Good Easter Sunday morning to you. Our tradition at Meadowlands on this Easter Sunday morning, on any Easter Sunday morning, has always been to begin with the greeting of, He is risen. He is risen indeed. We'll certainly enjoy resuming that tradition on Easter Sunday of next year, Lord willing. Today, however, we're reminded again of the significance of Christ's resurrection and why this celebration holds so much meaning for us. And we're glad that you can join us today. As we begin this morning, I invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15. This is a passage of scripture that we read for our Good Friday service this week. So we're going to resume reading in that passage and then go into Mark's account of Christ's resurrection. We're going to start our reading in verse 37. Mark 15, 37. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion, who stood opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, truly, this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses and Salome. who also followed him and ministered to him when he was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. Now when evening had come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went into Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that he was already dead, and summoning the centurion, he asked him if he had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen. And he laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph observed where he was laid. Now when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices. that they might come and anoint him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe, sitting on the right side. And they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter. that He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him, as He said to you.' So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, he appeared in another form to two of them as he walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later he appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table, and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. We'll end the Scripture reading there. Shall we pray? Father, Your Word says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. How we praise You this morning for this hope. for the inheritance that we have in Christ that's incorruptible and undefiled and that doesn't fade away, reserved in heaven for us. We thank you that you have kept us by your power through this wonderful event that we celebrate today, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful truth that we have, that we serve a living Savior who's even now preparing a place for us. And so our hearts don't have to be troubled. We who believe in God and believe in Christ We're thankful that in spite of all that's going on around us in our world today, that our hope is secure because of what Christ did for us on the cross. We're thankful that He didn't stay in the tomb but rose again. It's amazing how many of your promises are directly tied to the truths surrounding the resurrection. These promises would be irrelevant if Christ had not risen. But we're thankful that He is alive, and we're thankful that we can celebrate His life today. We pray that you would bless this service for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. My hope is in the Lord, who made heaven so for me, and made the price of all my sin and hell a mean for me. ♪ In Jesus' righteousness ♪ ♪ For me He died, for me He lives ♪ ♪ And everlasting life on earth He freely gives ♪ ♪ And now for me He stands ♪ is for me Oh you ♪ If day up was he to die ♪ ♪ If his finish was his cry ♪ ♪ Now in heaven exalted high ♪ ♪ Alleluia ♪ Good morning. This morning's scripture reading is found in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 to 22. That's 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1 to 22. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all he was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy 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 towards me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preached, and so you believed. Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, we are found to be false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiful. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. This is the word of the Lord. ♪ In the sky above us all ♪ ♪ Oh, it's coming down, it's coming ♪ ♪ It's coming down, it's coming ♪ ♪ It's coming down, it's coming ♪ ♪ It's coming down, it's coming ♪ is is Have you ever heard someone say that the Bible is just too outdated? After all, it is hard enough to get people to read, let alone a thick book of over 1,000 pages, written over 2,000 years ago from 10,000 kilometers on the other side of the world. it just seems irrelevant many people in our society of course there are some quotations of scripture that are well-known and appreciated but there are other parts that are often dismissed or even ridicule We may think that these attitudes are more recent phenomenon because of our sophisticated society, but the gospel of Jesus has never been popular. In fact, the early Christians of the first century were even tempted to make their faith more palatable to the general population. The Apostle Paul addresses this in his first letter to the Corinthian church. These early Christians lived in the hub of an expanding Greek civilization with all of its influential philosophy and culture. This was not a society that was accepting of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul affirms that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. So, should the church change its marketing strategy? Should we hold a focus group to see how the message could be altered in such a way to make it more acceptable to a wider population? What should we do? Well, Paul says no. We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." 1 Corinthians 1, 23-25. Yes, the cross may be foolish, considered foolish, it may even be offensive to some, but it is absolutely essential to the gospel message. Remove the message of the cross and you gut the gospel of its power. Not only was there temptation to remove the crucifixion of Christ from the message, But there was also the temptation to remove the resurrection. In Acts chapter 17, we read Paul's visit to Athens. And there on Mars Hill, Paul is proclaiming the gospel to these Greek philosophers. They listened to him preach, but when he told them about the resurrection of Jesus, they mocked him. Resurrection was just too extreme for some of these sophisticated philosophers. And because of this, there was a temptation in Corinth to retain a form of Christianity that rejected any kind of bodily resurrection. This may even come as a result of the pagan religious beliefs of that time called dualism, where they believed that matter was evil and only spirit was good. So why would anyone want their material body resurrected after death, since the body is evil? Instead, they taught that death actually frees the spirit from the body. There's no reason to desire the body to be resurrected. So in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul addresses the resurrection and its absolute necessity to the gospel. Let's begin reading in verses 1 and 2. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which you are also saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. Paul states here that the gospel he has preached is the message by which they are saved. Yes, there are many messages out there. There are various philosophies and ideologies that claim to be true. They even claim to be good news. But Paul says here that his message is the only one that brings true salvation. So they must not alter it in any way. Now, what exactly is this message? Well, that's what Paul details in verses 3 and 4. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures here we have a summary of the gospel there are basic facts that are absolutely necessary to this message the message of salvation christ died now that is what we remembered on good friday And the reason we call it Good Friday is that he died for our sins. It wasn't good for Jesus as he suffered in our place, but it is good for us because he atoned for our sins. We stand forgiven at the cross. Paul also affirms that after the death of Jesus, his lifeless body was buried. It was placed in a tomb. The Gospel writers even report that a heavy, large stone was rolled over the opening of that tomb. It was sealed. And even a detachment of Roman soldiers were placed in front to guard the tomb. but verse four gives us an additional essential detail of the gospel message he arose again the third day according to the scriptures there it is the resurrection this is the part of the story that is hard for many to accept the Greek philosophers mocked when they heard about the resurrection And most of the general population also reject anything that they consider not to be believable. But Paul is writing about this to demonstrate that the resurrection is not something ancillary to the message. It isn't optional. It is absolutely vital. In verses 5-7, Paul offers eyewitness testimony. Paul is not making this up. He has met many who saw Jesus after His burial. Even, he says, 500 at once. Certainly, the resurrection of Jesus is an extraordinary event. It is a miracle. But there is evidence for this. On the third day, the tomb was empty. That's a fact. And there are many who testified of seeing Jesus alive. In verse 12, Paul gets to his main point. There were some people, even associated with the Corinthian church, who were denying a literal bodily resurrection. They didn't believe that the dead body of a Christian would one day be resurrected. Now, Jesus himself taught about the resurrection of believers. In John chapter 6, he declared, This is the will of the Father who sent me. that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but shall raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Jesus later said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Paul argues here that the resurrection of believers and the resurrection of Jesus are connected. Let's read verses 12-19. Now, if Christ is preached that He had been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. Paul argues here that the doctrine of the resurrection cannot be easily discarded. The resurrection is the main pillar that supports the entire structure. Remove the resurrection and the entire building collapses. Paul says, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. Jesus himself declared his own death and resurrection and the resurrection of those who believe in him. You either believe everything that Jesus said or you don't. But you really can't pick and choose some of what Jesus said and some of what he did not. If you choose to reject what Jesus taught about the resurrection, then you reject Christianity. Paul states the facts. If Christ is not risen, then your faith is empty, and we are false witnesses, and we are still in our sins. And therefore, our brothers and sisters in Christ who have died They are perished forever. And we are of all people to be the most pitied. And you may sometimes hear about liberal theology that claims to be Christian, but denies facts of Christianity like the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. There are churches and denominations that display Christian on their label. But Paul says there is no Christianity apart from faith in the literal resurrection of Jesus. Without the resurrection, what is called good news is not really good at all. It is a sham. It is empty. And there is no hope for sinners. After demonstrating the grave consequences of rejecting the resurrection, Paul states the truth plainly in verse 20. But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Here's the relationship between Christ's resurrection and our future resurrection. Christ's resurrection, Paul says, is the first fruits. Now imagine the first ripe tomato from your garden. I know it's hard for us to imagine that right now with snow covering the ground. But let's say that in a few months you have a garden in your yard that you've been working on, and you get that very first ripe tomato. So you pick it, you bring it in the kitchen, Cut it up, sprinkle a little salt on it, and you take the first bite. It tastes so good. And what you start getting excited about is that you have five tomato plants, and you anticipate dozens of ripe tomatoes. You've had the first fruits as you eagerly await an entire harvest. We celebrate Christ's resurrection in anticipation of the full harvest, the resurrection of our own body. In verses 21 and 22, Paul tells us that Adam represents all of his offspring. And this means every one of us, because we are all related. We are all descendants of Adam and Eve. But what does this ancestry mean? It means that each one of us are born in sin. It means that we will inherit death. Romans 5.12 explains it this way, Through one man, sin entered the world, and death by sin. And thus death spread to all men, for all have sinned. Now we are worried right now about the spread of disease and rightly so. And so we wash our hands and we keep our distance. We don't want to catch the virus and we don't want to spread it or infect someone else. But the worst disease of all is sin. And it's already infected every human being. It means that we inherit death. That is why each person eventually dies. Whether someone lives to be 90 or 9, it doesn't matter the length of time, the ending is the same for all. We don't know when we will die. We don't know. how we will die, but what is certain is that we will die. Death is the future for everyone. We are all descendants of Adam. Let's read verses 21 and 22 now. for since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." Now that is good news. The bad news is that in Adam all die. But the good news is that in Christ all shall be made alive. The good news is that by the man Jesus came the resurrection of the dead. His resurrection is the first fruit for our resurrection. Now, for the sake of time, let's skip now to verse 42 to see the conclusion of Paul's teaching about the resurrection. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body and so it is written the first man Adam became a living being the last Adam became a life giving spirit now this is a beautiful picture that we observe at a Christian grave by faith that lifeless body of a believer is planted in the ground it is so in corruption and dishonor weakness but we rejoice that burial is not the in of the story even as the spirit of the christian at the moment of death goes immediately to heaven to be with christ The physical body awaits God's promise to be raised at the last day. At that time, that natural, decaying corpse will be raised in glory and power. I love reading this passage of Scripture to friends and family of a loved one who has died. It's an opportunity to remind those people of the promises that God has made, usually at a funeral or a graveside service. Yes, we grieve and sorrow. It is real and painful. But as Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers, we sorrow not as others who have no hope. In verse 45, Paul draws the connection again to our two representatives. And so it is written the first man Adam became a living being the last Adam became a life-giving spirit Genesis chapter 2 verse 7 states that the Lord God formed a man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being Our lives find their source in the gift that God gave to Adam but since our life is in adam it ends in death because of sin we now need another representative we need what paul called a life giving spirit jesus christ is the last adam let's keep reading about the contrast between the two first forty seven The first man was of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust. And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man." Are you following Paul's argument here? These are two men, two representatives. As human beings, we are all descendants of the first man. We are of the earth. We are made of dust. Because of Adam's sin, we are not heavenly, nor do we bear the image of the heavenly man. And remember what we read all the way back in the very beginning in Genesis that God created mankind in his image to bear his image on the earth. But sin has come upon each one of us and marred that image. So what we need is a new birth that leads to new life. We need to be the offspring of the heavenly man so that we can inherit heaven. Verse 50 tells us why. Now this I say, brethren, Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. So as descendants of Adam, we are flesh and blood. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Our earthly bodies are corrupt and incapable of inheriting incorruption. That is why the resurrection is essential. in the future resurrection, our earthly bodies become heavenly, our corrupt bodies put on incorruption, our mortal bodies become immortal. Paul further explains this beginning in verse 51. 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 raved and corruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that exciting? Now, we may feel nervous about the present situation that we are in. We can get anxious about the unknown future. We may even fear what could happen to our health, but we can be certain of what God has promised, and nothing can change those promises. These bodies, susceptible to sickness and disease and eventual death, will be made new. And this transformation does not happen through a series of surgeries and recovery. No, Paul says it happens instantaneously in the twinkling of an eye. And this is why Paul states that death has lost its sting and the grave is not victorious. Yes, death is separation. The body and soul are separated. And the soul of the believer is separated from loved ones here on earth. And that is certainly painful. but the separation is only temporary. And death is actually the next step in the transformation. Like a seed planted in the ground, that seed eventually decomposes and ceases to exist. But what comes about in its place? A plant that grows and bears fruit And from the seed of the believer's dead body, God will produce a glorified body. This is the gospel. This is good news. And it is all contingent upon the truth of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. There's a key word that we find three times in verses 54 to 57. The Greek word here is Nikos. It is used by the athletic clothing brand Nike. It means victorious, triumphant. Now wearing Nike shoes will not necessarily make you successful in athletic competition. You may not have the victory, but being united with Christ will bring you victory over death. Because Jesus triumphed over the grave, you and I will also triumph over death. Yes, in Adam our material bodies will die, but in Christ we will be made alive. Jesus said it this way, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. You see, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We have victory in Jesus. Before we close, I want to point out something to you. In the first 57 verses of this chapter, there is not one command. Paul is stating truths and making arguments. and providing evidence. But in the final verse, verse 58, we have an exhortation. How should we respond to the absolute fact of Christ's resurrection? And how should we live in confident hope of our own resurrection? Paul commands, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast. He tells them, remain in the place where you are. Now, this is an echo of what he already said at the very beginning of this chapter in verses one and two. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which you are also saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." My dear brothers and sisters, we may undergo all kinds of pressures and difficulties that threaten to move us. But when it comes to our faith in the gospel, we must stand firm. We must hold fast. Be steadfast. Paul also uses another word in verse 58, immovable. So this is the negative side of steadfast. Remain where you are and don't move. Don't let the deniers of the resurrection persuade you in the slightest. Don't move an inch. So confidence in the resurrection will keep us stable and stationary. But that does not mean that we are inactive. On the contrary, Paul commands to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. You see, fear of illness and death can paralyze our work for the Lord. We can worry about finances and our jobs and other things, and that will hinder our obedience to Christ's calling for us. But we have nothing to fear. In Christ, we are victorious. Because of Christ, we have a certain future. Therefore, keep abounding in the work of the Lord, Paul says. Read your Bible and live it. Joyfully obey. because you have victory in Christ. If Christ is not risen, everything we do for Him is vain. But the end of verse 58 tells us what we know. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Rather than empty and futile, living for Christ is the only thing that will really last for all eternity. So even as we live in very unusual times with unique challenges, we know the truth that enables us to courageously abound in the work of our risen Lord. He is risen indeed. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's bow for prayer, and then we will sing it as well with my soul. Our Heavenly Father, we affirm that Your Word is true. We affirm the promises that You have made to us. We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sin, that He was buried, that He rose again the third day. We are confident that His resurrection is the first fruits for our resurrection. We are being reminded daily that our world and even our own bodies are corrupt and weak and mortal. This makes us all the more eager to be made new by your resurrection power. We thank You, God, that even through hardship and suffering, we can know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. And we are assured of the victory that we have in Jesus. And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of our Holy Spirit. Amen. ♪ When sorrows like sea billows roll ♪ ♪ Forever, my love, thou hast taught me to say ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well ♪ Is well with my soul is My Savior divine, wonderful Lord, He'll sail to the cross. It is well with my soul. It is well with my soul Israel, Israel.