1 Corinthians 15 - Our Risen Lord
All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.
Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
1 Corinthians 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter daily, then to focus more closely on the selected text
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 1-5 , John 13:1–20, Psalm 72:4–10, Proverbs14:31–32
If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.
Devotional: The Greatest Comeback
Everyone loves a comeback story. My favorite years of baseball were 1978, when the Yankees came from 14 games back to win the World Series, and 1996, when they lost the first two games of the Series, at home, to the Atlanta Braves, to dig themselves a seemingly insurmountable hole, then won 4 straight games to win it all. Of course, there was a comeback in 2004 which I refuse to talk about.
Comebacks make great stories, when a team is down so far that their season looks hopeless, the pundits write them off, people begin to give up on them, and then they make a stirring comeback to defy the odds snd win.
There has never been a greater comeback story than the one written by Jesus Christ in the Cross. Abandoned by his friends, brutalized and crucified by his countrymen and the Roman army, he was wrapped in a shroud and buried in a tomb. They rolled the stone over the tomb and set a guard to make sure that no one went in or came out. The dead man in that tomb was about as far down as a man could be.
Then, the comeback began. God breathed life back into Jesus Christ and raised him from the dead. The stone that sealed him in wasn't big enough and Jesus broke the chains of death. The guards set before his throne could not hold him - nothing could. God did not just raise Jesus to life, but he exalted him tot he highest place and officially conferred on him the name that is above all names - Lord. Yahweh. The resurrected Jesus was demonstrated to be the Great I Am. He is the Savior of the world and through him, God redeemed a people to worship him eternally. One of these days, Jesus will return to set the world in order, to destroy all his enemies, and to be the King of the World.
Think about that. He lay wrapped in a burial shroud, dead, in a guarded, sealed tomb. It was hopeless, yet one day he will be Lord of all. God will be king of the world. That is the greatest comeback ever, and those of us who know him and love him and serve him will cheer him when he comes and when he rules.
Comebacks make great stories, when a team is down so far that their season looks hopeless, the pundits write them off, people begin to give up on them, and then they make a stirring comeback to defy the odds snd win.
There has never been a greater comeback story than the one written by Jesus Christ in the Cross. Abandoned by his friends, brutalized and crucified by his countrymen and the Roman army, he was wrapped in a shroud and buried in a tomb. They rolled the stone over the tomb and set a guard to make sure that no one went in or came out. The dead man in that tomb was about as far down as a man could be.
Then, the comeback began. God breathed life back into Jesus Christ and raised him from the dead. The stone that sealed him in wasn't big enough and Jesus broke the chains of death. The guards set before his throne could not hold him - nothing could. God did not just raise Jesus to life, but he exalted him tot he highest place and officially conferred on him the name that is above all names - Lord. Yahweh. The resurrected Jesus was demonstrated to be the Great I Am. He is the Savior of the world and through him, God redeemed a people to worship him eternally. One of these days, Jesus will return to set the world in order, to destroy all his enemies, and to be the King of the World.
Think about that. He lay wrapped in a burial shroud, dead, in a guarded, sealed tomb. It was hopeless, yet one day he will be Lord of all. God will be king of the world. That is the greatest comeback ever, and those of us who know him and love him and serve him will cheer him when he comes and when he rules.
Thank you, Father, for your Son who defeated the enemies who seemed to defeat him. They seemed to have him in their grasp, but he defeated them all. Praise your name.
Think and Pray:
Meditate on the glorious victory of Jesus against all odds.
Consider what that means for those of us who worship him and follow him.
Consider what that means for those of us who worship him and follow him.
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