Resurrection: Reason We Labor

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

MacArthur notes that these questions asked were not of those of someone who wanted to know and were hungering for the truth, but were the mocking taunts of someone who thought he already knew. Which is what aphron means.... they were rash with their thinking quick to form thoughts and conclusions without actually hearing, learning, and listening to truth.

So to get these ignorant and stubborn people back on tract, he begins to describe by inspiration of the Holy Spirit the Resurrection details. And to begin to help them understand, he first uses...

1. Resurrection Comparisons

To help them understand the resurrection, he compares the resurrection of the dead to seedtime and harvest.

1 Corinthians 15:36–38 ESV

You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

How do people rising from the dead have anything comparison whatsoever to a seed. Well Paul shares at least 3 ways.

First, the seed must die.

When a seed is planted in the ground it actually dies, decomposing as a seed. It has to cease to exist in order that it can come to life in its final form as a plant. Jesus said as much in John 12:24

John 12:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Second, there is a vast difference what a seed looks like and the look of the crop that comes from it. So too is there a vast difference in our bodies now and then after the resurrection. We talked about Jesus’ resurrected body already. What was different about it? Now I don’t know all the details here, Jesus’ body showed scares. Will our scares be present on our resurrected bodies? Certainly an interesting question. But what is true of his resurrected body was the fact that it was vastly different than His physical body. Will address that more in a minute when we compare the two bodies.

Third, the plant is still directly linked to the seed from which it came from… meaning that there is still resemblance there. This is what is meant when it says “but God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.” A wheat seed does not become barley, nor a flax seed become corn. When Jesus rose, he was recognizable to His disciples.

So what is Paul saying to the Corinthian believer regarding similarity in plants and resurrection of the dead. MacArthur paraphrases it this way.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Continuity

Surely it is not too hard to believe that the God who has worked this process daily through the centuries in His creation of plants, can do it with men.

So take that to heart. Here’s something that caught me. I enjoy gardening. And I would say this to all those who enjoy gardening as well that the writers of scriptures were moved by the Holy Spirit to tell us that our gardens that we are part of are a constant reminder of what is to happen to our dead bodies but also to our resurrected ones. We literally have reminders all around us written in the very earth that we tread upon, all of them proclaiming what He can do and what He will do in us. So need to write reminders for hope of the resurrection. He gave us reminders in very world He created… illuminating His power to bring about change.

Continuing on, Paul then uses the illustrative comparisons of the created world to further help the Corinthians understand the difference between the physical bodies they have now and the resurrected bodies believer’s will have later.

Look first at all that God has created in this world.

1 Corinthians 15:39 ESV

For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

In a nutshell, what Paul is telling them to to is to look again at the vast differences in all of God’s creation. So if God can create all of this, why should we question His ability to create bodies that are different and yet continuous.

Then he speaks further about the heavenly bodies, the stars, moons, solar systems, etc.

1 Corinthians 15:40–41 ESV

There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

And these offer a different glory than the glories of earthly bodies. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. Resurrection bodies will differ from earthly bodies just as radically different as heavenly bodies stars etc... differ from earthly. And resurrection bodies will be as individual and unique as are all the other forms of God’s creation including the stars.

These comparisons were all meant to open their eyes to see that the resurrection of the dead is entirely possible for God and further more should bring us hope. How does it bring us hope. Here Paul will present to his readers what the Holy Spirit gave Paul to write about. Here we will see the actual....

2. Resurrection Realities

Again how does it offer hope. It offers hope as we see what God will do with our future bodies and our future life.

a. The Concept (v.42-50)

1 Corinthians 15:42–49 ESV

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Paul wants to make it clear that the resurrected bodies are a reality and they will be very unique to the bodies we have now. He points out four ways in which they will be different.

Perishable/Imperishable

This is likely the most obvious contrast between the 2 bodies. It doesn’t take a scholar to note the our bodies deteriate and are not meant to last. Ps. 103:14-16. It doesn’t matter what man can do to help maintain a healthy life, as we get older, we become weaker and more subject to disease and various problems. This is where our aged saints said Amen. But the new resurrected bodies are raised imperishable meaning they will not again experience sickness, decay, deterioration or death. And this is the part where every single one of us say with a louder voice AMEN!!!

Dishonor/Glory

The second one of the contrasts as our good help MacArthur points out has to do with value and potential. Here’s what he has to say about it.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Dishonor/Glory

At the Fall man’s potential for pleasing and serving God was radically reduced. Not only his mind and spirit but also his body became of immeasurably less value in doing what God had designed it to do. The creature that was made perfect, and in the very image of his Creator, was made to manifest his Creator in all that he did. But through sin, that which was created to honor God became characterized instead by dishonor.

