Without The Resurrection
I Corinthians 15:12-20
Conspiracy theories are nothing new, but with the invention of the internet and social media these theories are more prevalent than ever. Some people believe a number of conspiracy theories concerning the JFK Assassination. Others believe there was a cover up after the terror attacks of 9/11/01. Some believe that certain secret societies control the world. There are a few who still believe that the moon landings were faked. Even after all of these years many people are convinced that Elvis Presley is still alive.
The actual truth behind these “theories” has no real impact on our daily lives. But there are some who allege that the Resurrection of Christ was faked and that is a subject that not only impacts our daily lives, it has serious implications concerning our eternity. I am glad that I do not have to be concerned about the validity of these allegations. I possess no doubt whatsoever that Jesus Christ is indeed risen!
The Bible tells us that Christ's resurrection was witnessed by Mary, several other women, Peter, the rest of the Apostles, and over 500 witnesses at one time. Later, He appeared to the Apostle Paul on the Road to Damascus, some years after that He appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos and 25 years ago He made His presence known in my own life. Many of you have a similar testimony concerning the risen Savior. Though we have not seen Jesus physically, we have seen Him with eyes of faith. We rest in the promise that one day our “faith will become sight”.
There was a time when certain members of the church in Corinth experienced some doubt concerning certain truths of the Christian faith. In I Corinthians 15, Paul addresses those doubts. Most Greeks did not believe in bodily resurrection of the dead. Their belief was that there was no immortality for one’s body, but the soul entered an eternal state. However, the Bible teaches that the body and soul will be united after resurrection. The church at Corinth was in the heart of Greek culture and the beliefs and teachings of the philosophers caused many of these young Christians to doubt the reality of a future bodily resurrection.
The bodily resurrection of Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus promised that He would suffer, die and then rise again. Because these things were fulfilled we are able to trust that He is God and we can believe every word that He ever said. Because He rose from the grave we can live with full assurance that our sins are forgiven. Furthermore, because He rose from the grave (thus) defeating death we can live with assurance that we too will be raised.
- In this passage, Paul paints a picture of what life would be like for the Christian without resurrection. I would like to examine this hypothetical scenario and preach on the subject “Without The Resurrection”. In this discourse, Paul presents several devastating realities for the Christian if Christ is not risen. In verses 12-13 he declares that:
WITHOUT THE RESURRECTION WE WOULD HAVE NO PURPOSE
v12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
Some in Corinth doubted the promise that believers would be raised from the dead. In response, Paul says that if this promise is not true then Jesus Himself did not rise from the grave. If Christ is not risen then everything we believe is pointless. If Jesus is not alive, we have no Comforter in times of trouble. If the scriptures are not trustworthy concerning Jesus’ resurrection then we cannot trust in the promise of His return. If we do not serve a risen Savior then we have no hope of eternal life. As Christians, everything that we believe hinges on the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Therefore if He is not risen our entire way of life is purposeless.
- In verse 14 Paul states that without the Resurrection:
A. OUR PREACHING WOULD BE POINTLESS
v14 “if Christ is not risen, then is our preaching is empty”
If Jesus is not risen then every preacher in history has wasted their time. If Jesus is not alive then every sermon you have ever heard was a lie. If Jesus did not rise on the third day then we might as well just dismiss and go home. Without the Resurrection, not only is our preaching pointless:
B. OUR FAITH WOULD BE FUTILE
v14b and your faith is also empty.
If Jesus is not alive then we are no different than those who worship manmade idols. If He did not rise from the grave then all of your praying, serving, witnessing, giving, and church attendance has all been a waste of time. If Jesus is not risen, then everything you have put your faith in is a lie! It would be absolutely devastating to learn that everything you have been taught your entire life about Jesus Christ was based on lies. If Jesus is not truly risen, then that would be a reality.
- Without the resurrection our preaching would be pointless, our faith would be futile and without the resurrection:
C. OUR MESSAGE WOULD BE MEANINGLESS
v15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise.
Most of you have been faithful witnesses of Jesus for many years. You have fervently shared the gospel with your lost loved ones and people within your sphere of influence. If the doubters are correct, then you have been lying to yourself and to those around you!
The Apostle Paul was more than qualified to address any questions or doubts concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus for he was an eye witness himself. As he recounts the list of verified witnesses of the risen Savior, Paul says “Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me” (v8). Seeing the risen Lord completely changed the trajectory of his life. Paul was a man who was exceedingly respected by his peers. He had an impressive religious pedigree and he spent his life devoted to the Jewish faith. He had been personally trained by one of the most illustrious Rabbis of his day. He was devoted to the Law, highly educated and greatly respected. However, there came a time when he sacrificed it all for the cause of Christ. Paul turned away from everything he once was and devoted his life to spreading the Gospel that he once sought to destroy. The reason he was willing to do so was because he had seen the risen Christ!
This was the case for all of the Lord's Apostles. Those men accepted the call to be Disciples of Christ. They willingly denied themselves, took up their own crosses and followed Jesus. In the process they left everything and everyone they loved behind to devote themselves to the Master. Moreover, these men continued to follow and serve Him after His death, resurrection and ascension. The Bible tells us that James was beheaded, Peter was crucified, John was exiled to Patmos, and it is believed that the rest of the Apostles all gave their lives for the cause of Christ.
