WEBVTT 00:00:05.010 --> 00:00:08.949 Thank you, Orchestra. Let's open our Bibles together, 00:00:09.029 --> 00:00:13.830 please, to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Preaching 00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:17.289 the funeral one afternoon, the minister couldn't 00:00:17.289 --> 00:00:22.289 seem to find a stopping place. The funeral director, 00:00:22.609 --> 00:00:24.850 in charge of the service, grew concerned about 00:00:24.850 --> 00:00:27.649 the lateness of the hour, and he stepped over 00:00:27.649 --> 00:00:29.670 to a member of the church who was there at the 00:00:29.670 --> 00:00:32.429 funeral. and asked the question, does your pastor 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:36.310 always speak this long at a funeral? To which 00:00:36.310 --> 00:00:38.570 the church member replied, well, that's a fine 00:00:38.570 --> 00:00:42.070 sermon, isn't it? The funeral director was a 00:00:42.070 --> 00:00:43.750 little embarrassed that he'd asked the question, 00:00:43.869 --> 00:00:46.869 so he backed off, but yet he kept looking at 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:50.229 his watch every few minutes. After a little while, 00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:52.070 the member of the church prugged at the funeral 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:54.750 director's sleeve, and he said, what's the matter 00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:56.990 with you? Don't you believe in the resurrection? 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:00.520 If you don't like to reply, well I sure do, but 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:02.340 I'm afraid you won't get this man to the ground 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:06.980 if I don't do it. We believe in the resurrection, 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:09.859 but that doesn't mean that all the questions 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:12.840 about the resurrection are answered in our minds. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:15.980 And they were not answered in the minds either 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:19.719 of the Corinthians. Verse 35 begins by saying, 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:23.920 someone will say, how are the dead raised? And 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.400 with what kind of body do they come? and your 00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:30.219 best most questions. Someone asked me a couple 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:33.420 of weeks ago a common question that we all have. 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:38.180 What age will we be in the resurrection? Will 00:01:38.180 --> 00:01:41.819 babies be resurrected as babies will? Those who 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:44.879 are elderly may be resurrected with old bodies. 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:48.180 I have a guess of an answer in that direction, 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:51.180 but there are lots of questions regarding the 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:54.500 nature of the resurrection body. The Paul does 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:57.989 not entertain these questions gently. Notice 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:01.890 he says in verse 36, to whoever asks the question, 00:02:01.989 --> 00:02:07.790 you fool. He says, basically in today's nomenclature, 00:02:08.370 --> 00:02:14.090 duh. He says, don't you know? Are you in this? 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:17.949 Now, Paul probably is a little hard here because 00:02:17.949 --> 00:02:21.509 the questions he refers to are not asked likely 00:02:21.509 --> 00:02:25.340 sincerely, but... were generated by the doubtful 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:27.879 teachings of the false teachers who were raising 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:29.979 the questions about the resurrection in Corinth. 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:33.620 But he does answer the questions in a fashion, 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:37.080 and you and I get the advantage of reading his 00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:40.699 response. The summation of Paul's response is 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:44.080 this, that the resurrection body will be made 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:50.550 to fit the new order that God has purposed. body 00:02:50.550 --> 00:02:53.789 that you will have in the resurrection will be 00:02:53.789 --> 00:02:58.750 made to fit the new order, the new creation that 00:02:58.750 --> 00:03:03.270 God has purposed. Paul uses three techniques 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:07.430 in our text today to explain and emphasize the 00:03:07.430 --> 00:03:12.389 nature of the resurrection body. He uses analogy 00:03:12.389 --> 00:03:15.669 and emphasis, and then makes an announcement 00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:20.889 about it. In these verses, Paul attempts to explain 00:03:20.889 --> 00:03:25.189 the unexplainable and express the inexpressible. 