Main idea: Re-ignite your hope and service; this body will be resurrected in a body suitable for eternal life with God.
Anticipate four realities of resurrected bodies:
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Well, good morning faith Bible Church. Well, we are in First Corinthians 15 Turning your bibles there and stand with me for the reading of God's word. I want to say this while you're standing by we're getting situated First Corinthians 15. We want to keep growing as a hospitable church. There's lots of new people, I keep meeting lots of new people. Could you commit? You know, once you picked up your kids, or if you don't have kids, could you commit to spending the first 10 minutes after you've gotten your kids or right here? Could you commit to getting to know people you don't know? The first 10 minutes? I'm gonna meet the people I don't know. And I'm gonna get to know something about them, and then go to the people you do know. That way we can really be hospitable, really welcoming in all right, First Corinthians 15. First, this is so exciting. I'm get ready for your Kleenex is for tears of joy. This did that for me this week in first our first Corinthians 15. But someone will ask, how are the dead raised? What what kind of body do they come? You fool this person, what you sow does not come to life until it dies. And what you saw was not the body that is to be but a bear colonel, perhaps of wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen into each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same. There is one kind for humans another for animals and other for birds and other fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind the glory of the earthly is of another. Just one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars for stars differ from stars and glory. If God can do all that with nature, he can do it. If he did it with creation, certainly he could do it in recreations. Verse 42, so is it with the resurrection of the dead. He can make a body for that. What is sown is perishable. But what is raised is imperishable. What is it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness is raised in power. It is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written for the first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural. And then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust. The second man is from heaven, as was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. all God's people said, Hey, man, this is the word of the Lord, isn't it? Oh, god, thank you for this glorious hope set out before us. We live in perishable bodies, we want to serve you those of us are yours want to. And we are plagued by all kinds of problems in a fallen world. And so this day looks so exciting to us. We would pray that you would fix our eyes on it give us a fresh view of resurrection and our purpose that you would be all in all now and forever. I do pray as there are many people who come in sick, tired, worn out, struggling with various ailments and the idea of a new body to serve you is so encouraging. There are those who are guilty and sin and plagued and bear consequences in their body from sin and I pray that they would be encouraged to Father, I pray that You would give us insight through your Spirit. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would be the prize as we just sang about as the most exciting things about a new body is how we can worship and serve you pray that you would be our prize now, for that great day ahead. I pray for our city and I pray for churches across our city. To the far north I pray for Dave Farley and Grace Christian fellowship and right next to them for Barry Smith at connection point who are boldly proclaiming the gospel make make us as your people them as your people eager to hear Your word and then live it out. And I pray that you would work in the south I think of Southside Christian With with Colin, and I pray that You would help him as he faithfully brings the Word and as the congregation hears do a transforming work. There are so many people in our city who need to see the light of Christ make us all beacons of that light. In Christ's name we pray, Amen. May be seated. Well, one of my favorite views on Earth is the summit of Nia Connie mountain, right on the edge of the Oregon Coast about 10 miles south of Cannon Beach from the parking lot which is a little bit inland. The Summit's one and a half miles. It's a one a half mile trail, the elevation gain is 900 feet. There's like 30 switchbacks and it's all in thick forest. It's a hard climb for an old body. portions of it are muddy. There are sheer drops of 18 feet at various switchbacks. So there's a cable to hold on to so if you'll love or hate heights, you know depends how you feel about that. There are only a couple of views of the ocean the whole time. One of them is of this like basically a window pane size from where the trail is, of of Haystack Rock and Kenton Kennedy, it's like you can see it's pretty cool site but it's a long ways away and there's a lot more forest to climb, you get to the last 20 feet. And you're crawling on hands and knees on slippery, jagged rocks to the summit, with bone breaking ledges on three out of four sites. Anybody want to come? Sounds awesome. But when you hit the summit, you're 1700 feet above sea level and out stretches the Pacific Ocean. And on a clear morning like we did a year ago on a clear morning at sunrise, we look out at the horizon. And we see and you just everything in you wants to sing. How great thou Art. Oh Lord, my God, you know how great Thou art you just want to sing it. If I could breathe, I would
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refer for centuries, Christians have understood that journey to heaven like this. Whether it's Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, or others, we are at this time on the steep climb. We know the goal. But occasionally, we need the window view. What's it gonna look like? We need that view haystack, we need the view of what's to come and Paul gives it to us here. What's heaven going to be like? He doesn't expand on all of heaven, but at least tells us what our bodies are going to be like. And there's not a question you have. What will my body be like? When I get a new body?
