Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important?

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-34

Introduction

As we study and ponder upon 1 Corinthians 15, we come to understand a very important message: the resurrection of Christ enables us to live differently. In another word, the resurrection of Christ affects how we live our lives on earth now. The Scripture gives three reminders about the significance of Christ’s resurrection.

First of all, death in this life is not an end in itself.

When we study verses 20-22 carefully, we discover that Paul was making a repulse towards a teaching, circulating among the Corinthian Church, that taught that “there was no resurrection of the dead”.

And Paul pointed out in verses 17-19 that believers would continue in their sin and the dead would ultimately be punished and destroyed because of their sins if Jesus were not really resurrected. And if it was so, then believing in Jesus would be something in vain and meaningless for them.

After that in verse 20, Paul made an important announcement to the brothers and sisters in the Corinthian Church, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

This indicates that Jesus Christ was resurrected, and He was likened to the first fruits. It means that Christ’s resurrection becomes the assurance of the resurrection of the believers to follow suit. All believers in Christ shall be resurrected from their death like Christ!

Just like what is said in verse 21-22, death came to the world because of Adam’s disobedience and sin, and it causes all the descendants of Adam to face death. In the same way, resurrection comes to the world because of Christ’s resurrection, and it makes those who receive Christ’s salvation to become believers in Christ, and they shall experience a resurrected life like Christ.

Therefore, the death that believers experience today is not an end by itself, because Christ’s resurrection gives us hope when we face death and we know that all of us will resurrect like Him, and we shall receive our immortal bodies.

The statement Paul made to the Corinthian believers then serves as a same reminder for us this day. Our death in this age is not an end by itself. If Jesus died without resurrection, death would be something very terrible for us then, and it would be something very sorrowful and hopeless.

If there were no resurrection of the dead, we would be crying our hearts out desperately for our loved ones who passed on. We would all be swallowed by the sting of death.

However, as believers in Christ, though we will experience death, we know that there is hope for us, that even though we will die, we shall be resurrected like Christ and receive an incorruptible body, and we shall meet our loved one’s face to face again. This is the hope and comfort we have when we face any departure of our loved ones.

In addition to this, there is no need for us to be fearful when we face the moment of death that is impending, for we believe that death is just a door for us to enter through. We will not disappear like light going off after we die, but instead we will be just like falling asleep, waiting for the day of the blessed hope of resurrection.

So now, we can face confidently our death as well as the death of our loved ones who are believers in Christ.

Secondly, Christ’s Resurrection reminds us that the evil of this world will not last eternally.

When we study verses 23-28, we discover that Paul made many explanations about the sequence of resurrection. In verse 23, Paul pointed out that Christ is the One who first resurrected, and later, the believers’ resurrection will only happen after the Second Coming of Christ.

When we take special notice about the word “parousiva”, we find that it is a unique word because it means “the arrival of the King who comes to visit his people.”

Therefore, it refers to the time of Christ’s return, that He will come unto the earth as a victorious King, and it shall be the time when we the believers are raised from the dead, and those who are still alive, will be taken up (raptured) to receive this coming King in the air.

Moreover, Paul pointed out clearly from verses 24-28, that because Christ is to be the King, He will surely destroy Satan and all the earthly evil forces – all rule and authority, power and dominion, and ultimately the power of death shall be destroyed too.

God shall make all these forces submit under His feet and they shall all be destroyed. Then the Father, through the resurrection of Christ, shall appoint Him to be the head over everything, that Christ shall rule over all things.

Therefore, the anti-Christ situation of the world now will not last forever because Jesus will surely return, and God will definitely destroy Satan and all the enemies who go against Him. He will surely rule over the earth with His truth and love.

This blessed hope of resurrection that we have makes clear that we are waiting for something big to happen: The Lord who loves us shall return and reign as King!

We can’t help but feel helpless when we see the situation of the world now: the natural and man-made disasters and sufferings in the world, the wickedness of worldly political powers, the temptations of Satan that cause men to sin, the evil ones trying all means to force believers to deny Jesus Christ as our Lord and stopping us to live a life as Christ’s disciples.

