Evening Service | 2023.3.26 | Corinthians 15: 20:33

We are just a few weeks from Easter,

and so that's the purpose of spending some time in 1 Corinthians 15,

to be able to understand the resurrection,

to be able to better see how the resurrection applies to our lives today.

And so if you've been around the church for any amount of time,

if you're a Christian, you certainly know the gospel in a nutshell

that can be presented in 10 seconds or less, right?

Christ came to earth. He lived a perfect life.

He was crucified, dead, and buried.

He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven.

In order to save us from our sins.

And we look forward to His return when He'll establish this eternal kingdom

where we will live forever with Him in paradise.

This is common speak for anyone who has spent any time in the church, right?

But one thing I think we need to recognize,

for those who haven't spent any time in the church,

for those who aren't believers,

just how crazy this language sounds to an outsider.

Because we live in this increasingly secular society

where biblical literacy is really a thing of the past.

What may have been commonplace to understand,

have some sort of knowledge of the gospel,

is completely lost in our society today.

And so my former minister from the States,

he shared this story before where he knew of this young woman

who had grown up as a Hindu.

Then she dabbled in a few other religions

before eventually coming to true faith in Christ.

And he talked about her conversion experience

and the confusion she went through as she was exploring the gospel.

And she actually wrote about this,

and he shared one time what her experience was like exploring Christianity.

And so this is a few things,

a little excerpt of what she said.

She said,

Christians claim that Jesus was the Son of God

and all this stuff about the Trinity,

which really I had no idea what they were talking about.

They claim this resurrection which made no sense to me,

not that I didn't believe that Jesus could rise from the dead if He were God,

but I had no idea what possible relevance this could have to me

since I didn't understand about the fall or sin or the final resurrection.

I assumed they were all myths

with no more relevant deep meaning than maybe a fairy tale,

except maybe metaphorical spiritual meaning.

I wasn't even interested because I never understood

what importance that event should have to me.

No Christian ever explained this to me.

They would just say crazy stuff like,

I'm washed by the blood of the Lamb and now I'm saved.

Jesus died for your sins.

Don't you want to be saved?

And then they would paint portraits of hell

that made zero sense to me.

It's just as though someone came up to me and said,

my red balloon popped and then candy canes fell out of the sky.

Your rabbit is winking at me.

Doesn't all this make you want to buy a new Nissan?

I'm not exaggerating.

This nutshell gospel message makes absolutely no sense to a non-Christian.

No meaningful sense anyways.

You just have no idea what they're so excited about.

So Jesus rose from the dead.

Big whoop.

Good for him.

So what?

I think it's safe to say that this mirrors the sentiment of many in our society.

Maybe even some in this church that have been around Christianity

but still don't understand what the resurrection means

and how it applies to us.

And so that's what I want us to accomplish tonight

is to be able to answer the question, so what?

To be able to bridge this gap between just spouting mere Christian jargon

to having a true understanding of the resurrection,

how it applies to our lives.

And so I really want to focus on two questions then

that I think this passage answers for us tonight.

What is the importance of the resurrection

and what are the implications of the resurrection?

And so let's look at that first point.

What is the importance of the resurrection?

Starting in verse 20,

Paul has just finished making this hypothetical argument

in the first part of chapter 15.

What if Christ didn't raise from the dead?

And he says if this is true, he didn't raise from the dead,

then all our preaching, all our faith is in vain

and we should be pitied above all else.

But in verse 20 he changes his argument.

He pushes away any lingering doubt

and he says Jesus has indeed risen from the dead.

And he uses interesting language here.

He refers to Jesus as the first fruits.

Now this may not have much significance to us nowadays,

but to a Jewish audience back then,

talking about first fruits would have great significance,

especially in an Old Testament context.

Because when you think of first fruits,

this would have been the portion of the crops

that from a harvest time

that would have been dedicated to the Lord,

that would have been sacrificed as an offering to him.

This was the first fruits offering.

This was the feast of Pentecost.

