The Discovery of an Astounding Future | Rev. Paul Lawler

What if death itself is destined to die? The Apostle Paul shows how the resurrection reveals a future so astounding it reshapes everything we do now.

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[0:17] Thank you, worship team, for leading us into the presence of God. If you have a Bible with you, I want to invite you to open it or turn your Bible on. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, excuse me, chapter 16. No, 15, that's right. 16 is, we're going to pick that up toward the end of December. 1 Corinthians 15, I'm going to read verses 50 through 58. I want to invite you to hear God's word.

[0:40] So I tell you the truth, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on the immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. So church, because we do not want to move forward in the flesh, let's take a moment and let's pray because we need the Holy Spirit's help. Let's pray together.

[1:53] So, Father, it was you who inspired the writer to write the words, not by might, not by power, or in a reference to anything that was human or fallen, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. So we pause, not because it's customary to do, we pause because we honor you. We pause because we know where our help comes from. We pause because you are God and there is none other. We pause because we petition for the help of the Holy Spirit to come alongside us and to illuminate your living word, and we pray that you penetrate joint and marrow and get inside of us and grow us up for your glory, and we pray this in the name and power of Jesus. Amen. So, church, I want to share a few things that are unique about Memphis. So, here we go. First of all, we're in the state of Tennessee. Write that down in case you didn't know it. But Tennessee is the fifth most religious state in the nation.

[3:02] 44% of the people in Tennessee are deeply religious. Memphis has been suggested, or it has been suggested, is one of the capitals of the Bible belt. In fact, in Memphis, it's a region known for its strong Christian faith. In fact, one report specifically ranks Memphis as being fifth in the nation as having the most churches per capita. In fact, in Memphis, Tennessee, there is one church for every 804 people. And that tells us a lot. But here's one of the things it tells us.

[3:41] You live in a city that is supersized in terms of your exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ. supersized, You have, even if you don't go to church here, and you don't go to church anywhere in Memphis, you're going to rub elbows with people who know Jesus, who know the gospel, and this makes Memphis, Tennessee one of the most unique places in the world. I want to remind you as we journey forward today that two to three billion people on this planet have no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to remind you this morning that 84% of the Muslims on this planet will grow up, will be born, grow up, live and die, never meet a Christian, never have any exposure to what you have exposure to in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as we journey forward, I want to invite you, as I talk to you today on the topic, based on the text, the topic of if your life's in Christ.

[4:47] What this means for your future. And I want to invite you as a holy sidebar to be mindful that as you receive the gift of the gospel and the gift that's all before you in your future that Paul talks about today and the implications for how you should live in light of the gift that you have through the gospel, be mindful that the majority of the world has no access to this and we should not be indifferent to that reality. So as we journey forward, let me move first as the text takes us to this place of these qualities that are available to you because your life is in Christ. First of all, let's affirm if your life is in Christ, God has before you what's coming, what we would call an instantaneous quality. Look at the text with me, verses 50 and 52. He says, I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. But I tell you a mystery. Here it is. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Get this.

[5:57] In a moment, in a moment, if I want to have a little fun, I'd invite you to snap your fingers with me and go, in a moment, but I don't want to have any fun right now. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Now, what that tells us, loved ones, is that what's coming for you one day, if your life is in Christ, is that literally, just like that, in a moment, twinkling of an eye, you will experience an instantaneous transformation into a resurrected body. The Bible, when it refers to the last trumpet, that's a terminology that conveys that the transformation that's coming will be final. And so we recognize there's an instantaneous quality in your life that's ahead of you if your life is in Christ. But Paul goes on to say that it's not only an instantaneous quality, it's an imperishable quality. Look with me again at the text as he's saying, what's coming in your life will endure forever. Look at, again, he says, verse 52 and 53, for the trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised imperishable. We shall be changed for this perishable body must put on imperishable. Now, if we were to journey into your home this morning and open your refrigerator.

[7:17] No doubt there are certain things in the refrigerator that have dates in which the contents will perish. Some of you have leftovers in your refrigerator. And so in light of that, we recognize there are things that will perish now. Paul is teaching us here that your body is going to be raised up in an instantaneous fashion one day in a non-perishable quality. In other words, it will endure forever. Try to wrap your head around that, forever.

