WEBVTT 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:04.839 For your information, the concert tonight by 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.080 the Owens is on a freewill offering basis, so 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:11.939 keep that in mind as you come. 1 Corinthians 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:14.779 chapter 15, please, in your copy of the Word 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:25.239 of God. Inevitably, when we talk about the resurrection, 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:30.629 all of us have questions. The Bible doesn't tell 00:00:30.629 --> 00:00:35.429 us everything we would like to know, but it does 00:00:35.429 --> 00:00:39.549 tell us a lot. All we have to do is to read it 00:00:39.549 --> 00:00:43.390 and to study it. Today we're going to begin with 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:46.549 verse 35 as we talk about the nature of the resurrection 00:00:46.549 --> 00:00:51.509 body itself. There were some who did not believe 00:00:51.509 --> 00:00:54.409 that there was to be a bodily resurrection, namely 00:00:54.409 --> 00:00:57.990 the pagan Greeks. They felt that the best that 00:00:57.990 --> 00:00:59.969 one could hope for would be to die and to be 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:02.049 released from the body, to be done with it forever. 00:01:03.689 --> 00:01:08.670 The Jewish tradition in this day of Paul claimed 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:13.409 that bodies would be raised, but with the same 00:01:13.409 --> 00:01:16.349 infirmities with which they died. In other words, 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:19.030 if you died lame, you would be resurrected lame. 00:01:19.150 --> 00:01:21.170 If you died blind, you'd be resurrected blind. 00:01:21.750 --> 00:01:24.939 And that wasn't a very glorious hope. So the 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:28.780 apostle clarifies in the word, as he writes, 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:33.420 what our resurrection bodies will be like. But 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:36.659 someone may ask, how are the dead raised? With 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:40.400 what kind of body will they come? How foolish. 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:44.620 What you sow does not come to life unless it 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:48.799 dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.939 that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:57.959 or... of something else. But God gives it a body 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.959 as He has determined, and to each kind of seed 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:05.519 He gives its own body. All flesh is not the same. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:10.400 Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:15.180 birds another, and fish another. There are also 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:17.979 heavenly bodies, and there are earthly bodies. 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:21.680 But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:24.530 kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies 00:02:24.530 --> 00:02:29.389 is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, 00:02:29.389 --> 00:02:33.949 the moon another, and the stars another. And 00:02:33.949 --> 00:02:38.650 star differs from star in splendor. So will it 00:02:38.650 --> 00:02:41.689 be with the resurrection of the dead. The body 00:02:41.689 --> 00:02:46.550 that is sown is perishable. It is raised imperishable. 00:02:46.949 --> 00:02:50.870 It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:55.379 It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. 00:02:56.099 --> 00:03:00.800 It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:06.020 body. If there is a natural body, there is also 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:09.599 a spiritual body. So it is written, the first 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:14.740 man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam, 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:19.669 a life -giving spirit. The spiritual did not 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:23.069 come first, but the natural, and after that the 00:03:23.069 --> 00:03:27.289 spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the 00:03:27.289 --> 00:03:31.469 earth, the second man from heaven. As was the 00:03:31.469 --> 00:03:35.189 earthly man, so are those who are of the earth. 00:03:35.610 --> 00:03:39.389 And as is the man from heaven, so also are those 00:03:39.389 --> 00:03:43.550 who are of heaven. And just as we have borne 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:47.590 the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we 00:03:47.590 --> 00:03:51.770 bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:54.669 to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot 00:03:54.669 --> 00:03:58.229 inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable 00:03:58.229 --> 00:04:04.030 inherit the imperishable. There's nothing wrong 00:04:04.030 --> 00:04:06.650 with asking questions, but apparently the questions 00:04:06.650 --> 00:04:10.009 that Paul refers to in verse 35, around which 00:04:10.009 --> 00:04:12.909 he develops his subject, were questions that 00:04:12.909 --> 00:04:17.009 were asked by skeptics who were influenced by 00:04:17.009 --> 00:04:23.550 the Greek philosophers of that day. In answering 00:04:23.550 --> 00:04:26.449 the questions, Paul says to them, how foolish 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:28.910 to even question whether God can raise the dead. 00:04:29.709 --> 00:04:32.709 He is the God who causes the miracle of germination 00:04:32.709 --> 00:04:36.649 to take place in a seed. He is the God who gives 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:41.889 variety of kinds of flesh to animals. He is the 00:04:41.889 --> 00:04:44.610 God who has flung the universe into its place 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:48.470 and set the earth in its orbit. How foolish to 00:04:48.470 --> 00:04:50.550 ask whether that God can bring about the resurrection. 