1 Coríntios 15
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 15:9
Johnson explains "the very least" this way "By the way, Paul’s Latin name, “Paul,” means “little.” And what he has done here is to take the word least in the Greek text and make it a comparative. Now least is a superlative. But he has said, “I who am leaster”; that’s what he’s done in Greek. So he’s taken a superlative and made it a comparative. It’s as if he’s to say, “I’m not simply the littlest, but the littlester of all the saints.” He really feels that way because he persecuted the church of God. (Ephesians 3:1-13 Dispensation of Grace Audio/Pdf ) Elachistos - 14x in 12v in the NAS = least(6), smallest(1), very least(1), very little thing(4), very small(1), very small thing(1). Matthew 2:6 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'" Comment: Notice that NAS capitalizes direct OT quotations for easy recognition. Matthew 5:19-note "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 25:40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Luke 12:26 "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Luke 19:17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.' 1 Corinthians 4:3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Ephesians 3:8-note To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, James 3:4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. Elachistos - 27x in 25v in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) -Ge 1:16; 25:23; 27:6; Ex 16:17f; Lev 25:16; Nu 26:54; 33:54; 35:8; Josh 6:26; 1 Sa 9:21; 2 Kgs 18:24; Pr 13:11; 22:16; 30:24; Job 16:6; 18:7; 30:1; Isa 60:22; Jer 30:14; Da 2:39 Of the apostles - This is interesting in that earlier Paul had defended his apostleship writing... Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. My defense to those who examine me is this... (1Co 9:1, 2,3) John Flavel had it right declaring "They that know God, will be humble, and they that know themselves cannot be proud. (Woe, that hurts!) F B Meyer expands that thought writing "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller, but of stooping down, to get His best gifts. J C Ryle (1816 - 1900) wrote that "Humility is the rarest and most beautiful of graces. Humility is the very first letter in the alphabet of Christianity." William Law (1686-1761) - "Living Christianity is making one’s life an exercise of humility, repentance and heavenly affection." As this point it would be wise for us to recall that Paul did not allow himself to be discouraged by looking back, focusing on past failures which is what the mortal enemy of our soul would love for us to do (Our enemy Satan continually accuses the brethren before God = Re 12:10-note). While Paul is teaching that it is important to maintain a consciousness of the depths of sin from which we have been saved so that the wonder of grace might abound all the more (cp Ro 5:20-note), it is another thing to seek to self-indulgently "wallow" in past sins (which we have confessed - see below), even piling up guilt on one's self. To the contrary, we must continually be mindful that the same grace which has taken our feet out of the "miry clay" (Ps 40:2-note), is the same grace which will forever hold us firm in the eternal truth of "No condemnation" and "No separation" in Christ (Ro 8:1-note. Ro 8:39-note) Compare King David's example after he had sinned with Bathsheba, confessed his sin and experienced the consequences when his son died (2Sa 12:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). As John states "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive (aphiemi - see the picture implied by this great Greek word) us our sins and to cleanse (katharizo) us from all (How much?) unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9) While confession of our sins does not necessarily remove the consequences of those sins nor the memory of those sins, we need to accept that the God of all grace has forgiven us completely (see pictures of the breadth of God's forgiveness = Ps 32:1-note, Ps 103:12-note, Isa 6:7, Isa 38:17, Isa 44:11, Mic 7:18,19 Acts 3:19,20, 21, 22, 23, 24) and has purified us wholly from the sins and the guilty conscience. This truth will make us grateful debtors to grace. Puritan writer Thomas Watson echoes this need for a fine balance between awareness of past sins but not abjectly groveling in them "The mixing of wisdom and innocence is seen in this: to be humble—but not base. Humility is part of the dove's innocence. 1Peter 5:5, "Be clothed with humility." Paul, though the chief of the Apostles, calls himself the least of saints. A gracious soul has low thoughts of himself, and carries himself lowly toward others; but, though he is humble—he is not base. Though he will not saucily resist his superiors—he will not sinfully humor them. Though he will not do such proud actions as to make his enemies hate him—yet he will not do such sordid actions as to make them despise him. Here is the serpent and the dove united. (Wise as Serpents) Apostles (652)(apostolos from apo = from + stello = send forth) (Click discussion of apostle) means one sent forth from by another, often with a special commission to represent another and to accomplish his work. It can be a delegate, commissioner, ambassador sent out on a mission or orders or commission and with the authority of the one who sent him. Apostolos referred to someone who was officially commissioned to a position or task, such as an envoy. Secular Greek writer Demosthenes gives a word picture of "apostolos" noting that it was used to describe a cargo ship (sometimes called "apostolic") sent out with a specific shipment to accomplish a mission. In secular Greek apostolos was used of an admiral of a fleet sent out by the king on special assignment. In the ancient world a apostle was the personal representatives of the king, functioning as an ambassador with the king’s authority and provided with credentials to prove he was the king's envoy. Apostolos was a technical word designating an individual sent from someone else with the sender's commission, the necessary credentials, the sender's authority and the implicit responsibility to accomplish a mission or assignment. The English word "ambassador" is a good translation of apostolos because an ambassador is "an official envoy of high rank appointed by one of higher rank and authority in the government to represent and transact its business at the seat of government of some other power." Paul thought of himself as an ambassador of the King of kings, sent by Him to the Gentiles with credentials (miracles he performed) and the