1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Living in Light of
Easter
Last
Sunday, most of us gathered in this place to celebrate the good news of Easter,
that Jesus Christ did indeed rise from the dead and because He lives, we have a
living hope that sustains us throughout this life. We have a hope that sustains us through the
dark valleys of life, and we live with the promise of eternal life. As James Stewart, the great Scottish preacher
of the 20th century said, “Easter
was the decisive turning point for the human race.” Everything changed because of Easter!
And here
in this 15th chapter of I Corinthians, the Apostle Paul points out that
the historical fact of the resurrection is the event that validates and upon
which our Christian faith is based. “If Christ has not been raised from the dead,”
he says, “then our faith is worthless
… life is meaningless … death is final … and we are to be pitied.”
So,
to those who may ask "Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important?” we
say, “It is the foundation of our Christian faith.” The Resurrection of Jesus changes the meaning
of our existence. It changes the way we
live, the way we think, and the way we believe. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
gives new meaning to every area of our lives!
And so, today
we’re going to follow up with what we talked about on Easter … by taking a
closer look at the significance that Jesus’ Resurrection has in our lives.
First of
all, the Resurrection Changes the Meaning of our Faith. In v. 17, Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile and you are
still in your sins.” In other words,
if what we are proclaiming here is just a bunch of wishful thinking, based on
legend or mythology, then we need to find something better to do, because all
of this is a waste of our time.
People
today like to think that religion is like “a huge buffet”, where you can pick
and choose the beliefs you find personally appealing. As our world becomes more diverse and
culturally blended, this sort of thinking is becoming more prevalent every
day. Christianity is just one of many
options on the table. And many believe
that the best way is to take a little from each. That makes you a more well-rounded, enriched,
and open-minded person.
Most
people today approach religion out of “preference.” They base their religious or church
affiliation on the question, “What appeals best to me? What does this have to offer me? Which one fits my lifestyle the best?” Religion and faith are seen as matters that should
be left up to each individual to determine what is best for them. And it is true, everyone has the
constitutional right to choose whatever he or she wants to believe in.
But
folks, “truth” is not determined by a matter of taste or preference or
convenience. If you’re looking for
something that simply fits your lifestyle or appeals to where you are in your
spiritual journey, then there are plenty of choices out there. But if you are looking for something to base
your life upon … if you are looking for something that is worth giving your
life to … if you are looking for something that can sustain you throughout this
life and the next … then there is only one choice.
If you research
every religious leader of history … Confucius, Buddha, Mohammed, and all the
rest … you’ll notice one thing in common.
They are all in the grave. You can
go and visit the place where their bones are buried. But, not Jesus Christ. His grave is empty. Because Jesus alone possesses the power to
overcome the grave. Jesus alone
possesses the power over death. Jesus
alone fulfilled what he claimed to be.
So, our Christian faith is not based upon religious whim, legend,
mythology, or wishful thinking. It is
based upon a historical fact: Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave!
Listen to
what Paul says in verses 3 – 8: “For I handed on to you as of first
importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised
on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he
appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of
whom are still alive, though some have died.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he
appeared also to me.”
There
is more empirical evidence of the Resurrection than in what we have in most
court cases today. Over 500 eye
witnesses who saw Jesus; who spoke with him; and ate with him, after the
Resurrection. The Apostle Paul says, “If
you don’t believe me, go talk to these others.
Many of them are still alive.”
Our
Christian faith is based upon a historical fact: Jesus Christ died and rose
from the grave! And because he conquered
death through the Resurrection, that means he is who he said he was—the Messiah
… the Christ … the Savior of our World! Because
he was raised from the dead, that means he is able to do what he said he could
do. “I
am going to prepare a place for you, that where I am you will be also. And I will come again!” And because of the Resurrection, it also
means that his promises are true, such as: “I
will never leave you or forsake you.” “I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Resurrection proves that Jesus is who he claimed
to be. He is the promised Messiah, the
unique and holy presence of God revealed among us. And he proved this claim by coming out of the
grave on Easter morning.
Bishop
Lajos Ordass of the
You
see, our faith is not about some historical person who did all this in the past
and has now left us to ourselves. We
serve a Risen Savior who is with us today. There are countless eyewitnesses
today who have experienced his presence and know that he lives.
The
Resurrection of Jesus gives us assurance that our faith is not just wishful
thinking. The reality of the Resurrection
gives us a faith that we can count on.
It gives us the ability to face life’s toughest challenges with the
assurance that God is real and that God is with us. Can you imagine what life would be like
without an Easter faith? Sadly, a lot of
people try to live that way, though.
The
Resurrection changes the meaning of our faith into a solid rock that we can
hold on to through life. Secondly, the
Resurrection Changes the Meaning of Death.
In verse 18, Paul says, “[If
Christ has not been raised]...then those who have died in Christ have
perished.” If the Resurrection is not true, then death
really does have the last word and this life as we know it is all there really
is.
Several
years ago, I was called upon to preach the funerals of two elderly ladies who
died within days of each other. The fact
that their deaths were so close to each other made their differences much more
obvious. Both ladies were sincere,
committed Christians, but their families were very different.
In the
first lady’s funeral, most members of her family were active Christians. In fact, two of her sons and two of her
grandsons were in the ministry as pastors.
Of course, there were many tears shed and there was much sorrow for her
passing. But, the day of her funeral was
a day filled with a glorious sense of peace and celebration. Her funeral was, really, a celebration of her
graduation from this life – to life eternal. As we celebrated her life and proclaimed our
faith together … everyone left feeling encouraged and thankful.
But in
the next funeral, just six days later, there was quite a contrast. This woman’s family was not a “religious”
family. Few of her children and family attended
church. Not surprisingly, the grieving
process was much different for this family.
