Latest / Life Community Church / Sunday | Resurrection Changes Everything | 1 Corinthians 15 | Jamey Bridges

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Sunday | Resurrection Changes Everything | 1 Corinthians 15 | Jamey Bridges · Life Community Church

0:02
SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Jamie Bridges, and thank you so much for joining us for this week's podcast.
0:08
SPEAKER_00: All of our services are inspired and built straight from the Bible.
0:11
SPEAKER_00: Let's get into this week's message recorded at Life Community Church.
0:15
SPEAKER_01: Good to see you guys.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: Welcome if you're a first-time guest.
0:18
SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for hanging out with us today.
0:21
SPEAKER_01: Love for you to be a part of what's happening.
0:23
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never done Discover Life, man, we highly encourage you to be a part of Discover Life.
0:29
SPEAKER_01: This is where you're going to find out who we are, how we got here, and where we're going.
0:33
SPEAKER_01: Highly encourage that.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: But so grateful for this day.
0:37
SPEAKER_01: The way God orchestrates things.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: In a moment, we're going to jump into 1 Corinthians 15.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: Have you enjoyed the summer series in Corinthians?
0:45
SPEAKER_01: All right.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been a good four months just diving deep.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: But I have some guests here that I would love for them to come and just share what is happening in their lives and what God is doing and how God has orchestrated some of the steps that they're in and involved in.
1:01
SPEAKER_01: And so would you welcome uh Darren and Cindy Bailey to the to the stage?
1:31
SPEAKER_02: God bless you, church.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: It's great to be here.
1:34
SPEAKER_02: We knew it was going to be a good day when we're driving around the parking lot and everything's full, and that's the way a church should be.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: I'm honored to be here.
1:44
SPEAKER_02: I know the reality.
1:45
SPEAKER_02: Somebody's thinking, that guy's running for government.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: What's he doing on stage at our church?
1:51
SPEAKER_02: But can I share with you why Cindy and I are here today?
1:57
SPEAKER_02: Because I don't want to start off in the wrong way, but I gotta be honest with you, we'd probably rather be in our home church sitting with our grandchildren right now.
2:06
SPEAKER_02: But God has opened the door for us.
2:08
SPEAKER_02: And being married to this woman for 40 years, uh, I trust her instinct.
2:20
SPEAKER_02: For those of you who are young and and just newly married and getting into this and probably like we were uh 40 years ago, kind of struggling and arguing, especially getting ready for church, and a little bit later getting the kids ready, just stay firm, stay strong.
2:38
SPEAKER_02: Guys, don't be afraid to say you're sorry because we mess up a lot.
2:43
SPEAKER_02: But here's the deal God's opened the door for us because we're not satisfied about the future of our state and and our world.
2:53
SPEAKER_02: And and we believe the church, we believe that we I believe that every one of you out there have a calling on your life to make life better.
3:01
SPEAKER_02: So it feels good.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: The worship service today was awesome.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: And I was just, I was I was just overcome with the Holy Spirit.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: And I know that when we walk out these doors today, we carry a responsibility and a burden to share with the world this message of Jesus.
3:23
SPEAKER_02: That's first and foremost.
3:25
SPEAKER_02: And if we take that seriously, that alone can can change the world.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: But we have a second responsibility because we live in a nation where we are the government, we the people.
3:39
SPEAKER_02: So we don't have someone lording anything over us, and that's our responsibility.
3:43
SPEAKER_02: So if we study our history and we understand that this nation was first settled by people looking for religious freedom, that's powerful.
3:54
SPEAKER_02: If we understand what took place 250 years ago, we understand and have to believe that there was a group of men and women that put everything on the line for us today because of this heavy burden of taxation and heavy burden of government, that we are a free people and we can decide and we can be better off governing ourselves.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: And here we find ourselves 250 years later, a nation that has been the greatest sender of people to send the message of Christ across these nations.
4:30
SPEAKER_02: But if we continue to become burdened like we were to, we've been warned.
4:35
SPEAKER_02: We've been warned that we have this responsibility to uphold this nation.
4:40
SPEAKER_02: We know Jesus is coming back.
4:42
SPEAKER_02: We know things are going to get tougher, but we have a responsibility in the greatest nation the earth will ever know.
