerals. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.320 And it's always a strange thing. 00:13:15.379 --> 00:13:16.059 What is death? 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:20.279 What is this thing, death, that awaits us at the end of our life? 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:24.700 We try to find solutions to death. 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:27.840 We want to spiritualize it and say, 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:30.779 well, you know, we're going back to the ground and where we belong, 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:32.340 we're going to be one with nature again. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:36.399 Or, you know, we want to say that everyone's going to the same place. 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:37.679 It's all going to be good. 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:39.139 We're actually going to a better place. 00:13:40.079 --> 00:13:43.359 And really, it's hard to tell what's happening at death. 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:44.259 What is death anyway? 00:13:45.239 --> 00:13:50.899 So we all want this solution to death because we're afraid of death. 00:13:51.599 --> 00:13:54.039 And we want death to be taken care of. 00:13:54.500 --> 00:13:57.199 And if death is going to be taken care of, it needs to happen, 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.539 this cure, this antidote to death needs to happen in the realm of reality. 00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:05.419 Because if we just think of something about death, 00:14:05.459 --> 00:14:07.360 that is, you know, what happens after life, 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.740 if we just think about it, we create this new concept, 00:14:10.339 --> 00:14:12.599 it doesn't really solve anything. 00:14:14.179 --> 00:14:16.639 So we need to have something that comes into life, 00:14:16.719 --> 00:14:17.899 something that comes into death, 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:19.959 something that is victorious through death. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.519 And this is exactly what Jesus is doing. 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:26.980 Jesus lived a perfect life, 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:29.639 as we see in the picture here. 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:33.059 And then he died the death that he shouldn't have died, 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:34.939 but he died the death that we should have died. 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:37.139 And then he rose from the dead. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.699 And that's why the Christian faith is the only one 00:14:41.699 --> 00:14:45.139 that provides the true antidote to death, 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:46.899 that the death is not the end, 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:48.879 but that the resurrection, that Jesus, 00:14:49.439 --> 00:14:51.939 who is life and who is the resurrection, 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:54.240 gives us this new hope. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:58.779 So now we need to respond to that. 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:01.080 And Paul tells us in verses 1 to 2 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:03.460 that we need to receive it, 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:04.980 we need to stand on it, 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:07.539 we need to hold fast to it, 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:09.460 and by that we will be saved. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:11.659 And for a lot of people, 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:14.240 they think, again, that story at the beginning 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:16.039 that when you buy a car, 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:18.460 you know, you have to close your eyes 00:15:18.460 --> 00:15:20.700 and just, you know, hope that it's going to work out, 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:21.379 but you don't really know. 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:24.299 But I think a good illustration that talks about faith 00:15:24.299 --> 00:15:27.740 is that we, in a sense, 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:29.580 are falling down from an airplane, 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:31.340 we're falling in the sky, 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:33.919 and we need something to save us. 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:36.799 We need something that will protect us 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:38.539 and break us from the fall. 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:40.799 And this is the parachute. 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:41.779 This is the only thing that we can have. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:44.080 So in a sense, we need to open up the parachute. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:46.539 Jesus is the one who can save us. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:47.779 We hold on to the parachute, 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:50.200 but it's not the fact that we're holding on 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:51.320 to the parachute that's saving us, 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:52.740 but it's actually the parachute itself. 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:54.659 And we trust in the parachute 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:56.879 that it will slow our fall 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:57.700 so that we don't die, 00:15:57.980 --> 00:15:59.120 but that we will land safely. 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:01.679 And this is kind of like an image of faith 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:03.639 and how we should look at the response. 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.259 So here's another evidence. 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.439 We have the scriptures that testify about Jesus, 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:11.220 but there's also something else. 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:12.939 Let's read in verse 5. 00:16:12.940 --> 00:16:36.360 So we have a lot of appearances here. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.800 And this is a very big deal 00:16:40.800 --> 00:16:44.960 because if Jesus was raised, 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.120 but it's only a symbol, 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:47.120 it's only an allegory 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:49.879 that his memory will be with us forever. 