Scripture
56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:56-58
Observation
Do you ever feel like your life is a waste? Like what you’re doing isn’t really worth doing at all? Has there ever been a point where you’re not sure what you’re living for? The Corinthian Christians were in that low place because they had believed a lie. Some religious leaders had convinced them that Jesus had not really risen from the dead. Bad company really does corrupt good character. If Jesus wasn’t alive from the dead then what was the point? Exactly! There is no point in living this life is Jesus isn’t alive. "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" becomes the mantra for this nihilistic reality. We might as well just get the most we can out of this life, live for ourselves, and run our lives off the cliff of self-service because if Jesus isn’t alive then religion is a complete waste of time. Yet, Paul makes this profound statement at the end of a powerful description of the Gospel of Jesus- "Oh Death Where Is Your Sting?" Trapp put it this way, “This is the sharpest and the shrillest note, the boldest and the bravest challenge, that ever man rang in the ears of death … Death is here out-braved, called craven to his face, and bidden to do his worst.” Paul combines this statement, which really should be something we shout at every sunrise, with an application to our every day life! Since Death has no sting, then we have something to live for so let’s stop living for ourselves and start living for the Risen Lord! This moves us from the life sucking self-sufficiency to sufficiency in Christ’s salvation! This moves us from self-serving to self-sacrifice for the One who sacrificed Himself for us! This moves us from the self-destructive tendencies that are driven by fear to the fearless reality of knowing my future is secure. This moves Easter from being a one day a year observance to an every day obsession. What if we lived the reality of the Resurrection every day where we wake, work, and worship?
Application
Nothing I do for the Lord is ever useless. This promise is directly tied to the promise of the Resurrection. I can’t tell you how many times Holy Spirit has had to remind me of this promise when, at the end of a long day, I look back and see the one step forward turning into ten steps back in the lives of the people I minister to. Sometimes I want to throw up my hands and cry, “what’s the point?” The Cross is the point. The Tomb is the point. Jesus alive changes everything. Along with one of our leaders I sat with a woman recently who was ready to give up. After 25 years of a marriage filled with cheating, abusive language, and heart ache she was at the end of her rope. What in the world could I share in response to that? A Risen Jesus. A Jesus Alive. Those 25 years of marriage were not a waste of time because she spent them following Jesus. Her hope for herself and for her husband were rooted in the impossible because it’s an impossibility for a dead man to come to life or a dead marriage to come back to love. Right? Before the resurrection, the answer would be yes. After the resurrection, nothing is impossible. I can stare the death of a marriage, the death of disease, the death of a dream, the death of a career in the face and shout “Oh death, Where is your sting?” As Guzik says, “Because we know death is defeated and we have an eternal, resurrected destiny with Jesus Christ, we should stand firm and unshakable all the more for Him right now. We should work hard in everything now, working for the Lord, because right now counts forever!”
Prayer
The rain has finally stopped and the sun is breaking through the clouds at the start of this brand new day. I shout at all the impossible situations in people’s lives that I’m praying for, “Oh death, where is your sting!” Yes, this life is painful, it’s hard, it’s a struggle, but thanks to You Jesus, it’s not pointless or useless. The redemption You bought through Your death and resurrection has not only redeemed my soul it has redeemed every single moment in my life. This isn’t just Easter Every Day, in Your presence, it’s the reality of Your resurrection and Your soon return in every moment. Let me awaken to this reality today!
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