‘Buried in Brokenness, Raised In Glory’
Being limited by my body as I grow older has opened up my perspective on time & eternity
The last month dwelling in this chapter…has been enlarging my desire for heaven
Knowing I will have another body one day, a completely different existence = HOPE!
God wants us to have hope. He has given us this “Scripture’ providing hope for eternity
1st Corinthians 15:35-58
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.
- The foolishness is thinking it’s going to be a different version of this life
- Eternity is about dying to this life
- The seed is buried, we must give up this life
37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
- The first life is sacrificed to enable the second
- God makes things on earth different, they are suited for the purpose of that thing
- For an entirely different existence it would make sense to have a different body
40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
- God’s creation is ordered with unique things having unique properties
- There are unknown layers of God’s creation, but what we can see shows patterns
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. 44 They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies.
- Eternity is a unique and totally different existence than the life we know now
- Transformation occurs, but it is predicated on the death / ending of this life
- All that is less than perfect will be buried so that we can be raised up to perfection
- The differences are profound: Brokenness to Glory!
- What do you imagine a ‘Spiritual Body’ will be like?
For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.
- Nooma, Hebrew word for: breath / spirit / wind / force
- Adam was given life, this kind of life, by God ‘Breathing’ life into him
- Through Christ’s death and resurrection God ‘Breathes’ life
47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
- The difference between the dust of earth and heaven: Temporal VS Eternal
- This is God telling us how it will be: we will be ‘Heavenly People’
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
- This body is finite, not suited for eternity; God makes things suited for purposes
- This body is not going to be adapted or evolve it is going to be replaced
- For us, death not the end but the beginning!
- For those who have surrendered this life to Christ, death is the best thing EVER!
52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
- The ‘last trumpet’…how did Paul know what John was going to see and write?
- When Christ returns His followers begin their “Eternal Life’ with ‘Eternal Bodies’
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: 55 “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
- God uses his previous Word to add to the revelation of current (at the time) Word
- Isaiah & Hosea describe eternal life as a ‘conquering’ of death & it’s punishment
- Punishment of Death: Eternal separation from our Creator, Our Father, Christ!
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
- Sin is why death exists, The Law proves sin is too powerful for us to overcome
- God gets all the glory for each and everyone who HE gives the gift of Salvation
- That victory allows us to share in HIS glory…cruising around in ‘Spiritual Bodies’
Application Questions:
How do you imagine eternity? What is your imagination based on?
If we’re going to have new bodies, why should we take care of the one’s we have now?
What does it look like to live as though you have been given victory over sin & death?
Application Scripture: John 12: 24 & 25
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.