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:52.200 If that was true, 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:53.580 then there shouldn't be any eyewitnesses, 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:54.100 but there are. 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:55.500 And there are many of them. 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:56.460 And in fact, 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:58.580 there are more than what this text is talking about. 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:00.039 If you read the Gospels, 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:01.000 you see that there's Mary 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.099 and there's a few different apostles 00:17:04.099 --> 00:17:05.420 that he walks into the city 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:06.640 and then there's the fishermen. 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:08.160 So there's a lot more 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:09.279 than what this text is saying. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:12.579 And this text, in a sense, 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:13.059 is saying, 00:17:13.579 --> 00:17:14.920 well, the Corinthians, 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:16.160 they would know these people. 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:17.660 They can go to these people 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:18.400 and ask them, 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:21.619 did Jesus actually rise from the dead? 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.680 Did Jesus die for our sins? 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:26.740 Was he actually who he said he was? 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:29.880 So some of you know that I'm a baker. 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:31.580 You know that I like to bake 00:17:31.580 --> 00:17:34.000 and I've done a few weddings 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:35.300 and different events. 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:37.120 And if you guys wanted to have a cake 00:17:37.120 --> 00:17:39.660 for your next birthday or wedding, 00:17:39.760 --> 00:17:40.940 you would come and ask me, 00:17:41.280 --> 00:17:43.160 who can I ask for a recommendation? 00:17:43.820 --> 00:17:45.380 I want to know if you're able to do the job. 00:17:45.780 --> 00:17:47.240 So I would point out some friends 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:48.140 from maybe Messiah, 00:17:48.280 --> 00:17:50.480 some friends that I would assume 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:51.940 that are in your circle of friends 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:53.800 so that you can go and ask them 00:17:53.800 --> 00:17:54.940 and you know who they are. 00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:56.200 You know that they're taste buds. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.020 You can trust them 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:02.420 and from that point on, 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:02.859 you can say, 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:03.839 okay, well, you know what? 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:05.079 I'll go through with this. 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:07.359 This is essentially what Paul is doing. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:08.440 He's naming these people. 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:09.720 There's James here 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:11.519 who is the archbishop 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:12.519 or the archbishop, 00:18:12.619 --> 00:18:14.019 the bishop, I guess, of Jerusalem. 00:18:14.259 --> 00:18:15.539 He's the overseer 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:16.599 of the church of Jerusalem. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:17.440 You have Peter 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:20.319 who is here called Cephas 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:21.200 in verse five 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.180 who is the itinerant preacher. 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:23.859 He would travel. 00:18:24.379 --> 00:18:25.460 So these people would know 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:27.019 these witnesses. 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:27.900 These witnesses, 00:18:28.139 --> 00:18:29.259 they would be able to ask them 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:30.240 the question, 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:31.839 did Jesus really rise from the dead? 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.420 Was he actually in bodily form 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:35.339 or was he just a spirit 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:36.359 or is he just a figment 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:36.960 of our imagination? 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:39.740 So here in the Christian faith, 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:41.660 evidence is important. 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:44.059 Paul sees evidence 00:18:44.059 --> 00:18:45.139 as very, very important 00:18:45.139 --> 00:18:46.160 and very essential 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:47.099 to the Christian faith, 00:18:47.139 --> 00:18:47.779 the whole message. 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:51.079 Now, 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:53.160 what about these witnesses? 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:53.440 Like, 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:55.600 I don't know, 00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:56.500 there's a lot of them. 00:18:56.820 --> 00:18:57.940 It's 2,000 years ago. 00:18:58.060 --> 00:18:58.660 These people were, 00:18:58.720 --> 00:18:58.920 you know, 00:18:58.960 --> 00:18:59.840 less intelligent. 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:01.180 You might be thinking, 00:19:01.320 --> 00:19:01.420 you know, 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:02.840 they didn't have 00:19:02.840 --> 00:19:03.740 all the knowledge 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:04.700 that we have today. 00:19:05.040 --> 00:19:06.100 I can't really trust 00:19:06.100 --> 00:19:06.759 these witnesses. 