Lesson 5: Resurrection of the Dead

Intro

We are continuing our series, Elementary, and we are going over the fundamental truths of our faith based on Hebrews 6:1-2. We’ve looked at Repenting from Evil Deeds, Placing our faith in God, Baptism, Laying on of Hands, and this morning, we are diving into the resurrection of the dead.

Dust Slide

I want you to look at the picture on the screen. What do you see? A pile of dust. Nothing significant, nothing of importance, just a big pile of dust.

Yet, we read in Genesis that God took the dust of the earth, formed it, breathed life into, and it become life; it became the first man. Since then, dust has not miraculous collected itself and turned itself in a living being. It was a one and done situation.

But if God did it once, He could probably do it again, right? I want you to mull that over as we dive into the concept of resurrection.

Resurrection of the Dead in the OT

Now the way I’ve been tackling these fundamental truths is wondering back into the Old Testament and unpacking where it started and how we get the idea today.

The interesting about resurrection is that it is not truth that the Old Testament authors taught about. In fact, in the Old Testament record, there are only three times that people were actually resurrected from the dead. Once by the prophet Elijah, once by the prophet Elisha when he was alive, and once when he was dead. No, he didn’t come back to life, someone was thrown into his grave and that person came back to life.

In fact, the closest we get in the Old Testament account is in the Psalms and prophets, and even then, it is either talked about that God will save His people from certain death or grave situations, OR it is the nation of Israel turning from their wicked ways and finding new life in God.

Now as I say that, on their own, they do not point to resurrection. But in light of Christ, suddenly we start to see how the Psalms and Prophets, as they so often do, were alluding to what Christ would accomplish, prophecies He would fulfill

which brings us to the New Testament, and this morning we are going to spending all our time in 1 Corinthians 15 because no one lays out how important and fundamental the resurrection is for the believer then Paul in this chapter.

1 Corinthians 15:1–9 NLT

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

The Resurrection Proves that Jesus Spoke the Truth

imagine being the disciples. Several times, Jesus told his followers that He would be put to death and rise again 3 days later.

The whole time, the disciples questioned Him, doubted that what He said about His death was untrue. Why? Because they understood death to be final, and the cause they had given their lives to would die if Jesus died after only 3 short years of ministry.

But then Jesus dies and comes back to life. If what He said about His death was true, then everything else He said was true. If everything else He said was true, that would be truly life changing because for the first time, the disciples really understood the signficance of everything they saw and that He taught.

What Paul is telling the church then, and us now, is that the reality of resurrection, because what Jesus said about His life was true, that means we can trust the things that we read. We can trust the things that He taught. Over 500 eye witnesses saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion. We can trust the reality that He came back to life, and we can trust everything else He said too.

But it is the next part that really unpacks the significance of the resurrection for believers.

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 NLT

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

Resurrection is Foundational

I hope you catch what Paul is trying to say here. Resurrection is not only a fundamental truth, it is one of the most necessary, most important truths! WIthout resurrection of the dead, if no one comes back, then Christ hasn’t either, and your faith is pointless and you have not been forgiven of your sins!

one of the biggest reasons we repent of our evil deeds and confess faith in Christ is so that we can be free from the guilt and experience the new life that is found in Christ and Christ alone. Without the resurrection, there is none of that.

Not only that, remember that the Christians were the most hated group of people in the Roman empire. If there is no resurrection, all the hate, all the persecution, everything they suffered was for nothing, and they should be pitied.

Then Paul goes on

1 Corinthians 15:20–28 NLT

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

The Hope of the Resurrection is the New Creation

Paul starts by shifting our focus forward. When Jesus returns, the old world, the one we live in now, will pass away, and Jesus will become the supreme authority in the new creation! So all authority, which means no more corruption, no more selfish agendas, all authority will shift to Jesus, culminating with the defeat of death.

The Hope of our Resurrection is that this life is not all there is. The resurrection reminds us that everything that is wrong with this world is going to pass away, a new heaven and a new earth will take its place, and we will be resurrected into this new reality.

The resurrection reminds us that no matter how tough life is, no matter how much it may go sideways, this world will pass away and something better awaits us.

The other thing we need to remember is that no matter how long it may seem, this life is but a whisper, a flower in the field that is here today and gone tomorrow.

Paul continues

1 Corinthians 15:35–44 NLT

But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

The Resurrection is the hope of a new body

Paul lays out what the resurrection means for our bodies. The perishable, the body we have now cannot inherit eternity, so that means we are getting new bodies. But Paul says something significant. We often talk about how, I hope I get my body from when I was 25. Paul says that the body we are going to get is going to be as different as the the wheat seed is from the wheat plant. It is going to be better in everyway.

That is amazing. No more aches, no more pains, no more sickness, no more disease. No more nothing! An eternal body, free from everything that causes our current bodies to die.

New world to live in, new body to live in it with.

There is one more thing that makes resurrection central, and I really need you to hold onto this truth.

If God can redeem this world, in all its craziness. If God can give us new bodies that are eternal and free from everything that kills it, what else can He breathe life into?

Is there a situation in your life that seems dead in the water, but you are holding on to that it will turn around? Is there a relationship that you are hoping can be restored? In the beginning, God took dust, formed it into man, and breathed life into it. God is the God of the living, not the dead. If Jesus has brought life to the things that were dead, and if He is going to do it one day in the future, then why can’t He do it now?

Is there something in your life that needs Jesus to breathe life into it?

Baptism

Which brings us to baptism. A couple weeks ago, I talked about how baptism is the initiation into the Church. Baptism points to something that already happened when you made a personal commitment to follow Jesus. Baptism points to what the Holy Spirit is doing now, putting to death the old self and embracing the new life found in Christ. Baptism points to what will happen, when we physically die and are transformed into our new bodies to enjoy the new creation in the presence of Christ.

So if anyone wants to be baptized, whether for the first time or again as a recommitment, then we are going to have a baptism service in the parking lot right now. Regardless if you are ready or not, baptism is a sacred moment between you and God. Like marriage, you are committing yourself to Christ for the rest of your life in the presence of these witnesses who are committing to walk with you and encourage you.