Easter 2025

Aroma of Life

1 Corinthians 15:12-28

INTRODUCTION

This Easter morning, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Of course, resurrection only brings joy - in a context where death casts a dark shadow. We - every one of us, face the certainty of death, after a relatively short life here on earth - that radically impacts the meaning of my life today

Leo Tolstoy is one of the most influential authors of all time. He was already a famous, well-established writer, when he went through a profound crisis in his life that changed him forever. Listen to what he said about it :

“My question - that which at the age of fifty brought me to the verge of sucide - was the simplest of questions, lying in the soul of every man … a question without an answer to which one cannot live. It was: ‘What will come of what I am doing today or tomorrow? What will come of my whole life? Why should I live, why wish for anything, or do anything?’ It can also be expressed thus: Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?”

… IF, no matter what I do - death is at the end of my road. And, IF there’s a possibility that there is a God in heaven … and a possibility that we will face him in judgment and that we COULD live forever in glorious perfection .… then wouldn’t it be reasonable to do everything in your power to get to the bottom of these ultimate questions and live ni the light of eternity to come?!!!

But so many people I rub shoulders with, spend far more time researching an election, a new tv - or even their fantasy football team - then they spend considering the things of ETERNITY.

EASTER - the day when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave - it is also God’s answer to our deepest questions of what is to come. My prayer for you, this morning, is that:

You would SEE the significance - what the bodily resurrection of Jesus means for you … TODAY - and that THAT understanding would make the journey from your head to your heart … and fill it with joy.

In our text of Scripture, this morning, Paul is writing to the Corinthians, who are confused about a number of things in the Christian life - - but NONE of them more important than what happens after death. In chapter 15, his agenda is to set them straight on the TRUTH of what is in store for the Christian - after death.

Our passage, this morning, takes us from verse 12 - verse 26, but I’m going to break the verses down into three parts and read each section as we deal with it.

READ 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

1 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION FOR BELIEVERS, vv. 12-19

I could spend my entire time, this morning, arguing for that the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave is a historical fact. I could spend half an hour, 45 minutes listing off evidences and reasons to believe that Jesus bodily rose from the grave.

I could point to the eyewitnesses - and Paul says that there were ‘more than 500 eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection’ - and he said many of those ‘are still alive’.

Why would he specify that they are still alive, unless he was inviting anyone to go ask the witnesses, if they were skeptical.

I could point to the apostles - 11 of the 12 of them die a martyr’s death. Would they really have died for something they KNEW was a lie - especially since the Gospels are very candid about their cowardice when Jesus was facing death. They ran for cover and left him alone. Would they really suddenly grow a spine, steal his body from a sealed, heavily guarded Roman tomb, hide it and then travel to the ends of the world - including India - only to die, proclaiming that Jesus is actually alive?

I could point to the first witnesses of the resurrection - women. If you are making up a story to ‘trick’ people into believing that Jesus rose from the grave, why would you have women as the very first witnesses? In the first century Roman world, women were not considered credible witnesses in a court of law. We don’t like that, today … but that’s the way it was then. It would be like putting a 3 year old on a witness stand today. The testimony wouldn’t be taken seriously. So, why do it … unless it’s the truth?

I could go on and on, but I won’t do that today -

Paul and his first readers agree on the fact that Jesus IS risen from the dead, never to die again. 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “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,”

The Corinthian Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Where they get mixed up is in their doubt that CHRISTIANS WILL RISE BODILY FROM THE GRAVE.

You see, they’ve been infected by the philosophy of their culture - the Greek philosophy that physical matter … STUFF - that’s evil. SPIRIT - THAT’S good. They have the idea that the human body is a prison - death brings release from that prison-cell. Nobody wants to go BACK to prison, after they get released.

So, some of these Christians, tainted by that philosophy, have come to believe that, at death - a Christian’s Spirit floats off to be with the Lord - free of the physical body … and that’s the end of the story.

Paul is responding to that belief, in our text. He’s saying: “Do you see what you’re saying?! Do you understand the consequences of that philosophy?! If you deny the future resurrection of Christian believers - you are denying the PAST resurrection of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:13 “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.”

And if you reject the resurrection of Jesus from the grave - then you have yourself a little problem … you lose the WHOLE Gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

I was speaking with someone once, and they said: “I’m a Christian - I’m committed to Christianity - and even if they did find the body of Jesus someday - his bones turned up in a tomb … I would STILL be a Christian - because my faith has brought so much meaning and purpose to my life. You ask me how I know He lives - he lives within my heart.”

You know what the Bible says about that idea: “It’s GARBAGE. If there is no resurrection - your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” We are the most pitiful people on earth.

PAUL - - Paul should know: He had been a respected Jewish religious leader, with an impeccable educational background, his star was on the rise, his career taking off - he already had a corner office, with windows and was on his way to the top floor - and he was climbing the ladder in no small part, due to his hatred of the new group, called Christians. When the first martyr was stoned to death - Stephen … Paul was there, giving his approval. In fact, he’s on a journey up-country, with legal warrants - to grab Christians from their homes and drag them into prison

… when the risen and glorified Jesus confronts him on the road to Damascus - and from that point on - he makes an about face - starts preaching the very message about the Resurrected Christ - that he HAD been so devoted to destroying. In 2 Corinthians he gives a list of the sufferings he had endured, as he criss-crossed the Roman world with his message of Christ - he ended up a martyr.

