WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 Welcome to the sermon podcast of Exodus Church, located in Belmont, North Carolina. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.660 For more information about our church and the many ways you can be involved, you can go to our website at exoduschurch.com. 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:22.199 Now, if you'll take your Bible and turn to two places, I'd like for you to turn to Romans 8 and then 1 Corinthians 15. 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:25.000 Romans 8 and then 1 Corinthians 15. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:27.859 We're wrapping up our series today called Designed. 00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:30.160 We've looked at God's design in creation. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.719 We've looked at God's redesign in Christ. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:38.920 We've looked at God's design for us as a people, as the church on the mission of God. 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:44.320 Today, we're gonna wrap up this series looking at God's design for eternity. 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:46.359 Where is all this headed? 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:48.560 What will eternity be like? 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:54.359 In 1992, I was sitting with a few middle school boys at a youth camp in Waco, Texas. 00:00:54.359 --> 00:01:07.980 We had just come out of a session where Louis Giglio and the guy that was leading worship for him at the time had just spent this hour talking about worship, about the supremacy of Jesus and the importance of singing songs to Jesus. 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:09.459 And we had been singing. 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:17.379 And at the end, the worship leader said this, Hey, guys, don't forget, we're gonna get to do this forever in heaven. 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:24.859 And so I'm sitting with these middle school boys and one of them looks at me and he says, So heaven is forever, right? 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:26.019 I said, Yeah. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:32.099 He said, And we're gonna do that forever? 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:36.299 It's a fair question. 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:38.319 And it's an honest one. 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:42.540 Like I think sometimes we have a lot of misconceptions about heaven. 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:53.140 We think that when we're in heaven, we're gonna be this spirit being that's kind of floating around on clouds, maybe wearing white, maybe with a harp, you know? 00:01:53.140 --> 00:02:04.599 Or we think like my friend in middle school thought that we're just gonna be listening to people preach and singing forever, which doesn't sound like anybody's best version of eternity, okay? 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:09.060 And so today I want us to understand where we're going. 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:18.180 I want us to understand what God's design is for eternity and then what it means for us to long for our eternal home. 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:32.860 Now, if you're with us today, if you're listening to this today and you are not yet a follower of Jesus, I want you to know we're gonna talk about what's available for those who have trusted Christ. 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:38.319 We're gonna talk about the future, the eternal future for those who are followers of Christ. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:42.659 And if you're not yet, I want you to know you're welcome to follow him. 00:02:42.659 --> 00:02:52.740 Like we would love for you to confess sin, repent of it, and submit to Jesus as Savior and Lord so that you can have all that we're gonna talk about today, okay? 00:02:52.740 --> 00:02:57.659 It's free, like it's freely available to anybody who would trust him. 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:08.020 But just know I'm talking about what's available to all of us who have trusted Christ, to all of us who have been adopted into his family. 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:14.860 That's what we're gonna talk about today is our future and it's available to you. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:20.460 So to do that, we're gonna start with Romans 8, 18 through 23, 24. 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:22.979 I'll pray and then we'll jump into God's word. 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:24.780 Look at starting in verse 18. 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:32.900 Paul writes, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:38.340 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:54.159 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 00:03:54.159 --> 00:04:11.900 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:13.039 Let's pray together. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.339 Father God, thank you so much for the privilege of gathering here today, the privilege of studying your word. 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:31.699 Lord, thank you that your word tells us where we're headed, that your word describes for us the eternal home and the eternal hope that we have because of Jesus. 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:41.699 And Lord, we bring a lot of thoughts about that to this moment, some that are from your Bible, some that are from other things we've read or thought about or experienced. 00:04:41.699 --> 00:05:02.379 Lord, I pray that you would grant just a lot of clarity to us today, that we would see what your design is for eternity and that we would be just so full of hope, so full of joy, so full of peace that comes from knowing that our eternity is certain. 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:05.899 Lord, help us, help us see that. 00:05:05.899 --> 00:05:07.420 Help us see all of that today. 