Morning Service, 12 April 2009
– its place and blessing (1 Cor 15:12-20)
What is the point of the Christian remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, indeed of the very death and resurrection of Jesus itself?
Is it merely a metaphor to help us understand and face the difficulties and pressures of life? Is it merely that the crucifixion is a metaphor finding its parallels in the trials, difficulties and injustices of our life, and that the resurrection is merely a metaphor of hope, a symbolism which helps us face such trials with hope?
From the Bible we see that this is a totally inadequate explanation of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that it even calls into question whether it really happened – after all what is really important is the hope that we are reminded of by it year after year in what is otherwise often a very painful world.
On the contrary the Bible tells us that Jesus’ death was planned by God and not accidental, for God sent Him into the world to deal with the human problem of sin by His taking its just punishment by dying in our place. It is not an example but an accomplishment, in that He paid the penalty in full. And where it is a demonstration it is not of how we should cope in life, but of the reality that God is absolutely and strictly just (in that a death penalty must be and was exacted), and that God is full of love and mercy (in that He did not require that death of us but provided it for us in His Son for all who would believe).
Read the following Scriptures just as a sample – Mark 10:45; John 3:14-16; 10:11; Rom 3:21-26; 4:24-25; 5:8-9; Col 1:13-14, 19-23.
The same is true of the resurrection – it is a demonstration of the justice and mercy of God. For here in the resurrection is the declaration that the demands of God’s justice have been fully met and so death could no longer hold Jesus; He had indeed paid the penalty in full and satisfied the demands of holiness against us. It declares therefore that “there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus”, and challenges those who would condemn us with the declaration that “it is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Rom 8:1; 34). We see the resurrection and see justice satisfied. But we also see love demonstrated – for it is from this reality that Paul is also able to say “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” with the wonderful answer – absolutely nothing and no one! (Rom 8:35–39).
How precious then is Rom 4:25 which declares that Jesus Christ “was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised for our justification.”
It is against this background that we turn this morning to consider 1 Cor 15:1-28. Here we see:
1. The Nature of the resurrection
Now let’s be clear of our terms here – when we speak of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ the Bible means more than the mere fact that He was resuscitated, and that body and soul were re‑united. If that’s all there was to it, then He could not be called the “firstfruits” of those who have died (see v.20). The “firstfruits” in the Bible was the first portion of the harvest, and so stresses a priority in time, which He could not possibly if others were restored to life before Him, as are indeed recorded in both the Old and New Testaments
In Christ’s resurrection, His body was both raised and glorified. This is what makes His resurrection unique. We see this in the Gospel accounts where the body of Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear, and yet was a material and very real body that could be touched and handled.
Paul confirms this understanding in vv.42-44 as he describes what the resurrection will mean for those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall be raised changed (v.52), and his point is that this is because Jesus was raised changed as the “firstfruits”. We will have immortal bodies, suited to the spiritual realities of the new life before God in the new heavens and the new earth. This is our glorious hope – we will not live only to die again sometime in the future, but we will live in the resurrection with a glorified and eternal body. We will be changed forever; we will have a body like Jesus’ glorified body.
2. The Centrality of the resurrection
In v.14-19 Paul is pointing out that the resurrection is central to the content and exercise of our faith. Everything is anchored to the resurrection. He points this out by using two different words
The key word in v.12-16 is the word “vain” – a word referring to the lack of reality or substance to something. It is ‘empty’. If you every picked up a walnut and found it empty of a kernel you would say it was “vain”.
Now, says Paul, if there is no resurrection of Jesus certain things follow – both preaching and faith are empty (v.14) – empty of any reality. Indeed the other side of this is that people are being tricked by a false witness that is blasphemy, because they were testifying of God that He did raise Jesus! (v.15)
Now when Paul says that gospel preaching would be “vain” he means that we have nothing to say to the world around us, our preaching is empty. We don’t have the answer to man’s problems, to sin and the wages of sin which is death. All we preachers have to offer is a restrictive code of ethics, which is just one option competing in a world of ideas and values.
The great tragedy is that increasingly today sections of the church are rejecting the literal resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ – which is tantamount to saying that the Gospel witnesses, and hence the Bible, is not just a lie, but a most dangerous and blasphemous deception. The great mystery is how people can stay in the Christian ministry if they don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus.
But secondly Paul uses a different word in v.17-19 we find a second word that is translated in as “futile”. It is distinguished from the previous word in terms of substance and impact. Vincent: ‘The difference is between reality and result.’
That is, if Christ has not risen from the dead with a glorified body, then it is a futile effort to believe what you are being told, the gospel is ineffective in our lives, both now before God, as a help throughout life and in death and for eternity. All useless. It changes nothing.
So in v.17 we are still affected and troubled by our sins; v.18 those who have died believing in Jesus have perished, we have no hope and can know no genuine comfort over them; and in v.19 we are to be pitied for the waste of our lives in self-denial and devotion to God – we are missing out on all that the world has to offer and which others who have rejected the gospel of Jesus are enjoying.
Do you see how central the resurrection of Jesus is to the Christian’s view of Jesus, to the Christian faith in Jesus and to the Christian life? It is its very heart. Without it Jesus achieves nothing and changes nothing for us – in fact without it Jesus is nothing. Destroy this and you destroy Christianity.
But says, Paul, the resurrection is real – v.20! A fact that has been attested to by a variety of credible witnesses. Witnesses who didn’t want to believe, witnesses who thought that those who became convinced were going mad – that is until they also witnessed the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Even a witness like Paul who was determined to wipe out Christianity as a dangerous and blasphemous cult driven by blind fanaticism. At least in that he was being consistent for he rejected the claims of the resurrection of Jesus. But then he himself was met by the resurrected Jesus in all His glory – and that changed things! Now he knew it was true, that there is no emptiness to the Christian message and faith, nor is their futility in believing. Quite the opposite – it brings salvation, life and honour.
Which brings us to the third point today:
3. The Gifts of the resurrection
Since Jesus Christ is risen again, then we can turn these negatives into positives, and in so doing we see 6 wonderful gifts given and secured to us by it. For the sake of emphasis let me re-order them according to our experience of them:
1. From v.17, we can say that because of Jesus’ resurrection we are forgiven our sins, God won’t hold our sins against us! Now that is good news! Rom 4:25 puts it like this, “He was handed over (to death) on account of our transgressions, and He was raised on account of our justification.”
This means that by His death He paid the penalty for our sins and purchased our acquittal, our justification, our forgiveness. And since the achievement of the cross was so complete and the work of our justification so decisive, God raised Jesus from the dead to validate our forgiveness and to vindicate his Son’s righteousness and to celebrate the work of justification.
Everybody in this room this morning needs forgiveness, and deep inside, even when we don’t think about it, we long for it. We long to be accepted by God. We fear the alienation of our guilt. But Paul says, because Christ rose from the dead we are no longer in our sins.
2. From v.14 we can say that because of the resurrection our faith is well-founded, that is, here in Jesus is someone who is absolutely trustworthy. If you put your faith in Him, He won’t let you down. He will make peace with God the Father for you, He will always be with you in this life, and will bring you into the eternal presence of God even if it is through the door of death. The death of Jesus proves his love for us, and the resurrection proves his power over every enemy of life. Jesus is alive to be trusted. “The life I live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
3. From v.15, we can say that because of the resurrection we have a true witnesses for and about God. On the one hand it declares that here is an absolute truth. We have facts substantiated by reliable witnesses – it actually did happen. But even more, on the other hand, it means that they are honestly representing God as they talk about the impact of the resurrection. When they say that this was God at work providing the only way of being at peace with Him, that He will accept all who trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, then this is exactly what God is saying.
4. From v.14 we see that our message will make a difference, our preaching is significant – we actually do have something to say to the people of this world. No other proposed solution to the human problem which is promoted by various religions or scholars can offer the resurrection! Likewise the people of the world want us to be practical, to do things to help, but Jesus in sending us out sent us out to help where we can, yes, but the prime task is the message. It is through the apparent foolishness of preaching and teaching the death and resurrection of Jesus that we can and will make a difference for people eternally as well as now.
5. From v.19 we can see say the Christian life is not a waste, that following Jesus is not a delusion. People who don’t believe tell us that we are missing out on so much of what life has to offer – look at how many things we could do on a Sunday if we stopped going to church! How much more money we could save or spend if we didn’t give to the Lord each week! Other people pity us – but since Jesus has been raised and reigns as King forever, all our obedience, love, self-denial is not just not-to-be-pitied, but is positively enviable. “This slight momentary affliction is working for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” Paul said (2 Cor 4:17). Even now our lives count and achieve something. That’s why Paul ends this chapter on the resurrection in v. 58 with the words: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”
6. Finally, in v.16 we see that because of the resurrection we can have hope, assurance and joy even in the face of death. Because Jesus has put death, the last enemy, under His feet we can say with conviction, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”, not even death itself, nothing can harm us, nothing can destroy our peace. What comfort, what joy, what courage, comes from the great fact that Jesus is alive and reigning as King! We do not come to an empty end after a full and valuable life. We do not become a zero, or worse, find ourselves damned. Those who die believing in Jesus are alive because He is alive! So Paul says “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:18).
Thank God then for the resurrection of Jesus, and the blessings it brings! Its place is vital; its blessings indescribable!