The Lord is Risen Indeed

Well, good morning, everyone. I want to extend a welcome to all. I'm glad for everyone who's here.

There is a preacher of the old school, and he speaks today as boldly as ever. He is not popular, though the world is his parish, and he travels over every part of the globe and speaks in every language under the sun. He visits the poor, calls upon the rich, and preaches to people of every religion and of no religion, but the subject of his sermon is always the same. He is an eloquent preacher, often stirs feelings which no other preacher could reach, and brings tears into eyes that seldom weep. He addresses himself to the conscience and the heart; his arguments none are able to refute, nor is there any heart that has remained wholly unmoved by the force of his weighty appeals.

Most people hate him, for many quell in his presence, but in one way or another he makes everybody hear him. He is neither refined nor polite. Indeed, he often interrupts public arrangements and breaks in rudely upon the private enjoyments of life. He frequents the shop, the office, and the mill. He appears in the midst of legislators and intrudes upon fashionable and religious gatherings at the most inopportune time. You cannot take up a newspaper without finding that he has a corner in it. Every tombstone serves him for a pulpit. His name is Death.

I don't mean to start on a downer this morning, but you can turn to 1 Corinthians 15.

Our subject this morning is the resurrection, and for a title this morning I just simply have titled it, "The Lord is Risen Indeed."

We have here probably the most comprehensive, powerful treatise on the resurrection that we find in Scripture. And why is this so important? And the reason I started with that essay, which we don't know who the author of that is, author unknown, is because of the reality of death. Where did death come from? Without death, the resurrection is sort of a moot point.

Why is there death? And of course, we're going to go over this. It's all familiar to us. We know the story. But Genesis 2:16 and 17 says, "And the Lord God commanded man, saying, 'Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" And that was, of course, we know the serpent came to Eve and he said, "Yea, hath God said you're not really going to die?"

And man partook of that tree and they died indeed, both physically and spiritually. And the result was a separation and an alienation from God. The wages of sin are death. And there's an idea, especially in our time, that I just heard it this week. A lady said, "Well, she really believes that man is basically good.

Maybe a little sick, maybe a little unwell, nothing that a few good vitamins we need a little boost. Maybe a few vitamins would help us out." But the condition of mankind is the fact remains is that without Jesus we're dead.

We're all going to face that preacher that's going to sometime come for us. And spiritually speaking, we find ourselves in a predicament. Ephesians 2:1 says, "You were dead in trespasses and sins." And then if we jump to verse 12 in that same chapter, it says that, "At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." So the predicament of mankind is that sin has brought about death. Death has separated us from God. And so after death, then what?

Many claim that they don't believe in life after death. They say it's going to be sort of like we're going to live, live like a dog. We're going to have our life here and we're going to die. And that's it.

But even atheists, people who claim that, there's something within them, I think, that if they're really honest, really do realize that there just might be something more. They'll make comments like this. "Old Joe is going to be okay." At his funeral they'll say this, "Old Joe is going to be okay. He was a good chat."

Where does that come from? Why does it matter if you were good or not, if it's just all a matter of coming to the end of our lives and dying? Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has put eternity in their hearts."

And so there's a sense, I think, that people try to ignore, but it's a sense nonetheless that there's more to life than just this life, that when we die, then what?

Hebrews 9:27 tells us then what he says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment." So now we're even in a worse predicament because not only are we going to die, but there's a coming judgment that we're going to be judged for the things that we've had. And so people have many, many ways and sort of a fascination with death. And I am just amazed at how many houses I go into in the course of my work where there's skulls and skeletons on the front porch. And I actually recently read a book about Mexico, and there's a whole cult, a Catholic cult, Santa Muerte, and it's all about death and skeletons, and they have shrines and it's protection and so on.

And I think it's a way to try to somehow come to terms with this thing that they know deep down in that death is coming. And then what? What about the judgment? What are we to do? Hebrews 9:28 says, "So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation." And so there is good news this morning, and the good news is the gospel, salvation through Jesus Christ, and it all hinges on the resurrection.

That whole plan hinges on the resurrection. And so I'd like to read 1 Corinthians 15. It's a long chapter. I told Elena that I'm spending at least two minutes per verse, and there's 58 verses, so we'll try not to do that.

1 Corinthians 15.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preach to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all, he was seen by me also as one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believe."

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? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.

