1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Well, friends, we're looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 this morning.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

And as I was thinking about this passage this week, I was reminded of an experience we had

in the youth ministry a few years ago.

So every fall, we plan a fall retreat.

And instead of going to one of these retreat centers that sort of does it all for you,

we, for some strange reason, decide to just pull one off ourselves.

So we plan all the music and all the food and all the games and all the talks.

And we basically just go to a place that will give us a warm place to sleep at night

and a nice clean open area where we can do all that crazy stuff.

And this one year, we were packing up all of our things.

And we were doing a really good job as a leadership team of making good lists of everything we had to bring.

So, you know, we had our sound system, the portable sound system, check.

We had the instruments check.

We had the mic cables check and the microphones check and the stands check.

We even brought the projector and the screen and the music sheets and everything.

We had it all set up.

And then one of our youth leaders said,

Hey, where's the power cable to the projector?

We forgot this one thing, this one little element.

And pretty much everything that we hoped to do during our kind of gathered worship times on the retreat

was totally foiled because we didn't bring this one little thing.

Everything else, it seemed, was in vain because we were missing the power cable.

Well, thankfully we, I forget what we ended up doing.

I'll have to talk to Andrew afterward how we actually solved that problem.

I think we might have borrowed a projector from the camp or something like that.

But maybe you've had a similar sort of experience or you can think of a similar example in your own life.

You know, that time you tried driving your car just a little bit further even though the fuel light was on

only to find that you ran out of gas.

And now every time you pushed the pedal, it was nothing but doing it in vain.

Or maybe that time you were almost done with the recipe.

You had everything you needed, but then you discovered you were out of eggs.

And it was all in vain.

Well, friends, I've been thinking about this text this morning.

I've been wondering, and I think this text causes us to ask,

what if the same thing could be true in our spiritual lives?

Is there something without which, if this one thing is missing, then the whole thing is in vain?

Is there such an essential ingredient to Christianity, to true spirituality?

And if there is something like that, do you know what it is?

And do you know whether you have it?

Well, as I said, I think that's what our text today is all about.

The one thing that everything hangs on.

The one essential thing that you have to have spiritually.

Or else everything else is in vain.

Looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

If you want to turn there in the Pew Bible, the page number is in your bulletin.

We're going to look at verses 12 through 19.

Let me read this for us.

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.

Let's pray together as we consider this text.

Our Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would help us to understand with our minds

and grasp with our hearts the truth of this passage

and the way in which it reveals, Lord, critical, essential things for our life in you.

God, we ask that you would soften our hearts and open our ears

to hear, Lord Jesus, what you would have us to hear today.

In your name we pray. Amen.

Well, so it seems from this paragraph, and as you look at the whole of 1 Corinthians 15,

as we started last week, it seems that some of the Corinthians

were having a hard time believing in what Paul calls the resurrection of the dead.

Or sometimes we say the resurrection of the body,

which is sort of the same way of saying the same thing.

Paul asks in verse 12, do you notice there,

how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

Some of the members of this church who believed the gospel

were then turning around and saying,

I don't think there is anything like the resurrection of the dead.

Now, what does that mean?

I think it's safe to say that these Corinthian Christians

had no problem probably believing in what we might call the immortality of the soul.

Corinth, after all, was a Greek city steeped in Greek thinking

and belief in an immortal soul was in the water all around them.

That's not what they had trouble grasping.

What they had a much harder time wrapping their minds around

was this incredible biblical promise

that we see echoed in the Psalms and in the prophets.

This incredible biblical promise that God will raise us

to bodily life on the last day.

That our ultimate future state in God's new creation

is a physical bodily one.

In Acts 17, Paul is preaching there in Athens,

just down the road from Corinth.

And as he's presenting the gospel,

he comes to the resurrection part.

And at that moment, Luke, the author of Acts, says,

a good number in the crowd just outright mocked him

when they heard him talk of the resurrection of the dead.

