The Resurrection of the Body
1 Corinthians 15:35-57 | There is goodness in our bodies that will be fully realized when they are resurrected like Jesus in glory.
The Resurrection of the Body
1 Corinthians 15:35-57
3 Wrong Views of our Bodies: Deify, Demonize, or Dismiss
Main Idea: There is goodness in our bodies that will be fully realized when they are resurrected like Jesus in glory.
“The way we treat the body is a sign of what we believe about the future… Christians respect the body because we believe our material bodies are part of God’s goal for us and for the universe. At the same time, we don’t make the body ultimate…The body returns to dust. Those who make the body ultimate miss the vision of the kingdom. And those who dismiss the importance of the body misread that what matters ultimately is not just spiritual life but embodied life. That changes the way we live now.” ~ Russell Moore
I. Our Current Bodies
Paul describes our current, physical bodies as:
Created by God (15:38), and therefore good in nature.
Like seeds (15:36-37) that will be sown into the ground.
Fallen & mortal (15:42-44, 53), marked by being “perishable, dishonorable, weak, earthly, and mortal.”
Genesis 3:19: “... for you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Having a physical body means that we are limited creatures. Not all of these limitations are a result of the fall but are actually in God’s good design for humans. Part of honoring & being good stewards of our physical bodies is accepting these limitations.
“[We have unconsciously] taken a view of human beings as advanced machines. Thus, we talk casually about how we are ‘wired’ and liken the brain to a computer, our bodies to hardware, and our personality to software. But as useful as these metaphors may sometimes be, the brain isn’t a computer, nor do our limbs contain any metal… [the body] is not actually code.” ~ David Zahl, Seculosity, 71.
II. Our Future Bodies
Paul describes our future bodies as:
A seed reaching full potential (15:36).
Resurrected, not resuscitated (15:51).
Imperishable, glorified, powerful, spiritual, and immortal (15:42-44, 53).
We often view our “glorified” future bodies in vanity, but this is meant to encourage the church that there is hope beyond the grave. Right now we still feel the “sting” and “victory” of death, but at the resurrection: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (15:54-55).
Romans 8:22–23: For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
III. Jesus’ Resurrection & Our Resurrection
Jesus’ incarnation and his bodily resurrection emphasize the important role our physical bodies play in God’s design and goals for us and creation.
“The God in whose image we are made took on human form. The incarnation established that God is with us in all the dust, the sweat, and the tears of our physicality. Though the incarnation leaves no question about the goodness of our corporeality, the bodily resurrection of Jesus adds additional evidence. The resurrection of the body means that to be human with God is to be with him not as disembodied souls, but as people with noses, faces, arms, and legs that are similar to those we currently have.” ~ Matthew Lee Anderson
The emphasis of the Scriptures is that our resurrected body will be like Jesus’ resurrected body (15:49).
Philippians 3:20–21: But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…
1 John 3:2: Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Jesus’ resurrection is the “firstfruits” (cf. 15:20) of the resurrection, and our existence for all eternity in the new heavens & the new earth will be in a physical body. This is the victory (15:57) we have through Jesus Christ.
Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A1:
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I am not my own but belong—body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ...
The Forgiveness of Sins
Colossians 1:13-14 | The forgiveness we experience in Christ compels us to be a forgiving people.
THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
Colossians 1:13-14
Main Idea: The forgiveness we experience in Christ compels us to be a forgiving people.
Outline
I. Our Need of Forgiveness
II.The Forgiver
III. Our Response
Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I. Our Need of Forgiveness
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life
II. The Forgiver
III. Our Response
Our response is two-fold:
Receive Forgiveness
Extend Forgiveness
Receive Forgiveness
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9
Psalm 51,
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Extend Forgiveness
Col. 3:12-17
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We Believe in the Church
Matthew 16:130-20 | The church is Jesus’ “called out” global community of sinners made saints who right now constitute His physical presence in the world and who will one day rule and reign with Him forever.
WE BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH
Matthew 16:13-20
The church is Jesus’ “called out” global community of sinners made saints who right now constitute His physical presence in the world and who will one day rule and reign with Him forever.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-27 | The greatest gift the Father gives to those who follow the Son is the Holy Spirit.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-27
Main Idea: The greatest gift the Father gives to those who follow the Son is the Holy Spirit.
