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Rise and Shine!
1 Corinthians 15:3-4;15:20-28
Skip Heitzig

1 Corinthians 15 (NKJV™)
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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From the Edge of Eternity

My mom used to saunter into my room to wake me up in the morning with a sweet call to "rise and shine!" One day our Savior will give a call for all His children to do the same! This week and next week we will be considering the resurrection of our bodies. Why is resurrection even necessary? What will our resurrected bodies be like? What capabilities will they possess? Will babies always be babies and the elderly always remain elderly when resurrected? As we begin, know this: the idea of resurrection isn't just a New Testament idea; it began long, long ago!

What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this new series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey".

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Outline

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I. Resurrection Was Anticipated (Vs 3-4)

A. The Bible Foresaw Death

B. The Bible Foretold Resurrection


II. Resurrection Is Already Activated (Vs 20-23)

A. It Commenced With Christ (Vs 20)

B. It Continues With Christians (Vss 21-23)

C. It Culminates With Change (Vs 23, vs 49)


III. Resurrection Will Be Appropriated (Vss 24-28)

A. For the Kingdom Age

B. For the Conquering of Death


Think About This:
1.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so important? How does His resurrection relate to our resurrection?


2. Jesus rose bodily from the grave. It wasn't a different body; it wasn't a new body--it was HIS body made glorified. What does that tell you about your future resurrected body?


