The Hope of the Resurrection

0:49I assure you, it's even scarier now that it's been dead for two years. The builders didn't grade our yard properly, and so there was this low spot in the yard right around the tree that every time it rained, it would turn into a pool. And so I thought to myself a few years ago, well, I need to fix this problem, and so I brought in some dirt to fill in this hole. It took a full cubic yard.

1:11That's an entire truck bed of dirt. And then I covered it with grass, and I thought that I had done a great thing, but not so much. Within 18 months, the tree was dead. My father-in-law came in town for a visit, and he said, Alan, you cut off the oxygen supply to the roots. And you killed your tree. So, my bucket list still has on it, impress father-in-law. All these years later. So, last spring, we bought a Chinese pistache. The guy at the tree farm said they do well around here. They're very hearty, hard to kill.

1:52A month after I planted it, the leaves on the tree turned brown and fell off. He told me that I had been over-watering it, showing it a little too much love. So, I went out there and started poking holes in the ground all around it. My wife and kids will tell you I was practically petting this thing for two weeks, begging it to come back to life. And thankfully, it did make a recovery. The leaves started to emerge about a month later, and that gave me hope that other dead things in our yard may yet come back to life also.

2:22Friends, we've gathered today, as we do every Sunday, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And although the resurrection is the very cornerstone of the Christian faith, I think that we struggle to connect the resurrection to our own lives most of the time. Some of us here may even wonder if Jesus' resurrection has anything to do with us today or in the future. Well, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul answers that question with an emphatic yes. The resurrection does matter. It matters today. It matters in the future. It matters greatly. It is the most important, most significant thing of all. And so what we're going to be reminded of today, or what we'll learn maybe for the first time in 1 Corinthians 15, is that Jesus' resurrection is not just our hope at Easter, but for eternity.

3:12If you look at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15 here, these first 11 verses, Paul reminds them of the gospel that he preached to them and that they received. He says here in these early verses that Jesus died for sin according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. And then he appeared to Peter, and then to the disciples, and then to more than 500 believers at the same time, then to James, then to all the apostles, and then last to Paul as well.

3:45This gospel is the one that Paul preached, and it's the one that they believed. Or at least it's the one that the Corinthians said that they believed. But according to verse 12 in our passage today, at least some of the Corinthians were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead. Now, from the context, it doesn't seem as if they were saying that Jesus was not raised from the dead. After all, Paul says that they did believe that.

4:13No, it seems from the context that what they're saying is that there was no general resurrection of the dead. In other words, that nobody besides Jesus was going to be raised. And Paul had to answer this because this wrong belief was going to have serious implications for the gospel message and for the Christianity. Life. So in verses 13 through 19, Paul is going to use logic, a discipline that was developed by the Greeks, the very people to whom Paul is writing this letter. He's going to use logic to prove his theological point, and verse 13 is the foundation of his argument.

4:52He says, if the dead aren't raised, and if it is true that Christ died, then Christ could not have been raised from the dead. This is the basic stuff that you learn in logic class. If A is true and B is true, then C must be true. If the dead aren't raised and Jesus died, it follows that Jesus could not have been raised from the dead. That's the logical conclusion of the thing that these people were saying. But that conclusion creates a whole host of other problems for Christian believers, which some of these Corinthians obviously didn't see or did not understand.

5:35So Paul begins to enumerate those things in verse 14. Look there. He explains that if Christ hadn't been raised, then preaching and faith are in vain. The Greek word that's translated in vain here means something like empty or without content. What he's saying is that without the resurrection, the Christian message, the gospel message, is empty. No content. It's pointless if Jesus did not rise from the dead. See, the entire Christian faith rests on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Every single New Testament epistle either explicitly teaches the resurrection of Jesus or it implies it, every single one. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, there is no good news. There's nothing but an empty message from a Jewish rabbi who did some interesting things in his life, who taught some interesting things in his life, and then died like everyone else. See, preaching and faith are futile without the resurrection of Jesus.

