Prepared for Sabbath School Class on August 22.
Photograph by William Earnhardt
Key Text: “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. . . . And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:14-17, NKJV).
Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Luke 24:44-47, and Romans 1:1-4.
Study: What do these passages have in common?
Apply: What reasons do we have for believing in Christ’s resurrection? Also, what other things, secular or sacred, do we believe even if we haven’t seen them ourselves?
Share: Read Revelation 2:8-10. Share why you believe Jesus tells the church of Smyrna that He was dead and alive again, and why is that important to us as well?
Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 15:9-19.
Study: What do we lose if Christ has not been raised?
Apply: Read John 14:3. What does Jesus say here that helps us understand that we are not in heaven immediately when we die, but must wait until the second coming and resurrection?
Share: How does one make sense of 1 Corinthians 15 if the dead soar off to heaven immediately after they die? Why, then, is understanding that the dead sleep such an important teaching? Share your thoughts.
Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
Study: What does it mean to say that Jesus is the “firstfruits”?
Apply: How does the certainty of your own resurrection help you face the trials of everyday life?
Share: Your friend says he believes you go straight to heaven when you die. How does 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 help you answer your friend? What do you tell your friend?
Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 15:35-41, 51-57.
Study: How do verses 36-41 answer the question in verse 35? What does this passage tell us about our ultimate victory over death?
Apply: Who hasn’t bemoaned how quickly life passes us by? In our own experience, that’s how quickly the second coming of Jesus will seem. Perhaps our first thought at His return will be “Wow, Lord, Your coming really was soon!” How does this idea help us better come to terms with what is seen as “the delay”? See When Prayer Doesn’t Move Mountains.
Share: Share how the assurance that our bodies will be transformed into perfection helps us be resilient regarding our physical limitations today?
Mission: Can you send an inspirational greeting card this week to someone who recently lost a loved one?