3. How will your resurrected body fit you for the future?

Transcript

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20080525 from the edge of eternity CD5 "rise and shine!" I Corinthians 15:3-4, 15:20-28
Let's turn in our Bibles this morning to I Corinthians chapter 15. This is a busy weekend, people are traveling all over the country, we want to keep them in prayer as well as some from our own fellowship are out and enjoying the weekend, pray for their safe return.
I Corinthians chapter 15. There was a hospital waiting room in which a whole group of relatives had gathered because one of their loved ones was in critical condition. So the doctor came in and after a long while, the doctor came in and Said, "I have bad news, I'm afraid, to tell you, there's nothing else I can do for your loved one. We've tried everything. The only thing possible is a brain transplant." Now they'd never heard of that before and the doctor admitted, "It is quite risky and it's an experimental procedure, this brain transplant, and the other thing is you have to pay for the brain yourselves out of pocket, insurance doesn't cover it. So they let it all soak in and finally a family member said, "Got a question. How much does a brain cost?" The doctor said, "Well it depends, if it's a male brain it cost $5000, if it's a female brain it cost $200." Well yeah, the room immediately turned awkward. And the men started smirking and they looked down, they wouldn't even give eye contact to the gals in the room. And finally one of the men had the guts to ask the question everybody was dying to have answered, "Doctor, why is it that a female brain costs so much less and a male brain cost so much more." The doctor saw what was going on with the smirking and he said, "Well it is just standard pricing procedure, we have to mark down the female brain because it's actually been used." (laughter I don't see a man clapping. You were wondering where that was going to go I know.) The truth is all of us have used brains and used bodies and some of them are more used than others. The question is what happens to those used brains, what happens to those used bodies? And why on earth would God ever want to resurrect them once they're used? That's sort of the question that's before us today. We want to answer that in I Corinthians 15. Now in this series so far we've dealt with things like death, the death of a Christian, the intermediate state absent with the body present with the Lord, the coming of Jesus Christ. And now we turn to the resurrection and we look at this very important question. I've gotten a lot of feedback on this, after every service the last several weeks. Things like, "Thank you for going into such depth with this." Or, "It gives me great comfort." I've gotten a lot of e-mails and notes to the same tune of that. But it's also generated a lot more questions. You see once you start focusing on things like this and getting your minds around this it brings up a whole new slew of questions which I'm grateful for because it helps us use our brains in the right manner. Some of us have never thought about these things as we have before. Some of the questions that I've gotten on notes and in person is, "What about cremation? Is cremation okay for a Christian when somebody dies? What happens to infants when they die. What about if you lose a limb, if you're incapacitated as an adult, you've had surgery or an accident? What happens in the resurrection with that? One of the questions I got is: Why does God want to resurrect our body if we get new ones anyway? Now these are not new questions by the way. Paul must have gotten similar questions because he devotes an entire chapter to dealing with the resurrection. This is, chapter 15 I Corinthians, is the most extensive treatment on bodily resurrection in all of scripture. So it only makes sense that we'd want to look at it in this series. 
Something before we start, when we talk about resurrection of the body, though for some of us we've never really dealt with it or thought about it quite like this and it might seem advanced and technical. Here's something you ought to know, this is fundamental, this is basic, this is truly Christianity 101. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews writes in Hebrew chapter 6, "Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, of faith in God, of instruction about baptism, laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and God permitting we will do this," says the author. So it is basic, it is fundamental but we have to admit we're a bit hazy on the subject. It's a little hard for us to get our minds around some of these concepts and frankly I would say many churches don't do a great job in really teaching these principles through the Bible. Now the title this morning "Rise and Shine!" actually comes from a favorite memory of my mother who used to come in my room and instead of being woken up by an alarm clock or by my mom pushing me out of bed she would simply say in my ear, "Rise and shine," and I'll never forget that. And one day our Savior will do as much, as Jesus said, "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth," speaking of the resurrection. So we're going to look principally at verse 20-28, we're really going to have time only to skim them this morning. We're going to go back and get a couple of verses before that. But this is what I'd like to do: In setting the tone for this theme of the resurrection of our bodies, I want to look past, present, and future. The resurrection was anticipated, resurrection is presently activated, one of the great truths comes from this great passage of scripture on that. And in the future, resurrection will be appropriated. 
