in our Bibles to 1st Corinthians
chapter 15. 1st Corinthians chapter 15. Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you and which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which
also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto
you, first of all, that which I also received, how 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 of Cephas,
then of the 12. After that, he was seen of above
500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen
of James, then of all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen
of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least
of the apostles, that am not made 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 which was bestowed
upon 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 were I
or they, so we preach and so you believe. Now, if Christ be
preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you
that there is no resurrection of the dead? The letters in the New Testament
that were written to local churches and individuals Many of them,
we realize, were needed to deal with errors or heresies. You
know, Satan is always busy. He's always busy trying to sow
discord among the brethren. And not only that, he's always
busy trying to sow errors and untruths and heresies among the
people of God. untruths which undermine the
gospel of the grace of God. And we know that he especially
attacks the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most
often that is his focus. He attacks the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every generation Every generation
of Christians must watch. Our Lord told us to watch. We
must watch lest the gospel of the grace of God be lost. We must be faithful to command
the truth to the generation that follows us. I like to think of
this as men who, men or women, running in a relay race They've
got to make sure they pass that baton on to the one who follows
them. And it's very important. Running
fast is important, but passing that baton on to the next runner
is equally important, because if you mess up in that exchange,
that can cost you the race. And those of us who are believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who know the gospel of the grace
of God, we recognize there's many imitations of the gospel. The Apostle Paul dealt with that. But we see that many, many of
these letters were written because early on, I mean within the first
hundred years after the death of Christ, These eras, these
untruths were being sown among the people of God. I mentioned in the message last
Wednesday night of two Christian martyrs, Bishop Hugh Latimer
and Bishop Nicholas Ridley. They were burned together, October
the 16th, 1555. They were burned at the stake
together in England. I wrongly said that Ridley was
the one who had shared the gospel with Latimer. It was a man by
the name of Thomas Bilney. I went back and checked that.
Thomas Bilney had been burned at the stake several years, 20
years before Latimer and Ridley. But the reason I mention this
to us tonight, when they came to the stake, Hugh Latimer said
something like this. I can't quote it exactly. I'm
sure most of you have seen this quote. But he said to his fellow
sufferer, take courage. This day, we will light a candle
in England that shall never be put out. Well, you know the situation
in England today. And in many of those countries
where the Reformation had such a hold at one time, have turned
into places for the most part where the gospel is very, very
seldom preached. Very seldom is the gospel heard. And I think we are living in
days where we see the same thing that's happening here in our
country, that fewer and fewer. Because you look at so-called
Christianity today, the large congregations, I mean where they
have the thousands, they're nothing more than entertainment, entertainment
centers. That's all you can call them.
The gospel has long been neglected if they ever had the gospel.
And there's just so many things that I see that show me that
this is so important that you and I, those of us to whom he
has revealed this truth, this gospel. And don't believe you
can hear the gospel of the grace of God in every church, in every
Baptist church, because that's just a big lie. You'll hear something
called the gospel, no doubt about that, but the true gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, Jude, the apostle Jude,
in his little letter, small letter, at the end of the New Testament
as it's placed in our Bibles, he felt it necessary in that
day to give this exhortation earnestly, earnestly contend
for the faith which was once once for all, if you please,
once delivered to the saints. The faith is not something that
is evolving, that is being added to and people are learning more
about it. No, the faith, the gospel of
Jesus Christ is the same. It's been the same. It has been
revealed more and more through the Old Testament into the New
Testament until the coming of Jesus Christ. God hath spoken
unto the fathers by the prophets, but hath in these last days spoken
unto us in his son. And that's the fullest revelation
that God will ever give this world. You notice in that verse
where I stopped reading there in verse 12, Paul asks the question
of these believers here in Corinth, how say some among you, there
were some among them, obviously, I'll say some among you, there
is no resurrection of the dead. In this part of this letter,
the Apostle Paul is doing what Jude exhorted us to do. He is earnestly contending for
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. There were a number of different
eras, untruths, about the resurrection. One untruth was, no doubt, that
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not rise from the dead. That was one era. A second was
somewhat like that, and that is He did not rise bodily. Yes,
He rose, but only in a spirit, as a spirit. was placed in the
tomb, his body was not glorified and brought out of that tomb.