00:03:25.629 --> 00:03:29.169 So bear with him as he, by the inspiration of 00:03:29.169 --> 00:03:32.250 God's Spirit, attempts to help us understand 00:03:32.250 --> 00:03:36.930 what the resurrection body will be like. In verses 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:41.409 36 through 41 we come to the analogy portion 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:44.789 of Paul's explanation. Really, there are three 00:03:44.789 --> 00:03:49.740 analogies that Paul draws here from nature. Remember 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:55.819 that an analogy is a resemblance in some particulars 00:03:55.819 --> 00:04:00.800 between things that are otherwise unlike. So 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.639 Paul is going to draw upon three analogies from 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.960 nature in order to try to help us grasp what 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:11.560 the resurrection body is like. The first analogy 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.219 is from agriculture in verses 36 through 38. 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.839 He says, That which you sow does not come to 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:22.519 life unless it dies. And that which you sow, 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.800 you do not sow the body which is to be, but a 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.980 bare grain, perhaps of wheat or something else. 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:35.420 But God gives it a body just as he wished, and 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:41.879 to each of the seeds a body of its own. Now, 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.500 if you're a farmer or a gardener, you'll understand 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:47.360 what Paul is saying here. There are different 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:51.899 kinds of seeds. There are seeds of flowers, that 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.560 if they differ in their appearance, in some cases 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:57.899 at least. But there's a difference between wheat, 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:03.740 and corn, and oats, or sorghum. And you can see 00:05:03.740 --> 00:05:06.660 that in the seeds. So, have you noticed that 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:11.769 in those seeds, there is a, the appearance, appearance 00:05:11.769 --> 00:05:17.670 of dryness. There is a wrinkled condition. There 00:05:17.670 --> 00:05:22.230 is a hardness in the seed. You and I eat corn, 00:05:22.389 --> 00:05:25.670 don't we? And we enjoy eating it right off the 00:05:25.670 --> 00:05:29.550 ear. But if you got to a bag of seed corn, pick 00:05:29.550 --> 00:05:31.329 up a handful, throw it in your mouth, you're 00:05:31.329 --> 00:05:34.569 going to need new teeth. Something happens to 00:05:34.569 --> 00:05:37.250 that corn. It dries out. The seed is preparing 00:05:37.250 --> 00:05:42.279 itself to germinate. The seed is planted, says 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:48.199 Paul, it dies, it decays. But through that process, 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.819 there is the germination that comes, and the 00:05:52.819 --> 00:05:58.019 green sprout of life appears. So the analogy 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.939 with the resurrection body is that it too is 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:06.139 planted and it decays. But from that will come 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:11.779 a new sprout of life. It will not be identical 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:16.160 to that which was planted, but it will be identifiable. 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:21.220 When you plant a grain of corn in the ground, 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:23.399 what comes up the next spring is not that grain 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:27.500 of corn. It is a plant that comes out of that 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:31.439 corn. And yet, when you look at the seed and 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:33.339 you look at the plant in the spring, you say 00:06:33.339 --> 00:06:40.019 to both, corn. And so our resurrection body is 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:42.879 going to be planted. What will come forth will 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:46.139 be different than what was planted, but still 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:52.579 be identifiable as you and your body. It will 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:56.899 be a continuation of your life, only in a new 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:58.839 and more wonderful body. And so I think what 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:03.199 we see here in this analogy is that it will be 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:07.959 a changed body, a changed body. like the planting 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:12.439 of a seed that brings forth a plant. In verse 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.839 39, we have an analogy from the animal world. 