And so the effect of this offering of these first fruits

was really twofold.

One, it pointed back.

And two, it pointed forward.

And so think about it.

If you were an Israelite

and you had finally entered the promised land,

you're farming your vineyard.

Harvest time comes for the very first time

and you're able to clip this large cluster of grapes from the vine.

Think about the significance that this would have to you.

You would have remembered your parents

wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.

You would have remembered your grandparents

and great-grandparents

who would have suffered as slaves in Egypt

for hundreds of years.

You would have recalled your own experience

crossing the Jordan River,

conquering the people of Canaan,

setting up your own house and farm,

ones that you did not build or grow,

and now you have the opportunity

to harvest these grapes for the first time.

It would point to you as a promise,

as a fulfillment of a promise,

a promise that wasn't just made to Joshua

or even to Moses,

but a promise that dates back much farther

to a man named Abram,

who God came to and made a promise,

this covenant,

a promise to him that says

that your offspring, to your offspring,

I will give this land.

And so these first fruits offered as a sacrifice

point back to the promise

that God has made to his people.

But they also point forward.

These grapes are only the beginning of a harvest.

They point to the assurance of the harvest to come,

that God has provided

and he will continue to provide for his people.

And so when we think of first fruits,

they wouldn't make any sense,

they wouldn't have any purpose

if a harvest wasn't to follow behind it.

There's no sense of celebrating

a cluster of grapes

or a bundle of wheat

if it wasn't going to be followed

by countless more.

And so when Christ is called the first fruits,

we see both of these aspects

in this name.

His resurrection,

it first points back

to a covenant promise,

one that dates back

to the time of creation,

the time of Adam and Eve,

when sin entered the world,

when they disobeyed God,

and we see the beginning of original sin.

We see then that God didn't abandon them,

he very well could have,

but he was faithful to them.

He promised that he would restore

this broken relationship,

that he would send a rescuer,

someone to redeem them from their sins.

And so this was a promise

that's been repeated through the Bible.

It was a promise that was repeated

to Abraham and to Moses and to David,

a promise to establish this eternal kingdom

where all nations would be blessed.

And now it finds fulfillment in Jesus

and in his resurrection.

And so also then,

that Christ as a first fruits,

his resurrection,

it points us forward

because it's a representation

of the things that will happen

in the future.

It's a guarantee of this whole harvest

that is to come.

So his resurrection

is an opportunity for us

to identify with Christ

because as Christ has risen,

we too will rise.

And so I think it's an important point

to make here

because when we think about

Christ's resurrection

and our resurrection,

we may want to think about this

as two separate events.

But I think it's more accurate

to recognize this as one event

in two episodes.

Because when we think of first fruits,

first fruits are not separate

from the harvest.

They don't point to another harvest

in the future.

They point to the harvest

that is happening right now.

Christ has rose

and therefore we will rise.

This is the same event

in two different episodes.

And so Paul goes on

to explain this further

in verse 21 and 22.

For since death came through a man,

the resurrection of the dead

comes also through a man.

For as in Adam all die,

so in Christ all will be made alive.

And so again,

Paul is making this connection

between Adam and Christ.

It's the same argument

that he makes in many

of his other letters.

If you were to turn to Romans

Romans 5:19

chapter 5, verse 19,

he says this,

For as by one man's disobedience

the many were made sinners,

and so by one man's obedience

the many will be made righteous.

And so we see that

through Adam came death.

Through Christ comes life.

And so Christ comes

as a second Adam,

as a final Adam,

to fulfill the law

that Adam could not.

And so Christ comes,

he rescues his people

through his obedience,

whereas Adam came

and brought about destruction

because of his disobedience.

And so then it's important

to think about

who this all is.

If all are in Adam

or all in Christ,

well, who is this all?

Are they talking about

the same people?

If we think about all

in the first sense,

that all are in Adam,

this is a universal statement.

All are sinful

because of Adam.

All are deserving of death.

Romans 3, 23,

For all have sinned

and fallen short

of the glory of God.

But the second Adam,

or second all,

it's a different all.

It's not talking about all men.

It's talking about

God's elect.

Those who have received Christ

by grace through faith.

to them only

will receive this eternal life.

Will they experience

the resurrection of the dead?

Jonathan Edwards,

the Puritan minister,

he put it this way.

He said,

We are all in Adam by nature

and in Christ by faith.

And so Paul then goes on

in verses 23 through 28

to discuss the order

in which this resurrection happens.

He says,

But each in turn,

Christ, the firstfruits,

then when he comes,

those who belong to him,

and then the end will come.

It's a very simple order.

Maybe you have orders of things

in your own life.

In our home,

on a school morning,

we have some very simple orders,

some directions the kids

are to follow.

They come down

after getting dressed,

out of bed,

they have breakfast,

they're supposed to put

their dishes in the dishwasher,

supposed to pack their snack,

brush their teeth.

It's a very simple order.

It's the same one every day,

every week.

It doesn't change,

and you would be amazed

at how often

this order goes awry.

When we see in this passage,

this is a very simple order,

but it's an order

that is not thwarted here.

Christ is raised,

and those that belong to him

are also raised.

And then the end comes.

And it's interesting here,

there's no class distinction

among God's people.

There's no hierarchy of Christians.

Christ is raised.

We are raised.

Christ.

And when it references

this order here,

when it says each in turn,

or this order,

it's really a military term.

It's meant to illustrate

this definite plan

that a military leader

would have

in bringing their army

and walking into battle.

Christ is leading his army

to victory over death.

And so what does this mean?

I want to pause

because it still seems like

there can be a little bit

of misunderstanding

or even jargon involved

in what we're talking about here.

Paul goes on to explain this

later in chapter 15.

We're not going to cover it all tonight.

But we know that

when Christ was raised,

he ascended into heaven

and he promised to return.

And we are now waiting

for his return.

And so during this time,

when believers die,

our souls will be present

with the Lord,

our bodies will be in the grave.

That's what Paul's talking about,

as though we have fallen asleep.

But when he returns,

our bodies will be raised.

It says in verse 42 through 44,

it will be raised imperishable,

glorious, and powerful

to be reunited with our souls.

And so it's important to recognize

that we are created

as embodied souls.

Our souls and our bodies

are meant to be united,

just in the same way

that Christ's soul

and Christ's body

is eternally united.

I think some of us

may have the misconception

that when Christ rose from the dead

and ascended into heaven,

he did so in some sort

of bodiless form.

No, Jesus will forever have

a real and resurrected body,

and so will we.

And it says,

when this happens,

when we are raised,

then the end will come.

In our book,

The Last Battle,

when Aslan returns,

returns,

there's this doorway

in a stable

that separates

old Narnia

from the new Narnia.

And it says that

Aslan stood in this doorway

and he raised his head

and roared,

now it is time.

Then louder,

time.

Then so loud

that it could have shaken

the stars,

time.

And at his word,

as the children

are looking on

through the doorway,

the stars began

to fall out of the sky.

The true Narnians

enter through this door

while those rebels

are turned away

into judgment.

It describes

these dragons

and lizards

that then began

destroying the land

until all vegetation

is gone.

And then these creatures

themselves,

they lay down

and they die,

their bodies shrivel

and they turn to bones.

And then it describes

this huge wave

coming over

and covering the land

and it says

at last the sun

is squeezed

like an orange

until there is

total darkness.

Now obviously

this is an imaginative

portrayal

of the end times

but this is

pointing to

what Paul describes here.

Christ's resurrection

is really twofold

in the fact that

it ensures

eternal victory

for his people

but also

judgment

and defeat

for his enemies.

And so we see this

in verse 25

he says

he must reign

until

he has put

all his enemies

under his feet.

This verse is implying

that Christ

is reigning now.

