Because He Lives
Because He Lives
1 Corinthians 15:58
November 29, 2009
I know it has been a few weeks since we have been here,
But tonight we bring the conclusion
To Paul’s dissertation on the resurrection.
As you remember, the resurrection was in doubt at Corinth.
There was a faction at the Corinthian church
Who denied the reality of life after death.
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?”
And as we studied we saw that the main reason was because
They did not understand how it could happen.
1 Corinthians 15:35 “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?"
And because of their lack of comprehension
They just decided to deny the doctrine altogether.
Of course we know that their skepticism doesn’t change reality.
Christ did rise and believers do rise whether you believe it or not.
The problem is that if you steal the hope of resurrection from believers then you are one step away
From killing their faith altogether.
I mean, if this life is all there is,
Why do anything to jeopardize the longevity of it?
Paul understood that:
1 Corinthians 15:18-19 “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.”
Again:
1 Corinthians 15:32 “If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.”
If you remove the hope of resurrection from people
Then their service to the Lord will quickly fade away.
Paul knew that, so he set out to prove the resurrection.
And just to recap some of the highlights:
1) CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD
1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”
And if you are a skeptic to the event, Paul gave the proofs of it.
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.”
There were more witnesses to prove Christ was alive
Than there are to prove that most people are dead.
2) SINCE HE ROSE DEATH WILL BE DEFEATED
1 Corinthians 15:25-26 “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
Christ’s resurrection marked His certainty as Lord of all,
And the last enemy to go down will be death.
3) ALL THOSE IN CHRIST WILL RISE AS WELL
This was the essence of Paul calling Christ “the first fruits of those who are asleep”
But he states it specifically later:
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 “For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
And so Jesus did rise, death will be defeated,
All those in Christ will rise as well.
4) RESURRECTION WILL OCCUR AT HIS SECOND COMING
1 Corinthians 15:51-57 “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.”
And that is basically the point of the chapter.
Death was defeated in Christ…
Death will be defeated in us at His return.
This is the undeniable fact of Scripture, and the anchor pin of our faith.
It is because of this reality that we are able
To live the Christian life in the way it was meant to be lived.
And that is precisely what Paul reminds us of in our text tonight.
I’ve called this sermon: “Because He Lives”
And here Paul gives four commands for us
That we should obey because He lives.
This is how we should respond to the truth of the resurrection.
That is why Paul starts by saying:
“Therefore, my beloved brethren,”
Based on the certainty that death is defeated
And we have victory in Christ, then we should…
Four things
#1 BE STEADFAST
1 Corinthians 15:58a
There Paul simply says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast…”
Your Bible may say, “Stand Firm”
The word translates HEDRAIOS
And it literally means “to be seated”
For me it paints the mental picture of a donkey
When he sits down and refuses to go another step.
In a spiritual sense it pictures us coming to a place
Where we drive our stake in the ground and make a stand.
And you do understand that there are some things in life
That are absolutely certain.
They are not up for debate…
They are not pending further review…
They are absolute fact.
We live in a time that has been referred to as
“The Post-Modern Generation”
And perhaps the chief characteristic of the post-modern generation
Is that there are no absolutes.
For the first time in history we can disagree and we can both be right.
And we are told not to be dogmatic.
This assault obviously finds its center regarding religions of the world.
Who is to say that one religion is better than the other?
We are told to open our minds and accept the possibilities.
Another common theme of this movement is to “Let God out of the Box”
Let God be whoever He wants.
(It is largely a call to resist Scriptural authority
And to embrace the possibilities of experience and openness)
GOD HAD PLACED HIMSELF IN MANY BOXES
Way of Salvation
Working of the Holy Spirit
Means of communication with man
God did these things so that we can be certain.
And it is safe to say that Paul was not a post-modern.
He believed in Christians standing upon revealed truth.
To the Ephesians he wrote:
Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
And the admonition is the same here.
“Be steadfast”
Now if the resurrection did not occur,
Then there is no way to be absolute about Jesus.
If He is just one of many who claimed to be Savior
That are still dead, then take your pick, we can’t be dogmatic.
But Christ did what none other could do.
He rose from the dead and that gives unequalled validity to Him as Savior.
Therefore we can be certain about the things we said.
And not only can we do this, but we are commanded to do this.
We are commanded to “be steadfast”
We are commanded to “take our seat” on this truth
And let the whole world fire away.
And by the way, this is precisely
What the greatest men of Scripture have done.
One of my favorites is found in the book of Daniel
Daniel 3:13-18 “Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? "Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
They were certain about what they proclaimed and they let it be known.
Because Jesus Lives, we are called to do the same.
“BE STEADFAST”
#2 BE STUBBORN
1 Corinthians 15:58b
The call to stand firm was the positive side of the argument.
Here comes the negative side.
“[Be] immovable,”
The NIV says, “let nothing move you”
It is a call to be spiritually stubborn about your belief.
It is a call to be uncompromising, unwilling to yield,
And never willing to retreat.
ADRIAN ROGERS:
“Adrian, if you don’t compromise, we’ll never get together”
“We don’t have to get together, the Southern Baptist Convention doesn’t have to survive. I don’t have to be the pastor of Bellevue. I don’t have to live. But I’m not going to compromise the Word of God.”
That is called stubbornness.
And by the way, the apostles had it.
Acts 4:18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."
Acts 5:27-29 “When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.”
There was no reasoning with those guys.
They were convinced that Jesus was crucified at the hands of ungodly men and that He was now alive ready to judge the world.
No amount of intimidation…
No amount of persecution…
No amount of pressure could get them to retreat from that thought.
They were absolutely immovable.
That is the call we have as well.
And our basis for stubbornness is the same as theirs.
The basis for our stubbornness is the truth of Jesus Christ.
Remember John 6?
We won’t get in to the sermon,
But just know that Jesus preached a sermon that was not user friendly.
It was a sermon and a truth that struck to the core.
John 6:66-69 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."
It was not just that Peter wouldn’t move, he couldn’t move.
He had found the answer.
So it is with us.
We stand upon the truth of the gospel and
We refuse to move from it because in reality we can’t move from it.
It is the truth.
It was solidified when Christ rose from the dead.
And so we are called to be stubborn about the faith.
BE STEADFAST
BE STUBBORN
#3 BE SOLD OUT
1 Corinthians 15:58c
“always abounding in the work of the Lord,”
And there we understand the expectation of a Christian
Is that we will be continually committed to doing the Lord’s work.
Is that clear to everyone?
First let me tell you what Paul means by “the work”
At the end of the verse Paul calls this work “toil”
“toil” translates KOPOS
It means laborious toil.
It comes from the root word KOPTO which means “to strike, to cut”.
And so KOPOS primarily denotes a striking or a beating or toil resulting in weariness.
And so when Paul speaks of the “work of the Lord”
He is not talking about routine church attendance
With a few extra committee meetings.
Paul is speaking of labor so intense
That it pushes us to the brink of exhaustion
And even into the pain of persecution and suffering.
And you will notice that he gives two characteristics
As to how this work is to be done.
“ALWAYS”
Do you realize that there is no word for retirement in the Christian language?
Philippians 3:12-16 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
Nor is there any concept of vacation from Christianity.
Acts 17:16-17 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.”
Paul is telling us that as believers we are on duty 24/7.
We don’t rotate on and off shift.
Our life is a continual commitment,
We are “always” working for the Lord.
And then there is a second characteristic about how we work.
“ABOUNDING”
It is the Greek word PERISSEUO
And it means “to go over and above”
It is the same word Paul used when speaking of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7-8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight”
We are not seeking to just do the bare minimum,
We seek to go over and above for the call of Christ.
Luke 17:7-10 "Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? "But will he not say to him, ' Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'? "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"
The implication is that we completely and totally sell out for Jesus.
That we “toil” for Him.
That we work our fingers to the bone for Him.
Remember Paul?
2 Corinthians 11:24-29 “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
But that wasn’t the only place we saw such devotion from him.
2 Timothy 2:10 “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”
2 Corinthians 12:15 “I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”
Philippians 2:17 “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”
Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.”
1 Thessalonians 2:8 “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”
This guy was sold out.
Perhaps you’ve heard the song “Broken and spilled out”.
Well that’s the idea.
Because Jesus Lives
BE STEADFAST
BE STUBBORN
BE SOLD OUT
#4 BE SATISFIED
1 Corinthians 15:58d
“knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Paul wants us to have a conviction
About the worth of our sacrifice.
WHERE DOES THIS CONVICTION COME FROM?
From knowing that there is a resurrection where we will be rewarded.
Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”
Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
Paul made a great statement:
Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
HOW COULD PAUL SAY SUCH A THING?
TURN TO: 2 CORINTHIANS 12
Paul was allowed to witness his reward, and it was so good,
God had to give him an adversary to keep him from being conceited.
We are called to be certain, we are called to be expecting,
We are called to be satisfied that our suffering here
Will be worth it at the resurrection.
You see, none of this is possible if there is no resurrection.
· But, Because He Lives we can be steadfast on the truth of Jesus Christ.
· Because He Lives we can be stubborn refusing to yield one inch of our conviction
· Because He Lives we can be sold out for Him daily because we know that we will be satisfied with the reward of our labor.
All of this is possible because of the resurrection.
It is true whether you believe it or not.
But you need to believe it
Because it gives certainty and conviction to your faith,
And you and I should be absolutely and wholly devoted to God.
BE STEADFAST
BE STUBBORN
BE SOLD-OUT
BE SATISFIED
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 “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. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”