1 Corinthians 15:20

Now, if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is vain also. Yea, and we are found as 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 Christ not raised, and if Christ be not raised, then your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sins. And then they also which have fallen asleep or died in Christ are perished. If in this life alone we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that have died. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, and afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.

And then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Father, we look forward to Your coming. We look forward to this great victory that is prophesied of here in this passage. And Lord, we are thankful that we who are in You today know this victory, because in You we are more than conquerors. Because of the work that You accomplished, the victory that You won at Calvary's Cross 2,000 years ago.

Lord, I pray that we, Your church, would walk in that victory, that we would be examples of what that victory is all about when we come in contact with those who don't know You. Lord, teach us today.

Give us insight and understanding of Your Word. Apply it to our lives, we pray. We ask in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

On Wednesday afternoon of this last week, news broke that Stephen P. Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple Incorporated, died of pancreatic cancer. His battle with cancer began some years ago in 2004. Early on, he and his doctors had great expectations that he had beaten the disease.

In June of 2005, during a commencement address that he delivered to the graduating class of Stanford University, he said this: "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like this: 'If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I'm about to do today?' Whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I will be dead soon is the most important tool I've encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything— all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure— these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly

When looking forward into the future, Mr. Jobs observed that death is the destination we all share. But was he correct when he said that this is as it should be? Is death truly the invention of life, as he claimed?

It's interesting to note that in the transcription of his speech on Stanford's website, the word "life" is capitalized, as if it is a proper noun. I wondered, as I was reading that, did he himself capitalize it? It stands out to me as odd because there is a recognition that life is someone. Life comes from somewhere; it has an origin. It did not just happen. God is the ultimate source of life, as the Bible declares.

However, the question arises: Did God invent death as life's change agent, as Mr. Jobs suggested in that commencement address? That is not what the Bible reveals. Theologically speaking, the wages of sin is death. Thus, death comes not as a divine change agent, but rather, it is the enemy of life. It is the punishment, the result of sin. It is not something God made just to clear the deck, if you will.

That old enemy, death, that slave master, speaks to us from time to time, doesn't he? He frightens us. It doesn't happen so much when you are young, and it almost never happens when you are with other people. It is almost always when you are alone that he comes, draws near, and scares us. When a loved one is sick or when someone close to us has died, then death comes to speak with us.

This is why so many people don't like going to funerals. It is there that you recognize the reality, the statistic, that 10 out of 10 people die. It is a staggering statistic. Death has a wicked sting, doesn't he? He stings because of our sin, as the scriptures reveal. Our sin gives death its power.

His powerful sting is the most powerful sting imaginable. Therefore, we are terrified at his presence whenever he draws near. Through one man's sin, death was given entrance into the domain of man, and ever since that time, it has reigned with the strong hand of a tyrant. That's terribly dreadful news, isn't it? Death has reigned, the Bible says.

However, we are confronted with the glorious reality of 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20: "But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that have slept or have died." As nicely written as Mr. Job's address was, he is not entirely right when he says that death is the destination we all share and that no one has ever escaped it. For 2,000 years, there have been witnesses to this very truth—that there is one who, 2,000 years ago, reigned from death, raised to new life, and is alive.

There were more than 500 eyewitnesses who saw him alive, Jesus of Nazareth, after his death on a cross. Many of those witnesses went to their deaths as martyrs, proclaiming that they had seen the risen Lord. In fact, they were beheaded, crucified, beaten to death, and thrown to lions, all because they said, "He is alive." None of them stepped back and recanted.

But if death has reigned and is this tyrannical ruler, how is it that Jesus did not die, or that he raised from the dead? How is it that he raised from the dead? Because he did die. How is it that death was not able to hold him? The sting of death is sin. We recognize in Scripture that he is without sin. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15 makes this very clear. There, the author of the book of Hebrews says, "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but he, Jesus, was in all points tempted or tested, like as we are, yet without sin."

Sin. He did no sin, and so death could not hold him because the sting of death is sin. He had no sin, and therefore death could not keep him.

