Thank you, Kim. And would you open the scriptures,
please, to 1 Corinthians chapter 15? In Fort
Myers, Florida, the school board voted recently
to institute a high school course that teaches
the Bible as history. It has caused quite a flap.
Perhaps you have heard about it on the news this
week. The report that I heard said that they
were actually going to teach that Jesus rose
from the dead. It was a shock that the news reporter
reported that. They're actually going to teach
that there was a Jonah, that there was a Noah,
that there was such a thing as a flood, and they're
going to teach, they said, that Jesus rose from
the dead. Amazing, isn't it? that there would
be people in this enlightened band which we let
go and still cling to myths like that was the
implication of the news reporter. In prescriptives
chapter 15 we learned that in fact the resurrection
of Jesus Christ is as historical as anything
that has ever happened and that it is the very
foundation of the Christian faith. Sometimes
this is called the great resurrection chapter
of the Bible because of its strong declaration
of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
Let's remind ourselves yet again of this old,
old story, simple would be, that it is that gospel
of Christ's death for our sins according to the
scriptures. his burial and his resurrection,
according to the scriptures, that offers hope,
the only hope, for a person's life. It is that
message that mediates the saving grace of God.
There is no other message that does. And Paul
himself had experienced it as he records in his
early verses in chapter 15. It was this message
of the resurrection that he had proclaimed faithfully
at once, but now there were some within the confines
of the church who were denying an essential aspect
of this message, namely the resurrection of dead
believers. And so what the Apostle says in this
chapter is this, that every person will one day
be raised from the dead. Every person will one
day be raised from the dead. A family had lost
three children many years ago to diphtheria.
They lost them in the same week. There was only
one three -year -old girl who escaped the disease.
On the following Easter Sunday morning, the father,
the mother, and their remaining child attended
church. Because the father was the Sunday school
superintendent, he led the session where all
the classes meet together. We call that, of course,
the opening, what? Opening exercise is a great
biblical concept. As he read from the scriptures
and the opening exercises, he read the Easter
message of the resurrection. Of course, The people
in the church were quite aware of what had happened
in his family only months before it. There were
many who were weeping, but he himself did not
weep, nor did his wife. When Sunday school was
over, there was a 15 -year -old boy who was walking
home with his father. He said the superintendent
and his wife must really believe the Easter story.
His father said, well, all Christians do. the
young man replied that not the way they do. We
are very familiar with the facts of the Easter
story, but I wonder sometimes if we really believe
it. This message of the resurrection is one that
is of great significance. Not only is it the
resurrection of Jesus Christ that we confess,
but it is the resurrection of every person eventually.
Now you need to understand what kind of a unique
message that is in our day. It is a denial of
Eastern mysticism and its reincarnation. The
message of the resurrection is a denial of naturalism.
It is a denial of materialism which say that
the only reality is the physical and the here
and the now. The message of the resurrection
is a witness that there is a supernatural, that
it is more powerful than we are, and that ultimately
we humans must give account of our lives to someone
greater than we. The message of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, I would dare say, is a counter
-cultural message. It goes right against the
stream of all that our culture thinks it believes.
Paul uses three arguments in the verses we're
going to look at to attack the false teaching
which denies a future resurrection. His first
argument is a negative argument, and we see this
laid out for us in verses 12 through 19. Basically
what Paul says in this paragraph is this, if
it is true, as some of you say, that there is
no resurrection, then Jesus Christ himself was
not raised from the dead. Notice how he puts
this in verse 12 with the question that he asks.
By the way, someone sent me some questions this
week. They got off the internet. Profound questions
that will cause the philosophers among us to
stay awake this Sunday afternoon. That makes
a lot, doesn't it? Questions like, do vegetarians
eat vegetables? What do the humanitarians eat?
Have you ever thought about that? Why do people
who know know it the least, know it the loudest.
Have you ever wondered that? This question, too,
for you vegetarians, should vegetarians eat animal
crackers? But then there is this one that will
really grasp some of you. It says, for those
of you who are deer hunter widows this morning,
it says, if a man speaks in the forest, And there
is no woman to hear Him. Is He still wrong? Now,
now think about that. Now, Paul has a question
for us too. However, it is a much more truly
profound question. When he says, now if Christ
is preached, that He has been raised from the
dead, how do some among you say that there is
no resurrection of the dead. You see, Paul puts
a close association between the resurrection
of Jesus and the resurrection of the human race.