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The peek into eternal life will help us continue to joyfully climb. What will a resurrected body be like? We get a glimpse, Paul asks a question in a pretty punchy way. There are skeptics of this materialist of sorts, who knows what exactly is there someone who will ask how are the dead raised? What kind of body do they come like? Total doubt no such thing as resurrection. And Paul says, You foolish person. Paul's Paul's taking an imaginary person. I mean, that might have been a real false teacher. The Corinthians were listening to some false teachers who are saying there's no resurrection. And what he wants to do here is he wants to give them an answer. And he says You foolish person, because the answers are so easy and obvious about God's power in creation and recreation. You're a fool if you don't see it.
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So he's going to talk to us about what resurrection bodies are going to look like. Now we want to shape this how Paul shapes this. It's really important here. And the reason why I say that is I remember being 21 and a new Christian thinking about playing basketball in a resurrected body. Like 54 inch vertical. Why shoot so low? Why not? 154 inches? Why not just fly like your mind wants to go there? What will the resurrected body be like I wanted to sing like jubilant Sykes, who is phenomenal baritone. I always wished I had jubilance voice Maybe in heaven, I'll have that like, this is not Paul's topic. Now, Randy Alcorn has written a really great book called heaven, and he addresses those kinds of things in a really biblical way. But we want to shape this how Paul shapes this. This is essential resurrection bodies are essential as aspects of the gospel. It's the good news, Christ defeats death, therefore, we get new bodies. First Corinthians 15, three and four, we find out the essential elements of the gospel, Christ came, he died, he rose all according to Scripture, to pay for our sin and restore us to God. Then he ascended to God's right hand, and we find out in 21, and 22, he's going to return. And when He returns, he's going to resurrect if you're still here at the return, your old body ceases to be your old body, it kind of dies, Jared is going to get to that next week. If you have already died, and your bodies in the grave are waiting to be reunited with your soul, your new body and soul will all be resurrected and physical presence in the presence of Jesus. Then Jesus will finish the descent, he will conquer all his enemies, political national, demonic, and he will conquer death. He's going to hand the kingdom to the Father so that what God would be all in all. So the point he's going to make here about a resurrection body is you will get a body that can embrace God being all in all the oceans and oceans of mercy and grace and justice, of kindness and loving kindness of faithfulness. We're gonna leave every vestige of sin and weakness, and have renewed or new capacities that we had never imagined to enjoy the oceans and oceans of the glory of God.
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Big Idea this morning is this. Paul wants to reignite your hope and your service. Because this body will be resurrected in a body suitable for eternal life with God. Along the way, in this life, we are seduced into thinking that this something here is our heaven. We are looking for something and it comes in sometimes interesting ways. We have something here will really keep us alive forever. You know, these health and neuroscience experts, you know, who are all over my Google feed Habermann, Huberman, whoever and some guy who's the longevity guy who's like, I can get you to live to 100. So can you get me to live forever? No, shush. I think you're gonna get me to live forever this body. But we try, we think that health is going to be the heaven for us. When what do we find disappointment discouragement, and distance from God, whatever you pick on Earth to be your heaven, will produce distance from God and will be totally disappointing. Some of you have a family calling. Most of you have a family calling whether you're a child or a parent, you're a parent or you're a grandparent investing in little lives. And that calling is for them. To see the gospel, embrace the gospel, start becoming obedient. Grow up work hard, be servants of Christ. But those little monsters seem to fight it every step of the way.
