Vcitory over Death
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
I have spent the last few weeks addressing the material of , especially looking at Paul’s words speaking about life and death, and what is to come.
Tonight we are going to wrap up this chapter and finish with the high lights of what Paul was addressing to those who were so desperately looking for hope and peace with the death of someone they loves and their very lives as well.
Why did Paul have to revisit this with them… false teachers, those who distorted the truth and taught wrongly...
So lets look at our passages , verses 50-58
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 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.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
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.
58 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.
So lets begin.. verse 50
So lets begin.. verse 50
Paul brings to light the key truth that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. So what is he saying here?
Paul is referring to the truth that the mortal, corruptable bodies of the mankind cannot stand in the presence of God and live. Our bodies were not made for that existence, but we will be transformed at the appearance of Jesus.
Now verses 51-52
Now verses 51-52
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed.
The word Behold there is like me saying.. hey, listen up… I have something to tell you, you need to pay attention to this...
The mystery is that we cannot fully comprehend the fabulous work of God, we do not know how he does it we are just aware that he does indeed do it.
We shall not all sleep, it means plainly that not everyone will experience death, not everyone will face the worst day on their life, the struggle to move from this life to that one…
But there is one truth, all have to be changed. If you are a born again believer, you are His and as such you must be made like him, in his image, the image of the resurrected Lord.
Remember flesh and blood cannot… but being made spiritual, we can provided we are the children of the Lord.
Then we are given some clues about the last day…
Without a doubt I believe times will be much different than they currently are… so much so that if we hear the trumpet of God, we know that in the twinkling of an eye, in a moment, things will change drastically.
It will happen so quickly that we wont even have time to think about it.. boom it has happened. It is an instantaneous transformation. rather than a process
The trumpet blast “intensifies the metaphor of suddenness, adding the dimension of divine decree and ordered signal.” The trumpet is the sign of the Day of the Lord
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
___________
And two actions will take place… the dead will be raised and changed and those elect of his who are alive will be changed as well,
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
I Cor
Again we are told of the necessity to change the living and the dead, these mortal bodies must be changed...
and then we come to verses 54-55
54 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.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
I love Paul’s wording here, “Then shall come to pass” the long awaited day will finally be here when the trumpet of God sounds, and when all of this happens… the long awaited promise of God will be made complete.
Death will be defeated and will no more be a hurt and hindrance to man. Death will be destroyed as told in verse 26, it is the last enemy of mankind.
In making this announcement, Paul really pulls together two thoughts or versions of OT passages together
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
and
14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I shall redeem them from Death.
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
In doing this, he pulls them together into a new prophetic saying if you will.
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians 6. The Necessity of Transformation and Death’s Final Defeat (15:50–58)
The trumpet blast “intensifies the metaphor of suddenness, adding the dimension of divine decree and ordered signal.” The trumpet is the sign of the Day of the Lord
These questions are rhetorical in nature, it sneers at the importance of death before the power and mercy of God… The God who forgives sins, who sent His son into the world as the perfect sacrifice to atone for sins overcomes death in a mighty way.
Paul is issuing a taunt if you will, the God of mercy and power, who works and wills to forgive sin, will also raise the dead on that day and death will be put to shame.
Now verses 56-57
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.
Now until that future day, death still has on sting, and it is sin that brings the accusation and charge against humanity, its power comes from the law of God.
But what Paul is talking about is in the future tense. but the present condition of Salvation is already being expereienced.
The victory is present the award is future,
finally, verse 58
58 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.
Paul concludes with an exhortation introduced by the affectionate address, “my beloved brothers.” His appeal to the Corinthians is to be steadfast and immovable, complementary terms qualified by the phrase “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and followed by the grounds “because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Paul’s language harks back to the chapter’s opening where he reminded them of the gospel they received and in which they stand and where he urged them to hold fast to the word he proclaimed to them lest they believed in vain (15:1–2).
To “stand firm” in this context is to hold fast to the gospel and to the belief in the resurrection that the gospel proclaims. Otherwise they have believed in vain.
Having established the fact of resurrection as central to God’s redemptive plan, Paul concludes by urging them to rid themselves of the belief that there is “no resurrection of the dead” and to prosper in the work of the gospel knowing that all such work is not in vain (cf. 15:10, 14).
The New American Commentary: 1 Corinthians 6. The Necessity of Transformation and Death’s Final Defeat (15:50–58)
Paul concludes with an exhortation introduced by the affectionate address, “my beloved brothers.” His appeal to the Corinthians is to be steadfast and immovable, complementary terms qualified by the phrase “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and followed by the grounds “because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Paul’s language harks back to the chapter’s opening where he reminded them of the gospel they received and in which they stand and where he urged them to hold fast to the word he proclaimed to them lest they believed in vain (15:1–2). To “stand firm” in this context is to hold fast to the gospel and to the belief in the resurrection that the gospel proclaims. Otherwise they have believed in vain. Having established the fact of resurrection as central to God’s redemptive plan, Paul concludes by urging them to rid themselves of the belief that there is “no resurrection of the dead” and to prosper in the work of the gospel knowing that all such work is not in vain (cf. 15:10, 14).