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Today our text will be first Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 12 through 19.
Once you find your way there, if you're able, I'll ask you to stand and
you can follow along as I read beginning in verse 12. The Apostle Paul, by the Holy
Spirit is writing and says: But if it is preached that Christ has been raised
from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the
dead? If, verse 13, there is no resurrection of the dead and not even
Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and
so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about
God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead but he
did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For, verse16, if the dead
are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then, verse 18, those
also who have fallen asleep in Christ, speaking of their death, are lost. If only
for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Would you pray with me? We'll ask god's blessing on our understanding. Loving
Heavenly Father we need for you now to settle our hearts and focus our
attention so that there's no distraction to keep us from that which you have for
us today. Lord would you bless our time together in your word? We pray in Jesus'
name. Amen. And amen. You could be seated, thank you.
Today's teaching will be part one of a new series I've titled, "Why Jesus Had to
be Resurrected." Because last week was Resurrection Sunday, verses 1 through 11 was
our text, because in it
Paul commences with the addressing of the importance of Christ's resurrection.
The all-importance, I should say of Christ's resurrection. Now here in verses
12 through 19, we're gonna deal not only with the importance of the Resurrection but
also the relevance of the Resurrection. And what Paul does here is most
interesting for a number of reasons as we're gonna see. For believers in, and
followers of, Jesus Christ the Resurrection is the foundational
doctrine upon which the entirety of our faith rests. As such, I don't think it's
possible to overstate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's
incumbent upon every Christian to not only know what we believe, especially
when it comes to the resurrection but also to know why we believe what we
believe about it.
The chapter before us is such that it provides an all-important answer to the
why behind the what, if you will
we believe as Christians especially when it comes to the doctrine of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's for this reason that the Apostle Paul is going to
devote such a large portion of his epistle here in this chapter. It's the
longest chapter in all of 1st Corinthians and he does so in order to
address this "why" question. More specifically, why we believe
what we believe about the crucifixion, the burial and subsequently the resurrection.
Simply put, and hear me out on this, it's not just a matter of believing that
Jesus rose from the dead, it's really a matter of knowing that Jesus absolutely
had to rise from the dead. It's unthinkable and this is really why Paul
is gonna go in this direction, it's unthinkable to imagine what would happen
if Jesus didn't rise from the dead.
If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then Christianity is the joke of all jokes
and the joke is on us. I don't know how else to say it you'll forgive the
crassness which I say that but either Jesus Christ rose from the dead or
Christianity is the joke of all jokes on mankind. And I say that because this is
exactly what Paul by the Holy Spirit is saying to the Christians there in Corinth.
Enter today's text where Paul begins in verse 12 by asking the
rhetorical question of how it is that some can say there's no resurrection.
It seems that there were some there in the Corinthian church that did not believe
in the resurrection of the dead. And if they didn't believe in the resurrection
of the dead then certainly they could not believe in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. So in verses 13 through 19, he goes on to answer this
rhetorical question with hypothetical answers which really get you thinking.
And the answers are as it relates to what it would mean, hypothetically, God
forbid, if Jesus was not resurrected.
What follows are six unthinkable implications. Consequences, if you prefer,
were there no such thing as the literal resurrection of the dead. Chiefly that of
the Savior's. The first one is in verse 13 and it's that Jesus would still be dead.
I know that's a firm grasp of the obvious but let's think it through here.
Paul starts walking them through this logic of what it means if there's no
resurrection of the dead and he, he's basically saying that if this were true,
thank God it's not, but if it were true then Jesus is still dead. He's not alive.
He's not seated at the right hand of the Father. And if Jesus is not alive and
not seated at the right hand of the Father then that means he's not
interceding on our behalf. And here's the thing, that also means that he's not
coming back. And if Jesus is not coming back,
then what are we doing here? We we might as well just live it up for tomorrow we die.
Actually, we pay taxes first and then we die. By the way I think there's only 12 more
days until. Just, you probably could have gone all day without that reminder that
April 15th is only 12 more days away. I mean what's the point? If jesus did
not rise from the dead then this is as good as it gets. We might as well just
live our lives like there's no tomorrow. And if that's the case and if Jesus is not
coming back then it would also mean that Frank Sinatra was right when he famously
said "you only go around once but if you play your cards right once is enough."
