1 Corinthians
What Will the Resurrection be Like? And
How Can I be Sure That I Will Be Ready?
1 Corinthians 15:20-34
July 20, 2003
Intro:
A. [illustration]
John G. Paton, a nineteenth-century missionary to the South Seas met opposition to leaving his home in Scotland and going to preach to the cannibalistic people of the New Hebrides Islands.
A well-meaning church member moaned to him, “The cannibals, the cannibals! You’ll be eaten by the cannibals!”
Without hesitation, Paton replied, I confess to you that if I can live and die serving my Lord Jesus Christ, it makes no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; for in that Great Day of Resurrection, my body will rise as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer!
B. As we continue our study of 1st Corinthians 15, today we will look at verses 20-34, I want to ask two questions today: What will the resurrection be like? And “How can I be sure I will be ready?”
I. What Will the Resurrection be Like?
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (NIV), But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
A. The resurrection began with Christ’s resurrection. (20-22)
1. Paul begins his description of the resurrection with Christ’s resurrection.
2. Paul said in verse 20 that Christ was the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
a. When Paul says “firstfruits,” he simply means first.
b. If you could think of the resurrection as a tree, then the people that are raised from the dead are the fruit of that tree; and Christ was its “firstfruits.”
3. When Paul says “those who have fallen asleep,” we’d refer to them as being dead.
4. Of those who have died, Christ was the first to rise from the grave.
5. Christ is the first in the resurrection.
6. He wasn’t the only one, He was just the first; the “firstfruits.”
7. “For since death came through a man,” that man was Adam.
8. “since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man,” and that man is Jesus.
9. Because of the sin of Adam, death came to man.
a. God told Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree, but he did.
b. And God’s law says that if you sin you die; so death came through Adam.
c. And since Adam, nearly every human being has died.
d. Death came through a man.
10.But then life after death also came through one Man.
a. Since Christ rose from the dead, so shall we.
b. Christ wasn’t the only one to rise from the dead, just the first.
c. “Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
11.In the order of the resurrection, Paul tells us that Christ was first.
B. Then in verse 23 Paul tells us that those who belong to Him will be next.
1. Next in the order of the resurrection are those who belong to Christ.
2. Christ was the first to rise from the dead; second will be those who belong to Him.
3. Christ was first and then those who belong to Him.
4. Christ’s resurrection has already occurred.
5. But the resurrection of those who belong to Him is still in the future.
6. The resurrection of those who belong to Him will be when Christ returns.
7. When the trump shall sound all of the dead in Christ will rise first.
C. Then those who don’t belong to Him.
1. Now Paul doesn’t specifically mention those who don’t belong to Christ.
2. But it can clearly be inferred that those who don’t belong to Christ will rise after those who do belong to Him.
a. Daniel 12:2 (NIV), Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
b. Daniel says that all will be made alive; believers or not.
c. Paul is saying the same thing when he says that death came to mankind through a man and the resurrection of mankind also comes through a man.
d. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
e. EVERYONE will rise from the dead!
f. “Some will rise to everlasting life others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
3. Jesus made it clear in John 5:28-29, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned”
a. Jesus says all that are in their graves will come out.
b. Those who don’t belong to Him will rise to be condemned to an eternity in hell.
c. They will live, but it will be in a place of eternal separation from God.
d. It will be in a place where there is nothing good.
e. It is a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
f. The Bible describes it as a lake of fire.
4. Jesus said those who don’t belong to Him would, indeed, rise.
5. But they will wish they hadn’t.
6. Those who don’t belong to Christ will rise to be condemned to an eternity in hell after those who do belong to Christ have arisen.
7. Christ first, those who belong to Him second, those who don’t belong to Him third…
D. Then Paul says the end will come. (24-28)
1. Paul says Christ will destroy all dominions, authority, and power.
2. That includes all dominions, authority, and power of Satan.
3. But that’s not all it includes.
4. Because when Christ returns to raise the dead from the graves, there will be millions still alive on the earth.
5. There will be people alive when He returns.
6. And according to the prophecies the Bible has about His return, it is clear that there is not much time left until His return.
7. And Paul says that when Christ returns, there will be governments, law enforcement, dominions, authorities, and powers still in existence.
8. Verse 26 says Christ “must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
9. You see, for a while, Christ will be the government of the whole planet.
10. He will “reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
11. Christ will destroy all of His enemies—including death.
12. But Paul says then He will hand over the kingdom to God, the Father.
13. And the Father will “be all in all.”
14. That’s the order of the resurrection.
a. Christ rose from the dead first.
b. Those who belong to Christ will rise next.
c. Those who don’t belong to Christ will be last.
d. And then the end will come.
e. That is a very brief description of what the resurrection will be like.
f. That is the apostle Paul’s description of what it will be like.
g. The Bible leaves no question that there will be life after death.
h. And the Bible leaves no question that there will only be two possibilities of life after death: heaven or hell.
