THE RESURRECTION QUESTION - The Last Enemy
1 Corinthians 15:12-34 April 2, 2023
Introduction:
Anyone here today ever heard of a man named Charles Momsen…his friends called him "Swede"? Probably not, but Swede Momsen was responsible for one of the most remarkable rescue devices ever invented…."The Momsen-McCann Rescue Bell…
During the early years of submarining…if a ship sank…the crew died…there was no chance at rescue. In 1925 the Sub S-51 sank and all on board perished…in December of 1927 Sub S-4 sank…the difference was it was in shallow water…All her officers and men made it to non-flooded compartments…however, the majority soon succumbed, but six men made it to a forward torpedo room alive…heroic efforts was made to rescue these men…but a storm forced a stop on December 24 all forty men lost their lives…the last message the six men in the torpedo room tapped out to divers in this extremely cold water, 34 meters down was…."Is there any hope?"
It was this tragedy that motivated Swede Momsen to design and build a rescue chamber…it was this chamber that was used to rescue all 33 men on the submarine
Squalis in 1939. It took four dives and 13 hours…but all 33 were rescued in the first deep submarine rescue ever…no longer was a sunken submarine an automatic death sentence…now there was hope.
[Neal Straight once said, "Take from a man his wealth and you hinder him; take from him is purpose, and you slow him down. But take from man his hope, and you stop him. He can go on without wealth and even without purpose for a while…but he will not go on without hope"]
Folks, without the hope of the resurrection we are sunk…there is no chance for our rescue…and death wins.
Look with me at what the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians…It’s his first letter in the 15th chapter on page 801 and he's dealing with just this subject.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19
I. THE RESURRECTION IS OUR ONLY HOPE OF RESCUE
"If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised…And if Christ hasn’t been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (v 13,14)
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, AND YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS.” (v 17)
"If Christ is not raised, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” (v 18)
Sin has consequences…sometimes those consequences are immediate and severe…jail, broken marriages, pregnancy, disease, embarrassment, loss of a job…bad, bad stuff.
But the most profound and final consequence is death…Romans 6:23 tells us ”The wages of sin is death"…Paul even calls it "the Last Enemy" in our text.
Why is it the final enemy?
Where death is concerned there are no do-overs, no mulligans…no reset buttons.
“It is appointed that everyone will die and then face the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
1 out of every 1 people will die…and the important question Paul seeks to answer is…what then?!!
Even in the first century the church had been infiltrated by individuals who said, “Nothing happens. There is no resurrection of the dead. It’s impossible for the dead to live again.”
Even the religious leaders, the Jews, argued this issue. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection. The Sadducee's did not…that’s why they were sad…(you see).
And there was a group which arose in The New Testament Church called the “Gnostic's,” individuals who claimed a special secret knowledge from God…they taught all flesh was evil, therefore Christ was not physically raised from the dead…it was just His Spirit.
It’s this heresy that Paul deals with…It’s a heresy that exists even today.
He says, “If they are right then we are liars about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead.” (v. 15)
He then says something amazing to us as believers… “If our hope in Christ is only in this life, then we are to be pitied more than all men.” (v. 19)
Paul's' saying…if I live my life for Christ and others and then on the other side of death there is nothing…you should feel sorrier for me than anyone else…I should have partied harder here….I should have selfishly given into every sin, because Christ's death was worthless and it doesn't matter…I've wasted my only chance to eat all I want, drink all I want…because tomorrow I die and that's it…game over.
If our hopes of eternal life have fallen on dead ears…and there’s nothing more for me or my loved ones in Christ…after we die and we lived for Him and others instead of using this life selfishly then, we should be pitied as fools.
[I’ve stood next to my dad’s casket, my best friend’s, and countless other friends and church members…all committed believers. I can only imagine the turmoil created in the heart of these Corinthian believers when some people told them… “You’ll never see them again because there is no resurrection of the dead.”
The cornerstone and foundation of our faith is we have put our hope in someone who has conquered death.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (v. 20)
He states this with absolute firmness…He genuinely believes:
II. THE GRAVE WASN’T THE END FOR JESUS OR US
“Christ has indeed been raised!”
Death seems so final…people think of it as “The End.” The last chapter in the book of their lives…but scripture has always taught that it isn’t the final chapter.
