RIGHT UP TO UPRIGHT: THE RESURRECTION AND RIGHTEOUS LIVING 1 Corinthians 15:29-34

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1 RIGHT UP TO UPRIGHT: THE RESURRECTION AND RIGHTEOUS LIVING 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 I. The Resurrection Is The Motivation To Find Meaning Beyond This Lifetime (29) 29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? II. The Resurrection Is The Incentive To Endure Suffering For Christ s Sake (30-32a) 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32a What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? III. The Resurrection Is The Foundation For Accountable Living (32b) 32b If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. IV. The Resurrection Is The Remedy For Sinful Irresponsibility (33-34) A. Right Hope Leads To Right Company 33 Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals. B. Solid Truth Leads To Sober Thinking 34a Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, C. Divine Accountability Leads To Ceasing To Sin 34b and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. Conclusion:

2 RIGHT UP TO UPRIGHT: THE RESURRECTION AND RIGHTEOUS LIVING 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 Introduction: Why be good? Why live a Christian life? What is the reason for teaching our children to be good or to do right? o Shepherding A Child s Heart (Tripp) not because the parents say Because I said so o But because we are accountable to God Because of the Resurrection, Christ is alive to be our Living Judge. Because of the our resurrection, we will give an account of our lives before God. 1 Corinthians 15: Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals. 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. The resurrection is the reason we practice our faith, endure suffering, find purpose in our life and moral living. I. The Resurrection Is The Motivation To Find Meaning Beyond This Lifetime (29) 29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Baptism is meaningless unless the resurrection happened Baptism is the identification with Christ s death and resurrection What is the point of religious practice? Why get baptized? Why sing songs? Why study the Bible? Because our life has meaning beyond this lifetime. Awkward passage Possible explanations for baptized on behalf of the dead Paul is: (summarized from Norm Geislers When Cultists Ask, W.H. Mare, 1 Cor, EBC) 1. sarcastically referring to a cultic practice of baptism for the dead Geisler: If you don t believe in the resurrection, then why engage in the practice of baptizing people for the dead. You are inconsistent in your own (false) beliefs. Superstitious believers thought baptizing those who died outside of Christ would bring them to the kingdom Olshausen takes the passage to mean that the living believers had themselves baptized in place of the deceased believers, who thus had ceased to be members of the church,

3 this custom being practiced so that the church membership would not be depleted. (Mare) The Mormons practice baptism by proxy for the dead (Talmage, 1982, pp ) o This is the basis for the Mormons leading the way of genealogical research o So they can get baptized for people in their family tree who weren t good Mormons 2. referring to new believers who are replenishing those who died in the church 3. reminding believers that baptism is symbolic of Christ s death Geisler: In this sense, he would be saying, Why are you baptized with a view to your death and resurrection with Christ, if you do not believe in the resurrection? 4. using baptize to mean identify The concept of baptize in v. 29 is interpreted not in relation to the actual sacrament or ordinance of baptism but is understood metaphorically and spiritually as meaning identify. (Mare, Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, p. 288) No where else in the Bible is baptism for the dead taught by Paul, Christ, Apostles or OT No where in the history of the early church was this practiced Paul is merely using an illustration here We are saved by faith alone, not works Ephesians 2:8-9 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. THE PURPOSE OF BAPTISM Baptism Is An Act Of Obedience To God s Command - Acts 2:38 contains the Apostle Peter s command Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for [as a result of] the remission of sins. Matthew 28:18-20 commands the disciples to baptize others. o Ultradispensationalists (ie/ E.W. Bullinger), the Salvation Army and the Quakers deny the relevance of baptism in the life of believers today Baptism Is A Testimony Of Our Faith In Christ - Scripture consistently places the testimony of baptism after the event of faith in Christ (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 9:17-18; 10:47-48; 16:30-34; 18:8; 19:1-7; Galatians 3:26-27). A bride and groom wear wedding rings as public testimonies to identify themselves as married. The rings are not essential to be married, but is declarative of it. Similarly, the believer s baptism is like a wedding ring not a requirement for salvation, but a public testimony of salvation.

