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Ben Drew

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A couple years ago Ariel and I bought our boys a mini wheely bin full of leggo.

Two or three times I’ve sat down and painstakingly spent the day sorting it all out into its different sets and colours, only to find the next day or two it all mixed back in together.

The children recently injured at ACC.

The 3 year old run over and killed at the BP station here in Caboolture.

There’s not many things I find more frustrating than this.

The 50 killed in Christchurch.

It just seems in vain, and so I don’t do it anymore.

James Horton and now Irene Horton seriously ill.

I’ve got to be really convinced that it’s worth it.

How do you cope in the face of death?

What about our lives?

Are we sorting our lives into neat categories only to have death mess it up?

How are we as a church family coping in the face of these things?

Do your thoughts, your words, your actions show defeat and a lack of hope, or do they show a deep trust and hope in Christ, a calm assuredness amidst the grief?

Is all that we do really just a vain moving and shifting of something that’ll end up in the bin or the grave?

It really comes down to the question, what are you looking forward to most in your life?

I’ve been thinking about James’ recent death.

What are your hopes and dreams?

You may have wondered, was his death in vain?

Was his pain in vain?

Are your hopes in this world, in this life?

Was our prayer and care for him and the family in vain?

Or are your hopes in another world, in another life?

1. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus assures us that what’s next for us isn’t death, but resurrection life.

After all he died.

2. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus shows why we desire to be loving and selfless people in the present.

God’s word is saying to us this morning:

3. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus means that what we will be is goes way beyond what we could ever hope or dream of.

1. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our belief in Christ is not in vain.

4. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus means we can grieve with certain hope in times of death.

2. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our death will not be in vain.

3. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our pain is not in vain.

But before we work through each of these, I want to remind you as Paul does this morning, of the gospel.

Because it’s through believing in the gospel that we are connected to the risen Jesus.

4. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our love for one another is not in vain.

Let’s look at v1-11.

To begin, God speaks to the Corinthians through Paul, and to us here today, by reminding them that Christ’s death was not in vain, and so their belief in the risen Christ is not in vain.

Look with me at v1-11.

15 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins

Jesus died for our sins.

There’s a connection between sin and death in the Bible.

There’s a real possibility of believing in vain.

Sin prevents us from experiencing life. Is the spiritual sickness that permanently blocks us from enjoying God. From enjoying and experiencing his life.

If you don’t believe the gospel about Jesus we’re about to look at this morning, you are believing in vain.

3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

Why do we die?

Firstly, Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

Because of sin.

What do you believe is the problem in your life or in your family, in our country, in the world this morning?

Why are we constantly battling against weakness, we’re tempted to do wrong, we struggle to do right.

We struggle to love one another.

God in his Word says sin is the reason we can’t control our own lives.

It’s because of sin. It’s a spiritual sickness unto death.

Sin is the reason our families are so often in a mess.

Sin is the reason our country has the issues it has.

This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus.

Jesus died for our sins. These are three of the most incredible words in the Bible.

Sin is the reason our world has the pain and suffering it has.

It’s the spiritual sickness that blocks us from trusting in God’s love and goodness towards us, and pushes us to live for self at the expense of others.

But what do they mean?

Sin prevents us from enjoying and experiencing his life.

Jesus died so that sin wouldn’t lead us into death and lifelong slavery.

He died to set us free, he bore our sins in his body, taking on our sin sickness himself and destroying it.

The kind of life God wants for us is impossible while sin remains infecting us.

The kind of life you hopefully want for yourself is impossible while sin remains infecting us.

He did this because he loves us.

This is the bad news that is the beginning of the gospel; the good news of Jesus.

He doesn’t want us to die in our sins.

And this was all part of God’s plan.

And the incredibly thing is that Jesus died to set us free from sin.

according to the Scriptures,

He took our sin into his body, in order to destroy it.

He’d told it way way way before Jesus was ever born.

He did this because he loves us.

He promised he would come to deal with the sin sickness we all have.

He doesn’t want us to die in our sins.

Way back in when sin first entered the world.

There is a real possibility of people dying in vain.

People die in vain in our world every day.

In places like ; “I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”

You’re death will be in vain if you die in your sins.

And : “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquity.