We dishonor God by our inability to take advantage fully of what He has given us in His creation. We dishonor God by misusing and abusing the bodies through which He desires us to honor and serve Him. Even the most faithful believer dies with his body in a state of dishonor, a state of imperfection and incompleteness.

But that imperfect and dishonored body one day will be raised in glory. Throughout eternity our new immortal bodies will also be honorable bodies, perfected for pleasing, praising, and enjoying the Creator who made them and the Redeemer who restored them.

Weakness/Power

Our human ability has limitations. As much time as we may take to strengthen our bodies and minds, they will be limited. I know this because everyone of us have faced that. We’ve given it our very best and still were disappointed with the outcome. We tried to do well and it failed. It’s impossible to be spot on every time, to win at everything you do. Paul felt that even in his speaking. He also also felt that in his physical strength. “In our weakness, he is strong”. But our spiritual bodies will be far different.

Martin Luther said, “As weak as it [the human body of believers] is now without all power and ability when it lies in the grave, just so strong will it eventually become when the time arrives, so that not a thing will be impossible for it if it has a mind for it, and it will be so light and agile that in an instant it can float here below on earth or above in heaven.”

Natural/Spiritual

In this last contrast, Paul is speaking to the idea of sphere or realm of existence. We are now in a natural sphere, and in that way are limited to the laws of nature. But when we are raised, that all changes. Again, consider Jesus’ resurrected body. How does it again differ from the “resurrection” - resuscitation of Lazarus or others that had been brought to life again before Jesus. Jesus’ resurrected body was no longer limited to the natural laws of the earth. Think about it. He walked through walls. He suddenly appeared and disappeared right in front of his disciples eyes. Jesus being the firstfruits, the first installment, the guarantee of what is to come with the rest of the harvest means that we too will be like his resurrected body. No longer held to the natural laws of the earth.

And with one more contrast in mind, Paul tells his readers in verse 50...

1 Corinthians 15:50 ESV

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Though are bodies today are perfectly fit for our lives here on earth, they are not suitable for heaven, so everyone needs a new spiritual body in order to live in heaven.

So if God therefore requires us to have physical bodies before we can have spiritual. And if what you sow does not come to life unless it dies (in other words, our physical bodies must die before we can have spiritual ones), the question then might be asked, what does that mean for the living then when Christ comes to bring us home?

b. The Exception & Follow Thru (v.50-57)

If God therefore requires us to have physical bodies before we can have spiritual. And if what you sow does not come to life unless it dies, what does that mean for the living then?

Paul then answers that thought here.

1 Corinthians 15:51–53 ESV

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

And this is where Paul first unveils the truth about the Rapture. That’s why in fact it’s called mystery. Never was this “rapture” event talked about in the Old Testament. Part of the fact it isn’t talked about is because the rapture will mostly entail Gentiles, because the majority of Jews will not be apart of this event. The rapture, which was a mystery in the old Testament but revealed to the New Testament believer, given especially to a Gentile audience, will precede the event intended specifically for the Jews. This is called the Tribulation in whiwch God will finish his judgment upon them for their rebellion against Him as well as fulfilling prophecy’s that all of Israel will be saved. This will happen in the tribulation when all of Israel will turn their eyes towards Jesus as the Anti-Christ furiously attacks them but God will preserve them during that time so that He may fulfill another promise to the Israelites of setting up the Kingdom in which He (Jesus) will physically reign on earth.

Two words describe how fast it will be…

In a moment… Moment is from atomos, from which we get the word atom, and denotes that which cannot be cut, or divided, the smallest conceivable quantity. In the smallest possible amount of time our perishable bodies will be made imperishable.

In the twinkling of an eye… literally means stroke or beat… inferring a rapid movement like a blink. As human beings, we blink somewhere around 20,000 blinks a day. The eye moves faster than any visible part of our body. So how fast is a blink of an eye. On average, in takes 1/10th of a second to blink. Imagine, in one of those 20,000 or so blinks that you daily contribute, suddenly during one of them, you’re with the Lord. That’s fast. But that’s also how fast God can take these vile bodies and turn them in perfect glorified bodies just like the resurrected bodies of the saints and of Jesus.