[7:50] Thirdly, it will take on an immortal quality, which means, again, living forever, never dying. And he cites this again in verses 52 to 53, if you want to look there with me. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable. We shall be changed again in a moment, for this perishable body must put on imperishable. But note this, this mortal body will put on immortality. So note what's happening here, what's coming for you if your life is in Christ, an instantaneous change that's imperishable and immortal. Now this has implications, loved ones. Paul writes, when the perishable puts on the imperishable, when the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass what is written. And so what he does is he pulls out of the Old Testament and cites God's plan for thousands of years for you when your life's in Christ. And he says this, verse 54 and 55, death is swallowed up in victory.

[8:59] Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? And so when he says it's written, he's quoting the prophet Isaiah here, which he was predicting what's coming for you, believer. Now, I'm going to circle back to that in a moment. But what I want to do for just a moment is I want to read to you a quote. It's from an unknown source, and it's about a preacher. So hear this quote.

[9:30] 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 he speaks in every language. He visits the poor. He calls upon the rich. He preaches to people in 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 bring in bringing tears to the 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. The name of this preacher is death.

[10:12] Every tombstone is his pulpit. Every newspaper prints his text. And someday, every single one of you will be his sermon. And what Paul the Apostle is preaching in these verses is what the prophet predicted, that one day that preacher will be retired, that one day that preacher will no longer have a job left. One day, here it is, church, listen closely. Death itself is going to die. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, when the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written. And that is where Paul quotes out of the Old Testament, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? He is making reference to something written over a thousand years ago out of Isaiah 25, 8, where the Lord declares he will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, the reproach of his people. He will take away from the earth for the Lord has spoken. But that's not the only place this reality is cited in the Bible. If we were to turn to the book of Hosea, Hosea writes.

[11:35] As the Lord declares, I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues. O grave, I will be thy destruction. In other words, God is announcing the death of death. In other words, he's going to end it. Death will be no more. He is going to destroy it. And if you note from those passages, the language in which God declares it is very strong. Death is swallowed up in victory. This word in the original language literally means it's eaten up, totally consumed. And so the prophets predicted that this day would come when death would die. And Paul is citing that in this passage in 1 Corinthians 15. Now, we all get the following, that in the natural, death seems undefeatable. But in the spirit, Jesus has defeated death through his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. And those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, loved one, you in Christ will defeat it too. Death has no victory. Death has no sting. It cannot hurt you, glory to God, I might add.

[13:00] Now, look with me, verses 56 through 57, where Paul writes these words. By the way, if you have a Bible open, that would be really helpful as we journey through this. So note what he says, the sting of death is sin. Now, what does he mean by that? Well, death is a part of the curse of sin. And death didn't exist in the original creation. But when the fall came into the created order, death was introduced.

[13:30] If you've ever read the book of Genesis, you probably notice that the early patriarchs lived long lives, right? And a lot of scholars speculate that in the original creation, as humanity lived fully in the presence of God, they're living into their full design as God intended. And so life was extended. It was very long. But as the presence of God through the fall, as the effects faded, life got short. Order, and certainly that death was introduced as a part of the fall. So the sting of death is sin. But notice what Paul goes on to write, and the power of sin is the law. What does that mean? The power of sin is the law. Well, the bottom line is that the power of sin operates in a way where the law doesn't solve our sin problem. And so the power of sin is the law. But what the law does is the law exposes our need for a savior because we've all broken the law. And that's why Paul writes, to put it all together, the sting of death is sin. The power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, why does he say this?

[14:53] Church, he says this because the law doesn't solve our sin problem and it can't solve our death problem. But thanks be to God, Jesus Christ solves both. Amen? Church, get this, that what he's declaring, again, is that the law can't solve your sin problem and the law can't solve your death problem. But Jesus Christ solves both. May I invite you in your heart to latch on to that reality? Because Paul, the apostle, is going somewhere with this. This has implications for your life. What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, but lose your soul? This is huge in connotations. This is why Paul now moves to this word, therefore. In other words, because Jesus Christ has conquered your sin problem, and Jesus Christ has conquered your death problem, this is unto something. That's why he writes in verse 58, Therefore.

