1 CORINTHIANS 15:35-58 THE RESURRECTED BODY2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 The Resurrected Body

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. Well, here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we are looking at Paul's thorough discussion about the resurrection.

And the whole chapter really is, there's so much meat in here. We could spend a lot of time going through chapter 15. A lot of the chapter is focused on this subject of the resurrection and in particular, kind of answering some of the skeptics of resurrection.

In verse 12, a few verses earlier than what we just read in chapter 15, Paul says,

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As we look forward to eternity and the resurrection of this body. And so I've titled the message this morning, Your Resurrected Body. And there's a picture of an avocado there, not to say that your resurrected body will be an avocado. But because of the way that Paul illustrates and explains resurrection, we'll talk about that seed today.

from the avocado and get to see that. But as we talk about your resurrected body, we're looking forward to that eternity and the things that God has in store for eternity. As we experience death in this body, it's not the end, but it's really just the beginning. It's the launch into what God has in store for us next. And so what we're going to experience in eternity is going to be experienced through death.

a new body, a resurrected body that the Lord is going to be providing for us. And so again, we're looking at eternity. We're looking at the things ahead. God wants to give us a glimpse of those things so that we can have that hope and that anchor to hold on to as we work our way through the difficulties of this life, but as also we seek to serve the Lord in this life,

He gives us these things to look forward to and the ability to understand a little bit, a little bit, not very much, but a little bit about what eternity holds for us. And so here in verses 35 through 38, we have point number one, and that is your new body will not be this body.

Your new body will not be this body. Now, verse 35, again, Paul specifically addressing the skeptic here, he says, but someone will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And so Paul here is answering questions. The question is, how are the dead raised up?

It seems to be a question from a skeptic about the resurrection. Like, I don't get the resurrection. I don't get that. It doesn't really make sense because, you know, when my body dies and then my body decomposes, then how could that body be put back together in order to be a resurrected body? Like, you just, you know, the people asking that are coming from that approach. And Paul is explaining here that

Well, first of all, he calls them foolish ones. And so, you know, because you don't believe it, because you can't understand it, that's not, you know, the right approach to understanding God and what he has in store for us. That's a foolish approach. But he goes on to explain what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.

And so he's moving now into an illustration of a seed that is planted with this idea of sowing. Verse 37, he says, what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain, because wheat, or I'm sorry, perhaps wheat or some other grain, but God gives it a body as he pleases to each seed its own body. And so here Paul says, think about a seed and a

of sowing that seed or planting that seed. Now, what you plant is not what's going to be. So if you're going for an apple tree, you don't plant an apple tree, right? Well, maybe now you do. You go to Home Depot, you buy an apple tree, you put that in the ground, right? But you understand that's not where the process begins, right? It begins with the seed, right?

And you plant the seed, and then that begins to grow. And Paul uses the example of grain, but then he also says perhaps wheat or some other grain. Now, I picked avocado because Kim's gluten-free, and she's allergic to gluten, so I didn't want to make her react to this message. Just kidding. But same thing, right? You plant a seed of grain or a kernel of grain, and then it grows. And what you get from that kernel of wheat is not...

what you planted. It's something different. What you sow, you do not sow the body that shall be, right? That's Paul's point. What you sow is different than what comes out of it. And then he says, God gives it a body as he pleases. And so he's

Each one, each seed is unique so that different seeds, you know, produce different kinds of trees and plants and vegetation and all of that. It's according to what God has set and God has pleased. Each one has its own body that comes from it. But you plant the seed and the plant, the tree or whatever else it is that you're, you know, growing comes forth again.

from that. And so that's the point that Paul is making here in verse 37. You do not sow that body that shall be. And so I know it's a simple question, but just think about it for a second. What grows if you plant an avocado seed?

An avocado tree, right? It's not a bigger avocado seed that grows. You don't plant an avocado seed and then you get a big avocado seed, right? That's not what happens. And also, you don't plant an avocado seed and then an avocado grows. Well, eventually, avocados grow, but that seed doesn't turn into just a big avocado that develops as it grows. No, actually, what happens is an avocado tree is...

grown. And it comes forth, and it's radically different than the seed. It's much more than just an avocado. It is something far greater and far superior to that. And again, Paul says, you don't sow the body that shall be. What comes from the seed is something radically different than the seed. It's radically different, and yet it's identifiable.

