1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Since Jesus’ is risen from the dead, our lives can be meaningful and
whole.
If Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, how many of you would have stayed home this morning? The Apostle Paul wrote 2000 years ago, “And if Christ had not been raised, …we are to be pitied more than all men.”
Three Sundays ago in our study of the Apostles' Creed, we looked at Jesus’ suffering and death. His suffering and death were tied to a historic person, Pontius Pilate. So his death was also a historic event. He truly died.
This morning we come to the section on Jesus' resurrection:"...and descended into Hades. The third day he rose again from the dead.” The third day after his death was the first day of the week, Sunday. The emphasis being that the resurrection occurred on a specific weekday.
In the book of Acts, we notice that whenever the disciples proclaimed the gospel message, they pointed their listeners to Jesus’ resurrection. You see, the early Christians recognized that the Christian faith is not abstract, or based on subjective personal feelings or perception. Neither was a group of religious persons in the first or second century that conspired together to make up the entire story about Jesus: his birth, teaching, death and resurrection.
Instead, the Christian faith, including Jesus' resurrection, is built upon historical events that can be validated through objective and careful investigations.
Before we look at Jesus' resurrection, lets first take notice at this sentence, “he descended into Hades.” Hades is a Greek word, the same as the Hebrew word Sheol, meaning the place of the dead. In Psalm 16:10, "you will not abandon my soul to Sheol." This word Hades or Sheol was originally translated as Hell in English. In some early English form of the Apostles' Creed, we read, 'he descended into hell.' However, since the 17th century, the word Hell has taken on the meaning of a place of eternal punishment. This has created some confusion in the understanding of the Apostles' creed. But in most of the modern versions, the word Hades is used. Simply put, 'he descended into Hades', does not mean a certain location, but a state of death. That Jesus truly died. There are other related issues about what he did during this period of time. If God willing, maybe we'll discuss it when we study 1 Peter at a different time. But for now, we need to remember that Jesus truly died. If not, then the resurrection becomes a mockery.
Let's first see what the bible tells us about this resurrection.
1. Bodily Resurrection.
It was a bodily resurrection. It was not a revival of Jesus' teaching after his death. Nor something that happened in one's mind.
Jesus’ resurrected body was the same as the one before his death. For when the disciples saw him, they recognized him. It carried the scars of the spear and nails. It was the same voice. When he called out to Mary, she recognized him immediately. He ate breakfast with the disciples one morning.
It was also a different body. There was an expression of new power. He could appear and disappear at will, unlimited by space and time. When he had dinner with two disciples, he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them, their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. His resurrected body was also able to pass through closed doors appearing before the disciples.
The scripture clearly tells us that it was a bodily resurrection.
2. Evidences of resurrection.
Now, what are the evidences of his resurrection? First there was the empty tomb. In 1990, archeologists in Jerusalem found the burial ground of Caiphas, Jesus’ chief accuser. Nobody had ever uncovered the body of Jesus.
The Roman authority knew the tomb was empty. They were puzzled when they found out that Jesus' body had disappeared. Their official explanation was that the disciples had come at night and taken the body. If this was true, then when the disciples later preached about Jesus' resurrection, they were actually telling lies.
Several years ago in S. Carolina, a mother was in front of the TV cameras pleading the kidnappers to return her two sons. However, even as she was pleading in front of the whole nation, she knew exactly where they were, for she had killed them. One person may keep a lie for a long time. But it was very unlikely that a group of 11 individuals would be able to keep the same lie for forty or fifty years, and eventually they all died for this lie. The empty tomb strongly points to the fact that Jesus had indeed resurrected from the dead.
Secondly, there were eyewitnesses. Paul in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, went to great length to document this. Peter and Mary were among the first who saw the resurrected Christ. And then he appeared to the 12 disciples. Later to 500 people, many of them were still alive when Paul wrote to the Corinthians. Later Jesus showed himself to his own brother, James, and then to Paul. A total of 515 first hand eyewitnesses of Jesus after his resurrection. Paul was saying, if you have any doubts about Jesus' resurrection, ask these people. They saw him.
If my friends in STL would ask: Is William really in Houston? And if I can have 500 witnesses saying that they have seen me, this would be a very strong case, isn’t it?
The third evidence is that of changed lives. Consider the disciples. When Jesus was still with them, they were rather slow learners. They often forgot what Jesus had taught them. Even when Jesus was facing death, some of them were discussing who should the great among them. The disciple that was closest to Jesus would deny him three times in a crisis situation. When he was arrested, and later on the cross, except for John and several women, the disciples were scattered and hiding because of fear. But then something happened to them. They became bold and courageous, instead of hiding, they went from house to house to tell others of Jesus. They persistently and forcefully presented the issue of Jesus' death and resurrection. This group of uneducated and timid fishermen was now called followers of the Way, the ones who turned the world upside down. Why? For they had met the risen Lord.
The resurrected Christ had empowered them and their lives would never be the same again.