[15:58] Therefore, and as I have often reminded you, any time you see in the Bible the word therefore, you need to pause and look at what it's there for. This is unto something. And so what is it unto? Paul writes it here. Therefore, my beloved brothers, in light of the fact that Jesus conquering your sin problem and he's conquered your death problem, beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work in the Lord, your labor in the Lord is not in vain. This word steadfast that he uses here means to be steady, constant, settled, immovable. In other words, it carries the idea of being firm and sure. So in other words, the gospel of Jesus, Jesus who took care of your sin problem, the resurrection of Jesus, which the connotation is if he's risen, you will also rise one day, is why you and I would be immovable in our trials and sufferings that we experience in this life. holding on to Christ.

[17:14] So many of you know, I've been away a bit, and I was in Asia with a Christ Church team serving among unreached people groups, many who had never heard the name Jesus before. And I am not naming the country because this sermon goes on the radio and is broadcast on the internet, and it's a persecuted country. And so therefore, it's not wise for me to name the specific country, but it's a persecuted country in Asia. Now, one day, a little more than a week ago, I had the honor of going out with one of the teams to share the gospel and engage in discipleship with one of the Christ Church team members named Carrie Peebles and her translator and pastor. And Carrie did an awesome job of sharing the gospel and being faithful, representing the Christchurch family as you were praying, and God's advancing his heart around the earth. But I noticed something about the 33-year-old pastor translator on her team. It was a female pastor, and she had cotton in her ears. And I had noticed it and thought, Maybe I can build enough rapport Where I could ask Why do you have cotton in your ears?

[18:40] And it turned out That her story When I asked Unfolded like this She used to be With an organization Called the RSS Now many of you know What country we were in And you can do a Google search Put in that country And just the letters RSS And a question mark I'd appreciate if you not do that right now.

[19:04] And you will find that this is a wing of a political party that persecutes Christians.

[19:11] And I found out that this young lady had been a part of the RSS. She persecuted Christians. And some of that persecution is violent. And that's a simple Google search as well.

[19:26] And what had happened is that she had heard the gospel from faithful Christians repeatedly and had witnessed that they were willing to suffer for Christ. They kept persevering. In other words, as Paul is teaching us right here, they know the power of the gospel and they know their future is secure in Christ. They know that a new day is coming with resurrected bodies. They're persevering in the midst of persecution. And this made her ask some questions. What is going on in them that they're being so faithful, telling me when I'm persecuting them about the love of God? Well, God got a hold of her heart, and she came to know Jesus Christ. That's not the end of the story. The question is, why does she have cotton in her ears? And it turned out, when she became a believer several years ago, that she too began to share the gospel with people. And she was persecuted in her country. And a member of the RSS approached her when she was proclaiming the gospel and took his fist and struck her across the head and busted her eardrum.

[20:44] She was not deterred. She persevered and has continued to proclaim the gospel. Why? Because she understands that the gospel has birthed her into an eternal kingdom. And she understands that because of the resurrection that's ahead of her, that is instantaneous and imperishable and immortal.

[21:09] That she's immovable in her trials and her suffering for the cause of Christ. And so, loved ones, let this be a lesson to us that the resurrection that awaits you is reason not to be shaken when we face death, when we face trials, when we face challenges, or when our loved ones go to be with the Lord. But note what Paul says in regard to this, therefore, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Now, if you have your Bible open, I want to invite you to take a pen and circle the word always, always, not most of the time, not some of the time, but notice what the Bible says. It says, always at work in the Lord. In fact, there's a modifier there. It says, not only we always, but it says always abounding in the work of the Lord. For something to be abounding means that it has abundance or it has access.

[22:07] So therefore, our instruction here is in light of the fact that Jesus has secured your future through bleeding and dying for your sins, and you have the security of a resurrected immortal body that's ahead of you, oh, let us overflow with good works for the Lord. And you may ask, how is this possible? Well, let me ask you this question. How was it possible in Paul's life when he suffered, when he was beaten repeatedly or shipwrecked or in prison? How was that possible in his life? Well, Paul answers that question. If we were to go back to verse 10 in chapter 15, this is what Paul says. This is his testimony of how that's possible. He says, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain.