commission, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me (Acts 26:17, 18) To reemphasize the word apostle as Paul uses it here does not merely refer to one who has a message to announce, but to an appointed representative with an official status who is provided with the credentials of his office. In its broadest sense, apostle can refer to all believers, because every believer is sent into the world as a witness for Christ. But the term is primarily used as a specific and unique title for the thirteen men (the Twelve, with Matthias replacing Judas, and Paul) whom Christ personally chose and commissioned to authoritatively proclaim the gospel and lead the early church. The thirteen apostles not only were all called directly by Jesus but all were witnesses of His resurrection, Paul having encountered Him on the Damascus Road after His ascension. Those thirteen apostles were given direct revelation of God’s Word to proclaim authoritatively, the gift of healing, and the power to cast out demons (Mt 10:1). By these signs their teaching authority was verified (cf. 2Co 12:12). Their teachings became the foundation of the church (Ep 2:20-note), and their authority extended beyond local bodies of believers to the entire believing world. In the present context Paul clearly uses apostle in its more common specialized or restricted meaning. Octavius Winslow writes. "The apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the gospel. He did not look upon his calling as a drudgery—but he entered upon it with intense delight. Yet while Paul was thus thankful for his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes—the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they are untried; but the earnest worker soon learns his own weakness. If you seek humility—try hard work; if you would know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. If you would feel how utterly powerless you are apart from the living God—attempt especially the great work of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ—and you will know, as you never knew before, what a weak unworthy thing you are. (Morning and Evening - March 2 Evening) Apostolos - 80x in 79v = apostle(19), apostles(52), apostles'(5), messenger(1), messengers(1), is sent(1).Mt 10:2; Mk 3:14; 6:30; Lk 6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10; John 13:16; Acts 1:2, 26; 2:37, 42f; 4:33, 35ff; 5:2, 12, 18, 29, 40; 6:6; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14; 15:2, 4, 6, 22f; 16:4; Rom 1:1; 11:13; 16:7; 1 Cor 1:1; 4:9; 9:1f, 5; 12:28f; 15:7, 9; 2 Cor 1:1; 8:23; 11:5, 13; 12:11f; Gal 1:1, 17, 19; Eph 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Phil 2:25; Col 1:1; 1Th 2:7; 1Ti 1:1; 2:7; 2 Tim 1:1, 11; Titus 1:1; Heb 3:1; 1 Pet 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; 3:2; Jude 1:17; Rev 2:2; 18:20; 21:14.
1 Coríntios 15:9
Johnson put it this way: The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. I wonder what bad habits are represented by the hundreds of us gathered here this morning? Some of you may be struggling with: • Smoking • Drinking • Oversleeping • Nail-biting • Cussing • Impulsive spending • Complaining and nagging • Pornography • Losing your temper We could go on making an increasingly lengthy list, but perhaps you already know what your bad habit is, and you want to be able to break it. Well, today I’d like to give you seven ways to break that bad habit. 1. Call That Bad Habit a Sin, and Put It Under The Blood of Christ Erwin Lutzer, pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, wrote: The Christian must see that bad habits are ultimately spiritual issues. In his book How To Say No To A Stubborn Habit, he continues: "We are responsible for our own sin--including those sins ’which so easily beset us.’ The fact that we do something wrong habitually does not relieve us of responsibility. On the contrary, it may make the sin all the worse. So we must take personal responsibility for our own habits and not shrink from calling them sin." I think it helps us to realize that we aren’t just trying to break a bad habit, we are endeavoring to root out and overcome a sinful tendency in our lives. Listen to these verses from Colossians 4 and 5: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood (in other words, get out of the habit of telling little white lies!) and speak truthfully to his neighbor (get into the habit of telling the truth)…. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (get out of the habit of losing your temper!)… He who has been stealing must steal no longer (break the habit of stealing), but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need (get into the habit of working hard and of giving generously). Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths (get out of the habit of being foul-mouthed), but only what is helpful for building others up…. /But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, for these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or course joking, which are out of place…. /But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, for these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or course joking, which are out of place…. All these items are sinful habit patterns that God wants to deal with in our lives--sins committed so habitually that they become life-patterns for us; but the Lord wants to overturn them in our lives and to replace them with a new set of behaviors. I think it helps to realize that. The other day I was mowing around my house, and, turning over a board, I saw a little snake. Well, I didn’t think much about it, because it was a harmless little blacksnake that eats bugs and mice, and it was some distance from my house. But suppose I had recognized it as a rattlesnake or a copperhead. I would have taken it much more seriously, and would have done everything in my power to kill it before it bit one of my children. It may be that there’s something in your life or in mine that we view as a little harmless habit, a little weakness to which we frequently succumb. But God views is as sin with a capital "S" and it needs to be confessed as such and put under the blood of Christ. 