Except For This
Notes
Transcript
Context
Paul is addressing a problem that arose in the Corinthian church in the chapter we will consider today. He states the problem in the form of a question.
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
It appears that some were not so much denying the resurrection of Christ per say, but more so denying the idea of resurrection in general. What Paul does in response is to show that to deny resurrection generally is to deny that Jesus rose from the dead. And the reason that’s a big deal is because Jesus raising from the dead is at the heart of the gospel that Paul preached to the Corinthians and the gospel we proclaim today. Another problem centers on the humanity of Jesus. Jesus lived as a man on earth. He therefore was able to die as the sacrifice we needed to have peace with God. His resurrection from the dead as a human confirms that His death was effective in atoning for the sins of His people.
So Paul gives extended attention to establishing the centrality of the resurrection to the gospel. The fact the Jesus rose from the dead is essential to the message of the gospel, and believing the gospel is essential to life.
Now, I’m not going to spend any significant time attempting to prove that Jesus rose from the dead. Anyone who wants to approach history with any sense of honesty will acknowledge that the tomb of Jesus was occupied by the dead body of Jesus. It was sealed with the stone. And then the tomb was empty. In addition to that, Paul provides us with this testimony:
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
So over 500 people saw Jesus after He rose from the dead, and many of those 500 were still alive when Paul wrote this letter. In other words, that Jesus rose from the dead is attested to by over 500 eye witnesses. I point this out, not to provide an apologetic for the resurrection of Jesus, although I believe this verse does do that, but to underscore how important the resurrection was to Paul, and to help us begin to think through the importance of the resurrection of Jesus today.
To help us see this more clearly, let’s go t our text:
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.
Introduction
What the death of Jesus accomplished
Two days ago, some of us were here reflecting on the death of Jesus. And reflecting on the death of Jesus should lead us to consider what His death accomplished. In 2006, a book was published by John Piper called, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. The title is self-explanatory, but I want to highlight some of the results of Christ’s death:
The wrath of God was satisfied
The legal demands of the law against us were cancelled
We can now be forgiven of our sins
We can now be declared righteous by God
It is possible for us to be spared God’s condemnation for our sin
We can now have a truly clear conscience despite the sins of our past
We can now be reconciled to God
We can now die to sin and live for righteousness
Hostility between people and God has been overcome
Hostility between people can now be overcome
We can now know what true love is
This is some of what the death of Jesus has accomplished. These are among the most precious things we can know and possess. But we’re here today, not to reflect on the death of Jesus, but the resurrection of Jesus. But here’s my question in light of all that has been accomplished through the death of Christ. Why? Why bother to think much about the resurrection of Christ? If all that and more is true about the death of Jesus, isn’t His resurrection nothing more than fanfare? Pomp and circumstance? Why the resurrection of Jesus and why should we care?
Of course, the resurrection of Jesus is more than we can even fathom, but I think our text today will help us to answer the question why we should care about the resurrection. We should be clear of the significance and importance of the resurrection because if we are not, then the resurrection may be nothing more than fanfare and pomp and circumstance.
FCF: Many fail to make the connection between the resurrection of Jesus and the meaningfulness of life.
To point out the problem a different way, that life has any meaning cannot be separated from the fact the Jesus rose from the dead.
Main Idea:
Except for the resurrection of Jesus, our lives would have no meaning.
Except for the resurrection of Jesus, our lives would have no meaning.
Is this an overstatement? Is this just a case of a preacher using cheap oratory tactics to get the attention of his listeners? Think about this. If Jesus did not raise from the dead, would:
Marriage still have meaning?
Would citizenship still have meaning?
Would being parents and grandparents still have meaning?
Would serving the disadvantaged still have meaning?
What advancement in medical technology still have meaning?
Would beautiful sunrises and sunsets still have meaning?
Going on walks, eating your favorite meal, reading a good book.... would those things still have meaning if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead?
I suppose we would say that all of those things would have meaning for the moment. That is to say, all of those things are meaningful for the here and now, but there would be a very dark cloud hanging over it all. Living in a world where Jesus was not alive would be like being on a picnic, with your favorite people and your favorite food in a thunderstorm. You might like the people and the food, but the prevailing factor about that picnic would be the unpleasant weather. Really can’t enjoy the company or the food while being rained upon and wondering if lightening was going to strike.
So no, I do not believe that it is an overstatement to say that if Jesus is not risen then life has no point. But, of course we have to ask why.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus essential to life possessing meaning?
Why is the resurrection of Jesus essential to life possessing meaning?
Because without it, we would have no hope (17-19)
Because without it, we would have no hope (17-19)
AQ: Why would we be hopeless?
Because faith would be to no effect (17a)
Because faith would be to no effect (17a)
v. 14 - preaching would be in vain - it wouldn’t mean very much. It would lack substance
here futile means wanting in effect. Devoid of substance
for our faith to be futile means that the object of our faith does not merit our trust, and the point here is that if Jesus did not in fact raise from the dead, then trusting in Him and the promises we see in Scripture about Him renders our faith impotent.
Then faith in Jesus would fit right in with how the world uses the word faith today. Just gotta have faith. Sounds nice, but has very little meaning.
But Paul’s point in this chapter is to show that Jesus did in fact raise from the dead, so Him being the object of our faith is justified. Faith in the one who died for our sin but who also rose from the dead means that the results of His death and resurrection become our benefits. Yeah, we will have trouble in this world, but we have so much more than momentary relief from temporary suffering.
And look what the rest of v. 17 makes clear. If Jesus didn’t raise from the dead, we could not be forgiven of our sins.
Because would could not be forgiven of our sins (17b)
Because would could not be forgiven of our sins (17b)
I want to point out how Paul is responding to the objection to the resurrection. He’s saying if we live in a reality where there is no risen Savior, the our reality is one where our faith right here and right now is futile. And right here and right now, we are still in our sins.
What does it mean to be in our sins?
To be in our sins is the opposite of being in Christ. To be in Christ is to be the recipients of what Christ has accomplished in His death and resurrection. This is ultimately eternal life.
To be in our sins is to get what our sin can do for us - ultimately condemnation
Consider what Paul said elsewhere:
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you see that slavery language here? To still be in our sins is to still be slaves to our sin. This is the reality of people without a resurrected Savior.
Think about it this way. Every debt that you and I have amassed from God in this life.... the lies, the selfishness, the indifference to the needs of others, the failures in our marriages, the lust and greed and indulgences. All of it… all that debt has been paid in full by the blood of the lamb.
But then we may ask, then why does it matter if Jesus rose from the dead? He died and paid our debt, so why is the fact that He raised significant? The resurrection is the reward of His sacrifice. The resurrection displays that His death accomplished it aim. To pay, in full, for the sins of His people.
But if there were no resurrection, that would necessarily mean that the sacrifice was not sufficient. It would mean that there was something lacking in it. It would mean no one’s debt has been paid. It would mean that all of us would be condemned because of our sin. It would mean we could not be forgiven.
And if we could not be forgiven, life, no matter how much money and family and friends and vacations and food and helping people in need, would be void of any real meaning.
But Jesus is alive. So we can be forgiven of our sins. It is possible to not still be in our sins. We can be in Christ and the recipients of His reward for His death. Forgiven, declared righteous. Eternal life.
Because would would be under the tyranny of death (18)
Because would would be under the tyranny of death (18)
Paul refers to people that the Corinthians had know who have passed away, and makes clear that if Jesus had not risen from the dead, then they died in the sins and have been condemned.
We all know the pain of loosing a loved one. We make every effort we know to ease the pain. Reflecting on the good memories with that person, spending time with other loved ones, calling funerals celebration of life services, and more. Now, Paul is not offering grief counseling here. He is focused on making clear why the resurrection is essential. But he appeals to the hope we attempt to lay hold of when a loved one passes away. He is saying that there would be no hope in that desperate, painful moment if Jesus was not alive.
Consider what he said elsewhere:
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Why do those who have placed their faith in Christ not grieve like those who have not placed their faith in Christ. Is it because we have more positivity? Is it because we pretend the loss of loved one is not painful. Is it because we are unable to be real about our feelings. No! It is because our Savior lives. And because our Savior lives, we have hope. Hope for the hear and now. Hope in the midst of the pain of loss. But a hope that is fueled by the rpomise that one day our living Savior is coming back, and all those who have placed their faith in Him, dead and alive, will be gathered to Him. Death is not the victor. Jesus is. And it is in this reality that we find true meaning in life.
We would be hopeless if Jesus had not risen because
Because we would have no appealing future (19)
Because we would have no appealing future (19)
If our lives’ meaning is contained in this present life. If we are supposed to find meaning and purpose and hope in this life only, then we are pitiful people.
But I think Paul is speaking to those who hope in Christ here. If we think that our hope in Christ is limited to the experiences of this present life only, then still we are people who should be pitied above all others.
Yes, we have joy now. Peace now. Hope now. But what is underneath all of those promises. It’s not in this world and our current day experiences. The fact that we can have joy, peace and hope in Christ now is because of the eternal truths that exist outside of the here and now.
That Jesus has risen from the dead transforms our present, but our present is transformed on the merits of what Christ has accomplished in the eternal realm. Sin and death defeated. Satan defeated. People redeemed and reconciled to God. All of this has present day effects, but they all go well beyond the here and now.
We know
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
One day every ruler, king, president, potentate, prime minister and all other world leaders will bow. Will bend the knee to Jesus. Why? Because He became a man, He became obedient to the point of death on a cross. And in response, the Father highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name. So at the names of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.
And those who are in Christ and not in their sins will be celebrating with a joy never experienced in this world when Jesus returns. Christian, he world looks on you with scorn, with disdain, with malice, with hatred, with pity. But know Christian, you are not pitied. Though the world mocks you, God loves you. You are in Christ. You belong to Him, and one day the whole world will see that to the the truth.
