The Future of Our Bodies

Okay, well, good morning, everyone. Lovely to see you today. This is just the best day ever.

! Here's the deal. Really simply, either Christianity, sorry, either the tomb is empty or Christianity is empty.

It really is as simple as that. So let me welcome you to the day of all days as it centers on the man above all men.

Now, if you've got a Bible, you might want to turn to 1 Corinthians 15. If you didn't bring a Bible, you can grab one on the pews roundabout or on your phone.

We're going to read it in about five minutes time and the words will be on the screen.

But my aim over the next 20 minutes or so is to help us see that this is the day when everything changed.

Particularly as it concerns the future. And particularly as it concerns the future of our bodies.

Friends, there are contours to what Jesus achieved as he walked out of that tomb.

There are contours, there are dimensions, there are glories, there are colours, there are splendours that we will never stop seeing.

And it's been true in my life. The more that I've been a Christian, every single time Easter Sunday rolls around, it really is the best day of the year.

But also there's just things that I see that I've never seen before. So come and see these.

Now, let me try and get us into this. One of my favourite actors is a man called Eddie Redmayne.

Now you might disagree with me here, but for me his finest acting performance was when he played Stephen Hawking in the film A Theory of Everything.

And that's why Eddie Redmayne wrote the foreword to Stephen Hawking's last published book before he died.

And it's called Brief Answers to the Big Questions, which is a bold title, I think you'll agree.

The title piqued my interest in being a sucker for the buy now with one click feature on Amazon.

I bought it. And here's what Eddie Redmayne writes at the end of his foreword.

And I put it on the screen so that you can see it. And I'm pretty delighted with how this picture's turned out.

Here's what he writes.

I hope you enjoy his, talking to Stephen Hawking, I hope you enjoy his writings.

And to quote Barack Obama, I hope Stephen is having fun up there among the stars.

Love, Eddie.

Now you've heard that line before, I'm pretty confident.

The sentiment is lovely. The sentiment is lovely coming from a man like Eddie Redmayne about a man like Stephen Hawking.

That is until you realise the irony of what he's written there.

Because Stephen Hawking actually believed this about what happens to our bodies after we die.

He says this, there is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers.

That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

Now do you see the disconnect between those two things?

Here's the point.

When it comes to beliefs about what happens to our bodies after we die,

opinions abound.

And that's not just a modern day thing.

Human beings have always wondered what happens to us after we die.

It has happened down the generations.

It has happened across the civilisations.

And this passage that we're going to briefly look at from the Bible, and we're going to hear it read in a minute,

is written to a people who are living in an age and living in a city that is absolutely no different to that.

This letter written by a man called Paul some 2,000 years ago to a group of Christians living their lives in the city of Corinth,

which is just a little west of Athens.

Now if you're up in your Greek mythology, you'll know that many Greeks of this day believed in Hades.

Now if you're struggling to picture that, think Disney's Hercules.

That's where my mind always goes.

Hades, the god of the underworld.

And as for the Romans, well many believed that humans were transformed into special empowered beings after death,

and they kind of floated over family members, they watched over them.

Again friends, many, many opinions about what happens to us after we die.

But the Christian idea, the one that was birthed, given substance to in the first century friends,

is so radically different.

It is so radically different today.

It is so radically different then.

There is nothing like this, if I could put it like this, there is nothing like this out there on the market.

So different in fact that when Paul initially told the Christians in Corinth about it,

I reckon some of them were a little confused.

Did we hear them right?

Maybe they were a little embarrassed.

And so Paul writes these verses to give both them and us clarity in a world of ambiguity.

This is what happens to us after death.

This is what Christians believe.

Down to generations all across the world.

What happens to us after we die.

This is all about where the story of our lives is going.

In fact it is way bigger than that.

It is where the story of the whole cosmos is going.

And the foundation of it all

is Jesus' empty tomb.

Now Jamie and Hazel are going to come and read this for us.

And I just want to listen, want us to listen out for the three ideas that Paul uses here

to help them and us understand it.

Now just to help us as we track through this, here's the three of them.

Paul is going to draw three similes.

He's going to use three ideas to help them think about what it is like.

The first one is like a seed.

The second one is like an image.

And the third one is a bit more subtle, but it's in there if you look hard enough.

It's like a sheet.

And if you get lost at any point, here's the big idea.

That what happened to Jesus is going to one day happen to us

and is going to one day happen to all of creation.

So Jamie and Hazel, why don't you guys come up and we'll read this together.

And let's get into it, see what God has to say to us on this Easter Sunday.