But you may ask, if he had no sin, then why did he even die on the cross 2,000 years ago? What do the Scriptures say? In 2 Corinthians 5:21, it states, "For he, God the Father, has made him, Jesus the Son, to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 2:22, says, "Jesus did no sin, neither was there guile found in his mouth." Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him, God, who judges righteously. In verse 24, it continues, "Who, his own self, bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed," quoting Isaiah from Isaiah 53.

In 1 Peter 3:18, Peter says, "For Christ also suffered for sins, the just, he is just, he is righteous, without sin, for the unjust, us, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit."

So, Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Peter in 1 Peter 2 and 1 Peter 3, and also John in 1 John 3, state that Jesus was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. Death could not keep him because in him is no sin. He died not for his own sin, but for us.

You see, sin was judged in him, but there was no sin in him. It was our sin laid upon him, and so he bore the punishment for our sins, and death could therefore not hold him. And so he is alive. Now is Christ risen from the dead.

In John 14, Jesus proclaimed to his disciples, "Because I live, you shall live also." We finished the service last week with that question.

What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean for us? What does it imply for us? He says, "Because I live, you will live also." In John chapter 11, Jesus came into the city of Bethany, just a couple of miles east of Jerusalem. He had received news four days before that his friend Lazarus was sick and near death. By the time he got there, Lazarus had died. Jesus knew this would happen. He said this happened for the glory of God. Lazarus was sick for the glory of God.

As Jesus entered the city, Lazarus' sister Martha approached him and said, "If you had been here, he would not have died." Jesus responded with something so gloriously powerful. In John chapter 11, verse 25, he said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Then he asked her, "Do you believe this?"

Paul tells us that Jesus is the first fruits of those who have died. What is meant by this? There are at least three good interpretations. First, Jesus is the first to experience resurrection. You may say, "Wait a minute, I know my Bible, and I know that there were others in the Bible who died but were raised to life again."

You might think of the passage in 1 Kings where Elijah was used by God to bring life to a widow's son who had died. Or you may recall the passages in Mark chapter 5 or Luke chapter 8, where Jesus raises Jairus' daughter. There is also the account in John chapter 11, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the story of the widow's son at Nain in Luke chapter 7. In Acts chapter 20, God used Paul to raise someone back to life after he had died.

Eutychus, you might think I'm long-winded when I teach. Paul was preaching until midnight. Even while Paul preached, someone was tempted to fall asleep. He fell asleep and fell out of a window three stories and died. Other preachers might say, "Well, don't fall asleep during the message." But Paul went down, prayed for him, and said he would be fine. Then he went back upstairs and continued teaching until morning.

What happened to Eutychus? Well, he came back to life. There are several cases in the Bible where people died and then came back to life. How is it then that after that, Jesus is called the first fruits from the dead? You see, every single one of those people died, were raised back to life in the same body, and would die again. What a powerful healing it is to be raised to life after having once died. However, death would still come because death reigns over humanity. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death.

But Jesus experienced the first resurrection. He died on the cross and was raised in a new body. Forty days later, He ascended into heaven, and He is still alive and will return. He experienced resurrection, but the scripture says that He is the first fruits of resurrection, which implies that there will be others after Him. A good verse to consider for this is Revelation 1:18, where Jesus proclaims to John, the apostle, "I am he that lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore."

Now, this word "first fruits" indicates that Jesus is the first to experience resurrection but not the only one, because those in Him will also experience resurrection, as we will see. What else does it mean that He is the first fruits? The Greek word translated as "first fruits" is used in other extra-biblical books and Greek writings, and it speaks of an entrance fee.

An entrance fee is something we understand well. For example, when you go to Disneyland, you have to pay an exorbitant entrance fee. Similarly, going to the movie theater is increasingly more expensive for the entrance fee. Jesus is the first fruits, passing from death into eternal life, and He calls us into that as well. He has made the way possible. He has opened the door and paid in full the price, the debt for our sin, so that we can come into eternal life.

Thirdly, this word, "first fruits," is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, but the Greek translation, called the Septuagint, uses this Greek word that is translated as "first fruits." It also speaks of the offerings of the Feast of First Fruits. The children of Israel, as directed by God in Leviticus chapter 23, observed seven different feasts annually.

