1 Corinthians 15:12-20 "Does the Resurrection Really Matter?"

0:56The professor has a conversation after this with Peter and Susan about the incident, and Susan rather explains that Lucy won't stop going on and on about this magical land. And to both Peter and Susan's surprise, Professor Kirk seems to believe Lucy and wants to hear more about it. Well, Peter is shocked. He says, you're not saying you believe her. And Professor Kirk responds, you don't believe her? And Susan answers, of course not. I mean, logically, it's impossible.

1:33And Professor Kirk kind of says to himself, what do they teach in schools these days? Here in 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul, who is educated at the feet of the renowned scholar Gamel, is essentially asking the same question. What do they teach in Corinthian schools these days? Because the Corinthians, like so many people all throughout history, had a belief that was logically inconsistent. They believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead, but they didn't follow that belief to its logical conclusion.

2:13For 2,000 years, many professing Christians have done the same thing with many central tenets of the Christian faith. Professing Christians will say that they don't believe that Jesus was really born of a virgin, or that he really lived a sinless life, or that he really died, or that he really was physically risen from the grave. But they don't follow those beliefs to their logical conclusions. If Jesus wasn't really born of a virgin, then he inherited the same sinful nature as the rest of us, because then he had two sinful human parents. If Jesus didn't really live a sinless life, Then he couldn't have offered himself as a perfect, acceptable sacrifice on our behalf. If Jesus didn't really die and really physically rise from the grave, then he could not be the one who defeated the wages of sin, which is death, on our behalf. You see, friends, the Christian faith, for it to be true, all of those things have to be true. If any one of those things is false, the Christian faith is false, and it has to be rejected because it offers us no more hope than any other philosophical or religious system.

3:41So, in our passage today, the Corinthians are not denying the virgin birth or Jesus' sinless life or his death on the cross, or probably even his resurrection from the dead. They seem to have believed all of those things. No, they were denying that we would be raised from the dead. They were saying there would be no general resurrection of all people. And perhaps this morning, you're in the same place. You may consider yourself a Christian, you may not consider yourself a Christian, but either way, you're not sure that you believe that our bodies will be physically raised after we die.

4:24And the question in your mind is: does the resurrection really matter? Does it really matter when we die whether our bodies will be physically raised from the dead? And Paul says yes, absolutely, 100% it matters. Physical resurrection is not a peripheral issue, it is absolutely essential to the Christian faith. So on this Easter Sunday, I hope to show you or to remind you that our hope outlives this life because Jesus rose from the dead. Now, this whole section, 1 Corinthians 15, 12 through 20, is a long series of if-then statements. They're known as conditional statements, and they form a logical argument.

5:20So, a statement is made, and if that statement is true, then the statement that follows is also true. So, if A is true, then B must be true. Take a look again at verse 12. It takes this shape. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, then how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? So, there you have it. The first statement is that Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead.

5:51That is what Paul wrote about in the first 11 verses of the chapter. Go back to verse 3 of chapter 15 and take a look there with me. Paul says, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6:21Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. In these verses, Paul shares the gospel, which means good news of Jesus Christ. He states that it is a matter of first importance, that these truths that he's sharing are not secondary matters or minor details or debatable issues for the Christian. It is of first importance that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. These are matters of first importance.

7:17Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead. That is the good news of the gospel. And since that is true, Paul wants to know: how can some of you say that there is no resurrection? Of the dead. Now, here's where context matters. You have to understand the context of 1st century Corinth, which was a Greek city firmly rooted in the Greco-Roman culture and worldview. According to Greek philosophers, the spiritual realm was good and the material realm was evil.

7:55And so they taught and believed that the soul or the spirit was the essence of the person, and that the physical body was a prison for the soul. The Greeks believed that at death, the soul or the spirit was released from the body, never to be reunited with it or with any other body again. There was only immortality for the soul and not for the body. That is what they believed. So for anybody raised in this culture, resurrection wasn't just impossible, it was undesirable.