4:48
SPEAKER_02: And that responsibility is to show up and cast your vote.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: And the harsh reality, the reality is that most people aren't voting.
4:59
SPEAKER_02: The reality suggests that of this room here today, that one third of you aren't even registered.
5:06
SPEAKER_02: And the reality shows that four years ago when we ran for governor, that one half of you didn't even show up to vote.
5:14
SPEAKER_02: Guys, if there's men and women, can I see hands, veterans, men and women that served in our nation to protect our freedom?
5:20
SPEAKER_02: We got any.
5:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, God bless you.
5:21
SPEAKER_02: There you are.
5:21
SPEAKER_02: Be proud.
5:22
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
5:23
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
5:27
SPEAKER_02: You served to protect our freedoms.
5:30
SPEAKER_02: I'm not going to stand up here and tell you why I think you should vote for me and not the other guy.
5:34
SPEAKER_02: That's not the point.
5:35
SPEAKER_02: The point is, if you're taking God's word seriously, you already know.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: We just need you to show up and vote and continue to lift this country up and protect what God has given us.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: We are so honored to be with you here today.
5:49
SPEAKER_02: We'll be out, I suppose, later, to ask, answer any personal questions.
5:53
SPEAKER_02: Cindy, do you have anything you want to share?
5:55
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for this opportunity.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, she is good.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
6:00
SPEAKER_02: It's honored to be here today.
6:01
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
6:02
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: Please stay here.
6:10
SPEAKER_01: I believe one of our greatest responsibilities is to pray.
6:14
SPEAKER_01: First and foremost.
6:15
SPEAKER_01: So as a church that obviously believes in prayer, but believes in the way God orders our steps, and a church that says, God, we want your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: And then pray what Jesus prayed.
6:27
SPEAKER_01: God, not my will, your will be done.
6:29
SPEAKER_01: Like this is the surrendering part.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: God, you're in control, we're not.
6:33
SPEAKER_01: Our responsibility is to pray.
6:35
SPEAKER_01: So again, it's an honor that you're here with us.
6:37
SPEAKER_01: Uh, church, would you stretch your hands towards the Baileys?
6:39
SPEAKER_01: We want to pray for them.
6:41
SPEAKER_01: I know you did not enter into this slightly.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: You did it because you know the Lord was ordering your steps.
6:48
SPEAKER_01: And uh we believe that.
6:50
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, right now, I pray for for Darren and Cindy.
6:54
SPEAKER_01: And God, I pray that you would continue to lead into God, give them wisdom that is only from you, God.
7:00
SPEAKER_01: I pray that you would continue to order steps.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: But God, more than anything, I pray the will of Jesus on their lives.
7:08
SPEAKER_01: God, I know doors open, doors closed, but we surrender, even with lifted hands, we surrender, God, our will for your will.
7:18
SPEAKER_01: Our rights for yours, God, to say, Lord, we want you and whatever it is that you have.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: And we do, we pray for the state of Illinois.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: We know that we are here because, God, you called us to Columbia, Illinois.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: This is not because uh Illinois is the greatest state or the best state in the nation.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: It's because of a calling.
7:36
SPEAKER_01: You've you've orchestrated for us to be here.
7:39
SPEAKER_01: And God, we know that.
7:40
SPEAKER_01: We're planted here, we're grounded here, we're rooted in this state.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: We care about what happens here.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: And so, Lord, we're asking you on in Illinois as it is in heaven, God.
7:51
SPEAKER_01: That is our prayer for your will, for your spirit to be poured out upon our state.
7:57
SPEAKER_01: In the name of Jesus, we pray.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
8:01
SPEAKER_01: God bless you guys.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
8:09
SPEAKER_01: First Corinthians chapter 15.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: Fitting.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: You know, today uh we're talking about, in my opinion, the game changer.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: This isn't just something Christians believe when it comes to the resurrection.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul's talking about.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: The resurrection changes how we as followers of Jesus live.
8:29
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul is getting to.
