Sunday's Message - The Order of the Resurrection - 15:20-34)

On Sunday, April 19, we started a new sermon series entitled The Good News of Resurrection: An Exploration of 1 Corinthians 15. During this five-past worship series, we’ll look at how the Apostle Paul viewed the resurrection of Jesus and discuss how it might shape our faith and outlook. We’re considering the following topics:

• April 19 - The Foundation of the Resurrection (15:1-11)
• April 26 - Why the Resurrection Matters (15:12-19)
• May 3 - The Order of the Resurrection (15:20-34)
• May 10 - The Resurrected Body (15:35-49)
• May 17 - Victory and Application (15:50-58)

In the third message, we focused on 1 Corinthians 15:20-34 and discussed how we might effectively live between the resurrections. Below are a presentation and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, here we are. The NFL draft is done, even though the status of Aaron Rogers is still a mystery. We’ve entered a new month, although you’d never know by the temperature last night. And we’re one week closer to Pentecost, which means, after today, we have only two more Sundays left in the sermon series we started after Easter entitled The Good News of Resurrection: An Exploration of 1 Corinthians 15. Now, to this point, we’ve talked about how the resurrection is grounded in genuine history, eyewitness testimony and divine grace. And last week, we talked about why the resurrection of the dead is important, because when we accept that it’s going to happen, that can enable us to hope and it can help us to endure and it can motivate us to share. Now that’s what we’ve already covered.

And this morning, we’re going to focus on the order of the resurrection, in other words, about how, since Christ was raised in the past but our resurrection will come in the future; how we’re going to have to wait in the present. And I’ll tell you, I saw a great illustration of that a couple of weeks ago when Debbie, Maggie and I traveled back from Virginia. You see, when we left Norfolk, everything was green. The dogwoods and azaleas were in bloom. And when we loaded up the car, we were wearing just our shirt sleeves. And then we started driving north. And I’ve got to tell you, as we went, well, the world around us started to change gradually. For example, it became a little less green. And outside of dandelions, there wasn’t a whole lot of blooming going on. And somewhere just north of the Mason-Dixon Line, we all put on our jackets and actually kind of wished we’d brought something warmer. You see, as we got closer to McKees Rocks and Sligo, it felt more and more like the very beginning of spring than the threshold of summer. But you know, in spite of that we all knew that the color and the flowers and the temperature we’d left down there by the Chesapeake Bay, man, we were going to see up here in a few weeks. And because of that, as it came to summer-like weather, we’re going to have to wait.

And I’ll tell you, as it relates to the resurrection of the dead, in other words, our resurrection, that’s really the same kind of thing we’re looking at right here and now. You see, according to Paul, what had already happened to Jesus was going to happen to us. I mean, after establishing why the resurrection of the dead was important, just listen to what he wrote to the Corinthians:

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.

Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death. When the Scriptures say he will put everything under his power, they don’t include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. After everything is under the power of God’s Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son’s power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.

If the dead are not going to be raised to life, what will people do who are being baptized for them? Why are they being baptized for those dead people? And why do we always risk our lives and face death every day? The pride that I have in you because of Christ Jesus our Lord is what makes me say this. What do you think I gained by fighting wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead are not raised to life,

“Let’s eat and drink.

    Tomorrow we die.”

Don’t fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you. Be sensible and stop sinning. You should be embarrassed that some people still don’t know about God. [1 Corinthians 15:20-34, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote. 

And I’ll tell you, as he explained how all this resurrection business was going to work itself out, I think Paul intentionally looked at it from three different angles. For example, in the past, Christ has been raised to life! [1 Corinthians 15:20a, CEV] Now that already happened. But, for him, it was still important for us and our future, because this event started a process that would end with our resurrection. You see, just like Adam brought sin and death, Jesus brought grace and life to everybody. Therefore, when we believe the genuine history and the eyewitness testimony and the divine grace, in other words, when we trust that Jesus was raised, we can also trust that the day will come when the same thing will happen to us. Of course, as he wrote, “But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns.” [1 Corinthians 15:23, CEV] Now, this is something we can do because of what God did for Jesus in the past.

But Paul didn’t stop there, because after establishing the past, in this passage, he shifted his focus to the future, you know, when “Christ will rule.” [1 Corinthians 15:25a, CEV] Now, understand, for Paul, that hadn’t happened yet, but it will. And then, when it does, well, our prayers will be answered and God’s kingdom will come and his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This, my friends, will be the end of the old age of sin and death and the coming of a new heaven and a new earth. Now, for Paul, this is our destiny; this is our future.