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:09.180 Let me ask you, 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:12.140 where were you 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:14.240 or what were you doing? 00:19:15.860 --> 00:19:18.460 Was it September the 11th, 2001? 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:25.000 Where were you 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:25.819 and what were you doing 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:29.819 September 11th, 2005? 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:33.140 And where were you 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:36.920 September 11th, 2013? 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:40.100 Now, 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:40.539 it's interesting 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:41.299 that we remember 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:42.079 very vividly 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:43.200 where we were in 2001. 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.460 What about 2005? 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:46.779 What about 2013? 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:47.019 2013. 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:48.220 It's interesting 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:49.720 that this event 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:51.259 that really marked 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:52.200 that one year 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:53.200 we remember 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:54.079 much clearer 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.119 than what happened 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:56.039 the years 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:56.799 that came after. 00:19:58.200 --> 00:19:59.180 And in a sense, 00:19:59.240 --> 00:19:59.660 this is what 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:01.259 the gospel witnesses 00:20:01.259 --> 00:20:02.139 are all about. 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:02.920 That there was 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:03.759 this big event, 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:04.259 this very, 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:06.299 I don't want to say 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:06.740 traumatic, 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:08.319 but it's this event 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:09.480 that is out of the ordinary, 00:20:09.619 --> 00:20:10.519 something that's extraordinary, 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.480 where a man 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:12.660 who rises from the dead, 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:13.639 the one who claimed 00:20:13.639 --> 00:20:14.240 to be the Messiah 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:15.160 rises from the dead, 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:19.360 he appears 00:20:19.360 --> 00:20:20.300 to all these people 00:20:20.300 --> 00:20:21.300 and they would be able 00:20:21.300 --> 00:20:22.660 to give the testimony 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:23.519 of him 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.580 in a way that is accurate. 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:25.300 So this should be able 00:20:25.300 --> 00:20:25.980 to give us 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:26.920 a little bit more trust 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.220 in that. 00:20:29.360 --> 00:20:30.720 And we see in verse 11, 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.800 and I'll just read it, 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:33.779 whether then it was 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:34.420 I or they, 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:35.600 so we preach, 00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:36.860 and so you believe. 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:38.600 So they share 00:20:38.600 --> 00:20:39.759 the exact same message, 00:20:40.340 --> 00:20:41.640 and it's a very simple message. 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:42.279 It's not going 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:43.680 in too much depth, 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:44.340 but it's talking 00:20:44.340 --> 00:20:44.860 about one thing, 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:46.620 that Jesus actually lived, 00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:47.660 he died, 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.680 and he rose from the dead, 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:49.640 that all of them 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:50.480 would share 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.299 that same message. 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:54.279 So here's 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:55.220 the third evidence. 00:20:56.860 --> 00:20:57.660 Let us read 00:20:57.660 --> 00:20:59.320 verse 8 to 10. 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:01.859 Last of all, 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:03.460 as to one untimely born, 00:21:04.159 --> 00:21:05.480 he appeared also to me, 00:21:06.099 --> 00:21:07.119 for I am the least 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:07.839 of the apostles, 00:21:08.639 --> 00:21:09.759 unworthy to be called 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:10.259 an apostle 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:11.460 because I persecuted 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:12.399 the church of God. 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:14.519 But by the grace of God, 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:16.000 I am what I am, 00:21:16.439 --> 00:21:17.619 and his grace toward me 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:18.399 was not in vain. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:19.919 On the contrary, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:20.879 I worked harder 00:21:20.879 --> 00:21:21.700 than any of them, 00:21:22.379 --> 00:21:23.299 though it was not I, 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:24.399 but the grace of God 00:21:24.399 --> 00:21:25.159 that is with me. 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:28.120 A very strange thing 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:28.660 happened here. 