[0:00] All of Corinthians, or 1 Corinthians 15.! And that is that he is dealing with people that do not believe in the physical resurrection.! And so, being as it may, that that is truth, but it's not what he is saying here.
[0:15] At least I don't believe that that is what he is saying. So the first view is that we identify with Christ, with his death, and burial and resurrection. Those things are all true, but I don't believe that that is what Paul is trying to teach here.
[0:29] Second view that some have taken is that we ourselves, who are baptized, confess that we are dead and have died with Christ, and are now living our lives as having died to the world and are now living for Christ.
[0:55] Now, it takes the view away from Christ, and it shines it more towards ourself. Also, truth. This is a believer's walk.
[1:06] This is how we are to die to self and live for Christ. That is truth, but it is not what Paul is teaching.
[1:16] The third view, and I thought I would stretch the envelope or push the envelope right to the edge a little bit. This one is held by, I believe, some cults.
[1:29] And they believe that people, or as Christians, you as a believer, have the ability to get baptized for someone that has died.
[1:42] So that has gone on into eternity and did not get baptized. And so an unbeliever dying, and then you would go then and get baptized for that person, and then they would have an opportunity to go to heaven.
[2:00] Now, if you just read the verse, it just about sounds like you could come to that conclusion. It says, otherwise, what will they do who were baptized for the dead? It sounds like there are people that are being baptized for the dead.
[2:14] And so these people, they believe that you have the ability to save people by getting baptized. Does baptism save you?
[2:27] Baptism in and of itself is a symbol. Baptism, the act of baptism is not what saves you. We have the thief on the cross. He never got baptized.
[2:39] He, Jesus very clearly said, I will be with you in paradise today. And he most likely never even set foot in a church. And so baptism in and of itself does not save.
[2:51] This particular people group, they would also, every time you would get baptized in the place of someone or for someone that was lost, they would also take a little bit of money.
[3:03] And so it helped out really good for the person that is paying the bills in the church as well, because it kept money coming in. And so there was an elderly lady that had gotten baptized around 30,000 times and trying to, and had boasted that she most likely had brought more people to God than what Jesus ever did.
[3:25] That is blasphemy. So that is not at all what this verse is saying, even though it may sound that way. So continuing on then, on the view that I believe that puts it into context.
[3:41] It is, when it says baptized for the dead, in the Greek text, in the literal, the literal meaning is baptized in the place of the dead.
[3:55] So baptized in the place of the dead. There are some other translations that do a little bit better job of translating it, and it sounds a little bit more accurate.
[4:06] This is a little bit more word for word, and so it does not, it has a different meaning to it. So baptized in the place of the dead. The dead here also is not singular. It's not one person.
[4:18] It is dead ones. It is for, plural, more than one. And so baptized for the dead, it is to be baptized for more than one.
[4:29] And then baptized, we need to understand, when Paul wrote this, that word baptized was used for more than just baptism, the physical act of baptism.
[4:40] It was used in a, let's say there was a farmer, and he was a lifelong farmer, and then his son also began to farm.
[4:53] And he was then going to be taking the place of his dad. They would say he was baptized into farming, because he was born into it. It was, and so those are types of terminology or types of words that they would use.
[5:06] And so that is what he is saying here. When he's saying baptized for the dead, he's not talking about physical baptism. And so it is, he's saying, baptized in the place of the dead.
[5:21] And so it still probably does not make 100% sense to us. Baptized in the place of the dead. We need to look at the church as an army, a huge military.
[5:33] And this military is at war. Not only is it at war, but it is also expanding. And a military that is at war and is expanding is going to need one thing continually, and that is more people coming in.
[5:52] And so the individual, if a military goes off to war and it sends these regiments out to battle, most likely sometimes they come back and there's casualties.
[6:02] There are individuals that have fallen dead. Those then need to be replaced. And that is what Paul here is saying. Is you were baptized for the dead, for the ones that have died.
[6:17] That is what he is saying. And then he is saying, otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead? So if the dead do not rise, if there isn't a physical resurrection, why then are people actually taking the place of other individuals?