As believers who face many of these lashes, we might withdraw ourselves, shrink back and hide in a corner whenever our faith is challenged. We do not have the courage to declare that the God we believe in is the true and living God.

We also may become pessimistic and perceive our life of Christianity on this world to be nothing but frustration. Hence, we decided to live only for today, and we do not have the hope to see God’s kingdom value grow bigger and expand on earth. Since the world does not change, why should I live for Jesus and make bold declaration for the Gospel?

If some of you are thinking in that line, I hope to give you hope for your life through this scripture. What we see now in the world will not last eternally. Christ has overcome the power of death through His resurrection. We are now to live our lives daily with a heart of expectation.

We are waiting for Jesus to return to rule as our King. By then, all the evil forces, the power of Satan and death shall be destroyed completely. What we do today for the Gospel will not be in vain, but contribute to the building of God’s kingdom.

May the Sprit empower us to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord, and to live a life of discipleship that is to live for Christ. We are to be like warriors, who come to know that our great General has conquered the capital city of our enemies, and he has already defeated Satan on the cross.

Warriors will not be discouraged, and they will not shrink back from the difficulties before them, and they will not be pessimistic because of the gunfire of their enemies. It is because all these are just temporal situations, and we have a sure victory secured by Christ.

Hence, we should be more courageous to fight our remaining battles, until we have a ultimate victory when Christ finally returns.

Do we believe that Jesus is the King of kings because of His resurrection? Do we then confess Jesus Christ as our Lord courageously in this age where our faith is challenged endlessly? And do we then live our lives differently from the world as the disciples of Christ?

Finally, we do not live our days here just for the present life.

From verse 29 to 34, Paul asked a question. From Paul’s question, we find out that the blessed hope of resurrection does motivate believers in Christ to live a different life now.

Firstly, Paul challenged the believers in Corinth in verse 29, that why should they baptise the dead if they never believed in resurrection? “Baptizing the dead” is a unique ceremony that they performed on the dead because of their memory for their deceased. They hoped that by baptism, they could be reuntied with their deceased when their bodies are resurrected.

Paul did not recognize it as a right practice. He just pointed out the influence of Christ’s resurrection upon their lives with an action they took, that they were concerned about whether their deceased would be resurrected.

For us, it means that we are concerned whether others could receive life of eternity after death, and be resurrected in Christ because of His resurrection.

And in verse 30-34, Paul pointed out that if there would be no resurrection, then it became meaningless for them to endanger themselves every hour and face death every day. Why should they then be persecuted and pay the price of their faith? They might as well “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Therefore, Paul reminded them that they had to be persecuted and they had to pay their price for the sake of their faith, and it is not meaningless because of the resurrection of Christ. For us, it indicates that we must pay our price to live a life that pleases God because of Christ’s resurrection.

In conclusion, the blessed hope of resurrection motivates believers to live differently now, and that is to care whether others would receive life after death in resurrection from death, and whether they are willing to pay their price to live in accordance with God’s instruction because of the Lord’s resurrection and Second Coming.

We do not live for the sake of living, but Christ’s message of resurrection has motivated us to live differently.

Previously, we might think that since the situation of the world is so bad, and since we face many difficulties in this life, and since having come to know the Lord, why not just spend the rest of our days eating and drinking and enjoying life? How good it is if we just relax, for we will surely resurrect and go to heaven!

Let’s us seek for the Lord’s forgiveness over our ignorance if we really possess this thought and behave as such.

The resurrection of Christ encourages us to share the gospel more fervently with our neighbours, for we hope that they could receive salvation and life of eternity that comes after resurrection. At the same time, it also motivates us to be willing to pay our price when our faith is challenged, and be ready to testify Christ as we walk with him daily.

How Will You Welcome the Servant-King?

