The Hope of the Resurrection
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Introduction
Introduction
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Pray - Be Seated
Body
Body
Talk about Josh’s funeral this last Tuesday and how it impacted me (again)
Transition to the fact that this temporal life is transitory. Ephemeral. It’s a proving ground for eternity, and that eternity is our goal. Our hope. Our reward.
Death is unnatural. It was never suppose to be present in God’s perfect creation.
When God created Adam and Eve He gave them physical bodies as well as a spiritual nature before they fell into sin. They were both perfect.
And so, when God ultimately saves us and brings us to heaven, He will save both the body and the spirit.
The spirit when we receive the Holy Ghost.
The body when we are resurrected or raptured.
Paul’s Apologetic
Paul’s Apologetic
Paul begins his discourse on the doctrine of the resurrection to the church at Corinth by offering a powerful apologetic, demonstrating to them that this doctrine is vital to our salvation.
The Corinthians denied the resurrection because their philosophy taught that only the spirit was good. The physical was evil (Gnosticism). Therefore, they did not want a body in eternity.
Gnosticism comes from the Greek work Gnosis, or “personal spiritual knowledge” which they value more than revealed truth in scripture.
Doctrines: View material existence as flawed or evil. Presents a distinction between a supreme, hidden God and a malevolent lesser divinity (sometimes associated with the Yahweh of the Old Testament) who is responsible for creating the material universe. They consider the principal element of salvation to be direct knowledge of the supreme divinity in the form of mystical knowledge.
What Paul taught
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Paul is asking them simply “If the primary tenet of the Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how can you believe as born again believers there is no resurrection of the dead?”
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
Paul says “However if what you’re saying is true, that there is no resurrection of the dead, then Jesus was not raised from the dead either.”
Christ could not possibly be the Messiah because He’s still dead.
If this were true, He would have no power over death (still dead!), and therefore, no power over sin either.
Death is a result of sin.
If you can’t take care of the symptom, you can’t take care of the cause.
If He has no power over sin, then we’re still in our sins.
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Preaching the Gospel becomes utterly useless
A dead savior cannot fulfill the promises given to us in the Gospel.
A dead savior has not, indeed cannot overcome death, and so cannot help us overcome death either.
Our faith in Christ would be misplaced
We may as well put our faith in anyone else, or ourselves, or the flying spaghetti monster. It would all be the same.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
The “eyewitnesses” testifying that Jesus did indeed raise Himself from the dead would be liars.
If they’re wrong, or lying, about this, what else are they wrong, or lying, about?
The prophesies concerning Messiah being raised from the dead would be wrong also.
Jesus could not possibly be our Savior.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Paul indicates that if all this were true, we’re yet dead in our sins.
All who died believing they were saved through Jesus Christ are lost.
Those still alive have no hope in salvation.
Our New Body
Our New Body
Having demonstrated the necessity of the resurrection, Paul goes on to teach the Corinthians what the resurrection will be for us by using three illustration.
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.
The seed and the plant
The seed must first die to grow into a plant.
The seed determines the plant.
Our earthly body is the seed.
As the plant is more than the seed, our resurrected body is greater than this earthly 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.
Flesh and animals
There is a difference in the flesh of men, animals, birds, and fish.
God created everything to fit into its environment.
Our resurrected body fits us for our eternal state.
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.
The sun, moon, and stars all have a celestial glory
They are all different. Every star is different from every other star.
In our glorified bodies, we retain our individuality.
Paul then goes on to use five contrasts to explain the difference between our earthly bodies and our resurrected bodies.
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.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Perishable and imperishable
Dishonorable and honorable
Weakness and power
Natural and spiritual
Adam and Jesus
The natural comes before the spiritual.
In Adam, we have our earthly characteristics
In Christ, we have our heavenly characteristics
Paul concludes by stating why this should cause us to hope.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
When Christ returns, the Christian will be resurrected and changed
This results in a complete victory over death
Because of this hope, we should give thanks and stand firm no matter what happens.
Conclusion
Conclusion