Describe the He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed process, and to watch for it thorughout the morning message.....

He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything

Song by Aaron Tippin – You’ve Got to Stand for Something

7 then He appeared to [c]James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as [d]to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Now,

after dealing with yet more of the Corinthian church's daily struggles......Paul comes upon the truth of the gospel, and the heart of that gospel knowing that a living resurrected Lord makes a difference in our lives today...

Let me give you an example - on oour way home, we listened to the memorial service of a dear freind of ours we went to college with and did life with in our early years as husband and wife. It was sad, as we looked at the pictures and listened to her kids share about their mom.......but the good news is that she is in the presence of the Lord, and we will see her again....2 Cor 4:14, 5:6-10, John 11,

brothers and sisters....NIV

It is for all of us to hear.....but sadly many do not hear it and believe it.....

You have all heard this before.....1 C0r 3:9

But I want to say it again....

I want you to know....
I want you to remember....
I am reminding you of what we have talked about int he past

What I have preached to you, proclaimed to you.....which seems to be God's prefered method of sharing the gospel....

that you recieved - as truth ast some pointin your past

on which you now take your stand - pf remain unmoveable, hold their ground, emphasis on not moving - you decided at some point in the past that this gospel was worth standing on, and that decision in the past has an impact on how you live today....

(Illus. What does your list of non-negotiables look like? What things do you believe so firmly that you will not budge on them? Is that list based on what the world teaches, or on what God teaches? Has it changed recently? and Why?)

the good news -

that there is good news in the first place

you don't have to stay dead!

either spiritually or physically!

this gospel saves you

if you hold fast......hang on, maintain your current course and speed........

It is good to remember, because apparently we get discouraged sometimes and forget.....

and believe in nothing, or the wrong thing - which is what faith is without the resurrection.....

as Paul reminds us in Romans 10:9-10 - 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Forget what? What Paul is about to remind us about......

The crown of thorns.....

the whip that tore his flesh off his body

the nails that secured him to the cross

Jesus died, he didn't fall into some trance, and he was run through with a spear for good measure......

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The Old Testament is filled with references to the life, death, and burial of Jesus - but we often miss them

The best synopsis of this is the conversation Jesus has on the road to Emmaus

Luke 24:27.........

Highlightt some books on Jesus in the Old Testament

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

vs. 5,6,7 - word appeared stresses being physcially noticeable, visible, "seeable"

not some phantom, a ghost, a mysterious Jesus looking apparition, but as Jesus says in

that is also how he will return, as visible in his return as he was in his post resurrection appearances, and in his ascension, gooing up to heaven.....

How has Jesus appeared to you? What is your story? When you have had an encounter with the Lord, how did you know it was him?

He still lives to prove His victory over death......

This is what you teach new believers

This is how you remind mature believers

This is how you encourage believers who are losing their grip

He is Risen!

LEt's sing an old favorite that reminds us of Jesus victory over the grave.....