A Firm
Foundation for Hope!
I Corinthians
15:1-11
Intro: It’s January 3rd,
have you come up with a list of New Year’s resolutions? It’s January 3rd,
have you already broken some? “Resolutions” express our “hope” for the future,
that somehow this year, things will be better, we’ll be better and do better. But even more than our short term “hope,” everyone
wants something to hope for in the more distant future, something so great that
is coming in the future that it can help you through the tough times today. Some people are hopeless and despair. Some
embrace positive thinking, for many of them however, it is simply wishful
thinking, a vague “hope” it will all work out in the end. The
only hope that matters is one that is based on truth. In the sermons of the apostles in the book
of Acts, there is one historical truth that is repeatedly mentioned, which, by
its very emphasis lies at the heart of the Christian message: the resurrection
of JESUS CHRIST. That is a foundation on
which our hope can stand! John MacArthur
wrote:
“Just as the heart pumps life giving blood to
every part of the body, so the truth of the resurrection gives life to every
other area of Gospel truth. The
resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which
none of the other truths would much matter.
Without the resurrection Christianity would be so much wishful thinking,
taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation.”
The
Apostle Paul affirms the necessity of the resurrection in I Cor 15:13-17,
“But if
there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been
raised. 14 And if Christ has
not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain... 17
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in
your sins…”
Along
with a lot of practical problems in Christian living, the Corinthians
apparently had a serious doctrinal problem in terms of the future resurrection
of believers. The fact that Paul starts
this great chapter affirming the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus may imply that some were beginning
either to question the importance of His physical resurrection or even if it
really happened at all.
Context: Chapter 15 of I
Corinthians is the most fully developed chapter in the Bible on the theme of
the resurrection. The empty tomb is the
basis for our hope as Christians. It
explicitly links the resurrection of Jesus, with the future resurrection of
believers. It also defines our life as believers: Eric Sauer said:
“The present age is
Eastertime. It begins with the
resurrection of the Redeemer, and will end with the resurrection of the
redeemed. Between lies the spiritual
resurrection of those called into life through faith in Christ. So we live between two Easters, and in the
power of the first Easter, we go to meet the last Easter.”
The Maine Idea: Because Jesus
lives we have a sure hope for the future and the power to live joyfully today.
We’ll look at this truth from three perspectives:
1. A REAL hope that is able to change lives (1-2).
2. A REVEALED hope based on Scripture (3-4).
3. An HISTORICAL hope confirmed
by eyewitnesses (5-11).
I. A REAL hope that is able to change
lives
(15:1-2)
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which
you received, in which you stand, 2
and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to
you- unless you believed in vain.”
The first line of evidence that Paul
presents is not stated explicitly but clearly implied. The Gospel saves people when they believe
the message. The very fact that the
Corinthian believers (and all believers for that matter) had received the
Gospel, believed in Jesus, is strong evidence of the power of the gospel, which
is the power of the resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 1:19,20): “…and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which
he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead…”
Paul preached the Gospel among them, they
received it, stood in it and were saved by it (15:1-2). Notice that he calls them “brethren”, he recognizes them as fellow Christians. “I declare to you…” he is reminding them of the message they had
heard and believed: the death of Jesus for our sins, his burial and resurrection.
1. The message impacted them in the
past: “which you received…” There was
a specific moment in their history when they heard the Good News of the death
and resurrection of Jesus and they believed it.
Whether or not you can remember and identify the precise moment, that is
true for every believer.
2. “…in which you stand…” It was
not simply something that happened in the past, but they continued to stand in
the truth. Its not that Christians simply were saved, they are saved,
they have eternal life as both a promise and a present possession.
3. “In which you are saved if…” (or, “...by/in which you are being saved if...”). The context of I Cor 15
definitely points also toward the future, and completion of the promise of
salvation in the resurrection of believers.
Notice
the qualifier: “…if you hold fast to the
Word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” This is not a
denial of the eternal security of true believers. It is a warning however that simply saying you believe is not necessarily
the same as truly trusting Jesus as your savior and Lord.
