The First Fruits
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
April 12, 2020
Tonight we want to CONTINUE OUR CELEBRATION of the fact that
We serve a risen Savior.
And we want to do that by looking at a few verses
Here in the famous 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians.
We recognize this chapter as the pinnacle chapter
On the need for and the power of and the particulars of
And the effect of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
There is so much truth just in this one chapter regarding the resurrection.
It of course ends with that famous declaration of Paul.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We are reminded that while death is certainly a consequence of sin,
God (as He does all things)
Has even CAUSED DEATH TO BE GOOD for those who love Him.
God promises that all death can do is usher us into His glorious presence.
These physical bodies were never fit for an eternal heaven.
This “flesh and blood” cannot inherit it.
There MUST BE A SETTING ASIDE of this earthly flesh,
And the primary way that this occurs is through death.
But when that happens to a believer
Paul makes this profound and wonderful statement, “then will come about the saying, “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
Death is certainly a cause for anxiety as our world has recently proved.
• Some fear death in general.
• Some fear the process of death.
• Some fear the uncertainty of death.
• Some fear the finality of death.
But Paul here gives the universal proclamation
Of every single believer who ever experiences death.
The universal proclamation of those in Christ
Who walk into the valley of the shadow of death,
“Is that it? Is that all you’ve got?”
“O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
Those in Christ will walk into death’s dark valley and realize that
All the anxiety, all the fear, all the sorrow, all the uncertainty,
WAS ALL WAY OVERHYPED.
DEATH HAS BEEN DEFEATED.
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Certainly a study of 1 Corinthians 15 is meant to leave every believer
With a sigh of relief regarding the process and power of death.
In Christ Jesus there is nothing to fear.
Perhaps in that light we can better understand how Paul could say:
Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Or
Philippians 1:23 “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;”
All death can do is usher a believer into the presence of their Savior.
There is no reason to fear.
THAT IS PART OF WHAT WE CELEBRATE HERE THIS EVENING.
Lack of fear is a consequence of what happened
On the first Easter Sunday morning.
As one German writer put it:
“We live between two Easters. And in the power of the first Easter, we go to the second Easter.”
That is what we want to focus on tonight.
We want to look at the first Easter, because in that first Easter
We find our confidence that the next Easter is on its way.
For just a little BACKGROUND to 1 Corinthians 15.
The theological problem is actually specifically laid out for us.
1 Corinthians 15:12 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
The problem is clear.
There are some in Corinth
Who do not believe in a bodily resurrection of believers.
The reason for this doubt is even explained.
1 Corinthians 15:35 “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”
They could not wrap their minds around
A physical bodily resurrection of the saints.
How can a decomposed body in the ground rise again?
• It didn’t make sense.
• And so they denied it.
Now, let me tell you what they DID NOT DENY.
They were NOT doubting that Christ rose from the dead.
Believing that is a prerequisite for salvation
Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”
If you don’t believe Christ was raised from the dead
Then you are not a Christian at all.
That was not the issue.
They believed in the resurrection of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”
Paul does leave in there the possibility that perhaps they didn’t really believe
Like they said, but that’s not the real thrust.
They did claim to believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
The Corinthians believed the gospel.
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THEY HAD NOT
ACCEPTED THE FULL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE GOSPEL.
They believed the FACTS about Christ accomplished
Without believing the BENEFITS of what He accomplished.
• There were philosophers in their day who denied the resurrection as absurd and unpractical and nonsensical.
• With, as we said, their main objection being that it would be nothing short of some sort of zombie apocalypse.
And so the Corinthians, as they were at times prone to do,
Chose to save face in an academic world
By rejecting some of the supernatural claims of the gospel.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul sets out to correct this area of deception.
• It is not so much a chapter meant to prove the resurrection of Jesus (though it clearly does)
• As much as it is a chapter meant to prove the effects of the resurrection in the lives of believers.
This chapter is meant to show all who believe in Christ
That the resurrection of Jesus proves resurrection for us.
Because Jesus stepped out of the grave,
• We don’t just have the promise of forgiveness and eternal life (something the Corinthians believed)
• But we also have the promise of our own bodily resurrection.