8:33A person living in this culture, a first-century Corinthian, would have said, nobody is raised from the dead, but even if you could be, why would you want to be? Why would you want to live forever in the evil prison of the body? So understand, the Corinthians didn't necessarily deny the resurrection of Jesus, though it's certainly possible that some of them did. What they denied was the resurrection generally, the idea that all people, you and me, would be raised from the dead after we die. But they didn't follow that belief to its logical conclusion, which is what Paul helps them to do. Let's pick up in verse 13.

9:19But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. See, if resurrection is impossible and undesirable, Paul argues, then not even Christ has been raised. That's the logical conclusion of the belief that there is no resurrection of the dead. Because how could it be true that Jesus was raised from the dead if there is no resurrection from the dead? No resurrection means no resurrection. So if there is no resurrection, then Jesus hasn't been raised either.

9:55But maybe that doesn't matter. And for the past 2,000 years, many people have argued that it does not matter whether Jesus physically rose from the grave or not. So maybe resurrection isn't really as important as people have made it out to be. Does it really matter one way or another? Paul says, absolutely it does. Let's pick back up at the front end of verse 13. 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.

10:49So Paul writes that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, there are implications both for the apostles and for the Corinthians. First, there are implications for the apostles. He says in verse 14, our preaching is in vain. And that Greek word translated in vain is kenos. It means empty. And so what Paul is saying is that if Jesus is not alive, if he is still dead, then our preaching is nothing but empty words. Said another way, without the resurrection of Jesus, the Christian faith is just a pleasant fiction.

11:31As the physicist Stephen Hawking said, religion is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark. Maybe that's what you have always thought. That Christianity and all religion is just a crutch for weak people who can't really cope with the harsh realities of life. Well, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then both you and Stephen Hawking are exactly right. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then Christianity is an empty fairy tale. Like all religions, it was just invented to attempt to provide meaning and comfort in a world that actually has no meaning, where life on earth is hard, and then it comes to an end abruptly forever.

12:22If there is no resurrection, the Christian message is empty. And if the message is empty, then preaching it is a complete and total waste of time. Paul's calling, his life's work, along with every other preacher who has ever lived, is vanity. If Jesus is not alive, we should do anything else other than preach this message. But that's not all. Look again at what Paul says in verse 15. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ.

13:03So if there is no resurrection, then it's not just that Christianity is a bunch of empty words, it's worse than that. If Jesus isn't alive, the Christian message is blasphemy. Because what Paul and the apostles preached is that God raised Christ from the dead. And Paul claimed that he literally received the gospel message from God himself. Take a look at Galatians 1. Paul wrote this early in his ministry. He says, For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel, for I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13:51So, if Jesus wasn't alive, then Paul was misrepresenting God because he told everybody that God appeared to him in a vision, that the risen Christ appeared to him in a vision. The rest of the apostles claim that they saw and talked to and even ate with Jesus after he was alive. So, if Jesus didn't physically rise from the dead, the apostles weren't just preaching an empty message, a fairy tale for people who are afraid of the dark. They were actually lying. They were misrepresenting the God that they claimed to serve, just like every other religious charlatan who has ever existed. So, there are serious implications for the apostles if Jesus didn't rise from the dead.

14:38But there are also serious implications for the Corinthians and for you and me. Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, our faith is in vain. So, our faith, just like the apostles' preaching, is empty apart from the resurrection. And that is because the resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Think about it for a second. The resurrection changes everything. Jesus had spent three years teaching his disciples, training them for ministry, preparing them for what was ahead.

15:18But when Jesus was killed and buried, Peter, the leader of the apostles, did not gather up the guys and say, all right, fellas, this is it. This is the moment that Jesus has been training us for. So let's go out now and tell the world everything that he taught us. No, not even close. Every one of them ran away, scared to death. Peter denied even knowing who Jesus was three separate times. On the third day, the day that Jesus promised again and again that he would physically rise from the grave, all of the disciples were huddled together, hiding in a locked room, scared of what the Jews would do to them.