He goes on then to list six consequences if Christ
is not raised. And notice he's saying if there's
no resurrection of the human race in the future,
then Christ has not been raised. And he says
if Christ has not been raised, Here are the consequences.
Number one, all preaching of the gospel is in
vain. Verse 14, the first part of the verse,
Christ has not been raised in our preaching is
vain. That is, it's hollow. It's empty. It's
robbed of its life and its uniqueness. Secondly,
he says in the last part of that verse, and again
in verse 17, that the Christian's faith is in
vain. if Christ has not been raised. That is,
our faith is void of any meaning. It leads nowhere.
It has no value. It will not produce what we
hope it will produce. In terms of forgiveness
in heaven and the promises of God, our faith
is in vain. If Christ may not raise from the
dead, then in verse 15 he says that he himself
and His associates, the apostles, were all liars.
Because, he says, we have testified that Christ
has been raised from the dead. If that's not
true, then we're false witnesses. Worthily, he
says, if Christ be not raised, we have stoned
our sins. We are in our sins, verse 17. Christ
is no more powerful then than Buddha or Muhammad
or... the founder of any other human sect or
religion, if he not be not raised from the dead.
Fifthly, he says in verse 18 that Christ be not
raised and the dead in Christ have perished.
For God, for God forever. There's no hope of
future reunion with them. Every word that has
ever been spoken at a funeral of comfort was
wrong, was mistaken. Defining verse 18, he says,
if Christ be not raised, then we who are questioned
are to be pitied above all. What is that? Well,
because we face hardship and reproaches and sufferings
for the sake of Christ. Because our faith demands
that we sacrifice the here and the now and believe
in the reward of God in heaven. But he says,
if Christ be not raised, then we're to be pitied,
for we are deceived. Now that's not a very comforting
list, is it? So the apostle says, if the false
teachers want the other parts of the gospel truth,
they can't deny this one, of the resurrection
of all people at the end because of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. His resurrection, and the future
resurrection hold together, they stand together,
or they fall together. You can't separate them.
You see, they were saying, Jesus' resurrection
we believe in, but we don't believe that the
dead will be raised. Oh, says you can't have
it that way. That's nonsensical. They are tied
together. to the second argument, which is why
I term the collective argument in verses 20 through
22. Paul says, if Christ has not been raised
from the dead, these are the consequences. But
then notice verse 20, where he says, but now
Christ has been raised from the dead. There's
a pivot here on these words. He swings his ship
of argument. in the opposite direction with a
positive affirmation of Christ's resurrection.
And he says when Jesus rose from the dead, he
represented others. When he rose from the dead,
he represented others. It is a collective kind
of argument. And he names Jesus here by two terms
that are significant. First, he calls Jesus the
first fruits. Notice, he's been raised from the
dead the first fruits of those who are asleep.
The first fruits. This harkens back, of course,
to the Old Testament and to the Jewish observance
of what was called the Feast of First Fruits.
It was observed right after the Passover Sabbath.
It was the first day of the week, and it is historically
the day that Jesus rose from the dead. On the
day of first fruits, the Jewish people would
bring to the tabernacle or to the temple a presentation
of a sheaf of grain, the first fruits from the
harvest that was about to be taken. and they
would bring this sheaf, dedicating it to God,
and signifying by that that all of the harvest
that was to come belonged to God. It was representative.
The Lord Jesus Christ fulfills the picture or
the type, we sometimes call it, that is found
in the first fruits feast. He is the first fruits
he represented in his resurrection, the harvest
of resurrection that is coming. Christ rules
in fulfillment of this Old Testament type as
a pledge that there were more yet to come from
their grave. Okay? So this is the collective
argument that Paul asserts. He says, Jesus Christ
rose from the dead, and when he did, he guaranteed,
he put his signature on the line, as it were,
that another resurrection is coming involving
those who are in their graves, all of those who
are in their graves. But then there is a second
idea that Paul introduces here, when he says,
Since by a man came death, by a man also came
the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all died, Adam of course is the one by whom came
death. As in Adam all died, so also in Christ
all shall be made alive. all shall be made alive.
