APRIL 12 - A Holiday That Changed the World

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 15:14-20:

If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

In this passage, the writer (Paul) identifies six important ways in which the Easter Event changed the world - six important things that we would lose without the resurrection of Christ. (Note that he was writing to those who, tended to accept the truth of the resurrection of Jesus, but were having a hard time believing in the possibility of their own resurrection to eternal life.) Here are the six things Paul identifies in the above passage:

Preaching is a waste of time. (Those of us who are pastors might as well go out and try to find another job.)

Christian faith itself is useless. Our faith has been "in vain."

The apostles are liars. There is no reason to believe anything they say, if we cannot believe the central teaching of their message - that Christ is risen.

Our past sins are still with us. If Christ is "dead and gone," then his death has no power to save.

Our loved ones are gone from us forever. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then we must forgo our hope of glad reunion with our loved ones.

This moment is all we have. Finding fulfillment in this life is all that remains.


1 CORINTHIANS 15:20. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

When the resurrection of Jesus is described as the "first fruits," we are promised that this miracle is just the beginning that points the way to a much greater harvest - the promised resurrection of our bodies as well! A great message!


In preparing this message, I enjoyed reading this article by the late Ray Stedman - check it out - "What If" - by Ray C. Stedman.