 Matthew 21:1-11

The Triumphal Entry

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted: “Hosanna ^[to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

‘Hosanna” means “Come and rescue me quickly.”

Matthew emphasizes the act of Jesus riding on the donkey, with an indication that Jesus was the Prince of Peace that was prophesized in Zechariah 9, four hundred years ago, and the One who will return to the house of Judah.

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus was riding on a donkey instead of a horse, and by this, it highlighted that Jesus was a humble King who came to rescue. He did not build the nation of Jews with His political or military powers as his contemporaries perceived, but he was ridiculed with weakness and humiliation.

Jesus was crucified on the Cross like other Roman’s political rebels. He became the servant-king who suffered, and He died on the Cross to defeat the powers of the devil, so that sinners are delivered, and their sins are pardoned.

The whole creation was separated from God after the Adam and Eve sinned against Him. Now man can be reconciled with God and be restored in this broken relationship through the salvation that was accomplished by the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

God’s wrath that was caused by man’s sin was appeased, and thus, men can become the children of God. They live under God’s Lordship and become the people of His Kingdom.

It will be until the Second Coming of the Lord that all the people in the Kingdom of God be consummated, and they shall dwell in the new heaven and new earth in God’s good presence with Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

There shall be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pains, or sicknesses or wickedness. By then all nations and all peoples shall come and bow down and worship the Lamb, who was slain and who sits enthroned for ever and ever.

Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the King had come to the city, and He brought with Him the great day of deliverance. At that time there were three groups of people who had responded differently upon Jesus’ entering into Jerusalem.

First of all, we see that the disciples of Jesus did not really understand the purpose for Jesus to enter the city of Jerusalem.

They were a group of disciples who worked without understanding. The disciples followed the instructions of Jesus and did what He told them. They brought the donkey before Jesus and placed their cloaks on it so that Jesus could sat on it, and they followed Him all the way to Jerusalem as He rode on the donkey.

Outwardly, they had done something they should have done, and they walked beside their Lord. By right, they should understand the meaning of Jesus’ entering into Jerusalem on a donkey.

However, John 12:16 says it clearly, that “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

The disciples did not know the real purpose of Jesus to enter Jerusalem. They worked without understanding the heart of Jesus. They expected Jesus to be a political king but did not know that Jesus came as a servant-king. A Jewish king only redeem Israel but a servant-king will redeem the whole creation.

Let’s do a reflection today: We come to Sunday school, and attend Sunday Service week by week, but do we behave like these disciples, even though we have joined many religious activities, and performed many religious acts, do we not really understand what Jesus’ death and resurrection has to do with us? Or might we have some personal agenda for joining the ministries?

Do we put to death sins and wickedness in our heart and live out as the new creation in Christ in our daily living because of the death of Jesus and His overcoming of sins and evils? Do we have hope in this life and tomorrow and do not worry for tomorrow because of Christ’s death and resurrection? Do we instead focus ourselves on waiting upon the Lord and doing the work of God by relying on Him?

May God help us to come to understand the Lord who rescue us as a victorious servant-King. We are not only trusting in Him but relying on Him to live a victorious life. For He is the victorious King through given up his life for us on the cross, and His victory over the devil and sin has become ours.

We should now as redeemed ones, be determined to fulfil the will of God on earth as it is done in heaven by relying on Christ daily.

The Second group of people were those citizens who were shocked and disturbed, and who rejected Jesus.

Verses 10-11 says that, “When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” The whole city was stirred, and this carried with it the meaning of uneasiness and panic attack.

The Gospel of Matthew first mentioned that the whole city was stirred when it refered to the “birth” of Jesus. King Herod heard about the birth of Jesus and he was disturbed. The whole city of Jerusalem was with him (2:3). When Jesus went through crucifixion, the people of Jerusalem shouted aloud, “Crucify him!”

The people of Jerusalem were uneased, for they were concerned that social upheavals, fights and wars and bloodsheds would occur following the appearance of Jesus the Messiah. They rejected this suffering Servant King to come with all their hearts. They wanted to maintain their status quo.