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:29.940 The apostle Paul, 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:31.940 who we see 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:33.080 as super Paul 00:21:33.080 --> 00:21:34.000 or super apostle, 00:21:34.580 --> 00:21:35.300 is the, 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.360 probably the largest 00:21:37.360 --> 00:21:37.820 contributor 00:21:37.820 --> 00:21:38.720 to the New Testament, 00:21:39.420 --> 00:21:40.460 but it's talking about 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:41.380 how Paul persecuted 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:41.900 the church. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:42.840 Now, 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:43.860 if we knew Paul 00:21:43.860 --> 00:21:44.519 in his days, 00:21:44.580 --> 00:21:45.240 we would think, 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:46.220 you know, 00:21:46.300 --> 00:21:46.900 he's kind of like 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:47.800 that kid in the playground 00:21:47.800 --> 00:21:49.060 who just tells on you 00:21:49.060 --> 00:21:49.560 all the time 00:21:49.560 --> 00:21:50.080 to the teacher 00:21:50.080 --> 00:21:51.120 and always pleases 00:21:51.120 --> 00:21:51.580 the teacher, 00:21:51.620 --> 00:21:53.019 and you're just fed up 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:53.519 with that person 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.619 because he's always 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:55.420 going by the rules, 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.480 he's always trying to, 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:56.680 you know, 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:57.440 make his way 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:58.819 all the way to the top, 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:01.539 and he's kind of 00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.160 ripping us off 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:02.599 in a sense. 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:03.940 Paul was a very, 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:05.039 very religious man. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:05.819 He was very devout 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:06.379 to his faith, 00:22:07.139 --> 00:22:09.299 and he wasn't necessarily 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:10.400 pleasing to be around. 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:12.440 And it says here 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:13.420 that Paul persecuted 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:14.279 the church of God, 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:15.619 and it's interesting 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:17.139 that a lot of these people, 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:18.400 Peter and James, 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:19.879 would remember Paul 00:22:19.879 --> 00:22:20.859 being this persecutor 00:22:20.859 --> 00:22:21.299 of the church. 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.660 But he says here, 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:26.180 but by the grace of God, 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:27.240 I am what I am, 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:29.059 and his grace toward me 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:29.839 was not in vain. 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:32.039 Something happened. 00:22:32.779 --> 00:22:33.400 Paul encountered 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:35.139 the resurrected Jesus 00:22:35.139 --> 00:22:35.799 in his life. 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:37.480 He encountered Jesus, 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:38.619 and this encounter 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:39.700 was so powerful 00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:41.220 that it would make 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:43.059 his trajectory in life 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:44.579 completely different, 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:45.720 that he would make 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:47.619 a whole 180 degrees 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:48.259 in his life 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:49.740 to follow this Jesus 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:51.119 whom he was persecuting. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:53.219 So this is a very, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:54.299 very important witness 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:57.139 that the witness of Jesus 00:22:57.139 --> 00:22:59.179 who appears to us 00:22:59.179 --> 00:23:01.179 changes and transforms 00:23:01.179 --> 00:23:01.899 our lives. 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:09.619 So here in the ESV, 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.339 in the English Standard Version 00:23:11.339 --> 00:23:11.879 that I'm reading, 00:23:12.179 --> 00:23:13.099 it's not very, 00:23:13.239 --> 00:23:13.699 very clear, 00:23:14.239 --> 00:23:15.479 but I did look at 00:23:15.479 --> 00:23:16.299 the Greek translation. 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.339 It's talking about here 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:20.980 in verse 8. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:22.240 Last of all, 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.639 as to one untimely born, 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:25.339 he appeared also to me. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:26.779 It says here, 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:28.000 as to one untimely born. 00:23:28.839 --> 00:23:30.079 And the tone of this 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:33.019 slogan that he gives himself 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:34.700 is a little bit awkward. 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:35.539 It's a little bit different. 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.899 It talks about 00:23:37.899 --> 00:23:40.259 as if to an aborted fetus. 00:23:41.059 --> 00:23:41.619 And that's, 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:43.480 that's strange. 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:43.859 So, 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:45.079 Paul uses this 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:46.180 because his conversion 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:47.720 was so unnatural. 