2. Walk in the Spirit Second, memorize and obey Galatians 5:16: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh". I had a professor once, Otis Braswell, who talked about this verse one day in class, and he made an interesting comment. He said that many Christians read this verse backward. They think that if they are not fulfilling the lust of the flesh, they can walk in the Spirit. And so they try with all their might to overcome their addictions and lusts, and they try to do it in their own energy. They turn over a new leaf. They make a new resolution. But we can never overcome our besetting sins by ourselves. We must come in full surrender to Jesus Christ, confessing our sins, and yielding ourselves to him so that by his grace we can walk in the Spirit. And as we walk in the Spirit, the indwelling Jesus Christ, by the power of his Spirit, begins to live his own life--the Christ-life--through us. And when that happens we find that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 3. Make No Provision For the Flesh Now, we certainly need to cooperate in the process, because the same Bible that tells us to walk in the Spirit also tell us in Romans 13:14 to make no provision for the flesh. In other words, with the help our indwelling Christ, we need to make strategic changes in our lives that will starve the bad habits and encourage the new ones. Some time ago while we were on an extended vacation, I asked a friend to water and spray my rose bushes. When I returned, I couldn’t see the rose bushes for the weeds that had sprung up. I told my wife Katrina, "I don’t know where those weeds came from. They’re taller than the rose bushes." Well, come to find out, my friend saw the weeds starting to come up, and thinking I they were bedding plants of some sort that I had planted among the roses, she sprayed and fertilized and watered them! Our lives are very much like a flower garden. The weeds--the bad habits--grow very quickly, and they can take over. The good habits--the disciplines of life--the roses--have to be carefully cultivated. Too many of us water and spray and fertilize the weeds. I’ll give you an example. I have a friend who works in an office in Chattanooga, and who has struggled in the past with a habit of watching pornography. He came to Christ, but so far he has refused to clean out the little locked drawer in his entertainment console where his pornographic videos are kept. He says, "Well, I just don’t know what to do with them. I paid a lot of money for them, and I hate to throw them away, but I don’t feel that I should give them to anyone else, so I just have them locked up there in that drawer that I never open." Well, I know exactly what he should do with them. He should do with them what the Ephesians did in Acts 19 with their sinful books and occultish materials, and that is to burn them, to destroy them. Or, to use another example, suppose you want to break the smoking habit. In her advice column, Ann Landers recently suggested if you seriously want to stop smoking, you make a little ceremony out of smoking your last cigarette, you say goodbye to it, and hen you dispose of all tobacco products and paraphernalia. Throw away the ashtrays, lighters, and everything else. 4. Launch A New Habit As Strongly As Possible--Then Stay With It William James, philosopher and pioneer American psychologist, wrote this about habits in his classic book Psychology: Briefer Course. "In the acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off of an old one, there are four great maxims to remember: First, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong an initiative as possible…" In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey describes the breaking and making of habits to the launch of a spacecraft like Apollo 11. To get to the moon, writes Covey, those astronauts "literally had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth. More energy was spent in the first few minutes of lift-off, in the first few miles of travel, than was used over the next several days to travel half a million miles. "Habits, too, have tremendous gravity pull--more than most people realize or would admit. Breaking deeply imbedded habitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or selfishness that violate basic principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little willpower and a few minor changes in our lives. ’Lift off’ takes a tremendous effort, but once we break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension." One expert suggests making a list of the reasons you want to change, and carrying it around with you. Some people say that you should commit to your decision publicly. At least, gather some friends and tell them and ask for their assistance. Then stay with it. Make up your mind you’re going to have victory over that bad habit, and never give in. Never give up. How long does it take to establish a new habit? There’s a little couplet that says: A bad habit takes 21 days to break; a good habit takes 21 days to make. But in preparation for this message, I read another expert who asserts that it takes 90 days for an old habit to be broken and a new habit formed. But stay with it, and don’t let yourself grow discouraged. The Bible says to put your hand to the plough and don’t look back. 5. Develop A Support Group It is also important to have a support group to encourage you and with whom to be accountable. I know a man who wanted to begin a new habit of running every morning at the track. He wanted to get up early and build up to three miles, arriving at the track each day at 6 am. But morning after morning he slept in. Finally he made a agreement with a friend that the two of them do it together. After that, when the alarm went off and he was tempted to sleep in, he thought of his friend waiting there for him at the track, and it got him out of bed. He was able to establish his habit. I remember when I was in college, my roommate in the dormitory was a military brat, and his father had spent a lifetime in the armed forces. He had taught Bill to clean off his desk after every project. Well, Bill’s desk was always clean and tidy, every pencil and paper in its place. Mine was a mess, and I couldn’t find anything. One day Bill gave me a military style lecture about the efficiency of keeping one’s desk clean. "After every project," he said, "put everything back in its place, file things carefully, and clean your desk for the next project." I made a decision to do just that, but I can you that my motivation for the longest time was knowing that Bill would pass my desk several times a day in the room. So launch your new habit as strongly as possible, and get a support group going. I read this in the newspaper recently: Dear Abby: I am engaged to be married to a wonderful young lady. Although I am usually well behaved, I have a terrible temper and sometimes swear and use bad language -- a habit I want very much to break. "Cheryl" and I consulted a psychologist about this problem, and she suggested that I wear an elastic band around my wrist, and every time I start to lose my temper, I should snap it. I tried it a few times, but Cheryl said I wasn’t snapping it hard enough, so at our next session, the therapist suggested that Cheryl snap it whenever I started to get nasty. And snap it hard enough to make it sting. I know this may sound funny or even childish, but the rubber band treatment worked for me! The therapist said that this technique is used to stop smoking, drinking, and obsessive thoughts. Pass this on to your readers if you think it will help. It helped me.