We Will Be Like Him
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
Over the last several weeks, we have spent a lot of time looking at what Scripture says about Heaven.
We have looked at the city God has prepared.
We have looked at the river of life.
The tree of life.
The absence of the curse.
The presence of God.
But there’s always other questions that come up.
What will we be like there?
Will we have bodies?
Will we still be ourselves?
Will we recognize one another?
Will we remember the people we loved here?
Those are questions people have asked for a long time.
They were asking the Apostle Paul these same things…
In our passage for today, Paul writes:
“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’”
In other words:
What happens to us?
What kind of body will we have?
What does resurrection actually mean?
And Paul spends some time answering those questions.
And that is exactly what I want to share with you today…
And before we go any further, let me remind you of something John wrote in 1 John 3:2:
He said…
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him…”
That is where the title of this message comes from:
We Will Be Like Him
Now, that does not mean we become God.
But it does mean that when Christ finishes His work of redemption in us… we will be made fit to live in His presence for all eternity.
With that in mind… lets look at…
1 Corinthians 15… (Read vv.35-49)
Meat:
Paul is talking about a very important doctrine…
the doctrine of the resurrection.
And this is not some side issue of the Christian faith.
This is foundational.
Earlier in this same chapter, in v.14 Paul says…
If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
and then v.17…
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
So when Paul begins answering the question, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”…
… he is not dealing with something small.
He is explaining what God has promised to do for every believer.
And the first truth we need to understand is this…
We Will Be…
We will be…
1. Raised
1. Raised
To illustrate his point, he tries to use something that most anyone would understand…
Paul begins by using an illustration everybody could understand.
A seed.
Verse 36 says:
“What you sow is not made alive unless it dies.”
And then verse 37:
“And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain…”
Paul says resurrection is something like planting a seed.
and then he continues in verses 38 through 41 by showing that God is not limited in what He can create.
He gives a seed the body He chooses.
He gives different kinds of flesh to men, animals, birds, and fish.
He gives one kind of glory to the sun…
another to the moon…
and another to the stars.
What Paul wants us to understand is that…
If God can create all of this variety in the natural world, then He is certainly able to give us a body perfectly suited for eternity.
But something must happen first… something must happen before we are raised…
And Paul describes it as being…
1.1 Sown in Corruption
1.1 Sown in Corruption
Again, back to his illustration of the seed…
When you plant a seed…
You put it into the ground.
It disappears beneath the soil.
It begins to ferment,
it dies…
Paul says our bodies are something like that.
v.42…
“The body is sown in corruption…”
That is the body we know now.
A corruptible body.
A body that wears out.
A body that gets sick.
A body that gets tired.
A body that ages.
A body that eventually dies.
And whether we like to admit it or not…
every one of us lives in a body that is moving in that direction…
We were reminded of that once again this morning with the news of the passing of Edna Owen…
You can eat right.
Exercise.
Take vitamins.
Go to the doctor.
Do everything you are supposed to do.
And you should take care of the body God gave you…
But eventually…
this body gives out.
That is part of life in a fallen world… …
But for those of us that have repented of our sin and put our faith in Christ… the grave is just a place where something is sown…
And someday… possibly today… we will all be…
1.2 Raised in Glory
1.2 Raised in Glory
v.42 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.”
and
v.43… “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory…”
A graveside does not look appealing or glorious when we are there to lay a loved one to rest…
Death does not feel glorious…
But Paul says what goes into the ground in dishonor…
will be raised in glory.
He also says in v.43…
“It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.”
We can refer back to his original illustration of the seed…
Here is a picture of one on the tip of someones finger…
(Picture of seed)
(Picture of seed)
Almost looks like they have a splinter… but it is a seed…
It looks like a mosquito could pick it up and move it if it wanted the blood from your finger tip
You could squeeze it with your thumb and probably get it to crack, break and maybe even grind it up a little if you tried to rub your finger and thumb together with it in between…
…And yet, that tiny little seed has the potential to become one of the largest trees on earth…
(Picture of tree)
(Picture of tree)
That is what makes Paul’s illustration so powerful.
You look at the seed and you see something small.
Fragile.
Weak.
Unimpressive.
But God looks at that seed and sees what it will become.
And Paul says the resurrection is like that.
What goes into the ground may look weak…
but what God raises will be powerful.
What goes into the ground may look dishonorable…
but what God raises will be glorious.
