Sermon: What Does the Bible Say About the Resurrection?

Good evening. It's good to see you all this evening. If you would take a Bible in hand and open with me to the book of one Corinthians and chapter 15.

We have been tackling topics that are related to the subject of death and dying throughout the fall. And tonight we have the privilege of thinking about the resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the resurrection of every body and every buddy from the dead. And so, uh, tonight we're gonna read from one Corinthians chapter 15, just a word of intro since we're just sort of, uh, diving into this book

and into this chapter. Uh, one Corinthians 15 is, as one commentator writes the classical Christian discussion of the subject. Um, we're not gonna read all of the texts, I'll explain here in a minute, but if you could take some time and just read through one Corinthians 15, you will see why that commentator is right. This is the the pinnacle text of, of the topic of the resurrection in the whole Bible. Now, just another word

before we begin, uh, verse 12 is the key verse in the chapter. It's a key verse. Paul is writing here in this chapter about the resurrection of the dead because as he says there in that particular verse, there are some in Corinth who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They say it will not happen, it does not exist. So just for your own mind, that verse is why what he's saying there, that verse is why Paul is writing this text, um,

these beautiful verses in the first place. So let's read together one Corinthians 15 and I'll read verses one through 28 this evening.

Now I would remind you brothers of the gospel, I preach to you which you received in which you stand, and by which you are being saved. If you hold fast to the word I preach to you, unless you believed in vain, I delivered to you as of first importance. What I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared

to CFUs then to the 12. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. I am the least of the apostles unworthy 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.

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me, whether then it was I or they. So we preach. And so you believed. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead, but if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise. If it is true that the dead are not raised for, if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins, then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only we are

of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep for as by a man came death by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die. So also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the first fruits, then at his coming, those who belong to Christ then comes the end. When he delivers the kingdom to God, the Father,

after destroying every rule and every authority and power for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 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 accepted, who put all things in subjection under him. 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. Amen. Would you join me as I pray, our Father in heaven, we have just heard your word and we thank you for it. We want to think carefully about this subject and we want to respond properly to you and to your truth. We dare not lean on our own understanding. And so we ask for your help and blessing upon the preaching of your word. For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

Well, dear friends and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christmas season is upon us. Tis the season for wonderful traditions and wonderful treats. Tis the season for delightfully cheery songs and movies and shows, and tis the season when the cheery songs and shows and movies are almost entirely and exclusively about fairytales. Fairytales. Yes, spoiler alert, I'm speaking about Santa and his elves and frosty the snowman and Rudolph

and even the polar express. Now, before you all come after me calling me the Grinch for making this observation, I'm not at all saying that I don't enjoy a good Christmas movie. I just wanna point out that this season, this particular season of the year is filled with a lot of fairy tales. Our focus and attention is given to fairytales. Now, the label fairytale that I'm giving to the entertainment of this particular season is one

of the labels, perhaps the most gentle of the labels, but a label nonetheless that has been used to describe the Christian doctrine of the resurrection. The resurrection to many unbelievers and even some so-called believers is nothing more than a fairytale. It's a fanciful feel good story that is false. It is not true. Uh, in our modern day religious skeptics seek to explain away the resurrection narrative by means of science, a dead person cannot rise.

It is not physically possible. You cannot prove it. Or by psychological theories, all of those people were just duped. They hallucinated, they saw something, it was not true. Liberal Christianity has attempted to explain the resurrection. Figuratively, you know what? It does not actually matter if Jesus actually died, if Jesus actually rose. Again, all that matters is just the idea. The the meaning isn't necessarily in the facts.

And this is not just a modern issue. All the way back to early church history, the gnostics rejected the resurrection because they regarded matter or the body, all that was physical as evil. But we could go back even further in the scriptures themselves, we find examples of those who did not believe in the resurrection. Jesus encountered the Sadducees, Jaime Aeu and philis. They, they swerved from the truth by denying the resurrection.

And here in Corinth in this particular church, there were some who said there is no resurrection of the dead for any number of reasons throughout history, uh, people have treated the resurrection as nothing more than a fairytale. We could spend a lot of time tonight if we wanted to evaluating, surveying all of these different opinions, all of the different things that have been said about the resurrection, Christ's resurrection

and the resurrection of, of all mankind. But what we want to do tonight is not spend our time listening as much to what other people say, but to what the Bible says, what God himself says about the resurrection. So my, my topic tonight is what does the Bible say about the resurrection? We're gonna spend our evening answering that question from the Bible. What we're gonna find is that the Bible presents the resurrection of the dead, not as a fairy tale,

but as a fact of historic eternal proportions for the believer in Christ. A fact, not so much could be said about the subject, but what I want to do tonight is pretty straightforward. I I want us to think about how the resurrection is in accordance with the scriptures. What Paul says in verse four, how the resurrection is fundamental to the gospel and how the resurrection helps believers live here and now.

So first, the resurrection is in accordance with the scriptures. You see that in verse four, Paul writes, Jesus Christ was buried, he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Paul's point here in verse four is, is only about Christ. It's specifically about Christ, his resurrection being in accordance with the scriptures. And what he's saying is that Christ resurrection fulfills the scriptures. It fulfills the Old Testament scriptures.

That's the point Paul is making. And Paul's point is no different than the point Peter makes. For example, in Acts chapter two, his famous Pentecost sermon where he refers to Psalm 16 and he says that Psalm 16 is all about Christ. It was not about David. The holy one is the Christ who is raised from the dead. And Jesus himself understands his resurrection as fulfilling the Old Testament scriptures as well. After he's resurrected in Luke 24, he appears

to his disciples and listen to what he says to them. He says, 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. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer. And on the third day rise from the dead. Christ resurrection is in accordance with the scriptures.

It fulfills the Old Testament, all the prophecies and all the signs about his coming resurrection.

But it's not only Christ's resurrection that is in accordance with the scriptures, it's the resurrection of all mankind, of all people, A general resurrection of believers especially, but of all people that is in accordance with the scriptures. And lemme just put that differently and more simply, the resurrection of the dead is anticipated In the Old Testament, the clearest word that we have in the Old Testament is, is often said

to be Daniel 12 verse two, clearest word of prophecy. It says this. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

So here we have a passage in the Old Testament speaking explicitly about the dead being raised from the ground, those who have died will rise again. And just wanna make the point here at the Bible in Daniel chapter 12, and then elsewhere, as Jesus says himself in John chapter five, speaks of a resurrection of all the dead, not just believers, every person who has ever lived will be raised from the dead and they will be raised from the dead with a body

that is suited to the place where they will spend eternity

either in eternal hell or either in eternal heaven. I'm gonna come back to some of the implications of that later, but I just wanna point it out here because Daniel chapter 12, two that the most often recognize clearest prophecy about the resurrection from the dead includes not just the resurrection of believers but the resurrection of all people who have ever lived.

But it's not just the word of prophecy that we have where the resurrection of the dead is anticipated in the Old Testament, we have Old Testament believers hoping, hoping in the resurrection from the dead. And I want you to imagine, imagine yourself to be, as I explain and read from these uh, two Old Testament believers, imagine yourselves in, in their shoes, in their sandals and how the resurrection of the dead would be such a,

a hopeful anticipation to look ahead to. So job, he's in the, the midst of unimaginable suffering. He's lost absolutely everything. And he says this in Job chapter 19, for I know that my redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth and and after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold and not another. And then Abraham, you remember how God tested him

telling him to sacrifice his only son, his beloved son Isaac. And Abraham obeyed God, he he brought Isaac up onto the mountain, he laid him upon the altar, he took the knife and then God stopped him providing a ram in the place of Isaac. And listen to how Hebrews 11 describes this whole event, comments on it saying Abraham considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, speaking of Isaac, from which figuratively speaking,

he did receive him back. So Old Testament believers are hoping for the resurrection from the dead. And then of course we have Jesus, Jesus who, who says that the Old Testament scriptures prophesied and spoke about the resurrection from the dead. He did so when he rebuked the Sadducees for their denial of the resurrection from the dead. And what Jesus says to the Sadducees is he, he takes them back to Exodus chapter three