00:05:07.420 --> 00:05:14.480 And Lord, help us respond with the proper joy and hope and faith today as we think about this. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:22.079 So Lord, give us eyes to see, give us ears that hear, give us hearts that are receptive to and responsive to your word. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:24.879 We pray this in Christ's name, amen. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:34.139 So our big idea today is this, that God's design for eternity is a redesigned world for a redesigned people. 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:39.600 That God's design for eternity is a redesigned world for a redesigned people. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.819 Let's start with God's redesigned world. 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:46.779 Now Paul begins in verse 18, speaking about this present time. 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:56.259 He says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:59.839 Now he doesn't say that the sufferings of this present time are not real. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:02.740 He doesn't say the sufferings of this present time are not hard. 00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:08.259 He's comparing the suffering of this present time to the glory that is to be revealed. 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:14.819 And he's saying that what we're going through now is nothing on what we're gonna get then, okay? 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:18.699 Then he continues in verse 19. 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:25.480 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.480 So creation is waiting on something. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:40.680 Creation is waiting and it's got this eager longing, this idea of creation longing after something, specifically the revealing of the sons of God. 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.420 Now why is creation longing for something? 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:44.759 Look at verse 20. 00:06:44.759 --> 00:07:00.480 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom or the glory of the children of God. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.399 Now what's going on there, okay? 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:11.399 Verse 20 tells us that the whole creation, that the whole of creation was subjected to futility. 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:27.019 That because of Adam's sin, because of Adam's rebellion, not only was all of the human race plunged into ruin, but all creation was plunged into ruin. 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:34.879 Because we rejected God as designer and we rejected God's design, our dominion has been affected. 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:39.839 You remember way back early in our series, we looked at what it means to be an image bearer of God. 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:42.439 It means that we are to know him and represent him in the world. 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:59.240 And God's design for humanity was that we would be his image bearers, that we would be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, that we would have dominion over the world, which means that we are to be the caretakers and the stewards of God's world. 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:05.560 And because we rejected him, our dominion and how we exercise that has been affected. 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:11.319 And because of that, the whole creation has been subjected to futility. 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:17.879 Our dominion is not what God designed it to be and the world suffers for it. 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:19.399 Let me give you an example. 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:23.920 It feels like every time we try to do something to help, we end up hurting. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:25.680 Okay, I grew up in Mississippi. 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:26.839 Let me give an example from there. 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:33.899 If you drive through Mississippi, you'll see this thing, this weed that was brought in after World War II to help with erosion. 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:35.320 It's called kudzu. 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:36.879 Now, it did help with erosion. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.759 The problem is you can't kill kudzu with a flamethrower. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:42.519 Okay, and it grows everywhere. 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:51.000 In fact, you'll be driving down the road and just this whole bank of trees covered with kudzu because somebody thought they were gonna be helpful. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:58.759 That's how our dominion has been damaged and it's caused creation to be subjected more and more to futility. 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:00.480 We could have all kind of other examples. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:10.080 We could talk about bringing in animals, like maybe there's a predator, so you bring in another predator from somewhere else where, well, that predator doesn't have a predator and we just make a whole mess of everything. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.580 And it's affected the creation. 00:09:14.580 --> 00:09:22.620 And the creation is longing because creation is subjected to the futility of damaged dominion. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:31.299 Now, the creation was subjected to futility, but notice at the end of verse 20 that it's subjected in hope. 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:44.259 So this creation is longing for the hope that comes, verse 21, that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:47.659 So creation is waiting on something. 