Transcript

The Reality of The Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:20-34
Sunday, May 7, 2006
Pastor Randy Smith

---

As the four-inch needle was being inserted into my shoulder this week, I couldn't help but recall the memorable conversation I had with my team trainer in his automobile one day following football practice at Illinois State University.

Due to an ongoing shoulder injury, the doctor we just visited said it would be best if I called it quits. And as we returned from his office together that evening, I remember pleading from the back seat of my trainer's car how much I still wanted to continue in the sport.

Fortunately the trainer saw through my 20-year old naivety and said, "One day you will be happier if you are able to pick up you kids." In other words, "My friend, you have no future in football and a couple more downs on the field is inferior to the desire you will have later in life to do things that are far more important. You'll be glad you listened to me. Son, your priorities are misplaced!"

So as the cortisone was being injected I'm thankful that I listened to his advice. As bad as my shoulders feel now, I can only imagine how they would have felt if I continued with my remaining two years of eligibility. It took twenty years to learn that lesson, but now I'm thankful that God places mature people in our lives that can help us from making foolish mistakes.

The Corinthian church was also immature, spiritually immature. Most of them had only been believers for couple years at the most. They too were making some very foolish choices based upon false teaching and a strong influence from the culture. Specifically, they were denying the bodily resurrection of believers. They too needed someone more mature to point out their error before they entered into a territory they would have soon regretted. They too needed a shot in the arm. The Apostle Paul was God's appointed man.

In verses 1-11, Paul presented evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then in verses 12-19, He informed them that denial of their own bodily resurrection implied a denial of Christ's bodily resurrection. Specifically in verse 13 he said, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised." Then in dramatic fashion (as you will remember from last week) he outlined six tragic outcomes if Christ never rose from the dead: Our preaching is worthless (verse 14), our faith is in vain (verse 14), we are false witnesses for God (verse 15), we are still in our sins (verse 17), the dead in Christ have perished (verse 18) and we are of all men most to be pitied (verse 19).

Now in verses 20-34 Paul continues his discussion prioritizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He continues to hammer home the necessity for a correct understanding of this indispensable doctrine. It is imperative to our faith that we too listen to the wisdom of Scripture and depart this morning not only confident in the Resurrection, but also spiritually changed by the Resurrection.

1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

Beginning in verse 20, Paul reminds us of the significance of the Resurrection, the first point.

After listing a series of hypothetical statements that imply devastating consequences if there be no Resurrection, he stresses the reality in verse 20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead." From this essential, undeniable, proven and glorious fact he begins to elaborate.

First he says that Jesus, still in verse 20, is "the first fruits of those who are asleep." What exactly is he talking about?

Based upon the teaching in the Old Testament, the term "first fruits" had two basic meanings and as you will see, both of them can apply to Jesus Christ.

First, before the full harvest, those crops that ripened first were brought to the priest and used as a wave offering to the Lord (Lev. 23:10; Num. 18:13; Dt. 18:4; Neh. 10:35; Eze. 44:30) to make the remainder of the crops acceptable. (This time was called the "Feast of Weeks).

In the same way, as all the old covenant sacrifices foreshadowed, Jesus Christ offered Himself to the Father as our sacrifice so the rest of the harvest, the sons and daughters of God, may be accepted. Jesus Christ is the first fruits, the sacrifice made to God on behalf of His people.

But second, and I believe this is the heart of Paul's point, the first fruits represented the remainder of the harvest yet to come. The first fruits in agriculture were an indication that more in like manner were about to ripen.

In the same way, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of God's renewal of creation. Just as Jesus was brought back in a glorious body, so too God will bring back the bodies who are His, "those who are asleep," those who have died in Christ. Jesus Christ is the first fruits, the pledge of a full harvest soon to follow.

The significance of the Resurrection continues as Paul lists two parallel statements in verses 21 and 22. "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."

Beloved, don't miss what the Apostle is saying! Adam contributed something to all of us in this room. Upon conception, we were born in sin. In other words, due to Adam's transgression we are not blessed to be born human. Rather we are under the condemnation of God because of the curse that Adam brought upon all his future descendents. We are all born sinners (original sin) and the wages of sin as verse 21 indicates is "death" (cf. Rom. 6:23) - physical death and spiritual death. Through Adam, because of our identity to him, comes death.