Instead of celebration, there was great despair. Instead of a sense of peace and thankfulness,
there was tension, anger, and a real sense of hopelessness. How sad it was, to see that this family did
not have the sense of peace about their loved one’s death that the other family
had. And what it really boiled down to,
was a difference in faith.
Those
with a strong faith in Jesus Christ are able to face death—their own and their
loved ones—much differently than do people who are only nominally
religious. Why? Because Jesus’ Resurrection
changes the meaning of death. Because of
the Resurrection, we know that death is not the end for us! Death no longer has the power to utterly
destroy us! Because of the Resurrection,
we can live today and we endure whatever suffering may come with the assurance
that “because He lives, we shall live also.”
This
is why Paul says in verses 51-57: “Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will
not all die, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be
changed. For this perishable body must
put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on
imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that
is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O
death, is your sting?’ The sting of
death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ!”
Thanks be
to God, that through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, death’s power has been
defeated! Because of the resurrection of
Jesus we know that death is merely the transition from this life to the next,
and we can take comfort in Christ’s promise: “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you will be also.” Because of the Resurrection, we know that death
is not the end … it is rather, a new beginning.
The Resurrection
changes the meaning of death. It changes
the meaning of our faith. And the last thing
I want to mention about the Resurrection, is that, The Resurrection Changes the
Meaning of Life. For in verse 19, Paul says, “If for this life only we have hoped in
Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Paul wrote this at a time when
professing faith in Christ was potentially a dangerous thing to do. All of the disciples, except for John, were
put to death for their faith in Jesus.
Paul was one who personally oversaw the execution of many Christians
prior to meeting Jesus. Many Christians
lived with the threat of persecution or even death, if their belief in Jesus
was discovered. And the truth is that
throughout the history of the Christian Church, and even today, Christians have
suffered persecution throughout history. If this life is all that there is and the Resurrection
of Christ is not true, then anyone would have to be a fool to endure such
persecution.
Those of
us here today may not live under the threat of violent oppression for our faith
in Christ, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t suffer persecution or that we
don’t experience sacrifice. 2 Timothy
3:12 says “...all who want to live a
godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” That’s reality. To follow Jesus is to go against the grain of
this world and the powers that are.
There is often a price to pay for being a Christian.
Every day
there are business people who don’t get a promotion, applicants who don’t get
hired, new neighbors who aren’t accepted into the clique, salespersons who
don’t make the sale, writers who don’t get published, students who don’t get a
fair grade, athletes who don’t get the starting position, actors who don’t get
the part, and politicians who don’t get elected. All because they are bold enough to make a
stand for Jesus Christ. And make no
mistake about it people, we are living in a day when, increasingly, there is a
price to pay for making that stand.
If
there was no Resurrection—if this life is all there is—anyone would be a fool
to allow themselves to be even slightly inconvenienced for the sake of
Christianity. “If there is no resurrection,” Paul says in verse 32, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
But if in
fact, Jesus is risen, then that changes everything. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present age are not worth
comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us.” Because of the Resurrection, all of the little
inconveniences; any pain, sorrow, persecution, mistreatment, or any suffering
for the sake of staying true to our faith … it all has significance and meaning. In fact, every detail of our lives has
special significance … eternal significance.
If
there is no Resurrection, the only logical purpose for living is to pursue our
own pleasures and to try to get all we can get out of this life, because this
is it! But, if Jesus Christ is risen, as
history records and numerous eyewitnesses can testify, then the only logical
purpose for our lives is to follow him, to trust in him, and to serve him as
Lord of our lives.
During
World War II, the story is told of a Jewish woman in
The
Jewish woman said, “It’s no use, they
will find me wherever I go.”
The
Christian widow said, “They will find
someone here, but it won’t be you. It’s
time for you to leave. I will take your
identification and wait here.”
The
Jewish lady then understood the plan.
The Gestapo would find the Christian widow and think that she was the
fleeing Jew. The Jewish lady then asked
the widow why she would make such a sacrifice.
And the widow said, “It’s the
least I can do; Christ has already done that and so much more for me.”
The
German Gestapo did come and they seized the widow for the Jewish woman, and
placed her in one of their concentration camps.
She died after only a few months.
That Jewish woman could not forget what the Christian widow had done for
her. She later settled in
Now,
if it were not for the Resurrection, that story would have no real meaning. If this life is all there is and Easter is
nothing but a fairy tale, then that woman’s sacrifice would be seen as
foolishness. But do you see how the Resurrection
changes that? Because of the Resurrection,
that widow’s faith has meaning, her death has meaning,and her decision to give
her life in unselfish sacrifice has meaning and significance.
And
people, the same is true for us. Without
the Resurrection, life is meaningless and Christianity is a weak and pitiful
religion. But the Resurrection makes our
faith real. It helps us to live, without
the fear of being destroyed by death.
And it gives our life meaning that is worth living for and even dying
for. In the words of Paul, “Thanks be
to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.!”
Now, this is the good news of Easter. God so loved this world … you and I … that
God did all of this that we’ve been talking about today, so that we could live
in the light of Easter in this life and enjoy eternity with Him. This is God’s gift to us. But a gift has to be received and it has to
be opened. And the only way to receive
this gift of Easter and experience living in the joyous light of Easter, is to
receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
That’s the invitation today. God has given us a gift … the ability to live
as Easter people. So today, if you have
not received this gift for yourself, I want to invite you to do so today. We receive Jesus simply by saying, “Jesus, I
need what you have to offer. Please
forgive me of my sins and wash me clean.
Give me a new beginning. I want
to follow you.”
And for those of us who have received this gift and
who have taken on the name of Christ, God’s word to us is in the form of a
challenge. The challenge for us who
claim to follow Jesus, is to live in the light of Easter and share the good
news of Easter with others.