--John M. in Bridgeport, Connecticut Having a friend willing to do something as simple as snap a rubber band was all it took to help that man overcome his problem. 6. Memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13 I don’t know of a better verse for people who are trying to break free from a besetting sin than 1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful who will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Lynette Morgan’s father, Dr. LaVerne Miley, was a missionary physician in the Ivory Coast for many years. One day he was greatly disturbed to learn that four of his prime converts had fallen into sexual sin. One of them, Benjamin, spoke for them all when Miley confronted them. "Monsieur," Benjamin said, "I believe the Bible, but some parts of it only work for you white folks. Black men have a stronger sex drive than you." Dr. Miley turned in the Bible to 1 Corinthians 10:13 and asked Benjamin to read it. Then he asked, "Benjamin, does that promise specify skin color?" The young men were silent, then they began to weep. They confessed their sins as the doctor prayed with tears in his own eyes. That verse will work for us any time day or night, regardless of our background, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of our skin color or the land or our origin. 7. If You Fall, Don’t Give Up, Get Up Proverbs 24.16 is a verse I frequently give out to people who are trying to overcome deeply entrenched negative patterns in their lives: Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again. Someone else put it this way: First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they’ll eventually conquer you. Well, we can’t conquer them by ourselves, but in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are more than conquerors. For… He breaks the power of cancelled sin And sets the captive free. His blood can make the foulest clean His blood availed for me. Seeing, then, that we are encompassed by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Why I Preach the Literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Grave 1 Corinthians 15 Rob Morgan April 11, 2004 It’s wonderful to be back at the Grand Ole Opry House for the second year at Easter and I want to welcome all of you who are visiting us here at today. Where we meet doesn’t matter. We’re a family and we’re a church. We can meet anywhere and we love each other and Christ is among us. If you’re visiting with us today, we’re glad to include you in our church family and as a gift of appreciation, we’d like to send you a copy of the book that has already been mentioned—The Case for Easter. We’ll send it to you free and postage paid. The author, Lee Strobel, was an atheist and a skeptic, a graduate of Yale School of Law and a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He scoffed at Christianity and regarded the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a fairy tale. But when his wife became a Christian, he decided to dig into the truth-claims of Christianity. He took two years and interviewed some of the greatest scholars and authorities on earth. He read and studied, and used his credentials as a legal affairs journalist to investigate the claims of Christ and the reliability of the historical evidence of the resurrection. The result? Today Lee Strobel is one of the leading Christian scholars in the nation and a powerful evangelist whose books are winning multitudes of people to the faith that he once tried to discredit. This has happened over and over again. When I was in college, I went through a period in which I questioned my faith and wanted to know for sure that Christianity was really true. One of the books that helped me was Evidence that Demands a Verdict (free online) by Josh McDowell. McDowell was cynical, a non-believer who scoffed at Christian truth until he met a group of students who had a peace and joy and contentment that he couldn’t explain. When he asked one of the girls what made her different, she replied, “Jesus Christ.” McDowell had a keen mind, and he knew that everything about Christianity hinged on the actual, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. So he mounted in intense and prolonged investigation into the historical reliability of the resurrection. He wanted to discredit Christianity. To his utter amazement, he discovered that he could not explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a result, he became a Christian himself and one of the chief proponents of the faith he had once tried to destroy. If I had time, I would tell you about Lew Wallace, who sought to discredit the resurrection and ended up becoming a Christian through his investigation, writing one of the greatest novels about the time of Christ, Ben Hur. Albert L. Roper was a prominent Virginia attorney, a graduate of the University of Virginia and its law school, who eventually became mayor of the city of Norfolk. He once began a thorough legal investigation into the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, asking himself the question: “Can any intelligent person accept the Resurrection story?” After examining the evidence at length, he came away asking a different question: “Can any intelligent person deny the weight of this evidence?” He wrote a book entitled Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? One of the most interesting books in my library was written by a man who set out to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was an English journalist named Frank Morison. He viewed Christianity with disfavor, deciding that if he could prove that Christ’s resurrection was a mere myth, he could debunk all of Christianity. He poured over the evidence, absorbing all the information he could and marshaling all his arguments. Not only was he unable to disprove the resurrection, but he was compelled by the weight of the evidence to become a Christian himself. And his book became a powerful argument in favor of the Resurrection, entitled Who Moved the Stone? Morison said that his book was “essentially a confession, the inner story of a man who originally set out to write one kind of book and found himself compelled by the sheer force of circumstances to write quite another.” What is this proof that is so convincing? Well, there is one passage in the Bible that summarizes and systematizes the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the first part of the chapter that we call the Resurrection Chapter in the Bible—1 Corinthians 15: Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. In this passage, the apostle Paul provides five pieces of evidence for the veracity of the literal resurrection of Christ from the Scripture. The Theological Fit (vv. 1-3) Paul begins here by showing us how the resurrection fits naturally and essentially into the overall message of the Gospel. It completes the Gospel and fits into the entire structure of biblical theology. Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day…. The resurrection is so woven into the warp and woof of the biblical plan of salvation that the entire Bible is held together by it, and the entire plan of salvation depends on it. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ nothing in the Bible makes sense. Without the resurrection of Christ, the Gospel is a giant puzzle with the central piece missing. It is unresolved. It is incomplete. Frankly, it is worthless. It’s like a frame that is missing the masterpiece. It’s like a ring that is missing the diamond. But add the resurrection to the Gospel and we have the most cohesive and brilliant and logical system of philosophy and faith that the world has ever seen, one that satisfies both the mind and the heart. Advance Predictions (vv. 3-4) Second, the resurrection of Christ was predicted in advance. Look at the way the chapter begins: For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… The word “Scriptures” here indicates the Old Testament. I would like to read you a passage of Scripture written 700 years before Christ was born. It’s from the prophet Isaiah and I’m reading it from Peterson’s new paraphrase of the Bible: He was beaten, He was tortured, but He didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, He took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and He was led off… He died without a thought for His own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried Him with the wicked, threw Him in a grave with a rich man, Even though He’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush Him with pain. The plan was that He give Himself as an offering for sin so that He’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life…. Out of that terrible travail of soul, He’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad He did it. Through what He experienced, my Righteous One, my Servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly— the best of everything, the highest honors… If we had time I could show you other passages in the Old Testament, some of them pre-dating Isaiah. But I’d also like to point out that Jesus Himself predicted His death and resurrection. Now, none of us can even predict our death. I don’t know if I’m going to die an hour from now, a week from now, a year from now, or fifty years from now. I don’t have a single idea. But from the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection with great specificity. He told His enemies, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days.” He said, “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights, so the Son of Man will be in the earth for three days.” He told the disciples as they left Galilee the last time, “We’re going up to Jerusalem, and I’m going to be crucified and three days later rise again.” Everything that happened was predicted in advance, according to the Scriptures. The Eyewitnesses (vv. 5-8) Third, we have eyewitness testimony. Look at verse 5-8. …and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also,… Following his resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days, appearing at least 10 times to various individuals and groups. The genuineness and history reliability of these accounts are well attested. Some people assume that Christ only appeared to His hardcore believers. That isn’t true. First, all the disciples were skeptics; none imagined that He would rise from the dead. Second, Thomas was a vocal and determined doubter. Third, James, the Lord’s half-brother, had ridiculed and rejected Christ (John 7:1-5). And fourth, Saul of Tarsus was the greatest enemy to His movement. All of these saw and were convinced and changed. The Power of the Resurrection to Change Lives (vv. 8-11) That leads to the fourth evidence presented in this passage—the power of the resurrection to change lives. Look at verses 8-11: Last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. No one has ever been able to explain how a bumbling, frightened, traumatized, scattered, divided group of broken men overnight became the most powerful, outspoken, united advocates for a selfless cause that the world has ever seen. No one has ever been able to explain how the most zealous opponent of Christianity was instantly transformed into the greatest missionary the world has ever known. John Stott wrote: “Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection. It was the resurrection which transformed Peter’s fear into courage, and James’ doubt into faith. It was the resurrection which changed the Sabbath into Sunday and the Jewish remnant into the Christian Church. It was the resurrection which changed Saul the Pharisee into Paul the apostle, and turned his persecuting into preaching.” The Absence of Alternatives (vv. 12-20) There is a final item mentioned in this passage—the absence of alternatives. Nothing else in all the world can provide the kind of hope that we have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Notice these words in verse 13: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then…. And he goes on to present the dire consequences of living in a world that has no hope. Paul says that if the resurrection isn’t true, all we have left is despair. We are of all men most miserable. Our preaching is useless, our faith is in vain, and those who have died in Christ are lost. There is no other truth ever discovered by humanity by which we can be both logically consistent in our thinking and spiritually happy in our souls. Francis Schaeffer wrote in He is There and He is Not Silent: “There is no other sufficient philosophical answer. You can search through university philosophy, underground philosophy, filling station philosophy—it doesn’t matter which—there is no other sufficient philosophical answer to existence.” Only Christianity provides a comprehensive explanation for the reality of death and a satisfying answer for the problem of death; and only Christianity has authenticated its message by providing a leader who actually arose from the tomb. The Bible says that Jesus Christ showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs. Paul said, “Why should it seem incredible to you that God can raise the dead?” If He is the source and center of all reality, if He is the God for whom nothing is impossible, if He created us from scratch to begin with—why should it seem incredible that God would raise the dead. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation, and on that Rock I stand. Recently, I’ve been missing my father and mother a great deal. I’ve been homesick for them. I remember how my dad would sometimes set aside a whole day and spend it with me. I remember when he brought home an old, used bicycle for me and taught me to ride it. I remember the notes he’d send me when I was in college. I remember the wise advice he always gave me. And sometimes I still need that advice, but I can’t call him anymore. I think of my mom and her housekeeping and her homemaking and her prayers and her Bible reading. But I haven’t seen the last of them, and they haven’t seen the last of me. Christ rose from the dead and became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. His resurrection and life is the prototype and prophecy for me and you, if we know Christ as our Savior. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also.” He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live, even if he dies.” And the Bible says, “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” Do you know Him as your Lord? How do you receive Him as Savior? Well, you do it in prayer. You say, “Lord, I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for me. I am willing here and now to turn my life over to you. I’m willing to follow Christ. I repent of my sins, and with Your help I will turn from my sins. I am going to follow Christ, starting today.” Will you pray that prayer? Will you receive Him as your Savior? Will you let this Easter Sunday be your day of new beginning and of new life? THE ENEMY - DEATH Rob Morgan But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ will all be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all his enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:20-26, NIV). Today I’d like to begin a new series of sermons entitled “Night Vision,” about an evil axis of enemies that are lining up in formation to threaten our nation, our families, our values, and the very Christian faith itself. The Bible says that in the last days perilous times will come, and we’re living in those last days right now. There seems to be an all-out assault being waged right now against the Christian faith. It’s coming from all directions. We’re living in a time in which Christian values and the very essence of the Christian faith is under attack in a way that rivals the anti-Christian fanaticism of the Roman Empire. For the next several weeks, I’d like to enroll you in a combat school of sorts as we look at the various foes seeking to destroy you and your family and your faith. Ø Next week, we’ll look at militant Islam. Is this the mystery religion of the last days and of the antichrist? Ø Then we’ll look at the increasingly discredited hypothesis of evolution, which undermines all legitimate sense of divine purpose and robs our children of a healthy basis for self-image. Ø Then we’ll look at Moral Relativism. Is there an absolute morality that undergirds the universe, or are all our values based on nothing more than shifting societal consensus? Ø And finally, we’ll look at the hysteria created by the popular novel and movie, The Da Vinci Code. Is there something to the assertions being raised by this book, or is it nothing more than a flimsy patchwork of historical myths and lies? So I hope you’ll join us every week between now and mid-May for this series of messages entitled Night Vision. But today, on this Easter Sunday, I’d like to begin with the ultimate enemy, the last enemy, the enemy we call death. This is Easter Sunday. It should be a day of great joy and celebration; but if you’ll turn to the right page in today’s newspaper, you’ll find an entire section devoted to obituaries. Many people have died in our city this weekend, and more people will die today, and more will die tomorrow—and there’s never a day in which people are not dying. One day, each of our own names will be listed in that column, and in only a few years none of us who have gathered in this room will be alive. Every member of every generation has a terminal illness, and death is the universal experience. That’s enough to drive us all to utter and irretrievable despair except for one thing—and that’s why we have gathered here today. We have Easter! We have someone who broke the bonds of death and returned from the grave with a sure and certain promise of eternal life. We have a risen Savior! Ø Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also.” Ø He said: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out.” Ø He said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). And 1 Thessalonians 4 says, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NIV). 1 Corinthians 15 says: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (vv. 51-52, NIV). That’s the message we need to hear and to claim as our own. Let me give you a little example. My daughter has a little Chihuahua named Sherman who is deathly afraid of thunder or any kind of thunder-like noise. Of course, all of us are jolted when a thunderclap explodes right over our heads and none of us want to be caught outside during an electrical storm. But poor Sherman is so afraid of thunder that the slightest rumbling from miles away will send him under the bed where he curls up into a tight little ball and trembles like an outhouse during an earthquake. The other day we found him hiding his head under the edge of the sofa. He evidently believed his whole body was hidden away safe and sound, but everything from his neck to his tail was exposed. The other day the highway department did some blasting on Briley Parkway about a mile from our house and Sherman turned up missing. We finally found him late in the day literally in the pantry where he had squeezed behind a sack of potatoes in the corner. Sherman is starting to turn prematurely gray over this. Well, if only our little dog could only understand human English. I could explain to him that he’s wasting a lot of emotional energy on this, because his fear is