Let's go to the past, go back with me in this chapter to verse 3 and 4 only. Paul writes, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Now let me sum up verses 1 through 19 because it will be helpful. It seems there were some people in Corinth who denied the resurrection altogether, not just the resurrection of Christ, I mean resurrection as a principle. They just said, "Dead people don't get up again." They denied resurrection and so Paul in these 19 verses says, "Well if there is no resurrection, that means Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead and that also means that if Jesus didn't rise from the dead that our preaching is in vain, your faith is in vain, you are still dead in your sins and we are of all men most miserable." He counteracts that idead that there is no resurrection. You see, the gospel must have the resurrection. The gospel is Jesus died, was buried and rose again from the dead. There's no good news in Jesus died, the good news comes in Jesus rose and conquered death. So what Paul does in these two verses that I just read with you is he goes back to the Old Testament to say, "Look resurrection isn't some New Testament idea, it's been around for a long time, it goes way back and was anticipated back in the Old Testament. In fact, you ought to know that far back in the Old Testament resurrection is spoken of, some believe that the oldest book in the Bible is Job, that he lived during the time of Abraham, pre-Moses, he was one of the patriarch figures, he goes way way back. Well Job as you know was sick but Job spoke about his own future resurrection. One of the great passages of scripture is Job chapter 19, listen to these verses, "I know that my redeemer lives and in the end he will stand upon the earth and after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes, I and not another. Oh, how my heart yearns within me." Did you hear that? Centuries before there was ever a redeemer, centuries before there was even a hint of the gospel, centuries before there was any unfolding of resurrection truth, you got a guy from the patriarchal period of the Old Testament believing that though his body decays, that his body will be able to in the future, with his own eyes, see his redeemer. That's resurrection. So it's as far back as the patriarchs, it's predicted in the patriarchs.
Move a little bit forward in the Old Testament, it was alos predicted in the Psalms. Some people often wonder when the Bible says what we just read, that the Bible predicts the resurrection of Christ, they say, "Where in the world does it predict the resurrection? Show me those scriptures where Jesus' resurrection is foretold." He's probably referring to Psalm 16, after all that's exactly what Peter quoted in the book of Acts chapter 2 when he stands before the people of Jerusalem and he has to give validation for the resurrection of Christ. He quotes King David's words in Psalm 16, here's the words, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave nor will you let your holy one see decay." Now Peter pulls that out and says, "Gentlemen, David when he wrote that wasn't speaking about himself, here's the proof, here's his grave. He died and his grave is still here today, here's in it. So David must have been speaking as a prophet foretelling the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
So it's anticipated in the period of the patriarchs, in the period of the Psalms. And it's also anticipated by the prophets. Daniel chapter 12, verse 2, "Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." So you get the idea, all throughout the Old Testament, resurrection is anticipated, both personally as well as for the Messiah. Very, very important because some people will say, "Well you know the resurrection is some New Testament idea, it's never really been around but some disciple must have said, "Hey, let's add something really cool to our religion, we'll say that you get to live again." And Paul's point is, it's been around, it's been anticipated all of this time.
I heard a story about a four-year-old boy who went to a Sunday School class on Easter. Now this four-year-old boy was the son of an undertaker. He had never heard about the resurrection, that was really weird to him. So you can imagine, this four-year-old boy, Sunday School class, Easter Sunday, never been to church before and they tell him about resurrection. And so he goes, "Excuse me, wait a minute, are you trying to tell me that a dead guy, dead, really dead, got up again and was alive?" And the teacher said, "That's exactly right, that's the gospel." And the little boy said, "Well, I know my daddy didn't take care of him after he died because he never would have got back up then." Truth is, everybody's going to get back up, good and bad, evil and righteous, one day, that's resurrection. Something else about resurrection as evidenced by this chapter, the whole chapter's devoted to it. Resurrection is one of the center points of Christianity. When it comes to Christ, it's what makes it the gospel, Jesus died, was buried and rose again. And that's why almost every single sermon preached in the book of Acts centers on the resurrection of Christ, it's at the heart of what we believe. But not everybody believed in it. Not everybody then believed in it, there was a whole group of Jews called Sadducees, you've read about them in the New Testament. There were the Pharisees, the legalists; the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in angels. They did not believe in spirits and they did not believe in resurrection. And I always like to say that's why they were so Sad You See. They had no hope for the future, it was just here and now and it's over with. No resurrection. They weren't the only ones, the Greeks didn't believe in resurrection, remember Paul, he was in Acts 17 preaching in Athens about the resurrection and they thought he was nuts. Why? Because to the Greek mind resurrection is abhorrent, the body is a prison, the idea is to escape the prison of the body, who would ever want to come back in this body? The couldn't fathom that. Then in the New Testament as we mentioned last week, there were two teachers, Paul names them, Hymaneus and Philetus, II Timothy he writes, they have erred concerning the resurrection saying it's already past, over, done, there's no future resurrection. Now we have a group of people in the church at Corinth denying resurrection all together. All of that to say because it's the cornerstone of the gospel, no wonder Satan attacks it at every turn and tries to pull it out and extract it even from among believers. So that's past, resurrection was anticipated all throughout the Old Testament.
Go to verse 20, let's begin there with our second great truth, going to the present, reurrection is already activated. Look at what he says, "But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death (that's Adam) by Man also came the resurrection of the dead (that's Christ). For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits (there's that word again) and afterward those who are Christ's at this coming." So here's what Paul is doing, he went back and said, "Okay this is predicted in the Old Testament, it's been anticipated, it's been anticipated all the way along. But the resurrection of Christ isn't just a past event, an isolated event. No, it started a chain reaction of events that includes our resurrection, that's his point. "As was the redeemer (Christ) so will be the redeemed at his coming (Christians)." Do you notice that little word twice mentioned? Firstfruits. You think, "What on earth is he talking about? What kind of language is that? Jesus is the firstfruits, it's a Jewish metaphor. Every year they had a feast, a feast of firstfruits, when it was harvestime and firstfruit was a sample of the produce that they would grow. They would bring a little sample called a offering of firstfruits, it as a first installment and they would bring it as an offering before the Lord before they would harvest all of their crops. Now here's the point and it's very very important and to me exciting: If you bring a firstfruit offering it means by necessity there will follow the harvest. If you have the firstfruits it means the harvest is about to come. So when Jesus rose from the dead, that was the firstfruits, it must mean that the harvest, the resurrection of all of God's children must follow. It's already been presently activated at the resurrection of Christ.
Now listen to this, here's Paul speaking in Acts 26 and he says, "I teach nothing except what the prophets said would happen, that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead as a light to the Jews and the Gentiles alike." There's that same thought, here's the first. And here again, firstfruits, indicating the harvest is about to come. Now some of you might be thinking, "Well wait a minute, what do you mean the first?" Jesus wasn't the first guy to get up from the dead. Right? There were people in the Old Testament that rose from the dead, right? And the New Testament before Jesus, right? I Kings 17 Elijah raises from the dead a widow's son, II Kings chapter 4 Elisha raises from the dead a Shunamite son. Turn to the New Tetament, Lazarus gets raised from the dead, Jairus' daughter gets raised from the dead, the son of the widow at Nain gets raised from the dead, all pre-resurrection of Christ. So what does Paul mean when he says Jesus rose first and now he's the firstfruits. Here's what he means, it's very simple, although they raised from the dead first, their resurrection is completely different than his resurrection because they rose only to die again. They didn't get raised in glorified permanent bodies. They rose from the dead, lived for a while and had to do it all over again. So they were the exception to the rule "it's appointed unto every man to die once and after this the judgment." They died twice, that was the exception to the general rule. Jesus was different, he rose in a glorified body, not just in the same human body, it was his body but glorified and it was permanent, it would be forever, thus heis the firstfruits of that resurrection. And here's the point: When Jesus got out of the tomb on that Easter morning, when he conquered death by resurrection, it wasn't only t prove that he was the Messiah, that he was God in human flesh, that he was unique, etcetera, etcetera, though he did all that. But he was the firstfruits says Paul, so his resurrection (listen carefully) requires our resurrection. If he rose from the dead bodily, we also will rise from the dead bodily.
I got a note this week, it's a great note, it's so good that I want to read it to you because it's a good question. Dear Pastor Skip, why does God want to resurrect our body if we will have a new body anyway? At the rapture those who are dead in Christ, the decomposing bodies, the ashes, etcetera," and then he says in parentheses "(you hopefully get the idea)." I do, I can picture the decomposition quite well. He says, "God will resurrect that, pull back together from the four winds so to speak." And then he says, "Why? What's up with that?" What is up with that? Why such an emphasis on the resurrection? Here's why: It completes our salvation, it completes our redemption. Let me explain, I'm not saying that we can add anything to it, we can't. It's finished, it's a done deal, Jesus accomplished our salvation on the cross but you should know and you'll see in a moment that salvation has a past, present and future aspect. We have been saved (past tense) from the penalty of sin forever, you'll never stand in judgment, it's on Christ, Christ alone. We call that justification salvation. That's one, number two we are being saved moment by moment from the power of sin. Now that's sanctification salvation, it's an ongoing process. But one day in the future we will be saved from the very presence of sin altogether, that's glorification salvation. Thus the resurrection from the dead is a necessity because of original sin man fell and God said, "In the day that you eat thereof you will surely die." And so because God made us body and soul he must restore both to bring us back to the original. In fact, resurrection of the body is so certain that when Paul writes about it, he writes about it as if it's a done deal, as if glorification is already done. Listen to what he says, Romans 8 verse 30, "And those he predestined he also called, and those he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified. One necessitates the other and the first will follow up with glorification, it's so certain that he writes about it as if it's already a done deal, because in the mind of God it is a done deal, it will happen.