So you don't plant an avocado seed and get an apple tree or some mystery, you know. I don't know what kind of plant this is, you know. But no, no, it's appropriate to whatever the seed was that was planted. So it's not just like randomness. It's not just chaos. There is identification bound into that seed and what is produced by it.

But what is produced by it is still radically different than what was planted. And Paul is explaining this. He's saying this is an illustration of the resurrection and our body that we will have in the resurrection. He says your new body will not be this body.

You do not sow that body that shall be. In a similar way that the seed is planted and then something radically different is produced whenever it grows. In the same way, this body is like the seed and when it is planted...

buried, it will produce something that's radically different. It'll be identifiable. It will be, you know, related to, but at the same time, radically different and much more than the body that was planted. I like the way that John Phillips, the commentator, describes it. He says, changed, yes indeed, but still identified with what was sown or planted. Wheat buried in the ground does not become barley.

daffodils do not become tulips, wheat comes up wheat. He says, you will still be you, and I will still be me. And so in this new body that God has in store for us, there's this illustration of the seed to help us understand there's going to be something radically different. It's going to be hugely different than what we have right now, but at the same time, it's going to be

permanently attached to us, that is identifiable as us. It will be us. It will just be a new transformed version of us, this body that we will have. It's not this body. And so if you're picturing resurrection as, you know, the molecules that make up this body coming back together to form a

you know, exactly the same thing as what you had right before you died or what you had at the prime of your life, you know, that's not what resurrection is like. Your body will not be this body. It's going to be something substantially different, much better, radically changed. You'll still be you. It's still part of who you are, but it's not what you can see in the mirror, right?

Your body will be transformed and changed radically different, yet still unique and identifiable, and still it will be you. Well, moving on to verses 39 through 44, we have point number two now, and that is your new body will be a spiritual body. And so here's part of the reason why your body is going to be radically different compared to what you have right now. Verse 39 says, "'All flesh is not the same flesh.'"

But there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. So now Paul kind of moves on from the seed illustration to just observe the different kinds of bodies that there are.

He says, all flesh is not the same flesh. Now, he's not using the flesh as a reference to our sinful nature. He's just talking about our physical nature, our physical bodies. And he says, look, there's lots of creatures that have bodies here on this world.

They're men and women, right? The human body, but there's also animals and they have bodies. And there's fish. They have bodies. And there's birds and they have bodies. And all of these are distinct and different from one another. They're radically different. You know, we might classify some as mammals and, you know, other kinds of different bodies. But he's just observing. Look at, there's different kinds of creatures, different kinds of bodies, right?

How is it that a fish can live underwater? I'm sure that doesn't like puzzle you. You don't stay up late at night wondering, you know, how is that so strange that they can live underwater when I can't live underwater? No, you understand their body is different. Their body is made from the beginning, you know, to be able to handle that environment and breathe in that way. And you and I are not built for that environment. Do you lay up?

All night long wondering, how is it that birds can fly? I just don't understand. I can't fly. How is it that birds can fly? No, they have different bodies. Their bodies are made for that particular purpose and created with that design in mind. And that's what Paul is saying here in verse 39. All flesh is not the same flesh.

There is the kind of body that you and I have. There's the kind of body that different animals have. There's the kind of body that fish have. There's the kind of body that birds have. Then he goes beyond this atmosphere. So just, he's looking at creatures on this planet. But now in verse 40, he goes, think about this.

outside of this atmosphere, he says there are celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. The glory of the celestial is one, the glory of the terrestrial is another. So, okay, there's some things that exist here on this planet, that's the terrestrial, and then there's celestial, that is things that exist in the heavens, things that exist in space. And

He goes on in verse 41, there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, and one star differs from another star in glory. So we have stars, we have the sun, we have the solar system, we have all of these things that exist and they are created and designed in such a way that they are able to exist in that environment.

You and I, we don't exist in that environment. We can't survive in that environment. If you go to space, you have to make special provisions to be able to survive that environment. Same thing with birds and fish and animals. So there's this distinction. The things that are outside of this atmosphere have to be radically different than the things inside this atmosphere.