8:31
SPEAKER_01: And Paul spends, again, most of 1 Corinthians, he's correcting a church that looks surprisingly modern, gifted but immature, spiritually enthusiastic but divided, influenced by their surrounding culture, confused about sexuality, confused about worship, confused about leadership and freedom, spiritual gifts, and also they were confused about the resurrection.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: And then Paul arrives at chapter 15, and he essentially says, if you get Jesus and the resurrection wrong, everything else falls apart.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: Everything else falls apart if we get this wrong.
9:14
SPEAKER_01: We see this in verse 1.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: Paul says, Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the good news I preached to you before.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: This is significant because Paul up front doesn't say, Hey guys, I got some new information, new technology.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: He says, Nope, I need to remind you.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: Everybody in this room, we know we need reminded.
9:37
SPEAKER_01: It's not just your kids.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: Come on, somebody.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: We need to be reminded.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: And this is what Paul is saying.
9:47
SPEAKER_01: We need to remember what's the most important information.
9:51
SPEAKER_01: And he summarizes this in verse 3 Christ died for our sins, just as the scripture said, He was buried and he was raised from the dead on the third day.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: He says, listen, the gospel is not about being nicer, it's not about going to church, it's not about even voting correctly or improving yourself or raising good kids.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: It's not about trying harder, it's not about becoming more religious.
10:13
SPEAKER_01: He's saying the gospel is Jesus died for our sins, Jesus was buried, Jesus rose again, Jesus is Lord.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: He says that's it.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: That's what we need to be reminded of.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: And one of our greatest dangers isn't necessarily rejecting Christianity, it's adding so many things to Christianity that Jesus stops being the center of Christianity.
10:39
SPEAKER_01: This is the danger that we forget because of all the good things.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: We're not talking about bad things right now, we're talking about good things that become God things.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: He says, this becomes the danger.
10:52
SPEAKER_01: We can't become so passionate about church styles or politics or worship preferences or denominations or get caught up in all these things.
11:01
SPEAKER_01: The church doesn't need a better brand.
11:03
SPEAKER_01: We need a fresh revelation of the risen Savior.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul is getting to.
11:08
SPEAKER_01: And then he really asks this question.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: He says, How much eyewitness testimonies do we require before we call something history?
11:17
SPEAKER_01: He says, Listen, he summarizes this.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: He says, Trust me, Jesus rose.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: And he starts naming witnesses.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: Look at this.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: Verse 5 and 6.
11:25
SPEAKER_01: He was seen by Peter, and then by the 12 after that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of which are still alive.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: And then he adds, James and all the apostles, and finally he says, Even myself have seen him.
11:40
SPEAKER_01: So the claim isn't like an emotional disciple thought he saw Jesus.
11:45
SPEAKER_01: The claim is that the risen Savior appeared repeatedly to individuals, to groups, to friends, to former doubters, and even the enemy of the church, Paul.
11:58
SPEAKER_01: This is his point.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: We can confidently, right?
12:01
SPEAKER_01: We confidently teach events in American history, even though not one person in this room can personally say they witnessed them.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: Not one of us.
12:13
SPEAKER_01: Not one of us were there in 1776.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: We didn't shake Thomas Jefferson's hand.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: We didn't look at John Hancock as he signed it.
12:21
SPEAKER_01: Yet nobody reasonably argues, well, I wasn't there, therefore, like the Declaration of Independence.
12:26
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it really happened.
12:27
SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's some that do it.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: Why?
12:30
SPEAKER_01: Because historical knowledge doesn't require you to witness something, it requires credible evidence connecting you to people who did.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul is addressing.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: He's saying 500 people saw the risen Savior.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: And on one, in one occasion, even Peter, even the disciples, the apostles.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: And I know mathematically, it doesn't prove the resurrection simply because 500 saw Jesus and 56 signed the declaration.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: But it does destroy the idea that Christianity began with one person's private mystical appearance.
13:09
SPEAKER_01: That's not what we're talking about.
13:10
SPEAKER_01: And this is Paul's point.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: And he says this this is important.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: He says, most of whom are still alive.
13:18
SPEAKER_01: This is basically Paul's first century version of don't take my word for it.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Go ask those guys.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: If I told you on Friday I was performing a funeral and at the funeral, I asked the guy to rise up.
13:29
SPEAKER_01: And he did.
13:30
SPEAKER_01: And I'll say 500 people was at the funeral.
