Sermon Series 1 Corinthians 15:12-25 Preached on Easter Sunday, April 8 th, 2012 The Rev. Dennis Whalen Lighthouse Lutheran Church Freedom, PA 15042
Palm Sunday Old Testament Reading: Job 19:23-27 Psalm: Psalm 118:15-20 Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-25 Gospel Reading: Mark 16:1-8 Rejoice! For you too will be raised like Christ from the dead. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! You have probably heard that exclamation as long as you have been coming to worship. It called the Pascal Greeting and has been around for a very long time. When a Christian approached another Christian, one would say, Christ is risen! and the response almost came from muscle memory, He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Have you ever wondered why this greeting was so widely used? Our second reading today helps put the answer to that question into proper perspective. There are some things in the church that we cannot agree upon. It happens. It is why you are Lutheran and not a Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, or Roman Catholic. As Lutherans, we have some beliefs that we hold near and dear to our heart. Beliefs that Martin Luther pointed out needed to be corrected in the church during his time. Outside of Lutheranism there are good solid Christians in Christ that do not agree with us on these beliefs and so we have our separate Christian denominations. However, there is one common belief that binds all Christian denominations together and that is Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Allelujah! In the epistle reading today, Paul is writing to the Corinthians. They had some disbelief in the central doctrine of Christianity concerning Christ s bodily resurrection. They were 1
questioning this teaching and, in turn, falling away from the fact that Christ bodily rose from the dead. Paul writes to tell them that they should hold fast to this teaching and rejoice for they too will be raised just like He was raised. In Corinth, which was a very Christian church and Christian area, the people had opposing beliefs to the bodily resurrection of Christ. One belief was that when you died you died. It was over. You were annihilated and nothing remained. Another belief was, called dualism, basically when you die, your physical body died and rotted in the ground, but your spirit lived on forever. There was another belief going around called absorption which stated that when you died you did not have a spirit, but your body went back into some central thing and was added back into the thing. Long, long ago, someone wrote and compared this belief to having a drop of water being added back into the ocean. In this analogy, the ocean was the thing and the drop of water was the body being added back to the ocean. In today s reading, Paul is writing to the Corinthians and saying that although there are some things we can disagree upon in the Church, there is one thing we cannot disagree upon the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is central teaching is what makes us Christians. Other religions may teach about Jesus Christ or even admit that he was a good man, but they deny that Christ bodily rose form the dead. Prior to today s reading, Paul writes in the same letter to the Corinthians that there were eyewitnesses to Christ s resurrection. 1 Jesus appeared to Peter and to the twelve. He appeared to five-hundred brothers bodily. He was there. He spoke with them. He appeared to James. He appeared to all of the apostles. And lastly, to one born untimely, he appeared to Paul. Paul did not talk to a spirit. Paul 1 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 2
certainly did not talk to something that was annihilated. Paul did not talk to something dropped back into the thing. Paul spoke to Jesus Christ. He was here in person. Paul then gets into a theological argument with this Christian Corinthians to convince them that they need to understand what Jesus bodily resurrection means for them. In fact, Paul s argument is also needed for us today. We are constantly bombarded on the television and radio, through books and magazines that state that Jesus did not really rise from the dead. In fact, just as the church in Corinth was battling this heresy, mainline Christian denominations today have fallen into the devil s snare and began promoting this perverse doctrine. Paul writes clearly that Jesus was really, bodily raised from the dead. In fact, this teaching of a resurrection from the dead is not something new. Daniel writes in the twelfth chapter, Multitudes who sleep that was their way of saying, the dead, Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 2 This quote is from the book of Daniel. I must repeat that this is not only New Testament teaching, but it is Old Testament teaching also. Today, one of our lessons from the book of Job dealt with the same subject. Job is getting to the end of his life. He has been through a lot. He is beaten down and sometimes you get to the point where you give up. Life has been too rough and you are ready for the Lord to take you away. In today s lesson, Job has reached this point in his life. As you read this I want you to think about how strong of a Christian witness this is from Job of the Old Testament, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 3 Remember, this reading is from the book of Job. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I 2 Daniel 12:2 3 Job 19:25 3
myself will see him with my own eyes-- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! 4 Paul continues on with his theological argument to the Corinthians. He does so by stating or taking the side of those opposed to him. We argue this way today. Every Dad here has argued this way with his children and says something like, Alright, let us go ahead and I will let you have your way and we will play it out to its logical conclusion and see where it takes us. About half way through the argument, typically, the kids say that they are no longer interested in talking about this anymore. Paul argues his point in the same manner. You see, there are some significant theological and personal issues here that if we take the argument of the Corinthians to its logical conclusion. First and foremost is that if there is no resurrection from the dead then then not even Christ has been raised. In other words, Christ is still dead. Where is his body? Paul argues to the Corinthians that if this is what they desire to believe, then Christ is still dead and if Christ has not been raised, our preaching about Him being raised is futile. It is worthless. It is useless. Thus, so is your faith. Paul asks the Corinthians, What do you believe? You call yourselves Christian, but you do not believe He rose from the dead? Then you believe in a man that is still dead. That is the logical conclusion of Paul s negative argument. Paul continues, that if this is true then we are found to be false witnesses to God. Now this accusation is really serious because if they were not going to be Christians then they must fall back into their Jewish ways. However, they had stopped sacrificing and adhering to the Jewish laws. In addition, if the Corinthians really want to take this argument to the logical conclusion, they would have to admit that they have 4 Job 19:26-27 4