The first Easter proves the second Easter.
For time’s sake we are only going to exposit three verses,
But we will look at a few others in the chapter as we go along.
We are going to primarily study 1 Corinthians 15:20-22.
And we can break those three verses down into 3 points.
#1 THE EVENT
1 Corinthians 15:20a
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead”
• It is the undeniable fact that Paul has just proven.
• It is the essential truth on which Christianity rests.
• It is the event which solidifies the perfect righteousness of Christ and therefore that His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father.
IT IS HUGE!
And if you are into EVIDENCE as to why we know
“Christ has been raised from the dead” the Bible gives us some.
Paul lays out some at the beginning of this very chapter.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
One of the reasons we know Christ rose is very simply the eye-witness accounts.
• As one historian put it, according to eye-witness testimony. Namely those who can verify seeing Christ alive, then dead, then alive again.
• By simply looking at eye-witness testimonies and the sheer number of people who were eye-witnesses.
• It is historically easier to prove that Jesus is alive than it is to prove that George Washington or Oliver Cromwell is dead.
It is a strong evidence.
Of course some have accused the eye-witnesses
Of lying about their account of the resurrection.
They claim it was an invented conspiracy meant to deceive.
And things like that do happen in the world.
The problem with that notion is that
• Before Jesus rose, these so-called deceivers were filled with fear, trembling,
and hiding out.
• They fled from death, they fled from persecution, and they wanted no part of
suffering.
And yet, after they claimed Jesus rose,
• They had tremendous boldness.
• They faced arrest, flogging, torture, imprisonment, and martyrdom
• Instead of denying this story that they were accused of inventing.
Obviously they believed their message was true.
But I’ll even tell you that eye witnesses and other apologetic arguments
Are NOT THE STRONGEST defense of the resurrection of Jesus.
There is one undeniable proof of the resurrection of Jesus
That far outdistances every other proof.
It has far more power, far more credibility, and cannot be broken.
It is the one reason we believe Jesus rose more than any other.
SCRIPTURE SAYS HE DID.
Paul even pointed that out.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”
Do you remember when Jesus appeared to the men on the road to Emmaus and they were distraught because Jesus was dead?
Luke 24:21-27 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
These men doubted the resurrection despite eye-witness testimony.
And Jesus rebuked them for their foolishness and lack of belief.
But He DIDN’T rebuke them for failing to believe the women.
He rebuked them for failing to believe the prophets (the O.T. Scriptures)
And then Jesus opened their eyes and He explained the Scriptures.
• Not apologetic proofs…
• Not scientific arguments…
When Jesus wanted to solidify their faith that He was alive
(and bear in mind they didn’t know it was Him yet)
He preached the Scriptures to them.
There’s your ultimate and concrete proof.
The Bible says Jesus rose from the dead.
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead,”
• You can read that here.
• You can read it in Psalms 16.
• You can read it in every account of the gospels.
• You can read it several times throughout the book of Acts.
The Bible is loud and clear about this fact.
Jesus was dead, He was buried, and God raised Him from the dead.
And this fact of His resurrection IS HUGE for the Christian faith.
(12-19) Paul actually laid out for the Corinthians
What the negative ramifications would be if Jesus were not raised.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact 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 worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
THE GOSPEL IS POWERLESS
“our preaching is vain, your faith is vain”
THE APOSTLES ARE FALSE WITNESSES (THE BIBLE IS NOT TRUE)
“Moreover we are found to be false witnesses of God”
FAITH IS WORTHLESS, FORGIVENESS IS A MYTH
“your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
DEAD BELIEVERS ARE IN HELL
“those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”
BELIEVERS ARE FOOLISH IDIOTS
“we are of all men most to be pitied.”
The resurrection is a big deal.
But we rejoice bed “Christ has been raised from the dead.”
1. His sinless perfection has been proved.
2. His work on the cross is validated.
3. He has saved those who believe in Him.
Romans 4:25 “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”
4. The cross has been validated.
5. Salvation has been confirmed.
6. God raised Him proving that we have in fact been justified.
That is good news! That is THE EVENT.