Bad news indeed! But God in His infinite mercy and grace provided a way for us to be given life, to achieve verse 21, a "resurrection of the dead" to eternal life with Him. Due to the substitutionary and sacrificial death of another "man," the man Christ Jesus (sometimes referred to as the "Second Adam"), we can be forgiven all our sins. We can change our solidarity and headship. Those in Christ can receive a resurrection to eternal life.

As verse 22 declares, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive." Stay in Adam and we will suffer spiritual death. Trust Christ, be born again and we will share in His spiritual life. And we too, like Him will be "made alive" spiritually as well as bodily.

Are you in Adam this morning or are you in Christ?

For the Christian, the sequence of these glorious events is spelled out for us beginning in verse 23. We read, "But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming."

Christ's resurrection, God's decisive moment in history, has set into motion a series of events that will culminate at His return. It's almost as if we can view it as one resurrection planned by God divided into two parts. First the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first fruits, followed by a delayed bodily resurrection of Christians at our Lord's return (parousia).

What happens next? As verse 24 indicates, after these events "then comes the end." The end comes, verse 24 continues, "when He (Christ) hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

Do you see what is happening? The Father has exalted the Son throughout the church age. And Christ will reign from the time of the Resurrection until he subjects every enemy at the end as verses 25 and 26 indicate: "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death." When this happens, when the enemies are dethroned, death is abolished and the righteous redeemed, the Son will have completed His redemptive work and hand it all back to the Father as a love offering. Look at verse 28. "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all."

Possibly I can illustrate it like this: Suppose a firm in New York City owns a satellite business in the city of Baltimore. But the manager in Baltimore proves to be dishonest and incompetent. Because of this, the business faces insurmountable difficulties; we could say fatalities. It's about to go "belly up." Yet one of the directors back in New York says, "Allow me to go down there. I'll straighten everything out. I'll put the business on its feet." Immediately he goes and takes charge of everything. He goes over all the books. He fires some of the staff and gives the others better training. It may take him months, perhaps years before he straightens everything out. But after everything is clear and the last bill is paid, his work has been accomplished. He goes back to New York, presents his work, and hands it all back over to the head of the firm - completed and perfected!

When we consider God's master plan, we praise Him for His wisdom and sovereignty. What a glorious and marvelous plan of salvation God has in store for those who love Him!

Paul is not off his main point. Realize beloved, that all these events are linked to the resurrection of Christ. If there is no Resurrection of Christ and no subsequent resurrection of believers, Satan has not been defeated and would have been deemed victorious over both Adam in the Garden and Jesus at Calvary. He would still have the final word. Furthermore death would be unconquered still holding its sway beyond the end as a power over and against God. But since God raises the dead, He has thus defeated the "last enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26).

God is exalted above all and it ties back to the Resurrection. Now, says Paul to this church, do you really want to fool around with this doctrine?

2. THE SACRIFICE FOR THE RESURRECTION

As we move to the second point still under the banner of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, let's consider those who have made great sacrifices in their Christian life in the hopes of a "better resurrection (Heb. 11:35). Apart from the Resurrection, they, and I hope all of us too, "are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Cor. 15:19). As I mentioned to you last week, the tremendous "sacrifices" (and I put that word in quotations) that we make for Jesus Christ are all meaningless, because our faith is meaningless if Jesus Christ did not return from the dead.

Paul continues this thought beginning in verse 29. "Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?" This has been called one of the most difficult verses in the Bible to understand. Scholars have debated several interpretations throughout the history of the church.

We can say for certain that it does not mean that we are to get baptized for those who have deceased and are currently in hell and thereby grant them salvation through our baptism. This was embraced by the Gnostics and many heretics throughout the centuries, not to mention the Mormons of our present day. The Bible does not teach that we can be saved (regenerated) by our baptism and it definitely does not teach we can save others by our baptism either. Salvation, as clearly taught in the Bible, is a personal matter where an individual must receive grace through faith by trusting in Christ alone.

So what does verse 29 mean? Cutting through some of the fanciful suggestions we are left with a few possibilities. I am specifically drawn to two:

Is Paul saying we are baptized "in place of" the dead? In other words, when the martyrs died new people were converted being impressed with the martyrs' convictions and the hope they shared in Christ. But what's the point in the martyrs dying and more people following in their footsteps to die themselves, asks Paul, if there is no resurrection of the dead? If I can put it this way, what General would sacrifice his soldiers and then recruit new soldiers to be sacrificed if the battle had no purpose and held no hope of victory?

