We're going to be going to 1 Corinthians 15. We've been in our Sunday school the last couple of weeks. Steve has been going through 1 Corinthians 15, doing a good job there, so I encourage attend and check that out if you want to learn more about the resurrection this morning we're going to focus on verses 1 to 8 and in particular the title of this message is witnesses of the resurrection so that's going to be our focus in this message this morning 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 to 8 moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve, After that, he was seen of above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James, then of all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen of me also as of one born out of due time." Now, I imagine if Paul the apostle had tried to get a meeting with the governing council of one of the great world cities in first century Greece, he wouldn't have been successful. Now, he was a vagabond Jew who would not have won an audience with the highest council in the cultural, intellectual, and philosophical center of the Greco-Roman world. Now, Paul's trip to Athens doesn't appear to have been planned ahead of time. But that's where he ended up because things got very dangerous for Paul in the province of Macedonia and some of the believers there sent him south to the province of Achaia and left him there in Athens for some of his companions to join him. And we're told in Acts chapter 17 as Paul was in the city of Athens that he was stirred up because the city was given to idolatry. They worshipped a host of false gods and so the famous art and architecture of the city of Athens had an undeniable beauty, but that beauty was marred for Paul by the false religion that was behind it all. Now on the Sabbath days in Athens, Paul went into the synagogue. He went into the synagogue and he would there argue with the Jews and with those proselyte Gentiles that Jesus was the Christ from the Old Testament. And on the weekdays in Athens, he went to the public marketplace. And he spoke about Jesus to all that he would encounter and that would speak with him there in the marketplace. Well, Paul ended up causing quite a bit of a stir as he encountered some of the philosophers of the day in the marketplace. And he ended up standing before that high council at Mars Hill. And as he gave his message to them, He actually rebuked their idolatry and warned them of future judgment. But when he mentioned the resurrection, he was laughed at. In Acts chapter 17, verses 30 to 33, we read, And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day. in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and others said, we will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. The Greeks believed in life after death. They did. but it was some sort of a spiritual existence that they believed in after death. Some being the spirit of the person being set free from the physical prison of the body. The idea of bodily resurrection was contemptible and it was beneath any thoughtful person in the culture of that day. Now after Paul left from Athens, he arrived in the city of Corinth. And Corinth was more of a trade city with a lot of wealth that was passing through it, more so than a high seat of intellectual endeavor like Athens was. And after a few years, after Paul had preached there and had founded a church there in Corinth, the church in Corinth was being troubled by some among them who were denying bodily resurrection. And so in the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul answered a number of questions that the church had. He addressed a number of problems that the church had. And he also wrote to them concerning their denial of resurrection. And that's what led us to this chapter here in 1 Corinthians 15, which is the most extensive defense of the resurrection in all of the Bible. And Paul opens his lengthy discussion of the resurrection by stating the facts. That's what he does at the beginning of this chapter. He refers to objective historical events concerning Christ, concerning Jesus of Nazareth. And he says in particular four things. He died, he was buried, he rose from the dead, and he appeared. he was seen. Paul states those as the historical facts of events writing about somewhere between 20 to 30 years after these events had happened. These people that he's writing to in Corinth lived about 800 miles away from Jerusalem where they happened, where they took place. But nevertheless, Paul offers them two lines of evidence to verify the historical facts of the resurrection. And both of these lines of evidence have to do with two different types of witness to the resurrection. So that's what we want to think about in particular. In verses 5 to 8, we see the personal witnesses of the resurrection. And in verses 3 and 4, we see the prophetic witnesses of the resurrection. So let's begin here with verses 5 to 8. After that he was raised again the third day. It says, And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James, then of all the apostles and last of all he was seen of me also as of one born out of due time so Paul mentions the witnesses of the resurrection these witnesses of the resurrection who saw Jesus alive after that he had been crucified and he mentions in particular the twelve apostles more than 500 believers, and then last of all, by Paul himself. So let's think about each of these witnesses and what it is that we know about them and their witness. Well, first of all, think about the apostles. Now before his death, Jesus told his apostles that they would be witnesses of him. He said, because you have been with me from the beginning. That's John chapter 15 and verse number 27. And after his resurrection, when he appeared to them, he told them that they were to be his witnesses. Luke chapter 24 verses 46 to 49. Jesus speaking and