"Declared with Power to be the Son of God"

I Corinthians 15:1-20

Easter is the day on which the Christian church historically celebrates the resurrection. 

Yet Christians along with Paul celebrate every day as Christ's victory over sin, over death, and over Hell

First:  Resurrection day fact—of first importance:

            Christ died—declared dead by professional executioners

            Buried—by loving friends

            Rose again—from a sealed and guarded tomb

            Appeared to credible witnesses—

                        Peter (Cephas)

                        The Twelve

                        500 people at once

                        James—church leader in Jerusalem

                        All of the apostles

                        Paul—the least of the Apostles 

First R is a publically verified historical event-

            People who could be trusted with the facts

            People who were well known

            Not a secret resurrection 

Watchman Nee states this about the vitality of the resurrection in his Christian life;

Throughout the centuries, all the living servants of God have had this resurrected Christ living in them. I can also testify that He lives in me, enabling me to do what I never could do in myself. Hallelujah, the Lord Jesus lives! How do we know He lives? As the hymn says, we know He lives because He lives in us (Hymns, #503). We may be persecuted and opposed, and we may suffer very much. But we have the resurrected Christ in us. The more we are opposed, the more alive and active we become. Nevertheless, our testimony is this: Not I, but the grace of God with us.

Christ is the First fruits of those who will rise again?

What are first-fruits?  What does this phrase mean?        

The Feast of First Fruits can be found in Leviticus 23:9-14.

God commanded the people to bring a sheaf of the harvest (Leviticus 
23:10).  Remember, three times a year God commanded the people to come 
to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festivals of Passover, Pentecost , and 
Tabernacles.  All three of these festivals are agricultural harvest 
Festivals.  Passover is the barley harvest.  Pentecost is the wheat 
harvest.  Both of these Festivals are first fruits harvests before the 
final harvest that was to come at the end of the year during the 
Festival of Tabernacles, which is the fruit harvest.

The first fruits were always

·      the choicest,

·      the foremost, 


·      the first,

·      the best,

the preeminent of all that was to follow.  They 
were holy to the Lord. 

The concept of first fruits or firstborn is a 
major theme in the Bible. 

This can be seen by the following Scriptures: 
Exodus 34:26, Leviticus 23:20, Numbers 18:12-15, Deuteronomy 18:1-5, 
26:2-4, and Proverbs 3:9.

Because Christ is the “first-fruits” of those who will be resurrected, then what follows after that?

            Christ finishing his work here on the earth

                        Delivers the kingdom to God

                        Abolishes all rule

                        All authority and power

          Rules until all his enemies are stamped out—finally abolished DEATH

Just as Christ was resurrected and this resurrection was publically verified, He as a type of “firstfruits” guarntees eternal life to all who trust Him. 

          He leads all in resurrection

          He defeats all elements of sin

          He destroys all kingdoms and authorities

We are beginning to see that work now in our world.

                    *********************************************************************************

Watchman Nee states this about the vitality of the resurrection in his Christian life;

倪柝聲弟兄說到復活對他基督徒生活的重要性

Throughout the centuries, all the living servants of God have had this resurrected Christ living in them. I can also testify that He lives in me, enabling me to do what I never could do in myself. Hallelujah, the Lord Jesus lives! How do we know He lives? As the hymn says, we know He lives because He lives in us. We may be persecuted and opposed, and we may suffer very much. But we have the resurrected Christ in us. The more we are opposed, the more alive and active we become. Nevertheless, our testimony is this: Not I, but the grace of God with us.

多少世紀以來, 所有活著的神的僕人們都有這個復活的基督活在他們裡面的經歷. 我也可以見證祂活在我裡面, 使我能作我靠自己不能作的事.  哈利路亞, 主耶穌活著, 我怎麼知道祂活著? 正如詩歌說的, 我知道祂活著因為祂活在我裡面.  我們可能被逼迫和反對, 可能受很多的苦, 但是有復活的基督在我們裡面.  逼迫越大, 我們變得更有生命力.  因此, 我們的見證是: 不是我, 而是神的恩典與我同在.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that
people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we
must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a
level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the
Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His
feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising
nonsense about His being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

CS Lewis

“我試著避免讓任何人經常說出以下關於祂那實在愚蠢的話 :  “我可以接受耶穌為一位偉大的道德教師, 但是我不接受祂自稱為 神”  這是我們不應該說的話.  一個僅僅是人的說出耶穌所說過的話不會是一位偉大的道德教師,他要不是一個瘋子 -  好像一個人說他是個煮熟的蛋 – 或者就是魔鬼.  你必須選擇一個.  這個人要不就是神的兒子, 要不就是瘋子或是更糟糕的.  你可以看祂為蠢人叫祂閉口, 或吐祂口水, 甚至於把祂當鬼怪殺了;  你也可以伏在祂腳前稱祂為主為神. 但是讓我們不要以任何無意義的優越感稱祂為偉大的道德教師.  祂從沒有留下妥協的餘地要我們這樣看祂.”

有一位在非洲的佛教徒信了主,  有人問他:  “為什麼你改變信仰?”

回答是: “就像這樣:  當你到了一個交叉路口, 有兩個人在那裡,

一個是死的, 一個是活的, 你會跟誰走?”