1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:15,760 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or, visit our website, OpenTheBible.org. 3 00:00:16,320 –> 00:00:18,559 Let’s get to the message. Here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:19,360 –> 00:00:22,160 Well, please open your Bible at 1 Corinthians, 5 00:00:22,160 –> 00:00:25,840 in chapter 15 again. The theme of this chapter is the 6 00:00:26,400 –> 00:00:30,559 glorious truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ 7 00:00:30,559 –> 00:00:35,279 and the resurrection life that all who believe will share with him. 8 00:00:35,279 –> 00:00:44,080 We saw last time that if our hope is limited to our life in this world then we are in for 9 00:00:44,080 –> 00:00:49,520 big disappointment because we cannot become all that God calls us to be in this life 10 00:00:49,520 –> 00:00:54,320 and we cannot enjoy all that God has made us to enjoy in this life, 11 00:00:54,320 –> 00:01:00,400 so if we hope for this life only, in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 12 00:01:00,400 –> 00:01:07,040 That was verse 19. But the Apostle Paul says with a note of triumph in verse 20, 13 00:01:07,040 –> 00:01:10,000 Christ has been raised from the dead, 14 00:01:10,080 –> 00:01:16,720 the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. In other words, Jesus 15 00:01:16,720 –> 00:01:24,160 has risen to a glorious new life and he is the first fruits, that means that this glorious new 16 00:01:24,160 –> 00:01:32,800 life lies ahead for all who belong to Jesus. Now, the verses that we are looking at today 17 00:01:33,279 –> 00:01:41,040 are absolutely marvelous, because they give to us just a little glimpse of the glory that lies 18 00:01:41,040 –> 00:01:50,400 ahead of every believer. Earlier in this letter, the apostle Paul says that no eye has seen nor 19 00:01:50,400 –> 00:01:55,440 ear heard or heart even imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. So please 20 00:01:55,440 –> 00:02:00,720 as we come to these verses, don’t expect that having looked at them together you’re going 21 00:02:00,720 –> 00:02:07,099 to say, ahh, I get it now. It’s all perfectly clear. What Christ has prepared for us is 22 00:02:07,099 –> 00:02:15,320 so great that it really is beyond our capacity to fully take it in. But think of it this 23 00:02:15,320 –> 00:02:24,119 way, that as we cannot see the full brightness of the sun, we can’t look at it directly. 24 00:02:24,520 –> 00:02:30,559 Nonetheless, we can take in something of its brilliance, and we can live in the joy of 25 00:02:30,559 –> 00:02:37,279 its heat and of its light. And my prayer for us as we come to these verses today is that 26 00:02:37,279 –> 00:02:42,919 we will see enough of the joy and the glory that lies ahead of all who are in the Lord 27 00:02:42,919 –> 00:02:49,220 Jesus Christ, that we really will gain some new strength and that we will have some heightened 28 00:02:49,220 –> 00:02:57,899 anticipation of all that lies ahead as we press on to follow and serve our Lord Jesus 29 00:02:57,899 –> 00:03:04,380 Christ. So the Apostle Paul begins with two questions in verse thirty five. He gives a 30 00:03:04,380 –> 00:03:10,759 brief answer and then he gives a fuller explanation and we’ll look at both this morning. The two 31 00:03:10,759 –> 00:03:16,639 questions, verse thirty five .. Someone will ask how are the dead raised? That’s question 32 00:03:16,639 –> 00:03:24,580 number one and with what kind of body do they come? That’s question number two … Now 33 00:03:24,580 –> 00:03:31,500 it seems from the way in which Paul responds to the false teachers at Corinth that they 34 00:03:31,500 –> 00:03:40,460 were asking these two questions cynically. How are the dead raised? With what kind of 35 00:03:41,259 –> 00:03:47,300 come? To the false teachers of Corinth of the whole idea of the resurrection was completely 36 00:03:47,300 –> 00:03:56,179 and utterly ridiculous. And because they poured scorn on it and ridiculed it, I think that 37 00:03:56,179 –> 00:04:04,139 is why the apostles first response to them is to say you foolish persons. 38 00:04:04,779 –> 00:04:16,140 Let’s be clear. It is not foolish to ask questions. It’s not foolish to ask questions, 39 00:04:16,140 –> 00:04:23,540 but it is foolish to ridicule God’s truth. No one should do that. Don’t ever do that. 40 00:04:23,540 –> 00:04:33,380 Don’t ever allow your heart to become cynical. God will not be mocked. To ridicule God’s 41 00:04:33,760 –> 00:04:37,200 truth is something that no one should ever do. Because one day we will all stand before 42 00:04:37,200 –> 00:04:39,140 him. 43 00:04:39,140 –> 00:04:45,260 But having rebuked the cynics for the scorn that they were evidently pouring on the truth 44 00:04:45,260 –> 00:04:50,660 of the resurrection, Paul nonetheless takes their questions seriously and he offers an 45 00:04:50,660 –> 00:04:58,059 answer. How are the dead raised? Now, you see the point of that question. We’ve all 46 00:04:58,059 –> 00:05:05,239 asked it I’m sure our selves. When the body is laid to rest, well it decomposes. 