The Hope of Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
There have been many, through the centuries, who consider the idea of life after death to be nothing but a myth. Even within first century Judaism the resurrection of the dead was the strongest dividing point between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees believed in life after death. Or more specifically, they believed in the resurrection of the dead. However the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. And that was one of the driving forces behind their support of the Roman occupation of Israel. Since, in their estimation, there was only this life, they might as well do whatever is necessary to get ahead — even if that meant getting into bed with the enemy.
Please turn in your Bible to . This troubled church was founded by the Apostle Paul during his second Missionary Journey. There were a lot of issues which Paul had to deal with during the course of this letter. And it seems that his way of dealing with the issues was to take them back to the message of the gospel.
Apparently there were some within this church who accepted the truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but they denied the general resurrection of the dead for mere mortals. So Paul penned chapter 15 of this epistle to show the faulty logic of this stance.
The resurrection of the dead is the hinge of the gospel message; if there is no such thing as the resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not raised from the grave, and the gospel is nothing but an elaborate hoax.
As we work our way through this passage we will see various reasons for why the gospel is not a hoax. But first let’s read together.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
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. Then he appeared to more than five hundred 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. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 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. For 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 also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Let’s look first at:
The Clarification
The Clarification
Notice verse 1-2 again:
Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it.
Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose.
Paul clarified for this troubled church what the message of the gospel had accomplished among them.
It was proclaim to them
It was received by them
It was the foundation of their faith
Sadly though, some of them were not persevering in the message of the gospel. Perhaps they were even abandoning the one true gospel for another, as in the book of Galatians.
A lack of perseverance in the faith indicates a lack of true faith. The term translated vain in verse 2 emphasizes a lack of purpose, such as with a random venture. In other words, vain faith is like rolling the dice.
I’ve heard statements before like this: “It can’t hurt anything to give Jesus a try.”
Anyway, we’ve been looking at the clarification of the gospel as received by the Corinthian church. Let’s turn our attention now to:
The Message
The Message
Look with me again at verses 3-5.
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.
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,
Notice first that this gospel message was not made up by Paul. Rather it was the message he received. We don’t specifically when he received this message. It may have been at the time of his conversion on the Damascus Road. It may have been during the three year period of time that he spent in Arabia being trained by Jesus, as mentioned in . Though we do not know when Paul received this message, we do know how. It was by means of a revelation of Christ, Himself.
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
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. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.
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.
In verses 3-5 of our text, Paul provides four foundational truths of the message of the gospel. And these truths could be validated by eye witnesses that were still living at the time Paul wrote this letter.
Christ Died
Christ Died
There were many eye witnesses who could attest to this truth
The doctrine of the humanity of Christ comes shining through this account
The purpose of the Eternal Son of God becoming man was so that He could die for our sins
Christ’s death was in accordance with the Scriptures
I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
,
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
The fact of Christ’s death helps to prove that the message of the gospel was not a hoax.
Christ was Buried
Christ was Buried
There were many eyewitnesses who could attest to this truth
Joseph of Arimathea
Nicodemus
The two Marys who followed them to the tomb
Christ was Raised from the Dead
Christ was Raised from the Dead
Again, Paul stated this was in accordance with the Scriptures
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Christ Appeared to Many
Christ Appeared to Many
He appeared to Peter (vs. 5)
He appeared to the twelve (vs. 5)
He appeared to more than 500 people at one time (vs. 6)
Most of these were still alive to give witness to this fact — at the time Paul wrote this
He appeared to James (vs. 7)
He appeared to all the apostles (vs. 7)
He appeared to Paul (vs. 8)
With so much evidence to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus we must conclude that this was not some sort of elaborate hoax. Of course this is the false story that the religious establishment of Israel spread according to Matthew’s gospel account.
So far, we’ve looked at the clarification of the gospel as received by the Corinthian church, and the verification of the message of this gospel. Let’s turn our attention now to:
The Implications of False Teaching
The Implications of False Teaching
As mentioned earlier, there were some within the Corinthian church who accepted the truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but they denied the general resurrection of the dead for mere mortals. Based on the fact that Paul’s language here was more gentle than earlier in the Epistle when he demanded church discipline be exercised on an individual, it appears that the apostle deemed this as a misunderstanding rather than rank heresy. And so he showed the flawed logic of this misunderstanding in order to correct the false teaching.