#2 THE EFFECT
1 Corinthians 15:20b
And this really zeroes in on the doubt of the Corinthians.
“the first fruits of those who are asleep.”
“asleep” there is of course A REFERENCE TO DEATH.
Paul says that Christ was raised, “the first fruits of those who are [dead]”
What does he mean by “first fruits”?
Well anyone who farms or has planted a garden
Knows what “first fruits” are.
They are the first piece of fruit that comes off the plant.
They are the first vegetable picked off of the vine.
PAUL’S POINT IS SIMPLE
The “first fruits” were simply an indicator that more is on the way.
They were a visual promise of a greater harvest yet to come.
• Last year HANNAH pulled her first squash sometime in late April, little did
she know that way more was on the way. Hundreds of them!
That is what Paul points out here.
• The resurrection of Christ certainly proves Christ’s righteousness.
• The resurrection of Christ certainly proves justification is true.
• The resurrection of Christ certainly proves salvation occurred.
• The resurrection of Christ certainly proves eternal life is real.
BUT THAT IS NOT ALL IT PROVES.
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST ALSO PROVES
THAT WE WILL BE RAISED AS WELL.
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 6:37-40 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
And here we learn that all of those promises from Jesus
Were validated when He stepped out of the grave.
His resurrection proved that the others will come too.
And so what we are seeing here is that
His resurrection was more than just theological proof of salvation. His resurrection is also a credible hope that we stand on.
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
We have hope of our own resurrection because of Jesus’ resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
We believe that Jesus died and rose and so
We believe that the dead in Christ will rise too.
Ephesians 1:18-20 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”
Paul said, “Do you understand what sort of power is working for you?”
It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead
And seated Him above everything in the heavenly places.
The same power that raised Him is the power that will raise you!
WE HAVE HOPE!
Before Jesus was raised we might wonder if it was possible.
Now, I know there were other people who were raised.
• Jairus’ daughter
• The widow’s son
• Lazarus
But Jesus was the first to rise to never die again.
His was a special resurrection.
And we might wonder if such a thing were even possible.
YES IT IS!! We saw it happen with Jesus and so we know it can happen for us.
He was “the first fruits”
Hebrews 2:14-16 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.”
We no longer fear death.
We are no longer enslaved.
• Because Jesus rose we know we will rise.
• He was the first, but many more are coming.
• His resurrection provided that living hope.
And so you see Paul isn’t so much defending forgiveness here
As He is defending that because of Christ you will rise from the dead too.
THE GOAL AND THE AIM IS TO REMOVE ALL FEAR OF DEATH.
It is to set you free from the concerns that currently plague our world.
Death has no power!
Death has been defeated!
Christ defeated it!
And everyone in Christ will rise too!
What is there to fear?
That’s the point.
But this isn’t Paul’s first rodeo.
He’s been in plenty of debates before.
THE QUESTION ISN’T whether or not Christ rose.
• They believed that.
• And they understand his logic that Christ is the first of many.
BUT HERE’S THE QUESTION:
• Just because one man rose, why do you think that means the rest of us will?
• Just because something happened to one man, why do you think the same thing will happen to the rest of us?
Well, here comes the evidence.
It’s that beloved illustration of Adam.
The Event, The Effect
#3 THE EVIDENCE
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
“For since by a man came death, but a man also come the resurrection of the dead.”
If you don’t know what he is talking about look at the next verse…
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
Now some of you are well-acquainted with this analogy,
But it’s quite likely that some of you don’t know what he is talking about.
Paul is talking about the reality of a causal relationship.
Let me give you AN EXAMPLE you are likely more familiar with.
Exodus 20:5-6 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Now Scripture teaches that
• God does not punish the children for the sins of the fathers.
• Nor can a man’s righteousness save his children.
Rather what Moses speaks of is that the effects of a father’s life
May certainly penetrate and trickle down through his children.
We share in the effects of the consequences of the actions of our fathers.
There is a causal-effect that passes down.
And ultimately what Paul wants you to see is that
As children of God through Christ; if you are in Christ,
Then you receive the effect of His work.
His blessings and His rewards pass down through Him to you.