Now in verse 45, Paul uses a term of Jesus that
I want to pull back to this context because that's
really what he's talking about. He calls him
the last Adam. The last Adam. Notice that in
verse 45. Paul is saying two things here in the
collective argument. He is saying, first of all,
Jesus is the first fruits. And when He rose from
the dead, He represented everyone in their graves
that one day they too will be raised from the
dead. He says that Jesus is also the last Adam.
He says in the first Adam, the one that God created
and put into the garden, the one that God made
out of dust and into whose nostrils He breathed
life. that Adam brought death to the human race
because of his disobedience to God. But he says
Jesus is the last Adam. He stands in contrast
to the first Adam. And what the first Adam lost
for the human race, the last Adam has recovered
for us. And what the first Adam to the human
race, that is death. The last Adam has reversed
on our behalf. So he is the last Adam, the life
-giving spirit, and in him he says all will be
made alive. Now there are some who believe that
that means that as all who are related to Adam
die, so all who are related to Christ will live.
That is all believers, and certainly that is
true, but I believe personally that the context
here argues for a broader statement than that.
That he is saying that in Adam, all human beings
die. In Jesus Christ, all human beings will be
made alive. That's not a universal salvation
he's talking about. He's talking about physical
resurrection. That's the context. physical resurrection.
And he is saying that by the power of Jesus Christ,
one day, every person who has ever lived will
stand again in his body. Dr. G. Coleman Luck,
who was a professor at Moody Bible Institute
the time I went there, says this in his book
on Corinthians. By man, Adam, came death. By
another man, Christ, comes the resurrection of
the dead. All related to Adam die. This includes
the whole human race. The statement that in Christ
all shall be made alive again refers to the whole
human race, not just the same. Christ's mighty
power will someday call forth all from the grave.
Their relation to Him will determine their future
destiny. Jesus Himself said that one day that
all would hear His voice and be raised from the
grave. And that's what Paul is saying. That all
will be raised from the dead. And then at that
moment it is their relationship to Him that will
determine where they go. That is their eternal
destiny. And so Paul presents to us powerfully
a collective argument. He says you cannot separate
Jesus Christ from the human race. He was born
a man. He identified with us. He was as fully
man as any of us. And what he did affected every
person. He is the first fruits of those who sleep.
And he is the last Adam. who by His power one
day will bring again to life every person who
has ever lived." The collective argument. But
then we proceed to the prophetic argument verses
23 through 28. What Paul says in these verses
is this, that Christ's resurrection initiated
an inevitable sequence of events that include
the resurrection of all the human race. And there's
an order to it. There are some people who have
an idea that there was a general resurrection
some day. I remember as a kid that there was
a song that became popular. It was kind of a
line that on that great resurrection morning,
that great getting up morning, remember that?
On that great getting up morning, fairly well,
fairly well. And they have the idea that on one
morning, Everyone's going to be raised. That
is not the case. There's an order to it. There's
a sequence to it. And Paul talks about that.
He says, but, he says, all will remain alive,
but each in his own order. The word order here
means his own rank. Or we might say his own sequence.
But then, he says, Christ, the first fruit. That's
number one. Christ has been raised. Approximately
30 A .D. He was raised on the first Easter morning,
Christ the first, since that one's done. It guarantees
what's coming next. He says, after that, those
who are Christ's, those who are Christ's, that
is, all that we need, those that we raised according
to John 5 .29. in the resurrection of life. Those
who are Christ, I believe that embraces several
groups of people. And again, it's not going to
happen in one event. You say, well, it says of
His coming. You see, Christ's coming has a couple
of phases to it, doesn't it? His coming involves,
first, a coming for the church, in the rapture.
And then later, the second phase of that, the
culmination of it, when he comes back to the
earth in his return. Now there are three groups
that are going to participate in this second
sequence, so to speak, of the resurrection. Those
groups are, first, the New Testament saints,
the church in this age of the rapture. Paul talks
about this later in this chapter. More length
in 1st Thessalonians 4, where he talks about
those who are asleep. God will bring with Him.
The trumpet will sound as the voice like that
of an archangel. The authority of it will be
so great. And the day in Christ will rise first.
And we who are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, he says,
the rapture. So that is the first group. those
who have been saved in this age of the Church,
which begins on the day of Pentecost and ends
on that day when we hear His voice in our hallway.
But then what about the Old Testament saints?