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:19.420 It says, all flesh is not the same flesh, but 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:22.459 there is one flesh of man, and another flesh 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.579 of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:31.439 of fish. If you go down to the buffet to eat 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:35.639 today, and go through the line, you will see 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:40.699 here's roast beef. Here is boiled fish. Here 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:45.680 is ham. Here is chicken. How do you know that? 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:50.199 Because God has made animals different in their 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:53.620 bodies. Now, let's go to the happier side of 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:55.639 it and see them while they're still living, shall 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:02.079 we? We teach our children. What is this picture? 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:07.779 Moo! That's right, it's a cow. And what is this 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:14.560 picture? It's a lamb, it's a sheep. And so from 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.980 our earliest days we know that God has made animals 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:21.300 with different kinds of bodies. It's a diversity 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:25.240 there. God gives a particular kind of body for 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:27.939 each variety of being. You know a cat, you know 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:32.360 a dog, you know a fish, you know a chicken. And 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:34.559 so in the resurrection God is going to create 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:40.539 a particular kind of body. that is suitable for 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:45.480 the spiritual realm. I think the bottom line 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:49.039 is, in this analogy, Paul says that the resurrection 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:54.860 body will be a suitable body, not a changed body, 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.740 but a body suited for the realm in which it is 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:03.360 intended to dwell in new order. The third analogy 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:06.200 is from astronomy, and it's verses 40 to 41. 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:10.000 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.419 but the glory of the heavenly is one, the glory 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:15.679 of the earthly is another. There is one glory 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:17.899 of the sun and of the glory of the moon and of 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:21.100 the glory of the stars, for star differs from 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:25.480 star in glory, so also is the resurrection of 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:29.460 the dead, says Paul. Each of the heavenly bodies 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:33.580 has its own glory. It differs in hues and brightness 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:36.950 and in appearance. Have you been amazed as I 00:09:36.950 --> 00:09:38.809 have at the pictures that have come back from 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:42.250 Hubble, as we have seen the wonders of God's 00:09:42.250 --> 00:09:47.450 universe drawn close to us through photography? 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:51.990 For God has made each of those heavenly bodies 00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:57.389 in its appearance. This suggests here that the 00:09:57.389 --> 00:09:59.649 resurrection bodies that we will have will also 00:09:59.649 --> 00:10:04.379 be distinguished. They may even differ. in their 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:08.519 glory, in their brightness, in their hues, in 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:12.059 some respect, it may point to the differing of 00:10:12.059 --> 00:10:17.340 rewards. That is, that our resurrection bodies 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:20.879 will show our service on the earth in some respect 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:24.320 and the nature of that service. What we learn 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:27.120 from this analogy from astronomy is that the 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:31.159 resurrection body will be a glorious body, a 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.759 glorious body. So Paul's saying in the resurrection 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:39.299 there will be continuity and change. There will 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:44.340 be identity, and there will be a glorious diversity. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.500 We will have changed bodies suitable for God's 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:52.419 purpose, having distinguishing marks of glory. 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:57.580 And so Paul tells us that much through the technique 00:10:57.580 --> 00:11:01.399 of analogy. But let me move ahead to use antithesis. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.659 can help us understand something of the resurrection 00:11:04.659 --> 00:11:08.500 body. That's if this is a contrast of ideas. 