It feels wonderfully full in here today.

We’re going to be in 1 Corinthians. We’re going to be wrapping up chapter 15. We’re going to start in verse 50.

Give you a little time to turn there. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 50.

Let me pray. Lord, I ask that You would use me. I pray that You would be speaking, that I would be shut up. Lord, I pray that all of our hearts would be open to You. That we would be changed to the truth of Your Word. That we would be changed by the efficacious power of it. And that we would be charged, Lord, to go and be ourselves no more, but be Christ in us. I pray, Lord, that You would meet with us now. I pray that You would just show Yourself mightily. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In verse 50.

I tell you this, brothers. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the imperishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, 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 body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body 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 your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.

Amen. Even though we weren’t in 1 Corinthians last week, we still talked at large of the resurrection, and this is going to wrap up Paul’s discourse on it, and I hope that it has been helpful to you. I think it’s probably something that we don’t think on enough, and something that doesn’t inform our daily lives enough. This doctrine, and I hope to sort of round this out here, and give us something to chew on with that. So, so far, I’ve sort of come up with some, a bullet point summary of chapter 15, and the points that Paul has made about the resurrection. And those are this, if I could sum them up. He talks of the centrality of the resurrection. Without it, we’re to be pitied. Without it, we should go home. It is central to the gospel. The fact of the resurrection. It’s a fact. It happened. And we should know it well. Well attested. The order of the resurrection. Christ, the first fruits, and we will follow after Him. The authority of the resurrection. Jesus demonstrated on full display the authority that He has, in His resurrection, His authority over all rule, and all power, and all enemies. The requirements of the resurrection. Namely, you must die. A spiritual death. You must die. In order to take part in this resurrection. And we’ve seen the glory of the resurrection. What we will be is far superior to what we are now, and even what we can imagine that we’re going to be. It has a glory of its own. And what I want to preach today, is the prize of the resurrection. The prize of the resurrection.

The realization of it. But Paul starts out here in this little passage, and he lets us know a little something, and it’s that flesh and blood can’t inherit the kingdom of God. What we are now can’t take part in what is to come. And I’m sure this analogy has been used before, and I’m sure there are some theologians out there who would pick it apart and say it shouldn’t be used, it shouldn’t be used to demonstrate this, but I don’t want you to read too far into the parable or the analogy. There’s only one point that I’m going to try to make, and I’ll tell you what it is in a second. But I want you to think about the caterpillar. The caterpillar crawling along on the tree branch, and he observes something. He observes a space and a realm that he wants to take part in. He sees that it can be done. He wants to fly. He wants to leave the station that he’s in now and rise above it. He wants something greater than he is now, and he knows that it can happen. But something has to happen to the caterpillar first. He’s got to sleep for a little while. He’s got to be wrapped up in a cocoon, and something has to happen to him. And when he does that, when he wraps himself in his cocoon, one day, in the right time, he will emerge with wings, and he’ll take flight, and he’ll realize what he had only hoped for up until then. He’ll be beautiful. Caterpillars are ugly. They’re green and brown, and they’ve got little furry things on them. Butterflies are beautiful, and they’re graceful, and they’re wonderful. They’re far more beautiful than the caterpillar. But it had to, in a sense, die first. It had to be buried for a while. It had to be willing to give up the caterpillar life in order to obtain the life of the butterfly.

If you want your wings, you may have to be buried.

Because caterpillars can’t fly. Butterflies fly. So you see, the point I’m trying to make is you have to change. There has to be a change in you.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God any more than caterpillars can fly. But Paul then introduces something, and he says, Behold, I tell you a mystery. And it’s no longer a mystery to us. It’s not something that’s obscure and sublime. He explains it to us. It’s not a mystery anymore. Not all of us are going to sleep. Not all of us are going to have the same transformation process as… as the butterfly. And I think it’s powerful, and this is the best I can come up with. Hey, have you ever tried to spread milk on your toast? It’s going to be soggy bread. You can’t spread milk on your toast. Not even heavy whipping cream. I suggest that in this analogy you be heavy whipping cream. It works better. We had this… some kind of homeschool… homework to do a few years ago, and I was just amazed by it. You know, it wanted us to churn this heavy whipping cream. Make butter. Have you ever seen that? Well, I didn’t have the patience for that. It had me in here, like, stirring this stuff, and I’m like, this is baloney. Nothing’s happening. I’m stirring, and I’m stirring. So, me being who I am, I broke out the mixer. I put them egg beaters on that thing. I put it on number six. I hit this thing for a few seconds, and all of a sudden, it fluffed up into butter.