And why is Paul talking about all of this? Well, again, he's making the point God created different kinds of bodies according to the atmosphere, the place that he has put them. He's created different kinds of bodies for things that exist here on the earth. He's created different kinds of bodies for things that exist outside of this atmosphere here on the earth. And there's great diversity amongst all of that.

So there's stars, but every star is unique and different and displays the creativity of God. Each one is unique and identifiable and perfectly suited for where it is and the environment that it has. And as you look at the things on this earth and the bodies that God created, again, each one is unique and yet there's great diversity. You can even have a kind of dog and yet...

Every kind of dog, I mean, every dog that is that kind of dog is different and unique and identifiable and there's great diversity and the creativity of God is just magnified through this variety. And again, each one is unique and perfectly suited for the environment that he created. And so he goes on in verse 42 to say, "'So also is the resurrection of the dead. "'The body is sown in corruption "'and is raised in incorruption.'"

And so here's what Paul is saying. So thinking about the bodies here on earth, thinking about the bodies in the heavens above, he says that's the same way that it is with the resurrection of the dead. Paul is saying this body is not suited for eternity. And so you have one body for this life, but there's something different. You're going to be in a different atmosphere today.

For eternity. And this body is not suited for that. This body is not made for that type of environment. And so he'll go on in verses 42 through 44 to give some contrasts.

He says, first of all, it's sown in corruption. So again, the idea of your body being planted or your body dying and decaying, but then in resurrection, it's raised in incorruption. So it's sown one way. This body is corruptible, but when it's resurrected, it will be incorruptible. He goes on in verse 43 to say, it is sown in dishonor and then it is raised in glory.

And so again, there's a radical difference between the body that you have now and the body that you will have. It is sown in weakness. It will be raised in power. And then in verse 44, he says, it is sown a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body. And that is where we get the point. Your new body will be a spiritual body. Right now you have a natural body. That's what we all have.

Although we have spiritual life, that's internal. Our body doesn't express that spiritual life. In fact, we still have the sinful nature. We still have, you know, this perishable body. But what we're going to have is something different. And again, it's going to be perfectly suited for the environment. This body was created and designed for life on planet Earth as we know it.

But the body that we will have is designed and created for eternal life and all that God has in store for us, which we don't yet know or understand or can't even imagine or think.

And so it is sown a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body. This body is not suited for eternity. And so your new body will be a spiritual body, perfectly designed for whatever God has in store for you for the rest of eternity. Moving on to verses 45 through 49, we have point number three. Your new body will bear the image of Jesus.

Your new body will bear the image of Jesus. Verse 45 says, and so it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven."

Now, Paul goes on now to talk about the new body and compare and contrast Adam versus Jesus. He refers to Adam as the first Adam, referring back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve there in the garden. Even before Eve was on the scene, he says in verse 47, the first man was of the earth made of dust, a reference to Genesis chapter 2 verse 7.

which tells us that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. And so he goes back to our origin story. He goes back to, you know, here's how humanity began. God used the dirt to mold an image of Adam, but it was just a mound of dirt until the Lord breathed life into him and he became a living being.

But he was created from the substance of this earth. Again, that's what our bodies are made of. It's made of dust. It's made of things that are appropriate for this atmosphere, for this earth. And he's making the point now, every single one of us are descended from Adam. So we have inherited this same body. So this body that was created out of dust...

we've inherited that body, and we have the same kind of body that Adam had. The physical aspects of his body, that's what we have. And the sinful nature that came along with Genesis chapter 3 and the fall of Adam and Eve, that is passed on to us as well. And so we have the

a direct connection to the first Adam. We have bodies that are inherited from him in our physical aspects, in the sinful nature. But then he also talks about the last Adam. In verse 45, he says, "...the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." Now, the last Adam is a way to refer to Jesus.

The first Adam came to life as God breathed in him the breath of life. The last Adam, Paul is saying, is a life-giving spirit. That is, Jesus is the one who gives life. So the first Adam is one who came to life. God gave him life. The last Adam is different. Jesus, being God, became man, and he is eternally the one who gives life. And Jesus pronounced that all throughout his ministry.

