Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

Checkmate 
Resurrection Of Jesus Christ!  
What If There Had Been No Resurrection of Jesus
Text: I Corinthians 15:1-4 and 12-20
INTRODUCTION:  The Resurrection of Jesus Christ put Sin and Satan in Checkmate - Game Over!  We do not fight for victory but from victory. Today the Victory has already been won on Calvary! Someone once said, “If Jesus Christ is still in that grave, nothing really matters.  But if Jesus Christ came out of that grave, nothing but that really matters.”    The empty cross and the empty tomb are God’s “receipts” telling us that the debt has been paid.  Jesus Christ is not only the Savior, but He is also the Sanctifier (Rom. 6:4-10) and the Intercessor (Romans. 8:34). 
One day He shall return a Judge (Acts 17:30-31).  What more could the forces of evil do if the one they killed will not stay dead. Jesus Died to Save Us and Arose from The Grave to Keep Us Saved.  The Apostle Paul by inspiration from God gives us a different way to teach about the indisputable Fact of the Resurrection of Jesus!
1. There is an unthinkable question: What if there had been no Resurrection?  What if there had been no Resurrection of Jesus and death had conquered?
2. After Jesus Christ was crucified, He was in the tomb for three days; and then He rose from the grave, conquering sin, and death.
3. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, six tragic things would then be true.
I. PREACHING WOULD BE PROFITLESS       (1 Corinthians 15:14)   1. If Christ is still in the grave, then preaching is an exercise in futility. Belief in the resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith. Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate -  Preaching is Profitable Because Jesus is alive! 
II. FAITH WOULD BE FOOLISH (1 Corinthians 15:14) Faith is no better than its object.  Our faith in Jesus Christ is not worth anything if Jesus Christ is still in the grave.  We know that Jesus is the Son of God because of His resurrection. Romans 1:4, Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate -  Faith Is Fantastically Feasible Because Jesus is alive! 
III. THE DISCIPLES WOULD BE DECEIVERS 
(1 Corinthians 15:15-16)
1. If Jesus is still in the grave, then the disciples would have been false witnesses.
2. The disciples were tortured, persecuted, and died as martyrs.
   a. A man may live for a lie; but few, if any, will die for a lie.
    b. Hypocrites and martyrs are not made of the same stuff. Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate - The Disciples Are Dependable Because Jesus Is Alive! 
IV. SIN WOULD BE SOVEREIGN 
(1 Corinthians 15:17)  We are all sinners by birth, by nature, by practice, and by choice.  If Jesus is still in the grave, then we have no hope of forgiveness. God cannot simply overlook sin. If God were to cease to judge sin, then God would cease to be holy. If Jesus is still in the grave, then that would mean that God did not accept the sacrifice of Calvary. But we know that God did accept the sacrifice of Calvary because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 4:25,  Romans 6:23, Ezekiel 18:20. Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate -  Sin Has Been Subdued, Because Jesus Is Alive! 
V. DEATH WOULD HAVE DOMINION 
(1 Corinthians 15:18)  If Jesus is still in the grave, then death would have dominion.  Because Jesus, in the form of a man, came to this earth, grappled with the iron bars of death, and rose from the grave, then we, too, can have victory over death. Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate -  Death Has Been Defeated Because Jesus Is Alive! 
VI. THE FUTURE IS FEARFUL 
(1 Corinthians 15:19)  Someone once said, “If Jesus Christ is still in that grave, nothing really matters. But if Jesus Christ came out of that grave, nothing but that really matters.”  Without the resurrection, we would be of all men most miserable.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a hope for the future that is steadfast and sure.  Amen, Hallelujah, Checkmate, The Future Is Fabulous, Because Jesus Is Alive! 
CONCLUSION
1. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead:
1. Preaching is profitable.    2. Faith is feasible.    
3. The disciples are dependable.  4. Sin has been subdued.           5. Death has been defeated.  6. The future is fabulous.
The resurrection is God’s “A-men!” to Christ’s statement, “It is finished.”
2. Do you know Jesus Christ? Example: The Story about the Painting: “Checkmate with The Devil. God Our King Always Has One More Move! The Resurrection of Jesus Christ put Sin and Satan in Checkmate - Game Over!