WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:06.240 1 Corinthians 15 and starting in verse 29. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:09.359 If you are able to, please stand for the reading of God's word. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:16.160 1 Corinthians 15, 29. 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:19.600 Otherwise, what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:20.320 Of course. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:23.519 If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:25.120 Why are we in danger every hour? 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:26.399 I face death every day. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.000 As surely I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.000 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do to me? 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.520 If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.960 Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:44.640 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:46.560 I say this to your shame. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:48.960 But someone will ask, how are the dead raised? 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:50.880 What kind of body will they have when they come? 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:54.719 You fool, what you sow did not come to life unless it dies. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:01:01.679 And as for what you sow, you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps a wheat or another grain. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:05.519 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:07.359 And not all flesh is the same flesh. 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:12.159 There is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, another for fish. 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:17.519 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.280 You have the splendor of the sun, another of the moon, another of the stars. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:25.040 In fact, one star differs from one st of another star in splendor. 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.200 So it is with resurrection of the dead. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:36.719 Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption, sown in dishonor, raised in glory, sown in weakness, raised in power, sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:39.519 If there's a natural body, there's also a spiritual body. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:44.879 So it is written the first Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:49.040 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.000 The first man was from the earth, the man of dust. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:53.359 The second man is from heaven. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:56.159 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust. 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.319 Like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:05.200 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, so we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:06.959 Lord, I thank you so much for your word. 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:20.000 I ask that you would be glorified and that you would fill me with your spirit to rightly teach your word, that you would fill the hearers with your spirit to rightly divide and discern what is of you, and that we would continue to grow more and more in your image as a result. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:21.680 Be glorified in your name. 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:22.560 Amen. 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:24.960 Alright, go ahead and have a seat. 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.199 Super straightforward, right? 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:29.840 Nothing weird, nothing going on with that. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:30.319 Okay. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:37.199 So we are in the midst of this passage that is talking a lot about resurrection. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.479 This is like resurrection part two out of three. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:45.680 So usually when you have the trilogy, you have the origin one, and then you have the second one, and then the third one just falls off the table. 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:46.879 So don't come next week. 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:48.319 That's not true. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:49.360 Please do come next week. 00:02:49.439 --> 00:03:02.479 So with that, we see Paul addressing this idea of the resurrection to the Church of Corinth because it is so central to our faith and to our life as Christians. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:06.400 And it seems that the Corinthian church is not understanding that. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:16.800 They're dealing with a lot of things such as divisions between themselves, between the different leaders that they follow, and which camp they're in to make themselves more holy. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:23.360 They're trying to glorify themselves and promote themselves based on their gifts rather than serving one another. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:38.719 They are tolerating sin and being proud of it in that sense and saying, oh well, because I am not only allowing this, but I'm proud of that, that makes me a good person because I'm and Paul's saying, stop it, just stop. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:50.479 And he keeps pointing them back to this idea of we are a body, many different members functioning together for the glory of the head who is Jesus. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:59.120 And that we work together and we care for one another and we function together for that purpose, but all for the glorification of the head and not for ourselves. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:05.919 And so here as we continue in the rev with the resurrection, we see the big picture of what we are looking at here. 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:11.039 But just to give a little bit of imagery that will come into play later, imagine this, okay. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:12.719 You're asleep. 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:14.400 Yes. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.240 So people are like, that sounds nice. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:21.519 And okay, you're asleep, right? 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.319 The dreams are good, okay? 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:29.279 The temperature is perfect, the blankets have a little bit of weight on them. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:42.079 You have like a U-sized niche in your bed, and it's amazing and peaceful, and then ah ah the alarm goes off. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.639 And reality kicks in. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:45.439 What is this? 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:47.519 Okay, just to interpret here. 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.079 What is the sound that you make when that alarm goes off? 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:53.199 Yes. 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:59.920 No, or really, or there's so many different ways I can go there. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:06.800 But nope, very few people go, yay! And if you do, we will pray for you afterwards, because that ain't natural. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:29.120 But ultimately, as a whole, part of life on this earth, we have these moments of beauty and these moments of wholesomeness and feeling good, and then inevitably at some point in time the alarm goes off, and we go, okay, and then you start going, I can do this. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:33.680 I can do this, I can get up in five more minutes. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:35.839 I can do this. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:44.480 Part of living this life is that reality that sometimes the alarm goes off and we have to wake up and we have to continue forward. 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:46.000 Why on earth am I telling you this? 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:47.600 It'll come into play later. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:54.160 Well, with that, we start in verse 29, jumping straight in at a very jarring moment. 00:05:54.399 --> 00:06:01.040 But there's no other real way to break up this passage into chunks that have like 40-minute sermon-sized chunks. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.920 If we went through the whole chapter, we would either not do it justice or y'all would get up and leave. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:12.240 And so being able to do it in this way, it says, first of all, otherwise, what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:15.839 I don't know, Paul. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.120 What would they do? 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:19.360 Those who are being baptized for the dead. 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:20.560 What does that mean? 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:28.639 Okay, I am going to solve this for you guys in a way that you can just be comforted and know that you know the truth about what this means. 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.199 Nobody knows what that means. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:37.920 Virtually, I tell you, nobody has any idea what is actually happening there. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:45.680 And here's what ends up happening: is that there's a lot of pressure sometimes when we are up here to know what's going on and what he's talking about. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:49.920 And so we make our best guesses and say them as fact, and then we wrap that around. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:52.319 You know, in ancient times this happened. 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.279 And it's totally like, with no basis whatsoever. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:56.399 Sometimes that has to happen. 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:57.680 So I hate to tell you this. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:06:59.920 Nobody knows what this means, okay? 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:07.040 There was no cord wrapped around the high priest's ankle to pull him out in case he died on the day of atonement. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:07.759 Fiction. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:09.040 Legend. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:10.480 That's not a real thing. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.920 The communion wafers are not striped and pierced on purpose. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:15.680 That's a part of modern manufacturing. 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:24.720 But there's all these things that we hid that are part of our sermons that go, well, because we have to have an answer, or it's a really cool imagery. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.079 But having that said, sometimes we come up with things just to have an answer. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:34.240 But here, it's okay to go, I do not know what is happening in this moment. 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:58.959 What it seems like is that the church in Corinth is for those who have died, they are baptized, having somebody who is still alive baptized just in case that person had not been baptized, or if they know they haven't been baptized, just to have that taken out of the way with that, because as we see in the book of Acts, multiple times they say, hey, repent and be baptized. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:00.399 See that transformation. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.879 So is baptism necessary for salvation? 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:04.879 No, absolutely not. 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:17.199 It is a good thing and it is a good sign for uh for all and to rejoice in that of the resurrection that comes into the as a result of believing in Christ. 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:24.240 But it is not necessary for salvation, and it seems that there are those who wanted just to make sure that that was the case. 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:27.839 So they would be have someone baptized by proxy for somebody who has passed away. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:29.600 We don't know for sure. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:35.200 What we do know is that Paul is not saying, baptize people for the dead. 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:37.440 This is not an imperative statement. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:38.799 He's not telling them that. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:40.320 He's making a point. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:43.200 And he's going to continue to roll forward in his point. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:48.480 In verse 30 30, why are we in danger every hour? 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:53.840 I face death every day, as surely I may boast about you, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:58.639 So, why do we do this baptism for the dead if there's no resurrection? 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:00.320 Why are we in danger every hour? 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:04.240 Why do we bother putting ourselves in that state for the gospel? 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:08.480 Verse 32, if I thought wild beast in Ephesus is a mere man, what good did that do to me? 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.559 We have no record of that being literal. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.559 We don't know for sure, but ultimately what we see here is that again, is not the point of what he's saying. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:26.399 What he's saying is, if there is no resurrection, why do we do hard things? 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:28.720 Why do we bother? 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:34.159 Why would we go out of our way for others? 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:38.000 Why would we put ourselves in harm for the gospel? 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:41.279 Why would we strive in such a way if there is no resurrection? 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:44.720 It makes no sense if you take out the resurrection piece. 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:53.039 So, what is the big point of this whole passage is that the resurrection is central to our Christian experience. 00:09:53.279 --> 00:10:00.720 It is not peripheral, something that is going to happen later, and probably shouldn't think about, probably shouldn't deal with that, probably shouldn't worry about that. 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:03.279 It is central to everything we do. 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:06.000 And we'll look at that more as we continue. 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:11.039 So he is not listing out things of this is what you are to do as a believer. 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:18.320 He's saying, why would we bother doing these things if we didn't believe in a resurrection? 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:19.519 What's the point? 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:25.279 Because then he continues in verse 32, if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:32.320 Look, if there's no afterlife, if this is all we have, why would we suffer? 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:33.440 Why would we struggle? 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:34.320 Why would we strive? 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:35.600 Why would we sacrifice? 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:47.200 Everything that Paul has, through the Holy Spirit, exhorted them to do as a body, caring for one another, makes no sense if there is no afterlife, if there is no resurrection. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:55.519 Because it would make much more sense if all you have is this amount of time and if this is all we have, then to get yours. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:01.679 That's what makes the most sense, and that's what we see the world living as if they have no hope for the future. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:15.120 So he is not giving a command here of what we should be doing, but rather saying, why would we do hard things if we don't believe in the resurrection? 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:25.919 If we are not focused on eternity, if we're not focused on the kingdom of God, just do whatever you want. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:30.879 Because there's no, not only is there no afterlife, but there's no consequence. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:35.039 There's no reason, there's no real reason to care for one another. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:44.000 And the flip side of that, which is what we see throughout the whole book, is you need to care for one another because there is a resurrection. 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:51.840 We're doing this for a reason, for a body to be ultimately glorifying the head and to be raised in glory as a result. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:12:11.039 So there's going to be a few different points here where I'm going to give you a main point here, and then the lie that we're told in our current culture that speaks against that, and then a correlation with the four soils that we see in the book of Matthew, which we'll talk about here. 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:15.679 I want to talk about the seeds and the soils because I know nothing about agriculture whatsoever. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:17.360 And it seemed like a good idea. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:22.399 So the line number one here is that life should be easy. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:31.519 This is what our society teaches, this is what our world teaches, is that things should be good, things should be easy, and we should be comfortable. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:33.039 But let me take it one step further. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:36.960 This is oftentimes, maybe accidentally, maybe on purpose. 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:49.679 What we teach in the big C church as a whole is that you should have a comfortable and happy and problem-free experience as a follower of Jesus. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:52.799 And that would be okay except for the Bible. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:57.039 Because it says the exact opposite. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:02.480 I mean, even Jesus on earth is saying in this world, you will have many troubles, but be of cheer. 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:03.840 I have overcome the world. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:05.600 But you're going to have troubles. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.639 There's going to be struggling, there's going to be strife. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:17.519 But oftentimes we are led to believe, and we want to believe, it's supposed to be easy and it's supposed to be good. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:26.240 And we can want to spend our time here on earth doing everything we can to make it as easy as possible for ourselves. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:28.000 And to make it as good for ourselves. 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:40.159 In other words, building our own kingdom here in order to, under the banner and guise of Christianity, in order to have it be comfortable. 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:48.399 And Paul here is saying, we do hard things because this kingdom, this world is not our home. 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:59.519 Because we have a hope for the future, but we are strangers and sojourners, travelers here on earth, and this kingdom is not on earth, on our home. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:05.919 So what's sold to us often is that it should be easy. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:22.720 And what I see in Matthew 13, Jesus sends, gives a parable of four different soils, a sower casting the seed onto the ground, and four different soil types or results of the seed. 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:35.279 And so in Matthew 13, 20 through 21, you have one seed that's sown on rocky ground, and this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but has no root and is short-lived. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:40.799 And when distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:49.440 So this one seed is sown on rocky ground, receives it, but has no roots. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:55.039 And when things get hard, they walk away. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:58.879 When things get difficult, they don't persevere. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:06.159 And I see that part of that aspect is because there's no hope for a better future. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.679 Because now is hard, and now is hard. 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:22.559 And what was the cure for that is having roots, being rooted, being planted deep would be what would allow us to overcome distress and persecution. 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:41.840 And part of that here, when we see in 1 Corinthians, of being able to go through hard things and endure persecution is having a hope that we do have, as said in 1 Peter, a kingdom, an inheritance reserved in heaven for us, reserved, undefiled, incorruptible, that can't be touched or wasted in that way. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:48.879 That in heaven we are we have a hope that can't be messed with. 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:54.799 That all the temporary things in this life cannot touch or harm. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:16:07.759 And if we don't have that hope, and if we don't truly believe that, this life can be crushing and life can be hard, and we can also go, I'm just not going to do hard things for the gospel. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:20.559 I'm going to be comfortable and I'm going to build my little kingdom on earth and build my bubble and legislate comfort and build this and dockpile my treasure here on earth. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.799 And all these different things we can do with that. 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:28.480 But here he's saying, if there's no resurrection, sure, live that way. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:33.440 But there is a hope that we have, and therefore we don't live that way. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:39.360 But if there was no resurrection, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:49.279 If all we have in this life is this amount of time, there's really no point to strive. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:57.120 And that's one of those ones that always makes me a little nervous to preach, because it's very tempting to be like, huh. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.000 So if I don't believe in the resurrection, I can do what I want. 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:02.399 And I don't have to have any of those problems with that. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:20.000 But here Paul is so certain of a resurrection, being raised in glory, that he is willing to demonstrate the betterness, which is a word, of the future, despite what we may face here. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.720 Life is full of thorns. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:29.279 Life is full of trials, of difficulties. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:30.799 That's going to happen naturally. 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:36.400 That's going to happen as a part of sin, others and ours, and as part of the fall. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:44.400 And that is why it's so important, number one, to have strong roots in our faith in Him. 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:52.559 But also to have a church body that can take care of one another, that can love one another, encourage one another, exhort one another, hold up one another. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:57.440 And also it's why we Sabbath, why we rest, why he instituted that. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:06.079 Even when things are hard, you don't just work and work and work and work and work and work and work and work and work and work and work and work and die. 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:12.559 There is a Sabbath to be had in that and a rest and a rest in him that's very, very important. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:20.079 But if we don't have difficulty, if we don't expect difficulty, there's really no reason to Sabbath. 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:22.480 Because every day is rest. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.720 But what he says here ultimately is if there was no resurrection, just do what you want. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:30.640 But there is a hope for the future. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.880 I know we have a little sharp corner here in verse 33. 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:35.599 Don't be deceived. 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.039 Bad company corrupts good morals. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:40.799 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:43.039 I say this to your shame. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:52.319 I imagine Paul writing this and then reading this to the church in Corinth, and him saying, Hey, if there's no resurrection, the dead are not raised. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:54.000 Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 00:18:54.079 --> 00:19:04.720 And the group of the Corinthians are like, Yes! And the leaders of the church being like, No, no, that's not what I'm saying here. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.880 So it's nice that Paul anticipates that for us and says, Hey, don't be deceived. 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:10.559 Bad company corrupts good morals. 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.799 Come to your senses and stop sinning. 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:19.759 So this is important because point number two here, this life does matter. 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.720 What we do here does matter. 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:24.799 How we live here does matter. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:38.319 Because that's the next step here, too, is it's like if all that matters is what's waiting for us in the future, we and if we have been uh given salvation and granted that, then hey, we can just do what we got now because it doesn't matter, right? 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:41.599 And then when we get to heaven, we'll have that too. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:43.440 That's not what he's saying here. 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:46.480 This life does matter. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.799 And what we do matters. 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:53.359 Line number two of this world, you can have it both ways. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:58.079 This is the basis of marketing, ultimately. 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:08.319 Is here's how the how to sell somebody something to somebody is to say, this will make you happier, and there's no downside. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:11.200 And there's always a downside. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:18.079 But ultimately, how do you kind of mask and hide and minimize the downside and go, but look at how much this will benefit you and make it better for you? 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:20.079 You can have it both ways. 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.720 You can't have it both ways, ultimately. 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:48.160 And if we are spending this life rather than being about the work of our Father and serving him and following him and experiencing that, then if we are instead choosing to live licentiously, to live in sin, to uh indulge in that sense. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:21:05.440 It does actually matter in that sense that we are not only not planting seeds, but instead we're actually harming and breaking down and tearing down the work that's being done here. 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:13.920 So the the reality of this is that uh in this world is that uh temporarily sin is pleasurable. 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:15.759 That's why our flesh craves it. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:21.519 It is a temporary uh thing that feels good and feels nice, but it always costs. 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:24.079 And it costs everything ultimately. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:30.400 And we're ultimately convincing ourselves that we're living when we're just slowly dying in that sense. 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:33.759 So he says here, what we do now does matter. 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.680 Don't come to your senses, stop sinning. 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:38.480 For some people are ignorant about God, I say it's to your shame. 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:46.640 This life does matter what we do, and how we invest it, and how we spend it, and how we do that for the kingdom matters. 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:52.240 If we have no purpose, if we have no focus for the resurrection, then we can't think of it in this way. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:59.759 And that's why he keeps saying it's so central to have that as the center of our understanding and the basis of our salvation. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:16.480 Because again, as believers, it's easy to think we believe in Jesus and He fixes everything now, and it's not supposed to be hard anymore. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:21.440 And it is, and also there's no consequences anymore. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:28.880 And at that point in time, basically, we get our everything's fine, our dad's going to pay for it, and we can do whatever we want. 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:45.839 But there is great harm that can be done to the kingdom, not only by how we act and how we do that, but there's also great good that can be done by doing the work of the Father, by being willing to strive for the gospel. 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:57.359 So his first point here ultimately being how you live makes no sense without the resurrection. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:02.319 And we can tend to put that off to the side and be like, yeah, the resurrection, we'll worry about that when we're dead. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.880 But now we're gonna live our best life now. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:14.880 And we're going to be able to focus on what we want and how to make things comfortable for ourselves and build our Christian kingdom here and have this be great. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:20.960 And it boils down to what he has to say to the Church of Corinth this whole time. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:26.400 It's not about you, it's not about us, it's about glorifying the head. 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:29.599 Glorifying the head involves loving one another as a result. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:36.079 So the question there is how are we going to spend our time here on earth? 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:49.200 The reality is that we see in Romans, the creation groans longingly for eternity, for the resurrection. 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:54.559 And I hear that groan, like I hear that groan when my alarm clock goes off in the morning. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:24:02.960 After what seemed like such a like a sip of what was nice, and then reality crashes in of nope, we're still here. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:05.440 But that will not always be that way. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:10.640 Then he turns to the nature of resurrection here in verse 35. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:12.960 Someone will ask, Well, how are the dead raised? 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:15.200 What kind of body will they have when they come? 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:17.039 You fool. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:18.960 Okay. 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.599 Paul's really going for it here. 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:24.240 What you sow doesn't come to life until it dies. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:32.000 As for what you sow, continuing in verse 37, you're not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:38.240 But God gives it a body as he wants, and each the seeds its own body. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:46.799 So then he's anticipating the protest and question of, like, well, explain to me more about this resurrection. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:48.480 How are the dead raised? 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:50.319 How what does that look like, Paul? 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:54.480 If you think this is so important, tell me about that process. 00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:57.519 Or what kind of body will they have when they come? 00:24:57.839 --> 00:24:59.200 What's that going to look like? 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:05.039 All these deflecting questions of what resurrection may be. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:08.000 And his response is, you fool. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:12.640 What you sow doesn't come to life until it dies. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:19.519 What you sow, you're not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:24.079 So our life is uh is like a seed. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:25.519 How are we going to sow that? 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:27.039 How are we going to plant that? 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:37.839 We saw at the beginning the lie that life should be easy in Matthew 13, 20, 21, that idea that was on rocky ground, and when things got hard, it falls away. 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.160 And then there's the idea that you can the lie that you can have it both ways. 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:54.079 And in Matthew 13, 2020, 22, we see the one sown among thorns is one who hears a word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:26:00.400 Two different seeds that were not, that were planted but did not thrive. 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:05.039 One because they didn't want, they didn't anticipate things would be hard. 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:10.559 Another one, because they got choked by the things of this world. 00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:12.000 They wanted it both ways. 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:16.960 And here he talks about what resurrection looks like is a seed. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:21.279 When you plant a seed, what does not pop up? 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:24.000 A bigger seed, typically. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:39.279 Again, I grew up in something called a city, so I did not personally do a whole lot of planting, but with that, you have this idea of a little seed, you put it in the ground, a bigger version of that exact same thing doesn't pop out of the ground. 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:54.480 Something else pops out of the ground, and often something that bears fruit, and not only bears fruit, but also has a multitude of those same seeds to spread and multiply, which is really cool to have that imagery. 00:26:54.640 --> 00:27:01.920 But if it falls away and is burned up because it has no roots, it cannot bear fruit. 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:06.079 If it is choked out by the things of this world, it can have no fruit. 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:09.519 But here, when they're asking, how is this resurrection going to happen? 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:10.960 It's like, well, look at a seed. 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:16.240 It goes in the ground as a seed, something else comes up. 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:24.319 And unless you are really, really, really into seeds, the thing that comes up is often a lot cooler than the thing that went in the ground. 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:34.960 Picture for a second how flowers are sold in a store or a nursery or something where they're in pots, right? 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:38.880 Variable pots, they're displayed, they're arranged. 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:41.920 I have never seen seeds sold in that way. 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:49.440 Usually they're in a little paper pouch in like a little spinner in a store where you're like, oh hey, those apparently where seeds come from. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:53.279 We don't give the same value to the seed that we give to the produce. 00:27:53.440 --> 00:28:07.519 In the same way, the produce department at the grocery store, you have them all, like all of those, like for example, apples that are all stacked in such a way that if you look at them wrong, they all start falling, but they're on display and demonstrated in that way. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:16.880 Whereas again, seeds are just in a little, typically a little paper pouch that we uh have a million of on a little rack. 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:38.160 So the seed is not what we glorify ultimately, but what we what is necessary is a seed to go into the ground, and in this imagery, more or less, it dies and comes out something greater, more beautiful, more fruitful, and it changes as a result. 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:44.400 And continuing in verse 39, not all flesh is the same flesh. 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:49.279 There's one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for flesh, there, and another for fish. 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:54.640 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly body is different from the earthly ones. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:58.559 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, another of the stars. 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:01.440 In fact, one star differs from another in splendor. 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:03.920 So it is with resurrection of the dead. 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:05.839 So he's saying there's a difference here. 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:07.200 Everything is not the same. 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:08.319 Everything does not equal. 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:14.400 There is, when God created everything, he created distinctions and differences between all of these different things. 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:17.759 And some things have a greater glory than the other. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:23.200 I look at the stars and go, wow. 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:26.079 I look at a fish and go, oh. 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:30.480 But I don't typically have the same reaction to one as the other. 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:34.559 There's a different glory in that because there's a little bit of a difference. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:38.640 Number one, of familiarity, and number two, of ultimate expanse and glory and wonder. 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:42.480 So, in verse 42, so it is with resurrection of the dead. 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:54.160 Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption, sown in dishonor, raised in glory, sown in weakness, raised in power, sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. 00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:58.559 If there's a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:01.599 So this is the comfort and the cool thing in here. 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:10.079 As we look toward the resurrection, and as we look toward that, and with anticipation, what are we losing? 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:21.519 We are losing and burying in the ground, corruption, dishonor, weakness, a natural body. 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:41.759 All things that are temporary, that are tainted by sin, that are decaying, that have an ultimate end date, that have sorrow, and what is raised up in corruption, glory, power, the spiritual body. 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:51.440 All of these things that are eternal and heavenly and are not things that we fully understand or grasp now. 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:53.599 So when they say, what kind of resurrection is it going to be? 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:54.640 And what will our bodies be like? 00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:08.720 The point is that we will be free from this life, from this sin, from the hardship. 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:15.680 We will have rest, we will have Sabbath, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:17.200 And you know what that means? 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:22.000 When Jesus returns in glory, there will be no more country music. 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:28.480 No more sorrow, no more nostalgia looking backwards. 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:32.960 I'm just saying, think it through. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:43.119 So, with that idea, what we have to look forward to is incorruption, glory, powerful, and a spiritual body. 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:46.240 And here's the next imagery that he gives in this the first and the second man. 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:47.200 45. 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:51.200 So it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being. 00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:54.400 The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:57.680 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:00.160 The first man was of the earth, a man of dust. 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.599 The second man is from heaven. 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:04.319 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust. 00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:06.799 Like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:12.319 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will bear the image of the man of heaven. 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:18.400 Adam, as was created by God, was created from the dust of the earth. 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:29.680 The second man, the second Adam that we see talked about often in Romans 5, 12 through 19, being Jesus, was a heavenly being. 00:32:29.839 --> 00:32:33.440 He was God in the flesh, in the form of man. 00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:39.680 One is dust, the other ascended to heaven. 00:32:40.319 --> 00:33:00.559 And so we start as something that was formed from dust and returns to dust, and we are transformed to the image of our Savior Jesus, who is heavenly, and although he had a physical body on earth, and yet was from heaven and also will return as such. 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:07.200 And so we will be likewise transformed from the image of the one of dust to the one of heaven. 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:20.319 And so there is hope that everything that is difficult in this life, everything that's hard, whether from ourselves or from others, that happens, has an end date. 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:22.799 And there is glory in that. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.359 There is rest coming. 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:31.759 There is a time when that alarm clock sound doesn't happen. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.960 And that is beautiful. 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:39.200 And it is tempting at that moment to go, well, what does that look like? 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:39.759 What does that mean? 00:33:39.839 --> 00:33:40.960 What will we be doing exactly? 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:41.920 What will we look like? 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:42.880 Where will we live? 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:43.839 Will there be food? 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:44.799 Will there not be food? 00:33:44.880 --> 00:33:45.519 Will I be married? 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:46.720 Will I not be married? 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:48.720 What happens if I don't like my neighbor in heaven? 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:50.319 What do I do in that situation? 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:52.160 What if they steal my newspaper? 00:33:52.400 --> 00:33:55.279 For those of you who are young, their parents will explain to you what a newspaper is. 00:33:55.519 --> 00:34:05.279 And all these different things that we start to spin out on, and none of and all of those, nothing's wrong with any of those questions, but that's not the hope that we have. 00:34:05.519 --> 00:34:16.079 The hope that we have is the context of who we are with, with no sin, no corruption, and no separation. 00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:17.920 That's the beauty of that. 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:38.079 And so when we know that we're being raised in newness of life, raised in glory, and we know that we will be with God, then we sit and live in anticipation that whatever He has planned for us is so much better than anything we have ever experienced before. 00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:40.320 That we have no idea what that is. 00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:48.800 And so sometimes we want to pinpoint what that looks like and go, see, no, it's going to be awesome because this. 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:51.039 And we're like, we have no idea. 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:59.360 But what we know is who we will be with, and we know that we will bury corruption, dishonor, weakness in our natural body. 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:06.559 Never to be picked up again and be raised into incorruption, glory, power, and a spiritual body. 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:09.920 And there is there's hope in that. 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:17.199 In this passage, I see a reality that life is hard. 00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:25.199 I don't think we're supposed to say that in church on a Sunday morning, but throughout Scripture we see that promise. 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:30.719 Following Jesus is hard. 00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:35.280 Not following Jesus is harder in the long run. 00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:49.519 Following Jesus is hard, and it comes with sacrifice, and it comes with struggle, and it comes with sorrow, and it comes with joy, and it comes with hope, and it comes with comfort, and it comes with caring for one another, and it comes with peace. 00:35:51.760 --> 00:36:04.239 But the thorns that we saw in Genesis, which the work and the fruit that they would have to bear through thorns and through sorrow, those don't just go away because we pray to prayer. 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:07.760 They go away when we are resurrected in glory. 00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:10.880 And we have that hope of what is coming. 00:36:11.840 --> 00:36:25.840 We see in Matthew 13, 23, a seed sown on good ground, that is, hears and understands, and then produces fruit and yields some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what's sown. 00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:37.440 That that fruit, that seed expends itself for the kingdom and bears fruit far beyond what it could do. 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:49.280 And that would require having roots to avoid the crushing weight of persecution. 00:36:49.360 --> 00:36:55.760