00:04:52.230 --> 00:04:54.689 And then as to the kind of body they will have, 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:58.250 he says, let me answer that by approaching it 00:04:58.250 --> 00:05:00.129 from three different ways. First, let's talk 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:03.990 about an analogy. And then let's consider an 00:05:03.990 --> 00:05:07.870 antithesis. And finally, he says, I have an announcement 00:05:07.870 --> 00:05:10.779 to make to you. Now let's look at those three 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:13.759 points as we discuss together the nature of the 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:19.319 resurrection body. In verses 36 to 41, the apostle 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:23.500 actually gives three analogies from nature. These 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:28.199 are similarities. Webster defines an analogy 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:32.360 as a resemblance in some particulars between 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:36.189 things otherwise unlike. In other words, there 00:05:36.189 --> 00:05:38.430 are some similarities here that he wants us to 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:41.310 get a hold of. You can't drive an analogy to 00:05:41.310 --> 00:05:43.910 an extreme, but there are some general similarities 00:05:43.910 --> 00:05:47.610 that will help us to understand the nature of 00:05:47.610 --> 00:05:51.529 the resurrection body. The first analogy is from 00:05:51.529 --> 00:05:54.649 agriculture. You don't have to be a farmer to 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:58.370 understand this, but it sure does help. He talks 00:05:58.370 --> 00:06:00.250 about the seed, and he says that there are different 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:05.740 kinds of seed. Each kind of seed has its own 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:10.339 body. When you pick up a kernel of corn, you 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:12.300 know that that's what it is. That's what it looks 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:15.860 like. It has that kind of a body to it. You pick 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:19.240 up some wheat, and you know that that's a kernel 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:23.980 of wheat or oats or any of the grains. It has 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:28.639 its own body. That body is placed into the ground. 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:36.139 It decays. Somehow in that whole process, the 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:40.560 miracle of germination takes place so that there 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.600 is new life that comes out of the decaying seed. 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:49.240 Now that which comes up out of the ground is 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:51.199 different than that which is planted, and yet 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:54.420 it's the same. You don't plant a kernel of corn 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:59.220 and then see a wheat stalk begin to grow. You 00:06:59.220 --> 00:07:03.680 see corn grow. So there is sameness. And yet 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.360 as it comes out of the ground, you don't see 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:09.899 that same kernel of corn. It's different too. 00:07:10.819 --> 00:07:12.620 And so Paul is saying that there's something 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:15.259 like the resurrection body. It will be a changed 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:19.860 body. It will not be the same identical body, 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:23.420 but it will be identifiable. Now it's important 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:25.899 to get those two words in your mind. Not identical, 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:31.379 but identifiable. It may not resemble the one 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:35.259 that we have now. But it will be a continuation 00:07:35.259 --> 00:07:39.980 of our life, and that will be clear. It will 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:43.639 surely be a new and more wonderful body. The 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:47.600 seed has to die and go through a change in order 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:52.199 for its life potential to be realized. And so 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.600 the analogy says here that there is a change 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:57.860 that is necessary in our bodies if we are to 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:02.579 achieve the full and predetermined destiny. that 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:06.300 we have as children of God. So the resurrection 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:11.379 body will be a changed body. When people look 00:08:11.379 --> 00:08:14.120 at you, they will know it's you, but it won't 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:18.540 be exactly the same body. Identity will be carried 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:21.680 across, but it will not be the identical body 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.579 that you have at this moment. Take the analogy 00:08:25.579 --> 00:08:28.300 of a seed to illustrate that and hopefully clarify 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:32.080 it in your mind. And then he draws an analogy 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:34.620 from the animal world in verse 39. All flesh 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:38.139 is not the same. Men have one kind, animals another, 00:08:38.299 --> 00:08:41.879 and birds and fish. You go into a restaurant 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:44.539 and you order roast beef, and they bring you 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:47.919 fish to the table. How do you know that? It's 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:52.860 a different kind of flesh. When you fry chicken, 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:56.440 you enjoy the taste and the texture of chicken. 