Butter can be spread on toast. Butter is fit to be spread on toast. Heavy whipping cream is not. Unless you’re into that kind of thing, but what I’m going for, and what the master wants is butter toast, not wet bread. So what happens is, you agitate the fat membranes in the cream, in the milk, and the walls bust apart, and all the fat comes together to form butter. It changes from whipping cream into a desired material, butter. And butter is wonderful. I use butter today. My wife made this wonderful meal, and I spread some butter on a tortilla, and I put it on a hot pan, and I grilled it, and I made this wonderful thing. But butter is underrated, I think. But, so you see that the way that you make useful butter when you only started with whipping cream is that you exert an outside power on it, and it becomes what it needs to be. And so you see, if we remain when Christ returns, He will exert a power that only He can exert on us, and we will become what we need to be to enter into the kingdom of God. We’ve got to be made into butterflies, or butter. Butter can’t fly.

We’ve got to be changed. The prize of the resurrection comes with change. God supplies it. It comes with the change, and it doesn’t happen outside of His power. It is a change that only He can make. We will all be changed, Paul says. We will, and we, I mean brothers and sisters in Christ, whether you be laying in the grave for 10,000 years, or whether you be standing when Christ returns, you will be changed. And you will receive what you were made for. And he says that it’s going to happen in a moment. The word there is Atomos. I think I’m pronouncing that right. Atomos. The definition is that which cannot be divided. Maybe some of you science nerds are in here. The atom has been split a long time ago. Stop it. The definition is that which cannot be divided. It’s going to happen so quick, you can’t get any more precise. The twinkling of an eye, just the twitching of your eye. And I want to belabor this point just a little bit for application, really. It happens quickly. And here’s the thing. Here’s what I want to draw from it. Once it happens, there’s no more time.

Once that moment happens and that change occurs, there’s no more time to work for more change. And so we should be good evangelists. And we should be good stewards of truths that have been deposited in us. And we should guard them well. And we should give them to our children and to our families and to our friends. And we should preach them on every street corner. And at the marketplace and in schools and at work, we should preach them faithfully because once Christ returns, there’s no more time to preach it. And so that cousin that you have that just… He’s a knucklehead. Have you preached the gospel to him? He may not come, but at least it can’t be said that his blood is on your hands.

It’s going to happen in a moment.

A moment so quick that it couldn’t be divided anymore.

Paul says it’s going to happen at the last trumpet. Let’s see what he says in 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13. He says, But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep. That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, this is straight 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. 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. 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. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

We shouldn’t, we shouldn’t worry, or fret, or have any anxiety about those we love who have died before us. Christ will raise up dead bones and breathe life into them. Christ will gather the dust, the ashes that your family member may be scattered about the earth in, and gather them together and remake His body into a glorified body. Don’t fret about them. And also we too, who remain, will also be changed.

He says that we must,

we must, it’s not a matter of if, or might, or maybe, it’s not optional. It must happen. You must be made fit. For the kingdom. You must be made fit for the realm of the resurrection. Like the sky is not fit for a caterpillar. Or fall. He can’t, he can’t live in that realm. Only the butterfly can. So you, you must be made fit for the realm of the resurrection.

You can’t show up to a black tie event, wearing your work boots, your wolverines, dropping mud clumps all over the hallway. It’s not fit for a black tie event. You will be escorted out. You think about, you think about Jesus in Matthew 19, and go,

as you say,

Jesus gives the parable of the wedding feast. Go out and preach the gospel on the highways and the byways and gather any who would come. And then, there’s this one in there with his wolverine boots on. And he gets shown the door. He gets escorted into a place where there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth, he says. That man was not clothed properly to be at the wedding feast of the king. You must have on proper garments. You must be changed. The first sermon I ever got to preach at Providence was 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And Paul talks about putting on our heavenly bodies and he uses to be clothed. You’ve got to have the right garments on. To be in the kingdom of God. If you don’t, you will be escorted out into a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But it must happen and it will happen. The dead in Christ will rise. And those of us who remain, we will be changed. As a matter of fact, and when this happens, when the perishable puts on immortality, then we have a cause for celebration.

