Making Sense of Life Through Death and Resurrection 1...
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Making Sense of Life Through Death and Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 We’re here this morning celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. We can’t talk about the Resurrection without talking about death. It’s an uncomfortable subject because death, like an armed thief in a dark alley, strikes fear in our hearts. If death is an armed thief, you will not be able to truly live with joy and freedom until you are able to disarm the fear he brings. This is really what all religions and systems of philosophy are trying to do. They are trying to de-fang death so that we can truly live. Listen to how one author describes this: "If you cannot make sense of death, you cannot make sense of life either; and no philosophy that will not teach us how to master death is worth two pence to us." J.I. Packer The unknown of death is like a wild animal loose in the yard that will keep you from enjoying the outdoors. So, we want to spend some time this morning thinking about what Scripture teaches us about death and the resurrection so that we can truly live. Even if you have heard these things before, we are forgetful people. I had a boss in California who was very bright and ran a successful business, but who would consistently wake up on his birthday and forget that it was his birthday. His wife had to remind him of it. Humans forget and so let’s be reminded of the good news this morning. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:1. Paul is going to remind his listeners of some of the most basic truths they know, the gospel. And he’s going to use this brief reminder of the gospel to launch into an extended explanation of one of the most neglected truths of the gospel, the resurrection. Paul’s basic point in this explanation of the gospel is to affirm the historical reality of the resurrection of Jesus and then to say, because Christ was raised bodily, you and I will be raised bodily as well. This is what your future looks like and this is good news. Your bodily resurrection will happen in a moment and it will be a decisive moment of change. Look at verse 51 and 52. Whether you are alive at the coming
of Christ or whether you died 500 years ago, your physical body will be changed and you will receive a resurrected body. Look at verse 53. So, the resurrection is secure, and it equals change, but Paul ends this fantastic chapter by showing some of the outcomes of this reality. So, in verses 54-58 we are going to see 4 outcomes of the Resurrection that Make Sense of Death and Life. 1. Death is Defeated (vv. 54-55) A few minutes ago, we talked of death as an armed thief seeking to do us harm. I want to fill out that picture of death a little from what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15. If we are going to celebrate the good news of the resurrection and deaths defeat, then we need to understand this enemy. Look back to 15:21 and 22. Death came into the world through a man, specifically Adam. This tells us that death is an aberration. He is an intruder. God’s original design in creation was not to include death. He’s like an unwanted house guest who starts a fire in the back room. Death is here to do harm and corrupt God’s good world. But also notice in verse 32 that death isn’t something we will only encounter at the end of life. Our perception of death shapes the way we live now. If this life is all we have and death is the final black termination point, then we may as well throw caution to the wind and party it up in all the wrong ways. Every person on earth lives based on a philosophy of death and the afterlife. And finally, concerning death, look at verse 26. Death is the last enemy. In other words, he is the ultimate foe that we face. Why? At the fall it's not just that Adam and Eve would physically die one day. They "died" the moment they sinned. Their bodies became mortal and faulty. They experienced isolation from God. Death is a separating of that which goes together. Think about it. When you die, your loved ones will put your body in the ground, but your soul will be elsewhere. When people say, "That's just a shell of him or her, he's not really there" I want to say, no. That's a part of him or her. You are your physical body, your soul, and your spirit. All are meant to work together and death creates a schism in what God has put together. So, death is the ultimate enemy.
Understanding death is vital because of what Paul does in verses 54-55. Look there with me. He’s describing this decisive change when our mortal bodies become immortal and he uses the word “when” because he’s telling us what else will happen and what this change means. You can see at the end of v. 54 and then in verse 55 he uses some OT passages here. Without going into all the OT background, Paul is personifying death so that he can mock it. He addresses death as a person here and he uses these questions as a taunt. I used to play basketball a lot when I was younger and there’s nothing more infuriating than when an opposing player is better than you, he can prove it on the court over and over again, and he taunts and trash talks you. He says things like, “You call that a shot?” “What are you even doing on the court?” Paul is taunting our most significant enemy here because of his hope and confidence in the resurrection. Listen to Isaiah 25:6-8, where part of this passage it quoted from. Paul can mock death here because what actually gives death it’s power has been defeated as well. And this is our second outcome of Christ’s resurrection. 2. Sin is Defeated (vv. 55-56) You can see at the end of verse 55 he mocks death for losing its sting. Think of a Scorpion that has had it’s stinger removed. It may get mad and try over and over again to mess you up, but it has no ability to bring harm anymore. That is exactly what has happened to death. So, what is death’s sting? Look at verse 56. Death only came into the world at all because of sin. Listen to Genesis 2:16-17. This is exactly what happened. Now the entire human race has been confronted with this enemy, this armed thief. Listen to Romans 6:23. Sin involves breaking God’s commands. It involves worshiping some aspect of the creation rather than the good Creator. Sin is a tragic turning from trust in God and His Word to self in pride and arrogance. Our sin is what armed death and he also says that the law only increased our awareness of sin and participation in it. Listen to Romans 7:7-8. Our hearts are so sinful that when confronted with God’s holy commands we buck against them and want to disobey even more. The problem is not with the law but with us! Here’s a picture to help you grasp how the law gives sin power.