Possibly the "baptism for the dead" stresses the symbolic nature of baptism. When we get baptized we are identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before Christ we were dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). After receiving Christ we are "made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). Yet why do we demonstrate this through the symbolic act of baptism if there is no resurrection? Without the resurrection we are still dead making baptism a pointless rite that falsely represents something (the resurrection) that did not happen.

Furthermore, if there is no resurrection, verse 30, "Why are we also in danger every hour?"

The sufferings of the Apostle Paul himself are well documented in Scripture. Was he a masochist? Did he enjoy pain? Absolutely not! He endured the suffering because he believed that Jesus Christ was using him to extend His kingdom and glorify Himself. And beyond how Paul's sufferings resulted from his service to Christ, Paul also knew that his sufferings would also benefit him. Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." 2 Corinthians 4:17, "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." The resurrection was Paul's motivation for the danger he faced every hour. But if there is no resurrection what has he gained?

The same thought is repeated in verses 31 and 32. "I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me?" The man put his life on the line "every hour" (verse 30) of every day. But if there is no resurrection it was all for nothing.

Now I ask you again my friends, as I did last week, are you making these "sacrifices" for Jesus Christ where you can say you are a fool if there is no resurrection? We may not be called to the same sacrifices as Paul, but all of us as Christians are called to "deny (ourselves), and take up His cross daily" (Lk. 9:23). The call of discipleship is one that commands radical obedience to the lordship of Christ. As Joseph Pearce said, "Nothing less than a living sacrifice is demanded. Not a loan, but a gift; not a compromise, but a sacrifice; not our poorest, but our best. Not a dead but a living offering. Each drop of our blood, each ounce of our energy, each throb of our heart, we must offer to God."

Are you living in light of the resurrection? Are you motivated by the resurrection? Are you of all men most to be pitied if there is no resurrection?

Can you conclude with Paul in verse 32, "If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." If there is no resurrection let's live it up! Grab all we can! Go for the gusto! Let's act as if ourselves and this life is all that matters. If we only live and return to the dust what are we doing here this morning on such a beautiful day? Why are we denying ourselves so much fleshly comfort for the sake of Christ? And why not do everything we can to numb the reality of death? But if we do believe in the resurrection shouldn't our lives be dramatically affected by that reality?

3. THE SEDUCTION REGARDING THE RESURRECTION

Therefore, as we move to the third point, let's be sure that we prioritize this doctrine and live our lives accordingly. Let's make sure that we are not deceived by our flesh, by Satan or any human being to thinking that carnal Christianity is approved, and that an incorrect understanding of the resurrection is acceptable. Remember, the lynchpin to Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Destroy it and you have destroyed the Christian faith. So let's not be naive and think we will not face attacks in this area.

This is where Paul goes in verse 33. "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'" It only takes one bad apple to spoil a whole bucket of apples, and it only takes one false teacher to destroy a church. Be careful whom you associate with. Be selective with all the teaching you receive. Be sensitive to what others may lead you to believe. Unwittingly or intentionally, people can affect your theology, which will affect your morality (verse 33) as it happened with the Corinthian church. Don't let yourself be deceived by "bad company."

Rather, verse 34, "Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." In other words, wake up to the false teaching you have believed about the resurrection and clean up the life you are currently living, because one day you will give an account before the judgment seat of Christ. After all we've covered this morning, you can see how God is not indifferent toward what we believe and how we live the life of faith.

The Corinthian church was not unlike many in our churches today. They were indifferent toward doctrine, and it was having a direct affect on their Christian living. They were living for the moment and failed to have a long-sighted view on that which really matters the most. Because of that, Paul said in verse 34, he speaks these things to their shame.

We too are people who know better, but in so many ways we should be ashamed after being given so much grace and then pursue a "eat, drink and be merry" lifestyle. Are we living for the moment or living in light of our Lord's return? Are we pursuing selfish gains or are we living for the One "who died and rose again on (our) behalf" (2 Cor. 5:15)? Do we need a shot in the arm? Are we acting immature? Are we listening to the wisdom of God?