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Deep questions about our origins, our identity, and what lies beyond death have puzzled humanity across every culture and every age. The Apostle Paul confronted these very issues head-on in a powerful passage from 1 Corinthians, recounting a single historical event that changed everything. Discover how this truth transforms not only the way you answer these questions, but the way you live today.
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/eternal-questions-answered
#mlcc #church #churchonline
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/eternal-questions-answered
#mlcc #church #churchonline
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LearningTranscript
00:00to a certain point we like it when our children ask us questions up to a certain point
00:07sometimes parents doesn't seem to be a bit overwhelming all of the questions why why why
00:14i mean but look they're young they don't know anything they'll never learn if they don't ask
00:19any questions but we partially understand it i have a nephew every time you watch a movie with
00:24this guy who's always asking questions who's that girl why is she wearing that dress why are they
00:31driving a poor truck and everyone that's sitting around him says watch the movie please you just
00:37can't stop asking questions and to a certain point parents would like it when our children ask questions
00:43up to that point husband and wife were kind of tag teaming it with working and so one was home
00:49always
00:50with the children while the other one was at work and so they're tag teaming it one night the wife
00:56was talking to her husband she said you know the boys have been asking me about religion sex life
01:03and death when you're alone with them what do they ask you the husband thought for a session he said
01:11they would ask me where's mommy at
01:13what do we go when we're adults and we have questions it doesn't stop when we're children
01:25even as adults we have deep heart-filled questions and where do we turn for answers
01:31where do we go to find that which our heart yearns to know but doesn't know where do we go
01:40you all know charlie brown and charles shoots peanuts he was concluding one time you know how
01:45he's pessimistic sometimes charlie brown is he was concluding one time he says in the book of life's
01:51questions the answers are not in the back it certainly would be nice if we had one book that could
01:59give us
01:59all of oh wait we do have a book that could give us the answer man
02:08in every civilization in every people group there are three questions that they all ask you can do it
02:16you can go around and do surveys for every civilization and every people group they may
02:21be formed a little differently than what i'm going to give you right now but every single group
02:24ask these three questions these are probably the three questions that all of us have asked at one time
02:34where did we come from
02:38where's our orange why am i the way that i am or why are we as people the way we
02:46are as people
02:48and the third question is this what happens after we die
02:54is that it is it is it over with
02:59and you have probably asked these exact same questions before
03:03where did i come from why am i the way that i am and what happens after i die is
03:08there something else
03:09after death now the first two questions we can do research and we can study we can look into the
03:16origins of man which there have been lots of research done into that you come up with some
03:20theories we can look at civilizations today and do research among those people groups and find out
03:27perhaps why they are the way that they are so those two things we can perhaps answer those two questions
03:33but the third question what happens after i die how do we answer that one
03:39i mean there have been numerous people that have said i've had a near-death experience and they've
03:43been told about how they've transcended their body and they looked down upon the operating room and
03:48and those are numerous and they're similar all of them are somewhat the same
03:53but the question is were they really dead i mean did they die and come back i don't know i'm
03:58not a doctor
03:58i have no idea
04:01but for me to be fully satisfied to the answer of this question what happens after i die
04:07is it over with or is there something else for me to be fully satisfied with this question with the
04:12answer to this question i want to talk to someone who has been dead for a number of days
04:19i want to ask them what did you experience where were you and when they came back to life i
04:27want
04:27them to tell me all about it that's going to fully satisfy me is to actually talk to somebody who
04:32was
04:33dead and is now alive that will give me i think the answer to my question what happens after i
04:40die
04:42there's only one person that fits that description there's only one person who went into death
04:50was dead for three days and on the third day rose again he can answer that question for us
04:57what happens when we die is there life after death he only can answer that question for us
05:04and that's where we come to our text this morning if you have your bibles if you'll look at first
05:0813th chapter 15
05:11i'm sure you're quite familiar this is a resurrection chapter has a lot to do with the resurrection not
05:16only teaching of what the resurrection is about what does the body look like when it's raised and that
05:21glorious ending or death where you're staying or death where is your victory concludes when we are
05:26more than victors in christ what a wonderful chapter chapter 15 of corinthians but time prohibits us
05:33from going through the entire thing lord would you want to listen to me for all that time so we're
05:37going to restrict it to a few verses we're going to primarily look at verses 12 through 19
05:44and answer the question is there life after death or is death the end
05:51let me read to you verses 12 to 19
05:57now if christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead how can some of you say that there is no
06:04resurrection of the dead but if there is no resurrection of the dead then not even christ has
06:11been raised and if christ has not been raised that our preaching is in vain and your faith is in
06:18vain it's worthless it's worthless it's useless we are even found to be misrepresenting god
06:25because we testified about god that he raised christ who we did not raise if it is true that the
06:31dead are
06:32not raised for if the dead are not raised not even christ has been raised and if christ has not
06:39been
06:39raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins then those also who have fallen asleep or
06:47who have died in christ have perished it's out it's over with for them yet in this life only we
06:55have
06:55hoped in christ which of all people most to be pitied i had to scratch my head there in verse
07:03number 12 when i get to that verse and among the corinthian church there were some people that said
07:09there is no resurrection of bodies there's no general resurrection i had to scratch my hands and wing
07:15setting paul came and preached the gospel to you he said jesus died for our sins according to the
07:21scriptures he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures so i'm thinking
07:26you have to believe that to become a christian that's necessary to believe the resurrection of
07:31christ then how can there be just this general question well there is no resurrection of the dead
07:37you believed in the resurrection of christ why don't you say that there's a resurrection of all people
07:42why the question i have just back to my head i think it's because just like them
07:49just like us we're we are impressed by our culture our culture tells us certain things
07:57teaches us certain things and we begin to assimilate that into our thinking to our way of living for
08:04example in our culture today people say no it is impossible for someone to rise from the dead
08:09when the heart stops beating that's it it's over with you can't rise from dead especially after three
08:14days being into it impossible it's not going to happen that's what the culture around us tells us
08:19it's impossible to rise from the dead for them it was most likely that this philosophy that they
08:26grew up with this greek philosophy that the body itself was an evil thing as plato once said the body
08:34was a prison house that shackled the soul and the whole goal was to set the soul and the spirit
08:39free to
08:39sow back to the heavens where they came from and to get rid of this body so for the greek
08:44mind the
08:44body was an evil evil thing and so perhaps they're thinking well if you erase this evil body from the
08:50grave there's no evil in heaven why would you want to raise an evil body and take it to heaven
08:54that
08:54doesn't make any sense perhaps that's what they're thinking so impressed by their culture they brought
08:58this into their way of thinking i don't know i do know the culture does influence the way we think
09:10and i can only come to two conclusions when i look at this passage when when they they don't question
09:15christ's resurrection but they question their own resurrection they question whether they will be
09:20raised from the dead so i had to come to two conclusions one is first of all because they felt
09:26jesus was a
09:27divine being he was a special sort of person he is unlike anyone else and no one else's life can't
