Using Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 15: 12-20, this was given at the little church in Lynnville, IL on February 15, 2004…
The first full winter we spent on our small farm outside of Edwardsville, IL, found us still experimenting with different things and configurations to see what worked best for our operation and ease of maintenance. The old barn that we used for cattle was of the hand-whittled tendon-and-peg era and still had the track in the hayloft that had been used for putting up hay in earlier years. We, of course, had used our old corn elevator to fill it full of that season’s hay bales, and part of my daily chores was to feed it to the cattle on each side of the barn.
To feed the cows on the one side was a simple matter of climbing the steps and dropping however many bales were required down the steps into the hallway, then breaking them apart and spreading them out into the hay-rack that ran the length of the stall. The other side, though was actually just a fenced-off area of a machinery storage stall where we let our registered Polled-Hereford bull, Joe, get in out of the weather. There were two holes that had been cut through the floor of the hayloft for the purpose of dropping bales out, but one was over the machinery that we did have stored in that area, and the other was right over Joe’s part. Now, he didn’t get a full bale each day, so when you needed one the only thing you could do was to drop a bale through the hole into all of the muck and slop in his area, go down, climb the gate we used as a divider into it, grab the sloppy bale and throw it over the gate. Then, each day you would throw him a few slaps off of it, always being careful where you grabbed it. Needless to say, this was not pleasant, nor efficient! Furthermore, it was wasteful, because, obviously, he wouldn’t eat all of it that you did give him.
After only a week or two of doing this, I noticed an old piece of tin-siding that had been nailed to two 2×4’s to form what had probably been a corn chute sitting on a pile of junk that had been left by the previous owner. Putting my thinking cap on, I nailed one end of it underneath the hole in the floor over his stall and the other end over the divider gate. Now, when you dropped the bale through the hole it landed in the chute and slid right down over the gate! No muck… no muss… no fuss… ready to feed!
I’ve always seemed to have a knack for thinking things out like that. That’s one reason that I seem to get along with computers as well as I do… like Mr. Spock, I just tend to reason things out logically one step at a time. I recall once in my Geometry class, as a sophomore in high school, of reasoning a different solution for a given problem than what the teacher had in his book … my answer was 100% correct and one step shorter than the book’s! This was quite a shock to him, for I disliked the class and seldom did any of the homework assignments, yet on this occasion that I had, I outdid the writers of the book!
I really did not like any of the math courses that I ever took back then… probably because of the way they were taught back then… everything was just so dry and boring. But I do remember bits and pieces of what I learned. One of those ‘bits’ involves what I’ve always called the basic Algebraic equation. What that says, simply, is that if A=B, and B=C, then A must be equal to C. Let me see if I can make that simpler… if 2+2 is equal to 4, and 3+1 is equal to four, then 2+2 must be equal to 3+1! What we find in today’s verses is Paul’s use of that type of algebraic formula, or reasoning, to defend the resurrection, not only of Christ, but of all mankind!
Are you aware that there are many today who would deny the resurrection of Jesus? And I’m not talking just about non-Christians… I have been told… and I grant that that makes it second-hand… but, I have been told that there are some who profess to believe in Christ and yet deny the resurrection! Take, for example, the fact that the rock-opera Jesus Christ, Superstar ends with the crucifixion… it never mentions the fact the He arose three days later! I find that incredible!
Think about that for a minute! If Jesus’ life did indeed end altogether on the cross, then could He have been any more than just a really great teacher and philosopher? But, in the first part of this chapter, which we studied last week, Paul states emphatically 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 then appeared to a vast number of people!
I had written a little chart that I had passed out to those present when I gave this in person listing some of the questions or doubts that some people seem to have concerning the resurrection of Christ and some Biblical and philosophical answers that refute those doubts. If you care to see it I will include it in the printed/manuscript portion that I always include on the website along with this ‘live’ version… you’re free to look at that at anytime… in fact, I invite you to print and carry a copy with you, and should you ever find yourself in a discussion with someone at the coffee shop or hair-dresser’s about this very topic, you’ll have your answers at the ready. For now, though, let me just read two of the short ones as examples…
Proposed Explanation:
Unknown thieves stole Jesus’ body.
Evidence Against:
The tomb was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers. — Matt 27:65-66
Proposed Explanation:
The religious leaders stole Jesus’ body to produce it later.
Evidence Against:
If the religious leaders had taken Jesus’ body, they would have produced it to stop the rumors of his resurrection.