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.059 And this is accomplished by means of parallel 00:11:14.059 --> 00:11:18.440 arrangement of words or clauses or thoughts. 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:21.940 And so you put them opposite of one another. 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:24.559 That's what Paul does. The first thing he does 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:27.779 is to draw some contrast with our present body 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:30.980 in order to explain the nature of the resurrection 00:11:30.980 --> 00:11:35.110 body. The beginning of verse 42 where he says, 00:11:35.610 --> 00:11:39.610 if the body has sown a perishable body, it has 00:11:39.610 --> 00:11:43.870 raised an imperishable body. It has sown in dishonor, 00:11:43.889 --> 00:11:47.590 it has raised in glory. It has sown in weakness, 00:11:47.769 --> 00:11:50.149 it has raised in power, it has sown a natural 00:11:50.149 --> 00:11:53.929 body, it has raised a spiritual body. If there 00:11:53.929 --> 00:11:57.529 is a natural body, there is also a spiritual 00:11:57.529 --> 00:12:01.600 body, he says. Now notice the contrast that he 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:05.899 points out. First the contrast between the perishable 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:11.960 and the imperishable. The now body is a body 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:16.899 that is subject to disease and to the aging process. 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:22.240 The bodies that we have now decay and degenerate 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:28.259 with time. You realize this, the older you get, 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:31.120 you look around at you and see the young men 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:33.879 and women who are so full of energy and life 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:36.820 and fire and they think they're going to be this 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:40.460 way forever. Just like you and I thought that. 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:43.860 I remember when I was a kid I saw older people 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:46.700 who were smaller and I thought, boy, it must 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:49.879 be terrible to be like that. I'm going to be 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.600 different than that. But as I pass the half century 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:57.129 mark I find them. I can't help it. How did it 00:12:57.129 --> 00:13:00.889 explode? The bodies that we have now are imperishable, 00:13:01.669 --> 00:13:05.009 but the new body will be imperishable. It will 00:13:05.009 --> 00:13:10.389 be incapable of decay. It is not possible that 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:14.269 the new body will be subject to disease, or deterioration, 00:13:14.289 --> 00:13:17.389 or death. It's forever free of those things. 00:13:19.750 --> 00:13:22.409 Now, the second contrast the Pope points to is 00:13:22.409 --> 00:13:27.590 verse 43 between dishonor and glory. This honor 00:13:27.590 --> 00:13:31.230 means humiliation, as it's used in Philippians 00:13:31.230 --> 00:13:34.350 3 .21, the body of our humiliation, our humble 00:13:34.350 --> 00:13:38.529 body. This word was used in some contexts in 00:13:38.529 --> 00:13:42.309 ancient days as the loss of rights of citizenship. 00:13:43.710 --> 00:13:46.490 This honor was to lose one's rights as a citizen 00:13:46.490 --> 00:13:50.649 of a country. And so we think of a corpse that 00:13:50.649 --> 00:13:54.549 loses its rights. Have you ever seen a corpse 00:13:54.549 --> 00:13:58.200 demand its rights? Of course not. It has no rights. 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:03.559 It's a dishonorable condition. Even the most 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:07.559 beautiful body will eventually be dishonored, 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:11.240 and they see it. But the new body is unlike that. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:13.379 It will have a brilliance about it like that 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:17.379 of Christ's. It apparently will be dazzling. 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:21.799 As it says, we shall be like Him, for we shall 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:27.419 see Him as He is. And so the now body is one 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:30.620 of dishonor, whereas the new body will be one 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:34.919 of glory. The third contrast is found in the 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:38.480 last part of verse 43 between weakness and power. 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:44.080 The now body has its limitations. We think of 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:47.399 our bodies as being strong and in certain respects 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:53.620 they are our hands, our feet, our... marvelous 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:59.259 examples of God's ingenious engineering. But 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:02.340 did you realize that a grasshopper can jump further 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:07.940 in proportion to its length of man? In order 00:15:07.940 --> 00:15:12.519 for you to jump as far as a grasshopper proportionally, 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:17.460 you would have to jump 120 feet. Your body is 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:20.659 weak. It can't even do what a grasshopper can 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:25.720 do. A bird can see better than you can see, able 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:28.440 to pick up insects from its feet in the air. 