where Moses is standing at the burning bush. And from there Jesus is saying that the resurrection exists and Moses believed it. Moses believed in the resurrection of the dead because Moses called the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And so Jesus's point to the Sadducees is this God is not the God of the dead but of the living of the living speaking of a resurrection for all the dead and particularly

for the believers in Christ. And so it's not just one Corinthians 15, it's not just the New Testament that speaks of the resurrection of Christ from the dead and the resurrection of all the dead. But it is the whole counsel of God that testifies to the reality of the resurrection. And so we have reason to say that the resurrection is important to the message of the the scriptures and especially important to the gospel message,

to the gospel message. And in fact, it is fundamental to the gospel message that that is the focus of Paul's argument in one Corinthians 15.

So as Paul rehearses the gospel message that he preached beginning in verse one and through verse 11, Paul says that the doctrine of the death and resurrection of Christ verse three were delivered to them. As of first importance. First importance meaning it is chiefly important. It is the the most significant thing. This is not a matter for dispute or disagreement where good Christians can disagree. There are those categories, but this is not one of them.

The resurrection is fundamental, it's a first tier doctrine. And Paul even more specifically is saying not just that the resurrection in general terms is fundamental to the gospel message, but the bodily resurrection of Christ is fundamental to the gospel message. Paul is emphasizing that point in verses 1, 2 11. Think, just think for a minute, why is it that Paul in verse six, after he is already said that Jesus rose from the dead and that he appeared to some that he

wants to make sure that he says he was, he appeared to at least 500 people. Why is it that Paul is making that point, drawing that out? The reason is that it would be very difficult, wouldn't it for you to get 500 people in one room and to get them all to believe the same lie be very difficult. And so Paul here is, is emphasizing in every way that he knows how to say Jesus Christ rose from the dead in his body, in his body.

It is a fact of history and it is verifiable by witnesses.

Now this fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead in his body was not being questioned by the Corinthian church, they they actually believed that they accepted it. They still maintained it. But Paul begins to say in verse 12, after he is emphasized that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead bodily, he begins to subtly rebuke them and to correct them says, you say that you believe that Jesus Christ from rose from the dead.

But then if you believe that, how can you say that the dead in Christ will not be raised? And so beginning in verse 12, Paul aims to prove that God will raise the corpses, the bodies of believers.

It is not enough to believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, but to deny the resurrection of believers bodies, if you deny the resurrection of believers, you also have to deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. Verse 13, you can't have one without the other. They're inseparable, vitally connected. Either Christ is raised from the dead and believers are too or neither. So Paul then moves on in verses 14 through 18

to give two sets of implications if believers are not raised. Two sets of implications if believers are not raised. Verses 14 and 15 are the implications that concern Paul's ministry. So we see first in verse 14, if Christ has not been raised, if believers bodies, if believers are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, if Christ has not been raised, then implication our preaching is in vain, empty, devoid of any value.

The gospel without the resurrection is as empty as a bathtub without water empty. That bathtub will do no good to clean your children. This gospel will do no good to believers if there's no resurrection. Second implication in verse 15, for Paul's ministry, we are even found to be misrepresenting God.

Paul and the apostles who are preaching this message would have said to be true what isn't true. And so then he is a false witness. He is bearing false witness against the God of truth. That is absurd, that is crazy.

So that's the first set of implications for Paul and for his ministry. If believers are not raised verses 17 and 18, the implications, concern, believers, faith, I want you to consider these personally. Consider these implications for yourself

first in verse 17. Again, if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile. Just like Paul's preaching in that gospel, your faith is futile, it's empty, it's of no use, it's pointless. Why have any faith at all? Their faith is would be in a false message. Their faith would be in a dead man. And as one commentator asks, what help can a corpse give?

It's pointless. Your faith is futile. Second implication from verse 17, you are still in your sins. If Christ died for their sins but was not raised by God in vindication, then there is no forgiveness of sins. And that means believer there would only be judgment to come.

