Our organ needed a rest anyway, right? So, that is good. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will, here this evening to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. As our catechism has us study this article of the Apostles' Creed on the empty tomb, the resurrection of our Savior, How much better then can we come to this passage of 1 Corinthians, well known as the resurrection chapter. Paul, it's a long chapter, we're not going to read it all. I would encourage you to to read it this evening, even for your devotions before bed tonight. It is a powerful passage that speaks of not just the empty tomb, but then the benefits that come to us, what this means to us as Christians and as believers, and how this is a critical article of the Christian faith, an essential one. Without it, our faith ceases to exist. It's that important. And so we read just the first 34 verses here this evening, beginning at verse one of 1 Corinthians 15. But follow along with me, congregation, as we hear the word of God this evening. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. And then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to one untimely born. He appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. 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. And whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believe. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 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. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, 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 fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. And then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is accepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all. Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day. What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals. Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. And I say this to your shame. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. May his Holy Spirit bless it to our souls here this evening. I draw your attention to our text. There's so many of these powerful verses, but verse 14 specifically, if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Let's ask God's guiding hand upon his word spoken tonight. Father in heaven, we do pray that truly we may understand the importance of this essential doctrine of the faith, one of the fundamentals of our faith. Father, may we understand it and see it in that light, that way there can be no compromise here. For if Christ has not been raised, we have no hope and we are not saved. So Father, speak to us. Send your Holy Spirit in rich measure upon us. Remove any and all distractions from us. For the devil would love nothing better than for us to compromise our faith. Father, protect us from ourself, from the devil, and from this world. Lead us, bless us, give us your grace here this evening. In Jesus' name alone we pray, amen. Beloved congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it was right around the middle of the 1800s that theological liberals in the church in Germany first began to doubt and then to outrightly deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And beloved, make no mistake, those theological liberals are still all around us today. Some of them even call themselves reformed. They write articles and newspaper columns and teach in our Christian colleges. G.I. Williamson, in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, tells the story of how not long ago one of these liberals was being interviewed on television. And for once, the reporter doing the interview actually understood his theology. And so he asked this theologian if he believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now that theologian knew full well what the right answer should be for a supposedly Christian theologian for a question like that. This liberal answered, so this liberal answered, oh yes, I believe in the resurrection of Christ. And that sounds good, doesn't it, beloved? Proper, even orthodox. But that reporter, you see, knew that what the theologian meant by his answer was not at all what common believers understand when they hear those words. And so the interviewer asked a follow-up question to this liberal. So he says, well, then what about Karl Marx? Would you say that Marx, too, has been raised? And the liberal knew that he had been cornered. But to his credit, to his credit, he answered as he really believed. The theologian responded by saying, yes, yes, Mark's too is resurrected. For you see, when the spirit of a man's teachings live on in others, then it is as if that man has been resurrected. Beloved, can you hear the danger in that theologian's so-called definition of the resurrection, and specifically as it applies to Jesus Christ? You see, liberals are famous for giving old words new meanings. They want to sound like they are orthodox and are in line with the traditionally accepted norms of the Christian faith, even while they try to redefine and totally contradict the teachings of the true faith. You see, that liberal churchman being interviewed did not believe in a literal, physical coming back to life of Jesus Christ from the dead, even though he knew full well that that is how the true church defines Christ's resurrection. No, his version of resurrection simply meant the living on of a person's thoughts and ideas and teachings. When that happens in this liberal's mind, it's as if that person is still living amongst us because his beliefs live on amongst us. So Christ can be resurrected. Marx can be resurrected. Buddha can be resurrected. Anybody you want, as long as you believe their teachings. Can you see, congregation, how essential it is for us? Whenever we discuss these doctrines of the faith, as we're doing with these various articles of the Apostles' Creed, can you see how essential it is for us to be very clear what we mean when we talk about these truths? Because you see, our very faith is at stake here. Our religion, true religion, hangs in the balance. G.I. Williamson goes on in his commentary on the Catechism to say this, and I'm quoting here, there is no such thing as authentic Christian faith without the acceptance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. We must be honest. If this is not what really happened, what good does it do us to be a Christian? A savior who cannot deliver us from death is worse than having no savior at all. While on the other hand, Williamson continues, what if these things actually did happen? Well, then it is clear that the disciples were right in thinking that they now had a message that every single person needed to hear, a message of world-shaking importance." And beloved, it is exactly that world-shaking message that our catechism is teaching us here tonight. So please turn with me in the backs of your Psalter hymnals to page 879. 