I just realized I forgot to read Matthew 28. Let's do that along with 1 Corinthians 15. Matthew 28, the first ten verses, and then turning to 1 Corinthians 15. Matthew 28, 1-10, as we recall that marvelous Easter story. After the Sabbath at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Now I have told you. So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples, Suddenly Jesus met them. Greetings, he said. They came to him, clasped his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me. 1 Corinthians 15, we will read together, actually through verse 32. Our consideration this morning, verses 12 through 20. A well-known resurrection chapter. Beginning at verse 1, Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. That He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. And that He appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. After that, He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same 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, He appeared to me also as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles, and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether then it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 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. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 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. But each in his own turn. Christ the firstfruits. Then when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, 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 He has put everything under His feet. Now, when it says that everything has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself who put everything under Christ. When He has done this, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him so that God may be all in all. Now, if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day. I mean that, brothers, just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning, for there are some who are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame. May God add His blessing to the reading and the preaching of His Word this morning. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, Alleluia! Christ arose. That truth, those few words, ought to thrill our hearts. Those few words ought to send shivers up and down our spines. Because those are the words of life. However, we know, of course, that there are different reactions to the news that Jesus Christ rose again. For some, it's a problem. It's a problem for them because they simply cannot believe something that they have never seen. Some say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is just a fairy tale. It's some sort of a far-fetched story that gives us a good feeling, you see, in the midst of a world that is filled with bad things. And we know that there are so many, there have been over the ages, there are so many who struggle with the actual fact of the resurrection because to the human mind it simply doesn't make sense. We can't figure out how it's possible. Of course we know with our modern day medical technology that sometimes doctors are able to start a heart again that hasn't been beating for a number of minutes. But for someone who has been, as we say, dead for a few hours or a day or two or three, we just can't figure out how it's possible. And therefore, some say, well, anyway, it's the crucifixion and the death of Christ that are the really important things, right? Because that's when and where He paid the debt of sin. That's when and where He made atonement for you and me. And therefore, many have made the resurrection of Jesus Christ no big deal. kind of like a bow on a package. It's pretty, but it's not necessary. Some years ago I remember reading that some say it's not really important if Christ really literally rose again from the dead, but what's important is that you believe that He did for you and that I believe that He did for me. And I also read that some teach that the resurrection isn't talking about the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. But when you believe, you see, at that particular moment then, Christ rises in your heart. But boys and girls, we must believe that Jesus Christ rose again from the grave, body and soul. We must believe that first of all, because it's true, the Bible tells us so. And also because our eternal life, our salvation, depends on it. Without the resurrection of our Lord, the crucifixion is meaningless. Without the resurrection, He suffered and died for nothing. And it's clear that already, not that many years after the actual event, already in the early New Testament church, Paul had to deal with questions and denials of the resurrection. And in this chapter, in a sense, he answers the question, what if there is no resurrection? And very simply this morning, beloved, I would like us to consider two things, that this is a frightening question, first of all. And secondly, that it is a useless question. It's a frightening question. What if there is no resurrection is a frightening question, first of all, because of its context. Paul says in verse 12, But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? The context here for Paul is that simply some were denying the bodily resurrection from the dead in general. That there is no bodily resurrection. And therefore, Paul is challenging some in the Corinthian church for believing this false teaching. Satan was busy, and he's still busy today, isn't he? Busy trying to undermine the work and the truth of Jesus Christ. It is believed that there were false teachers who had crept into the church. Those who had been influenced by Greek philosophy and taught that matter, that which is physical, is evil. And only the spiritual is good. And the result is that some of the Corinthian believers failed to see the importance of a bodily resurrection. And therefore they denied its reality. And this question is a frightening question because the context in which Paul addresses it reminds us vividly, very simply, of the reason that Jesus Christ had to come. Because of sin. And because of the rejection of the truth of God. And even more frightening, beloved, it's even more frightening because of its implications. Boys and girls, because of what it means if there is no resurrection. And first of all, what it means for Christ Himself. Verse 13, If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. Now that's a simple statement of fact that makes sense, doesn't it? It's logical. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then this one of whom we have been preaching that was raised from the dead, well, He has not been raised from the dead. But that comes with its own horrendous set of implications. That means then that God did not accept Christ's work because we know that the resurrection is God's answer to the Son's declaration of triumph. It is finished. But if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then God in essence has said, no, it's not. It isn't finished. Because obviously then God is not satisfied. He is still offended. He is still angry because of sin and He requires something more because that must also mean that Christ failed. That He didn't offer the perfect sacrifice for sin. That He didn't pay the full price or any of it at all. That He didn't purchase that perfect everlasting righteousness for you and me. That He didn't blow a hole in Satan's accusations against us. It must mean that He didn't destroy sin's power and curse, that He didn't conquer Satan, death, and the grave. He couldn't have, you see. Because the resurrection is a sign of victory. But if there is no resurrection, there is no victory. There's only defeat. There's only failure. And then the world is right about the cross, that it is foolishness. And that the one who died there is useless. He lost. He was defeated. Beloved, do you see the domino effect? If there is no resurrection, but it gets worse. Because if there is no resurrection, and therefore no resurrection of Christ, it gets worse because of the implications for us. Paul outlines that somewhat in verses 14 through 19. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 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. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. Notice the implications for us. If there is no resurrection, we are deceived. Our faith is futile. It's useless. It's worthless. It has no object. It has no aim. It has no end in sight. It has no certainty or assurance. We believe something that simply is not true. Like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. If there is no resurrection, beloved, we are without hope. Paul says, you are still in your sins. Think about that for a moment. Boys and girls, I know you're smart enough to understand this too. Think about what it means if you are still in your sins. That is a horrible thought. That means that the curse, we are still under sin's curse. And it means that the eternal punishment from God is still reserved for us. We're still standing in line. Because if Christ has not risen, then sin is victorious. There is no justification. There is no forgiveness of sins. There is no declaration from the mouth of our God of not guilty. There is no being robed in Christ's righteousness because there is no righteousness of Christ to be robed in. Because if He has not been raised from the dead again, He failed. That's what it must mean. You see, because as Paul says in Romans 4.25, he makes it clear there that the resurrection is the foundation of our justification. Paul says He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. He was raised to life that that which He accomplished for us might be applied to us. But if there is no resurrection, it can't be true. And it means also that He has not crucified our old nature with its lusts, as Romans 6 teaches. It means that He has not by death destroyed the power of death and the devil himself, as Hebrews 2.14 teaches. And therefore, as Paul says in verse 18, then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. There's no hope beyond the grave. And then we have every reason to cry our eyes out in hopelessness and torment for our loved ones who have died. If there is no resurrection, beloved, we are deceived, we are without hope, and even now we are wasting our time. As verse 19 says, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. We are wasting our time sitting here in church celebrating something that isn't true. We are wasting our time giving up one day in seven coming together to worship God. For what? If it's not true, we are wasting our time abstaining from the sinful pleasures and practices of the world and tolerating instead the insults and persecution of the world because of our faith. Why not just join them? we're wasting our time giving our much-needed money to the Lord and preaching what is false and paying someone to do it. And we're wasting our time doing whatever else makes us distinctively different from the world. We're wasting our time, beloved, because none of it matters. None of it makes a difference anyway. And we would probably be more successful in this life and enjoy life more without it, right? As Paul says, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die, if it's not true. The bottom line is if there is no resurrection, Christ has not risen. Because God the Father did not approve of His work. He did not accept His work and therefore He is not satisfied. And we are in trouble. We have no hope. And we are lost. we are going to hell. This is the frightening implication if there is no resurrection of the dead. There is no salvation. God's promises have not been fulfilled and that is a devastating thought. But praise God, Paul quickly says, don't waste your time even thinking about that. Because it's a useless question in the second place. What if there is no resurrection is a useless question because there is the resurrection from the dead. How do we know? Verse 20, But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Christ is proof that there is the resurrection of the