This also illustrates our 2nd point quite nicely…
Not only will we be raised…
We will be…
2. Changed
2. Changed
Paul talks about our transformation in v.44…
1 Corinthians 15:44 “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
And closer to the end of the chapter in v.51 he says… “We shall all be changed.”
The greek word translated as changed literally means - To undergo a transformation…
And this is the part where some get a little confused… but we are…
2.1 Still Ourselves
2.1 Still Ourselves
Our transformation does not erase our identity…
I believe this is evident in Scripture…
First of all, look at Jesus after His resurrection.
He was glorified… but He was still Jesus.
The tomb was empty.
The same body that was crucified was raised.
His disciples saw Him.
They spoke with Him.
They touched Him.
He ate with them.
Yes, there were moments when they did not immediately recognize Him…
… but once their eyes were opened, they knew exactly who He was.
He was changed… but He was still Himself.
And I believe the same principle applies to us.
We will be changed… but we will still be ourselves.
Another example is Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.
The rich man dies.
Lazarus dies.
And yet their identities are not erased.
The rich man is still himself.
Lazarus is still Lazarus.
Abraham is still Abraham.
And the rich man recognizes both Abraham and Lazarus.
Death did not wipe away identity.
It did not turn them into nameless, faceless spirits.
They were still who they were.
Then there is the Mount of Transfiguration.
Matthew 17 tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ.
Think about that…
Moses had been dead for centuries.
Elijah had been gone for centuries.
And yet they are still presented as Moses and Elijah.
Their identity remained.
God did not erase who they were.
And then there is something David said after the death of his infant son.
He said In 2 Samuel 12:23
But now he is dead… I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
Now, David does not give us every detail of what he expected… but he clearly believed death was not the end.
He expected that one day he would go to where his child was.
There was still a relationship.
Still a personal identity.
Still hope beyond the grave.
So when we put all of that together…
Jesus was still Jesus.
Abraham was still Abraham.
Lazarus was still Lazarus.
Moses was still Moses.
Elijah was still Elijah.
David still looked forward to going to his son.
Heaven does not erase who we are.
God is not saving you so that one day you can become somebody else.
He is redeeming YOU
You will still be you… but without the effects of sin.
… just the perfect version… of you…
Meaning that… We will be…
2.2 Made Incorruptible
2.2 Made Incorruptible
Again, v.42…
1 Corinthians 15:42 “…The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.”
Also towards the end of the chapter… v.53
1 Corinthians 15:53 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
I’ve touched on this throughout this series, but here it is again…
No disease.
No aging.
No dying.
No breaking down.
No deterioration.
Everything here eventually wears out.
Cars wear out.
Houses wear out.
Clothes wear out.
Bodies wear out.
But not there.
The resurrection body is made for eternity.
That is why Paul says:
“This mortal must put on immortality.”
Not temporary improvement.
Immortality.
Not an extension of life.
Life without end.
2.3 Like Christ
2.3 Like Christ
Just as the title of this sermon says… We will be like Him!…
Paul says in v.49…
1 Corinthians 15:49 “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
Adam represents what we are by nature.
Earthly.
Mortal.
Corruptible.
Christ represents what we will become by grace.
Glorified.
Incorruptible.
Fit for eternity.
Philippians 3:21 says that Christ…
… will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body…
John MacArthur said that “Christ’s resurrection body the best picture Scripture gives us of what our glorified bodies will be like.”
He had a real body.
He could be seen.
He could be touched.
He spoke with His disciples.
He ate with them.
He was not a ghost.
He was not some vague spirit.
He was Jesus… but glorified.
And yet His body was no longer subject to the limitations we know now.
He could appear in a room where the doors were shut.
He could suddenly appear to His disciples.
And He could instantly ascend into Heaven without being torn apart as He left our atmosphere…
This is the part that I really like to think and wonder about…
Remember several weeks ago when we were looking at the dimensions of the New Jerusalem… Which is just part of the new heaven and new earth…??
I said that the city was a cube… roughly 1500 miles long, 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high…
Last Wednesday, Jonathen and I left our house at 4am, and at 11pm we pulled into our destination, just over 1150 miles to our west…
Imagine having the ability to do it in less than a heartbeat… or… taking your time floating or flying over without the need for rest…
When Scripture says that our bodies will be made like His glorious body… it gives us a small, little glimpse of what Paul means when he says:
“We shall be changed.”…
And we will be like Him…
There is one more truth that I want to mention, that goes along with this as well…
It is not mentioned here in our main passage, but it is covered elsewhere in Scripture…
And that is the fact that…
We will be…
3. Together
3. Together
This is a question that comes up as we think about our heavenly home…
And once we understand that we will be the perfect version of ourselves… we start to wonder…
Will we know one another?
