Resurrection LIfe
Greetings and I trust you had a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration with those you love.
It really is all about love isn't it. Not the love that we see so often in the world, the kind of love that says, I will love you if you love me back. It is really about the love that says you are a value to me, and I will do everything for you because of who you are. This is a love a parent has for a child and the kind of love a husband is to have for a wife, and it is certainly the love that God has for us.
We have seen the past few weeks that the apostle Paul is heartbroken, and I would say frustrated, because of those who have not only denied the resurrection of Jesus, but who are actively leading others away from Christ. Today we hear the full extent of God's love for us.
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Having just said that we are of all people those to be pitied the most, if indeed the resurrection is a lie, what does it mean for us if the resurrection is true? If the resurrection is true then every promise God has ever made is sure and certain. If the resurrection is true, then every statement God has made is absolute truth.
What is it God says to you? God says He created you for His pleasure and for His purpose. You were created to be an expression of the glory of God in the world. He loves you with an unfailing love and is committed to your welfare today, and for all eternity. Through faith in Christ, you not only have the forgiveness of your sins and therefore the assurance of eternal life, but you have been adopted into the family of God and you are His child. As such, there is never a moment in your life when the eyes of the Father are not looking upon you. It is the motivation of His heart to bless you in all that you do, and to work in every circumstance to draw you closer to Himself and reveal the depth of His love for you. If the resurrection is true, then all this is the reality of your life.
The apostle Paul proclaims boldly the truth of what Jesus has done. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In the face of overwhelming denial, Paul speaks the absolute truth that Jesus is alive. And not only this, but he also assures us of what this means for all who have faith in Him.
Now let me step back for a moment and simply remind you that there is no end to those who try to deny the resurrection. Even in Jesus' day, there were those who were teaching He simply fainted or passed out on the cross, and then was revived in the cool air of the tomb. I think we can know with certainty that the Romans took their jobs seriously. If a Roman soldier was so determined to confirm He was dead that he pierced His side with a spear, I think we can be certain that it was a lifeless body hanging on a cross and therefore laid in a tomb. Jesus was dead! The tomb was sealed! The guards were posted to ensure no one would mess with His body! And yet everything that man did was powerless to stop what God was doing!
Paul tells us Christ has been raised from the dead. The ultimate consequence of sin, which is death itself, has been overcome because the power of sin was broken by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Therefore, death has lost its power and Christ now stands alive. His resurrection victory is a victory for God and the love that is in God's heart.
It is hard for any of us to imagine what it would be like to have our child taken captive and removed from us to a faraway place. The agony of the heart when the one you love is separated from you is an ache that runs deep, and it is never far from your thoughts. From that moment in the garden to the instant Jesus was quickened to life in the tomb, the Father's heart has been set on rescuing us and bringing us home. The resurrection of Jesus is when this desire of the Father's heart became a reality for His children.
Paul tells us that Christ is the firstfruits of those who fallen asleep. The image of the first fruits in the Bible refers to that which is first in coming forth, and as with all things the first of everything goes to God. Christ is the first to be resurrected to life and thus returned to His Father. He is the first fruits of all who will follow Him, all who sleep!
Now don't be confused, there are those who have seen the word sleep and have imagined that a person's consciousness sleeps in the grave with the body until the end of time. This erroneous teaching is called “soul sleep.” In first Thessalonians Paul makes it very clear that when Jesus returns, He will bring with Him the spirits of those who have fallen asleep. The reason that Paul uses the term sleep is because for the Christian death is a temporary state. The body that was corrupted by sin and thus simply wore out and died, will be revived, restored, and resurrected to life. This is true for all who trust in Jesus for their salvation.
As we have discussed before, there is a resurrection for the unbeliever as well, but it is not a life worth even being called life. There is no indication the corruption of sin is taken away when life is restored to the physical body. This would mean that whatever was the cause of death, be it cancer, or heart disease, or diabetes, or some horrific accident, would still be present in the body.
Paul ends this section with another affirmation of the truth. The statement, in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, reaffirms the reality of the fall into sin and all the consequences we as sinful human beings experience, culminating in physical death. Just as true is the life which Christ now lives, resurrected and victorious, will be shared with all who believe in Him. Jesus slept in the tomb! He died and the moment came when He was awakened! He rose and He now lives that we might have life. The day will come when who have died, all who sleep, will be called forth to new life! Because He lives, we shall live forever with God.
Blessings to you in Jesus’ name!
