DYING TO LIVE AGAIN
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
The greatest hope that any man can have is the hope of the resurrection. We enjoy life and none of us wants to go by way of the grave, yet the truth remains that unless Jesus comes back before our appointed time, there is not one of us, young or old, who will escape that appointment with death.
Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
What a terrifying thought it would be if there was no chance for resurrection! Yet, there are many who would attempt to do away with the resurrection.
Even before the time of Jesus’ life on this earth there were many who taught that there was no resurrection. In fact, this doctrine was one of the greatest dividing factors among the members of the Sanhedrin Council who presided over all the spiritual and civil laws of the Jews. The Pharisees believed in life after death and stood their ground against there fellow council members who flatly refused to accept that there could be life after death. These men were called the Saducees.
In our day, and I’m sure that the same has been true for nearly all of human history, there are a lot of false doctrines that have arisen concerning life after death.
In the Hindu faith, where cattle are revered as gods while the people are starving to death, their position on life after death does not deny that life after death exists, but they place a whole new twist on what that “resurrected” life means. To a Hindu, every living creature is equally important because of the teachings of “reincarnation”. That’s a form of life after death that says that you will definitely live again, and again, and again for as many lives as it may take to reach the place of “nirvana” or perfection.
If you have been good in this life, perhaps you will get to come back as a cow, to be worshipped as a god and given free reign to walk anywhere you wish. If you haven’t been so good in this life, then perhaps you will come back as a monkey, a dog, a rabbit, or something similar based on your level of evil activity. And, if you have really been bad in this life, you might even come back as some miniscule, insignificant insect or amoeba.
If you are a Hindu, you have to walk very carefully. Don’t step on that ant crawling along the ground because you might be really stepping on your Aunt Miranda. Don’t send your herd of pigs to be converted into pork chops or a roasted ham. After all, you wouldn’t want to take a bite out of Uncle Krishna, or Cousin Rahid.
I know this all sounds so foolish, but remember, there are people in this world who are convinced that this is truth and they walk around on pins and needles lest they should offend a long dead relative.
Then there are those who teach another different type of resurrection. The Muslim religion of Islam teaches that if you die as a martyr in a Jihad, or holy war, or if you live a “good life” as defined by the Qur’an (Koran) that you will immediately be carried away into the heaven where Allah abides. There you will receive your greatest rewards. For the men it will be a harem filled with beautiful wives. For the women, I don’t know what is supposed to be their “reward” unless it is to be one of those eternal wives. That doesn’t sound like much of a heaven for them does it?
For the Islamic religion, every terrorist that gives his life to destroy the “Infidels” (every man, woman and child who does not accept Allah as god), will inherit a life after death that is nothing less than a day-by-day existence filled with only purpose – to fulfill every worldly pleasure as completely as possible.
Then there are other forms of resurrection that are taught by many forms of religions. Some teach that by being faithful and keeping the commandments of their false prophets that a man and his wife will be elevated to the place of eternal marriage, “a celestial marriage” and that every man who is found faithful enough will finally reach that state of perfection where he or she becomes, like Jesus did, a God in every way.
Sadly, all of these people really are going to face a resurrection one day but it will not be a resurrection to enjoy pleasures of the world forever, or to reach a state of godhood in their own right, or even to get a second, third or forth chance to redeem their past sins in the form of some other creature upon the earth. They will be called forth to a resurrection sure enough, but they will be called forth to the Great White Throne Judgment as a part of the second resurrection of the lost souls, and then will be forever cast into the pits of hell.
John 5:29, "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
Revelation 20:11-15 describes the resurrection of damnation like this; "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
What sets Christianity apart from every other religion on planet earth? If you are a Christian, what makes your faith better than theirs, or your Bible better than their sacred writings, or your belief in what lies beyond the grave any more dependable than what the other religions teach? My friend if you don’t know and understand why Christianity is far and above all the rest, it is no wonder that so many Christians are joining the ranks of false religions. If you don’t know what to stand for, and why, you are in trouble. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
What is the answer to these questions? What makes our faith true and all others a lie? The answer is Jesus Christ – the only God with the power to not only resurrect you from the dead, but who has the power to resurrect his own son.
Jesus is the only “prophet” who has risen from the dead. He is the only Lord who is alive forever more. He is the only living and true God. Mohammed lived and died, and is still dead. Hare Krishna lived and died and is still dead. Joseph Smith lived and died, and he is still dead. All of these self-proclaimed and venerated “prophets” will rise again, but they will not rise to new life. They will rise to judgment then be sentenced to eternal death. Hell will be a place of always feeling the pain of death, but never really dying.
So what do we believe, according to the Word of God, the Holy Bible, concerning the resurrection of the dead and the life hereafter? You can find the answer in many portions of scripture but this morning I want us to examine 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and learn a portion of what the resurrection means to each of us.
1 Corinthians 15:35, "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?"
The Sadducees asked this question. Everyone who every lived likely asked this question at one time or another. As we have seen, every religion in the world attempts to formulate its own doctrine concerning these questions. So, as Christians, we must know what the answer is if we are to stand against false doctrine.
1 Corinthians 15:36-41, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."
Paul’s words are strong because he knew that the eternal souls of men hung in the balance. There is no place for listening to wrong doctrine. There is no excuse for not knowing the truth.