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Through the long years, they seem to fight as much as you seem to invest. So if a Jesus following son or grandson granddaughter is your heaven and they're not buying it yet. It's your hell to
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you have a work calling. You want to provide for your family. Use your job as a platform for the gospel. I mean, wouldn't it be heaven if I could get a raise be excellent at my work and get my Boss to ask me what my secret was to such productivity. And I could tell them, It's Jesus. That would be heaven. But you're in a department that just got downsized, you got fired. I actually that this has happened like, like, it's kind of funny. But we have an elder who's that's happened him or we have a teacher that's position is disappearing. And that heaven can be your hell to it. Some of you have a social calling, you could even call it a social justice calling meaning a biblical kind where you want to help the orphans. And so you, you and your family have jumped into adoption. It's going to be great. We're going to adopt and we're going to, we're going to show the kids Jesus by our lives, and we're going to train them in the Gospel, and they're going to get saved. And when they're 27, and they're sitting at my 57th birthday, they're going to say the thing that made the most in my life is that you adopted me and loved me and showed me Jesus, that would be heaven. Except they, like all the other children in the world fight you every step of the way. And sometimes they just, they painfully turn their back on you and your gospel. And that heaven can be your hell. Paul wants us to remember that the calling brings him glory, as you are faithful. The fruit is up to him. But the calling isn't your heaven. The fruit isn't your heaven, that heaven remains in the presence of Jesus Christ. You might be one of our counselors who's helping somebody with addiction or working at the mission. You know, Dennis and Dale work at the mission. And you know what the mission, they have the key to unlock the bondage to addiction, they have it, put it in the truck, but the heart, that lock is so rusted, it won't turn and they're spraying the oil and warm it up. And as much as somebody says they want to be free, they often don't want to be free. If Heaven was if I could just see some people free from addiction. I mean, it could be glorious if they were but it also can be your hell. Those are glorious callings. Glorious callings, because they display the glory of God and the grace of God to a fallen world. But they're not your heaven. So Paul here wants us to keep climbing and pursue our calling with the right goal with the right goal. And that right goal will be found in the presence of Christ as you bring faithful service to him. And he says well done. And then all of it, there's that reality that you peak at 28 physical peak 28 everything else goes down. And then you get to the age where you're like, I can't even I barely go to church. This should encourage you, I want this to encourage you to because it's really encouraged me this week
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you're single and you want to be married, which is a good thing. You're married and you want to be single which is not a good thing. And you for your part are tired, distracted and dry toward God. And you've just indulge yourself in a box of Ding Dongs and a bag of Funyuns pork rinds that's your thing. Not my thing. If you knew how good they were, they would be and now you hate yourself even more.
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I've been reading the saints everlasting rest a new edition by I'm Tim Cooper. It's by a pastor named Richard Baxter who wrote a 400 years ago. He wrote it to help Christians faithfully endure faithfully see Christ. Listen to what he says. If we have some comforts here, they hardly, they are hardly enough to sweeten our crosses. If we have some short and smiling intermissions, they offer scarcely the time enough to catch our breath and prepare our rigging for the next storm. If one wave passes by another follows, if the night is over, and the day arrives, it will be night again. But oh, the tranquility of that heavenly region, where there is nothing but sweet continued peace, oh, helpful place where none are sick, oh, fortunate land where all our kings, it will come to pass on that day, the Lord will give us rest from our sorrow, our fear, and the heart bondages in which we served, hold out a little longer, oh, my soul and bear with the infirmities of your earthly tabernacle, for soon you will rest from all your afflictions, and quote. I want to give you four things to anticipate today. Four things to anticipate today. If you have the print, copy, I changed it Sorry, got printed. If you have the electronic copy, you have it. The first thing to anticipate is a fruitful body for God, a fruitful body for God, the first thing Paul needs to do is correct. An obvious error. And he uses the seed and nature illustrations. mean he picks very appropriate ones. First 35 someone will ask how are the dead raised with what kind of body do they come You foolish person, they use an example everybody would understand what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bear kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. I mean, you you know it when you plant. You may not be a farmer. Maybe you're a gardener. And so you've got these seeds. Look at all of the things that grow. God has has made seeds turn into plants. What will a new body be like your current body is just the seed. Your next body will be the plants fruitful? Well, if we see God's power and creation he's going to use the environments and the creatures that he makes. He's going to use heaven and art he's going to use the sun, moon and stars. If he has power to create all of those things, and sustain them and make them fruitful. It is no labor for God to give you a new body glorified body. It's no labor and that seat metaphor significant. Remember that the self in this life will be the self in another life, but fuller. It will be a fuller, more fruitful life. The resurrection of the Christian is not to the same body, but a fuller better body. What you have now is just a bear Colonel continues verse 38, God gives it a body as he has chosen to each kind of seed its own body and look at nature. We happen to be