The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

But if Jesus sets you free, you will be free forever.

We all like sheep have gone astray, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

And God had this plan right from the start.

It was all according to what he’d said he would do way before Jesus was even born.

But there’s more to the gospel.

In places like God says; “I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time,[a] he also appeared to me.

Jesus didn’t stay dead. He couldn’t. This makes Jesus unlike every other person who’s ever existed. Some people have been resuscitated back to life, even after 4 days like Lazarus, but no one has ever been resurrected to an indestructible life, never to die again.

And in God gives Isaiah a vision of Christ on the cross in the future and Isaiah declares: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquity. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all like sheep have gone astray, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

There’s weren’t hallucinations, they were appearances seen by hundreds and hundreds of different people, whom at the time Paul was writing this, could be asked in person, because they were still alive.

And how do we know that Jesus was successful in healing us of our sin?

Paul goes on to say that the resurrected Christ, who was dead but now is alive, is not only the content of the gospel, but the reason for the gospel being preached.

How do we know that his death was not in vain?

9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.

This shows us what Jesus is doing now.

We need the rest of the gospel for this.

Jesus is empowering people by his grace to proclaim that he is alive.

What does Paul say, by the grace of God Jesus showed himself to Paul, and it was also by the grace of God that he has done everything he’s done for Christ in his life.

Jesus death was not in vain.

Friends, the gospel message that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life all according to God’s promises in Scripture, has spread across the entire world.

After graciously dealing with our sin problem, he rose again.

He not only showed himself to be alive to hundreds and hundreds of people.

Why?

Because of two things.

But he also graciously empowered them to preach the gospel to others.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.

Because Jesus is pouring his grace by his Spirit into people to spread his message.

And because Jesus is opening people’s eyes to see and believe who he is as people believe the gospel.

Christ’s death was not in vain.

He is alive.

This will continue to happen until Christ returns.

If you’re a believer this morning, you have much to thank Christ for, just like Paul had.

Therefore you’re trust in him is not in vain.

He has saved you through the gospel.

So first things first, do you believe the gospel?

If not, this is the gracious gift of God for you to receive this morning by faith.

Firstly, God gave you someone to preach the gospel to you.

If you do believe the gospel this morning, there is great news for us.

He gave you faith to believe it to be the good news that it is.

The gospel transformed you because through believing it, you were joined with the risen Christ.

2. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our death will not be in vain.

The people in Corinth didn’t get this. They believed in the resurrection of Jesus, as Paul’s already said in verse 2.

So are you connected to the risen Christ this morning?

If you are, may you rejoice with thanks.

But some of them were saying that there was no resurrection like Christ for anyone else.

If you aren’t, I hope that after hearing God speak to you in this chapter of his word this morning, your eyes will be opened, and you will believe, trusting your life to the risen Christ.

A spiritual existence after death maybe, but not a bodily one.

Paul says no way!

1. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus assures us that what’s next for us isn’t death, but resurrection life.

This is incredibly inconsistent and just plain not true!

The people in Corinth didn’t get this. They believed in life after death, as Paul’s already said in verse 2. They believed in the gospel that was preached to them that Jesus was raised alive.

Paul outlines 4 links in a chain that make up a closed logical loop.

But some of them were saying that there was no resurrection like Christ for anyone else. A spiritual existence after death maybe, but not a bodily one.

Christ was raised from the dead

This was incredibly inconsistent.

which led to the gospel being preached

Paul outlines 4 chains that make up a closed logical loop.

Christ was raised from the dead, which led to the gospel being preached, which led to the Corinthians believing the gospel and being saved, which will lead to them being resurrected in Christ.

which led to the Corinthian people believing the gospel and being saved

which will lead to them being resurrected in Christ.

They were denying the final one, which had knock on effects for each one prior.

Because Christ’s death was not in vain, their death will not be in vain either.

Some are saying there is no resurrection from the dead.

Firstly, if this were true it means that Christ hasn’t been raised.

They were denying their own resurrection in Christ, which had knock on effects for each link in the chain prior.

Secondly, it means that Paul and the apostles and the other eyewitnesses who are telling everyone Jesus has been raised are doing so in vain.

Paul says firstly, 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;

More than that they’re deliberately lying about the whole thing.

