Our Resurrection Weekend services begin with our Good Friday Evening Gathering, March 29 at 7:00 pm, and conclude with our regular Sunday activities on Resurrection Sunday Morning, March 31!

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Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

  • Read 1 Corinthians 15:29-34. How would you sum up the main idea of this paragraph in one sentence?
  • In 1 Corinthians 15:12-18, Paul described the consequences of not believing in physical resurrection. In 15:19-28, he described what is guaranteed because Christ has been physically raised. How is this section similar and different to the argument of believing in a physical resurrection?
  • Read 15:29 carefully. This is one of the most difficult verses in the entire book. List the challenges that come to mind. What does this likely not mean? What could Paul be referring to and why?
  • In what ways was Paul in danger every hour and dying every day (15:30-31)?
  • With a congregation as difficult as the one in Corinth, what would Paul’s pride in them consist of and how do you know from the text (15:31)?
  • What is Paul’s point in 15:32? What “wild beasts” do you think Paul is referring to and why?
  • How does 15:33 relate to the previous verses? What would the “bad company” be referring to in this context? What kind of “morals” would be ruined by not believing in the resurrection of the dead?
  • What is the sin that the Corinthians need to stop (15:34)?
  • What does Paul say is the primary problem with the view that there is no resurrection of the dead from 15:34?
  • The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

  • In what ways do you “die every day” in relationship to your life in Christ?
  • Do you ever find yourself avoiding an overt life lived for Christ in fear of what it will cost you? How would your belief in the resurrection of the dead speak to these fears?
  • How could Paul’s pride in the challenged Corinthian church assist you in how you think about fellow believers who are struggling with sinful thinking or actions?
  • What kind of challenges do you face that belief in the resurrection of the dead through Christ would help you endure more faithfully?
  • What is the danger we could face if we spent significant time with someone or a group who held to significant theological error (15:33)? Can you see any potential examples around you?
  • Rather than merely avoid those close to us who hold significant theological error, what should our interaction with the look like? How would 15:34 speak to this?