How is this resurrection going to affect us? 1 Cor 15:17-19
In these few verses Paul is saying that if Christ had not risen from the dead, then the only hope we have is in this life. When we die, there'll be nothing. Death brings an end to all.
But this is not so. Jesus died and was buried. On the third day, he rose from the dead. He overcame the power of death. He was indeed the powerful, almighty God. V54b,"death has been swallowed up in victory.... Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting." Therefore, with Christ’s victory over death, it has also lost its power over us.
How do you see death? It’s scary, isn't it? We tell our little brothers, "if you drink this, you'll die." Even little kids somehow are afraid of death. We are afraid of death because of the unknown that comes with it. If there is no God, if Jesus was just a historical person, suffered and died, and there was no resurrection, then death will be the final conclusion for us all. We would have no idea what lies beyond death.
But since Jesus rose from the dead, it makes all the difference. For those who believe in him, yes, we will still die, but death is no longer the end for us. Death is a transition, from this world into God's presence. When we believe in God, we can actually look forward to the day when we'll see him face to face. We don't have to be afraid of death anymore. For death will usher us into God's presence. There will be no more tears, pain and imperfections. This is our hope as we grow older and our health fails.
Jesus' resurrection gives us the hope and certainty of eternal life.
Paul not only reminds us that Christ has overcome death by his resurrection, but that Christ has also overcome sin. V56,57,'The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' This is the fulfillment of a promise given at the beginning of human history: Gen 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Jesus’ resurrection was the fatal crush to Satan’s head. It demonstrated his power over sin. Because of his victory over sin, we too can have victory over sin.
I think of some of the inmates I come to know in the Sugarland prison. They had lived a very destructive lifestyle when they were still in their teens. Many of them were locked up before they turned 18. But in the prison, they met God. God enabled them to turn away from the previous life-style. Now there is new direction and determination of not repeating their past mistakes. They are eager to learn various life skills and God’s word.
The Bible teaches us that when we believe in Jesus, he comes into our live. The resurrected, victorious Christ is within us. Therefore, we too, can have victory over Satan and sins.
Yes, there'll still be temptation around us, but with Christ's help, we can say no. We don't have to yield to Satan anymore. His power will free us from the bondage of sin, unhealthy habits and baggages from the past. We don’t have to say: This is me, I can’t change. I am hopeless. No, this is not true. With his power we can change into a better and more mature person. We can become like him: gentle and humble.
Luke 25:41
After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples. In Luke 24:41,'And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" When they saw the resurrected Christ, they were overwhelmed with Joy. They couldn’t believe what they saw. Jesus' appearance removed all their fear, confusion and anxiety.
If Christ had not risen from the dead, if he would be just another historical person, then nothing can be done about the pain, hurt, worry and burdens in our life. We can only help ourselves to free us from such human predicaments. And you know how desperate and impossible it can be.
On Friday I heard a radio interview of a woman, after losing her husband to cancer, continued to lose 6 members of her family. How painful and sad it must be. I think of a person who shared that many years ago, her best friend’s husband shot and killed the husband of another close friend during the worship service. And this gunman was in turn killed by an off duty officer. In a split second, 3 lives were lost and 3 families destroyed. One can almost feel the pain in her and those families. If there was no resurrection, all we can say is like the Unitarians, “please forgive us for our sadness.” Since Christ had risen from the dead and overcame sin and death, he can certainly remove those fears, burdens, and sadness, bringing peace into our lives. He alone can say, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He can heal our brokenness and replace our sorrows with joy.
What if there is no resurrection? Paul writes, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." I don't know about you, but I know what I'll do if Christ has not risen. I'll go into my office, get rid of all my Christian books, close the door to this church and put a sign: This building is for sale. No more church on Sundays. I can sleep in late every Sunday. Then I'll go find a job to make some honest money instead of sweating every week to preach a lie. I'll eat and drink and enjoy life. Come to think of it, if that is all there is to life: eat, drink, play, work and die. This will then be truly absurd and meaningless. And Camus and Sartre were right when they wrote that life was meaningless.
But if Christ is indeed risen, then life will be very different. As I travel through life, I know that I am heading towards my eternal home. There is hope beyond death.
Since Christ is risen, he can bring healing and wholeness into our lives. He can take away our sorrow and replace it with joy. He can free me from the bondage of sins and those unhealthy habits.
You see, because Christ is risen, our life can be different and be meaningful again.
You spent over thousand dollars on a state of art computer system. It runs at 400 MHz. It comes with a high-speed modem, a high-resolution color printer. You connected the monitor, printer, keyboard and mouse to the computer. You turn the switch on, but nothing happens. Your heart almost sank, for you thought you bought a lemon. Then you realized the power supply was not plugged in. Without that power, no matter how good your computer is, it just won’t run.
Likewise, we have all that power in the risen lord. But if we are not connected with him, it will do nothing good in our lives.
Let us make a conscious effort, beginning today, to come close to him. Everyday, read his words and speak to him, draw upon him the power and hope we need as we travel through life.
Sunday August 1st, 1999, Rev. William Hsueh, Houston Chinese Church, Houston, Texas.