We think about

his coming resurrection

and we know

Christ will reign

in the future

but Christ

is reigning now

it says

and will continue

to reign

until all his enemies

are destroyed

and he delivers

the kingdom

to God the Father.

and so we see

this kingdom

was inaugurated

it began

at his resurrection

and it will be

consummated

it will be fully

fulfilled

when he returns.

And so we see

just how

the totality

of his reign

in these few verses

because we see

Paul repeat himself

over and over again.

In verse 24

he says

he will destroy

all dominion

authority

and power.

Verse 25

he will put

all his enemies

under his feet.

A couple of times

in verse 27

he has put

everything under

his feet

God will put

everything under

Christ.

Verse 28

when he has done

this meaning

put everything

under his feet

then the son

himself will be

made subject

to him

who put

everything

under him.

It's almost

as if like

we want to

pump the brakes

and just say

Paul we get it

we understand

what you're

saying here

but what Paul

is actually doing

he's combining

two texts here

he's combining

Psalm 8

with Psalm 110

we sang

Psalm 108

just a second

ago

and it's a psalm

that reminds us

of the calling

that God gave

to man at creation

to have authority

over the earth

to rule over the earth

but the fact of the matter

is that

that man lost

this calling

Adam lost

this calling

at the fall

but now it's a calling

that has been completed

and accomplished

by Christ

and so when we think

about all these

sinful authorities

and sinful powers

that are still

present in this world

it's right to consider

things like

political powers

and social powers

and other religious powers

and spiritual powers

which hold this world

captive.