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. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then also, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life we have hope in Christ, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as an animal die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive, but each one in his own order. Christ the firstfruits. Afterward, those who are Christ that is coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and authority and power. For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For he has put all things under his feet.

But when he says, "All things are put under him," it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted. Now, when all things are made subject to him, then the Son himself will also be subject to him who put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If in the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness and do not sin, for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" Foolish one. What you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as he pleases, and to each seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars.

For one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." However, the spiritual was not first, but the natural and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.

As was the man of dust, so also those who are made of dust. And as is the heavenly man, so are also those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory." O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain. In the Lord.

What I'd like to do is just take this sort of section by section and sort of follow Paul's line of reasoning here.

The first couple of verses, basically, Paul gives us, he talks about the gospel, this good news, the fact that we don't have to experience the eternal consequences of death, that there's a remedy. And he said, "I've declared that gospel to you." And he gives us the gospel sort of in a nutshell. He says, "Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again the third day." And he said, "This is the good news that I preach by which you are saved."

And then he goes on and he talks about the witnesses, witnesses to the resurrection. He, first of all, talks about Peter, and then he talks about the twelve, and then 500 brethren at once. And he makes the point to say at the time of the writing, when Paul was writing this, that many of those people were still alive. They could have testified to the fact that they had actually seen the risen Lord. Then James and the apostles. And lastly, he says, "God appeared Jesus appeared to me as one born out of due time." And the Greek word there has the idea of abortion or a premature death. And Paul, as he looked back on his life and he realized all that he had done to persecute the church of God, he just felt very much like he did not deserve the privilege that he had to have Jesus appear to him.

And he says that because of that, he labors, yet it wasn't him, but it was the grace of God that was with me. And so Paul was passionate about the good news that he had to share about the resurrection. And there were plenty of people that were witnesses to the fact that Jesus had died, and they saw him in his resurrected body.

Paul says he shouldn't have had the opportunity that he did. He felt unworthy. But because of the grace of God, he preached the gospel. Then he goes on and he says, "If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then there's no hope."

And he's talking here about a bodily resurrection. He's also talking about spiritual renewal. "Some say among you there is no resurrection." And it's a little hard to know who he's talking about here. Was it people in the church at Corinth judging from some of the other problems that they had? It's certainly possible.

Perhaps they believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, but that there was no bodily resurrection.

They claim they believe, but they live as though they don't. And so he gives us at least four things here, four or five things that are true if Jesus didn't rise from the dead.

He says, "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and our faith is empty." What do we have to preach about if Jesus is not alive and well today?

He says that we're false witnesses of God. We're preaching something that's completely false and made up. Probably most terrifying of all, he says in verse 17, "If Christ is not risen, you're still in your sins. Your sin remains." And then he says that those who have fallen asleep, those that are of our friends and loved ones who have died, he said, they're perished in their sins. They're lost.

And he ends this section by saying that if in this life only we have hope in Jesus and Christ, we're of all men the most miserable or pitiable.

So that's the consequences of believing that Jesus didn't rise from the dead, not believing in the resurrection. But Christ has risen. And why is this so important?

He says that since by man came death, also by man came the resurrection of the dead. And Romans... So we know how the sin thing worked because of the sin of one man that seed permeated all of mankind. And so likewise, the remedy can come by Jesus as well.

And if you turn to Romans, just turn back to Romans chapter 5. We studied this recently in Sunday school. A little bit of a parallel passage here.

Romans 5:12 says, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned." And then jumping ahead to verses 18 and 19, "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment comes to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous." And so here we see because of the resurrection that... because of the resurrection, Jesus is able to

become the remedy for our sins.

Jesus is the firstfruits. He paved the way. And just like we plant a seed and we expectantly wait, we expectantly wait for the fruit, that firstfruit that we... and how we long for it because it's perfect. Jesus was the way maker. He paved the way. He's the example of what it is. And there's an order to this. It says, "Each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits. Afterwards, those who are Christ that is coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom of God to the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and authority and power. For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

And so we have Christ the firstfruits, then those that are asleep, and then those that are Christ that is coming. And then eventually, Christ is going to turn it all over to the Father, and the last enemy that needs to be destroyed is death so that God may be all in all.

