1 CORINTHIANS: Therefore, Stand Firm
Dean Bjorlin
Transcribed by PulpitAI (with edits)
My name is Dean, and I have the privilege of filling in for Pastor Steven this morning. And he’s away on an exotic vacation. And when I was a young pastor with four little children, one of my policies was, whenever I heard the pastor especially went away to a place like that, I would never pray for them. I would be jealous.
Our Cornerstone
But this morning, we’re continuing in the book of 1 Corinthians. And it’s a great chapter, chapter 15, and it’s a chance to re-examine, where do we place our faith in life? So many times we know what’s supposed to happen. And in fact—I don’t know if you’re like me—I’ve often given God hints as to how things should be, right? And if God doesn’t get the hint, I’m more than willing to tell him in prayer how my life should go. And God says, “Thank you, Dean. You can go now.”
But I’ve learned in life that your beliefs can be very, very sincere, but sincerely wrong. Your faith is only as good as the object you place your faith in. Like this one picture I have for you today. That man or woman drove out on the ice to go ice fishing, maybe to bring their ice house in a little too late, and they had faith that it was gonna hold them. And it cost them. It cost them.
So this whole chapter, chapter 15, is on the resurrection of Jesus, and I look at that as the cornerstone of our faith. I looked up a definition of cornerstone. It says this:
A cornerstone is the first stone laid in the construction of a building, considered the most important stone because it sets the alignment and foundation for the entire structure, essentially acting as a reference point for all other stones to be placed in relation to it. It symbolizes the foundation and stability of the building.
Now Jesus—when I was in confirmation, I got my confirmation Bible, which actually now I still use, and it had red letters for all the words Jesus spoke. Anyone have a red-letter Bible? I do. You people are spiritual too. But those words, as a kid, “These are more important,” as I thought, “because Jesus said them.” And everything, obviously, that Jesus said is important. But there’s one thing that Jesus repeated three different times, actually. You know how husbands and wives sometimes repeat stuff to each other? You know, I heard that wives, you should never remind your husband about doing another job for you every six months, okay? And here is what Jesus said three times, first in Mark 8, then 9, and then 10.
He … began to teach [the disciples] that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
And Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” He told them plainly, “Guys, we’re going up here. I’m gonna die.”
Mark 9, verse 30:
They left that place [the disciples and Jesus] and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching [them]. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him…
And then finally in Mark 10, 33 and 4:
Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
And this was just in the matter of a few days now—not long, not way far away.
“We are going up to Jerusalem, … and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.”
It’s like, “Can I make myself more clear here?”
“Three days later he will rise.”
And then right after he said that, the disciples, being the sensitive men that they were, argued about who was the greatest disciple. Aren’t we all so human?
Reality of the Resurrection
But no one in history has ever predicted their death and their resurrection, other than Jesus, and had it happen. See, Paul is writing—he wrote this book, Corinthians, a letter to a church, about 55 AD. And many people who were in that church receiving that letter were alive when Jesus was alive and rose. Now, I imagine this. Now, how many are young enough like me, you remember where you were, what happened, when you heard President Kennedy died? All right, us mature people. And how many of you remember where you were, what was happening, when 9/11 took place? We all do. I imagine that when Jesus died on the cross, three days later he rose, there was an empty tomb, I imagine people going, “Whoa, what happened?” They remember that. The people in the Corinthians’ church would remember that.
So Paul, in verse 3, starts out:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: …
Not second, third, or fourth, or get it on your list. 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 Cephas [who is Peter], and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some [may] have fallen asleep [which means “died”]. Then he appeared to James, then to all the [other] apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also…
The twelve disciples—there were also the women at the tomb: Mary Magdalene, and “the other Mary” they called her, and the mother of Salome. And all these people saw Jesus.
Now imagine if we were in a court, and you were He Said, you were She Said. I would hate to be the judge. I would listen to you, and He Said is going, “They did this, they did this, they did this, they’re guilty.”
I go, “Okay.”
And then She Said goes, “He did this, he did this, he did this, they’re guilty.” And then I have to judge between the two. I wouldn’t make it very good as a judge because I’m a people pleaser. But I’d have to make a decision.
Now I want you to imagine same judge in a trial, and the lawyer says, “I’d like to call witness number 387,” out of the 500 that saw Jesus alive. “I’d like to call witness number 388.” And 500 people would come forward over that and say, “I saw Jesus alive.” I think that would do pretty well in court.