You will receive what He received.
And SOMEONE MIGHT ASK, how does that work?
• Well, you’ve seen it before. You saw it in Adam
We all know the story so we don’t have to turn there,
• But in Genesis we find there was a specific command. “Don’t eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or you will die.”
• Defying that command, Adam ate from the tree, and what was the effect? Eventually he died.
Genesis 5:5 “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.”
So Adam ate, Adam sinned, and Adam died
As a result of breaking God’s command.
But something peculiar happened after that.
Aside from Eve NO ONE ELSE ATE from that tree,
Yet we SEE THE SAME FATE reoccurring.
Read Genesis 5 sometime.
• “Seth…and he died”
• “Enosh…and he died”
• “Kenan…and he died”
• “Malalalel…and he died”
• And so on, and so on, and so on.
Wait! Only Adam ate, but everyone kept dying.
That is because Adam’s one act affected all his progeny
Everyone who was “in Adam” received the same fate as Adam.
Romans 5:12-14 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”
Paul says there the same thing.
And even explains a little more.
• We know that sin is the cause of death, but from Adam to Moses there were no
commands.
• So no sin could be adequately charged since no laws could be broken.
• And yet people still died.
• It is because the one act of Adam affected all those who were in Adam.
• And that is all of humanity.
The consequence of one man’s actions can spread to all his progeny.
There is a causal-effect.
We all got death because Adam got death and we were in Adam.
THAT IS UNDENIABLE FACT.
• We all die.
• No arguing it.
BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS.
(22) “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
DON’T MISREAD THAT STATEMENT.
Paul is NOT promoting universalism as if to say that
Every single human will be made alive just because Christ rose.
Paul IS SAYING that as everyone “in Adam” dies,
So also everyone “in Christ” will be made alive.
We are all born in Adam and so we all die.
Those who are born again are in Christ and they will be “made alive”
One man’s actions and one man’s consequences
Are applied down through His progeny.
Romans 5:18-19 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”
So you see what Paul is proving.
NAMELY THIS:
• When we saw Adam die it should have put a pit in our stomach
knowing that thanks to him death is coming for us all.
• But also when we see Christ rise it should fill us with hope
knowing that thanks to Him, all of us who are in Him, will rise
from the dead.
Do you see that?
• Christ really is “the first fruits”
• Christ’s resurrection gives us hope of what is to come.
Just like Adam gave us fear and death.
Christ gives us life and hope.
And this is what Paul wanted for the Corinthians.
What a horrible condition to live in to think that death is final.
IT IS NOT
Christ rose (first Easter)
If we are in Christ we will rise (second Easter)
NOW LET ME BRING THIS HOME TO YOU ON THIS EASTER SUNDAY.
First, everyone here was born in Adam. (death is coming)
• If you are not in Christ then death is all you will ever receive.
• First you get the first death, which is the death of this body.
• And then receive the second death, which is eternity in hell.
Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Apart from Christ there is only death.
The first death and then the second.
• If you have NOT BELIEVED in Christ.
• If you have NOT TRUSTED in Him.
• If you have NOT FORSAKEN your own goodness as insufficient before the Father and run to Jesus for forgiveness and righteousness.
Then the first death should terrify you
Because all that waits on the other side is judgment.
I would invite you to repent of your sin,
Forsake your own “goodness” and run to Jesus for forgiveness.
Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN IN CHRIST
But if you have believed in Christ and confessed Him as Lord than let me give you the greatest word of hope I know to give.
THERE IS NO REASON TO FEAR DEATH
• It is not final
• It is not permanent
• It’s not even strong anymore, Christ defeated it
Our world is spiraling into fear of death.
• They have proven that fear of death is greater than fear of poverty
• They have proven that fear of death is greater than fear of inconvenience
• They have proven that fear of death is greater than fear of loneliness
• They have proven that fear of death is greater than fear of hunger
Because our world quickly handed over all those things
In order to try and escape death.
Fear of death is real, but for those in Christ it is not necessary.
Death cannot hold you.
In Christ it can only introduce you to your Savior face to face.
Jesus is alive, there is no reason to fear.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
