1 Corinthians Lesson 15

I Corinthians

Lesson 15

I Cor. Chapter 15 -- The "Resurrection" Chapter - Part 2

The Gospel and Eyewitness proof of the Resurrection

Hi and welcome back to our study of 1 Corinthians.

In Lesson 14, we did an overview of Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, a chapter which is often referred to as the "Resurrection Chapter" since it teaches about the literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We also noticed that there are several other very important, but related, topics which Paul discussed as he answered specific questions concerning Christ's literal resurrection.

In fact, there are so many very important things discussed in Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians that we are going to take several lessons in this course to study them in more detail. Why? Well, because these are such important topics that we really do not want to rush through them or give them "short shrift."

So with that in mind, let's begin.

In this lesson we will look at verses 1 through 11 (included here for you) but, before you read these verses, look back at lesson 14 and see what you recorded as the topics (subjects, the ".... now concernings") that Paul was answering when he wrote these 11 verses. Write those questions (topics) on the line preceding these verses. This will serve as a "subject heading" for this lesson and these verses.

>>>>>>>>>>Pause while you write the questions (topics, subjects) being discussed in verses 1-11

on the line preceding them.>>>>>>>>>>

Great ! And now that you have "titled" this section with your title, I guess you are wondering what I wrote. Wellllll, I titled this section with 2 questions. They were: What is the Gospel? and Is there eyewitness evidence (proof) that Jesus literally physically rose from the dead?. And, since this is a rather long title, I had to write it verrrrry small. And, to be honest, I didn't write everything on one line, Indeed, it took me two lines, with one question on each, to title this section. And, I assume you did likewise. So this is to encourage you that if you didn't put your answer on one line, that is ok.

Ok, now that we have written the questions (subjects, topics), it is time to read these first eleven verses. And, as always, we will be reading with a purpose. And, our purpose on this first reading will be to mark every occurrence of the word GOSPEL or any word used in place of the word, Gospel, ( such as : it, which, word, what I received, this, etc.) The way I will mark these words is by drawing a tiny brown book on each word. But you can use a square or a circle or whatever symbol you wish to mark each occurrence of these "gospel" words. And of course, you may use any color you wish. I choose brown because it reminds me of a leather cover on an important book. And, as always, if you prefer to use a different translation or your own personal Bible, you may do so. These verses are just provided as a help for those of you who may not have Bibles or who would rather use the text in these lessons so it will be readily available for review, etc.

Ok, you have your assignment. So now read verses 1-11 and mark all the "Gospel" words.

1 Corinthians 15 (niv)

_____________________________________________________

1. Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5. and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers 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. 9. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Great! I see that you have finished reading and marking. But, we are not finished. There is still more to do. So, your next assignment is to read these 11 verses again. And, this time, as you read, using the same color that you used to mark the Gospel words (in my case, you will recall, it was brown), underline the facts of the Gospel. (for example, the first "fact" that I underlined is "by this gospel you are saved". The second "fact" is "that Christ died for our sins".) Ok, you have your assignment. So, stop now and do it!

>>>>>>>>> Pause while you underline the "facts" of the Gospel >>>>>>>>>>

Finished? Ok. Great. Now, looking at what you underlined about the Gospel. In the space provided below, list the facts about the Gospel. I will begin this list with the facts I gave you in the example. You continue the list with the additional facts you discovered.

What is the Gospel?

1. By this gospel you are saved.

2. Christ died for our sins.

Wonderful! You have listed the Gospel in a nutshell. And it would be wise for you to memorize this list of "facts" because it is the basics, the essentials, the "what you need to know and to believe" in order to be saved.

In case you are wondering what I wrote in that list. It was: 1. By this gospel you are saved. 2. Christ died for our sins. 3. Christ was buried. 4. Christ was raised on the third day. 5. Christ appeared ...

Now, re the "He, Christ, appeared.." part of the list. I did not list all the appearances because I was trying to keep this simple (easier to memorize that way) and to just note the fact that He, Christ, did appear after He rose from the dead.

