Change is Coming! 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

We’ve come to our last study of 1 Corinthians 15. Throughout the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, Paul has discussed the topic of resurrection from every angle. Why would he spend so much time on this one topic? The answer to that question is simple, the doctrine of the resurrection is the keystone of the Christian faith. It is a doctrine that is only understood through the lens of examining Jesus’ resurrection. If we fail to understand Jesus’ own resurrection then our understanding of what happens when we die will morph into all kinds of crazy ideas. We have discussed some of those ideas during the past several weeks as we’ve made our way through this chapter. We also have heard some of these ideas from our friends who are not believers and have no understanding of Jesus’ resurrection. Sadly, there are a growing number of people today who would say they are followers of Jesus and yet they don’t believe that Jesus literally, physically rose from the dead and is living to this day. There are people who say they are followers of Jesus, yet if you asked them to describe what happens to us when we die they would speak in a way that doesn’t reflect what God’s Word teaches us. That is why I’ve tried to not rush through this chapter, but have instead chosen to take it slow so that we might marinate in this important lesson. In this 15th chapter Paul has systematically laid out for us the reasons why the resurrection is true. In the first eleven verses, Paul shared evidence for the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. If you will remember, he wrote,

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV)

Jesus’ resurrection didn’t just appear out of the blue, it didn’t catch God by surprise at all, it was “according to the Scriptures.” In the beginning, before God created the heavens and the earth, God had a plan and Jesus’ resurrection was part of God’s plan. Not only was Jesus’ resurrection according to the Scriptures, but there were witnesses. Paul names names in verses 5-9. In verses 12-19, Paul shared seven implications, or consequences, that are true if in fact the resurrection didn’t take place. Most important among those consequences is that we are still in our sins, our faith is futile, and we are to be most pitied out of all of the people on the planet. Those things are true, if Jesus has not been raised. In verses 35-49, Paul shared a description and an explanation of what our own resurrection bodies will be like one day. In our Scripture for today, in verses 50-58, Paul moves from the reasons why the resurrection is true to why the resurrection matters. Let’s read our Scripture and then we will see what we can learn. 

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 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. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 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 15:50-58 NIV)

For the past three weeks I’ve spoken at funerals. During that same period of time I’ve heard of other people who have died. Just last Sunday morning, Ann Brown told me about a dentist from Edmond, Dr. Richard Safi, who had come to BCC on Friend Day and was also with us on Easter Sunday. He was a triathlete and was out riding his bike on Saturday morning when he was hit by a car and killed. It is a tragic, heartbreaking story. Death wasn’t even on the radar for Dr. Safi or his family, but we are well familiar with death and we know that it can come at any moment. We are well familiar with death aren’t we? We are not at all familiar with resurrection. We’ve never seen one and therefore, we, like the people in Corinth, have lots of questions, many have lots of doubts. Back in verse 35, as Paul was writing his letter, he assumed a couple of questions that were being asked. They are still being asked today. Paul wrote,

35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. (1 Corinthians 15:35-36 NIV)

How is it even possible for the dead to be raised? Even if resurrection is possible, what kind of body would a person have if they were resurrected? Paul sought to answer the question by describing the difference between the seed and the plant. What goes into the ground is not what comes out of the ground. Neither is our physical body which is laid to rest the same body that will be resurrected. Paul, in verse 50, gives us more information when he writes,

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50 NIV)

Oftentimes when we see the word, “flesh,” in the Bible we automatically think about our sin nature. The Bible does teach us that we must battle our flesh, but this is not what Paul is alluding to here. “Flesh and blood” is a Jewish expression used to speak about humanity. The human body is wonderfully suited for living on planet earth, but not in the kingdom of God. In verse 53, Paul tells us that to be fitted for the kingdom of God, 

53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53 NIV)

We act as if we are imperishable and immortal and yet God’s Word reminds us that we are perishable and we are mortal. We try every way possible to avoid being reminded of this, but it is true. I have been so guilty of this in the past. I can remember thinking that I was not like others. I’m tough. I’m strong. I’ll get the job done and age will not be a factor for me. That line of thinking worked pretty good when I was younger, but eventually I had to face reality. I’m reminded of how things have changed in my body four or five times a week when I go to the pool. On my end of the pool there are a bunch of old people: Men and women in their 30s up to 70 and 80 years of age. On the other end of the pool are the high school kids in their Speedos and their lean bodies tearing up the water. There is a dramatic difference between the two ends of the pool. Oh, there are some Speedos on my end of the pool, but they don’t fit. They literally don’t fit! And one day, it may seem like an eternity, but it will be here before they know it, the boys and girls on the other end of the pool will be joining us on our side. We are perishable and mortal…each and every one of us. Paul put it so eloquently when he wrote, “Outwardly, we are wasting away…” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV)“Outwardly we are wasting away…” But a change is coming! This frail, feeble, weak body will one day be changed, not because someone will discover the fountain of youth or science will reverse the aging process, but because God has a plan. Take a look at what Paul wrote in verses 51-52. 

