1 Corinthians 15:12-34 | "Christ Has Been Raised" [Reformation Day]
[1 Corinthians] • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 27:59
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· 36 viewsSunday, October 31, 2021. 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 | "Christ Has Been Raised." If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching, faith, and future are useless and wasted. As this text says, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Death would be a final, miserable end to such a short, meaningless existence. But the gospel of grace preached to us says differently. Christ has been raised from the dead! And the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to know God and experience the power of His resurrection in this life and the life to come. This message preaches from 1 Corinthians 15:12-34. It is part of a preaching series through 1 Corinthians "To The Church." The title of this sermon is "Christ Has Been Raised."
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I. The Reading
I. The Reading
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
15 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.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?
30 Why are we in danger every hour?
31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
[ Scripture Reading ~5 Minutes ]
This is God’s Word, Amen.
II. The Exhortation
II. The Exhortation
These last words read in our hearing, verses 33 and 34, are meant to grab our attention.
These two verses contain three related commands “to the church.”
The first command, is one the apostle has given before (6:9) —
“Do not be deceived” (15:33)
Do not allow someone else to cause you to wander off the path. Do not allow someone else to mislead you (LN).
God will never mislead you. God will never lie to you. But if you do not receive the word of God, you will be deceived.
Jesus said:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Do not be deceived!
If someone tells you, for example, that following Jesus is easy, then they are not speaking truth.
Who are you listening to? Who are you allowing to teach you about God and His ways? Is it the Holy Spirit and the Word? Or is it some other spirit?
The apostle says first, “Do not be deceived.”
And if you think the apostle is talking about someone else other than you (the church), if you think he is writing to the pagans, or to the unbelievers — then you are already deceived.
Sunday after Sunday, if you think that this gospel of God’s grace that is proclaimed is a message for someone else, calling someone else to repentance and faith, but not you, calling someone else to obedience but, not you, then you are already deceived. You are being misled.
The apostle is not writing to them, he’s writing to you! He’s writing to us. “To the church.”
“Do not be deceived.”
Then, he writes a second command —
“Wake up from your drunken stupor” (15:34)
“Come to your right senses” (LN). “Sober up" (LEB).
This command is not directed at the town drunk, but again, at the brothers and sisters in Christ who "eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (v.32).
This command is for those in the church who have lost control of their own thought processes (LN), who are led along the way by crazy ideas, who do not think as one should think (LN).
Something else leads and controls their thoughts and actions.
Sunday after Sunday, if you have a careless, unbelieving attitude about the things of God and the truth of God’s proclaimed Word, and you think “that’s just one man’s opinion, that’s just one interpretation, that’s not for me” — and you give no thought or consideration to acting upon what God has given, acting upon what you hear, allowing God’s Word to teach, reprove, correct, and train you in righteousness — with humility and eagerness to search the Scriptures to see if these things are true — then you are drunk!
Not the town drunk, but the church drunk.
Every church has them.
The church drunk stumbles around making an absolute mess of things because they have no control over their own thoughts and their actions follow suit.
The apostle says — Sober up!
This is not a show. This is the gathering of the saints! The holy ones, in the presence of Almighty God.
Come to your right senses. Think for yourself.
And then the third and last command is related to the first two, and reveals the root cause of both. The apostle writes:
“do not go on sinning” (15:34)
Do not act contrary to the will and ways of God (LN). That’s sin.
And the apostle recognizes that there is “sin in the camp.”
There are some who are rebelling as evident by their theology and practice.
Any problem in the church, if you dig down deep enough, if you uncover all the layers and disguises, comes down to this one problem: sin.
Sin for which Christ already died.
And yet Sunday after Sunday, sin is living, like a parasite, in the church because someone continues to feed it.
Is that you?
Are you sinning? Are you hiding it? Do you refuse to acknowledge it? Will you not confess it?
It’s obvious. Sin is as obvious as a drunken stupor. Sin acts to undermine, hinder, subvert and destroy.
Sin is why someone will not submit to God’s Word or God’s authority, and instead insists on one’s own way.
Sin deceives and masks the knowledge of God.
And yet, it is the very knowledge of God that we continue to proclaim, Sunday after Sunday.
All three commands — “do not be deceived,” “sober up” and “do not go on sinning” are given here for one reason:
“For some have no knowledge of God.” (15:34).
And by way of invitation, God wants us all to have knowledge of Him and to act according to that knowledge - not to promote sin, but to proclaim salvation and the forgiveness of sin, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The apostle writes so that the behavior of the church would be changed on account of what is known about God. “The knowledge of God.”
While much is said about the resurrection of Christ in these verses, Anthony Thiselton says that this knowledge of God expresses “the theological heart of [this] chapter and the hinge of [this] argument.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians Multiple Interpretations of “Baptism for the Dead” and Our Conclusion
Knowledge of God (God’s resources, God’s grace, God’s transformative action through Christ) holds the key to understanding what the resurrection is actually about.
And so in verse 12 the apostle turns his attention to the resurrection of Christ — so that, as he writes in Philippians 3:10-11:
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Let us turn our attention now, to the resurrection of Christ, and what that means for our knowledge of God.
III. The Teaching
III. The Teaching
In the opening of this chapter, verses 3-4, the apostle reminded the church of what he had delivered to them as of first importance:
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
This is the gospel message - the grace of God! Christ died, he was buried, he was raised, he appeared.
Three of those actions are given to us in the Greek past tense: Christ died, he was buried, he appeared. Past.
On the cross, Jesus said “it is finished.” He will never die again. He will never be buried again. And when Jesus appears again - He will not appear as he did before, as a suffering servant but instead, as a reigning sovereign!
And if we do not believe in what Christ has already done, there is nothing left for us to believe!