just pulled you away from the only thing that could have saved them. They are in big trouble. If Christ has not been raised, then all of them are still in their sin. This is bringing a Jew, someone with a Jewish mindset, back down to earth. Paul is saying, if Christ has not been raised and then you, Corinthians, are getting worse as we sit here and speak and your sins are piling up before you. Paul continues, all those who were told about Christ and then died believing in Him, they are still dead and there is nothing we can do to save them now. Their hope is all lost. As for all of us who have put all of our faith in Christ, if He did not really rise from the dead, then we of all people should be the most pitied. Look at us, we are here today sitting in this congregation. If that is the logical conclusion you come to, that Christ is still dead and did not rise again, why are we here? Why did anyone gather in Corinth? Paul uses that negative argument because these people were sitting there just like you are today and thinking, Our faith is not futile. Our faith is in the risen One. Ah, your faith is in the one who forgives your sin, who rose from the dead and who is truly God. The one of whom the Corinthians had been waiting for thousands of years. As modern day Christians, we look back thousands of years for what He did for us, because He is our Redeemer. He brings us back into a relationship with God. Our faith is not futile. Paul concludes that Christ has indeed risen from the dead; the first fruits of those who have died before us. Adam brought the world into sin. I believe I have used this interesting illustration before, God created man in His image. Man walked naked in the garden. One tree brought him tumbling down. Christ was not made in the image of God, Christ is God. He walked in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed to the Father. He knew from the day He was born what His destiny was. It is the reason He came and 5
became man. He hung naked on a cross. And through one tree, the cross, He brought us back into a relationship with God the Father. Christ is the first fruits to those that belong to Him. He set the stage and the precedent. We follow in His footsteps. So by Him being raised from the dead He proves He is our Redeemer, but He also redeemed us. The end will come when He hands over the Kingdom of God to the Father after He has destroyed all dominions, authority, and power. 5 I heard on the radio the other day a preacher say I cannot wait until Jesus returns because I look forward to His glorious reign. I am not exactly sure what he meant by that, but here is the news flash, Christ is reigning right now. Is there still sin in the world? Yes. Is there still war in the world? Yes. But Satan is bound. He is certainly limited on what he is capable of doing and Christ reigns at the right hand of the Father. He reigns over this whole land. He reigns over heaven and earth. It will indeed be more glorious when we are all in heaven and there is no sin, but He reigns today. He is our king today and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He reigns until He puts all of his enemies under his feet. They are bound, but still active. I love Paul s argument. Going back to something Paul wrote in Romans, if we have been united with Him unto a death like His, we will be united in a resurrection like his. 6 This is our hope. It is not a faith that is futile for He has risen! He has risen from the dead and so will we. We will not rise with the aches and pains we carry with us today. Those aches and pains will be gone. But we will be in our bodies, our glorious bodies, and we will know our Redeemer lives and we will look at Him with our own eyes in our 5 1 Corinthians 15:24 6 Romans 6:5 6
own flesh. That is the beauty and the glory of the resurrection. This is why we are here today! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Allelujah! Amen. 7
SERMON OUTLINE INTRODUCTION: Homiletical Point: Rejoice! For you too will be raised like Christ from the dead. 1. Paul urges the Corinthians that belief in a bodily resurrection is an essential tenet of Christian faith. (v. 12) Explain: Eyewitness Testimony - Cephas; the Twelve; Five-hundred brothers; James; all Apostles; Paul Soul Sleep; Reincarnation; Annihilation; Dualism (Spirit only raised); Absorption Illustrate: We disagree on Baptism; the Lord s Supper Apply: You must truly understand this doctrine of the church along with Christ you too will be raised! NIV Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. NIV Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes-- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! 2. Since, disbelief in the bodily resurrection has disastrous consequences. (v. 13-19) Explain: Theological and personal issues if Christ is not raised from the dead Christ is not raised He is dead Our preaching is useless The heart of the Gospel is Christ s death and resurrection Our faith is in vain Vain (empty; serves no purpose) We bear false witness to God All who claim resurrection are liars; Christ was not God Believers are lost they still retain their sins Former believers will not be raised Their destiny is damnation We are to be pitied We are fools Illustrate: Indirect Proof (or Proof by Contradiction) Apply: Your delight is in knowing that the bodily resurrection is real. 3. However, because Christ did rise bodily from the dead, we too will enjoy a resurrection like His. (v. 20-25) Explain: Our hope the importance of the Bodily Resurrection Redeemer Resurrection comes through one man Redeemed In Christ we are all made alive Restored Christ reigns over His Kingdom Destroys dominion, authority, power Enemies are at His feet Reigns until the end hands kingdom over to the Father Illustrate: Adam fell mankind; Christ restored mankind Apply: In Christ, you will enjoy a resurrection like His. NIV Romans 6:5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. CONCLUSION: Rejoice! For you too will be raised like Christ from the dead.