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:55.899 It's waiting on being delivered from its own corruption so that it might obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 00:09:55.899 --> 00:09:57.799 More on that in a moment. 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:00.460 Verse 22 tells us that creation is groaning. 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:07.840 It says, for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:11.840 There's something coming, pains of childbirth, there's pain, and then there's something coming. 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:13.820 There's pain and then a baby comes. 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:23.179 Then what Paul is saying is that the whole creation is in the pain of childbirth waiting on God's redesigned world. 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:29.019 And God's redesigned world comes through three things. 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:31.059 Look at verse 19. 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:41.440 The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, not revealing who they are, but revealing what they are to be. 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:52.960 The creation is longing, is groaning, and waiting to be free from its bondage and to get the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:53.799 What does that mean? 00:10:53.799 --> 00:11:00.980 It means the creation wants the children of God to be what children of God are to be. 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:07.860 For us to be free from sin that has caused us to make a mess of the world. 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:14.720 For us to be free from sin so we can steward and have dominion over creation in the way God designed. 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:20.700 And so God's world is crying out to be redesigned. 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:26.159 It's eager, it's waiting, it's groaning to be remade. 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:34.179 And so what we see is that God's world that's been subjected to futility will one day be redesigned. 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:44.059 Creation is waiting and groaning for God's redesigned people to care for it in the way that God has designed. 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:48.299 Now that day will come when Jesus returns. 00:11:48.299 --> 00:11:50.980 It's not coming before then. 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:53.419 We're gonna keep making a mess of everything. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:58.100 But when Jesus returns, we'll have redesigned people for God's redesigned world. 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.539 There's a song that we sing around this time. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:03.460 Well, some of us sing it already. 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:05.740 Some of you are waiting a couple of weeks. 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:08.220 And the song is Joy to the World. 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:11.580 Now Joy to the World was written by a guy named Isaac Watts. 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:18.399 It was not written about Jesus' first coming, though we sing it during the time we celebrate his first coming. 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.340 It was written about his second coming. 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:30.139 You see, the reason we celebrate Advent is because Advent reminds us that he came once and he's coming again, and that we live in this time between the times of his coming. 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:34.779 And Isaac Watts wrote this song we know is Joy to the World. 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:36.860 It says, Joy to the World, the Lord has come. 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.740 Let earth receive her king. 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:44.059 Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing. 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:47.500 And then there's this verse that we sing but we don't think about. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:54.519 No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:13:02.679 The writer of this song is thinking about Jesus' return and its effect on all of creation. 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:07.480 And he says, no more let sin and sorrows grow or thorns infest the ground. 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:16.480 Then he says this, he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:19.480 And the curse is not simply found in fallen humanity. 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:23.159 The curse extends all the way through his creation. 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:28.960 And when Jesus returns, he's not just coming to claim his people, but to perfect his creation. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:34.360 We're gonna have a brand new, a remade, redesigned world. 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:38.799 And creation is waiting and groaning for this. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:45.720 God's redesigned world is waiting for God's redesigned people. 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:47.139 We see that in verse 23. 00:13:47.139 --> 00:14:04.179 Says that not only the creation, but we ourselves, so this is talking about we believers who have the first fruit to the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:11.960 Notice, he connects the adoption as sons with the redemption of our bodies. 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:14.480 Now, adoption is a beautiful picture of salvation. 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:19.240 It's used throughout the Bible as just an amazing analogy for salvation. 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:21.480 We see it in verse 15 of chapter eight, look at that. 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:30.799 It says, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba, Father. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:38.639 Like if you're a believer in Christ, you've been given the Holy Spirit that's the spirit of adoption, and by him, you cry out Abba, Father. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:47.360 You cry out Papa, you cry out Daddy, you cry out Father to this God you've rebelled against, but who has redeemed you and adopted you into his family. 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:55.639 Verse 16, the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, so the spirit gives us assurance. 00:14:55.639 --> 00:15:04.759 And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:07.440 Glorified, now what does that mean? 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:12.720 Well, in the Bible, salvation is kind of broken into kind of three parts, okay? 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:15.879 We are justified, that's the first part, justification. 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:17.519 It means that we are made new. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.480 It means that we are forgiven. 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:21.639 We are declared righteous before the throne of God. 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:25.460 And when people say you need to get saved, that's usually what people are saying. 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:29.639 Then there's this other part of salvation we know as sanctification. 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:32.120 That's where we are made more and more like Jesus. 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:34.539 We are progressively made more and more like Jesus. 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:38.679 We will never be fully like Jesus in this life, but we're made more and more like him. 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:40.519 That's called sanctification. 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:52.320 Now this last thing is called glorification, and this is this one-time action where God will glorify all of God's people from all of time, and we will be made like him. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:53.759 We will be glorified. 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:57.480 Now, Paul is attaching glorification to our adoption. 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:01.960 And he does it again in verse 23. 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:08.039 He says, we are eagerly, we wait eagerly for adoption as sons. 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:08.879 And what is that? 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:11.480 It's the redemption of our bodies. 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:18.120 Paul is saying that the fulfillment of our adoption is the redemption of our bodies. 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:40.320 So not only are we forgiven, not only are we accepted into God's family, not only are we given the assurance that comes from the Spirit of God, not only are we given access to God the Father and able to pray and cry out to him, we are given the assurance that our bodies will be redeemed, that we will have new, redeemed, redesigned bodies. 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:43.720 Now, what does that mean? 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:46.240 Well, it means a couple things. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:57.039 First thing it means is that eternity is not this ethereal spirit world where we're floating around playing harps, okay? 00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:08.599 Now, we might play the harp, more on that in a minute, but it's not this ethereal floating on clouds kind of thing that we've got in our brains from cartoons, okay? 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:10.920 In fact, flip over to 1 Corinthians 15. 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:18.039 It's the redemption of our bodies, that our bodies will be redeemed. 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:23.720 Now, Paul is answering the question, what will our bodies be like in 1 Corinthians 15? 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:30.079 Romans 8 is saying that God's world is waiting to be redesigned, that God's world is waiting on God's redesigned people. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.079 Paul in verse 35 is addressing what will our bodies be like? 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.960 Now look at verse 35. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.440 It says, but someone will ask, how are the dead raised? 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:43.200 With what kind of body do they come? 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.519 So Paul's like, look, somebody's gonna ask, what's this gonna be like? 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:56.279 Now, if you lead anything in our church, whether that's a community group or you teach a class, I would not encourage you to answer the way Paul does in verse 36. 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:58.759 You foolish person, okay? 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:00.240 Please do not follow Paul. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:02.559 Paul says, imitate me as I follow Christ. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.200 Not like that, okay? 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:05.039 Don't do that. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:05.880 That's a joke. 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:08.319 Thank you, okay, I'm right. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:09.519 Take that out of 11. 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:16.279 All right, he says, look, you foolish person, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:28.200 And so Paul is going to unpack some things about our future body, but he's gonna start with our present body and then talk about our perfected one, okay? 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:32.240 And he speaks of our present body in four ways in this passage. 