47 00:05:05,239 –> 00:05:12,899 It is ashes to ashes. It is dust to dust. And God himself has said, dust you are, and 48 00:05:12,899 –> 00:05:18,880 to dust you will return. So of course the question is, how then can a body that has 49 00:05:18,880 –> 00:05:26,839 returned to dust possibly be raised? And I’m sure that question will have occurred to you. 50 00:05:26,839 –> 00:05:29,600 And the Apostle answers it right here. Question? 51 00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:34,459 How are the dead raised? That’s verse 35. Answer? 52 00:05:34,459 –> 00:05:40,339 What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 53 00:05:40,339 –> 00:05:45,700 Now he’s using an analogy here so let’s think it through. 54 00:05:45,700 –> 00:05:52,260 Suppose you are planting a sunflower. You take the sunflower’s seed, you put it in 55 00:05:52,260 –> 00:05:59,299 the ground and you cover it with the soil. What happens to the seed in the ground? 56 00:05:59,299 –> 00:06:06,440 Well the answer is it disintegrates. It decomposes. 57 00:06:06,440 –> 00:06:13,619 But that is not the end of it’s life. When the sunflower seed dies it is then that 58 00:06:13,619 –> 00:06:18,459 a whole new sunflower life comes into being. 59 00:06:18,459 –> 00:06:21,880 So how are the dead raised? How is that even possible? 60 00:06:22,839 –> 00:06:27,500 And the Apostle Paul says look at the world around you, look at the world of seeds and 61 00:06:27,500 –> 00:06:33,739 of plants. And what you will see is that this is actually what happens all the time. 62 00:06:33,739 –> 00:06:40,739 To the critics death and the disintegration that it brings was the reason for not believing 63 00:06:40,739 –> 00:06:45,660 in the resurrection. How could you believe in the resurrection was their point when the 64 00:06:45,820 –> 00:06:50,059 body dies obviously decomposes in the ground, how can there possibly be a resurrection. 65 00:06:50,059 –> 00:06:54,820 That was their argument. But do you see that the Apostle Paul turns that completely on 66 00:06:54,820 –> 00:07:01,820 its head. He says no! If you look at the world around you, what you will see is that death 67 00:07:02,220 –> 00:07:08,399 and the disintegration that it brings is actually where the new life begins. 68 00:07:08,399 –> 00:07:15,399 We think of death as the end of life, but for the person who is in Christ it is the 69 00:07:15,459 –> 00:07:21,100 beginning of a whole new life, a whole new life that will be far more glorious than the 70 00:07:21,100 –> 00:07:28,100 life that we have and enjoy right now. Far from being the end of life, death is actually 71 00:07:29,779 –> 00:07:36,779 our way into the glorious new life that God has promised for us in the resurrection. 72 00:07:37,480 –> 00:07:44,160 That’s his point here. The plant grows when the seed dies, and doesn’t grow without the 73 00:07:44,160 –> 00:07:49,980 seed dying. Unless the seed dies, the plant will not, cannot grow. What you sow does not 74 00:07:49,980 –> 00:07:56,980 come to life unless it dies. He’s making this very clear by way of an answer. 75 00:07:57,380 –> 00:08:03,160 Death is not the end. It’s not a reason for not believing in the resurrection. It’s actually 76 00:08:03,160 –> 00:08:09,480 reason for believing it after the pattern of what you see with the seed and the plant. 77 00:08:09,519 –> 00:08:17,519 For all who believe in Christ, this is actually how we get into the glorious new life that 78 00:08:17,519 –> 00:08:24,079 God has promised. And the journey into that new life may be difficult, but the destination 79 00:08:24,079 –> 00:08:30,540 will be glorious. Now, that’s his first very brief answer. 80 00:08:30,540 –> 00:08:38,119 Second question, with what kind of body do they come, verse 35. And his brief answer 81 00:08:38,119 –> 00:08:48,119 to this is in verse 37. What you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, 82 00:08:48,119 –> 00:08:57,140 perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. So the life of the seed that disintegrates in 83 00:08:57,140 –> 00:09:01,880 the ground continues in the plant. 84 00:09:01,960 –> 00:09:08,159 But obviously, the two are very different. What comes out of the ground when you’ve 85 00:09:08,159 –> 00:09:15,340 planted the sunflower seed, is obviously not a giant sunflower seed. What comes out of 86 00:09:15,340 –> 00:09:22,219 the ground is a sunflower and the sunflower is far more glorious, far more beautiful than 87 00:09:22,219 –> 00:09:30,960 the seed from which it came. The sunflower, in other words, is not the recomposition of 88 00:09:30,960 –> 00:09:38,840 the seed, it is not the seed put back together again as it was. And in the same way, the 89 00:09:38,840 –> 00:09:43,799 Resurrection body will not be the recomposition of the bodies that we have now. It will not 90 00:09:43,799 –> 00:09:51,020 be these bodies put back together again. Verse 38, God gives to each plant a body, as he 91 00:09:51,020 –> 00:09:57,780 has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. And the point of course is that in the 92 00:09:58,000 –> 00:10:04,760 same way God will give us new bodies, but the new bodies will not be a kind of recomposing 93 00:10:04,760 –> 00:10:11,760 of what we have now. They will be more glorious by far than the bodies that we presently have. 94 00:10:12,900 –> 00:10:19,719 Now these are Paul’s brief answers to the two questions, but he goes on to give a much 95 00:10:19,719 –> 00:10:25,239 fuller explanation. And I want us to look at that together today and to see three things 96 00:10:26,140 –> 00:10:33,140 analogy here for us to consider, there is the most beautiful description for us to savor, 97 00:10:34,880 –> 00:10:41,280 and there is the most marvelous promise for us to believe. So first, then an analogy for 98 00:10:41,280 –> 00:10:48,280 us to consider, beginning in verse 39. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one 99 00:10:49,280 –> 00:10:56,280 kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. Now Paul 100 00:10:59,299 –> 00:11:05,359 makes two distinctions in this verse, and then in the verses that follow, and the distinction 101 00:11:05,359 –> 00:11:12,359 here is a distinction of kind. He’s making the simple point that God has made more than 102 00:11:12,919 –> 00:11:19,919 one kind of body. Birds, fish, animals, people all have bodies of different kinds and their 103 00:11:26,440 –> 00:11:33,440 flesh is designed for living in different environments. So very obviously fish have 104 00:11:33,559 –> 00:11:40,559 bodies, flesh designed for life underwater. Birds have bodies, flesh designed for life 105 00:11:40,799 –> 00:11:47,799 in the ground and sometimes in very extreme temperatures. They all have bodies of flesh. 106 00:11:55,880 –> 00:12:02,880 But their flesh is of different kinds. And the different kinds of flesh are given by 107 00:12:03,880 –> 00:12:10,880 God for life in different environments. God has made different kinds of bodies for different 108 00:12:11,299 –> 00:12:18,299 kinds of life. Now here’s the point. God has given to us bodies that are suited to 109 00:12:20,780 –> 00:12:25,780 our short life in this world. That’s, by the way, why they wear out, because they were 110 00:12:25,780 –> 00:12:32,780 never designed to last forever. They were made for our short life in this world. 111 00:12:33,359 –> 00:12:40,359 In the same way, Paul is going to argue, God will give us new bodies that are suited to 112 00:12:41,520 –> 00:12:48,520 an everlasting life, in the glory of his immediate presence. So the first distinction is a distinction 113 00:12:50,479 –> 00:12:57,039 of kind, and he’s pointing to the fact that the resurrection body will be a body of a 114 00:12:57,900 –> 00:13:04,900 will be adapted to everlasting life in the presence of Almighty God. The second distinction 115 00:13:06,159 –> 00:13:13,159 is a distinction of glory, and this is in verse 40 and 41. There are heavenly bodies 116 00:13:14,280 –> 00:13:21,280 and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind and the glory of the earthy 117 00:13:22,200 –> 00:13:28,820 is of another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory 118 00:13:28,820 –> 00:13:33,599 of the stars, for stars differ from star in glory.” 119 00:13:33,599 –> 00:13:38,080 So, in two verses, he uses the word glory six times. You know what these two verses 120 00:13:38,080 –> 00:13:45,080 are about, about glory. God’s glory is reflected in all that he has made, but, clearly, God 121 00:13:45,900 –> 00:13:52,900 has made some things more glorious than others. So the sun is much more glorious than the 122 00:13:53,280 –> 00:13:59,159 moon, and some stars shine much brighter than others. 123 00:13:59,159 –> 00:14:06,159 And Paul says in verse 42, So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The bodies that 124 00:14:06,179 –> 00:14:13,179 God will give us in the resurrection will be far more glorious than these bodies that 125 00:14:16,179 –> 00:14:23,200 we have now. Now friends, this is really, really, really important for this reason. 126 00:14:24,539 –> 00:14:29,580 And the bodies we have now are obviously the only bodies we’ve ever known. 127 00:14:30,500 –> 00:14:33,559 That the bodies we have now are obviously the only bodies we’ve ever 128 00:14:33,559 –> 00:14:39,479 known. And so it’s natural for us to have a kind of sneaking suspicion, 129 00:14:40,659 –> 00:14:47,080 that the resurrection body will be something less, that life beyond this 130 00:14:47,080 –> 00:14:52,479 world will somehow be a shadow of all the good things that we enjoy right now. 131 00:14:53,640 –> 00:14:58,419 And do you see the point that the Apostle Paul is pressing in on the 132 00:14:58,419 –> 00:15:02,219 hearts of Christian believers and that I hope is pressed into our minds and 133 00:15:02,219 –> 00:15:06,940 hearts today? He’s saying, nothing could be further from the truth. 134 00:15:08,380 –> 00:15:14,820 Nothing could be further from the truth. And in order to whet our appetite for 135 00:15:14,820 –> 00:15:21,659 what is yet to come in its glory, the Apostle Paul gives us a fourfold 136 00:15:21,659 –> 00:15:27,700 description of the resurrection body. So we looked at the analogy for us to 137 00:15:27,700 –> 00:15:33,559 consider. Here’s the description, then a fourfold description for us to save it. I 138 00:15:33,559 –> 00:15:39,380 want you to try and take in the sheer beauty and glory of this. Number one, 139 00:15:39,799 –> 00:15:47,460 your resurrection body will be imperishable. Imperishable. 