13:32
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna be like, I need some names.
13:35
SPEAKER_01: I need some names.
13:37
SPEAKER_01: I need to know who was there.
13:40
SPEAKER_01: I trust you, but I need to hear their that what they experience.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: Number one, it'd be on social media for sure.
13:47
SPEAKER_01: We love the Colombians, we're making history.
13:51
SPEAKER_01: Right?
13:52
SPEAKER_01: Here's what's happening.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: He says, listen, we examine testimony, we examine documents, we examine witnesses, we examine how early the testimony appears, and he says this we ask whether multiple sources point toward the same event.
14:05
SPEAKER_01: And he says, Christianity did not begin with once upon a time, it began with we saw him.
14:14
SPEAKER_01: We saw him.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: And then he says, listen, it stands or falls on the resurrection.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: Look at verse 14.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: And if Christ has not been raised, Paul goes there.
14:24
SPEAKER_01: Hey, listen, if he's not been raised, then all of our preaching is useless.
14:29
SPEAKER_01: And your faith is useless.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: This is an incredible statement.
14:37
SPEAKER_01: This is what he's not saying.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: Christianity still gives us some good moral principles.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: That's not what he's saying.
14:42
SPEAKER_01: He says the opposite.
14:43
SPEAKER_01: He says, if he didn't rise, then our preaching is useless, our faith is useless, our testimony is false, we're still guilty of our sin.
14:50
SPEAKER_01: Dead Christians are simply gone, and Christians should be pitied.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: He says, Christianity is not ultimately built around a philosophy, it's built around this event.
14:59
SPEAKER_01: And then he says the most important ten words in the New Testament, verse 20, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: This is the turning point of all of 1 Corinthians.
15:14
SPEAKER_01: He says, If in fact Christ has been raised.
15:18
SPEAKER_01: This is the reason later in Romans 10, 9, he says, but if you declare or if you open your mouth and you declare that Jesus is Lord, and you believe in your heart, what?
15:29
SPEAKER_01: That Christ was raised from the dead, you will be saved.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: He says, You know what the game changer is?
15:35
SPEAKER_01: Not that Jesus died, but that he rose again.
15:38
SPEAKER_01: Not just believing that he died, not just be believing he's a good teacher, not just saying he was a prophet, saying he died and he rose again.
15:48
SPEAKER_01: He says, then if you do that, then you will be saved.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: This is the game changer.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Because again, the church at Corinth, they were getting on board with all these things, but some of them were going, Oh, this resurrection thing, I just I just I can't get on board with it.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: He's like, guys, listen, I saw him, and it wasn't just me, it was 500 others.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: Even Thomas, he put his hands right there.
16:14
SPEAKER_01: Go ask him.
16:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is so important that we understand he has been raised.
16:22
SPEAKER_01: So when death came, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: When set sin separated us from God, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: Listen, when your marriage is a struggling, you're going, I don't know how we're gonna get out, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, which tells me, listen, if you don't believe it can happen, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
16:47
SPEAKER_01: If you think that that person can't change, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
16:52
SPEAKER_01: This is the game changer in a culture that says you'll always be this, you'll never change, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
17:01
SPEAKER_01: That means it changes how we live in the temporary.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: Come on, this is temporary.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: This is not the end.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Man, if this is the end, Paul is saying, Oh man, this is tough.
17:16
SPEAKER_01: And he guarantees it.
17:17
SPEAKER_01: Verse 20.
17:21
SPEAKER_01: Continues, he says, the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
17:26
SPEAKER_01: Here it is, the first fruits, he says, This is important.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: The first crop wasn't the entire harvest, it was the evidence that more was coming.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: Man, we need to see this.
17:36
SPEAKER_01: Jesus' resurrection wasn't an isolated miracle, it was the beginning of God's new creation.
17:42
SPEAKER_01: Paul contrasts Adam and Jesus, and he says, Adam, sin, death.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: That's what happened.
17:49
SPEAKER_01: Adam, sin, death.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, righteousness, resurrection, life.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: Look at this, verse 22.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: Just as everyone dies, because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
18:05
SPEAKER_01: Can we deny that sin happens?
18:07
SPEAKER_01: Can we deny that we've seen it?
