Sinners Made Saints: Christ is Risen!

Frank Morison was not a man you would find in church on Sunday. He was a skeptic bordering on full-blown Atheism. His real name was Albert Henry Ross. He was a printer, and advertiser and an author who wrote under the literary pseudonym of Frank Morison. He died in 1950. So what’s so important about Albert Henry Ross a.k.a. Frank Morison?

As I said, he was a skeptic. He did not believe that Christianity was true because he did not believe the Bible was a historically accurate document. He was a well educated Britisher, and a lawyer by profession. Morison had been greatly influenced by liberal German and British professors of his day, all of whom openly denied the Bible was true, and that “miracles do not happen.”

Morison took upon himself a challenge. He decided that he would be the one, once and for all, who would disprove Christianity by disproving its central doctrine — the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Things did not turn out as he thought they would. At the beginning of his quest to disprove the resurrection he wrote, "When, ... I first began seriously to study the life of Christ, I did so with a very definite feeling that, if I may so put it, his history rested on very insecure foundations." He studied the New Testament accounts, but he also examined all the secular historical accounts of early Christianity that he could find. In compiling his notes, he saw that everything pointed in one direction — that the resurrection was the only reasonable explanation for the empty tomb. The book he set out to write — debunking the risen Christ — turned into a book defending the risen Christ. The title of the book is Who Moved the Stone? At the conclusion of the book he was brought to, as he calls it, the “unexpected shores” of salvation. Ninety-two years later the book is considered a classic of Christian Apologetics, and a brilliant piece of analytical work into the events surrounding the trial, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

This is what it means when the bible says that the word of God is active — God has declared that His Word will not return unto Him empty.

“ ... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NIV84)

The gospel cuts and it pierces mind and soul and brings lost men to a saving knowledge of Christ. This Gospel was delivered to Paul by the risen Christ himself on the Road to Damascus. It is the message that Paul has delivered to the Church at Corinth. Only now a group has arisen in the church who deny the possibility of resurrection. Paul has to set them straight.

Now if ...

But if ...

Now Christ ...

I. NOW IF ... The Protest Against the Resurrection

1. in the first part of his defense of the resurrection, the Apostle lays out point and counter-point

a. “point” is his opponent’s denial of the resurrection — “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12, ESV)

b. “counter-point” begins his defense of the resurrection — “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, NIV84)

A. THE DENIAL

1. the enemies of the gospel are denying the resurrection of the dead

a. there is a faction within the Church of Corinth — we don’t know how large or influential they are — who are contradicting the preaching of Christianity’s central truth

1) that central truth is “Christ is risen! Hallelujah. He is risen indeed!”

b. some in the church, however, are contending that there is no resurrection of the dead

2. we can understand a lost man’s attack on this foundational truth of Christianity; it should not surprise us

ILLUS. The first recorded attack on the truthfulness of the resurrection was by a pagan philosopher named Celsus in A.D. 180. He attacked and ridiculed the very heart of the Christian gospel — the resurrection of Jesus. Celsus’ anti-resurrection strategy utilized counter-theories to the resurrection; plausible ways to explain away the miracle. In fact, ever since then, most attacks on the resurrection are merely variations of what he first introduced. The Christian proposal that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead was just as controversial twenty-one hundred years ago as it is today. After all, it doesn’t take a 2nd-century Roman philosopher or a 21st-century forensic scientist to figure out that “dead is dead, and dead people don’t come back to life.” They may cease to exist, the soul may leave the body and go to some afterlife, or it may wander the earth. But “everybody knows” that dead bodies don’t come back to life!

a. Celsus was probably not the first, and certainly not the last non-believer who would challenge the historicity of the resurrection

ILLUS. Albert Henry Ross would challenge it, be converted, and write the apologetic classic, Who Moved the Stone? In our own time, Lea Strobel, an atheist lawyer, had the chutzpah to believe that he would be the one to finally put the nail-in-the-coffin of Christ’s resurrection. Strobel would also be converted during his research and would write his own classic apology entitled, The Case for Christ.

1) it seems that one of the surest ways to guarantee your conversion is by trying to disprove the resurrection!

3. what is so disconcerting — and disheartening — is that most of the attacks on the historicity of the resurrection in our era come primarily from those professing to be Christians

ILLUS. Consider Bishop John Shelby Spong. From 1979 to 2000, he was the Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey. He was a highly influential churchman, author and speaker. He denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus, believing it only a “metaphorical resurrection.” In other words, Spong believed the disciples “made it up.” The idea of living without Jesus in their midst was so unthinkable, that they convinced themselves that Jesus had literally risen from the dead. The problem with Spong’s theological dribble is that it trickles down to the people in the pews.