Third implication verse 18, then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. They are lost forever if there is no bodily resurrection. All of these are

devastating implications. I think about that last one about think about some of my loved ones who have preceded me in death to think of them as living their life faithfully for Christ year after year after year, enduring hardships and trials and suffering, putting on their, their gravestone, scriptural messages about the resurrection. And then you think about this, if the dead are not raised, they are perishing. How devastating, how terrible

it should go without saying that these are serious implications for Paul's ministry and for the faith of believers. But Paul says it anyway in verse 19, he says, if in Christ we have hope in this life only we are of all people most to be pitied.

Those are serious implications, but, but verse 20, Christ has been raised from the dead, he has been raised from the dead. All of these implications don't fret about 'em. Christ has been raised from the dead and so too. Then we believers, Paul is absolutely certain, absolutely certain. How is it, how? How does Paul explain this connection between Christ's resurrection and the resurrection of believers? What, what is the connection?

Why are they so vitally connected? Why can't you not separate them? Why can you not have one without the other? How is it that believers can be so sure of their own resurrection because they are certain of Christ's resurrection? Well, the key word, key words rather in are in verse 22, verse 22. For as in Adam all die. So also in Christ. In Christ shall all be made alive. How does Paul explain it? He explains the connection as he does elsewhere.

Union with Christ. Union with Christ is the key. Believers are united to the risen Christ, a union that is produced through the Holy Spirit by faith and it's by virtue of our union with Christ that we receive all the benefits of the redemption purchased by Christ, including our resurrection from the dead, as sure as Christ was raised from the dead. So too will all who are united to him through faith in Christ. That's how we will be raised.

And Paul provides an analogy in verse 20 that I think is helpful, a helpful picture for our minds of how this works. He, he likens Christ's resurrection to that of the first fruits. He says, in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep first fruits are exactly what they sound like. They're exactly what they sound like the the first fruits that are reaped at the time of harvest,

which anticipates a whole harvest, a full harvest that is still to come, sure to come.

I think of this summer we tried gardening for the very first time at our house. And when you see that first tomato coming, it's green, it's growing, and then it starts to turn that shade of orange and then red. It's gonna happen. These seeds that I threw into the ground are going to produce fruit. And from that very first tomato we had assigned, there is many more to come and they came like that. Christ is the first fruit of those

who will be raised from the dead at his coming on the last day. Christ resurrection, inaugurates, the time of the resurrection, the harvest of the resurrection, a whole harvest is sure to come.

Now I told you I would come back to this earlier about how all every person who has ever lived will be raised. And now I want, I want you to think about this friends, because we do not know the day or the hour of the harvest. We do not know the day or the hour when Christ will come and our bodies will be raised from the ground. What we do know is that Jesus says, I am coming soon.

So friends, when Jesus comes, there will be no second chances if that seed has not been cast in the ground and the harvest is not ready to be reaped when Christ comes, that's it. There are no second chances when he comes to gather his harvest. It is only those who belong to Christ. Whether they've already died in Christ or are eagerly awaiting his return, it is only those who belong to Christ that will be resurrected to everlasting life.

I want to just say the, the Christian doctrine of the resurrection is one of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. It's also one of the sweetest doctrines of the Christian faith. But if you do not belong to Christ by faith, this is a, a terrible, a discomfort, a sour doctrine. So if you haven't yet put your faith in Christ, that will you do So tonight, you have an opportunity. The harvest is plentiful.

Jesus says the harvest is plentiful. He will have you for his very own if you will come to him by faith.

This is central to the gospel that you believe in Christ and you believe in his resurrection, and that you then believe in the resurrection of the dead for all those who have died in Christ. So we've considered how the resurrection is in accordance with the scriptures and how it's fundamental to the gospel. How does the certainty of the bodily resurrection help us live here And now I wanna just give you three ways that this doctrine

of the resurrection, the bodily resurrection, helps you as believers to live here and now. First bodily resurrection gives you motivation for sanctification. What you believe about the future, dear Christian, affects how you live now and from the resurrection. We are reminded that our bodies matter and what we do with our bodies matters. And so your future resurrection means that you should consider yourself even now to be dead to sin

and alive to God in Christ and then glorify God in your body.