[23:01] On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is at work in me. I once again, I want to remind you, church, when you see the word grace in the New Testament, many times we associate the word grace only with forgiveness. And it does mean that, but I want to remind you of what's available to you. Most of the time when you see the word grace in the New Testament, it is a reference to the empowerment of God that's available to you. I want to remind you, the scripture says God is able to make all grace abound towards you. That's like waves of tsunami grace, just wave after wave coming at you. That's coming upon you holy spirit power and that's how paul lived it out the grace of god not only forgiving his sin, but fueling him in ways where he could overflow in the work of the Lord. Now, you know what this means, loved ones?

[24:03] What this means for all of us is there's no such thing in the kingdom of, you know what, I've done my part.

[24:10] That doesn't exist. There's no way that exists because based upon what we see here in the testimony of what Paul's lifting up, we don't stop working for the Lord, serving the Lord, being fruitful for the Lord because we have trials or because we have problems. We don't stop overflowing for the glory of the Lord for any reason. Can somebody say amen to that?

[24:36] Hey, are you out there, church family? Paul says that nothing stopped him from working, from serving the Lord because he understood that the grace of God is at work in him. And if we've stopped overflowing with the excess of the work of the Lord, we have stopped appreciating the grace of God that is available to us abundantly through what Christ has done at the cross and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has given you victory over sin and death, and he will raise you to new life again in the person of Jesus Christ, overflowing in the work of the Lord. Now, loved ones, I would remind you that there are many ways to overflow in the work of the Lord, and that we can't count them all. Praying for a neighbor to know Christ, praying for a colleague to know Christ, praying for a family member to know Christ, speaking the good news to them so they may know Christ, because how will they hear unless someone tells them. By the way, let me remind you that.

[25:45] The church of Jesus Christ really doesn't battle persecution as long as she stays huddled. Now, don't get me wrong. We're supposed to huddle in worship.

[25:57] But where the body of Christ historically faces persecution is when you begin to move out of the walls of the church and in your saltiness.

[26:09] Get on mission for Jesus and begin to share the gospel with people. Remember what Jesus said, beware when all people speak well of you. And what he's referring to is that you should be salty enough where at times people misunderstand you or even people persecute you. But there should be overflow, loved ones, emanating out of love for God and love for people who are far from God. But teaching children, students, adults, serving on a serve team or serving the imprisoned or the poor or the broken, I remind you what the word of God says. You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Your work in the Lord is not a waste of time. Your service is not useless. Your saltiness is not a waste. Your giving of your heart, your time, your resources is not empty. And the apostle Paul reminds us that as he states this with some in negative terms, I would like to take a moment and express it in positive terms. That is, the giving to the kingdom of your life has meaning. It's not in vain. Your work in the Lord has value. Your work in the Lord will be rewarded by God. Now, let me pause and just ask you a question. Here it is. Just reflect on this.

[27:29] What do you value supremely in life?

[27:34] What do you think is most important in life? The Apostle Paul, the Word of God is telling us that the work in the Lord has value, that your work in the Lord is not for nothing. Therefore, because of your hope in the resurrection that's coming for you and what Christ has done for you through forgiving your sin at the cross, be constant, be constant in fruitfulness, Overflow in the work of the Lord always, knowing that your work for the Lord is valuable and will be rewarded. That's not your pastor's opinion. That's right here in the text. Years ago, there was a missionary named E.P. Scott. He set out to visit a remote village that had never heard the name of Jesus before in India.

[28:27] And as he neared their land, he was suddenly surrounded by these savages from the village, all warriors pointing spears straight at him. And so as he's surrounded by all of these savage warriors, he's assuming that his death is imminent. And so as he expects a quick death, the missionary pulled out his violin and he began playing and singing a song that he customized in their native tongue. It's a song many of you are familiar with, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name. Many of you know the lyrics, All hail the power of Jesus' name, Let angels prostrate fall, Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him Lord of all. And then he got to one of the latter verses, Let every tribe and every tongue on this terrestrial ball To him, all majesty, ascribe and crown him Lord of all.

