1 Corinthians 15:12-25 Be Grounded in Hope

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Be Grounded in Hope
1 Corinthians 15:12-26
January 19, 2025

As we get closer to the end of this letter to the church at Corinth, it seems that Paul has saved one of the most important corrections for last. There were some among them who claimed that there is no resurrection from the dead, thereby concluding that Christ was also still dead.

This is so important that Paul takes a large section of this letter to prove the resurrection of Jesus. Paul wanted to make sure that they had the firm foundation of the gospel to stand on.

In fact, without the resurrection, our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins. What is the point of everything if Christ is still dead?

It’s interesting that Islam teaches that not only was Jesus not resurrected, but he was also never crucified! They believe that God took Jesus up and allowed someone else to die in his place. This is exactly the opposite of the Christian faith that declares that Christ died on the cross in our place.

To Paul this is of primary importance. To be wrong on this is to miss the whole point of the gospel!! The resurrection is the key to God’s plan of the ages and His plan for our lives. No death and resurrection, equals no hope. But because Christ is raised from the dead, we have hope in this life and for eternity.

How about you, do you have hope? What do you put your hope in? In technology? That’s always changing. In the stock market? In a new deal peace deal in the middle east? In the amazing strength of the United States economy? In politicians?

Even if politicians are able to solve the world problems, and that is a big if, it still does not solve the biggest problem: eternal hope.

If you have no hope, especially eternal hope, you have nothing. If you have lost hope, you have lost everything. Have you lost hope?

Amid more comfort, more entertainment, more choices available than in many preceding generations, there is still a growing sense of hopelessness in many young people, and older people today.

The resurrection is about newness of life and the hope that God gives in this life and for eternity. He ignites our soul and fills our lives with purpose and transforms us by His presence in our lives.

I. Our Hope is Built on the Resurrection

There is a belief in the world that all roads lead to God. You may or may not agree with this, but I believe that all roads do lead to God. After death, all people will face God.
The question is not whether all roads lead to God; the question is what happens after you meet Him. All roads do not lead to salvation and eternity with God.
Our hope is built on the blood that Jesus shed for us.

A. No one else could have died for us

The scripture says that everyone has sinned and that the wages of sin is death. But what is death? Ultimately, death is separation from God.
There is temporal death- where life has no meaning… the walking dead, you might say. I call it the zombie syndrome.

Ephesians 2:12, Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ … having no hope and without God in the world.

Many receive Christ to only try and remedy this specific problem They hope Jesus can make their life better on this earth, like an insurance policy against disaster.
This, though, is not the primary reason Jesus came.
There is also eternal death where you die in your sins. The problem with dying in your sins…. is that you’re eternally separated from God.
And Jesus clearly stated that it will not be that you merely cease to exist, but it will be an eternity of punishment and torment for sinners.

Mark 9:43, 48, If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire…where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Revelation 14:11, And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever…

Matthew 25:41, Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels’

This is the crucial part which we need saving from.
Everyone else who has lifted themselves up as a religious leader has also sinned and therefore could not die for anyone else. And none of them claimed to be the way.

Illus – It’s like someone saying, “I’d like to pay that man’s debt.” And then the judge responds, “With what? You yourself are so far in debt you have no hope.”

John 14:6-7, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Ephesians 2:13, But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

But salvation is not only found in the fact that Jesus died for us. It also hangs on the second fact; He is risen. He has conquered death and the grave. Death has no hold on Him. It proves that He has overcome sin and death, because sin is the cause of death.
Now He has authority over it, and authority to save those who follow Him, having died for their sins as well.

B. He gave many infallible proofs

In the introduction of the book of Acts, Luke writes that Jesus presented Himself alive with many convincing proofs.

Acts 1:3, To the apostles He presented Himself alive… by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

This is the compelling point Paul makes earlier in this chapter. It’s reasonable to believe eyewitnesses – and there were more than 500. That’s infallible proof.
In a court of law today, you need one, or maybe two eyewitnesses to convict someone. Especially if that witness is coming forth with potential of great personal danger.
Many of the witnesses were still alive. It is as if Paul is challenging them. Go ask these witnesses. Many who were willing to die for that truth, and many did.
And the resurrection is proof that God calls all men to repentance.

Acts 17:30-31, Having overlooked times of ignorance, God is now declaring to all men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.

He continues to argue that If Jesus not raised, why am I fighting wild beasts, are in danger every hour?
V33 – So stop, Paul says, hanging out with bad company which corrupts good morals. That is true in all areas of life, but I think he is here specifically talking about people questioning the resurrection as being bad company.
We see this coming to fruition in our day and age, where people live lives as if they are not accountable to God, as if actions have no consequences, ‘so let’s eat drink, for tomorrow we die.’ (v 32)
Do not think and live like this, Paul says. Christ is risen. There is eternal hope and eternal life.
Stop sinning, Paul says. Stop missing the mark. Stop thinking in this crooked way. If you do not believe that Christ is raised, there is no 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;

C. He told us in advance

Jesus provided proof and then He told the apostles in advance. In the same way, He provided proof to us and then He told us in advance.

Illus – Two men were walking on the road to Emmaus and were discussing the events in Jerusalem when Jesus appeared to them. At one point He said to them…

Luke 24:25-27, “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.

Luke 24:32, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the scriptures to us?”

Are you struggling in your faith? Start to study the prophecies about Christ. Start to study the evidence of God. Do it till you come to a place where you have overwhelming evidence for the fact that Jesus is the resurrected Lord and King.
Some say, I don’t really know if Jesus existed, or lived or died, or rose. Well, it is literally a matter of life and death for you to find out and make up your mind. Eternity hangs on knowing this.

Illus- Elijah challenged Israel with this. Stop sitting on the fence. Make a decision.

We need to have hearts that burns for God. It’s the opposite of a cold heart that isn’t responsive to God’s word at all.

II. Experience Resurrection Life

The resurrection of Christ is about moving from death into life. Jesus transforms, He makes all things new, Now, and in eternity.
It all starts with being born again.
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and said, “Teacher, we know you have come from God as a teacher because no one can do these signs You do unless God is with him.”

John 3:3, Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

A. Experience life even now

By being born again, repenting, in other words, turning around, away from the direction your life was heading, and following Jesus, you find new life, and it begins now through the Spirit of life.
Verse 22- In Christ, all shall be made alive.
AS a side note, it is important to read this verse in context of the full counsel of God. There are certain fringe movements that teach that this verse says that all shall be saved, irrespective of if they believed in Jesus or not.
Because we know that Paul specifically taught that you need to place your faith in Christ and follow Him as Lord, the context of this verse assumes being born again and is talking about the believers.
Many people are trying to “find themselves,” but unless they find themselves in God, they are still lost.

Illus – Admitting you’re lost is the first step in finding your way. Guys have a reputation of not asking directions, but admitting you’re lost is the first step in finding your way. Then we came up with the perfect solution; GPS. God’s Positioning System is better.

John 8:31-32, 37, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free… and if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

This gives us true direction and purpose. Living in true freedom.
The truth sets us free. When we see the lie of sin, have our hearts changed, and our eyes opened, it changes the direction of our lives, because we see the death that sin brings.
We were once in bondage to sin; bound by its condemnation, and bound by its power.

Romans 8:1-2, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

B. Hope in eternity

For some, death is an enemy to be feared. It is the dilemma of the sin of Adam, which separated man from God.
The first man, Adam, became a life-giving soul. The beautiful part of us being made in the image of God, is that as humans we’re part of the “creation process”, babies being born.
When conception happens, the miracle of life infused with the mystery of the breath of God takes place. But after the fall, having a soul is not enough. It is alive, but dead, because it is not existing in the full capacity God intended.
It needs life, being connected with God life.
The last Adam, Jesus became the life-giving Spirit.
47-49, Those who are only born of the earth, will always be earthy. They are trapped in the natural existence. They think from a natural, temporal perspective.
But there is more. There is a heavenly, eternal perspective. That is only possible if you are made alive in Christ.
We can as believers experience the change in our spirit now, but one day, also those born in the image of the earthy, will bear the image of the heavenly.
We will not all sleep, on other words die, but we will all be change in the twinkling of an eye to be transformed into our immortal, glorified, heavenly bodies.
Then it will be said, death where is your victory, where is your sting? Death has been overcome.
With this in mind, be steadfast and immovable, Paul says. Keep focusing on the work of the Lord. Do not be distracted. Do not get discouraged.
This world can be distracting. This world can try to stir hopelessness. We must hold fast, be encouraged, and wait expectantly, knowing that, not only is He with us and make all things work together for our good, for those who love Him, but there is also a wonderful eternity that awaits.

1 Corinthians 15:12-26 NASB

¹²Now 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? ¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. ¹⁵Moreover, 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. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁷and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. ²¹For since by a man death came, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, ²⁴then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

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