That was an era. And then there was this other
era, if you turn to 2nd Timothy with me just a moment. Keep your
places here. But in 2nd Timothy chapter 2
and verse 18, the apostle names two persons, in verse 17,
he said, and their word will eat as death a canker, of whom
is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred,
saying that the resurrection is past already, and they overthrow
the faith of some. Now it is believed that this
era concerning the resurrection had nothing to do with the body,
But that what they said, the resurrection is past already. That regeneration, that which
Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. That that is the resurrection.
That every child of God here tonight that you have been raised.
Well it is true that regeneration is like the resurrection. because
those who are regenerated were dead in trespasses and sins,
and then given life. And so in the resurrection, the
body that has been sown in dishonor will be raised in honor. So it
is like that. But they were teaching that the
resurrection is past already. In other words, what we call
a spiritual death, a spiritual resurrection. But notice, notice
what he said, that they overthrew the faith of Solomon. Now let's turn back with me,
if you will, to our text, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. So what I'm saying
is this. that these New Testament letters,
many of them were written because there were problems, there were
errors, there was untruths that were being taught in local churches
and to deal with those issues. Verse 13. But if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ
be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses
of God, because we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ,
whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ
be not raised, your faith is vain, you are yet in your sins. I want us to think for just a
few minutes tonight about that last statement the apostle made.
If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, you are yet in
your sins. And we could say this about a
couple of things. And so before we look at this
verse, what this verse says, I want us to look at this in
two other areas. First, if Christ be not the Son
of God, our faith is vain, and we are yet in our sins. Let me say that again. If Christ
be not the Son of God, then our faith is vain, and we are yet
in our sins. Now let me be clear as to what
I mean when I say that Christ is the Son of God. If you will,
look with me in Colossians chapter 1. And this letter of Colossians
was written by the Apostle Paul because of another era that was
being taught in this church. It had nothing to do with the
resurrection. But in Colossians chapter 1 and
verse 18, Paul says this about Christ.
Colossians 1 and verse 18. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. The apostle
Paul is declaring that God's purpose God's purpose is that
the Lord Jesus Christ have the preeminence in all things. All things. That he might have
the preeminence. And he gives basically three
reasons in this passage why God has purposed and determined that
Christ have the preeminence in all things. First, He must have
the preeminence in all things because of His person. If you
look in verse 15, He tells us that Christ, who is the image
of the invisible God. The image of the invisible God. In Hebrews 1 and verse 3, we
are told He is the express image of God. Many years ago, I read
this example, and it is one that has stuck with me. But remember,
the kings used to use a ring to seal a letter or document,
and wax would be put on that, and they would put their ring
down into the wax, and the image in that wax was exactly the image
on their ring. And that's what Christ is. He
is the image of the invisible God. To see him is to see God. That's what he said, isn't it?
He told, was it Philip, wasn't it? I believe. Have I been so
long time with you? And have you not seen me, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. He is the express
image of the Father. God is determined that He have
preeminence in all things because of His person, because of who
He is. And secondly, He must have the
preeminence in all things because by Him and for Him is all creation. Notice that in verses 16 and
17 here in Colossians 1. By Him and for Him is all creation. For by him were all things created. Now, when we read that, we recognize
that if all things were created by him, then he wasn't created. He is the uncreated son of the
eternal God, the only begotten of the Father. And so we say, if Christ be not
the Son of God, our faith is vain, and we are yet in our sins. And I would say with Paul, we
are found false witnesses, because I have testified unto you that
Christ is God. If that's not so, then I'm a
false prophet. I'm a false witness. But I know
from the Word of God it is so, that by Him, All things created,
they are by Him that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers. You see what Paul is doing? He's
trying to close the door where no one can imagine any place,
anyone that he did not create. There is no place, there's no
being, spiritual or material, that Christ, the Son of God,
did not create. He created all things. All things
were created by Him, and then notice, all things were created
for Him. Why did God create this world?