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:01.299 The flesh is different. God has created a diversity 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:05.019 of bodies within the natural realm. Someone has 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.039 said a particular kind of body for each variety 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:13.059 of being. Fish are created to enjoy their environment, 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:14.720 but you bring them up and put them in the hen 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:16.700 house, and they're not going to last very long. 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:20.220 You take your puppy dog that runs around the 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:22.820 farm, or in your yard rather, and you put him 00:09:22.820 --> 00:09:24.440 out on the river and hold him under a while to 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:27.519 enjoy the environment of the fish, he won't be 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.220 around to play in your yard anymore. because 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:33.919 God has created different kinds of bodies to 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:37.299 inhabit different varieties of environments, 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:40.820 rather. You know a dog when you see one because 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:43.620 of its body. You know a fish when you see one 00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:47.559 because of the way that it looks. So, in the 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:50.860 resurrection, God will give each of us a particular 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.659 kind of body that will be suited to our needs 00:09:53.659 --> 00:09:58.110 in that realm, the spiritual realm. And so, from 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:00.190 the animal world, we learn that our resurrection 00:10:00.190 --> 00:10:05.070 body will be a suitable body. From agriculture, 00:10:05.350 --> 00:10:08.049 we learn it will be a changed body. From the 00:10:08.049 --> 00:10:10.929 animal world, we learn that it will be a suitable 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:15.370 body. The body that we have now is of the earth. 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:20.690 It is very suitable, most of the time, to relate 00:10:20.690 --> 00:10:23.279 to this environment. When you have some of this 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:24.980 Minnesota weather like we've been having, you 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:27.840 wonder just how suitable your body is for this. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:30.399 I mean, is this meant for human habitation up 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.600 here? Oh, obviously it is. And by the way, I 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.600 enjoy it very much. Please don't take that as 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:42.539 an affront. But our bodies are made for relating 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:46.059 to this environment. We taste, we see, we touch, 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:49.799 and so on. Likewise, the resurrection body will 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:54.730 be suitable for the spiritual realm. Obviously 00:10:54.730 --> 00:10:57.789 it can relate to the physical realm. Jesus' body 00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:00.190 related to the physical realm. He entered a room. 00:11:00.289 --> 00:11:02.990 He stood there. They touched him. He ate with 00:11:02.990 --> 00:11:06.850 them. But his body was suitable for more than 00:11:06.850 --> 00:11:08.809 just the physical realm. It was suited for the 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:12.049 spiritual realm and dimension. And ours will 00:11:12.049 --> 00:11:16.470 be too. And then we take a lesson in astronomy 00:11:16.470 --> 00:11:21.879 in verses 40 and 41. He says there are heavenly 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.019 bodies and there are earthly bodies. The splendor 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:26.139 of the heavenly is one kind and the earthly is 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:30.299 another. And the sun has one kind of splendor, 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:32.700 the moon another, the stars another, and star 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:37.220 differs from star in splendor. Well, they didn't 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:39.279 have great telescopes in that day, but what he 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:43.899 says here is absolutely true. Stars are identifiable 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.419 because of their glory. They differ in hue and 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:50.659 in brightness as well as in location. God has 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:54.259 made the heavenly bodies to be distinguishable. 00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:58.480 Someone has said God can take similar physical 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:01.279 material and organize it differently to accomplish 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:05.639 His purposes. Our probes of Mars, for example, 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:07.740 have discovered that really Mars is made up of 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:11.679 basically the same elements as Earth. A different 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:13.860 mixture of those elements, a different atmosphere, 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:16.820 and so on, but basically the same substance. 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.139 And yet there is no life there, there is life 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:24.220 here. God can take the same things and make them 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:28.700 different. And so we would learn by the analogy 00:12:28.700 --> 00:12:33.159 that our resurrection bodies will be distinguishable. 