If you're around

on Wednesday

and can attend

the missions night

we're going to be hearing

from a friend of mine

who's been a missionary

in Ukraine

for over 20 years

who's going to be

giving us an update

about the war

in Ukraine

it would certainly

be right

for us to pray

that evil

be defeated

in Ukraine

but in addition

to thinking about

earthly kingdoms

and things that are

external to us

I think it's really

important when we

think about these

kingdoms that will be

conquered

to recognize

internal

personal kingdoms

these autonomous

kingdoms

where we ourselves

harbor sin

and rebellion

because it's this

sinful morality

within us

that will also

be destroyed

the desire

to wander

from God

the desire

to turn

to our own ways

to seek

our own glory

this too

will be destroyed

and this is what

will allow us

to live in perfect

union with Christ

but I think

the phrase

that really sticks out

here is actually

verse 26

because it's the only

phrase in this

passage that doesn't

begin with any sort

of conjunction

there's no buts

or ands

or fors

it stands

on its own

the last enemy

to be destroyed

is death

so lest you think

that anything

will escape

the wrath of God

even death

will be destroyed

and so this is

good news for us

right

when we look

around us

and we think

about the effects

of sin

disease

cancer

mental illness

financial hardship

broken families

loss of friendship

war

we don't want

these things

to just be

lessened

we pray

we don't pray

just for

for less death

we pray for it

to be destroyed

we want it gone

sin and all

its defect

effects

we want it

destroyed forever

and that's what's

promised in this

passage here

and so the end

of this order then

the end of this

order of events

it concludes with

Christ presenting

this kingdom

to the father

that God may be

all in all

and so we see

the resurrection

of Christ

the resurrection

of his people

the judgment

of his enemies

the assembly

of God's people

it all leads

to one point

the glory

of God

this is the

importance

of the resurrection

Christ rose

from the dead

that we may

rise as well

that he may

establish his

eternal kingdom

in order that

God receive

the glory

forever

and so this

leads us to

our second point

that's the

importance

of the resurrection

what are its

implications

to us

today

as we lead

our lives

well we turn

to verse 29

and quite honestly

it kind of gets

off to a weird

start

he says

now if there is

no resurrection

what will those

do who are

baptized for the

dead

if the dead

are not raised

at all

why are people

baptized for them

there's a lot

of ink that's

been spilled

on this passage

there's a question

about whether

Paul is he

actually referring

to some sort

of vicarious

baptism where

people are

being baptized

for people

that have

already died

is Paul

using this

language

in not quite

a literal sense

and saying

that well

it's referring

to the dead

he's actually

meaning Christians

who are still

suffer death

and decay

and baptism

is of no

importance

there's lots

of explanations

or attempts

at making

explanations

that I read

I don't know

if there's one

that I can

that I can

cling to

I think I'm

going to go

out on a limb

and say

I just don't

know

but I think

where we can

focus in

is actually

in verse 30

through 33

because he

says

and as for

us

why do we

endanger

ourselves

every hour

I face

death

every day

yes

just as

surely

as I boast

about you

in Christ

Jesus

our Lord

if I fought

wild beasts

in Ephesus

with no more

than human

hopes

what have I

gained

if the dead

are not raised

let us eat

and drink

for tomorrow

we die

and so I think

there's really

two main

implications

we see

in this passage

implications

of the

resurrection

the first

is that it

keeps us

focused

Paul speaks

of this

hardship

that he's

endured

for the sake

of the gospel

he's even

calling his

enemies

his opponents

in Ephesus

wild beasts

we certainly

know

throughout

his letters

in the

new testament

how he

has suffered

and been

imprisoned

and shipwrecked

for the sake

of the gospel

but this

isn't unique

for Paul

if we were

to jump

to the book

of Hebrews

in chapter

11

which recounts

this account

of faithful

men

throughout

the history

this redemptive

history

we see

the fate

of these

faithful men

they're mocked

they're flogged

they're in prison

stoned

sawed in two

killed by the

sword

naked

destitute

afflicted

mistreated

homeless

now certainly

I don't think

that any of us

will suffer

for our faith

in the same

way

but certainly

our faith

brings with it

certain struggles

of various kinds

we may feel

like you've been

mocked or ridiculed

for your faith

you may constantly

feel like an

outsider

maybe you have

been rejected

by your family

or friends

maybe you just

feel like you

always have a

target on your

back

certainly it

would be easier

for us to

just say

let's eat

and drink

and be merry

and not worry

about the future

but Paul's

charge here

is to remain

focused

to be willing

to endure

because we know

that this is going

to be temporary

because our focus

is pointed ahead

I don't know

if any of you

have heard of

the marshmallow

test before

this was a test

that was developed

a psychology

experiment

I got that right

psychology experiment

back in the

1960s

and it goes

you may have

even seen

these videos

on YouTube

they still do

it all the time

a child is given

a big marshmallow

and sat down

on a table

and says

look you can

eat this marshmallow

now

or if you wait

for me to come

back into the room

after a certain

amount of time

and you haven't

eaten it

I'll give you

a second one

and so they

leave the child

in the room

the child is

videotaped

and you watch

this internal

struggle that the

child faces

some of them

give up right away

want the marshmallow