4 An Identification With Christ Romans 6 depicts how a the immersion of a believer is a picture of Jesus death (vv. 3,5), burial (v.4) and resurrection (vv. 4,5,8) A Public Testimony A believer s baptism a testimony to the world, family, friends and church that he/she has put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Salvation is totally God s work, not man s work in any way. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. BAPTISM IS NOT A PREREQUISITE FOR SALVATION Baptism is distinguished from the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. In the New Testament, individuals were baptized after they were saved. Acts 8:36-38 And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Acts 10:45-48 And those who believed were astonished Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. * Also refer to Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38,41; 8:12-13; 9:17-18; 16:30-34; 18:8; 19:1-7 If someone sincerely had faith in Christ as his/her Savior but didn t have the opportunity to be baptized, would they still go to heaven? Yes. Luke 23:42-43 Then he (the thief on the cross) said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. II. The Resurrection Is The Incentive To Endure Suffering For Christ s Sake (30-32a) 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32a What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If there is no resurrection, suffering and endurance is pointless What s the point of enduring through a prolonged sickness? What s the point of sticking in marriage when there are relationship issues? Suffering Is The Extreme Call Of Discipleship: To Follow Christ In Suffering

5 Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ." Mark 8: When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel s will save it. John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. Suffering Provides Us Wisdom For Living Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 2 Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Ie/ University there are 2 aspects of college life: curriculum & extra-curriculum; or academics & partying; or learning & escape In life, we encounter these contrasts as well mourning and laughter Ie/ In two memorial services in two weeks, I noticed mourners grasping for what is real and true in life. Ie/ Shaping the Stone (from Our Daily Bread) o A famous evangelist told the following incident: I have a friend who in a time of business recession lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his precious wife died; yet he tenaciously held to his faith the only thing he had left. One day when he was out walking in search of employment, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. Where are you going to put that? he asked. The workman said, Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I m shaping this stone down here so that it will fit in up there. o Tears filled my friend s eyes as he walked away, for the Lord had spoken to him through that laborer whose words gave new meaning to his troubled situation. Tim Hansel: Most of the Psalms were born in difficulty. Most of the Epistles were written in prisons. Most of the greatest thoughts of the greatest thinkers of all time had to pass through the fire. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim s Progress from jail. Florence Nightingale, too ill to move from her bed, reorganized the hospitals of England. Semi paralyzed and under the constant menace of apoplexy, Pasteur was tireless in his attack on disease. During the greater part of his life, American historian Francis Parkman suffered so acutely that he could not work for more than five minutes as a time. His eyesight was so wretched that he could scrawl only a few gigantic words on a manuscript, yet he contrived to write twenty magnificent volumes of history. Sometimes it seems that when God is about to make preeminent use of a man, he puts him through the fire. (You Gotta Keep Dancin, David C. Cook, 1985, p. 87)

6 Why endure suffering? Why not just end your life? Why not just divorce your spouse? Why not just murder your enemy? Why not cheat to make life easier? Ie/ Smile at the Storm A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. Eventually, she spotted her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up at the sky and smile. As the next flash lit up the sky the little girl just stopping, looking at the streak of light and smiling. Finally, the mother called her over to the car and asked, "What are you doing?" The child answered, "God keeps taking pictures of me, so I keep stopping to smile for His camera!" "And a little child shall lead them..." God Bless you today as you face the storms that come your way!! Because of the resurrection there is HOPE & PURPOSE Because of the resurrection, Rom 8:28 matters all things will work together for good Who cares, if there was no resurrection? III. The Resurrection Is The Foundation For Accountable Living (32b) 32b If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Paul cites the OT Isaiah 22:13 But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, Let s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die! Epicurean philosophy: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Epicureans adopted the philosophy of Hedonism (pursue pleasure, avoid pain) Hedonistic Paradox (R.C. Sproul) o Hedonism: pursue pleasure (get the most fun out of our youth) Ie/ live in UCSD dorms students lived to party o Paradox: get it all bored; not get what you want frustrated - we must reevaluate our thinking in our pursuit for enjoyment Solomon

7 Ecclesiastes 2: I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2: Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. 24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? * 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless like chasing the wind. IV. The Resurrection Is The Remedy For Sinful Irresponsibility (33-34) A. Right Hope Leads To Right Company 33 Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals. Teens are longing to identify with people who will accept them that s the foundation of peer pressure But we will seek out those who identify B. Solid Truth Leads To Sober Thinking 34a Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, Stop walking aimlessly in life like an inebriated drunk getting drunk, getting high, getting distracted, getting entertained to escape the responsibilities of life Do what is right. Why? Because Christ is our resurrected Lord C. Divine Accountability Leads To Ceasing To Sin 34b and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. No God, no accountability go on sinning There is a God, there is accountability there is Payday Someday Ie/ God is Not Dead movie Moral reason for God Absolute morality reason for God Conclusion: 1. What s the point of going to church and living a Christian life? How does the resurrection become the right motivation for our Christianity?

8 2. Why endure hardship? The resurrection. There is meaning and purpose at the end. 3. Why not just do whatever we want in life?