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:37.559 They will all be the same in the sense that we 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:43.059 will all be like Jesus Christ, but they will 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:46.399 be distinguishable. One person's body will be 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:51.799 different from another. its glory. Someone has 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:54.240 suggested that perhaps what Paul is saying here 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:59.240 is that our bodies will reflect to a degree our 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:05.500 rewards, the position that we have earned because 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:08.799 of our faithfulness to Christ here in His future 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:13.639 kingdom. At least Paul is suggesting that there 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:16.980 is a... distinguishableness, if I may coin that 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:21.679 term, between our resurrection bodies. Just as 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.879 the stars differ in their hues and in their brightnesses, 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:28.539 so our bodies will be distinguishable. They will 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:31.899 be different. So what do we learn from the analogies? 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:35.480 Well, that there is continuity and identity, 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:39.700 and yet there is diversity. We learn that we 00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:43.159 will have a changed body. that it will be suitable 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:46.600 for its purpose and will have a glory about it 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:49.600 that will distinguish it from others. And yet 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:51.620 it will be true that all of us will be like Jesus 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:57.320 Christ. And then the apostle proceeds to an antithesis. 00:13:57.860 --> 00:14:03.779 An antithesis is a contrast of ideas accomplished 00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:08.440 by using parallel arrangement of words or clauses. 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.639 Paul has two antitheses here, really. He draws 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:17.960 a contrast between our present body and the resurrection 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:23.559 body. And then he draws a contrast between Adam, 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:28.320 the first man, and the last Adam, Jesus Christ. 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.980 Let's look at these two antitheses, if I can 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:37.019 say them. The first one, the contrast between 00:14:37.019 --> 00:14:40.919 our now body and the body that we will have then. 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:44.340 In verse 42, we have the first one. The body 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:49.240 that is sown is perishable. Now, in using this 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:53.039 figure of speech, the body that is sown, he's 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:56.980 going back to his agricultural idea, and he's 00:14:56.980 --> 00:14:59.720 suggesting that laying the body into the ground, 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:03.360 into the grave, is like sowing it. So he's talking 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.419 about the now body. It says it is perishable, 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:12.960 but it's raised. imperishable. It's sown in dishonor. 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:18.559 It's raised in glory. It's sown in weakness. 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:23.580 But it's raised in power. It's sown a natural 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:26.820 body, but it's raised a spiritual body. And so 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:29.779 there are four contrasts between the body we 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:33.399 have now and the body we will have in the resurrection. 00:15:35.309 --> 00:15:38.350 The body we have now is perishable or corruptible. 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:43.110 That is, it is subject to disease, to decay, 00:15:43.549 --> 00:15:51.049 to age. The bodies we have now degenerate. How 00:15:51.049 --> 00:15:55.690 well we all learned that. But the body we will 00:15:55.690 --> 00:15:58.330 have in the resurrection will be incapable of 00:15:58.330 --> 00:16:01.990 degeneration. It will be an imperishable body, 00:16:02.129 --> 00:16:06.470 forever free from disease, deterioration, and 00:16:06.470 --> 00:16:11.190 death. In 2 Timothy 1 .10, the apostle says Christ 00:16:11.190 --> 00:16:15.870 Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:19.610 immortality to light through the gospel. Through 00:16:19.610 --> 00:16:22.110 the centuries, men have looked for some means 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:27.929 of immortality, whether it be a potion or a fountain 00:16:27.929 --> 00:16:35.129 of youth or a pill. have sought for a means to 00:16:35.129 --> 00:16:39.730 be imperishable. It's impossible in these bodies 00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:44.250 because of the curse of sin. But the resurrection 00:16:44.250 --> 00:16:49.990 body will be just that, incorruptible and imperishable. 00:16:50.570 --> 00:16:53.730 And then he says our present body is one known 00:16:53.730 --> 00:16:57.909 by dishonor. That doesn't mean that our bodies 00:16:57.909 --> 00:17:01.159 are something to be ashamed of. The thought is 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:04.039 that our present bodies are bodies of humiliation. 