But, the fact that He did appear IS VERY IMPORTANT because this is proof of His resurrection.

So, now, let's consider these reported resurrection appearances. And, to do that, we need to read these 11 verses again. And, this time, as you read, underline or highlight in RED every appearance of Christ after He rose from the dead. (For example, the first appearance that I underlined is "He appeared to Peter". Ok, again, you have your assignment. So, now it is your turn. Read verses 1-11 and underline or highlight in red every appearance of Christ after He rose from the dead.

>>>>>>>>>> pause while you underline the resurrection appearances of Christ>>>>>>>>>>>

Ok. Finished again? Great. And now. let's list (in the space provided below) these appearances.

Christ rose from the dead and appeared to (was seen by)

1. Peter

...

And, believe it or not, this is not the total list of those to whom Christ appeared There were other appearances which are also recorded in the New Testament .

Let's look at some of those other appearances now. Some you have already recorded in the list above, but you will find them described in more detail. And some are different appearances which Paul did not include in his list but which are also very important eyewitness accounts (proofs) of the actual literal physical resurrection of Christ after His death. Yes, Christ DID arise literally and physically from the dead ! Wow!

Printed here for you are 2 places in the New Testament (in John and Luke) where resurrection appearances of Christ are recorded. I am including the entire chapter in each instance so you can read these events in their context. As you read these following passages, again, underline in RED the person or persons to whom Christ appeared. Then add them to the list above as #7, # 8, etc.

John 20

1. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3. So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7. as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10. Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11. but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12. and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16. Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17. Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

19. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20. After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22. And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." 24. Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26. A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27. Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28. Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29. Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

30. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

.mm

Luke 24

1. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3. but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6. He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7. `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8. Then they remembered his words. 9. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

13. Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16. but they were kept from recognizing him. 17. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19. "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21. but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23. but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25. He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 33. They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34. and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35. Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39. Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43. and he took it and ate it in their presence.

44. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47. and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48. You are witnesses of these things. 49. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

50. When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Wow! Was that astounding or what? Yes!!!! Astounding, amazing, and wonderful!!! Christ really did rise from the dead !! And He appeared to many many people. WOW !

Think now about what you have just read about these resurrection appearances of Christ. And, as you think about these things, answer the following questions.

1. Did these appearances seem to be of a "ghost"? or of a literal physical body?

2. Explain your answer (hint: Can a ghost or a spirit body eat fish? Can a ghost or a spirit body be touched?)

3. Do these appearances as recorded here "ring true" to you as you read them? Or do they sound like "made up stories" or stories of people who are hallucinating?

4. Explain your answer.

5. As you read these verses, did you notice that the Gospel was summarized again?

6. Yes, you did, I am sure. In Luke 24:44-47, for example, we find some of the same facts about the Gospel that you already have listed. Reread those verses and underline the "gospel facts" you see there. Then list them here:

7. Also, speaking of the "gospel facts", did you see anything in these passages in John and Luke which explain what Paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians re. ".. according to the scriptures...."

Yes, I am sure you did.

8. So, summarize what you discovered about this ("...according to the scriptures....") comment in the space below. (Hint: re read 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Then, re read the John and Luke passages and when you see any verses which help you understand what this meant, underline or highlight the verses which are shedding light or explaining what Paul meant when he said that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.." . For example, in Luke where Jesus is talking with the two on the road to Emmaus.)

And, these verses in the New Testament are not the only places, of course, where the ".... according to the Scriptures..." is relevant. You noticed, for example, when Jesus was talking to the two on the road to Emmaus, that He reminded them of many places in the Old Testament which had predicted these events (the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) which had now been fulfilled completely by His (Jesus) life, death, burial, and resurrection.

It would be a good project for you to look up some of those places (and there are MANY!) and make a list of the prophecy and the fulfillment. You will be astounded at how perfectly, correctly, and accurately the Old Testament predicted and foretold the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We don't have time in this study to read and study all of these Old Testament predictions. Indeed, there are so many that they alone could comprise and entire Bible Study course with many many lessons.

