IN THE WAITING
(Hope and Transformation in the waiting - December 18, 2022)
Series Big Idea: "While waiting on God let us focus on His presence"
Sermon Big Idea: "Our hope of resurrection makes the sacrifice and work in the Lord's mission worth it"
Key Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)
We all have a body, and everyone looks different and has various strengths and limitations. But as actual, physical bodies, they're all identical. The nature of each body is the same. Some things we share are that our bodies are perishable, meaning they are dying. Each is imperfect and weak. It is natural and comes from the dust of the ground. The Bible tells us that all Christians are guaranteed life after death and a body like Christ's (1 Corinthians 15:49). That is an awesome thought, isn’t it?
The Apostle Paul described our future resurrection and how it would occur. He emphasized Jesus' physical resurrection and how it connects to the future resurrection of faithful believers in Christ. To grasp our eternal hope, we must not only believe in Christ's death but His resurrection as well.
(1 Corinthians 15:50-58)
Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Many Corinthians possibly believed in soul immortality before they met Jesus. This was a Greek and Roman idea. But their belief in immortality was a spiritual, not physical resurrection. Something to know is that the Corinthian Christians had assimilated their pagan beliefs into their Christian beliefs. Paul said this is incompatible. Christ couldn’t have been bodily resurrected if there is no bodily resurrection. If this is true, then Paul and the hundreds who saw Him were hallucinating.
Satan appeared to win in The Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and on the cross. But Jesus' resurrection nullified Satan's apparent victory (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14, 15). Death is no longer to be feared. Christ conquered death, and we will too if we are united with Him and belong to Him. No longer will breaking the law brand us sinners. Death has been overcome, and we have hope beyond the grave.
Paul also talked about how the fact that Christ came back to life affects our hope for the future. When the last trumpet sounds and Christ comes back, both the living and the dead will get new, glorified bodies, and we will all live with the Lord forever. We should say these words of hope to each other, especially when a fellow Christian dies (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Conclusion:
Paul argues in (verse 58) the resurrection makes all we do worthwhile. But the truth is when we don't see results while serving the Lord, we get lazy. The reason could be that we feel we have waited too long or that God is not faithful to His promise. Don't allow a lack of results to discourage you from performing God's work passionately. Knowing Christ has conquered sin should change how we live today.2 Christ's victory over evil and death energizes believers! In view of eternal glory and reward, no work done in His name is ever wasted! We all know that life is long and complex, and it often appears we can't win. But the more we meditate on what God has done for and in us, the more firmly we may wait for his work in our lives.
My friends, in view of all that you have learned about the glorious hope we have in Christ, how should you live your life? I hope that you have seen that the hope of our resurrection depends on Jesus' resurrection and that is the motive for Christlike living as we wait on Him.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Blomberg, Craig. 1 Corinthians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
Vaughan, Curtis, and Thomas D. Lea. 1 Corinthians. Founders Study Guide Commentary. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2002.
Taylor, Mark. 1 Corinthians. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. Vol. 28. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2014.
Vang, Preben. 1 Corinthians. Edited by Mark L. Strauss. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014.
Baker, William, Ralph P. Martin, and Carl N. Toney. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians. Vol. 15. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.
Souter, Alexander. A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917.
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Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.
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Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Vol. 2. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.
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