Today is Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Today we celebrate the empty tomb, Jesus victory over death, and the promise of eternal life. But what if the story had been different? Look with me at
Luke 24:1-3 "But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in------"
What if it was written “and finding his body they prepared it for burial.”? What if the resurrection had never taken place? Would just the fact that He died on the cross for our sins be enough for us to be forgiven? Would Peter and the others just return to fishing?
Certainly Saul’s life would never have been turned inside out causing him to change his name to Paul. Our calendar would be different; there would be no B.C. or A.D. There would be no New Testament, no church, and we would not have anything to celebrate.
The Apostle Paul actually faced this dilemma in Corinth. Someone was preaching that there would be no resurrection of the dead. So Paul painted a picture in 1 Corinthians 15 of life without the resurrection. And in doing so we get 8 troublesome “would bes” of the Christian life.
1) Preaching would be senseless (vs. 14)
If Jesus had not risen, what could I preach about this morning? That He was a good man who did great things? That He was a miracle worker empowered by God? That He suffered from a delusion that He was the “Son of God” so much so that He convinced himself that He could die for the sins of all mankind and come back to life? Actually there would be no preaching at all. His body would have long decayed by now and had been forgotten as all the other Messiahs of his time.
2) Faith would be useless (vs. 14)
What could we base our faith on? Romans 3:22 "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
But if Jesus promised He would rise from the dead and did not, then where do we place our faith? And if we can not have faith in Jesus then we will not be found righteous before God." So we find substitutes. We try animal sacrifices but we read in
Hebrews 10:11 "Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins." That will not work. So we try good deeds and we read
Romans 4:1-2 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.
Hebrews 11:6
"And it is impossible to please God without faith---"
3) Witnesses would be liars (vs. 15)
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 "He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."
Can you imagine all these people lying? What would have been gained? Sure, maybe the Twelve hoped to be on the latest circuit of talk shows. But Paul? He hated the Church, so much so it became his sole purpose to destroy it. What did he hope to accomplish? His collages ridiculed him, his family disowned him. Why would he make such a ridiculous claim if it were not true? Historical records record that 4 of these followers were crucified, 2 were beheaded, 1 was stoned to death, and another ran through by four spears. Why anyone would chose to die over a hoax? Why would they not confess to their lies to save their lives? Because they were not liars.
4) None would be redeemed (vs. 17)
As stated before, without the resurrection your faith is useless. And without faith you can not please God and you are not found righteous. Therefore you are still found guilty in your sins. Jesus dying on the cross was not enough. In fact, without the resurrection his death would have been in vain. He is described as the lamb without blemish. The “sinless, spotless lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:19)
1 Peter 3:18 "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time." He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. If there was no resurrection than He would have been just another lamb sacrificed for sin and another would have followed, followed by yet another. And our hope of redemption from the guilt of sin would have faded. And our resurrection would be non-existent.
5) Believers would be perishing ( vs. 18)
If there is no resurrection then we who believe are in for a rude awakening one day. If Jesus has not risen from the dead, we are doomed. No matter how strong our faith, no matter how well we follow his teachings, when we die we will discover we are still lost. And nothing will spare us from the wrath of God. I shudder to think of that possibility.
6) Christians would be fools (vs. 19)
If Jesus did not rise from the dead and we knew it, we are to be pitied. What a strange group of people we would be to worship a man who lived a good life, left us with great wisdom, and whose grave became a location for us to worship. We would gather together to discuss his philosophy and teachings. We would try to apply these doctrines to our lives. And we would leave here lost in our sin. Does this sound like some religions that are prevalent around the world? What separates us from all other religions is the resurrection. Without it we are truly an unusual cult and nothing more.
7) Sin would be recommended ( vs. 32b)
If there in no resurrection then nothing awaits but death. So let’s party. In the 70’s the slogan was “If it feels good, do it” Drugs and sexual experimentation was at it’s highest. It was the era of “free love” Now we deal with the epidemics of Aids, STDs and drug addictions. We have lost a respect for human life and we see it in our schools and workplaces where angry people decide to “get even” by going on shooting sprees. We see it on the tables of abortion clinics through our country. Children are murdered not only by strangers but often by their own parents. And Paul says embrace this life style if that’s all there is. Without the fear of one day standing before a mighty God who will judge you for your deeds, there are no restraints. This world horrors are nothing compared to unbridled sin.
8) Hell would be full
Did you ever wonder where the Spirit of Jesus was while his body was lying in the tomb? There is every indication that He was in Hell. But He was not there being tormented. Follow me on this;
Luke 16:22-23 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
This was a picture of Hell. It was a place divided into two compartments. One was called Abraham’s Bosom, the other Hades.
Those who were found righteous before God went to Abraham’s Bosom when they died. Those who were not found righteous went to a place of torment called Hades.
When Jesus told the thief on the cross “ I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) He could not have meant heaven because it would be 40 days after his resurrection before He went to Heaven. So that would mean the thief would be with Jesus in Abraham’s Bosom.
After his death Jesus went to Hades, not to be tormented but to preach the Gospel. And He had a very captive audience.
1 Peter 3:19-20 "So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood."
He preached to spirits, not people. Who are these spirits? They were the ones leading people to such gross sin that it grieved God that He had created the world.
Jude 1:6 "And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment."
Then He stepped across that far distance to Abraham’s Bosom and opened the door of Hell and released all of those who were there. We read
Ephesians 4:8 "That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
Without the resurrection those held in Abraham’s Bosom would still be in Hell and facing this judgment;
Revelation 20:14 "Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death."
The resurrection was necessary for our salvation. And I assure you that the resurrection took place. But the question we need to ask ourselves is this; “Do I live as if the resurrection took place?” This Easter rejoice that He has risen. If you don’t know him, accept him
The bible says in Romans 10:9
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. "
It really is that simple. If you have strayed, come back to that empty tomb. He waits for you.
whitestone ministry meets in Denver, NC.
For information email us at pastor@denverfs.org
