Deo Gloria
Sermon for February 17, 2019
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20
Theme: What If There is No Resurrection?
- The depressing consequences
- The hope-filled reality
What if? Have you ever thought about that? What if there was no resurrection from the dead? What if there was no afterlife, no life beyond the grave? Have you ever thought about that? The people in the church in Corinth had. Apparently that’s what some of them actually believed. Paul mentions that in the very first verse of our text: “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?”(v. 12) No resurrection of the dead?
It’s an idea that was common in Greek philosophy. Philosophers like Plato maintained that the spirit was good, but that the body was bad or evil. And when a person died, their spirit was set free from their evil body to go and live with the gods. So why would they ever want to be reunited with their evil body? To them the idea that your body would be raised from the dead and brought back to life was disgusting and repulsive, something they wanted nothing to do with. And apparently some of the members of the church in Corinth had bought into that philosophy. They too rejected the idea of a bodily resurrection and they weren’t afraid to say it.
There are plenty of people today who adopt a similar view—not necessarily that the spirit is good and the body is evil and that once your die, your spirit is set free to go and live with God. No, they reject the whole idea of an afterlife. They say there is no life after death. There is no life beyond the grave. Once you die, that’s it. Lights out. There is nothing else. One example is Stephen Hawking. He maintains that the concept of an afterlife is a fairytale made by people who are too afraid to face the dark. Another is Woody Allen. He says, “I don’t believe in the afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.” What if they’re right? Have you ever thought about that? What if there is no resurrection of the dead? What if there is no life after death?
Paul addresses that question in the verses that follow. He spells out for us what the implications are, what the consequences are if there is no resurrection. We pick it up at v. 16: “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.” That’s the first consequence: If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. So do you know that story of Jesus rising again on the third day, the story of his appearing to Mary Magdalene, his appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, his appearing to all the disciples, his appearing to Thomas? It’s all a myth. It’s all a fairytale. It never happened if there is no resurrection. We might as well cancel the Easter services this year, and the Easter breakfast too. We might as well take hymns like “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” and “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” and tear them out of our hymnals. There’s nothing to celebrate. It’s all a lie. It never happened. Jesus is still dead if there is no resurrection.
Take a look at the next verse: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins”(v. 17). Paul details two devastating consequences in this verse. The first is that your faith is futile. The word Paul uses here has the basic meaning of “empty, useless, or worthless.” A pen that doesn’t write is empty or useless. A snowblower that doesn’t work is empty or worthless. A cell phone that doesn’t work, that doesn’t make calls, that doesn’t send texts, is empty or worthless. Do you get the idea? Do you get the picture? If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. It’s empty. It’s worthless. It does absolutely no good, because you’re believing in a guy who is still dead and he can’t help you.
Besides that, you are still in your sins. You are still in your sins. The nasty things you said to your spouse the other night. The hurtful and demeaning things you said to your children. The mean and nasty things you said about your boss behind his back, about your coworkers, about your classmates at school. The time you broke your mom’s favorite lamp. That other time you broke her heart. The money you stole from your parents, the candy you stole from the store, the products you stole from the office. Those sins that still keep you up at night, the ones you regret to this very day. There isn’t any forgiveness for any of it. You can say you’re sorry all you want, but you are not forgiven. If Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins.
Next verse: “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost”(v. 18). I hate to break it to you, but you’re not going to see Grandma Schultz again or Grandpa Schultz for that matter, or Uncle Fred and Aunt Esther, or the spouse you lost to cancer, or that child you lost in that tragic accident, or any of your Christian family and friends who have passed away. They’re all gone, lost forever, never to be seen again if there is no resurrection.
And last but not least: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men”(v. 19). That’s right, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are a sad lot, a pitiful group of people. Why? Because we’re living a lie. Our morals, our values, our meaning in life, our goal in life, our comfort and peace for this life, our hope for the life to come—it’s all based on a lie. We’ve devoted our lives to following some dead guy. We make sacrifices for this guy. We sacrifice our time. We sacrifice our money. We sacrifice our energy and our efforts to serve this guy. And for what? We endure ridicule and rejection at times for this guy—from classmates at school, from professors at college, from co-workers and colleagues, sometimes from our own family and friends. And for what? It’s all for nothing. What a sorry bunch we are if there is no resurrection!
But…. Did you catch that little word at the beginning of verse 20? You really should highlight it in your Bible. You really should circle it or underline it in red because it’s a pretty important word. Yes, if there is no resurrection, then all those things are true. Then Christ did not rise the dead. Then our faith is futile. Then we still are in our sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Then you and I deserve to be pitied more than anyone else. But…. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead”(v. 20). Paul himself saw the risen Christ with his own eyes. He appeared to him on the road to Damascus. The same is true of Peter. The same is true of John and Mary Magdalene and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and Thomas. They all saw the risen Savior with their own eyes. Jesus’ resurrection is not a fairytale or mere wishful thinking. It’s reality. Jesus really is alive.
Which means then that our faith is not futile. It isn’t empty or useless or meaningless. We don’t believe in some guy who’s still dead. We believe in a living Lord, who lives and rules over all things, and who is with each and every day to guide us and bless us and help us.
It also means that our sins really are forgiven. The hurtful things we did. The nasty things we said. The times we were not very patient or loving or kind toward others, the times we were rather rude and arrogant and mean—those sins are all forgiven, completely taken away. If Jesus were still dead, we would always wonder, but he’s not. He’s alive and your sins are gone.
And yes, you will see Grandma Schultz again, and Grandpa Schultz too, and Uncle Fred and Aunt Esther, and the spouse you miss so much and that child who was so dear, and all your Christian family and friends who have fallen asleep in Jesus. You will see them all again in the glory and joy of heaven. And you’ll never be separated again.
And yes, you do have something to live for in this life—or better yet, someone to live for. The time you dedicate to serving him is worth it. The sacrifices you make for him are worth it. The ridicule and rejection you experience from others at times, even from your own family or friends—yes, that is worth it too, because it isn’t for nothing. It’s for him and for his glory and for his kingdom.
And one day you too will see him in his kingdom with your own eyes and will live with him forever. Did you catch that, what Paul said about our risen Savior in the second part of v. 20: that he is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”? The firstfruits are the first part of the harvest. The first strawberries you pick from your strawberry patch, the first tomatoes you pick from your garden, the first apples you pick from your apple tree, the first corn you pick from your corn field—these are just the first part of the harvest. The rest of the strawberries, the rest of the tomatoes, the rest of the apples, the rest of the corn is still to come. Jesus is the firstfruits of the those who have fallen asleep, the first one to come back from the dead, the first one to rise from the grave. The rest are still to come. The rest include you and me. So death is not the end. It wasn’t for Jesus and it won’t be for us either. One day he will raise our cold and lifeless bodies from the grave, make them perfect and glorious and immortal just like his, and then we will live with him for the rest of forever.
What if? What if there is no resurrection? Thankfully you and I don’t have to wrestle with that question or the depressing consequences. There is indeed a resurrection because Jesus Christ himself rose. And that makes all the difference for this life and the life to come. Amen.