But think about it. The Romans and the Pharisees and all those who followed Jesus knew where Jesus was buried, knew the tomb was empty, and they could not produce the body.
Poor Steven, Pastor Steven—this is a spoiler alert for Easter, so I don’t want to ruin it for the rest of you. When Easter comes, you just pretend you’ve never heard this, okay? So he’ll feel better when he comes.
The empty tomb was a shock to everyone. To ruin it, all they had to do was produce the body. I’m sure they looked behind the scenes. “It’s got to be here somewhere.” Someone said, “Well, the disciples stole the body.” Well, if that’s true, what are the odds that these twelve disciples that were hiding for their lives say, “Hey, guys, I got an idea. Let’s go steal the body. It’s only guarded by Roman powerful soldiers. We can do this.” Not to mention rolling away the stone. Probably didn’t happen. So if they stole the body, who did it, and how would they have done it? And then if it was a lie, they stole it, you have to ask an even bigger question: What happened in the lives of the disciples, who at one point were afraid for their lives, hiding, to get them to the point where they had no fear, and they shared the rest of their lives, to their death, that Jesus rose again? What caused that change?
Some of you remember Chuck Colson. He was called the “hatchet man” for Richard Nixon back in the Watergate days. And Chuck Colson said this:
I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified that they had seen Jesus raised from the dead. Then they proclaimed that truth for forty years, never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned, or put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world, and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me that twelve apostles could keep a lie for forty years? Absolutely impossible.
So Paul is saying in the beginning here, the resurrection is a fact.
Our Own Resurrection
So then he goes on. I don’t know if you remember math, geometry things, and some of you are getting bad memories right there. But there used to be these statements, “if-then” statements. You know, so if like, A + B = C, then B = C – A. I know some of you are having trouble doing that in your head, but trust me with that, Okay? So if A + B = C, then B = C – A. It’s a fact. If this is true, then that has to be true as well.
So starting in verse 12, Paul starts with some “if” statements. And he says:
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?
Which some believed at the time.
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, …
In other words, we’re all liars.
… 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…
He’s kind of going in circles here.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep [or died] in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
So Paul is saying, basically, with what we’re doing—having church, believing in Jesus—if he didn’t raise from the dead, Paul is saying, “I’m a liar for telling you so, and you are all wasting your time for believing that is so.”
Verse 20:
But…
That little word in there shows usually a contrast from what has been to what is coming.
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.
Often Jesus is called like “the second Adam.” Adam, as in Adam and Eve, they brought sin into the world, and Jesus, conquering death, brought life into the world. And then Paul illustrates this with two examples of our resurrection body.
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. …
[And] so will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, [and] it is raised imperishable…
Now, most of us know what “perishable” is. You go to the grocery store, and you go to the perishable section, which is kind of a dumb thing, you know? “Let’s go to the things that are gonna die and buy something.” You know? This Valentine’s Day, many of you bought dead flowers to give to your loved one. Okay? They are perishing. They are perishable. The word “perishable” means “prone to decay or go bad quickly.” Some of us are perishing at faster rates than others here with our bodies. We are all decaying. Isn’t that encouraging?
But Paul is saying, the body that is sown is perishable, and when we die with faith in Jesus, it’s gonna be raised imperishable. We die first, and then we live.
So in verse 51 he says:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep [meaning “die again”], but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, [and] the dead will be raised imperishable [non-decaying], 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.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
See, back at the cross, there was a very short time that everyone thought, “We lost. It’s over.” Satan thought, “I did it. I finally got rid of him. This man who’s been a thorn in my side, I got rid of him.”
The victory was given by Jesus, and because of that victory—well, verse 56:
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus conquered the last enemy.
Stand Firm
So,
Therefore, …
It goes on. There’s a tricky little word phrase. Anytime you see the word “therefore,” always ask, “What is therefore there for?” Because it’s a transition from one to another. And Paul says, “Because of the resurrection, because of the victory Jesus gave us,”
… my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Now just think of what’s gone on in that church. If you look back in the book of 1 Corinthians, there were divisions in the church. Paul had to tell them what wisdom was. There was disorder in the church. There were lawsuits among believers. There was sexual immorality in the church. There were people thinking they were hot stuff because, “I’ve got this spiritual gift, so therefore I’m so much better and more valuable to God than you are.” And then Paul had to say, “No, no, no. Love is what matters most.” That was a messy church. That was a church that had its own set of problems, like we do, or like any church in the world does.
And in the midst of that, Paul is saying, “Because of the resurrection, because of the victory, stand firm.” That word “firm” means “settled the matter.” Stand with your mind settled about the resurrection. So why would he say “stand firm” unless there were going to be pressures that would come up against him?
See, our labor in the Lord “is not in vain” is what it says. How many have ever made an investment of your time or energy that was in vain? I made some dumb vain financial investments. “Vain” means, like, wasted, not of any value.
And sometimes in life, when we are challenged to stand firm, it’s because we are shaken. We can go through times in life where we feel, “God, where are you?” We can say it very sadly, or we can go, “God, where are you?!” We can be very angry. “God, you were supposed to…” See, many times, as I said earlier, we have an agenda for God. And when God doesn’t fulfill my agenda, I can get hurt, I can respond, and it shows what I’m trusting in—my agenda for him, rather than in him.
And when we go through hard times, it feels like God left us. And if you flip back to the life of Jesus—Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit kind of forever had relationship with one another, support of one another, whatever you want to call it. Jesus left heaven, came to earth, still had relationship with the Father, love of the Father, experienced that. And then on the cross, there were three hours where Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Noon to three that day, they say the world went black. And literally, the Father left Jesus as Jesus paid the price for our sins. He went without God’s love right there. He was separated. And the reason he did that was so that—he went without God the Father’s love there, or presence, so that you and I would never have to. Because of the price Jesus paid on the cross and our faith in him, we never will be without God’s presence, no matter what it feels like. He’s there. The Father left him in his sufferings so that he can always be with us in ours.
And there’s sometimes we just go, “Lord, I just can’t take this anymore.” I have this little example here. I brought one of my heavier weights that I work out with. Wouldn’t be so sad if it wasn’t true. So if you’ve ever lifted weights—and I won’t say which one of your decaying bodies looks like you haven’t—but here’s what… this is science too as well. You know, when you lift weights, you curl. You go up, down, up, down, up, down. Okay, now, let’s say it’s a heavier weight, and all of a sudden you’re starting to get tired. *Arrgh* I made it. *Arrrgh* Made it. And the more you do, it feels like, “I’m getting weaker. I’m getting weaker.” But the truth is, when you’re getting weaker, you are actually getting stronger, because you’re stressing that muscle. And many times in life, when we can’t take it, we feel like we’re getting weaker, but with God’s help, as life goes on, we’ve been made stronger. We’ve been made stronger.
Tim Keller said this. He said:
If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said. If he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching, but whether or not he rose from the dead.
People place their faith in Jesus for many different reasons. Sometimes we place our faith in Jesus, he gives us peace, and that’s good. Sometimes we need our sins forgiven, and that’s very good, true. Sometimes it’s like, “What can Jesus do for me? What can he give my life?” But ultimately, the only reason to place your faith in Jesus is the truth of the resurrection, because it’s true. Jesus paid the price for you and me so that we could have our sins forgiven and have a relationship with God the rest of our lives and for eternity.
And in the midst of the rest of our lives, we’re always gonna be stretched. It seems like it always comes at inconvenient times, wrong times. We would never choose some of the things that happen to us, but yet there they are. “Lord, I can’t take it.” And yet, because of the cross, because of the resurrection, Jesus said, “I will be with you every step of the way.”
So this morning, I’d like to pray for you. And because of the resurrection, Paul said, “Therefore, stand firm.” So with whatever you’re going through in your life, if you would like prayer, I’d just like you to stand up where you’re at. That’s kind of a courageous thing. And I’m gonna pray for you. And maybe if someone stands up near you, if they’re comfortable with it, you could place a hand on their shoulder, because there’s times we all need this. So is there anyone here this morning? All right. Kind of like priming the pump. One brave soul comes up, and next week, could be me, could be you. It is. All right, so if you see anyone near you or someone God places your heart, just lay a hand on their shoulder. I’m gonna pray.
Dear Lord, as we go through hard times, it’s just so hard. And I pray for those standing right now, maybe representing many different struggles. I pray that your presence would be real to them. It doesn’t lessen sometimes the pain we go through, Lord. But I pray that you would be with them, that you would give them hope and comfort and peace as they go through their journey in this life, the chapter in this life they’re in right now. Thank you, Lord, that we know this is true and that you will be with them because of the resurrection. In your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