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 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 NIV)

The Greek word which is translated “Listen” in the NIV is translated “behold” in most other English translations of the Bible. Pastor Spurgeon tells us, 

Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within. (Spurgeon, Charles. A Precious Drop of Honey. May 31, 1863)

Paul is shouting, “Can I have your attention please! You don’t want to miss this.” What is it that we should pay such close attention to? It is the mystery of how we will all be changed. The Greek word for “mystery” is “?????????” (musterion), and it means “the content of that which has not been known before but which has been revealed to an in-group or restricted constituency.”  A mystery, biblically speaking, is not something mysterious or hard to understand. A mystery, biblically speaking, is a truth that no human can ever discover on his or her own, no amount of research can unravel it, and no level of intelligence can discover it. Understanding the mystery comes by revelation, not by investigation or examination. This same word appears 17 times in the New Testament. Let me show you just a couple of other occurrences. First, turn with me to Ephesians 3:2-6 and let’s read together.

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesian 3:2-6 NIV)

What is the mystery that had previously not been known? It was that God’s plan was to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, to you and me, all of us who are not Jewish and would trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Now turn with me to Colossians 2:2-3 and let’s read about another mystery which God has revealed.

2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3 NIV)

What’s the mystery? Or, rather I should say “Who is the mystery?” It is Jesus, the One who was rejected by those He came to save, the One who made the world and yet “the world did not recognize Him” (John 1:10). Jesus is the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Now, in verse 51, Paul writes, “I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…” “Sleep” has been used by Paul to describe the death of those in Christ. When he says “we will not all sleep” he means to teach us that there is coming a day when Jesus will return. We don’t know when, but we can be assured that the day is coming. When Jesus returns those who are still alive will not die, but they will be changed. How will that change occur? The only definitive answer we can give is, “God will do it.” I love what David Garland writes,

Paul has no intention of outlining the events of the parousia. The final judgment, for example, is omitted, though it is clearly assumed in other parts of the letter (3:8; 13-15; 5:5; 6:2-3; 9:27). He intends to argue only that the change will occur at a certain moment in time–on the last day… (Garland, David. 1 Corinthians. pg. 743). 

How will the change happen? Well, it won’t be a gradual change like an infant becoming a full grown adult or a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, but the change will take place quicker than you can blink your eyes. Paul writes that we will be changed “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye.” The word, “flash,” that we read in the NIV, “moment” in most other English translations, is the word “??????” (atomos), the word from which we get our word “atom” and it means “ to small to be cut or divided.” When it is used in reference to time it means “in an instant.” “The twinkling of an eye” is just another way to say that quicker than you can imagine we, the living and those who have died in Christ, will be changed. Let’s move on. Read 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 with me.

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55 NIV)

From the moment we are born we are “clothed” in our own sin nature. It is both who we are and what we do. Paul often uses the figurative language of clothing or putting off and putting on to point out the transforming work the Lord does in the lives of His followers. In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote,

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV)

“Put off your old self” and “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” In Colossians 3:12, Paul encouraged the brothers and sisters to clothe themselves in the attributes of Jesus when he writes,

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

How does this happen? Do we just will these things into being? Is it the same process that we follow when we sit down to make our New Year’s resolutions? Hardly. None of this is possible until we are clothed in Christ, until we die to ourselves and are made alive in Jesus. Paul wrote to the people in Galatia and said,

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27 NIV)

Even though we, all of us who are followers of Jesus, are now clothed in Christ, wrapped in His righteousness, we are still perishable and mortal. We are destined to die. When the last trumpet sounds death will be no more and all of God’s people will “put on” immortality and imperishability. Paul describes it in another way in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4. Read it with me. 