140 00:15:48,859 –> 00:15:53,200 Verse 42, So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is 141 00:15:53,299 –> 00:16:01,479 sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. I sometimes feel a little 142 00:16:01,479 –> 00:16:08,599 bit sorry for poor old Lazarus. You remember he was raised from the dead by 143 00:16:08,599 –> 00:16:12,659 the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing that was. But he was brought back 144 00:16:12,659 –> 00:16:19,080 into life in the same body in which he had died. Which, of course meant, that at 145 00:16:19,080 –> 00:16:22,159 some point in the future the poor fellow had to go through the whole miserable 146 00:16:22,159 –> 00:16:28,380 business of dying all over again. Now you see the point here in the word 147 00:16:28,380 –> 00:16:37,440 imperishable. Jesus rose in the power of an endless life and your Resurrection 148 00:16:37,440 –> 00:16:46,320 body will be a body that will never die. Your resurrection body will never age, it 149 00:16:46,799 –> 00:16:55,440 will never tie, it will never decline, it will never suffer illness and it will 150 00:16:55,440 –> 00:17:03,119 never lose capacity. Isn’t that good news? And people say, by the way, you can’t put 151 00:17:03,119 –> 00:17:08,160 an old head on young shoulders. But in the resurrection the wisdom of maturity 152 00:17:08,160 –> 00:17:14,780 will be combined with the strength and vigor of youth. All of God’s people will 153 00:17:14,880 –> 00:17:20,900 flourish. We will be all that God has created us to be and we will enjoy all 154 00:17:20,900 –> 00:17:29,099 that God has created us to enjoy. Your resurrection body will be imperishable. 155 00:17:30,420 –> 00:17:35,020 Second, he tells us your resurrection body will be glorious, it is sown in 156 00:17:35,020 –> 00:17:41,300 dishonor it is raised in glory. Now you remember that Moses was in the 157 00:17:41,300 –> 00:17:46,099 presence of God at Mount Sinai and when he came down from being in the 158 00:17:46,099 –> 00:17:53,900 presence of God his face was radiant, it shone, there was a glory about him. 159 00:17:53,900 –> 00:17:59,020 Do you remember when Jesus took Peter and James and John up the mountain and he was 160 00:17:59,020 –> 00:18:05,660 transfigured before them? They caught a glimpse of the future glory of Jesus and 161 00:18:05,660 –> 00:18:10,099 what was it like, well there was a brightness, there was a radiance, there 162 00:18:10,140 –> 00:18:16,280 was a glory that they saw in him. And in the resurrection there will be a 163 00:18:16,280 –> 00:18:24,219 brightness, there will be a radiance, there will be a glory about you. You’ll 164 00:18:24,219 –> 00:18:33,420 never see a long face in the resurrection. Glorious, shining, radiant 165 00:18:34,060 –> 00:18:41,339 joy filled. Third, your resurrection body will be powerful. It is sown in 166 00:18:41,339 –> 00:18:48,520 weakness, it is raised in power. Professor Donald McLeod wrote these 167 00:18:48,520 –> 00:18:53,819 words about the resurrection body. I just love this description. He says and 168 00:18:53,819 –> 00:19:02,619 I quote, it will have more energy, more stamina, more athleticism, more speed, 169 00:19:02,719 –> 00:19:07,900 more coordination, and more durability than it ever had before. 170 00:19:07,900 –> 00:19:13,619 Isn’t that good news? And then he writes this. The scenario is 171 00:19:13,619 –> 00:19:23,199 a thrilling one. Brilliant minds in powerful bodies in a transformed universe. 172 00:19:23,199 –> 00:19:27,660 That’s going to be glorious. This is what lies ahead of you, brother, 173 00:19:27,780 –> 00:19:32,420 sister, and the Lord Jesus Christ. A mind that is opened and expanded in 174 00:19:32,420 –> 00:19:39,380 whole new ways. A body that has strength that you have never known before, 175 00:19:39,380 –> 00:19:44,760 and a transformed, sin-free universe. The home of righteousness where you 176 00:19:44,760 –> 00:19:52,099 will rejoice in the presence of God for ever and for ever. 177 00:19:52,099 –> 00:19:56,859 And the fourth description, I think, is the most marvelous of all. 178 00:19:56,900 –> 00:20:00,199 Your resurrection body will be spiritual. 179 00:20:00,199 –> 00:20:01,400 Look at verse 44. 180 00:20:01,400 –> 00:20:09,459 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 181 00:20:09,459 –> 00:20:15,900 Now, someone will say, well, what is a spiritual body? 182 00:20:15,900 –> 00:20:17,520 That’s a very good question. 183 00:20:17,520 –> 00:20:21,319 There’s been a lot of misunderstandings, surely, about that phrase. 184 00:20:21,319 –> 00:20:24,979 Let’s begin with what it is not. 185 00:20:25,060 –> 00:20:31,560 A spiritual body is not a body made of spirit. 186 00:20:31,560 –> 00:20:34,359 That would be a contradiction in terms, wouldn’t it? 187 00:20:34,359 –> 00:20:38,660 If it was made of spirit, it simply would not be a body. 188 00:20:38,660 –> 00:20:40,420 So put that notion out of your mind. 189 00:20:40,420 –> 00:20:45,180 This sort of vague spirit-floating-around kind of idea. 190 00:20:45,180 –> 00:20:47,560 If it was a body made of spirit, it would not be a body. 191 00:20:47,560 –> 00:20:48,619 It’s a contradiction in terms. 192 00:20:48,619 –> 00:20:49,680 That’s not what it is. 193 00:20:49,680 –> 00:20:51,579 What is it, then? 194 00:20:52,180 –> 00:20:57,180 A spiritual body will be a body that is fully responsive 195 00:20:59,560 –> 00:21:03,000 to the desires of your redeemed spirit, 196 00:21:04,000 –> 00:21:07,160 a body that is fully responsive 197 00:21:07,160 –> 00:21:10,579 to the desires of your redeemed spirit. 198 00:21:11,880 –> 00:21:14,640 Now think about how wonderful this will be. 199 00:21:14,640 –> 00:21:16,280 It’s very wonderful indeed, 200 00:21:17,280 –> 00:21:19,239 because right now, 201 00:21:19,239 –> 00:21:24,199 your spirit has at least two problems with your body. 202 00:21:25,260 –> 00:21:29,579 The first is that your body is often unresponsive 203 00:21:29,579 –> 00:21:31,520 to your spirit. 204 00:21:31,520 –> 00:21:33,239 This is why our experience is often 205 00:21:33,239 –> 00:21:35,260 that we intend to do good things, 206 00:21:35,260 –> 00:21:36,599 we don’t get around to doing them. 207 00:21:36,599 –> 00:21:37,859 We want to do good things 208 00:21:37,859 –> 00:21:40,140 and somehow they don’t always happen. 209 00:21:40,140 –> 00:21:42,680 Our experience in the words of the Lord Jesus 210 00:21:42,680 –> 00:21:47,500 is that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 211 00:21:48,319 –> 00:21:50,920 I was just thinking about this during the week 212 00:21:52,020 –> 00:21:56,400 and a childhood memory came just flooding back to me. 213 00:21:56,400 –> 00:21:58,060 Every year in the little church 214 00:21:58,060 –> 00:21:59,699 that we grew up in, 215 00:21:59,699 –> 00:22:02,599 in the summer, we had a Sunday school picnic. 216 00:22:02,599 –> 00:22:03,800 It was a great occasion. 217 00:22:03,800 –> 00:22:06,280 Some of you will have memories like this, I’m sure, 218 00:22:06,280 –> 00:22:08,800 from growing up as well. 219 00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:11,680 For us, what it meant was that on a Saturday morning 220 00:22:11,680 –> 00:22:14,839 there was a bright double-decker bus 221 00:22:14,839 –> 00:22:16,819 that arrived outside the church 222 00:22:16,939 –> 00:22:19,880 and all of us would pile into this double-decker bus. 223 00:22:19,880 –> 00:22:22,140 All the kids on the upstairs, 224 00:22:22,140 –> 00:22:24,599 all the adults on the downstairs. 225 00:22:24,599 –> 00:22:26,660 And off we would go to some park 226 00:22:26,660 –> 00:22:28,619 on the other side of the city of Edinburgh 227 00:22:28,619 –> 00:22:31,900 with streamers coming out of the upstairs 228 00:22:31,900 –> 00:22:34,859 of this double-decker bus. 229 00:22:34,859 –> 00:22:36,599 The whole church went. 230 00:22:36,599 –> 00:22:38,880 It’s amazing, these things that come back after years. 231 00:22:38,880 –> 00:22:43,880 I think the lunch was mince pies followed by sticky buns 232 00:22:44,000 –> 00:22:46,319 and all brought in from a local baker 233 00:22:46,359 –> 00:22:50,479 and these enormous trays that were put on big trestle tables 234 00:22:50,479 –> 00:22:54,599 and after lunch we had always a game of, 235 00:22:54,599 –> 00:22:56,479 you would say soccer, a game of football, 236 00:22:56,479 –> 00:22:59,939 adults against kids. 237 00:23:00,939 –> 00:23:03,739 And these are the kinds of occasions 238 00:23:03,739 –> 00:23:08,439 where older men who sit at desks all week 239 00:23:08,439 –> 00:23:11,199 are at great risk of overdoing it. 240 00:23:11,199 –> 00:23:16,199 And the kids all knew what was going to happen 241 00:23:16,459 –> 00:23:17,459 and they would watch it in the church 242 00:23:17,459 –> 00:23:19,880 on the following morning. 243 00:23:19,880 –> 00:23:21,619 Sure enough it was always the pattern 244 00:23:21,619 –> 00:23:24,619 that the choir filed in from the front of the church 245 00:23:24,619 –> 00:23:28,180 onto the platform and then the minister followed them in 246 00:23:28,180 –> 00:23:32,040 and we would sit there, wait for it, wait for it. 247 00:23:32,040 –> 00:23:34,500 We knew what was coming, the women would file in 248 00:23:34,500 –> 00:23:35,900 with great dignity first 249 00:23:35,900 –> 00:23:40,459 and then the men coming in afterwards, 250 00:23:40,459 –> 00:23:43,560 two rows of them barely able to walk 251 00:23:44,260 –> 00:23:48,160 and we would sit there trying not to laugh 252 00:23:48,160 –> 00:23:53,160 and not succeeding, the spirit was willing, 253 00:23:53,439 –> 00:23:55,839 the flesh was weak. 254 00:23:55,839 –> 00:24:00,839 Now I give an example, you know what this is like. 255 00:24:00,839 –> 00:24:05,839 Your body is often unresponsive to your spirit. 256 00:24:06,199 –> 00:24:10,560 What you find is that you’re often sluggish, 257 00:24:10,560 –> 00:24:15,400 you’re often drained, you don’t have the capacity 258 00:24:15,400 –> 00:24:18,619 to follow through on everything that you would like to do. 259 00:24:20,180 –> 00:24:24,939 But in the resurrection, you will have a spiritual body 260 00:24:24,939 –> 00:24:26,640 which means you will have a body 261 00:24:26,640 –> 00:24:31,599 that is completely responsive to your redeemed spirit. 