Pastor Russ
It really is all about love isn't it. Not the love that we see so often in the world, the kind of love that says, I will love you if you love me back. It is really about the love that says you are a value to me, and I will do everything for you because of who you are. This is a love a parent has for a child and the kind of love a husband is to have for a wife, and it is certainly the love that God has for us.
We have seen the past few weeks that the apostle Paul is heartbroken, and I would say frustrated, because of those who have not only denied the resurrection of Jesus, but who are actively leading others away from Christ. Today we hear the full extent of God's love for us.
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Having just said that we are of all people those to be pitied the most, if indeed the resurrection is a lie, what does it mean for us if the resurrection is true? If the resurrection is true then every promise God has ever made is sure and certain. If the resurrection is true, then every statement God has made is absolute truth.
What is it God says to you? God says He created you for His pleasure and for His purpose. You were created to be an expression of the glory of God in the world. He loves you with an unfailing love and is committed to your welfare today, and for all eternity. Through faith in Christ, you not only have the forgiveness of your sins and therefore the assurance of eternal life, but you have been adopted into the family of God and you are His child. As such, there is never a moment in your life when the eyes of the Father are not looking upon you. It is the motivation of His heart to bless you in all that you do, and to work in every circumstance to draw you closer to Himself and reveal the depth of His love for you. If the resurrection is true, then all this is the reality of your life.
The apostle Paul proclaims boldly the truth of what Jesus has done. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In the face of overwhelming denial, Paul speaks the absolute truth that Jesus is alive. And not only this, but he also assures us of what this means for all who have faith in Him.
Now let me step back for a moment and simply remind you that there is no end to those who try to deny the resurrection. Even in Jesus' day, there were those who were teaching He simply fainted or passed out on the cross, and then was revived in the cool air of the tomb. I think we can know with certainty that the Romans took their jobs seriously. If a Roman soldier was so determined to confirm He was dead that he pierced His side with a spear, I think we can be certain that it was a lifeless body hanging on a cross and therefore laid in a tomb. Jesus was dead! The tomb was sealed! The guards were posted to ensure no one would mess with His body! And yet everything that man did was powerless to stop what God was doing!
Paul tells us Christ has been raised from the dead. The ultimate consequence of sin, which is death itself, has been overcome because the power of sin was broken by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Therefore, death has lost its power and Christ now stands alive. His resurrection victory is a victory for God and the love that is in God's heart.
It is hard for any of us to imagine what it would be like to have our child taken captive and removed from us to a faraway place. The agony of the heart when the one you love is separated from you is an ache that runs deep, and it is never far from your thoughts. From that moment in the garden to the instant Jesus was quickened to life in the tomb, the Father's heart has been set on rescuing us and bringing us home. The resurrection of Jesus is when this desire of the Father's heart became a reality for His children.
Paul tells us that Christ is the firstfruits of those who fallen asleep. The image of the first fruits in the Bible refers to that which is first in coming forth, and as with all things the first of everything goes to God. Christ is the first to be resurrected to life and thus returned to His Father. He is the first fruits of all who will follow Him, all who sleep!
Now don't be confused, there are those who have seen the word sleep and have imagined that a person's consciousness sleeps in the grave with the body until the end of time. This erroneous teaching is called “soul sleep.” In first Thessalonians Paul makes it very clear that when Jesus returns, He will bring with Him the spirits of those who have fallen asleep. The reason that Paul uses the term sleep is because for the Christian death is a temporary state. The body that was corrupted by sin and thus simply wore out and died, will be revived, restored, and resurrected to life. This is true for all who trust in Jesus for their salvation.
As we have discussed before, there is a resurrection for the unbeliever as well, but it is not a life worth even being called life. There is no indication the corruption of sin is taken away when life is restored to the physical body. This would mean that whatever was the cause of death, be it cancer, or heart disease, or diabetes, or some horrific accident, would still be present in the body.
Paul ends this section with another affirmation of the truth. The statement, in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, reaffirms the reality of the fall into sin and all the consequences we as sinful human beings experience, culminating in physical death. Just as true is the life which Christ now lives, resurrected and victorious, will be shared with all who believe in Him. Jesus slept in the tomb! He died and the moment came when He was awakened! He rose and He now lives that we might have life. The day will come when who have died, all who sleep, will be called forth to new life! Because He lives, we shall live forever with God.
Blessings to you in Jesus’ name!
Pastor Russ
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