Verse 48, as was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust. That's us. And as is the heavenly man, so also those who are heavenly. And so there's this attachment. As we are Adam's descendants, we inherit his body and we are made of dust just like he is. But now that we are in Christ, well, we have the promise that we will also get to inherit a nature and a body that

from Christ. And so that we have, in a similar way to how we've received from Adam, we have the promise of receiving from Jesus. And so verse 49, as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. And so Paul says, it's a direct comparison. It's a direct correlation. There was Adam. You've descended from Adam. You're just like Adam. You came from dust. You have the body of Adam.

But as a believer in Jesus Christ, you also have the promise that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are in Christ. You will have his body. You will have his nature in the same way that you've inherited this body and nature from Adam. Thomas Constable puts it this way. He says,

God forming man out of the dust of the ground was only the first step. Again, he's making the point this was just the beginning. It was intended to be temporary from the beginning. That this body is not meant to last. And so when God said, let's make man in our own image, the physical form of Adam and being formed out of the dust of the ground, that was just the first step. That was just the seed. It wasn't the finished product. Right?

He didn't plant the tree yet. The tree hadn't grown yet. The body of Adam, the dust that was formed, that was just the seed. That was just the casing for what God actually had in store for us to be created in the image of God. And so that was only the first step.

But now, as we move forward in Christ, we will have a new body that is the full realization of what God desired, what God planned from the get-go. That this seed will grow into the final form that God intended for us as believers in Jesus.

Paul puts it this way in Philippians 3, verse 21, that Jesus will transform our lowly body, the seed, that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. And so there's a transformation in store. The new body that you will receive will bear the image of Christ, even as you have borne the image of Adam before.

you will bear the image of Christ. Even as you've inherited this body from Adam, you will inherit this body from Christ and you will be conformed to his glorious body. That is, you will have the same kind of body, whatever that is. It's a spiritual body. We saw that. There's some glorious things attached to it, but whatever body Jesus has, that's the kind of body that you will have.

You will inherit that same nature, that same form that Jesus has.

And so there's a difference between the physical and the spiritual, the natural and the spiritual. Now, verse 46, just to give this quick side note here, he says, however, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then afterward, the spiritual. So there is the two kinds of bodies, the one from Adam and then the one from Jesus. But there's an order that these things take place. The first is the natural, right?

That's what happens first. And then the spiritual. Now, this addresses a little bit, you know, the concept of like reincarnation. That doesn't happen. Jesus says the natural, or Paul says the natural is first and then the spiritual.

There are some who have the concept that we exist as spirits before birth, before conception, and then are just attached to a body. But again, Paul is addressing that and saying, no, first is the natural. That's where we begin. And then we experience the spiritual. And so this is the way that God has designed us as a natural physical body, which is like a seed that

The seed that we are bears the image of Adam. You know, we've inherited this seed shape and form from him. But as we are planted, as we enter into eternity, we will grow into what God fully intended and designed, and we will bear the image of Jesus.

And so right now we bear the image of Adam from the Garden of Eden. The physical aspects of our body, the spiritual aspects of our body, the sinful nature that we have, the lack of spiritual life, it's all inherited directly from Adam.

But the new bodies that we will have will bear his image and will be inherited from Jesus. And that includes the physical aspects of this new body, the spiritual aspects, the flawless, sinless nature of Christ. All of that will be inherited by us as we receive this new body from him.

Moving on now to verses 50 through 57, we have point number four, and that is, your new body will be incorruptible. Verse 50 says, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. So Paul says, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Again, the point here is this body is not suited for eternity.

This body is not going to work for eternity. And, you know, realistically, we wouldn't want it that way, right? Because if you had to be stuck in this body for the rest of eternity, you would be in miserable condition, you know? You would be, you know, like those old, you know, vehicles that are abandoned in some field and they're just wasting away, rotting out in the field, right? That's how we would be for the rest of eternity because our bodies are corruptible currently, right?

This body is, well, it's subject to fail. When he uses the word corruption, he's talking about that frailty that we have. Dave Guzik says, the word corruption does not mean moral or ethical corruption, but physical, material corruption. These bodies, which are subject to sickness, disease, injury, and one day decay, are unsuited to heaven.

