1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Sermon. April 4, 2021. Easter Sunday, Grace-Benson, Grace-Vail Every so often, as a Christian, you need to be told to raise your level of expectation. About what Christ has done, is doing, and will do more of in your life. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 is telling you to raise your level of expectation of what’s possible, what’s real because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If you don’t get this view from people like Paul, it’s easy to get bogged down in life, and settle for far less than Christ gives. Think of this illustration. There are 2 people, both home owners. Both have to do maintenance on their homes. Basement. Plumbing. Siding, roofing, paint. How do they feel about the maintenance they have to do? That depends largely on what kind of house they live in. 1 lives in a mansion with a view of the ocean and the mountains. All kinds of luxuries and comforts, every room is spacious and just as they want it. The other lives in a small old house in the middle of the city. Window with a brick wall 2 feet away. Outside is pollution, litter, crime. Inside everything is too small. For the one, maintenance will be a small cost to pay for a beautiful mansion. For the other, maintenance will be yet another reason to hate the place where they live. When it comes to your life as a Christian, your faith; are you living in a mansion, or a run down house? 1 Corinthians 15 says, you are living in a mansion. This is the view from the porch which will enable you to do the maintenance of life with a different attitude and spirit. A lot of life is maintenance. Even your faith. God tells you things like, read my Word, pray to me, think about me in life, worship and talk about me. Sometimes those things will not be exciting, they’ll feel like maintenance. You need to remember all that Christ gives you. Paul in 1 Cor 15 raises your expectations by telling you that Christ is the last Adam. Let’s explore that phrase: Christ is the last Adam how? 1. He is the Firstfruits. 2. He makes you a Mirror. 3. He is the Substitute. Christ is the last Adam because he is the firstfruits. Verse 21-23 “Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” Firstfruits was a very important in agricultural cultures. Today, even our farmers are not entirely dependent on the harvest. Other types of insurances and finances that make it possible to make a living by farming. At certain times and places, societies had all their wealth basically tied to the harvest, all their hopes for the future. The first part of the harvest was a taste of the future. Good harvest = good future. Really a reason to celebrate. Bad harvest = at least financial ruin; at worst starvation and death. When you plant, you don’t know what the harvest will be like. When the time comes to do the first harvesting, you can tell what the rest will be like. Either a time of rejoicing, or worrying. There is a firstfruits principle with the human race.
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