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:36.839 First, he calls it a seed in verse 36 to 38. 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:40.640 You foolish person, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:46.200 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or some other grain. 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:51.000 But God gives it a body as he has chosen to each kind of seed its own body. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:57.240 So the first thing Paul says about our present bodies, these bodies we have, is that it's a seed. 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:03.319 Now, a seed doesn't exactly look like the plant that's coming, but it's connected to it. 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:10.160 Our present bodies are like the perfected bodies to come as a seed is like a plant. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.559 There's a writer named Joni Eareckson Tada. 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:19.599 As a 17-year-old, she suffered a life-changing injury that left her paralyzed from the neck down. 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:24.940 She spent the rest of her life encouraging people and families that have been affected by disability. 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:32.240 She writes this, Somewhere in my broken, paralyzed body is the seed of what I shall become. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:42.799 The paralysis makes what I am to become all the more grand when you contrast atrophied, useless legs against splendorous, resurrected legs. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:54.839 I'm convinced that if there are mirrors in heaven, and why not, the image I'll see will be unmistakably Joni, although a much brighter, better Joni. 00:19:54.839 --> 00:20:04.759 Paul says that our earthly, our present bodies are like a seed that has to die so that what we will be can come. 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:09.799 Second thing he says about our present bodies is that there is a distinct glory about our bodies. 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:15.880 We spent two or three sessions early in this series talking about the glory of what it means to be made in the image of God. 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:17.799 Paul picks that up here in verse 39. 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:19.920 For not all flesh is the same. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:24.759 There's one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:31.440 I said earlier, I'll say again, we should understand that we are distinct from animals. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:35.940 That we as humans are made in the image and likeness of God. 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:39.240 We are distinct from all the rest of his creation. 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:55.720 And so if you're watching Discovery Channel or Planet Earth 1, 2, or 3, or Blue Planet, or in a science class in your school, and someone says you're an animal, something in you should react against that and say, no, I'm not an animal, I'm a human being. 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:59.839 I have a distinct glory as a human being. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:00.880 Paul continues. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:05.200 There is one glory for the sun and another glory, I'm sorry, verse 40. 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:09.980 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, the glory of the earthly is of another. 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:17.220 There's one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:23.940 Paul is getting at this idea of our present bodies having a distinct glory to them. 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:28.460 And third thing he says is that they are broken. 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:35.079 He uses four words to describe our bodies in verses 42 to 44. 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:39.240 He says what is sown in verse 42 is perishable, means it's gonna die. 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:45.039 Our bodies, no matter how distinctly glorious they are, will die. 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:50.740 In verse 43, it is sown in dishonor. 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:52.319 It means we will decay. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:56.660 It is sown in weakness. 00:21:56.660 --> 00:22:01.059 Verse 44, it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:10.960 So he uses this word perishable, dishonor, weakness, natural, all these words to remind us that this body is broken. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.140 It's broken. 00:22:14.140 --> 00:22:17.299 And some of us, some of us in this room don't have to be convinced of that. 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:20.019 We sleep wrong, we hurt for a week and a half. 00:22:20.019 --> 00:22:22.740 Okay, some of you, you're not yet convinced of that. 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:23.660 You will be. 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:25.700 You will be. 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:32.000 Then he tells us in verse 50 that our bodies, this body is not fit for the kingdom. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:32.839 Look at verse 50. 00:22:32.839 --> 00:22:39.460 It says, I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:44.400 So Paul is reminding us our earthly bodies are not made for the heavenly kingdom. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:49.440 So he wants us to understand our perfected bodies. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:52.740 Look back at verse 42. 00:22:52.740 --> 00:22:54.640 He says, so it is with the resurrection of the dead. 00:22:54.640 --> 00:23:07.779 Now Paul has spent all of chapter 15 explaining the idea that Christ has been raised bodily, that it was not that Christ's soul was raised from the grave, but Christ's body walked out of the grave. 