Eternal Glory - 4 We Shall All Be Changed - 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Psalm 46:8–11 (ESV)
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
1 Corinthians 15:50–58 (ESV)
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 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 beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
Introduction
We have seen the glorious prospect for all believers that when they die they will enjoy the glory of seeing their Lord, joining in the eternal triumphant declaration of worship. However, something is missing, their souls are there but their bodies remain. But the time is to come when all bodies will be raised, body ans soul will be united again, death will finally be defeated and we will reign in heaven in our glorified bodies.
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
We rejoice in the glory that is to be the lot of every true believer.
1. Impossibility v50
2. Mystery v51-52a
3. Change v52b-53
4. Victory v54-57
Slide
1. Impossibility v50
1. Impossibility v50
Slide
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
“That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul uses the expression flesh and blood to designate the corruptible body of everyone who is human. He teaches that the physical part of man must perish to be renewed and transformed into a glorified body. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 580). Baker Book House.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That which is sinful and corrupt cannot enter the presence of God and obtain that which is incorrupt. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 581). Baker Book House.
Slide
2. Mystery v51-52a
2. Mystery v51-52a
Slide
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 (ESV)
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
a. Revelation v51
a. Revelation v51
How will the believer be changed to inherit God’s kingdom? Thus he tells his readers a mystery, which is a revelation from God through Paul about the future transformation of the believers. In a similar context about the end times, Paul alludes to this revelation as a word of the Lord (1 Thess. 4:15). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 582). Baker Book House.
b. Shall Not All Sleep v51
b. Shall Not All Sleep v51
1 Thessalonians 4:15 (ESV)
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
“We shall not all fall asleep, but all of us shall be changed.” Paul speaks euphemistically about death when he writes “fall asleep” (see vv. 6, 18, 20). He means to say that some believers will not have to face death; not everyone will die a physical death. Those who live to the end will be changed at Christ’s return and so will all those who have died in the Lord. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 582). Baker Book House.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
c. Twinkling of an Eye v52
c. Twinkling of an Eye v52
The phrase in the twinkling of an eye is appositional; it represents a momentary wink of the eyelid. (Our equivalent is “in a split second,” which commonly signifies the shortest possible moment.) In such a brief moment the miracle of transformation will occur both for those who rise from the dead and for those who are alive. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 582). Baker Book House.
Slide
3. Change v52b-53
3. Change v52b-53
Slide
1 Corinthians 15:52–53 (ESV)
52 For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
“For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.” Within the shortest time possible, the general resurrection and transformation will take place. When the trumpet blast sounds, not a single one of God’s people will be neglected. The dead will rise in an incorruptible state, and those who are alive at Christ’s coming will be transformed. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 582). Baker Book House.
Paul is not saying that Christ’s return will happen during his lifetime. Like every one of us, Paul looked forward eagerly to the end. From God’s revelation we learn that although Christ’s coming is imminent, no one except God the Father knows the day or hour of this event (Matt. 24:36). Indeed Jesus told the apostles that it was not for them to know the times and seasons the Father has determined (Acts 1:7). Paul is not saying anything definite about Christ’s return. Yet he, like any of us today, would express the desire to be alive when that joyous occasion comes. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 583). Baker Book House.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
In the Greek, it can be understood in the passive voice and implies that God is the agent. In other words, individual believers must be clothed by God with incorruption and immortality. They cannot dress themselves with these qualities but must wait for God to do this for them. And last, the verb to put on refers figuratively to being clothed (compare 2 Cor. 5:4). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 583). Baker Book House.
2 Corinthians 5:4 (ESV)
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Slide
4. Victory v54-57
4. Victory v54-57
Slide
1 Corinthians 15:54–57 (ESV)
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 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.
a. Certain v54
a. Certain v54
1 Corinthians 15:54 (ESV)
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
To be precise, the fulfilment of Paul’s words took place when Jesus rose from the dead. And with that resurrection, all believers know that also they will rise from the grave. This text is a vivid illustration of the constant tension in the New Testament of the now and the not yet. Through Jesus Christ, we acknowledge the reality of the resurrection, and through his promise to us we shall appropriate it at the consummation. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 584). Baker Book House.
b. Death Destroyed
b. Death Destroyed
1 Corinthians 15:24–26 (ESV)
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
1 Corinthians 15:54–55 (ESV)
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Isaiah 25:8 (ESV)
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Hosea 13:14 (ESV)
14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
c. Death is Powerless v56
c. Death is Powerless v56
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” Looking back at Jesus’ triumph over death and forward to the resurrection of all believers, Paul bursts out in jubilation. He understands the demise of life’s mortal enemy: death. Even though death continues to wield power as Christ’s last enemy (v. 26), Paul knows that God will destroy it. Death’s days are numbered. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 585). Baker Book House.
Both a goad and a sting strike fear into the heart of man. But those who are in Christ do not fear death with its goad or sting, for they know that Jesus indeed has conquered death. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 585). Baker Book House.
Goad. Pointed rod, sometimes tipped with metal, used for driving or guiding cattle, especially oxen in plowing. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Goad. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 876). Baker Book House.
John Calvin observes, “Death has no other weapon except sin, with which to wound us, since death comes from the wrath of God. But God is angry only with our sins; do away with sin then, and death will not be able to harm us any more.… It is the Law of God that gives that sting its deadly power.” Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 586). Baker Book House.
d. Triumph v57
d. Triumph v57
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is this victory? Jesus died because of our sins and conquered death for us by rising from the grave. Through his death, he set us free from the bondage of sin and declared us righteous before God. On the basis of his resurrection and glorification, we look forward to being like him. By faith in Christ, we share his victory over Satan, death, hell, and the grave (compare 1 John 5:4). Conclusively, our risen Lord triumphantly holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, p. 586). Baker Book House.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “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.
Conclusion
Slide
1 Corinthians 15:16–19 (ESV)
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.