Jesus has redeemed us and we are now God’s people. Yet, do we reject Jesus to be the King of our lives this day?  Very often, we want to control everything, and we don’t allow Jesus to take charge over our lives, for we fear that He will bring us shame and losses. We confess Jesus as the Lord, but in reality, we are our own master.

What causes us to be worried when Jesus rules as our King? He is the King who suffered unto death in order to deliver us. How can He harm us? Jesus wants to lead us out of the darkness and bring us into the light of the righteous path. It is for our own good that He leads us step by step on it.

Let’s return to Jesus and trust in His leading. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, and their life experiences inform us that blessed are those who trust in the leading of the Lord.

Lastly, we see that those who followed Jesus entering the city out of their misconception dismissed themselves after they came to realize the truth.

They spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread it on the road when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They welcomed Jesus like welcoming a victorious King into the city. They shouted, “Hosanna, Lord come and rescue!”

They addressed Jesus as the son of David, and He was entering the city where David ruled as a king. Apparently, they wanted to enthrone Jesus as king. Nevertheless, their understanding of the deliverance of the king was different from Jesus’. What they expected was a military revival, and they wanted Jesus to rebel against Romans and overthrew them.  They wanted to set up an autonomous Jewish nation.

The crowd that followed Jesus introduced him as the prophet of Galilee to the people of Jerusalem. They emphasized that Jesus was the prophet who did signs and wonders, and who was competent to be the Jewish king. Yet, they did not come to realize that He was the Servant King who suffered and died and was resurrected. Thus, they disappeared in the narratives of the Gospel after Jesus was captured and crucified on the Cross!

Probably all our knowledge today about Jesus is also incomplete. We might shape Jesus to be a servant who creates no harm to others. We thought that Jesus had come so that He could fulfil all our needs. He shall respond to every of our request, and He is the servant who does things in accordance to our will, but not demand our obedience.

God rescued the Israelites out of Egypt so that they can serve him in the Promised Land and be blessed. Likewise, Jesus is King! He rescues us and demands us to submit under His Kingship.

We need to work hard on the Bible, and to learn the gospel message of the entire Bible. By doing this the Holy Spirit will speak to us through the Bible, and it helps to correct our misconception towards Jesus.

Do we keep on thinking about how Jesus, the Lord who delivers us, wants us to serve and to live for Him? Let’s follow the footsteps of the Lord, instead of asking the Lord to follow what we want. We are weak and if He were to follow after our will, we will walk towards destruction. Let’s submit under the Kingship of Christ and follow His leading, though it might be against our own will. He is the victorious King, and those who follow Him will not go wrong!

Conclusion: How should we respond to this “Suffering King/Servant King”?

Jesus does not want us to become those people who worked without understanding the reasons behind His suffering unto death. He also does not want us to be those people who were shocked and disturbed and who rejected Him. Moreover, He does not want us to be those people who might follow Him out of misunderstanding but disappeared after they came to realize the truth behind it.

How then does our Lord want us to respond to Him?

Frist, we ought to return, repent and come to the Lord Jesus and allow Him to be the King over our lives, that He could be master of our lives. Since we now belong to the Lord, we ought to submit to the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to live out daily the Word of God.

Second, we should respond to God with our love when we receive Christ’s sacrificial love, by loving those around us, inclusive those whom we have never met before. Because we love them, we will evangelize to them zealously, hoping that they can also be saved by believing in Jesus. This is the right attitude in responding to the sacrificial love of Jesus, the Suffering King/Servant King.

Graced to Excel in Lockdown

 

Genesis 39:1-23

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Joseph was sold by his brothers to Egypt, and he became the slave in the house of Potiphar. Potiphar was the captain of the guards of Pharaoh, and he was mighty and very powerful. However, Joseph did not give up hope just because his brother had sold him to a strange land. Instead, he was hardworking, and he made determined efforts to do the best in the new environment.