Will we recognize the people we loved here?
and if so,
Will our relationships continue?
Scripture gives us every reason to believe that they will… just on a different level…
Yes, I believe Scripture shows that we will be…
3.1 Reunited
3.1 Reunited
Again, think about the Mount of Transfiguration…
When Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ, they were still distinct, recognizable individuals.
And when it comes to our friends and loved ones that have passed before us, we have the promise of 1 Thessalonians 4… turn there for a moment….
(Read vv. 13-18)
There is comfort in knowing that death does not end fellowship among believers forever.
The separation is real.
The grief is real.
The empty chair is real.
But for those who are in Christ… … the separation is temporary.
This is why our longing for heaven is so strong at times…
Now let me be clear.
The greatest thing about Heaven is not reunion with family.
The greatest thing about Heaven is Christ.
I have emphasized that throughout this series.
But that does not mean reunion is unimportant.
We will be together.
Now this next truth is an area where people sometimes get uncomfortable.
We will be together…
3.2 Unmarried
3.2 Unmarried
It is true that we, as the church, are called the Bride of Christ.
Scripture uses that picture to describe the special relationship between Christ and His redeemed people.
Ephesians 5 compares the relationship between a husband and wife to Christ and the church.
And Revelation 19 speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb.
So marriage, in this life, is actually a picture of something greater.
It points beyond itself to the relationship Christ has with His church.
But once we are with Him…
the picture is no longer needed.
The reality has come.
This is hard to hear for some folks because they are thinking…
“I can’t imagine Heaven without the relationship I have with my husband or wife. I don’t want to lose that closeness.”
And then, of course…
There may be a few who hear that there is no marriage in Heaven and think,
“Well… maybe Heaven really is going to be perfect after all!”
Listen… Marriage is a wonderful gift from God… …But it belongs to this present life.
Jesus was asked about marriage in Heaven… and His response is found in…
For in the resurrection (Heaven) they neither marry nor are given in marriage…
And some might think:
“That sounds sad.”
But only if we assume relationships in Heaven will be worse than they are here.
Praise God, they will not…
Marriage is one of the closest and sweetest relationships God gives us in this life.
But even the best marriage is touched by sin.
Miscommunication.
Selfishness.
Hurt feelings.
Disappointment.
Weakness.
That will all be gone…
And we will be together…
3.3 In Perfect Love
3.3 In Perfect Love
Every single relationship we have, will be without sin…
No jealousy.
No resentment.
No bitterness.
No envy.
No pride.
No selfishness.
No manipulation.
No suspicion.
No broken trust.
No misunderstanding.
No hurt feelings.
We will love one another as we should.
And I think that is hard for us to imagine.
Because every relationship we have ever known has been affected by sin.
Even the best ones.
Even Christian ones.
Our families.
Our church family.
But not in Heaven…
We will know one another.
We will recognize one another.
We will be together.
And we will be able to love without sin getting in the way.
We will truly experience and share The Love of God thats…
“… greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell;
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song!”
Closing:
Paul began with the question:
“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
And by now, the answer is clear.
We will be raised.
We will be changed.
We will be like Christ.
We will be the perfect version of ourselves.
We will know one another.
And we will be together.
There are still things we do not know.
There are details God has not given us.
And that is okay.
We do not have to know everything…
We only need to trust what God has told us.
And John gives us this assurance:
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be…”
But then he says…
“We know…”
There are things we do not know.
And yet, there are things we do.
We know Christ rose.
We know the dead in Christ will rise.
We know our bodies will be changed.
We know corruption will give way to incorruption.
We know weakness will give way to power.
We know mortality will give way to immortality.
And above all…
we know:
“When He is revealed, we shall be like Him.”
God is not finished with us.
These bodies are not the final version.
These struggles are not the final chapter.
One day…
we will be raised.
We will be changed.
We will be with all of the redeemed.
And we will finally be everything God saved us to become.
That is our hope.
And that is why we are longing for Heaven.
Prayer:
As we long for heaven, help us to live
United
Sharing Your love and Your gospel with those around us
and may You find us faithful until that day when we will be changed, transformed… until we are made to be just like You…