What about Abraham? We sang this morning that
marvelous hymn, the God of Abraham prays. but
not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but those who
died in the Old Testament. And what about those
in the tribulation after the church is taken
out who die? When will they be raised? When will
Noah be raised? When will Adam be raised? The
answer to that is that they will be raised just
before Jesus Christ begins his millennial reign.
at the time that he returns to the earth to establish
that kingdom, there is that resurrection of the
righteous. And included in that would be the
Old Testament saints and the murdered tribulation
saints. So that at that point, all of those who
belong to Jesus Christ will have been raised.
So he says, each is on order first, Jesus Christ,
then those who are Christ at His coming. And
then he says, then comes the end. Then comes
the completion, then comes the culmination. What
is he talking about here? It seems to me that
here he is talking about the end of time after
this thousand year reign of Jesus Christ that
we call the Millennium. After the final rebellion
has been dealt with, at the end of time we have
the end. I think it's essentially synonymous
with the great white throne judgment that is
described in Revelation chapter 20. Here's how
Jesus calls again in John chapter 5. verse 29,
the resurrection unto condemnation. It is when
the lost, the unredeemed, the unsaved of all
time are called forth from their graves to stand
before Jesus Christ at the final judgment. That
is the final part of the resurrection. So the
sequence is Jesus Christ. Then those who belong
to Him that will occur in a couple of phases.
And finally, all of the lost at the end time.
At that time there will be victory over death.
Notice what Paul goes on to say. Then comes the
end when he delivers up the kingdom to God the
Father. When he has abolished all rule and all
authority and power, talking there probably about
the powers of darkness, the authorities, the
rulers, the powers of darkness, he will have
abolished all of their kingdom. For he must reign,
Paul now explains this, he must reign until he
has put all enemies under his feet. The last
enemy that will be abolished is death. And after
the dead stand before the Lord and are judged,
then death and Hades, death and hell itself,
are cast into the eternal lake of fire. He says
in verse 27, He has put all things in subjection
under His feet. That is, God has put all things
in subjection to the feet of the Lord Jesus.
But when he says that all things are put in subjection,
it's evident that he is accepted who put all
things in subjection to him, that is, the Father
is the exception to that. And when all things
are subjected to him, then the Son himself will
be subjected to the one who subjected all things
to him. Are you confused yet? He's saying that
when everything is subjected to the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the last thing that will be subjected
to him is death, he will deal with death. He
is confident now, but he hasn't dealt with it
finally. He will cast it into the lake of fire.
He's personified. He's cast into the lake of
fire. And when everything has been subjected
to him... And it says that He will subject Himself
to the Father. And the reason for this is that
God may be all in all. And there we have what
I think is the initiation of the eternal state
again, the new heavens and the new earth that
is prophesied at the end of the book of Revelation.
The resurrection is woven into the whole of what
God has planned for the future is the point here.
The point is that none of this stuff that I just
talked about can happen if there is no resurrection
of the dead. There's going to be no kingdom.
There's going to be no subjection to the Father
of everything. God cannot be all in all. if there
is no resurrection of the dead, because they
all come together, and so we have the prophetic
argument. So make no mistake about it, every
person will one day be raised from the dead,
the righteous and the unrighteous. I took my
suit this week to be cleaned at a cleaner's locally
that's called So What, XEW. And you may say to
yourself, well, so what, S -O -W -A -J -T? That
everyone's going to be raised from the dead.
Well, let me give to you some personal significance
to this truth. That everyone is going to be raised
from the dead. First of all, it means that believers
possess a secure hope. The grave may claim the
body for a while. but it cannot have the body
forever. That is said at the funeral of a Christian
regarding his resurrection is true. We have a
secure hope in Jesus Christ. The cartoon character
Pogo made the statement, I hate death. In fact,
I could live forever without it. Well, the fact
is that By the grace of God, we will. That is
our secure hope. But Socrates, the great philosopher,
was dying. His friends asked him the question,
Shall we live again? And all Socrates could say
was, I hope so. When the great Christian Sir
Walter Raleigh was about be beheaded. The night
before his execution in his Bible he wrote these
words, from this earth, this grave, this dust,
my God shall raise me up. My friend, there's
an eternity of difference between the response
to death of Socrates and Sir Walter Raleigh.