18:08
SPEAKER_01: Can we deny that we've been involved in it?
18:10
SPEAKER_01: Can we deny that we're the sinners, right?
18:12
SPEAKER_01: We're sinners in need of a savior.
18:14
SPEAKER_01: We cannot deny it.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: That's because of Adam.
18:16
SPEAKER_01: But but because of Jesus, because of those who belong to Jesus, he says, I've given you new life.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: This gives a specifically the American church a radical new perspective on death.
18:32
SPEAKER_01: For us, like we know death is real, that death hurts, that we grieve, but death doesn't get the final word.
18:41
SPEAKER_01: We're not denying death.
18:43
SPEAKER_01: We're not up here going like I don't believe it happens.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: We all know death happens.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: We we are not denying it, but we deny that death has the right to have the final word.
18:55
SPEAKER_01: That's what we're denying.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: It does not have the final word, it is not the end.
19:00
SPEAKER_01: This is Paul's point because Jesus walked out of the grave, everyone belonging to Jesus will ultimately walk out of theirs.
19:07
SPEAKER_01: That's his point.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: This is what Jesus is, this is what Paul is trying to get through to the Corinthian church.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Listen, this isn't an Easter message, you guys.
19:17
SPEAKER_01: This is the foundation of why we follow Jesus.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: He says, if resurrection is real, then stop living like this life is all there is.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: Why would we sacrifice for Jesus if there's no resurrection?
19:35
SPEAKER_01: Then he quotes this philosophy that is floating around at Corinth.
19:39
SPEAKER_01: He says this in verse 32.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: Let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die.
19:45
SPEAKER_01: He's saying, listen, if if this isn't real, if this isn't what's happening, he's saying, go ahead, live your truth, do whatever makes you happy.
19:53
SPEAKER_01: This is culture right here, right?
19:55
SPEAKER_01: Get everything you can, experience everything you can, make yourself comfortable.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Why?
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Because this life is all there is.
20:01
SPEAKER_01: Man, if we're putting all the stock in this life, but he says, listen, the resurrection changes the equation.
20:09
SPEAKER_01: If eternity is real, that means then comfort cannot be the ultimate goal of life.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: If the resurrection is real, this could not be about how to make us in 2026 more comfortable.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: Jesus said, if you want to be one of my followers, you must take up your cross daily and follow me.
20:34
SPEAKER_01: What did Jesus bring us to?
20:36
SPEAKER_01: He brought us to this place where we're dying to our will, where we're surrendering our rights, where we're giving up how we think things should go.
20:49
SPEAKER_01: And we're surrendering to him.
20:51
SPEAKER_01: We're submitting to him.
20:53
SPEAKER_01: He's saying if eternity is real, this is what happens.
20:56
SPEAKER_01: And this confronts, listen, this confronts this American dream Christianity.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: That now I follow Jesus and everything is just roses.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: Oh man, it's like everybody all of a sudden, they're just the sweetest people in the world.
21:12
SPEAKER_01: Man, I just uh it's just so beautiful.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: I just I'm on this Jesus Cloud Nine.
21:18
SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, go to work, it'll bring you back to reality.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: I think we so many times turn Jesus into someone who exists just to improve the American dream.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: And it's wrong.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: Jesus just blessed my family, bless my finances, keep me comfortable, protect my plans, make my life easier.
21:40
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus presents Christianity differently.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus didn't rise from the dead to improve your life, he rose from the dead so that you would make him Lord.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: So that you would make him Lord of your life.
21:59
SPEAKER_01: This is This is important because what Paul is saying to the core to the Corinthian church at Corinth, he's saying, You guys, you think if life is easy, that must be Jesus.
22:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm telling you, Jesus is gonna ask you to die to yourself, take up your cross, and do the things that he's asked you to do.
22:19
SPEAKER_01: I would say if it's comfortable for you, it's probably not him.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: That doesn't preach very well in America.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't.
22:29
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't because we want things to be easy for us when we're we had we talked about this on the podcast.
22:36
SPEAKER_01: You can listen tomorrow.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: We talked about how we've made things easy, right?
22:42
SPEAKER_01: You know what the most fearful thing in our culture is?
22:47
SPEAKER_01: You know what it is?
