Preaching the Catechism – 3rd Article – The Resurrection and Life Everlasting.
We are living under the “old order of things.” The characteristics of the old order are disappointment, loneliness, alienation, sorrow, guilt pain, oppression, sickness, destruction, death, and the like. The old order is passing away and in its place are life, joy, peace, love, companionship, and all that is good. The change for believers is assured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:50–58 (EHV)
50 Now I say this, brothers: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what is perishable is not going to inherit what is imperishable. 51 Look, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, 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 imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: 55 Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? 56The 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! 58Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Dear fellow redeemed:
This is the end. This is the last Sunday of the year of the church. The cycle that began with the first Sunday of Advent, hearkening back to the coming of our Savior, now ends with the completion of our salvation and the death of death. At v. 24: “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has done away with every other ruler and every other authority and power. For he must reign “until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” Death is the last enemy to be done away with.” (1 Corinthians 15:24–26, EHV)
It is this victorious end of sin, the end of death, and the beginning of immortality that is
our source of joy today. Paul has been writing about the change that came upon Christ in His
resurrection, and now how that change comes to us too.
And…
WHAT A CHANGE IS COMING!
I. The Old Order Passes Away
II. Because Sin Is Defeated, So Is Death
III. New Life Begins
I. The Old Order Passes Away
What will change is the coming of a new order of existence, for the old order, will pass away. What is the old order of things? We see it in the hospital, in the cemetery, in drudgery, in conflict, in war, in corruption of the family, in divorce, in alienation, in frailty, in sickness, in futility, in regret. This old order will pass away, as Jesus pictures it for John: “And from the throne, I heard a loud voice that said, “Look! God’s dwelling is with people. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain because the former things have passed away.” The one who was seated on the throne said to me, “Look, I am making everything new!” He also said, “Write, for these words are trustworthy and true.”” (Revelation 21:3–5, EHV)
We who live now under the old order need to take time to think about what will change. We need to do that so that we truly live in hope, live in the hope that the world needs, the hope that brings life and light to the world. We get this hope from the first one to experience it – the physical resurrection in glory, never to die again. As Paul put it, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came by a man, the resurrection of the dead also is going to come by a man. For as in Adam
they all die, so also in Christ they all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ as the firstfruits and then Christ’s people, at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–23, EHV)
First, Christ arose, and then Christ’s people when He comes again, as John records Jesus, ““Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have practiced evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28–29, EHV) Understand this: Just as Jesus closed His eyes in pain and suffering when He died, and His soul went to God.
Those same eyes opened again on the third day in the glory of His resurrection. So it shall be with you.
II. Because Sin Is Defeated, So Is Death
How can this be? How can we look forward to all this? After all, have we always done good? Have we never sinned? I suppose we must add to the weight of our sins the fact that we have not stayed focused on the hope that we have. We haven’t lived it. We haven’t shone forth the light of it to others as we could have. Our consciences are lively enough that we know we deserve condemnation. Nevertheless, we have this hope because (as I stressed last week, we know Christ as our Savior, not as judge. So I promise you, you can look forward to awakening to glory in the resurrection because 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! You are not sent out to redeem yourself from your sin. You are not held to account for the righteousness that you need. Jesus is. “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, EHV)
III. New Life Begins
We think of death as the end, but really it is the beginning of a new life. These eyes that close in death will open again in glory. This heart that will one day be stilled will pump again without pause. This brain that serves my mind will be a perfect tool again so that I will think, reason, remember, and create as never before. In the resurrection, this body will change just as did our Lord Jesus. “By the power that enables him to subject all things to himself, he will transform our humble bodies to be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21, EHV)
I have to say, I don’t know just what that means. Does it mean that we can pass through locked doors like He did, or was that because of His divine power and not the glory of the resurrection? I don’t know. Paul gives us some help here, but still we live in hope not in experience, so it is still beyond us. . 51Look, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: 55Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?
In the resurrection, we will imperishable. We will not age; we will not grow frail; we will not grow weak or arthritic or forgetful. In the resurrection, we will be immortal. We will not die. We will be fully alive physically
and spiritually. We will relate to one another spiritually as well as emotionally and physically. We
will know God and the angels. We will be glorious. We will know one another, including all of the differences there are among us, as each of us is precious to our creator.
So death and the grave are at last defeated. It is in this hope that we live, for Jesus Christ, the risen one, will bring us after Him to eternal light.
AMEN