Monday, February 18, 2019
But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19(NLT)
Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34(NLT)
Did we hear that correctly? Did Paul, writing to the beloved church he
established in Corinth, that group full of spirituality and fully-gifted to
serve Christ, write for everyone to read that some of the believers were only so-called
believers? Well, in a word, Yes;
Paul said some of you don’t know God at all. The Apostle didn’t leave much wiggle-room
there. Some who were part of that
church, met with them daily, served others, and were really nice people, were
not part of the Kingdom of God, they were lost, headed for Hell.
Ouch! That would not have made for a feel-good
sermon point during the Homecoming service
at Frist Methodist Church of Corinth. It’s
no wonder Paul had a reputation of starting a riot or revival every time he
arrived at a new place.
Sometimes preachers, wanting to be
liked, and paid, and not-lynched, err on the side of safety, rather than full-disclosure. On the other hand, Paul’s kind of statement said
in a modern-day church, that some of the church members were lost people, would,
without question, set all kinds of things in motion:
· Shade tree discussions after the worship service
· Dusting-off of the denominational qualifications of preachers
· Meetings of boards, committees, and calls to the resident bishop’s
office.
I am so thankful that Paul was
willing to tell the truth, no matter how it was received. In the case of the Corinthians believers, it
was received in such a way as for them to get their act together, quit their
monkey-business, and get down to serving Christ instead of their pride. In today’s self-serving, me-first culture, Paul’s
kind of sermon would almost certainly get the preacher kicked-out of the club,
if not sued for lack of political correctness.
Of course, that kind of preaching
is never without fall-out. It has been
my experience that Hallmark story kind of endings are incomplete when it comes
to church. Any time you hear such a
story that there was a crisis, and someone spoke up with the truth, unvarnished,
and then we all lived happily ever after, well, you’re just not getting the
whole story. Pride and other kinds of
evil do not let go that easily. Neither
does the father of pride.
But all that is OK, because the
story is not yet over. God is not done
working on things in this world, and will not be done with this continuing
story, until that last trumpet sounds, and all of God’s enemies are put under
his feet. So, for now, those who want to
cancel the resurrection and act like this life is all that matters…they will
have what they shoot for – the praise that tickles the ear, and a measure of
control over little kingdoms built to honor human preferences. But, in the end, those who are pitied for
placing all their eggs in Christ’s basket of grace, forgiveness, humility and
service until resurrection dawns, are the ones who will experience true
victory, that well done, good and faithful servant.[ii]
For You Today
God’s Holy Spirit uses what Paul
called the foolishness of preaching to stir hearts and change
people, leading them into more faithful service, and more faithful hearts. So, if it stings, don’t cancel the resurrection…offer
your heart to Him; God may be up to something beautiful in your life.
Go to VIDEO
[ii] Matthew
25:23