He created it for Himself. He created it for His glory.
That's what the Bible teaches. And that's what lost men will
not accept. They will not accept this. Somehow their idea is that all
of this was created for man. For men. Oh no. All men and all creation, all
was created by Christ and for Christ. Now, we either believe
that or we might as well throw this Bible out the window. I
believe it. Thank God I believe it because
of who He is. He's going to have the preeminence
in all things. Notice in verse 17, and He is
before all things. You see, Even in that early time,
there were those who were trying to say, yes, he is a son of God. No question. He is a son of God,
and he is the highest son of God, but not God. Not God. God created him, and then the
next one, and then the next one, and then the next one, all the
way down. He's the highest. No, no. He is the God of creation. All things were made by Him. And notice He says, and by Him
all things consist. This word consist tells us that
He holds all things together. Christ does. He holds all things
together. He must have the preeminence
in all things. He must have the preeminence
in all things, now notice this, verse 18, because He is the head
of the body. That's what it says, verse 18.
And He is the head of the body, the church. This body, we recognize,
is a mystical body. When Paul argued back in 1 Corinthians
15, that if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. Why? Because there is a union, a union
between Christ who is the head of his body, which is the church. Some refer this to a new humanity. As the old humanity, Adam was
the head of that old humanity that was created to inhabit this
world. But the Lord Jesus Christ is
the head of a new humanity that is his body, the church, which
shall inhabit the new heavens and the new earth. If Christ be not the Son of God,
our faith is vain, and we are yet in our sins. And our Lord
told some of those in his day, when he was here in the flesh,
having you quoted this back in the prayer meeting earlier, John
8, 24. If you believe not that I am,
now in the translation they've added the word he, I believe,
in italics. We know that's added. If you
believe not that I am, I am, I am that I am. Just as he revealed
himself to Moses, that's my name, I am. If you don't believe that,
our Lord said, you will die in your sins. If Christ be not the
Son of God, our faith is vain and we are yet in our sins. And
then we could use the same argument here. If Christ did not successfully
satisfy God's justice, our faith is vain and we are yet in our
sins. God's justice must be satisfied
for one to be received into the presence of Almighty God. Now
there's a twofold aspect to Christ successfully satisfying God's
justice on the behalf of all of those who believe in him,
all of those he represented, all of those who were given unto
him in that covenant of grace. One aspect concerns the penalty
of our sins. Our sins merit death, and justice
is going to be satisfied. He satisfied the justice of God
in paying the penalty of our sin debt. God's justice can require
no more. I was thinking about his petition
in John 17, in his prayer, when he said, Father, I will, that
they also whom thou hast given me be with me. where I am, that
they may behold my glory." You know, if you look at that from
Christ's viewpoint, He was pleading for justice. I will. I've paid the price. I've fulfilled the covenant engagements. Now, give me my reward. I will, that they be with me.
But those for whom He's asking to be with Him, It's not a matter
of justice, it's all a matter of grace. It's all a matter of
grace that one day we will be there with them. You know, this matter of Him
satisfying justice and paying the penalty of sin, of our sin
debt rather to God, was pictured all through the Old Testament,
wasn't it? But I think of that picture, that type on the Day
of Atonement, that was given to the nation of Israel in the
law. Sometimes people say, well why was the law given? I'll tell
you why the law was given. It was to show man that he could
not save himself and it was at the same time to picture the
one who would come and save sinners. That's why the law was given.