[6:34] That's what he is saying. Why are you even bothering becoming Christians if, and doing the work of Christians, if there isn't a physical resurrection? That is the argument that he is making.
[6:46] So the application that I have for us here now then is, are we now baptized for the dead? Are you taking the place of someone? Or are you simply enjoying life?
[7:01] If you go to Nehemiah chapter 4, starting in verse 16, and going back a little bit, a little bit of context here, you have a portion of Israel starting to come back to Jerusalem because they were exiled.
[7:24] And so they're now coming back to their city being burned, the wall being torn down and being burned. And so now they're wanting to rebuild, and they're having a lot of opposition.
[7:35] And so we'll start in verse 16, and we'll read to verse 18. And it says, So it was, So it was from that time on that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears and the shields and bows and wore armor.
[7:55] And the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. Those who built on the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.
[8:11] Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
[8:23] So the question, or what we need to now evaluate ourselves is, as a Christian, are you filling the gap? Are you doing your work? Or are you just enjoying life?
[8:38] Are you an individual that is carrying the sword? Or are you an individual that has a shield? Or are you an individual that is carrying burdens?
[8:49] Maybe you're an individual that is good at his job, and you're producing, you are good at producing money. And maybe you're supporting the church physically. But what are you doing for the church?
[9:02] If you are a part of this army, if you are a Christian, what are you doing? Or are we just simply living life as if there is no physical resurrection?
[9:13] Because if we're just living life and just enjoying life and living it to the fullest, we are living, we're not saying it, but we're living as if there is no physical resurrection.
[9:25] Because if we are living as if there is a physical resurrection, then we understand that at some point in time we are going to be standing before God. And we're going to give account for the work that we have done as a Christian.
[9:39] And if we understand that we are going to be giving an account, then we're also going to be concerned about what we're actually doing. So we're going to evaluate, what am I doing?
[9:51] Can I do more? Am I doing enough? And each one of us has to make their own decision. I served in this church for a number of years before moving to Two Ground Prairie.
[10:08] Or there I go again, to Peace River. And Wayne was the one that carried the sword here mostly. He was teaching and he was preaching.
[10:20] But what was I doing while I was here? Some of you would know where I was. I was serving as a deacon. I found myself carrying a shield quite often.
[10:32] There was arrows being hurled towards Wayne. He was carrying the sword and I was carrying a shield. And sometimes I ended up getting stung a little bit simply because of that.
[10:46] But that was what I did. So am I now done? No. No. I've moved on. I'm now serving in Peace River. And I'm doing what I can.
[10:57] And I need to continually evaluate myself. What am I doing? Am I wielding the sword properly? Could I be doing better?
[11:09] Do I maybe need to encourage other people that are carrying burdens that are hard to carry? They have loaded themselves down. And maybe they need some encouragement. And so to evaluate ourselves spiritually and what we are doing is very important.
[11:24] Because we can become idle and just allow time to pass by. And I think that is largely what Satan loves to see.
[11:35] And so that is the challenge that I have for us. And so that is the challenge that I have for us.
[11:50] The first argument that he makes is we need to examine ourselves. What are we doing? Am I physically doing something for the Lord? The second argument, going back to Corinthians chapter 15, verse 30 and 31.
[12:09] It says, And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus, our Lord, I die daily.
[12:27] So he says, why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? How risky is it to be a Christian today? It's not too risky in this part of the world.
[12:39] In Canada and in the U.S. It gets a little more riskier when you mix politics with Christianity. We witness that. But Christians by themselves, there isn't much risk there.
[12:54] We are quite free to speak how we feel we should be able to speak. We get, you know, maybe some language that might not be pleasant. And maybe a few actions here or there.
[13:07] But it's not very risky. It's not like when Paul wrote this. He says, And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? If the dead do not rise, if there isn't a physical resurrection, why bother risking your life for the gospel?
[13:22] Is what he is saying. We do not identify well with that today. We do not identify well with that today. Because we are not living that way. We are well protected. But it seems like those protections are slowly lifting.