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:13.460 They came to the tomb and they looked in the tomb and it wasn't that they said, oh, his soul is not here. 00:23:13.460 --> 00:23:16.200 No, his body's not here. 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:22.859 And so when we think of resurrection, this is Jesus' body coming back to life, never to die again. 00:23:22.859 --> 00:23:25.799 So resurrection is not resuscitation. 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:29.460 Resuscitation is when someone's dead and they come back to life and they die. 00:23:29.460 --> 00:23:31.019 Lazarus. 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:32.680 Jesus said, Lazarus, come forth. 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:34.200 He came out of the grave. 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:35.859 He was resuscitated. 00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:39.539 Jesus was resurrected. 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:42.819 He was brought back to life never to die again. 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:45.500 And his body was resurrected. 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:48.859 Now he goes on to explain what that means. 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:50.400 What is sown is perishable. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:53.180 What is raised is imperishable. 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:57.500 He uses this word five times between verses 42 and 57. 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:06.859 In other words, this body that we're gonna get no longer subject to decay, no longer gonna die again, imperishable. 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:11.359 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.660 This word has to do with appearance. 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:20.660 There will be something beautiful, brilliant, and glorious about our perfected bodies. 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:28.819 He said it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 00:24:28.819 --> 00:24:33.140 It is sown in natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:36.140 It is not raised a spirit. 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:38.619 It is raised a spiritual body. 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:45.660 Like Jesus' body was raised from the grave, our bodies will be raised and made perfect like him. 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:50.960 We will be God's redesigned people for God's redesigned world. 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.799 Now, how does that happen? 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:54.759 Look at verse 51. 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:57.380 It says, behold, I tell you a mystery. 00:24:57.380 --> 00:25:07.220 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment and 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. 00:25:07.220 --> 00:25:13.539 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:18.059 Paul's describing this sudden change from perishable to imperishable. 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:22.619 The Bible teaches kind of these things about when we die. 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:26.359 When we die, our body and our soul are separated from one another. 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:28.680 Our body is buried, typically. 00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:40.299 Our soul goes to be either with the Lord in heaven or if we've not yet trusted Christ, it goes to a place the Bible calls hell. 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:48.059 And from there, we await the time when Jesus returns when we will all be glorified together with him. 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:57.299 Now, there will not, now some people think that or teach that those who are in hell will have this other opportunity to trust Christ again. 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:59.700 The Bible does not teach that. 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:02.259 The Bible teaches today is the day of salvation. 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:07.759 That it's given to everyone to die once and then comes judgment, the Bible says. 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:13.319 So if you're thinking, well, when I see it for myself, I'll trust Christ, that's a bad plan. 00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:23.799 So when we die, we either go to be with Jesus or we go to a place called hell and we wait, that's called the intermediate state, by the way, that's not eternity. 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:39.859 We wait for Jesus to return and then all who have trusted him will be glorified with him and we'll have a new body for a renewed earth, renewed heaven and earth and we'll be with him forever. 00:26:39.859 --> 00:26:52.619 All of his enemies defeated, look at verse 54, 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, oh death, where is your sting? 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:53.900 Oh death, where is your victory? 00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:57.220 Oh death, where is your sting? 00:26:57.220 --> 00:27:04.440 Now, this verse is talking about the reality after we are glorified. 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:10.640 There is a sense for the believer that death has lost its sting. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:16.579 In that, we know that if that person knows the Lord, we'll see them again. 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.359 But death still stings. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:24.019 Death still stings. 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:27.740 You stand at a graveside, death stings. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:32.099 But there's coming a day when death won't sting anymore because death will be finally defeated. 00:27:32.099 --> 00:27:40.859 There's coming a day when there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more pain, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more shame. 