So Jesus rose from the dead, that doesn't mean once a year we get to talk about resurrection. It means that resurrection was just the firstfruits, we're the rest of the harvest. Eastertime is not just a one-time event, it's on ongoing activity that will culminate in our physical resurrection. So theologian Eric Sower put it this way, the present age is Eastertime. It begins with the resurrection of the redeemer and it ends with the resurrection of the redeemed. So as the redeemer, so the redeemed; as Christ so the Christian.
Okay look at verse 23 because this is the really good part. It culminates with change and I want that, especially the older I get, I want change. Verse 23, "But each one in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ's at his coming." Okay, let's peek ahead a little bit. Go to verse 49, "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust (that's Adam as explained previously) we shall also bear the image of heavenly man" (that is Jesus Christ, we're going to look like Jesus Christ, our bodies will be like him). Philippians 3:21 we mentioned that a couple weeks ago, Paul said he will transform our lowly bodies that they may be like his own glorious body. I John chapter 3, "We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is." Now this answers the question, and here's the question: What will our bodies be like when they rise from the dead? Answer: they will be like Jesus' body when it rose from the dead. You say, "Well what was Jesus' body like when he rose from the dead?" Glad you asked. So here's the answers. Number one, first our resurrection bodies will be our earthly bodies glorified. It won't be a different one, won't be a new one, it'll be this one. When Jesus rose from the dead, did he get raised from the dead in a wholly different body than the one he had? No, it was the same body right. The tomb was empty. It's not like his body was still there decomposing and he's running around as a phantom. His body that was buried was the body that came out of the grave. They didn't see a phantom or a hallucination or a ghost, it was him. That's a very important point, there's a one-to-one correspondence with the body of Jesus that died and was buried and the one that was raised from the dead. It was him, it was that body glorified. Jesus predicted it, John chapter 2, he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." John gives an editorial comment, "This he spoke referring to his own body," his physical body. Now I bring that up, it's very important because some Christians assume that God will create a new permanent body ex nihilo, out of nothing and give it to them upon death. Now if that were so, then there's no need for the doctrine of the resurrection. And you can rip I Corinthians 15 out of your Bibles because that's the whole premise: Our bodies will be resurrected from the dead. That's how Jesus described resurrection, once again listen to his words, "All who are in the graves (now that's descriptive, that means dead people who get put down in a casket and lowered into the earth) "All those who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out." Nothing could be more graphic, it's their bodies resurrected. So it's better to refer to that future state not as your new body but as your glorified body because its' going to be your body glorified. So back to the question: Why does God want to resurrect our body if we have a new one? The answer is you won't have a new one, you'll have this one renewed, made new, resurrected, glorified and that is full redemption. Romans 8 verse 22, "We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." That's when redemption is complete, upon resurrection. So number one, our resurrection bodies will be our bodies glorified, that was Jesus' same body but glorified. Number two, our resurrection bodies will have advanced properties, shall we say. Advanced properties. Do you know what I mean by that? Jesus had advanced properties, right? He had other world capabilities. I mean it was his body but it sure acted different after the resurrection than before. Right? For instance, in John chapter 20 verse 19 he could pass through solid walls. Won't that be fun? Disciples were in the upper room, made out of stone, everything in Jerusalem was, doors were shut and locked for fear of the Jews and Jesus entered the room. He didn't knock and, "Will you guys let me in? It's Jesus, behold I stand at the door and knock." He didn't have to do that, he just came in, through the walls. Second he could suddenly appear in one place and quickly go to another place from out of nowhere. He was on the road to Emmaus with the disciples, they left, he parted, and then suddenly showed up in a room where the disciples were gathered. And it says on that occasion when they saw Jesus they were terrified and they supposed they had seen a spirit, "(gasp) It's a ghost." And it says this, Jesus said to them, "Handle me." Now listen to this, handle me, here's his resurrection body, "For a spirit does not have flesh and bones like you see that I have." Here's Jesus' body, glorified, resurrected, flesh and bones, physical, real but with other world capabilities. Third, it seems that perhaps he was able to change his form because on three different occasions in the New Testament those who knew him intimately didn't recognize him at first. And then they did recognize him when he revealed himself to them. Some suppose that's because of the marks left by the crucifixion, others suppose as I do that it's Jesus but in a glorified form, there is a resemblance but they didn't at first recognize him. And fourth, is a cool part, Jesus' body after the resurrection could move vertically as well as horizontally. Right? He did what? Ascended into heaven, Acts chapter 1 verse 9, he's hanging out with the disciples and all of a sudden it's like...his body going upward up into the clouds. And the disciples were going, "Ahhhh, that is so utterly cool, I want to do that." And they will one day. That's what the angel said, "Don't gaze up into heaven, that same Jesus who left will come back just like he left." Same manner, physical, down, touching on the Mount of Olives. Now that becomes important as later on I'm going to describe for you your ultimate destination which is new Jerusalem. And when I tell you how it's contructed, this idea of moving vertically has a lot of fun possibilities to it. So what will your body be like in the resurrection? Like Jesus' body, real, physical, with other world capabilities.
Now Paul will described more precisely what that is like in the verses that follow in I Corinthians 15, we'll save that for next week and answer questions next week, like "now wait a minute, what if your body's handicapped now? Or you lose a limb now? And what about that cremation idea and several subjects like that I hope will get cleared up.
Let's finish up today with verses 24 through 28. Here's now the third aspect to resurrection. It will be appropriated. This is future now. Because look at what he says, verse 24, "Then comes the end." Okay, then comes the end, when Jesus comes back, resurrects the body, verse 23, "then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom of God to the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For He has put all things under his feet (quoting Psalm 8) when he says all things are put under him it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted (that is the Father). Now when all things are made subject to him then the Son himself will also be subject to him, the Father who put all things under him, that God may be all in all." So here now is the culmination of everything. When Jesus turns over the restored world to the Father, the very reason that he was sent is to recover it. Because of the fall and the curse that came from Adam's sin because of the judgment of the tribulation period trashed by judgment, it will be renewed by Christ. So we can think ahead, we don't have to turn to it, Revelation chapter 5 is a picture of Jesus the Lamb taking the scroll, the title deed of the earth, from the Father to take it back from Satan the usurper, to recover the earth and present it back to the Father. And how will he do that? Well the Bible tells us exactly in the book of Revelation. There will be a thousand-year millennial peace on earth where there will be no rebellion tolerated, Jesus will rule with an iron rod. But at the end of that period there will be a rebellion, a brief rebellion, the last insurrection. That will be stopped, completely stopped. And then after that thousand-year reign it even gets weirder than that, if you think it's weird so far hang on because there will be a second resurrection, this time for unbelieving dead people, they'll be raised up, they'll stand before the white throne, great white throne judgment, and they'll be given the capability and the physical form to withstand eternal punishment forever and ever, that'll be their resurrection. "Blessed and holy is the one who goes through the first resurrection," the scripture says, "The second death has no power over him. We who are raised incorruptible (without the presence of sin, unable to fall, unable to sin, without the old nature) there is no second death. But their resurrection takes place a thousand years later. Now after all that's done, there comes the next phase, the eternal state. This earth is obliterated and so is heaven because God makes a new heaven and a new earth with its new city capital, new Jerusalem. I know we have New Mexico but it's going to be even newer and better than that. It's going to be the eternal state. Here's the point: We need resurrected body for two reasons. Number one because of original sin, to reverse that, we already talked about that. Number two, for the future, the future renewed resurrected millennial earth demands renewed resurrected physical bodies. The eternal state requires eternal bodies. So to complete our redemption and to fit us for the future demands resurrection. Now here's the point of the whole passage. Resurrection has been around a long time, it's been anticipated a long time. And when Jesus rose again from the dead according to the scripture he set in motion an inexorable chain reaction that will include your physical resurrection, your body raised, made glorifed. The firstfruits were the harvest. 
Now let's suppose, let's suppose that everything that I've said this week and the last few weeks is all hooey, it's bunk, it's metaphysical nonsense as an unbeliever would listen to this, "Please" (scoffing). Well let's just suppose that's true, if there is no hereafter, if this is all there is, if there is no hereafter, then nothing matters, you can do anything you want. Right? Anything youwant. Nothing matters. But, if there is a hereafter, then nothing else matters. Follow? If there is a hereafter, if all of this happens to be true, nothing else matters. And now we understand that though death is no respecter of persons, everybody will die unless the Lord comes back first, resurrection is a respecter of persons because there's different resurrections: the evil and the just.
There was a man who went to his doctor for a checkup. And he called his doctor three days later and the doctor obviously had forgotten, he sounded like, and so the doctor said, "You know, I'm so sorry but I have, well I've got bad news and worse news." You don't expect to hear that, maybe "I've got good news and bad news." But the doctor said, "I've got bad news and worse news. And here's the bad news: You have 24 hours to live." "24 hours to live! Doc! That's not enough time to even get my affairs in order, what could possible be worse than that?" And the doctor said, "I was supposed to tell you yesterday but I forgot." That would be worse. 