If sin is like the venom in the stinger then the stinger has been drained of its power and then removed. How? Our third outcome. 3. Final Victory is Won for Us (v. 57) Paul has been clear that the enemy has been defeated, the armed thief has been disarmed and thrown in prison, and that the scorpion has lost its sting. Victory has been won. Look at verse 57. How exactly does Jesus accomplish this victory over sin and death? This is the gospel message that Paul is reminding the Corinthians of in 15:3. When mankind sinned God put in motion a plan to win the victory over sin and set things right. Death was an intruder, but God would forcibly remove him from God’s good world. That plan culminated with Jesus Christ coming to earth, living a sinless life, and dying, undeserved on the cross for our sins. Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:21. God the Son, Jesus Christ, took sin on Himself and received the full judgment of God’s just wrath over sin even though he didn’t deserve it. He was the sacrificial lamb for you. And, after suffering the penalty of sin, death, he rose from the grave 3 days later, defeating death and showing His power over it. He disarmed it and nullified its sting. Jesus Christ accomplished this but notice how verse 57 phrases it. God gives us the victory. All of this happens as a gift of undeserved divine grace. You cannot do anything to earn this victory. We are not good enough, smart enough, rich enough, or unique enough. It’s like inheriting Bill Gate’s fortune because your cousin married into the family. You did nothing to earn it. It’s a gift of family association. Now, this victory will be finally realized the moment our bodies are changed and the mortal puts on immortality. But this gift is sure and firm right now, today if you are united with Jesus Christ. That means that through Jesus you don’t have to fear death. Death has already lost its sting and authority over you. You will pass from this life to the next but as a believer you can do that with complete confidence. Sin no longer can control you and dominate you. Through Jesus Christ you and I stand in this victory right now. Remember how Paul phrased this in 15:1-2.
Because we are standing in these victorious truths now, our daily lives will be changed. This is our 4th outcome of the resurrection. 4. Our Daily Work is Transformed (v. 58) Look at verse 58 and notice the word therefore to start this verse. Here are the implications for daily life. We are to be steadfast and immovable while at the same time abounding. How can you remain immovable while also abounding? The very way we are to be steadfast and immovable is to never let anything divert us from the work of the Lord. In other words, our steadfastness is a fixture on abounding in God's Work. Think of this steadfastness as the consistency it takes to climb Mt. Everest. Did you know that the entire ascent up Mt. Everest takes 6 weeks or longer and it's actually a series of smaller ascents and then descents? In other words, you don't start at the bottom and make your way straight up, stopping along the way. You get to base camp, at 18k feet, and then hike up to camp 1 and back down. Then you hike to camp 2 and back down. You must acclimate to the altitude. But no matter what part of the ascent you are on, it takes a great amount of steadfastness to summit Everest. Every day of the 6 weeks is spent with the ultimate goal in mind, despite the actual location of the climber on the mountain. Paul and other NT writers view the life of faith as one of activity. He uses both the words work and labor here. Labor is exactly what you think it is. It's toil, hard work, effort. Notice what this consistency keeps us from at the end of verse 58. What could be worse than laboring in vain? Laboring in vain is digging a ditch and then filling it in with dirt. It's pointless. Paul says that if Christ was not raised then our faith is in vain in 1 Corinthians 15:17. But, if Christ has been raised then even the smallest work done for His cause and for His sake is not in vain. So, keep serving in nursery. Keep visiting widows. Keep praying for the elders. Keep loving your husband. Keep discipling your children. Keep speaking words of grace to your co-workers. Because, you will be changed.
But keep in mind that the work done here is animated and empowered by the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death. Your work matters because Christ won the victory and because those around you are going to live forever. So, let’s return to the quote from the beginning of our time together. "If you cannot make sense of death, you cannot make sense of life either; and no philosophy that will not teach us how to master death is worth two pence to us." J.I. Packer Based on what we’ve studied this morning, the Christian faith as taught in the Bible has a very clear explanation of death and tells us that death has been mastered. Victory has been won. The last enemy has been defeated and this dramatically alters daily life. My question for you this morning is two-fold. First, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, does your life philosophy teach you how to master death? If not, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. Second, if you are a believer and a member of this church this morning, are you consciously reminding yourself of these truths so that you can live in this “therefore” of verse 58? Let’s Pray.