16:04But friends, the resurrection changed everything. After Jesus appeared to them alive in the same body that had been crucified and buried, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they boldly proclaimed that Jesus was both Lord and Christ, and that the proof that he was the eternal Son of God was the fact that God had raised him from the dead. The resurrection changed. Changed everything for the disciples. And friends, the resurrection changes everything for you and me as well.

16:40Paul says that our faith is in vain without the resurrection of Jesus. Because without the resurrection of Jesus, what is our faith? It's no faith at all. It's just a set of teachings similar to Buddhism, which does not believe in God or any God. Buddhism claims to simply be a pathway to spiritual enlightenment, just like many New Age religions today. And if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, that's all Christianity is. It is one among many pathways to spiritual enlightenment that may or may not suit your fancy. So take it or leave it. Try Christianity on for a while, and if it doesn't work for you, leave it behind.

17:32Discard it and try something else. But friends, Christianity at its core is faith that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. The whole reason that our faith is not empty, is not in vain, is because Jesus is alive. But Paul's still not done with his argument yet. Let's pick up now in verse 16.

18:13For 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 who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. In verse 16, Paul repeats the conditional statement that we first saw in verse 13, that if the dead are not raised, then logically, Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, we have much bigger problems than just believing in fairy tales.

18:56According to Paul, our first problem is that our faith is futile and we are still in our sins. That word translated futile can mean useless or fruitless. I want you to look at what Paul wrote when he explained to the Roman Christians how Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness. Take a look at this. But the words, it was counted to him, were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to him. To us who believe in him, who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

19:44Jesus lived a sinless life and died the death that he died in our place so that we could be forgiven for our sins. He was delivered up for our trespasses. But Paul does not stop there because the Christian message does not stop on Good Friday. He adds, Jesus was raised for our justification. You see, the Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death, and death is one of the consequences of our sinful rebellion against God. Everybody dies because everybody sins.

20:22Jesus died in our place, but Paul says that God raised him for our justification. That is, his resurrection is the reason that we will be justified or counted righteous when we believe in him. So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then as Paul says, our faith is futile. It is useless. We are still in our sins. And it also means, look again at verse 18, that those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

20:58Both Jesus and Paul use. That phrase, fallen asleep, because for the believer, death is not a permanent state. That's why in Matthew chapter 9, when the young girl dies, Jesus goes to her parents and to everybody that is mourning her death, and he says to them, She is not dead, but asleep. It's why Paul tells the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4 not to be distraught over Christians who have died because they're not dead, they're merely asleep. Like sleep, for the believer, death is temporary. And here in verse 18, Paul refers to those who have fallen asleep in Christ, because death is not a permanent state for the believer.

21:53Unless, of course, Jesus didn't rise from the dead. In which case, Paul explains, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. That word means have been destroyed or been lost. Because that's the deal. If Jesus did not rise, then he is still dead, and so is everybody who died trusting in him. If he could not raise himself from the dead, then it goes without saying that he can't raise anybody else from the dead either. And that means that the Christian message has. Nothing to offer us beyond this life. It is simply one way, one pathway to navigate your years in this harsh world.

22:41So Buddhists have Gautama, Christians have Jesus, but they are both just offering one pathway that you can take, you can leave, or you can ignore entirely. Which is why Paul ends the way that he does. Look at verse 19. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. Now listen, for the modern American person, it is very hard to see why Paul would say that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christians are the most pitiful people on earth.

23:30Because our culture's mantra is, you do you. So if Christianity works for you, great. If Buddhism works for you, super. If the Joe Rogan experience is your thing, do that. It doesn't matter. You do you. But it wasn't like that at all in the first century. What you have to understand is that when someone professed faith in Christ and got baptized, they usually lost their job and got kicked out. Out of their home. They sometimes were beaten, imprisoned, or even killed for their faith. They paid a very high price every single day for following Jesus Christ. So if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and therefore nobody is going to rise from the dead, what is the point of it all? Why would you lose your job, your family, your health, your freedom, or your life to follow the teachings of a dead Jewish rabbi?