Hi there, I'm Hazel.

I'm Jamie.

And we're going to do our reading this morning.

And Graeme's already said it's from 1 Corinthians 15.

So if you've not got it, if you could find it now.

And if anyone needs to get the church Bibles, you'll find it on page 1157.

Okay, I'm reading the first part.

But someone will ask, how are the dead raised?

With what kind of body will they come?

How foolish!

What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be but just a seed,

perhaps of wheat or of something else.

But God gives it a body as he is determined,

and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

Not all flesh is the same.

People have one kind of flesh.

Animals have another.

Birds another.

And fish another.

There are also heavenly bodies.

And there are earthly bodies.

But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind.

And the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.

The sun has one kind of splendor.

The moon another.

And the star is another.

And star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.

The body that is sown is perishable.

It is raised imperishable.

It is sown in dishonor.

It is raised in glory.

It is sown in weakness.

It is raised in power.

It is sown a natural body.

It is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

So it is written,

The first man Adam became a living being.

The last Adam, a living, giving spirit.

A life-giving spirit.

The spiritual did not come first, but the natural.

And after that, the spiritual.

The first man was of the dust of the earth.

The second man is of heaven.

As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth.

And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,

so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

I declare to you, brothers and sisters,

that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,

nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Listen, I tell you a mystery.

We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.

In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye,

at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,

the dead will be risen,

imperishable,

and we will be changed.

For the perishable must clothe itself

with the imperishable,

and the mortal with immortality.

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.

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin,

and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God,

he gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,

stand firm.

Let nothing move you.

Always give yourself fully

to the work of the Lord,

because you know

that your labor in the Lord

is not in vain.

Amen.

So Paul envisages

that some of these Corinthians

are struggling

to get their head around this.

The resurrection?

And so Paul anticipates

a question that they're going

to be asking.

It's verse 35,

if you've got it there.

How are the dead raised?

In other words,

how is this going to work?

And see how he logically

leads them through

all of this.

What will it be like, Paul?

Well, says Paul,

here's your first idea.

Did you see it?

It's like a seed.

And here's the logic

at verse 37.

When you sow a seed

into the ground,

you're not planting

what will be

the final product.

Do you see it?

In other words,

you don't plant

a tiny acorn

and in time

it grows to be

a giant acorn.

Right?

Like something out of

James and the Giant Peach.

Nor do you plant

an acorn

and it produces

lots of little acorns

just like it.

No, the logic

that God has woven

into nature

is that one day

you plant an acorn

but in time,

oak tree.

In one sense,

it's the same.

The DNA is all there

in the seed

but in another

truer sense,

it's been transformed

into something

radically

and gloriously

different.

Now,

Kate just told my thunder

a little bit

at the start.

She was bang on.

God has woven

clues about the future

into nature

that are whispers

of the resurrection,

dear friends,

all around us.

every seed

is telling us

a story.

Every tree

is proclaiming

to us

a truth.

The resurrection

is all

around us.

The transformation

concept

is all

around us.

Just like that,

Paul says,

there are earthly bodies

and there are

spiritual bodies.

Our earthly bodies

are the seed

and our spiritual

bodies

are the tree.

It's why

so many churches

have you ever thought

about this,

have graveyards.

It's what

people in the past

in churches

believed that they

were doing.

They were planting

the bodies

of believers

in anticipation

that one day

they will rise

to this

future.

Now,

what day is that?

Well,

see Paul say

verse 32.

He says,

which is his way

of saying,

here's the point,

this is what

it will be like

at the resurrection

of the dead.

Now,

that phrase

indicates

that we're not

talking

about

heaven

here.

Okay?

Heaven being

the place

that Christians

believe

that we go

if we die

before Jesus

comes back.

Heaven is

the place

where we are

with Jesus

spiritually.

But that's

not,

friends,

our forever

home.

In the words

of Tom Wright,

I love this,

no,

Christians believe

in life after

life after

death.

This is talking

about what

will happen

when Jesus

comes back

and when he

raises the

dead,

every human

being who's

ever lived

and to those

who have

rejected him,

who have

spurned the

opportunity to

receive him,

Jesus will

say,

away from

me.

As he judges

evil,

he will

consign them

to a place

of eternal

punishment.

But to all

those who

have trusted

him,

who have

thrown

themselves

upon his

grace,

he will

say,

come,

as he

ushers in

this new

creation

where he

rules

and where

he reigns

visibly

as king.

And there

and then,

friends,

we will have

transformed

bodies.

Verse 42,

bodies that

are

imperishable.