22:47
SPEAKER_01: It's what I'm doing right now.
22:49
SPEAKER_01: Standing in front of people and talking.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: And if you don't believe me, be around a group of people, maybe a small group, and go, hey, would you open us up in prayer?
22:58
SPEAKER_01: And it's like, it's like we asked you to give up everything you own.
23:07
SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh, I don't know if I you don't know if you feel comfortable enough to pray to Jesus in front of a group of people that you barely know.
23:16
SPEAKER_01: Yet in culture, what I'm doing right now freaks people out.
23:21
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't know that I can do that.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: Why?
23:24
SPEAKER_01: Because you're comfortable.
23:27
SPEAKER_01: But God's asking you to tell your story, God's asking you to disciple someone.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: God's saying the greatest vehicle for the church to explode is the church.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: That he's not just using a few, he's looking at all of us going, hey, you play a role in this thing.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: This isn't for someone else, but someone else is the most popular name in most churches.
23:50
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I see the need, but someone else someone else can do it.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I know I got a gift, but someone else is better.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: I don't know who someone else is, but that dude is popular.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: Because we mention his name all the time.
24:10
SPEAKER_01: All the time.
24:11
SPEAKER_01: And what Paul is painting, what Paul is getting to, is guys, listen, there's more to this life than what you're currently experiencing.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: This is why he says the enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy.
24:24
SPEAKER_01: But I've come to give you life, and not just life, but life to the fullest, or life abundantly.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: You know what that is?
24:30
SPEAKER_01: That is greater life than you ever could imagine.
24:33
SPEAKER_01: But it's going to require something to die.
24:35
SPEAKER_01: And we don't get this.
24:36
SPEAKER_01: And this is what he this is what he's illustrating in verse 35.
24:39
SPEAKER_01: But someone may ask, how will the dead be raised?
24:41
SPEAKER_01: What kind of bodies will they have?
24:42
SPEAKER_01: Paul uses this illustration when it comes to seed.
24:46
SPEAKER_01: You put a seed in the ground, like we get this, right?
24:49
SPEAKER_01: Have we seen seeds like like we take this little seed, put the put happen, we take this little seed and we put it in the ground.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul is saying.
24:57
SPEAKER_01: He's like, we got this little seed, and watch what this little seed produces as it grows.
25:04
SPEAKER_01: This is mind-blowing to me.
25:06
SPEAKER_01: Like that, that the that that little thing, when you start watering it, like I know farming, all that kind of thing, it's I'm just a fan from I don't know anything.
25:17
SPEAKER_01: I don't know anything.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: But I know I'm driving down Gall Road and I'm like, how did that corn get there?
25:23
SPEAKER_01: Like, what is going on?
25:24
SPEAKER_01: It is growing like crazy.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: I don't know when to plant it, Tory.
25:28
SPEAKER_01: I don't know when to do all these things, but I just know that it was a seed at one moment and it grew.
25:34
SPEAKER_01: And it blows my mind.
25:35
SPEAKER_01: You know what that is?
25:36
SPEAKER_01: My job is to plant the seed, God's job is to grow it.
25:40
SPEAKER_01: We sometimes think that we're the grower.
25:43
SPEAKER_01: We're not the grower, we're the seed planter.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: And what he's saying, what he says, what comes comes out is connected to what went in.
25:52
SPEAKER_01: This blows my mind.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: Transformed into something greater.
25:56
SPEAKER_01: He says this in verse 43.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory.
26:03
SPEAKER_01: Come on, somebody.
26:04
SPEAKER_01: This is what he's saying.
26:05
SPEAKER_01: He's saying Christianity's ultimate hope isn't simply when I die, I go to heaven.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: The biblical hope goes further.
26:14
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is coming back.
26:15
SPEAKER_01: The dead will be raised, creation will be restored.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: God's people will receive resurrected bodies.
26:22
SPEAKER_01: And Paul contrasts how beautiful.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: He says, listen, buried perishable, raised imperishable, buried dishonored, raised glorious, buried weak, raised powerful.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: Natural body, spiritual body.
26:34
SPEAKER_01: That changes how we view aging.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: Come on, somebody.
