Easter (1 Corinthians 15)
1 Corinthians 15:1,2
¹Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
Today apostol Paul reminds us of THE GOSPEL. Gospel that we’ve heard, and believe. At least most us did.
Gospel
But you might wounder what is “GOSPEL”. Or maybe you don’t really think about it. Maybe you think that the Gospel is some sort of special term that used in the bible only. But, no. Gospel - in original language, simply means a “good news”. I can get a call from a friend who will tell me:
Let me share a gospel with you. Tea is on special in the carefour. You can get two packs for the price of one.
It’s a real gospel or good news for me. Because you, know who doesn’t like a good burgeon. There is nothing magical about this word.
And so today we gonna be reminded about good news. Good news that most of us once heard, and believed. Good news that is very, very important and very relevant for us today. Something that we should hold fast to, otherwise all our believing, our entire fallowing in vain.
I don’t want to, you know do the thing, commit my entire life to it, and then in the very end to realize that it was all for nothing. Do you? I don’t think so.
In our scripture for today Paul reminds us Gospel that come from above. He did not came up with this good news. He received it and then passed it on. And this domino effect reached us at some point. One day we’ve heard this, indeed good news, and believed. Good news that became, or at least it should have become a very foundation of our life. Gospel that give us hope. Gospel that give us boldness.
Good news about something that is very very important. So let’s read very carefully.
1 Corinthians 15:3,4
³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Out of everything that good news about Jesus Christ contains. As of first importance or in other words THE MOST IMPORTANT PART that Paul wants us to know. Prat that serves as the very foundation for all our hopes in Christ. And probably the only reason that makes Gospel viable. Is that Jesus DIED in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
We already discussed few Sundays ago that, historical existence of Jesus Christ is well proven. And we can surly say that if we believe history at all, we have no reasons to doubt that the man Jesus Christ existed.
But just believing in existence of Jesus Christ DOES NOT give us much. If we hope to receive those blessings that bible promises, to those who will believe in Jesus. If we hope for reconciliation with God. We need to believe that Jesus not only DIED, but also that He was RAISED form the dead on the third day.
DIED
We know from historical records that Jesus Christ was crucified. This whole week we meditate and talk about it. He was crucified by roman authorities. And as people say, Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they did perfected it.
It was horrible, extremely painful way to execute people. I’m not gonna describe the whole process. In short the actual nailing to the cross was only a part of the whole chain of events that one was subjected to. And you can be sure, once someone got on the cross he not getting off alive.
So, when some people say, and some truly believe, that Jesus just fainted on the cross and not actually died, and then got back conscience in the tomb. Such a nonsense. Crucifixion was not the walk in the park. You can be sure that roman solders knew what they doing. They’ve had a lot of practice. We can be sure that Jesus died on the cross.
It is something that had to happen. It was part of the deal of being the messiah. He died instead of us. He drank that cup of the God’s raft instead of me an you. No one took the life of Jesus. He willingly put his life on the altar for our transgressions. In accordance with the Scriptures.
RAISED
But his death is not the end. It is only part of the story. Not only he had to die. But he also he was supposed to be RAISED from dead on the third day. As it was prophesied.
Death of Jesus, even though very tragic, doesn’t really change much without his resurrection. And the resurrection part is the one that is hard to believe. If you remember Paul in Athens. When he spoke in front of the brightest people of the time. They have listened to him. They was ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, until Paul spoke about resurrection. Then it all fell apart for them. That was something they could not comprehend.
But luckly for us, there were witnesses. Who saw Jesus after he rose again. And they are not few. At the moment Paul wrote his letter most of them were still alive. Let’s read:
1 Corinthians 15:5-8
⁵and that he appeared to Cephas(Peter), then to the twelve.⁶Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.⁸Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
There were a loads of witnesses of the Jesus Christ who raised from the dead. Literally hundreds of people who could testify that they saw Jesus Christ Risen. You know, if you struggle to believe something. It helps were there is couple people say it is true. But it is even more helpful when there is few hundreds of people saw it is true. Five hundreds people met Jesus after he rose from death at one time.
And this is the good news. This is the Gospel - that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. This what give us hope. This is the reason for us to look forward into the future.
Now I want to pose a question. I want you to think about it thoroughly. Because, as wired believes people church in Corinth had. And believe me they were very unique in this regards and had a lot of wired ideas. Nevertheless they believed in the resurrection of the Jesus Christ. Real resurrection. That not only spirit of Jesus rose from the dead but his body as well.