I. Who is the Holy Spirit? (V14-17)
A. The Holy Spirit is a Person
A person who can be grieved. (Ephesians 4:30)
A person who can be outraged (Hebrews 10:29)
A person who can be lied to (Acts 5:3)
A person who loves (Romans 15)
B. The Holy Spirit is Fully God
Heteros - another of different (class group or type) quality than the former
Allos - another of the same kind
II. What does the Holy Spirit do? (V16-17, 26-27)
A. Regenerates
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Ezekiel 36:26-27
B. Advocates
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28
C. Teaches
“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21
““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-14
III. Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit warms our affections for Christ.
From There He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 | Jesus will return bringing righteous judgment on those who reject him while vindicating those who believe in him.
From There He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
“Justice for everyone is an alarming thought because it raises the possibility that it might come upon oneself after all.” ~ Fleming Rutledge
Main Idea: Jesus will return bringing righteous judgment on those who reject him while vindicating those who believe in him.
I. The Necessity of Judgment Day
Judgment Day is coming because justice is at the heart of God’s very character & nature. If God allowed evil & evildoers to go unchecked, it would actually be unjust of him.
Psalm 89:14: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne”
Deut. 32:4: “...his work is perfect, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and upright is he.”
II. The Soberness of Judgment Day
Two reasons this is a sober day:
Every single person will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:10; Ecc. 12:14, 1 Cor. 4:5 Matt 25:31-32, etc.)
Divine justice & punishment will be given to those who reject Christ
“Hell is the trajectory of a soul, living a self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on and on forever… Hell is simply one’s freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory written into infinity.” ~ Tim Keller
“The doors to hell are locked from the inside.” ~ C.S. Lewis
III. The Hope of Judgment Day
This is a hopeful day both personally and cosmically.
Personally: for those who have been saved by the grace of Jesus, our judgment day has already happened.
“God has already revealed our guilt, at the cross, and we have already agreed with his verdict, in our confession of sin and our ongoing repentance of it. Judgment Day happened for us, in a very real sense, already, at the Place of the Skull outside the gates of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.” ~ Russell Moore
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Cosmically: injustice, evil, and persecution will not go unchecked; they have an expiration date
3 Implications of this Doctrine:
We should regularly confess & repent of our sins (2 Pet. 3:8-9)
We should be gentle with the sins & struggles of others (Rom. 14:10-12)
We resolve to fulfill every good “work of faith” (2 Thess. 1:11-12)
He Ascended to Heaven & is Seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty
Ephesians 1:15-23 | Jesus ascends to heaven as the exalted King who establishes his church and empowers our mission.
Main Idea: Jesus ascends to heaven as the exalted King who establishes his church and empowers our mission.
I. The Exalted King of Kings
3 Aspects of Jesus’ enthronement to consider:
1. Authority
Daniel 7:13-14:
13 “I saw in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
There came one like a son of man,
And he came to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
And glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages
Should serve him;
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And his kingdom one
That shall not be destroyed.
2. Supremacy
Hebrews 1:3b–4: After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
3. Now & Not Yet (“Not only in this age but also in the one to come”)
II. The Head of the Church
In this role, Jesus continues his ministry as our great high priest. This means:
1. We are always connected to God
“We are connected to Jesus, by faith, as a head is with a body. Our head, then, is seated now at the right hand of God, always in God’s presence and always in communion with him. This is true of you always. That’s important to remember in those moments when we feel as though God is distant from us. Sometimes when I am suffering, or when I am plagued with doubt or fear, it’s easy for me to feel as though God is far away. When that happens, I almost immediately find myself drifting away into prayerlessness, and, ultimately, a sense of despair. The problem is that I assume that God’s nearness is defined by the strength of my faith at the moment or by my ability to “read” what God is doing providentially in my life. That assumes that I was ever coming to God without a Mediator. My nearness to God is in Christ, and Jesus hasn’t moved.” ~ Russell Moore
2. We can have confidence before God
“Our prayer life stinks most of the time. But what if you heard Jesus praying aloud for you in the next room? Few things would calm us more deeply… If you are in Christ, you have an intercessor, a present-day mediator, one who is happily celebrating with his Father the abundant reason for both to embrace you in their deepest heart.” ~ Dane Ortlund
III. The Captain of the Mission
Nearly every place the ascension is mentioned in the Scriptures, it is tied to the mission of God. The two go hand in hand and are intrinsically connected.
Luke 24:45–48, 50-51: 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things…. 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Acts 1:8–9: 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
In this role, Jesus continues his ministry as prophet. Jesus’ rule & reign is extended into all the world through the mission of the church, as we declare & display the good news of the gospel. As the captain of the mission, Jesus is working in, over, and through the church to continue seeking and saving the lost.
The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead
Acts 2:22-32 | The resurrection was the sovereign plan of God to vindicate Jesus as our Savior & Lord.