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:51.099 When we will be with God and he will be with us, we'll have perfected bodies for a perfected world and we'll be with Jesus forever. 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:55.619 That's what's described in Revelation 21. 00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:58.759 John writes, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. 00:27:58.759 --> 00:28:03.920 Anytime the Bible takes two opposites and joins them by an and, it's doing that to mean everything. 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:05.380 Heaven and earth means everything. 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:07.859 Light and day means all the time. 00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:09.720 Morning and evening means all day. 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:15.279 I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:21.240 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:25.460 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. 00:28:25.460 --> 00:28:26.839 He will dwell with them. 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:30.240 They will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:32.640 He will wipe away every tear. 00:28:32.640 --> 00:28:34.039 Death shall be no more. 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:40.720 Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:42.920 That's what's coming. 00:28:42.920 --> 00:28:47.180 We're gonna get a new world with new bodies. 00:28:47.180 --> 00:28:52.880 And our perfect bodies will be a gift. 00:28:54.980 --> 00:28:57.920 Imagine a body no longer tempted by sin. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:03.619 For real, imagine a body that's no longer tempted by sin. 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:10.299 Imagine being able to do whatever you want to do and knowing that's what you should do. 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:14.380 I wanna go take a walk. 00:29:14.380 --> 00:29:15.700 Fine. 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:17.180 Your wants are glorified. 00:29:17.180 --> 00:29:19.619 Whatever you want to do, do. 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:20.440 Imagine that. 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:24.740 Imagine the gift of a body not ravaged by sin. 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:32.940 Listen, even the glory that these bodies have are still ravaged by sin. 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:36.579 Our eyes are not what they might be. 00:29:36.579 --> 00:29:39.339 Our ears are not what they might be. 00:29:39.339 --> 00:29:48.259 Can you imagine glorified eyes looking at a glorified Blue Ridge Mountain sunset? 00:29:48.259 --> 00:30:00.539 Can you imagine glorified ears listening to the people of God from all time, place, and history gathered around the throne worshiping Jesus together? 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:03.460 Can you imagine what that sounds like? 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:12.619 Can you imagine taste buds to enjoy food, vegetables, and fruit? 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:20.059 And I can't figure out if there's gonna be meat in the new heaven or new earth yet. 00:30:20.059 --> 00:30:23.680 Like for real, I'm thinking about this because this is important. 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:30.259 But I'm confident that the new heaven and new earth will not be less than this world. 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:35.859 So maybe like fruit tastes like ribs or something and doesn't do anything bad to you. 00:30:35.859 --> 00:30:38.380 Can you imagine that? 00:30:38.380 --> 00:30:43.140 Imagine the gift of a body made to last forever. 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:48.440 No heart disease, no joint pain, no loss of mental acuity. 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:52.940 Imagine the gift of a body renewed. 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:56.339 No more physical disabilities, no more mental disabilities. 00:30:56.339 --> 00:31:02.700 A new body raised in power, glory, imperishable. 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:08.859 I mentioned Joni Eareckson Tada a moment ago. 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:14.440 There was a podcast where she was talking about her experience at a conference and she recounted this story. 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:23.759 She said, I sat there in my wheelchair and I watched as everyone else in the room, there had to be 500, 600 people, got out of their chairs and got down on their knees for a brief time of worship. 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:27.880 She said, with everyone kneeling in the room, I sat there kind of standing out. 00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:32.559 I looked around, I was kind of sticking up and I could not stop the tears, she says. 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:35.579 She said, I wasn't crying out of pity. 00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:38.000 I mean, I wasn't crying because I felt strange. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:43.299 No, my eyes were wet because it was so beautiful to see everyone kneeling in prayer. 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:52.700 And it made me think of the day when I too will be able to get up out of this wheelchair on new resurrected legs. 00:31:52.700 --> 00:32:04.519 I can't wait for that day, she says, because when I get my glorified body, the first thing I'm gonna do with my resurrected legs is fall down on grateful, glorified knees. 00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:10.299 And I will once again have the chance to say with Psalm 95, come let us bow down in worship. 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:11.900 Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. 00:32:11.900 --> 00:32:16.859 And then she says, you know, I realized that in heaven, I'll have the chance to jump and dance and walk and run. 00:32:16.859 --> 00:32:19.259 It'll be my privilege. 