879. As you turn to that, you'll notice, perhaps even in amazement, that we have only one single question and answer on this foundational truth of the Christian faith. Now understand why this is. Because you see, no one at the time of the Reformation, when our catechism was written in the 1500s, no one doubted the physical coming back to life of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was only after that time that is known as the Enlightenment of the 1700s and the inroads that it made into the church in the 1800s did this essential of the Christian faith come under attack. But it is not doubted by us. Beloved, understand this. As true believers, we confess the literal, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Well, look then at how this confession strengthens our faith. Lord's Day 17. Article this is the fifth article of the Apostles Creed question answer 45. How does Christ's resurrection? Benefit us the answer comes first by his resurrection He has overcome death now. We have to stop right there already congregation We have to stop there because here's the first point of the message with this very first line We see how Christ's resurrection first and foremost had a significant. It's a great significance for Jesus himself For for by it he has overcome death we're told and we confess in article 45 so Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead remember from last week why it was that Christ had to go all the way to death for us and Because each one of us, because we're sinners, are under the curse of death. And Jesus had to absorb that curse on our behalf as well. So he had to endure everything for us that our sins deserve. And death was the ultimate punishment for our sin. But with his resurrection from the dead, beloved, understand Jesus shows that he has been overcome death, that he's more powerful than even that last enemy death as Paul called it here in our passage tonight. So Jesus, by His resurrection, verifies His claim of being the very Son of God. And this is the first and the greatest significance for Christ of His resurrection. You know, the religious leaders of Jesus' day insisted that He could not possibly be who He was claiming to be. They scoffed at the evidence that Jesus was regularly producing before their very eyes in order to verify his claims, the teachings that he was making, the miracles that he was doing, his very self standing in their midst. All these were discounted and denied by Christ's contemporaries, but it was the empty grave that proved them all wrong, you see. All those religious leaders, if they had been honest with themselves, should have fell to their knees in confession. So Christ's resurrection back to life from the dead validates every claim Christ ever made. Now a second item of great significance to our Lord in his resurrection is that now in his humanity, he has a glorified human body. a glorified human body and it is with that glorified body that we're given a sneak peek at what we can expect when we receive our own glorified bodies in the new heaven and the new earth that awaits us. Paul gets into all that in his resurrection chapter. Again, we didn't have time to read all of that, but I would encourage you to do that tonight. After his resurrection, Christ's human nature was no longer bound by the material limitations of this world. He was now able to both pass through solid locked doors, you remember, and yet still eat broiled fish with his disciples. He was able to be touched and talked to. He walked for miles along the road to Emmaus with those two followers of His. And yet He also vanished from their presence at will. With His resurrected human body, our Lord was now independent of and superior to our regular earthly conditions and limitations. And so in these two ways, Christ's resurrection held great significance for our Savior. But now the second point of the message tonight. And our catechism dwells on this here in Answer 45. It holds great benefit for us as believers. Notice there's three great benefits that we're given. Look at that again. How does Christ's resurrection benefit us? First, by His resurrection, He, that's Christ, has overcome death, so that, here's the three, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He obtained for us by His death. Second, by His power, we too are already raised to a new life. And third, Christ's resurrection is a sure pledge to us. of our blessed resurrection. Now take notice of these three benefits that we receive. The first is that we receive in Christ's resurrection a proof of our justification. Justification is the first benefit that we receive because of Christ's resurrection. This is what our catechism writers are referring to when they state that we will share in the righteousness He obtained for us. It's our justification. Paul in Romans 4 verse 25 states, He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Romans 4, verse 25. Now, beloved, don't get confused by what Paul writes there. Understand that with Christ's active and passive obedience, which led him all the way to death for us, as we studied last week, our justification was indeed one for us. But it is also true, congregation, that our justification is guaranteed us by Christ's empty tomb. just as Paul puts it in Romans 4. Now understand why this is. You see, when God the Father raised the Son back to life from the dead, that was proof that he was setting his seal of approval upon the work that Christ did on our behalf as God's elect. Because think about this a moment. If Jesus had remained in the grave, Think on this with me. If we could book a trip to Israel, fly over there and visit the actual grave of Christ, see the body there yet, the grave closed there yet, wouldn't doubt arise in our mind as to whether Jesus was really a complete savior then on our behalf? Thoughts like, well, what if something was wrong with Jesus' sacrifice? And that's why he's still in the grave. Maybe Christ's payment for our sin was