Main Idea: The resurrection was the sovereign plan of God to vindicate Jesus as our Savior & Lord.
I. The Sovereign Plan of the Resurrection
Peter quotes Psalm 16 in order to draw attention to:
1. The bodily resurrection of Jesus
“Jesus’ body kicked back to life on that Easter morning. It was a spiritual resurrection and a physical resurrection. His amino acids began to flutter about, his brain stem booted up, and his heart began to pump. Jesus is alive.” ~ J.A. Medders & Brandon Smith
Romans 8:22–23: 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
2 Peter 1:16: For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2. Jesus’ resurrection as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7)
“The resurrection of Christ is not just something to believe in; it’s something to be lived. Christ is not a dead teacher. If he was a dead teacher, then being a Christian would just be to believe what he said. Since he’s a risen Lord, he comes and penetrates our lives with a new order of being.” ~ Tim Keller
II. The Saving Power of the Resurrection (2:24)
“The pangs of death were, so to speak, the labor pains of a new life. Christ is the firstborn from the dead.” ~ Herman Bavinck
1 Peter 1:3-5: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
He Descended to Hell
Revelation 1:17-18 | Upon death, Jesus went to the place of the dead to proclaim victory & begin his exaltation as King.
Main Idea: Upon death, Jesus went to the place of the dead to proclaim victory & begin his exaltation as King.
I. What Does Jesus’ Descent Mean?
The Hebrew conception of the universe is three-fold: the heavens, the earth, and the place of the dead (Sheol or Hades). Within the place of the dead there are different compartments:
Righteous Compartment (Paradise; Abraham’s Bosom; place of comfort)
Unrighteous Compartment (Gehenna; place of torment)
“Tartarus” (the “abyss”; place of fallen angels)
Apollinarianism: False teaching that Jesus had a human body but not a human spirit. This means Jesus was not fully human, and this line may have been added for the purpose of refuting this belief.
II. What Does The Bible Say About Jesus’ Descent?
Acts 2:27-31: 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, Or let your Holy One see corruption… 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
Revelation 1:17-18: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
“The descent is the first of three stops on Jesus’ victory tour: first he proclaims victory in the realm of the dead, then he proclaims it in the realm of the living, and then finally and universally he proclaims it in the heavenly realm. In other words, the descent begins Christ’s exaltation through the universe’s three tiers: the underworld, the earth, and the heavens.” ~ Matthew Emerson
1 Peter 3:18-19: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison
Ephesians 4:8-10:
8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
“Jesus transforms the nature of Paradise, from expectation to reality. Those Old Testament saints who sat waiting in the darkness of death for the coming Messiah in whom they trusted in life now see by sight what they formerly only saw by faith. Jesus is with them and soon he will be raised as a sign of their coming resurrection from the dead. And when he is raised on the third day, he will lead “a host of captives” those who were formerly captive to Death but now by virtue of their faith in the Messiah who has defeated death are in his resurrected presence until they, too, are raised on the last day.” ~ Matthew Emerson
III. Why Does Jesus’ Descent Matter?
3 Implications:
1. Jesus is King over everything & over every realm
Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
“Christ conquered on the cross, Christ conquered at the cemetery, and Christ is conquering in the clouds right now.” ~ Charlie Dates
2. We can have hope in death
3. “Fear Not” (Rev. 1:17)
“There is no possible cause for fear to any soul that believes in Christ. You shall ransack the corruptions of your heart within; you shall count your trials without; you shall imagine all the tribulations that shall come tomorrow; you shall reflect on all the sins that were with you yesterday and in the past; you shall peer into the shades of death and horrors of hell, but I declare solemnly to you that there is nothing in any of these which you, believing in Christ, have any cause to fear. No, if they all should unite, if the whole together, the world, the flesh, the devil, in trinity of malice should all come against you, while you have a living faith in a living Savior, “Fear not” is but the logical inference from that precious fact. Carry this fearlessness in your life…Be of good courage, Jesus is King of Hades. Fear not.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
Was Crucified, Died, and Buried
Colossians 2:11-15 | Jesus finished work on the cross brings us complete salvation, complete forgiveness, and complete victory.
Main Idea: Jesus finished work on the cross brings us complete salvation, complete forgiveness, and complete victory.
I. Complete Salvation (Colossians 2:11-12)
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:4-5)
II. Complete Forgiveness (Colossians 2:13-14)
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” Micah 7:18
“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!” ~ Martin Luther
III. Complete Victory (Colossians 2:15)
“saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20