JIM ELLIOTT - - Many of you know the story, “Through Gates of Splendor”, about Jim Elliott, Nate Saint and their fellow missionaries, who left America, in the 1950’s, to take the Gospel to the jungles of Ecuador, to the unreached Auca Indians. They were so excited to make contact with the tribe and were looking forward to their first chance to share Jesus with the people, when Elliott and his fellow missionaries were brutally struck down ... before even seeing 1 single soul come to Christ.

PASTOR GBENDJA - - In April of last year, in the north of the country of Togo, assailants attacked a village where a pastor was serving Christ. The pastor and several villagers were able to flee - though 5 people were killed during the violent raid. The pastor returned to the village last summer and resumed his ministry. On February 7th of this year, armed militants invaded the village again. This time they broke into Pastor Gbendja’s home - and this time, the pastor didn’t make it out alive - he was shot and then stabbed to death - leaving behind seven children.

The stories are countless: People leaving the comfort and security of home, suffering hardships, loss, imprisonment and grief … all the while keeping their eyes fixed on Christ’s future for them. If there is NO Resurrection … these people are not HEROES … THEY’RE FOOLS!

That’s the negative way to look at the resurrection: if it didn’t happen - we have less than nothing.

But Paul doesn’t stop with the negative. In v. 20, he points us to the positive - Positively, What Jesus’ Resurrection means for us.

2 THE INEVITABILITY OF THE RESURRECTION OF BELIEVERS, vv. 20-24

READ vv. 20-24

Verse 20: “But, in fact Christ HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD … the FIRSTFRUITS of those who have fallen asleep.”

“What are firstfruits?” The farmers among us know what they are. ‘Firstfruits’ are exactly what they sound like - the beginning portion of the harvest. When the firstfruits are ripe - you know that the rest of the harvest is guaranteed … it’s only a matter of time.

Let me illustrate it with a slightly different analogy - With the weather we’ve been having, barbecue season is just around the corner. A new hobby I’ve picked up in the last few years is smoking. NO - not that kind of smoking. I enjoy smoking meat - in a smoker - over wood. The most challenging meat for me, so far, has been beef brisket. It takes around 10 hours - 10 hours of constant, vigilant attention - keeping the temperature of the smoker steady, watching the temperature of the meat, changing out the wood, making sure there’s enough moisture .… there are a hundred different ways to wreck the brisket. It’s stressful - especially the more time passes and the more invested you are in this slab of meat.

But if everything goes the way you hope - the time finally comes when you open the smoker door to an amazing aroma - the temperature is just right, you wrap the meat and then, I put it into a cooler with towels to insulate it. The meat needs to rest beforee you eat it. As you close the cooler and take one last whiff of the brisket - you can’t help saliivating and it’s hard to contain the excitement - the beef coming out of the smoker is the firstfruits - it means dinner is sure.

Paul says that when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead - he set in motion a process that absolutely guarantees your future in Christ, Christian! And -He did it FOR YOU!

Do you realize that the Son of God didn’t need a human body for himself. From eternity past, the Son has lived in sweet communion and a perfect fellowship of love with the Father and the Spirit. WITHOUT a body, He created all that is. WITHOUT a body - He was already perfect in every way.

But, when He took on human flesh and blood - He took our humanity to Himself … forever. He lives in the presence of the Father NOW - with those nail-scarred hands and feet - In that GLORIFIED body - and that is how He will live - for ETERNITY.

Verse 21, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Do you have scars, this morning, friend? Painful reminders of the decay and suffering that is inescapable in this world - reminders that this life is oh-so fleeting and that it is appointed unto man, once to die?

Our society’s way of dealing with that death to come - is distraction. Advertising and media industries devoted to keep our minds firmly fixed in the here and now: “GRAB from the present all you can … LIVE for THIS LIFE in the here and now - because there’s NO ROCK-SOLID future!”

This text is telling us that, just as sure as every descendant of Adam faces death … so every single individual who has thrown himself or herself on the grace of Jesus Christ, trusting in His finished dying and rising-again work … every ONE of them is guaranteed to be PHYSICALLY, BODILY RAISED from death.

This morning, we’ve rejoiced to see 5 of our loved ones follow Jesus into the waters of Baptism. In going under the waves, every one of them have testified that they’ve put their trust in Jesus Christ’s finished work - they’ve joined themselves to Him. When he died, He took their sins to the grave - He paid their penalty and died their death.

And when He rose from the grave - in history, with a glorified, real - resurrected body - never to taste death again … because each of these young people belong to him - their resurrection in the future is every bit as sure and certain as His resurrection is.