only partial or insufficient. Maybe we have to do something to add to it. Wouldn't the devil just love to play around with that in his temptations in our head? Think of the deceptions that Satan would run wild with if Christ's grave was still occupied. But it is not. That grave is empty. And by so doing, the Father has publicly declared that the righteousness which Jesus won for us is exactly the righteousness that we need in order to be found accepted in the sight of God. There's nothing more that we must do. Our justification is complete. The second benefit to us, take notice, is because of Christ's resurrection, is our sanctification. Look at that second section. Second by His power, His resurrected power, we too are already raised to a new life. Already raised to a new life. Take notice of that, beloved. This is our sanctification. Our catechism confesses that a new life is given us because of the empty grave. And Paul in the book of Romans again explains this as well. In chapter six, Paul writes, we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. That's Romans 6 verse 4. So congregation, understand that as believers in Christ, we don't need to wait for the coming of the new heaven and the new earth to begin living out a new Christian life. No, we can begin the moment that we are regenerated, living a life that is no longer for ourself, but one that pleases our Savior. At our spiritual new birth, our regeneration, Christ's resurrection power overflows into us and then shows forth from us. Christ, with this resurrection power, gives us new desires. to live godly lives, changed lives, no longer those old lives of sin. We do not do that perfectly yet in this life, do we? It's not until the new heaven and the new earth will we have perfect desires and perfect living, but we start today serving the Lord with gladness. Because of Christ and His resurrection, we can more and more right now begin to resist temptation, avoid sin, and live a more Christ-like life. Our sanctification. And beloved, realize that that sanctification is not a matter of us trying harder to be better. It's not a matter of us looking more and more to ourself and what we do, far from it. In fact, the exact opposite, it's more and more we look to our risen savior and what he has done. That is what gives us our hope. That is what drives us on to please our savior. So Christ's empty tomb compelling us to live a holy life. A third benefit that Christ's resurrection gives us is a testimony concerning our own glorification. Look at that third line, the third section there. Christ's resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection. A sure pledge. What a beautiful promise this is for us. How we have a glorious resurrection that awaits us on the other side of the grave. This is why death holds no fear for those who trust in Christ in this life. And this is the whole point, you see, that Paul's making in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. And even though, again, we didn't have time to read that entire chapter here tonight, beloved, look at the very end of that chapter where Paul draws his whole argument together and makes his point. Start at verse 50. Verse 50 of 1 Corinthians 15. I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. And when the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Isn't that a beautiful testimony that we can make as believers in our Savior, beloved? Death will not be the end of your existence. It will simply be the beginning of your eternal life. Now I must give a warning here. A warning to each and every one who does not have true faith in Jesus Christ. A warning because someday you too will be raised to life. after you die. Resurrection, you see, is not just for believers, it is for unbelievers as well. It's what Paul means there when he, in verse 22, when he writes, for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. Everyone who's ever lived. You see, death, however, for those who are unbelievers, Death is not the end of your physical existence. Far from it, it's the beginning of your personal hell. And on the day of your resurrection, you too will have your soul joined back together with your resurrected physical body. You too will be raised to a new life, but it will not be a glorious eternal life, As those who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will enjoy, know yours will be a horrible, eternal life in hell. A never-ending weeping and gnashing of teeth in a fire that never goes out, Jesus tells us. But let me plead with you. Here this night, you can avoid such an eternity by repenting of your sins today. Confessing Jesus Christ as your own resurrected Savior, living out your Savior's presence then within your life for all the world to see. Do not worry about what the world might say to you or what your friends might think about you. Be concerned instead with what God thinks of you. Only in Christ can we look forward to our own glorious resurrection and be found at peace with God. Well, finally here, then, this evening, congregation, we must also consider the necessity of Christ's resurrection for the Christian faith. And this is the third point of the message. You can put your catechisms away now, as we want to dwell on what Paul himself speaks to us of in the first half of the 15th chapter of his letter to the Corinthians. Focus with me on your Bibles there, on 1 Corinthians 15. Start at verse 1 again. Now, I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preach to you, which you receive and in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preach to you, unless you believed in vain, Now notice, congregation, how the Apostle Paul is insisting on the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead as a central tenet of the Christian faith. This is not debatable. Paul has heard that some in the Corinthian church were doubting the resurrection. But he is insisting here that the empty tomb is a foundational element of the true faith in Christ. This is why the resurrection of our Lord was preached so boldly by the first apostles, all of them. And Paul here reminds the Corinthians that he too taught it to them. And they took their stand upon it as he states in verse 1. So this is not something new that Paul is just now beginning to bring up to them. No, they were taught this truth from the very beginning of their Christian walk. So how can it be, Paul is wondering here in his letter, that some