You say you believe in the gospel that Christ has been raised, but by believing there’s no resurrection of the dead for anyone else, you’re actually denying the gospel!

Thirdly, the faith of anyone who has believed this message is in vain.

Secondly, it means that Paul and the apostles and the other eyewitnesses who are telling everyone Jesus has been raised are doing so in vain. V14.

They’re still in their sins.

And verse 16;

15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised.

Still trapped by sin and forever trapped in death.

And as he says, this is a most miserable and most pitiable position to be in.

They’re not just proclaiming the gospel in vain; they’re deliberately lying about the whole thing.

Thirdly, 17 if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Not only are they still trapped in sin, their naively trapped in sin; thinking that they’re not.

And to put a final blow to the logic, he says, those of your friends and family who have died thinking that they’d fallen asleep in Christ are actually lost, fallen forever into the misery and pain of sin and death.

If Christ hasn’t been raised, then sin defeated him as well.

We’re all still trapped by sin and death forever.

After showing them the inconsistency of this belief and where it leads, he then corrects their faulty understanding by explaining the truth. V20-28.

And as he says, this is a most miserable and most pitiable position to be in. v19

20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The first fruit was given to God by the people of Israel in faith resting in his promised provision of the rest of the harvest.

Not only are they still trapped in sin, their naively trapped in sin; thinking that they’re not.

And to put a final blow to the logic, he says in v18, Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.

Christ has been raised in a heavenly body and taken to heaven.

Him being there is the guarantee that the rest of the harvest is coming. All those who are in him will share in the same body that he has. But when the time is right. Or should I say ripe.

Those of your friends and family who have died thinking that they were ok in Christ are actually lost, fallen forever into the misery and pain of sin and death.

After showing them the inconsistency of this belief and where it leads, he then corrects their faulty understanding by explaining the truth. V20-28.

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet.[c] Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

The truth is; Christ’s death wasn’t in vain, and therefore their death will not be in vain either.

Why does Paul go into Adam and Christ?

20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

What does Adam’s life and Christ’s life have to do with my life?

The first fruit was given to God by the people of Israel in faith resting in his promised provision of the rest of the harvest.

Christ has been raised in a heavenly body and taken to heaven, presented to God.

We live in a culture that is highly individualistic.

Him being there is the guarantee that the rest of the harvest is coming.

“I think, therefore I am.”

This is not the case with other cultures.

All those who are in him will share in the same body that he has.

But when the time is right. Or should I say ripe.

The African understanding of connectedness makes far more sense of what Paul says in this passage than our Australian understanding.

For them, it’s, “I am a human therefore I belong,” or “I am because you are.”

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

We have friends from Nigeria who have become so close they’re like family.

What does Adam’s life and Christ’s life have to do with my life?

We live in a culture that is highly individualistic.

It took us a while, but for them, when we shared a house with them, we were them and they were us.

“I think, therefore I am.”

They immediately told their children they had to see Ariel and I as their parents too.

We were to discipline them and treat them as our own children.

This isn’t the case with other cultures.

And their children were to see us as their own parents.

The African understanding of connectedness makes far more sense of what Paul is saying here than our Australian understanding.

What’s ours they expected was theirs too, and what was theirs was ours.

For them, it’s, “I am a human therefore I belong,” or “I am because you are.”

Simple.

We’ve become very close friends with a family from Nigeria, who we lived with for a year and a half.

It took us a while, but for them, as soon as we moved in together, we were them and they were us.

Very young children seem to understand this.

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They immediately told their children they had to see Ariel and I as their parents too.

We were to discipline them and treat them as our own children.

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The Biblical authors thought more corporately than they did individually in most cases. Because of this, much of the Bible is more difficult for us to understand than our African brothers.

And their children were to see us as their own parents.

For example, in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s barters with God that if there were 50 righteous people in the city, could it be spared. God agrees. He goes all the way down to 10 but stops.

What’s ours they expected was theirs too, and what was theirs was ours.

The city is still destroyed.

When you ask a child to draw themselves often what they draw is something like this:

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We’re left wondering what God would have done if there was only 1 person in the whole city who was righteous.

Although it’s sometimes this:

This is answered clearly for us in the New Testament.

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Many are made righteous and spared from the judgement of God because of one righteous man, Jesus.