But in the meantime, you know, in the present, well, we’re going to have to wait. In other words, we’re going to have to live between the resurrections, in the already and the not yet. Put another way, like a kid on his way to Disney World, we’re going to have to wait. And how we do it, man, that’s going to be up to us. I mean, as Paul wrote, during this in between time, some believers actually baptized folks as sort of stand-ins for dead people, something that they must have done in the Corinthian church. And for Paul, well, during this in-between time, he risked his life sharing this gospel of resurrection to those around him. And still others, well, they listened to some of their friends and followed the advice offered by the writer of Ecclesiastes and simply ate and drank, because they might die tomorrow. You see, although both the past and future were in God’s hands, how we choose to wait in the present, well, for Paul, that was pretty much up to us.

And even though, in this passage, he didn’t offer the Corinthians any specific options, I’m going to suggest three possibilities that just might make the waiting we’re doing right now a little more pleasant and productive. 

For example, as we recognize the past and look forward to the future, first, we can wait with an attitude of patience, and I’m talking about the kind of endurance and steadfastness and strength that can enable us to wait on God’s timing even if that means enduring trials without complaint. I’ll tell you, in my opinion, it’s adopting the kind of attitude that James had in mind when he wrote, 

You know you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. [James 1:3-4, CEV]

You see, I think we can be patient as we wait, especially when we recognize the past. In other words, when we trust in a resurrection that’s already occurred and when we accept that what God did for Jesus Christ, he’s going to do for us, you see, when that becomes fixed in our minds, I believe we’re in a much better position to endure in the face of difficulties and to be steadfast in the face of temptations and to be strong in the face of opposition. You see, we can wait with an attitude of patience. That’s one.

And second, we can also wait with a feeling of anticipation, you know, expecting God to do exactly what he promised and hoping that soon the universe will be transformed, because in spite of what we might think or feel, God holds the destiny of creation in his loving and merciful hands. As a matter of fact, it’s the same kind feeling about which Paul wrote to the Romans:

The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. [Romans 8:23-25, CEV]

You see, I think we can wait with anticipation, something that I believe is more than possible when we remember that, in the eternal mind of God, the last chapter has already been written. Therefore, the time will come when God will destroy death forever and when everything in heaven and on earth will be under the power of Jesus Christ and when “... God will mean everything to everyone.” [1 Corinthians 15:28b, CEV] I’m telling you, because it’s grounded in God, this can offer meaning to our expectation and content to our hope. And for that reason, I think we can wait with a feeling of anticipation. And that’s two.

And third, we can also wait with a sense of freedom, and I’m talking about the awareness that right now, we can choose both the path we can take and life we can live, secure in the knowledge that our choice can’t change what God has already done in the past nor what God will do in the future. In other words, we are now free intentionally to direct our attention and our thoughts and our efforts toward God, something that I think Paul challenged the Colossians to do when he wrote this:

You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory. [Colossians 3:1-4, CEV]

You see, right now, we have a choice. I mean, on one hand, we can choose to disregard the past we know and the future we can glimpse. And then, we can do whatever we like. We can focus on what’s best for us, regardless of how it affects others. And we can live as though Freddy Mercury was talking about us when he sang, “Nothing really matters to me.” You see, on one hand, this is what we can choose. On the other hand, though, we can decide to take a different route. I mean, we can decide to trust in both the past and the future. And then we can decide to live as best we can in the present: sacrificing wants in order to address needs, focusing on God’s glory rather than human vanity, and offering love for God by showing love to others. You see, as we live between the resurrections, we can wait with a sense of freedom. And that’s three. 

Now, do y’all remember how I told you about our trip back from Virginia, how things changed as we drove north and yet how we also knew that the time was coming when what we saw down there we’d be seeing up here? Well, in spite of the weather we’ve seen over the last few days, I still believe it’s going to happen, although I have my doubts about Aaron Rogers.

But as we consider the order of the resurrection, I trust that what God did for Jesus in the past points to what God will do for us in the future. And right now, well, we’re actually living between the already and the not yet. In other words, whether we like it or not, we’ve got to wait, something that we can do with an attitude of patience and with a feeling of anticipation and with a sense of freedom. You see, this is how we can wait until God does for his children what he already did for his son.