And so you wouldn't want to go into eternity with a body that's not going to last for eternity, right? It makes sense. You wouldn't want to go into eternity with something that's going to break down and, you know, we can barely survive the, you know, 80 or 100 years that we have on this life. And how are we going to survive the years and years and thousands of years and the millennium to come with this body? It just, it's not built for that.

And we recognize that. We understand that. We get to experience the corruption of our bodies and we observe that, right? This last Friday, I ran a mile away

And ever since then, man, I have been, I don't know if you saw me walking around a little bit funny, but like my legs are killing me, man. Just going up and down the stairs in the sound booth, I have to kind of like hold the wall because my legs are screaming at me and they're in pain because my body is corruptible.

But as we look ahead to eternity, what God has in store for us is something that is incorruptible, something that is not going to be subject to that kind of weakness or failure or pain.

And as I've been going through that, the Lord gave me a glimpse of my new body because as I enter into eternity, it's not going to be challenged the way that it is currently. There's something glorious in store for us. That's the point that Paul is making. Your new body will be incorruptible.

It's not going to have the failures, the weaknesses, the limitations that this body has. It's not going to break down and, you know, wind down and decay in that way. It's going to be something that is imperishable, incorruptible, something that doesn't fade away. And that's what God has in store for us.

Now, as we look at verse 51 and 52, Paul moves on to talk about the rapture of the church as well. He says in verse 51, "'Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.'"

So Paul goes on now. He mentions the rapture, not so much because he's going to give, you know, a whole explanation of the rapture. He mentions the rapture to say, look, one way or another, we're going to be changed. This body is not suited for eternity. He says, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Not every one of us is going to die before Christ returns. That's the point.

So when Christ returns, those who have died, well, it's obvious. They get their resurrected body. So, you know, they're ready for eternity. But what about those who are alive? Well, Paul says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the trumpet's going to sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and then we, whoever's surviving and alive at the time of the rapture, shall be changed. And so that new body will be given as an exception.

to those who are alive at the timing of the rapture of the church. So it's not a seed that's planted. The body wasn't buried, but at the rapture, when we are caught up, well, the new body will be given at that time. And so it departs from the illustration of the seed in that regard, that there's going to be an immediate supernatural work of God to give us this new body.

But again, the point that Paul is making here is either way, whether your body is planted or whether you are caught up, either way, this body is not suited to heaven. This body isn't made for that environment.

He says in verse 53, for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. There must be a change. There has to be a change because this body will not work in that environment. And so God has this body in store for us, whether through the natural process of death or through the supernatural process of the rapture of the church or

Either way, we must be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. This mortal must put on immortality. Verse 54. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin.

And the strength of sin is the law. So when that happens, Paul says, then we're going to realize, then we're going to experience these, and he's quoting from the Old Testament here, the saying, death is swallowed up in victory. Right now, we don't see that. We don't see the victory, you know, from death or through death. We don't see death swallowed up. We, well, we experience death.

We experience it in our lives. We see it happen all around us. And whenever there is death, you know, from our perspective, it's typically not seen as a victory. But when this takes place, then death will be swallowed up in victory. He quotes again from the Old Testament saying, oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? Now, again, right now in this body, we feel the sting of death. We feel it. It affects us.

And death is a reality that we all have to face. The sting of death, he says, is sin. And the strength of sin is the law. And so in this body, we have to face death. We have to deal with sin. We have the law because of our sinful nature. And so we're trapped in this condition of being in sin, subject to the law, deserving of death, and it stings. It's a painful reality of life.

When this corruptible puts on incorruption, that's all going to change. When this body is transformed into what God has fully designed and intended for us for eternity, then we'll be able to say, there will be no hesitation, no reservations in saying, death is swallowed up in victory. There will be no reservation in saying, oh, death, where is your sting? Because there is no more the threat of death. There is no more the sting of sin.

and the power of the law, because then we will be experiencing life as God fully intended it in eternity. And so verse 57, he says, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So instead of saying, oh man, the sting of death, oh, it's so painful. In that day, we will say, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That we will look to Jesus and understand that we have victory through him and that we've been transformed as we bear his image that we no longer have to deal with or worry about or experience the pains of death or any of the processes of leading up to death. We will have a body that is incorruptible.