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Just a week and a half ago, we celebrated the Feast of Trumpets. Now, as we come into this new year, when we enter the spring of this year, they will celebrate Passover. Right after Passover, there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and on the third day after that, they will celebrate the Feast of First Fruits, which will be observed for seven days. Jesus was raised from the dead; He resurrected on the first day of the Feast of First Fruits.

What was the Feast of First Fruits? It was a time of rejoicing, a celebration of God bringing the children of Israel out of the deadness of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. It was a time for giving and rejoicing in praise to God for the first fruits of the Promised Land. Jesus makes the way open for us to come out of darkness, out of the death and slavery of sin in Egypt, and into the true, eternal Promised Land that is everlasting life. He is the First Fruits from the dead.

Why? Where did this death come from? In verse 21 of 1 Corinthians 15, it states, "For since by man came death." That's an interesting concept. Steve Jobs said that death is life's creation; life created death as a change agent. The Bible says death came from man. How so?

In Genesis, even many non-Christians, people who don't believe the Bible, have read Genesis because they say, "Well, I'm going to read through the Bible; I might as well read it." So at least they read the first book or maybe the first three or four chapters of the first book before they decide not to continue. But they get to the point in Genesis chapter 2 where God says to man, "Of all the trees in the garden, you may freely eat, but of the tree in the midst of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die."

In Genesis chapter 3, we see that Adam and his wife Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes were opened.

They knew their wickedness and hid from God. God comes to the garden and says, "Adam, where are you?" The implication of that is that there was a separation between God's spirit and man's spirit. Before that, there was a joining; there was life there. Now, there is a deadness, and so they died spiritually immediately upon their sin. After that, they would die physically.

By man came death, but by man comes also the resurrection of the dead. Jesus, the God-man, the Son of God and the Son of Man, fully God and fully man, dies on the cross, but death cannot hold Him, and He raises from the dead. Resurrection comes from Him. For as in Adam, that first man, all die; even so, in Christ—it's important, maybe even circle those words—shall all be made alive. That "in Christ" is incredibly important.

About four months ago, a man by the name of Rob Bell wrote a book called "Love Wins." He and those like him believe in what is called universal salvation. They argue that it doesn't matter if you're a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew, a Gentile, a pagan, an atheist, or a Christian; in the end, God is so loving that everybody goes to heaven. Those who believe in universal salvation often point to verses like this, saying, "Hey, we all died in Adam, but everybody's made alive in Christ."

All died in Adam because Adam is our champion—the perfect man created by God directly in the garden. He stands forth as this one champion for us, and we are all in him because we come from him. Essentially, we are all in Adam; all of us are invested in him, and he sinned, so we all die. John Corson calls it the great Adam bomb. It has had ramifications and fallout ever since.

So, we all die in Adam, but even so, in Christ, all are made alive, but every man in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, they that are Christ's at His coming. Only those that are in Christ will experience that resurrection unto eternal life. It is illustrated perfectly.

In the Old Testament, when the children of Israel came into the Promised Land, the first city they were called by God to attack was the city of Jericho. They sent two spies there, and they were received by a harlot, a sinful woman named Rahab. She was gracious and merciful to them, and so they said, "Because of your mercy, we'll show mercy and kindness to you and your family. Whoever is in your house when we come will be safe." As long as there were people in the house of Rahab when the children of Israel came into Jericho, they would be safe. However, anyone outside would have their blood upon their own heads. They had to be in the house, and we must be in Christ to experience this resurrection at His coming.

He came the first time with grace and mercy, but He will come the second time to judge the living and the dead. The wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. When He comes, if you are not in Christ, you are under wrath. In Romans 5, Paul speaks of this, saying, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned." He goes on to speak of the grace that comes, the gift of grace by Jesus. Through this one man, Jesus Christ, grace will abound to many, but only those that are in Christ.

All humanity was in Adam when Adam sinned; we all came from him. However, not all humanity is in Christ. Paul says that those who are Christ's shall be raised with Him. The only way to escape sin and death is to be found in Christ. That's why Paul would say in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, the good news of Jesus, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from heaven, as it is written, 'From faith to faith, the just shall live by faith.'"

There is a day when the ultimate resurrection of humanity will be experienced, as Paul states at the end of verse 23 of 1 Corinthians.