But, let's look at one of these passages, a passage which is a detailed and specific prophecy of Christ's death on the cross, just to give you an idea of how accurate the predictions of Christ, the "...according to the Scriptures...." were. Let's look at Isaiah 53. (printed here for you). And, as you read this passage, underline in RED, every prophecy that could be considered an "....according to the scriptures...." which was fulfilled by Jesus.

Isaiah 53

1. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2. He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Wow! Is that amazing or what? !!

And I can imagine that you have highlighted or underlined almost the entire text of Isaiah 53 in RED, which is as it should be --because, this passage is definitely a prophecy about the death of the Lord God Jesus Christ! . And it also explains WHY he had to suffer and die.

And, another amazing thing about Isaiah 53 is that, at the time it was written ( in approximately 712 BC ... which was over 700 years before Christ died on the cross), death by crucifixion was unknown. People were not killed that way. Amazing! The prophecies of the Bible are amazing; and they are 100% accurate !!!

In fact, this is such an amazing and important prophetic passage about the Lord God Jesus Christ, that we need to look at it in more detail. Sooooooooo.....

Looking again at Isaiah 53, and in the space provided below, list some of the prophecies which are unequivocally pointing to Christ. Put the prophecy in the column on the left side of the page and in the right hand column, note how Christ fulfilled the prophecy. I will begin with some examples so you can see how to do this assignment. Also, put the verse where you find the prophecy. This will be helpful in the future when you want to refer back to a specific prophecy or to share your insights with others. There will probably not be enough room for you to do this assignment in the space provided, so, feel free to continue your list on a separate piece of paper and then attach it to this list. My list, for example, took over 2 pages.

Isaiah 53 --

a prophecy of the crucifixion

of the Lord Jesus Christ !!!

verse...........the Prophecy .................................... the fulfillment in Jesus

2 ...He grew up ,,,like a tender shoot, ................................ this speaks of Christ's literal life & childhood

.........and like a root out of dry ground.....................................ie. He wa a real person, not a ghost.

2. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, .............he was beaten horribly before being placed on the

........nothing in his appearance that we should desire him..........cross, and then, on the cross was bleeding and dying

mmm

Whew! what an awesome list of prophecies which Christ fulfilled in every aspect ! Astounding.

And again, as we mentioned earlier, Christ not only fulfilled all these prophecies concerning his death, prophecies which were written over 700 years before the event, but, this passage (Isaiah 53) also explains WHY Christ had to suffer and die!

In fact, let's look at that now. Why DID Jesus have to die? i.e.. What was the purpose of His death? And, before we answer this very important question, let's re-read Isaiah 53. And, this time, as you read, look specifically for WHY Jesus suffered and died. ( i.e.. you will be looking for the REASON / PURPOSE for His death.) As you find verses or phrases which give you this answer, underline them in BLACK. (Hint: look especially carefully at verses 4,5,6,10,11, and 12.) Then, after you have underlined the appropriate information, summarize what you learn in the space below.

The REASON Jesus had to die !

i.e.. the PURPOSE of His death was to....

Ok, I see that you have finished. And, WOW, this is truly astounding. A prophecy written in the Old Testament over 700 years before Christ's crucifixion actually foretold His death AND explained WHY it was necessary!

And, I assume that you correctly underlined such phrases as: "4. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. .... 10. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

So, yes, you are correct if you said, in your summary statement, something to the effect that : Christ had to die because we are all sinners and as such are deserving of the death penalty. But instead of you or me having to personally pay this death penalty (and, gasp, go to hell for our sins), He, Jesus, took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows and paid the death penalty for my sins (and yours).

As a result, now I (and you and anyone who will accept His gift of His substitute death) can ask for and receive forgiveness for all my sins. And, then, because He paid my death penalty for me, I am forgiven for my sins and will live with Him forever, both now and throughout eternity.

Therefore, summarizing again, the purpose (reason) for His (Jesus') death was to die as a substitute sacrifice for us (for you, for me, for all sinners) and thereby, to provide us a way to be forgiven for our sins.

That IS the Gospel and that is Why the Gospel is so important -- because, it explains that He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ... the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. his life was the guilt offering, for your and my sins. And not just for your sins and my sins but, for any and all who will accept His free gift of eternal life. Thus, He can and will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. ... For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Wow! Awesome. Thank You, Jesus. You are truly the Savior, Lord, and God !!!

Be not deceived -- Everyone is a sinner! And, in our hearts, we all know that we are sinners. Even the "best" of us are not "good enough" to come into the presence of God because God is so Holy that He can not look upon even the "simplest" sin (whatever that may be -- but, actually, NO sin is "simple" to God!). Indeed, Isaiah 53:6 reminds us that we are all sinners and are, therefore, in need of a substitute sacrifice to pay the DEATH PENALTY required for sin.: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him (JESUS) the iniquity of us all."

So, None of us is without sin and the penalty for sin is death -- either our death personally or the death of a substitute sacrifice in our place.

For centuries, indeed for millennia, prior to the coming of Jesus to be the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin, God had ordained and required a death (blood) sacrifice to pay the penalty for sins. Until the time of Christ, that sacrifice was the shed blood of perfect (without spot or blemish) lambs, bulls, special birds, etc. But, these were not adequate in themselves. They were only pictures / types that were pointing to (prophetically) the future acceptable and one time sacrifice of the death and BLOOD of the Lord God Jesus Christ as the final and totally adequate substitute death penalty sacrifice. Therefore, Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the fulfillment pictured for millennia in the blood sacrifices of the lambs, bulls, etc. observed by the Jewish people. He was the final and true Lamb of God, spotless and without blemish (i.e. without sin).

So, in the Old Testament times and even in Christ's day, the Jews, being God's chosen people, and knowing of this requirement for substitute BLOOD (death) sacrifices for sins, offered these daily in the temple in the form of perfect lambs, birds, etc. We have discussed these sacrifices in some depth in our Bible Study of the Book of Leviticus so will not go into it further here. That study explains about the various sacrifices, what they represented, and how they pictured (pointed to/prophesied) the future one time final complete and ultimate sacrifice that Christ would and did make for sin; the sacrifice that is being so clearly described and explained in Isaiah 53.

And that final and only acceptable substitute sacrifice was and now is JESUS!

There is NO other way to be forgiven of our sins and to enter into God's presence except through the blood (sacrifice) of Jesus! NO other way! NONE ! NADA ! Regardless of what "man" may say, there is NO OTHER WAY !!! A word to the wise should be sufficient.

Now we know why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 14:1-11, was so adamant to explain and insist on unwavering adherence to the teachings of the Gospel and why he carefully summarized and listed the points of the GOSPEL.

Now we know why there had to be the blood death sacrifice of Jesus and understand why His death AND Resurrection are necessary components of the Gospel.

Now we know that the gospel tells us how to be saved (forgiven of our sins) so that we can spend eternity in heaven with God instead of in hell, which will be the eternal "home" of those who refuse Christ and His substitute death payment for salvation for us.

The Old Testament Prophecy in Isaiah 53 clearly prophesied the future coming of Christ and is exquisitely detailed in its predictions. These predictions (prophecies) found their fulfillment to the letter in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ !

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Paul also listed many, though not all, resurrection appearances of Christ. These resurrection appearances confirm that Jesus' sacrifice was acceptable to God and also confirms that Jesus IS God!

In our next lesson, we will look at more proofs/evidences that Christ rose from the dead and will study why it is necessary to know and to believe that Christ really did literally rise from the dead.

So, with that said, let's close this lesson as we prayerfully and thankfully mediate on these words from Isaiah 53. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all. (Christ's life and death) was a guilt offering that had to be paid as the redemption price for sin. ....He (Christ) poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Thank you, Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for paying the death penalty for my sins!!!

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