God was with Joseph, and He made him prosper in all his work and help him performed excellently. Joseph, from a common slave, was promoted to the position of a butler. Finally, Joseph tasted his sweetness after all the bitterness, but was his life going on forever happy and perfect? No. The life of Joseph is akin to quite many of ours, as he faced a life with many ups and downs and lockdown.

We Must Overcome the Irresistible Temptation

God was with Joseph in the house of Potiphar, and He watched over him and made him prosper in everything he did. Joseph even blessed his master greatly. It reminds us of the life of Abraham, where God had promised Abraham that people around him would be blessed because of him.

Joseph was appreciated by his master, and he raised to become the most trusted steward in his house.  His master entrusted everything under his care, except the food he ate. This was because the Egyptians and the Hebrews ate different kinds of food, and hence, they would not share the same table.

When Joseph began to enjoy success and God’s blessings, we see temptations, slanders and persecution came against him one after another. This time Joseph was targeted because physically he was well built and handsome. He could be inheriting all these good qualities from Rachel, his mother, because the Bible also described Rachel having a lovely figure and was beautiful (29:17).

We can imagine that Potiphar, as palace chief guard, might be a burly and rough man, a figure in stark contrast with Joseph. The good quality of Joseph was taken notice by his master’s wife, just like a prey was spotted by a hunter! The wife of his master spoke plainly to Joseph, “Come to bed with me!” (v7) But Joseph replied confidently with lengthy words (v7-9).

Joseph told her that he could not commit such an evil deed, lest he sinned against his master and God. The rhetoric highlights the blatant desire of Potiphar’s wife the uncompromised righteousness of Joseph.

Potiphar’s wife seduced him day after day, and her seduction escalated to the point where she got hold of Joseph violently, forcing him to succumb to her. From seduction, her passion for Joseph grew to “invasion.” She caught him by his cloak and said again, “Come in here to sleep with me!” There was nobody else at home then.

Joseph was trapped in an irresistible situation. What did he do next?

He was forced to take off his cloak and ran away in his embarrassment. In the Land of Canaan, Joseph was stripped off his colorful robe his brothers, and thrown into a pit. Here the wife of the master took hold of Joseph’s cloak after he ran away, and it became the evidence of her accusation that caused Joseph to be imprisoned, a place that was much more painful than the pit.

Potiphar’s wife turned her love for Joseph into hatred, and she framed him mercilessly. She decided to charge against him before he took any action, because she wanted to protect herself, fearing that Joseph might tell the truth and her husband might blame her for that. And she was determined to destroy the thing she could not possess.

Upon returning home, Potiphar was burned with anger after hearing the words of his wife (v19). The Bible does not refer to whom he was angry with, whether he was angry with Joseph or his wife remained unknown. We can imagine that he might not trust his wife’s words fully, but it was inappropriate for him to openly blame his wife, for this would cause a disgrace to the family.

Potiphar was left with no other choice but to command that Joseph to be imprisoned. Joseph was put in the prison where the prisoners of king Pharoah were kept (v20) and he wore the prison garment.

Joseph faced a severe predicament; his tests were intensified continually. He faced oppression from his master. Though he was a very innocent victim, he couldn’t receive any helps; and he would any how suffer no matter how he response to the temptation! How would we respond if we were to encounter this type of unavoidable test? Joseph had won a battle. He chose to keep himself pure and innocent, though he had to pay a very heavy price for this.

We can imagine that when men are in their high positions with power and authority, they will certainly be seeing their future bright. Everything is under their control, and hence they will relax themselves. This type of life will make them trusting in their own self rather than in God. They will claim that even without God, they can accomplish things as usual. Then, they will not honor God and others, and ultimately, they will not bother about “tests/temptations” anymore. They will live a godless life.

Thus, Joseph as servant of the highest position, could have become proud and arrogant, and thought that he could collude with his master’s wife in doing evil and did whatever they wanted under the sun!  We are familiar with the scriptural text that mentions about King David, that after his ascension to the throne, he was destroyed by a comfortable lifestyle and power when he committed adultery and killing.

