Need a little definition of worship. It's right here in the song, third verse. Love this song. It says, give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified. There's worship. That's all I need. Just give me Jesus. First Corinthians 15 tonight. I just wasn't ready to leave the whole resurrection focus. Looking tonight at 1 Corinthians 15, 1-11, the sermon in the bulletin is titled, Rough Men, a Resurrected Man. I've changed that. I've got rough men and some rough women. and a resurrected man. 1 Corinthians 15 1-11 Follow along as I read. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preach to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved. If you hold fast to the word I preach to you, unless you believed in vain, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance to the Scriptures. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, last of all as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles. unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any one of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is within me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believed." The Word of the Lord to us tonight from 1 Corinthians 15, long chapter that of course instructs us in the resurrection. Congregation, when Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to multiple people during a 40-day time period, sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups, sometimes in huge gatherings, such as the 500 we've got recorded here that, by the way, at the time of this writing were probably still alive. Don't know that for sure. But if anyone wanted to refute what Paul just wrote, it was 500 of them could have done so, but they didn't, of course, because it's true. Here in 1 Corinthians 15, we have the names of three men. May I say to you tonight, I don't think I'm stretching anything to say these guys were rough. What I mean by rough, I mean men that either lived hard lives like a fisherman, or grew up with hard hearts like James, the brother of Jesus, or were radical like Paul that saw to the imprisonment and or even the death of Christians, Christ followers, he pursued them. You know the story. Here in the text are their names, Cephas, James, and Paul himself, Cephas, Peter. Let's start with Peter very quickly. I say to you tonight, he's a rough man. This guy was not some highly educated fella out in a fishing boat. No. He couldn't even get a rabbi to teach him. So hey, if you couldn't get a rabbi to teach you, well, you went to work. You went to work for dad. In this case, he got in a boat. Probably had been there for many years already. Imagine the toughness of his hands. When Jesus first met him, his hands were always wet from the sea and coarse from the handling of nets. The Lord gave him the name Peter for the word rock. I don't think that was a polished rock, kind of a rough rock. That ought to tell us how rough, firm, and tough this guy was. He was bold enough to even argue at times with Jesus Christ. Specifically, Peter rebuked Jesus after Jesus had revealed his upcoming suffering and death. You remember the text? Jesus then sternly corrected Peter, calling him then not Peter, not Cephas, but what? Yeah, Satan. And warning him about following human reasoning rather than divine truth. Do you remember that? of all the other disciples. He's the one who whacked off the ear of that guard on a Thursday night when they came to arrest Jesus Christ. He's a tough guy. He had a sword, and he knew how to use it. And yet, this rough guy was frightened by a woman at the fire when Jesus was arrested. Admittedly, he's a complex guy. But if he's anything, he's a rough one. And we see the name James. Don't confuse this with the apostle. This is the brother of Jesus, not one of the disciples. He's a rough man that grew up with Jesus. And I say rough because he did not believe. until his brother came to him after his resurrection." That's interesting that it's here in our text, that Peter made a point to go see his brother who didn't believe in him. Imagine growing up with Jesus Christ. Boys and girls, can you just imagine that your brother is this perfect God-man-child Jesus? Never sins, never has a bad attitude, never gets spanked, never gets set in a corner, never gets time out. He's perfect. Well, that's what James had. Well, he had to carry a hard heart, didn't he? against his perfect brother all those years, playing together, wrestling together, working together. Imagine playing with Jesus a game, he never cheated. At one point, you'll remember that Jesus thought his brother had gone mad. Mark 3 verse 20. Jesus came home, so He's in the home turf area. He's not at the house, but He's home in the area. And the crowd gathered again around Jesus. This is Mark 3, 20. So they could not even eat, the crowd was so big. And when His family heard it, right, that He's home and His crowds gathered around Him, they went out to seize Him. For they were saying, the crowd was saying, he's out of his mind. They were embarrassed by him. James. I don't know what his mother was thinking at the time. And then there's Paul. There's a rough guy. Oh, not because he's not educated. Oh, my goodness. He's the most polished, educated man running around. Saul at the time. The church of Jesus Christ owes much for the life and ministry of Paul the Apostle, that's for sure. But if the Apostle Paul would ever hear us say such a thing, he probably wouldn't be happy. He would shut us down immediately. You see that right here in this passage. You see what Paul thought of himself. In descriptions of his apostolic ministry, he says in this text, I'm one abnormally born. In other words, I came to faith in Christ late. I was late in my born-again experience. I followed all the other apostles. They lived with him for three and a half years. So you see what Paul thought of himself. But understand that an apostle, he was chosen differently than all the other apostles. The other apostles walked with Jesus, as I said, for over three years. They sat at his feet, they listened to him teach, they sat around a lot of campfires. They watched as Jesus tenderly healed the sick and he fed the masses. They heard his stinging rebukes to the religious establishment. They were there when he was arrested. They stood at the open tomb and watched as Jesus ascended into heaven. Paul saw and experienced none of this. He did not become an apostle normally, but abnormally. That's the point of the text. Now, most scholars believe that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians around 36 A.D., so somewhere around there, 36. But look at what he says in verse 9. I'm sorry, I got that wrong. Let me back up. Most scholars believe Paul was converted at the age of around 36. 36 A.D. But look at what he says in verse 9. This, by the way, is 55 A.D. Most people think 1 Corinthians is written right around 55 A.D. So if I'm doing my math right, he says that he was the least of all apostles some 20 years after walking with Jesus Christ. So what he's saying here, and I think I've pointed this out to you before, congregation, Paul said, get all the apostles, line them up, get them all together. I'm the worst one. So that's 55 AD. But the longer Paul walked with Jesus, his personal awareness of not only his past sins but even his present sins brought him even more shame, humility. Page ahead in time and listen to how Paul refers to himself in the book of Ephesians, chapter three. I think we pointed it out then. This is now the year 61, probably, when Paul penned Ephesians. That's another six years later from this writing. Now he doesn't say line up all the apostles. He says line up all the Christians. You remember the text in Ephesians 3? Line up every Christian. Put me at the end on the worst. That's what he said. Now, okay, one more time. Go ahead another three years, and a letter to his dear friend and son in the faith, Timothy, in 1 Timothy. He says, 1 Timothy, this is 1 Timothy 1.15, here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I'm the worst. So now what he's saying is, you line up every one of the sinners there is, line up every human there is, put me at the end, I'm the worst. This time Paul compares himself not to the super-apostles, but to the people of God, or even the people of God, but to all the sinners, and he declares himself to be the worst. Let me say to you this evening, Paul was a rough man. That I think he would agree with tonight if he was sitting here. He was first of all a Pharisaical legalist who trusted in his own ability to satisfy God. This belief, this religion, this passion, this theology that he held so dear now sickened him as he thought about his past. Then to add to it, he was a murderer. You know the story of the first martyr in the New Testament in the book of Acts. So let me say again to you, tonight these men were rough. We love to sing the song softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. But that's not at all what God did with Paul. God came in the book of Acts and knocked this man right to the ground, slammed his face into the dirt, crashed his thick head. There was nothing soft and tender about his conversion experience. And Paul had a reputation of being rough. Do you remember when the Lord called Ananias to go and minister to Paul what Ananias said in Acts 9? He said, Lord, this is Ananias now speaking to the Lord. You want me to go see Paul? Listen, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he's done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with the authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on your name. And here in a passage about the resurrection is tucked away a passage about the sin and shame of some very rough men. Why are there rough men and a resurrected man brought together in the same passage? The answer is this. It is the resurrected man, Jesus Christ. that brings the rough man to a new life. It is the resurrected man that brings the rough man hope. It is the resurrected man that brings to the