Seeing and Believing

Introduction

While studying for today’s message, I was reminded of the attitude of Thomas after Christ’s resurrection. Thomas was one of the original twelve men who Christ choose to be His disciples. If you recall the story, Christ, after His resurrection, appeared unto the disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem. However, only 10 disciples were there when He appeared. Judas Iscariot was the disciple who betrayed Jesus and later committed suicide. As a result, he was not present. Thomas was the other disciple not present. Scripture does not reveal why Thomas was not there. All we know is that he was not present. The story continues that later that week word came to Thomas from the disciples that Christ had appeared unto them. His reaction to the news was this.

John 20:25 KJV 1900

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Isn’t that the attitude that most have when it comes to things that seem impossible? Well, Lord, if that is true then I have to see it before I will believe it. So many times we take that same approach with God concerning His promises. Well, as you know, lo and behold, the next Sunday evening the disciples are gathered in the upper room once again. This time, Thomas is there. He was not going to miss the chance Christ would show up again. He wanted to see for himself. And, Christ did not disappoint. He appeared again unto them with Thomas present. Now note Christ’s statement to Thomas.

John 20:27 (KJV 1900)

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Here you go Thomas! Christ stood right there in front of him in bodily form ready for Thomas to do his own examination. Reach they finger and see my hands. Reach you hand and feel my side. What was Christ saying to Thomas? I am real. Stop doubting and believe!

Here was the thing that brought me back to this story as I was studying. We often believe things only we have experience them for ourselves or we are presented with concrete evidence that is is true. Let me give a practical example of this. I believe that wind exists. I cannot see the wind. None of have seen it. However, we felt it blow across our faces. We have witnessed it move the trees. At times, we have witnessed its power destroying mighty houses. Even thought I have not seen it, I know its real by what I have witnessed. Thomas did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ until Christ presented the evidence. It was then that Thomas believed.

In today’s text, the Holy Spirit points to real evidence within nature as proof of our future bodily resurrection. Look at our text this morning. It is 1 Corinthians 15:35-44

1 Corinthians 15:35–44 KJV 1900

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Remember this passage is part of the overall chapter and argument for the bodily resurrection of Christ. The argument most often made even today against bodily resurrection is noted here.

1 Corinthians 15:35 KJV 1900

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

The Holy Spirit responds with this.

1 Corinthians 15:36 KJV 1900

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

If I may, my interpretation is this.

“You foolish and ignorant person, everything you sow is made alive unless it dies.”

Basically, the Holy Spirit says look at everything in nature. You already have the proof necessary to believe in physical, bodily resurrection. It is there. You see it everyday. Everyday a seed that is dead gives new life. Seeds must die before life is produced.

For example, let’s use a watermelon. I love a good, sweet watermelon. Now think about a watermelon. A watermelon has this wonderful juicy middle (meat) that is red and good to eat. However, in that meat, there may be up to a hundred seeds. When you eat the watermelon, you spit out the seeds. Why? The seeds are useless for eating. They are dead. In fact, there are times I have swallowed the seeds either by mistake or on purpose. You may have done the same thing. What is interesting is that after swallowing them nothing happens. That is a good thing. No plant sprouts in my belly and grows out my mouth causing me to walk around with a watermelon vine with great big watermelons dragging behind me. Now, I know that those seeds cannot spout in my stomach due to the makeup of my body. I also know that seeds are dead. They can’t do anything. However, if you take that same seed (which is dead), plant it some rich nutrient soil, and water it, it will eventually produce life. A new sprout of a watermelon vine will begin to grow out of that seed. As time progresses, that same vine grows longer and healthier until one day tiny little blooms sprout. Those tiny little blooms turn into little watermelons. Soon, those little watermelons are no longer little, they grow big, sweet, and ready to eat.

Now that is just one example of thousands of plants which do the same thing over and over again right in front of our eyes. That is what the Holy Spirit is talking about. Bodily resurrection happens everyday without anyone even thinking about it. Plants drops lifeless seeds. Those dead seeds produce new life.

Now go back to our text and note three things from nature that evidence our future resurrection. Look at them and believe. Heed the words of Christ to Thomas when He said to him be not faithless, but believing.

Here is the first.