15. And now with an understanding of what the resurrection of the dead will be like, the most pertinent question a person could ask is:
II. How Can I be Sure That I Will Be Ready?
1 Corinthians 15:29-34 (NIV), Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame.
A. The first thing that Paul says to do in order to be ready for the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead is to be baptized.
1. Now we are not exactly sure what verse 29 means.
2. We are sure of this: there is no value in being baptized for the dead.
3. The problem is probably a misunderstanding of the word that is translated “for”.
4. We do know that it can mean “because of” or “on account of.”
5. But nothing we know about the word seems to make any sense.
6. We do know that there is nothing of value in being baptized for a person who has physically died.
7. We also know that there is something of value in being baptized for your own spiritual death.
8. There is an interesting parallel passage in Romans 6:3-11 (NIV), Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
9. In Romans 6 Paul says there is a lot of value in being baptized for our own spiritual deadness.
10. Paul says that because of being united with Christ in His death, we will also be raised with Him in the resurrection.
11. Now it seems almost too close to think that Paul wasn’t writing the same thing to the Corinthians as he did to the Romans, but we just don’t know for sure.
12. What we do know is that being baptized for spiritually dead people cannot prepare them for the resurrection, and we also know that being baptized to crucify our own spiritual deadness WILL prepare us for the resurrection.
13. Baptism is not just some churchy show; it is something that helps prepare us for our resurrection into everlasting life!
14. That’s what the Bible says!
15. Romans 6:4-5 (NIV), We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
16. Baptism in water helps prepare us for the resurrection.
B. Engage in Spiritual Warfare
1. You may be wondering where I got this…
a. I am now looking at verses 30-32.
b. I will tell you that there were no wild beasts that any of the Ephesians could see.
c. But Paul said in verse 32 that he fought wild beasts in Ephesus.
2. Acts chapter 19 records Paul’s visit to the city of Ephesus.
a. You will find no wild beasts recorded in that chapter.
b. But you will find people who became obstinate and publicly maligned Jesus, you will find that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them,” (vss. 11-12) you will find people who were demon-possessed being exercised, you will find people practicing sorcery who get saved, and you will find a riot started by people who were upset with Paul’s preaching.
3. And in the 6th chapter of the letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we find these words: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (vs 12)
4. So when Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:32, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons,” he’s not talking about flesh and blood beasts or people.
a. He’s talking about the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
b. “Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
c. I refer to this as spiritual warfare.
5. You see we must see the enemy for who he really is: Satan and his demons.
a. And we know that Satan is the father of lies and the master of deception.
b. We know that his purpose is to trick as many people into going to hell as he possibly can.
6. Now lest we jump to the mistaken conclusion that many make in saying, “I’m not a devil-worshipper and I don’t know anyone who is, so I don’t need to be concerned about this…for those that think that, we need to remember that Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”
a. Jesus said that if we aren’t for Him we are against Him.
b. And then He said that he who does not gather with Him, scatters.
c. By “gathering,” Jesus isn’t talking about gathering berries or nuts or mushrooms.
d. He’s talking about gathering souls.
e. He who doesn’t gather souls, scatters them.
f. Again those are Jesus’ Words, not mine: “he who does not gather with Me, scatters,”
g. He who is not with Him, is against Him.
h. So you see when a person tries to rationalize himself by saying, “I’m not a devil worshipper, I believe in God, so I think I will be heaven,” that is in reality against God.
i. Because if we are not actively living for Him and gathering souls with Him, then we are against Him!
j. People try to come up with their own ways of getting to heaven, but on Judgment Day, the only way that will be valid is Jesus’ way.
k. And Jesus says that in order to be ready for our resurrection, we must be actively living for Him and gathering souls with Him!
7. In order to prepare ourselves for our future resurrection, we must be involved in spiritual warfare.
a. That’s why Paul says that he endangered himself every hour.
b. That’s why Paul says he fought wild beasts.
c. That’s why people were always mad at him.
d. That’s why Paul was beaten and jailed.
e. Paul engaged in the spiritual battle and even so-called Christians attacked him spiritually and physically.
f. Satan attacked the apostle Paul using both Christians and non-Christians because Paul was engaged in the battle.
g. Satan didn’t like Paul because Paul was engaged in the battle.
h. And Satan fought back at Paul physically and spiritually.
i. He wasn’t doing it for merely human reasons; he did it because he knew that he must be gathering souls as Jesus commanded.
j. Paul knew that he must be engaged in Spiritual Warfare to prepare for eternal life.
8. And in that 6th chapter of Ephesians (10-18) Paul instructs the Ephesians and us in how to go about Spiritual Warfare, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
a. Wow! Does Paul say a mouth full there!
b. Paul gives a rapid-fire war strategy!
c. We really don’t have time to go into a lot of detail about this, but please let me highlight Paul’s Spiritual Warfare strategy…
d. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
1) Remember our battle is not against flesh and blood people, our battle is against the dark forces of evil that are influencing people.