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:07.779 There is nothing that can reverse the process 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:13.140 of decay that leads to humiliation. The most 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:15.799 beautiful body in the world will someday become 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:21.339 a corpse, emaciated, and then will return to 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:26.819 dust. It is the pride of youth to glory in the 00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:30.710 physical appearance. But it does not take too 00:17:30.710 --> 00:17:34.009 long to realize that physical appearance passes 00:17:34.009 --> 00:17:38.390 away. Woe to the marriage that is based upon 00:17:38.390 --> 00:17:44.230 physical appearance. That passes. Marriage is 00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:47.190 based upon love, hopefully, which goes far, far 00:17:47.190 --> 00:17:54.049 deeper. The body that we will have in the resurrection, 00:17:54.329 --> 00:17:56.890 however, is not known as one for dishonor. It 00:17:56.890 --> 00:17:59.690 is known, in fact, for its glory. Do you notice 00:17:59.690 --> 00:18:04.210 that word? Jesus Christ appeared in His glory 00:18:04.210 --> 00:18:08.009 in the transfiguration. But when I think of glory 00:18:08.009 --> 00:18:10.829 here, I think of Christ as He appeared to John 00:18:10.829 --> 00:18:14.789 on the Isle of Patmos, when He appeared in His 00:18:14.789 --> 00:18:17.690 glory and is described for us. And by the way, 00:18:17.690 --> 00:18:19.869 that's the only physical description we have 00:18:19.869 --> 00:18:23.849 of Jesus Christ in all of the Bible. He is seen 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:28.440 there in His brilliance. He is dazzling. in his 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:31.519 attractiveness. And the Bible says that someday 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:35.200 we shall be like him, for we shall see him as 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:39.599 he is. That's why the apostle says in Philippians 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:45.420 chapter 3, verse 20 and 21, our citizenship is 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:48.220 in heaven from where also we look for the Savior, 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:55.259 who will change our lowly bodies. to be fashioned 00:18:55.259 --> 00:19:00.099 like his body of glory, by which he is able also 00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:04.259 to subdue all things to himself. If he can subdue 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:07.940 the Antichrist, if he can subdue Satan himself 00:19:07.940 --> 00:19:10.319 and throw him into the lake of fire, as he will 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:14.579 do, if he can raise himself from the dead as 00:19:14.579 --> 00:19:17.920 he did, then he can also change your body and 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:22.690 mine to be like his, a body of glory. And then 00:19:22.690 --> 00:19:25.190 he says that our body now is a body of weakness. 00:19:25.930 --> 00:19:30.549 It is a body that is limited. Some of you have 00:19:30.549 --> 00:19:33.009 sore backs and muscles today because you've learned 00:19:33.009 --> 00:19:35.890 there's limitation to how much snow you can shovel. 00:19:37.410 --> 00:19:40.369 Some of you have sore hands because you've pushed 00:19:40.369 --> 00:19:45.910 your snowblowers. Our bodies are bodies of limitations 00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:49.529 and weaknesses. In fact, when we compare our 00:19:49.529 --> 00:19:52.430 bodies even to the animal world, we see that 00:19:52.430 --> 00:19:55.210 our bodies really are very weak. For example, 00:19:55.210 --> 00:20:02.250 an ant, not an aunt, an ant can carry more weight 00:20:02.250 --> 00:20:08.190 proportionally than you can. A grasshopper can 00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:11.829 jump further in proportion to his length than 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:16.049 you can jump. If you could jump as far as a grasshopper 00:20:16.049 --> 00:20:18.349 does proportionally, you would jump 120 feet. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:26.099 A bird can see better than you can see. A dog 00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:29.380 can hear better than you can hear. Our bodies 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:32.779 now are bodies of weakness, but not our resurrection 00:20:32.779 --> 00:20:36.400 body. It will be a body of power, of unlimited 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:41.920 strength. There won't be fatigue. There won't 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:44.500 be a necessity for sleep in the resurrection. 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:48.480 We won't have sore muscles then. We probably 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.329 won't have snow to shovel either. Our bodies 00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:55.369 in the resurrection will be equal to our intelligence. 00:20:56.250 --> 00:21:00.809 The bodies we have now are not. Our bodies then 00:21:00.809 --> 00:21:07.690 will be suitable for a child of God. Not so with 00:21:07.690 --> 00:21:12.130 our present bodies. Christ appeared and disappeared 00:21:12.130 --> 00:21:14.569 at will, and apparently we will have a similar 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:17.869 capacity. He was able to enter a room with all 00:21:17.869 --> 00:21:23.000 the doors being shut. He could transport himself 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:26.819 from one dimension to another whenever he desired. 00:21:27.619 --> 00:21:30.160 And apparently that is the kind of body we will 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.940 have, a body with that kind of power. Looking 00:21:33.940 --> 00:21:37.559 forward to that? And then our bodies now are 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.380 called natural bodies. That is, they relate to 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:42.640 the natural sphere. But our bodies then will 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:46.019 be spiritual bodies. Someone has said that means 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:49.220 they will be suitable, a suitable medium for 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:53.140 expressing our finest aspirations and spiritual 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:56.680 qualities. When we talk about a spiritual body, 00:21:56.779 --> 00:22:00.000 we must not make the mistake of thinking that 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.900 it's like a ghost. That's not the meaning at 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:08.180 all. A spiritual body is a tangible body. They 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:10.960 touch the Lord Jesus Christ. He ate with them. 