It's appointed for man to die once and after this come the judgment. Resurrection is a respecter of persons. And how you live and how you choose today you live will determine how you die, when you are resurrected and where you spend time in that resurrected state. That's the eternal truth of the gospel, the same message.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, here we are peering from the edge of eternity into the future. We have for weeks now considered what eternity is, what death will be like, for the believer and a little bit for the unbeliever. We've considered the absent from the body and present with the Lord state. We've thought about and anticipate your coming soon because at that coming our bodies will be raised, they must be raised. The firstfruit has already been installed and now the harvest must follow. Lord, that is your plan, to utterly totally and eternally walk with us with renewed spirit and renewed bopdy together. Thank you for your plan Lord. The more we learn, the more excited we get. The more we learn about what the renewed body will be like, the glorified body; the more excited we get. Lord I pray that the way we live today would be with these truths in mind because if there is a hereafter then nothing else matters, nothing else matters quite like that. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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4/27/2008
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The Ultimate Journey
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
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What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey."
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5/4/2008
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View From Death's Door - Part 1
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, "A grave, wherever found, reaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul." He's right! Cemeteries remind us of our future on this earth--the only real estate we'll hold onto for awhile! But what happens to a believer after death? What about those who have died already? What are they doing now? Today and next week we will look at the experience of the death of the believer and what takes place afterwards.
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5/11/2008
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View from Death's Door - Part 2
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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How can mortal man penetrate beyond the grave and find assurance and peace for his own heart? Philosophers won't help--they've been for centuries discussing life and death without any resolve. Scientists don't want to tread into the area of wrestling with such questions. Paul solved the problem when he wrote, "For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord." We don’t need to wonder or speculate. Why substitute human speculation when we have divine revelation?
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5/18/2008
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Groaning for Glory
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
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What sort of existence and experiences are departed believers enjoying right now? Is the heaven we go to when we die our final destination? Paul described it as "far better" (Phil. 1:23) but it's going to get even much better! Paul lightly touches on what happens when a Christian dies and awaits the resurrection, but it's enough to give us confidence. Let's consider today the "intermediate" or temporary transitional heaven before the resurrection of our bodies.
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6/1/2008
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Getting the Body You've Always Wanted
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
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I know I've gotten your attention with the title! This is one of our culture's driving goals--to look trimmer, healthier, younger and stronger than we are. The solution happens to be in the future with the resurrection of our bodies--it will be the body you've always wanted. Scripture gives some wonderful descriptions of the future strength, beauty and permanence of our resurrected body. Let's consider what the Bible says about how you'll look then.
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6/8/2008
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Jesus, Friend of Children
Matthew 19:13-15
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Today's subject is a tender one. The death of infants and children is the greatest fear of any parent. Does the Bible speak clearly about what happens when they die? It certainly does and it also gives great comfort to many who suffer the horrible loss of a little one. In this series on Eternity we must consider this subject since it affects so many and will also help us understand the fate of those who, like children, have diminished capacities.
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6/22/2008
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A Sneak-Peek Into What's Up There
Revelation 4:1-3
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In the early morning of his last day on earth, Dwight L. Moody, awoke suddenly and said, "Earth recedes; heaven opens before me." Those near him thought he was dreaming. "No, this is no dream, it is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go." After that sneak-peek of heaven, Mr. Moody entered his heavenly home. Today lets begin to consider our future home by glimpsing God’s heavenly Throne Room.
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6/29/2008
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What on Earth is Going On in Heaven?
Revelation 4-5