Death is swallowed up in victory. Isaiah chapter 25 verse 6, he says this, On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 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. It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God. We have waited for Him that He might save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for Him. Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation. The prize of the resurrection is a cause for celebration. Because death is swallowed up in victory. It’s consumed. You put something in your mouth and you chew it up and you swallow it. It doesn’t stand a chance. We were eating at Rosie’s. And we all ordered a plate of tacos. And we’d get our food. And I think Pastor Chad, his had to be brought out a little bit later, if I’m remembering right, because I offered him one of mine while he was waiting. And he’s talking, you know, we’re talking through this stuff and he’s doing mainly the talking right now. And then I look over and these tacos are gone. I was like, man, them tacos didn’t stand a chance. Death did not stand a chance when Christ rose up against it. Like those tacos on Pastor Chad’s plate, they disappeared. They were consumed. They were swallowed up. And so Jesus, and so Jesus, swallowed up death in victory for us. And so we can sing this song. Oh death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Because you see, death is only a threat to us when it has sin to inject into us. It’s like the most venomous serpent in the world. Death, the serpent. And in the serpent is venom. And that’s the threat of death, the venom. But then you see, what gives the venom so much power is that it’s made up of a certain concoction and it’s full strength venom. It’s not like any venom. This isn’t just going to make a little black spot on your leg. This is going to cause your whole body to rot in minutes and you will be gone, consumed by death. But you see, what Jesus did was He took death, He took that snake and He ripped out his fangs and He drank all of the venom in it and so removed the threat of death. And so we don’t have to fear death anymore because you see, Jesus bore in Himself our sin. And sin, the most venomous type of sin is that way because of the law. Sin has its power because of the law. Because the law says, if you sin, you die. Jesus bore in our body our sin. He became the curse of the law for us.

And so we don’t have to fear death any longer. I’ll tread right over that snake. He doesn’t have any fangs to bite me with or any venom to inject me, harm me with. Jesus is victorious over death because He perfectly satisfied the law.

And so in the first Isaiah 99 and verse 28 in 1st Corinthians 15 23 it says, Christ the firstfruits, each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ, then comes the end when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power for He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

God’s Word will not fail us it will be destroyed

give thanks to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ you see up through this whole passage in the whole of the gospel none of this depends on you

give thanks to God who gives you the victory through Christ nothing has been required of you but everything is given to you the prize of the resurrection it’s a gift of God’s grace and it’s been given to you all of what we’ve been through all of what we’ve been talking about in the resurrection is being accomplished and done by God’s power not of yours

you should be thankful people knowing that that snake is wrapped around our necks in his fangs about to break the skin but Jesus but Jesus

death didn’t stand a chance against my Jesus

the prize of the resurrection is yours

and it calls for certainty Paul says therefore in light of this one day wonderful doctrine be steadfast be fixed firm be faithful to the doctrine that’s being taught don’t waver in it don’t be blown about by other winds take hold of it rather let it take hold of you and don’t don’t don’t budge on it don’t budge on it if you remain fixed and firm and believing that God’s power will accomplish this in you and it already has just stay the course think about my mom she lives roughly 600 miles away with our girls now it’s a good 10, 10 and a half hour drive think about my my car drive to the church to see my mom the car being my vehicle how I’m traveling through it’s a long drive you start getting kind of stiff and you look down and you realize you’ve gone 100 miles and you’ve got 500 to go but there’s these things they’re called rest stops and here lately we’ve been a pilot family we stop off at the pilot we’ve got clean bathrooms good snacks there’s a cinema bun in the one we went to a couple months ago God gives us these rest stops God provides God provides places of respite and rejuvenation and replenishment along our way if we will just know if I follow Google Maps the whole 600 miles if I just ride in this car and keep my foot on the pedal I’m going to get there and I’m going to get out of the car and I’m going to embrace my mom the whole reason that I went to Louisiana for if you will remember if you will remain faithful if you will remain firm and not detour to the right not turn to the left but you will just listen to the instructions that the map maker is giving you you will arrive and know that there are places of rest along the way God is not a slave driver God provides plentiful resources for us to be strengthened and encouraged and built up so that we can make it home Paul says pray for me if you don’t I’m not going to make it and surely those will come along and encourage him encourage one another he says this be steadfast and encourage one another he said in 1 Thessalonians therefore encourage one another with this Christ is coming back keep running the race press on