We don’t understand representative relationships very well, but it’s essential to understanding who we are, why we are the way we are, and how God’s saved us.

Groups, such as nations, cities, workplaces, sports teams, churches, to name a few, can have personalities just as individuals can.

We are in the likeness of Adam.

There are some workplaces that are much easier to work in than others because the ethos or atmosphere is positive and encouraging, whereas in other places it is very hard because the atmosphere is difficult and unhappy.

We live 80 years or so, struggling with sin, and we die.

This is an example of corporate identity where the attitude of a group as a whole becomes more powerful than that of any of the individual members.

It is possible to change group identity but, as in the Abraham story, you need a committed and determined group of people to infect the whole with a different way of being.

We will be made alive in the likeness of Christ to live forever, free from the presence of sin.

There are insights from the corporate way of viewing the world that are vital for our comprehension of some pieces of the New Testament, and resurrection is one of them.

Jesus’ resurrection not only transformed Jesus but also us.

Much of Paul’s understanding about Christian identity is based on Jesus’ death and resurrection, and on being ‘in Christ’.

When “we” bought this property here in Caboolture; it was done.

The apostle Paul thought that Jesus’ resurrection had not only transformed Jesus (from death to life) and time (bringing the end times into the present) but also us.

Now when I say “we”, I know I had nothing to do with its purchase.

2. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus shows why we desire to be loving and selfless people in the present.

Paul changes gear here and goes from logical argument to argument from experience.

And yet I say “We” owned this property, because I’m part of the family that it was bought for.

He says, if there’s no resurrection of the dead, then they way some of you are living and the way he’s living makes no sense.

But even though it was “ours” we had to wait until we experienced it didn’t we.

Why are some of you being baptized on behalf of the dead if there’s no resurrection?

Quite a bit longer than expected actually.

It’s been said, “You know what someone believes by how they act.”

It’s a bit like this.

This practice, which Paul makes no comment on other than that some of them were doing it, only makes sense if you believe these dead ones will be raised.

Jesus has paid the full price for sin.

Otherwise why do it? They’re dead. They’re bodies are gone.

Satan no longer owns us.

Sin no longer rules us.

So he’s appealing to them saying, even your own practice, if you were consistent, moves you logically towards the resurrection of the dead being true.

Death no longer has a grip on us.

Then he moves to his own life.

But we’re living in the days where we are waiting for everything to be brought under Jesus feet.

30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me?

For every one of his enemies to be defeated.

If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

When that final necessary act is completed, we will experience the kingdom of God in all its glory and wonder.

Grab life by the horns and get as much from this world as you can. Cause this is it! It could be all over tomorrow. What the point of doing anything except living for the moment, living for pleasure?

All authority was given to Jesus to accomplish our salvation.

See as much of the world as you can.

Once He destroys every enemy that stands in our way, the final one being death, he will hand over the kingdom and the authority to God.

Taste as much as you can, hear as much as you can, satisfy your senses as much as you can.

None of us are living like this are we?

c] Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Living as if this world is all there is?

We will be co-heirs with him in his Father’s kingdom.

33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses[g] and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

We will share his joy in his father’s kingdom.

Are you around company that are encouraging you by the reality of the resurrection life? Or are you letting the pleasures of this passing world grab hold of your desires and dreams?

His father and our Father.

His God and our God.

Come to your senses! It’s the idea of sobering up.

Wake up from the haze of materialistic greed and consumerism our culture is based upon.

Isn’t it incredible, Jesus is not afraid to call us his brothers and sisters.

Paul changes gear here and goes from logical argument to argument from experience.

This is serious!

2. Christ’s death was not in vain, so our experiences are not in vain.

Stop sinning!

He says, if there’s no resurrection of the dead, then the way some of you act and the way he acts makes no sense.

Thinking this way is sinning.

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

It’s seriously missing the mark.

This kind of thinking is rampant in affluent cultures like ours.

It’s been said, “You know what someone believes by how they act.”

This practice, which Paul makes no comment on other than that some of them were doing it, only makes sense if you believe the dead will be raised.

And it’s living in ignorance of God.

Often times deliberately.

This is either quite a strange practice that had crept in of baptizing other Christians on behalf of Christians who had died without baptism.

