Because He Lives! I Corinthians 15:27-34

Because He lives!

I Corinthians 15:27-34

Introduction:   A teacher was testing her class’s knowledge of popular proverbs, so she asked, “Cleanliness is next to what?”  One boy answered with real feeling, “Impossible!” We’ve been talking a lot this year about living as “Pilgrims in a fallen world.” Living in a fallen world, godly living, is not easy, but it is not impossible, at least not if we are living our life in submission to the Spirit as God intended. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain. This week the “Soldiers of Jesus” motorcycle club participated in the motorcade to the burial of little Noah Chamberlain, the 2 year old boy who wandered off and was lost in the Tennessee woods. Such heartbreak for that family!  How can we have hope, when there is so much suffering in the world? Why do we follow Jesus when Christians suffer too?  Last week we prayed for the Abate family.  Charles, who was a deacon at one of our supporting churches, lost his son to brain cancer only a month after his wife had died of cancer. How do you survive such a devastating one-two punch?  The only way, it seems to me, is to have a hope that is sure, that goes beyond this present evil age, that is assured that we are pilgrims in this fallen world, we are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20.21). The only way is to know that God has a future for us that is better than we can possibly imagine. Believers can persevere because we trust God’s promise that the suffering of this present age is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. And so we mourn, but not as those who have no hope. That truth is at the heart of this chapter. The resurrection means life!

The Context: Paul is answering some false teachers who denied the idea of a future resurrection of believers. He has made it clear that the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus guarantees the future resurrection of believers. This is our fourth venture into this great “resurrection chapter” with Paul. We’ve seen in 15:1-11 the historical basis for our hope, the eyewitnesses to resurrection. And so “Because Jesus lives we have a sure hope for the future and the power to live joyfully today.” In vv.12-20 we saw that “God’s plan for believers ultimately includes victory over death, including a new body, as evidenced in the resurrection of Jesus Himself” (more on that next week!). In 20-26 Paul showed that “The Resurrection of Jesus gives us a firm foundation for our faith and a sure hope for our future, so we have nothing to fear.”  So Paul has been saying that if you deny the resurrection, if you deny this crucial aspect of God’s redemptive plan, you have removed one of the greatest motivations for coming to Christ in faith and for living for Him in hope. What God has done in Christ leaves no doubt that He will bring His plan to completion. In today’s passage Paul urges us to live out the implications of our faith and our hope...

The Maine Idea: Because Jesus is Lord, declared the Son of God in the resurrection, we submit to His Lordship and seek His glory, living as pilgrims in a fallen world. We’ll look at this truth from three perspectives today,

I. The Resurrection proves He is worthy of our worship: He is Lord, Messiah, Son of God, and Savior (27,28).

II. The Resurrection assures us that any suffering we experience in this present age pales in comparison to the joy of knowing Him (29-32)! If Jesus were not who He claimed to be, following Him would not be worth the cost!  And...

III. The Resurrection empowers us to live victoriously, with a sure hope (33-34)!

Let’s look at the passage...

I. The Resurrection proves He is worthy of our worship: He is Lord, Messiah, Son of God, Savior (see Psalm 2; Romans 1:3,4) [vv.27-28].

For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.  ²⁸ When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Think of the One who is being described in these verses! Jesus as the sovereign King over all creation!  I can’t read this passage without thinking of Psalm 2 which may have been in Paul’s mind as he wrote. Read the psalm as the writer describes the spiritual conflict between the kingdom of God and rebellious humanity...

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  ² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed [meshiach], saying,  ³ "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."  ⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  ⁵ Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,  ⁶ "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill."  ⁷ I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.  ⁸ Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.  ⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."  ¹⁰ Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  ¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

By the way, this is one of the few, perhaps the only, passage in the Hebrew Scriptures where the titles Messiah, Son of God, and King come together. What is important to know is that what was promised to the King, God’s Son, in this psalm, is realized the life and work of Jesus.  Romans 1:3,4 points to the resurrection as the “declaration” of the divine sonship of Jesus,

“...who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead...” (NASB).

