REVIEW: In the previous section, Paul answered the question, “What will the resurrection body be like?” By analogy, our current body dies and is sown like a seed in the ground, and God raises up the body just as He wishes.
• Our earthly bodies are perishable, sown in dishonor, weak, natural, mortal. These bodies are like Adams, made for life on this earth. But, because we all sin, like Adam, we all died.
• The resurrection body that is raised will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual (meaning spirit-dominated, and likely with supernatural abilities). It will be immortal (meaning undieable).
• Jesus was the first to rise from the dead in a resurrected body like this, guaranteeing a great harvest of resurrections to follow.
All who believe in Him will be raised like Him (who is the last Adam).
Matthew Henry, “The human body in its present form, and with its wants and weaknesses, cannot enter or enjoy the kingdom of God.”
• The kingdom of God will be glorious, and we cannot enter it or enjoy it without glorified bodies.
1. When will our resurrection take place?
I Corinthians 15:51 (NASB), “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, 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 imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
• The mystery is this... some Christians will be alive when Christ returns. (v51, “we will not all sleep”) means some believers will be alive. In that case, living Christians will NOT be resurrected from the dead, but will be transformed instantaneously into their resurrected bodies. The dead will rise first, but both the dead and the living will be changed into their immortal bodies.
• I Thess. 4:16 teaches the same truth, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”
• When Christ returns in His resurrected body, He will transform all believers into their resurrected bodies, so we can always be with the Lord.
2. How does the resurrection help us face death?
I Corinthians 15:54 (NASB), “But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, 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.”
• When we hear the last trumpet and rise up in resurrected bodies, there will be a victory chant!
• Quoting Isaiah, he says, “God will swallow up death for all time.”
• Quoting Hosea, he says, Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?
• On the day of resurrection, the terror of death will turn into a taunt of death.
• D.L. Moody, “Yes, thank God, he has conquered Death and the grave; and you can shout now, “O grave, where is thy victory!” He went down into the grave and conquered it, and came up out of it; and now he says, “Because I live, ye shall live also.”
• Hebrews 2:14-15 says Jesus went through death to destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
• The resurrection breaks the fear of death.
3. How does the resurrection affect us morally?
I Corinthians 15:32 (NASB), “If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ 34 Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”
• People who really know God and believe in a future resurrection live morally, not shamefully.
• If God cares to raise our bodies in honor, we should care to live in our bodies with honor.
• Who is this bad company? These are the fools (some were in the church) who were saying there is no resurrection.
• If someone is foolish enough to believe there is no life after death, they probably don’t believe in life before death either.
• Stay away from company like that.
• 1 John 3:2, “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
• The resurrection encourages us to be even more like Christ.
4. How does the resurrection impact daily life?
I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB), “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
• Be firm. Do not be moved.
• In other words, don’t let anyone change your minds or confuse you on this most important doctrine – the resurrection.
• Stand immovable in the truth of the bodily resurrection.
• But, don’t just stand there, excel in your work for Christ, knowing that nothing we do is in vain.
• The Message says, “Stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.”
• D. L. Moody, the great evangelist, said “...if we will just preach more about the resurrected Savior, and if we live more about him and try and realize the power that we get in him and through him, we will accomplish more in... the rest of our lives.”
• Death will beat us and bruise us. It will try to disillusion us and disengage us from everyday life.
• But, the resurrection properly understood, should produce a new dedication to serving the Lord.
CONCLUSION
“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
