Be Steadfast, Immovable, Always Abounding

Be Steadfast, Immovable, Always Abounding

Scripture: First Corinthians 15:50-58; Philippians 3:20-21

This morning I want to encourage you to be steadfast and immovable as you abound in the work of the Lord. We are entering a time of transition as a Church and while some might be concerned about what the future holds, I am not. You see, if I remain focused on what God instructs me to do as I walk with Him day by day, I will understand where He is taking me in due time. Right now, I am comfortable in the dark.

This year is almost over and, for me, it has held many changes that I did not expect when the year started on the first of January. A lot has happened this past year and there is still more to come before the year is done. There were many individuals who were alive on January 1st but not alive today, November 12th. Individually, and as a Church family, we had some good days, and we experienced some bad days. We had times when we truly felt blessed and sensed God’s presence all around us and there were times when our adversary tried to make us believe that we were all alone. There were times when we laughed and there were times when we cried. There were times when we had plenty and there were times when we might have struggled to make ends meet. Yet through all of this, God was faithful. He was with us every single day in every single situation. He never left us! There were times when we were healthy and there were times when we were sick and He was there. There were times when we were called on to pray for others and there were times when we asked others to pray for us and God answered those prayers. There were times when we turned on the news and were blessed by some stories and there were many times when the news was so bad that all we could do was pray. There were times when we had sunshine and there were times when we had rain. There were times when we rejoiced and there were times when we mourned. In everything that we have experienced this year the one person who remained constant, regardless of how our minds might have shifted, was God.

When Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he wrote about the final victory that all Christians will experience. He was addressing this because questions had been raised about some of the doctrines that were being taught by the leaders in the Church. Specifically, there were those who were teaching that there would be no resurrection. Now, you can imagine the impact that this teaching had on those new to the Christian faith. Our belief in the resurrection from the dead (Christ’s and ours) is crucial to our faith. Remember, if you do not accept the resurrection of Christ, nothing else we believe is worth anything. Everything starts with and has a foundation in His resurrection. So, this new teaching was spreading within the Church and totally confused the believers. So, Paul wrote the following to address it: “(50) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. (51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.’ (55) ‘O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?’ (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (First Corinthians 15:50-57)

Paul wrote to the Church to share with them (and each of us) that we will experience the final victory – a resurrection from the dead – if we stay faithful to God. He wrote that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, so therefore, corruption must be laid aside and incorruption must take its place. In other words, the physical flesh and blood body that we have in order to exist on this earth will be changed as we enter into God’s kingdom in heaven. Now understand this, while flesh and blood cannot inherit glory or the spiritual body, flesh and bone can. We need blood in order to live on this earth, but we will not need blood to exist in God’s kingdom. When we transition to God’s kingdom, we will receive a new body, a body that is not corrupt and will never become corrupt. That body will be a body consisting of flesh and bone. Remember when Jesus rose from the dead and He appeared to the disciples. At first the disciples thought that He was a spirit, but Jesus had to correct them. This is what is recorded in Luke 24:37-39, “(37) But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. (38) And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? (39) Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’” (Luke 24:37-39) When Jesus’ disciples initially saw Him they thought that He was a spirit. Jesus told them to observe His body, that He had a body of flesh and bone. He stated that a spirit does not have a body of flesh and bone.