Would you please open your Bibles as we turn our attention on the Word of God this morning to John chapter 20 verse 1. John chapter 20 verse 1. My name got on the docket only a few weeks ago for speaking here. And since that time, we haven't slowed down much. But as I studied and prepared, I thought, OK, well, I'll just do a big overview of the resurrection and go through the chapter. The more I studied, the more I realized there is so much about the resurrection in the Word of God. So much validity, so many statements, so much hallelujah! That's what the song we just sang. There is a resurrection. He is risen. So I've decided today to take with the storyline of chapter 20 to go through the sections and see that the disciples struggled with their faith in the resurrection. They struggled with the knowledge that their Savior was alive from the dead. And secondly, I really hope to get to 1 Corinthians 15, because Paul says, this resurrection is valuable to you, Corinthians. And in so saying, he's saying to you, he's saying to me, he's saying, this resurrection is the game changer. When He rose from the dead, now we are associated with that, we are new creations in Christ, and we have freedom, and we have victory from everything Satan throws at us, from everything that this world throws at us, and we are completely dead positionally to our sin nature. And so, the resurrection is a celebration, even though the disciples struggled greatly with it. So when we think about it here, turn with me at the end of the chapter, verse 30 and 31. I didn't give you an exact verse to look at. So 20, 30, and 31. And if you didn't have a handout, Bernie mentioned to me, one of the ushers, that there are handouts, individual, if you would like one. And the ushers will give you one. I was supposed to announce that. Just put your hand up, and they'll do it as we're reading. In chapter 20, verse 30 and 31, he says this, that truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name. He is saying right here that everything that Jesus had done was so that we would believe. We would see those signs. We would see what he had done. And there's a lot of other things that haven't been written down of what he did. But there is substantial plenty of reference and understanding that our Savior is God and has power over everything. And through those miracles, signs, teachings, demonstrations, we can say or make that choice I believe that Jesus Christ is the Old Testament Messiah, He's the Anointed One, He is the Savior of the world, the God who became a man to be the mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. That's what He's saying here, and I hope that your faith is encouraged through our time opening the Word of God together. So my first question is there is, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ all that significant? Well, as I have been studying and focusing and thinking and meditating upon it, its importance has elevated my own thinking. And it's exciting to see. And really, when you go to the scriptures, God is telling us from beginning to end the resurrection is absolutely important, Old Testament and New Testament. It is the heart of the gospel we'll see in 1 Corinthians 15. It is the victory over death and Satan. We are now identified with Jesus Christ in death, burial, and resurrection through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment we believe, and now we are victorious in position in Christ. It's our foundation of our daily identification with Christ as we walk in newness of life, and it is the guarantee of our future resurrection. And that's not the full summation of it, but it gives you a good idea of the absolute importance of it. I chose this passage just to summarize for you, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and myself, the importance of this resurrection. And Paul is teaching the Colossians here how actually to orient themselves day by day. It's with a mental orientation to heaven and a earthly orientation into walk, with our Savior. And he says in Colossians 3, 1 through 4, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. We've been raised with Christ. We died with Christ. He's saying it actually in different order, but the emphasis is we've risen with Christ. Let us think from heaven down rather than down, up, or over. Let us remember we are God's risen new creations in Christ. And then he goes on in the whole chapter to show us how to think about ourselves and our actions, about how to have the Word of God dwell in us richly, how to be husbands and wives and children and workers and bosses, and how to pray, and it all is in an orientation of our position in Christ, and included in that is the emphasis of our risen with Christ. Now, if you would turn with me to the beginning of John chapter 20, John chapter 20 verse 1. And I titled it this, Disciples Learn of Jesus' Resurrection. They're going to learn of Jesus' resurrection. Now, what I say about that is Jesus repeatedly told them, I'm going to die, and in three days, I'm going to rise again. He used the temple as the illustration. They're going to tear down this temple, and in three days, it's going to rise up again. He's told them specifically that he would be risen on several occasions. And yet, they struggle with believing that. Mary Magdalene, John, and Peter observed the empty tomb. Now, in other passages in the Gospels, it tells of other people, but we're just going to focus here from John's perspective, highlights in John. Please follow along as I read John 20, verse 1. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Do you see that? She's not talking about him alive, is she? Somebody else took him out of the tomb. She's struggling with her faith. Verse 3, Peter therefore went out and the other disciple, referring to John himself, and went and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down, looking in, saw the linen clothes lying there, yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen clothes lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying, with the linen clothes, but folded together in a place by itself." So you can see they take off running. The Lord's body's not there? The Lord's not there? What happened? Who took it? That is what appears their immediate thinking. They're not thinking immediately that he has risen. Verse 8, then the other disciple who came to the tomb first, went in also, he saw and he believed." Now, I think it's John speaking of himself here. We see he's in the second person, the one who ran. He's not referring to himself directly, but he saw and he responded, he believed. Now if you came into this tomb, it's the first early morning light, and you see that the beautiful clothing or cloth that they wrapped him in is all folded up, and the piece around his head is laid down there. I think he recognized nobody stole them because they would have taken that linen with them. That's the value. It's not the body per se. Now the Jews did after this try and conspire so that they gave money to the soldiers and they would tell that somebody took them. They tried to keep the truth from being said, but here He believed, verse four, for as yet, excuse me, verse nine, for as yet they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. What was John's conclusion? How did he conclude that Jesus was there? He saw and he believed. Now, I don't think this is the very moment he got saved. I think he recognized he is resurrected. He is alive from the dead. Now, put his sandals on your feet and go back and think, okay, I've walked with Jesus. I've heard him teach a lot. I've seen him do a lot of miracles. I believe in him that he is the Messiah. but he doesn't get a hold of that fact that he's gonna rise from the dead right like that. Do you struggle with God's word at times? What he says? Earlier this summer, I had a struggle with my prayers. In a sense, in my prayers, it was like, do I really believe that God is going to answer my prayers? Now, I think it was partly because of the overwhelming schedule and things. And I backed up a little bit and taught for our devotions the character of God being the all-powerful God in the word of Almighty God. the God Almighty or Almighty or Almighty God, in the Old Testament it's El Shaddai. And I saw that 31 times in Job it talked about His Almighty power. Revelation nine times, obviously it's not in the Hebrew there, but it refers to the Almighty. And as I focused on that, my prayers changed because God can do anything. Jeremiah 31, 27. Is there anything too hard for me? He says. It's rhetorical. No. So being a disciple with Sandals in the first century, they struggled with the resurrected Jesus Christ. And I struggle that what God says is absolutely true and I can bank upon it. I can stand on it like a rock and it will give me strength and wisdom and purpose and direction and hope. So here he is, John. He looks, he sees, and he believes. Now, do you think any of the other disciples struggle? In the context of the resurrection, Mark 16 says this, She, Mary Magdalene, went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and weeped. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. She says, I've seen Him! I've seen Jesus! Ah, we don't believe you. Wow. that after he appeared to another form, excuse me, appeared in another form to the two of them as they walked and went into the country on the road to Emmaus. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later he appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. So in the evening of his resurrection the disciples are gathering. Jesus in his new body walks right through the wall and comes in and one of the things he does is rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart. Now, personally, I don't want the Lord Jesus to rebuke me, but I have a hard heart sometimes. Amen? I struggle with my believing what he says. We were in the Olivet Discourse as the pastors' conference, and it's like, oh my goodness. You've got to be the Almighty God to fulfill these statements and future promises in the Word of God. And so, I can relate to the disciples in Luke 24, 10 and 11. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles, and their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. This is on their way back from the tomb. Their first sightings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ladies, now Jews had a hard time with women back then. These are idle words, idle tales. These seemed untrue. Now, my encouragement to you, and I have tried to practice this over the years, if I'm sitting in the pew and I'm being taught the Word of God, or I'm sitting in my own devotions and reading the Word of God, that in my heart I'd like to active voice say, Amen, Lord, I believe this. This is true. It's being taught me in a normal, grammatical, contextual, historical, plain sense interpretation, and it's clear with grace and the dispensations in the Word of God, Lord. Amen. I believe that, Lord. That's mine right there. I believe that. It strengthens your faith. You're reading the Word of God, and you're going through a story of Daniel in the lion's den, and the angel shuts up his mouth, that supernatural Almighty God sending forth his mighty angel, and you say, Amen, I believe that. In the Sunday school, we encourage those children early to take that and believe it. They struggle with their unbelief. They observe the empty tomb, and they believed it. Now Mary Magdalene meets her risen Savior. Now we referred to that sighting there, but let's go to chapter 20 and verse 11. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? And she said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. She has not seen him yet. She's struggling that the empty tomb means a risen Savior and the angels are speaking to her. What a scene! What a scene! Verse 14, Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus. And Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? And she, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. She still thinks he's dead, the tomb's empty. She's just spoke to angels, she spoke to the Lord Jesus Christ, and she's still struggling. Not until verse 16, Jesus said to her, Mary. Maybe it was his voice, maybe it was how he said it, or maybe because he knew her. She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say teacher. And Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and my God and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken these things to her. Did she believe? Yes, she concluded. She saw her risen Savior and she believed that He was alive. She saw him, she heard him, she perceived him. In verse 18, she came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. Now remember what we just read? The disciples said, these sound like idle tales. You've got to be kidding me. You saw Him. You talked to Him. He hung on the cross. We saw Him die. We participated in His burial. Every one of us has struggled with different things in the Bible, in our own Christian walk, in our own humanity and inconsistency, and here we see John, seen and believing. We see Mary, seen and believing. And now we see the disciples coming and seeing, or actually they see the resurrected Savior come to them. So moving right along in the storyline here, he says this in verse 19, Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, that's very important, he includes it, they were up, assembled, and the doors all shut. For fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be with you. Then he said to them, said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. The disciples were gathering for fear of the Jews. Have you ever been fearful? Yes, right from the garden all the way today and up until the end of the millennial kingdom and before the new heavens and the new earth, there will be fear in the hearts of man. But Jesus is our antidote, fear. So what do you think they were fearful of with the Jews? Probably their life, wouldn't you think? Hebrews 2, 14 and 15 says this, inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had power over death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. I remember before I was saved, and even shortly after I was saved, because I doubted the assurance of my salvation, or I struggled with the assurance of my salvation. Fear was really a grip upon me, fear of death. It wasn't until I understood and believed the ramifications of the gospel that I was going to live forever and ever because I had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and received eternal life and that nothing could separate me from Him. from my salvation. I'm in the Father's hand. I'm in the Son's hand. I'm sealed with the Holy Spirit. I'm kept by the power of God. Nothing ever can separate me. Now, I don't look forward to how I'm going to die. That's up to my God Almighty. He'll determine that. But death has lost its grip on this saint. Do I think about it? Of course. We have instantaneous reactions to brown bears in Alaska or the cold of the ocean when you're out fishing or an accident on the highway or something like that. But look at what he says here. Release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The moment you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will never die spiritually. As your Savior, you believe that He died for your sins. He was buried and He arose again the third day, and you put your faith in Him. At that moment, you're born again. You will never see true death again, spiritual death. You have eternal life. You will live forever with Him. We will all die physically unless we're raptured, which could happen today. It's not soon. It's imminent. Any time, that will come. Now, do we struggle with the fear of death? Yes. These disciples, I believe, were there in the gathering, but they were fearful of their death from the Jews, or persecution, or whatever that might be. But Jesus greets them with this. Peace be with you. So they're sitting in fear, and his first words out of his mouth, maybe because of the startling, is, Peace be with you. He says it in 21. Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. peace, tranquility of heart, calmness of spirit, brought on by the presence of God. Number one distiller in the scriptures of fear is the presence of God. Fear not, I am with you, or the Lord is with you. You can go forth in courage and strength because of that. I like even in Isaiah 41 13, For I the Lord thy God shall hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not, I will help you. And many times I have squeezed my right hand and assured myself, Okay Lord, you're with me. I'm gonna step out by faith, though there's agitation, anxiety, difficulty in my soul, I know you're with me, and so I step out by faith. Now, he had already told his disciples a number of times. John 14, 27. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. That's John 14, 27. And John 16, 33. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. So the word of God put into the heart of a saint by faith brings peace. Now it might not be immediate because your emotions are all worked up, but you step out by faith and Lord I trust you here. I trust you. I trust you. And I can say from personal testimony, that as you step out and assure your mind, in other words, you reaffirm, I believe, I'm trusting this, the Spirit of God brings you peace. Love, joy, peace. The Word of God brings you peace. And even Colossians 3, verse 15 says, let or allow the peace of God rule in your hearts. Colossians 3, verse 15. So the Lord comes through the wall, startles them, and peace be with you. They're in fear, they're waiting there, and the Lord then Comforts them, shows them. What does he do? He shows them his hands and his feet. He gives them evidence. Verse 20. When he had said this, peace, he showed them his hands and his side. Now, what were they struggling with an empty tomb? They couldn't see anything. What are they struggling here with him coming through the wall? They're struggling and he says, come on, put it right here, baby. Put it right here. And here, go all the way in. Now, I'm being a little hyperbolic or emphatic or whatever. I don't know what it's like. That to me, that scene is just amazing to have disciples gathering. The risen Lord walks through the wall. Peace. You're struggling? Come. I am Him. I am. Check it out. What is their response? What is their response at the end of verse 20? Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. It means they rejoiced. They were joyous. They were celebrative. They were ecstatic. This is He. He's not dead. Now I'm imagining for three days they were sad. They were struggling. They were mourning. They had such hopes in this great rabbi, teacher, Messiah, Savior. They didn't know it all. I believe they had faith. But they didn't understand this, and they came to grips with it. And what I like about this scene, too, is the Lord knows they're struggling with it, and He presents them with absolute evidence. Now, this summer, we started to pray for miracles. Does anybody here pray for miracles? You know why we did? Because we got our focus on the Almighty. When someone is born again, that is miraculous. You go from the natural to the supernatural. You go from death to life. You go from darkness to light. You're ushered into the kingdom of God. It is supernatural. Now, there is a human element which must believe. We must make a choice to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But the evidence is there. The evidence is clear, and when we present it and someone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved, that is a miracle. Have you seen that happen? Have you heard it from the people that say, I can't believe it, I'm going to heaven? It encourages you to share it again. And I say, not miracles necessarily the blind are seeing, or I'm walking on Resurrection Bay in Alaska on the water. But God supernaturally orchestrates behind-the-scenes encounters with people who are struggling. At the fair last year in Alaska, there were individuals that came in and that said, I considered suicide because God would never love me because of my sexual orientation. And they walked out of there believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We had a man at the end of the season, three hours before we were absolutely done with the mission, and he came in. And he came in because his co-worker had been witnessed to by the director in 2019 and become a believer in Christ. And in 2022, he brought his fiancee to the mission to hear the gospel, and she got saved. And on the ship, he tried to help his co-worker, who was so depressed and struggling, and who had had tuberculosis on the ship three years previously, and was in isolation, and came, ended up coming back on the ship. It was the last day of the season, the last day that ship was there, and it was the first time he'd ever been to the mission. And his friend's name was Ross. And Ross knew he couldn't help him. He gave him the promises of God for the child of God earlier in the summer. And he came in the mission and he said, my friend, A.C., it's his first time to the mission. And Cassandra has her hands full of food at the counter, and she goes, hey, Will, guess what? A.C.' 