WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.500 Good morning. My name is, that was a good one. Good work. My name is Eric. I'm one of the guys 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:13.419 on staff here at Watermark Church, and it's great to be with you this morning. We, back in the fall, 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:18.780 we're going through the book of 1 Corinthians, and we saw that the church Paul was writing to, 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:25.199 the church in Corinth, was a messed up church. They had issues with divisions within the church. 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:31.439 They had issues with misunderstanding what wisdom is and misapplying wisdom because of that. 00:00:31.780 --> 00:00:37.700 They had a guy who was sleeping with his stepmom. They had issues with spiritual gifts. They had, 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:44.939 basically, you name the issue that could exist in a church, and they had it. They were an absolute 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:53.640 mess. And as we get further into the book, Paul comes closer and closer to the heart of the issue, 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:58.560 and he builds on it. And what we see in chapter 15, which we're looking at today and over the next 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:05.140 couple weeks, is that there is one issue that's sort of overarching all the other issues in this 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:11.859 church at Corinth, and that's causing lots of other problems. And that problem is this. The church in 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:20.439 Corinth had many people in it who were denying the fact that the dead are raised. And Paul writes to 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:30.060 them, and he wants to remind them of a couple things. First, Christ has been raised. Second, we will one day 00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:39.039 be raised. And third, what we believe about our future shapes our present. Christ has been raised. 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:47.459 We will be raised. And what we believe about our future shapes our present. So he jumps in, 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:54.259 and he starts to argue against this group within the church that's saying there is no resurrection 00:01:54.259 --> 00:02:01.539 of the dead. And I think this is an easy thing to believe. We live in a world where we see people 00:02:01.539 --> 00:02:07.519 die every day. And I don't know about you, but I don't really hear about people coming back from the 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:14.400 dead that often. If I do hear about it, I'm sort of naturally skeptical of it and wonder what someone's 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:23.480 trying to sell me. We live in a world where natural observation tells us people don't come back from 00:02:23.480 --> 00:02:28.040 the dead. And so it's understandable that the people within this church in Corinth would believe 00:02:28.040 --> 00:02:36.000 there is no resurrection of the dead. On top of that, Corinth was in Greece. I don't know how many of 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:42.800 you studied philosophy in school. But the Greeks had this belief that the physical world is bad. 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:49.560 The physical world is polluted and gross, and the truly good is the spiritual world. 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:55.479 And so we have basically good spirits living inside of bad bodies. And when we die, 00:02:56.180 --> 00:03:01.580 the Greeks believe the spirit lives on, and it's free from this corruption of the physical world. 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:09.920 And it's good that it's free of the body. And in the Greek context, living in that Greek philosophical 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:16.280 mindset, it would be totally undesirable for there to be any type of resurrection where the body came 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:22.600 back to life, because the body is dirty, the body is bad, the body is polluted. And you want the good 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:31.540 spirit to be free of that bad, polluted, gross body. And so the belief within the church in Corinth 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:37.500 that there is no resurrection of the dead is understandable, both from the human standpoint 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:44.659 of observation of what we see every day, and from the philosophical standpoint of the world that they 00:03:44.659 --> 00:03:53.959 lived in. But Paul steps in to this conversation, and he says, you are wrong. He says, Christianity 00:03:53.960 --> 00:04:01.100 Christianity is a religion founded on the belief that Jesus himself rose from the dead, and that 00:04:01.100 --> 00:04:07.640 is a historical fact. As we saw earlier in the chapter, he talks about eyewitnesses who saw 00:04:07.640 --> 00:04:14.260 Jesus after he had risen from the dead. He believes that the resurrection of Jesus was a historical 00:04:14.260 --> 00:04:21.560 fact, and he says that if this historical fact of the resurrection never happened, then the entire 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:29.639 Christian gospel falls apart. And he spells out one after another the implications of it if Jesus 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:35.220 has not raised from the dead. He says, your faith is in vain if Christ is not raised from the dead. You 00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:43.199 believing in Jesus is a waste if Jesus hasn't risen from the dead. He says that when we share the gospel, 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:50.139 if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, we are lying about God. If Jesus has not been raised, 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:58.879 there is no forgiveness of sins. We are still guilty before God. And if Jesus has not been raised, 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:09.060 then those Christians who have died have perished and have no hope. He says the resurrection of Jesus, 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:19.959 him coming back to physical life after dying, is the number one primary central truth that has to be true 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:26.839 for anything else in Christianity to be true or make sense. And he builds up his argument till he gets 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:34.279 to verse 19 where he says, if in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:42.439 pity. Now this may seem like a weird thing for a Bible writer to say. You think like you're writing 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:49.359 the Bible. Shouldn't you at least say, you know, like, even if it's not true, stay in church because it's good for you. 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:59.699 But no, he says, if this is not true and we spend our lives believing and following it, we deserve to be 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:06.699 pitied. We deserve to have the world look at us and think, I am so sorry for them. They wasted it. 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:07.679 They wasted their life. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:16.840 And it may seem like a weird thing, like I said, for a Bible writer to say this, but picture this with me. 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:23.579 Have most of you seen the new Star Wars movie? Yes? I think I see lots of nods. A couple no's. 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:27.480 It's okay. You don't have to have seen it to understand this. But there's one scene in the movie, 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:33.819 don't worry, no major spoiler alerts coming up. There's one scene where this guy Finn crashes 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:41.439 in the desert in a TIE fighter. It's a plane. And he crashes in the desert and he's in the desert and 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:47.300 he's hot and he doesn't see any signs of life around him. And he starts looking for life, for 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:52.639 civilization. And he walks through the desert and he's hot and he's thirsty and he's sweaty and he's 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:58.800 gross. And finally he comes to the top of a hill and he looks down over the edge and he sees a city in 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:03.460 front of him. And he goes down to the city and when he gets into the city, the first thing he does is 00:07:03.460 --> 00:07:10.240 he runs up to everyone. He's like, water! Do you have water for me? And everyone blows him off. 00:07:10.840 --> 00:07:16.000 They're like, no, get away. And he's standing there in the city like, I don't know what to do. 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:24.620 And he hears the noise of splashing water. He turns around and looks and there's this huge alien 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:32.180 creature drinking water out of this filthy trough. But it's his only chance at water. And he runs over 00:07:32.180 --> 00:07:39.019 and he falls down on his knees and he starts, he takes one glance because the water is gross and 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:45.340 filthy. He thinks for a second, do I want to do this? And then he decides, yeah, it's my only chance 00:07:45.340 --> 00:07:51.579 at water. And he scoops up the water and starts drinking it. Now imagine with me for a second, 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:57.000 then as he gets down on his knees, he's thinking for just a second, do I really want to do this? 00:07:57.039 --> 00:08:04.539 And he looks up and out in the edge of the desert, he sees this beautiful, clean, cool stream 00:08:04.539 --> 00:08:13.019 with fresh flowing water in it. He thinks, yes, I don't want to drink this filthy animal water. 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:19.500 I want that. I want that. Clean stream water. And he pulls up whatever energy he has left and he 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:26.579 forces himself to go through the effort of going out into the desert to this nice, clean oasis stream. 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:33.740 And he pulls up this effort and he goes out to the desert and he gets there and he realizes it was a 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:43.000 mirage. Now, Finn has lost out twice and deserves to be pitied because not only did he miss the 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:50.440 miss out on the greater hope of having clean, fresh, flowing water. But also his hope for that clean, 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:56.000 fresh, flowing water led him to miss out on the only chance at water he had back in the trough. 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:04.500 And Paul is saying the Christian life is kind of like this. Christians have a hope, a hope of life 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.779 after death, a hope of resurrection. 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:14.980 And he says that Christians, if we are living properly, will miss out on certain worldly pleasures 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:18.500 because of that hope for a life after death. 00:09:20.460 --> 00:09:25.500 We'll pursue that greater hope at the expense of lesser pleasures. 00:09:25.860 --> 00:09:30.840 But if, when we get to the end of the road, it turns out that that greater hope was only a mirage, 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:36.160 then we deserve to be pitied because we've missed out twice. Not only have we missed out 00:09:36.160 --> 00:09:43.180 on our greater hope, but we've also missed out on the only opportunity we had for any type of pleasure 00:09:43.180 --> 00:09:52.040 in this world. So if resurrection of Christ is not true, then Christians deserve to be pitied more 00:09:52.040 --> 00:09:58.379 than anyone else. Because Christianity, ultimately, it's not about just finding what works for me. 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:03.559 If Christianity works for you, but it's not true, it doesn't work for you. 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:13.179 He says if it's not true, it's not worth believing. There's a pastor in the States I love. He says, 00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:17.820 you know, if church is just a hobby for you and not something you believe is true, go buy a boat. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.419 Because that's a better hobby. You'll have more fun. 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:27.659 But Christianity is not about finding something that works for us. It's about finding something 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:35.620 that is historically, objectively true and clinging onto that for our hope. And that's what Paul is 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:46.919 getting at here. But he says, Christianity is true. And so Christians do not deserve the world's pity. 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:52.179 If you look at verse 20, he says, in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. 00:10:54.139 --> 00:11:01.959 Not a myth, not a legend, a fact. And he, as I said earlier in the chapter, talks about eyewitnesses who 00:11:01.959 --> 00:11:08.319 saw the risen Jesus in their world, that were alive as he wrote this, that could be cross-referenced 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:16.980 to see, is this true? Did he really come back? And Chris talked last week a little bit about the 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:21.780 arguments for why we can believe the resurrection is true. And we don't have time to get into those 00:11:21.780 --> 00:11:26.379 today. But if you want to know more about them, I'd love to talk to you more after service. But there 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:35.880 are many, many good historical reasons to believe the fact that Jesus physically rose from the dead. 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:42.700 Christ has been raised. And that means people who believe in the resurrection do not believe, 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:48.980 do not deserve the world's pity. It means that if you believe in Jesus and the resurrection, 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:57.039 your faith is not in vain. It means you have forgiveness of your sins. It means that those 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:08.120 who have died in Christ have not perished because Christ has been raised in a historical, factual event. 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:20.500 And not only has Christ been raised, but we too will one day be raised. It says in verse 20, 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:26.440 in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Now, 00:12:26.580 --> 00:12:33.980 first fruits, not a word we use today, but it's an ancient agricultural term. And it referred to, 00:12:34.259 --> 00:12:39.659 when you went out to harvest your field, the first part that ripened, you'd pick that, 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:44.500 and that was your first fruits. And the ancient Israelites had to offer their first fruits to God 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:51.179 as a sacrifice. But even more than that, the first fruits was an indicator of how the rest of the 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:57.580 harvest would be. If the first fruits of your apple tree were nice, fresh, big, juicy, green apples, 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:05.580 then you could be pretty sure the rest of the apples to grow this year would be nice, big, green, fresh, juicy. 00:13:05.580 --> 00:13:12.639 If the first fruits of your apple tree were little, thin, dried out, rotten apples, 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:17.759 then I hope you have some money in savings so you can get through till next year and hope for a better harvest then. 00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:25.139 The first fruits were indicative of the entire harvest. They were a predictor of what the rest of the harvest 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:34.300 would be like. And it says that Christ's resurrection is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:43.740 What that means is that Christ's resurrection is an indicator of our future resurrection. 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:54.620 That our resurrection someday will be like his was. And so what was his resurrection like? First of all, 00:13:55.019 --> 00:14:03.620 it was a real historical event. It wasn't just a figment of people's imagination. It wasn't just 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:11.039 something that people made up and turned into a myth. No. For Paul, he believed, and the eyewitnesses 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:18.279 who saw it believed, that it was a real, literal, historical event. And what does that mean about 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:28.500 our resurrection? That it will be a real historical event. But even more than that, it was a physical 00:14:28.500 --> 00:14:35.980 resurrection. You know, in some circles of Christianity out there over the past couple hundred 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:41.940 years, there's been this idea that Jesus didn't actually come back from the dead. That the resurrection 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:47.919 was more a figment of his followers' imagination. That a few days after he died, they started to have 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:53.320 this feeling that Jesus' presence was with them. That even though he was still dead, they could 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:59.400 feel his presence with them. And they called that the resurrection. There's a problem with this theory. 00:15:00.060 --> 00:15:05.800 In the ancient world, they had a word for this type of experience. If someone had died and you felt 00:15:05.800 --> 00:15:10.820 like their presence was with you, you know what you said about the person who had died? You said they 00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:17.680 were still dead because they were still buried in the ground and they were not with you. You had this 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:25.620 feeling like they were feeling like they were with you because they were dead. If Jesus' disciples and 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:30.939 his followers had had this feeling that we think and we feel like Jesus is with us while his body was 00:15:30.939 --> 00:15:36.620 still buried in the ground, they would not have called that a resurrection. They knew as well as we do, 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:44.479 people do not come back from the dead. It took something big, something physical for them to see 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:53.960 and touch and question to believe that he had actually come back from the dead because that thing just 00:15:53.960 --> 00:16:06.480 doesn't happen. And yet they believed because something physical and literal and real had happened in the 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:17.600 world. Jesus physically came back to life. Jesus physically rose from the dead. You know, in the words of one of, 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:25.200 I think, the most brilliant theologians alive today, he said, a resurrection without a body is no resurrection 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:36.200 at all. And if Jesus' resurrection was anything less than a physical event, then Jesus is nothing 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:41.860 more than a dead savior. And a dead savior is nothing more than a dead savior at all. 00:16:43.420 --> 00:16:50.879 If Jesus' resurrection was anything less than a physical event, a physical, historical, true event, 00:16:51.400 --> 00:17:01.500 then Jesus is nothing more than a dead savior. And a dead savior is no savior at all. 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:15.079 But if Jesus' resurrection was a real, literal, physical, historical event, and he is the first fruits of our 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:22.960 resurrection, what that means is that one day we will be literally, physically raised in an actual 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:33.299 historical event called the resurrection. And I'm going to pause here for a second because I'm guessing 00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:39.700 there are some people here who are like, whoa, what is this? Because we live in a Christian culture that 00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:47.940 for years has, I think, oversimplified and dumbed down the Christian hope. And we've said, we go to heaven 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:53.019 when we die. And a lot of us have this picture, sort of like the Greek philosophy, that our body gets 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:59.140 buried in the ground and our spirit goes to be with God, and that's that. And I think realistically 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:07.640 what's happened is the powers that be in the church worldwide have been scared of the physical world. 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:14.900 And they've seen there's evil and there's corruption happening here, just like the ancient Greeks saw. 00:18:14.900 --> 00:18:18.120 And they know that the spiritual world is where we know God. 00:18:20.280 --> 00:18:27.200 And so people like pastors within the church have gotten scared of this idea of the physical 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:32.740 resurrection and found more comfortable the idea that our spirit just goes to be with God. 00:18:33.140 --> 00:18:40.060 And we've stopped teaching the fact that the Christian hope is not just some spiritual existence in the 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:48.940 next world, but actually a physical new resurrected body where we will live lives as they were meant to be 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:57.579 lived with God on the new earth forever. That is what the Bible shows us as the great Christian hope, 00:18:57.679 --> 00:19:07.460 that God will not abandon this world, but that he will come and he will make all things new. 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:18.519 You know, in verse 25, it says that he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:26.299 And in verse 26, it says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:34.740 The Bible tells us in this passage that God will defeat every single one of his enemies. 00:19:34.879 --> 00:19:40.240 And it is very clear, death is one of his enemies. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:45.859 Death is an enemy that will be defeated by God. 00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:55.059 If he just stepped back and said, I'm going to fix some stuff, but the physical world, it's too messed up. 00:19:55.859 --> 00:19:59.059 I'm going to leave that one to just go to pieces. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:07.459 After he made it good in the beginning, then what he's doing in that process is admitting defeat. 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:14.720 Because God made the physical world, God made the physical world good. 00:20:15.600 --> 00:20:20.200 And God is going to renew the physical world, not abandon it. 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:28.240 And in order to have victory over death and over every single one of his enemies, 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:33.420 God needs to bring back everyone who has died throughout history. 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:38.460 Because you haven't defeated death if everyone that it ever killed is still dead. 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:41.220 But the Bible is clear. 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:46.860 God will be victorious over everything. 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:55.419 And that is the great hope of the Christian faith. 00:20:56.339 --> 00:21:01.419 That the world as it was originally meant to be will be again. 00:21:02.919 --> 00:21:09.779 That those who have hoped in Christ in this life and turned to him for forgiveness for our rebellion against God 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:13.759 will be able to live with him forever. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:17.019 forever, in new bodies, in the new earth. 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:23.559 Living life, not as it is in this world, broken and falling apart. 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:28.859 But as it was meant to be in the beginning, good and perfect and whole. 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:36.980 And yet it also says that he will reign until he has put every enemy under his feet. 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:41.200 Which means that if we're here today, and we haven't trusted in him, 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:43.940 and we have set ourselves up as his enemies, 00:21:44.620 --> 00:21:46.880 rather than turning to him for forgiveness, 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:53.279 that we will be part of that group that is conquered. 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:58.460 We will not be the ones who rejoice and live with him forever, 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:00.720 but we will be the ones who are conquered and destroyed. 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:04.600 But today God offers us forgiveness. 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:08.880 He offers us a chance to be part of his people. 00:22:09.120 --> 00:22:16.180 To receive this hope that he has offered to everyone through Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:22.700 And so Christ is risen. 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:26.200 In a historical, physical action. 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:28.900 It has happened. 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:33.519 And that ensures that we will rise again. 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:36.360 Because God will be victorious. 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:41.460 And Christ's resurrection shows us what our resurrection will be like. 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:48.539 But then thirdly, what we believe about our future shapes our present. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:53.980 Paul says in verse 32, there's really only two ways to live. 00:22:55.140 --> 00:23:01.460 One way, he describes as, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:05.779 Basically, in our world today, we call that YOLO. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:09.799 Last week's word, we had FOMO, fear of missing out. 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:12.680 This week we have YOLO, you only live once. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:17.440 And the world pushes this message on us so much today. 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:19.879 Disney says, follow your heart. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.200 Let your dreams guide you. 00:23:23.899 --> 00:23:26.299 Ashley Madison says, life is short, have an affair. 00:23:27.899 --> 00:23:30.960 The world says, this life is your only chance. 00:23:31.220 --> 00:23:32.099 Make the most of it. 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:33.919 Have as much fun as you can. 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:41.519 And YOLO has become this generation's cry of basically hedonism. 00:23:42.420 --> 00:23:48.300 People will go out and go to the restaurant and order these meals that are going to give them a heart attack halfway through. 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:54.680 And then grab their phone and post on Instagram, eating out with the bros, YOLO. 00:23:54.680 --> 00:24:04.120 Girls and sometimes even more disturbing guys will go online and post photos of themselves in super skimpy outfits. 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:08.700 Because, got to let everyone see this body because you only live once and I'm not getting it back. 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:11.820 Just got back from the gym, YOLO. 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:18.399 Or they'll go out to the bar and they'll get a line of shots. 00:24:20.419 --> 00:24:22.539 Long week at the office, YOLO. 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:34.659 And YOLO, you only live once, has basically become this, the world today's cry of, I really know that I shouldn't be doing this right now. 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.919 But I think it'll be fun. 00:24:37.639 --> 00:24:40.980 And since I won't have another chance, let's do it anyway. 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:51.359 And Paul is saying, if Christ did not raise from the dead and if we will not one day rise from the dead, that is exactly the right way to live. 00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:55.579 If Christ has not been raised, YOLO. 00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:59.559 If we will not be raised, YOLO. 00:25:00.879 --> 00:25:09.579 But, if Christ has been raised, and if we will be raised like he has, 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:14.139 there's a very different way that we are supposed to live. 00:25:14.539 --> 00:25:20.960 The way of submitting to God and living life under his authority. 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:25.920 Basically, Paul is saying, you know, if you think back to the Star Wars story, 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:31.920 if there's no stream out in the desert and all you have to drink from is muddy animal filth water, 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:38.160 drink as much of that filth as you can, because it's not going to last forever and may as well enjoy it while you can. 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:45.920 But if there is a stream of clean water, then you are a fool to drink the filth instead. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:52.420 And he says, Christ has been raised. 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.360 The stream in the desert is not a mirage. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.779 It is reality. 00:25:59.120 --> 00:26:02.140 And this is weird to the world around us. 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:10.900 This makes people around us who don't believe in the resurrection think maybe that we're wasting our lives. 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:15.040 I remember back when I first decided to go study the Bible at university. 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:19.759 I had a well-meaning non-Christian family member come up to me and say, 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:24.860 you know, Eric, I think that you're wasting your life by studying the Bible. 00:26:26.280 --> 00:26:29.700 She said, I think that you would make such a great doctor. 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:34.019 And you're just throwing all that talent away to go study the Bible. 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:38.400 And you know, if the resurrection is not true, she's absolutely right. 00:26:38.859 --> 00:26:40.960 I could be making so much more money as a doctor. 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:42.000 It is not funny. 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:46.920 And I could be living in a nicer place and taking better apartments 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:50.119 and, you know, helping people in a way that actually matters. 00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:53.039 But if the resurrection is true, 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:57.700 then I have not wasted my life by deciding not to become a doctor. 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:00.259 And I'm not saying anything bad about doctors here. 00:27:00.259 --> 00:27:03.599 I think the world needs lots and lots of great Christian doctors. 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.940 But if the resurrection is true, 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:10.200 we also need people who can teach about Jesus 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:13.500 because we have a lost and dying world around us 00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:17.579 that needs to hear the truth that there is another life, 00:27:17.660 --> 00:27:19.799 that you don't only live once. 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:21.940 No, you only live twice. 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:31.680 And so I want us to think about two ways 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:36.240 that this can practically impact our lives this week. 00:27:37.100 --> 00:27:42.240 Because I know that the idea of living for eternity is sort of abstract. 00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:46.039 But I want to talk about two, a little bit more tangible ways 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:48.940 that we can do that this week in the time that we have left. 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:52.940 And the first is living with radical bravery. 00:27:54.740 --> 00:28:02.059 The world around us expects us to live for today just like they do. 00:28:03.100 --> 00:28:07.200 The world around us expects us to follow our heart, 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:11.779 to go live that YOLO lifestyle. 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:15.980 And if we are living for eternity, 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:21.079 then we are going to have to take a stand against that mindset. 00:28:22.139 --> 00:28:24.500 And for some of us, it will cost us. 00:28:25.139 --> 00:28:26.420 Maybe it will cost us friendships. 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:29.019 Maybe it will cost us jobs 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:32.639 because we won't pad the numbers on the spreadsheet 00:28:32.639 --> 00:28:35.519 to make it look like our company is doing better for the investors 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:36.559 than we really are. 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.480 For Paul, who wrote this passage, 00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:41.500 it cost him his life. 00:28:44.899 --> 00:28:49.500 But if we are living with a knowledge that eternity is ours, 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:52.839 that we are servants of King Jesus, 00:28:52.839 --> 00:28:56.519 who will raise us from the dead to live with him forever, 00:28:56.519 --> 00:29:02.799 then that should free us from the fear of what others think about us 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:07.519 and enable us to live with radical bravery in our world today. 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:12.099 I don't know if we have any Chronicles of Narnia fans in here. 00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:12.980 Anyone? 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:14.819 Like two? 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:15.220 Okay. 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:16.059 Three? 00:29:17.099 --> 00:29:18.819 Well, in the Chronicles of Narnia, 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:19.720 there's this character. 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:20.720 I love him in the books. 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:21.879 In the movies, he's super annoying. 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:23.880 But his name is Reepicheep. 00:29:24.340 --> 00:29:26.400 And he's this two-foot-tall mouse, 00:29:26.860 --> 00:29:27.700 a talking mouse. 00:29:28.700 --> 00:29:30.940 He is incredibly brave. 00:29:31.580 --> 00:29:33.520 And in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 00:29:33.580 --> 00:29:34.860 one of the Narnia stories, 00:29:35.280 --> 00:29:38.340 he goes on this voyage to the edge of the earth 00:29:38.340 --> 00:29:40.680 with Prince Caspian and his crew, 00:29:41.580 --> 00:29:43.280 seeking out Aslan's land. 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:47.140 Aslan is like the Jesus figure in the Chronicles of Narnia. 00:29:47.900 --> 00:29:49.760 Reepicheep is incredibly brave, 00:29:49.860 --> 00:29:51.020 despite his size. 00:29:51.879 --> 00:29:54.779 Because he has received a promise when he was young 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:58.119 that he would one day see Aslan's country. 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:01.759 And he fights through intense battles 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.319 that people three times his size would run away from 00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:07.920 because he holds fast to this promise 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:11.160 that one day he will see Aslan's country. 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:14.460 Here's a summary of him that I found online this week. 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:14.779 It says, 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:16.700 Reepicheep was exceedingly brave, 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:19.720 a trait apparently shared by all Narnian mice. 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:21.539 He was loyal to the death, 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:24.059 willing to fight and die for his king and lord. 00:30:24.980 --> 00:30:26.460 Reepicheep was fierce in battle, 00:30:26.620 --> 00:30:28.799 always eager to fight for Narnia's cause. 00:30:28.900 --> 00:30:29.700 And listen to this, 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:31.940 he did not fear death 00:30:31.940 --> 00:30:34.220 because he knew that when he died, 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:36.220 he would go to Aslan's country, 00:30:36.519 --> 00:30:38.220 which was his one dream. 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:41.299 He did not fear death 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:44.160 because he knew that his eternity was secure. 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:49.120 And if we are people who have believed in Jesus' resurrection 00:30:49.120 --> 00:30:52.040 and believe that he will one day raise us from the dead, 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:55.100 we should be people who live with incredible bravery 00:30:55.100 --> 00:30:59.100 knowing that our eternity is secure 00:30:59.100 --> 00:31:02.019 and so we don't have to fear the people or powers 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:05.080 around us on this earth who tell us to live otherwise. 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:08.980 And the second way this week 00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:10.279 that our lives can be different 00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:11.500 because of the resurrection 00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:15.079 is living with radical sacrifice. 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:19.759 You know, if it's true that we only live once, 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:22.399 then we should stockpile everything we have 00:31:22.399 --> 00:31:22.899 and hoard it 00:31:22.899 --> 00:31:24.799 so that we can maximize our pleasure in this life. 00:31:24.879 --> 00:31:26.159 We should live in the place 00:31:26.159 --> 00:31:28.179 that's most fun and convenient for us 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:31.120 and take advantage of every opportunity 00:31:31.120 --> 00:31:33.080 to live life to the fullest that we can. 00:31:35.940 --> 00:31:39.620 But if it's true that we're going to live again, 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:42.539 if it's true that we are people created 00:31:42.539 --> 00:31:44.360 not just for this one life on earth, 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:45.400 but for eternity, 00:31:46.279 --> 00:31:50.460 then we should be living as much as possible for eternity. 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:53.940 Sacrificing pleasures today 00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:57.120 for the sake of eternity. 00:31:58.180 --> 00:32:00.100 And so this means that we should be 00:32:00.100 --> 00:32:02.980 radically sacrificial with our money, 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.039 giving it to causes 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:08.700 that will further God's kingdom in eternity. 00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:11.539 Showing the world around us 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:13.060 that we have a hope that's greater 00:32:13.060 --> 00:32:15.240 than anything this world can offer. 00:32:16.120 --> 00:32:18.320 If you want to be radically sacrificial with your money 00:32:18.320 --> 00:32:19.420 and don't know where to start, 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:22.160 I'd recommend Watermark, but you know. 00:32:22.700 --> 00:32:23.680 But seriously, 00:32:23.820 --> 00:32:26.180 I think that we're doing a lot of great things 00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:27.779 to try and reach the world around us 00:32:27.779 --> 00:32:29.799 with this good news of Jesus' love. 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:32.440 And it's something that we can't do 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:35.539 without generosity from the congregation. 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:38.639 But not just with our money, 00:32:38.740 --> 00:32:40.099 but also with our lives, 00:32:40.299 --> 00:32:42.579 we should be radically sacrificial, 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:43.579 living a lifestyle 00:32:43.579 --> 00:32:45.279 that shows the world around us 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:48.779 that we have a different hope than they do. 00:32:48.779 --> 00:32:51.319 There was a man in the States 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:53.759 in the early 1800s named Adoniram Judson. 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:56.759 He was the first foreign missionary 00:32:56.759 --> 00:32:58.039 sent out from the USA. 00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:01.639 And he felt God calling him to go to India. 00:33:02.980 --> 00:33:04.879 And there was a girl that he was in love with. 00:33:06.819 --> 00:33:09.059 And he knew that if he married this girl, 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:10.460 her life would be difficult. 00:33:10.819 --> 00:33:12.619 So he wrote a letter to her father 00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:15.700 to ask his permission for her hand in marriage. 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:17.080 And this is what the letter said. 00:33:18.019 --> 00:33:20.259 I have now to ask whether you can consent 00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:22.500 to part with your daughter early next spring 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:25.539 to see her no more in this world. 00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:27.559 If you're a parent, think about that. 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.059 Sending your daughter away never to see her again. 00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:33.180 Whether you consent to her departure 00:33:33.180 --> 00:33:34.240 to a heathen land 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:36.539 and her subjection to the hardships 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:39.380 and sufferings of a missionary life, 00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:41.840 because they didn't have air conditioning back then 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:42.519 when you were a missionary. 00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:45.939 Or lots of other modern conveniences. 00:33:46.959 --> 00:33:48.919 Whether you consent to her exposure 00:33:48.919 --> 00:33:50.399 to the dangers of the ocean, 00:33:50.919 --> 00:33:52.359 to the fatal influence 00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:53.980 of the southern climate of India, 00:33:54.339 --> 00:33:57.500 to every kind of want and distress, 00:33:57.819 --> 00:34:00.259 to degradation, insult, persecution, 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:02.859 and perhaps a violent death. 00:34:03.240 --> 00:34:04.399 Just what every parent wants 00:34:04.399 --> 00:34:05.339 for their daughter, right? 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:08.980 Can you consent to all of this 00:34:08.980 --> 00:34:10.319 for the sake of him 00:34:10.319 --> 00:34:12.099 who left his heavenly home 00:34:12.099 --> 00:34:14.480 and died for her and for you, 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:17.059 for the sake of perishing immortal souls, 00:34:17.279 --> 00:34:18.779 for the sake of Zion 00:34:18.779 --> 00:34:20.319 and the glory of God? 00:34:20.380 --> 00:34:21.500 And now listen to this. 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:25.519 Can you consent to all this 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:29.340 in hope of soon meeting your daughter 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:30.799 in the world of glory? 00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:33.580 A crown of righteousness 00:34:33.580 --> 00:34:36.720 brightened by the acclamations of praise 00:34:36.720 --> 00:34:38.800 which shall resound to her Savior 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:40.100 from the heathen saved 00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:41.120 through her means 00:34:41.120 --> 00:34:43.940 from eternal woe and despair. 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:47.200 Can you send your daughter away 00:34:47.200 --> 00:34:48.360 never to see her again 00:34:48.360 --> 00:34:51.060 because you know that eternity is secure? 00:34:53.960 --> 00:34:56.120 His father decided to let his daughter 00:34:56.120 --> 00:34:56.780 make the decision. 00:34:58.820 --> 00:35:00.100 She said yes. 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:02.700 And in early 1812, 00:35:03.100 --> 00:35:05.160 Adoniram and Anne sent out for India. 00:35:06.640 --> 00:35:07.660 Fourteen years later, 00:35:07.720 --> 00:35:08.280 Anne would die 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:10.300 never having seen her family again 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:13.980 after suffering through 21 months of sickness. 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:18.420 If the resurrection is not true, 00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:21.080 she wasted her life. 00:35:21.860 --> 00:35:23.800 Her father was a fool for sending her off 00:35:23.800 --> 00:35:26.240 and Adoniram was a cruel tyrant 00:35:26.240 --> 00:35:28.280 for bringing her into that situation. 00:35:28.280 --> 00:35:33.400 But through the work of Adoniram and Anne, 00:35:33.400 --> 00:35:36.000 by the time Adoniram died, 00:35:36.700 --> 00:35:39.080 there were a hundred churches 00:35:39.080 --> 00:35:40.800 planted throughout the country of Burma. 00:35:41.060 --> 00:35:42.720 They ended up moving on from India to Burma. 00:35:43.200 --> 00:35:44.620 There were a hundred churches 00:35:44.620 --> 00:35:45.540 planted in that country 00:35:45.540 --> 00:35:48.640 and over 8,000 Christians in the country. 00:35:48.639 --> 00:35:52.480 If the resurrection is not true, 00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:53.839 they wasted their lives. 00:35:54.099 --> 00:35:54.779 But if it is, 00:35:56.079 --> 00:36:00.279 then there are 8,000 plus souls in heaven today 00:36:00.279 --> 00:36:03.199 because of their radical sacrifice. 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:07.219 If the resurrection is true, 00:36:07.339 --> 00:36:08.099 we should be people 00:36:08.099 --> 00:36:11.239 who live radically sacrificial lives. 00:36:11.619 --> 00:36:12.879 And I'm guessing for most of us, 00:36:12.980 --> 00:36:15.879 it won't mean moving to terrible, 00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:17.180 torturous situations. 00:36:17.180 --> 00:36:18.300 But the question is not 00:36:18.300 --> 00:36:19.460 how big of a sacrifice 00:36:19.460 --> 00:36:20.940 God calls you to make, 00:36:21.240 --> 00:36:22.840 but whether you're willing to make it 00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:23.660 when he calls you. 00:36:24.840 --> 00:36:27.840 So Christ has been raised. 00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:32.240 We will one day be raised. 00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:34.200 That is the great hope 00:36:34.200 --> 00:36:35.800 of the Christian faith. 00:36:35.800 --> 00:36:39.680 And what we believe about eternity 00:36:39.680 --> 00:36:41.820 shapes our present. 00:36:42.940 --> 00:36:44.920 How can you live 00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:47.039 with radical bravery this week? 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:51.340 How can you live in a way 00:36:51.340 --> 00:36:54.880 that is radically sacrificial this week? 00:36:57.160 --> 00:36:57.960 Let's pray. 00:36:58.240 --> 00:37:00.740 Father, we thank you for your love. 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:02.260 We thank you for the fact 00:37:02.260 --> 00:37:05.760 that you will be victorious over all. 00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:08.600 You will not let sin or death 00:37:08.600 --> 00:37:09.660 conquer in the end, 00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:11.000 but that you will raise up 00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:11.940 your people to life 00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:13.160 and you will give them 00:37:13.160 --> 00:37:13.920 in eternity 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:16.360 physically present with you. 00:37:17.480 --> 00:37:18.940 We thank you that we can live 00:37:18.940 --> 00:37:19.900 with hope today. 00:37:21.519 --> 00:37:23.660 Your promise enables us 00:37:23.660 --> 00:37:24.519 to have bravery 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:26.220 and to live sacrificially 00:37:26.220 --> 00:37:28.200 because we know that this world 00:37:28.200 --> 00:37:29.980 is not the end. 00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:33.320 God, we love you. 00:37:33.400 --> 00:37:35.360 Help us to love you more. 00:37:36.620 --> 00:37:37.980 I want to close this prayer 00:37:37.980 --> 00:37:38.980 with a quote from 00:37:38.980 --> 00:37:40.880 the funerals 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:41.780 they would pronounce 00:37:41.780 --> 00:37:42.720 in later Judaism. 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:44.560 It says, 00:37:44.700 --> 00:37:46.400 He will cause you to arise. 00:37:47.500 --> 00:37:48.340 Blessed be he 00:37:48.340 --> 00:37:49.539 who keeps his word 00:37:49.539 --> 00:37:51.640 and raises the dead. 00:37:51.639 --> 00:37:53.119 Amen. 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:53.219 Amen.