So in the first century, culturally,

this was a hard idea to accept.

In fact, virtually none, I would imagine,

of the Corinthians' pagan friends and neighbors

would have believed in the resurrection of the body.

Which, if I were to take a poll,

is probably exactly like us today in the 21st century.

Today, we can spend all sorts of time

thinking up how we might survive

a potential zombie apocalypse.

For instance,

if there were an onslaught of the undead,

we have lots of bumper stickers and video games

and blogs to sort of playfully think about

how we might deal with that reality.

But we'll never for a moment

think about the possibility

of the resurrection of the dead.

The resurrection of the body.

It seems like it's something

that's just completely off the radar for us.

But what we see here,

in this whole chapter actually,

is that this is not an area

for Christians to be fuzzy about.

Paul is going to use

some sort of relentless logic

in our little paragraph here

to get us to think clearly here.

Because as he says in verse 13,

if there's no resurrection of the dead,

then not even Christ has been raised.

And if Christ hasn't been raised, friends,

well, that has simply massive implications.

And there are at least two.

And we see them both listed

at the end of verse 14.

And let's take some time

meditating on both of these things

together this morning.

First, without the resurrection of Jesus,

Paul says,

our preaching is in vain.

Now, in the first 11 verses of our chapter,

Paul has been showing

how the death and resurrection of Jesus

are central components of the gospel.

Look again at verses 3 through 5.

For I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I also received.

This is the message,

the apostolic message

that has been preached

and handed down

in these early decades of the church.

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, that's Peter,

then to the twelve,

and then on to many others.

So on the one hand,

we have Christ's death

and burial,

the burial proving

that he actually died.

And on the other hand,

we have Christ's resurrection

and the appearances,

the appearances proving

that he actually had been raised.

And now here in verse 14,

Paul is saying essentially,

look,

if you take away half

of the gospel message,

if you take away

the resurrection of Jesus,

if you deny the resurrection

of the dead,

if you take away

half of the gospel,

friends,

you have no gospel at all.

A half gospel

is no gospel.

Our preaching in that case

would be utterly in vain.

It would be empty.

It would be ineffectual.

It would get nothing done.

Just think for a moment.

Let's pause on this fact

that Paul is pointing us towards here.

What would Christian preaching be

without the resurrection of Jesus?

Friends,

I think the reality is

that we wouldn't have much to say.

Perhaps we could look to Jesus

as a good moral teacher.

One who believed in his ideals

so strongly

that he was willing to die for them.

A good moral teacher.

But then,

wouldn't Christian preaching

just end up being

more or less

moral instruction?

Jesus was a very good man

who taught very good things,

so we ought to now

follow his example

and try to do these good things

as well today.

Full stop.

But friends,

realize that Jesus'

moral instruction

was actually not radically

that different

than what the Old Testament

had been teaching

for thousands of years.

Yes,

Jesus took the Old Testament

seriously

in all its implications.

He was willing

to take it all the way down

to the heart level

and say things like,

you've heard it said,

do not murder.

My battery's died

right in the middle

of my point.

Look at that.

Jonathan,

can I just use the pulpit mic?

Okay,

that means I can't sway

back and forth.

All right.

Jesus would say things like,

you've heard it said,

don't murder.

And then how does

the rest of that passage go?

I say,

even anger in your heart

amounts to the same thing.

So there's Jesus

not teaching something

different than the Old Testament,

but taking the Old Testament

seriously

in all of its

heart level implications.

Exactly how the prophets

before him had done.

But he wasn't offering

anything that was

radically new.

Do you remember

the rich young man

who comes up to Jesus

and says,

good teacher,

what must I do

to be saved?

This young guy

apparently had heard

rumors about Jesus.

Jesus was growing

in popularity,

so he comes thinking,

what new innovative thing

could this rising star

teacher Jesus

tell me

about gaining eternal life?

And what does Jesus say

to this eager young man

thinking he's going

to get something new?

Jesus says,

you know the commandments.

Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not bear false witness.

Do not defraud.

Honor your father and mother.

Do not steal.

Do not steal.

Do not steal.

Basically, he starts listing

the ten commandments.

So the point is,

if we're looking to Jesus

merely as a great moral teacher,

we basically find

what all the other great

moral teachers have propounded.

And so if our preaching, then,

is just the ethics,

the morality of Jesus,

then I would submit

that we really aren't

preaching anything

worthwhile at all.

You can find it

anywhere else.

We don't have anything

to say that's worth saying.

Now, perhaps your experience

of Christian teaching

and preaching

hasn't amounted

to much more

than what feels like

lots of moral instruction.

Maybe when you think

of Christianity,

you think of basically

just a call,

a sort of exhortation

to live a better life.

But again,

let me suggest to you, friend,

that that isn't

real Christianity at all.

Yes,

Christianity presents

a vision of life

that is good

and beautiful

and compelling.

But that's not the only thing

and that's not

the central thing.

And if all you've heard

is good moral teaching

in the name of Christianity,

then, friend,

you've heard

only a hollow version

of the real thing.

Because the real thing

isn't a long list

of things to do,

but a great thing

that God has done.

Our preaching is vain

without the resurrection.

But Paul goes on

to say that

our preaching

is not just empty,

it's not just vain,

but it's actually

also a bit dishonest

if Christ has not been raised.

Look again at verse 15.

We're 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.

Now, the language

Paul is using here

is language

of the law court.

When we hear the word

testify or testimony

in a church setting,

don't we often think

of someone

sharing a personal experience

of something

that God has done

in their life?

And that's a good thing.

We want to hear

lots of that at Trinity.

Come on down.

But,

when Paul is using

the language

of testimony here,

we need to imagine

not the church gathering,

but the courtroom

in session.

there is the judge,

there is the jury,

and the witnesses

are brought to the stand

to give their testimony

so that a verdict

might be made.

Paul and the other apostles

were witnesses

in that sense,

witnesses of an event.

They saw something happen

in history.

Just like if you walked

outside today

and witnessed

a car accident,

you would be a witness.

Perhaps you would be

summoned to give

a testimony in court

about what you saw.

The apostles saw

the risen Lord Jesus.

He appeared to them,

spent time with them,

ate with them,

taught them.

Back in chapter 9,

Paul writes,

am I not an apostle?

Have I not seen

Jesus,

our Lord?

Seeing the resurrected

Jesus was the critical thing

that made an apostle

an apostle.

The apostles could testify

in a courtroom

before the bar

that they had met

the risen Jesus,

that God had raised him

from the dead.

In Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

at the climax

of his great sermon

at Pentecost,

Peter sums it up this way,

this Jesus,

God raised up,

and of that

we are all witnesses.

And so you see,

if Christ then

hasn't been raised,

if there's no such thing

as the resurrection

of the dead,

then the apostles

are all

false

witnesses.

That's what the word

misrepresented

literally means here.

A pseudo witness.

In other words,

they're all committing

perjury.

But not just perjury.

Because they're being

false witnesses

of God,

then they're knowingly

committing

blasphemy.

Telling the world

lies

about who God is

and what he's done.

Without the resurrection,

our preaching

is in vain.

So think of all

the sermons

that have been preached

throughout the ages

by the great role

of Christian preachers,

the Chrysostoms

and the Luthers

and the Whitfields

and the Wesleys

and the Spurgeons.

And then think of all

the great written works

of Christian life

and thought

that have been penned

by the Augustans

and the Aquinas'

and the Calvins

and the Edwards.

And then consider

all the missionaries

who've traveled

across the world

to herald

the risen Christ,

the William Careys

and the Hudson Taylors

and the Lottie Moons

and the Amy Carmichael's.

All of that preaching

by countless men

and women

throughout Christian history,

all of it

was in vain

without the resurrection

of Jesus.

Nothing

but empty,

even dishonest

words.

And so you see, friends,

the resurrection of Jesus

is essential.

Essential to our preaching.

Without it,

we really have nothing to say.

Christianity would be

just another moral code,

nothing more.

And even worse,

without the resurrection,

what we are saying

would be nothing

but a false testimony

about God.

But that's not all.

Not only is our preaching

in vain,

Paul here keeps

driving the logic

further

to its uncomfortable

logic conclusion.

without the resurrection

of Jesus,

he says,

not just our preaching

is in vain,

but your faith

is in vain.

And in verses 17 and 18,

Paul teases this out.

There we find two reasons

why that's the case.

Why is our faith in vain?

First,

if Christ has not been raised,

Paul says,

very categorically,

you are still

in your sins.

You know,

we often don't think

about the resurrection

as being essential

to the forgiveness

of sins,

do we?

Perhaps,

rightfully so,

our minds go more

naturally to the cross.

After all,

Christ died

for our sins

in accordance

with the scriptures

as we just read

in verse 3.

But Paul is telling us here

that Christ's resurrection

is no less essential.

On the one hand,

the resurrection proves

that the one

who did die

on that cross

was not a mere

teacher or even prophet,

but the king of glory.

But more than that,

the fact that Christ

was raised

on the third day,

friends,

is the great sign

that he had paid

our debt of sin

in full.

The raising

of Jesus,

the raising

of Christ

was God the Father's

approval.

It was his

perfect verdict

that the work

of Jesus

was complete,

that the sacrifice

was totally sufficient,

that the penalty

was paid

once and for all.

Think of it,

when a prisoner,

when a criminal

does his full sentence,

when he or she

undergoes the months

or even the years

that their crime

deserved in prison,

in a cell,

whatever.

And then,

their sentence

is served

when they've

completed their time.

What do they do?

They leave the cell.

They walk out

of the prison.

They go out

into the light of day.

With that penalty

no longer

hanging over them,

they go out

free because it's

been paid

in full.

They've done it.

And what was

the sentence

that hung

over us

for breaking

God's law?

Again and again,

the Bible is clear

on this point

that the wages

of sin

is death.

God warned

Adam and Eve

from the very start

that if they rebelled

against his word

and chose to be

their own gods

and their own rulers

and they ate the fruit

from the tree

that they would die.

And each one of us

from that day on,

having fallen

into sin,

having chosen

our own way

apart from God,

faces that same

penalty

of death.

God

So you see,

when Christ

died

for our sins,

he was

paying

that

judicial

penalty

that our sins

deserved.

But of course,

he wasn't paying

for his own sins.

Christ had no sins.

There was no sentence

hanging over his head.

No,

when Jesus

died

for our sins,

he was acting

as our substitute.

The death

he died,

the penalty

of sin

he paid

was for us

in our place.

But you know,

if Christ

had stayed

in the grave,

had he not

been raised,

it would be

as if

he were still

paying the debt.

As if there

were still

something left

of the sentence

that needed

to be served.

That something

about the cross

wasn't

quite

enough.

And so,

we would still

be in our

sins.

That's the first

reason our faith

is in vain

without the resurrection.

We're still

in our sins.

The penalty

hasn't fully

been paid.

The second

reason is in

verse 18.

If Christ

has not been

raised,

then those

also who have

fallen asleep

in Christ

have perished,

Paul says.

Those

Christians

who have

gone before us,

those who

have died

in the faith,

they are

lost

if Christ

has not

been raised.

I mean,

again,

think about it.

Logically,

if the Lord

in whom

they put

their trust

was not

strong enough

to save

himself from

death,

how could

he save

others?

How could

he save

them?

when I'm

looking for

financial

advice,

I don't

go to

folks who

are repeatedly

claiming

bankruptcy.

No,

I go to

those who

know how

to walk

that path,

who have

the wisdom

and the

strength to

be able to

see me

through.

And friends,

the reality

is if our

faith can't

help us

in the face

of death,

then quite

honestly,

what good

is it?

Of course,

there are

always,

and perhaps

always will

be,

a handful

of scholars

and pastors

who will

try to

make

Christianity

meaningful

without the

bodily

resurrection.

No longer

convinced

that God

raised Jesus

from the

dead or

that God

could do

something like

resurrection.

These

scholars and

pastors try

to salvage

some kind

of meaningful

faith.

One way

they do

this is

kind of

what we've

already

seen.

They try

to emphasize

the moral

principles

of Jesus.

That is,

if we strip

away those

things that

we just

can't believe

in anymore,

then surely

we still have

a meaningful

moral framework

in which to

live our

lives,

don't we?

Isn't that

enough?

Isn't that

what really

matters?

But you

know,

show me

friends,

show me

someone who

is genuinely

trying to

actually live

up to the

way of

Jesus,

to his

commands,

and I

will show

you someone

who knows

that they

need more

than a

moral framework,

that they

need forgiveness.

If

Christianity

needs nothing

more than a

set of

rules to

follow,

rules that

Jesus

embodied,

then anyone

with half

an ounce

of self-awareness

knows that

they fall

short over

and over

and over

again.

But Jesus

taught the

way of love

and forgiveness,

they say.

Yes,

indeed he did,

and it's a

beautiful thing.

But to be blunt,

how are you doing

with forgiving

others these

days?

Yes.

Yes.

have you really

let go of that

hurt and

bitterness?

Have you really

stopped playing

that video over

and over in

your mind,

the one where

you finally

tell them off

and give them

what they

deserve?

Have you

really taken

steps down

the hard road

of reconciliation

with them?

If we're

serious about

following Jesus'

commands,

friends,

then we need

to know

not just

what he

commands,

but we need

to know that

our sins

can be taken

care of.

Because the

more we follow

Jesus'

commands,

the more

we'll see

how far

we fall

short

and that

we need

someone

to save

us.

So that

moralistic

kind of

resurrectionless

Christianity

is certainly

a dead end,

but there's

another way

some will

try to

make it

work.

Jesus'

resurrection,

they'll say,

wasn't a

bodily event,

no,

but it

points us

to a

spiritual

truth,

a spiritual

reality.

Jesus'

spirit is

with the

Father,

that's what

it means,

and his

spirit is

with us,

something

like that.

But you

know,

this attempt

to make

a meaningful

Christianity

without the

resurrection

fails as

well.

Why?

Because isn't

it clear,

friends,

that in

this version,

death

still wins.

You see,

friends,

God created

our world

in all of

its material,

physical

reality.

He created

it in that

way and

called it

good.

We were

meant to

live lives

bodily,

physically,

that are

free from

decay and

pain and

disease.

But when

sin entered,

death entered,

and along

with it,

suffering and

pain and

decay and

disease.

And so,

you see,

to say that

God's redeeming

work,

to say that

the resurrection

will only

involve some

kind of

spiritual

salvation,

is to say

that God

is unable

or at

least unwilling

to actually

go the

whole way

and fully

redeem his

fallen creation.

It's to say

that God

is willing

to let

death win.

That he's

willing to

let sin

and death

colonize

and corrupt

his good

creation

forever.

It is to

say that

God will

turn his

back on

his good

creation

and just

move on.

God

is to

know

that's

not how

the story

goes.

That's

not

what God

has revealed

to us

about his

saving

purposes.

The

resurrection

of Jesus,

you see,

isn't

some

supernatural

magic trick

in the

middle of

history

to shock

and awe.

the

resurrection

of Jesus

is the

beginning

of God's

plan

for the

whole

universe.

It's a

foretaste

of what's

to come.

God

will renew

his

creation.

He will

remove

death

and sickness

and sin.

He will

heal

and redeem

and recover

what's broken,

not abandon it.

Creation

is going to be

regained

and repaired

and even

transfigured

so that it's

endlessly,

stoplessly

good again.

the

resurrection

body of

Jesus

is the

pledge

that God

will not

let death

win

and that

one day

through

Jesus

all

creation

will

participate

in that

great

renewal

that's

begun

in

him.

So you

see,

even that

spiritual

version

of

resurrectionless

Christianity

isn't much

worth believing

in.

It's a bit

better than

the moralistic

version,

I'll give

you that,

but it's

still pretty

hollow

because it's

still a faith

that can't

actually

rescue us.

You see,

if the

moralistic

version can't

deal with

our sin

and our

guilt,

this

spiritualistic

version can't

deal with

the reality

of our

physical death

and decay.

It might

offer

escape,

but it

doesn't offer

redemption.

salvation.

And so

Paul says

in verse

19,

if in

Christ we

have hope

in this

life only,

we're of

all people

most to

be pitied.

If those

who believe

in Christ

perish upon

death,

if Christianity

is nothing

but a good

way to

live in

the here

and now,

then Paul

says we're

the most

pitiable

people the

world has

ever seen.

Not just

because we've

been deluded

and believed

a lie,

but also

because we've

suffered hardship

in the faith

for nothing.

We'll see

that a little

later in

chapter 15.

Because we've

denied earthly

pleasures in

the faith

for nothing.

We'll also

see that.

And perhaps

we've even

missed out on

finding something

or someone

else that

could have

rescued us

instead.

Without the

resurrection,

our preaching

is in vain

and our faith

is in vain.

And so,

friends,

as we draw

these verses

together,

we see that

Christianity

without the

resurrection

is indeed

empty.

It's an

empty message

producing an

empty faith.

In other

words,

Christianity

stands or

falls with

the reality

of the

resurrection.

Everything

rides on

this.

And that's

a stark

claim.

If you've

been exploring

Christianity

or you're just

starting to

learn about it,

this might

make Christianity

seem pretty

unattractive to

you,

even.

I mean,

if it all

hangs on

this one

thing,

I mean,

what if that

one thing

isn't actually

true?

If a

resurrectionless

Christianity

ends up being

futile,

why even

consider it?

It seems like

a pretty risky

gamble to

take.

why not

just stay

where you

are?

Why risk

jumping into

something that

could end

up,

without the

resurrection,

being totally

in vain?

Well, I

wonder if you'd

be willing to

think of it

this way.

It is

true that a

resurrectionless

Christianity is

empty.

but friend,

is your

resurrectionless

worldview

truly any

better?

If you think

hard about it,

isn't your

resurrectionless

belief not

also, at the

end of the

day, a

vain thing?

What does it

really offer

you for your

greatest needs?

Maybe some

morals, but

nothing to

deal with

your guilt.

Maybe some

spirituality

even, but

nothing that

really deals

with death.

If there's no

resurrection,

yes,

Christianity

is empty.

It doesn't

get you much

farther than

your own

beliefs where

you are right

now.

But what

if it's

true?

What if

the claim

Christianity

offers, the

claim of

resurrection, that

claim that's not

really on offer

anywhere else, what

if that claim is

true?

How would you

know if it's

true?

How would you

find out?

what if it's

true?

What if it's

true?

What if it's

true?

Well, friend, you'd

look at the

evidence.

Paul's been urging

us through this

whole paragraph to

use our brains and

to think, think about

the logic, think about

the implications.

And you know, we can

do the same thing with

the evidence for the

resurrection of Jesus.

After all, how do you

explain historically the

beginning of the

Christian movement?

Have you thought

about that?

Around 30 AD, a

young Jewish rabbi was

crucified by the

Romans under charges

of treason, just like

a lot of other young

Jewish rabbis have been

crucified around 30 AD

for charges of treason

under the Romans.

It was sort of what

they did.

But why within months

of this particular

gruesome death was

there a growing

movement of devout

Jewish men and women

claiming that this

crucified rabbi was

now Israel's Messiah,

their king?

That is very strange,

you have to admit.

And why do these men

and women keep on

making this claim,

even though they face

increasing persecution

and death for making

it?

And why, if the

religious authorities

are so offended by

this movement, why

don't they just go to

the gravesite, unearth

the body, and end the

controversy once and for

all?

And why is the language

that we find in the

earliest Christian

documents not language

about how this once

crucified king, this

teacher they loved, was

now merely spiritually

present to God and to

their hearts?

No.

Why do they consistently

the whole way down, as

far as you can go in the

historical record, why do

they say that God raised

him bodily from the dead,

even when they knew, just

like us, that dead bodies

stay dead?

And even though they had

no prior expectation that

God would do anything

like that.

Friends, have you

considered seriously the

evidence?

It's worth the time to

think it through.

Because if Christianity

without the resurrection is

to be pitied, and I grant

you that, isn't Christianity

with the resurrection

something to be envied?

Think of the preaching.

Here is a message of what

God has done in history, so

powerful, so new, so

life-changing, that the

only word they could think

of to put on it was the

gospel, the good news.

A message like nothing else

on offer.

A message of a God who came

in his own person and lived

and died for us to redeem

his fallen creation and

bring it back from exile

home to himself.

And not just the preaching,

think of the faith.

Here is actually the

forgiveness of sins.

Have you ever had one of

those dreams at the end of

a semester?

You just finished all your

exams, you're just done,

you're at your first day of

summer vacation, and you're

sleeping soundly, and what do

you dream of?

You still have a paper to

write.

You still have an exam that

needs to be written.

You're not done.

And all night you're just

aching, and it nags at you,

and it claws at your mind.

But then you wake up,

and it's summer.

Friends, isn't our sin the

same way?

That ache that follows you

around, that soul sickness

that never seems to go away,

that something still needs to

be done, that something still

needs to be paid, that

something still needs to be

put right.

Friends, here's the remedy

that you can wake up.

You can awaken to new

spiritual life, and your

conscience can be cleansed,

and your heart can be put

right with your creator.

Because Jesus died, and he

rose again to prove that it's

all been paid for you.

And not just the forgiveness

of sins, but even the defeat

of death.

Notice how tightly our passage

has tied together the

resurrection of Christ and the

resurrection of the dead.

It almost seems poor

writing.

Again and again, Paul says

it, verse 12, verse 13,

verse 15, verse 16, if

there's no resurrection of

the dead, then not even

Christ has been raised.

And you know, Paul isn't just

making a logical point here,

but more, he's making a

theological point.

Actually, to be more

precise, he's making a

Christological point.

He's pointing to the fact that

what God has done in Jesus,

he will surely do for all

who are united to him in

faith.

What's true of one must be

true of the other.

So deeply so that if there's

no resurrection for those who

are in Christ, then not even

Christ has been raised.

Just as God broke the bars of

death for his own son, so he

will break the bars of death for

all who trust in his son.

God's not going to let death

have the final words.

And those who die in Christ

will rise with him when God

makes all things new.

Friends, the resurrection is

essential.

It is the key ingredient.

Without it, everything is in

vain.

And yes, we are most to be

pitied, but with it, with it,

it's all that your heart has

been looking for.

How can some of you say there

is no resurrection of the

dead?

Christ has been raised.

And we will be with him.

Let's pray.

Lord, we ask one thing this

morning.

That the reality of the

resurrection, that its

essential nature, that its

greatness and its goodness

would be impressed upon our

hearts.

Lord, if there are any here who

are seeking you and unsure

about religious things, would

you open their minds to at

least explore this reality, to

give it a chance?

For those of us who are

believers in you, help this

truth to sink more deeply into

our hearts and produce love and

hope and joy.

And help us, Father, as a

community, to be a people of

the resurrection, to hold fast

to our hope, and to be

confident to the end.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.