Shaken by the Resurrection

Originally preached on January 5, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 15:1–11

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 that the resurrection of Jesus is not just a belief but a reality that reshapes everything. The gospel is something received, held, and lived in, and its central truth—the risen Christ—shakes up our beliefs, our defining story, and our entire life trajectory. Jesus’ resurrection confronts every competing worldview, reorders our understanding of life, and transforms people like Paul himself from pride and opposition to humility and grace. Because Christ is truly risen and still at work through his witnesses, the church is called to live as resurrection people whose lives are redefined by the grace and power of God.

Shaken by the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

Aaron Halstead

A Resurrected Church

Originally preached on January 12, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 15:12–28

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:12–28 that the resurrection of Jesus guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to him. Without resurrection, the Christian faith collapses into emptiness, but because Christ has been raised as the “firstfruits,” death will ultimately be defeated and God’s kingdom fully established. In Christ, a new humanity is being formed, and believers are called to live now in light of that coming victory until God is all in all.

A Resurrected Church (1 Corinthians 15:12-28)

Aaron Halstead

What Kind of Body?

Originally preached on March 2, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 15:35–50

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

This sermon from 1 Corinthians 15:35–50 explained that the resurrection is not an escape from the physical world but God’s renewal of it. Using examples from creation, Paul shows that God has the power to transform our current bodies into glorified, imperishable bodies patterned after the resurrected body of Jesus. Believers already experience new spiritual life through Christ, but one day that renewal will be completed in the resurrection. The main message was that the coming resurrection makes the church fit to live in the eternal kingdom, so Christians should live now as citizens of Christ’s kingdom while awaiting its full arrival.

What Kind of Body (1 Corinthians 15:35-50)

Aaron Halstead

So Keep Going

Originally preached on March 9, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 15:51–58

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

This sermon from 1 Corinthians 15:51–58 emphasized the hope of the resurrection and the believer’s future transformation. Paul teaches that when Christ returns, both the living and the dead in Christ will be changed, receiving renewed and imperishable bodies. Because Jesus has already won victory over sin, death, and the grave through his resurrection, Christians can live with confidence and joy, knowing that death does not have the final word. The main application is clear: we will be changed, so keep going. Believers are called to remain steadfast, serve faithfully, and abound in the Lord’s work, trusting that nothing done for Christ is ever wasted and that their labor in him is not in vain.

So Keep Going (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

Aaron Halstead