262 00:24:31,599 –> 00:24:35,680 And because your redeemed spirit will be made perfect, 263 00:24:35,680 –> 00:24:39,439 this union of desire and of ability 264 00:24:39,640 –> 00:24:42,339 will be absolutely beautiful, you will love it, 265 00:24:42,339 –> 00:24:46,880 you will be blessed in that body-soul union 266 00:24:46,880 –> 00:24:51,439 that is in harmony as never before. 267 00:24:52,479 –> 00:24:54,719 The other problem of course, very obviously, 268 00:24:54,719 –> 00:24:57,560 that your body presents to your spirit 269 00:24:57,560 –> 00:25:01,160 is that your body often tempts your spirit. 270 00:25:01,160 –> 00:25:02,439 That is why the apostle Paul 271 00:25:02,439 –> 00:25:05,520 says in Romans chapter 8 verse 13 272 00:25:05,680 –> 00:25:09,040 You gotta put to death the misdeeds of the body. 273 00:25:10,040 –> 00:25:12,119 Well, the reason we’ve got to do that of course 274 00:25:12,119 –> 00:25:16,599 is that in this life, the body is the gateway 275 00:25:16,599 –> 00:25:19,540 by which temptation comes to the soul. 276 00:25:20,640 –> 00:25:24,560 And that is why Paul says in Galatians, in chapter 5 277 00:25:24,560 –> 00:25:26,119 you gonna walk by the Spirit 278 00:25:26,119 –> 00:25:29,719 and then you will not gratify the desires of the flesh 279 00:25:29,719 –> 00:25:32,599 for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit 280 00:25:32,660 –> 00:25:36,020 and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh 281 00:25:36,020 –> 00:25:37,780 for these are opposed to each other 282 00:25:37,780 –> 00:25:40,839 to keep you from doing the things that you want to do. 283 00:25:40,839 –> 00:25:43,239 In other words, you’re living in this kind of conflict 284 00:25:43,239 –> 00:25:45,219 and you experience it all the time. 285 00:25:45,219 –> 00:25:47,880 We all know what it’s like to live with this struggle. 286 00:25:47,880 –> 00:25:51,040 It’s woven into the fabric of the Christian life. 287 00:25:52,079 –> 00:25:54,479 And that is why Paul says in first Corinthians 288 00:25:54,479 –> 00:25:59,040 in chapter 9 I have to discipline my body. 289 00:25:59,040 –> 00:26:01,520 I have to keep it under control 290 00:26:01,520 –> 00:26:03,079 lest having preached of other people 291 00:26:03,079 –> 00:26:05,380 I end up being disqualified myself. 292 00:26:07,020 –> 00:26:09,000 So you see, we live this Christian life 293 00:26:09,000 –> 00:26:13,180 in the constant tension between the soul and the body 294 00:26:13,180 –> 00:26:18,040 but when you receive the gift of the resurrection body, 295 00:26:18,040 –> 00:26:21,660 brother, sister, that war will be over. 296 00:26:21,660 –> 00:26:23,599 It will be done. 297 00:26:23,599 –> 00:26:26,719 Your resurrection body is going to be as eager 298 00:26:26,719 –> 00:26:29,959 to do the will of God as your redeemed spirit 299 00:26:29,959 –> 00:26:32,839 and that’s why in the resurrection body 300 00:26:32,839 –> 00:26:36,219 you will be at peace with yourself 301 00:26:37,400 –> 00:26:41,619 as you have never fully been before. 302 00:26:42,839 –> 00:26:44,339 An analogy to consider. 303 00:26:45,640 –> 00:26:49,780 A wonderful description for us to savor. 304 00:26:51,119 –> 00:26:55,520 And then lastly today, a promise to believe. 305 00:26:55,560 –> 00:26:59,339 And it’s in verse 49. 306 00:26:59,339 –> 00:27:04,359 Just as we have born the image of the man of dust, 307 00:27:05,160 –> 00:27:07,839 we shall also, there’s the promise, 308 00:27:07,839 –> 00:27:12,839 we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 309 00:27:14,319 –> 00:27:16,520 Now in these last verses that we’re looking at 310 00:27:16,520 –> 00:27:19,280 from verse 45 to verse 49, 311 00:27:19,280 –> 00:27:23,760 Paul is drawing a contrast between Adam, the first man, 312 00:27:23,760 –> 00:27:25,880 and the Lord Jesus Christ, 313 00:27:25,880 –> 00:27:29,760 who he describes as the last Adam. 314 00:27:29,760 –> 00:27:33,760 And the contrast is that the first Adam 315 00:27:33,760 –> 00:27:37,959 was from the earth, that’s verse 47. 316 00:27:37,959 –> 00:27:41,079 God formed him from the dust of the ground. 317 00:27:41,079 –> 00:27:44,160 And that’s why he is described in this verse 49 318 00:27:44,160 –> 00:27:47,180 as the man of dust. 319 00:27:47,180 –> 00:27:50,680 Not a very flattering description, but an accurate one. 320 00:27:50,680 –> 00:27:53,119 He’s the man of dust. 321 00:27:53,119 –> 00:27:54,780 That’s Adam. 322 00:27:54,780 –> 00:27:59,719 Now, all of us share the Adam life. 323 00:27:59,719 –> 00:28:03,339 And because we all share the Adam life, 324 00:28:03,339 –> 00:28:06,640 we all share the Adam experience, 325 00:28:06,640 –> 00:28:09,760 which is that we are off the dust, 326 00:28:09,760 –> 00:28:13,060 and to dust we will return. 327 00:28:13,060 –> 00:28:16,660 We bear the image, verse 49, 328 00:28:16,660 –> 00:28:19,979 of the man of dust. 329 00:28:20,819 –> 00:28:22,239 Let’s just pause there for a moment 330 00:28:22,520 –> 00:28:24,959 before we get to the wonderful promise. 331 00:28:24,959 –> 00:28:28,619 We bear the image of the man of dust. 332 00:28:28,619 –> 00:28:30,479 Dust you are, and to dust you return. 333 00:28:32,560 –> 00:28:35,300 Now, the Bible uses two pictures 334 00:28:36,180 –> 00:28:39,859 to press home for us the shortness 335 00:28:39,859 –> 00:28:44,859 and the uncertainty of our Adam-like life in this world. 336 00:28:46,939 –> 00:28:50,239 The first picture is the picture of grass. 337 00:28:50,780 –> 00:28:52,660 God says through the Prophet Isaiah, 338 00:28:52,660 –> 00:28:56,339 all flesh is grass, 339 00:28:57,619 –> 00:29:01,760 and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 340 00:29:03,040 –> 00:29:07,680 The grass withers and the flower fades. 341 00:29:09,319 –> 00:29:10,479 Let’s take in that picture. 342 00:29:10,479 –> 00:29:13,880 What God is saying to us in that 343 00:29:13,880 –> 00:29:17,540 is that the reality of our lives in this world 344 00:29:17,540 –> 00:29:19,380 is like grass. 345 00:29:20,339 –> 00:29:22,780 The grass grows up. 346 00:29:22,780 –> 00:29:25,239 The grass gets cut down. 347 00:29:25,239 –> 00:29:29,099 And there’s not a lot of time between these two events. 348 00:29:30,760 –> 00:29:35,760 So every time you see or hear a lawnmower, 349 00:29:38,900 –> 00:29:42,479 it should remind you of how short your life is in this world. 350 00:29:42,479 –> 00:29:43,680 That’s the point. 351 00:29:43,680 –> 00:29:44,520 That’s the point. 352 00:29:45,819 –> 00:29:49,359 And then there’s a second picture to press this home 353 00:29:49,359 –> 00:29:52,300 and it’s in James chapter four in verse 14. 354 00:29:52,300 –> 00:29:53,780 What is your life? 355 00:29:54,739 –> 00:29:59,479 You are a mist that appears for a little while 356 00:30:00,760 –> 00:30:02,140 and then it vanishes. 357 00:30:03,699 –> 00:30:05,739 So when you get up in the morning, 358 00:30:05,739 –> 00:30:07,180 pull your curtains open 359 00:30:08,359 –> 00:30:12,079 and you see that there’s a mist outside, 360 00:30:12,079 –> 00:30:13,560 you should say to yourself, 361 00:30:14,400 –> 00:30:17,520 this mist will soon be gone and so will I. 362 00:30:18,239 –> 00:30:19,719 That’s his point. 363 00:30:20,920 –> 00:30:23,719 See, we talk and plan 364 00:30:23,719 –> 00:30:26,520 as if we were going to be here forever, 365 00:30:26,520 –> 00:30:29,719 but the truth is that even the ones 366 00:30:29,719 –> 00:30:31,479 with the longest life among us 367 00:30:31,479 –> 00:30:34,359 are only here for a very short time. 368 00:30:34,359 –> 00:30:36,699 Our life in this world is very fragile, 369 00:30:36,699 –> 00:30:40,979 it is very uncertain, and soon it will be gone. 370 00:30:42,479 –> 00:30:44,680 Now, some of you might be saying at this point, 371 00:30:44,680 –> 00:30:47,660 he’s sounding a bit miserable today. 372 00:30:50,199 –> 00:30:51,979 But seriously, folks, 373 00:30:53,020 –> 00:30:56,000 the whole point of our life in this world 374 00:30:56,000 –> 00:30:58,739 is to prepare us for life in the world to come. 375 00:30:59,939 –> 00:31:02,280 And if we go through our lives in this world 376 00:31:02,280 –> 00:31:05,400 with the illusion that, somehow, we’ll always be here, 377 00:31:05,400 –> 00:31:08,420 we will miss the whole point of this life. 378 00:31:10,599 –> 00:31:12,819 We are off the dust. 379 00:31:14,880 –> 00:31:17,819 And that’s why, if we live only for this world 380 00:31:17,819 –> 00:31:20,339 and our hope is only in this world, 381 00:31:20,339 –> 00:31:21,660 we are to be pitied. 382 00:31:21,660 –> 00:31:24,119 We’re the most miserable people in the world. 383 00:31:27,020 –> 00:31:32,020 So thank God, verse 47, for the man from heaven. 384 00:31:32,319 –> 00:31:37,060 Thank God that Adam did not have the last word. 385 00:31:37,060 –> 00:31:38,640 The man from heaven, of course, 386 00:31:38,640 –> 00:31:41,359 is the Lord Jesus Christ. 387 00:31:41,420 –> 00:31:44,300 And the apostle Paul says of him that he is, 388 00:31:44,300 –> 00:31:49,040 verse 45, a life giving spirit. 389 00:31:49,040 –> 00:31:52,060 So you see, he’s bringing these two things together here. 390 00:31:52,060 –> 00:31:53,699 And he’s saying to us, 391 00:31:53,699 –> 00:31:57,619 the experience of those who share the life of Adam 392 00:31:57,619 –> 00:31:59,780 is short and very uncertain. 393 00:31:59,780 –> 00:32:02,060 It’s like the grass and it’s like the mist. 394 00:32:03,000 –> 00:32:05,180 But the experience of those who share the life 395 00:32:05,180 –> 00:32:08,020 of the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorious 396 00:32:08,020 –> 00:32:09,760 and it will last forever. 397 00:32:10,640 –> 00:32:13,300 You see, these two things together in verse 48, 398 00:32:13,300 –> 00:32:15,560 as was the man of dust, 399 00:32:15,560 –> 00:32:19,680 so also are those who are off the dust 400 00:32:19,680 –> 00:32:21,859 and as is the man of heaven, 401 00:32:21,859 –> 00:32:25,280 so also are those who are off heaven, 402 00:32:25,280 –> 00:32:27,180 off the dust, off heaven. 