The Program of the Resurrection

Introduction

In today’s section of scripture, the Apostle Paul is continuing his laying out of the facts of the resurrection of the dead by going into the program or order of how this is going to happen. He deals with the events surrounding the return of Christ and what it means for the living and the dead. We are going to begin in I Corinthians 15, verse 50 and read through verse 58. My hope is that you will wonder the mystery of the change that is coming, that you will celebrate the death of death, and that you will be motivated by love for the Lord to stand in the victory of Jesus Christ. Let’s read together:

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 ESV

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

PRAY

If you recall the passage previous to this that we worked through last week, Paul had been pointing out the differences between our earthly, finite bodies and our glorious resurrected bodies.

He starts out with the phrase, “I tell you this...” In some of your Bibles it might be translated “I declare to you...” This is a weighty phrase. It’s meant to point to the importance of what is about to be said or written.

Here he points out that our perishable bodies are not suited for inheriting the imperishable. Mere flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom. We must be changed.

John 3:6 ESV

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The bodies of those who have fallen asleep/died in Christ must be raised to inherit the eternity that awaits the children of God. It’s a mystery how this happens. Which brings us to our first main point:

I. The mystery of being changed.

So, we must be changed to inherit the kingdom for all eternity. Paul refers to this as a mystery. I love when we see the word mystery associated with the things of God. In this case, Paul is referring to something that was previously concealed from humans knowing. But now it has been revealed. Paul was teaching what was previously unknown to his audience. This is sort of an unveiling of the mystery. I think of it like a gameshow when Bob Barker, I know it’s Drew Carey now, but to me it’s always Bobby B. Anyway, he has the curtains there and he’s talking to the people and he’s like, how would you like to win.... And the contestant is anticipating but it’s a mystery what is behind the curtain. Could be a car, could be a vaccum. You don’t know and then Rod Roddy says, a new car! The curtains come back and it’s revealed. Now the mystery isn’t a mystery anymore but it’s still awesome. It was awesome behind the curtains, but now it’s still awesome and we get brought in on how awesome it really is! And that car was behind that curtain all along. WE didn’t know what it was or what was going to happen but the car was still there.

And here’s the deal: the mystery of the change that will happen to those in Christ… it’s already been bought and paid for. WE don’t have to do the right stuff or play Plinko to win it. Jesus already secured it.

Paul tells us about the mystery. Previously we have learned that those in Christ who have died will be raised to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Those who have died in their sin will be raised to judgement. But now we also find out that some Christ followers won’t die before Christ returns and the mystery of them being changed in the “twinkling of an eye.”’

Paul very quickly and succinctly gives a kind of an order or as one scholar wrote, a program of the change that was coming in verse 52.

A. The order or program of that change.

I am cautious about end times teaching. For some people - it’s all they talk and think about. For others, it’s mysterious and if they’re quite honest, a little scary. I’m not one of those guys with charts and timelines. I’m not going to be that guy. I don’t know that any of us are supposed to be that guy. But here we are for sure dealing with what happens at the end, when Jesus returns. That’s the most important part right, of all of the things you might think about what will happen at the end, there is the most important part where you believe Jesus is coming back. That’s not to say that any of it is unimportant. What I intend here is that you understand that we should stand on the things that are essentials. Jesus’s return is essential. The timing and way that ends up looking pre, post, a, etc are areas where we may have some differences in our understanding.

There are plenty of other passages that connect with this and we will look at some of them. Paul says that the commencement of the bringing together of the people of God will be the sounding of the last trumpet.

A trumpet blast can signify the arrival in a battle. The word used for victory in later verses could refer to victory in a contest or a war. Later we are going to speak of victory over death. Putting that together this blast of trumpet could be the announcement of the Lord’s arriving in battle. It’s not a long battle. In the twinkling of an eye the dead in Christ will rise and we will be changed… Simply marvelous.

1 Thessalonians 4:15–16 ESV

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

When this happens we get to experience when death dies.

The death of death.

II. The Death of Death

According to Warren Wiersbe, Sigmund Freud wrote, “

“And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be.”

Old Siggy didn’t know Jesus. He didn’t understand that there was a remedy made for death long ago.

Wiersbe goes on to say, “ Christians have victory in death and over death! Why? Because of the victory of Jesus Christ in His own resurrection. "

Jesus promised his followers they too would live in John 14:19.

John 14:19 ESV

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Back in our passage in I Corinthians 15, verses 54 and 55 echo:

Isaiah 25:8 ESV

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.

Hosea 13:14 ESV

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.

Romans 5:17 ESV

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:4 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We can worship the King of Glory as the one who defeated both sin and death!

A. The power of sin is the law

When we read or hear that the sting of death is sin, that uncovers the connection between sin and death. This connection takes us all the way back to the garden of Eden. Sin brings death. It separates people from God. The sting in death is that it separates people from God permanently if the person who has died does not have new life in Christ.

Paul continues, saying that the power of sin is the law. This is a very compressed section for Paul to speak about the law. He addresses it in a shorter way than he does elsewhere in scripture. In the Jewish tradition there is a saying, “the more study of the Law the more life.” They considered the law to be the way the evil in the world would be lessened. Basically, that it was needed to restrain human sin. Thomas Schreiner writes that, “Paul does not disagree that the law may restrain sin if it is accompanied by disciplinary punishment (1 Tim. 1:8–10). Astonishingly, however, he also teaches that the law becomes the bridge of operations for sin in the lives of unbelievers (Rom. 7:5, 7–25). The law does not restrain sin in the human heart but inflames it so that transgression multiplies (Rom. 5:20). The law does not give life but kills (2 Cor. 3:6), brings death (2 Cor. 3:7) and condemns (2 Cor. 3:9). Sin draws the law into its orbit, into its sphere of influence, so that the law becomes an ally of death rather than of life.”

The law is actually not a significant figure in the discussion here but Paul certainly wrote more about it in the book of Romans.

Christ gives victory over death but also victory over sin - which leads to death!

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can live in His victory over sin and death. And this is nothing you did. It’s not a human accomplishment. You didn’t win a victory. Jesus won the victory and you live in Him, in His victory. He paid a price you could not have paid. You couldn’t pay for your salvation so He did it on your behalf.

Now, what does Paul think our response to this should be?

III. Standing and living in victory in Christ Jesus.

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.

1. Paul calls for reflection. (Therefore)

Because of what he just wrote… because of the victory of Jesus over death and sin, because we will be raised if dead in Christ or changed if still alive...

2. Paul calls for reaction

Steadfast - pertaining to being firmly or solidly in place, firm, unwavering, fixed

immovable - not to be moved from place to place, unmoved, firm, stable, immutable -unchanging over time, unable to be changed

abounding (in the work of the Lord) - To be over and above, will go beyond, outflank, provide in abundance, to exist in large quantity, to be left over

The work of the Lord - refers to the task of proclaiming the gospel message and obeying Jesus.

3. Paul calls for reliance. (in the Lord)

We are not called to do what we want but what Christ wants. What the Lord wants. We can only do this in the Lord, He working in and through us.

Are we unwavering in our faith in what is to come? In our hope? In our activity in the Lord? Do you believe He is able to sustain you? Are you willing to obey His calling on you as a Christian and show in your life that you believe this? Faith isn’t an intellectual assent alone, it is worked out in our daily lives. Your actions will follow your faith.