Nature Exemplifies Our Future Bodily Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:37–38 KJV 1900

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

Again, the Holy Spirit uses the example of life produced from a seed. Let’s use that same example.

Note on the screen the picture of a watermelon seed compared to a watermelon. Do you see a difference there? Now make sure you look real close. It might be hard to see the subtle differences. Of course you see the differences. There are some vast differences. The seed is a small, black seed that is hard to chew and not very tasty. They are edible. The actual watermelon, on the other hand, is huge. Some watermelons can grow to 50 pounds in weight. The largest watermelon ever grown was grown in Seveirville, TN by Christ Kent. In 2013, he cultivated a watermelon that was 350.5 pounds. It weighed more than a sumo wrestler. The point is simply this. The seed of a plant and its fruit has a completely different body than the actual plant and fruit. Just take the example a little further, consider a banana tree. The seed of banana is completely different in physicaly makeup than the tree it produces. Later, that same tree produces a fruit that is completely and vastly different than the tree or the seed.

That is the point of these two verses. It pleased God to created vegetation out of a seed. He created each seed with its unique physical form. Then, from that seed, a completely different physical form is brought to life and produces fruit with its own physical form. A living example seen all around the world each day in thousands of different forms. We see it in all kinds of grain, fruits, and vegetables.

APPLICATION

The application is clear. The evidence of resurrection is all around us. Each day, God says, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing!” Look at all the life being produced around you. Note how each body is completely different from the other. So it is with our future resurrection. We currently possess this physical body, and, yes, one day it will die unless the Lord returns. When it does, it will be planted in the ground like a seed. Yet, praise God, one day it will be resurrected and we will have completely new body. We will learn more about that new body in just few minutes. However, for now, see, be not faithless, but believing.

Here is another example from nature about our future bodily resurrection.

Nature Establishes the Reality of Spiritual Versus Physical

1 Corinthians 15:39–41 KJV 1900

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Again, we turn to what we see within the world as well as our universe. Note that “all flesh is NOT the same flesh.” In other words, note all physical forms are the same. As noted in our text, there is a huge difference between men, beasts, fish, and birds. Science proves this. Taxonomy is the science of naming, defining, and classifying groups of biological organisms based on different characteristics. All of creation can be categorized into these basic categories - humans, animals, fish, birds, bugs, and vegetation. All are vastly different from each other. Humans and animals roam about earth’s continents. However, humans are quite different from animals in more ways that we have time to discuss this morning. Fish dominate the waterways of earth. Birds soar through the air. Bugs creep and crawl. All are different and all have their place.

We also know that there are major differences between celestial (heavenly) and terrestrial (earthly) bodies. In the heavens, we look up to see the sun, moon, stars, comets, and planets. We know that these are quite different than all the physical forms here on earth. The sun and stars are massive compared to our own planet and produce enormous amounts of energy. The moon is quite different. Without the sun’s light, it would be completely dark. The moon, just like the earth, gets its light from the sun. The moon is cold and inhabitable. However, it is often quite brilliant when the sun is shining fully at the right time of the month. We could go on about the planets, but the point is proven. Each one, whether heavenly or earthly, has is its own wonderful qualities. That is what the Holy Spirit meant when He said, “the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestial is another.” Each are unique and possess many qualities that are quite different from the others.

The point of this is given in verse 44.

1 Corinthians 15:44 KJV 1900

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Just as there are many different types of physical bodies, so there is a natural body and spiritual body. If God is able to make so many different physical entities as seen in animals, fish, birds, bugs, vegetation, and even in the heavens, it is definitely within the realm of possibility that He can make a natural body and spiritual body.

Now note the next point of our text.

Believers Will Experience Complete Transformation

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 KJV 1900

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Herein lies one of the most profound promises established on the basis of Christ’s bodily resurrection. His resurrection proves that we will be resurrected just as He one day. Thus, the Holy Spirit emphatically states, “So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

By the way, let me give you one little side note here.

Bodily and physical resurrection is a fact.

There is no doubt that a body can be raise from the dead. You may want to deny that fact and surely have the right to choose. However, you choosing to deny the truth does not make the truth false. Truth is truth. Christ did arise from dead. He himself resurrected three different people who were dead. He is still resurrecting those who are spiritually dead even today. However, there is coming a day when He will resurrect all who have died physically. And, on top of all that, each day we see that proof when a dead seed produces new life.

