Well, as we've been called to come together and rejoice, let's hear why we might do so according to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 12 through 28. And so I would invite you to turn to that passage of scripture. If you utilize the Bibles there in your rows, if you look on page 1,323, you'll find this text. 1 Corinthians 15, this is the chapter on the doctrine of the resurrection. And in the middle of this, Paul makes some amazing statements for us about the resurrection. Notice what he says, beginning in verse 12. 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, 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're 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. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by one 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, but each one in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and all power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For He has put all things under His feet, but when He says all things are put under Him, it's evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Thus far the reading of God's holy word. Remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's word abides forever. Amen. Have you ever heard of the individual known as George C. Parker? You don't have to raise your hand or anything of that sort. Although you may not know the name, you will know one of the things that he is most famous for. Parker was born around 1860, and he was an amazing scammer. Now, he didn't have access to the internet or opportunity to send emails from Nigeria or make a phone call that reminded you regarding your car warranty or some other type of issue. But what he was able to do was prey upon immigrants moving into New York City. And what he was most well known for was to stand at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge and offer it for sale. And some individuals upon hearing this saw from him or heard from him that there was an opportunity to make money by setting up toll booths so that they could charge pedestrians as they would cross the bridge a toll. And so individuals seeing the opportunity to make money took the bait offered by Parker. Some even purchased the Brooklyn Bridge for up to $50,000 only to find out that as soon as they set up their toll booth to begin to make money, the police would show up and eliminate their hopes and opportunities. Parker was so good at his job that he managed to not only sell the Brooklyn Bridge, he also sold the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, and Grant's tomb, along with a few other things. He eventually was caught for his fourth felony and was imprisoned in the late 1920s and died some eight years later. And it's because of what Parker did that the phrase that is popular came about, which is, if you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. The opportunity for an individual to make a con or to pursue fraud, deceive individuals and lead them into a bad spot. Well, the Apostle Paul is dealing with that concept in our text this morning here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He's basically dealing with a thought that had developed among the Corinthians, and the thought was this, there's no resurrection of the dead. certain philosophical conmen had entered the church and consequently sold them the philosophical Brooklyn Bridge that caused them then to begin to embrace and believe the idea that there is no resurrection. And the Apostle Paul in our text this morning combats that by noting the consequences that would be if that were the case. And from there then overcomes it by giving the reassurance that it's not. And so this morning we want to hear this idea that what if Christ didn't rise? What would be the circumstances in our lives if Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead? But then we also want to see, forget that, never mind. Here's the truth. The Apostle Paul sets this up for us in three ways by noting some theological considerations, some personal considerations, and then lastly, to give us some practical considerations. In doing this, the Apostle Paul is telling us that this is of utmost importance. After all, in the beginning of this passage, he's connected the resurrection with the gospel. Although we didn't read the verses at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15, he says, I bring to you the very thing that Jesus brought to me. I bring to you the very thing that is rooted in God's Word and what is there that Jesus Christ lived, that He suffered, that He died, that He was buried, that He rose again on the third day. And all of these things have been testified by God Himself through His Word. But He says it's not just simply that. There were many, many individuals who interacted with Jesus after he had risen from the dead. The various apostles, various individuals in the upper room. At one time, Jesus was seen by over 500 individuals. And he was seen by Paul himself. And yet the question remains, What if Christ did not rise? Why would the church have even considered this? Well, the reason for it is that the church in Corinth had been influenced by certain concepts of Greek philosophy. And the basic concept is this, the body is evil, that which is spiritual or the soul is good. The soul is somehow entrapped or encased in the body. The body serves as a prison for the soul. And because of that, then when a soul dies, it's released from this prison, never to be joined again with the body because the body is evil. We know that that isn't the case. It's not accurate. It's not correct in order to assert that. After all, God has made us body and soul. God has created originally when he made us, he made us good. The problem isn't the physical matter is evil or that there's something wrong in the created world. We ultimately know the issue is the effect of sin. But these individuals, apart from the revelation of Scripture, were not able to develop that concept. And so they had this thinking in mind. And so in order to overcome this, Paul then says, well, let's consider this for a moment. What if Christ had not been raised? He lists three basic theological considerations for us. Look at verse 12. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. Sorry, verse 13. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is vain. and dealing with this concept to say that Christ is somehow not risen from the dead and asserting instead that maybe it just simply was a spiritual event that an individual had personally as they came to a personal knowledge and understanding and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ goes directly contrary to what the scriptures itself notes. Listen to what Jesus tells the disciples in Luke chapter 24, after they see him on one of the occasions after his resurrection, he looks at them and he says, touch me, for I am not a spirit, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones. And even as they still doubted and questioned what was happening, he then asked for something to eat. Furthermore, listen to what Paul writes in Romans chapter 1 verse 3 and 4. He notes regarding Jesus Christ that concerning His Son Christ our Lord, He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Paul here is not affirming the validity of their position, but rather is seeking to undermine it by testifying of just how inaccurate it is and furthermore, the devastating effects that it can have. It's interesting he starts out by noting our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Maybe it's because he's simply a preacher that he starts with preaching. Maybe it's the idea of, well, of course a preacher is going to start there. After all, that's what he does. That's what he gets paid to do. But it's more to it than just job security. It's the fact that it is through the preaching of God's Word that our faith is directed. It's through the preaching of God's Word that we come to understanding of who Jesus Christ is. And if Jesus Christ then is still in the tomb, if he's still laid there in Jerusalem, if he did not rise, then what becomes the validity of preaching? The whole concept of preaching is to declare to us that it is the power of God unto salvation. That through Jesus Christ we have overcome sin and death and hell. That if Jesus did not overcome these things as God declares through the message of His servants, then there really is no message to preach. The thing that we find of most significance and substance in our opportunity for worship, the occasion to hear God's word expounded to us, to direct our hearts to Christ and to feed and nourish our souls with him, ultimately becomes empty and hollow. This is the point that Paul is making when he says that preaching is empty. It's like eating something that in the end doesn't satisfy. Eating something that simply dissolves and goes away and does not give you any nourishment, any strength, anything of benefit, and no nutrients. And it causes us then to see that as God himself sent a message from all eternity to say, I will send one who will overcome death. And as he lines up individuals through the prophets to testify of these same things, and he says, it's going to be this one who comes and is born of the line of David and is born in Bethlehem. And it's going to be the one who was born of the Virgin. And it's going to be the one who is strengthened by the Spirit of God and is the one who demonstrates that that Spirit is upon Him to do His will and to overcome the sickness and blindness and disease and even death itself. Only to find out that Jesus didn't do that at all. The question then becomes, how can you trust Him? Why would you trust Him? After all, He's a deceiver. He's a con artist. He's a fraud who sells you a bridge only to find out later that it gets taken away. His words become meaningless. And it leads us then to see that believing in him is also worthless. Our preaching is empty. Your faith also is empty. It's void of any effect. It has no power to change lives. Paul is ultimately testifying to us that we would ultimately have to say that a dead Savior cannot give life. We wouldn't agree with the psalmist when he writes, surely in vain I have kept my heart pure. We wouldn't agree where we would say, so I have toiled in order to pursue the things of God. We would instead see that this just simply has no meaning. It's futile, it's worthless. Why believe? Why devote yourself? Why would you ultimately see anything of impact or effect in your life? Because after all, you have listened to the testimony of liars. Paul says in verse 15, we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he did not raise up. It's a powerful statement that he makes there. This isn't simply the idea of a naivete that is present in these individuals as the servants of God. This isn't simply innocence where they mistakenly said something, but rather these eyewitnesses who said they saw Christ would ultimately know that they hadn't, and instead are willing to go forward and perpetuate falsehoods and untruths, just so that way they might stir up and gain a following. And furthermore, they testify of this very God who promised this and wasn't able to deliver, that He actually did so. They are ultimately misrepresenting the God that they are telling you to follow, to serve, to love, to pursue. Do you see how significant theologically this issue is? An impotent God, an impotent Savior, no victory or success regarding your greatest need. And so now Paul then begins to personalize this. In verses 16 through 19, he highlights the fact, for if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if he is not risen, your faith is futile. You're still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep have perished. In this life only, we have hope in Christ and we are of all men, most pitiable. Notice firstly, we're still in our sins. What is the benefit then of faith, confidence, trust in someone who didn't do the very thing that he set out to do? And furthermore, if he didn't do it, then where else will you go? What else can you trust in? What else is of encouragement or hope or help for you? The very thing that Jesus said that he would conquer and overcome, he wouldn't have and he didn't. and therefore his death is vain, his death is just simply like anyone else's death. It doesn't overcome, it doesn't help, it doesn't address our most basic need, and it still leaves us in this condition of misery and doubt and despair. What good is that? What comfort is that? You see, God had promised to send Jesus in order to address the penalty of our sin. The Bible testifies to us that the wages of sin is death. And so death came to all of us because of disobedience before God. God in turn said, I will overcome this by sending my beloved Son whom I love and care for to come and live in this world and to suffer a cruel death and to die on a cross in order to pay for your sins. He says that the separation that exists between us and it's sin in the middle, He will then take that away so that we then might be brought together and restored. But without the resurrection, we have no verification or validation of that. For as one author notes, the resurrection is God's amen to Christ His Son, that His work on the cross was vindicated. How do you know that your sins were nailed to the cross, and overcome if Christ did not rise from the dead. How do you know that God was satisfied with the sacrifice that Jesus made if Christ did not rise from the dead? You do not have any assurance that your sin has been canceled, that your debt has been paid, that you've been cleared of the penalty, and that the gulf that exists between you and your God is overcome. And hence the conclusion is, We're still in our sins. And our life is meaningless. But now Paul starts getting even more personal, maybe even a little emotional. All believers who have gone before us, they're just simply dead. That's kind of tugging at the heartstrings, isn't it? What's the comfort that we have when we gather together at funerals? That this isn't the end, that it's not done, that there's something more, that there's something beyond, and that our loved ones who we care for greatly, we will one day again see them, that we'll be joined together with them and our risen Savior. Why? Because Jesus has conquered and overcome first. But if he hasn't, what do they have? What comfort is there really to them? Our funerals are nothing more than a farce and our committals where we testify that they are buried but waiting the resurrection of the dead and the life that which is to come is nothing but a lie. Because Jesus is still dead and he hasn't overcome. Paul's right to conclude what kind of position is this to be in? We're of all people most pitiable. What does he mean by this? He says we have fallen to some sick, cruel joke that is a pathetic waste of our time if Christ is still dead. because here we've put all our hope, here we said is our strength, here is where our comfort lies, here is where our security lies, here is what gives us all sorts of encouragement and blessing and the ability to go about our days. And this is what we spend our time telling others, this is what we direct all of our life towards, this is how we give ourselves strength and help, And yet it means nothing. And our lives have been built all around it. Our monies have been dedicated to it. And we have been willing even to go forth and suffer the loss of many, many things, all for the sake of what? A dead Savior who couldn't overcome death? If Christ is still dead, There's no help now or in the life to come. If Christ is still dead, there's no promise of eternal life. If Christ is still dead, there's no peace, there's no joy, there's no satisfaction now. Christianity is simply a joke and a charade and it ought to be abandoned. In the living example of all the saints who have gone before us, the hall of faith of Hebrews 11 is simply the hall of foolishness because they were faithful for nothing. The individuals during the time of Noah ought to be commended because at least they had a good time before they were destroyed. At least they could eat, drink, and be married. Do you see that? The saints who have given themselves over to denial for the sake of an individual who makes all sorts of promises and yet that one doesn't deliver, they've sacrificed for what? What's the point? What's the value? And yet Paul doesn't leave us there. We're only in the beginning. of the chapter, and yet he then begins to build on and he says this, but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. There's some personal comforts that he gives us. He doesn't leave us in this state of despair and of discouragement and with a lack of hope. Instead, he says, this is what happens when you embrace your position. Let's imagine this for a moment. And then he goes, eh, nevermind. Here's what's legitimate. Here's what's right. Christ has been raised. How do we know this? Well, firstly, remember what he testified in the first 11 verses. It's the heart and message of the gospel revealed by God down through the ages, testified by living witnesses who were able to say, I saw, I heard, I was there. But number two, it's the testimony of Christ himself. Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. The lengthy point that Paul is making there is, firstly, Jesus had to rise in order to be that promise to us. of victory. This language of firstfruits was from the Mosaic economy. You can read about it in Leviticus 23. The short of it is this, that every year at the time of harvest, when Israel would begin to take up their crops, They would take a small portion of the crops and they would bring it to God and they would say, God, these are all yours and we're worshiping you for what you've given us accordingly. Number two, it was a testimony of the fact that there were crops. They were getting ready to pull it. And God in turn is telling us that as Jesus has lived, has died, and has risen from the dead, he is the one who points us to the truth that we one day will also rise. The beautiful statement that he makes about death here is that we simply have fallen asleep. You don't sleep forever. Sometimes it seems like our teenagers do, but they don't. At some point you get up. Death is simply called sleep because it's a state that we're in for a time and we then will be brought out of it. And when we are, it's to be face and face, face to face with Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead. It also speaks to us then of what is awaiting us. As Jesus has gone to the other side of the grave and conquered, as he shows himself to be victorious, as he declares himself to be perfect, as he shows himself to be one who is worthy of all praise, in the state of his existence, he's telling us what our bodies in existence will be like. And so it encourages us in that way as well. Lastly, it also assures us that we have all the benefits that he promised to us in salvation. The scriptures are replete with all sorts of verses that tell us of the many things that Christ has gained. By being that first fruit, he says, this is awaiting us. And yet what is it? What is it that he has done? What is it that he has gotten for us? What is it that we are waiting for? Well, in Ephesians chapter one, we have this promise that God has chosen us in the beloved for holiness and blamelessness. We are holy now. We are being made holy. We will one day be in a holy state of perfection. Jesus has secured for us the status of being adopted as his sons, the children of God. Sons and daughters of the King whom he loves immensely. The Bible testifies of the unmerited favor of God, His grace being given unto us, that we are received in the Beloved, that He forgives us of all of our sins, that He cleanses us from all unrighteousness, that God is our Father and that we are His children. He promises us that there is no condemnation forevermore. We have a position of eternal security in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We've been given God's spirit that dwells within us forevermore to sanctify us and to cleanse us and to speak to us every moment of every day that we truly belong to our risen Savior. We have the promise that life is ours. Not just simply living life in this world where you pay your taxes and then you die, but rather eternal life where we will live forevermore before the Father with the Son to praise the triune God with the security that is ours in Christ. And it's in a state of holy perfection. where the effects of sin and the fall, where the issues of death and hurts and pains and tears are no more. And the strength of the beloved promise of our Bridegroom is ours as we live forevermore with Him. Paul here addresses the issue of fraud. But the fraud isn't in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's true. He's legitimate. The witnesses that he has sent forth from down through the ages all tell us of his legitimacy. And Christ himself proved it. by coming into this world, by suffering, by dying, by being buried, but by being raised again. Listen to how Paul directs our hearts in an encouraging manner in Romans chapter four. He says, who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. Dear believer, you have no reason to doubt what God has revealed. He assures you truly, completely, and fully that you serve a risen Savior, that He lives. And because He lives, you have the assurance of what He has gone through is yours. And as you wait, be encouraged and believe. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, help us to consider the promises that you have made to see the benefits that Jesus has gained for us, and to dwell with certainty in those truths. We confess that there are times in which we doubt. Science can't prove that someone can rise from the dead. We confess that there are difficult concepts here to understand. but you overcome that through faith. Help us to believe, strengthen us in our belief, and help us to know of the security that is ours through your promised son, in whose name we pray, amen.