6:46Then in verses 15 and 16, if you look there, Paul clarifies that if Christ hasn't been raised, the apostles are misrepresenting God since they're proclaiming that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. So whether they meant to or not, the Corinthians are implying that the apostles in their preaching of Jesus' resurrection are either mistaken or they're lying. Those are the only two options. If Jesus was not raised, and the apostles are going around preaching all over the world that Jesus in fact did rise from the dead, they're either mistaken or they're lying. Those are the options. The apostles may not have known that they were wrong, but it wouldn't matter. Because the reality is still the same. If the dead aren't raised, God didn't raise Jesus either. That's the reality. And given that the resurrection is the center of the gospel message, indeed, the center of Christianity, then anyone who proclaims the gospel must be rejected because they're misrepresenting God if he didn't raise Jesus from the dead.

7:54Then in verses 17 and 18, if you look there, Paul explains that if Christ hasn't been raised, faith is futile and we're still in our sins. He goes on to say that that means that anyone who died hoping in Christ has perished. They're ruined. They're destroyed. See, here's the climax of the argument: the whole message of Christianity is reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ. According to Romans 4, verse 25, Christ died for our sins and rose for our justification.

8:34Let those words sink in. He died for our sins, but he rose for our justification. To be justified means to be counted righteous or to be declared righteous. Christ died for our sins and he rose for our justification. So if Jesus did not rise from death, then those who have faith in him are still in their sins because Jesus did not rise in death. Rise and therefore justify them or declare them righteous through their faith in his resurrection.

9:08So without the resurrection, Jesus' death on the cross did not accomplish anything for believers. We're still in our sins, still under the curse, and all that awaits us is death and judgment. And then fourth and finally, in verse 19, Paul concludes that if the message of Christ only pertains to this life, every Christian should be pitied. I think a lot of people in our day and age, in the modern world, they read that verse and they think, well, you know, I don't know that Christians are really pitiful. Maybe they're just wrong. I mean, what does it matter, right? If you live your life one way and somebody else lives their life in another way, and in the end, Jesus didn't rise and there is no eternity, there is no God, there is no heaven or hell, what does it really matter?

9:59But what we fail to remember is that in the first century, as in many parts of the world today, if you start following Jesus Christ, if you confess your faith in him and turn away from your family's religion or your atheism or whatever else, if you confess your faith in Jesus Christ, if you are baptized and begin following him, you are probably going to lose your job, maybe lose your family, your friends, opportunities. You could even lose your freedom or your life.

10:30That was just the reality in the first century, everywhere. And that's still the reality in many parts of the world today. So, Paul is saying, in that context, if you're going to give all of this stuff up and there is no resurrection, well, then you should be pitied more than anyone else. You gave up everything in this life for what? That's why he goes on in verse 32 later in the chapter. If you look there, he says, If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

11:06In other words, if there's no eternal life, then you had better live for the moment. You better squeeze all the enjoyment you can out of this life. In fact, it is the only logical thing to do. If there is no resurrection of the dead, if we're not all going to spend eternity somewhere, if all of this is just a fairy tale, then we better live for the moment. Why would we ever sacrifice? Why would we ever do anything that we don't want to do? It makes no sense. And friends, that's why in America you're finally beginning to see people wake up to the reality that dabbling in Christianity makes no sense at all.

11:58Dipping your toe into the Water of Christianity makes no sense at all. If it is just a label and not a lifestyle, it makes no sense at all. Friends, if Christianity is true, it is so valuable that it is worth all of your life. And if Christianity is not true, it is not worth anything. It's not worth a single thought. It's not worth a single moment of time. It's not worth a single dollar. Christianity is worth everything or nothing. That is the reality.

12:43And that's why Paul says: if the core tenet of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is not true, then Christians should be pitied more than all people because they're giving their lives up for a fairy tale. So Paul has employed logic to show the Corinthians the implications of their beliefs. Either the dead are raised or they aren't, and if the dead aren't raised, then Christ hasn't been raised either, and there's no reason for hope. And now we come to this great transition. Look at verse 20.