How hopeless is that? How hopeless is that? Well we find our second hypothetical in verse 14
where Paul says that if there was no resurrection my preaching and your faith
would both be useless.
Paul is continuing with this logic saying that if Christ has not been raised from the
dead then preaching is pointless and faith is worthless and useless. If Christ
wasn't resurrected then what's the point in preaching the word of God? What value
is there in the preaching of the Word of God? Because, in effect, the gospel has
been gutted out. The gospel being the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
And if Christ wasn't resurrected then our faith is in vain. I mean what's the
use? And here's why because in effect, we would be putting our faith in a dead man.
Again, you'll forgive the crassness with which I say that but that's the fact of
the matter if Jesus did not rise from the dead. We are putting our faith in a
dead man. And when it comes to prayers, our praying, we're praying to a dead man
if Jesus did not rise from the dead. This brings us to our third one in verse 15
which is that if there was no resurrection then everyone would be
lying. Everyone in the Old Testament was a liar. Paul says that if Jesus didn't rise
from the dead then not only are we lying and bearing false witness but we
are also blasphemers. Because we are bearing false witness concerning the
most important event in human history. And furthermore, it would make Jesus of
Nazareth the biggest liar who ever walked on the face of the earth.
I suppose you could say that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, he pulled off the
most elaborate scheme and deception ever on human beings. That's what it would
mean if Jesus did not rise from the dead.
Charles Spurgeon of this said, if Jesus rose then this gospel is what it professes to be.
If he rose not from the dead, then it is all deceit and delusion. Keep in mind
Jesus said I am "the" way, "the" truth and "the" life. He did not say I am a way,
a truth, a life. No, he qualified it and it is
exclusive when he says I am the way, the truth and the life. And he would go on to
say there is no way to the Father except through me. That pretty much settles it. That
pretty much settles it. Now either Jesus Christ is who he said he was or he was the
biggest scam artist in human history. That's what it would mean if you say
and/or believe that there's no resurrection of the dead. If Jesus did
not rise again from the dead,
you are in effect saying this is all a lie. This is all deceit. It's all deception.
The fourth hypothetical is in verse 16 and it's this, if Jesus was not
raised from the dead, then all who have died
cannot be raised from the dead either. Again, think this through with me. All of
us who have loved ones that have died, they will never be raised again. They
will never live again. All those memorial services, all the celebrations of life if
Jesus did not rise from the dead it was all just one foolish farce and there's
no hope for eternity.
It's this one that I want to spend a little bit of time on, as uncomfortable
as it might be. In verses 17 and 18, we have our fifth one and quite frankly it should
send shivers up and down our spine. If Jesus was not raised from the dead. We're
all going to hell, for all eternity. Let me say the same thing again in a different way.
If Jesus did not rise again from the dead we are all gonna end up in hell for all eternity.
Whoa, pastor what are you saying? I didn't...is, is hell forever? It has to be. If hell is
not for all eternity then neither is Heaven for all eternity. We are all gonna
spend eternity somewhere. And oh by the way, contrary to what the Catholics say
there's no in-between. There's no limbo, purgatory, I don't know what are the
other ones that they come up with. You're either gonna spend eternity in heaven or
you're gonna spend eternity in hell. That is the fact of the matter. Now keep in mind and
we're gonna see this in our prophecy update shortly;
it's not God's will that any should perish, the Apostle Peter writes, but that
all should come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When people say, well a
loving God isn't gonna send anybody to hell. That's true, however, God does not
send anybody to hell. In fact we're told in the scriptures that hell was not
created for man. Hell was created for the devil and his demons, not for man. God did
not create hell for man and neither does God send man to hell. If anybody goes to
hell for all eternity,
it's as if they are saying over Jesus' dead and resurrected body, they go to
hell. That's why Jesus died. And then there's these who say, well there's no
eternal hell. Annihilation-ism, I guess is one word for this false doctrine. And the
only thing I would say in response and in love
to that false doctrine is: then what did Jesus died on the cross and rise again
from the dead to save us from? Annihilation? Annihilation? And by the way
wouldn't it stand to reason that if hell wasn't forever then neither is Heaven
forever, I mean just logically in the spiritual realm. We were created for
eternity not for this world. We were created for eternity in the image of God.
