Sermon Title: Two Truths and a Lie
Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:3-26
Reno Campus
Pastor Dave Pretlove
Carson Campus
Pastor Dusty Braun

Campus Announcements / Service Moments
Reno Campus

Carson Campus

Series: Easter 2024
Sermon Title: Two Truths and a Lie
Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:3-26

Truth #1 Doubt or an instinct to reject the resurrection can seem rational.
John 20:24-25

Truth #2 Confident belief in the resurrection is reasonable.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Mark 16:1-8
1 Corinthians 15:3-7

The Lie- The question of the resurrection is irrelevant for my life today.
Romans 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:14-16
1 Corinthians 15:17
1 Corinthians 15:18-19,55-56
1 Corinthians 15:20-25

 

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How do you know that Christianity is true?
2. Why do you find it difficult to believe in the Resurrection? 
3. If you read the story of the Resurrection in each of the Gospels you see minor differences in the details in the story. Does this help or hurt your belief in the Resurrection? 
4. Read 1 Corinthians 15:6. How does Jesus’ appearance to 500 people help you believe in the Resurrection?
5. All but one of the apostles died a brutal death for their belief in Jesus and His resurrection.  How does this fact lend credibility to the Resurrection? 
6. Read John 20:24-29.  There is an idea that people during ancient times were naïve and gullible compared to modern times.  C.S. Lewis coined this “chronological snobbery.”  How does Thomas beliefs about the Resurrection and his subsequent actions in this passage contradict that view?
7. Read 1 Corinthians 15:14.  How is our faith useless if Christ was not resurrected?

 

PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Paul repeatedly parallels Jesus’ death/resurrection with our inevitable death and future resurrection of Christ. Knowing this, how should this influence how we live here and now?
2. What bible stories do you find hardest to wrap your mind around?
3. Try to imagine yourself as one of Jesus’ disciples after his death. What emotions do you have when Jesus appears to you after the resurrection?

QUOTE:

SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON:

• JOHN 14:6 
• JOHN 20:24-29

 

RESOURCES:

• ARTICLE | JOHN PIPER | 8 REASONS WHY I BELIEVE THAT JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD
• ARTICLE | ERIC BAIJAL | THE EYE WITNESSES OF THE REURRECTION 
• BOOK | N.T. WRIGHT | THE RESURRECTION OF THE SON OF GOD
• BOOK | LEE STROBEL | THE CASE FOR EASTER
• PODCAST | SEAN MCDOWELL | THE LATEST CASE FOR GOD

 

MONTHLY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO TRY : Solitude/ Silence

As we wrap up our month exploring Solitude and Silence, I pray this month has been a good moment. Our daily world and experience is one often addicted to busyness. Solitude and silence actively works against what culture tries to form in your life and in your mindset and values. We must have a counter weight. So again I ask, What is Solitude? It is going long periods of time actively trying to do nothing. Make nothing happen. Being present and enjoying the stillness and rest. I hope this month your heart has been made full and your soul has been restored through this discipline.

Colossians 3 discusses putting on the nature of Christ and taking off our human nature so we might enjoy peace. Often times in our own nature, we are not very safe for our selves. We have internal atmosphere of continual self critique, fear, or self loathing and our soul avoids or does not want to take a risk of being still and silent. There must be an intentional exchange. The more we exchange our nature for Christ’s the deeper into solitude and silence we can progress and be comfortable. Jesus invites us in Matthew 11 to come to him and experience true rest. Solitude is the gateway into tangibly embracing the rest Jesus is talking about.

So this week as we end our exploration of solitude and silence:
Find a time and a place to be silent. Retreat into a deserted area to embrace Christ’s nature and intentionally step into solitude and inner peace. Jesus invites his disciples in Mark 6:31 to do this. If it was good for them, it will be good for you.

 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

If you have been to any sort of team building event, attended summer camp, or joined a new small group, you may have played the game ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ at some point. It is intended to be an icebreaker, and a way for people to get to know us while also throwing in a wild random fact – one just wild enough to be the truth, or the lie. I’m 5’7″, I have 3 siblings, and I won a pie eating contest. All of them are fairly reasonable, nothing too crazy to seem like a lie, and why lie about boring facts like these anyway? But when we look at the wildness of scripture like Jonah living in a whale, Noah building an ark without modern construction and waterproofing, and Jesus rising from the dead after a brutal death, some may say ‘those are obvious lies, way too far fetched to be true’. 

But we know that all scripture is God-breathed according to 2 Timothy 3:16. And we know that scripture and Christ’s miracles are backed up through countless eye witness accounts. There are an estimated 500 eye witness accounts to His resurrection, and not to mention over 300 old testament prophecies that foretold His coming. No other book has the references, prophecies, symbolism, numerology, and confirmations than God’s word. The study of biblical numerology alone is fascinating! There was no Google in biblical times, no libraries or research studies. Eyewitness accounts and oral tradition and storytelling was all that they had, and by far the most reliable of their time. 

In today’s world, there is little that AI and visual effects cannot create. Horror and sci-fi movies have been proving this for decades. There is little left to the wonder of imagination or even travel. You can go on Instagram and see someone else’s video of the Northern Lights or Eiffel Tower, and never have to pay to see it yourself. But on the other end, videography and editing can also exaggerate someone’s experience to look ‘picture perfect’ when it in fact is not. Remove this person from the background, brighten this sea water, take out this cloud, make my waist smaller, my skin more tan. It is almost impossible to know what is the truth, and what is a lie. 

This is why we always can rely on scripture, and why we shouldn’t look to culture to tell us what is true or good or bad. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” I can’t think of another scripture that sums up the overall thought process of today – ‘my truth’. It takes faith to live with this point of view. Jesus said in John 20:29 “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” In a day in age where social media is full of fabrication and personal highlight reels and technology can edit anything, nothing can replace being in an intimate community with people. You can’t hide your true self for long when you walk with people day in and day out. 

There were people who walked with Jesus before His death, saw his miracles, and heard His sermons, yet still did not believe. Some saw Him die and walk again, and still did not believe. There will be those of us who thousands of years later who have heard the stories, read the scripture, and even suspected God’s movement around us, will see Him return one day and claim His church, and STILL will not believe. If you question what is the truth and what is a lie when it comes to Christ, His life, and His resurrection, the best place you can go is scripture.  It speaks for itself. – Emma Menesini Women’s Ministry Director

Rob Hans |  Pastor of Adult Discipleship and Connection