's first day at the mission. That's code word for come and give him the gospel. And it works. Oh, really? Wow, nice to have you here. Let me show you around. He shows him around. He ends up at the rack with the diagram, says, do you have any idea about God and the Bible, and do you think you're going to heaven? No. And so Will said, can I sit down and talk to you? Sure. Well, I think Ross had primed him even before that. And he sat down with Will, and Will shared the gospel with him, and he finds out all this information about him, and that he had tuberculosis, and that he was struggling. He even contemplated suicide, and he had just struggling, and Ross couldn't help him, and he finally came to the mission because his schedule was so bad with his job on the ship. And he got there, and he trusted in Christ as his Savior. He went out with a smile on his face. That was a miracle. So, we are going to our Lord and we are glad because He's a risen Savior. We are rejoicing that He is a risen Savior. And we are going out with confidence because we are one with Him in newness of life. But they're just learning about it here. And it's exciting to see that these disciples are coming to understand the resurrection, though we've been preached it, and taught it, and read it, and this is the first time they're coming to grips with it. Verse 24 says this, Now Thomas called the twin. One of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came. And the other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. So he said to them, Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my fingers into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. Ha! Does that sound like anybody you've witnessed to in the recent past? I want some evidence. Show me some evidence there's a God. Oh my goodness. Go to creation, go to the word of God, go to all these. God has given us lots of evidence, even in our conscience. Here, Thomas is struggling. He's struggling. What? What? Unless I see, I will not believe. This guy's stubborn. I was meditating on Thomas just, I don't know if it was yesterday or the day before, and I was thinking, Thomas, why was he like this? I think he's like that because he's got an analytical mind. He's one of these science guys that, unless they can come to the formula and or conclusion, they want all these things. There's nothing wrong with that. But at this point, he's just like saying, hey boys, I know you say you saw it. I know you, but not until I see it am I going to believe it. Now, I'm that unbeliever sometimes, aren't you? You read it in the scriptures, it's like, how can this happen? That's why at the moment you believe it, it's revealed in the Word of God, you active voice say, yes. When I do that, my faith is affirmed. My foundation is strengthened. That mortar sets in our hearts that says, This is the truth. I can build my life upon this. And over time, if you haven't been saved for very long, and you haven't heard or read and understood a lot of the Word of God, you're trying to fit all these things together. But after four decades, I have no excuse. It fits so clearly. The principles are so systematic and simple. God wants us to succeed. And what do we struggle with? Unbelief. That's my greatest struggle. But I have to keep going back because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And when I open up the Word of God, it's like God says, here I am. Why are you doubting me? I'm in the Old Testament with Israel. I was so consistent. I'm going to be forever and ever and throughout the new ages coming. Don't do anything but trust me and go forward. So, we keep hearing the word of God, and Hebrews 11, 6 says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. And in the chapter of 11 of Hebrews, I'll read that on occasion, just to encourage me, because these people struggled with their faith, yet they were willing to build their future and their life on it. So, what does Thomas conclude? Look at what he says. Verse 26 and following. And after eight days, his disciples were again to get inside, and Thomas was with them. And Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you. Oh Lord, you are so consistent, thank you. Then he said to Thomas, Now, do you think there was any pause in between that? Peace to you guys, peace. Okay, Thomas, your turn. We don't have any pause in there, but I'm just trying to visualize or be there in the corner and watch this take place. But he says, Thomas, here's your evidence. Verse 27, then he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. What does the Lord want from us? To trust him. Everyone in this room has a different situation in their life, a different level of maturity, a different level of trial issue and situation. And yet the Lord says what? Do not be unbelieving but believing. That's our responsibility. God will give you the evidence in the scriptures, in the answered prayer, in His faithfulness in your heart, through the power of the Holy Spirit. You just keep trusting Him, and you step that out in your work situation, in your marriage, in wherever you are having a trial, and God will provide sufficient grace. Now, in 40 plus years of being a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I can testify the Lord is faithful. This last summer, the Lord was faithful, and I had anxious heart at times. I don't know if I had had clinical depression, but there was times where I was a little bit down, and your emotions aren't there, and you just turn right back to the Almighty, and, Lord, I'm throwing myself on you, and I'm going to trust you through the process. We studied Job this summer in the mission, and the two