Resurrection Song

When Jesus returns the dead in Christ shall rise from the grave with a new and different kind of body. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52 They will all know by experience what it means for a believer to die. They’ve been through it. Their resurrection song is quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So here we have a glimpse of one of the greatest hymns ever. It will be first sung on a day like no other: resurrection day. Couples who married young, raised a family, then were separated in death after painful struggles will look into each others eyes again... and shout with joy. Mothers, who had their children robbed from them by death, shall find their agony forever replaced in the rapture of this moment. Car accidents, war deaths, explosions, fire, storms, disease, crime... all now permanently defeated!

People who went to the grave secure in the Gospel--still clinging to Jesus--will know instantly, as their lungs fill with that first breath, and their eyes open to a world they left so long ago, the reality of truth and the fulness of God's gospel promises. And they will shout this victory hymn with streaming tears of joy. Jesus... has defeated death by His death and resurrection, and fully answered the demands of the law!

The Bible teaches us that all of us will consciously exist forever. Death and life are only different states of conscious existence. You will never reach the end of you. Will you sing this victory song on that day when life returns in its fulness to those who have had their sins freely forgiven through Jesus Christ's Gospel work? Or will you remain among the conscious dead... never to sing the victory song? The Gospel is the door to eternal life, and we walk through it by faith.

The picture is from http://pointsoflight.blogspot.com/

Doctrine Matters

I Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

The City of Corinth was one of the most culturally mixed cities in the world. It was strategically located on a major shipping lane between Spain & Italy to the west, and Turkey to the east. Its location gave rise to a complex, multicultural populous.

The church at Corinth mirrored the population, and this complexity spilled over into the church’s belief system. It seems the church was plagued by division. It may seem odd to say, but this division has been a blessing to every Christian since that time, because it gave us the Apostle Paul's response to doctrinal error. We have both the example of how to deal with error, and his clear statement of vital truth.

If it doesn't matter what a church believes then 1st and 2nd Corinthians would have never been written. And I am not speaking of the doctrinal confession of a church, even though that is of great importance, but the belief system of the people. Paul wrote these letters to the people not just the ordained leadership. The notion that professed Christ followers can believe anything and everything without accountability is invalided here. Belief systems matter.

In the case dealt with in this chapter, various groups in the Corinthian membership contended for the false notions that there is no resurrection of the dead, or the resurrection of Christ had not happened yet. So we are blessed with the Christian answer on this issue. Paul responded by stating that the resurrection:

• is a vital part of the Gospel, I Corinthians 15:1-4
• was testified to by witnesses, I Corinthians 15:5-10
• was preached and professed at the founding of the Church in Corinth, I Corinthians 15:11, 12
• was a required belief, I Corinthians 15:12-19, 31-34
• is vital to every other Christian doctrine, I Corinthians 15:16-18, 20-28
• is the hope and glory of all Christians. I Corinthians 15:51-58

Based on this chapter we know that faithful Christ followers must believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I affirm this truth... I believe, without any reservation, that Jesus has risen from the dead, and He is alive in a physical body at this very moment.

Resurrection - Another Existence

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of a parallel existence. It was not just an optional continuation of the same existence… it marked the beginning of another world. It was the first breath of a new life. The resurrection accomplished something no amount of mortal labor or ingenuity could ever pull off: it made death a temporary event instead of a permanent state. For believers Jesus’ resurrection moved death from the fixed headline of eternity to the fleeting margin of a moment.

Resurrection isn’t just a road built to extend the cul-de-sac of our lives… it is a new road without any intersection with our old crumbling dead-end existence. I know this sounds unreasonable, but we can’t just make a turn and get there… by faith we must begin there. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

I realize our struggles sometimes make us think we are on the old road, but that sensation will only last until we breeze past the mile-marker of death. You see, Jesus is waiting for us at that mile marker, and He will control things there until the last of the saved pass by… “then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

What do world missions and Easter have in common?

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. I Corinthians 15:25

What do world missions and Easter have in common? Everything! Without the resurrection there is no purpose... no strength… no hope. All our efforts are dependent upon a risen Christ. “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

Religion for many is a connection to a mystical force. It is a power or principle available to be tapped by using special techniques. This is not Christianity. Christianity is led by a man, God incarnate, not a power.

The pre and post-resurrection ministry of this man, Jesus Christ, is recorded in the New Testament. This resurrected Jesus is aggressively active in this world today. He is the authority and intellect behind every true church, and every mission effort.

Christian World Missions is simply disciples who are involved in the will and work of their risen Savior. They are doing what He is doing in the world. Jesus is alive and working today! Get involved with Him...