The believer in Jesus Christ possesses a secure
hope. It is anchored in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Secondly, those asleep in Christ are
safely abreast. Death, in fact, may take them
away. But death cannot prevent their reunion
with us one day in the rapture. Death may clean
them now, but it cannot have them, because though
the body be laid in the grave, their spirit is
going to be of Christ. They are asleep only in
the sense of the body. This is a body chapter.
This is a resurrection chapter. That's what he
talks about, make the sleep. When someone dies,
their body is, as it were, asleep, not the soul,
but the body. the person himself or herself are
taken at that moment to be with Christ. And Paul
says in 1 Thessalonians, God will bring them
with him back from heaven to the earth for that
moment of the resurrection. The third personal
significance of the resurrection is this, that
the actions of this life matter. Every person
will stand in the presence of Jesus Christ someday
to give account of himself. That includes you
and me. That includes every person in the world.
Whether people acknowledge Christ or have ever
even heard of him. The fact is that someday every
person will stand before Christ to give account
for this life. And so what happens in this life
matters. The actions of this life. count. You
know, our nation's morals used to be based upon
this concept. That is not true anymore. And people
think that they can't act with impunity. It makes
no difference what they do. They are deceived
by a false teaching that has overtaken our culture,
the false teaching of naturalism. The Bible says
that One day, every person is going to stand
before God to give an account. Do you think that
would make a difference how children act in a
school room? Or how people act on the streets?
If they really believe that one day they're going
to give an account to an Almighty God, it would
make a world of difference. And it's true. The
actions of this life matter. Number four. God
has a plan. And He's working it. And you and
I are part of that plan. That's what gives us
significance. We're not significant in ourselves.
We are just briefly here in the world. Our lives
are like vapors, but God has a plan and you and
I by His grace are a part of it. Remember that
this week in the midst of your battles and your
doubts and your disappointments. And you're on
a track. God is working His plan in your life.
He's not going to let you fall. He's going to
keep you. Walk with Him. Experience the joy of
this assurance. It's possible for us to go through
life anxious and worried and stressed out. We
need not do that. Our God has a plan. And we
see a way down here to eternity, when God will
be all in all. You fit into that plan. Your life
is woven into it. Our thread is woven into this
suit. Rejoice in that. Rest your life upon it
this week. But one final significance that I
get out of this part of the chapter is this.
That believers, we believers, already live. in
the kingdom of resurrection power. We already
live in the kingdom of resurrection power. Isn't
that wonderful? To resurrection one, they will
affect our physical bodies, but already we have
experienced resurrection, if we're saved. We
have been raised to walk in newness of life.
The Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of Life
dwells in us, and we have that Spirit to draw
upon. We have His power, the power of the resurrection,
of which to stand for Christ in this world, and
share our faith, and live through the trials
of our lives. The power of His resurrection,
the power of His Kingdom. about His great resurrection
that our spirits have already experienced, walked
in the power of His resurrection. Dwight Moody,
many years ago, of course, related this experience
of being down in Texas. He says, and he picked
up a newspaper, and he says, Bill, they called
me Old Moody, Old Moody. He says, honestly, I
never got as much shock from any paper in my
life. I had never been called old before. I went
to my hotel and looked in the mirror. I cannot
conceive of getting older. I have a life that
is never going to end. Death may change my position,
but not my condition, not my standing with Jesus
Christ. If you meet me 10 million years from
now, then I will be young. Don't call me old.
I'm only 62. I've only begun to live. Friend,
that's a great way to look at life. If you're
a believer in Jesus Christ, it's true about you.
You've only begun to live and to experience what
God has for you. Be encouraged by that this week
and draw upon the resurrection power of Christ
in your life. Walk in victory. My friend, because
Jesus lives, you too shall live. That is His
promise. Because Jesus lives, your loved ones
who've died in Christ will see you again and
you will be with them and with the Lord forever.
Because Jesus lives, you can be sure that God's
plan for your life and for all things is going
to come out exactly where God wants it to, because
Jesus lives. Rejoice today in this. Father, we
give thanks to you for the truth of the resurrection.
It is a message that is uncommon in our culture,
but Lord, we thank you that you have revealed
it to us from your Word so that our faith rests
upon it. Our lives are changed and empowered
by it. Our future is secured by it. We bless
you. God help us to live in light of this reality
this week. May it make a difference in the way
that we live. May we really believe it. Amen.
Let's stand together, please. Sing with me because
he lives I can face tomorrow Because he lives
All fear is gone is worth the living life just
because.