Sermon 4 - We Will All Be Changed Series

A. Today, I want to start with the story of a young boy who came home from worship and Sunday school with a question for his mom: “Is it true we come from dust and after we die, we return to dust?”

1. His mother said, “That’s right, son. Does that concern you?”

2. The boy hesitated, but then replied, “Well, I am a little concerned because the dust under my bed means that someone is either coming or going.”

B. In the book of Genesis, the Bible tells us that God formed man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7)

1. Then in the next chapter, God explained to Adam and Eve that when they die, they will return to the ground…for you are dust and you will return to dust.” (Gen. 3:19)

2. Thankfully, although our earthly bodies may be made of dust, our heavenly bodies will be so much more.

C. Let’s turn our attention to an illustration from Max Lucado’s book, When Christ Comes: suppose you were walking past a farm one day and saw the farmer in the field crying.

1. Because of your concern for the farmer, you approach him to ask what is wrong.

2. Extending a palm full of seeds in your direction, the farmer says: “My heart breaks for the seeds,” and then he burst into tears.

a. Between sobs the farmer explains, “The seeds will be placed in the ground and covered with dirt. And they will decay, and I will never see them again.”

3. You are stunned and wonder if the farmer has lost his mind.

a. Then, you explain to him a basic principle of farming: Out of the decay of the seed comes the birth of a plant.

b. You remind him that with the burial of the seed comes the opportunity to witness a mighty miracle of God.

c. Given time and tender care, this tiny kernel will break from its prison of soil and blossom into a plant far beyond its dreams.

4. Any farmer who grieves over the burial of seeds needs to be reminded that the time of planting is not a time of grief, but a time of hope.

a. Any person who anguishes over the burial of the body needs the same reminder.

b. Perhaps that’s why Paul devoted the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 to the issues of the resurrection.

D. In the last sermon from our series “Eternal Questions…Biblical Answers,” we looked at what happens to the Christian between the death of the body and the return of our Savior.

1. I hope our exploration into these subjects isn’t resulting in confusion.

2. Although Scripture isn’t completely clear about all the details of what happens after we die, Scripture is clear that we are safe in the arms of God.

3. At that point, in the intermediate stage, we are not in our final place in heaven, but nevertheless, we are in the presence of God as we wait for the resurrection of our bodies.

4. Scripture is clear that someday Christ will return and time will end and the resurrection and the final judgment will take place and the saved will be ushered into the new heaven and the new earth.

5. 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 reads: For in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come…

6. But until then, Paul wants us to know that those who have died in the Lord are somewhere and somehow safe in the arms of God awaiting the fulfillment of all things.

7. Today, I want us to explore what the Bible says about the resurrection of our bodies.

E. If you are like me, then you have many questions about the future resurrection.

1. One thing we know for sure is that there will be a resurrection.

2. At the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul presented the resurrection of Jesus as the foundation of the gospel message: For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

a. Then Paul proceeded to list the many appearances of Jesus after His resurrection as evidence of the resurrection – He appeared to Peter, the apostles, James, 500 brothers and sisters, and then to Paul himself.

3. Later in 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul declared: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.