2) Put on the full armor so that you can withstand the attack of the enemy against you; because if you are for God, Satan will attack: “Stand your ground, and after you have done everything stand firm.”
3) Always speak and uphold the truth, wear it as a belt around your waist.
4) Wear righteousness as your breastplate of protection.
5) Cover your feet with the gospel of peace.
6) Use your faith as a shield to ward off the flaming arrows that the enemy will fire at you.
7) Wear your salvation as a helmet—know in your mind that you are saved!
8) Your Bible is your sword against those dark forces—therefore: know your Bible, love your Bible, and use your Bible in your warfare for the souls of those around you!
9) Know the truth so you can tell them the truth and the truth can set them free!
e. And finally: when you are in Spiritual Warfare, life is hard--so pray hard for yourself and your brothers and sisters in Christ.
1) Because although our struggle is not against flesh and blood, the enemy can hurt you both physically and spiritually.
2) You or a close brother could become a causality of this war.
3) This armor is your only protection for yourself both physically and spiritually.
4) So pray hard for yourself and others.
9. I’m sometimes asked why are I’m so serious about my Christianity.
a. And my answer is because I’m entangled in the battle for souls.
b. Paul wrote later to these same Corinthians, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
c. You see, I have learned from Paul that if my life is not like that, then I’m not engaged in spiritual warfare, and I am against Christ!
d. When I’m attacked from every side for preaching the Word of God above the opinions of men; I’m in good company.
e. Paul had riots started because of his preaching.
f. His very life was threatened by the powers of evil working in the lives of human beings; and even in the lives of false brothers.
11. What Paul is saying is that Christianity is not supposed to be a comfortable thing.
a. Because if our lives are comfortable we aren’t engaged in the spiritual battle.
b. And he shows us what life is like when we engage in spiritual warfare.
12. In order to prepare ourselves for the resurrection of the dead, we need to be involved in spiritual warfare, we need to be baptized, and…
C. Live a holy life (33-34)
1. Look at verses 33-34 as I apply them to preparing ourselves for our resurrection.
2. This are just the highlights of Paul’s instructions on leading a holy life.
#1: Don’t be mislead (by false teachers) (verse 33)
#2: Don’t allow their false doctrine to lead you into bad behavior. (verse 33)
#3: Wake up and stop sinning. (verse 34)
-Time is short, so stop making excuses for your sin.
-And get yourself right with God.
#4: Wake up and evangelize. (34)
#5: Wake up and remove the shame from your life. (Verse 34)
-Don’t ignore your guilt and shame.
-Don’t blame others for your behavior as is so common in America today.
-Don’t blame others for your guilt and shame.
-Not even the preacher.
-Don’t blame the preacher, or anyone else, for your guilt.
-When you feel guilt, it is often the HS trying to get you right with God.
-So don’t harden your heart to the guilt that is put there by the HS.
-Guilt was intended by God to be a good thing that will convict us of our sin and cause us to turn to Him.
Conclusion:
A. What will the resurrection be like?
1. Christ arose first.
2. Next will be those who belong to Him.
3. Followed by those who don’t belong to Him.
4. Then the end will come.
B. How can I be sure that I will be ready?
1. Be baptized.
a. If you have not be buried with Him in Christian baptism you need to today!
b. That is what the Bible says.
c. In order to be ready for our resurrection, we need to be baptized.
d. Do you need to take care of that today?
e. You can by simply stepping forward when we sing and stand before this group of people and say: “I believe that Jesus is the Christ,” and you can be baptized today.
2. If you have been baptized, then you need to be engaging in spiritual warfare.
a. [Illustration)
A letter from a missionary out in the jungles of New Guinea writing to his friends at home caught the nature of spiritual warfare:
“Man, it is great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old devil’s heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease.
He doesn’t waste time on a lukewarm bunch.
He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him.
You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back.
When you’re on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don’t bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning?
No, sir.
That’s the time to pull out the stops and shout Hallelujah!
The old fellow’s getting it in the neck and hitting back.
Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching.
‘Will he stick with it?’
And as they see who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away.
Glory to God!
We’re not going to run away.
We’re going to stand!
b. If your Christianity has become comfortable, you are not engaging in the battle and Jesus said you are against Him.
c. Do you need to commit yourself today to getting involved in the spiritual battle for the souls of those around you—men & women and boys & girls who need to hear and accept the good news of Jesus Christ to prepare them for their resurrection.
d. Maybe today you need to come forward and have me pray with you about your commitment to the battle.
3. And Paul also says that we need to live a holy life.
a. Do you need to commit yourself to getting serious about studying your Bible?
b. Is there sin in your life that you need to confess to God?
c. Is there guilt in your life that you need to deal with?
d. Do you need someone to pray for you about living a holy life?
e. If so, then just make your way forward as we sing.
