◆“The Hope of Resurrection” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5) November 3, 2024

At the Lazarus Cemetery, where the Ishii family grave is located, there stands a tower inscribed with the words “Hope of Resurrection.”
Initially, the construction workers were puzzled and said, “It’s the first time I’ve seen the word ‘hope’ on a grave.” It’s understandable—they had never seen someone rise from the dead.

Yet the Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. And this is conveyed as the most important truth of all. Let us once again listen to the Word of God:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The phrase “according to the Scriptures” is repeated twice. This repetition highlights the significance of the statement. Here, “the Scriptures” refers to the Old Testament—in other words, it happened just as God had said.
This event was brought about by God Himself, according to His divine plan.

First, Christ’s death on the cross was for the forgiveness of our sins.
Second, He did not remain dead—His resurrection was the assurance of that forgiveness.

Because this truth is of utmost importance, Satan attacks it fiercely.
Even before Jesus went to the cross, the Sadducees claimed there was no resurrection. They were actually the majority at the time. They denied the immortality of the soul, resurrection, and even the existence of angels. Their standard of belief was whether something could be understood—an example of rationalism.

Surprisingly, even in the early days of the Church, there were Christians who denied the resurrection.
This is evident in 1 Corinthians 15:12:

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

Paul is astonished—he’s essentially exclaiming, “What?! How can you possibly say that?”

He goes on to say that if there is no resurrection, then preaching is useless, faith is useless (v.14), it is in vain (v.17), we are to be pitied (v.19), and there is no forgiveness of sins.
Worse still, if we proclaim salvation through Christ, we are false witnesses of God (v.15), and even those who died in faith have perished because of their sins (v.18).

He adds in verse 32: if there is no resurrection and no forgiveness, we might as well “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
This is no different from the rationalism of the Sadducees.

Even today, there are those who call themselves Christians yet explain away the resurrection.
They say, “Jesus didn’t literally rise from the dead—it’s just how the disciples interpreted it,” or, “Jesus died, but His teachings live on.”
Others argue that the resurrection simply means a renewed mindset or lifestyle.

But Jesus—and Paul—strongly oppose such rationalism.

In verse 20, Paul declares:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

This is not metaphor—it is a historical fact.
Then in verse 22:

“In Christ, all will be made alive.”

All people—both those who gratefully accepted Christ’s salvation and those who rejected it—will be made alive. But there is an order.
Verse 23 says, “Each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

Those who received Christ’s salvation will rise when He returns. This is a blessed resurrection.

Revelation 20:4b–6 speaks of this:

“They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years… This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection.”

What about those who rejected Christ? They too will rise—but 1,000 years later.

Revelation 20:11–15 describes their resurrection:

“Then I saw a great white throne… and the dead were judged according to what they had done… Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Those who rejected Christ’s offer must face judgment themselves.

Today, as we remember our departed loved ones—those who trusted in Christ—they are truly blessed.
They will partake in the first resurrection.

And what about us?
Blessed are those who can say, “I too will share in the first resurrection.”
If you cannot say that yet, I urge you to accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as something He did for you personally. Receive His salvation.

This message is also the mission of the Church.
To proclaim it to those who have not yet heard.
To pray for those who have not yet believed.
To persist in sharing the good news.

Let us remember our loved ones who have gone before us.
Let us recall the joyful times we spent with them.
And beyond that, let us remember the love and redemptive work of the Lord who gave Himself for them—and for us.
We are entrusted with this message.
So let us go forth and proclaim the gospel daily.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.