Joseph was just the opposite of David in comparison. He did not commit adultery when he was at the peak of his success and prosperity. He kept his reverence towards God, and dared not sin against Him and men. It was indeed a good character hard to come by for him to keep his vigilance and to be self-controlled when he was put to this irresistible test!

Where are we today?

Do we sin against God and others and become dumb to temptations in the midst of the pinnacle of success? 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Let’s return to the embrace of God, to draw near to Him, to fear Him, and to humbly seek His grace and strength, so that we can overcome our weaknesses and the temptations of this world.

God is with us in times prosperity and also persecution and sufferings

Joseph prospered in the house of Potiphar, and he became the steward of his house. The Scripture says that God was with him. However, when Joseph was tested and accused, the Scripture does not mention that God was with him. God was with Joseph all the ways from the Land of Canaan to the house of Potiphar, but He seemed to be silent after that!

We cannot help but question, “Does it mean that God is not in control now?” Definitely not so!

We see that Joseph continued to work tirelessly in the prison. He did not get frustrated and give himself up due to the sufferings and lockdown. The scripture says that God was with him, and He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden that he could be entrusted with great tasks. The prison warden appreciated Joseph’s ability and attitude and promoted him to take charge of all those held in the prison, and all that was done there (v22-23).

The Lord was in Potiphar’s house and was with Joseph, so Joseph was promoted. Then God was with him in the prison, that he could be promoted even when he was in the lowly and dangerous place. This proves that God was there keeping watch over Joseph and He did not abandon him when he was tested and under attack. God’s presence is there whatever the circumstances. God will help us experience both our good and bad times. Through this way, we can see God’s faithfulness.

We might not feel God’s presence when we are tested, like the time Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. The Bible is silent about the presence of God, only when it came to the end of the testing that it says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and He returned to Galilee (Luke 4:14).

Moreover, when the devil left him, the angels came and served Him. (Matthew 4:11) This means that God in fact does not leave us when we are tested. It seems to us as though He is unconcerned by standing aside, but His intention is for our own good, so that we can pass the test of hardships and grow continually.

Joseph encountered many hardships in life, and every hardship made him a better character. And he was further promoted, and finally become the Prime Minister of Egypt! The truth is, we will still be tested and attacked even when we have God’s presence with us. 

Whatever circumstance it was, we see that God kept watch over Joseph. Sufferings, tests, or environment changes cannot hinder us from being with God. God’s grace is sufficient for us to excel in any lockdowns.

When everything is smooth for us, and when we are healthy, we should be thankful for the blessings of God. At the same time, we must prepare our heart and be watchful, knowing that sufferings and testing might come one after another. If we know well about this, our faith shall not be shaken in times of testing and suffering, and we will not doubt whether God is true.

What circumstance are you facing now? You should remember that God is with you and He is still in control no matter what situation you are in. Don’t be shaken in your faith, but learn to wait upon God, for He is our rescue in time!

We must tally with God in the midst of sufferings

God’s presence goes beyond the constraint of our environment. Joseph did not allow changes in his environment to affect his character and faithfulness, making him compromise to sin and give up faith. Generally, the natural response of people who are innocent, who are hard pressed under bad environment will be cynical, bitter, self-abandoned and complaining.

Joseph was deprived of reward and justice, and freedom, but he had something that could not be taken away forever, and that was his power to make choices. Joseph chose to continue to put his trust in God and work faithfully and diligently in prison and in suffering.

Man is unable to change an adverse situation, but he is able to choose how he will face this situation. This choice made within him is not to be snatched away by others. We must make full use of this liberty in the midst of the most painful situation, that we choose to live our daily life with faith and hope.

Are you in the house of Potiphar or in prison? Are you experiencing testing or disaster? We need to believe that God will never be absent, and He will be watching over us in the midst of our hardships. We need to have hope, knowing that any suffering will pass ultimately. After we have gone through trials of fire, we will be promoted eventually.