Believe, then do (Part 1)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Avendroff. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the Scriptures verse by verse with No Compromise.

Believing the Right Thing Matters More Than Doing the Right Thing

I have a question for you this morning as we start. What is more important, believing or doing? Would you rank higher what you have to believe or how you live your life? Maybe I could try to get at the answer by asking you this.

How many people have to-do lists in one shape or form? What shape or form? Does anybody have to-do lists? I know you do. If you don't, you should put it on your to-do list list. I have a little sticky, an electronic sticky, right on my computer on the far right and it tells me what I need to do.

How many of you have a to-believe list? These are the things I must believe. These are the things that I cannot forget. Without these things, my to-do list means nothing. It just goes to show you in our day and age, we are getter done people.

We like to do things. You never have to command people to get things done, but you do have to reveal in scripture the importance of believing the right thing. We like shows. I like shows where it's extreme home makeover and the people come in and they redo this house and they do something to the house and then afterwards you get a good cry and you feel good that someone was helped.

You just wish it was your house, so it just creates envy instead of a good feeling for your neighbor. Some Martha Stewart, you know, there's just these five quick and easy steps you need for a successful harvest decoration in your house.

We like lists. That's the human heart. And when it comes to gospel and the law, our indicatives and imperatives, our default is over here to do when we need to be reminded that what we believe is more important than what we do.

It's actually connected because what you believe determines what you'll do. An unwholesome doctrine leads to unholy living. And so it's important that you believe things. Even as a church wants to occasionally hanker for, not necessarily this church, but hankering for these sermons where I just need something to do.

Just tell me what to do so I can be a better dad tomorrow and a better husband tomorrow and I just, just please tell me what to do. Five easy steps for easy Christian living. Paul, as he writes to the church of Corinth, he knows they're carnal.

He knows they're divided. He knows there's sin in the church. And so he spends a whole chapter on something to help them believe the right way. When your children disobey and they're little, if you're not careful, you fall into this paradigm.

You tell them, stop hitting, use your hands for loving, stop being lazy, work. Don't lie. Tell the truth. And you're focused on what they do. When when we think about it, it's not wrong to do, it's only wrong to do if that's the only thing you do.

And so what Paul's after is doctrine. Paul's after your mind. What you believe matters. The most important thing about you is not what you do, friends. It's what you believe about who God is and who you are in light of God and what Christ has done.

So let's turn our Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 15 and the doctrine of the day. The doctrine that needs to be essential for every Christian is the doctrine of the resurrection, the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and the literal bodily resurrection of every body.

The Resurrection Is the Linchpin of Christian Doctrine

So for Paul, doctrine is important. This whole chant, doctrine divides, I want to affirm right now before we go to the passage, true or false, doctrine divides. True, it does divide. It divides wrong thinking from right thinking, biblical ways of thinking, unbiblical ways of thinking.

Doctrine does divide, but doctrine simply is a statement about God, a fact about God. If I say to you, God, and you say, I don't like doctrine, what is God? Who is God? And so doctrine is important. And for Paul, with a carnal church, the doctrine of the resurrection is the linchpin for everything.

If you take out the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ, every other domino falls. As I said to the congregation to start last service, remember that game with those little wooden blocks and they're all stacked up on each other.

And if you pull that last block out, you know, you have to take turns. What's it called? Jenga. I knew you'd know that. I think Jenga is some kind of voodoo name or something, but you pull that last little piece out and that whole house of cards comes flying down and you lose.

And for Paul, the doctrine of the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus is essential. This is not one of those things, well, Paul, you just need balance. No, this is a non-negotiable. You have to believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ Jesus, which means you'll believe in the bodily resurrection of every person who's lived and died and who will live and who will die.

And does it make sense then that people try to attack the doctrine of the resurrection? Well, it only makes sense when you think about it from a satanic strategy. Of course, if the doctrine is a non-negotiable essential of the Christian faith, we're not talking about eschatology, Amal, Premal, who do you baptize, what church government is, but a central doctrine.