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.899 A dog can hear better than you can hear. Your 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:37.899 now body is a weak body, but the new body will 00:15:37.899 --> 00:15:42.120 be one of unlimited endurance. It will be a body 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.799 equal to man's intelligence and his position 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:49.519 as a child of God. It will be a body fitted for 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:55.149 eternal existence. And then Paul in verse 44 00:15:55.149 --> 00:15:59.250 brings us to our fourth contrast when he says 00:15:59.250 --> 00:16:02.409 that the now body is a natural body, whereas 00:16:02.409 --> 00:16:06.649 the new body will be a spiritual body. The now 00:16:06.649 --> 00:16:10.730 body is fitted for this natural world, this world 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:14.190 of nature. But the new body will be suitable 00:16:14.190 --> 00:16:18.509 for the natural and the spiritual world. It will 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:23.830 not be most like, but it will be. changeable 00:16:23.830 --> 00:16:27.929 and visible, yet it will not be subject to natural 00:16:27.929 --> 00:16:32.350 laws like the body of Jesus, it will be subject 00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:36.450 to the laws of the Spirit. The new body in the 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:39.450 resurrection will be renovated by the Holy Spirit, 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:44.269 and the Holy Spirit will bring that body into 00:16:44.269 --> 00:16:48.309 concordance and agreement with the laws of the 00:16:48.309 --> 00:16:53.590 spiritual realm. Harold Mayer writes, these words, 00:16:53.649 --> 00:16:57.330 the spiritual body is an imperishable yet utterly 00:16:57.330 --> 00:17:02.529 real body, one of a different order and having 00:17:02.529 --> 00:17:04.890 different functions from the earthly body. It 00:17:04.890 --> 00:17:09.809 is a body given by God Himself, a body glorified 00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:15.869 with eternal life. So Paul points out by contrast 00:17:15.869 --> 00:17:18.710 something about the resurrection body will be 00:17:18.710 --> 00:17:21.950 like, and then he goes on with the second contrast. 00:17:22.569 --> 00:17:26.670 It helps us understand why we will have this 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:31.970 kind of body. In verses 44 through 49, they contrast 00:17:31.970 --> 00:17:38.089 Adam with Jesus. I'll pick it up in verse 45, 00:17:38.170 --> 00:17:43.089 so also it is written, the first man, Adam, became 00:17:43.089 --> 00:17:47.190 a living soul, the last, Adam, became a life 00:17:47.190 --> 00:17:51.740 -giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not 00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:56.259 first, but the natural, then that is after that, 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:01.119 the spiritual. The first man is from earth, earthly. 00:18:01.339 --> 00:18:04.920 The second man is from heaven. As is the earthly, 00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:09.579 so also are those who are earthly. And as is 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:13.359 the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:17.670 And just as we have born the image of the earth, 00:18:17.809 --> 00:18:21.210 we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 00:18:22.930 --> 00:18:28.230 Adam, our great -grandfather, Adam to whom we 00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:34.529 are related by our first birth, our natural birth. 00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:38.309 Adam was made the living soul, a reference to 00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:43.230 Genesis 2 -7. When you read that text in Genesis, 00:18:43.430 --> 00:18:45.470 you need to picture in your mind that you see 00:18:45.470 --> 00:18:50.410 God forming the dust of the ground to make the 00:18:50.410 --> 00:18:54.750 body of Adam. But it's just there, it's just 00:18:54.750 --> 00:19:01.170 dust. It's just a body. And then God breathes 00:19:01.170 --> 00:19:07.390 into Adam life, and suddenly what was only immaterial, 00:19:07.769 --> 00:19:13.069 or over -terrible rather. infused with the immaterial 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:18.470 and became alive. What an amazing thing that 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:22.869 is that God created Adam in such a special way. 00:19:23.690 --> 00:19:28.569 He became a living soul. He was from the earth. 