Limitless

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info visit us at thrive-fl.org. On this day we are amazed at your plans and that we're a part of them and that Jesus, all you did, all you went through for us and how you've broken through all the limitations of this world that we placed on ourselves, that we caused and you give us unlimited love, limitless joy and peace and hope. So this day Lord we pray not only for us here in this room but for the Christians across this world over two billion strong who are celebrating your resurrection today. We pray Lord God that you would move in such a way that this world would come to know your sacrifice, your love, your mercy, your grace and that we would be united in you and that you'd bring us all together Lord. In this world of conflict that you'd bring your peace. In this world of hatred you bring your love. In this world of just injustice that you would bring your forgiveness and grace. All this we pray in Jesus name, amen. It's great to be here this day. We are finishing this series today, The Genius of Jesus. You can follow along with the notes in the You version of the Bible. You can kind of read the instructions there and we're going to be looking at the resurrection chapter. That is 1st Corinthians chapter 15 and we're reading along there a few of the verses, not the whole chapter, though it's all good. We're starting in verse 12. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die so also in Christ shall all be made alive but each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits and then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and our every power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet but when it says all things are in subjection it is plain that it is accepted who put all things in subjected under him. When all things are subjected to him then the Son himself will be subjected to him who puts all things in subjection under him that God may be all in all. So we are concluding this series the genius of Jesus and today that word just blows apart and breaks apart it just can't fit everything that Jesus is it's impossible it's not that we are looking at Jesus who is a little smarter than the rest of us it's not that he is three deviations ahead of us on any test scores no he is in a whole different whole different category fully human but fully God and today we see that so we can't compare him to even someone like Einstein we don't think he's anything like Confucius it's not that he is as genius as Marie Curie or Michelangelo the artist or even Aristotle the philosopher he is way beyond every category that we could name he is beyond all comparison even among religious leaders and religious founders he is not to be compared to Zoroaster or even Buddha or Mohammed he is more than a prophet he's more than a king he's more than a priest he's even better than any other biblical figure or all of them put together you cannot compare he is more wise than Solomon he is greater than Moses he's Jesus Jesus now Paul who is sharing this message with the Corinthians is a guy who thought he wasn't sure what to make out of Jesus in fact when he first met Jesus he took offense at him when he first met Jesus when he first heard of Jesus he thought hey if he's all no he thought no way no way could Hosea no way none at all he could not be what they are saying he is he thought because either Jesus is what he says he is and the resurrection is what it is or he is worthless and even beyond worthless he is dangerous to follow and Paul thought it was dangerous to follow him in fact he went after everyone who was following him to try to quash this movement this sectarian movement he thought that was started it made no sense to his monotheistic of Judaism this is absolutely horrendous but he had a 180 eve...