ILLUS. As Easter approaches, research polls reveal that many Christians struggle with how to understand the Resurrection. How literally must one take the Gospel story of Jesus’ triumph over death to be called a Christian? Can one understand the Resurrection as a metaphor or allegory — perhaps not even believe it happened at all — and still claim to be a follower of Christ? Religious polls taken since the 1990s show that American Christians increasingly struggle to embrace their bodily resurrection when Christ comes at the end of the age. A mere 42 percent of Americans know that the meaning of Easter is about Jesus’ resurrection; just 2 percent of Christians identify Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.

a. I read those statistics, and I can’t help but wonder if across America there are people sitting in Church pews wondering — maybe even doubting — if the resurrection is true or not

b. certainly there were professing believers in the Corinthian church who were having serious doubts about it

5. Paul retorts in this chapter that believing in the Resurrection is essential to the Christian faith

a. it shows that nothing is impossible with God

b. in fact, Easter without the Resurrection is utterly meaningless, and the Christian faith without Easter is no faith at all

... Next, Paul Deals with the “What If” Question

II. BUT IF ... The Consequences of Denying the Resurrection

1. in verses 13-19 the Apostle lays out the consequences if the resurrection-deniers are correct

a. what is at stake if we deny the resurrection? — eight issues

A. 1st, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION IS TO DENY JESUS’ DEITY

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

1. one of the most essential tenants of Christianity is that Jesus is the son of God

a. he is both fully God and fully man

2. to claim that Jesus did not rise from the dead is to say that he remained in the grave and his corpse decomposed and rotted away

a. God is eternal and if Jesus is the eternal God of the universe than must resurrect

3. therefore to claim that Jesus never resurrected is to claim that Jesus is not God

B. 2nd, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MEANS JESUS’ BODY REMAINS IN THE GRAVE

“For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:16, ESV)

1. if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then he is nothing more than a martyred itinerant rabbi who was nothing more but a clever teacher, and premier story-teller rather than the living God and resurrected King he really is

2. if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the stories of his post-resurrection appearances are, at the least, hallucinations or wishful thinking, or at the worst, lies and fabrications by those who claimed to have seen him

a. it means that everyone of the Apostle, save John, dies a martyrs’ death for a lie

C. 3rd, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION IS TO CALL JESUS A LIAR

“for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”” (Mark 9:31, ESV)

1. Jesus made explicit repeated claims about his own life, death, and coming resurrection

2. if Jesus did not raise from the dead then he was nothing but a con-man whose ministry is nothing but charade of deception

a. to deny the resurrection is to turn Jesus into a crooked, forked tongue liar

D. 4th, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MAKES GOSPEL PREACHING POINTLESS

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

1. if Christ is not risen, then there is no power behind the message proclaimed, and there is no power in the life of those who respond to the preaching of the Gospel

a. if Christ died for sin, but did not rise from the dead, then our justification is null-and-void

2. if Christ is not risen, then forgiveness of sin doesn’t matter, eternity is fanciful story, and we have no hope of anything better

ILLUS. If there is no resurrection from the dead than Joel Osteen is right, this life really is your best life now so you might as well make the most of it.

E. 5th, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MAKES THE BELIEVER’S FAITH USELESS

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

1. if Christ is not risen then we would have to conclude that his sacrifice was insufficient to atone for our sins

a. it means God’s wrath has not been propitiated, and that means we’re in a heap of eternal trouble

2. apart from the resurrection Jesus could not have conquered sin or death or hell, and those three great evils would forever be man’s conquerors

a. if there is no resurrection from the dead, than the psalmist was correct when he wrote, “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure” (Ps. 73:13)

b. If there were no resurrection, the hall of the faithful in Hebrews 11 would instead be the hall of the foolish

F. 6th, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MEANS ALL GOSPEL PREACHERS ARE LIARS

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:15, ESV)

1. if Christ is not risen, but for two millennium pastors, preachers, and evangelists have preached that he is, then our preaching is found untrustworthy ... we’ve somehow totally misunderstood what God was attempting to do in Christ

2. if Jesus lived and died to only leave us an example of how to live, then it’s a ridiculous worldview because turning the other cheek, and loving your enemies, and forgiving those who have wronged you, is certainly not a philosophy of life that will advance you in this world

a. Paul nails it in vs. 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.”” (1 Corinthians 15:32, ESV)

G. 7th, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MEANS WE ARE STILL LOST IN SIN AND ARE ETERNALLY HOPELESS

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:17–18, ESV)

ILLUS. A number of years ago a survey commissioned by the Scripps Howard News Service revealed that most Americans don’t believe they will experience a resurrection of their bodies after they die. While a great majority of Americans believe in Jesus’ literal resurrection from the dead, only 36% of adults interviewed answered “yes” to the question: Do you believe that, after you die, your physical body will be resurrected someday?” It means there is a huge theological disconnect somewhere.