If you were to listen to the doctrines of any other religion besides Christianity, you would be handed a false hope! In every other religion there is always a chance for you to enter into Heaven after you have already died. Even in some Christian circles this false doctrine is taught. Several faiths teach the doctrine of Purgatory in one form or another, designed to give man a second chance after death.
We must know that no second chance exists beyond the grave. Once you draw your last breath and your spirit leaves your body of flesh, it will either go to be with the Lord, or to the pits of hell to be held in prison until you come forth to judgment, only to be cast right back where you came from forever.
When the point of death comes for a Christian, we do not step from this life into the next with the same body that we had before. We are subject to the same passions, the same lusts, the same desires that plague this body of flesh that we have now.
Matthew 22:30, "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."
Every body of flesh in this earth has its own characteristics. The body of a man or woman is different from that of a dog, or any other animal. While they may all be flesh, they are not the same in appearance, in desire, or in physical needs.
Man must have clothing and shelter to survive and flourish. Animals need no clothes, even though some people tend to dress them up. God has given them a coat of fur to cover them. Animals don’t need to build houses, install heaters and air conditioners, and build furniture to make life easier. They just find themselves a cool tree, a hole in the ground, or a nest to call home. The needs of their body of flesh are real but they differ from the needs of human beings. A carnivorous animal must eat other flesh to live. A lion eats flesh, but a deer only eats plants, leaves and roots. Every body of flesh is different.
Each form of flesh has its own claim to fame, or glory. Lions all have the same needs. Elephants all have the same needs. Likewise, Human Beings, people, all have the same basic needs.
The same type of scenario holds true for every star in the heavens, every planet in the universe, as it does for every body that God has created in the earth.
The scientists of our day have proven through research that no two planets, no two stars in the sky are exactly alike. Each body in the solar system has its own characteristics. Some are large, some are small; some are nothing more than dead rock; others have large portions of metal ore in them; and still others are large spheres of gaseous substances surrounding a small inner core that creates the gravity to hold them together. Yet, for all their differences they each have their own “glory” or identity and appearance; and they all have their own specific purpose in God’s plan.
While the body of those objects that are not given eternal life will simply cease to exist or be re-created, the fleshly body of man, who has been given eternal life, will be resurrected into a new body. It will no longer be a body that depends upon blood, food and oxygen to exist, but it will be a body that is alive by the Spirit of God. In that fashion it will be a spiritual body, yet will have much the same appearance that it has now, only perfect, flawless, without any effect of sin upon it, and with the power of God giving it life forever more.
1 Corinthians 15:42-49, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
But, no matter what type of body we have now, in the life to come, this body will cease to exist. The stars will be gone, the earth will be re-created, there will be animals in heaven but they won’t have the same characteristics they have now, and your body will be wonderfully different as well. We cannot fathom or understand the differences that will happen within us. We can only trust God and believe that He knows best and will give us every desire of our heart, but we must also realize that the desires that we have now will not be the same desires that we will have in that new body.
That’s when we will begin to fully understand what Paul meant when he said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Before that transformation can take place, this old body of flesh, bone and blood, must die forever. It must be sown in all of its corruption, in a constant state of growing old, weaker by the day, and changing in its appearance. This body must be sown like a seed before we can arise in that new body of power and glory. Perhaps for most people that death may occur before the coming of Christ so that we go by way of natural causes. For those blessed few who will actually experience the rapture of the church, that moment of death and resurrection will take only the twinkling of eye to complete the process.
1 Corinthians 15:50, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."
A body of flesh, cannot enter into Heaven’s realms anymore than light can co-exist with the darkness. One must die, or be destroyed, for the other to exist. How can a body of flesh, corrupted by the power of sin, enter into the presence of a Holy God? Before we get to live with the Lord, in that perfect state, our body must be resurrected in a perfect state even as Jesus was after his resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:51-57, "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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Do you like to watch a good mystery show and try to figure out what is going to happen next? Well the resurrection is a mystery to those who don’t read God’s Word. But, we are shown the mystery by Paul and how that it will all come to pass.
Some will fall asleep and go by way of the grave before Jesus comes but some will never see the grave because they will be instantly changed.
At that moment, death is conquered forever. You will never face death, ever again. Jesus has conquered death. He has taken away its pain, its fear and its dread from the heart of those who love Jesus. Because he has washed away our sin that brings us death, and because he has fulfilled the Law for us, we are no longer condemned, no longer destined to die, but we are instantly changed into a glorious and spiritually powered body. Jesus has given us power and victory over death and we will never die.
Death in this body is simply falling asleep to awake to a brand new, more glorious body, powered by the Holy Ghost and eternally alive.
But there is a price to be paid in this body of flesh, if we are obtain that spiritual, glorious, incorruptible body in the resurrection. Here is Paul’s instruction on just how we should live.
1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
Only those who are sold out to Jesus are going to have a resurrected body.
Those who don’t know Jesus will never experience that glorious body powered by the Holy Ghost. They will never know the freedom from death or the wonders of Heaven. Instead they will ever experience the horror, pain and defeat of death and sin against the Law of God.
Which category do you fall in? Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air? Or, will you meet him at the Judgment to hear your final sentence of eternal death?