And then in verses 29 through 34, he gives more reasons to believe in the resurrection. And verse 29 has been problematic for many people for many years. And I don't necessarily claim to maybe understand it perfectly. But the longer I look at it, the conclusion I come to is this: that Paul, in making the case, is using an example and pointing to a practice that was practiced just to make the point. And we sometimes do this as well. We'll say, "Well, to take your own argument, if what you're saying is true, then it follows." And he says here that, "What will they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead do not rise at all?

Why then are they baptized for the dead?" So he says they. He's not including himself in this. And I think he's simply saying that, "Look, there's people out there that baptize for the dead. It makes absolutely no sense if there's no resurrection."

But I don't believe at any point that Paul is putting his stamp of approval on this or saying it's a good or right practice.

That seems to be the position of the early church as I looked into it. What did they say? They basically said, "Well, God didn't change..." You read the rest of the scriptures. God didn't change his mind on all that. It says there's one faith, one baptism, but simply that Paul was using their own maybe even erroneous view to point out the fact that if even if what they're saying is true, then it makes no sense if there's no resurrection.

So that's kind of where I came to on that particular thing. But he's still making the point for the resurrection. The reason number two that he says then, "Why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? Why risk your life? Why suffer persecution if there's no resurrection?"

He says, "If there's no resurrection, let's eat and rise and eat and drink. For tomorrow we die."

And I was thinking about that. Doesn't that pretty much summarize how most people in our society live? Let's live it up. And I've sort of come to the conclusion that if that's the way we approach our life, then perhaps we don't believe in the resurrection like we say we do.

He says, "If there's no resurrection, then let's eat and drink, and for tomorrow we die." And then I was thinking about these verses at the end of this section. And then he talks about being deceived. "Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness and do not sin for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak to your shame."

And I think at least one of the ways that we could take this is the fact that in our society, we're bombarded basically by this whole idea that we need to seize the moment, live for the day. Are advertising.

Pretty much all the society around us is geared for that. And I think he's making the point here that just be aware. If you're going to fill your minds with that kind of stuff, if you're going to buy into that, that evil company corrupts good manners. And that will soon become our way of thinking as well.

He says, "Awake to righteousness. Do not sin." And so the question I have this morning is, are we living like we don't believe the resurrection?

Or are we living with that in view?

Another question then that comes to Paul's mind, apparently came to the mind of the Corinthian people then, was, "Well, how are the dead raised up and what kind of body? How's this all going to work out practically? What kind of body are we going to have?" And he says, "Oh, foolish ones."

To me, it's a little bit of a term of endearment in some ways, like we would tell our children, "Dear me, I love you. Don't you get it?" And I brought this along this morning as an illustration.

He says, "Don't you know that what you sow can't become alive until it dies, until it's sown?" And I have here, these are zinnias.

In this little packet.

You can't hardly see them. Little seeds. And Paul says, "Oh, foolish ones. Don't you realize that it's... you don't put in the ground what you expect to come forth?" He says, "You put each little seed in, that seed dies, and then something totally different, miraculously, comes out of that. And you plant these little seeds and these zinnias come forth.

And there's something marvelous, there's something miraculous about what we have to look forward to in the resurrection, when the resurrection of the body comes. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body."

So we plant a zinnia seed and out comes a beautiful flower. And each flower has its own characteristics. It has its own body.

And it's going to be that way with us. I think we can't comprehend what it's going to be like. He says also... oh, he said, "Look at the... all flesh is not the same flesh. There's the flesh of man, and then there's different kinds of animals and another kind of fish and another of birds.

There's different kinds of... if we look up in the sky and look at the terrestrial and celestial bodies, there's a glory of the sun, a glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars."

And he says, "It's going to be the same way in the resurrection. The body's going to be sown in corruption and raised in incorruption." Now do we understand... can we grasp what that means? Think about corruption and how our bodies are corruptible and how they... as you know, from the moment we're born, it's that process of deterioration that starts to happen.

But... and so by the time we're 50, 60 years older, our bodies are starting to wear out. We're subject to all kinds of diseases.

He says, "We're sown in corruption, raised in incorruption. Sown in dishonor, it's raised in glory.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But we're going to be sown in dishonor but raised in glory, to where we can glorify God in a perfect way. Sown in weakness, raised in power." And I don't know about you, but some days I have a real sense of weakness, just weak.

And He's going to raise us in power. And we need that power. We're going to be sown a natural body. We're going to be raised a spiritual body. Man was made of dust, and to dust we're made, and to dust we'll return. But when we're resurrected in newness of life, we have a spiritual body which is eternal, which will never die.