09:35end that when you raise from the dead that's cool but we're not going to raise from the dead because
09:39he's different than we are that's possible or they could have thought you know jesus really didn't
09:45spiritually rise or didn't bodily rise from the grave he just came up spiritually we want to leave that
09:50dirty old evil body in the grave let's just have a resurrected spiritual jesus perhaps that's their thinking
09:57but paul comes back and says listen let me answer your question here by stating a very obvious fact
10:04and the obvious fact was jesus is risen he truly is alive and some of you perhaps have even seen
10:13him
10:14i have falsehood it's such a brilliant argument it's a simple argument there is a resurrection from the dead
10:22because jesus himself rose from the dead okay it's an obvious argument
10:30jesus had a real body that really died that really suffered on the cross we know when we go through
10:36the
10:37gospels we leave an invaded brain and he slagged got tired
10:43was crucified and he died he had a real body and for that greek mind to accept that fact perhaps
10:49it was a
10:50little bit overwhelming for them but they want paul says listen his body died was placed in the tomb
10:55and on the third day it grows again it's alive he withered there is a resurrection for the dead
11:02that bodily resurrection there's a look throughout the new testament stop over and over remember jesus
11:07after his first miracle he said listen if you destroy this temple in three days i'll rise it up
11:12again and the jews said wait a second it took nearly 40 years to build this thing what do you
11:16mean
11:16you're going to raise it in three days jesus then said he's talking about his body not the physical
11:23temple or sacrifices for being offered that he promised us that he would raise from the dead
11:29after three days as a matter of fact the apostles preached that message in acts 4 and as they went
11:34speaking to the people the priest and the captain of the temple and the sadducees came upon them
11:38those sadducees that didn't believe in a resurrection
11:42greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in jesus the resurrection
11:47from the dead paul says listen i'll tell you there is a general resurrection there's a resurrection
11:53of all people because jesus rose from the dead
11:58after the resurrection they decided to touch him they could feel as a matter of fact they were kind
12:02of scared too at one time remember when he came into the upper room doors being locked he appeared to
12:07them they were afraid he says listen it's not a spirit touch me feel me it's really me spirit doesn't
12:13have flesh and bones i'm alive
12:19resurrection of christ is our central hope for justification it is our only hope that we can
12:27have forgiveness of sins that he truly rose from the grave if he's dead still in the grave there is
12:33no hope for us there's no hope as a matter of fact we might as well just eat drink be
12:40married and have
12:41a great time because tomorrow it's over with if he never came out of the grave
12:48he promised us could you imagine a savior who lied how trustworthy would be a savior who said i promise
12:57i'll come back to life on the third day i promise i'll rise again i promise you that and then
13:01he doesn't
13:02how could we trust the savior like that how can we trust anyone who would lie to us about something
13:07so very important about what happens after i die is there life after death and one to give a false
13:13witness about that we wouldn't even believe it why trust him you wouldn't want to see if jesus
13:19hasn't been risen from the dead there would be no way of us knowing for sure that his death was
13:25any
13:26better than any other death if any other person has ever died our faith would be in vain it would
13:32be useless to believe in someone who could promise us one thing and then lie to us on the other
13:36side
13:37who didn't really come out of the grave who really didn't pay for our sins on the cross because his
13:41body remained in the grave our faith would be useless there would be no purpose to it
13:49and also we would never know if there was anything on the other side of that we never know if
13:56he stayed
13:56in the grave we would not have our hands we wouldn't know the verse number 19 as paul wraps up
14:04his
14:04his brilliant but obvious argument listen there is a resurrection of the dead you know why because christ
14:10is risen from the dead i've taught it i've preached it i've even seen it myself paul says it is
14:16a true
14:16fact and verse number 19 when he wraps up the whole thing he says listen there is a result for
14:22us in
14:22believing in the resurrection of the dead there is a result in us knowing that christ has risen and we