And it's not God's will that any go to hell. There will be those who will go to
hell and they will spend eternity in hell and the common denominator with all
of these false teachings when you talk about annihilation-ism, there's no eternal
hell, is it guts out the gospel. And so too does this false teaching that had
somehow taken up residence there in the Corinthian church, there's no such thing
as the literal resurrection of the dead.
Well if you believe that there was no such thing as the little resurrection of
the dead, well then, you basically erase, evaporate, if you prefer, the good news.
And here's how I get there;
the good news is only good news if there's bad news. And you'll forgive my
English, don't email me, but the "badder" the bad news is, the "gooder" the good
news will be. So if the bad news is that the wages of my sin is death and it is
and death is eternal separation from God in hell and it is, that's pretty bad news.
It's really bad because all of us are sinners and all of us deserve the
death penalty. That is really bad news. We were all born under Adam as sinners. All
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but that was the bad news
here's the good news. Don't you hate it when somebody says I've got good news
and I've got bad news which one do you want to hear first? I want to hear the good
news first and then after that I want to hear the good news again. I don't wanna
hear the bad news.
Well we have to hear the bad news. The bad news is we were all born sinners
that's why we all need to be born again of the Spirit of God. Jesus in John's
gospel chapter three it's recorded, said that unless you're born again you will
not see the kingdom of Heaven. And this is not a physical birth, this is a spiritual
birth. You're spiritually reborn of the Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit indwells
you and enables you to live a holy life. Absent the Holy Spirit it is impossible to
live a holy life. So the bad news is all have sinned. The good news is that Jesus
Christ went to the cross and paid in full with his death
your death penalty. You know what that would be like? It would be like you're in a court of law before
the judge of the universe and the sentence is handed down "guilty" and you're
gonna be sentenced to death and in walks the savior of the world and says I will
pay with my death for him, for her, for them. Listen, you'll forgive the
silliness with which I say this but, that's really good news isn't it? The bad news is
you're going to the electric chair / cross. The good news is, Jesus did it for
you in your stead.
That is really good news. And if you don't believe that Jesus rose from the
dead, then there's no good news. There's only bad news, and the bad news is we're all damned to
hell. We're all damned to hell. And I realized that just the mention of this
is unthinkable, but the fact of the matter is absent the resurrection there
is no access to heaven. There is no entrance into eternity, the kingdom of
God, if there's no resurrection. Kind of get the impression of the resurrection is
all-important? Kind of get the impression that Jesus had to rise from the dead and
he did? Well this brings us to our last one in verse 19 which is interesting,
it's this: if Jesus wasn't resurrected then we would all be pathetic and pitiful.
Now what Paul says here is really interesting in that if only for this
life we have hope in Christ we are all people most to be pitied. Now why is that
interesting? Because, think about this, if anyone could say this it was Paul. Why?
Because of how much he's suffered for Christ. What, what a pity. How sorry
would you feel for someone who was suffering so for a lie? That is pitiful.
That is, and that's what he's saying. One commentator aptly noted Paul can write this
because none out of hell ever suffered more than the Saints have done. What
about the Christians in the Middle East that are being butchered and beheaded
because of their belief in Jesus Christ at the hands of demon possessed Muslims,
and they are demon possessed muslims. How pitiful would it be for them to suffer
and die a martyr's death, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead? I know
that's kind of hard and even graphic but as God is my witness sometimes I think,
especially for us here in America, it needs to be. It needs to be. Thankfully
verse 20 follows verse 19. Profound I know right? Wow, pastor that's really good.
Did you stay up all night thinking about that verse 20 follows verse 19? Yes, thank you very much.
We're gonna start with verse 20 next week, Lord willing, but here's what Paul
says in verse 20, But Christ, I love those two words. My favorite two words in all
of Scripture is "but God." But God, it changes everything.
It changes the whole complexion of everything. "But Christ." But Christ has
indeed been raised from the dead. You know in Revelation there's this account where
John is just going out of his mind and weeping because there's nobody found
worthy to open the scroll.
And his relief at the site of the lamb, that was slain. Why is he weeping?