There is complete sufficiency in all that Christ did to forgive us of our sin.
We do not put Christ on the cross again and again, and we do not stare at empty tombs.
For “Christ was raised.”
This one action, the raising of Christ, is given to us in the Greek perfect tense.
Meaning, this was an action that took place in the past, but has meaning for us in the present.
To be clear, ALL the work of Christ has meaning for us in the present, but the resurrection especially so — because if Christ is not raised, his death and burial mean nothing, and his appearing was only a figment of people’s crazy imagination.
And we know God, because Christ is raised.
Look with me at verse 12:
15.12
15.12
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Notice the contradiction. The rebellion! The unbelief!
Christ is (lit.) preached as “raised from the dead” but “some of you say…that there is no resurrection of the dead.”
All of us, right now, need to answer this question:
Whose saying is trustworthy?
Are we going to live by what God says (what is preached)? Or would you rather live by what “some of us say” who know not God nor the truth?
God’s Word says “Christ is raised from the dead!” But some in the church were saying something contrary to God’s Word. They did not believe in the resurrection.
And the apostle says - you are deceived, drunk, and sinning.
“You have no knowledge of God.”
“I say this to your shame.”
Our knowledge of God comes from God - through the preaching of His Word. Not from what “some say,” but from what “God says and has said.”
We should expect there to be resistance to what is preached. Some will not believe it.
It’s not because of the word preached, it’s not because of the preacher, but because of sin in the heart. Sin is unbelief. And sin does not believe Christ was raised.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
Here begins a list of all that is true, if Christ has not been raised.
If you are taking notes, take note of these points the apostle draws out, and you will see how essential the resurrection is to our knowledge of God and to our lives.
If Christ has not been raised:
Our preaching is in vain (v.14)
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
In other words, we are wasting our time. For us preachers, our preaching has no basis in truth. It is empty words with no content.
But also,
If Christ has not been raised:
Your faith is in vain (v.14)
Same word. What we do as preachers, what you do in response as hearers is all empty if Christ has not been raised.
Back to the preachers again —
If Christ has not been raised:
We are misrepresenting God (v.15)
15 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.
The word “misrepresenting” is the word “false witnesses.”
The apostles who saw the risen Christ would be “false witnesses” if Christ is not raised. Pretenders, and liars about what the allegedly saw.”
If Christ has not been raised:
The dead are not raised (v.16)
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
In other words, if Christ isn’t raised, then death is the last and final experience for everyone.
If Christ is not raised, then all who say “there is nothing after death” are right.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
If Christ has not been raised:
Your faith is futile (v.17)
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
In other words - your faith is useless. It has no purpose.
Because —
If Christ has not been raised:
You are still in your sins (v.17)
You are still condemned as a transgressor of God’s law, and an enemy of God, a child of wrath.
The apostle doesn’t stop here — he goes on:
If Christ has not been raised:
Those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (v.18)
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
“fallen asleep in Christ” refers to Christians who have died.
The hope we proclaim at the funeral of a Christian, that that person will live again, that we will see them again - that is a lie, if Christ is not raised.
For if Christ has not been raised, those loved ones have perished - which means, they are ruined. Destroyed.
And in verse 19, the apostle sums it up —
If Christ has not been raised:
We are miserable. Our hope in Christ is for this life only.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Our preaching, our faith, our future, our hope is all useless if Christ has not been raised.
15.20
15.20
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Upon this fact, everything turns.
Upon this fact, we come to —
IV. The [Christ] Conclusion
IV. The [Christ] Conclusion
Christ has been raised! He does not leave our preaching empty, but the cross empty.
Christ has been raised! He does not leave our faith empty, but the tomb empty.
Christ has been raised! He does not leave our future empty, but our past transgressions empty.
Christ has been raised! And by the power of His resurrection we may know God.
The Gospel corrects the lies of those who do not believe the resurrection.
Because Christ has been raised...
Our preaching is not in vain (v.14).
So we preach, and continue to preach, because we have something to preach — the resurrection.
If the resurrection is not preached, then we are not preaching Christ and we have no hope!
If our Gospel ends with “Christ died for us” then our gospel is powerless and incomplete!
Christ died, he was buried, he was raised and he appeared! — And he will appear again!
Because Christ has been raised...
Your faith is not in vain (v.14).
Don’t stop believing in Christ.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Because Christ has been raised...
We are not misrepresenting God (v.15).
We are witnesses to the truth.
Jesus said:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Because Christ has been raised...
The dead are raised (v.16).
Death is not the end.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
And death will be destroyed, as it has already been rendered powerless by the resurrected Christ.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:25a).
Because Christ has been raised...
Your faith is not futile (v.17).
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Because Christ has been raised...
You are not still in your sins (v.17).
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Because Christ has been raised...
Those who have fallen asleep in Christ have NOT perished (v.18).
Martha was morning the death of her brother, Lazarus.
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
We will see our loved ones again — who have fallen asleep in Christ.
They are not destroyed.
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Because Christ has been raised...
Our hope in Christ extends beyond this life only - but also to eternity (v.19)
But only if you hope in Christ, and Christ alone.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Are you “in Christ?” Do you belong to Christ?
Because Christ is the firstfruits, we become followers of him.
We follow him in death (which he already experienced), we follow him in burial (which he already experienced), and we will follow him in resurrection (which he experienced too).
But if we wait until his appearing to follow, it will be too late.
For after his coming,
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Including death, the last enemy.
Church, I would rather be under Christ’s head, than under Christ’s feet.
I follow Christ. Will you follow him by faith, day by day, with me?
Do not be deceived! Wake up from your drunken stupor! Do not go on sinning.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. May we all receive the knowledge of God by faith through Christ and his resurrection.
[ 3,595 words; 30 minutes ]