1 Corinthians 15:12-20

“What if?”  That question can often lead to unhealthy speculation and wishful thinking; but it can also lead to helpful reflection.  This morning I decided to take a break from my tour through the Gospels (I write the blog so I get to do whatever I want with it}.  In honor of Ester weekend, I decided to share some thoughts with all of you that I will be sharing in my message Sunday morning at a church in Vitoria, Espirito Santo where we are traveling this weekend.  The question “what if there were no resurrection?” was what Paul answered in today’s text.  It is kind of like the movie It’s a Wonderful Life where Clarence the Angel helps the suicidal George Baily by showing him what life in his hometown would have been like if he had not been there.  Paul gives us a look at what life would be like if there were no resurrection.

WE WOULD HAVE NO MESSAGE: The entire message of the Gospel rests on the resurrection from the dead.  If there is no resurrection than Christ is not risen.  The Gospel that we preach is dependent on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  Every Gospel message that has ever been given is unreliable.  If the grave is not empty than our message is empty.  The Bible is wrong and every teaching of Scripture can and should be questioned if there is no resurrection.  It would also mean that the messengers who preach about the resurrection are false teachers.  Paul and every preacher since then have either been manipulating liars or babbling fools.  We proclaim that Jesus rose from the grave and was victorious over sin and that all who place their faith in Jesus will be resurrected to have eternal life in the presence of God.  If there is no resurrection, this message is false.

WE WOULD HAVE NO SALVATION: If the message of the Gospel is false then there is no salvation from sin.  Our faith in the Lord Jesus is futile because He was nothing more than an influential teacher who deceived multitudes throughout the history of the world.  We believe that death is the just punishment for sin and that Jesus took our punishment on Himself when He gave His life on the cross.  We believe that God accepted the death of Christ on the cross as just punishment for our sins and He demonstrated that our sins were paid in full by raising Jesus from the dead.  As long as Jesus is dead; the payment for sin is not complete.  If there is no resurrection then Jesus is still dead and we are still separated from God by our sin.  Every person stands condemned before God with no hope of salvation if there is no resurrection.

WE WOULD HAVE NO HOPE: Those who have died in the past will never be seen again and are suffering endlessly in the torments of hell.  There is no hope that we will ever be reunited with those who have died.  The dead are gone forever and the living are miserable because we are completely without hope for all of eternity.  Paul and the rest of us who have given our lives to spreading the message of the Gospel are to be pitied above all men.  Paul was beaten, thrown into prison, suffered from starvation, stoned, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, abandoned, criticized, homeless and lived in poverty all for the sake of the Gospel.  All of this suffering was useless.  Today in many parts of the world believers are being martyred for the cause of Christ.  Believers say no to the lusts of their flesh and make sacrifices in order to advance the Gospel.  This is all futility if there is no resurrection.  Missionaries who live and die in remote corners of the world in order to reach those who have never heard the Gospel are just on a very long camping trip.  The sufferings of this present life are the best days that we will ever experience because we will spend all of eternity in hell no matter what.

BUT JESUS IS RISEN INDEED!!!: We can wake up from the nightmare of no resurrection because Jesus is risen.  It is one of the best documented facts of history.  Because He lives, we have a message that should be proclaimed in all the nations of the world because it is the truth.  There is no higher calling than living to advance the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We must proclaim to every person in every place that Jesus died and rose again.  Because He lives, we have salvation from our sins.  Every sin of all who believe the Gospel has been eternally forgiven and our debt has been paid in full.  There is no condemnation before God and we are free from the penalty, power and will life for all of eternity separated from presence of sin.  Because He lives, we have an eternal hope.  Those of us who have believing loved ones who have died will one day be reunited with those people who are so precious to us.  We will be able to see Jesus and live in His presence forever.  Every sacrifice ever made in order to advance the Gospel will be rewarded for eternity.  Because He lives we too have a reason to live and hope in death.  May the living Savior grant all of us a blessed Easter as we rejoice in the proclamation of the message, salvation from sin and the hope of an eternity in the presence of Jesus.