14:27will rise again someday too you see as a believer there are sacrifices that we make in this life when
14:34we
14:34serve and love other people we place their interests above our interests we serve them even sometimes when
14:40we're exhausted and tired we put out and we serve because we love people we make sacrifices
14:47and paul's saying we make sacrifices in this life it's based on the hope of the life to come
14:54if there is no resurrection then it would be better let's just eat and drink and tomorrow we're going to
14:59die it doesn't matter what we do in this life then if there's no resurrection but it does matter paul
15:03said
15:04because if we only hope in this life of christ if there's no afterlife we're all meant to be pitied
15:09of
15:09home when people cast off the idea of life after death anything goes look at our society
15:18it's interesting how paul ties morality to immortality if you think that when you die it's
15:25over with then guess what live any way you want because it doesn't matter then
15:29isn't that what people do today i like your sneakers so i pull out a gun and i shoot you
15:35take
15:35your sneakers why because when life is over with that's it there is no judgment there's no place
15:40to stand there's no heaven to go to there is no resurrection of the dead i just do whatever i
15:45want
15:45in life and look at our society we have abandoned the idea of life after death in our society and
15:51look
15:51what's happening now children and young adults and adults are making decisions based on what's best for
15:58them in their life to maximize their pleasures and to minimize their pain and they don't care about
16:03anyone else around them because it really doesn't matter does it there is no life after death
16:08doesn't matter when we die it's over with our culture tries to press that upon us
16:17around people are breaking the moral moral ties around to left to right because they have such an
16:23animalistic view of life and then my diet's over with that's it you don't believe there's a life after
16:29death it becomes all about me me me jesus talked about this when he was talking about the end times
16:41he
16:41says that because of lawlessness and because lawlessness will be increased the love of many will grow cold
16:50paul says to timothy the last book that he wrote for people will be lovers of self
16:56ungrateful unholy look around us we have cast off the idea of life after death and now we're living
17:02any way that we want to and paul says no wait a second that's not right there is a life
17:07after
17:07death there is a resurrection of the dead and the reality is tied to the afterlife we live now and
17:13serve
17:13and love now because we realize one day we will be resurrected and stand before god that's why we do
17:18it
17:20to undergo persecution like they were sacrifice for a false cause man that would be pathetic indeed
17:27wouldn't it
17:30lives have worth a purpose because he was resurrected to life there is a resurrection of the dead
17:35jesus rose and is alive today all of our serving and loving and giving of ourselves for the sake of
17:42humanity finds its ultimate meaning in the fact that we too will be raised from the dead
17:50someone asked you how do you know there's life after death the answer you can give them is because
17:56jesus is alive he went through death and came out on the other side and told us all about it
18:03say ah yeah well how do you know there's life after death because jesus lives because he is alive today
18:08we
18:09know that there is life after death because one who is dead and now is alive has told us all
18:13about it
18:15there is life after death it's not finite death is not a period with jesus it's a common
18:24so it is with us there will be a transformation of our natural body into a spiritual body that houses
18:32our spirit and our soul and finally making us whole in that great resurrection day because he lives we will
18:40Czyli mbill nzz you're probably watching the news lately midwest is a mess right now
18:48in pacific missouri on good friday your report came in
18:53the merrimack river at that point on friday had not crested yet it was about to crest
19:02and yet already in the city
19:03there was over 4 feet of water
19:06rising up into the city
19:09completely engulfing about 10 blocks of Pacific
19:11and Florida
19:13all day Wednesday and Thursday and all into the night
19:15Randy and a bunch of
19:18friends filled 10,500
19:20sandbags and placed them
19:22around his business slash house
19:24right there in the middle of town
19:25of Pacific, Missouri
19:28hopefully to keep the water out
19:33they also installed
19:34five sump pumps, any water that slipped
19:36through the sandbags, pumped back out
