Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:35-55

But some one will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is alike, but there is one kind for men, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, 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 are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so 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. I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Lo! 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. 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." "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?"

Summary and Purpose

Summary: Probably the most fearful reality in this world is death. As Christians, however, we have no reason to fear death. God promises that we will continue in a love relationship with Him after our fleshy bodies cease to function. This is eternal life and what it means to go to heaven. God also promises that, at the right moment, our fleshy bodies will be resurrected into the same type of resurrected body that Jesus has. This is known as glorification and it’s the culmination of our salvation experience. All people who repent and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord have this to look forward to.

Purpose: To help the congregation understand glorification and to not fear death.   

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Our biggest fear

     1. The number 1 fear in the world is death. We fight death as much as we can

• People promote safety and avoid certain behaviors in order to minimize the risk of death.
• People take vitamins, exercise and eat healthy to increase their life span.
• People go on dialysis, take strong medicines and undergo extensive surgeries to avoid death
• All the above defenses against death are good things to do. Life is a God given gift that should be cherished. However, we must realize that no matter how hard we try, our bodies will cease to function at some point. It will happen.
• We can’t stop our bodies from eventually shutting down and many people wonder what happens after that point. This is why it’s the most feared reality in the world.

     2. Everyone must face death and acknowledge its presence. No exceptions.

     3. Even my 3 year old son, Joshua, is on the brink of realizing his own mortality.

• About 2 weeks ago, Joshua heard part of a book on tape. He heard about a wolf that was to be euthanized by a veterinarian. All he knew was that the wolf died.
• Almost everyday, for about a week, he kept asking my wife and I why the wolf had to die and what happened to the wolf.
• We told our son the wolf was very old and got really sick and died. His body was buried and his soul went to heaven.
• Very soon, Joshua, my 3 year old son, will realize that we all get sick from time to time and that we all get old. He's on the verge of figuring out that his Mommy and Daddy will one day die and that he will also one day die.

• October 1735: John and Charles Wesley begin a voyage across the Atlantic. Trip takes several months to complete and they hit numerous storms. John Wesley fears for his life during these storms.
• January 25, 1736: A sudden and especially fierce Atlantic storm came upon the vessel. John Wesley and the other English men cower in fear. A group of 24 German Christians, however, calmly sing praises to God, showing no fear.
• John Wesley realized that his relationship with God was not the same as the Germans’ relationship with God. At that moment in his life, John Wesley lacked the necessary faith to free him from the fear of death.[1]
• John Wesley learned that freedom from the fear of death is part of our salvation

II. Freedom from the fear of death is part of our salvation

     1. Last four Sundays we learned about the ‘Way of Salvation’

• 2 January: Learned about our need for salvation with the ‘good news, bad news, good news’. God created us to be in relationship with Him (good news). We sinned and separated ourselves from God (bad news). God still loves us and provided a way for us to have a restored love relationship with Him (good news).
• 9 January: Learned about the necessity of repentance, the ‘divine U turn’. This is our sincere desire to change. We must have this desire in order to receive God’s forgiveness.
• 16 January: Learned about justification, the ‘divine pardon’. We receive God’s complete forgiveness because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. Our relationship with God is restored. Our new life begins.
• 23 January: Learned about sanctification, the ‘divine transformation'. As we walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit changes us on the inside to make us more like Jesus. The more we become like Jesus, the more God uses us to spread His kingdom on earth.
• 30 January: Now we’re going to learn about glorification. This refers to what happens to us when our fleshy bodies cease to function. It’s also the culmination of salvation.

     2. Understanding what happens to us when we die can be very complicated.

• It’s hard to get our minds wrapped around all the details.
• So, before we go further, this is what we must understand: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• We don’t have to understand anymore than John 3:16 in order to be saved. Trust in Jesus and receive eternal life…very simple.
• God, however, created us with inquisitive minds. Many people need to understand more than John 3:16. The Bible provides us with a more detailed explanation of what happens to us when our bodies cease to function. Let’s explore this more detailed explanation.
• We can begin by asking, “What is eternal life?”

III. In John 3:16, Jesus promises us eternal life. What is eternal life?

     2. Eternal life is a love relationship with God that never ends

     3. Begins at the moment of justification (receiving God’s forgiveness)

     4. Continues after our fleshy bodies cease to function.

IV. Along with eternal life, God also promises that we will have a bodily resurrection

     1. First Corinthians chapter fifteen explains the bodily resurrection

• A seed starts off as alive, but then separates itself from the plant and dies.
• After it dies, the seed springs up into a new life.
• Our fleshy bodies are like the seed. When our bodies die, they will be raised up as a new, glorified body.
• This new, glorified body will not be like the old fleshy body: “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

V. Eternal life and resurrection of the dead is what is called glorification

     1. When we die, two things happen

• We continue our love relationship with God in heaven. Our souls go to heaven.
• At the right moment, in accordance with God’s time, our fleshy bodies are resurrected into the same type of glorified body that Jesus has.

[1] John Wesley: A Theological Journey, By: Kenneth Collins (Abingdon Press 2003) pages 56-58