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.500 He was going one way 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:51.859 and his trajectory 00:23:51.859 --> 00:23:52.680 was going one way 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:53.799 and then all of a sudden 00:23:53.799 --> 00:23:55.400 he is taking out 00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:56.500 of this trajectory 00:23:56.500 --> 00:23:57.819 and he's put into 00:23:57.819 --> 00:23:58.539 somewhere else. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:23:59.579 And, 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:00.500 you know, 00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:02.519 praise God 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:03.180 that that happened, 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:04.879 but that's a weird title 00:24:04.879 --> 00:24:05.599 to give yourself 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:06.640 and it's a very uncomfortable 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:07.839 title to give yourself. 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:11.039 And Paul puts it here 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:11.699 in his testimony. 00:24:13.199 --> 00:24:14.079 And he also puts 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.980 that he persecuted 00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:15.799 the church of God. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:17.119 And I can just imagine 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:18.279 Paul going from one place 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:18.659 to another 00:24:18.659 --> 00:24:19.480 and his testimony 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:20.819 that he was the persecutor 00:24:20.819 --> 00:24:21.139 of God. 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:21.799 Yes, 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:22.579 that's a great story. 00:24:22.639 --> 00:24:23.220 That's a great story. 00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:24.319 But this testimony 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:25.459 that he is the one 00:24:25.459 --> 00:24:26.539 who would 00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:28.500 attack these Christians 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:30.000 is probably a very, 00:24:30.139 --> 00:24:31.019 very haunting one 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:31.500 to him. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:35.259 You know, 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:37.720 there's a lot of things 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:38.860 that I regret 00:24:38.860 --> 00:24:40.039 having done in my life 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:41.680 and I'm a Christian now. 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:42.019 I can say, 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:42.220 wow, 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.120 by God's grace, 00:24:43.220 --> 00:24:43.440 you know, 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:44.860 I'm a new man 00:24:44.860 --> 00:24:45.900 and, 00:24:46.100 --> 00:24:46.680 you know, 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:48.240 God is great. 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:49.759 But the memory 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:50.539 of this, 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:51.880 of the things 00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:52.400 that I've lived, 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:53.240 the things that I've done, 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.319 still haunts me. 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:55.720 And I think about it 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:56.360 almost every day. 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:57.600 It's like 00:24:57.600 --> 00:24:58.339 this little, 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:00.259 I don't know, 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:01.079 this little character 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:02.259 that comes beside me 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:02.660 and says, 00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:03.180 hey, 00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:04.640 do you remember me? 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:06.780 And he tries to explain 00:25:06.780 --> 00:25:07.580 to me who I was. 00:25:09.360 --> 00:25:10.280 And it's interesting here 00:25:10.280 --> 00:25:10.900 that in the scripture, 00:25:11.060 --> 00:25:12.400 Paul does not neglect 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:13.080 his testimony. 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:13.700 He does not 00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:15.340 put it away. 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:16.160 He does not try 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:17.000 to put it in a box 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:17.860 and forget about it. 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:19.140 But it's right there. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:20.420 And we're reading about it 00:25:20.420 --> 00:25:21.259 2,000 years later. 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:22.980 You know, 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:23.520 there's a lot of 00:25:23.520 --> 00:25:25.300 spiritual practices 00:25:25.300 --> 00:25:26.140 that try to 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:27.880 meditate our way 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:29.580 out of who we are 00:25:29.580 --> 00:25:30.480 because the burden 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:30.900 of our, 00:25:31.320 --> 00:25:31.980 of the reality 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:33.539 is so hard 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:34.380 and intolerable 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:36.059 as we even pray 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:36.640 that the burden 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.680 of them is intolerable. 00:25:37.779 --> 00:25:38.559 The burden of our sins 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:39.299 is intolerable. 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:40.160 And there's more 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:40.740 religious people 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:41.380 who like to 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:43.000 do the right thing 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:43.980 and do the right rules 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:44.660 and practice them 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:45.740 so that the remembrance 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.339 of, 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:48.680 of who we were 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:49.380 and the sins 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:49.860 that we've committed 00:25:49.860 --> 00:25:50.539 would be no more. 