1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:1-4 NIV)

Paul is not talking about some kind of spiritual existence for those who are in Christ. Remember, Paul understands our resurrection, the change that will happen at the last trumpet, through the lens of Jesus’ own resurrection body. Jesus wasn’t a spirit. He was bodily, physically, raised from the dead. He was different from the standpoint that He had a resurrected body, no longer subject to the things you and I are subject to, and yet He was the same Jesus. What God did for Jesus, He will do for you and me, for all of those who are followers of Jesus. And when that happens, when we are clothed with immortality and imperishability then what was written in Isaiah and Hosea will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" When Paul says, “What is written will come true…” he has Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 in mind. For Paul, death is the enemy of every living human being. One preacher wrote,

There is a preacher of the old school but he speaks as boldly as ever. He is not popular, though the world is his parish and he travels every part of the globe and speaks in every language. He visits the poor, calls upon the rich, preaches to people of every religion and no religion, and the subject of his sermon is always the same. He is an eloquent preacher, often stirring feelings which no other preacher could, and bringing tears to eyes that never weep. His arguments none are able to refute, nor is there any heart that has remained unmoved by the force of his appeals. He shatters life with his message. Most people hate him; everyone fears him. His name? Death. Every tombstone is his pulpit, every newspaper prints his text, and someday every one of you will be his sermon.

This preacher, Death, will speak to every one of us here this morning, unless you are alive when Jesus returns and yet, Paul tells us the day is coming when death will be defeated. I mentioned to you the last time we were together that Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, once said, “And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be.” Well, Freud was wrong, but he could have never dreamed of how that riddle of death would be overcome! Let’s move on. Read with me from 1 Corinthians 15:56-57.

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 NIV)

Paul reminds us that the sting of death is sin. Death entered human existence through sin. Paul began this chapter by saying, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… (vs 3). On the last day, you and I, all of Jesus’ followers will find ourselves innocent of the guilt of sin and free from the power and presence of sin in our lives…on that day when death is defeated and we are transformed. What a blessing! What a day that will be! I do want to show you something that is so powerful, if we will just take the time to understand it. Paul writes, “and the power of sin is the law.” What does he mean? In Romans 7, Paul points out how the law is good, the law is from God, and yet sin uses God’s law to stir my sin nature. Ciampi and Rosner write,

But how did sin manage to use God’s holy and spiritual law to bring about our death? It is not because sin is the ultimate evil power. It is due to the fact that ‘I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin’ (7:14). It is ‘sin living in me’ that causes me to sin (7:17,20). There is something in me that is ‘waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me’ (7:23). The law was powerless ‘because it was weakened by the sinful nature’ (Romans 8:3). (Ciamp and Rosner, 1 Corinthians. pg. 835)

Oh, but there is more– “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Now, this is all wonderful information, exciting information, something that each and every one of us who belong to Jesus can look forward to, but what about today? What relevance does the doctrine of the resurrection have for today? I’m so glad you asked. Read verse 58 with me.

58 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 15:58 NIV)

All that we’ve been learning these past many weeks is true, therefore… Because all of these things are true, you and I have a resolve this world knows nothing about. Because our Lord lived, died, and is alive and well and making intercession for us at this very moment we have a mission that is undeniable, unrelenting, and unconquerable. Because these things are true and we know we have a future, a destiny that is unquestionable we can give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord because we know our labor is not in vain. I have only two questions for you. First, what is the work of the Lord? Is that just any work or does Paul have something specific in mind? Let me say that everything we do counts and therefore everything we give ourselves to should be for His glory and the blessing of those around us. With that said, I do believe that Paul has a specific work in mind and that is the work of the gospel, making Jesus known to everyone we know in any way we can make Him known. This is why Paul wrote, 

1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NIV)

There was so much going on in Corinth that Paul could have given himself to in the time he was there. The business community was bustling with international trade coming and going through the ports at Corinth. The theater was a hot ticket, but it wasn’t Paul’s concern. And then there were the philosophers, nothing in Corinth was as attractive as finding a seat to listen to the latest ideas being shared. Paul said, “I am on a mission. I have but one passion. I want you to know Jesus.” I’m not suggesting any of you quit your job and go to seminary. What I am suggesting is that you see the place where the Lord has put you as your congregation. Love them the way He has loved you. Care for them with the same intensity that He cares for you. Make Him known by the way you live your life and look for every opportunity to share the gospel with those around you. Here’s my second question: If you are here this morning and you have never publicly professed your belief that Jesus is God’s promised Savior and you’ve never professed your desire to become His follower…why would you not do that today? He loves you with an everlasting love my friend. Won’t you come forward and express your desire to follow Him this morning?Mike HaysBritton Christian Church922 NW 91stOKC, OK. 73114May 22, 2022