Chapter 15 discusses the ultimate resurrection of all humanity in Christ at His coming. This does not mean that those who die before His second coming are excluded or hindered from that resurrection. Second Corinthians 5, verses 6 through 8, tell us very clearly that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. When you die, you shed this corruption and step into eternity with God. You are there eternally with Him.

However, there is a day when He will come again. What comes after His second coming? Is there more to come? First Corinthians 15, verse 24 states, "Then the end comes." What will happen when the end comes? When He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, Jesus will bring all those who are in Him into the kingdom of God, even the Father. He shall have put down all rule, authority, and power.

For He must reign, as stated in verse 25. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. There is nothing that can hinder His reign. He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. In the kingdom of God, there will be no more death because this enemy, death, will be destroyed.

Jesus' second coming means absolute and complete victory. At that point, God the Father will be wholly and completely glorified. Jesus shall put down all earthly governments and establish His reign in righteousness. All those who have opposed God will be brought under His authority, and death, the enemy of God, who is life, shall be destroyed.

Hopefully, we look forward to that. If today this causes you concern, you need to repent. The second coming of Christ means victory for those who are in Christ; we are in Him more than conquerors. But for those who are not in Him, it means wrath—the righteous wrath of God.

of God revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Matthew 25 pictures it in a parable that He, like a shepherd, will part the sheep from the goats. The sheep on His right hand He will call to enter into His kingdom under His authority, and to those who are not, He will say to them, "Depart into everlasting darkness and torment."

Now, verse 27 and 28 we have to kind of break apart because, well, let's just read it. It can be confusing at first reading. "For He has put all things under His feet, but when He says all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is accepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued under Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject under Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

Thank you very much. Say, Paul the Apostle, what is that? He begins first by quoting from Psalm 8. There in verse 5, the psalmist says, "For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels and crowned Him with glory and honor." Jesus is the focus of this prophecy here. "Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, and Thou hast put all things under His feet." That means everything is under His authority.

Jesus in John 5 makes it very clear: God the Father has given to Him all authority. In Matthew chapter 28, before Jesus sends His disciples into the world, He says, "All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Me; therefore go and make disciples." So He has all authority.

Now, practically speaking, on October 9th, 2011, do we see Jesus in authority over all here in this world? No, we see governments, we see kingdoms, we see kings, we see princes, we see parliaments, and we see all these different legislators, judges, and so forth. We don't practically see this.

Note what Hebrews says. The author of the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 8 states, "Thou, God the Father, has put all things in subjection under His, Jesus the Son, feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that was not put under Him." So there's nothing that's not under His control.

The author of Hebrews says, "But now, at this moment, we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man."

So, Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and he opens the way into the kingdom. Jesus preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I am opening the way for you to come into the kingdom, to be under my rule, making yourself a citizen of heaven, a subject of the King of kings and Lord of lords."

We struggle with this; we have a hard time with it because, in America today, we have a patriotic attachment to our nation, which is not the kingdom of God. This will be dissolved. There are good things in our nation, but we cannot help but recognize the bad.

I had a very interesting discussion with a student of mine at the Bible College just last week. I give my cell phone number so they can text me questions anonymously. I have no idea who they are, so they ask these off-the-wall questions. I had this back-and-forth discussion Thursday night after my class. Basically, he was saying to me, "Don't you think it's wrong in our nation that people, Jehovah's Witnesses and others, are able to say, 'I'm not going to fight for our nation'?"

I said, "What are you talking about? This is patriotism. This is not Christianity, and you should be thankful that we have those rights. Don't take those rights away." But it led to a great discussion, and ultimately, at the end of it, he said, "Well, I just think that they should have a little bit more love for country."

I have no problem with that, unless it gets in the way of our love for God. Those are difficult things for us to wrestle with because we are citizens of heaven. He is our king; he's the rightful king, and he will one day rule and reign over all. But we do not see that yet, not practically.

In our lives, as part of his kingdom, we should see his rule and manifest his rule in this world. This is why he...

Instructed us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, where? On earth as it is in heaven." That's what we're praying for. That's what we're looking forward to. When that day comes, death will be defeated because Jesus is king over all things. God the Father has placed everything under Jesus' rule and authority. The resurrection from the dead shows that Jesus is greater than even death itself, that which is inescapable by humanity. Even kings, dominions, powers, and presidents cannot escape death.