13:26But in fact, Christ has been raised. Been raised from the dead. I just love that transition. Up to this point, it's if Christ hasn't been raised, if Christ hasn't been raised, if Christ hasn't been raised. And then Paul comes in and he says, but in fact, Christ has been raised. Paul's not talking about his opinions. He's not talking about his hopes. He's talking about facts. But in fact, Christ has been raised. The fact is many people claimed that they saw and spoke to Jesus after his resurrection. The fact is, eyewitnesses went to the tomb and confirmed that it was empty.

14:22Those are the facts. Hundreds and hundreds of people claimed to have seen him and spoken to him after he was for sure dead and for sure buried in a tomb for three days. So you can believe them or not. That's up to you. But that's what all of the witnesses claimed. They claimed that he was alive. And more than just claimed, that's what they gave their lives for. Nearly every single apostle, many of the early disciples, they were all killed for insisting. That Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

15:06Many people will give their lives for something they think is true, but no one will give his life up for something he knows is a lie. Jesus' resurrection was necessary because we needed a Savior to stand in our place. That's the argument that he goes to in this section. He says, you see, because Adam was the first man, he was our federal or representative head of the human race. So his decision to rebel against God by breaking his command has consequences for all of us, everyone that's going to descend from him. When Adam rebelled, the consequence was spiritual and physical death for the entire human race. That's why he says, by one man came death for all men.

15:57So what we needed was a man to represent us, just like Adam represented us, except this time we needed a man to represent us successfully, to obey where Adam disobeyed, to succeed where Adam failed. We needed a man to represent us successfully by reversing the curse, by defeating death, the consequence for Adam's disobedience and our own. And that's exactly what Jesus did. He represented. us through his sinless life and resurrection from the dead so that look at the end of verse 23 those who belong to Christ shall be made alive just like him well this raises a very important question who belongs to Christ Paul answers that question later in the chapter as well as in Romans chapter 10 you belong to Christ when you respond to his call with repentance and faith you see the scripture tells us that God is calling his people generally through what has been made the heavens declare the glory of God and the scriptures tell us that God is calling us specifically through the message of Jesus' life death and resurrection so there is a general and a specific call and when we hear the message of Jesus' life death and resurrection God is calling us to respond with repentance meaning that we turn away from our sin and rebellion against God and faith we turn to God trusting in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and reconciliation with God so friends if you've responded to the gospel message with repentance and faith you belong to Christ You can look forward to this great resurrection that's coming.

18:05But if you don't yet belong to Christ, then you won't receive the benefits of Jesus' resurrection. And so I want to urge you to respond today. Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness and reconciliation, and you will be saved. That's what Jesus himself said. That's what all of his apostles said. That's the good news of the gospel. Trust in Christ, and you will be saved. So the final question that we have to answer in this passage this morning is, what does the resurrection mean for us?

18:47What does it mean for us? Well, Paul highlights two very important implications of the resurrection in these final verses. The first thing he says is that Christ's resurrection means that we will enjoy a resurrection just like his. Look on the screen at Romans chapter 6. Paul writes, For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Here in verse 20, Paul describes Christ as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Well, what does that mean?

19:30We don't live in an agricultural society, and so it's a little harder for us, but the first fruits were the first part of the crop that the soil produced. And the first fruits were indicative of the kind of harvest that was going to be enjoyed, the nature and the quality of the rest of the harvest. And so, what Paul is saying here is that Jesus' resurrection is a foretaste of what's to come for us. Just as his resurrection body was similar to his earthly body, but was perfect and indestructible, that's exactly how our resurrection bodies are going to be as well.

20:10And, friends, that's very good news for all of us. Because all of us deal with illness, all of us deal with aches and pains and limitations of every kind, not to mention besetting sins and temptations. But the resurrection is especially good news for every believer who battles serious illness, who deals with significant mental or physical or emotional challenges. For those who have fallen into sin and made shipwreck of their lives, the resurrection is very good news for all of us.

