Sermon Tone Analysis

We are thrilled to be celebrating Easter Sunday here at Eglise Connexion.

Easter is typically the day when preachers will preach out their easiest sermons.

They’ll pick one verse or two, and talk about those verses for twenty minutes and leave everyone feeling good.

Easter is typically the day when preachers will preach out their easiest sermons.

They’ll pick one verse or two, and talk about those verses for twenty minutes and leave everyone feeling good.

I’m not going to do that this morning.

If you’re here for the first time, and you’re not a Christian, I’m very happy you’re here…but I’m not going to let you off easy.

We’re going to work our way through chapter 15 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians—the whole thing.

All fifty-eight verses.

We’re going to do something rather difficult today, if you’re up to the challenge.

We’re going to work our way through chapter 15 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians—the whole thing.

All fifty-eight verses.

There’s a lot to see here, and we won’t be able to cover it all.

But in this one chapter, we have an entire overview of what the Bible says about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us as Christians.

And we’re doing it because in this one chapter, we have an entire overview of what the Bible says about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us as Christians.

So in addition to reading all 58 verses of this passage of Scripture, we’re going to see some of the most theologically dense material in the whole Bible.

But I’m not doing it to torture you.

My prayer is that for those of us who are Christians, we will leave this chapter simply refreshed and energized and encouraged by spending some time thinking of what Christ did; and for those here who aren’t Christians, my prayer is that what you might hear, as hard as it is to believe, might make you want this.

Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

Context

Before we start reading, a bit of context, and a bit of warning.

First, the warning.

It would be tempting for us to take this passage—which does indeed say a good deal about us—and make it about us.

This passage isn’t ultimately about us, but about God, as we’ll see.

Secondly, the context.

Paul is writing to this church in Corinth which has gone seriously off the rails—in their Christian lives, in their struggle with sin, in the things that they believed… This was a church on life support.

So Paul is writing to help correct certain errors; to call the church out on many of their incoherent behaviors; and hopefully, to set them back on the path the gospel would have them on.

This chapter addresses one particular error that some Corinthian Christians had fallen into.

Some of them believed that although Christ was raised from the dead, Christians would not be.

They believed that resurrection exists, but only for Jesus.

Now, they of course knew that Jesus had raised some people from the dead, like Lazarus, during his ministry.

But Lazarus, at some point, died again—he didn’t live forever.

And their understanding was that once we’re dead, we’re dead.

Our spirits may live on, but they would live on in a non-physical form.

What’s interesting is that many Christians still believe this today.

Our concept of what will happen to us after we die, and after Christ returns, is very fuzzy.

A huge number of Christians (as much as one-fourth, according to polls) don’t believe we’ll have bodies in heaven.

I’d suggest that this misunderstanding owes more to Tom and Jerry cartoons—in which Tom and Jerry die and become floating spirits sitting on clouds and playing the harp—than to what the Bible actually says.

According to a Time/CNN poll, only 26% of evangelical Christians believe that we will have bodies in heaven.

So we’re right on track with these people in the Corinthian church.

That’s the issue Paul will address here, but that’s not where he will start.

Let’s begin reading together at verse 1.

Christ’s Resurrection (v.

1-11)

15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

(When Paul says “fallen asleep” in this chapter, he means “died”—he’ll use it again.)

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

There are subjects we can disagree on and still be Christians.

This is not one of them.

This issue is of first importance.

Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures said he would; he was buried, a totally dead man; and he was raised on the third day.

Paul here tells us what the closed-handed issue of all closed-handed issues is—this is the issue which is of first importance.

Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures said he would; he was buried, a totally dead man; and he was raised on the third day.

And he gave evidence of that resurrection afterwards: he appeared to people after his resurrection.

Lots of people.

If five-hundred people are witnesses to the same event, then chances are, that event took place.

Most news stories which run today don’t have as much eye-witness testimony.

The gospels tell us that Jesus appeared to the disciples, and that he was changed after his resurrection, but he was still visibly recognizable as the same person: he still bore the marks of the nails on his hands and feet; he still had the mark of the spear in his side.

And he was physical: they could touch him; they could see him; he could eat food.

This is of primary importance.

That’s the first thing.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Let’s keep going, v. 12:

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

In other words, you Corinthian Christians believe that Jesus was raised from the dead—good for you.

But you deny that the other human believers who die will also be raised…and that makes no sense.

v. 13:

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

(Because Christ was dead too.)

If you’re saying there is no resurrection, then there can’t be resurrection for anyone—even Jesus, because Jesus was also a human being.

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

So here’s what Paul’s saying: this question of whether or not we’ll be raised (or whether we’ll just be disembodied spirits) is actually a massively big deal.

Follow his logic.

If you say that the dead will not be physically, bodily raised one day, then you have to say that Christ wasn’t raised either, because if Christ really did become a man, then he was bound by the laws of the physical world like us.

Jesus wasn’t a spirit when he walked on this earth; he was a man.

He got hungry and tired; he sweat when he was hot; he bled and died.

So if a dead human being cannot be resurrected physically after death, then Jesus can’t either.

If such a thing is impossible, it is impossible for all human beings, even for Jesus.

And the result of that way of thinking is tragic, as he says in v. 17:

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

[Permanently.

Forever.]

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Why? He’s already told us in v. 17: 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Do you see? He’s correcting another very common misconception (which we actually talked about last week).