And for the rest of eternity, we'll get to experience life as God fully designed and intended for all of eternity. I thought F.B. Meyer, the commentator, had some good thoughts on this. He says,

into one mighty host of transfigured and redeemed humanity. Oh, happy day. Thinking about the generations of Christians who have gathered to say goodbye to someone that they love, the remains of a person in their life. And he says, for generations, they've gathered around and they've uttered these words. These are words of immortal hope. This corruption must put on incorruption.

That in Christ, there is this promise that even though we experience death, it will be swallowed up in victory. Even though this body experiences an end and experiences destruction and decay and corruption, we have this promise, this promise from the Lord. And so as we mourn those that we've lost, and it's appropriate to mourn, but we mourn with this immortal hope for that time when we will be all gathered together and caught up

He says, into one mighty host of transfigured and redeemed humanity. And so those who've gone before us will be caught up. We'll meet together with them. We'll be reunited together with them in this incorruptible state where there's no more sin and no more sorrow and no more pain and no more agony. That's what God has in store for us. And so we hold fast to, we hold on to this hope and we listen for that trumpet sound. We are looking forward to,

to this new body that will be incorruptible, that God has in store for us, that we will be united together with all other believers experiencing the fullness of what God has planned for us and experiencing it in the body that God has designed for us that will last for eternity.

Well, finishing it up with point number five, and it's found in verse 58. Point number five is, therefore, serve the Lord with your current body. Verse 58 says, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Here, Paul concludes this thought in verse 58 with the word, therefore. And so he's kind of wrapping up

all the points that he's been making about resurrection to now give us application. So we've got a better understanding of what our resurrected body will be like. And so Paul says, since all of that is true, since your new body will not be this body, since your new body will be a spiritual body, since your new body will bear the image of Jesus, since your new body will be incorruptible, since eternity is real, here's what you should do.

be steadfast and immovable. Be steadfast and immovable. In your faith, in your walk with God, in your relationship to God, be steadfast and immovable. There is always trials and tribulations that we face.

And this body, because we experience pain and death and sorrow and heartache and, you know, the emotions that we experience and the things that we experience in this life, it is, well, we're threatened to be moved. We're threatened to be not steadfast, but wavering and wishy-washy and moving away from God. That's the forces of the enemy around us are pushing us and seeking to

cause us to walk away from God. But Paul says, no, therefore, knowing what is in store for you, knowing what God has in store, knowing what God has planned, and knowing what He is going to give you, be steadfast and immovable. Don't waver in your faith. Don't waver in your walk with God. Don't waver in your relationship with God. Don't move from your faith, from your belief, from your trust in God.

And in addition to that, he says in verse 58, always be abounding in the work of the Lord because of this new body that God has in store for you. It's not going to be this body. It's going to be a spiritual body. It's going to bear the image of Jesus. It's going to be incorruptible. And because God has in store this body for you, he says, always abound in the work of the Lord. And I would ask you to consider your life. And is that a good description of your life?

Are you abounding? That idea of abounding, it's overflowing. Does your life overflow in the work of the Lord? And we could have a long discussion about what the work of the Lord is and how the work of the Lord is not limited to, you know, certain classical things. You know, teaching a Bible study is not the only work of the Lord. Leading in worship is not the only work of the Lord. Certainly those are parts of it, but there's more to it than that. And so that's

That comes back to your relationship with God and what has God called you to do in your life and not just on this property, but everywhere you go and everywhere you are, you are to be involved in the work of the Lord, that your life is to abound, to overflow, that you are always engaged in the work of the Lord. That is the way that God has called us to live. And that is the appropriate way to live in light of the resurrection, right?

In light of eternity, because he goes on in verse 58 saying, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. So here's the resurrection promise that along with the new body is the reward for faithful service. The reward for being steadfast and immovable. The reward that God has promised to those who have walked with him.

And so he says, Consider what Jesus said in Mark 9, verse 41.

He says, Jesus here gives a simple example. If you give a cup of water to someone because they believe in Jesus, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, in the name of Jesus, I give you this cup of water because you belong to Jesus. You're a child of God.