said unto them, thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. In Acts chapter one and verse number eight, He says to the apostles, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and under the uttermost part of the earth. Well, then as you proceed through the book of Acts, we have a record of the witness that they gave of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So Acts chapter 2 and verse 32, this is Peter on the day of Pentecost preaching publicly, this Jesus, the one that had just been crucified, this Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are witnesses, meaning Peter, the other apostles in particular, and the rest of the church that was there on the day of Pentecost. Later at the temple, at Solomon's porch in Acts chapter 3 and verse 15, Peter says, and killed the prince of life, talking again about Jesus, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. In Acts chapter four and verse 33. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all. Later in Acts chapter 10 verses 39 to 42. And we are witnesses of all the things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him, God raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead." Paul also confirmed the witness of these apostles. In the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, they're in Acts chapter 13, verses 29 to 31. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulcher, but God raised him from the dead. And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. Now, these are particularly referring to the apostles that Paul named, that Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection, and they were his witnesses of his resurrection in particular. And both Peter and John, who were among those apostles, were very careful in their letters, 2 Peter 1, verses 16 to 21, 1 John 1, verses 1 to 3, they were very careful to say that their witness of Jesus Christ and his resurrection was first-hand, eyewitness testimony. In other words, they weren't talking about something that they had heard. They weren't talking about some philosophical abstract thought that maybe someone was entertaining. They were talking about what they had seen with their own eyes, what they had heard with their own ears, and what they had personally experienced. That was the nature of their witness of the resurrection. Paul also says here that he was seen or he appeared, he showed himself to more than 500 brethren, men and women who were believers in Jesus Christ at one time, more than 500. Well, the 12 apostles in particular had a special role as witnesses of Jesus' resurrection and as communicators of his revelation. but they weren't the only witnesses. So Paul wrote of more than 500, and he says that the majority of them were still alive at the time that he was writing this letter to this church in Corinth. Now, we know that there were others besides the 12 that saw him, and we know that also because of the way that they selected the apostle to replace Judas. So in Acts 1, verse 22, Peter says, beginning from the baptism of John unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection." And he was talking about how they would select who would be an apostle to replace Judas so that there would be 12 apostles. And they were all witnesses of the resurrection. And then last of all, Paul says, he was seen of me. He was seen of Paul himself, the apostle, the last apostle. Paul presents himself as the last of the apostles and one that was made an apostle out of season or out of time. And he was made that way by the choice and the appearance of the resurrected Christ to him. Now, these are the words of Ananias concerning Paul. Paul relating this in Acts chapter 22 verses 12 to 15. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me and stood and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him and he said, the God of our fathers has chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one speaking about Jesus and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth for thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard and later These are the words of Jesus to Paul that Paul's relating in Acts chapter 26 and verse 16. But rise and stand upon thy feet for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou has seen and of those things in which I will appear unto thee. And so here as well as we can read it in the book of Acts in the ministry of Paul, we can read it in his letters and here in particular in first Corinthians chapter 15. Paul is giving his witness of the resurrection. But there's also a second type of witness that Paul refers to here in the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15, and that is the prophetic witness. So look at verses 3 and 4 again. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. So not only did the resurrection have personal eyewitnesses who gave forth their testimony concerning those events, the resurrection also had what we can call prophetic witnesses. Note what Paul said there in verses three and four. He said, according to the scriptures, by which he meant the Old Testament, what we know of and refer to as the Old Testament scriptures. So Paul said that the death and the burial and the resurrection of the Messiah were witnessed to by the prophets and written down in scrolls centuries before these events took place. Well, Peter also confirmed that this was indeed the witness of the prophet. So if we look at 2 Peter 1, verses 16-21. Peter wrote, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. So Peter says, we have not been speaking to you things that are myths or clever tales or inventions. We've been speaking to you of those things that we have experienced firsthand. We've seen it with our eyes, we've heard it with our ears, as John would write in his epistle, we've handled it with our hands. That's what we've been talking