Peace and Resurrection - Pt 3

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:16-19 ESV).

Today we come back to the reading we began with a few days ago. Our focus is on the on the incredible joy Paul had in his life. It was the joy of hope. It is not the same concept we see so often taught and sought today. He was not your typical “driven man.” Had he been a man seeking success and prominence in this life he would not have turned down the gifts that were offered to him so often by the churches. He would not have pummeled his body so completely as to keep himself under such total discipline. He would not have risked his life, again and again and again, with mobs and oceans and thieves and false brethren. He would not have endured these crummy, backsliding Christians. He would not have gone without food and sleep so often as he did. He wouldn’t have risked imprisonment in city after city after city. He wouldn’t have stayed single all his life because it was the loving thing to do. That’s what he meant when he said, “We are, of all people, most to be pitied if there’s no resurrection from the dead.” If you want to maximize eating and drinking here, there are plenty of other religions that you can follow. Almost all Americans believe it, but we are called to be a remnant here; we are called to live another way and to devote ourselves to another value and another age. I emphasize once more, if your goal is to maximize the joy, pleasure, comfort, and success on this planet, Christianity is not for you. Paul did not see his relationship with Christ as the key to maximizing his comforts in this life. He could have walked away from the Damascus Road experience because you know what Jesus told him. He said to Ananias, who went to open Paul’s eyes after he was blinded for three days, he said, “Go tell him how much he must suffer on my account.” So when Ananias shows up and tells Paul what the deal is, “You are now called by the living, risen Christ and his mission for you is to maximize your suffering for the sake of the extension of his kingdom,” Paul could have said, “No, thank you,” and walked away. He didn’t do it. This is that turning point in his life. And, it is a turning point for us as well. At this point in this series I really am on a recruitment mission. I’m not here to entertain you. I’m not here to even just get you believe in the resurrection. I’m here to recruit you into this kind of lifestyle. It is a lifestyle of hope which produces peace. Take that hope into your mind today. Even in the crucible of fire you find yourself, take that hope and find real peace.