[13:36] And it's becoming riskier and riskier to be Christians today. At least to be an outspoken Christian. And I've wondered sometimes what would happen if all of a sudden it did become where it was dangerous when we speak in the name of the Lord.
[13:52] Would the churches fill up or would they diminish? And I don't know. So, each one of us has to evaluate himself. Are you willing to speak the word of the Lord even though it becomes risky?
[14:07] I cannot make those decisions for you. I have to make that decision for myself. Am I willing to speak the Lord and preach him even though there might be some things that are going to get set in jeopardy?
[14:21] Maybe some job opportunities might end up falling through. Or there would be some other things that you might have to give up. But are you willing to do that? And so, the second argument that he makes here is why then would, if there isn't a physical resurrection, why then even speak in the name of the Lord and jeopardize your safety?
[14:45] Then he has a third argument in verse 32. It says, If in the manner of man I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me if the dead do not rise?
[14:59] Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And I think the church today would identify a lot more with this argument than what we do with the previous argument.
[15:15] If he's talking about, when he's talking about in the manner of fighting with beasts at Ephesus, he's talking about of the situation in Acts chapter 19, 28-30.
[15:29] Let's just go there real quick. Acts chapter 19, starting in verse 28-30. It says, It says, If Paul would have gone into that stadium, most likely they would have killed him.
[16:15] He was willing to go and risk his life simply to tell them about Jesus. And I wonder sometimes if we would be willing to do that.
[16:27] Whether we'd be willing to fight with beasts in Grand Prairie or in Peace River. I think we're a lot more used to fight with each other within the church.
[16:47] And we lose plenty of soldiers doing that. To where we have arguments over one offense or another. And then it gets heated and we move on.
[17:01] I know of churches that have split because of between a horse and buggy drawn. If one buggy had steel spokes and the other one had wooden ones.
[17:12] There's been church splits over that. In Mennonite history, there's been church splits over buttons. Whether they had long sticks. Those are the types of things that when there isn't a physical challenge towards the church.
[17:28] To where we're speaking the truth and there is no persecution. We find other things to argue about. And we're fighting with each other instead of with the world.
[17:40] And I think we identify a lot more with that. And so the third argument that he has is what's the point in fighting for the Lord if there is no physical resurrection?
[17:54] And my challenge to that is how busy are we fighting with the beast at Ephesus? Or how busy are we fighting with the world and sharing the gospel there?
[18:05] And how busy are we maybe fighting within the church? And I think sometimes we find ourselves arguing and bickering within the church a lot more than we are ever even talking with anybody outside of the church.
[18:18] And it's sad to see that that is where things are. So then he, in the last point, in verse 33 and 34, he has a strong warning for the believers in the Corinthian church.
[18:36] He says, So he's challenging them or he's telling them, be careful who you surround yourself with.
[18:50] For you young people that are here, you know, 10 years old, 12, all the way up to 18, if you show me your friends, I can show you your future. Who you hang around with determines who you become.
[19:04] And Paul here is warning the Corinthian church. And he is saying, do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits.
[19:15] That if this issue of not believing that there is a physical resurrection, if you continue to hang around with people like that, it's going to corrupt you.
[19:26] And so we need to be careful who you allow into your inner circle. You cannot just allow just anybody to speak into your life. If you want to be a successful businessman, you should not hang out with bums out on the street.
[19:43] If you want to be a successful businessman, you need to hang out or you need to spend time with other men that are more successful than you are. Then you will become successful.
[19:55] If you want to be a spiritual warrior, if you want to become strong spiritually, hang out with people that are stronger than you. Then you become stronger.
[20:06] If you continue to hang out with people that are like you or less than you, you're not going to become stronger. You're not going to be challenged to become better. When I was a teenager, there's just a perfect example of that.
[20:21] There's a certain type of friends that I really wanted to hang out with, and I was sort of rejected by them. And so I found myself a new class of losers. And they were, yeah, and there was some fruit that came along with that.
[20:36] We have to be careful who we hang out with within the church and within our communities. I trust that this church does not struggle with not believing in a physical resurrection.
