Jesus' Resurrection and My Resurrection — Look Back and Meditate
A note on the audio: This lesson's audio is a sermon recording in Korean. The notes below are in English, but pressing play will play Korean speech.
1 Corinthians 15:20-26
Facing Death and Looking Back on Your Life
Life can feel terribly empty in the face of death. Death seems to bring dreams and plans, effort and achievement, and even cherished relationships to an end. Life and death are not far apart. What, then, are you living for, and what answer do you have about what comes after death?
Reflection Questions
Q. Briefly describe the journey of your life so far as Act One, Act Two, and Act Three.
Q. Before you believed in Jesus, how did you think about death?
1. Jesus Christ Conquered Death
First Corinthians presents Christ, raised from the dead, as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Jesus' resurrection does not end as the story of one person returning to life. Just as more fruit follows the firstfruits, those who belong to Christ receive the hope that they too will rise.
Sin and death entered through Adam, but Jesus conquered their power through the cross and resurrection. His resurrection is the news that death does not have the final word. When you trust the risen Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can find a hope within his life that reaches beyond death.
Reflection Questions
Q. Has Jesus' resurrection ever touched you deeply? Consider what spoke to you, or why faith in the resurrection may feel weak within you.
2. Meeting the Risen Lord Brings Remarkable Change
Jesus' resurrection is not confined to a distant event in the past. Scripture shows how the living Lord works even now in those who trust him.
First, He Gives You New Birth and a Living Hope
1 Peter 1:3
New birth—when a heart once dead in sins and transgressions comes alive and receives new life—is joined to Jesus' resurrection. When you trust the risen Lord, new life and a living hope begin within you.
Second, He Protects You by God's Power
1 Peter 1:5
God guards you by his power as you live by faith. This does not mean that life's hardships disappear. It means that he holds you fast so that no circumstance can take away the life and hope he has given you.
Third, He Guards You from the Power of Death Even at Life's End
Family, wealth, and worldly power cannot cross the threshold of death in your place. But Jesus, who conquered death and rose again, holds those who belong to him to the end. You are not alone even in life's final moment; the risen Lord leads you into eternal life.
Fourth, When the Lord Returns, He Will Raise You in a Resurrection Body
When Jesus returns, those who belong to Christ will rise. This present body, which weakens and passes away, is not your final form. God will finally destroy the power of death and bring you into the life of the resurrection.
Reflection Questions
Q. As you listened to the lecture, what did you newly understand about Jesus' resurrection and your own resurrection? Write it down.