Now as we move along in our text, I want you to notice another way in which the truth of the resurrection brings hope to our lives. And this is HUGE. Notice… verses 54-57

1 Corinthians 15:54–57 ESV

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is so spectacular about this particular text? What about this passage brings so much hope in God. Well see this.... What did God and what do we realize about God here. Only God can snatch away what was meant to be a victory for the devil and turn it into His own victory. Remember, death is owned by Satan (Heb. 2:14). Death was Satan’s hope for destroying God’s creation and his prized people. All the way back to the garden. He tempted Eve and Adam to ruin their relationship with God so that through their sin, a severe punishment would be given. Death he thought was also the answer to ruin God’s plan master plan. Death was his trump card to dispose of Jesus (1 Cor. 2:8).

1 Corinthians 2:8 ESV

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But what was meant to be used for evil and destruction, God made it for good. Because Jesus conquered the grave, conquered death, death now serves him. Death used to be what separates us from God eternally but now is the gateway to life everlasting with Him. What death once was is no more. What once we feared, is now what we anticipate

Philippians 1:21 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

What once was our enemy as this passage in Corinthians even addresses, and the final enemy at that, now becomes our ally in the sense that it now brings us to our Savior, though not all, because some will be raised and changed instantly.

That’s the power of God, that’s the power of the resurrection!!! That’s what Paul meant when he said that I count all things but dung or trash or rubbish, but to know Christ the Lord. And specifically to know the power of his resurrection. What man and the devil intended for evil, GOD MAKES FOR THE GOOD. Just grasp that for a moment. Satan the main villain, the baddies of all baddies, his best tactic, his ace in the hole, his all in moment that he thinks will get him the win, God actually takes it away from him and uses it for his good purposes.

Now how does that encourage us today. We live with the power of the resurrection at our disposal. Jeremy camp wrote a song about that which is really good. In it, he writes, The Same power that brought Jesus from the grave, is the same power that commands the dead to wake. Be lifted up.

As we think about this, that power that changed the victory that Satan once thought he had over Jesus and over us changed it for a victory for Jesus and for Us. What was once thought by Satan to be his greatest moment, his best win, is now one of the greatest moments and best “wins” for Jesus.

I just think about what the book the Revelations shares with us in chapter as Jesus approaches the throne. In this scene, there were 4 majesty angelic near the throne and surrouding the throne were 24 elders who did not cease singing and worshipping and bowing down before God almighty, saying Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Worthy are you our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created. Then something changed. Chapter 5 reveals that Jesus enters, and takes the scroll from the Father which no living being could touch, as soon as He did, He opened the seal, suddenly all the angels and elders who continued to sing the praise of God sang a new song.

Revelation 5:9 ESV

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

His death became the praise of greatest triumph of the angels of heaven. How big is that you ask? These angels never took their eyes off the Throne of God and never sang a single praise other than directed about the Holy God. But when Jesus enters the picture, suddenly the angels turn their eyes and sing a new song because Jesus death is the great victory that magnifies the sovereignty of God through His infallible plan as well as magnifies the Son for redeeming what was unredeemable. As God allowed and set the stage, Jesus death was the greatest victory that we can ever witness.

And that resurrection is the reason we hope, not just a hope that we too will rise again but also the hope that the power of the resurrection, the victory the resurrection proved, is the power that still works within our every single day of life. If God can steal the win from the Devil’s greatest plan and make it his greatest victory, then what trivial little thing in our life can’t God also turn and use for our victory as well. What can man or even the devil do to us. All of this never disrupts the sovereign of almighty God. And God does, in every single thing that happens in life, reveal that He is fully in absolute control. Even death, that which uncontrollable, and completely unpredictable, God controls. Joseph understood the sovereignty of God and the power He has to redeem and make good out of evil. What man intended for evil, God used for God. So take comfort in that, take hope in that. The resurrection of the dead proves God’s great might and grace and love that He lavishes on us to proclaim us the victors as well. It’s guaranteed.

And so because of that, the...

III. Reason We Labor

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

If we really believe and if we are truly thankful that our resurrection is sure, then we should therefore prove our assurance and thankfulness by being steadfast, immovable, and always abounding the in work of the Lord.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Great Exhortation

Hedraios (steadfast) literally refers to being seated, and therefore to being settled and firmly situated. Ametakinētos (immovable) carries the same basic idea but with more intensity. It denotes being totally immobile and motionless.

Can I tell you that if you are not firmly rooted and grounded in the resurrection that is to come to all believers, what is to happen to our daily living??? What is to happen to our actions and choices. Well, I can with certainty tell ya what happened to the Corinthians and I can tell you with certainty what will happen to yours as well.

Going back to these verses that we glossed over… but saved for this final text...

1 Corinthians 15:29–34 ESV

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? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 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.” Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 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.

