The Bottom Line1 Corinthians 15:1-8
We probably all know of family or friends who have been diagnosed with a malignant inoperable cancer or tumor. Someone who would be gone within months. Their life changed. No longer was it measured in decades and years, but in months, weeks, and days. In the end we should encourage them in the faith as told on Easter Sunday. On Easter we speak on the Resurrection. Today, I want to call your attention to 1 Corinthians 15. It tells about the hope in Christ we all believed.
The Resurrection is why we are here today. It gives us the hope, courage, and strength to face life's problems and tribulations. The resurrection makes us more than conquerors and heirs of eternal life with our Risen Lord.
Listen to Paul as he simply and succinctly explains Easter: "I delivered to you of first importance, that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, that he was raised, and that he appeared on the third day to Peter...to the twelve ...to more than 500...to James...to all the Apostles...to me also..."
The bottom line of Easter is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are several aspects of the Resurrection that help us to understand the Resurrection. Paul says these are of critical importance.
1. Christ Died for Our Sins
Christ was gone. What an obstacle that was for the disciples. Nailed to the cross with Him was: all that He taught them, all they hoped for, the messianic kingdom,
All of this was gone in the dust and blood of Golgatha. The earth quaked, the veil of the temple was split in two. The world stood still and was covered in darkness. The cross was an obstacle to be overcome. Some of the world's greatest men and women have faced obstacles, but have overcome them.
Abraham Lincoln surmounted poverty and humble circumstances, and saved the Union. Golda Meier, daughter of an American immigrant, rose to the position of Prime Minister of Israel. Lech Walesa, a blue-collar worker in communist Poland, changed the course of Eastern Europe. But the obstacle of the cross--how could you overcome the finality of death?
Christ's physical death, was the death of the dreams of his followers. It was the end, so they thought: A stumbling block? A scandal? Paul knew better.
Paul put it in context: Christ died for our sins.
2. He Was Buried
Christ was placed in the tomb. It had a finality about it that was devastating. What could be worse than this? The disciples' hopes were sealed in the tomb of their Lord. Could there ever be light in their hearts again? Only God could transform the circumstances.
Change. Transformation. And so the third benchmark....
3. He Was Raised on the Third Day
The Resurrection has little to do with spring, except that we celebrate Easter then. There is some symbolism involved in those Easter eggs, in the idea of new life emerging, in the budding of trees and the appearance of flowers, and in the earth's recovering from the death-grip of winter.
But the Resurrection is so much more. Easter is not a theological crutch! This idea did not evolve over the years! The Resurrection is the power of God which raised Jesus Christ from death to life. Ephesians 1:20 speaks of that power "which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms..."
That is the Resurrection! It transcends season. It bypasses revered but crusty religious rites and rituals! It is centered in the dust and trauma, the blood, sweat, tears, hopes, and dreams of all human existence.
Therefore it cannot be encapsulated, much less codified and classified as yet another phenomenon or distinctive of one of the world's religions. The Resurrection occurred after the events of the crucifixion and burial of Christ. The fate of our soul and of all humanity hung in the balance. Without the cross, there would not be a resurrection.
Life after death depended on God's grace in giving the sinless Son of God as an atonement for sin. Our sinfulness was canceled by His sinlessness;our guilt was absolved by His innocence, our penalty was paid by His sacrifice.
Our newness of life was guaranteed by His triumph over the grave and death itself. Hear the almost lyrical words of Paul in verses 42-44: "The body that is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." Because He lives, we shall live also, and hope is born in the human heart. He was raised on the third day. And this Resurrection gives us hope for the future which transforms the present. There are illness, loss, death, a cross, a burial...and Resurrection. And that makes all the difference in human existence both in this temporal world, and in the eternal life to come. He was raised on the third day, bringing salvation and hope.
4. He Appeared
Jesus appeared to a great number of people. These witnesses included real live persons, Peter, The twelve disciples, James, the apostles, 500 unnamed believers, and Paul himself.
It didn't happen in a vacuum. It was history's most astounding event -- ever! The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We who are transformed also through His presence in our lives by the holy spirit, keep alive the flame and are His witnesses in our generation.
The bottom line of Easter is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The important things are: His Death on the Cross, Burial, Resurrection on the Third Day the Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ.
The bottom line of Easter is the Resurrection, and the bottom line for our response is belief. In the end, our hope is centered on this living, resurrected Lord. The opposite of joy is not sorrow, but unbelief.
"Christ...died for our sins... was buried... raised on the third day... appeared to the disciples, and others... and also to me..."
May He appear by faith to each of us as well, this morning.