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Daily Devotion: 1 Corinthians 15:15-18

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1 Corinthians 15:15-18    “Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” Since there were a number of Jews in the congregation at Corinth, the Ten Commandments would have been well known to them. Paul points to the law of God to reinforce the gospel he has preached to them by reminding them that the law says “Thou shalt not bear false witness (Exo 20:16, Mat 19:18, Rom 13:9). If God did not raise Christ from the dead, then he is guilty of breaking this commandment. Throughout his declaration of the resurrection, he refers to Jesus only as “Christ.” In this way, he is emphasizing the anointing of God upon the Messiah. He is constantly reminding them that he is not just talkin...
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Daily Devotion: Psalm 139:15-18

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Psalm 139:15-18    "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  (16)  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.  (17)  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  (18)  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." As I begin to write concerning these verses, my mind goes back to verse 6, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it." Such knowledge is too wonderful ... It's filled with might and wonder and power and grace. When I was being formed in my mother's womb, God saw me and knew me. "All my members were written in thy book." I think of the Prophet Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and be...
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Daily Devotion: 1 Corinthians 15:12-14

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1 Corinthians 15:12-14    “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” Are we still “preaching” today that Christ rose from the dead? Paul was not speaking of an academic presentation. He was not pointing to a debate, nor was he indicating that there was any doubt about the matter. It is important to note that Christ “be preached” that He rose from the dead. Preaching is more than just making a speech. Preaching is more than just being a good orator. Preaching implies the leadership and motivation of the Holy Ghost moving men to declare, as ambassadors of Christ, the truth that He reveals in the hearts of His people. Strong’s gives the Greek word translated as “preached” to mean “to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospe...
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Daily Devotion: 1 Corinthians 15:10-11

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1 Corinthians 15:10-11    “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.” Paul readily admitted that he was not worthy to be called an apostle (see verse 9). This is a common theme of those who are truly called by God into His service. They do not consider themselves to be fit or able to serve Him, and truly, in our own strength, we are not. David recognized that every man in his best state is altogether vanity (Psa 39:5). There is only one thing that can change the situation for us. It is not our will or our works. We were what we were (as was Paul) according to our sinful nature, but by the grace of God we are made a new creature. By His grace alone, we are quickened from death unto life, and by His grace alone, we are called and blessed to become the s...
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Daily Devotion: Psalm 139:14

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Psalm 139:14    "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." I encourage you to read the entire 139th Psalm. We will likely come back to this Psalm tomorrow. We read in Revelation chapter 4 that the four beasts around the throne of God "... rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Then we read of the four and twenty elders that they "... fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." That can be found in Revelation 4, verses 8, 10, and 11. By faith we understand that whatever they are seeing is more glorious than anything we have ever laid eyes on while going through this lif...
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Daily Devotion: 1 Corinthians 15:7-9

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1 Corinthians 15:7-9    “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Paul began, in the third verse of this chapter, to lay out again the gospel that he had preached in the church at Corinth. He declared unto them how that Christ died for our sins, how that He was buried, and how He rose again on the third day. This was all done according to the scriptures. He then proceeds to lay out to them a list of witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, many of whom were still alive at that time. In this seventh verse, Paul continues to confirm that Jesus rose from the dead by naming further witnesses. Paul obviously felt it important to give them an over-abundance of testimony to the resurrection of our Lord. It was easy enough to believe that He had died since this was something that men...
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