We are still
living in the Easter glow. Paul wrote about the Resurrection of our Lord and
Savior and about the resurrection of those put their trust in Christ Jesus.
'Easter, Easter, we all are raised up". If Christ has
not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those
also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped
in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But, in fact, "Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since
death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come
through a human being." (1 Corinthians
15:17-21)
Psychiatrists tell us that a mature
person is one who has confronted the eventual reality of his own death.
British political leader, William Gladstone, once
confronted a young man who wanted to go into law and government. The Prime
Minister asked him what his dreams were. Bursting with ambition and energy, he
replied, "First law. Then government." Asked Gladstone, "Then what?" "Service to
my nation." "Then what?" queried Gladstone. "Perhaps fame and wealth." "Then
what?" "I guess to retire and to live on what I have made." "Then what?" "What
do you mean? I guess I'll die." "Then what?" was the query. There was complete
silence. Then Gladstone said, "Young man, you had better go back and think life
through."
I Corinthians
15 is as straightforward a
confrontation with this theme of life and death as we will find in any
literature. First, Paul states seven facts you and I
must confront if there is no resurrection.
Fact #1: Christ has not been raised. Paul
wrote, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then
Christ has not been raised. . ." (1 Corinthians
15:13).
Fact #2: Our preaching is in
vain.
Fact #3: Our faith doesn't do what we
thought it would do.
Fact #4: We
are all liars.
Fact #5: We are still in our
sins.
Fact #6: Dead believers have
perished.
Fact #7: We Christians are pathetic
persons.
Paul concluded this part of his argument
by stating, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people
most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians
15:19). Our faith is worth
nothing if Christ did not rise from the dead.
These implications are severe. Refute the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the logical conclusion is the Christian faith
has lost its foundation. You might be able to extract some ethical principles,
but there are other sources of higher ethics. Jesus himself was either a
charlatan, a lunatic or what He claimed to be, the crucified and risen Son of
God. The biblical affirmation is that not only was
Jesus raised from the dead, but He is the very first fruits for us who also will
be raised.
In
verses
20-28, Paul made two fascinating
allusions. First, he referred to the resurrected Christ as being the "first
fruits" of those who have died. Those who visit Rome,
walk through those miles of underground tunnels called catacombs, look at the
little meeting rooms in which the early Christians gathered for worship, and
view the symbols inscribed on the walls are reminded of the fact that thousands
of these men and women met their death because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Yet, the catacombs do not stand today as a symbol of morbid depression. No! They
stand as evidence to the fact that you can live and die with hope, even joy, as
did those early Christians who were willing to give their lives for Christ.
Jesus was their first fruit. Jesus was the Second Adam. He is the Resurrection
and the Life.
If Jesus was not raised, and we will not
be raised, not only are we to be pitied, we are basically wasting our time.
We catch a glimpse of what heaven will be like as we
stand with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. There were Peter, John, and
James as, suddenly, the countenance of Jesus was altered. His raiment became
dazzling white. Two more persons joined them. One was Moses. The other was
Elijah. This illustrates that there is a recognizable dimension to our life in
heaven with our Lord and our loved ones.
I will never in this life understand why
some die early and some die late, but I do understand that we can trust Jesus
for this life and the next. We can commit ourselves and our loved ones to His
care. You and I are equipped with all the saints through the ages to say along
with the Apostle Paul, "For me to live is Christ and to die is
gain!"
Paul concluded this magnificent chapter,
"Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of
the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain"
(1 Corinthians
15:58).
In Christ,
Brown
Friday May, 2012
Television Outreach
Time Warner Cable Channel
4
Time 7:00 PM
Saturday Evening Worship
Service:
Location: First United Methodist
Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, NY
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist
Church
Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee
Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Date: Saturday, May 5. 2012
Speaker: Rev Brown Naik
Music Laureen Naik
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