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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends, all around the world,
It’s just a tiny word. . .two letters in English… but oh my the power of “IF”.
All of our lives have been profoundly affected, throughout our lifetime, by that little word, especially when it is linked with other words, like: “What IF”, or “IF only”, or “IF you”, or “IF I” or “IF God”.
Today is day 38 since Easter morning. So what? Here’s why that is significant… Luke tells us in Acts 1:3 “He (resurrected Jesus) appeared to them (His disciples and others) over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” On this day the friends of Jesus had no idea time was running short. He would only appear to them two more times, and then Jesus would leave, ascending into the sky, right before their eyes. I suspect these next days began for them, like most everyday since Easter, wondering if they would see Him today, and wondering what He would want them to be doing today.
More than 20 years later, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth, and yesterday we looked at verses 3-10 of chapter 15. Today, let’s look at vs. 12-26 and consider the tremendous implications of the word “IF”! You see my friends, in the days following that first Easter more and more people were claiming Jesus was raised from the dead and either they had personally seen Him, or they knew someone who had and they’d heard the remarkable story. “Preposterous” many people said. “Ridiculous” said others. And of course most said, “Impossible”. But behind closed doors lots of troubled conversations were taking place, all focused on that little word “IF”!
So today I’d like to ask two simple but very significant questions,for all of us:
<> IF Jesus’ resurrection is a hoax, IF it never happened… what are the implications for you and me today?
<> IF Jesus’ resurrection is real…IF it did happen, and He did meet with several people over a period of 40 days, and He was watched, visibly, ascending into the sky… what are the implications for you and me today?
Listen to Paul: “IF it is preached that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:12) In the years after that Passover/Easter weekend, continuing all the way to this day, there has been great controversy about the truthfulness of the resurrection. One group of Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ day were the Sadducees, and they absolutely denied that resurrection of the dead was possible for anyone. Therefore they vehemently refused to even consider that Jesus might be alive. Do you know anyone like that today? To them, this life is all there is. When death comes, it’s all over…period, end of story. How hopeless is that?
Paul continues: “IF there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Jesus Christ has been raised.And IF Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than than, we are found to be liars, false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But God did not raise Jesus IF in fact the dead are not raised. For IF the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And IF Christ has not been raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep believing in Christ, are lost! IF only for this life we have hope in Jesus Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-19)
Do you see the power and significance of the word “IF”? Do you see the answers to the question I asked… what IF the resurrection of Jesus is a hoax? What IF Jesus is still dead? Paul tells us:
* The preaching and writings of the disciples, Paul, and all those who believe in Jesus, are worthless words!
* The FAITH in God, that anyone, anywhere has held, is worthless, meaningless. God cannot be trusted, if Jesus is not raised from the dead!
* All those who have ever said Jesus is alive, raised from the dead, are liars. If they lie about this, then don’t trust anything they say about anything. Liars cannot be trusted in any circumstances.
* If Jesus has not been raised… everyone is still enslaved in their sin, with absolutely no hope of rescue or forgiveness. And without any hope of freedom from sin condemnation, we will all die in our sin, separated from God and we all will spend eternity separated from God...all of us.
* If Jesus has not been raised… then all those who died believing in Jesus for their salvation and eternal life in heaven, are nothing more than decaying bodies in the ground with no hope of eternal life or heaven.
* If Jesus has not been raised and we only have these few years to live, then spending these few years believing a hoax and living our lives in allegiance to a dead man, is a pitiful way to live!
My friends, that is utter despair, hopelessness. These 7 verses are incredibly important for every human being to wrestle with, and make a decision about.
But praise God, Paul continues writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and this answers my second question today: What IF it is true, Jesus was resurrected from the dead? What are the implications for us today?
“But Jesus Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Jesus Christ, the firstfruits; then when He comes, those who belong to Him…” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
For the Jewish people the word “firstfruits” was very important. It was the first harvest of the season of any produce that grew from the ground. If you have a garden or you are a farmer, you understand the wonder, the joy, the delight of the very first ripe thing you can pick and eat at harvest time, am I right?
When Jesus was raised from the dead by God the Father, Jesus was the first, of the harvest from death. EVERY person will experience resurrection from the dead, my friends, EVERY person! God has made us humans in His image, immortal beings. Death is a temporary ceasing of the function of our bodies, but every human body which has ever lived will be resurrected by God for all eternity future. Jesus was the firstfruit, the first example of the forthcoming resurrection for all of us.