Believing in resurrection of Jesus was not their issue. I think majority of us do not struggle with it ether. The issue is a bit different. And I think if we will be honest we struggle with the same kind of issue. At least we tent to live our daily life like that. What is the Issue you may ask?
ISSUE
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
¹²Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.¹⁵We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.¹⁹If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are the most miserable people.
If we follow Christ to have some sort of trouble free life. If the scope of our hopes are for this life only. You know if we hope that God will deliver us from much troubles in our current life. We are to be pitied the most. It’s just does not have sense. Because, yes, following God comes with it’s benefits and blessings but it is also comes with the fare share of sorrows and troubles. And it very well may happen that not following Christ will result into more peaceful life, longer life.
Think about Steven being stoned for his faith in Christ. His life would definitely be longer if he would not stick out. Think about about Paul and all suffering he had to go through again and again. Pretty much everywhere he go, people tried to kill him. How it is easier life? Think about all those who were tourchered and murdered for their faith in Christ. If there is no resurrection, if there is no life after this one, it’s just doesn’t make any sense.
All the conspiracies about disciples stilling the body of Jesus, and then proclaiming Him being raised from the dead do not make any sense, if you will consider how far followers of Jesus have been willing to take this believe. Docents and docents of people not just layed their lives. They have gone through horrible tourchers, was martyred for their faith. No one will ever do anything like that just for a joke. To have a last gag at everyone. There is no chance.
Peter, Paul, Steven and many others believed that they will be raised from the dead. They believed in the life after this one. A real life. This life is only foreshadow of what is coming. And that faith enabled them to give up their current life. Because, why would you not? You don’t want a shadow of the car when you can have a car. You don’t want just a shadow of the house, when you can have a house. If there is life after this one then, their choice make sense. But then our choices often does not.
QUESTION
I wanna challenge you today. Do you really believe in life after this one? In resurrection of the dead? Do you really believe that YOU will be raised? Do you live as if you mean it? Or my hope in Christ is for this life only? Am I the most miserable person of all?
REMEMBER:If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are the most miserable people.
Let me today share a Gospel. The Good new with you. Open your heart and let is soak in:
1 Corinthians 15:20-26
²⁰But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.²¹For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.²²For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.²³But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.²⁴Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Chris is Reason! He is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In other words he is the leader of those who will raise from the dead. He is not the only one, but simply the first one. First out of many.
According to some sources the word firstfruits or “aparche” in Greek, in the daily life meant " the entrance fee".
You know, when you go to a gym for example, you gotta pay an entrance fee. And only then you can come in. We are too broke to pay that fee. There is no way anyone can pay required amount. The price is too high. We just do not have that many resources.
The Gospel or the GOOD NEWS is that Jesus payed our entrance fee. And now we can enter into eternal life.
But friends, do not be confused. I wanna say something that perhaps you didn’t though about.
Everyone is eternal. And everyone will be raised at the end of time. And all will get the new body.
Those who believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be raised into eternal life. They will receive new body that is capable and compatible with the new reality of the kingdom of God. Our body will change. As Paul states in verse 53:
1 Corinthians 15:53
⁵³For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
It still gonna be a body. But glorified body. Different, superior in all regards. Our current body is just a foreshadow or the new one. We don’t have time to cover all that Paul has to say about it in this chapter. Just as a little hint, a tether for those who wanna know more:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38
³⁵But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”³⁶You foolish person(literally stupid)! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.³⁷And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.³⁸But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
So, we will be raised in the same fashion Jesus was raised from the dead. We’ll be given new body that is able to be a part of the new world.
But those who did not believe will be raised too. And perhaps they as well will receive the new body. But a different one. Unlike those who believe, they will raise into eternal punishment.
Matthew 25:46
⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
2 Thessalonians 1:9
⁹They(those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus) will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
Revelation 20:15
¹⁵And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Those who do not believe will raise for eternal punishment. And they will be given bodies that are able to withstand eternal punishment. Eternal destruction. And it is not the place you wanna be. And it is not the place God wants people to be in. That lake of fire is not for the people. It is for the Satan and those who follow him.
The Gospel I preach to you today is CHRIST IS REASON. There is resurrection of the dead. You and I will be raised to a new life even if we die. We will get new, glorified body to live in Gods kingdom. That will be superior in all regards. Our current body is nothing but a seed.
If you follow Christ and do not believe in resurrection of the dead. Into life after this one. Or if you simply live as if it is not true. You are of all people most to be pitied.
Today is the day to believe. Today we celebrate the resurrection of our lord Jesus Christ. He is our firstfruits, our entrance fee. Stop doubting and believe!