Our Easter Legacy (A sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:19-26)

Our Easter Legacy

A sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sunday, April 12, 2009 -- Easter Day

        What kind of legacy do you hope to leave your kids? What kind of a legacy has been left to you? A legacy can be good or bad, depending on what those who've passed that legacy on to you have done. It's a great legacy if your last name is Lincoln, Einstein, or Trump, but what if your name is Hitler, Dahmer, or Bin Laden? 

        The truth is we all do have a legacy. Everyone in this room is related to a man named Adam--no last name, just Adam. And he's passed his legacy on to us--a legacy of guilt, shame, rebellion, and death. But Easter changes that and gives us a new legacy! Jesus' legacy--ours through faith in him--is a legacy of victory, power, and life--eternal life. Listen now to the words of the apostle Paul as he describes our Easter legacy in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26...

¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. ²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

I. The Legacy of Adam

        Maybe you've seen the email forward of questions that kids ask God. One second-grader wrote, "Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you keep the ones you already have?" That's an interesting question, isn't it? Why does God allow people to die? Why doesn't he just keep the ones he already has and let us all live forever? 

        In the middle of his great "Resurrection Chapter" the Apostle Paul throws reminds us of our Bible History to answer that question. Why does Death reign? Because of the legacy that Adam left us. Giving the first couple an opportunity to worship him, God gave them one command: Don't eat from this one tree. And of course, what did Adam do? He ate. 

        And by doing so Adam rebelled against his loving and compassionate God. Adam wasn't even tricked as his wife was. He witnessed the conversation between Eve and the serpent and acted in full knowledge. He chose the serpent, his wife, the fruit, and the knowledge it promised over God. And the results of that act? Well, Adam felt some of the effects instantly: guilt and shame as he tried to hid his nakedness and hide from God.

        And more consequences would follow. God told Adam, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

        Death is Adam's fault, as a result of his sin, not God's. The legacy he's left to all of us is one of shame and guilt and fear. There is pain and toil and sweat. And there is death. That is our legacy. We are bound to die, every one of us, "since death came through a man..." and "...in Adam all die."

        And we can't get too upset with Adam because you and I deserve death a thousand times over. We deserve death for every sin that we've committed, for "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) We deserve death for putting our hopes in the things of this life, our savings accounts, our families, our own hard work. We've earned death for expecting Christ to make this life pleasant and fun and problem free, while neglecting to consider the life to come. And we deserve not just physical death, but death in hell.

        Now many want to try to convince us that death is not that big of a deal. To the person who believes in the hypothesis of evolution death is a good thing. It's only through death--as the weaker species die off--that things improve. Nothing would get better without death, so death is beneficial. Even the Disney movies talk about death as being a part of the "circle of life," just a natural part of what happens. But it's not true. Death is not a natural part of life. Death is unnatural. Death is not how it's supposed to be. Death is an enemy. And it is an enemy too powerful for us.

        Some of you here have lost loved ones to death. How many of you wanted them to die? So why didn't you stop it? Because you couldn't. How many of you here expect to die one day? So why don't you stop your death? Because you can't. We are powerless to deal with death on our own. It's too strong. We're too weak. Where sin reigns, death reigns. And so, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men," because we can do nothing to stop death or the hell it brings.

        So, are we doomed to die? Well, yes. Physically every one of us will die unless Jesus returns to earth first. But spiritually in hell? No. We will not die, but will live. Why? Because Adam's legacy isn't ours anymore. We have a better legacy--the legacy of Christ--our Easter legacy...

II. Legacy of Christ

        Paul describes our new legacy with these words: ²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 

        Though you and I are no match for the enemy of death, we have a champion who fought Death for us and won. We have earned our legacy of Death, but Christ, our conquering hero, has earned our legacy of life. First he battled sin, the sin that brings death. He lived a perfect life, never sinning once. And then he went before the Father's throne and claimed responsibility for our sin. He took ownership for every wrong you and I have ever thought or said or done. Then, on the cross, he took the punishment of hell that our sins deserve as God the Father forsook him and poured out his wrath. And sin was defeated.

        But he wasn't done. there on the cross the sinless Son of God, the only one who didn't deserve to die, took on Death. And at first it may have seemed that Death had the upper hand as Jesus died on the cross. But Jesus is the Master over death! He demonstrated that time and again during his earthly ministry as he raised the dead to life! And he proved his dominance over Death on Easter morning, when he raised himself to life on Easter! Death has lost! It's lost its power and the legacy that Adam left.

        Now, the legacy Jesus leaves us--you and I--is one that will conquer death too!

        A few years ago, a letter appeared in the national news that was sent to a deceased person by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.  It read as follows: "Your food stamps will be stopped effective as of March because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. P.S. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." That letter made news because we don't normally expect a change in such circumstances. Death has such an appearance of finality. But that's just the thing: It only appears that way.

        God promises, "All will be made alive... Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him... The last enemy to be destroyed is death." The firstfruits were that part of the crop that sprung up first. The Israelites would offer that portion to God in thanks to him and to show that they trusted his promise of more crops to follow. That's what Jesus' resurrection is to us: The promise of more resurrections to follow. Death has lost. Yes, we will still die, but that death that was once an eternal prison is now just a door to another life--an eternal life in heaven. Now death is no longer final, but only a peaceful sleep. 

        We don't fear going to sleep because we know we will awake. In fact, often we look forward to the rest that sleep brings. Likewise, by the legacy that Jesus left us on Easter, we no longer need to fear death. Your loved ones who have died, will rise to life again. You and I will wake up from death in God's time, "Each in his own turn..." and finally all people on the Last Day, "when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power..." ^{and even Death is destroyed once and for all. This is our legacy--our Easter legacy!} 

        And in the meantime, Jesus "must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." He will rule all things for the good of his church, even using his enemies to accomplish his good purposes. And confident of the legacy he's left us, we can put our trust in him. 

        You know, the Great Wall of China can't really be seen from the moon as some have suggested, but it is still a very impressive structure. Built to keep the barbarians out, the Wall was guarded by 1 million soldiers understandably making the people of China feel pretty secure. But do you know how long that security it lasted? Not very long. During the first 100 years of the Wall's history China was invaded three times. Their enemies didn't break down the Wall and they didn't climb over the top. The conquerors didn't need to exert themselves that much. Each time the Wall was breached it was because the invading army had produced enough cash to bribe a gatekeeper. Without a struggle China's enemies marched right on in. 

        As secure as some things might seem, having a misplaced trust ends in ruin. Most people quickly find out that things they have trusted and counted on  just aren't that reliable. Investments, cash, gold, friendship, smarts, hard work--just about everything--can, and does, manage to let us down. Everything, that is, except Jesus. "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" And he leaves us quite a legacy! The legacy of death that we received from Adam is done. It's destroyed. Because of Easter, you and I, and all who trust in Jesus have an eternal legacy--a legacy of life! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen!