Text: 1 cor 15
Subject: what are the implications of Jesus resurrection?
Complement: Jesus resurrection is the first-fruit of our resurrection
Idea: “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.”
Purpose; comfort…celebrate… proclaim gospel.
Introduction:
When I was a kid, the summer camp of the PAON (L) was in our home town of CBS (Long Pond) and so during those 2 weeks in July we spent every night at the camp having revival…usually with some American preacher with an impressive resume. In many of those services, Irving’s Dad (Ivan Whitt) was the “song-leader” and so I knew the Whitt name and came to admire Pastor Whitt. First names were not frequently used in those days when pastors were being spoken of. And on Sunday afternoon of the final camp gathering it was missionary send-off Sunday. I think the year was 1970—which means I was 10 years old… Irving Whitt, son of Ivan, was in the spotlight that day—I think he may have preached too. I estimate he was Age 22(?) alongside him his equally young Amercian bride, Ruth. I stood there in the sweltering heat that is so common to a NL summer and remember being so impressed … they look so young but yet so poised and passionate for the gospel. It meant more to me than if Gordie Howe or Rocket Richard had been in the house. I loved hockey but I never did worship it.
Off to Africa… 4 years
Then home for furlough…
Another 4 years… Africa.
Teaching
A little fishing
Teaching
Preaching
Safari
While there, Irving contracted “Cerebral Malaria”… death was almost a given when such a diagnosis is made… Ruth drove him to the hospital at night while somewhere in Canada a woman was prompted of the Holy Spirit to pray for the Whitt’s in Africa.
(1979-1980) …Home to study in Springfield…
(1983??) …Then teaching on faculty at EPBC… (8 years…)
Concurrently working on a D of Missiology at Fuller in California. (complete 1994)
Irving liked big words …
• Contextualization
• Cross cultural anthropology
• The aspirin
• Missiology
• Cross-cultural communication
• Christendom
• Majority world
• Global South
• Lausanne
• 1040 window
And so the years accumulate.
It was in Peterborough that our paths intersected.
It’s 1982. By some “divine fiat” I find myself enrolled in EPBC. From accounting to theology. Only God could make that happen. Irving was on the faculty but my accelerated academic program didn’t afford me many electives and so I never had the privilege to sit in Irving’s classroom. My wife, Valerie did-- and she was constantly raving about Irving’s classes and ideas.
Then somewhere in the mid-nineties Irving and Ruth began attending our church in Toronto, Harvest Assembly. Somewhere around that time Irving, John Mercer and I began to meet for breakfast. And so began a 20 plus year dialogue about life and ministry and the roller coaster ride common to us all. We each brought our unique perspective and experience. A three-stranded cord is not easily broken. …Behold how good and blessed it is when brother dwell together in unity.
Irving loved to fish. Loved the outdoors. And so one summer 6 of us took a 3 day canoe trip into Algonquin park… including my Dad.
Irving was a dear friend… its been 20 plus years now… in those early days I was in awe of him…loved being around him. He was always reading something about church and mission or church and culture. Of course we had common roots and that was a little extra bonus for us Newfoundlanders living in exile here in Canada.
(By the way Zach… did you know there’s a town in Texas called “Irving” and another town called “Whitt” and the distance between “Irving” and “Whitt” is 74.4 miles.)
Situation – Corinthian christians were experiencing the loss of loved ones and this doesn’t fit their kingdom expectations.
our situation isn’t radically different.
Every time a person close to us goes, these questions surface again.
Why?
Why no dramatic healing?
Were there more miracles then than now?—maybe…depends on your definition and your experience and your reading… but one thing hasn’t changed. All People died then and all people die now. Death –our last enemy—has not yet been destroyed. And so we travel this unpredictable road knowing life is both precious and fragile.
In ancient Corinth, people wanted to know how the gospel answered these profound questions. They were first generation believers. Living with the expectation of the soon return of Jesus. They had not yet settled in for the long haul. Death created an additional crisis – not merely grief but how does death and dying fit into the preaching of the gospel. Has the gospel been oversold? Has the gospel failed us? How do we understand God’s love and omnipotence in light of death? This I believe is the question behind their questions… and ours too.
…Irving had more to give … more energy and …more projects and more ideas to apply his considerable determination toward….more time for his family… he adored all of you and bragged about you.
We could really use having him for another decade or two.
Maybe you don’t have any questions today… maybe you do.
The gospel does not create within us a denial of death but rather the courage to face it—and face it with hope.
{Zach and Braden} you will remember about two years ago now, in July 2012, 6 of us middle aged bikers from Port Perry were riding our iron horses along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Irving and Ruth happened to be visiting all of you in Lanore , NC….Becky and Paul; Zach and Bradon .
We negotiated a one night stop over… “on points”.
While on that visit Irving developed some medical issues and made a visit to the local hospital where son-in-law Paul was practicing medicine.
A couple of weeks later in August 2012, now back home…Irving called me. His voice was shaking. There had been a diagnosis and he needed to see me. He asked me to walk this road with him. He was reaching out for support and care.
Ruth, (Becky and Valerie) …when Irving (your Dad) and I first talked about this he struggled to come to grips with it… he found himself devastated. And it was off of you more than his work that captured his heart.
What do you say? We went out for a bight at a restaurant in Mt Albert. The conversation was awkward and there were several pauses.
Finally, I said… “Irving, you have served the Lord for your entire life… you have prayed and worshipped. You have studied and preached. You have read and reflected and taught many classes. Irving, you have a deep well of experience and trust in God. Now, its time to draw water from that well. I do not mean to say its like cashing in your points on a travel VISA Card…. these points on a Visa Travel Card by some complex formula entitles us to bonuses because of prior spending. No. That’s clearly not how God works. What I meant was, Irving, you have walked with God. God has walked with you. He will walk with you now. Walk with him now. When the days are discouraging and your heart is despairing, walk with God. His presence will sustain you. His spirit will comfort you. Irving you have a deep well.
Those words brought him comfort and courage over the next number of months.
{Zach, Bradon,… Becky, Paul, Valerie, John, Alexandra, Ruth}… you also have a deep well to draw on now. This well includes the character and witness of a godly man.
I know he is your hero… he was quite a man. He has left his touch and he has set you an example of how to live well.
I know—as you do…that Irving wasn’t absolute perfection (although, I would give him an A –without hesitation)… that’s what happens when you come close to someone---you see their flaws but you stick with them…remembering your own flaws.
As Irving’s health declined he faced it with faith and courage.
There was surgery
And chemo
We had a celebration dinner
Then more tumour growth…And more chemo…
Through it all Ruth was his rock… amazing devotion and amazing love… when Ruth said her vows… “in sickness and in health…till death us do part.” She meant it and she made good on those vows… when Job faced his crisises his wife told him to curse God and die… not Ruth…she was there every step of the way… a wife of nobel character who can find? Her husband has full confidence in her…charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Sing--song…
Just 10-12 days ago…we were helping Irving into bed… it was becoming much more difficult…
He paused on the bedside and named all of his children and grandchildren one by one and said for Ruth to tell them that he loved you all very, very much.
Once we settled him into bed I sat there quietly… words seemed inadequate…
I began to hum… and then softly sing…
“keep me true Lord Jesus, Keep me true, Lord Jesus keep me true…there’s a race that I must run, there are victories to be won…give me power every hour to be true… (I’ll be true Lord Jesus , I’ll be true…)…” (just a week ago…I hadn’t sung that hymn in decades… it came to my consciousness and I began to hum the tune…then softly singing it at his bedside…and to my delight, Irving joined in… we sang it about 10 times… on occasion I would pause and Irving would carry on… I would stop after repeat no. 5 or 6 and Irving would keep singing…
You see {Zach and Bradon}…even though your grandfather was a very smart man and very well read and very well educated… he was more than smart and educated… he had that special quality called “wisdom” (Sophia)… the ability to discern and decide priorities. It was a function of his faith in God. It was king Solomon who told us of this… “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… for the lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men….my son do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life and bring you prosperity…trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” (prov. 1-2-3)
And so Paul writes… “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
Gospel definition--- “Christ died for our sins, acc to the scriptures…”
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep… by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Paul establishes the authenticity of Jesus resurrection:
The Resurrection of the Dead --- “first fruits”. (is the gospel true?)
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Resolution -- …The story isn’t finished just yet--- one day death itself will die.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Scene from “Patch Adams” movie--on suffering…grief and death… (Robin Williams)
“So, what now, huh? What do You want from me?
(He steps to the edge of the cliff.)
Yah, I could do it. We both know You wouldn’t stop me.
So answer me, please. Tell me what You’re doing.
OK, let’s look at the logic. You create man. Man suffers enormous amounts of pain. Man dies. Huh.
Maybe you should’ve had just a few more brainstorming sessions prior to creation. You rested on the seventh day. Maybe you shoulda spent that day on compassion. (He looks down at the ravine and slightly moves his foot, knocking a small rock off the cliff.)
“You know what? You’re not worth it.” (He sees the butterfly on his case, then it lands on him.)
Discipleship Implications--- The Truth And Promise Of The Resurrection Brings Passionate Commitment!!!
30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus (snakes and bugs in Kenya) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,? for tomorrow we die.” …
Discipleship implications—give us some insider information Paul!! Tell us about these fancy new bodies…The Resurrection Body!
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
Yes…I will tell you a mystery… (a secret…) ---
More discipleship implications:
(1) “let nothing move you.”
(2) give yourself fully to the work of the lord.
3) your labor is not in vain.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55
“Where, O death, is your victory?? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Death you are our enemy --- but one day death will die… in Christ’s resurrection from the dead, death was defeated – with his return, death will be finally and completely destroyed…
Revelation 21 …Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Conclusion: …Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel …, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word (stop ???) … 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…