Remember Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, 1 to 4, this is that gospel Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised the third day, and he appeared to all kinds of people, 500 even at once. This is an essential doctrine.

So of course Satan attacks and you wouldn't believe some of the people who say there's no resurrection of Jesus' physical body. Let me just give you a sweeping overview of some of that so you realize the day and age in which we live.

There's this full force frontal assault of people saying, supernaturally, we don't believe in supernatural, so how could there be a resurrection of Jesus? We're modernists, we're scientists. John Shelby Spong said in his book called Resurrection Myth, A Reality, for me the gospel traditions about the resurrection are pointers toward the truth, they are not the truth.

Others have said, amazingly, Baptist Professor Hinson said, Paul was convinced that the Christ who appeared to him belonged to another order of existence from the Christ that the disciples had known in the flesh.

The risen Christ has not a physical but a spiritual body. Murray Harris, he used to teach at Trinity, a Christ body when it was resurrected will neither be fleshly nor fleshy. Rudolph Boltman, liberal anti-supernaturalist, the resurrection of course simply cannot be a visible fact in the realm of human history.

It can't be true, the resurrection. Paul Tillich, you probably know that name, said if you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, it's absurd. Here's one that will probably shock some of you. Before he became the Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, in his book Introduction to Christianity, said this, it now becomes clear that the real heart of faith in the resurrection does not consist at all in the idea of the restoration of bodies.

Such is the case even though that this is the pictorial image used throughout the Bible. Paul teaches not the resurrection of physical bodies but the resurrection of persons. In other words, it seems like the Bible uses language of real bodily resurrection but it can't be true.

In his book Principles of Catholic Theology, he also penned before he became the Pope, the resurrection cannot be a historical event in the same sense as the crucifixion is. So you have all kinds of people who deny the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus.

And you have people masquerading as evangelicals who say it's not even important to believe. And I'm setting this up because the second you begin to read Paul, if you say, Mike, you're out on one of your aggressive kind of tirades, there you go again, what I'm saying now in light of what Paul says, what I'm saying now is positive, encouraging, kind of K-love stuff.

This is for Paul worthy of grabbing the nuclear football and pushing the buttons. This is a showstopper for Paul, the literal bodily resurrection you have to believe. And he writes that, I have friends who I'm quite sure are Christians who do not believe in the bodily resurrection.

I don't want to say these people aren't Christians. And so whether you're Jehovah's Witness denying the literal bodily resurrection or like Thomas Wilson who says it's a monstrous fraud, the resurrection is still true.

We as Christians believe in the resurrected Jesus. Like no other religious figure, Jesus has been raised. Every other religious figure, our philosophical leader is in a shrine, in a tomb, in a grave, in a crypt and is turned into dust.

What's left is their memorial and that is it. The resurrection of Jesus is supernatural, unique, amazing, revolutionary and mandatory. You've got to believe it or Christianity isn't true. There are apocalyptic ramifications for denying the resurrection.

What Happens If Christ Was Not Raised

So let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 12 to 19 is our section. And Paul is basically saying this, some people at the Church of Corinth deny the resurrection. This is why it's important and Paul gives the negative slant to it.

These are the dominoes that will certainly fall if you say Jesus isn't resurrected. Then in verse 20 to 28, he'll give more of the positive side. But for Paul today in verses 12 to 19, with lawyer-like brilliance and logic, he goes through and says, do you know what?

If you believe what some of these people I just quoted say, or some of the people at Corinth believe, you are in big trouble. The real church has always believed in the resurrection because the Bible teaches it clearly.

As St. Augustine said, the resurrection of Christ is indubitable, the indubitable nature of the resurrected Christ. So let me read to you verses 12 through 19. And beloved, as I read them, please look at all the ifs.

And so Paul is using this language of if to show you that the resurrection is valid, yet if you deny it, the consequences are staggering. And I always wonder, as I read passages like this, people that deny the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus still have Easter services.