Or Paul is using these words to speak of those who request baptism on their death bed, when their body is as good as dead, and so they’re being baptized for the dead.

“Jesus says, don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, but seek first his kingdom, and all that you need will be given to you.”

Commentators have gone both ways with this.

But we say, yeah but I like my stuff.

I think this second option is correct.

I like my travel.

Fine, but why are you doing it?

Paul has criticized all kinds of practices the Corinthians were involved in, that were a lot more minor than this one.

To say nothing of a practice that obscured baptism so badly as this is out of place.

When Jesus asks you to give you an account of how you spent the time, talent and treasure he entrusted you with, will you be confident, or ashamed?

Whichever way you go, the point is the same.

The aim is complete transparency.

If you unsure, ask the Lord to show you.

Why would someone receive the symbol of their union with Christ in his death and his resurrection, if there was no resurrection from death for them.

As he asks, what will these ones who have been baptized be doing?

God is so good to us. He wants us to have fullness of joy. Perfect peace. Contentment.

If there’s no resurrection, they’re dead.

Pursuing the world won’t give us this.

Their bodies are gone.

At the end of the day it will all be burned up and what will we have to show for it.

As Colin Buchanan says, “only the things of the Lord will last.”

Their baptism was meaningless.

Christ has been raised, and those who believe this to be true live lives that are characterised by self-sacrificial service to others around them.

So he’s appealing to them saying, your own practice, if you were consistent, moves you logically towards the resurrection of the dead being true.

Their looking forward to a reward in heaven. Not here.

Christ’s death was not in vain, so their practice of baptizing is not in vain.

They’ll regularly give up their time, their talents, and their money towards people and things when it doesn’t benefit them in this life one bit.

Then he moves to his own life.

In fact, it can often be the opposite.

Christ’s death was not in vain, so Paul’s pain was not in vain.

So we’ve been called to wake up, to lift our eyes.

Ok Paul, but to what?

If he’s not been raised and therefore we won’t be raised, then any pain is in vain.

If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

What are we looking forward to?

If the dead are not raised, give your body as much pleasure as it can while you can.

How exactly is all this going to happen?

Cause this is it!

3. Being connected to the resurrected Jesus means that what we will be is goes way beyond what we could ever hope or dream of.

It could be all over tomorrow.

5 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool!

See as much of the world as you can.

Maybe this person is asking about it a smart kind of way. We don’t know. But Paul is saying, you’ve got to start thinking outside the box. Don’t be a fool. We’re talking about something way bigger that you could ever hope or dream of. It’s not something we presently have experience of or categories for.

Taste as much as you can

Firstly, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

If you’re in Christ this morning, death is not something to be avoided or feared. It’s necessary for you to go through for you to experience eternal life.

hear as much as you can

satisfy your senses as much as you can.

37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

None of us are living like this are we?

There are different kinds of forms that earthly things take. And they’re of one kind of glory.

Living as if this world is all there is?

But there’s a whole other category of forms that heavenly things take. And they’re of another kind of glory; a greater kind.

Living as if denying ourselves physical pleasure for the sake of serving Christ and others is in vain?

40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.

The body that we will have will be so much better than this current body, we’re to think of stars and planets compared to plants and animals.

Living as if going through pain for Christ is in vain?

33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses[g] and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power;44

Are you around company that are encouraging you by the reality of the resurrection life?

Currently we’re in an earthly body. It’s weak, corruptible, perishable. And what happens to us in the dying process is incredibly dishonourable. I’ve worked in aged care for the past 8 years and no one who is living through the decay and death of their body and mind is in anyway cheering going this is fantastic.

Currently this is the body we inhabit.

Or are you letting the pleasures of this passing world grab hold of your desires and dreams?

Paul says, come to your senses!

But we will inhabit a whole different kind of body once this one is sown in death.

It’s the idea of sobering up.

says, “2 Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

says, ” 3 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears[j] listen.

Wake up from the haze of materialistic greed and consumerism our culture is based upon.

This is serious!

sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;[h] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.

47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is[i]from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Stop sinning!

Thinking this way is sinning.

For the Corinthians this would have been shocking and goes right to the heart of their problem in thinking.

It’s seriously missing the mark.