Sin and death came into our human experience through Adam (Genesis 3). Resurrection and eternal life comes into our human experience through Jesus! Jesus first, and then ALL those who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation from sin, and eternal life. And Paul tells us WHEN that resurrection will happen, do you see it in vs. 22? “…When He comes…” Paul describes that amazing experience in vivid detail in two places: here in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 and in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Jesus will return from heaven and with a loud shout, and a great resurrection power unleashed, He will call to life the bodily remains of EVERY person who has trusted in Jesus Christ before they died…anywhere in the world! Those remains will be raised to life and restored to an immortal wonderful body similar to Jesus’ resurrected body. Our bodies will be reunited with our souls and spirits, which have been with Jesus in heaven since the moment of our death. Paul wrote about that in Philippians 1:20-23 & 2 Corinthians 5:1-8. Then our resurrected, glorified bodies, re-indwelt by our souls & spirits, will be with Jesus forever in His kingdom. But of course, all this is only possible and true IF Jesus rose from the dead!
But, you might be asking, what about all the other people, billions of them, who have died without trusting in Jesus? The next few verses Paul wrote give us insight into this question: “Then the end will come, when He (Jesus) hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)
In the last few days before that Passover/Easter weekend Jesus was frequently asked by His disciples and others, to explain the end of time. Would there be a reckoning of all good and evil? Would there be a final judgment when every person will stand before God to give an account for their life? Would there be a final sentencing of every person for the rest of eternity… those who have trusted God and His truth and the sacrifice of Jesus for their salvation, and also those who have rejected God and Jesus’ atonement death? Jesus answered those and similar questions and Matthew in particular wrote down what Jesus said in Matt. 24 & 25. Years later, John the disciple received a great vision from Jesus, and wrote the book of Revelation which also has great detail about the future end of this earth, the great judgment, and the future beyond.
In those chapters we learn that resurrected Jesus will raise all those who have believed in Him before they died, and that is the ‘first resurrection’, as we’ve already discussed. But later, there will be a ‘second resurrection’ and that is when all other people are raised from the dead. These are those who died without trusting in Jesus Christ, their bodies will also be raised to life and reunited with their souls and spirits. Then there will be a final reckoning when every person will stand, alone, face to face, with the Risen Jesus Christ. In that moment He will be Judge and Jury. The ‘book of life’ will be opened, in which are written by God, the names of every person, through all time, who has trusted Jesus Christ to save them from their sin condemnation. Those people will be welcomed, by God, into His eternal Presence forever.
All those whose names are NOT in that book, because they have never trusted in Jesus Christ, ALL of them, one at a time, will be turned away and Jesus will say to each of them, “Depart from Me…into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (Matt. 25:41) Also, because each person will stand before Jesus to give account for their lives, the evil deeds of those who have never trusted in Jesus, will be brought forward as evidence of their deserving of eternity with Satan and apart from Holy God! This scene is described in Revelation 20:11-15.
Please understand, the resurrected Jesus Christ is the one who reigns as King and Judge over all these end of time proceedings, BECAUSE He was raised from the dead! In His resurrection, Jesus defeated Death, Satan and Sin! Following His ascension back to heaven, Jesus now reigns supreme and sovereign over all.
We are in a season of God’s patience, giving every living person the opportunity to believe God’s truth; and trust Jesus Christ for their salvation from their sin condemnation. This season will not last too much longer. In fact many people believe this global Cornoavirus is yet one more example of God giving the world a clear call to acknowledge Jesus and repent of our sin and turn to HIM for salvation… for the end is near. And perhaps very soon we will all stand before the Resurrected, Reigning, King Jesus Christ.
So here’s my closing question for today: When you stand there my friend, just you and King Jesus, on the day of reckoning…will He smile at you as your Savior, Lord and Friend, open His arms with WELCOME… or will He frown, shake His head, and point you away from Him to eternal hell?
Our “Walking with Jesus” web site offers you many resources to help you know Jesus and be certain about your eternal destiny. . .and I welcome your contacting me by email through our website. I’d be happy to help you find assurance of your relationship with Jesus and your eternal destiny in heaven.
Oh Lord Jesus, thank You for the truth of Your Word! Thank You for the power of the little word ‘IF’…
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: I Corinthians 15. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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