6th Sunday after Epiphany “Stand; and Fall Asleep”
February 16, 2025 1Corinthians 15:1-20 (cpr25)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
The word ‘epiphany’ means: appearance or manifestation. In the Church Year, the Season of Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Messiah; God’s ancient promise of the Savior finally breaking into human history. Jesus ‘epiphanies’ himself by submitting to John’s baptism at the Jordan River, by beginning to do miracles as signs to the people, and by teaching with authority about the Kingdom of God == such as with His ‘sermon on the plain’ in Luke 6.
During this Epiphany Season, Jesus has been making His appearance here in Immanuel Lutheran Church thru His Word – to remind you that He is your Savior from sin & death, and He is the One Lord to follow for life.
So, our Epistle reading today from 1 Cor.15 is usually an Easter reading; how does it fit into Epiphany? It fits by the language that Paul uses. In the verses just before our reading, Paul uses the word ‘appear’ four times, as the Risen Christ appeared alive to the witnesses:
to Peter, & the Twelve, & to more than 500 brothers at one time, and finally to Paul. Jesus manifested himself to be the sacrificial lamb at the cross, for the sins of the whole world, says 1Jn.2:2, and to be the victorious conqueror of death at the empty tomb. That’s His epiphany.
Now, Paul writes to the believers in Corinth because there was a serious problem developing. Having begun well in Christ, they were slipping, drifting, & in danger of falling away from Christ, and therefore away from their salvation. In various things, Paul is rebuking them, & correcting some errors. And by warning them, he calls them to return to the gospel-basics, lest they be lost.
One of those things they are in danger of abandoning is Jesus’ very real, physical resurrection from the dead. To deny that would deny the faith & hope of the very gospel that has come to save them. To deny the resurrection, they would have religion, but not salvation in Christ. He writes to them so that -in the truth- the HSp will recall them to the faith doctrines, and help them stand firm in the faith until they fall asleep in the faith. Paul uses those 2 words: stand, and fall. He proclaims to them again the plain solid gospel on which to stand, so that when they fall asleep in death, they will rest with Christ, and not without Him.
So, let US (you & me) listen to Paul speak to us as he spoke to the church in Corinth, and pray that the HSp will enable US to avoid any similar errors in faith that endanger our life in the one Savior Jesus.
++++++++++++++++++++++ (from chpt.12, vs.1, Paul writes)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you —unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to
James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 1 4 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
++++++++++++++++++++++
In chapter 10, Paul had already warned the Corinthians, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” It’s clear their falling-away is a concern. He begins this chapter by saying: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand.” Wait, why does he need to remind them? Because they’re forgetting. Either knowingly or unknowingly, they’re neglecting the Gospel he preached to them. They’ve been lured-away from the basics, and that has put them in danger of falling.
This luring-away is what the devil & the fallen world delights in doing to Christians;
this luring-away is how even our old nature works against us. Scripture is filled with these warnings for the purpose of continually calling us back, to recognize & be resisting the dangers. For if there was no danger, we would not need the warnings.
Something has tempted the believers to set aside the resurrection as unimportant.
But to set it aside is dangerous; that’s how forgetting happens. Forgetting means then doing without; & doing without the gospel means remaining in sin & falling into condemnation.
Hence the words: stand, & fall. Standing people fall if they nod off to sleep. People trip & fall when they neglect to pay attention. When people forget that there is ice underneath the snow, they slip & fall. People staring at their phone, neglecting the world around them, will wander into the street & be hit by a car. Forgetting leads to falling; falling is not good, either physically or spiritually.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How do we avoid falling? By being awake. And Paul tells us how Christians are woken from sleep, kept awake, & standing. It’s by attending to the basics of the Gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first importance” =the basics== …what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he APPEARED to Cephas, …the twelve …. to more than five hundred … (etc) …. And last of all ….to me.’
Paul cites those many witnesses to the basic facts: 1= that Christ died for our sins,
2= that He was buried, 3= that He rose from the dead, and 4= that He appeared; He showed himself, and was seen alive. Jesus really did die with a body just like yours, and He died to pay for mankind’s sin, including your sins. Those who buried Him really did put His body into a tomb chiseled out of the hard stone. That very same body of flesh & blood did rise.
So, what was luring- away the believers? Corinth was known for its man-made reason philosophy, & wisdom. And the worldly-wise man concludes that dead things do not rise back to life.
The world makes fun of & shames people who stand on faith in the God who does impossible things. The believers in Corinth were starting to wobble on their feet, tempted to put aside the resurrection from the dead, & treat it as a foolish myth. Paul calls them back with the two basic truths: this all happened in accordance with what the Scripture said would happen. And, the crucified & dead Jesus was seen alive; He ‘epiphanied’ himself to a lot of people.
In a court of law, you use witnesses to establish the truth so that you can stand firm.
As Paul speaks these basics to you, I hope you hear in your head the Apostles Creed. Some churches, in their worship time, neglect the Creed. Some assume everyone already knows it, so why waste the time? It’s seen as old stuff, traditional stuff, or baby stuff;
some want new & modern stuff, fun stuff, more touchy-feely stuff, more spirit-y stuff.
WE don’t take that position; we like the position of Paul, who by the HSp said that these are the basics of first importance. They have been passed on to us by those eye-witnesses. But remember: these basics of the faith are being worked against by the world & our old nature; its an ongoing danger to our faith. The HSp works to remind us; because otherwise, we will forget. God warns us because He loves us too much to lose us.
If we forget this basic Christ-stuff, we will wobble & fall, and then fall asleep without the living future with the Risen Living Christ. So that we will never neglect or forget, and so that we will stand and not fall, we will stick close to the Bible basics. ‘Here I stand.’
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Paul had preached those basics to them when he was there, but now he hears that some of them were being lured away. So he rebukes them (in v.12): “Some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead. ” Have you lost your minds?! Do you realize the cost of that confession? Well, let me explain, he says. If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ did not rise; and if He didn’t rise, then we lied to you & you believed it.
If Jesus has not been raised then your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins; so that when you fall asleep -in death- you will die eternally. And…, if Jesus didn’t rise, then even your loved ones who died in Him are perishing in hell as we speak. Do you realize that that is the conclusion to this foolish speaking of no resurrection?
The same warning is for US. No resurrection means no faith; no faith means no hope for you or your loved ones. If this believing in Jesus is just for some earthly religion, some virtue-signaling to show that we’re nice people, what real good is it? If this faith is not for our real forgiveness & a real resurrection to et. life, then we are the sorriest people on the planet. We are giving up earthly things for the false hope of a future that we won’t get.
The HSp scolds them & us, and stops in us the lure of foolish thinking. But the warning is a call to remember. Paul says, I need to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.
Because Jesus died in payment for our sin, in accordance with the Scripture promise; and because on the third day, He rose from the dead in accordance with the Scripture promise; and because His atoning death & resurrection was witnessed by many, and because Jesus made His epiphany to us who have given up everything to proclaim Him to you, so you DO have His gospel to stand firm in your hope.
What God has promised – God has delivered. This is the undeniable truth: Christ has been raised from the dead; which makes Him the firstfruits. He’s the first & the source of many more resurrections. This is the harvest of the HSp, thru the gospel, for all those souls who have & will fall asleep in Christ.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No one likes to be scolded or corrected. But we have enemies of the faith against us that endanger the faith in which we stand. How can a Christian be strengthened to stand upright, and endure in this saving faith to the end? How? The HSp works to keep us awake, so that we will not be neglectful =or worse, forgetful= but stand firm in the hope that has been delivered to us in the world’s Savior.
The Spirit, thru the Word, reminds us often of the basics: Jesus appeared in the flesh; He died & was buried; He rose on the third day; He appeared to many as His witnesses for us to establish the fact of our gospel-faith: God has accomplished our forgiveness with the promise of a resurrection to a heavenly life. So, stand in Christ, until you fall. That is,
fall asleep & rest safely in Him.
Amen.