BE THANKFUL, GOD’S MYSTERY IS REVEALED
February 19, 2006 - Epiphany 7 - 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
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Dearest Fellow Redeemed and Saints in the Lord, loved children of God:
Everyone loves a mystery. There is a certain sense of excitement when we try to uncover the meaning / explanation of those things that are hidden from us. It is a mystery. We see the attraction of uncovering mysteries because of the world in which we live. There are lots of scientists, lots of TV shows that try to solve crimes and murders. Mysteries. Today the Lord reveals to us another mystery of salvation. At times, when we look at Scripture, it seems if it is a little bit mysterious, a little bit unknown.
This morning in our text reveals a mystery that it is not unknown. Instead, it is the mystery how we and/or anyone in this world would be saved. That is a mystery--that God would send his Son to pay for our sins. That is the mystery we are going to talk about today. Paul wrote to the congregation in Ephesus: "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 3:6). From the beginning of time the children of Israel were God’s chosen, the ones to receive the message of salvation. Now all that has changed. Paul wrote it was a mystery that God would save mankind, that Jesus would die for the sins of the whole world. That is a mystery we celebrate and rejoice in. In our text we are to be thankful; as it says: "Give thanks, God’s mystery is revealed." We want to consider that fact today as our theme: BE THANKFUL, GOD’S MYSTERY IS REVEALED
I. We are told that God gives us victory over death. II. Because of this victory over death, our lives reflect God’s victory.
II. GOD GIVES US VICTORY OVER DEATH
If you remember from the book of Corinthians, it was a struggle for the Christian congregation concerning the resurrection from the dead. There were some in the congregation who did not believe that people come back to life. Paul said if people don’t come back to life that means Christ isn’t raised from the dead. If Christ isn’t raised from the dead, then faith in Christ is empty -- it is vain and worthless. These believers were to make the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as the cornerstone of faith.
We come to chapter 15 of Corinthians, and Paul finishes with these last verses to remind them of the importance of the resurrection. Paul says: "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." Paul writes that this must: that which is able to perish, the perishable, that which is mortal which is able to die is going to be clothed with imperishable and immortality. This truth was to be a special comfort for the believers. Paul says this must happen because of God’s promise of a victory for the believers.
Now Paul also describes for them that some of this will happen to some before the end of time. Other believers will still be around when the end of time comes. Our text began by saying: "Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed." Then he describes that change--the mortal will put on immortality and the perishable will put on the imperishable by the grace and power of God. In verse 52 he talks about that Last Day, the suddenness of it coming: "We will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." On the Last Day there will be no time for repentance or no time to change one’s mind. Rather, for those who have rejected God, those who have denied his power and his victory and his promises, grace and mercy--they will face eternal punishment with its torment and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But for the believers, they will be changed--the perishable with imperishable, the mortal with immortality. Paul continues by saying: "The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." What a joyous message for these Corinthians to hear. What a joyous message for these Christians to know and believe and confess. That is part of their Christian faith. Some were struggling with the teaching of the resurrection. Paul says that the believers’ resurrection is guaranteed by God’s Word and guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It is guaranteed because of God’s great power. Towards the end of our text he says: "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." You notice that when Paul writes to these believers, he says to them the victory is theirs right now. He gives us the victory. This victory is a present gift to them, the victory over death.
This congregation had to struggle with this new teaching that Christ came to earth, and lived and was put to death and came back to life, because this was the first generation to hear the resurrection message of Christ. We are that much far removed from this first generation, resurrection preaching. We have heard of the resurrection for generation after generation. For most of us, if not all of us, it was our parents who knew about the resurrection of Christ and their parents before them until our present age. The message has not changed. All around us, the message of Christ’s resurrection is at times watered down. The true message of salvation is sometimes not stressed as it ought to be. You and I see all sorts of people who struggle when they face death. We have all sorts of people who question and wonder not knowing for sure that heaven is their home. How sad that if our faith is for only this life. Instead, what are we told? We are told of this mystery of salvation--though we do not deserve eternal, though we cannot earn it, though we cannot buy it, God freely provides and gives us the victory. From Hebrews: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Christ) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14,15). We do not fear death. That is not to say that Satan isn’t going to come along and try to make us doubt things. Satan is not going to forget us when we face death, when we face trials and tribulations. The devil is going to try to tempt us even more. The blessing we have is that Christ is on our side.
Christ Jesus has given us the victory. Christ’s victory is the victory over sin – for as we know and believe and confess – Christ did not sin when he lived on this earth. The victory over the devil – as we know and believe and confess – because Christ resisted the temptations of the devil. In the same way the victory over death that is feared by so many today – we know and believe and confess that Christ rose again from the grave. In Galatians we are told: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ’Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). Christ hung on a cross so that we do not have to hang on a cross. Christ became our curse because of the curse that Adam and Eve brought into this world by their disobedience. We are thankful because the mystery that is revealed is that God gives us the victory.
Why is it that over the years, since the time of Christ’s resurrection, that there are more and more who fall away from the understanding of a citizenship in heaven? Why is it over the years that some have given up the very essential truth of Christ’s resurrection which now has become a mystery for them? It is a mystery, something that is unknown. It is the very fact that people today like to have their heaven here on earth; and they live that way, not concerned about the future, not concerned about eternity or about being concerned about others. The mystery is as it is revealed is that we who have that same sinful flesh as all human beings, could be going down that same path of destruction of them, but we aren’t. God has snatched us from the grip of Satan and the snare of sin, from the destruction of death, and brought us into his light. Our loving Lord and gracious God has made us believe in him -- a mystery. In Philippians: "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20,21). As Paul writes, in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, Jesus will return. We are not going to be scared on that Last Day, but we will rejoice. We look forward to the time that the Lord returns. Sadly, because it is a mystery for some, they are scared to death when the Lord will come back
Be thankful, God’s mystery is revealed. God’s word has clearly revealed to us that we are given victory over death by the Lord. Because of that, our lives are different. Our victorious lives now reflect God’s victory.