dead. You see, beloved, we don't simply believe in Jesus Christ and say that He rose again just sort of hoping that He did in order to make ourselves feel good. But our comfort, our confidence is because of the fact of Christ's resurrection. And that fact comes with witnesses. There were eyewitnesses, Paul says, beginning in verse 5, He appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. After that, He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same 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, He appeared to me also as to one abnormally born. Now in Deuteronomy chapter 19, Moses says, a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. And it's as if Paul says here, do you think that more than 500 witnesses could be wrong? Many of whom walked and talked with the risen Lord, who saw his scars, they saw the nail holes in his hands and in his feet, and they saw where the spear went through his side. They were credible witnesses, boys and girls. That means you can believe them. But there was an even greater witness. And that greater witness was the Scriptures. Notice what Paul says again in verses 3 and 4. Now, brothers, I'm sorry, for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. That He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. You see, the very Word of God is self-testified to the fact of Christ's resurrection. The Old Testament predicted it. Psalm 16, verse 10 says, You will not abandon Me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. And in Isaiah 53, verse 11, we read, after the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. The eyewitnesses, the Scriptures. But even one more who is even more faithful than the first two, Christ Himself. Christ Himself. Both after His resurrection and ascension as well as before His death. Notice verse 3 again. Paul says, for what I received. And he's talking about the Gospel there that He talks about in verses 1 and 2. And then in Galatians 1, verse 12, speaking of the Gospel, He clarifies what He has received and how He has received it. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. Rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus. He revealed Himself as the risen and ascended Lord. Not to mention all those whom Paul says Christ revealed himself to, those 500 plus, before he ascended, but as well even before he died. He spoke of his resurrection, comparing himself to Jonah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, he said the Son of Man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And even more so in Matthew 16, he explicitly explains to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, he would suffer, he would be killed, and he said to them, and on the third day be raised to life. Moses said on the testimony of two or three witnesses, the eyewitnesses, Scripture, Christ Himself, we don't need the Shroud of Turin. We don't need the actual empty tomb to prove to us, to convince us that we might know that the resurrection is true because we have the very same infallible witness. And even now, the Holy Spirit has given us the gift of faith to know and believe and to trust that the resurrection is a fact because God cannot lie. And as a fact, beloved, the resurrection is a sign of victory. Notice again in verse 3, Paul joins together Christ's death and burial and his resurrection. And what is that called? It's called the gospel message. It's the good news. The resurrection and the resurrection alone sets Christianity apart from all false religions. Christ's death was payment for sin and the Father's answer to His declaration of triumph is the resurrection. As someone has said, it is the receipt, the Father's receipt for Christ's payment in full. The resurrection is the Father's confirmation that Christ's sacrifice was acceptable and it was accepted by God and that it is effective for the salvation of His people. And that's the second reason that this question, what if there is no resurrection, is a useless question. It's useless because of the result of Christ's resurrection. The result includes God's satisfaction not only with regard to Christ's work, but God's satisfaction with those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's because of Christ's work, which is imputed, freely given to you and me. God sees us now in Him, as Answers 60 of the Catechism says, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. That is how satisfied God is with me, with you, As believers. The result is God's satisfaction with us, but also then, obviously, our salvation. Simply, all that was said before that is not true, if there is no resurrection, is true because Jesus rose again. And the Catechism summarizes it beautifully in Lord's Day 17. How does Christ's resurrection benefit us? First, by His resurrection, He has overcome death so that He might make us share in the righteousness He won for us by His death. That's the only way that we can share in it is through the resurrection. And that points to what we said with regard to Romans 4, verse 25, that He was raised for our justification. The resurrection proves that God is satisfied and therefore sees believers in Christ as completely forgiven and as perfectly righteous. The second benefit, By His power, we too are already now resurrected to a new life. And that, too, points to what we said with regard to Romans chapter 6, that Jesus Christ has crucified our old nature with His lusts and replaced it with a new life of faith and obedience. There's one more benefit. Third, Christ's resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection, our bodily resurrection that Paul talks about at the end of this chapter and in Philippians 3, for example. Why? Because of what he says in verse 26, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. And verse 54, death has been swallowed up in victory. Beloved, the terror and the sting of the grave has been removed for God's people because it has been swallowed up by life in Jesus Christ. We don't have to fear the grave. It's just temporary. And