For them spirit and body didn’t go together.

They were thinking that life after death was purely spiritual.

This kind of thinking is rampant in affluent cultures like ours.

But Paul says, there is a natural body, the one we’re currently in.

And it’s living in ignorance of God.

And there’s a spiritual body. The one we will be in.

Often times deliberately.

The first one is like Adam and is from the dust of the earth and will return to be dust of the earth.

“Jesus says, don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, but seek first his kingdom, and all that you need will be given to you.”

But we say, yeah but I like my stuff.

The second one will be like the Christ who is from heaven. It will be fit for heaven. Christ didn’t come from the earth.

He came from heaven.

I like my travel.

Fine, but why are you doing it?

With the resurrection of Jesus, he began a new kind of humanity. A new kind of human person, inhabiting a new kind of body.

In Jesus says to Nicodemus, unless you are born again you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Unless someone is born of the Spirit, they cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus asks you to give you an account of how you spent the time, talent and treasure he entrusted you with, will you be confident, or ashamed?

The aim is complete transparency.

Paul is saying the same thing,

If you’re unsure, ask the Lord to show you.

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.

This flesh and blood that we’re in isn’t fit for heaven. It’s corruptible. It’s weak. It’s dying.

God is so good to us.

He wants us to have fullness of joy.

We must be born again. We must be remade with new flesh.

How will this happen?

Perfect peace.

What follows is some of the most incredible images of our future hope in the whole Bible.

Contentment.

51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery:

Pursuing the world won’t give us this.

This is something that God knows, but we don’t know fully. He’s revealed it in part to us, but not yet fully revealed.

Pursuing Christ and living to please him will not only bring us real joy and meaning and peace, but he’ll provide every material need we have along the way.

We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

At the end of the day it will all be burned up and what will we have to show for it?

As Colin Buchanan says, “only the things of the Lord will last.”

Whether we die before Jesus returns or are still alive when he returns, we’ll go through the same transformation.

53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:

Christ has been raised, and those who believe this to be true live lives that are characterised by self-sacrificial service to others around them.

Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?

At times it’s painful.

But they know the pain is not in vain, because Christ’s death was not in vain.

See at Christ’s death, the future got brought back in time. Death was defeated at the cross. It lost it’s victory. It lost it’s sting.

Sin was conquered at the cross. The law lost its power to condemn at the cross.

Their looking forward to a reward in heaven.

Not here.

But we’re still waiting for the experience of that victory.

When we bought this property here in Caboolture; it was done. We owned this property, but we had to wait until we experienced it didn’t we.

They’ll regularly give up their time, their talents, and their money towards people and things when it doesn’t benefit them in this life one bit.

Not only is Paul’s pain of persecution for the gospel not in vain, but our pain of just getting old, experiencing weakness, frailty, broken hips, arthritic knees, and all the other age related changes are not in vain.

It’s a bit like this. Jesus has paid the full price for sin. Satan no longer owns us. Sin no longer rules us. Death no longer has a grip on us. But we’re living in the days where we are waiting for everything to be brought under Jesus feet. For every one of his enemies to be defeated.

When that final necessary act is completed, we will experience the kingdom of God in all its glory and wonder.

Paul calls us to wake up, to lift our eyes to something extraordinary.

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

5 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool!

Maybe this person is asking about it a smart kind of way.

We have the victory now in Christ.

More likely they’re asking with what kind of “earthly” body they will have.

So we’ve come a long way through this chapter.

What are we to do with this?

Paul is saying, you’ve got to start thinking outside the box.

Paul gives three clear applications.

Don’t be foolish.

1) Be steadfast & immovable. Don’t let the brokenness of this world surprise or rob you of your joy and hope. We grieve with hope. We expect pain, suffering, trials, challenges and death before we experience the joyful and eternal rest in his presence. When we’re there these brief and momentary hardships won’t compare with how great it will be.

We’re talking about something way bigger that you could ever hope or dream of.

It’s not something we presently have experience of or categories for.