Job wrote: “I know my redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the Earth. After my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, I myself will see Him with my own eyes…How my heart yearns within me.” (Job 19:25-27)
From the oldest book in the Bible, or at least the one most people believe to be the oldest, comes this prophetic statement of hope.
Listen to what Paul says to the Corinthians:
1 CORINTHIANS 15:21-28
Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden opened the door for death…the consequence of their sin was they went from forever living on earth to temporary living on earth. They went from innocent obedient children to rebels in that instance…It changed them…and us forever. Their nature changed from wanting to please God, their creator, to wanting to please self. Their children inherited this nature and their grandchildren…all the way to us. "All Have Sinned”…all are sinners….it’s in our spiritual DNA. And yet their soul and ours is designed by God to last forever. It never stops existing…no one's does.
The problem is that forever soul resides in a body that's gonna die…How will God remedy this problem…the issue of an eternal soul living in a body that's temporary?
The answer: “for in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…but each in his own turn: Christ the first fruits; then when he comes, those who belong to him".
Christ died for the sins of all mankind, but his resurrection is the proof that God was providing a way for us to conquer death…to be eternal living once again. He conquered death first. So as the first fruit, there could be a harvest of millions…When? At His return.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life…scripture teaches there will be two resurrections…that no one dies and just stops existing. When Christ returns He will bring with him, "those who have fallen asleep in him” according to 1 Thessalonians 4:14. Their bodies will be resurrected first and eternally united with their spirit…transformed in the blink of an eye. And there will be believers alive when this happens according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16. “And we who are still alive…”
This first resurrection is recorded in Revelations 20
REVELATION 20:1-6
Satan will be bound for a 1000 years…those who have believed…those who are part of this resurrection will be priests of God and reign with Him for 1000 years.
When the 1000 years are over Satan is released from his prison…He deceives the nations…is on the attack against God's camp but God protects them.
And then comes the 2nd resurrection.
REVELATION 20:10-15
It's the total ending of this old earth…it's the finale….when death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire…" Please know everyone will be raised for eternity…but the only thing that determines your ultimate, forever and ever destination is "whether your names found written in the book of life"…You'll be able to see it clearly because it will be written in the blood of Christ.
"The Last enemy to be defected (destroyed) is forever death. The 2nd death…and its defeated because of Christ obedience to the Father, even to the point of dying on a cross…and god will put everything under the feet (the authority ) of Jesus.
This is the final chapter here…not death but eternity.
Reread 1 Corinthians 15:24-25
How does the Apostle Paul end this amazing section of the scriptures concerning the ultimate resurrection?
He says….
III. THE HOPE OF HEAVEN IS WORTH THE WAIT
1 CORINTHIANS 15:29-34
What does verse 29 mean? I’m not completely sure. It’s my belief Paul’s using it to illustrate that some people believe so much in this resurrection that they’re trying to provide hope for even those who have died.
He’s not saying “Do it” or “This works.” He’s saying, “why would they even try this if there’s no resurrection?” (Just my opinion.)
But Paul’s major point is: Why do you think I put myself at risk every day? Crucify myself daily…my rights…my wants…my desires? Why do I fight with enemies in Ephesus? It’s not for any worldly rewards..it’s for eternal ones.
I choose carefully my traveling companions because this destination is the most important…you should choose your traveling companions carefully too.
His closing words are a wake up call to believers. Come back to your senses like the prodigal did in the pig sty. Stop living a life of sin because there are people not ready for eternity…Shame on you! Your new resurrected life now in Christ should point to your hope for the resurrection which is to come.
Satan’s greatest tool isn’t lust, greed, gossip, or murder. There will be redeemed people in the heavenly resurrection who have been forgiven of these sins through Christ…including me and you.
Satan’s greatest tool is “apathy.” It’s “delay.” It’s eat, drink, party for self. Wait until tomorrow to prepare for eternity.
But, that way of thinking leads to a life of living that way…always thinking I’ve got time…I’ll fix it tomorrow.
Life goes so quickly…and as my mentor Wayne Smith would often say:
“Only one life and soon it’s passed
only what’s done for Christ will last.”
That’s truth…it’s where a full and abundant life before death is found…and an eternal hope for life after death is found.
Let’s pray.