20:52Because Christ has been raised and because he is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, we can look forward to a resurrection just like that. Like His, where we're going to spend eternity worshiping God and enjoying the new heavens and the new earth in these new bodies that He has given to us for those purposes. What a wonderful future. And that brings us to our second point from these final verses here. Christ's resurrection means that we can look forward to a glorious future.

21:26You see, for the Greeks, including some in Corinth, they denied the resurrection because they didn't want it to be true. That's the way that it works sometimes, isn't it? There are certain things that we believe, all of us, simply because we want them to be true. AM is going to win the national championship next year. We want that to be true. And there are other things that we don't believe because we don't want them to be true. This is exactly the case for the Greeks. You see, they viewed the body as a prison for the spirit, a cage that limited what they thought was the true self, the soul. So they actually looked forward to death because what that meant for them was release from the cage, release from prison, to a life as a disembodied spirit as it was supposed to be in their mind. So when they heard, The Christian gospel, this message of resurrection, what they heard in their minds was reincarnation. And they thought to themselves, why would anybody want to be reincarnated? You finally died. Your soul is finally free from the prison of the body. Why would you want to return to a body? Why would you want to deal with all the conflict and hurt and disappointment that this world brings?

22:59See, they denied the resurrection, at least in part, because they didn't want it to be true. But as Paul shows in verses 24 through 28, that's not what's happening. When Jesus returns, he's going to destroy every rule, authority, and power, both earthly and spiritual, that has exalted itself against God and made life miserable. Truth and justice will reign because God will reign in truth and justice over all of his creation. All of his creation is going to acknowledge the goodness and righteousness of God and his kingdom. And then finally, Jesus is going to destroy the last enemy, death.

23:44That terrible enemy that has brought sadness and misery and has served as a permanent reminder of our rebellion against God. Look on the screen at Revelation 21. John describes life as it will be after every enemy, including death. Is destroyed. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

24:27He will dwell with them, and they will be his people. And God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. That's what believers have to look forward to: a resurrection just like Jesus' resurrection, and a glorious future with God Himself in the new heavens and the new earth.

25:05Friends, every person lives forever. Every person lives forever, not just spiritually, but physically. Paul taught this very clearly, but so did Jesus Himself. He says this in Matthew 10:28. And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. In John chapter 5, Jesus says this. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

26:00See, every person lives forever, not just spiritually, but physically. Believers and unbelievers, those counted righteous in Christ and those still under the wrath of God for their sins, they will all, we will all be resurrected and spend eternity somewhere. If you don't yet belong to Christ, you will be resurrected. But it's not a resurrection that you can look forward to. Death and the afterlife are frightening prospects because all of us have rebelled against God, the holy and righteous creator and sustainer of the universe, who is worthy of all of our worship, all of our obedience, all of our lives.

26:46And so I hope and pray this morning, if you don't yet belong to Christ, that you will consider his claims. Consider the claims of the eyewitnesses. Jesus said that he came to lay down his life for his enemies, for sinners. And that his father gave him authority to take his life back up again. That any who believe in him will be forgiven and granted eternal life. I hope and pray that you will repent and put your trust in Christ today.

27:18And for those of us who are already believers in Jesus, the resurrection is great news. It is wonderful news. We don't have to fear death. We don't have to fear the final judgment. We can look forward to the resurrection. Because, friends, today we celebrate the fact that Christ has been risen from the dead, making Jesus not just our hope at Easter, but for eternity. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this very encouraging word that we read this morning, this incredible reminder of the fact of Jesus' resurrection.

28:09God, I know we sometimes have a hard time connecting what happened to Jesus with what's happening in our lives or what will happen in our lives. And so I pray, I pray that you would help us to see how the resurrection of Jesus Christ connects to all of our life today. as well as our life in eternity. Teach us to hope in him. Teach us to trust in him. And I pray that we would live with the joy that the resurrection of Christ should bring to everyone who trusts in him.

28:52In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.