00:19:29.390 --> 00:19:33.609 He was earthly. And in these bodies we bear his 00:19:33.609 --> 00:19:39.990 likeness and we bear his fallen likeness. Our 00:19:39.990 --> 00:19:43.470 bodies are subject to the effects of sin because 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:51.250 of grandpa. But Christ is in contrast. It says 00:19:51.250 --> 00:19:55.970 regarding Christ, the last Adam, that he is a 00:19:55.970 --> 00:20:00.589 life -giving spirit. He is the one who imparts 00:20:00.589 --> 00:20:06.210 life. He is the one who gave to Adam his life. 00:20:07.690 --> 00:20:10.730 In the resurrection, he is going to impart life 00:20:10.730 --> 00:20:16.109 to our bodies. This life -giving spirit, the 00:20:16.109 --> 00:20:18.849 man from above, or in some translations, but 00:20:18.849 --> 00:20:22.150 the Lord from above, the Lord from heaven, this 00:20:22.150 --> 00:20:28.269 one is superior to Adam. He is incomparable in 00:20:28.269 --> 00:20:32.670 his life -giving ability. Those of us who are 00:20:32.670 --> 00:20:36.660 Christians are related to... this last Adam by 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:43.400 the second birth, the supernatural birth. And 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:47.200 it says that we shall bear his likeness, just 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:50.680 as we have borne the likeness of grandfather 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:55.420 Adam. We shall bear the likeness of the last 00:20:55.420 --> 00:21:00.140 Adam, his full image and body and soul made like 00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:05.670 him. Can you say it one more time? Paul has told 00:21:05.670 --> 00:21:09.670 us earlier that there is an order to the resurrection 00:21:09.670 --> 00:21:15.869 and the next sequence, the next step in the sequence 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:20.390 is the resurrection of those who are Christ's 00:21:20.390 --> 00:21:27.690 when somebody said that is coming. Verse 47, 00:21:28.029 --> 00:21:33.339 excuse me, verse 23. those who are Christ at 00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:38.220 His coming. That's when this will happen. The 00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:40.720 resurrection body is in contrast to the present 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:45.319 one. It is a body that is imperishable, it is 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:48.819 glorious, it is powerful, it is spiritual, and 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:54.359 it is inseparably linked to Jesus Christ, the 00:21:54.359 --> 00:22:00.940 last Adam. That brings us to the third technique. 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:05.460 Paul uses to help us understand the nature of 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:07.539 the body. It's an announcement that he gives 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:11.839 in verse 50. This announcement probably comes 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:15.900 to address the obvious question in the minds 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:20.059 of the readers thus far. Well, Paul, if there's 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:24.079 a resurrection body for those who are dead, what's 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:29.380 the obvious question? So they tell me, what about 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:33.170 the living? What about those who are not dead 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:38.670 and is coming? How can they or how can we participate 00:22:38.670 --> 00:22:43.369 in the resurrection if we're not dead? Paul makes 00:22:43.369 --> 00:22:45.390 this point elsewhere. He says, now I say to this 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:48.589 brethren that flesh and blood cannot inherit 00:22:48.589 --> 00:22:52.009 the kingdom of God nor does the imperishable 00:22:52.009 --> 00:22:57.549 inherit the imperishable. Well, flesh and blood 00:22:57.549 --> 00:23:05.250 is used here to denote our It doesn't say that 00:23:05.250 --> 00:23:09.630 a body can't inherit the kingdom of God, but 00:23:09.630 --> 00:23:14.890 it says flesh and blood bodies can't inherit 00:23:14.890 --> 00:23:17.809 the kingdom of God. Bodies like we have now. 00:23:18.710 --> 00:23:24.970 Flesh and blood bodies are corruptible. We must 00:23:24.970 --> 00:23:29.779 have a kind of body that is incorruptible. or 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:34.220 something has to change. Our bodies must be converted 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:40.819 into incorruptible bodies before we can enter 00:23:40.819 --> 00:23:45.220 into the final heavenly incorruptible state. 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:50.160 Paul has explained that that will be the case 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.880 with those who die. They will be raised with 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:58.460 this kind of body. Now, beginning in verse 51, 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:02.079 he's going to explain that for those who are 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:05.940 alive, there is a transformation that is coming. 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:10.539 We'll talk about that next week. The thing that 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:14.599 I want you to see here is this, that the announcement 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:19.019 is very clear. Fresh in blood cannot inherit 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:23.099 God's kingdom. A change was come. The resurrection 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:28.029 body is out of this world. in every sense. In 00:24:28.029 --> 00:24:30.650 one way or another, it's out of this world that 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:35.589 it's also an absolute certainty. There is no 00:24:35.589 --> 00:24:40.170 question that we shall have it. And God has purposed 00:24:40.170 --> 00:24:44.970 a new order for the future. A new order of things. 