if you’re weary there’s a possibility there’s a possibility just up the road

if you waver if you move on to any other teaching there’s no more salvation for you there’s nothing left for you because Paul said it already if it’s not for the resurrection eat, drink, and die eat, drink, and die eat, drink, and die eat, drink, and die I was talking to this guy at the at the pregnancy center this past Friday and you know I was having one of those moments like I just need a rest stop I was thinking about calling in just like hey I’m not going to make it today I got some stuff going on at work I was like you know what I’m going to go this guy he just so happened to be a friend dropping off a friend and I brought him back in the back anyways we started chatting and we got on and we got on got to discussing the gospel and he was basically I believe the Bible is good and you know profitable for just teaching and you know if you live by it things will probably go well for you but past that he said I just can’t believe it all like the resurrection I just can’t believe the resurrection and so I was asking him what for? because he was talking about how he you know he thinks the world lacks discipline from their parents and that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in and you know he tries to do right by God and I’m like what for? for what? eat, drink, and die if there is no resurrection if there is nothing to come you’ll face no punishment no judgment no consequence for how you live your life so do whatever pleases you most and enjoy it and turn it on in but I know I know that’s not true and so I pleaded with him please you have to know that the resurrection is the key to all of this and know this we will all be resurrected the righteous and the wicked very different outcomes weeping and gnashing of teeth everlasting peace and joy

weeping and gnashing of teeth

weeping and박

no역 and that one day I will receive a glorified body and I will be made like Christ I have it I have the power in me to work out and adorn my heart with things that are fit for that kingdom. I need to be killing sin in my heart. I need to be searching out and asking God to search out in me what is not fit for it. I need to be sanctified. You can’t be glorified without being sanctified.

Adorn yourselves with precious jewels.

Be zealous about it. Abound in that work. It’s the work of the Lord because in that work, when you adorn your heart with those things, then you can go out into the public place and you can do kingdom work there. The work is inner and outer. You can abound in the work of the Lord and you can do kingdom work there. So just give it all you’ve got. Build the kingdom. It’s not in vain. It’s not in vain because it’s the prize of the resurrection. We will be rewarded for those things that we do, those labors that we toil in. It’s not in vain. It’s not in vain. Matthew 19, verse 29.

He says, Jesus says, And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. What you sacrifice now in order to take part in God’s work, whatever you give up so that you can participate in kingdom building, whatever you leave behind, however valuable it may be to go and to work out in the Lord’s fields, know that it is not for nothing. And that truth, part of this doctrine of resurrection, is what fuels me to go on and to work my fingers to the bone for the Lord because I know it’s not in vain. Because whatever pain I feel now, whatever tiredness I suffer from now, however much sleep, however much sleep I lose now, however much persecution I face now, whatever friends I lose now, whatever money I give up now, it’s not for nothing.

You’re going to receive the prize of the resurrection. The Lord says He’s going to pay you a hundredfold.

A hundredfold. He’s good for it. He’s good for it. We’ve already got the down payment. We’ve got the down payment. The Holy Spirit indwelling in us and working these things out in us. But one day, the prize is going to be realized. We’re going to actually receive it. Our faith will become sight. We will embrace the reward. And it’s going to be far greater and far superior and far more enjoyable than we could ever imagine.

So if you don’t leave with anything else, leave with this. I’ll be done. The prize of the resurrection is yours. So live and die like you know you’ve received it.

The prize of the resurrection is yours. So live and die like you know you’ve received it. Pray with me. Lord, I thank You for the hope of the resurrection. I thank You that it’s not a maybe hope or a hope so, but it’s a concrete truth that is so and it will be realized. And by Your power working in us, Lord, we will obtain it. Lord, by Your faithfulness, we’ll remain faithful. By Your provision, Lord, we’ll obtain everything that we need to make it to the finish line. And win. We know, Lord, by Your goodness, You’ve given it to us, not because we deserve it, but because You’re good. You’re loving. And we know that You don’t speak lies. We know that You don’t speak lies. So we can bank on it. All in. We’re all in, Lord. Knowing that we will receive the prize of the resurrection. And it’s going to be far better than anything that we’ve given up in this life.

So, Lord, I just pray that I pray that this resurrection would constantly be in front of our eyes, Lord. That we would be looking toward the finish line. That we would be constantly looking to the goal, Lord. And we would just trust You to give us everything we need to make it.

I pray that along the way, we would give thanks. Make us a thankful people, Lord. May it not be lost on us that this is 110% Your work. And Your grace. And Your doing. Amen. Amen. And so, because of that, we can give it all we’ve got.

Would You just work that in us, Lord? I ask that You do it in Your wonderful Son, Jesus’ name. Amen.