unwarranted. He’s perfectly safe and sound, in a solid house, inside, and no matter how loud the thunder is, it can’t touch him, can’t harm him, can’t hurt him, and he is absolutely safe and secure, among people who love him—more or less. Well, we’re all like Sherman when it comes to dying. Jesus Christ took the lightening bolt on the cross. He was electrocuted, as it were, by sin and the wrath of God’s holy judgment struck Him dead like a bolt of supercharged destruction. Now all that is left for you and me to face, if we know Christ as our Savior, is the rumbling of a little distant thunder; but, oh, how we worry about it, so much more than we should. Our Scripture reading today, however, was written by a man with a different attitude. His name was Paul, and we often call him St. Paul the Apostle. He spoke on this subject many times. For example: Ø “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have a desire to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you” (Philippians 1:21-24, HCSB). Ø And writing to the Corinthians, he said: “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8, NIV). Ø And then, when the apostle Paul finally did come to the end of his earthly life, as he sat in a Roman prison facing imminent execution, he wrote to his friend, Timothy, saying, “The time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6, NKJV). Kenneth Wuest, in his word studies of the New Testament, wrote, “The word translated “departure” (analuō (ἀναλυω)) is interesting. The simple meaning of the word is ‘to unloose, undo again, break up.’ It meant ‘to depart.’ It was a common expression for death. It was used in military circles of the taking down of a tent and the departure of an army, and in nautical language, of the hoisting of an anchor and the sailing of a ship.” [1] The apostle Paul was a tentmaker by trade, and he knew how to set up tents and how to take them down. Even I know that, and I’m not much of a camper. When my children were younger, we’d sometimes go camping, and we had a big tent from L.L. Bean and I finally figured out how to put it up and take it down. You simply loosed the cords, collapsed the poles, pulled up the stakes, and folded up the tent. It didn’t mean we were all dying. It just meant that we were tired of camping and ready to go home. That’s the word Paul used for dying. He didn’t say, “The time has come for my execution. The time has come for my death.” He said, “I’m tired of camping down here and I’m ready to go home.” He was ready to fold up his tent. “The time of my departure is at hand.” When I travel overseas, I often hear two expressions over the loudspeaker. If I’m getting ready to board my flight, I’m told to proceed on to the departures lounge. And if I’m arriving, I’m told to proceed to the arrivals lounge. There are two sides to any trip. There is the departure and there is the arrival. For the Christians, there are two sides to death when a Christian passes from this life. There is this side and that side. From this side, we are going. From that side, we are coming. If there is a departure, there must also be an arrival. Over the years, I have officiated at many funerals, and I’ve often thought of how strange funerals are. At funerals, we’ve all gathered in the departures lounge. We gather and see our loved one off, and there are tears and a sense of separation. But if only we could see things from the perspective of the arrivals lounge—what a difference it would make! We look at the scene from the leaving side; but if we could only see our loved one as he or she arrives on the other side, we’d have a hard time grieving. Recently as I studied the Bible, it dawned on me that the Scripture gives us considerable information about this, and on the authority of God’s Word, I can describe to you three different welcomes that we receive in the arrivals lounge. The Angels Will Welcome Us When Christians arrive, we are welcomed by angels. In fact, the Bible teaches that angels are an advance welcoming party who come to meet us as we begin the journey and escort us to heaven. They are the conductors that transport us to our heavenly home. Let me show you this in the Bible. In Luke 16:22, Jesus said something very interesting about the death of the beggar Lazarus. In this life, Lazarus was disdained as riffraff. The dogs licked his sores, and he ate the garbage tossed away by others. But Lazarus loved the Lord, and when he died Jesus said he was “carried by the angels” to heaven (Luke 16:22). Let me read this to you from Luke 16:19-22: There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. This is one of the most comforting passages in the Bible about the process of dying if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and one of the most distressing if you don’t know Christ as your Savior. Those who know Christ as Savior never die alone. It’s not a frightening leap into the unknown darkness. There are angels in the world. God created them, and the Bible has much to say about them. Hebrews 1 says that angels are ministering spirits who are sent to serve those who inherit salvation. They were made for our benefit, and one of their jobs is to serve as the ushers and transporters who will carry us to heaven. I believe angels gather around the bedside of dying saints to guard and transport their souls as they slip the bonds of earth and wing their flight to healthier climes. Many times in my sermons on these sorts of topics, I’ve told about one of our dear older members, Mrs. Agnes Frazier, who at the time was the oldest member of our church. She was a woman of deep piety and enthusiastic spirituality. At age 95, her health failed, and I received a call. “Mrs. Agnes is asking for you,” said her nurse. When I entered her bedroom, she was almost too weak to look up at me. Her words were indistinct at times, but it soon became clear that she had wanted to see me because she was curious about “these men.” "What men?" I asked. "I keep seeing these two men," she said. "Two men, dressed in white from head to foot are standing at the foot of my bed. I don’t know what to tell them. What should I say if they ask me something?" “Tell them,” I said at length, “that you belong to Jesus.” That seemed to satisfy her. “Yes,” she said, “I’ll tell them I belong to Jesus.” And shortly afterward, she fell asleep in Christ and those two angels, I believe, ushered her to heaven. Once after I had related that story, one of our members, Laura Whiteaker, told me of a similar story regarding her grandmother. She was 88-years old and living in a nursing home, battling the effects of a stroke. One day Laura’s