in spring covering this. There are millions of plants with their own seeds that God has created that he sustains that he waters that he causes to grow to be more fruitful from acorns which grow into oaks to Zinnia seeds which grow into summer flowers from sunflowers and their seed filled heads to strawberries with their seed covered fruit. It's no great work at all for him to resurrect the body. But the ding dongs back on the shelf, don't buy them. Leave the Funyuns you don't need an escape. You just need a strawberry to remind you that 1000 Will seeds will become full plants fruitful for God. I think as as aging creeps, pains creep bodies wrinkle. You get to the point where you just can't do what you did before you could be really you could be here and really discouraged. I just can't do Do what I did before for the Lord. You're going to get, you're just this body is just the seed. And if you were fruitful for this, imagine what the new body is going to be in service to God. God's omnipotent power will bring it to pass. fruitful. Second, it's going to be fit for God's presence fit for God's presence. The new outlines all F's fit for God's presence. If God can give each part of creation, its own body appropriate for its own place, he will give the Christian a suitable body to be in His presence. That's the whole next metaphor, but God gives it a body as he has chosen to each kind of seed its own body, then he shifts to animals, for not all flesh is the same. There is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, another for fish, I mean, just follow the creation account in Genesis one. And so if God can do this, meaning scales for the water, and gills, or feathers and wings for the air or feet for the ground, I mean, he, he's going to be able to do this, for a resurrected body. It's going to be suitable for his present. That he he speaks of in terms of, of vast power, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. So he's talking about the stars and the sun and the moon. The glory of the heavenly is of one kind, the glory of the earthly as of another. There's one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars for Star differs from stars. Different bodies, Moon, Sun stars, each have their distinct glory of brightness, and just get the accumulation of this, get the accumulation of this. First, you're going to be when you're resurrected, suitable for the new environment of heaven. He'll be suitable for the new environment of heaven, I'll expand in a second you will be fruitful, more fruitful than you ever were here. You will be unique as there are so many different kinds, to be a sparkle in reflection of the vastness of the glory of the Creator, different kinds of glory, to shine brightly for different purposes. And you will shine there will be a radiance or a reflection of the glory of God, in your work, in your service, in your worship, in your enjoyment. Verse 42, so is it with the resurrection of the dead. That's the way it is for the resurrection of the dead. So if God is holy, righteous, just good, gracious, powerful, merciful, forgiving, kind, loving, so that will be the environment in heaven. holy, righteous, just good, gracious, kind, merciful, loving. That's the environment of heaven. I wanted to put yourself into the scene of a story. I want to make a connection. Back in Luke chapter seven. There is a story about the life of Jesus Jewish religious leaders invite Jesus to a an after Sabbath banquet, they give him a seat and they allow a prostitute into the room to test Jesus to see what he will do with her. She comes and finds him and upon seeing him falls on her face sobbing with tears. She is humiliated and desperate. And knowing this is the only one and she washes Jesus feet with her hair. There's one word to describe the scene. Awkward, powerful like that? Nobody does that. The religious leaders look at Jesus thinking if she knew what kind of woman she would be, he would just kick her out because she doesn't deserve to be in any righteous person's presence.
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She is humble, broken, grateful. Jesus rebukes the rich religious leader saying this the one who has forgiven much loves much and here was a woman who loved Jesus more than any visit Will person on earth has yet done any conference a woman, woman, Your sins are forgiven. Your faith is saved to go in peace. I mean, having spent a length of her life defiling her body to scratch out a living. What do you think? She hopes her new body will be like
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it will be suited for life in the presence of God, who is her all in all. So I want to say you might have done something with your body that is defiling, and dirty, and damaging. You might have taken substance, substances that have damaged your body permanently. You might have hurt your body, damaged your body. You might have done immoral things with your body and you still feel the shame of you have come to Jesus and US you still feel the shame of your old body and you might even still bear the consequences, the diseases that come with immorality you get a new body you get a new body fit for heaven, fit to serve the king. Fit to give him glory. Friend, you need to you need to anticipate fruitfulness for God you need to anticipate being fit for God's presence. Whatever was in your life that you now have shame and regret for. In the new creation, it will be forgotten and gone. Third, need to anticipate being free from the fall free from the shackles of the fall. He says this there's there's four gains and losses here. First are losses against first loss. What is sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. We pick up the sewing language again implying God's the one doing the planting. But there is this partnership that we have. And I think the sewing is really illustrative of day to day life. When when Jesus calls followers to himself and followers say I want to follow you, I I'm repenting. I need your forgiveness. I want to follow you he sets out well what do you really believe me to be? So he says unless you are willing to deny yourself and take up your cross daily you are not worthy of following me. If I'm not going to be your all in all, you're not going to die to all those other things you're not worthy of following me. And so the sown language has this powerful implication we have deaths to ourselves every day.