       The point that Paul seems to be making in this context is that the resurrection of Jesus leaves no doubt about who He is: the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Sovereign King of Kings... Jesus Christ is Lord! Paul told the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:31). That means recognizing and responding to who He is, God the Son, the Word made flesh, and it also means trusting in His finished work as your only hope of salvation. Do you believe Him? Do you know Him? Have you trusted Him? Because of who He is, because of what He has done, we love Him! Psalm 2 is a call to the leaders of the nations, and by extension all humanity, to recognize who Jesus is, and to submit to His lordship. In my doctoral dissertation I argued that John 3:35,36 is a conscious, intentional, allusion to the New Testament implications of Psalm 2,

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.  ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The psalm is a call to submit to Yahweh and his Anointed. How we respond to Jesus is the great dividing point of all humanity. The resurrection gives a historical basis, a motivation to do so. Because Jesus is Lord, declared the Son of God in the resurrection, we submit to His Lordship and seek His glory, living as pilgrims in a fallen world.

II. The Resurrection assures us that any suffering we experience in this present age pales in comparison to the joy of knowing Him (29-32)! If Jesus were not who He claimed to be, following Him would not be worth the cost. Jesus never told his disciples it would be easy. In fact when he first called them he said “If anyone would be my disciple let Him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me!” (Mark 8:34). As he taught them in the upper room he said, “Do not be surprised if the world hates you. It hated me first!” (John 15:18). No wonder Paul says here, if the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!” There would be no reason to follow Him. That seems to be Paul’s emphasis here,

²⁹ Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?  ³⁰ Why am I in danger every hour?  ³¹ I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!  ³² What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 

       Let me say at the outset that verse 29 is one of the most challenging interpretative problems of the New Testament. There is no doubt that Paul knew exactly what he was referring to, and there is no doubt that the Corinthians also immediately understood the reference.  Unfortunately, with the passage of time and the historical and cultural chasm that exists between us and the original situation we just can’t be sure exactly what Paul was referring to. I listened to Allistair Begg’s message on this passage, and he said, “I’ve got no idea what Paul was talking about!” So I checked with John MacArthur’s “Grace to You” site, he has an opinion about just about everything. But with this passage, he said “I’ve got no idea!” Great! Actually there are a lot of ideas, over 200 different suggestions have been suggested in commentaries and journals!  

       In this case we can start with what it cannot mean: that Paul is condoning the idea of someone being “baptized” as a surrogate for someone else, perhaps someone who has already died. There was at least one heretic in the ancient church by the name of Marcion who apparently had that idea. It’s similar to the “surrogate baptism” still practiced by the Mormon church. They have the idea that no one can have eternal life unless they were baptized by a Mormon, or, if a Mormon was baptized in their place.  I remember the story of one lady who was baptized several thousand times for dead relatives, acquaintances, and celebrities. One elder reportedly said, “I believe that this lady, through vicarious baptisms, has saved more people than Jesus himself!” That is obviously a blasphemous statement! We know that Paul couldn’t have such a practice in mind for a few reasons. One, baptism doesn’t save anyone! We are saved by grace through faith. If we die in unbelief, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment.” There are no second chances, and there is no doctrine of salvation apart from faith in the New Testament. So that can’t be it.

       Baptism in the New Testament is almost always associated with believers’ baptism, and that’s the problem here. How would that fit with the phrase, “for the dead (plural)”?  What is Paul talking about? This is my humble suggestion. Paul has been linking in this chapter the idea of the historical resurrection of Jesus and the promise of a future resurrection for believers. Jesus died, He was one of the “dead.”  But then, as the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest, Jesus was resurrected from the dead! Could Paul mean to say here, “If Jesus is just one more dead person, and the dead are not raised so Jesus is not raised, why are people baptized in his name? Why associate with one who is ‘finished’ if He is just one more of the dead? Why be baptized for the dead?” What sets Christianity apart from every other world religion is that we serve a risen Savior! 

       Read 30-32. Why do believers endure hardship and suffering in this life, if the dead are not raised? If the dead are not raised, as he said earlier in the chapter, we are of all men most to be pitied! If there is no resurrection, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Why would Christians desire to live differently than the world? Dr. Daniel quoted the statement of missionary Jim Elliot a couple of weeks ago: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”  The apostle John said it this way in 1 John 2:15-17,   

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  ¹⁶ For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world.  ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The apostle Paul certainly understood the suffering that may come to believers in this fallen world. How long did it take him to experience that after he came to faith? Before he even got out of Damascus, there was a conspiracy to kill him (see Acts 9:19-25; cf. 2 Cor 11:23-29)! Why do believers stand firm, if they are not exempted from suffering? Because Jesus wins, He is Lord, declared the Son of God in the resurrection, so this life is not all there is. We submit to His Lordship and seek His glory, living as pilgrims in a fallen world.

III. The Resurrection empowers us to live victoriously, with a sure hope (33-34).

³³ Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."  ³⁴ Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. 

      Godliness isn’t easy, but it is not impossible! I like J.B. Philips paraphrase of Romans 12:2, “Don’t let the world force you into it’s mold!” The NLT says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world...” Here Paul warns them, using a popular proverb, “Bad company ruins good morals.” The old KJV said “...evil communications...” The word here, homilia, is clearly the word we get “homily” from in English. The idea is not “company” in the sense of simply being there with another, but there is speech, even teaching, that is somehow involved. I am reminded of Job’s friends, who sat with him for a while, but eventually began to give their explanations of why he was suffering. “Bad company” wants to push us toward their way of thinking, maybe the politically correct or popular thinking. This is the challenge: How can we be “in” the world, but not “of” the world?  We need to be light in the world, how else are we going to “go and make disciples”? We need to be in the world—how else will they hear? But we need to be fed, and protected, and held accountable by other believers. We need to be equipped so that we know whom we have believed, and so that we are ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us.

       V.34 is strong language, “Wake up from you drunken stupor...”!  The picture is someone hung over from night of excess, in a daze, unresponsive to the reality of what is happening around him. It’s the word that the Septuagint used in Genesis 9:24 when Noah woke up from his drunkenness. It’s used in the stern warning of the prophet Joel in Joel 1:5, “Awake you drunkards and weep...!” Not just sleepiness, but grogginess that results from excess, “hung over.” Understand what you are doing, see the truth about the divisions and pride that are dividing the church in Corinth!  Friends, the same enemy that was at work then to blind and divide and discourage, is going about as a roaring lion, seeking his prey today. He would deceive and discourage. He would want you to forget God’s grace and God’s calling. If there is a voice that is telling you to give up, to forget our mission, to forsake the assembling with other believers, it doesn’t come from God.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Because Jesus is Lord, declared the Son of God in the resurrection, we submit to His Lordship and seek His glory, living as pilgrims in a fallen world.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Cleanliness might be next to impossible (especially for little boys) but God has given us what we need to live the Christian life. If we are truly submitting to His lordship, that means obedience is not an option. In fact if we believe Him, if we recognize who He is and trust in what He did for us in His death and resurrection, we’ll find joy in obeying Him! Remember the struggles in the Corinthian church. They were prideful. They were divided. They were living in a perverse society and in many points they were conforming to the world rather than allowing God to transform them by his power. They weren’t living in the power of the first Easter. That was a past event for which they were thankful, but they didn’t allow it to impact their living. Paul said back in chapter three, many of them were guilty of living just like the world. That may be just a little convicting because it sounds to me a lot like the American church in the 21^st century. We have so much it’s easy to forget we are pilgrims. We are strangers and aliens in this fallen world. We can get so busy that we forget God chose us, on purpose, for a purpose. That means using our gifts to build each other up. It means not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together—we need each other. And it means carrying out the mission He has entrusted to us, declaring the gospel to those around us who are lost and heading toward hell. There are suffering people all around us. Many have no hope.  When Jesus looked on the multitude He was moved with compassion, because they were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” May we have our Father’s eyes, may we see our neighbors as He does. May we love them enough to “give a reason for the hope that is in us.”  Jesus said to his followers, “You will weep... but your sorrow will be turned to joy!” Think about that. AMEN!