The Key To Life
By Rev John C. Orlando, Jr.
Scripture:
1 Cor 15:12 - 20
Intro
What is the key to life? That’s quite a question, isn’t it?! I’m sure that if I polled everyone in this room with that question, I’d get many different answers. Some might say that the key to life is family. Others might say their friends, while still others might say that the key to life is to ensure that we have all of our felt-needs met. The self-help gurus have made a fortune telling us what they think the key to our lives are, and many have bought into it all, hook line and sinker!
Well, to Christians, the key if you will to all that we believe and proclaim is the immutable, irrefutable fact of the bodily resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave! Notice, I said irrefutable fact of the bodily resurrection of Christ! If that is true, and it is, then that means that not only is the resurrection of Christ the key to Christianity, I believe we can say that the resurrection is, in fact, the very key to life for every single person, past, present, and future. And the title of this sermon is simply that…The Key To Life.
As we turn our attention to the passage, we find the Apostle Paul setting forth the reasons why the resurrection of Christ is so essential.
First, we see that the Resurrection of Christ is the…
I. Key To Our Message
A. Verses 12 - 14 - Our Preaching is empty (NIV “useless”)
— It isn’t just the “preachers” who are called to preach…we are all preachers!
We are all called to proclaim the message of Christ. And just what is that message? Paul gives us a brief outline in what is thought to be the earliest Christian creed in the very opening verses of this chapter. Look at verse 3:
1. Christ died for our sins…this highlights what He did on our behalf
2. He was buried…this highlights the fact that He actually experienced death.
3. He rose again…this highlights the fact that Jesus conquered death, and by doing so he authenticated (demonstrated the truth and validity) of His message and His mission.
But if Christ did not rise from the grave, then, the Apostle says, our preaching is empty! Empty means containing nothing, having nothing in it, having no worth or purpose.
Not only that, we are found to be:
B. False Witnesses of God—thus, our problem is compounded even further! Not only are we proclaiming a message that is inherently false, but the thing we are proclaiming is false concerning God!
Secondly, we see that the Resurrection is the…
II. Key To Our Faith
A. The Content of saving faith: What do we believe? What is it that we are staking our
eternal destiny? It is precisely what we just stated…A real Person named Jesus lived in a real world, and died a real death, was buried in a real tomb, and was raised bodily from the dead!
But if Christ did not rise from the grave, then, the Apostle says, our faith is empty! Empty means to containing nothing, having nothing in it, having no worth or purpose.
B. Verse 17 - But it is not just empty, Paul also says it is futile! Paul links this word with the phrase “you are still in your sins!” Thus the word conveys an utter lack of hope. The greatest need of the human race isn’t to have better government, or better education, or better housing, or job satisfaction. The most pressing need of the human race is to be reconciled before a Holy and Just God who has called all men to give an account for their sins, and whose wrath abides on every single person born into this world. Christ came to bare the full brunt of the wrath of God for His people, and offers forgiveness through His shed blood on the cross. If we have trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins, but He is not risen, we are experiencing the absolute heights of futility. The entire purpose of Jesus life would have been eradicated if He did not rise! Faith in an impotent Savior would not only be empty, but futile!
This brings me to the next point…The Resurrection is the…
III. Key To Our Future
A. Verse 18 – 19 - Paul brings our future to mind by reminding his readers of those who had gone before them. The same fate that happened to those who had already died would also happen to them.
B. Digress to Discuss Death
1. Death comes to everyone…the death rate is one per person.
2. Despite this knowledge, man lives as if he will live forever…but none of us
knows the day or the hour, and death often happens when we least expect it: Ex: TLC star.
3. Unlike the world though, the Christian has hope, because Christ defeated death. But, if Christ is not risen, then where is our hope! We are hopeless! Why? Because… 4. Hope relates to the future. If all we have to look forward to is death, then life is basically meaningless. Paul says in verse 32…
5. Most pitiable: To trust in a Christ who did not rise from the dead would make
us the most pitiable of people.
And now we come to the final point…The Resurrection is the…
IV. Key To Our Assurance
A. Verse 20 - Is Christ risen? Absolutely! The resurrection is the most attested fact of
ancient history.
1. Paul recounted earlier the eyewitness testimony – Verses 5 - 8
2. Listen to the words of Luke: Acts 1:5… Infallible proofs!
-- Archaeologist Sir William Ramsay, regarded as one of the greatest
archaeologists who ever lived, was a skeptic who came to faith in Christ after he discovered the incredible accuracy of the Book of Acts through his archaeological research. Concerning Luke’s ability as a historian, Ramsay concluded after 30 years of study, “Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy…this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”
3. Changed lives of the Apostles—what turned a band of cowards into bold
preachers of the resurrection of Christ even in the face of death and torture? They weren’t “reasonably sure” that Christ was risen, they KNEW He was!
4. Dr
Simon Greenleaf,
famous Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University
came to the conclusion that according to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ than for any other event in history.
B. The rewards are great! Firstfruits: That is, Christ, who has been raised, is the
guarantee of the resurrection to life of all of God’s redeemed people. For those who have trusted in Christ alone, they will experience the forgiveness of their sins, and will be raised to the newness of life. For those who have not trusted in Christ, they will be raised to eternal damnation, doomed to endure the wrath of a holy God. The Apostle John puts it aptly in John 3:36, where he says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.”
C. The consequences are great!
1. Acts 17:31 – God commands all men everywhere to repent because of the
resurrection of Christ!
2. Hell and Wrath - Just as the resurrection is a fact beyond dispute, so is the existence of Hell and the wrath of God.
-- In speaking about the reality and horror of hell, theologian R.C. Sproul
states, “The problem for those in hell will not be separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His Divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire.”
V. Conclusion
Thus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the key to our message. Jesus Christ died on the cross a rose from the grave to pay the full price for sins and ensure the salvation of a multitude that cannot be numbered! We must trust in His finished work alone for our salvation. The resurrection is the key to our faith, to all that we are believing about the forgiveness of our sins and how a relationship can be achieved with God. The resurrection is the key to our future, because we know that death is not end, it has been defeated, swallowed up in victory. And the resurrection is the key to our assurance, because we know that Christ is risen indeed! It is the most attested to fact of ancient history.
I opened with the question what is the key to life? The answer is clear, Jesus Christ. A key is something that is used to open a door, and the door that we are trying to open is the door to life. Jesus described Himself as the door, and the Scripture declares, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Now the question is, have you received the real key to life? Or, are you still trusting in some of the other keys that, in the final analysis, simply won’t, and cannot work. Trust Him today, for…HE IS RISEN, INDEED! Amen!