our guarantee, as Paul says, is Christ the firstfruits. You remember what the firstfruits is, the first ripe portion of the crop, boys and girls, whether it's the first oranges or avocados on the tree or the first corn and beans in the field. Israel, we know, in Leviticus 23, was required to bring the firstfruits to the priests as an offering to the Lord. That firstfruits represented the entire crop and it pointed to a plentiful harvest, the guarantee of more to come. And Christ, the firstfruits, means that the bodily resurrection, the believer's bodily resurrection is inevitable. It is a guarantee. As Paul says in Philippians 3, the Lord Jesus Christ will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. The resurrection of our Lord, beloved, secured new life for God's people and it points to the certainty of eternal life in body and soul. And if you ever wonder what that will be like one day, all we need to do is consider Paul's words beginning at verse 51. Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true. Death has been swallowed up in victory. The perishable. That which here gets sick. The skin tears, boys and girls, when you fall off your bike. Your bones break when you fall out of a tree. That which here gets riddled with disease and problems of all sorts will be clothed with the imperishable. None of that stuff. None of it. And the mortal, that which here dies, will be clothed with immortality. Never die again. Jesus conquered over death, body, and soul, so that just as in Adam all die, so those who are in Christ live. Yet it's not just future. Again, that second benefit, raised even now already according to the power of His resurrection, the risen Lord has given His Holy Spirit, who gives us new life here and now. Otherwise, all of this would not make sense. And all we could say is the resurrection? So what? Big deal. But the Holy Spirit gives new life in the here and now so that we are not just wasting our time. We are not just preaching foolishness. We are not just exercising a useless faith. We are not just striving to be distinctively different from the world of unbelievers for nothing. Instead, by God's grace, we believe the truth, we preach the truth, we live the truth of a risen and living Savior who is coming again to judge the living and the dead. And when He comes again, beloved, He will put away all evil and those who do it forever and ever. And He will take His people forever to glory. And we must say that outside of Jesus Christ the frightening truth is that there is no resurrection per se. Outside of Jesus Christ there is no resurrection per se for the one who does not believe because for that one there is no living Savior and Lord. And if that is the case and there is no payment for sin for those who are outside of Christ there is no finished work for them there is no acceptance with God for them because they are still in their sin under the curse of sin and in line, standing in line waiting for God's wrath. And indeed they are to be pitied because there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ. But the good news is twofold. Jesus died for our sin. And He has indeed been raised for our justification. And He promises eternal rest for all. For those who trust in Him. And that is the message, that is the good news, beloved, that you and I are called to believe and that you and I are called to take to the ends of the earth, to our neighbors, to our co-workers, to those who have never heard, to those who are still standing in line for God's judgment. God is patient, but the day will end. And you and I are called to take that good news to a dying world that if by the grace of God they would have life in Jesus Christ and have it abundantly. This good news, beloved, means that we don't believe a fairy tale, but we believe a living hope. We have a living hope because we have seen the living Lord Jesus Christ with the eyes of faith. This means that the deathbed for the believer has no sting, but our souls upon death are safe, even now. in the hands of God. This means that the grave has no victory. It's only dirt that covers us for a time. It's temporary. All because of the word of the living Lord is true. As he said in John chapter 10, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. And this is the truth, beloved, to which we are called to respond. We are called to respond gratefully to this life in Christ by being living Christians. Not just those who claim the name, but those who actively live in and for the Lord Jesus Christ. To respond gratefully by speaking the language of heaven and by representing the lifestyle of heaven and by honoring the laws of heaven all because of the Savior's transforming resurrection power. Hallelujah, Christ arose. That is to thrill us. That is to flood our hearts with joy. That is a truth to live by. Because it literally means that death and the grave are conquered. It means Jesus Christ is victorious. It means God the Father is satisfied. It means that we have eternal life. How can we be so confident? Paul says, but thanks be to God. He gives us the victory. through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, once again, beloved, Alleluia, what a Savior. Amen. Let's pray. Father, may those words, Alleluia, what a Savior, be the first words on our lips in the morning when we wake up, and the last words that we utter every night before we fall asleep for the night because there is no greater truth for your people. And Father, we thank you that indeed because Jesus Christ lives, we might have the confidence and the assurance that we live in Him already now. And therefore, we can face tomorrow. We can face whatever challenges of life you may allow us to be visited with. We may face those who hate us because the joy of the Lord is so much stronger than the hatred of the world. Father, we pray that you would continue to bring many to the joy of this truth that Jesus Christ lives and because He lives, there is salvation full and free. In His name alone we pray these things. Amen.