Sermon Notes
Pastor Jeff Stanfill

"The Resurrection"
October 8th, 2006 - PM Service

THE RESURRECTION
TEXT: 1 COR. 15:
INTRO:
This chapter can be summarized as a statement of God's supremacy. In verses 12-19, God is supreme over despair. With no resurrection a believer's life is one of despair for it is composed of the hardships of the godly and nothing better. Are you in a time of trial? Tribulation? Testing? Trouble? Listen, because of the resurrection we know that God will be finally and completely supreme over all despair. No situation is hopeless for every trial has an answer, every tribulation has a balm, every trouble has a comfort, and every tomb has a door!

In verses 20-34, God is supreme over death itself. Using three word pictures - firstfruits, second Adam, and the kingdom of Christ - it is revealed to us that:
· Jesus' resurrection was the prized first sheaf of wheat harvested indicating that more was to come;
· that just as all die who are in Adam, all live who are in Christ;
· and, Jesus will in the future say to the Father, "One day I called out to you from the cross that it is finished. And all the penalty of sin was paid, Your wrath was satisfied, and everything that was needed for redeeming sinful people was done. Now, today, on your time schedule I say, Father, what was finished on that day is perfected on this day. And the last enemy Death is not only defeated but destroyed for Your final and complete supremacy!"

In verses 35-57, God is supreme over decay. Using the world of agriculture and astronomy, the Bible tells us about how Christ triumphs over decay in our resurrection. From agriculture we have seeds. The function of seeds is the same for flora and fauna. But the form is different for each. From astronomy the quality of splendor is possessed by celestial and terrestrial bodies. But the beauty is different.

What will this truly be like for us, however?

The resurrection is when believers will receive our full inheritance and will be what the Bible called glorified. This glorification or our resurrection will be the final step in the application of our redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of believers, transforms or glorifies their bodies and reintegrates them body, soul, and spirit.

Now not all Christians will be dead when this occurs. Those whose are alive have no need to fear missing out for they will be instantly changed as well into glorified bodies the same as those resurrected.

I. WHAT WILL OUR BODIES BE LIKE?
They will be different in at least four ways.
1. Imperishable. (15:42). In their current state, our bodies are perishable like bread on the counter. They become worn with use. They are subject to the effects of disease and sickness. They are marked with the results of aging. But in their glorified state, our resurrected bodies will be imperishable and not subject to growing old, worn, or debilitated. We will see and experience being what God designed us to be without the marring results of the Fall.
2. In glory. (15:43a). Contrasted with dishonor, we understand that we will physically reflect the glory of God. We can think of Moses' face when after time in the presence of the Lord, shone with brightness (Ex. 34:35). Also, when Jesus was transfigured, He too radiated with the glory of God. Whether our bodies will literally glow, I cannot with confidence say. But if there is a radiance it will not be a radiance of our own but of God's glorious radiance reflected from upon our countenance.
3. In power. (15:43b). Our bodies are presently weak and weakening daily. But resurrected they will have a particular strength. It will not be superhero strength as possessed by our childhood fantasy characters. Rather it will be a strength God intended for us whereby we are able to do all we desire in conformity with God's purpose and will.
4. Spiritual. (15:44). The word "spiritual" in this context can be thought of as "supernatural" (G. Fee, First Corinthians, pg. 785). It is not immaterial but is ordered in such a way as being able to exist in this new Heaven and new Earth. Verse 50 does not imply that we will not have bodies. The phrase "flesh and blood" means that our present human nature must be changed in receiving our full inheritance or redemption.
5. Our resurrected, glorified bodies will be free from the limits of the Fall and sin. We will have a new set of properties that will equip us for everlasting life. They will be physical, but raised "to the degree of perfection for which God originally intended it." (Grudem, pg. 832).

They will also be similar to our present bodies. The similarities are actually continuities or uninterrupted connections
1. Physical. Perhaps the most striking similarity will be that our glorified bodies will still be physical. Jesus' body was physical. Also, Rom 8:11. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. As for the molecular structure that decays and dissolves to be absorbed into other creatures, the God who can speak and create out of nothing is certainly a God who is able to track and reassemble it all.
2. Anatomically the same. Nothing in Scripture indicates that we will not have a head, arms, legs, hands, feet, etc. Jesus walked, talked, raised His arms and hands.
3. Same in appearance. Jesus was recognizable to the disciples. Those who came out of the tombs when Jesus died whether literally or symbolically, were recognized as those who had lived holy (Matt. 27:52-53).

Now we come to the heart of tonight.
II. WHY IS THE RESURRECTION AN IMPORTANT DOCTRINE?
1. The resurrection affirms the goodness of God's physical creation. Some bad theology needs correcting in this area.
First, our bodies are not evil but are rather a product of God's marvelous power. If they are evil, then why resurrect them? Leave them dead and dissolved. But the human body is a marvel of God's creative goodness. When God created everything He pronounced it good. He declared that in form and function it is as He intended. That's what goodness is in relation to creation. If deviation from the design occurs, which it has and does, it is the result of sin and the Fall. This puts a boundary around truth. Religions and philosophies that view matter as evil are not Biblical. Some theology of Christians is sub-Christian when we see the human body as less than beautiful or as a source of shame. What we do with the body and how we think about the body is the problem not the body itself. Understanding the goodness of God's creation greatly affects the view of human sexuality. When experienced as God intended and designed, sexuality is a celebration of God Himself.

Second, the resurrection's affirmation of the goodness of God's creation tells us that the material world does matter to God. How we relate to our environment, the practice stewardship over His creation, our "tending the soil" is of importance to God and should not be disregarded by Christians. Today, there is a growing need for balance among believers in this area. Some are moving to the exclusion of the Great Commission while others are moving away from the Cultural Mandate. The answer lies somewhere in priorities not in principles.

Third, science, medical science and treatment are affirmed. The resurrection is one more doctrine that validates science. This material world with its laws of physics and chemical composition is good and we should pursue thinking God's thoughts after Him. I have never understood Hindu medical doctors for the Hindu worldview denies that the material actually exists. Everything we call material is actually an illusion. So why treat the human body? It is an illusion along with all its pleasures and pains. The Christian worldview, affirmed by the resurrection, inserts itself it medicine.

2. The resurrection means that our sin problem is not in our material bodies - it is deeper than that. Again, if the body is the source of all our evils, then why resurrect it even in a glorified state? We are not only material beings but something more than material beings. This has two implications for living today.
First, we cannot use genetic coding or disposition as an excuse for moral behavior either good or bad. In a Christian worldview contemporary genetics is only affirming that we have been damaged by the Fall. The good news is that we do not have to be destined by it!

Second, we cannot splice out a "sin" gene. Otherwise, we could save ourselves. The only answer is Jesus Christ! The stain of sin runs deeper than our bodies, it has contaminated our souls in such a way that only divine cleansing in Jesus can eradicate it.

3. The resurrection means that Christ redeems the whole person. We are saved body, soul, and spirit. God does nothing partial. But applying this means we must minister to the whole person. While priority is one's relationship with Jesus Christ, issues of our community and neighbors, our workplace and friendships, our health and well-being are all integral to being a believer and a local church. There is no realm or arena from which redemption in Jesus Christ is restricted.

4. The resurrection strengthens the platform from which Christians address today's "body image" issues. This current flap about skinny models and banning them from fashion runways is interesting. It is truly an issue grown out of affluence. But what about the many who are affected by a lack of theology concerning the human body? I can't treat that subject fully. But the resurrection strengthens the platform from which we can address it. Today's obsession with the body - from body art (tattoos!) to mushrooming cosmetic surgery (distinct from corrective and restorative surgery) to self-abuse or self-mutilation - is evidence of the rejection of Christian influence in our culture. (I did not say that a person who practices these has rejected Christ. I am speaking of our culture.) On the individual level the roots are many, but two I'll note. One, accusing God of not doing according to MY definition of perfection. That is my defiance and prideful desire to call the shots. Two, attempting to find fulfillment somewhere besides in Christ - whether in food, exercise, physical delight or physical deprivation. These two roots are clipped by, one, accepting that God's does all things perfectly and according to His purpose. And, two, finding satisfaction in a relationship with Him. The resurrection strengthens the platform by the insistence that our bodies do matter to God. So what will I do with my body in the light of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work? I offer it to Him as a living sacrifice. Not to myself or even another. If in so doing I lose my life, it is okay for I will gain life fully at the resurrection.