College & Career: 2nd Quarter 2015

By Robert J. Holmes

College and Career is the young adult quarterly directed toward students ages 18–24. The lessons are designed to address the unique experiences of African- American young adults as they venture into the world of higher education and work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Oct 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781589429864

Book preview

FULLY ALIVE

Unifying Topic: Resurrection Guaranteed

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1–11, 20–22

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1–22

1 Corinthians 15:1–11, 20–22

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INTRODUCTION

The life of a young adult is known for the life-altering decisions that are made. We choose to go to college or develop a career. We may start over in a new city, get married, and have children. These decisions greatly affect our lives’ stories. These decisions, however, do not affect our lives as drastically as choosing to follow Christ. Becoming a Christian has the greatest impact on our lives now and determines where we will spend eternity.

In today’s lesson, we will look at the amazing resurrection of Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection changed the course of our lives and our eternal destination. Sinners, who once were enemies of God, now are justified by faith and have peace with God because Jesus’ death paid for our sins.

EXPOSITION

I. CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST’S RESURRECTION (1 Corinthians 15:1–4)

We are saved by the blood of the Lamb when we accept Christ’s sacrifice as the payment for our sins. To accept His sacrifice, we must believe in the resurrection and confess that Jesus is the Son of God. The Apostle Peter wrote, Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15, NRSV). We have the responsibility to be educated in our faith so that we can explain our hope in Christ to those who do not believe. How valuable is our faith if we cannot provide reasons to believe?

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth and encouraged them to continue to believe the message of the Gospel. Those who no longer proclaimed the Gospel believed in vain (1 Cor. 15:2, NRSV). Redemption through Christ is so powerful that we cannot whole-heartedly believe in Christ and then forget that He has saved us. A belief in Christ transforms our entire beings. Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians of their hope in Christ. Their strong belief in the tenets of faith would unite the believers and ward off false teachings. Paul taught the Corinthians many principles of faith, but he said that this is the most important truth: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures (vv. 3–4, NRSV). This is what comforts us in times of uncertainty, affliction, and even