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:24.440 A new body that can move will be a blessing for a job well done on earth. 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:35.420 But I think that kneeling very still on bended knees, glorified knees, I think when I get to heaven, that'll be my sacrifice of praise to not move when I can move. 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:40.460 It'll be the one chance I have to show the Lord how thankful I really am. 00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:48.779 God's design for eternity is a redesigned world for a redesigned people. 00:32:48.779 --> 00:32:51.420 That's what's coming for us. 00:32:51.420 --> 00:32:56.660 And if you are in Christ today, that's what's coming. 00:32:56.660 --> 00:33:06.019 And can you imagine, can you imagine an eternity to serve Jesus with the gifts that he's given you? 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:14.059 Can you imagine, can you imagine an eternity for someone to work on their craft? 00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:17.579 Scott Harris is a gift to our church. 00:33:17.579 --> 00:33:19.180 He made all this furniture. 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:21.960 A lot of the furniture you see out in the lobby, he made this thing right here. 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:32.099 Can you imagine what Scott Harris could do with eons of time to perfect his craft with all the space he needed to do it? 00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:39.299 We've got some really gifted people in our church, people who love to paint, people who are really gifted at art. 00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:48.380 Can you imagine the art they might create for the glory of Jesus after thousands of years to get better and better at their craft? 00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:51.619 We have writers in our church who are gifted at crafting words. 00:33:51.619 --> 00:34:08.940 Can you imagine, can you imagine the poetry, the prayers that could be written after thousands of years of people perfecting their craft with glorified minds and glorified hearts that are seeing a glorified savior every day? 00:34:09.940 --> 00:34:16.539 So no, we're not gonna just sing and get preached at for eternity. 00:34:16.539 --> 00:34:21.059 We're gonna have glorified bodies in a glorified world. 00:34:21.059 --> 00:34:27.900 And we're gonna get to be with our glorified savior forever. 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:31.099 That's God's design for eternity. 00:34:31.099 --> 00:34:40.699 And because God's design is certain, we can be grounded in the gospel and invested in the work. 00:34:40.699 --> 00:34:43.539 That's where Paul lends the plane in verses 57 and 58. 00:34:43.539 --> 00:34:48.460 He says, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:34:48.460 --> 00:34:53.019 Listen, our victory is certain. 00:34:53.019 --> 00:35:01.400 There's no question, there's no question of whether we will be glorified or not if we are in Christ. 00:35:01.400 --> 00:35:06.619 Jesus has given us victory. 00:35:06.619 --> 00:35:08.019 It's certain. 00:35:08.019 --> 00:35:17.119 Verse 58, therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and movable, grounded. 00:35:17.119 --> 00:35:35.659 Whatever life is throwing at you, whatever the sufferings of this present time are throwing at you, and they are real, and they are painful, and they are hard, but whatever is coming at you, we can be steadfast and movable because we know where we're going. 00:35:35.659 --> 00:35:37.019 We know Jesus is coming back. 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:38.619 We know we're gonna be with him. 00:35:38.619 --> 00:35:41.579 So be steadfast and movable. 00:35:41.579 --> 00:35:49.000 Then he says, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing then in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 00:35:49.000 --> 00:36:04.900 Because our sins are forgiven and our end is certain, we can spend this time between the times grounded in the gospel and invested in what God has called us to do in the world. 00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:14.739 And my hope for us today is not simply that we would know what's coming, but that because of what's coming, we would live faithfully now. 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:16.860 That's what I want. 00:36:16.860 --> 00:36:23.940 That's what I want for me, because we get this little bitty blip on the radar of eternity that we get to live. 00:36:23.940 --> 00:36:29.380 And my hope is that we would live it really well for God's glory. 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:30.219 Let's pray together. 00:36:30.219 --> 00:36:32.260 Father, thank you for your goodness to us. 00:36:32.260 --> 00:36:54.780 Thank you, Jesus, that our end, the promise of our adoption, the fulfillment of our adoption in redeemed bodies is certain that we will be with you forever, that we will have a new body and a new world with you forever. 00:36:54.780 --> 00:37:00.179 Lord, what an incredible, what an incredible privilege to consider. 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:20.179 And Lord, I pray that as we face really challenging suffering in this present time, that our hearts would be trusting in you and filled with hope, filled with hope, because we know our sins are forgiven and our hope is sure. 00:37:20.179 --> 00:37:23.059 Our sins are forgiven and our eternity is certain. 00:37:23.059 --> 00:37:25.500 So Lord, help us. 00:37:25.500 --> 00:37:27.539 Help us, Lord. 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:38.619 I pray for those who are walking through just really painful, difficult times right now, that your promise and your kindness and your grace would give us hope today. 00:37:38.619 --> 00:37:50.699 Pray for those of us who are sometimes filled with doubt and worry and fear, that we would have hope that makes us immovable, steadfast. 00:37:50.699 --> 00:38:09.940 And Lord, for those of us who might be tempted to fall away, Lord, would you capture us, capture us today, and draw us near to yourself. 00:38:09.940 --> 00:38:16.739 Lord, would you work in our lives for your glory alone, we pray in Christ's name, amen.