403 00:32:27,180 –> 00:32:30,079 These two things are true of you as a Christian believer 404 00:32:30,079 –> 00:32:32,459 and they’re both true of you at the same time. 405 00:32:33,739 –> 00:32:37,140 You’re off the dust and you’re off heaven. 406 00:32:37,959 –> 00:32:40,040 What a strange mixture you are. 407 00:32:41,060 –> 00:32:42,199 And therefore, of course, 408 00:32:42,199 –> 00:32:45,660 how strange and mixed your experience will be? 409 00:32:46,520 –> 00:32:48,439 You are off the dust. 410 00:32:48,439 –> 00:32:51,920 So decay and decline and insecurity and fragility 411 00:32:51,920 –> 00:32:54,400 and all that goes with this short and uncertain life 412 00:32:54,400 –> 00:32:57,359 that we have in Adam, all of that is at work in you, 413 00:32:57,359 –> 00:32:59,599 all of that is in your experience. 414 00:33:00,560 –> 00:33:04,119 But at the same time, you are off heaven 415 00:33:05,160 –> 00:33:06,959 and because you are off heaven, 416 00:33:07,280 –> 00:33:10,040 resurrection and hope and peace and joy 417 00:33:10,040 –> 00:33:12,239 and all that go with the everlasting life 418 00:33:12,239 –> 00:33:15,160 that is already yours in and of the Lord Jesus Christ, 419 00:33:15,160 –> 00:33:18,000 these things too are already at work in you. 420 00:33:19,199 –> 00:33:23,439 And so, Paul comes to this marvelous promise of verse 49, 421 00:33:23,439 –> 00:33:28,160 just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, 422 00:33:28,160 –> 00:33:30,719 we shall also, there’s the promise, 423 00:33:30,719 –> 00:33:35,719 we shall also bear the image of the man of dust. 424 00:33:37,140 –> 00:33:38,660 Of heaven. 425 00:33:38,660 –> 00:33:41,400 Oh, that’s the most glorious good news. 426 00:33:41,400 –> 00:33:44,699 We grieve because of how like Adam, we are. 427 00:33:45,560 –> 00:33:50,560 How easily tempted, how quick to blame others, 428 00:33:51,540 –> 00:33:56,540 how prone to make excuses, how ready to hide from God, 429 00:33:57,459 –> 00:34:00,760 we bear the image of the man of dust are right. 430 00:34:02,819 –> 00:34:05,839 But if you’re in Christ, you also bear the image 431 00:34:05,859 –> 00:34:07,520 of the man of heaven. 432 00:34:08,620 –> 00:34:12,699 Already you love God, you want to know him. 433 00:34:13,639 –> 00:34:15,340 You really want to serve him. 434 00:34:16,199 –> 00:34:19,219 You hunger and thirst after righteousness, 435 00:34:20,120 –> 00:34:25,000 you long to be holy, and all of these desires 436 00:34:25,000 –> 00:34:27,639 that he has put in you by his Holy Spirit 437 00:34:27,639 –> 00:34:31,159 will be fully satisfied. 438 00:34:32,120 –> 00:34:36,699 We have born the image of the man of dust. 439 00:34:36,699 –> 00:34:41,699 We shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 440 00:34:44,320 –> 00:34:47,719 And so writing to believers the apostle John 441 00:34:47,719 –> 00:34:50,479 says in his first letter, beloved, 442 00:34:50,479 –> 00:34:53,780 we are God’s children now, 44 00:34:54,699 –> 00:34:58,879 and what we will be has not yet appeared. 444 00:34:58,879 –> 00:35:03,459 But this we know, that when he appears, 445 00:35:04,520 –> 00:35:05,939 we shall be like him. 446 00:35:08,500 –> 00:35:11,739 Your body is going to be raised 447 00:35:11,739 –> 00:35:14,080 as the body of Jesus was raised. 448 00:35:15,459 –> 00:35:18,060 Your soul is going to be made perfect 449 00:35:19,179 –> 00:35:21,860 as Jesus himself is perfect. 450 00:35:22,820 –> 00:35:25,620 You’re going to share a glorious new life 451 00:35:25,620 –> 00:35:27,219 in the immediate presence of God 452 00:35:27,219 –> 00:35:29,439 as even now the Lord Jesus Christ 453 00:35:29,439 –> 00:35:31,439 is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. 454 00:35:31,439 –> 00:35:33,780 That’s what lies ahead of you, 455 00:35:35,399 –> 00:35:37,280 and the apostle John says, 456 00:35:38,540 –> 00:35:41,979 everyone who has this hope in him 457 00:35:43,639 –> 00:35:48,639 purifies himself even as he Christ is pure. 458 00:35:50,159 –> 00:35:51,659 Let’s pray together, shall we? 459 00:35:52,659 –> 00:35:57,919 Father, we thank you for the glorious hope 460 00:35:57,919 –> 00:36:02,919 that is ours in and through the resurrection 461 00:36:03,699 –> 00:36:08,699 of Jesus Christ, our savior and our Lord. 462 00:36:10,139 –> 00:36:13,100 And we pray today that this hope 463 00:36:13,979 –> 00:36:17,580 may burn so brightly within us 464 00:36:18,060 –> 00:36:22,179 that it will cause us to pursue holiness of life 465 00:36:23,379 –> 00:36:26,379 until the day when faith is turned to sight 466 00:36:27,939 –> 00:36:29,419 and we enter into the full joy 467 00:36:29,419 –> 00:36:32,219 of all that Christ has purchased for us. 468 00:36:33,219 –> 00:36:36,459 And these things we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord 469 00:36:37,580 –> 00:36:40,760 and God’s people together said, amen. 470 00:36:42,379 –> 00:36:43,699 You’ve been listening to a sermon 471 00:36:43,699 –> 00:36:46,139 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 472 00:36:46,800 –> 00:36:48,439 To contact us, call us at 1-877-open365 473 00:36:52,100 –> 00:36:55,639 or visit our website, openthebible.org.