MPC
29th October 2017.October 29 - 1 Corinthians 15 - "Gospel Life"
MPC
29th October 2017.
Dan Wilton
Earlier this year I was watching a documentary about the life of Dean Potter.
He's a BASE jumper. That weird sport where people jump off the side of cliffs with just a parachute. And a whole lot of stupidity.
Dean's record is jumping 9000 vertical feet. That's like going from here to Gaythorne Station. Jumping. Straight down.
If you're afraid of heights - I wouldn't recommend the sport. Or the documentary. These guys are crazy!
Dean Potter died 2 years ago. Attempting another BASE jump.
Another casualty to a dangerous sport.
And this documentary was really asking - is it worth it? Is it worth putting your life on the line? To chase a new record?
Sure, Dean died doing what he loved - but is that really a consolation? He died!
One of the BASE jumpers interviewed responded with this:
I'm not sure why our culture at large seems to think people will live forever. Or that people should live forever. That it might be possible to erase anything that might inevitably cause death. Death is a part of life.
It's true isn't it? We can't escape death! You know the saying - there are two sure things in life - death and taxes.
You can be like Dean Potter - doing what you love. Chasing your dreams.
It's what the kids are calling - YOLO - you only live once - so enjoy it!
Be in the moment - don't worry about the future.
Or you can spend the rest of your life trying to avoid death. Avoid thinking about it. Avoid talking about it. Avoid it all together.
Think about how obsessed our society is with health - all our gym memberships, super foods, paleo diets - we're obsessed because we're trying to escape it. Beat death.
How do you respond to death? - Live it up now, or desperately try and escape it?
I want to say, the Bible gives a third option. A life of hope. The good news of the Bible is: death is not the end!
The Gospel offers new life - through the resurrection of one man - Jesus.
New life for eternity. Which changes everything!
Changes our attitudes.
Changes our identity.
Changes our ambitions.
Changes how we live now.
Not living for YOLO, but living for the resurrection.
Living with hope and purpose.
For those who haven't been here the last couple of weeks we've been thinking about what the gospel is. The good news of the Bible.
The staff team jumped on the Twitter band wagon and came up with this Tweet sized summary:
The one who died for sin is King #goodnews
Over the last couple of weeks we've been unpacking the Tweet.
The good news is that God has organised a rescue mission. Jesus. To deal with our sin problem. By dying in our place.
the one who died for sin...
We all desperately need a savior. And Jesus is the solution. But there's more to the good news.
Because the one who died is no longer dead - He's alive. He's king. Have a look at how Paul puts it in the opening verses of the chapter we just read. It's a crash course on the good news. V. 1:
Now brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel, the good news... the message I preached to you, which you received... and on which you have taken your stand.
The gospel, he says in verse 2, that you're saved by. If you hold on to it firmly. That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Verse 3. Literally dead. A corpse. And was buried. Verse 4.
But that's not all - like an infomercial - "but wait, there's more!" - and here's the final part of the good news.
Jesus was raised on the third day.
Not just as an illusion. Or a spirit. But alive; and he appeared to Peter; and then to the twelve; Verse 6, after that, to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time.
Jesus didn't stay dead! He rose from the grave. Not like a Walking Dead zombie - but breathing, talking, alive.
The one who died for sin is alive - he's king!
Two elements Paul doesn't want us to miss. Jesus died in our place, for sin. And raised to life again. Both essential to the gospel.
The resurrection's not an optional side. Like taking or leaving the side of salad when you order a steak at the pub. It's not an optional extra. Take it or leave it.
Because without the resurrection there's no good news at all.
If Jesus is a bunch of bones somewhere in Palestine pushing up daisies, it doesn't matter how sincere you are, how strong your faith is. It's all a waste of time - it's time to pack up and go home. All the talk about sin being forgiven - pointless.
See how Paul puts it in verse 17:
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
Paul says the resurrection can't be separated from the cross. One means nothing without the other.
Without being joined to a resurrected Jesus, his death offers no hope to anyone.
Death is still death. Christianity is just another coping mechanism. A crutch when things get hard.
And those who call themselves Christian - well they're a bunch of fools. Verse 19:
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
The resurrection is what Christianity rests on!
The resurrection is part of the main event - Jesus died and rose again - you can't separate them. Not an optional extra. Because if Jesus really did rise from the dead. Then death - the greatest threat to life - has been defeated. That's the good news that changes everything.
Because Jesus' resurrection deals with our death problem.
There's an old story about a group of mountain climbers. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. And there's about 10 of them. And as mountain climbers love to do - they're all tied to each other - climbing.
When suddenly the guy at the bottom slips and falls over the edge. Tumbling to his death.
And as his weight pulls the rope - it pulls the next guy. And he comes with him. And then the next guy, and the next guy. And they're all pulling each other off the mountain. To death.
Until suddenly the first guy - seeing what's coming - plunges his axe into the ground. The rope pulls on him. Almost slicing him in two. But he holds on. offers life.
As long as the others are tied to the rope - they're hanging onto life.
See, all we've ever known in this world - is being tied to the rope of that man falling off the mountain.
And whether it's 5 months, 5 years, 50 or a hundred, that rope's pulling on us. Dragging us off the edge towards death. Paul says the man we're tied to is Adam - dragging us all down into death. See how he puts it in verse 21:
For since death came through a man ... 22For as in Adam all die...
Death is unavoidable. I don't think anyone needs convincing of that.
This year I've been part of far too many funerals. My 72 year old uncle; Donna Parkinson's; a good mate's 27 year old sister; and another mate's baby - only a couple of hours old.
And I'm not alone. We all know what it's like to watch lives come to an end.
Just this last week MPC had two funerals - Phil's Mum, Cynthia, and Cathy Ridings.
Death is horrible. It's soul destroying. And wrong. And we're powerless to do anything to stop it. But that's why the resurrection is such good news. It offers a life of hope. Real and lasting hope.
It says there's no longer just an Adam slowly but surely dragging us down to death. It says, on the other end of the rope is Jesus. Who thrusts his axe into the ground of new life.
He's the one who died for sin. And he's the King who has been raised. The one who died for sin is King. And Jesus says: everyone who's tied to me can have certainty of life after death.
Check out how Paul puts it from verse 21 again:
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
See what that means. Jesus is the first one of many who will make it through death. He's the first-fruits - verse 20 - for those who will follow.
Growing up we had a whole lot of fruit trees in the back yard. But there were two mandarin trees that were very different from each other.
The first tree never produced mandarins - it didn't produce apples, didn't produce lemons. It just didn't produce anything. For the 12 years I was there it produced no fruit! I have no idea why we kept it.
It's not a good example of first fruits - it's an example of no fruits. It was a no-fruits tree.
The second couldn't have been more different. Every year. Reliably. It produced a harvest of mandarins. An endless supply.
You might not realize how mandarins grow. They start out very small and green. They gradually grow bigger until they turn an orange colour. And then you know they're ripe to eat.
But every year there would be one mandarin that had turned orange way ahead of the pack - like weeks and weeks ahead of the others. It's the first-fruit - the first one ripe before all the others. Pointing to the harvest coming.
Now Jesus isn't a mandarin, but Paul says he is the first-fruits. He's the first to rise from the grave. The first of a mighty, amazing harvest. The first to walk out of death.
The first resurrection before a harvest of new life to come for those who trust him.
But what's Jesus doing now? He's been raised as the first-fruits - is he just playing his Xbox waiting for everyone else to join him?
Paul says - he's ruling; He's reigning as king. Bringing all his enemies under his feet - verse 25 - until death itself is defeated. Isn't that good news?
Because the King really is alive I can say when I go to a funeral: "Yes, Death is awful, but I know she's with Christ, she really is in a better place." And you can say it boldly. Confidently.