stuff it in their

mouth

and don't get

a second one

others

they see the

struggle

they try to

pinch at it

they smell it

they see if

they want to

get it

and some

then eventually

give in

and then you

have some

who are

resilient

they resist

temptation

they don't

eat the

marshmallow

and are

rewarded with

a second one

it's ultimately

this experiment

in delayed

gratification

and so that's

essentially what

Paul is urging

these believers

in the New Testament

to do here

if we turn to

the book of

Philippians

listen to these

verses from

Philippians 3

starting in

verse 7

he says

but whatever

gain I had

I counted as

loss for the

sake of Christ

indeed I count

everything as

loss because of

the surpassing

worth of knowing

Christ Jesus

my Lord

for his sake

I have suffered

the loss of

all things

and count them

as rubbish

in order that

I may gain

Christ

and be found

in him

not having a

righteousness of

my own

that comes from

the law

but that which

comes through

faith in

Christ

the righteousness

from God

that depends

on faith

that I may

know him

and the power

of his resurrection

and may share

in his sufferings

becoming like

him in death

that by any

means possible

I may obtain

the resurrection

from the dead

Paul is

specifically

linking here

his suffering

with the knowledge

of the resurrection

and so just in

the same way

that we identify

with Christ

in his resurrection

we also ought

to identify

with Christ

in his suffering

because Christ

suffered

we too

should endure

suffering

and because

Christ rose

we can anticipate

the blessing

of the life

to come

and so then

the second

implication

I think this

passage shows

us

one is to

stay focused

and two

having proper

understanding

of the resurrection

keeps us

pure

verse 33

do not be misled

bad company

corrupts good

character

come back to

your senses

as you ought

and stop sinning

for there are

some who are

ignorant of God

and I say this

to your shame

and so notice

the chain of logic

that Paul is

presenting here

those who are

ignorant of God

are going to

deny the resurrection

if you deny

the resurrection

then you essentially

serve a dead God

if you serve a dead God

you have no reason

to follow him

and if you have no

reason to follow him

live however you want

like an unbeliever

Paul says

don't live

like an unbeliever

wrong theology

leads to bad morals

if we think

like an unbeliever

inevitably

we will begin

to act

like an unbeliever

and so instead

Paul urges us

to come back

to our senses

in the Greek here

it literally means

to wake up sober

wake up from your drunkenness

it's words

that seem to be echoed

by Isaiah

in Isaiah 52

where he says

awake

awake

and put on your strength

oh Zion

put on your beautiful garments

oh Jerusalem

the holy city

shake yourself

from the dust

and arise

be seated

oh Jerusalem

loose the bonds

from your neck

oh captive daughter

of Zion

this chapter

in 52

it's an introduction

to a prophecy

of Christ's coming

and so Isaiah

is saying here

purify yourselves

because the salvation

of the Lord

is at hand

this is what Paul

has been spending

his entire book

this letter

to the Corinthian church

doing

warning the church

to guard yourselves

about the immorality

that's creeping

into the church

keep the truth

of the resurrection

in your hearts

that it may have

deep effect

in your life

and so he concludes

his whole letter

in verse 56

excuse me 58

therefore

so keeping in mind

that the resurrection

is real

therefore

my dear brothers

and sisters

stand firm

let nothing move you

always give yourselves

fully to the work

of the Lord

because you know

that your labor

and the Lord

is not in vain

and so we wait

for Easter

to roll around

every year

on the church calendar

I think it's important

for us to remember

the reality is

that we constantly

live

in the season

of Easter

for Easter

again it's this

one event

in two episodes

we look back

to the joy

of the resurrection

of Christ

and we also look forward

with hope

at our own

resurrection

so as we live

in this period

of the already

and the not yet

Paul urges us

to remain faithful

to our calling

as we long

for Christ's return

let's pray together

God we thank you

for the season

of Easter

and to know

that it's not a season

that comes around

once every spring

but it is a season

in which we live

recognizing the resurrection

of Christ

and also the resurrection

to come

our own resurrection

that is brought

by Christ's return

and so may that

give us great joy

may it give us

great hope

in the future

may that motivate us

now in how we live

God we thank you

for the sacrifice

of your son

we thank you

that you reign

now and will reign

eternally

we thank you

that you promise

to destroy

all dominion

and authority

and power

and even death

itself

we thank you

that we

can be

your children

and so may we

live from a position

of victory

may we always live

in light

of the cross

and in light

of an empty grave

we pray all these

things in Jesus name

amen

and now

since we are

without a musician

we're going to do

a call

little audible

here

we are going

to close

by singing

the doxology

together

so if you don't

know it

look it up

real fast

if you need to

if you know it

then you can stand

and we'll sing

the doxology

together

praise God

from whom

all blessings

flow

praise him

all creatures

here below

praise him

above ye

heavenly hosts

praise father

son

and holy

ghost

amen

and now receive

this good word

this benediction

from the lord

and now

may the god

of peace

who through the

blood of the

eternal covenant

brought back

from the dead

our lord jesus

that great shepherd

of the sheep

equip you

with every

good thing

to complete

his will

and may he

work in us

what is pleasing

to him

through jesus christ

to him be glory

forever

and ever

amen