Frozen Pork
"The Trouble with Frozen Pork" (1 Cor 15)
the desire for long life
It is rumoured that somewhere in the United States today there is a fridge with Walt Disney’s name on it. His name isn’t on it because he owns the fridge, his name is on it because he’s IN the fridge. It’s called cryogenics. Walt’s hope was that in the future they would find a cure for the cancer that killed him. When this cure was eventually found, the aim was to bring him back to life and cure Walt of his fatal disease. In this way, Walt planned to extend his life span by some enormous amount of time, because he was relying on a future technology to help him live forever - or close to it.
We live in a world obsessed with wanting to live longer. That’s one of the reasons we are told to eat less fat, lower our cholesterol, give up smoking, eat less salt, do more exercise - all these things not only improve the quality of our life, but also help to prolong the years that we live.
I suspect that many people given the choice would choose to live forever. But this isn’t something new. It’s been going on for thousands of years - the Pharaoh’s tucked away in the pyramids believed they would live forever, and then there's the fountain of youth…..A front page of the Sydney Morning Herald was entitled, “One day we’ll live forever - but not in our lifetime”.
Assuming good health, most of us have this burning, ingrained desire to live forever. Why? I suppose the answer is obvious really. To see what the future holds - curiosity no doubt - but also because people just don’t want to die - we fear death. We don’t know what stands on the other side of this life - and we don’t really want to find out in case our worst nightmares come true. So we try and squeeze all we can out of this life, with operations and drugs if need be, to delay the day when my name will appear in the obituary column.
In John 5, Jesus makes an extraordinary claim – a claim that he will give eternal life to those who seek it. It’s there is John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life”. Jesus is saying that eternal life is something you can have - starting right now. Whoever believes Jesus' words has eternal life. Eternal life begins the moment you place your trust in Jesus. That’s not to say that you’ll never grow old or that you’ll never physically die, but Jesus promises that even though we die we shall continue to live.
I've seen documentaries and heard people interviewed who were clinically dead for a while. They speak of bright lights, people there to welcome them – but nothing really has emerged that's satisfied our curious desire to know what lies beyond the grave. Even if Walt Disney pushed the frozen pork aside and one day and step out of the fridge, would we believe what he said about death? For someone to testify to us about what really lies beyond the grave, they need to have been convincingly dead – dead beyond all doubt – not just frozen. I’d be the first one to fall over with shock if at the last funeral I conducted we were interrupted by the lid on the coffin shaking, and then the person hopping out and wondering why we were making such a fuss. The closest I’ve seen is Shelley Long in the movie, “Hello Again” – but that’s only Hollywood.
There is something about the resurrection that wants us to keep it at an arms length. John Shelby Spong keeps writing top selling books about the Bible. When commenting on the resurrection, Spong would have us believe that, “the resurrection is not so much an event of history, as it is an experience of transcendence”. I was once listening to Barbara Thiering being interviewed on 2GB and she was saying that the resurrection was a myth created by the early church. In other words, it’s a nonsense to believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. Spong and Thiering are saying that the resurrection, “helps us affirm the life of God that is within us”. Don’t believe in the fact of the resurrection – just enjoy the religious experience.
Strangely enough the first person to doubt the resurrection of Jesus was not someone opposed to Christianity. In fact, it was one of Jesus’ closest supporters - Thomas. Because he had not seen the resurrected Jesus' with his own eyes, he would not believe the facts. But when Jesus later appeared to him the evidence was overwhelming and so Thomas had no choice other to confess, “My Lord and my God”!
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says in verse 17 that if there is no physical resurrection then there is no forgiveness of sins. Let me read this verse to you, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins”. The penalty for our rebellion against God is death. So what is the evidence that sin has been dealt with? Life!
In raising Jesus from the dead God is saying that the penalty for sin has been paid and the mess of Adam has been reversed. Paul says in verse 22, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive”. The resurrection is evidence that God’s anger at sin has been satisfied and when we trust in Christ he invites us into his family by adoption and we shall be made alive forever. Christ’s resurrection is sure and final proof that God’s anger has been satisfied and now he is prepared to offer new life.
BUT if Christ hasn’t been raised – if the report is merely the product of an overactive imagination – then Paul says in verse 14 that our faith is futile because the hope of forgiveness is a lie. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless (i.e. it’s a waste of time me speaking) and so is your faith” (you self-deluded lot might as well go home). If Christ died and stayed dead then is no forgiveness and no hope for the future. If the dead are not raised – verse 32, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrows we die”. If the dead are not raised we might as well follow the wisdom of the world and enjoy ourselves while we can because that's all there is to it.