If we don’t firm grasp and cling to and make it our life’s ambition to know the power of the resurrection, if we allow it to be past thought or a confused thought, you know what happens to us. Bad company ruins good morals. He said that because the believer in Corinth had altogether forgotten the teaching on the resurrection of the dead (it was literally a foundation of all the apostles teachings, they would have heard), and beyond that had allowed false teaching to take it’s place. What become of them? They become the carnal, immature Christians that we read about. And how did they get to this point. Wrong thinking especially pertaining to the Resurrection of the Dead. Without belief in that, what is their hope for life. What is their motivation for service? Why else don’t they see the power that God has? People who think wrongly invariably behave wrongly? You know, it seems obvious that we could look at our lives and know if we are thinking wrongly our note based upon our actions. The problem most of the time is that we don’t even know we are behaving wrongly because we are so proud so arrogant so naive.

Here’s the truth, if we literally are working on no areas of our life that need to be changed. In other words, if we literally haven’t identified areas of weakness and sin in our life and if that list doesn’t seem to be growing, then it’s likely we are not thinking correctly because honestly a steady dose of the Bible will show us constant reminders of where we are failing, and where we are failing seems to be immeasurable. That’s why the apostle Paul who likely sacrificed more than most if not all Christians still counted himself the chief of sinners. As he say himself compared to God, he realized so far off he is from God’s holiness. Though we should be growing in our sanctification as we become more like Christ, the only way to do that is by becoming more convinced on how bad a sinner you really area and then working by the Spirit’s power and the written word to change that.

How should our service look like in response to the power of the resurrection. What does it mean to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Paul gave some examples here of his own life and the lives of others.

What does it look like:

A. We Must Daily Die

1 Corinthians 15:30–32 ESV

Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 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.”

The resurrection of Christ and of the dead means a life completely sacrificed for Christ. That’s the measure of thankfulness and measure of hope we have. The level of appreciation and the level of commitment is based solely on how much we truly value and understand the gospel and the resurrection. That is the greatest motivation that Christ has to offer.

B. We Labor to the Until we See Christ

Secondly, Paul shares that always abounding means to the literally labor to the point of your death.

1 Corinthians 15:29 ESV

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?

Paul is not saying that people can transfer salvation or baptism to a dead person. What he is saying is that people who have died because of their faith are now a testimony of God’s hope in them, resulting in the salvation and the baptism of others. So our death proves that we are being a person who is steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord looks like, but it often results in the salvation of others as they witness our resolve through our hope in the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary An Incentive for Salvation

During the Finnish-Russian war seven captured Russian soldiers were sentenced to death by the Finnish army. The evening before they were to be shot, one of the soldiers began singing “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” Asked why he was singing such a song, he answered tearfully that he had heard it sung by a group of Salvation Army “soldiers” just three weeks earlier. As a boy he had heard his mother talk and sing of Jesus many times, but would not accept her Savior. The previous night, as he lay contemplating his execution, he had a vision of his mother’s face, which reminded him of the hymn he had recently heard. The words of the song and verses from the Bible that he had heard long ago came to his mind. He testified before his fellow prisoners and his captors that he had prayed for Christ to forgive his sins and cleanse his soul and make him ready to stand before God. All the men, prisoners and guards alike, were deeply moved, and most spent the night praying, weeping, talking about spiritual things, and singing hymns. In the morning, just before the seven were shot, they asked to be able to sing once more “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” which they were allowed to do.

At least one other of the Russian soldiers had confessed Christ during the night. In addition, the Finnish officer in charge said, “What happened in the hearts of the others I don’t know, but … I was a new man from that hour. I had met Christ in one of His loveliest and youngest disciples, and I had seen enough to realize that I too could be His.”

It’s that hope in the resurrection, in the prospect of eternal life that gives us hope and joy in this life and motivation to share our faith which, in response to such peace, brings other to salvation as did this Finnish soldier.

A firm belief in the resurrection and a solid hope for the future gives incentive for service today.

So how much are you serving, sacrificing, laying down your life for others, Paul was literally put often in harms way because of his stance, are you in harms way because of love of Christ and hope in Him. It has to happen if it’s not than perhaps your service for Him isn’t that bold, isn’t that much of a sacrifice. Serving God means putting aside things we want to do to the service of him. So many are not serving in our church. We have needs everywhere and people now who are hardly committed to them. You think for yourself, how much of my time is committed to serving Christ. Like about it this week? How much time have you invest in serving Christ? In serving His church. In witness to others. In help of His saints.

Your appreciation of His resurrection and His victory that He has given you shows up in how you serve. So rejoice in your salvation but let that be the reason primary you serve Him.

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