mother, Carol Prichard, went by to visit, and when she entered the room she knew instantly that something wasn’t right. She later told me, “Grandma was in bed and we could see that she was not well. I walked over to her bed and said, ‘Grandma this is Carol. How are you today?’” The bedridden woman recognized her, called her name, but said, “I feel so bad today, but there are angels all around me and they are taking such good care of me.” The old woman’s voice emphasized the words such good care of me. Shortly afterward, she went home to be with the Lord, escorted there by the angels. I’m sure that many of you in this room have similar testimonies about a dying loved one. This is one of the assignments given to angels on our behalf, even as Hebrews 1:13: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Here’s another way to think about it. When our souls slip out of our bodies to go to heaven, they have to travel over an expanse of either dimension or distance or both. The Bible says that Satan is the prince of the power of the air. We know from the book of Daniel that the devil and the demons tried to interfere with prayer requests and with answers to prayer that were traveling through this same zone. The angels are sent by God with His backing and with His power to personally escort us through this enemy territory and to insure a safe arrival on the other side. So the angels are at the head of the line in welcoming believers to their eternal home. Our Friends Will Welcome Us Second, when Christians die we leave some of our friends down here below, but we are instantly reunited with those who have preceded us into heaven. In the passage I referred to earlier, the Luke 16 story about Lazarus, we read that the angels carried him to… the old translations say “Abraham’s bosom.” That’s an old expression that means that he found himself walking down the golden street right beside the most important and famous figure in Old Testament Jewish history—Abraham. People sometimes ask, “Will we know each other in heaven?” Absolutely. We’ll not be more stupid in heaven than we are on earth. I think we’ll know each other instinctively and intuitively. In the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, our Lord enjoyed spending some time with Elijah and Moses, and the three disciples who were there knew instantly who there were. Fellowship with the redeemed of all the ages is a heavenly reality. When King David’s little boy died in the Old Testament, David consoled himself by saying, “He will not return to me, but I will go and be with him.” He was looking forward to seeing his little boy in eternity. After Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, He appeared to His disciples and to many other people and they recognized Him. He retained His identity and was recognizable. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (NKJV). In the book of 1 Thessalonians, the Christians in the city of Thessalonica were concerned about losing touch with those who had passed away; but Paul told them not to worry: Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him…. For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive and are left shall be caught up together with themin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we be with the Lord forever. Sometimes I grow very homesick for heaven. I miss my dad and mom a great deal, and my aunts and uncles. I used to have a houseful of aunts and uncles, and now only one is left; and I miss them. We were a very close family, and I’ve never gotten over my dad and my mom leaving me here alone—but I’m not grieving over it. I’m not wringing my hands and crying my days away and feeling sorry for myself. I’m just looking forward to the moment I see them again. Vance Havner said, “Heavenly homesickness is normal to a Christian.” An old Gospel song says: Friends will be there I have loved long ago; Joy like a river around me will flow; But just one look from my Savior I know, Will through the ages be glory for me. Jesus Will Welcome Us And that leads me to my last point, which you’ve perhaps already anticipated. When Christians slip from earth to heaven, we’re greeted by the angels, by our friends, and most of all by the Lord Jesus Himself. Thus shall we be with the Lord, wrote Paul. In the book of Acts, chapter 7, when godly Stephen was being stoned to death for his faith, we read in Acts 7:56 that he “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God. But as Stephen prepares to make the journey across the vale, Jesus stands to welcome Him. Right now we enjoy the Lord’s spiritual presence through the Holy Spirit. Every day He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am His own. But there’s coming a day when I shall “see Him face to face and tell the story saved by grace.” I know He will be mobbed in heaven, but I also know He will see me and search me out and personally come and welcome me. And I shall behold Him, physically and literally and eternally. Do you have that same sure and certain hope? The Bible says in the passage that I read earlier that the beggar, Lazarus, died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side; but the rich man died and was buried and in hell he lifted up his eyes. The entire teaching of the Bible is consistent on this point. God loves us, but we have sinned and disobeyed Him. There is sin, disobedience, and moral failure in your life and in mine. That sin separates us from God and alienates us from His presence and from heaven. But God entered human history by becoming a sinless man who sacrificed Himself in death on the cross to provide forgiveness and eternal life to those who trust in Him. And we all have to make that decision. You may ask, “How do I do it?” I can tell you using three “Rs”. Ø Repent. You can’t live for Christ and live any way that you want to, in disobedience and rebelliousness. You have to be willing to turn away from your sins as the Lord helps you and enables you to do so. Ø Rely. We are saved by faith. The Bible says that if we confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Ø Receive. You must then receive Him in prayer, confessing Him the Lord and Savior of your life. Today I invite you to do that very thing by repeating this prayer and making it your own: Dear Lord, I confess my sins to you and acknowledge that I’m a sinner. As much as I know how, I repent of my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to save me from sin and to give me everlasting life. I here and now receive Him as my Savior and Lord. Help me to live for Christ from this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen