Text: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall 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 shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have 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 thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Subject: “Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep... Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone”
My sisters and brothers... the title of this sermon is borrowed from the rich colloquial legacy of the African American experience. It’s one of those hidden message phrases that has been passed down from one generation to another in the black community. For the most part, black folk don’t talk like that anymore, but I’m reminded of a time when there was great wisdom to be gleaned from phrases used by “Big Momma” and them.
For instance...
— When someone wanted something but had no money to buy it, they used to say:
“Charge it to the dust and let the rain settle it."
— If someone did you wrong, you didn’t waste your time trying to get even, for they told us: "What goes around, comes around."
— They told us to be friendly to everybody by saying, “Shake every hand you meet, because you never know who you may have to beg for a piece of bread one day.”
— If a man or a woman talked too much, they said: "They got tongue enough for 10 rows of teeth."
— They taught us that appearances can be deceptive by saying: "Just because a chicken has wings don’t mean it can fly.”
— If we had plans for the next day and were serious about getting them accomplished, they taught us to say: “I’ll do it tomorrow if the Lord is willing and the creek don’t rise.”
... And of course, the one that I’ve borrowed for the title of this sermon: “Every shut eye ain’t sleep, and every goodbye ain’t gone,” which meant that one must look beneath the surface of situations if you really want to understand life, or understand people.
Well... the Apostle Paul, here in 1st Corinithians 15, speaks in a kind of spiritual colloquialism when he says: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
— And let me suggest to this family that if you look beneath the surface of ___________________ ’s passing you’ll find great comfort in this scripture from three areas. I have 3-points I want to give you, then I’ll take my seat.
Point #1: in this text, THERE IS ENLIGHTENMENT IN THIS WORD.
Paul, here, is describing the difference between these mortal bodies and a resurrected body that the saints in heaven wear. What Paul is really saying is that... we can’t go to heaven like we are right now!
He’s reminding us that these earthly bodies of ours are defiled by sin and cannot enter Heaven. These bodies are mortal and are not designed to exist for eternity in that Heavenly realm. And so, if we’re going to go there, these bodies must be changed!
I didn’t read it, but in verses 35-49 we’re told that the saints can expect to inherit a new body in the resurrection. In other words, when they die in Jesus, they’ll be raised from the dead in a body like His.
Now I don’t know how the Lord will do it. I don’t know how He’ll take these old bodies which are filled with both physical disease and spiritual disease and transform them into perfect heavenly bodies. I don’t know how He’ll do it, and neither did Paul. That’s why he says, “Behold, I show you a mystery.”
They word “mystery” refers to “the hidden things of God.” Church... it’s a mystery, but one thing about it is... when we get to heaven, it will all be revealed. But now... in order to get to heaven, we have to die!
Yes, my sisters and brothers, to get a new body and to be free from this decaying, dying, and defiled body, we have to die! But I want you to know that for a child of God, death becomes a door of hope. It allows the spirit to be free from the prison of this body to await the day when the body is resurrected from the grave and changed into the image of Jesus.
Point #1. In the text, There is Enlightenment in this word. And then...
Point #2: THERE IS EXCITEMENT IN THIS WORD.
This text is literally brimming over with excitement. WATCH THIS: In verses 54 and 56, as Paul talks about the blessed hope of the believer, he expresses excitement in two areas.
First, There Is Excitement Over Our Victory. Paul mentions four great enemies that will be defeated in the end. He mentions death, the grave, sin and the Law. Each of these is against us!
Understand that “Death” is pictured as a fearful monster that has a horrible stinger. It has inflicted its pain countless times since man began to die thousands of years ago. We don’t like to think about it, but death is stalking each on of us and one day its stinger will find the mark and we will leave here.
Now, it’s one thing to die, but it is another thing to die in sin. The text says that “the sting of death is sin”, but when Jesus came, He came to take the stinger out of death. WATCH THIS: Not only is there excitement over our victory, but: There Is Excitement Over Our Victor!
I love to tell the story about the little boy who was scared to death of bees and their sting. One day a bee came flying into his room and he was so afraid. His daddy walked in the room and saw what was going on. He snatched the bee out of the air and squeezed it. When he did, the bee stung him and left the stinger in his hand. The Dad looked at his son and said, “Son, you don’t have to be afraid of that bee any more I took his stinger away and he can never hurt you again!”
One day in heaven Jesus will show us his nail scarred hands and say, “I took the sting out of Sin!” “I defeated Death, The Grave and Hell!”
— Jesus left the beauty of heaven and came to the ugliness of earth!
— He wore a crown of thorns, so we could wear a crown of life!
— He walked up Calvary’s Hill, so we could walk on streets of Gold!
— He was crucified and died so that we might live!
— He was treated unjustly, so we could be justified!
— He went to hell, so we could go to heaven! In Jesus, death is defeated!
