Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Response to the Resurrection*

*1 Co. 15:29-34*

* *

*/Introduction/*:  What /God/ has done is the greatest possible motive for /our/ doing what He wants us to do.

To deny the resurrection is, in effect, to deny the need for righteous conduct.

57 But thanks /be /to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have the victory.

We don’t have to pray for victory, we just need to thank God for the victory.

We have the victory all because of Jesus and His resurrection.

Do you like to win?

There are many who just enjoy being in a race.

Hey, we are to run to win.

There is nothing wrong with liking to win.

My wife tells me before I play basketball at the community center to remember that winning isn’t everything.

Winning isn’t everything in the world, but in God’s eyes He wants Christians to win.

In fact, He has given us everything we need for the victory.

Paul in this text gives us four different victories.

We have victory over danger, deception, death and discouragement.

*/I.

/**/Danger/*

* *

*1 Corinthians 15:29-34 *  29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Having examined 1 Corinthians 15:29, a number of conclusions can be made.

First, the baptism referred to is probably literal water baptism of Christians.

Second, the phrase “the ones who are baptized” most likely refers to a small group of individuals rather than the church as a whole.

Third, “the dead” for whom some individuals were being baptized were in all probability dead believers.

Fourth, these dead believers had presumably experienced Christian baptism before they died.

If these four observations are true, it is extremely improbable that the proposition ὑπέρ denotes vicarious baptism for the benefit of the dead, as there would be no value in such a practice, since the dead in question would already have been “saved” and probably baptized.

A second possibility translates ὑπέρ with the final sense: “in order to be reunited with their loved ones at the resurrection.”

A third view translates ὑπέρ with the sense of “because of”: new believers’ being baptized “because of the influence of deceased Christians.”

The first suggestion is perhaps less convincing, since it could be said that all believers take the place of deceased believers and yet Paul was evidently referring to a select group within the church.

The final two suggestions are closely related semantically and fit the context well, as they both refer to a select group within the church and include an emphasis on the resurrection as the implied motive for these practices.

30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?  31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

* *

*kinduneu,omen *verb indicative present active 1st person plural

 

[Fri] *kinduneu,w *impf.

*evkindu,neuon*; /be in danger /or /peril, run a risk /(LU 8.23); with an infinitive following /run the risk of /something (AC 19.27)

I die daily-kaqV h`me,ran avpoqnh,|skw   /I/ /die/ /daily/ does not refer to “dying to self,” as in Romans 6, but to the physical dangers Paul faced as a servant of Christ (2 Cor.

4:8-5:10; 11:23-28).

He was in constant jeopardy from his enemies and on more than one occasion had been close to death.

Why endure suffering and danger if death ends it all?

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die” (Isa.

22:13).

The work of the Lord entails untold dangers.

In Acts, Luke reports many of the perils Paul encountered on his missionary journeys and in Jerusalem.

Paul also lists still more dangers he and his co-workers have had to endure for the sake of the gospel: hunger, thirst, exposure, physical attack, verbal abuse, and persecution.

Paul encountered the beasts at Ephesus.

 

*evqhrioma,chsa *verb indicative aorist active 1st person singular

 

[Fri] *qhriomace,w *1aor.

*evqhrioma,chsa*; as a form of punishment /fight with wild beasts/; probably metaphorically in 1C 15.32 in the sense of being exposed to furious mobs /have a great conflict /

 

Though this was probably not an arena experience, it was like it in that Paul saw no hope of deliverance.

And last, although the phrase /according to man/ can be explained in various ways, we assume that it conveys the sense of Paul engaged in a fight with human beings, not with wild beasts.

In their opposition to God and his Word, these people attempted to cause Paul bodily harm.

We admit, however, that in this context the phrase remains obscure.

*/Illustration/*:  In Argentina there are people who try to do each other harm.

The missionaries we are going to work with have been shot.

Just recently in their church some man came out and was kidnapped.

A few weeks ago the missionaries were on vacation and while they were sleeping someone came in and took his computer and cash.

Why fight it?

They should just come home.

It is funny because when the wife of the missionary got shot, the people in America said, you need to come back it is too dangerous there.

When 911 happened, the people in Argentina said, get your kids out of college and have them come here to Argentina because the U.S. is too dangerous.

Every day of the life of Paul was in danger.

Praise God that we don’t face that here.

However, when we face it, we have the assurance of victory because of the resurrection.

Christ lives and we will live again as well.

Why face that if this life were all there is?

The Epicureans (and less philosophical men before them; cf.

Isa.

22:13) would be right—pursue pleasure and avoid pain.

*/II.

/**/Deception/*

*/ /*

The second thing that we can face because of the resurrection is deception.

The Bible tells us not to be deceived.

In other words, don’t allow the world to deceive you into living as if Christ is not alive.

You hang around people long enough who do not believe in the resurrection, you will start to act like them.

33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners

 

*fqei,rousin *verb indicative present active 3rd person plural

 

[Fri] *fqei,rw *fut.

*fqerw~/*; 1aor.

*e;fqeira*; 2aor.

pass.

*evfqa,rhn*; 2fut.

pass.

*fqarh,somai*; /ruin, destroy/; (1) in relation to outward circumstances /ruin, corrupt, cause harm to /(possibly 2C 7.2); (2) in morals and religion /seduce, corrupt, mislead /(RV 19.2; probably 2C 7.2); passive /be led astray /(2C 11.3); /be corrupt, be depraved /(EP 4.22); (3) of God's eternal punishment /destroy /(1C 3.17b)

 

*/Illustration/*:  We had a detention center ministry.

It was great going there and being with the unsaved kids and telling them of Jesus.

We saw lots get saved to the glory of the Lord.

There was one named John who made a profession of Christ.

About six months later I saw him again in the detention center.

Immediately I thought, oh John did not get saved.

However, he did get saved.

He was reading his Bible every day for those six months.

He told me that the reason why he was back in there was because he started to hang around his old friends.

His friends were corrupting his behavior.

Don’t allow the world to corrupt your behavior.

So many Christians are acting like the world that they are not making any impact for Christ.

Paul says it better than I could:

 

34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak /this /to your shame.

There are people around us who do not know Jesus.

It is time for us to live like Jesus.

For some have not the knowledge of God.

 

*/Illustration/*:  In Peru we were going door-to-door.

A lady came and told us that she was going straight to the pit of hell.