Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030420.htm

JESUS CHRIST IN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Part XXXIV: Motivated Christian Service In View Of Jesus' Resurrection
(Isaiah 25:8 with 1 Corinthians 15:12-23, 51-58)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

As we gather to worship our RISEN Lord this Easter Sunday morning, though we can hope in the resurrection to come, events that occur in our lives NOW may force us to put on a smile or a happy face that hides a concern that our Christian service efforts are futile:

(1) A week ago, a Christian called our home seeking help. She had been crying for days over fear her marriage might be falling apart. Besides the fear and hurt, she was concerned that her efforts in the Lord of trying to succeed in her marital institution had been in vain.

(2) Several believers I know are currently struggling under duress to know how to deal with their family needs. A sense that their efforts will not keep the family strong or even united as an institution deeply concerns them.

(3) Several weeks ago, a Church member asked me if there was a happy or blessed future for our Church's ministries. The member wondered aloud if our efforts to serve Christ might prove to be in vain in view of the wickedness and apostasy we see in even pro-Christian or Evangelical circles, or due to the seeming human inability or lack of wealth, etc. with which we might struggle to overcome in ourselves.



Even as BELIEVERS, HOW can we live MOTIVATED lives in view of the DIFFICULTIES we HUMANLY see regarding our efforts to SERVE the Lord EFFECTIVELY?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "Though I know Christ as my Savior, I often wonder if I am ACCOMPLISHING anything MEANINGFUL in SERVING God in view of discouraging challenges faced. On an Easter Sunday like today, is there MEANING to be found in my CHRISTIAN service?!"
  1. The RISEN Jesus told His disciples on the road to Emmaus how He fulfilled Old Testament Messianic prophecies, Luke 24:25-27.
  2. As these men were edified by Christ's teaching of those passages (Luke 24:32), we also view them, following the list of prophecies named in the Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, s. v. "Messianic Prophecies."
  3. The Isaiah 25:8 prophecy with its application in 1 Corinthians 15:12-23, 51-58 directs those who trust in Christ to SERVE Him with great MOTIVATION as their SHARE in His coming resurrection makes their God-ordained service WORTHWHILE:
    1. Isaiah wrote God will one day "swallow up" death in victory and wipe away tears of grief caused by human death, Isaiah 25:8.
    2. This truth is applied to the believer as his own resurrection is based on Jesus' resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 51-57:
      1. Paul claimed Jesus had risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits or God's promise of the resurrection of all the godly regarding their own bodily resurrections, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
      2. In particular, Paul spoke of the Church's rapture when believers will share in Jesus' resurrection in accord with Isaiah 25:8:
        1. Though many Christians have died, some will remain alive to participate in a translation of the body, 1 Corinthians 15:51a.
        2. That event will include the changing of the believer's body if he is still physically alive, and if he has died, his body will be resurrected as an immortal body, 1 Corinthians 15:51b-52.
        3. The change of the believer's body from that of a corruptible, mortal one to the eternally incorruptible, immortal one will be necessary to fulfill the promise of Isaiah 25:8, cf. 1 Cor. 15:53.
        4. Thus, death will be truly swallowed up in victory, the victory of the believer over sin that causes death, and that victory is found in his liberation from the Mosaic Law that once condemned him as a sinner unto the punishment of death, 1 Cor. 15:54-56.
        5. Yet, as the believer's sins are covered by Christ's death, he is released from condemnation to qualify for resurrection, 15:57.
    3. Well, this HOPE of the believer equips him to motivated service as it makes what he achieves in his God-ordained works INVALUABLE:
      1. Paul's reference to the believer's share in Christ's resurrection arose out of a service stifling doubt that the hope that anybody would be bodily resurrected was a FALSE one!
        1. Some of the Corinthian believers felt there was no such thing as a bodily resurrection from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:12.
        2. To show how devastating such a idea would be were it shown to be true, Paul itemized the depressing futility of the believer were there not to be a resurrection (as follows): (a) Paul noted that were there no resurrection, then CHRIST is not raised, 1 Cor. 15:13; (b) If that were so, then Paul's preaching was in vain as was the faith of the Corinthians, for the Gospel involved Christ's resurrection, 1 Cor. 15:14, 1-4. (c) Then, were that Gospel to be false, the whole Christian faith would disintegrate: the Apostles would be false witnesses, the Corinthians would still be in their sins, those who had died in faith in Christ would be eternally doomed, making Christians the most to be pitied of all people on earth, 1 Corinthians 15:15-19!
      2. However, SINCE the resurrection is TRUE and CHRIST has been RAISED, BELIEVERS in Him will also be raised, and THAT causes a believer's God-ordained SERVICE in THIS LIFE to be of ENORMOUS ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE: every God-led and empowered work for Christ participates in an INVALUABLE service as ETERNAL DESTINIES are at stake in those who HEAR and BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST!
      3. Thus, Paul URGED believers with the TRUE hope of the resurrection to be STABLE and ABOUND in God's work of discipling others unto ETERNAL LIFE, 1 Corinthians 15:58!
Application: If we feel USELESS in our lives this Easter, (1) we must FIRST trust in Christ to gain eternal life and hope of sharing in HIS resurrection. (2) Then, realizing we will share in Christ's resurrection, recall the ENORMOUS VALUE of DISCIPLING OTHERS for Christ in THIS life, and ABOUND in our God-assigned roles of Christian service to THAT end!

Lesson: Since Christ has been raised from the dead, all who trust in Him will be resurrected, and that makes their God-ordained WORK of DISCIPLING others to BELIEVE in Christ INVALUABLE. Considering these facts SPURS every believer to live THIS life ABOVE all sense of futility, and to ABOUND in his God-assigned work of discipling others!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 God used last week's missions conference to encourage us as a Church and me as a pastor on the value of our God-assigned ministries:

(1) Our keynote speaker announced last Sunday that between 25% and 50% of Evangelicals now hold Christ is NOT the only way to heaven! That led two people in our body independent of each other to thank me after the service for our Church's adherence the truth!

(2) On the historical tour we took April 12th to places once frequented by great Christian leaders in Church history, men like Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd and Dwight L. Moody, I was often confronted with the value of Nepaug Church's current ministries:

(a) Our main guide revealed Jonathan Edward's great sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" mentioned the gospel briefly only once due to his strong Calvinistic stance: Edwards felt his hearers who would believe would have been chosen by God to do so, so he only had to mention the Gospel ONCE, and BRIEFLY at that!

Then, the same guide said the 19th century evangelist, Charles Finney who was born on Mountain Lake Bible Camp's land in Warren, Connecticut had his long-term influence hurt by his Arminian stance.

Thus, our recent Sunday School Class lessons correcting both Calvinism and Arminianism will serve God's people well!

(b) A Northfield, Massachusetts guide told us Moody crossed denominational lines late in life, letting theistic evolutionist, Henry Drummond and a lady faith healer speak at his Northfield schools. This led these schools to compromise their beliefs, and now they are no longer sound in contrast to Moody's Bible Institute in Chicago where its leaders like Torrey and Gray stood firm for the truth.

Well, this contrast between Moody's schools JUSTIFIES our stands against theistic evolution, the Charismatic movement and other errant beliefs and associations, and will serve God's people well!

(c) Then, while I mentioned to fellow Nepaug Church member, Mike Terwilliger outside the Moody home in Northfield on what might have been a strong Bible belt here in New England had Moody's Northfield schools stayed true to God, Mike replied that God has raised up Nepaug Bible Church to fill that void in OUR day!

I took Mike's statement as a sign from the Lord! May we abound in our God-assigned work, for our labor is NOT in VAIN!