And then, Paul talks about the enemy called “The Grave”. In a few minutes, we’ll follow ________________ ’s body to the Cemetery. Then, we’ll turn and walk away with a broken heart and an empty place in our heart and home. The grave is cruel! But, in Jesus, the grave has no power!
Then, there is “Sin.” Sin defiles us, it devastates our lives and it dooms us to Hell. Sin separates us from the Lord. It destroys homes, hearts and hopes. It’s a vile thing that tarnishes every relationship we have and corrupts every part of our lives. It is a horrible, cruel enemy, but in Jesus, sin is defeated!
Finally, there is “The Law.” The law is what shows us that we are sinners. It’s that which gives sin its rightful claim of death upon us. The law was intended by God to reveal to man that he was a sinner. It is law that reveals our true nature. But Paul tells us that “To those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no sting in death; there is no victory for the grave; there is power in sin; and there is no condemnation in the Law.” — and for the believer, it all takes place “In the twinkling of an eye”.
I don’t know if you know what that means, so let me see if I can use a little science to try and explain it, even though science can’t explain God, but they can define the twinkling of an eye. An eye twinkling can be likened to a “blink.”
Scientists have estimated that a blink of the eye takes place in 1/10,000th of a second. And so, what Paul means here is that when Jesus comes to pick up those who die in the Lord, it happens so fast that it will be over before we will even understand that it’s begun!
Think about that saints.
— In this earthly body, we have pains... but in a twinkling, we are completely healed!
— In this earthly body, we have troubles... but in a twinkling, all of our troubles are over!
— In this earthly body, we have issues... but in a twinkling, all of our issues are resolved!
— In this earthly body, we have sorrows... but in a twinkling, our sorrows turns to joy!
Paul said, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” In other words, when this world comes to a final end, that “The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed! For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” You know what that says to me? It’s says that the change will be sudden, but it will be satisfying.
You see, all change is not satisfying. In life, we have to deal with changes and sometimes we don’t like what happens to us. We all know that _________________ went through some changes while she lived, and I’m sure she/he didn’t like some of them.
... But his/her changes are over now! No more pains! No more troubles! No more issues! No more sorrows! Her corruptible can not put on incorruption, and his/her mortal can now put on immortality!
I’m about finished, but...
#1: There is Enlightenment in this word.
And #2: There is Excitement in this word.
And finally, #3: THERE IS ENCOURAGEMENT IN THIS WORD.
Paul closes his thoughts by issuing a challenge to all believers. In light of our victory in Jesus and in light of the fact that we are leaving here some day, there are three things the Lord would have us do.
First of all: We Are Encouraged To Be Firm.
We are called upon to make up our minds to take a stand for the Lord. We are to be “steadfast and unmoveable” In other words, we are to be steadfast and unmoveable in our faith.
Second of all: We Are Encouraged To Be Fruitful.
He says, “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” My sisters and brothers, we must strive to be about a good work — and we do that by allowing the Lord to live in us and control us.
And finally, We Are Encouraged To Be Faithful Knowing That One Day, We’ll Get Our Reward. Paul says that a life lived for Jesus is a life worth living — and in the end, your faith in Christ will be vindicated and your faith in Christ will be validated. I heard him say, “forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” In other words, “There’s a payday, someday!”
Yes... on that great resurrection day; that great reunion day; that great reward day, we shall rest from all of our laborers and spend eternity in the glorious presence of the Lord.
... And so, as I take my seat... you need not worry about ______________________ . Yes...she may have had her challenges, but he/she was raised to know who Jesus is! And because she knew who Jesus is, though her earthly eyes are shut, her spiritual eyes are open! Although she’s gone from here... it’s not goodbye, for “Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep and Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone!” — and if we live right, we’ll see her again!
CLOSE: I gotta quit, but I heard about a young preacher, who was going to visit an aged dying saint, and he went to comfort her and as they were talking she said to him, “Pastor, I’m not going to die.”
The preacher smiled and he said, “Oh, you have trusted in the Lord and He’s giving you comfort in the time of your death.” She says, “Oh no, Pastor; I don’t expect to die.”
Well he thought in her dying condition that her mind was wandering a little bit and he said, “Well then what makes you exempt from death?” She said, “Oh, I died a long time ago.” The young preacher said, “Sister... what do you mean?”
She said, “I died two thousand years ago! When Jesus died, I died! When He was crucified, I was crucified! And when He rose again, I rose again!
“O grave... where is thy victory? O death... where is thy sting?”
I don’t know about you, but I like what I’ve heard today! I praise God there is coming a changing day! Somebody said, we’ll be able to truly sing the song: I’m free... praise the Lord I’m free! No longer bound... no more chains holding me! My soul is resting! It’s just a blessing!
Praise the Lord...
Praise the Lord...
Praise the Lord...
Hallelujah...
Hallelujah...
Hallelujah...
I’m free!!
“Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep... And Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone!”