00:24:46.329 --> 00:24:48.829 And only those things and those people that are 00:24:48.829 --> 00:24:53.730 fitted for this new order will enjoy it. Paul 00:24:53.730 --> 00:24:56.190 speaks earlier in this chapter about that day 00:24:56.190 --> 00:25:01.529 when the son, having everything subjected to 00:25:01.529 --> 00:25:06.970 him, will then subject his kingdom and himself 00:25:06.970 --> 00:25:15.390 to the Father. That God may be all in all. Now 00:25:15.390 --> 00:25:22.900 those are ethereal words, perceptual words. our 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:25.960 minds around, so let me just read you a little 00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:28.920 more from the Word of God about what that means. 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:35.359 I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:37.799 heaven and the first earth were passed away. 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:43.200 There was no longer any sea. And I saw the holy 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.920 city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.339 from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:54.349 husband. And I heard the voice from the throne, 00:25:54.670 --> 00:26:00.589 saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among 00:26:00.589 --> 00:26:05.670 them. He shall dwell among them, and they shall 00:26:05.670 --> 00:26:09.430 be his people, and God himself shall be among 00:26:09.430 --> 00:26:14.269 them. He shall wipe away every tear from their 00:26:14.269 --> 00:26:18.490 eyes, and there shall be no longer any death. 00:26:19.660 --> 00:26:23.140 There shall no longer be any mourning or crying 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:28.700 or pain. The first things have passed away. The 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:32.660 first order, you see, is done. The present order 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:38.000 is finished. And he who sits on the throne said, 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:43.839 Behold, I am making all things new. The new order. 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:49.440 He said, Right. For these words are truly fateful. 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:52.799 He said to me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:56.579 the beginning and the end. I will give to the 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:59.500 one who thirsts for the spring of the water of 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:04.960 life without cost. He who overcome shall inherit 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:09.900 these things. Who is the Overcomer in Revelation? 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:15.339 The Believer. He says, He who overcomes that 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:19.539 is by his faith in Jesus Christ will inherit 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:24.740 this new order, Divine Making. Divine will be 00:27:24.740 --> 00:27:31.220 his God and he will be my son. But for the cowardly 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:36.740 and unbelieving and the vulnerable and murderers 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:42.579 and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters 00:27:42.650 --> 00:27:47.309 all liars, their part will be in the lake that 00:27:47.309 --> 00:27:51.930 burns with fire and rimstone, which is the second 00:27:51.930 --> 00:28:00.190 death." Read the words. They help us understand 00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:04.190 that God's new order is made for people who are 00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:09.609 fitted for that new order. Not fitted by their 00:28:09.609 --> 00:28:16.349 own efforts and works, but by the gift of salvation 00:28:16.349 --> 00:28:23.269 that it gives to us. The resurrection will fit 00:28:23.269 --> 00:28:26.289 us to enter that new order in suitable bodies, 00:28:27.869 --> 00:28:32.569 but it is being born again that makes us citizens 00:28:32.569 --> 00:28:37.529 of the new order. And friend, only citizens of 00:28:37.529 --> 00:28:41.650 the new order will have this resurrection body 00:28:41.650 --> 00:28:46.759 I've been inspired. Jesus said, accept the man, 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.140 be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.799 You see, it's not church membership, it's not 00:28:55.799 --> 00:29:00.359 the rituals of religion, whatever they might 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:05.019 be. It's not our works, being good people, being 00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:07.980 moral, doing the best we can. It's not that at 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:16.200 all. It is being born again. It's receiving God's 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:19.420 gift of eternal life by placing one's faith in 00:29:19.420 --> 00:29:26.460 Jesus Christ. That's what counts. The Rogers 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:33.099 family was a devout Christian family. The father 00:29:33.099 --> 00:29:37.640 took special interest in making as sure as he 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:39.980 could as a dad that each of the children had 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:43.059 trusted the Lord and he would often ask them 00:29:43.059 --> 00:29:48.190 to to share in their own words how they knew 00:29:48.190 --> 00:29:53.190 that they possessed salvation. One day it was 00:29:53.190 --> 00:29:57.089 little seven -year -old Jimmy's turn to do that. 00:29:57.710 --> 00:30:00.150 And so Jimmy told his version of these words, 00:30:00.470 --> 00:30:03.230 I think it's going to be like this in heaven. 