There are a tremendous number of
conflicting ideas that people “believe” to be true – just believing doesn’t
make it true. Paul is showing the Corinthians the evidence for the truth of the
Gospel, including the historical fact of the resurrection – most people deny
the implications of the evidence. An
unwillingness to believe the facts, doesn’t change the facts! Truth is still
true. And because Jesus lives we who believe have a sure hope for the future
and the power to live joyfully today. I.
We have a REAL hope that is able to change lives, and...
II. A REVEALED Hope based on Scripture
(15:3-4)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures...
The Old Testament Scriptures repeatedly
predicted the coming of the Messiah, a deliverer, king, and Savior. In our advent series we talked a little about
what the messianic expectation looked like by the time of Jesus’ birth. For the
most part, current interpretation had missed the idea that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and
die. A key aspect of the apostles’
preaching was to point the church back toward that scriptural truth.
Paul says, “I delivered to you that which I also received…” He brought
authoritative teaching, not something that he just made up. He wasn’t asking
them to simply take his word for anything. He delivered to them what God had
revealed! It’s God’s Word that matters,
will we take Him at His Word? Our vision
statement talks about, “A community of Christ followers, rooted in the Word, treasuring God as supremely valuable, proclaiming
the riches of His grace to the world...” That’s my prayer, that as the Bible is
preached we will be “rooted,” we’ll have a strong foundation, we’ll treasure
Him more because we know Him better, and we’ll share the message of His grace
with those around us!
“...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…”
Paul is emphasizing “fulfillment,”
so he uses the title “Christ,” or “Messiah.”—the “Anointed One” predicted as the deliverer of Israel by the Old Testament
writers. Andrew said in John
1:41, "We have
found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ).” 1:45 Philip found Nathanael
and said to him, "We have found Him
of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son
of Joseph." By pointing to the idea of “fulfillment” here in I
Corinthians 15, Paul is making it clear that there was no “chance” in the way
the story of Jesus unfolded, he was not a victim of circumstances, rather,
everything happened exactly as God had planned. In fact, the fulfillment of the
ancient prophecies are one more confirmation that Jesus is the promised One.
“…died for our sins…” This is the heart of the Gospel message: the
sacrificial substitutionary death of
Jesus. John the Baptist anticipated this
truth when he saw Jesus in John 1, “Behold
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Isaiah the prophet
had predicted the coming of a suffering servant when he said: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have
turned every one to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of
us all.” Have you personalized that?
Do you realize, your sins were nailed the Cross? It all happened “according to the Scriptures”—as it had been
predicted and planned by God himself.
“…and
was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures…” A second proof of the truth of the Gospel was that the
resurrection of Christ happened in precise fulfillment of the Scriptures. What had been foretold with respect to the
Messiah was fulfilled in the experience of Jesus.
1. The
disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:25-27, cf.44-46). This is a key aspect of the New Testament
apologetic that we need to be sure we understand. How could it be that Jesus
was the messiah, if the religious leaders did not recognize Him and the people
did not receive Him? The inspired
writers make it clear, it had to happen that way, it was written, it was
God’s plan from ages past, in fact the fulfilled prophecies about his rejection
confirm his identity as messiah.
25 And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken! 26
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into
his glory?" 27 And
beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself...
44 ...Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to
understand the Scriptures, 46
and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and
on the third day rise from the dead...
2. Peter argues from Psalm 16 on the
day of Pentecost: The Messiah (Christ) must be raised, JESUS was raised,
therefore Jesus is the Christ (read Acts 2:25-31)!
3. But
for now look at Paul’s summary in his testimony to Agrippa, Acts 26:22-23.
22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here
testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and
Moses said would come to pass: 23
that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead,
he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."
God
said it would happen according to His plan. And it did. Because Jesus lives we
have a sure hope for the future and the power to live joyfully today.
III. An HISTORICAL Hope Confirmed by Witnesses (15:5-11).
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than
five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some
have fallen asleep. 7 Then he
appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to
me. 9 For I am the least of
the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church
of God. 10 But by the grace
of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the
contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace
of God that is with me. 11
Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Scoffers
to this point might argue that this is circumstantial evidence. Paul next calls on his third line of
evidence: eyewitness testimony! When
someone actually saw something happen and they could testify to its veracity,
that carries some weight! Eyewitness testimony is powerful! Consider the how Ignatius of Antioch argued
to the historicity of the life of Jesus, and specifically the eyewitnesses to
the resurrection when, in AD 107, perhaps ten or 12 years after the death of
the last of the Apostles, he wrote a letter while he was being carried to Rome
as a prisoner, expecting to be thrown to the lions…
“If you come across someone who says that
Jesus Christ never lived, or that he is just an idea, or a concept, or a myth-
shut your ears to him. Jesus Christ was
born to a human family, a descendant of David.