II. OUR LIVES REFLECT GOD’S VICTORY
Remember what Paul wrote? "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul is reminding these believers they could not depend on themselves or depend on other preachers for their victorious faith. This was a problem in the early church. They didn’t have Bibles to study. They had one scroll that was kept in the temple. Instead, they would have preachers come through proclaiming God’s message or some of God’s message. Paul says, "You don’t have to depend on me, but thanks be to God who gives the victory. The perishable is to be clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality." Paul writes, "When that happens, the saying that is written will come true: ’Death has been swallowed up in victory.’" The word used there and understood is that it is completely destroyed. No longer is death a problem. "Swallowed up" was used to describe the enemies that were utterly defeated and no longer a threat. Death is completely destroyed.
Now Paul also adds that there is still a little bit of a sting: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" Since it is swallowed up, it has no victory or power. These believers knew that there was a little bit of sting to death. It wasn’t always a joyous thing, death, because of a person’s sinful nature. Paul explains: "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." The law of God still pointed out man’s sin and still pointed out the consequences of sin which was death; death which came to mankind through the sin of Adam and Eve. The earthly nature death has a sting in the sense that the law reminds the believer of their shortcomings. With the law there is sadness. With God’s promise and with his mystery revealed, he says: "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Death does not hold the believer. Death has no victory. Instead, the believer rejoices in the fact that they pass from this life to the next.
Paul says in the last verse of chapter 15: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you." He is reminding these believers to be found in their confession of their faith, to stand firm on the fact that Christ rose from the dead, that Jesus’ resurrection provided them the victory over death itself. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." The Lord had made many promises to many believers over many generations. God kept all these promises. Now the Lord says, "Seek first God and his kingdom and everything else will be provided as well."
God’s mystery today is revealed to us once again. When we look around in this world, sometimes we scratch our heads and we fret and worry. The media plays into that--there is always something to worry about whether it is the economy or the weather or the bird flu and that list goes on. But God’s mystery is revealed to us, isn’t it? He says we have the victory over death-the last enemy to be destroyed. Now we have that victory. But there will be battles in between, battles that we fight and face. The Lord says if we have already defeated the last enemy, battles in between are also defeated by the power of God. So what do we do between now and getting to the last enemy? Death holds no terror for us anymore. It has no power because of the victory of Christ. We do like Paul says. We stand firm. The Prophet Isaiah also encourages us: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal" (Isaiah 26:3,4). Our solid foundation is Christ the Rock, the Way, the Truth and the Life. To some that simple statement is mysterious in a sense that it is hidden from their understanding. All too many in this world consider themselves to be the rock. There are all too many in this world who look to the advice of others as the rock. There are all too many in this world who feel people in authority or educated people stand as the rock. But for you and me, God’s simple mystery is revealed: Christ is the Rock. Jesus is that Rock that came back to life. When that rock was rolled across in front of Jesus’ tomb on Good Friday, by Easter Sunday it rolled away because Christ the Rock has more power than any grave. Jesus did that so that we would rejoice in his victory. Our lives are now reflecting that glorious victory! Paul writes in Colossians: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Colossians 3:15). That is how we reflect God’s victory. We are thankful in this life, and God’s peace rules in our hearts. That is our challenge for this week: to be thankful people who have God’s peace ruling in our hearts and lives.
Now you don’t have to look very far around you in society to see people who aren’t thankful. The fact is there is always something to grumble and complain about. We studied that last Sunday in the book of Numbers (9-12). Even though the Lord provided the children of Israel with food everyday, they still grumbled and complained. So God gave them food to eat until they got sick on it when he provided the quail in the wilderness (Numbers 11). The Lord reminds us, "Be thankful." In our thankful living people see the victory of Christ in our peace with God. The Lord doesn’t say we are to reflect his victory on our own. God gives us his Holy Spirit who works in us faith. God gives us the equipment, the spiritual honor to defeat the spiritual enemies that we face. In the epistle of John Paul says: "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). You and I realize that another mystery of Scripture is that our faith is God’s gift to us. It is not something we earned or deserved or can buy -- once again faith is but God’s gift.
We are thankful that among all people in this world God has revealed to us his mystery. As a believer, it is almost beyond our understanding that God chose us to inherit eternal life. That is the mystery that Paul is talking about, not a mystery that is not unknown. Instead, this mystery from God’s pure, true word that we would be saved. It is truly a mystery that anyone would be saved. We think of Adam and Eve who lived in a perfect world and they slapped God in the face by their disobedience. God could have said that no one deserves salvation and truly, no one does. The mystery is that God provides us with salvation, that God gives us the victory. God gives us the victory through his Son who earned the victory with his holy, innocent sufferings and death. Because of that victory, you and I celebrate our life of Christian living with thankfulness, peace and joy. Paul says, "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Peter wrote: "Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory that we might live thankful victorious lives. May God give us the courage and the strength and the joy to do just that for those who still sit in darkness, so that through us they may see the truth of God’s mystery. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
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EPIPHANY 7 Readings: ISAIAH 43:18-25; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-22; MARK 2:1-12