Because of the implications of that scroll not being opened. What it
would mean for all eternity, but Christ, but Christ. Because Jesus was raised from
the dead. Death had no power over him and death could not defeat him. He defeated
death. The enemy of death, which means he is God. I tell you, as one who has lost a daughter
who died in my arms, I cannot even begin to tell you how powerful this is. And you too,
those of you who have lost loved ones who knew the Lord, that when they took
their last breath in this life and their first breath in eternity, it gave you
that hope. That because death had been defeated by the Savior you will see them
again. You will be reunited with them again and I can't wait. Maybe in some
ways that's why the rapture, which by the way at the end of this chapter,
Paul is gonna talk about the rapture, I can't wait. My favorite subject in all of
the Bible is the rapture. And I tell you why it's my favorite, because we're
promised that when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first.
Do you know who that is? The dead in Christ?
Those are all of those people; mother, father, grandparents, children, brothers, sisters.
All of those people who died in Jesus Christ. All of those people who died,
born again of the Spirit of God, and knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
They're gonna rise first. What does that mean? That means you're gonna get their
new bodies before we get ours. And if you're anything like me, this is not a
reason why I love the rapture, is because I'm gonna get a new body. And
listen, I don't know about you, but I need a new body. This one is, it's got a lot of
miles on it and so I'm promised that I'm gonna get a new glorified body, my
eternal body. I've already asked God for specifics. You know I was, I didn't really get
shoulders, I don't know when they were handing out shoulders when I was born I
must've not have been there or whatever. But, I'm already putting in my, come on you do
that too don't you? You know some of you wanna be taller for all eternity.
You better put that order in now I'm just saying, let the Lord know. I wanna be,
I wanna just, anyway, I digress. But when the dead in Christ rise first I'm gonna get
to see my mommy again. I'm gonna get to see my daughter Noelle again. I hope I
get to see my daddy again. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1994.
I don't know. I can't even think about and wrap my mind around whether or not he
was saved before he died. But the dead in Christ are gonna rise first. All of your
loved ones who died in Christ are gonna rise first. And you know why they're gonna
rise first? Because Jesus Christ was the first fruits. He rose first. He defeated
death and if he didn't they wouldn't, but because he did, they will. That's really good
news. That's really good news. Because Jesus is God he can offer a complete
sacrifice for all of our sins, which means that all of our sins are
completely paid for by him. Not just the sins that we've already committed. The
sins that we might be committing today, right now. You know who you are,
eyes are closed, heads are bowed..and the sins we're gonna commit today, tomorrow, this week next
week, next month, next year, until the Lord comes, they are all paid for in full. Lastly, if
I accept the payment Jesus made for me
paying in full for all of my sins, I will have salvation for all eternity in Heaven.
And because I can know that I have salvation I'm able to live by faith,
listen, for Christ, as I walk with Christ waiting and watching for the return of
Christ. I'm gonna close with First John 3 verses 2 and 3, the Apostle John writes:
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been
made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. Now I want you to listen to this last part. All who have
this hope in him
this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. In other words all of us who have this hope:
Jesus as our Lord and Savior having paid in full for all of our sins; all who have
this hope will get their affairs in order, will get serious about the things
of God, walk righteously before the Lord, live in purity before the Lord just
as he is pure; proportionate to our having this hope. So too will it be
proportionate to how we live pure and holy lives. And by the way don't get too tripped up on
the world holy, pure and holy. Sounds unattainable when you put it like that.
But when you understand holiness as wholeness, it changes the whole
complexion of the word. It's not so intimidating. Holy, be holy as God is holy.
Holy means wholeness, not half, not three quarters. But whole, full, filled with the Holy Spirit.
To live a holy life. That's the only way. Absent the Holy Spirit I'll say it again
it is impossible to live a holy, whole, fulfilled, pure righteous life. Let's pray.
Loving, Heavenly Father I thank you so much for your word and this portion that
we have here in your word this morning. Lord I thank you for what the
resurrection from the dead
really means to us today. Lord I thank you that you rose from the dead and defeated
death, that's our hope for today.
Lord if there's someone here in this church today that has never called upon you, does
not have this hope; I pray that they would not go another day, let alone
another hour without calling upon you,
believing in their heart and confessing with their mouth that they too can be
born again. In Jesus' name. Amen.