This is the future of the Christian only because Jesus is risen.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus essential to life possessing meaning?
Because without it, we would have no lasting treasure (20)
Because without it, we would have no lasting treasure (20)
AQ: What is this lasting treasure?
Firstfruits: a metaphor from the OT where it is the first portion of the crop or flock which is offered in thanksgiving to God. This imagery is used in the NT in 2 ways that I think is relevant to how we can understand what Paul is saying here.
That Jesus is the firstfruits means we can think of Him as our
A pledge
A pledge
What do we mean by that?
The term firstfruits is used in Rom.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
In other words, receiving Jesus as our firstfruits means we have the Holy Spirit as our first installment of the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a pledge of a greater and fuller experience at the last day.
Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have passed away, because their death is not the end. All those who are in Christ, have received a pledge of something better to come, and the Holy Spirit who indwells all of those who are in Christ is that first installment of that more glorious future. Not a bad first installment.
All of this because Jesus is alive.
Do you realize that your home will not last forever? Your dog or cat will not last forever. Your treasured family pictures, air-looms passed down from generation to generation will not last. The people most precious to you will not last. But the treasure we have in the resurrected will.
Our forgiveness, our adoption into God’s family, the fruits of our sanctification, and one day our glorified bodies- all of it will last forever. Our place in heaven is secure. No trial, no sin, no misstep will diminish it or cause it to be cancelled. It is rock solid, iron clad, unchangeable, irrevocable. Why, because Jesus is alive. He is our firstfruits. Our pledge of what is yet to come.
But that He is our firstfruits also means that He can be thought of as our
A representative
A representative
This is what the portion of the crop or flock was in the OT. A representative of the rest of it.
To get at what we mean here, I want us again to see what Paul said elsewhere (let Scripture interpret Scripture)
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
so we se the terms dough and firstfruits. We’ve been dealing with firstfruits but now it’s being connected to dough. That might bring up the idea of leaven leavening the whole lump.
So, it seems that Paul is alluding to the OT Feast of Weeks. In this feast, the firstfruits of holy loaves of bread are offered to God. And those loaves of bread represent the rest of the dough from which those loaves were made. The idea there is that the dough shares in the quality of the holy loaves.
That Jesus is our firstfruits means that all those who are in Christ share in His holiness. The call to God’s people to be holy as God is holy is not an impossible call because, if we are in Christ we share in His holiness. He is our representative.
Adam is the representative of all humanity. And that means that as Adam was sinful, so is the rest of humanity.
But Jesus can be thought of as the Second Adam. And as the firstfruits of His people, He is the representative of His people.
And again, this is all predicated on the fact that Jesus rose from the.
Jesus risen from the dead is why we have hope and why we have a lasting treasure. It’s why life has meaning.
Conclusion
Except for the resurrection of Jesus, our lives would have no meaning.
Except for the resurrection of Jesus, our lives would have no meaning.
But, if you’re like me, there is the real possibility that we will begin to live on Monday morning as if we can find the meaningfulness of our lives aside from the resurrection of Jesus. It may not be that we reject the Jesus rose from the dead or that we don’t think that Jesus rose is very important. It’s just there are other realities with which we contend that seem to obscure or even eclipse the fact the Jesus is risen from our day-to-day experience.
For many of us, our daily experience looks something like
get up
health frustrations
money frustrations
people frustrations
cable news frustrations
social media frustrations
more people frustrations
struggle to sleep frustrations
Repeat
Perhaps we can not watch so much news or spend so much time on social media. But the people, money health frustrations are there. So how can we live in the light of the resurrection instead of under the cloud of the world’s frustrations?
Skip to the end:
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 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. 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.
I’m not suggesting that we live in a fantasy land and ignore the challenges of our lives. But perhaps we need, in the midst of these challenges to skip to the end in our minds. This isn’t escaping reality. This is escaping to reality.
Frustrated with money? Skip to the end where Jesus delivers the kingdom to the Father
Frustrated with your health? Skip to the end where Jesus finally destroys the final enemy, death itself.
Frustrated with what is happening in the world? Skip to the end where God subjects all things under the feet of Jesus.
Again, skipping to the end is not an exercise in futility. It’s not like what we do sometimes when we watch a movie or a TV show to provide ourselves some temporary escape from the challenges of life. Skipping to the end, where Jesus is ruling over everyting and everyone for all eternity is a means to keep focused and centered on the only reality that gives meaning to our lives. Jesus is alive.
Coming to the cross is not just recognizing that Jesus died for our sins, but that He did not stay dead. Coming to the cross means we are embracing and celebrating that Jesus conquered sin and death. It’s recognizing that He is our firstfruits who is our pledge of a glorious future and our representative who made us holy. Coming to the cross of Jesus means we recognize that Jesus did not stay dead. He is risen. He is risen indeed.