But Jesus did rise again. Sin could not hold him down. Sin and death are defeated and forgiveness is possible and new life is possible and hope is possible and renewal is possible and joy is possible…… The Apostle Paul tells us that over 500 people saw Jesus after he had risen from the grave - not to mention the twelve disciples in the upper room – Jesus is well qualified to speak to us about life after death. There is life after death - and Jesus returned from the grave to describe to us the nature of that life.
So when we die we do not cease to exist. Death does not extinguish life. The naturalist view of life is wrong – the view that there is nothing after death is just a myth. Many people I speak to want me to believe that when I die I cease to be – as I was before I was born, so I will be when I die. But that’s not true. At the resurrection history and faith collide in the most significant of ways – without an historical resurrection there is no substance to our faith – without faith we fail to understand history and where history is heading.
And so the fact of the resurrection guarantees our future resurrection. We see this in verses 20-22, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive”. The resurrection is our great hope of things to come. But hope is really only hope when it is based on truth, not misinformation or rumour.
Imagine this scene on a four engine airliner. The pilot's voice comes across the intercom: "Those of you on the left side of the plane have probably noticed that one of our engines has failed. Do not be alarmed. We can still fly on three engines, but we will probably arrive about 15 minutes late."
A few minutes later the pilot's calm voice is heard again: "Those of you on the right side of the plane are probably aware that a second engine has failed. Do not be alarmed. We can make it on two engines, though we will probably be at least 30 minutes late now". A few minutes later the pilot spoke to all the passengers, "It has just come to my attention that a third engine has failed. Please do not be alarmed. We can make it to the airport on one engine. However, we will arrive approximately 45 minutes late". Then one passenger turned to another and said, "Boy, I hope that fourth engine doesn't fail, or we could be up here all night!"
Hope without substance isn’t really hope at all. Paul’s hope for the future lies in the fact that Christ’s resurrection is a sure sign of the life to come. Paul is saying that Christ’s resurrection is the first fruits of a resurrection harvest of all believers. The resurrection of Jesus provides the certain hope that when our sins are forgiven we will rise to a new and eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus - the guarantee of sins forgiven – the hope of our future resurrection.
The resurrection is real and there is a tomorrow – so we better be prepared! Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17:31, “For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice with the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. When some of the Athenians heard about the resurrection from the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject’”. Then Paul tells us that a few believed in the resurrection were saved and followed Paul.
Our knowledge of the future must effect the way we live at the present time. The resurrection must shape the way we live now. So Paul says in verse 58, “Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain (empty)”. Here’s the punch line: If you want an empty life – ignore the resurrection – ignore judgement – don’t fear God and forget about his commandments. But if you want a life with meaning and direction and purpose then “give yourself fully to the work of the Lord”.
When it comes to money and work and boyfriends and girlfriends – when it comes to the way I relate to my husband or wife, children and GRANDCHILDREN – when it comes to living without a spouse, life in the Retirement Village – the frailty of older age - Paul is saying, “remember the resurrection – give yourself fully to the task of living out your Christian lives”. The great temptation for us is slide back into futile living – to turn a blind eye to what God is saying – to no longer fear God by ignoring his commandments and thinking that “I know what’s best for me because no-one knows me like me”.
But Paul is saying in 1 Cor. 15 that it JESUS that gives our lives meaning - for JESUS redeems humanity from futility and emptiness. JESUS gives us hope for the future, because death has been defeated, and life is a preparation for the day when we will enter God’s presence for eternity.
How then should we live? Live between the empty cross and the empty grave. The empty cross reminds us that Christ has paid the penalty - and the empty grave reminds us that Jesus has won the victory over death.
conclusion
Should Walt Disney ever burst forth from his fridge, he will emerge with all the frailties and imperfections of the life that he had beforehand. He will not be changed or transformed to be without sin - he will be the same man that he always was – just really “cool”. But the resurrection that Jesus offers is a total transformation - a body without sin - uninterrupted fellowship with God forever - no more funerals, no more suffering, no more tears – no more heart attacks, or strokes, or car accidents – all these things are simply gone in heaven.
Want eternal life? Don’t lock yourself away in a fridge. This Easter, give yourself something much better than a chocolate egg. Ask God for forgiveness, trust that in Jesus you can have new life – commit yourself fully to Him.