to you about, but he says there's an even, more sure word of prophecy and that is those holy men of old that were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak all these prophecies concerning His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection. So when Paul refers to these events that had taken place some 20 to 30 years prior to when he was writing this, he says that they were according to the scriptures, meaning not only were they witnessed by people that were alive and saw those things for themselves, not only were they witnessed by them, but they were also witnessed to many centuries before by prophets that it was revealed to by the Holy Spirit. Now, particularly, referred to Psalm 16, Psalm 16 and the the prophecy of the resurrection. So think about what he said there on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter number 2, beginning at verse 22. You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loose the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. and now he starts to talk about this prophecy from David for David speaketh concerning him that is Christ David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved therefore did my heart rejoice And my tongue was glad, moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell or in the grave, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou mayst be known the ways of life, thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Now he has been quoting from Psalm number 16. And here Peter addresses him, men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he's both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to his flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell or in the grave, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. So Peter refers to Psalm 16 that David wrote saying that David as a prophet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit prophesied the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How did he do that? Because his body would be put into the grave but would not see corruption. Well how would that be? because he would be raised back to life. David's own body went into the grave and Peter says is still with us today. In other words, his body went through corruption in Psalm 22. David prophesied the crucifixion of Jesus 900 years before Jesus was even born. In Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah prophesied that he would live the death of the Messiah and his life after death that can only come about through resurrection. This was 700 years before Jesus was born. So not only did Paul have a host of witnesses that he refers to that had seen Jesus alive after he died, he also had the Old Testament. The Old Testament that contained many prophecies of the birth and the life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so even of Paul's own witness, he said this when he was giving his testimony to Agrippa. He says in Acts chapter 26, verses 22 and 23, Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. So just like we saw with Peter and with John, we see also with Paul that he acknowledges that he is a witness of the risen Lord, but that his witness and his testimony is according to the Old Testament scriptures and those prophecies that have gone before concerning the Messiah. Think about how Paul begins this talk about the resurrection, and he's got errors within the church at Corinth concerning resurrection that he intends to correct. So as he begins to talk about resurrection, he introduces it again, stating the historical facts that Jesus died, he was buried, he was raised again to life, and he appeared to many witnesses. Those are the historical facts that he states. And then he gives us two types of witnesses to the resurrection, personal witnesses with the apostles, the 500, and Paul himself, and then the prophetic witnesses according to the scriptures. So what do these witnesses of the resurrection mean? What does this mean that Paul has given these witnesses for the resurrection? Well, they mean primarily two things, confirmation and comfort. Confirmation and comfort. So first of all, think about how these witnesses give confirmation of the fact of resurrection. Well, look at the end of verse six. He says in verse six, after that he was seen of above 500 brethren at once. And then notice the last of this verse, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. Or in other words, some have died, but the majority of them are still alive at the time of Paul's writing this letter. So why did Paul point out that there were hundreds of firsthand eyewitnesses of the resurrection still alive at the time that he wrote. He wrote that because it was corroborating witness. It was what we would also call evidence. Evidence. of the resurrection is what Paul has given them. Paul and the other apostles gave their witness at a time when there were hundreds of witnesses alive to either verify or falsify their claims. So there are hundreds of eyewitnesses that had seen Jesus Christ alive after that he was crucified. And so for the apostles and the others that are going around, and Paul now, who is going to further stretches in the known world at the time, preaching this message that Jesus was raised from the dead, he is speaking to them about historical events that have taken place, and there are hundreds of eyewitnesses to either confirm the truth of what he's saying or to falsify those claims. hundreds of eyewitnesses. I mean, imagine that you were called in a court of law to give testimony that you've been charged with some crime. And you stand up and you say, I am innocent. I did not commit this crime. And then you have hundreds of eyewitnesses that all give the same testimony that you committed that crime. You know what? You're guilty. and you're going to go to prison or suffer whatever the consequence is of that crime. It's