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:14.900 It is a body that is visible, but it can become 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:19.450 invisible. It is not subject to the laws of nature 00:22:19.450 --> 00:22:22.049 and of physics as we are given now to understand 00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:25.950 them. The body then will be a body subject only 00:22:25.950 --> 00:22:31.210 to the laws of the Spirit. W. Harold Mayer, in 00:22:31.210 --> 00:22:35.569 his commentary on 1 Corinthians, states, The 00:22:35.569 --> 00:22:38.829 spiritual body is an imperishable yet utterly 00:22:38.829 --> 00:22:44.509 real body, one of a different order. and having 00:22:44.509 --> 00:22:48.069 different functions from the earthly body. It 00:22:48.069 --> 00:22:51.769 is a body given by God himself, a body glorified 00:22:51.769 --> 00:22:56.089 with eternal life. I don't know about you, but 00:22:56.089 --> 00:22:58.230 that's going to be a great day to get inside 00:22:58.230 --> 00:23:04.609 that body. Sometimes we have a hard time admitting 00:23:04.609 --> 00:23:10.730 our weaknesses in our own bodies presently. I 00:23:10.730 --> 00:23:14.910 think that Solomon... in almost a humorous way, 00:23:15.049 --> 00:23:17.670 points this out in Ecclesiastes. Turn back there 00:23:17.670 --> 00:23:24.289 with me a second. I suppose that most of us have 00:23:24.289 --> 00:23:27.410 read and maybe even have quoted Ecclesiastes 00:23:27.410 --> 00:23:32.849 12 .1, at least the first part of the verse, 00:23:32.950 --> 00:23:35.269 where it says, Remember your Creator in the days 00:23:35.269 --> 00:23:39.970 of your youth. Right? We've all heard sermons 00:23:39.970 --> 00:23:44.019 on that at youth rallies. But often the rest 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:46.099 of the verse and the following verses are not 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:49.240 read. Let's look at those. He says, Remember 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:53.000 your Creator in the days of your youth, before 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.880 the days of trouble come, and the years approach 00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:00.700 when you will say, I find no pleasure in them. 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:03.940 It's hard for a young person to realize that 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:06.940 there could ever come a time when a person would 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:11.359 say, I would rather die than live. I'm ready 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:15.819 to go home to be with the Lord. And yet, any 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:18.559 of us who've ministered to older people at all 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:21.619 have heard that statement not once, but many 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:27.259 times. One's perspective on life in this world 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:32.500 changes as one grows older. It goes on to say, 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.960 before the sun and the light and the moon and 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:39.529 the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after 00:24:39.529 --> 00:24:43.890 the rain. When the keepers of the house tremble, 00:24:44.009 --> 00:24:47.809 what's he poetically talking about? The hands, 00:24:48.009 --> 00:24:53.170 when they shake because of frailty. And the strong 00:24:53.170 --> 00:24:58.190 men stoop, maybe referring to the shoulders or 00:24:58.190 --> 00:25:02.890 to the legs. When the grinders cease because 00:25:02.890 --> 00:25:05.890 they are few, what do you think those grinders 00:25:05.890 --> 00:25:12.819 are? I heard a dentist say one time, be true 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.839 to your teeth and they'll never be false to you. 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:19.799 Well, that's what it's talking about here. When 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:25.480 those grinders begin to leave us, there are few. 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:30.119 And those looking through the windows grow dim. 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:36.900 The eyes. When the doors to the street are closed 00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:41.029 and the sound of grinding fades. The loss of 00:25:41.029 --> 00:25:46.130 hearing. When men rise up at the sound of birds, 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:50.210 but all their songs grow faint. Getting up early 00:25:50.210 --> 00:25:54.009 in the morning may be pictured here. Many older 00:25:54.009 --> 00:25:56.170 people have a hard time sleeping through a full 00:25:56.170 --> 00:25:59.769 night. Others think that perhaps he's talking 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:03.250 about the frail, high -pitched voice of the elderly, 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:07.569 like a sound of birds. When men are afraid of 00:26:07.569 --> 00:26:11.700 heights, And of dangers in the streets. Doesn't 00:26:11.700 --> 00:26:14.480 that describe an older person? Afraid of falling? 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:18.940 Afraid of what may happen if they go out in the 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:21.500 streets? I have a grandmother that gets a Social 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:26.079 Security check one day a month. She will not 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:28.200 go out the other 30 days of the month for fear 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:30.079 that she will miss the day when it does come. 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:34.180 That sounds familiar to some of you, doesn't 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:39.920 it? Afraid of dangers in the street. When the 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:44.619 almond tree blossoms, the almond tree has a beautiful 00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:49.700 white blossom, speaking of the hair. And the 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:52.960 grasshopper drags himself along. You ever seen 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:57.720 a grasshopper drag himself along? And desire 00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:01.819 no longer is stirred. The vitality of life is 00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:08.450 ebbing. Then man goes to his eternal home. And 00:27:08.450 --> 00:27:12.250 mourners go about in the streets. Isn't that 00:27:12.250 --> 00:27:16.690 quite a picture? Illustrating to us the degeneration 00:27:16.690 --> 00:27:19.349 and the decay of the human body in which we live. 00:27:21.109 --> 00:27:24.150 Yet how many people have you heard who are older 00:27:24.150 --> 00:27:27.869 say, I am old in my body, but I am young in my 00:27:27.869 --> 00:27:32.369 mind. Now sometimes the mind begins to be affected 00:27:32.369 --> 00:27:35.670 too, but there are many people who feel captives. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:38.099 like they are captives within a body that they 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:44.559 cannot any longer control. Frankly, I'm glad, 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:49.619 since that is the destiny of our physical bodies, 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:52.240 that we don't have to spend eternity in these 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:57.160 bodies. That would be a curse, not a blessing. 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:01.700 By the time a person is 100 years old, the body, 00:28:01.740 --> 00:28:04.380 very often, is nearly incapable of functioning. 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:06.140 Can you imagine what it would be like 1 ,000 00:28:06.140 --> 00:28:11.359 years? Or a million years? It's impossible to 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:14.980 even think of that. God has something far more 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:17.799 wonderful for us folks than just these bodies 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:20.900 that we're in now. They are bodies of weakness, 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:25.220 of corruption, of decay. They are natural bodies. 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:28.779 But God has a body that he's going to give us 00:28:28.779 --> 00:28:31.640 that is a body of power and of incorruption, 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:34.839 a body that is fitted for eternal life, which 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:39.720 we now possess. Now going back to our text in 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:43.420 1 Corinthians, he not only contrasts the present 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:46.420 body with the future resurrection body, but he 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:49.259 contrasts the first Adam with the last Adam, 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:56.470 Jesus Christ. He says, The first man, Adam, became 00:28:56.470 --> 00:29:01.549 a living being, quoting from Genesis 2 .7. The 00:29:01.549 --> 00:29:07.490 last Adam, a life -giving spirit. He says the 00:29:07.490 --> 00:29:09.529 spiritual didn't come first, but the natural, 00:29:09.569 --> 00:29:13.410 and then came the spiritual. The first man was 00:29:13.410 --> 00:29:16.289 of the dust of the earth. The second man from 00:29:16.289 --> 00:29:21.549 heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those 00:29:21.549 --> 00:29:24.339 who are of the earth. And as is the man from 00:29:24.339 --> 00:29:26.720 heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:29.720 And just as we have borne the likeness of the 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:32.900 earthly, so shall we bear the likeness of the 00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:37.779 heavenly, the man from heaven. So he contrasts 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:41.380 the first Adam with the last Adam. By our natural 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:45.420 birth into the world, we become sons of Adam, 00:29:45.579 --> 00:29:49.519 the first Adam. We are related to him. God made 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:52.859 him a living soul by breathing his spirit into 00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:55.980 him, and that life has been passed down to us 00:29:55.980 --> 00:30:01.400 by natural generation. We bear his fallen likeness 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:06.500 in body and in soul before we're saved. We bear 00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:11.539 his earthy image. But praise be to God when we 00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:16.579 are born again by faith in Jesus Christ. we become 00:30:16.579 --> 00:30:21.599 related to the last Adam, who, it is said, is 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:27.200 a life -giving spirit. We shall bear one day 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:31.700 his full image, not only in our souls, but in 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:35.500 our bodies as well. We will be just like him. 00:30:36.779 --> 00:30:44.440 That's why John exclaims in his epistle, Beloved, 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:48.390 behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 00:30:48.390 --> 00:30:52.309 upon us, that we should be called the children 00:30:52.309 --> 00:30:56.690 of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall 00:30:56.690 --> 00:31:01.970 be, but we know that when He shall appear, we 00:31:01.970 --> 00:31:06.670 shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He 00:31:06.670 --> 00:31:14.450 is. That's our hope. That's our destiny. He concludes 00:31:14.450 --> 00:31:31.650 with an announcement in verse 50. He says, Flesh 00:31:31.650 --> 00:31:34.549 and blood can't inherit the kingdom of God, but 00:31:34.549 --> 00:31:39.269 he does not say bodies cannot. You notice that? 00:31:41.049 --> 00:31:45.130 Bodies of flesh and blood cannot, but glorified 00:31:45.130 --> 00:31:48.910 bodies will inherit the kingdom of God. It's 00:31:48.910 --> 00:31:51.450 impossible for us in the bodies that we have 00:31:51.450 --> 00:31:56.650 now to realize the fullness of our destiny, which 00:31:56.650 --> 00:31:59.549 is the kingdom of God. Now, I was talking about 00:31:59.549 --> 00:32:03.190 not just the kingdom of Christ that will last 00:32:03.190 --> 00:32:06.109 for a thousand years on the earth, but that kingdom 00:32:06.109 --> 00:32:09.829 which is His eternal kingdom. when he will reign 00:32:09.829 --> 00:32:13.630 over his new heaven and new earth and will reign 00:32:13.630 --> 00:32:17.349 from the new Jerusalem headquarters for eternity, 00:32:17.589 --> 00:32:22.109 our home. We can't go there. We can't be a part 00:32:22.109 --> 00:32:25.130 of that in these bodies of flesh and blood. There 00:32:25.130 --> 00:32:30.009 has to be a change made. And that change will 00:32:30.009 --> 00:32:35.569 be made one of two ways. It will be made either 00:32:35.569 --> 00:32:41.839 through death, and resurrection, or it will be 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:46.799 made through transformation. I'm referring in 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:50.759 that instance to those who will be alive at the 00:32:50.759 --> 00:32:55.400 rapture. Then there will be no dying. It will 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:59.000 be an instantaneous glorification of our bodies. 00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:05.920 In some way God is going to... change even the 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:09.880 very atomic structure of our bodies, and make 00:33:09.880 --> 00:33:15.339 them suitable in an instant of time to go to 00:33:15.339 --> 00:33:20.119 be with Christ and to reign with him over all 00:33:20.119 --> 00:33:25.039 the universe. God has power to do that, and God 00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:28.019 has it on his schedule. We don't know when that 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:31.720 day is. I know it's the hope of all of us who... 00:33:32.109 --> 00:33:34.930 have trusted Jesus Christ that we should be alive 00:33:34.930 --> 00:33:39.349 on that day of the rapture, as we term it, when 00:33:39.349 --> 00:33:42.490 the trumpet will sound and his voice will shout 00:33:42.490 --> 00:33:46.089 and his own will be caught up in an instant to 00:33:46.089 --> 00:33:49.509 be with him. In that instant, the dead in Christ 00:33:49.509 --> 00:33:52.869 will be raised first in their glorified bodies. 00:33:53.170 --> 00:33:56.970 And just the twinkling of an eye later, we shall 00:33:56.970 --> 00:33:59.250 be changed and we'll go up together with them. 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:02.259 to meet our Lord in the air and ever be with 00:34:02.259 --> 00:34:05.839 him. What a wonderful destiny God has planned 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:10.420 for us who are the children of God. Although 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:14.159 we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:17.659 bear the exact likeness of the man from heaven, 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:23.480 Jesus Christ. With all of my heart, I hope that 00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:27.409 is your destiny. Because you see, the unsaved 00:34:27.409 --> 00:34:30.090 person will never know what it is to see heaven. 00:34:31.809 --> 00:34:34.570 The kingdom of God will never be known by the 00:34:34.570 --> 00:34:40.429 person who rejects Jesus Christ. Jesus said, 00:34:40.550 --> 00:34:43.210 except a man be born again, he cannot see the 00:34:43.210 --> 00:34:47.530 kingdom of God. Never see it. Will never know 00:34:47.530 --> 00:34:52.190 its beauty, its glory. Will only know eternal 00:34:52.190 --> 00:34:56.380 separation from God. Do you belong to the new 00:34:56.380 --> 00:35:00.519 race? Are you a part of the new creation of Jesus 00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:05.519 Christ? His elect being prepared now to reign 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:09.800 with him? Dr. Alan Redpath said, if you would 00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:13.179 one day bear the image of the heavenly, you must 00:35:13.179 --> 00:35:19.340 possess heavenly life now. Don't treat this matter 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:21.619 of your eternal future as something you can put 00:35:21.619 --> 00:35:26.329 off thinking about. Your future life must and 00:35:26.329 --> 00:35:29.550 will be determined here and now in this world. 00:35:30.590 --> 00:35:36.130 Eternal life begins now, not someday. Jesus said, 00:35:36.210 --> 00:35:39.070 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears 00:35:39.070 --> 00:35:43.409 my word and believes on him that sent me shall 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:47.230 not come into condemnation, but has already passed 00:35:47.230 --> 00:35:52.750 from death unto life. Is that your experience? 00:35:52.809 --> 00:35:58.210 Do you have eternal life right now? If not, will 00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:00.570 you open your heart and receive him as your Lord 00:36:00.570 --> 00:36:05.449 and Savior? If you've done that, realize what 00:36:05.449 --> 00:36:10.789 a destiny is yours. And realize that in the resurrection 00:36:10.789 --> 00:36:15.429 you are going to be fitted to reign with Jesus 00:36:15.429 --> 00:36:20.929 Christ forever and forever. Live up to your calling 00:36:20.929 --> 00:36:27.210 now. Act like a saint of God now so that when 00:36:27.210 --> 00:36:30.989 he comes, we won't have to be ashamed before 00:36:30.989 --> 00:36:39.929 him at his coming. Let's pray. Father, I pray 00:36:39.929 --> 00:36:42.010 for that friend who's here who's not yet opened 00:36:42.010 --> 00:36:44.550 his heart and truly received Jesus Christ as 00:36:44.550 --> 00:36:49.110 his Savior. I pray that in the closing of this 00:36:49.110 --> 00:36:52.309 service that there will be conviction within 00:36:52.309 --> 00:36:56.550 the heart and you would call that one into your 00:36:56.550 --> 00:37:03.210 family and he would respond. And I pray for those 00:37:03.210 --> 00:37:07.750 of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus that even 00:37:07.750 --> 00:37:12.190 though all of our questions are perhaps not answered, 00:37:13.619 --> 00:37:16.219 Nonetheless, in our text today, we will learn 00:37:16.219 --> 00:37:21.019 enough that our lives will be ones of joy and 00:37:21.019 --> 00:37:25.619 anticipation, looking forward to that day when 00:37:25.619 --> 00:37:29.900 we will lay aside the perishable and inherit 00:37:29.900 --> 00:37:37.519 the imperishable and be with our Savior. Help 00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:41.619 us to live right now, to live obediently now. 00:37:44.269 --> 00:37:46.510 So that when we see you, we can hear your words, 00:37:46.510 --> 00:37:51.130 well done, good and faithful servant. Deliver 00:37:51.130 --> 00:37:54.550 us from wasting our lives, from spinning our 00:37:54.550 --> 00:37:59.389 wheels, from going about aimlessly without direction. 00:38:01.550 --> 00:38:03.929 I pray that every one of us who's a child of 00:38:03.929 --> 00:38:09.590 God will live like it and know your blessing 00:38:09.590 --> 00:38:15.929 here. as well as that which is to come. In Jesus' 00:38:16.070 --> 00:38:24.269 name, amen. In closing today, I'd like for us 00:38:24.269 --> 00:38:27.949 to sing a verse or two of 248 which asks the 00:38:27.949 --> 00:38:31.010 question, what if it were today?