rough man grace, mercy. Think today of someone that might come to your mind when I say a rough man. I once did the funeral for a man. The time that I did his funeral, prior to that of course, he had lost his legs. And when I say he's lost his legs, I mean he lost all of his legs. He would be on a wheelchair without any legs. He was an extremely rough man. He grew up in a scrap iron business, hung around the dumpster a lot. This guy was tough. But the resurrected Christ came to him and saved him. His name was Bernie. And I tell you, he was such a pleasure to visit with. God took his legs, but God gave him a new heart. He was an amazing man. It was one of my greatest honors in a funeral. Do you want proof that the resurrected man can make something of a rough man? Look at Peter, look at James, look at Paul. Now, let me speak more clearly here. Who is this resurrected man? This resurrected man is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man Jesus Christ, who has more power than any rough man can put together. Jesus has the power to make a rough man into a radiant man. Jesus has the love to take a rough man and make him into a redeemed man. Jesus has the grace to make a rough man into a renewed man. Jesus has the blood to make a rough man into a righteous man. Please note with me one of the most famous Christian phrases is here in this text about the resurrection. Did you see it? By the grace of God, I am what I am. That's glorious. Paul was nothing apart from the grace of God, but a rough man. Apart from Jesus, he is nothing, nothing, nothing. He knew that. He admitted it. But Paul is also saying that with Christ, He is everything, everything, everything he could ever possibly dream of in Christ. Men, if God has the power to make a dead man come to life, receive a new body, and ascend to the heights of heaven to reign on high, then this same God has the power to change your rough life too. I know as I've been speaking tonight some of you men have been going, I can relate with this. I've had a rough past. Now ladies, let me ask you. Can you think of some rough women in the Bible? I didn't want to leave you out tonight. Can you think of some rough women? Well, here's a few. The first person Jesus saw when He resurrected, may I say, was a rough woman. Yeah. What was her name? Sure. Mary Magdalene. You know that. What Satan caused to be deranged, Jesus sought to rearrange. I don't know where I got that quote, but it's really good. Let me say it again, what Satan caused to be deranged, remember she had seven evil spirits or something like that, Jesus sought to rearrange. From Esther Press, they write, lessons Mary Magdalene can teach us. Mary's life reveals how there is no human frailty too great for Jesus to transform. She was demon-possessed, but now the first person to see Jesus raised from the dead is Mary. Mary teaches us to be courageous, to courageously come to Jesus with our bondages. with our baggage, with our brokenness. Mary's courage helps us understand the importance of choosing the right friends for our journey of life, like-minded friends who are Jesus' followers, friends who pray for and support each other. Mary Magdalene, God saved by Jesus Christ and given the wisdom to connect herself to the body of Christ. Mary teaches us how to multiply the gospel by uninhibitedly sharing that Jesus is alive. She stood by that story. Some of those guys didn't believe her. Mary Magdalene helps us understand how Jesus has a heart for brokenness. Maybe you needed to hear that tonight. Jesus Christ has a heart, the heart to heal, and the power to heal brokenness. Do you have some brokenness in your life? He has the power. Mary Magdalene, how about this one? Probably already came to your mind. Rahab the harlot, right? That one come to your mind? Another rough woman, may I say that? She's a prostitute innkeeper. When I read the story of Rahab the harlot, listen, I'm not excusing her for a moment, but let me just say she bore a lot of burden. Her family lived with her, no mention of a husband, but she had family. She sought her salvation. May I say to you, her lifestyle saw to their daily needs. Again, I'm not excusing her sin, but it's somewhere along the way. We don't know, do we? Here's another question in glory. I want to meet Rahab the harlot. Tell me, how did you come to faith? But by the faith, she saved the nation of Israel, which is often called a harlot. So here we have a harlot saving a harlot, that picture. She ends up marrying a Jew and ended up in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Isn't that amazing? Rahab the harlot, rough woman. I'll give you one more. Did you think of this one? The woman in Luke 7 that washes the feet of Jesus. We don't know her name. It's not Mary Magdalene. And it's not to be confused with Mary, who was the sister to Lazarus and sister to Martha, who washes Jesus' feet later on in a different text in preparation of His burial. This is a woman that comes to Jesus. We don't even know her name. Jesus does. We don't know. Washes His feet. He comes… she comes to see Jesus to get forgiveness. Let me read the text here from Luke 7. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. By the way, this guy didn't even wash Jesus' feet, as was the custom. Verse 7… Verse 37, and behold, a woman of the city who was a sinner… When she learned that he was reclining at the table at the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed him with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she's a sinner. And Jesus answering said to him, his name was Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, say it, teacher. A certain moneylender had two debtors, one owed five hundred denarii and another fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon answered, the one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt. He said to him, you have judged rightly. And turning toward the woman, Jesus said to Simon, do you see this woman? I want you to look at this rough woman. I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet. But she has wet my feet with her tears, and she has wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss. But by the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven loves little. And he said to her, your sins are forgiven. That's what our resurrected glorious savior does for a rough man or a rough woman. He brings forgiveness for their sins. As we close this Resurrection Sunday, I wanted you to hear this good news again tonight, that we have a Savior who cares for rough men and rough women. James would not believe. Peter was weak and scared. Paul was deceived and confused and committed to attack the Christians. Mary Magdalene was possessed. Rahab the harlot had to make money. A woman had so much sin. Rough men, rough women, but our God can change all of that. That's the message of Resurrection Sunday. Now, I need to add something to the conclusion. that I think is very important. I have made much tonight of some rough men and some rough women. Each one of them had a story to tell of some real bad stuff in their life. I don't want to hear a bad story on your life, kids. I don't want you to think tonight, Pastor Dave's kind of suggesting that I ought to have a rough life for a little while. No, no, no. I hope, and I know it's your parents' prayer, that you grow up without these kinds of stories. We don't want you demon-possessed. We don't want you wandering about in absolute confusion as to who is Jesus Christ. We want you to grow up. And when the elders meet with you and they say, when did you start to follow the Lord Jesus Christ? Was there a moment in time when you saw a change occur that you'll be able to say, you know, I'll tell you elders, I don't mean to apologize, I don't have a big story here. God has been so good to me all my life, and I've just been following the Lord Jesus Christ by His grace all my life. That's the story we want to hear. Do you hear what I'm saying? And I know that some of your stories, and that is a powerful story of God's powerful work in your life throughout your life. Oh, that you would travel through the years of imitating your parents and then, you know, testing and trying and your parents' values. I get that, that's important. But then to enter into that phase in life where you just so appreciate all that's been given to you by the grace of God, so often through your parents, through your church, through your school. Oh, that you would follow the Lord Jesus Christ sweetly and smoothly and not have any of these kinds of stories. But I do want to say to you, older ones tonight, if you've got some roughness in your life right now, something's wrong. The whole point of the resurrected Jesus Christ is for you to know that He can take whatever roughness you're involved with right now and change you and help you cry out to Him. He will save you. That's the message of this day. And I hope you've heard that from this text tonight. We have a resurrected Redeemer. Call upon Him, repent of your sin, and know that His power will be with you. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for these testimonies tonight from the scriptures. That you took a weeping woman and forgave her sins. That you took a hard-hearted brother and changed his heart towards his brother, his Savior, his Lord. It caused him to end up being a great leader in the church and an author in the New Testament. Amazing changes occurred in James' life. Our Father in heaven, we thank You tonight. that you, by your grace, help us walk through each day of our life that it might be to your glory. Forgive us of our sins, we pray. Father, again, I pray tonight for anyone that's just going through a rough spot, rough season, made some bad choices, is in, just gotten themselves all tied up in sin. Free us, we pray, by the power of this resurrected, redeeming Savior, we pray. Thank you for the scriptures, for your word to us again tonight, for your presence in us, with us. Father, it's been a good day, and we thank you.