26:40
SPEAKER_01: Proverbs tells us real clear you're gonna age, man.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: This is not about beauty, because yeah, you know, your occurring body is not your final destination or condition.
26:54
SPEAKER_01: And Paul is reminding everybody look, this seed, it goes in and it becomes things that you and I are eating, and we're like, how?
27:04
SPEAKER_01: Me and Kelly were driving home from Alabama, and she's talking about you know the couple raised gardens that we have, and we're like, man, I don't feel like anything's growing.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: While we're in Alabama for six days, we came home and it's like watermelons everywhere.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: It's like, how in the world did this happen?
27:23
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I bet there's 15, 20 watermelons in this thing.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't eat any of them, but they look pretty.
27:31
SPEAKER_01: I mean, is that what was on the table last night?
27:36
SPEAKER_01: Yes and no.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to marriage, everybody.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: Am I in trouble?
27:43
SPEAKER_01: Yes and no.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Or am I sleeping tonight?
27:48
SPEAKER_01: Yes and no.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
27:51
SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't know what yes and no was.
27:53
SPEAKER_01: It was it was good.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: It was good.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: Verse 54 and verse 55.
28:02
SPEAKER_01: He says, Listen, death is already lost.
28:04
SPEAKER_01: We know this passage.
28:05
SPEAKER_01: Death is swallowed up in victory.
28:07
SPEAKER_01: Oh, death, where is your victory?
28:09
SPEAKER_01: Death, where is your sting?
28:11
SPEAKER_01: Paul's basically trash talking death.
28:14
SPEAKER_01: That's what he's doing.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: Where's your victory?
28:18
SPEAKER_01: You you thought this would sting.
28:20
SPEAKER_01: Where's your sting?
28:21
SPEAKER_01: You know when we believe that?
28:23
SPEAKER_01: When we understand this is not it.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: Man, this is not it.
28:27
SPEAKER_01: When someone looks across the table from you and said, The worst news you've ever heard, or the phone call, we've all gotten them, man.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: We have gotten those phone calls, so and so.
28:40
SPEAKER_01: In this room, so many of you, you've received the devastating call.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: You've you've seen the doctor's face when he had to tell you the worst news.
28:50
SPEAKER_01: I've sat in that room with people, and it's awful.
28:55
SPEAKER_01: And Paul goes, Hey, death, you're swallowed up in victory.
29:01
SPEAKER_01: Come on.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: Cancer is not your story.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: Resurrection is.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: What you're experiencing right now is not your story.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: It's not the ending.
29:19
SPEAKER_01: Paul is again.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus already defeated it.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: Paul doesn't say death doesn't sting.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't say that.
29:31
SPEAKER_01: He's saying the sting has been removed ultimately through Jesus' victory.
29:38
SPEAKER_01: And then he says in verse 57, but thank God he gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
29:45
SPEAKER_01: And here it is.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, again, what Paul is what Paul is addressing to the Corinthian church, again, recognize.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: Recognize the moment of all the things the first 14 chapters Paul has talked through.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: Paul is ultimately, he's he's not saying Christian hope is everything's gonna work out.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: He's saying hope is anchored in a person who?
30:14
SPEAKER_01: Jesus Christ, who walked out of the grave.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: That's ultimately what he's saying.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: He's saying, after 57 verses, Paul says in verse 58, so my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
30:30
SPEAKER_01: Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: He's saying, because Jesus rose, because death is defeated, because resurrection is coming, because eternity is real, he's saying, live differently.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: This word, 1 Corinthians 15, becomes incredibly practical.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: He says, keep serving when no one when no one sees you.
30:59
SPEAKER_01: He's saying, keep giving when sacrifice hurts.
31:01
SPEAKER_01: He's saying, keep sharing, keep forgiving, keep discipling, keep refusing temptation, keep building God's church, keep doing what God called you to do.
31:10
SPEAKER_01: He says, because nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
31:15
SPEAKER_01: The question of 1 Corinthians 15 isn't simply, do we believe Jesus rose from the dead?
31:23
SPEAKER_01: I think millions of Americans specifically would say yes.
31:27
SPEAKER_01: The harder question is, does your life make sense only if Jesus rose from the dead?
31:34
SPEAKER_01: Because if Jesus really rose, are we living primarily for him or for retirement?