Although we in our nation try to get away from it as far as we can with Botox, facelifts, and all this stuff, it still comes. You might look really good in a casket, and there might be a lot of plastic there for another century that didn't biodegrade, but you're gone. You're gone.

There is a little bit here in verses 27 and 28 that's hard to grapple with. When it says all things are put under him, it is manifest that he has accepted which did put all things under him. Let me read this in the New Living Translation because it's helpful. The scriptures say God the Father has put all things under His, Jesus' authority. Of course, when it says all things are under Jesus' authority, that does not include God the Father Himself, who gave Christ that authority.

Continuing on in the New Living Translation, when all things are under His authority, God the Father, the Son will put Himself under God's authority also, so that God, who gave the Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything, everywhere.

What this shows us speaks of the triune nature of God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Although they are all co-equal and united together perfectly, God the Father has given to the Son all authority over all things, but Jesus the Son still submits Himself to the Father. The whole point is that God will be glorified. All of God will be glorified throughout eternity when everything comes under His subjection because we rebelled. The whole of creation is in rebellion to God, but everything else obeys Him. The stars are where...

They are because He said, "You be there and spin this fast and do that, and you be there and do that." The animals obey Him. When He calls down from heaven, He says, "Hey, big fish, swallow that guy. Don't chew." They obey. But we don't obey. We have subjected creation to futility in our rebellion. However, it will not always be that way. Man is not God, and God will have His rule.

The important aspect is that we would subject ourselves to His rule now because there is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is God. It is better to do it now than to be forced to do it then. Angels are not going to come and force you down. When you stand in His presence, you will do nothing but, as Isaiah did, say, "I'm undone." No one can stand before His presence because He is awesome.

Now, the next few verses, especially verse 29, have caused much confusion. Look at verse 29: "Else, what shall they do which are baptized for the dead? If the dead rise not at all, why are they baptized for the dead?" And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? Paul says, "I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die daily. If, after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me if the dead rise not? If they don't rise, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

It should be noted that verse 29 is the sole proof text that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church, uses for what they do in their temples, like down there on I-5 in La Jolla, which is called baptism for the dead, or vicarious baptism, or baptism by proxy. They believe that someone who has died and is not a Mormon can have someone else stand in place for them and be baptized on their behalf, which they believe will help them come into the kingdom. This is why they are so very interested in genealogy study. However, that is false teaching. There is nothing in the New Testament that supports this.

The early church recognized certain beliefs as heresy, including the practice of baptism for the dead, which was followed by some Gnostics and pagan groups. However, it was never practiced by the church. Many people struggle with the meaning of this verse. Adam Clark states that this is certainly the most difficult verse of the New Testament. I love Adam Clark; he mentions this about a dozen times in his commentary regarding different verses, but he asserts that this one is the most difficult. Despite the challenges, the greatest and wisest of men have labored to explain it.

There are a lot of different interpretations of this verse, with three primary views. The first, primarily held by John Calvin and many after him, suggests that the baptisms mentioned here refer to people being baptized right before they die, even if they had not professed faith, in hopes of helping them enter the kingdom. I do not find this to be a good explanation, especially when considering the context.

The second view posits that Paul is referring to a pagan practice from the first-century Hellenistic world, where people were baptized by proxy. Proponents of this view argue that Paul is highlighting the fact that even pagans recognize there is life after death, or else they would not engage in such practices.

The third view, which I believe fits contextually, is supported by John Chrysostom, Adam Clark, and many others. They suggest that the baptism for the dead refers to martyrdom rather than proxy baptism. Adam Clark's commentary explains this perspective well. He summarizes the apostles' meaning by stating that if there is no resurrection of the dead and no life after this, then those who become Christians and expose themselves to persecution, severe suffering, and violent death would have no compensation or sufficient motive to endure such miseries.

In essence, if there is no life after this, why would someone choose to follow Jesus and proclaim His name if it leads to certain death? It would make no sense. What are they, just suicidal?

We have lived under amazing peace in our nation. We're not subject to this kind of persecution that says, "You're going to publicly profess Christ, you're dead." But in Iran, it happens. In some places in Sudan, in Pakistan, and many areas in the 1040 window, which is the hardest place in the world to reach, if you stand up for Christ and say, "I'm going to follow Jesus and proclaim Him," you could be killed. Just last week in the news, an Iranian pastor was on trial in Iran, facing the death penalty for his proclamation of faith. This is still happening.

Clark asks, "Why would anybody say, 'I'm going to follow Jesus' if it means certain death?" He goes on to explain that as they receive baptism as an emblem of death, voluntarily going down under the water, they also receive it as an emblem of the resurrection unto eternal life. Coming up out of the water, they are baptized for the dead in perfect faith of resurrection. The three following verses seem to confirm this.

What Adam Clark is saying is that when you follow Christ, the first act of obedience is to say, "I'm going to be baptized." Baptism is the relinquishing of one's life to the Lord. You are going down and dying with Him in baptism, being buried under the water, and then rising to walk in newness of life, which is His life. It's not mine anymore. You are making a statement to the world: "I have decided to follow Jesus," even if that means my life, my head. Paul the Apostle was martyred by beheading.

Now, where do they get this idea that baptism speaks of this? Notice what Jesus says in Matthew. I know we're out of time, but hold on one second. In Matthew chapter 20, two of Jesus' disciples, John and James, their mother comes to Jesus and says, "Jesus, would you grant that my sons sit, one on your right hand and one on your left, when you come into your kingdom?" The other disciples looked at James and John and said, "Really? You're getting your mom involved in this?"

Jesus responds in Matthew chapter 20, verse 22: "You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism that I shall be baptized with?" What is He speaking of? Death as a martyr. They said to Him, "We are able."

Jesus said in verse 23, "You shall drink indeed of the cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. But to sit at the right hand or the left hand is not mine to give." You will experience this martyrdom. In being baptized with Christ, going down under the water, you are saying to the world, "I relinquish my right to myself." If I die, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. To live is Christ; to die is gain, says Paul.

Paul poses a critical question: if there's no resurrection, why would anyone place themselves continually in danger of being killed by declaring, "I'm going to follow Jesus"? He states, "If after the manner of men I have fought with the beasts of Ephesus, what advantage is it to me if there is no resurrection?" I have submitted myself to be persecuted, beaten with rods, whipped, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and beheaded for the name of Jesus. Why should I endure all this if there is no resurrection?

If there is no resurrection, his conclusion aligns with that of the atheist: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." If there's no resurrection, why are we doing this? Why are you denying yourself? Why are you living for God? Why not just live it up if there is no resurrection? That is the only logical conclusion if Christ is not raised. This is pointless. Giving your money, giving your time, and giving your life for the message of the gospel is pointless if He is not raised from the dead.

Some people conclude that, and so Paul warns us in verse 33: "Be not deceived." Don't be misled by that philosophy or mindset. Evil communication corrupts good conduct. That kind of thinking will ruin your faith. Colossians chapter 3, verse 28 states that the vain philosophies of this world will spoil faith. What is that vain philosophy? It is the belief that life is only about this world; it is all there is.

Paul concludes in verse 34, "Church, awake to righteousness." Righteous living apart from the resurrection is meaningless.

The resurrection of Jesus is pointless. You might as well live it up. But if the resurrection is true, awake to righteousness. Why? And sin not. Why? For some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Awake to righteousness. Walk in righteousness because this world needs to see a demonstration from the church that we actually believe this is not all there is. To our shame, there are many people in our world today who get a false impression from the church because we, like no other, live in such a way where we say, "I've got to hold on to this. I have to hold on to this. I can't let it go."

We, like no other nation in history, are guilty of hoarding in such a way that you would look at us and say, "You don't really believe that there's life after this." If you did, that wouldn't be your focus. Jesus brings those convicting words: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

What do people see when they see my life? I know my lips may represent it, but does my life represent that I believe this is all going to burn? And eternity is a breath away.

Let's stand and pray. Father, we need your help by your Spirit to live in that way because there is no possible way in our flesh that we can. Would you equip us by your Spirit to walk in such a manner that says, "I do not count my life dear unto myself"? Thank you for the example that we have in the Scriptures, both Jesus and your apostles who lived in that way. Work that out in our lives today, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you for the hope, for the love of God, and for peace. Amen.