19:37so he didn't lose his house, his business
19:42finally the water is about 4 feet
19:44higher around Randy's business
19:46but very little water had come
19:48in and at that time
19:50the news crew was interviewing Randy
19:51they had a long boom mic and he's on
19:54the other side of the sandbags and the news
19:56crew was standing actually in the water
19:57with a boom mic over there to Randy
20:00and Randy was telling about all the sandbags
20:02they put up, how important it was
20:04that they didn't lose their house
20:05and their business
20:07and as the news crew interviewed him
20:10glancing at the rising water
20:12Randy seemed to say
20:13you can't have my house
20:18whatever
20:19can't have
20:25on that resurrection day
20:28the father looked down to death
20:31and said
20:32you can't have my son
20:43and the tomb began to shake
20:45and like lightning from heaven
20:48the stone was rolled away
20:49and as dead men the guards
20:52they all stood there in fright
20:53as the power of love
20:55displayed its might
20:58then suddenly a melody
20:59filled the air
21:01writing wings of wind
21:03it was everywhere
21:04the words all creation
21:06had been longing to hear
21:08the sweet sound of victory
21:11so loud and clear
21:13arise my love
21:15arise my love
21:17death no longer
21:19has a hold on you
21:20no more testing
21:22no more suffering
21:23arise
21:25arise my love
21:26maybe he came out of that too
21:29Sid
21:30where are your shackles
21:31death where is your sting
21:33hell has been defeated
21:35the grave
21:36could not
21:37hold the king
21:39that's why we're here
21:42because he lives
21:43we can know
21:44because he died
21:46we can have life
21:48because he ever lives
21:50to make intercession for us
21:51we can live this life
21:53loving humanity
21:54loving one another
21:56and serving one another
21:57because there is a resurrection
21:58from the dead
21:59it all does matter
22:01Yvonne if you would
22:02come up now please
22:03we have a couple of
22:04last closing hymns
22:06great powerful songs
22:07about the resurrection
22:08of Christ
22:09let me ask you
22:10as she's coming up
22:12maybe you question
22:13whether there is
22:14actually life after death
22:15you're not too sure
22:16about this Jesus
22:17this Jesus thing
22:18maybe you really
22:20don't know
22:20whether or not
22:21you believe
22:21that he rose
22:22after death
22:22on the third day
22:23let me ask you
22:24would you consider it
22:29would you open up
22:30your heart long enough
22:31to talk to someone
22:32and say
22:32you know
22:32I really am not sure
22:33I'm not closing it out
22:35but I really don't know
22:36for a fact
22:36but I want to know
22:37is it really true
22:38Jesus rose from the dead
22:40because if he rose
22:41from the dead
22:42then he can give me
22:42some answers
22:43that I'm looking for
22:44would you be willing
22:45to talk to somebody
22:45about that
22:46I'll be down here
22:47in the front
22:48there's other men
22:48and women here
22:49that I can talk to
22:49about how you can
22:51know this resurrected
22:52Jesus
22:53for the grave
22:54could not hold
22:55the king
22:55and you can be
22:56introduced to this
22:56king today
22:57you can find out
22:58what it means
22:59to have forgiveness
23:00to have eternal life
23:01to make a life
23:02that really counts
23:03for something
23:04in this world
23:05if you say
23:06I don't know
23:06I really would like
23:07to know
23:07come see me
23:08ladies
23:09come see one of
23:10the other men
23:10and women here
23:11of medical aid
23:11community church
23:12they can help
23:13you know
23:13that there is
23:14life after death
23:16for the one
23:17who has been
23:18through it
23:18testifies
23:19that he lives
23:20forever
23:20and so have we
23:22let's pray
23:24heavenly father
23:25I thank
23:27such a simple
23:28argument
23:28there is a
23:30resurrection
23:30because Jesus
23:32rose from the dead
23:34and father
23:34that is our
23:35great whole day
23:36you rose your son
23:37you raised your son
23:38from the grave
23:39on that third day
23:41he arose
23:43not dead
23:44not some mommy
23:45corpse
23:45but a living
23:47savior
23:49the one who
23:50has all power
23:50to forgive
23:51one has all
23:53power to release
23:54us from the
23:54shackles of sin
23:55to set us free
23:56to rejoice
23:58in the victory
23:58that he has
23:59bought
23:59to enjoy
24:01his life
24:01that is eternal
24:02father you
24:04gave that
24:04for us
24:05we thank you
24:06and on this
24:08day we
24:08celebrate the
24:09truth
24:10that Jesus
24:11rose from
24:12the dead
24:12that he lives
24:13today
24:14the whole
24:15making live
24:15and last
24:16father
24:17I ask
24:18Jesus
24:18to him
24:19amen
24:20amen
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