Hello, friend. Welcome to Authorized Sword Ministries.

We're so glad you're here.

Today we're looking at the very heart of the gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Everything we believe stands or falls right here. So let's open the Bible and see what God says.

Our Key Verses

Here are our key verses. First Corinthians 15:1-4.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" — 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV)

Look at what Paul calls "first of all." Three things. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. And He rose again the third day.

That's the gospel. That's the good news. Let's take each part one at a time.

Christ Died for Our Sins

First, Christ died. They took Him to a place called Calvary, and there they crucified Him between two criminals.

Jesus didn't faint. He didn't just pass out. He truly died. John tells us what happened at the very end:

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." — John 19:30 (KJV)

And the soldiers made sure of it:

"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." — John 19:33-34 (KJV)

But notice the words in our key verses. "Christ died for our sins." He didn't die for His own sins. He had none. He died for ours. Peter says:

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" — 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

The just for the unjust. Friend, that's Jesus taking your place.

He Was Buried

Second, He was buried.

That might seem like a small detail. But it matters. You don't bury someone who is still alive. The burial tells us Jesus really died.

A rich man named Joseph, from the city of Arimathaea, was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and begged for the body. Matthew tells us what he did next:

"And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed." — Matthew 27:59-60 (KJV)

And His enemies remembered that He had said He would rise again. So they went to Pilate and asked to make the tomb secure. Matthew tells us:

"So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." — Matthew 27:66 (KJV)

A great stone. A seal. A watch of soldiers. Nobody was getting in. And nobody was getting out. Or so they thought.

He Rose Again the Third Day

Third, He rose again.

Early on the first day of the week, women came to the tomb. And an angel met them:

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." — Matthew 28:5-6 (KJV)

"He is risen, as he said." Jesus had told them ahead of time that He would rise the third day. He said it. And He did it.

The Eyewitnesses

Now, some people say the disciples just imagined it. But Jesus didn't appear as a ghost. He showed them His body. He said:

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." — Luke 24:39 (KJV)

Thomas wouldn't believe until he saw for himself. And when he saw the risen Lord, he said, "My Lord and my God."

And it wasn't just a few people. Listen to Paul again:

"And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep." — 1 Corinthians 15:5-6 (KJV)

Over five hundred people at once. And Paul says most of them were still alive when he wrote. Anyone could go and ask them. The book of Acts adds that Jesus "shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days."

Why It Matters

So why does all this matter for you?

Because without the resurrection, there is no salvation. Paul says it plainly:

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." — 1 Corinthians 15:17 (KJV)

But then he says:

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." — 1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)

The cross is where Jesus paid for our sins. The empty tomb is God's proof that the payment was accepted. Paul says Jesus:

"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." — Romans 4:25 (KJV)

Will You Believe?

So, friend, this is the gospel. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. And He rose again the third day.

It isn't enough to know it. God calls you to believe it, and to trust the One who did it.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." — Romans 10:9 (KJV)

A Prayer

Before we go, let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this friend who is listening right now.

Thank You that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, just as He said.

Lord, help each of us to believe in our hearts that You raised Him from the dead, and to confess Him as Lord.

Thank You that because He lives, we can live too.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for spending this time with us.

From all of us at Authorized Sword Ministries, God bless you.