[20:47] I think that part we have very clear. But there's many other doctrines that we can fight about. And I won't take the time to mention any of them, but if there are people that are simply focused on certain types of doctrines, they're not going to help you.
[21:06] At worst, the best they'll do is they'll simply drag you down that road a little ways as well. Some of the songs that we sang this morning, it's about Jesus. It is always about Christ.
[21:20] It has to be about Christ. If whatever doctrine you're following is not 100% about Christ, you're wasting your time. It has to be about Jesus. And if it's anything outside of that, if all of a sudden you want to connect, you know, man-made rules along with Christ, don't waste your time with it.
[21:40] It's going to corrupt you. So do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. And then he says in verse 34, Awake to righteousness and do not sin.
[21:52] He is asking them to wake up. Awake to righteousness. Understand what is righteous. And understand what is sin.
[22:03] And not just looking at other people, but evaluate yourself. What are things that you are doing that is righteous? And very often, we don't evaluate our own righteousness.
[22:17] And if you do not evaluate your own righteousness, if you cannot see your own righteous acts, then you will only act in the sin. You have to be able to see your own righteous acts.
[22:30] So what is a righteous act? That is something that you do right. And the simple things in life are right. A wife is to submit to her husband.
[22:41] That is a righteous act. That is right. Children are to obey their parents. You are to command to spend time in the word. Those are righteous acts.
[22:53] So evaluate how much righteousness is in your life. And then look at the sin. It says, awake to righteousness and do not sin.
[23:07] Recognize the sin in your life. It is much easier for me to look at somebody else and look at their righteousness or their lack of righteousness and look at their sin. But the challenge is we need to look at ourselves.
[23:19] We need to evaluate ourselves, our own spiritual life. Where am I? What sins do I struggle with? And then he continues on and says, for some do not have the knowledge of God.
[23:35] I speak this to your shame. So there are people connected to the Corinthian church that he says, you do not have the knowledge of God, and he blames the church for it.
[23:47] And that is because they have not had their priorities straight. They have not been preaching the way that they should have been. They have not been sharing the gospel the way that they should have been.
[24:00] And so he sort of shames them, and he says, you need to be doing your job. You need to be sharing the gospel. How many people are in our circles that have not heard the gospel?
[24:14] We always assume that everybody has heard the gospel. Have they, people that are in your circle, have they heard the gospel from you? They might have heard the gospel from somebody else, but have they heard it from you?
[24:30] Sometimes that's all that it takes is a different perspective. Maybe you have a way of sharing the gospel that is a little bit different than what everybody else, than how everybody else shares the gospel.
[24:41] And this one individual simply finally comes to conclusion simply because the way you share it. Maybe you have a very basic and simple way to share it.
[24:53] That is usually the absolute best way to share the gospel, is very simple. So in closing, what are we doing as believers?
[25:11] Are we filling the gap? Are we willing to do difficult things?
[25:23] Are we willing to fight with the beasts? And are we examining our own righteousness? And are we examining the sin? And are we sharing the gospel?
[25:34] Those are the challenges that I want to leave with each one of us this morning. Where are we at? It is easy to evaluate ourselves physically and then compare ourselves to our brothers and sisters.
[25:49] But what about evaluating ourselves spiritually? Where are we at? How well are we doing? Could we be doing better? That is what I would like to leave with each one of you.
[26:01] Let's close in prayer. Father, we come before you this morning. We just want to thank you for this beautiful fall day. Lord, I pray that as each one goes from here, I pray that you would bless them.
[26:13] Father, I ask that you would just help them to examine themselves, to see where they're at. And Father, if they find areas where they might need to work on, Father, may you lead and guide them.
[26:24] Father, may you show them what it is that they need to do if there's corrections that need to be made. And Father, if there are ones here that are loaded down and heavy, I pray that you would just help them to evaluate that as well, that they might be able to make some changes so that they do not buckle underneath the burdens that they have laid upon themselves.
[26:47] I pray that you would just lead and guide each one. I pray that you would just bless richly in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen.