•I Corinthians 15:29:34
•Wake from your Drunken Stupor
•Corinth
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
(I Corinthians 15:29-34, ESV)
Main Points
• Paul closes out the argument concerning the resurrection of the dead
• He has shown how the belief that the dead are not raise is against the foundational belief of the Gospel itself
• Any who say there is no resurrection, or that it has already been attained, is ignorant of God and His ways
Application Points
• Wake from your Drunken Stupor
– “Moses would not say ‘let my people go’ but instead ‘let my people think!’” – Mike Hale
– One of the biggest flaws we have in American Christianity is our failure to reason well
– Wake up from your drunken stupor
– Is the individual able to reason well with the world?
– What is interesting is when those who are not in a drunken stupor still reason as such
– Is it really any different than being in a drunken stupor?
– The cause may be different, but the effects are still the same
– Living in ignorance will only lead to…other beliefs overwhelming our own
Application Points
• Wake from your Drunken Stupor (2)
– Is it any surprise that within the modern American Church we have seen such things happening as they did in Corinth?
– Is it possible we acquiesce to the world because of our lack of knowledge of who God is?
– How is it that so many congregations are affirming lifestyles which are sinful?
– How is it so many are rejecting the Gospel?
– It can come because the Devil is so clever, but it can also come because we are so unequipped
– We can focus so much on the effects of sin on the body
– We can forget the effects of sin on the mind
– Far too many of us have fallen into a drunken stupor
– Far too many of us have been so influenced by the world…that we have rejected the basic tenants of the Christian faith
– As much as we can blame pastors and leaders for being asleep, we must remember we each have a personal responsibility as well
“13 The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts. 14 So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—15 the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; 16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.”
(Isaiah 9:13-17, ESV)
Application Points
• Wake from your Drunken Stupor (3)
– The people have a personal responsibility to be faithful even if the leadership is not
– Those lowest in society receive no compassion because they are not being faithful
– Oftentimes we allow our circumstances to dictate our reactions
– Christ is the motivation, not our circumstances
– Yes leadership and teachers will be judged with greater harshness, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” James 3:1, ESV
– Many are led astray by wild ravings of those who think they know God but do not
– They will be judged for their faithlessness
– The Church is need of being roused
– It isn’t that we need to be roused to fighting against the injustices
– It isn’t that we need to be roused to invent new and creative ministries
– We need to be roused to know God!
Application Points
• Wake from your Drunken Stupor (4)
– Oftentimes we can bypass this simple step
– Unless we actually know God all the tother things will be distractions for the congregation
– All the extra will mean little if there is no knowledge of God
– Awake from your drunken stupor!
– All their claims have led to sinfulness rather than righteousness
– Revival is needed…revival to know God
– This God who has made Himself known through Jesus
– Let’s get the foundation right before we build upon it
– Otherwise we will only be as those building on the sand
– Let us build on the Rock of Christ
– We must awake from our stupor, and let us wake up to the reality, wake up to clear thinking, wake up the glorious dawn of glory found in Jesus
•Application Points
•The Gospel of Christ
–Origins
–Where we began
–Fall
–What went wrong
–Redemption
–How it is fixed
–Glorification
–Where it at leads