Many of them do. What do they do? What do they celebrate? How do they celebrate? This is a non-negotiable. You say, Mike, you just need balance. You just have to kind of take the middle road. Sometimes balance is good, isn't it?

Sometimes, you know, when you're talking to your spouse and you have to give a little and she gives a little and there's ways to do things and you meet in the middle and down the middle of the road, there's no middle of the road for Paul.

Disastrous, epic proportions if you deny the resurrection. Verse 12, 1 Corinthians 15. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there's no resurrection of the dead?

But if there's no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ.

He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 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. Paul says it's unimaginable to deny the resurrection of the body because then you deny Jesus was raised from the dead.

It's untenable. It's unthinkable. Paul is rigid here, protecting truth. Truth matters. Truth has consequences. If Jesus is in a tomb rotting, that affects everything. If Jesus is now dust, that affects everything.

Every so often you get these kind of weird things that happen this week. We found a little fragment of a piece of paper that says Jesus had a wife. We found some bones. We think they're Jesus's. And all these kind of things come up.

Well, they've already proven the one about Jesus's wife to be a fraud. But if in fact we find the bones of Jesus, it's over. You should have slept in. I don't know why these people were believing it at Corinth.

We're not told. But there are people there. Look at verses 12 and 13. Now, if Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God, second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son that he talked about as the sin bearer earlier in verses 3 and 4, who appeared in verses 5 and following to people, is proclaimed as raised from the dead like I did, Paul, to you Corinthians when I was there for 18 months.

That's what I preach. I've determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His work. But then he goes on to talk about the resurrection, of course. How can some of you say...

Can you just feel the author's astonishment? Can you just feel Paul's perplexed? I was there for 18 months. I taught you all these things. It's like me if I... Who knows? I move to Europe and I come back 10 years from now and you say, well, I think Jesus just rose spiritually.

Jesus rose in my heart, but not physically. I'd say... First, I'd say, what's Steve been doing? I was there. I taught you the physical bodily resurrection. This is amazement language. It sounds like Galatians 4 language.

How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world? Paul said, apostles taught you the truth confirmed in your presence. He says in verse 13, but if there's no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

Remember, their big point was, you know what? No resurrection of the body. But Jesus had a body and Jesus was raised. And if there's no resurrection of our bodies, then there's no resurrection of Jesus's body.

Why would they believe in such a thing? We don't know. It could be, well, the Platonic people thought, the Platonists said, the body is bad, but the spirit's good. It might've just been the culture of the day, the Romans who said, you know, when you die, you die.

Rest in peace. We're not really told, but I do know this, that if you deny the bodily resurrection, you'll begin to live an ungodly life. Listen to this, 2 Timothy, avoid reverent, irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness and their talk will spread like, what, gangrene.

Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus who have swerved from the truth. I just imagine I'm on the pike and some big semi swerves right in front of me. How do you swerve from the truth and promote ungodliness?

Saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. How do you upset people's faith? By saying there's no resurrection from the dead. By then implying that Jesus isn't raised from the dead.

Everything collapses. I'm trying to think of another illustration besides Jenga and linchpins and dominoes, but this is it. This thread comes undone and the whole tapestry is over. There's no resurrection of the dead, that not even Christ has been raised.

It's a present tense there in the original language, meaning that Jesus was raised in time and still stands today raised, alive, bodily resurrection. So now Paul gives the six negative implications if there's no resurrection.

And that's our outline today. First service, I got through five and so I think I better get through five now. Otherwise, we'll go ahead of the first service. Then I'll never know where I am. So we're going to see the first five that Paul gives.

He gives six in 1 Corinthians 15, 12 through 19. Negative implications and beloved, I'm just going to let them stay negative. The positive stuff comes later and so I'm just going to let you keep seeing Paul's negative implications of the resurrection.

The First Negative Implication: Preaching Is Empty

If the resurrection isn't true of Jesus or any body, number one, the first negative implication is preaching is in vain. The preaching about good news is in vain. Do you see that in verse 14? And again, using the language of the Messiah again, and if Christ, the Messiah, has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain.

Stop right there. It doesn't mean my preaching style is in vain. It means the content of preaching. I have good news. Sin's forgiven. Lay down your weapons of rebellion and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And if you do, you certainly will be saved. If Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, this exclamation of good news is really a funeral dirge. It's kind of a duck and jive, taps really. I'm saying it's good news, but it's really taps being played in the background.

The content of preaching is wrong because the object of the preaching is wrong. If Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, Jesus is a charlatan. If you teach Sunday school here and you're talking about God and Jesus raised from the dead, what you talk about to your kids in Sunday school and vacation Bible school and it's your home group, you're a snake oil salesman.

Oh, I love these kids. No, you're telling them the wrong thing. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, dead men don't rise. Yes, they do. Jesus has been raised from the dead. The text there, it says useless, empty, it's a sham.

What's true of you if you teach the Bible to people down at the Worcester Common or anyplace else is exactly what is truly true about people today that we look at, about L. Ron Hubbard, about Mary Baker, Eddie Glover, Patterson Fry, about Ellen G. White, about the followers of Sun Yung Moon.

When I listen to those people and they talk about things and it's always do, do, do, do, what they say, I hear and I say as a Christian who believes in the resurrection, that is bad news and that is vain, that is empty.

They're false teachers, they're charlatans, they're shams, they're frauds, they're after people, power, money, sex, something, but they're not after the glory of God. How would you like to be a moony?

I used to have nightmares about being a moony. My roommate when I was first out of college in California said, you know what, we're living down by the beach so all the money is going to the rent at Newport Beach.

And he said, I have free meals now I can get. It's on Sunday nights, free meals, all you can eat. Really? Yeah, where? The Hare Krishna's serve it down at your thing, you just have to hear him do a little Hare and a little Krishna and you're set.

And I was an unbelieving person but I knew these people were going to put something in my food or something, something's not right with these people. What they're saying has no content. Besides, this is a false teaching.

Paul says, you know what, if you don't believe in the resurrected Jesus, you're talking to people who have sin problems and you just take a Band-Aid and you just slap it on the jugular vein of their problems, lacerated jugular vein.

No resurrection, no Damascus Road. No resurrection, no Emmaus Road. No resurrection for Paul said, unthinkable, untenable. The consequences are too extreme. The Jesus who's a phony, fraud, cheat, liar must be true because if he hasn't been raised from the dead, he's not savior, sovereign, redeemer, counselor, and friend.

Everything hinges on the resurrection. Romans 10 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God, what, raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

For the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be, but if he hasn't been raised from the dead, you will be disappointed. You haven't seen anything yet for disappointment. Secondly, the second implication of denying the resurrection of Jesus and every body, the second implication is your faith is in vain.

And you can just read that in the rest of verse 14. Just kind of letting the text preach. Eric Johanson was very happy. He said, I preached this at the sunrise service. Last sunrise service. And he said, your points are my points.

The student says to the teacher, you came out with the same outline I did. Well, we came up with the same outline because this is the text outline. So I was very happy for that. Even though I wanted to take credit for it, I could not.

Faith is in vain. Do you see that in verse 14? If Christ has not been raised, if the Messiah is still dead, your faith is. And again, with emphasis on in vain, the way that's written is that's highlighted.

It would be yellow highlighted. Your faith is in vain. Empty, null, empty set, zed, void of effect, of no purpose. Can you imagine if you deny the resurrection of Jesus? Your faith is in vain because it's in the it has the object.

Your faith has the object of a dead savior. And you know what that means? What are the implications? It means you have to work for your salvation. You have to be good, holy, good, totally good, absolutely good.

You have to earn your way to heaven.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 830 and 11am and Sunday evenings at 6pm. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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