His mother was Mary. He was
persecuted and crucified under Pontius Pilate, a fact testified to us by
some who are now in heaven, and some who are still alive on earth. How can this be a phantom, or an illusion, or
a myth? These are facts of history!
It is also a fact that he rose
from the dead (or rather, that his Father raised him up). And that is the most important fact of all,
because His promise is that the father will also raise us up, if we believe in
Him. So if Christ is not alive neither shall we be. There is nothing left for us to hope for if
he is just an idea of a fantasy.
In any case, if he only appeared to rise from the dead—why should I be
in chains for this “myth”? Why should I
die to support an illusion? I am
prepared to die for him, the true and real Son of God. But no one is prepared to die for a shadow.”
He heard from eyewitnesses and knew in his
heart that their testimony was true, Jesus had conquered death! Eyewitness
testimony is compelling.
The early witnesses first of all (vv. 5-7). Not an exhaustive list, since the women who
arrived first at the tomb are not even mentioned! But he does list several important, “weighty”
witnesses...
He was seen first by “Cephas,” the Hebrew name of Peter. Remember that this is he who had denied Jesus
three times! He is the first witness to whom Paul appeals. The restoration and subsequent ministry of
Peter is a great testimony to God’s GRACE!
The resurrection changed everything. After the resurrection Peter became
a fearless proclaimer of the Gospel.
Then
by the twelve, i.e. the group of disciples that traveled most closely with
Jesus during His ministry… after that
He was seen by over 500 brethren at once!
Paul makes the point that the majority of these witnesses were still
alive as he wrote – if anyone had doubts they could go and speak to them
personally and hear their stories!
Then in vv. 8-10, he mentions a special witness, “then last of all
he was seen by me, as one born out of due time…” Humanly speaking, the
transformation of Paul is inexplicable – and so it stands as a powerful
testimony to the truth of the resurrection. The zealous persecutor of the
church became a fearless proclaimer of Messiah Jesus!
The
common message: Every true apostle and prophet, every faithful pastor and
teacher preached the same message: Peter, James, Paul, the 500 witnesses – they
testified to the same message: Christ died for our sins, according to the
Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures.
What
is God saying to me in this passage? Do
you believe that message? It’s not wishful thinking or self-reliance. Because Jesus defeated death we know He is
who He claimed to be. Because He lives we have a sure hope for the future and
the power to live joyfully today. The
truth of the Gospel hangs on the fact, the historical truth of the resurrection
of Jesus. The facts: Jesus proved that
he is the messiah by dying for our sins, according to the scriptures and being
buried, and the raising from the dead the third day. The evidence is clear, the question is, how
will we respond?
What would God have
me to do in response to this passage? As
we start out a new year, does it occur to you that this could be the year that
Jesus returns? The One who conquered death and returned to heaven and sat down
at the Father’s right hand, will come again. Could it be 2016? Perhaps! Whether
in 2016, or 500 years from now, our mission is still urgent for this
generation. We have been entrusted with a mission: lift up the name of Jesus in
all the earth, proclaim the message of His grace to those who will hear. Our
purpose is to know God and make Him known. Our vision is to be “A community of
Christ followers, rooted in the Word, treasuring God as supremely valuable, and
proclaiming the riches of His grace to the world. Is that your vision as well?
Will you recommit to doing your part in 2016?
It starts, for every one of us, with our personal walk with God.
That means making time to be in the Word devotionally, praying, alone, and when
possible with other believers. It means coming to meetings like this expectantly,
ready to worship. The elders are in
agreement that small groups provide a great context for discipleship to happen,
to learn and grow in community, to hold each other accountable. And we are all called to be His witnesses.
That means prioritizing this year our “oikos,”
the 8-15 people that we regularly interact with and influence. Is it
reasonable, that on average, every one could reach one this year? With God all
things are possible! Think about that. Amen.
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