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:53.900 And we have to acknowledge 00:25:53.900 --> 00:25:54.559 that these things 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:55.400 leave a really 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:56.579 deep scar 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:57.240 in our lives, 00:25:57.319 --> 00:25:58.279 that they are wounds 00:25:58.279 --> 00:25:58.920 in our lives. 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:01.279 and the gospel 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:02.100 brings us 00:26:02.100 --> 00:26:03.160 to a different place 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:04.240 where there is, 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:06.000 where we don't forget 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:06.660 who we were 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:08.660 and we don't 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:10.060 try to please God 00:26:10.060 --> 00:26:11.060 so that we, 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:12.820 so that he would forget 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:13.440 who we were 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:15.420 but both of them 00:26:15.420 --> 00:26:16.600 collide together. 00:26:17.840 --> 00:26:19.060 The new us 00:26:19.060 --> 00:26:20.740 and the old us. 00:26:23.100 --> 00:26:23.860 And that meets 00:26:23.860 --> 00:26:24.840 perfectly in the cross. 00:26:26.320 --> 00:26:27.500 When we look at Jesus, 00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:28.680 we see him here, 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:31.180 he's on the cross 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:33.680 and he has holes 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:34.340 in his hands 00:26:34.340 --> 00:26:36.240 and he has holes 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:36.740 in his feet 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:39.100 and the story 00:26:39.100 --> 00:26:39.539 would say 00:26:39.539 --> 00:26:40.100 that he would have 00:26:40.100 --> 00:26:41.380 a lot of whipping marks 00:26:41.380 --> 00:26:42.560 on his body 00:26:42.560 --> 00:26:44.120 and this would speak 00:26:44.120 --> 00:26:45.680 of the sins 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:46.259 that we committed. 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:47.240 Theologically speaking, 00:26:47.340 --> 00:26:47.900 it would be because 00:26:47.900 --> 00:26:48.660 of our sins. 00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:49.080 It would not be 00:26:49.080 --> 00:26:49.820 because of his sins 00:26:49.820 --> 00:26:50.779 because he didn't have any. 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:52.500 Now, if Jesus didn't 00:26:52.500 --> 00:26:53.400 rise from the dead, 00:26:55.100 --> 00:26:55.900 these scars 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:58.620 would tell the story 00:26:58.620 --> 00:26:59.720 of a blasphemer. 00:27:00.280 --> 00:27:01.240 They would tell the story 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:02.500 of a man who claimed 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:03.120 to be the Messiah 00:27:03.120 --> 00:27:03.980 but, you know, 00:27:04.040 --> 00:27:05.580 he's nothing else. 00:27:05.579 --> 00:27:10.619 But, 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:12.919 Jesus rose from the dead 00:27:12.919 --> 00:27:14.299 and we see him here. 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:16.379 He still has the marks 00:27:16.379 --> 00:27:16.960 in his hands 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.559 and these tell 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:19.419 a different story. 00:27:20.819 --> 00:27:21.779 These tell the story 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:22.740 of a victory 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:23.659 over sin 00:27:23.659 --> 00:27:25.419 and over death. 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:28.539 You know, 00:27:28.560 --> 00:27:29.160 we read that 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:30.180 when Paul says, 00:27:30.340 --> 00:27:31.200 but by God's grace, 00:27:31.300 --> 00:27:32.200 I am what I am. 00:27:33.080 --> 00:27:33.620 And some days, 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:35.000 I can't even lift up 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:35.840 my fist to say that 00:27:35.840 --> 00:27:36.259 and can say, 00:27:36.380 --> 00:27:36.860 well, you know, 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:37.620 I am what I am. 00:27:38.279 --> 00:27:38.539 But, 00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:40.400 the memory of 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:41.800 the things that I've done 00:27:41.800 --> 00:27:42.600 is so true 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:43.220 and so vivid 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:45.240 and I don't even know 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:46.100 how to deal with it. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:47.960 And I think it's important 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:48.500 that we notice 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:49.000 that Paul 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.840 keeps it in his testimony 00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:52.120 because 00:27:52.120 --> 00:27:53.360 instead of thinking 00:27:53.360 --> 00:27:54.100 as Paul, 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:55.200 as the super apostle, 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:55.960 as super Paul, 00:27:56.340 --> 00:27:57.240 he had real struggles 00:27:57.240 --> 00:27:58.100 just like you and me. 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:00.500 And Paul here 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:02.019 acknowledges 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:03.519 that he has 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:04.299 these deep wounds 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:05.360 and he has these deep cuts 00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:06.019 of the things 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:06.480 that he's done. 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:07.980 But they have a new name. 