In today’s verses, though, Paul is assuming that his audience accepts the concept of Jesus as the Messiah, and of His resurrection, and begins attacking the idea that some of the people at Corinth seem to have regarding the resurrection of the human body! We read in the Life Application Commentary that, “Christians attempting to share their faith are often shocked by the world’s denial of the possibility of Resurrection. The gospel remains an irritating and upsetting challenge to the commonly held views of life and death. True Christians are convinced that Jesus’ resurrection did happen, and that it changed everything. The Christian faith comes from Christ’s experience, not people’s individual feelings or desires. The conviction of the Resurrection gives believers hope for the future.” As we learned last week, “It seems from this passage in 1st Corinthians, and the course of Paul’s argument, that there were some among the Corinthians who thought the resurrection an impossibility.” And Paul is taking them to task for it!
Let me read Paul’s argument again and see if I can simplify it a bit for you… if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ was not raised, then all we have been taught is useless, and your trust in God is useless. The apostles would all be lying about God, for they said that God raised Christ from the grave, but that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.
But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.
The Life Application Commentary tells us that, “The bodily resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith. Because Christ rose from the dead, as he promised, we know that what he said is true. The Resurrection affirms the truthfulness of Jesus’ life and words. The Resurrection confirms Jesus’ unique authority to say, “I am the resurrection and the life”. Because he rose, we have certainty that our sins are forgiven. Because he rose, he lives and represents us before God. Because he rose and defeated death, we know we will also be raised. Christ’s resurrection guaranteed both his promise to us and his authority to make it. We must take him at his word and believe.”
In all honesty, by its very definition faith is not an exact science. There is no scientific or mathematical formula that I’m aware of that will prove or disprove the existence of God. There are currently no videos or photographs of Jesus walking on water… there will most likely be no ‘news at 5’ regarding His latest healing… He won’t be interviewed on the Today show tomorrow morning by Katie Couric regarding the latest speech He made on the mountain about all those who are blessed. Faith… is faith!
Either you believe in the Bible… believe the words, the instructions, and the messages that are there… or you don’t! Either you believe it to be the Word of the living God, directed by Him to be written down for us over the centuries and read, understood and obeyed by all… or you don’t! There is no pick and choose! There is no ‘bending’ of this idea a little, or ignoring that commandment… either the Bible is the Bible and you know, believe, and follow what it says… or you don’t! And if you don’t… you cannot be a true follower of Christ! And if you are not a follower of Christ… just who is it that you are following?
Proof! That’s what people want! Proof! Proof of God’s existence… proof of Jesus’ resurrection… and proof of our own reward! And I stated that there IS no scientific or mathematical proof that I am aware of! However, let me leave you with this quote from Martin Luther… “Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.
That’s where our proof is! In the life around us! In the air that we breath… in the magnificent way our bodies function… in the magic of the renewal of life surrounding us almost everyday… from the budding of an apple tree, to the metamorphosing of a butterfly, to the birth of a new human being… life is ‘resurrected’ around us almost continuously! How can we doubt that the being responsible for all of these amazing miracles each and every day is any less capable of restoring these clay shells of ours and granting us everlasting life?
PROOFS! (Please Copy and Share! )
EVIDENCE THAT JESUS ACTUALLY DIED AND AROSE
This evidence demonstrates Jesus’ uniqueness in history and proves that he is God’s Son. No one else was able to predict his own resurrection and then accomplish it.
Proposed Explanation:
Jesus was only unconscious and later revived.
Evidence Against:
A Roman soldier told Pilate that Jesus was dead. — Mark 15:44-45
The Roman soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs because he had already died, and one of them pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. — John 19:32-34
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus’ body and placed it in the tomb. — John 19:38-40
Proposed Explanation:
The women made a mistake and went to the wrong tomb.
Evidence Against:
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw Jesus placed in the tomb. — Matt 27:59-61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55
On Sunday morning, Peter and John also went to the same tomb. — John 20:3-9
Proposed Explanation:
Unknown thieves stole Jesus’ body.
Evidence Against:
The tomb was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers. — Matt 27:65-66
Proposed Explanation:
The disciples stole Jesus’ body.
Evidence Against:
The disciples were ready to die for their faith. Stealing Jesus’ body would have been admitting that their faith was meaningless. — Acts 12:2
The tomb was guarded and sealed. — Matt 27:66
Proposed Explanation:
The religious leaders stole Jesus’ body to produce it later.
Evidence Against:
If the religious leaders had taken Jesus’ body, they would have produced it to stop the rumors of his resurrection.
(from The Life Application Commentary Series copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)
scluebbert 