Whoever was teaching that there was no resurrection of the dead, and yet affirming Jesus’ resurrection, must have made this distinction because of the divine nature of Jesus. Due to the fact that Jesus is both fully God, and fully man, it is easy to misunderstand things that deal with His nature.
I seems that these folks were saying that Jesus, being God, did rise from the dead. But for mere mortals there is no resurrection that awaits. All there is to life is living and dying. One of the problems with this errant teaching is the fact that Jesus was also fully man. And as man He was subject to the things that are common to man.
Paul’s articulates his main point in verse 13:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
In the following verses he develops the ramifications of Christ’s resurrection not actually occuring:
If Christ is not raised:
The Message we Preach is Empty
The Message we Preach is Empty
The message we preached was empty
The term translated “vain” in this verse as well as in verse 58 (which is different from the term used in verse 2) means empty, devoid of truth
Earlier Paul had stated that faith in the message of the gospel was the channel of salvation
But if the message was void of truth, then it is powerless
Next we see that if Christ is not raised from the dead:
Your Faith is Empty
Your Faith is Empty
Sincerity of faith is only as good as the object of faith
Next we see that if Christ is not raised from the dead:
We Misrepresent God
We Misrepresent God
Why is that so?
Because we testify to God raised Christ
If Jesus was not raise from the dead on that first Easter morning, then the whole foundation of our faith is empty — not only that but:
You are Still in Your Sins
You are Still in Your Sins
The marvelous truth of the gospel is that we were all at one time dead in our sins, and alienated from God. But God made us alive in Christ Jesus. We were buried with Him through baptism into His death, and raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
But if there is no general resurrection of the dead, then we are still dead in our sins. Not only that but:
Believers in Jesus Perish
Believers in Jesus Perish
is perhaps the most beloved verse in the Bible by many:
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
But if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then believers in Jesus do, in fact perish, since their faith was empty of any true substance.
Worst of all, if Christ was not raised from the dead:
Christians are to be Pitied
Christians are to be Pitied
Look at Paul summation of things in verse 19, if in fact the message of the gospel is a hoax:
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
What a sad commentary regarding where this false teaching regarding the general resurrection of the dead leads.
If Christ is not raised from the dead then Christians are to be pitied because we perish rather than having eternal life, we are still in our sins, our faith is futile, we misrepresent God,and our message and faith are empty.
One more thing before we move on: if Christ is not raised from the dead, then:
Our Service to Christ is Empty
Our Service to Christ is Empty
Notice the final verse of this dynamic chapter in the Bible:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
But if Christ did not rise again, then our labor would be as empty as our message and faith.
I’m so glad that Paul doesn’t end here.
This morning, we’ve looked at the clarification of the gospel as received by the Corinthian church, the verification of the message of this gospel, and the implications of false teaching. Now let’s look at:
The Undeniable Truth
The Undeniable Truth
Look at verse 20:
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Therefore, since Christ did, indeed rise from the dead:
Our labor is not empty
We are not pitiable
We will not perish but have eternal life
We are no longer dead in our sins
We do not misrepresent God
Our message and faith are not empty
And the dead will be resurrected
The resurrection of the dead is a comfort to those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
I attended the funeral of my aunt last month. It was a sad occasion for many reasons. She was relatively young and healthy (or so it seemed); her funeral occured as the governor ordered a prohibition of gatherings of more than fifty people. That meant that the family had to grieve without the support of many of their friends and family members. But this funeral was also a joyous occasion because my Aunt Miriam was a dynamic believer in Jesus. Most of us who were there knew for a certainty that she is now in the presence of Christ. And that one day, when the trumpet sounds, she will be raised first to meet the Lord in the clouds, and so be with Him forevermore. The funeral for an unbeliever is a far different thing, because any sense of joy is absent.
However, it is not just believers who are raised from the dead. Everyone will be raised. The question is for what will they be raised?
In John gospel Jesus stated this:
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Earlier Jesus had defined doing good this way:
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Which group will you belong to? Will you belong to the group that is raised unto life, or to the group that is raised for judgment? Have you believed in the word of Christ, and in the Father who sent Him to earth? He was sent to become a man so that He could die for our sins. He was buried in a cold grave. He was raised from the dead. And He appeared to many eyewitnesses. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!
Let’s pray.