With that in mind, the Holy Spirit illustrates what happens when we, as believers, die physically. Here are three important facts to keep in mind.

Everyone will experience physical death.

There are only two people, possibly three, recorded in Scripture who were translated and never saw death. The two men we know for sure were Enoch and Elijah. There is some speculation that Moses could be included in that simply because God hid his body. I personally do not think that Moses was translated because Scripture states...

Deuteronomy 34:5–6 KJV 1900

5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Obviously, the Holy Spirit says that Moses died and He buried him. Thus, we have a record of two people who were translated. My point is this though. Outside of those two men, all people will experience physical death. What happens at death? According to our text, corruption, dishonor, and weakness is exhibited at the death of a natural body.

We all know what happens. This body enters death and begins to decay. Death is the one thing that no one can escape outside of the Rapture taking place. It is inevitable. No one can cheat it. Death screams to us that we are weak. It is dishonorable. None of us desire it, yet we are completely helpless to avoid it.

That reality is at the heart of all this chapter speaks. Christ’s resurrection is the only hope of us ever cheating death. Unfortunately, cheating death does not mean we escape death. The thought of our death hangs like terrible noose around our neck. To contemplate our death brings nothing but hopelessness, helplessness, and fear. However, when we consider that Christ is the resurrection and the life, we have hope. Our hope rests in the fact that the same God Who created us is the same God Who can resurrect us. He not only came and provides Himself as that hope, but He also created a world that testifies to that same hope.

Thus, our assurance is that there is bodily and physical resurrection. A fact that leads me to this next thought.

Everyone will experience physical death and resurrection.

Even though this passage is written for believers, other places in Scripture teach that everyone will be resurrected eventually. Just as each person will experience physical death, there is coming a day for each person to experience resurrection. In fact, Scripture teaches there are two kinds of resurrections.

The first kind of resurrection is the resurrection of believers which will happen as three different events.

There is the resurrection of all believers of the Age of Grace (Local Church) which occurs at the Rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 KJV 1900

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There is the resurrection of all believers of the Old Testament or pre-cross era.

Luke 13:28 KJV 1900

28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

There is the resurrection of all believers martyred during the Tribulation age.

The second kind of resurrection comes after the Millennial Kingdom and at the Great White Throne Judgment and will be the resurrection of all unbelievers.

Revelation 20:12–13 KJV 1900

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

My point it this. Everyone will be resurrected. That is not the question to be asked or answered. The real question is where will you spend the rest of eternity after you are resurrected? Will it be in heaven with a new physical and spiritual body? Or will it be in Hell suffering its torment? That is the essence of this chapter. All will die. All will be resurrected. Right here and right now, you are given a choice. Praise God for His great grace! He does not desire that any perish. Thus, He came, died, and rose again to that you might spend you resurrected life with Him. Today then is the day of salvation. If you are not a believer, God is offereing you the chance. It is chance to not die in sin. No, instead, He is saying be not faithless, but believing. He had given you proof of His resurrection. It is evidence in nature as well as God’s Word. Will you believe?

Only Believers will experience the beauty of an incorruptible, glorified, and powerful resurrected body.

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 KJV 1900

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Note the description of our future resurrected bodies.

Incorruption - Incorruption has the idea of being unable to breakdown or decay. I said last week that everyone is born to die. In other words, the minute we are conceived we begin the path to death. However, when we are resurrected, it is that day we will begin the path to eternal existence. There will be no growing old. There will be no failing of our bodies. It will be nothing but wonderful existence with no fear of growing feeble, old, or dying.

Glory - Glory has the idea of something displaying brilliant, radiant beauty. To be honest, I am not sure what this even means. I believe it means we will be covered with the brilliance and radiance of a spiritual being such as the angels. Perhaps, our radiance will be reflection of God’s own brilliance.

Power - The word “power” here is not about physical strength. It is more about having great influence. I imagine it is the idea of how much influence we will have over reality supernaturally in the future. Again, I would not even begin speculate what supernatural power that might be, but I know that it will be much different than the power we know right now.

No matter how all of that plays out this one thing we do know. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. One day very soon, we, as believers, are going to enjoy a physical transformation beyond our own understanding. We will be as He is so He promised.

Conclusion