The resurrection changes everything. Because the one who died is alive - ruling as king.
This life with sickness and pain and death is just a brief time before we will go to be with Jesus.
Death is still horrible. And yes we hate it. But we can rejoice in spite of it. Because we know we're tied to Jesus. And with Paul mockingly say:
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
As Christians, we can rejoice in the life we have in Jesus. Confident to say: because Jesus has been raised, so will I!
But it's not just a hope for the grave. Jesus' resurrection changes how we live now. To live life with purpose.
Look if the resurrection isn't true, it makes complete sense to get as much out of life while you still can. Even Paul would be a YOLO man if the resurrection isn't true. Have a look at verse 31:
If the dead are not raised, 'let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die'.
If there's no resurrection; no life beyond the grave - then go ahead - eat, drink, and be merry, do whatever you want cause this is all there is.
YOLO - You Only Live Once. Party hard. Get as much out of this life as you can. Before you turn into compost for worms.
But if there really is life behind the grave. Then you've got something else to live for. The resurrection frees us up from having to find security and meaning and worth only in this life now. The good news of the resurrection gives you more to live for! live for eternity!
It's certainly how Paul lived. Not living for himself and his own pleasure. He puts his life on the line so that other's might hear the good news. See what he says in verse 30:
As for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day!
Paul's always putting his life on the line. Living each day like it's his last.
Not how Ronan Keating means it - lovin' each day as if it's the last. Trying to squeeze as much happiness out of each day.
Paul lives each day as if it's the last by putting his life on the line. He doesn't protect his life. Paul lives his life to make it count for eternity. Knowing his life is already secure in Jesus. That death is not the end.
So he doesn't have to protect it. He doesn't need to try and invest in his life. Find security in it. He doesn't need to be constantly in pursuit of happiness. That's what the resurrection does - it changes what we invest in. changes what we do. It changes everything!
And Paul says that's what lives marked by real hope look like.
He's not saying this life's all going to be okay. That Christians won't get sick or suffer or die. That Christians won't be humiliated or disappointed or persecuted.
It's not our hope to be freed from that. But our hope is summed up in those four words that he uses over and over again: resurrection from the dead. The hope that resurrection for Jesus means one day, resurrection for his people as well.
If you believe that, take heart... when death has done its worst, then things are going to get better and better in unimaginable ways.
Which makes us uniquely a people of hope and purpose. Who stand firm in that hope... as Paul says in verse 58. Unshakeable. Always giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord... because we know of all things, our labour in the Lord is not in vain.
The resurrection changes everything! It gives hope in death. And it changes how we live now! A life reimagined by the resurrection.
A couple of years ago, while I was still in Sydney, I was leading a Growth Group of young workers. One woman in the group was Susan.
She was a lawyer in one of the big law firms in the city. She was great at what she did - she was a junior partner. And on the fast track to senior partner. And she loved it.
But she was also convinced of the good news of Jesus. And saw the desperate need for more people to know Jesus in the western suburbs of Sydney.
So she decided to stop her career. Give up her partnership ambitions. And spend four years studying at Bible college. Looking to share the gospel with refugees in Sydney. That's a life reimagined by the resurrection.
What does it matter losing your wealth; what does it matter losing your career, losing your time - when you know the resurrection is coming? And you can share this Good news with others. The resurrection gives us a new purpose!
I'm not telling you to go to Bible college. But I'm sure there'll be a decision this week that can be reimagined by the resurrection. Reimagined by the security the resurrection gives you. Reimagined by the freedom, the certainty of the resurrection. Investing in the eternal.
Maybe for you there is a big life decision you need to make; or perhaps what to do with the tax return you got back; Or finally taking that extra step and inviting a work colleague to church.
How will the resurrection change your life?
It gives you infinitely more hope, certainty and purpose than anything else this world can offer.
The resurrection offers life. In Jesus. And that's certainly good news.