2) Second, abound in the work of the Lord. Every act of love for God and for others has eternal significance. Every act that John did, the hours of necessary checks and balances, phone calls and meetings that were all part of the process of entering into this building, were done with the hope of the end goal. How much more knowing that the home we’ll be inheriting is an everlasting one. So love one another. Why? Because you’ll be living with each other for eternity. Work your relationships out now. Work hard to forgive one another. Outdo each other in love. Use your time thinking about how to help one another, how to encourage one another. Why? Because we’ll be spending eternity with each other.

Nothing we do for each other is in vain. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND SO WILL WE RISE TOGETHER WITH HIM.

Firstly, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

If you’re in Christ this morning, death is not something to be avoided or feared.

It’s necessary for you to go through for you to experience transformation into eternal life.

There are different kinds of forms that earthly things take. And they’re of one kind of glory.

But there’s a whole other category of forms that heavenly things take. And they’re of another kind of glory; a greater kind.

The body that we will have will be so much better than this current body.

We’re to think of stars and planets compared to plants and animals.

42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power;44

Currently we’re in an earthly body.

It’s weak, corruptible, perishable.

And what happens to us in the dying process is incredibly dishonourable.

I’ve worked in aged care for the past 8 years and no one who is living through the decay and death of their body and mind is in anyway cheering going this is fantastic.

Currently this is the body we inhabit.

But we will inhabit a whole different kind of body once this one is sown in death.

And it will be so glorious it can be compared with the heavenly bodies.

says, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.”

For the Corinthians this would have been shocking and goes right to the heart of their problem in thinking.

For them spirit and body didn’t go together.

They were thinking that life after death was purely spiritual.

But Paul says, there is a natural body, the one we’re currently in.

And there’s a spiritual body. The one we will be in.

Paul has mentioned this contrast between natural and spiritual back in chapter 2.

He says there,

“14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

The spiritual body he is talking about is the body made alive by and filled with the Spirit of God.

The first natural body is like Adam and is from the dust of the earth and will return to be dust of the earth.

The second spiritual body will be like the Christ who is from heaven.

It will be fit for heaven.

Christ didn’t come from the earth.

He came from heaven.

With the resurrection of Jesus, he began a new kind of humanity.

A new kind of human person, inhabiting a new kind of body.

In Jesus says to Nicodemus, unless you are born again you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

Unless someone is born of the Spirit, they cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

Paul is saying the same thing,

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.

This flesh and blood that we’re in isn’t fit for heaven.

It’s corruptible.

It’s weak.

It’s dying.

We must be born again.

We must be remade with new flesh.

How will this happen?

What follows is some of the most incredible images of our future hope in the whole Bible.

51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery:

This is something that God knows, but we don’t know fully.

He’s revealed it in part to us, but not yet fully revealed.

Whether we die before Jesus returns or are still alive when he returns, we’ll go through the same transformation.

Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?

See at Christ’s death, the future got brought into the present.

Death was defeated at the cross.

It lost its victory.

It lost its sting.

Sin was conquered at the cross.

The law lost its power to condemn at the cross.

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

We have the victory now in Christ.

But we’re still waiting for the full experience of that victory.

So we’ve come a long way through this chapter.

What are we to do with this?

Paul gives three clear applications.

1) Don’t be deceived into thinking this is all there is. See through the haze of the here and now and stop sinning by living for the things of this world.

2) Be steadfast & immovable. Don’t let the brokenness of this world surprise or rob you of your joy and hope. We grieve with hope. We expect pain, suffering, trials, challenges and death before we experience the joyful and eternal rest in his presence. When we’re there these brief and momentary hardships won’t compare with how great it will be.

3) Third, abound in the work of the Lord. Every act of love for God and for others has eternal significance. Every act that John did, the hours of necessary checks and balances, phone calls and meetings that were all part of the process of entering into this building, were done with the hope of the end goal. How much more knowing that the home we’ll be inheriting is an everlasting one. So love one another. Why? Because you’ll be living with each other for eternity. Work your relationships out now. Work hard to forgive one another. Outdo each other in love. Use your time thinking about how to help one another, how to encourage one another. Why? Because we’ll be spending eternity with each other.

James’ death was certainly not in vain.

His pain was certainly not in vain.

Nothing we did in prayer and care for him and still do for his family and for each other is in vain.

Why? Because our belief in Christ is not in vain.

CHRIST IS RISEN, AND SO WILL WE RISE TOGETHER WITH HIM.

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