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Notice so what is sown is perishable. What is raised in perish is imperishable our bodies go to die. One commentator I thought was very perceptive. He says this this word. The Greek word for perishables denotes decreasing capacities, increased weaknesses, ready exhaustion, and that which finally closes in upon itself as stagnation. In the body is amazing. Biologically, it's amazing but it gets sick, it grows old, it dies. But look at the emphasis. The perishable is replaced by the imperishable, what is sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. It's imperishable we gain a body that never gets sick, never grows old never dies. It is the recovery of youth. That's the recovery of 28 That's your peak 28. I don't really know if that's true. People say that. But what's the youthfulness for we will have perfected and unassailable physical capacities to serve Christ our King. We will have immortal bodies to serve an immortal god. Second loss gain set we will Whose shaman honor and will lose shaman will gain honor he says it is sown in dishonor. It is raised in honor. These are broad categories. I watched it with my brother when he died of cancer and I watched it from my father when he died of cancer laying on the bed. So, you know, all of life's going out, the mouth is embarrassingly wide open, gasping for air. I mean, it's not pretty to die. It's ugly. It's humiliating. But it means more than that. Because this word for honor, dishonor is a word for shame, disgrace, humiliation. Romans 126 describes what God does to men and women who turned to idols who reject Him as His God gives them over to shameful passions embarrassing. What we do is sinful and evil. It has social consequences. Our sinful thoughts and actions are all seen by God. Sometimes they're seen in public. Our public sins are the home sins, we have a visible shame for those. And we've all watched the news and last couple of weeks we've watched court cases where people are found guilty wearing their orange jumpsuits they're found guilty they're putting their handcuffs and they're taken out to prison.
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Sometimes witnesses stand up and condemn them family members and shame them.
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Still a consequence so many of us still feel our shame. We forgiven in Christ. But we are so sad and embarrassed that we had to do the sins that put Christ on the cross. Romans 623 24 Yes, turn aside from the sins which you were now ashamed. resurrection bodies will leave behind all passion and desire contrary to Christ's likeness, and Christ's purposes and will only be inflamed by passions that give Him glory. With resurrected bodies, believers will only think honorable thoughts only hold honorable ambitions, they will serve Christ with honorable activity. What a glory awaits. It's sown in weakness. Third contrast is raised and powers this word for weakness runs the gamut of issues physical weakness, sickness, substance abuse that leads to physical damage and slave with a certain pleasures, which changed the hardwiring of our brains, deeply entrenched temptations to assorted sins, which end up feeling like chains and prison all by themselves. That is the weakness of the body and these severely hinder our ability to please God to serve God to love the people around us. mean that is weakness of this life. Nice was sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is raised with the dynamic, spiritual, omnipotent power of God. Our bodies will not wear out or be wear down in any way that would hinder us from pleasing God and loving others.
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The chains of weakness will be broken, not just unlocked, broken, cast aside, will lose a natural body that there is a natural body there is also a spiritual body. What he means by natural here is the body that's marred by selfishness, failure, fallibility and sinful desires. He's not saying the physical bodies are inherently wicked, there's still a glory about them. We're still in the image of God. But the natural body living in a natural world still has all of the markers of the fall. There's a natural body, there is also a spiritual body and the natural body we can't be direct, direct and face to God. If you ever read scriptures where somebody actually had a true vision of God, where God revealed himself in glory, what did every single person who had a real vision of God do fall on their face as though dead? Because the sinful natural body can't bear the glory of Christ but at the rest erection when renewed body recreated body meets the power of the Holy Spirit, their soul and body reunited in perfection will be able to behold the oceans and oceans of the glory of Christ, without the terror. Without the shame, empowered by God for all eternity Paul doesn't talk about it here, his focus here is on his body. It's not this world is hopeless, like you can't overcome any sense. Second Corinthians 517, he says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away the new has come, there is a new principle inside you by the power of the Holy Spirit that can fight sane and truly please God, but you have to do it in this life, always with a fight. And, and you get this picture of of the end. So if that's what you're going to be Paul, John, the apostles are telling us then you want to be conformed to that finish line. If that's how the finish is gonna look, then you want to be conformed to it first on 3233 talks about our state right now is children at about our end, 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. And everyone. Note this, everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as he is pure. So if you're bought by Christ's trust in Christ, and He is yours, who has brought you out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, yes, you're in a battle with the flesh and with a world that wants to distract you, and Satan wants to destroy you go to the battle, but you keep putting to death, this flesh because you will be like the one in heaven. And you will stand in His presence holy.
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At the resurrection, we will get a new body that is sinless, not just open to the Spirit of God, but completely filled by the Spirit of God. fruitful for God fit for his presence. Number four, formed in Christ, formed in Christ. Now we bear the image of Adam. When we're resurrected, we're going to bear the image of Christ, verse 45. Thus it is written the first man Adam became a life be a living beings quoting from Genesis two, seven. God made Adam out of the dust he had to breathe life into him. And remember, Paul's not talking about a reality of we being material and immaterial. He's making a contrast to being in Adam and in Christ. Likewise, he's not saying that Jesus was not human, like, look at the next thing, the last Adam became a life giving Spirit. He's not he's not denying the humanity of Christ. He's talking about that purpose. The first Adam, we who we are all tied to, and now in our fall, the second Adam, Jesus has descended once taken on flesh died for our sin raised he will descend again to be the life giving spirit. The last Adam became a life giving spirit. Now he does it by breathing the Spirit of God into us to hear his gospel and to be transformed. But then he will descend, and he will take our bodies and make them entirely new. To make it emphatic that you're gonna have to die first. It's not the spiritual that is first but the natural and then the spiritual. Jared is going to cover what happens if we're still here when Christ returns next week. But even that body has to come to an end, die, so to speak, so a new body can come in. So Paul speaks of God's plan from the beginning He made man good but fallible man failed, he consigned the natural world to a curse, match. Natural man doesn't have access to the spiritual world. But in in the new creation, there will be something new. Verse 47, the first man was from the earth, a man of dust, the second man is from heaven, focusing on not as first coming, that that humiliation that Christ took but he's talking about the Second Coming. The second man is from heaven, as was the man of dust so also are those who are of the dust now notice he's changed to what you are There's actually a new status by being a new creature in Christ. We're just waiting to realize all of it. And as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And so there are two identities. And here's the question of the hour for you. Are you still in Adam? With all of the perishable shameful unfit for heaven qualities? Are you that? Or are you in Christ? Are you in Christ? Have you cried out to Christ? Forgive me, save me is Christ your Lord? Is Christ your heaven? Listen to Baxter again. Oh, foolish, sinful heart. Have you not been for long enough a sink of sin? A cage of unclean lusts, a fountain of incessantly streaming forth bitter and deadly waters of transgression Are are you not yet weary? Have you not transgressed in sin provoked your lord or abused his love for long enough? Would you yet grieve the spirit more sinned against your saviors blood, increase your own wounds and still lie under your grievous imperfections? Foolish, thinner? Who has wronged you? God or sin? Who has wounded you and caused your groans? Who has made your life so woeful? Is it Christ? Or is it your corruption? So stop living by your own rules, living for your own agenda, turn to Christ, the King and faith you can be rescued, you can be changed. You can call out to God and say, I know I'm a sinner. I know I'm a rebel. I'm sorry, I want to turn from sin to You. I want you to rule my life. I want to worship you. I have nothing to offer. I have nothing to offer. I am taking you at your word Christ that you have paid for my sins. I am taking you at your word that you're welcoming with me with your open arms, I am coming to you. So here's what stands if, if this is the moment you need to do that. Here's what awaits those of you who have looked 49 look hard at it. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, and all this corruption, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. We will bear the image of Jesus. We were once in Adam perishing, sinful week cut off from the life of God. But now we can bear the image of Jesus and at the resurrection, the body is changed to perfectly bear the image of Christ. This has been the plan of the Godhead Jesus went to conquer sin first death second handed kingdom to the Father and the Father wants the son to see billions and trillions of little stars reflecting his image little Christ's
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turned back to First Corinthians six nine. So I'm pleading with you Senator. This is the time to turn. I'm pleading with you st to remember what you're turning from and what you have. First Corinthians six nine says Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality nor thieves nor the greeting or drunkards nor revisers or swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Friend, do any of those descriptors fit your past? Look at the next one. And such were some of you. I want you to hear this. There's no pit of sin too deep or too shameful that Christ's long arm cannot reach in and pluck you out. He goes further because this is this is who a Christian is. Not imperfection, but it's the severity. You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name, but by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit of our God, or that's your new identity. So it doesn't mean there's no remaining sin to put to death. There is last week, the last verse it had to cover in First Corinthians 15 was stopped sinning. Let me just give you a word picture. My wife's had a recipe for chocolate chip cookies for 32 years that's just unparalleled. She knows the right amount of brown sugar, butter, flour, egg, all the right things. She knows all of the proper proportions. So she uses a recipe. But she knows by the feel. She knows by the feel, when she sets it on the cookie sheet, she knows the right size that it should be to be perfect. And she knows what temperature to bake it. And she knows by the sound of the sizzle on the cookie sheet when it's exactly right. She pulls it out. And she sets it on the stove to finish cooking and a little lower heat so that it's exactly right. So that when you get to the end, there is that golden perfected chocolate chip cookie zone sermon what's our role in the process? You know, the perfect goal for your body. I'm not talking about fitness. I'm talking about presence in Jesus. So here, God knows the ingredients to put in just the right mix. And most importantly, the ingredients to leave out. Don't put these in. Don't put these in. You're threatening me with walnuts. Because you know the perfected it it should make you hungry for holiness in this life now knowing that your destination if you've trusted Christ, you've been changed and you'll be further changed. If you haven't trusted Christ, you're still going to bear the man the image of Adam and still face the decay and whatever you thought was your heaven here will be held forever away from God. I think of my last hike up near Connie mountain with Brenda and Emily. There's so much younger and so they're just way out ahead of me. And I needed to stop a lot more often to rest. They would stop and wait for me and then they would go on and I'm like, Hey, do I get a couple of minutes here. I remember I just like there's the windowpane of, of Haystack Rock. And I stopped there take my breath. Cuz I gotta go back. Now the mud starts in the rock climbing starts. Okay. That's my goal. And you dig in. You get to the summit. Just like an old body. You're crawling hands and knees and sharp, slippery rocks. three sides are deserting two broken body broken limbs and possibly death. And you stand up and you see it. You see it? It's the Pacific Ocean, sunrise. Manzanita stretching down around world, not a flat earth round world that you know goes so many miles beyond your possibilities and 1700 feet below you is that. Here's what it's like personally, the woman who loved much who abused her body defiled, her body will have a new body. She will see her savior. Because the oceans and oceans aren't oceans. It's God. If we put it in relational terms, you finally come as a son or daughter to the Father and the Father welcomes you in you come off the battlefield, to Christ the King. And you're welcome. The father to the son looks at your home going and participates in that resurrection. And what the Father or sees is what he's always planned for billions bearing the image of His Son. You're welcomed little brother, embrace his elder brother. The bride embraces the groom.
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Final word from Baxter, Christian, believe this think on it, you will be eternally embraced in the arms of that love
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you will be totally embraced the arms of that love that is from everlasting to everlasting, of that love that brought the son of God's love from heaven to earth, from the earth to the cross, from the cross, to the grave, from the grave to the glory. This was the same love that was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned. scourged, buffeted spit upon crucified and pierced. This is the love that fasted, prayed, taught, healed, wept, sweat, bled and died. This is the love that will eternally embrace you. Hopeless meeting when perfected creative love, and most perfect, uncreated love meet together.
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When Christ will come with shout of acclamation and take me home, for choice will fill my heart and I shall fall in humble adoration. And there declare, oh, my God, how great Thou art, God will be your all end all forever. Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee How great thou art, How great thou art
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with this window, family in your calling. That's your heaven. That's your rest. Take a deep breath. Fulfill your calling. Your calling and social justice. To help the orphan, the addict, the widow, the refugee. That's your heaven. That's your rest. Take heart. Keep laboring. work in a job. Trying to provide for your family, trying to be a testimony make it a platform we work that your heaven, a new body in the presence of Christ. So take a breath. Keep laboring on because your soul will sing. How great though our God I pray that you would impress these words onto our hearts. And I pray that you would draw men and women to you boys and girls to you pray that you would draw us to continue the course that you have set us on knowing that our labor is not in vain. Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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Dr. Dan Jarms is teaching pastor and team leader at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at TMS Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, gardening, brick oven cooking.
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