Whatever else it means to be Christian, friend, it also SHOUTS that you are BRANDED FOR ETERNITY - STAMPED by the Resurrection of Christ. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit. You belong, not ultimately to a decaying dying world - you belong to the FUTURE.

Verse 22: “… ALL SHALL BE MADE ALIVE. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then, at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

This may not mean much to you right now, if you are young and have been untouched by the death of anyone close to you. But when death hits home - when you lay your Christian loved one to rest … buried in the ground, ashes to ashes - dust to dust … when your heart is breaking and you know that they are with the Lord right now - ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’, Paul promises. But, truth be told, that’s of little comfort to you because you’re not sure what that means for your future relationship with your loved one, in heaven.

If we’re just going to be some kind of ‘spirit beings’ floating around in clouds with phantom harps - that’s not a heaven I can relate with. It’s certainly not a heaven I can get excited about. Resurrection means that when we die, IN CHRIST - that not just our souls - but our MORTAL parts are kept safely in God’s unbreakable care until Jesus comes back

… when, with the same voice that commanded our universe into existence, He will command our corpses to life again - this time every bit as glorified and never-decaying as His resurrection body.

Oh the comfort this brings - No power can hold those who belong to the Living God -those who are ‘in Christ’ .

Remember back to the book of Exodus - The beginning of the story has Pharaoh, king of Egypt - as the ‘Mighty One’. The children of Israel are in captivity to him - they are slaves under his power, unable to do anything to grab their freedom.

God sends Moses as his spokesman to tell Pharaoh: “Time’s up - let my people go.” Ask Mighty Pharaoh how it goes when any person or force tries to hold onto anyone God claims as His own!

3 THE GOAL OF CHRISTIAN RESURRECTION, vv. 25-26

In verses 25-26, Paul tells us the GOAL of Christian Resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:25–26 “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

When you walk through times of gried - a loved one is dying, or has already died - you are staring death in the face, yourself. You CURSE this despicable enemy. Truth be told, you struggle to not question God: “Don’t you see us dying?! Don’t you care?! That haunting spectre of death hangs over everything in this life.”

Albert Camus, French Philosopher of the last century, said no matter what you enjoy in life, the fact that you’re going to die casts a shadow on it.

Camus at one point in one of his books says, “If I told you I’m going to kill you in 30 minutes, you’d say, ‘Why not kill me now?’ ” He’d say, “Well, what do you like to do? Tell me the thing you most enjoy doing.” You’d say, “Well, I love to listen to Haydn on my stereo.” “Great,” he’d say. “Well, I don’t want to be too cold about this. Listen to Haydn for 30 minutes, and then I’ll kill you. Have some fun before you die.”

You’d say, “Well I don’t know, but I guess there’s something about the fact I’m going to die at 7:30 that’ll make it hard for me to enjoy my Haydn at 7:00.” Camus says, “But don’t you understand? That’s the situation all of you are in. You’re going to die. You don’t know when you’re going to die, but you’re going to die. How can you enjoy anything? You’re going to die.”

Sometimes, we forget that we are NOT alone in our hatred of death. You need to remember that death is God’s enemy, too. Look back, to the beginning of the Bible, the beginning of history - look back to the Garden of Eden. Before the Fall, before sin entered creation - it was a place of LIFE. Over and over again, in the Bible, God says, “I am the LIVING God” - The very name He uses to reveal Himself to His people - Yahweh - means ‘He Is” … the ‘Great ‘I AM’ … In other words - Wherever you are, whenever you live - I am alive … I cannot cease to exist - and I WILL not allow death to have the last word.

So, if you are desperately waiting, ACHING for life to have the last word - you are not alone. Verse 25 says something that you need to hear: “… He MUST reign UNTIL he has put all his enemies under his feet.” Jesus reigns NOW - don’t miss that friend. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven - and sat down at the right hand of the Father

He has conquered death HIMSELF … but his work isn’t finished. Death isn’t destroyed. The Bible is telling us that Jesus WILL not stop - CAN NOT stop - until every believer for whom He died - is raised up from the dead, with a NEW, GLORIFIED body, just like His … NEVER to taste death again.

THEN, we are told in v. 28 … “THEN the Son will turn everything over to the Father so that God may be all in all.”

Do you see what this means for resurrection? It means that this is no afterthought with God - something that He said He will do for you - but only because He feels sorry for you.

Christian, your resurrection is sure because God’s very REPUTATION depends on it. He cannot BE ALL - IN ALL - as long as death has its hold on His property.

Are you near despair this morning? Let this be the strength that nerves your arm and steels your heart, 1 Corinthians 15:25–26 “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

If the world and the devil do their worst to you – the very worst thing they have to hold over your head – if they kill you – bury you in the ground or scatter your ashes on the water - - you can know that Jesus watches where every molecule of your dead body lands – and he puts his all-powerful guardian hands around you – and protects you and protects you and protects you … until the time is right for Him to come back and raise your physical body to Eternal Glory!

Easter means that, if you are a Christian - you can live in the light of the fact that death will not – CAN NOT have the last word in your life....so go find something more dangerous to worry about.

Inhale the aroma of life