Trinity and Humanity

Part A:

Part B:

Full Message:

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15

As we gather and prepare our hearts for this upcoming Resurrection Sunday, this message calls us to remember that the empty tomb means nothing without the cross — and that the risen Christ invites us not just to celebrate, but to participate in His life, death, and victory.

“The resurrection of Jesus was not just a coming back to life of a dead man, but the coming of eternal life into our world of sin and death, breaking its way through into the form of a new creation.”
— T.F. Torrance, “Space, Time and Resurrection”

Summary:

In this deeply reflective Easter sermon, titled “Keeping First Things First”, Pastor Timothy Brassell delivers a powerful Gospel message that proclaims the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — revealed in Jesus Christ. It’s a call to realign our Christian life and church practice around the full narrative of Jesus’ life, not just the Resurrection.

Pastor Tim walks the congregation through the context of 1 Corinthians, exposing the moral, theological, and communal dysfunctions within the Corinthian church — all of which trace back to losing focus on Christ’s full story: His life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

This message isn’t only about looking forward to our personal resurrection — it’s about being transformed now by the risen Christ and living into His life today. In a world and church distracted by individualism, factionalism, pride, and cultural confusion, the message calls for repentance, humility, and renewed dependence on Christ’s death and resurrection. It is both sobering and hope-filled — reminding us that the resurrection is not just a future hope but a present way of life.

Key Highlights from the Sermon

1. ✝️ The Whole Gospel: Life, Death, and Resurrection Are One

Jesus’ Resurrection cannot be rightly celebrated apart from His life, crucifixion, and death. The full Gospel is one seamless act of redemption.
💬 Discipleship Question: Have you embraced all parts of Jesus’ life—or only the ones that comfort you?

2. 🤝 Christian Unity Over Division

Paul calls out divisions in Corinth — factions over leaders and prideful preferences — and reminds them (and us) that unity in Christ demands humility and sacrifice.
💬 Discipleship Question: In what ways do my preferences get in the way of Christian unity?

3. 🚫 Immorality & Legal Disputes: Signs of Forgetting Jesus

The Corinthians’ sexual sin and lawsuits reveal what happens when Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t central to Christian life.
💬 Discipleship Question: Where do I seek justice or gratification outside the life of Christ?

4. 🏛️ Your Body: A Temple of the Risen Lord

Paul reclaims the body as sacred, affirming its value through the Resurrection. Holiness isn’t optional — it’s our new normal.
💬 Discipleship Question: Do I honor Christ in how I treat my body and others’?

5. 💍 Singleness and Marriage in Light of Christ

Whether single or married, Paul teaches that our status is secondary to our call to serve Christ in love, sacrifice, and purity.
💬 Discipleship Question: Am I using my current relationship status to fully serve Christ?

6. 🔄 Misusing Spiritual Gifts Without Gospel Centrality

Confusion and pride around spiritual gifts erupted in Corinth because they forgot the Cross. True gifts serve others, not self.
💬 Discipleship Question: Do my spiritual gifts point to Christ or to me?

7. 🌅 Resurrection Power Starts Now

Resurrection isn’t just for the future — Jesus brought the future into our present. His life changes our now.
💬 Discipleship Question: How is Jesus’ resurrection transforming your life this week?

8. 🍇 Communion: Remembering Christ Together

The Lord’s Supper isn’t just a ritual — it’s a communal encounter with Jesus’ broken body and poured-out blood. It demands reflection and unity.
💬 Discipleship Question: Am I truly seeing Christ — and His church — when I take Communion?

9. 📣 Include the Cross in Your Gospel

A true Gospel is not just inclusion into life but inclusion into Christ’s death and crucifixion. That’s the path to transformation.
💬 Discipleship Question: Does my Gospel include the cost of following Jesus?

10. 🕊️ Live the Risen Life in Community

Living into Christ’s resurrection means radically loving, serving, and forgiving within the church. Our witness starts with one another.
💬 Discipleship Question: How are you revealing the risen Jesus through your church relationships?

Reflection: The “He Is Risen Indeed” Tradition

The sermon beautifully affirmed the rich Christian tradition of proclaiming:

“He is risen!”
“He is risen indeed!”

It’s more than a greeting — it’s a declaration of shared life, rooted in Christ’s victory over death. But the full meaning only comes when we remember that Resurrection follows crucifixion. Jesus died to kill death — and rose to raise us now.