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The above title is more than just a play on words. Although there will be many activities going on in heaven, worship is one of the few things that we can do "down here" on earth that we will also do "up there" in heaven. That means that one of the ways you can get closer to heaven is to engage in biblical worship right now. Let's tag along with John for his extended tour of heaven.
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7/13/2008
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Gold, Silver, or Bronze?
2 Corinthians 5:9-11
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Next month, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic Games in Beijing. Athletes from all over the world will compete, hoping to win the gold, silver or bronze medals that rank them as being some of the best on earth. This image of receiving an award from a judge on the raised platform of the Olympic Games is what Paul had in mind when he wrote about the future judgment of believers for their works on earth. Let’s see what this means.
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7/20/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 1
Revelation 20:1-3
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Mankind long ago gave up on the idea of a future Utopia. The idea of perpetual peace and undisturbed harmony became the stuff of fairy tale books. But that is precisely what God promised He will bring to this earth one day. And even though Satan has exercised a temporary authority over God's creation for several millennia, the story isn't over yet. Jesus Christ, who came two millennia ago as Savior, will return to rule as Sovereign for a thousand years. And no, this won't just be a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of His followers. This will be a literal dominion over a renewed earth. Let's explore this 1000 year phase of your eternal future.
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7/27/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 2: The Bad Guy is Bound
Revelation 20:1-3
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This world has been so tainted and marred with sin and Satanic deception that it's impossible for us to even imagine what it would be like with Him out of the way. Thankfully we have a clear description of what that will be like during the 1000 year reign of Christ in the Kingdom Age. Today we see the drama of Satan's arrest and incarceration, as the ultimate "bad guy" gets put away to make way for this future era of peace, prosperity and righteousness.
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8/10/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 3: When Politics are Perfect
Revelation 20:4-6
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It's the political season in our country and both sides are ramping up their platform to get as many votes as possible. The country is sharply divided on the two candidates but one thing is certain according to a recent poll: Americans consider both candidates to be risky if elected president. In Christ's Kingdom on earth, Christ will reign and all those who help Him administer will be in a glorified state, thereby minimizing any risk for shady politics. Get ready--you’re going to be part of the future political agenda of the King of Kings.
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8/17/2008
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Six Things That Will Surprise You About Heaven
Revelation 21:1-8
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I began this series talking about all the things I heard people say at funerals about the afterlife, from turning into angels when you die to having to answer Peter's questions at the gates of heaven. I have discovered that most people's (even Christians) ideas about what heaven will be like are vastly different that what Scripture reveals. We turn now to the Eternal State--after our initial experience of the Throne room of heaven, after our bodily resurrection at the Rapture, after the Millennial Reign of Christ. Here's a few things that might surprise you further:
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8/24/2008
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Future-Town - Part 1
Revelation 21:9-21
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Our English word town is related to the German word zaun (tuin in Dutch). The original idea behind the meaning referred to a space that a fence or wall would enclose. The town of the future described in this chapter, also enclosed by a wall, will be so magnificent that even John's depiction leaves us scratching our heads. This is God's revelation of the future Eternal dwelling of all believers. Let's do a walk-through today.
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9/7/2008
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Future-Town - Part 2
Revelation 21:22-22:5
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Today we will conduct a walk-through of your ultimate destination as a believer. We will walk with John as he describes what he saw as he was shown the New Jerusalem. It will be a social environment with such unique features, you'll have to bend and stretch your imagination just a bit. I will sum up this future cityscape by describing five conditions that will exist in God's Town
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9/14/2008
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Living Between Two Worlds
Philippians 1:19-26
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After studying about the believer's death, resurrection and heaven for four months now, maybe you can relate to these words by Puritan author, Thomas Watson, "Spiritual things satisfy; the more of heaven is in us, the less earth will content us." Knowing what we know now about the believer's future world, how can life be different in this present world?
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There are 16 additional messages in this series.
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