So in the name of Jesus, I'm serving, I'm providing, I'm blessing a child of God because I want to bless God by serving his children, by meeting the needs of his people. Jesus says that simple act, a cup of water in the name of Christ, because they belong to Christ, he says, you will by no means lose your reward. There is a guaranteed reward.

reward even for the simple act of providing a cup of water to drink. It's not meant to be that that's the only, you know, type of act, but just as a simple illustration, Jesus says, you do that in the name of the Lord for his people and your reward is guaranteed.

knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Let your life abound and overflow because you face eternity and you will last forever in this spiritual body, experiencing the benefits, experiencing the rewards of all that you have done for the Lord in this life. Always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know the Lord will reward you. Now,

As you look at this chapter on resurrection, you'll notice that Paul doesn't get into a lot of detail about what exactly our bodies are going to be like. He makes it very clear our new body is not going to be our current body. He makes it very clear our new body will be far superior to our current body. But he doesn't actually tell us, well, here's what your new body is going to be able to do. Here's what your new body is going to look like. He doesn't get into those details.

He just tells us it's going to be far superior. It's not going to be what we have right now. It's going to be worth it though. It's going to be excellent and beyond our wildest dreams.

And I think that's important to understand because it's not so much that, you know, we're looking forward to be able to fly like Superman, you know, or do those kinds of things that maybe God will, you know, want us to do that. And so that'll be part of our new body. We don't really know. God doesn't tell us that part. But what we need to know is that it is the reality that God does have something in store for us. And along with that new body is all of the reward for a faithful walk with him in this life.

Jesus taught us in Matthew chapter 6. He says, Jesus makes the point. You live for this life, and while your treasures are here in this life, and they're corruptible, just like your body is corruptible. But if you lay up treasures in heaven...

You live not for this life primarily, but you live for eternity primarily, and you lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven as you abound in the work of the Lord, as you give cups of water to those who are thirsty, as you serve the Lord in whatever capacity he set before you. You are laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven that you will enjoy the benefit of for the rest of eternity in the new resurrected body that God has for you.

And so the resurrected body is not the reward. That's part of our nature that we have in Christ as a believer in Jesus Christ. But because of that nature and because of the promise of eternity, Paul says, fill your life with working for the Lord. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven because those will last. Those things will endure. Those things will not perish. Therefore, serve the Lord with your current body. You are not what you're going to be.

But God has given you the body that you have now so that you can prepare for eternity and you can fill your life. And this body is limited. It's destructible. It's corruptible. It's messed up. It's falling apart. But with this messed up, fallen apart, sinful body, you can prepare for yourself an abundant eternity by always abounding in the work of the Lord. And so as Paul talks about the resurrected body, it's not just about, you know, think about all the cool things you could do.

He says, understand, it's amazing what God has in store. It's far different than what we have now. But let that be a spark to you to cause you to pursue the Lord to a greater degree today, knowing what he has in store for you for all of eternity.

So we want to close our service in a time of prayer as we usually do and I'll begin and leave it open and as you feel led, go ahead and be bold and pray and then when the time's appropriate, Pastor George will close us in the time of prayer. Lord, we thank you for this morning and the great promises that you've set before us. And Lord, as we

each can relate to and understand the aches and pains of this body and the limitations and the temporariness, Lord, of this body and this life. Lord, I pray that you would allow those things to spark in us the reminder of the things that you have in store for us and these great promises of eternity and this new body that you have in store for us. And we can't even begin to imagine that

the amazing features and the benefits and the characteristics of this new body that you have in store for us. But Lord, you've promised it to us and you've told us very clearly it's not what we have now. It's much more, it's much better. Like the seed that's planted and the thing that grows forth from it, Lord, that's what you have in store for us, something far superior that will grow forth from this body that you've entrusted to us.

And so God, as we look forward to that and we place that hope in our sights and we desire to be clothed in that immortality, Lord, I pray that you would help us then to abound in our life, in the things of you, Lord, that we would fill our hearts and our lives and our minds and our words with your work, with who you are, Lord, that we would pursue you, that our lives would be filled with serving you and loving you.

as we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, awaiting for that day when you transform this lowly body and conform it into the image of Jesus Christ. Thank you, God, for these great promises. May it cause us to serve you in the fullness that you've called us to. In Jesus' name I pray.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.