And we'll bear the image of the heavenly man. And so if Jesus is the firstfruits, and we know a little bit that Jesus retained His, apparently some of His characteristics, I believe each of us will be unique in our resurrected bodies.

But we have no idea. We can't comprehend the change. Brother Irvin read this morning that we're going to become a new creature. All things are going to change. All things are going to become new. Just like that butterfly that comes out of that cocoon.

If we wouldn't see it, we wouldn't believe it. And I think it's going to be the same way with our redeemed, resurrected bodies. And I'm just looking so much forward to that this morning. To have a body that's... that there's no more corruption, no more weakness, no more dishonor, full glory, a spiritual body.

The natural, the earthly is full of corruption. And he says that the natural, earthly, these bodies that are natural and earthly and full of corruption are not compatible with the kingdom of God. He says, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption."

So we understand that if we die and those that are fallen asleep and as we're raised in newness of life, how that all works. But what about... this raised a question in the people's mind. What about those who are still living? And we have this corruptible body, and this flesh and blood can't inherit the kingdom of God. How's that going to be? And he said, "I want to tell you a mystery." He said, "We're not all going to sleep, but we're all going to be changed."

And so if that trumpet sounds and we're of the group that's still alive, he says, "In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we're going to be changed. And we're going to take on the form along with those who have fallen asleep.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on corruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. Death loses all of its sting.' O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

We're going to rise with a new body. A song went through my mind this morning. "On that resurrection morning, when all the dead in Christ shall rise, I'll have a new body."

A body of glory, a body of power, a spiritual body, just like that seed that was planted and what come forth was something totally different.

"No more fear of dying.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" He says, "The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But we can overcome that. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

So does this all have any practical implications for us this morning? I said earlier, are we living as though we believe in the resurrection? Do we live like that Jesus has risen from the dead and we can be part of that?

He says that in the end here, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Be steadfast, settled, not restless, settled. Be unmovable, not turned aside." You know, in Pilgrim's Progress, as Christian was making his way on the path to the celestial city, there were many people and many situations that came his way to try to turn him aside from that path.

The Vanity Fair and all the meadows and all the naysayers and people that came. Are we unmovable? Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of England back in the 70s, was maybe into the 80s, was known as the Iron Lady. And that moniker was given by actually a Soviet journalist because of her response and how she responded on the world stage. And this is an excerpt of one of her speeches.

And I don't know exactly what the context of this speech was. But she's speaking to the people of England. And she says, "If our people feel that they are part of a great nation and they are prepared to will the means to keep it great, then a great nation we shall be and shall remain. So what can stop us from achieving this? What then stands in our way? The prospect of another winner of discontent? I suppose it might. But I prefer to believe that certain lessons have been learned from experience, that we are coming slowly, painfully to an autumn of understanding, and I hope it will be followed by a winner of common sense. If it is not, we shall not be diverted from our course.

To those waiting with bated breath for that favorite media catchphrase, 'The U-turn,' I have only one thing to say. U-turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning." I say that not only to you, but to our friends overseas, and also to those who are not our friends. The lady's not for turning.

And that's why she had the name the Iron Lady. And the question is, the lady's not for turning. This man is not for turning. Are we unmovable in our pursuit of the kingdom of God? Or are we turned aside, out of the way?

And then he says, "Always abounding in the work of the Lord." The word there is superabound. A passion. Do we have a passion for God's kingdom and for the work of the Lord? So we have a contrast here.

Eat and drink for tomorrow we die. To me, that's a sign that the resurrection really doesn't mean a whole lot to us.

Or are we abounding in the work of the Lord? Are we steadfast, unmovable? You know, we often judge ourselves in that, but others looking on probably can make a better judgment on that than we can ourselves. When people look at my life, what do they see? A life devoted to pleasure? A life devoted to making it the American dream and making a lot of money and being successful in that way?

When people are making a judgment on my life, is that what they're going to see? Or are they going to see a person who is abounding in the work of the Lord?

If that old preacher should come a-knocking on your door, could we say like the Apostle Paul, "For me to live as Christ and to die as gain"? Or is it going to be terror? If the trumpet should sound today, would you raise your hands, look at the sky, "Because your redemption draweth nigh," or would you call out for the rocks to cover you? "The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is risen." Amen.

Does anyone have any comments?