within the church there are starting to teach that there is no resurrection of the dead? How foolish! That's not what you learned from us, Paul here is saying. And look at how he puts it in fact, verse 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, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, And last of all, as one to untimely born, he appeared also to me." Now, don't overlook those statements which Paul makes, especially there in verses three and four. The early church fathers who fashioned the wording of the Apostles' Creed depended wholesale upon this section of scripture. They virtually repeat Paul's confession found there, Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. This is what we too state as our own belief each time we say the words of the Apostle's Creed. And remember that at the time that Paul wrote this to the Corinthians, if any of them were truly doubting Christ coming back to life, there were still plenty of human eyewitnesses still living who they could go and talk to. This is what Paul is emphasizing there. These witnesses had actually talked with the risen savior, walked with him, fellowshiped in his presence. There is no doubt that Jesus Christ is the victor over death. In him, we can have all confidence and trust for our own glorious resurrection. And with verse 12 then, Paul begins driving home the logic of this central tenet of the Christian faith. Paul does this, you see, because he knows the Greeks are very rational thinkers. They love their philosophy and their logic. And he also knew that he had been laughed out of Athens because he spoke of the resurrection of the dead. Dead men simply don't come back to life. This made no sense to these logical people. And so some of the Corinthians were trying to walk that fence over this issue. Willing to compromise over this issue. They were being laughed at, presumably, by their friends. And so they were saying to themselves, well, you know, maybe belief in Jesus' resurrection isn't all that important to our faith. Maybe we can still be true Christians, yet without a confession of either Christ's resurrection or my own personal resurrection someday. But Paul here in verses 12 through 19 says, no, that is not possible. Now think about this for a moment, Paul essentially is saying. If the simple fact that Christ was raised from the dead is not enough for you, if talking to eyewitnesses isn't good enough for you, then consider logically then, what it would mean to you if Christ indeed is still in the grave. This is why Paul does this role-playing here in verbal form. If God is not able to raise the dead, if coming back to life is not just beyond our ability to comprehend it, but it's also beyond God's ability to actually do, well then, Paul says, look at verse 13, Verse 13, but if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 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. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then, those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, We are, of all people, most to be pitied. Can you hear the logical structure of this? Paul's saying, if this is true, then this is true. If this is true, then this is true. If this is true, then you are to be most pitied. You're crazy to believe the Christian faith. But beloved, understand, The catastrophic consequences to the Christian faith if we give up this foundational issue. We have nothing. It is essential for our faith. The blessedness and truth of the Christian message is inextricably tied to the historical reality of Christ's death and resurrection. Without it, we have no hope. If our Savior has not already conquered that last enemy, death, what confidence can we possibly have to face that enemy ourself? When we're called to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we would have no confidence, but only fear. If our Lord yet lies in the grave, then we are above all people to be most pitied. Ah, but beloved, Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. His grave is empty. And victory over death for us has been secured. And a glorious resurrection awaits us all because of that perfect life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, God's only begotten Son. So let me say this in conclusion here tonight, beloved, that in Christ's resurrection, we have the answer to all of mankind's most ultimate problem. We have the answer as believers in Christ. Now, you know, man has all kinds of earthly problems that we face, living as we do, as physical, material people here upon this earth. We have financial problems. We have health problems. We have famines and hurricanes. We have tornadoes and floods and droughts, all kinds of issues that go on all around us. Just watch the evening news. But ultimately, all of these physical struggles in comparison to the one common spiritual problem that all people have, the curse of death. An eternity's worth of separation from God because of our sins and because of His holy justice. Death is the ultimate problem of all humankind. And beloved, we have the solution. The good news is found in Jesus Christ, that Savior who has come and solved our ultimate problem for us. For by conquering death in our place, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And so everyone who looks in faith to Him is blessed eternally by Him. That is the message that the first disciples preached, and it changed the world. And that is the message that we must bring to those around us who are floundering in darkness. We see it with our own eyes. We have the message that we must bring. So beloved, go forth this week, living out that message for the world to see Christ in you, the living Savior changing your life. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for this great resurrection message that you've given to your people, the church. We thank you that we serve a risen Savior and that he is, in fact, in this world today through us, by what we do, what we say, by what we think, we are showing the world our Lord. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would be with these, your people. Help them to do just that as they go forth, to show forth the risen Savior, new life in Christ, for this dark world needs to hear, to see the light of life. Heavenly Father, help us as we go out into the world this week. May we do just that for your namesake. Grant us your blessing and give us your grace. In Jesus' name alone we pray, amen.