[29:32] And when these primitive people heard these words, played along or sung along with a violin, each of them lowered their spears, and some of them began to weep. E.P. Scott spent the rest of his life ministering to these primitive people, discipling them, getting them established in Christ as they came to know Jesus. Now, the hymn he sang was written by a man named Edward Perrine. Perrine was a pastor who worked closely with John and Charles Wesley for many years in the 18th century revival in England. At that time, and I think it's important to remind you of this, Methodists were savagely persecuted, paid a great price as they took the gospel outside the walls of the church, and yet at the same time, God used it to bring revival to a nation. And according to John Wesley's diary.

[30:36] Edward did not escape his share of persecution as he followed Jesus. There was a day when Perrine was proclaiming the gospel, and he was knocked down by a crowd, thrown down, rolled over in the mud and the mire. And yet, Perrinei got up and persevered. And through the years, God used him, along with the Wesley brothers, of seeing thousands upon thousands won for Jesus Christ. What sustained, what strengthened a man like Perrinei?

[31:17] He knew in Christ that his sins were forgiven and that he had been reconciled to God, and that his heart had been warmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit, witnessing that he's a child of God. And this love that was awakened in him, he also, out of that same love, had a love for others to know what he now knows in Christ. What anchored him? What anchored him was the awareness that one day he would have a new body, that death had no power over him, that God would instantaneously resurrect him, that God would bring an imperishable and immortal quality to his life that goes on forever and ever. And that confidence anchored him to persevere. Church, I have two things I want to challenge you with this morning as we close. Here's the first one. Based upon the Word of God and based upon what the Apostle Paul reveals in this passage, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. That's what the Bible says to do.

[32:21] Examine your own heart that in light of what God in Christ has done for me in bleeding and dying there, is my life in Christ? Am I in church or is my life in Christ. Have I put my faith and trust in him as Lord and Savior, surrendered my life, my will, my being to him, and trusting that what he's done on a cross cleanses my heart, cleanses my sin, and reconciles me to God. But second, here's the second thing I want to challenge you with this morning. Here it is. Develop. Believer, believer.

[33:00] Develop a theology of suffering for Jesus. You so seldom hear this in the Western church. Maybe the first time you've ever heard a pastor challenge you in this way, but develop a theology and understanding that suffering for Christ, that as you follow Jesus and as you're salty in the workplace, in the marketplace, there are going to be people who don't understand you. There are going to be people who push back on the message of the gospel. And that's part of why Jesus says things like, hey, listen, if you're going to follow me, count the cost. Understand that. What person doesn't first measure the cost of building a tower before he or she begins to build it? Can I encourage you, based upon the Word of God, to develop a theology that understands that there are going to be time when the culture doesn't understand you, when the culture doesn't give you the label of you've got the best reputation because you follow Jesus Christ. You do realize it is impossible to follow him without being labeled countercultural in some way. Do you understand? If you understand that, would you say amen? I mean, that is true, loved ones. And so when we're looking at the testimony that Paul raises up here upon a church called Corinthians, remember, they are in a land where they are persecuted. They are living in a land where there are many gods that are being worshiped.

[34:29] And so in light of the truth of the gospel, that Jesus has secured your life eternally, if you're in Christ, and Jesus in the word has promised that an instantaneous change is coming that also involves you becoming immortal and imperishable for the glory of God. Loved ones, you have complete hope to stand strong for the glory of God. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's pray together for a moment. God, I ask that you would, Grant the gift, Lord, of the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit that draws us to Jesus, that gifts us with your kindness that leads to repentance.

[35:17] Some of us gathered in this space were lukewarm, and you didn't have kind things to say about lukewarm Christians. And so I can't convict anyone, Lord That's your job, And so I pray, knowing that your motive is love I pray that your love would work up and down the aisles Of the Christchurch family, And that you would do the convicting, That, Lord, you would do the wooing.

[35:53] That, Lord, you would demonstrate that when you say that I'm giving you resurrection power, you would make it clear that's not make-believe. And I pray, Lord, that your grace that you're able to make abound toward us would abound toward the Christ Church family. And Lord, I pray, raise up oaks of righteousness one at a time through your gospel and through your power. And we pray it in the name and power of Jesus. Amen.