One of the reasons that they were willing to live and die for Jesus is because they were witnesses of His resurrection. Many people have given their lives for what they believe in, but no sane person is willing to sacrifice their life for something they know to be a lie. The Apostles knew that Christ was risen, and they knew this because they had seen Him with their own eyes.
After the Resurrection some of the Lord’s enemies attempted to hide the fact that He was alive. The Chief Priests and the elders conspired together and offered the soldiers a large amount of money to say that "His disciples came by night, and stole His body while we slept" (Matthew 28:13). If this had been true, there is no doubt that James would have admitted it before he was beheaded; Peter would have admitted this fact before he was crucified, and the others would have admitted this before they were martyred. But those men gave their life for what they believed in. They were willing to die in defense of the truth because they were eyewitnesses of the risen Savior.
If you know Jesus then you know for a fact that the Resurrection is not a myth or a fairytale. You know that it is a reality, because you have seen Christ with eyes of faith. Those of us who trust in Him rest in the promise that one day we will see Him face to face. (1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.) This is such a great hope and promise but it would mean nothing if Christ were not alive.
- As Paul continues His defense of the resurrection he make it clear that:
WITHOUT THE RESURRECTION WE WOULD HAVE NO PARDON
v17 if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
Paul goes on to say that if Jesus isn't alive, then we are still lost in our sins and bound for hell. If Christ is not risen then we are not saved. We cannot be justified, we are not being sanctified, and we have no hope of ever being glorified! If Jesus is not alive we are lost in our sins and headed for judgment and an eternity in Hell! Everything that Jesus did before His death would mean nothing without the Resurrection. The miracles, the message the ministry would all be in vain without the Resurrection. If Jesus suffered and died yet did not rise then we have no hope of an eternal pardon.
- Without the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, we have no way to possess true hope, joy, victory or peace in this life. Paul speaks of this fact in verses 18-19 there he declares:
WITHOUT THE RESURRECTION WE WOULD HAVE NO PEACE
v18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
One of the greatest benefits of being a Christian is the hope that we have concerning our loved ones who have died in Christ. We are assured that one day we will reunite with them in Heaven. If Christ is not risen that promise is a lie. Without His resurrection we would have no hope of a heavenly reunion. Furthermore, we would have no hope of our own entrance into Heaven. Personally, I do not know how one could enjoy this life or possess any semblance of peace without the assurance that comes from knowing what God has planned for us in eternity. If Christ is not alive then we have nothing to base our assurance on. Our eternal security is not secure at all if Christ is not risen!
Notice what Paul said in v19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” If Jesus is not alive then we have wasted every minute that we have lived for Him. We have believed a lie, we have no hope of Heaven, and we are headed for Hell if Jesus is not risen. If the Resurrection of Christ is a lie then there is no reason for us to believe anything the Bible says. If He is not risen we have no purpose, pardon and no peace. If Jesus is not alive then our preaching is pointless, our faith is futile and our message is meaningless.
Paul has painted a very bleak picture in his attempt to confront the doubts of the Corinthians. Thankfully his message doesn't end in verse 19. Furthermore, the story of Jesus does not end with His burial in the garden tomb. In verses 12-19 Paul has been presenting a hypothetical scenario. The purpose of this was to prove the truth of Christ’s resurrection and to point to the hope that we have concerning our own resurrection if we belong to Him. In verse 20 the Apostle declares that Jesus did rise from the grave and He lives forevermore!
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Jesus promised that He would rise from the grave and that is exactly what He did. Christ conquered death, Hell and the grave and because of His finished work those who belong to Him possess victory as well. Because Jesus is risen we have a purpose. Because Jesus is risen, we have been eternally pardoned. Because Jesus is risen we are able to possess peace in this life and hope in the life to come. Because He is risen, our preaching is not pointless, our faith is not futile and our message is not meaningless. We can rest assured that our loved ones who died “in Christ” are in His presence. We can claim the promise of that coming heavenly reunion. And most of all we can look forward to the day when we stand face to face with our risen, living and immortal Savior.
Because Jesus rose from the grave we possess the promise of a glorious resurrection someday. Because of His victorious resurrection, we are confident that we will dwell with Him throughout eternity. Because of the Resurrection Christians possess great hope and assurance.
It is important for you to understand that this hope belongs only to those who have been born again. If you do not know Jesus you do not currently possess hope concerning eternity. But this does not mean that you are without hope. You have the opportunity to be forgiven of your sins through the One who conquered death and the grave. It is only through Christ that salvation is possible, and you have the opportunity to receive eternal life today. Romans 10:13 says that "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". Jesus said "whoever believes in Him will not perish but shall have everlasting life".
No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter where you have been, no matter what you have done; the Gospel of Jesus Christ is God's message to you! The Gospel proves that Christ died for you! The first 4 verses of this chapter contain one of the greatest summaries of the Gospel in the Bible. There Paul declares that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Because of this, salvation is available to all who will repent and believe in Him.
Jesus sounded a warning in Mark 1:15 and that warning is true today; He said "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." The holy scriptures declare that “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He rose again the third day”. He is risen and because He lives we have a purpose in this life. He is risen and because He lives we have been pardoned. He is risen and because He lives we have peace. He is risen and because He lives we have power. He is risen and because He lives we have many reasons to praise His holy name.
He lives! He lives!
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives! He lives!
Salvation to impart;
You ask me how I know He lives,
He lives within my heart!
Rejoice and be glad that we do not have to live this life “Without The Resurrection”.