It never was given to give life. That men by their obedience could
earn life, eternal life? That would be an impossibility
because we cannot keep that law. But that type, there's so many
types all through the Old Testament. But on that Day of Atonement,
when Aaron the high priest, he took the blood and he went in
and sprinkled that, the blood of one goat, sprinkled that blood
on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. But that wasn't
the end. That was part of his work that
day. But that wasn't the end. He came
out and you remember he laid his hands upon the live goat. He laid his hands upon the live
goat and he confessed the sins of the nation of Israel. And
what he was doing there, he was showing that there is an identification
between the two. That is, between the nation of
Israel and the sacrifice, the substitute. It showed a transference, not
only an identification, but a transference. The sins of the nation of Israel
were transferred, typically. Typically, you realize that.
typically upon the head of the goat that would be taken away
into an uninhabited land. The Lord Jesus Christ, He identified
with us. Just as in that ceremony there
was an identification between the guilty and the animal, so
the Lord Jesus Christ, He identified with us, bone of our bone and
flesh of our flesh. And the sins of his people were
transferred, just as that was pictured, the sins of his people
were transferred or imputed unto him. And they were so imputed
unto him that he refers to them as mine. My iniquities are more
than the hairs of my head. That's what he says in one of
the Psalms. Legally, they became his, and he became responsible. And thank God, he paid. He paid. He was numbered with
the transgressors. And his resurrection testifies
to the fact that the debt is paid, that God's justice could
require no more. But the second aspect If Christ
did not successfully satisfy God's justice, our faith is vain
and we are yet in our sins. If He did not pay our sin debt,
our faith is vain, we're still in our sin. But secondly, He
rendered to God's justice His perfect obedience, His perfect
obedience to establish righteousness for all of those whom He represented. One writer said this, and I quote,
it's not enough for a man to be pardoned. Pardoned is wonderful,
no doubt about it. The man's in prison up here in
Huntsville and the governor grants him a pardon. I know he's happy,
that's great. But that just puts him out on
the straight. If the Lord only pardoned us,
this is what the man is saying, it's not enough for a man to
be pardoned. Yes, he's then innocent, washed
from his sin, put back again like Adam in Eden. No, must be more than that. He must have a righteousness
or God cannot and will not accept him. He must have a perfect obedience
to be rewarded. And that perfect obedience is
found only in that perfect life of the Lord Jesus Christ to God's
holy law. And just as our sins were transferred,
were imputed to him, so his righteousness is transferred, imputed to us. And God pronounces us just. Just. Now, let's for just a minute
consider this last text here in 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 17. And if Christ be not
raised, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sins. But Christ is raised. That's
what the apostle had just stated, isn't it? And he brought forth
all of these testimonies. Cephas, he appeared unto Peter.
He appeared unto the apostles. He appeared unto 500 brethren. And Paul said, you know, some
of them have gone on. They've fallen asleep. But many
of them are alive to this day. You can question them. You can
speak with them. And he appeared unto James, and
then to all the apostles, and he said, last of all, last of
all, he appeared unto me. That day on the road to Damascus,
that light that blinded Paul, Saul of Tarsus, who was that? That's what he asked, wasn't
it? Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus. I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. He appeared unto me. And because Christ is risen,
our faith is not vain. We believe in a living, risen
Savior, and our sins are gone. They're gone. And if you look
down to verse 51, first, yeah, verse 51. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. That's
a mystery, isn't it? It's not a mystery that's not
revealed. Not that kind of a mystery. It is a mystery that unless God
had revealed it, man would have never known. That's the kind
of mystery it is. We shall not all sleep. Yes,
but all these generations from Adam all the way up to now, everyone
has slept. Everyone has died. Every child
of God has slept. Yes, but one day we shall not all sleep. There's
going to be believers. Our Lord asked that question,
didn't he? Should he find faith on the earth? Well, yes, he will. There will be faith here. There
will be his children here. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. Remember, flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
death, death, that awful enemy. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where's thy sting? Where's thy sting? O grave, where's
thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfied God's
law He paid our sin debt. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in
vain in the Lord. Do you ever feel like your labor
may be in vain? If it's in the Lord, it isn't.
It will not be in vain. I pray that the Lord would bless
this word to each of us here today.