Praxis Class Meeting 082822

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Title: What We All Expect

1. Word Prayer (All): “If it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection from the dead?(v.12)” Christians who believe in the resurrection are not afraid of death. God, forgive us for still being anxious and afraid despite being Christians. Christian who believes in the resurrection is the person who looks to heaven. God, forgive us who still think only of the earth and are caught up in the world. Jesus, help us to become Christians who can be bold even in the face of death through faith in the resurrection, just like Christ who was courageous even in the face of the cross of death. Like Jesus, who went to heaven after his resurrection, let us live with a clear hope for heaven. I pray in the name of Jesus.

 

2. Icebreaker: Let's share stories about the people around us who have passed away. Why and how did they die?

3. Singing(Hymn): assigned by leader

4. Reading together: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

12 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? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 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. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (NIV)

 

5. Understanding the Scripture:

[A] Before becoming a Christian, Paul did not believe that Jesus was resurrected. Rather, he believed that Jesus had already died on the cross. However, on his way up to Damascus to arrest Christians, he met the resurrected Jesus (verse 8). Through this event, Paul became a Christian and an apostle preaching the gospel of resurrection. The core content of Paul's preaching was the resurrection of Jesus (verses 3 and 4). The foundation of Paul's Christian life was the resurrection of Jesus. Not only of Paul, but the foundation of the faith of all Christians must also be the resurrection. But in verse 12, Paul rebukes that there are some people among the Corinthians saying that there is no resurrection.

[B] Paul confesses that he fought wild beasts in Ephesus to preach the gospel of Christ (verse 32). Although Paul suffered such hardships, persecutions, contempt, and disdain, the reason he was able to overcome all these things was his faith in the resurrection. Although he suffered briefly in this world, he had the firm hope that he would find eternal peace and rest in the kingdom of God when he was resurrected.

[C] Those who say that there is no resurrection state that life in this world is everything, that death is the end and there is nothing after death. But Christians are those who believe that after death, they come back to life and enter the kingdom of God. A Christian who has this kind of resurrection faith is not anxious, worried, or shaken under any circumstances. That is why, in verse 58, the last verse of this chapter, it exhorts, “My beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, unshaken, and always diligent in the work of the Lord.” A person who has faith in the resurrection is the person who lives holy, truthfully, and earnestly in God until the last moment without being shaken even in the face of pain, suffering, sorrow, contempt, persecution, or even death in this world.

[D] Paul compares the resurrection to a seed in this chapter. The seed cannot tell the original form. However, when the seed is buried in the ground, it sprouts later and develops stems and leaves, revealing its true form. It explains that we humans, like seeds, die and are buried in the ground, then resurrect and be reborn as a spiritual body. Resurrected Christians enter the kingdom of God and meet the God of love. Just as the seed of a plant is different from its original form, our physical body living on this earth is different from our spiritual body that is resurrected after death.

[E] If we are resurrected with our these old and weak bodies, we can become ugly, and moreover, What if we are resurrected with our bodies dead in an accident, it can be ugly. The God of love resurrects our body not as a physical body of this world, but as a spiritual body born again through God's love and power. The resurrected body is not an earthly body, but a heavenly body(verse 40). The heavenly body is said to be a body made in the image of God(verse 49). Christians who believe in the resurrection will be resurrected with a glorious and beautiful body covered with God's love (verse 43).

6  Questions:

6.1. What did some of the Corinthians say (v. 12)?

6.2. Without the resurrection, what is in vain (verse 14)?

6.3. “Those who sleep in Christ” refer to those who died while believing in Jesus. What would happen to such a person without the resurrection (verse 18)?

6.4. If there is no resurrection, who is the most pitiful person in the world (verse 19)?

 

7. Application Questions:

7.1. What did I realize in today's Bible study? What words do you think are most important to you?

7.2. What is my spiritual state right now? What are my prayer lists now?

7.3. Do I believe that if I die, I will be resurrected?

7.4. After the resurrection, in order to enter heaven and see God the Father, what do I have to give up on this earth?

8. Prayer(can add your prayer lists):

God our Father, we know that when everyone lives and dies on this earth, it is not the end, but they are destined to enter either heaven or hell. You said that physical death is not the end, but that all will be resurrected and the children of God among them will enter the kingdom of heaven and meet the God of glory. Jesus our Lord, let us meet the Lord of the Resurrection, and let us imitate Paul's faith, who worked hard for the reward of heaven with unwavering faith. Even if there is a threat of death due to many diseases, tribulation, persecution, suffering, etc., please help us to overcome it boldly with faith in the resurrection. Also, help us to cast away all the filthy and ugly sins on this earth so that we can stand as the holy and pure children of God when we see you in heaven. we pray in the name of Jesus. amen.

9. Praise/ Announcements/

10. End with Lord's Prayer