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1 Corinthians 15
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In 2016, a 14-year-old girl with terminal cancer made headlines in a UK high court case. She wanted her body to be cryopreserved, hoping that future medical advances might cure her cancer and bring her back to life. Though the scientific odds are infinitesimal, hundreds have already been frozen, and thousands have signed up for the procedure—at a cost of £170,000 for a whole body, or £60,000 for just your head.
Cryonics represents humanity's desperate attempt to solve death. But Christianity announces that in Jesus, death has already been defeated. Hallelujah.
We're studying 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul builds on the historical reality of Jesus's resurrection. Jesus was publicly executed by trained professionals, then seen alive by hundreds of people—many of whom were tortured to death for that belief. Christianity did not begin with an idea, but with witnesses to an event in history.
Paul uses a powerful image from the Old Testament: the festival of first fruits. When God gave Israel a land, He established a celebration where farmers would bring the first grain of their harvest to the temple. They brought it in thanksgiving for God's provision, but also in hope and expectation that the rest of the harvest would come.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ the first fruits, then when he comes, those who belong to him. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
Jesus was the first fruit. He was definitely dead, buried in a grave. But He rose in a resurrection body. If you're a follower of Jesus today, you're going to have that too. It's coming. Don't worry—it's coming.
Some ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" Paul answers with a vivid illustration:
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed... But God gives it a body as he determined, and to each kind of seed, he gives its own body. (1 Corinthians 15:36-38)
Think about planting tulips. The bulbs are ugly—deformed, covered in mud, slimy. You bury them in the ground. Then months later, what emerges? Beautiful, glorious tulips.
If God can give a body to a seed, He can give a new body to us. It doesn't matter if your body is burnt or buried. It doesn't need to be frozen. Jesus is going to make it new.
Not all flesh is the same... There are also heavenly bodies, and there are earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another, and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:39-42)
The body that is sown is perishable. It is raised 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 natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)
When you look out at a vista—the Lake District, the Grand Canyon—it takes your breath away. You're humbled. You think, "There's something bigger than me." Paul wants us to think like that about our resurrection.
Our bodies now are sown in dishonor—they weaken, decay, return to dust. But they will be raised in glory. A spiritual body here doesn't mean non-physical; it means a body fully animated by the Spirit of God, imperishable, powerful, alive in a new way. Perhaps the better word is supernatural.
The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit... As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. (1 Corinthians 15:45, 48-49)
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb. She didn't recognize Him at first. The disciples on the Emmaus road didn't recognize Him either. Then suddenly Jesus vanished from their sight. Later, He appeared in a locked room—how did He get there? He ate with them and talked with them.
A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. (Luke 24:39)
Jesus showed them His actual body. He could go anywhere vertically and horizontally. He was flesh, could eat, could talk, was kind of recognizable but kind of not. Something was new. And that's what we'll be like.
We won't have bodies like a baby if we die as a baby, or like a geriatric if we live that long. We'll have bodies like Him—in our prime, if you like. What a wonderful hope!
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
When Jesus returns, His kingdom will come in fullness to the earth. But there's a problem: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. We need a spectacular upgrade—bodies that last forever, no longer subject to disease, decay, and death.
Christ's return will be sudden, quicker than a blink of the eye. It could happen at any time. And when it does, the dead in Christ and believers alive in Christ will receive new resurrection bodies. It is then that death will finally die.
Death has been swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54)
Some of you are painfully aware your bodies are perishable right now. Some are facing cancer. Some have disabilities. Some feel the impact of aging, infertility, chronic pain, mental anxiety. But resurrection means none of those things get the final word. Followers of Jesus get a body that is new, splendid, like Jesus, and eternal.
God showed the physical matters by becoming flesh, taking on flesh, and receiving His resurrection body as the first fruit. He's saying, "You're coming through too. I'm going to bring My kingdom in its fullness, and you'll have this new resurrection body to enjoy it forever."
How do we respond? Paul tells us:
Where, oh death, is your victory? Where, oh death, is your sting?... But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57-58)
First, sing. Paul quotes this as a climactic declaration of resurrection hope. It's like triumphing over death, singing the victory song. When your team wins the cup final, you sing about how great they are. Here, it's singing how death has been absolutely destroyed and defeated. When you're burying friends and family, it doesn't feel like victory. Words can't express the grief and pain. But we have this glorious victory. Where is death's victory? Where is its sting? Because Christ has taken it. He's defeated death through His death and resurrection.
Second, stand firm. Don't be moved. Christ has given you victory. Don't go into sin, doing whatever you want. Don't go into legalism, trying to achieve your own victory. Just stand firm, root your feet down, don't be moved.
Third, serve. Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Serve through your meaningful activity and by serving the church. Thank you to those in blue t-shirts early on Sunday—the worship team, people setting up, putting out biscuits and coffee. That's what the Bible tells you to do. It's a good thing.
There is a day that all creation's waiting for—a day of freedom and liberation for the earth. On that day, the Lord will come to meet His bride. When we see Him, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, we'll be changed. The trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised imperishable. And we'll receive our resurrection bodies by His power, never to perish again.
Once only flesh, now clothed with immortality. Death has been swallowed up in victory. We will meet Him in the air. Could happen any moment. And then all hurt and pain will cease. What a glorious day it will be. Lift your eyes to the things as yet unseen that will remain for all eternity.