going to be confirmed. Well, Paul's writing at such a time when not only is he speaking to them about events, certain facts that have happened, but also the fact that there are hundreds of eyewitnesses to verify and confirm what he and the other apostles are saying. So again, he's giving evidence of the resurrection. Historically, the corroboration of evidence for the resurrection is unprecedented. When we look at other historical events in, say, roughly in the same era, we don't have anything even close to what we have as evidence that confirms the resurrection and the death of Jesus Christ. Well, first of all, think about the New Testament itself. The New Testament is a collection of 27 different books. Now, we oftentimes think about the Bible as one book, and it is that in the sense that it is consistent and it is unified by one overarching theme from beginning to end. Now, it is that in that sense. But the Bible itself is actually a collection of 66 historical books that have been written over 1500 years, been written by 40 different authors. That's the entire Bible. But if we just think about the New Testament, The New Testament is a collection of 27 books. And in the New Testament, there are around 30 references to the witnesses of the resurrection. And if you look at those 30 references to the witnesses of the resurrection, you realize that they occur in 10 different books of the New Testament. And if you think about those 10 different books that they occur in, you realize that those 10 different books are written by five different authors. So what is this? It is corroborating evidence. It is corroborating evidence for the resurrection. But not only is the resurrection and the death of Jesus Christ corroborated in the witness of the New Testament and the Old prophetically, but even outside of the Bible. Gary Habermas has noted that there are a dozen ancient non-Christian sources that refer to the death of Jesus with varying levels of details. And of course, there would be a very easy way for these witnesses of the resurrection to be falsified, and that would be to open the tomb and to look at the body inside. Of course, the problem was there was no body inside. There was no body ever produced. No falsification of these claims ever produced. Yes, there were some theories and such that have been espoused. So the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most highly attested fact in all the history of that era, and it's not even close. So what is Paul giving to the Corinthians when he speaks about these witnesses? Well, first of all, he's giving them confirmation. He has given them evidence for the resurrection. Again, these that he's writing to in the church at Corinth, they didn't know Jesus before Paul preached Jesus to them. They weren't in Jerusalem and saw those events that had taken place. They weren't themselves eyewitnesses of what had happened. But he states the facts and he gives them the evidence for the facts. Well, the second important thing that Paul is doing here is also giving the comfort of the resurrection. The fact of Jesus' resurrection, even if we say, oh, well, There is corroborating evidence historically that the death of Jesus took place, crucifixion by the Romans and his resurrection. There's corroborating evidence for these. But it's not just an interesting fact from history. It's not just some unusual event or circumstance that took place. if in fact the resurrection is true as Paul says it was, as the Apostle says it was, as hundreds of those eyewitnesses said that it was. It means then that Jesus, this Jesus of Nazareth, this Jesus who walked about in Galilee and places around Judea and such in the first century AD, this Jesus is exactly who the prophets said that he would be. He is exactly who he himself said that he is. He is exactly who the apostles and even Paul here is telling us In other words, if Jesus was raised from the dead, as we have astounding evidence that he did, Paul tells us in verses 1 and 2, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. Paul says, you are saved if you believe it. You are saved if you believe it. You are rescued from perishing. You are rescued from the wrath of God. You are rescued from the eternal punishment that is properly due to your sins if you believe it. Paul has given evidence And he says, if you believe it, you are saved. So if you receive this incredible witness that God has given us of his son, you will be saved through his name. Think of the preaching again of Peter at the temple, Acts chapter three, verses 18 to 19. But those things which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. And what's the next thing that Peter tells them in light of this truth, in light of this reality? He says, repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Well, that is the comfort of the resurrection. Again, it's not just a notable event in history. That this is true means that every one of us should repent of our sins. That this is true means that every one of us should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the promise of everlasting life and our own bodily resurrection because he died and was raised to life. So as we think about the witnesses of the resurrection, we have to understand that we today who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are witnesses of Jesus Christ but not the way the apostles were. They were firsthand eyewitnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, of his life, and of his death, and of his resurrection. And we are witnesses in the sense that we are giving forth their evidence, the many infallible proofs by which Jesus showed himself to be alive after being crucified. That's our job. We give forth their evidence and their testimony. that is corroborated, that is confirmed. It is, again, highly attested, unprecedented in terms of historical evidence.