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:07.509 One day when we all get to heaven, it will be 00:30:07.509 --> 00:30:10.829 time for the big angel to read from the book 00:30:10.829 --> 00:30:13.920 the names of all the people who will be there. 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:18.640 He will come to the Rogers family and say, Daddy 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:24.019 Rogers. And Daddy will say, here. Then the angel 00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:28.779 will call out, Mommy Rogers. Mommy will say, 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:33.160 here. And the angel will come down and call out 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:36.660 Susie Rogers and Namus Rogers and they will say, 00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:41.039 here. Then he paused and took a deep breath and 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:44.529 he continued and said, And finally, that angel 00:30:44.529 --> 00:30:48.970 will read my name, Jimmy Rogers. And because 00:30:48.970 --> 00:30:53.109 I'm little, he may miss me. So I'll jump up and 00:30:53.109 --> 00:30:57.109 shout real loud, here! To make sure that he knows 00:30:57.109 --> 00:31:03.730 I'm there. And the family enjoyed little Jimmy's 00:31:03.730 --> 00:31:07.390 version of how he knew he was going to get saved. 00:31:10.990 --> 00:31:14.509 It's up two weeks later. And the coroner kicked 00:31:14.509 --> 00:31:24.269 him as he was on his way to school. And he was 00:31:24.269 --> 00:31:26.670 rushed to the hospital in critical condition. 00:31:27.970 --> 00:31:33.289 His family came as quickly as they could. They 00:31:33.289 --> 00:31:37.789 gave it around Jimmy's death. There was no consciousness, 00:31:39.369 --> 00:31:43.339 no sign of movement. And the doctor said, no 00:31:43.339 --> 00:31:55.940 hope. So they prayed. They waited and watched. 00:31:57.700 --> 00:32:02.460 It became clear that Jimmy was not going to wake 00:32:02.460 --> 00:32:13.380 up from his coma. And yet they noticed the movement. 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:18.180 He quickly came to the bed, but closely his lips 00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:22.400 were moving. And they bent down to catch what 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:25.680 he was going to say, and he said only one word, 00:32:27.740 --> 00:32:30.599 which gave them comfort, I hope, is all I needed. 00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:52.130 I heard Jimmy say, here. and you'll be able to 00:32:52.130 --> 00:33:04.490 say, here, let's go. Accept a person, be born 00:33:04.490 --> 00:33:08.930 again, and care out into the kingdom of God. 00:33:14.190 --> 00:33:16.630 And you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior. 00:33:31.349 --> 00:33:34.710 Would you receive the Savior at this moment in 00:33:34.710 --> 00:33:38.470 your heart? Say something like this, Lord Jesus, 00:33:38.470 --> 00:33:45.730 by receiving. I trust you alone to save my soul. 00:33:46.009 --> 00:33:52.839 I lay aside all of my and I invite you to come 00:33:52.839 --> 00:34:02.440 in to me. Forgive my sin. Give me the gift of 00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:11.619 eternal life. My friend, if that is your heart's 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:15.320 desire and your prayer today, your confession, 00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:26.619 then I ask you are receiving Jesus Christ as 00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:31.699 your Savior. Is there one who would lift your 00:34:31.699 --> 00:34:37.480 hand and say yes today? I'm trusting Jesus. Be 00:34:37.480 --> 00:34:45.880 born again. Lord, we give thanks to you. We give 00:34:45.880 --> 00:34:49.619 thanks to you that we can become citizens of 00:34:49.619 --> 00:34:57.360 the new world. And I pray that as we live through 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:03.019 this week, we will live in the joy of the resurrection. 00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:08.519 Knowing I will lose heavy one day when that day 00:35:08.519 --> 00:35:14.679 comes, when the angel calls our name, that we 00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:26.619 will be healed by your grace. Let's stand together, 00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:30.179 please. Sing us the verse of this song that I 00:35:30.179 --> 00:35:56.869 think most of us know. the beyond the realm of 00:35:56.869 --> 00:36:03.909 the dead, waiting for this power of the poor. 00:36:29.480 --> 00:36:32.340 Oh, by the grace of God, let's live lives this 00:36:32.340 --> 00:36:35.940 week that wouldn't be described by the word duh. 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:41.820 The lives that are described by the word of joy.