Now, some of you here, this is particularly comforting, particularly motivating because some of you here tonight feel like you are on the front lines of this war. Pastor Jason talked about the battle that wage is on and some of you feel like, like you are on the front lines, you are seeing all the wins and you are seeing all the losses that are up close and personal. The certainty of the resurrection means that sin your sin, the sin you fight like death

will be swallowed up in victory. It will be swallowed up in victory. You will be victorious. There is no question. And so continue to be as Paul says at the end of this chapter, steadfast, immovable, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain, you will be victorious in the resurrection. Secondly, the certainty of our bodily resurrection helps us and gives us hope in suffering. This world is filled with much suffering.

We, we all know this to be true because we've all experienced it, but sometimes it feels like if we're honest that we as Christians suffer more than other people in an inordinate amount of suffering comes especially to God's people. Sometimes it feels as Christians like we have received the sentence of death as Paul believed about himself in two Corinthians one. And the reality is this should come as no surprise because Christ himself experienced suffering.

He experienced trouble and hatred. And if he experienced it, then he says, we too ought to expect it. But just think again, thinking like Paul's logic, if if we are expected to endure suffering in our bodies to such a great degree without any hope beyond this life, hope of recompense, hope of reward for what we have endured, then we are, as Paul says, to be pitied. What a, what a miserable life we would lead and what a miserable future we would have.

If there is no resurrection from the dead, then we might as well eat, drink and be merry as Paul says in the text. But you see, however, that the resurrection teaches us that our great hope exists beyond this life. Our great hope exists in the future to come our lives. Our hope is patterned after that of Christ, one Peter one suffering, then glory. That's how it was for Christ. And that's how it is for those who follow him suffering.

Then glory, Hebrews 12, two, for the joy set before Christ, the other side of the cross, the resurrection, he endured it and he despised the shame. Your brothers and sisters, God is not cruel, he is not unjust, he is good. And as Jesus reminded the Sadducees with his teaching on the resurrection, God is powerful. Powerful. He will transform our lowly bodies to be like Christ's glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3 21, our perishable, our perishable bodies will be raised imp, perishable, our Im our mortal bodies immortal. They'll be raised in glory and power and, and so we ought to be able to say with Paul who, who says in Philippians three 10, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings becoming like him and his death, that by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

You can only say that if you know the resurrection is coming, the hope that you have is in the life to come and in the resurrection to come. So it gives the believer hope and suffering. And then finally, this resurrection gives both comfort and confidence in death. Comfort death remains an enemy. Death still has a a sting, and it will until the final resurrection, when death shall be no more. And so it's proper to mourn death because it is an enemy.

But we mourn with hope. We mourn with hope because we know for certain that those who die in Christ will rise their soul. The souls of believers are immediately perfect in holiness and pass into glory. But they're the bodies of our loved ones which are still being united to Christ will rest in their graves till the resurrection. But when Christ comes, they will be united again. It's a comfort. It's a comfort in the face of death.

But we also should have confidence in death as believers death is ultimately powerless against the believer Christ defeated death in his resurrection. We are victors in him. We do not need to fear death because we, as the catechism says, we belong to him in body and soul, in life and in death. Death is not the end. We will rise and we will be made like him. So the resurrection is in accordance with the scriptures. It's fundamental to the gospel.

And it's a hope, a motivation, and a comfort for the believer. Amen and amen. Will you join me as I pray our Father in heaven, we give you thanks that you are powerful, that you are good, that you make promises that you will keep. And we thank you for the certainty that we have, that we will rise when Jesus returns. We're certain of this because we are certain that you raised your son, our savior from the dead. And we're thankful that in Him we have all the benefits

of his redemption, justification, adoption, sanctification. Glorification. Oh Lord, you are so good to us. And we pray that as we go about our activities and our work, our relationships this week, that this doctrine of the resurrection, this hope for the resurrection, will influence absolutely everything we do because it has changed everything about our lives. So we pray for this help and we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.