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The Hope of the Resurrection
1 Cor 15:12-58
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? 30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? 31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The hope of the resurrection changes our lives this side of heaven. Start living in hope today.
I. The Importance of the Resurrection v.1-19
A. Certainty – The Bible takes more effort to prove the
resurrection of Jesus than anything else.
1) Acts 1:3 says that he showed himself the apostles by
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
“Many infallible proofs.”
2) First, he was seen by Peter then by the rest of the
Apostles.
i) Nothing else could have explained their radical
change in behavior.
ii) No one else knew Jesus better than they didn’t. It
couldn’t have been some imposter pretending to be
Jesus.
3) Then he was seen by 500 witnesses at once.
i) It couldn’t have been a hallucination.
ii) When Paul was writing this letter, hundreds of these
people were alive to vouch for it.
4) He was seen by those who previously doubted him.
i) James and Jesus’ other brothers never believed in
him before. (John 7:5)
5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
ii) After this encounter, James becomes one of the
leaders of the church in Acts.
5) So, why does the prove historically that Jesus rose from
the grave? The Bible just assumes other things in
history.
B. No Resurrection, No gospel
1) There were those in Corinth who believed that there
would be no resurrection from the dead. “ 12 Now if
Christ be preached that he rose from the dead,
how say some among you that there is no
resurrection of the dead?” They believed the soul
would go on living forever, but that once the body was
dead, that was it.
i) This was popular in Greek thinking.
ii) It’s popular in our thinking. Most people in America
think there is some sort of after-life.
2) There’s a problem with that. Paul says, “We preached
and you believed that Christ bodily rose from the dead,
but some of you believe there will be no resurrection of
the dead.”
3) But you can’t have one without the other. 15:13, “But if
there be no resurrection of the dead, then is
Christ not risen:”
i) If Christ didn’t rise from the dead there is no life in
Christ, and our faith is useless. 15:14-15 “And if
Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,
and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are
found false witnesses of God; because we have
testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom
he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.”
Faith in a dead Christ gains you nothing: no
forgiveness, no grace, no righteousness. V.17 “ 17 And
if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are
yet in your sins.” Faith is powerful even to the
moving of mountains, but only if Jesus is alive.
ii) If there is no resurrection, then we and all of our
loved ones are lost. 15:18 “ 18 Then they also which
are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”
C. Christianity is only worth as much as the gospel is true. It is
only worth as much as the certainty of the resurrection.
1) 15:19 says, “If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
i) Notice that our hope shouldn’t even be in the
blessing Jesus gives us in this world.
ii) If I have no hope of resurrection, I am the most
miserable, pitiful man in the world. Without a
resurrection, none of this is worth following. The
Bible says so itself, 15:32, “If after the manner of
men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us
eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.”
iii) One preacher said this, “Christianity is not a
system of good advice, and the preachers had
not simply told people of a good way to live.
They had said that something happened; God
raised up Christ. Christianity is basically a
gospel, the good news of what God has done.”
Everything else flows out of that.
2) The importance of the resurrection is that it is the
foundation of our hope, and not just our hope but the
whole Christian life.
II. The Results of the Resurrection v.20-28, 42-53
A. But Christ did rise again.
1) Jesus did rise from the dead and what a glorious truth
that is for all believers. It is a fact of the greatest
certainty that the Lord rose from the dead.
2) Never allow yourself to waver on this fact. If you doubt
every other, don’t doubt the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Our faith is not vain, we are not in our sin, those
that have died are not lost because Jesus is alive. His
body, though once dead, is alive, the tomb is empty,
and he is there at the right hand of God.
B. The Firstfruits of the Resurrection
1) V. 20 says that he has become the firstfruits of those
that sleep. The Old Testament teaches us about the
feast of unleavened bread that the Jews would
celebrate. On the day after the Passover sabbath, which
is Easter, they were to bring the first sheaf of grain, or
the firstfruits, and wave it as an offering before God.
C. The Importance of the Resurrection body
1) There are so many misconceptions about what the Bible
teaches about Heaven and the Resurrection. You’ll
notice that whenever we read about the resurrection of
Jesus, the Bible really stresses that he had a body and
that he was physically present. Not only that, but that
he was the same body.
i) He ate with his disciples and there was no question it
was Jesus. John 21:12 “Jesus saith unto them,
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst
ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was
the Lord.”
ii) Luke 24:36-40 says he’s not a spirit, but a body. “And
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the
midst of them, and saith unto them, i Peace be
unto you. 37 But they were terrified and
affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a
spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye
troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your
hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed
them his hands and his feet.”
2) The Bible clearly stresses he was not just a spirit, but a
resurrected body. Why? Because it was not sufficient to
conquer death only in the spirit, but in every way that it
curses this world, including the body.
i) Spurgeon said it this way. “By the resurrection of
the dead is meant something very different
from the immortality of the soul: that, every
Christian believes, and therein is only on a level
with the (unbeliever), who believes it too…But
the resurrection of the dead is quite another
doctrine, dealing not with the soul, but with the
body. The doctrine is that this actual body in
which I now exist is to live with my soul; that not
only is the “vital spark of heavenly flame” to
burn in heaven, but the very censer in which the
incense of my life doth smoke is holy unto the
Lord, and is to be preserved for ever. The spirit,
every one confesses, is eternal; but how many
there are who deny that the bodies of men will
actually start up from their graves at the great
day! Many of you believe you will have a body in
heaven, but you think it will be an airy fantastic
body, instead of believing that it will be a body
like to this—flesh and blood (although not the
same kind of flesh, for all flesh is not the same
flesh), a solid, substantial body, even such as we
have here.”
3) We have all these misconceptions of heaven. We think
we won’t know anyone from before and no one will
know us. We think we ghosts or angels floating in clouds
playing harps.
D. The Curse Broken
1) I am not just splitting hairs here. When we see God’s
plan here, we will see the importance of the
resurrection of the body.
2) 15:21-22 say, “For since by man came death, by
man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive.” Here in the resurrection, we are
hitting a storyline that runs from the beginning of
scripture until the very end.
i) Since we are all descended from one man, Adam, we
all inherit his nature. It’s scary how quickly we
become like our parents isn’t it? We all share some
key attributes with great grandad Adam. Namely, we
all sin, and we all die.
ii) Romans 5:12 explains this a little more. “Wherefore,
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, v for that all have sinned:” I know this is a
familiar verse for a lot of us, but before you say, “I’ve
got this one down,” let’s deal with this. This is
foundational to God’s plan for the entire world.
3) When man sinned, the curse fell on all mankind, not
only us but also the whole world. Every evil thing is a
result of the curse of sin. All sickness, sorrow, and death
spring from it. Every human ever born was made “in
Adam,” in the image of Adam
4) But God has a plan to make things right. He wants to
make the creation like it was before sin found it. Right
from the start, God made it clear there had to be a
sacrifice to atone for sin and fix the curse. Animal
sacrifice was instituted. Adam was covered by the skins
of that dead animal.
5) Fast forward to the law. Once a year on the day of
atonement a goat was sacrificed for the sins of the
people. The priest would lay his hands on the goat and
place the people’s sins on its head. But the sacrifice had
to be made every year. The blood of animals isn’t
sufficient to remove the curse of our sin. Hebrews 10:4
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
says, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins.”
6) The price of man’s sins must be paid by man. But we
couldn’t possibly pay the debt because of our own sin.
Death has been reigning for so long, but none of us have
been able to fix it. But Christ was made in the image of
men. He, unlike us, was perfect. His sacrifice is
acceptable to God.
7) It seemed for a moment like death had won its final and
greatest victory. The eternal God, the Creator of life was
dead. His brain went flat, and his heart stopped. The
Hope of the Earth was dead. But the curse could not
keep his grip on him. Unlike the blood of those animals,
his sacrifice was accepted. Death had no more power
over him. He went to death’s house and took the keys.
On that third day, His heart began to beat, and his lungs
filled with air. The stone rolled away. Death was
defeated once and for all! He is alive never again to die.
8) And as He lives, so will I! As His body rose, so too will
mine! We have hope today because of what Jesus has
done and is doing in the resurrection.
E. Some objections
1) At this point you might be wondering, how is there
physical resurrection of the dead? I thought Heaven is
supposed to be a spiritual place. How can we have these
bodies in heaven when we die here on Earth?
2) Paul was dealing with people in Corinth who he
imagined would say something similar. 15:35, “But
some man will say, How are the dead raised up?
and with what body do they come?”
3) Paul responds with a few analogies to help us
understand that though we will raised up with human
bodies, they will be vastly improved over our current
bodies.
i) A seed and the plant that comes from it. 15:36-38,
“Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou
sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be,
but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of
some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as
it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own
body.”
ii) Different kinds of creatures (men, animals, fish birds.)
V. 39
iii) Heavenly bodies are created in different ways. V. 40-
41
4) God is able to do what he wants. He is able to take what
was dead and give it new life. Not only that, he can
make it better than it was before. 15:42-43, “ 42 So also
is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is
sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown
in weakness; it is raised in power:” Every sickness,
ailment, disease, and injury with be done away with.
5) We will be made in the image of Christ, with a perfect,
glorified body.
F. The Last Adam
1) Verse 22 says everyone in Adam will die, but all that
have trusted in Christ will be made alive. At salvation we
are placed in Christ, and instead of inheriting death
from Adam we inherit eternal life through Christ.
2) So, Christ becomes the last Adam. 15:45, “And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit.”
3) We will be made in the heavenly image of Christ. 15:47-
49, “ 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the
second man is c the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the
earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as
is the heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.” We are all made in Adams image. Anyone
looking at me could say, “Ah, there’s a son of Adam.”
We have his traits. We have his sinfulness, and like him
we will die. But Jesus was made in Adam’s image, and
he took the death and the sin to the grave and left it
there.
4) We have hope in the results of the resurrection. We
have hope today because we have life in Christ.
III. The Victory of the Resurrection v. 54-58
A. He is coming back
1) Though is life we might be beat down, sick, tired, and
dying, he is coming back for us. Go back to 15:22. “ 22 For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive. 23 But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ’s at his coming.” This life has nothing to offer
us but disappointment and death, but Christ arose and
he’s coming back. The risen Lord is coming. As surely as
he, the firstfruits, rose so will we.
2) Look at verse 51-52. “Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.” He is coming back to save us, and what a
glorious salvation it will be! In a moment all the
suffering of this life be wiped away, in just the blink of
an eye.
3) He’s coming back and it won’t be long now. He’s coming
in the clouds, the trumpet will sound and the dead in
Christ will rise. The one’s we’ve lost. The one’s that have
gone before will be reunited with us.
4) Look at 1Thessalonians 4:16-17. “ 16 For the Lord
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.” Never again to be
separated! We will be with the one we been waiting for.
Our savior who loved us so much will never be taken
away from us again.
B. Heaven will be on Earth
1) We think of heaven as up there and Earth down here.
That’s how it is for now. (Explain the current heaven and
the millennium)
2) That’s not how it will be forever. The resurrection of
Christ extends to the whole creation. The Earth itself
will be made new and heaven will be brought down to
earth.
3) Revelation 21:1-3 “And I saw a new heaven and a
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
g coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God
himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
4) For now, when our body dies, we go away to heaven
and make our home his home. But when God is finished
he will make our home his home. Heaven and earth will
be one for the rest of eternity.
5) This new Earth is everything we have been longing for.
C. Complete victory
1) We have a strong sense of injustice and unfairness. It
troubles us so much when injustice goes unpunished.
There’s a hole that the death of our loved ones leaves
behind that never fully heals. So much in this world that
goes undone and unfinished. But God is going to make
every last thing right. He has complete victory in mind,
complete and total victory. He is going to restore
everything to even better than it was before sin entered
the world.
2) When this is done, every enemy will be defeated.
Revelation 20:4-6 “ 4 And God shall wipe away all
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said
unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I
will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of
the water of life freely.”
3) The enemy we could never defeat, that has taken so
much away from us will finally be defated.
4) Death will finally be defeated. 15:54-55 “ 53 For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
p this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O
death, where is thy sting? O t grave, where is thy
victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the
strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
D. We have hope, so we can’t give up.
1) 1 Corinthians 15:58, “ 58 Therefore, my beloved
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labour is not in vain in the
Lord.”
2) This hope will give us the strength to overcome
weariness.
3) This hope gives us strength to continue in the work of
God. Our labor is not in vain. He is alive and coming
back for us.
4) Take hope in the resurrection.