31:47
SPEAKER_01: Are we living for him or a next paycheck?
31:52
SPEAKER_01: Are we living for him or a better America?
31:55
SPEAKER_01: Because no offense, it doesn't matter who's in the White House or who's in, I think you'll bring it back to Springfield, hopefully, Chicago or Springfield, it doesn't matter who's there.
32:10
SPEAKER_01: If Jesus is on the throne, nothing else matters.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: You could take away this, you could take away that, you could take away my rights, you could take away that.
32:21
SPEAKER_01: But if you follow Jesus, that's all that matters.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: And he's saying, I want you, Corinthian church, to get to that moment, to that point where you fully grasp that they can take every title away from you.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: There's a day I may not be called husband, there's a day I may not be called father or grandfather.
32:39
SPEAKER_01: You take all the titles, coach, friend, whatever, but you cannot take away the title son of the living God.
32:46
SPEAKER_01: That never goes away.
32:49
SPEAKER_01: It never goes away.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: So if you put who you are in that title that can be taken away, then when it is taken away, your identity seems to be in crisis.
32:59
SPEAKER_01: But if you understand sonship, being a daughter of the king, there's nothing that can happen.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing that can happen in this world because this isn't it, this is not it.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: But in fact, Paul says, but in fact, Christ has been risen from the grave.
33:22
SPEAKER_01: We don't have to worry, we don't have to wonder, we don't have to live in fear, doubt.
33:30
SPEAKER_01: That's why Paul got to the point where he's like, What are you gonna take away from me?
33:34
SPEAKER_01: My body?
33:35
SPEAKER_01: You can take my body?
33:37
SPEAKER_01: You cannot take my soul.
33:40
SPEAKER_01: You know why Paul said you can take my body?
33:43
SPEAKER_01: Because Paul understood, I'm getting a new one.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: And if that sea was the beginning, watch what God's about to do.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: Watch what he's about to do.
33:57
SPEAKER_01: Every single one of us in this room, we're affected by what happens here.
34:02
SPEAKER_01: But I'm asking you to put into perspective and the right place of what happens here.
34:09
SPEAKER_01: This is not the end all.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: This is not it.
34:14
SPEAKER_01: This is not it.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: Facts, write this in your in your journal, but in fact, Christ has been risen from the grave.
34:25
SPEAKER_01: Man, I hope you use that on the enemy today.
34:29
SPEAKER_01: When he's putting seeds of doubt in your head, when you're questioning, God, did you really say that I need to do that?
34:37
SPEAKER_01: That seems awfully hard.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: And he goes, Yep, that's me.
34:40
SPEAKER_01: That's me.
34:41
SPEAKER_01: Forgive her.
34:43
SPEAKER_01: Say sorry, write a check.
34:48
SPEAKER_01: That was me.
34:49
SPEAKER_01: I found the devil usually isn't tempting you to give your money away.
34:53
SPEAKER_01: He's the one who's telling you to hoard it, collect other things.
34:58
SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying that as a prosperity message.
35:00
SPEAKER_01: I'm saying the Lord is going to stretch you to go against all the fleshly things that you want to do, to prove to you that He is God.
35:13
SPEAKER_01: And this is not the end.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
35:16
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
35:17
SPEAKER_01: Would you stand with me right now?
35:18
SPEAKER_01: Jesus.
35:19
SPEAKER_01: God, I thank you for who you are.
35:21
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for what you're doing, not just in Life Community Church, not just in Columbia, Illinois, but God, I thank you for what you're doing across the state, across this nation.
35:31
SPEAKER_01: God, you have people in this room that you put an if on in 1 Chronicles.
35:38
SPEAKER_01: And I say this we are a group of people that are praying for our nation.
35:43
SPEAKER_01: We're a group of people that stand firm on your word, but we are a group of people that know this is not the end.
35:50
SPEAKER_01: We are a group of people that in fact believe.
35:53
SPEAKER_01: But in fact, Christ has been risen from the grave, and we stand on that foundation.
36:00
SPEAKER_01: We stand on the foundation that God, your word is true, and it matters for us in 2026.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: In the mighty name of Jesus we pray.
36:09
unknown: Amen.