Today our text will be 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 12 through 19.

Once you find you way there if you're able I'll ask you to stand and you can follow along as I read beginning in verse 12.

The Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit is writing and says, 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? If verse 13 there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if

Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 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.

For verse 16, if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.

You are still in your sins. Then verse 18, those also who have fallen asleep in Christ, speaking of their death, are lost.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, speaking of their death, are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ,

we are of all people most to be pitied. Would you pray with me? We'll ask God's blessing

on our understanding. Loving Heavenly Father, we need for you now to settle our hearts and focus our attention so that

there's no distraction to keep us from that which you have for us today. Lord, would you bless our time together in your word we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen.

And amen, you can be seated. Thank you.

Today's teaching will be part one of a new series I've titled Why Jesus Had to be resurrected.

Because last week was Resurrection Sunday, verses 1 through 11, was our text, because in it, Paul commences with the addressing of the importance of Christ's resurrection, the all

importance I should say of Christ's resurrection. Now here in verses 12 through 19

we're going to deal not only with the importance of the resurrection, but also the relevance

of the resurrection. And what Paul does here is most interesting for a number of reasons,

as we're going to see. For believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, the resurrection is the foundational doctrine upon which the entirety

of our faith rests. As such, I don't think it's possible to overstate the importance

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