24:35It makes no sense. That's why Paul says that if our hope in Christ is for this life only, we, Christians, are of all people most to be pitied. If we are all going to die in our sins, never to rise again, then as Paul says later in the chapter, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. If we are going to die in our sins, never to rise again, then we have to squeeze everything we can out of the short life on earth, because this life is all there is.

25:15But thanks be to God. Paul writes in the very next verse, look at verse 20. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits. Of those who have fallen asleep. And that means that preaching is not in vain, and no preacher is misrepresenting God for saying that he rose Christ from the dead. It means that those who believe in Jesus are no longer in their sins because he died for them and he rose for their justification.

25:55It means that those who have already died believing in Jesus have really just fallen asleep in Christ, awaiting their resurrection from the dead. And friends, it means that our faith is not in vain. That Christianity is not a fairy tale for those who are afraid of the dark, but a true story that helps to make sense out of life in this world. Does the resurrection really matter? It certainly does. 2,000 years ago, it mattered whether Jesus rose from the dead, and it matters today.

26:352,000 years ago, it mattered whether we were all going to be raised from the dead or not, and it matters today. The Corinthian Christians doubted the resurrection of the dead because it was seen as impossible and undesirable by most people in their culture. And maybe that's where you are today, that you have seen the resurrection as impossible and as undesirable. That even if it were possible, you would never want it. But, friends, Jesus' resurrection proves that our resurrection is not only possible, it's guaranteed. He died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, he was buried, and on the third day, he was raised from the dead in accordance with the scriptures. And as we saw in verse 20, Jesus' resurrection is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Jesus' resurrection, just like the first fruits of a harvest, are a sampling of what is to come for all of us. Look what Jesus promised in John chapter 14: Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

28:01Friends, you don't have to be troubled about death or about what comes after death. Believe in God. Believe also in Jesus Christ, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. His resurrection ensures our resurrection, and that death does not have the last word. Jesus' resurrection guarantees our resurrection. And Jesus' resurrection proves that it's not just possible to live forever, it is desirable. If we were raised in the exact same bodies with the exact same problems, arthritis and paralysis, cancer and dementia, anxiety and depression, who would want to live forever in a body like that?

29:01That is a curse to dread, not a blessing to look forward to. But the good news is that when we are raised, our bodies will be completely transformed. There will be no more pain, no more sickness, no more handicaps or disabilities or mental health issues ever again. Look what Paul wrote in Philippians 3. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.

29:48So, on this Easter Sunday, I hope that if you have never believed in the resurrection before and never desired the resurrection before, that you would believe in it. Desire it today. I hope that you will come to see it as the good gift from a good heavenly Father that it really is. Put your hope in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, whether for the first time this morning or afresh today. The Christian faith does not offer empty hope, but a hope that outlives this life because Jesus rose from the dead. Thanks be to God. Let's pray.

30:51Father, we pray that you would send your Holy Spirit because you say in your word that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit, does not receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. The resurrection is foolishness to those who don't have eyes to see and ears to hear. Christianity does sound like a fairy tale. At best, it sounds too good to be true. And so we pray this morning. For all of those who have not hoped in the resurrection of Jesus and in their own resurrection, that this morning you would give them faith and you would give them hope.

31:44God, we pray that you would draw men, women, and children to yourself. That today would be the day that they begin following Jesus, the crucified, buried, and risen Lord, and that their lives would be changed not just for the rest of their earthly life, but for eternity. And God, I pray for all of those who are already trusting in Christ. Father, we confess that the resurrection gets put on the back burner of our hearts and minds for a lot of the year.

32:21And that we often act as though Jesus is not alive, as though this world is all that there is, as though we don't have a perfect eternity to look forward to. And so we pray that we would be known by our neighbors, our co-workers, our family members and friends as those who have an unshakable hope because we serve a resurrected Lord. God, we thank you for the good news of the gospel. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

33:07Thank 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.