conclusions I come with at the end of Job are this. He wanted Job. to see his God. He wanted Job to see him. And he sees him in the last chapter. He also wanted him to spiritually mature. And we see that in 1 Peter 1 and James 1. He wants us to be fully equipped and mature by a lot of trials over time. Because oftentimes we don't go to him except in those trials. Walking on the water, Peter learned to trust the Lord more. I give him credit, he stepped out and the Lord gave him grace to hold his hand and bring him back in. All these different occurrences, the Lord is faithful. So verse 27 again. Then he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands. and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God. And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. I don't see the Lord Jesus Christ today, except in the scriptures. And I can see him by faith and trust him. Don't be unbelieving, but believing. He's telling me through this occasion here. Now the context of resurrection here, and they're struggling with it, And he presents himself and Thomas becomes a believer right there in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I think he was a believer in the Lord before this, but he'd struggled with that resurrection. My Lord and my God. And then the Lord says here, you have believed. You have believed. You know, I think oftentimes we want the emotions to go with our faith. Then I'm sure that I have faith. But oftentimes they don't go right away and sometimes never come. So he wants us simply to respond directly to him upon what he has said and trust him implicitly. I believe you, Lord." Now, here's the passage in 1 Peter 1, 7-9, he says that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is testified by fire, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's that trial of our faith. It's precious. Whom having not seen you love. Now these believers were losing their houses, losing their businesses, losing their lives, losing their families. They were being scattered abroad. Dispersia. And yet he says, your faith is tested and it's precious, and while you're going through this, hold on to your Savior and the Word of God by faith. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Now, in the context, it appears that it's the second tense salvation, the salvation of their souls. They're delivered from the struggles and the difficulties. We, as believers, the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are delivered from hell to heaven, from our guilt to righteousness in Jesus Christ. Here they're going through trials. Here they're Here, their faith is being tested. They can't see the Lord, and they're being admonished. You love Him, though you don't see Him, and you believe Him, yet you don't see Him, but you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. To me, that's the Spirit of God thriving in the hearts of a believer in a major trial. that joy they can have through faith in their present Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we get here to the end of the chapter and he has verse 30. Truly, and truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. Now, we can see here that he is referring back to everything that he said right up to this point, the signs. And there's many others that were done he's referring to. Truly, Jesus did many other signs. than these, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Now today, if you have never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, God who became a man and hung on the cross as your substitute to die for your sins, you are a sinner. The Bible declares all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. You must respond to that message by faith. Put your trust, confidence in Him. And He is saying here that Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is the Messiah of the Old Testament. He is the Savior who hung on the cross. And here He's the one who rose from the dead. And the Scriptures declared that. And He is saying that believing, you may have life, eternal life in His name. So I appeal to you to believe on Him today, if you've never believed on Him. Mostly I've been talking to you who have believed on Him. But this really isn't for you till you've made a personal conscience decision to trust in the Savior who died for you, was buried, and arose again the third day according to the Scriptures. If you do, you will have here life, eternal life, repeated multiple times. in this book, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever, that's you, believes in the name of the Son of God, you will not perish, but have everlasting life. His only begotten Son. Now, we don't have a lot of time, but I just want to appeal to you here to see that in 1 Corinthians 15, we're going to make a quick shift and I had to make a decision. Please turn to 1 Corinthians 15. what to emphasize in this sermon, in this message. And in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is making a defense and a claim that the resurrection is so important. It's the paramount message. It's in the paramount message of the gospel, integral part. And I want to emphasize the fact that we become a new creation in Christ the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.17 says this. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So, the moment you are born again, you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, positionally all things become new. Your relationship with God, your dwelt with the Holy Spirit, it's a positional thing. And over time, your mind is renewed and you can then walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The new creation in Christ is how we are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and he places us into the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spiritual church of Jesus Christ. And Romans 6, 1 through 4 says this, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. This is to believers. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized first into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Our association with death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit places us into the body of Christ, the universal Church of Christ, and now that is our new position whereby we serve. and we walk and we live. This is the place of victory. So the physical baptism is simply a picture of the spiritual baptism. Pastor Dennis years ago wrote seven key questions to water or to baptism and You can get that up in the bookstore. But my point here is this, is that the gospel of Jesus Christ must proclaim the resurrection. It's included here. Look at verse 1 and following. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you receive and in which you stand. So he's preaching to those who have received this message. by which also you have are saved if you hold fast the word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according the scriptures that he was buried and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures here's our Explanation of the gospel, that God Almighty, Jesus Christ, died for our sins. The wages of sin is death, so somebody has to pay that penalty. If you pay for it, you go to hell for eternity to pay for your sins. But God loves us and says, I will make the payment for you, I will send the Savior to redeem you. And that means we're bought with a price. The Lord paid it all. We saw yesterday. It is finished by Pastor Tom. Completely done. Now our responsibility is to respond to that message. And in that message he's saying here in verse 4 that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And so the evidence is there that he died and he is now alive from the dead. His Resurrection is the, in a sense, canceled check that God says, finished. I am pleased. He raises him from the dead. And it's according to the scriptures. So we see in the Old Testament a number of occurrences. Some of them are a little bit shadowy or they're implied, but Psalm 1610 says, For you will not leave my soul in hell, referring to the Messiah, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. And so, repeatedly, God has referenced a life after death. Job said, for I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, we're heading there, aren't we? I feel that destroying happening more and more all the time. This I know, that in my flesh I shall see God. again. So we're encouraged, and the references are over and over in the Gospels, in the New Testament when the Gospel is preached in Acts and in the epistles associated with the Gospel, the risen Savior, the Savior who is alive from the dead. And then he was seen. 5 through 10. I'm not going to read all that but he was seen by hundreds and look what he says in verse 11. Therefore whether it was I or they so we preached and so you believed. They made a deliberate choice The Corinthians to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and they were beneficiaries of it. But they were carnal. They were called saints in verse 2 of chapter 1. They struggled and he took in a sense 27 chapters with first and second Corinthians to try and point them and encourage them to get back on the right road and serve the Lord and in the middle or At the end of this, he's using the example of the gospel and the resurrection, and it makes it worthwhile to serve him. So here he says, preach the gospel, and I've already filled in all your handout because I knew this is just an overview here, but you can go back and read it. So when we share, we should emphasize we have a living Savior. It's in the gospel. Preach the resurrection. Share the resurrection to your neighbors or wherever you have that miraculous opportunity to share Jesus Christ. What hit me in this is it is so logical and so significant, the resurrection. It's logical. I just have to read this in verse 12. Look at what he says here. Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? So people were saying, no, he didn't really rise. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is empty. We have no true object to preach or to believe. Verse 15, yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom we did not raise up. So we're lying. if in fact the dead do not rise for if the dead do not rise then Christ is not risen if Christ is not risen your faith is futile you are still in your sins do you see how logical he approaches this how reasonable verse 18 then also those who have fallen asleep those are believers who have died in Christ have perished. Without the resurrection there's no hope. Verse 19, if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men the most pitiable. Ha! You guys preach somebody who's dead. Ha! There is no resurrection. Your faith is empty. Your message is empty. That's what is the conclusion. So our preaching is empty. Our faith is empty. We're liars. We're false witnesses. Our faith is worthless. And we are still in our sins. There's no victory. And we're the most Pitiable of all people look at their devoting their lives going to church all the time They study that book that says there's a there's a Savior, but he didn't really rise Do you see the significance? And Paul is logically and reasonably going through this Look at the switch right here in verse 20, but now Christ is risen from the dead You know, I imagine if that's what they're chanting there in the upper room after Christ comes through the wall, He is risen from the dead. Whose turn is it? My turn. I want to touch your hand again, Lord. Now, I don't know what it's like, but I do know this. This is celebratory. This is exciting. This is what we want. He has conquered death. by bringing life. He says in this passage, our service and sacrifice is reasonable. I'll tell you what, every pastor who came to that conference this week has sacrificed hours and hours and hours of their lives to study and to serve. And if there is no resurrection, What pitiable people, right? But if Christ is risen again, it is reasonable to come and to serve in the nursery here and go and be a fool to your neighbor because you opened your mouth to them. Or at the grocery store, you lovingly share Jesus Christ. It's worth it. we shall receive a heavenly body. This is so encouraging. Don't think that this old frail body's going into heaven. He's going to give us a new one. And when is it going to happen? In the twinkling of an eye. Look at verse 51. Okay? I wish I could teach it all, but I just want you to see the gist of it. And for devotions tonight, you can read it again. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trump will sound, and the dead will be raised, and we shall be changed. No ifs, ands, or buts. We shall be changed. And he finishes off in verse 54. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? Because The sting of death is the sin and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Every single day of a Christian's life, he is victorious because his Savior has raised and you are one with him and you do not have to let your sin nature control you. You do not have to have the world lie to you and say anything and everything other than Jesus Christ is worth it. And you do not have to have Satan dominate you with fear of death or with his lies and devices. But instead, I am one with Christ. I have the armor of Christ. I am a new creation in Christ. I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And by the grace of God, I am what I am. And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. One more time, 57. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we sang that song and it was at the end of the chorus. Hallelujah! That's what he's saying here. Now, I'm being emphatic because I'm the preacher today. Some of you would say, I wish you would quiet down a little bit. But at least I don't have Poochie sleeping through this session here. The Lord is our awesome victory. If you haven't decided to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as a believer, I'm going to use the passage, you are of the most pitiable. Because you are switching the lies and the garbage and the crap of this world for Jesus Christ. I'm convinced of it. Now, do I struggle with it? Yeah! I get distracted. I allow my sin nature. But I'll tell you what, that conviction is here. And I want the Lord's will. Verse 58. Most of you probably even memorized this. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast and movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. They labored in the kitchen this week. They labored in the nursery this week. They're laboring for Jesus Christ up in the audio and we're laboring together and we go to the ends of the earth for missions. Is it in vain? The resurrection says no. In that gospel message is a freedom that is beyond our imagination and must be revealed in the Word of God so that we can grasp it, take a hold of it by faith, and live the best possible life on earth after the curse. Walking in newness of life. Personal testimony. Fullness? No. I've tasted it. And I want all of you to experience that. If you're holding back, don't. Lord, I want thy will to be done. It'll prove to give you the absolute best possible human existence on earth, that you walk with Jesus Christ in newness of life. He is such an awesome Savior. He wants to abide with you. He wants to shepherd you. He wants to empower you. He wants to glorify His name through you. And one day, when we get to heaven, He says, I will reward you for it. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in our new resurrected position in Christ. And all God's people said, Amen. Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, what a delight to open your word today. What a reality to open the scriptures. Thank you for our Savior, his humiliation, And thank you that you have exalted and given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ, you want us to bow. So thank you, Lord, for your work on our behalf. May you receive the honor and the glory in our hearts, in our words, in our lives, in this local church, and through this conference that we've been delighted to be a part of. We love you, even though we don't see you. In your name, I pray. Amen.