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:08.920 They have a new 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:10.600 meaning to them. 00:28:11.420 --> 00:28:12.480 And just like Jesus 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:14.000 holds on his hands 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:14.600 and on his feet, 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:16.140 these speak 00:28:16.140 --> 00:28:17.000 of a new story. 00:28:17.580 --> 00:28:18.920 Not that of brokenness, 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:20.140 but that of victory. 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:26.620 So God's grace 00:28:26.620 --> 00:28:29.299 leads us to a place 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:30.380 where we can acknowledge, 00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:31.559 yes, 00:28:31.620 --> 00:28:32.819 we have this pain, 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:34.160 we have this brokenness, 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.019 but now they have 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:36.620 a new name 00:28:36.620 --> 00:28:37.299 and we don't have 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:37.819 to hide it. 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:38.539 We can share it 00:28:38.539 --> 00:28:39.100 with one another. 00:28:39.460 --> 00:28:40.039 We can share 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:40.880 that we have 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:41.940 a lot of things 00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:43.220 that hold us back 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:43.860 and things 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:45.840 that have hurt us 00:28:45.840 --> 00:28:46.460 along the way. 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:48.660 But that's not 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:49.360 the end of the story. 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:50.259 That Jesus rose 00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:50.720 from the dead 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:51.279 and when we put 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:52.339 our faith and trust 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:52.799 in Jesus, 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:54.000 complete trust, 00:28:54.120 --> 00:28:54.759 complete dependence 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:55.480 upon Jesus, 00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:56.720 who is the only one 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:57.600 who can pay for our sins, 00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:58.120 the only one 00:28:58.120 --> 00:29:00.400 who gives the right 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:03.240 and complete antidote 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:03.660 to death, 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:06.839 our hope will not 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:07.279 be in vain, 00:29:07.360 --> 00:29:07.940 that our hope 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:11.039 will be in Jesus 00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:11.680 who has risen 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:12.120 from the dead 00:29:12.120 --> 00:29:12.539 and that we will 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:13.039 be with him. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:14.259 Earlier we read 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:14.740 on the screen 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:16.240 the lamb who was 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:16.759 on the throne 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:18.360 as if he was slain. 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:21.259 as if he was slain. 00:29:21.639 --> 00:29:22.459 It's probably not 00:29:22.459 --> 00:29:23.659 a pretty sight, 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:26.359 but they tell 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:27.079 the story of victory. 00:29:27.959 --> 00:29:28.399 Please stand. 00:29:36.479 --> 00:29:37.319 Heavenly Father, 00:29:38.579 --> 00:29:39.519 thank you that 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:42.619 thank you that you do not 00:29:42.619 --> 00:29:44.899 by your grace 00:29:44.899 --> 00:29:46.199 completely erase 00:29:46.199 --> 00:29:46.719 the memory 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:49.039 of who we were, 00:29:49.360 --> 00:29:49.819 but Father, 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:51.160 that you bring redemption, 00:29:51.860 --> 00:29:52.680 that you give 00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:53.360 a new name 00:29:53.360 --> 00:29:55.400 and a new reason 00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:56.180 and a new purpose 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:57.160 for who we are. 00:29:58.120 --> 00:29:58.519 Father, 00:29:58.579 --> 00:29:59.279 would you help us 00:29:59.279 --> 00:29:59.980 to come to you 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:01.140 with all that we are 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:03.960 and Father, 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:04.940 would you be gracious 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:07.039 to touch every part 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:07.940 of who we are 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:09.900 and give it a new name. 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:11.259 Would you help us 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:12.579 to walk in victory? 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:14.799 Father, 00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:15.819 would you bless us 00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:16.720 and bless this time? 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:19.339 We look to you, God. 00:30:20.460 --> 00:30:21.359 You're the only one 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:21.899 who is worthy 00:30:21.899 --> 00:30:22.519 of all praise. 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:23.119 You're the only one 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:25.259 who can do any of this, 00:30:25.379 --> 00:30:26.599 who can bring healing, 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:27.599 who can bring redemption 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:28.359 and victory. 00:30:29.179 --> 00:30:29.379 Lord, 00:30:29.399 --> 00:30:29.980 we look to you 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:31.079 in Jesus' name. 00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:32.000 Amen.