1. sadly, this reflects the very poor state of doctrinal preaching in many American churches

a. among many congregations today, we have a “lowest-common-denominator” Christianity being taught

b. it produced a people who simply do not know some of the most basic Christian truths

2. my conjecture is that the majority of Americans, including the majority of professing Christians, simply have no idea that the Bible teaches a personal bodily resurrection

a. they are theologically clueless, in part, because they’ve never been taught it

b. shame on pastors who would rather deliver homilies on social justice than hope in one’s bodily resurrection and glorification

“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:50–53, ESV)

H. 8th, TO DENY THE RESURRECTION MEANS WE ARE JOYLESS IN OUR TROUBLES

1. the author of the Book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus endured the pain and the shame of the cross because of the promise of resurrection, ascension, and heavenly coronation

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)

a. if the resurrection didn’t take place then neither did his ascension, and if the ascension didn’t take place neither did his coronation

b. and if his coronation didn’t take place no one is seated on the right hand of God and no one is coming again in power and glory to establish his kingdom

2. and that means that all the suffering we experience, and all the evil in the world are meaningless, and God cannot bring any good out of evil and suffering even if we love God

3. is it any wonder that the Apostle tells the Corinthians that if the resurrection isn’t true we are hopeless

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19, ESV)

III. NOW CHRIST ... Is Risen From the Dead

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, ESV)

1. there are certain areas of Christian doctrine that are non-negotiable

a. the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of those essential beliefs

b. it makes Christianity what it is and different from every other religion in the history of the world

ILLUS. G.K. Chesterton once remarked that the trouble with Christianity is that “it is too good to be true.” This begs the question, “Why would anyone not want Christianity to be true?” The most obvious answer is that to seriously examine Christianity requires me to seriously reckon with my life. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is a serious threat to my own self-righteousness. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is a serious threat to my self-centered worldview. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is a serious threat to my control of my own life. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is a serious threat to my goals, my aspirations, my selfish desires, my self-identity. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is a serious threat to my love for, and delight in sin.

2. Christianity is true, and so is Christ’s resurrection

A. SINCE THE RESURRECTION IS TRUE CHRIST IS ALIVE AND SOVEREIGN

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, ESV)

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:24–26, ESV)

1. as Christ reigns and rules forever, we also will live and reign with him forever

a. Genesis 1-2 and Psalm 8 remind us that God made us the crown of his creation and appointed us to take care of it and have dominion over it for the Father’s glory

b. because of sin, however, we forfeited our ability to do this completely, but Christ’s resurrection guarantees our resurrection and we will reign with him in perfect righteousness

ILLUS. Bill Gather was correct when he sang,

And because he lives I can face tomorrow

Because he lives all fear is gone

Because I know he holds the future

And life is worth the living just because he lives

B. SINCE THE RESURRECTION IS TRUE ALL MEN WILL BE RESURRECTED BODILY

“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:21–22, ESV)

1. in the 5th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that all men will experience resurrection —

a. those who have followed Christ will experience the resurrection of life

b. those who have denied Christ will experience the resurrection of judgement

2. but all men will — Christian or non-Christian will be resurrected

ILLUS. The Scriptures are very clear about the resurrected bodies of believers. They will be glorious, just like our Saviors. We will be glorified in a way that we can scarcely imagine. In 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 the Apostle attempts to describe our resurrected bodies.

On the other hand, the Bible says very little about the resurrected bodies of the lost. We know that resurrection is a transformation into a new body, one that is similar to, but also fundamentally different than the one that preceded it. But only the saved are glorified. The lost are not, which leads me to concluded that the resurrected body of the lost is resurrected to be what it was at the moment of death. It will be an eternally corrupt body. The Old Testament Prophet Daniel describes their eternal bodies as a resurrection “to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2)

a. the question is not are you immortal or not, but where will you be spending that immortality?

C. SINCE THE RESURRECTION IS TRUE OUR HOPE IS SURE

1. we are forgiven for our sins

2. our faith is well-founded

3. the gospel is true and its preaching will change lives

4. believers are to be envied

5. the dead in Christ will be resurrected and glorified

We are living in an age between two great resurrections: The age began with the resurrection of the Redeemer; it will culminate in the resurrection of the Redeemed. Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead, and we are the harvest that will follow because his sacrifice was acceptable to the Father.

Some religions have taught soul sleep, in which the body dies and disintegrates, while the soul or spirit rests. Materialists believe in utter extinction, total annihilation. Nothing human, physical or otherwise, survives after death. Death ends it all. Some religions teach reincarnation, wherein the soul or spirit is continually recycled from one form to another — even from human to animal or animal to human. Others believe in what is generally described as absorption, in which the spirit, or at least a certain part of the spirit, returns back to its source and is absorbed back into the ultimate divine mind or being.

In all those views, human personhood and individuality are forever lost at death. Whatever, if anything, survives is no longer a person, no longer an individual, no longer a unique being.

But as Christians we can proclaim with full assurance, “Christ is risen! Hallelujah. He is risen indeed!” And since he was, we will be, too.

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