Now,

that word

should remind

us of the

fridge.

And those

foods in

our fridge

that have

a best

before date,

right?

Things that

decay.

And that's

what our

bodies do,

right?

It's why

footballers

don't get

long contracts

beyond the

age of 30.

It's why

Ronaldo is a

freak of

nature,

still playing

and banging

in the

goals

at 40.

It's why

we plan on

retiring at

65,

because we

realise that

our bodies

wither and

fade.

But then,

when Christ

returns,

when he

ushers this

new creation

in,

in our new

resurrection

bodies,

that will not

be a thing,

because they

will have

been raised

our bodies

in glory

and power.

Friends,

what happened

to Jesus

will one

day happen

to us

and will

one day

happen to

all of

creation.

And you

can imagine

the Corinthians

thinking,

well,

we can just

about get

our heads

around that

whole acorn

to oak

tree thing.

We kind

of get

that.

But what

will we

look like?

Well,

says Paul,

and here's

the second

idea,

it's like

an image.

What will

the spiritual

body look

like?

Well,

the minute

our bodies

are patterned

after,

see him spell

this out,

verse 47,

the man

of the dust

of the earth.

It's always

good to be

reminded,

isn't it,

now and again,

that our

bodies are

our dust.

I heard a

comedian talk

about the

fact that

we are

just really

walking

bottles of

water.

Right now,

all of us,

in terms of

our bodies,

we look

like,

we look

like Adam,

the first

human being

that God

made.

God breathed

life into

him as

after he

formed him

from the

dust of

the earth.

We bear

his

resemblance,

every single

one of us.

But then,

we will

look like

the heavenly

man.

Now,

who is this

heavenly man?

Well,

it's Jesus.

But if I

can put it

like this,

which Jesus?

It's not

the Jesus

who walked

the earth,

was crucified

and put in

the tomb,

Jesus.

We won't

look like

him.

Friends,

we will

look like

the walked

out of

the tomb

in his

resurrection

body,

never to

die again,

Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus.

When he

walked out

of that

tomb,

he was

the same

and yet

he was

wonderfully

different.

And you

get that

impression

as you

read the

gospels.

His

disciples,

they don't

recognize

him.

As he's

talking with

two of his

disciples on

the road to

Emmaus at

the end of

Luke's

gospel,

what do

they say

to him

as he's

walking and

talking?

They don't

recognize

him.

Are you

the only

one who

doesn't

know

what's

happened

in the

last few

days?

They don't

instantly

recognize

him.

But

John 21,

when the

disciples are

eating on

the beach,

they do

recognize

him.

It's the

Lord.

Jesus

comes to

Thomas and

says,

would you

touch the

marks in

my hands?

So Paul

writes,

verse 49,

just as we

now bear the

image of the

earthly man,

so then,

so then,

we will

bear the

image of

the heavenly

man.

our bodies

then,

will be

transformed

to look

like his.

When will

it happen?

It will

happen instantly,

in a flash.

See that

verse 52,

when Jesus

returns,

when he

raises the

dead,

his people,

those who

have trusted

in him,

will be

changed.

And it's

like we're

given a

new wardrobe.

See the

clothing language

at verse 53,

we will take

off.

the old

clothes on

which the

label read

perishable

and mortal.

And we

will put

on the

clothes which

read

imperishable

and

immortal.

That's what

we will look

like.

We will

look like

him.

Friends,

what happened

to Jesus

on that

day

will one

day happen

to us

and will

one day

happen to

all of

creation.

okay,

you hear

them say,

we've

kind of

got a

better idea

now of

what it

might look

like,

but what

will it

feel like?

And this

is where

Paul gives

them the

third idea.

He's saying

it's like

a sheet.

It will

feel like a

sheet that

was once

hanging over

us has

now

completely

been

lifted.

Verse 54,

when we're

clothed with

our new

bodies,

then the

saying will

come true,

death has

been swallowed

up in

victory.

That will

be the

chant on

the terraces

of heaven.

As I've

heard somebody

once put

it,

you're not

stinging

anymore.

And he's

quoting there

from Isaiah

25,

God there

is talking

about how

one day

he will

destroy

the sheet

that

currently

hangs over

all of

humanity,

the sheet

of death

and all

its

children,

grief,

pain,

suffering,

loss.

Friends,

we are

currently

living under

the sheet.

We are

like

hedgehogs.

We've got

so used to

living underground

it.

We've got

no categories

really to

describe what

life is like

up there in

the light

because we're

so used to

the dark.

We cannot

fathom a

world without

sin.

We cannot

imagine a

world that

is free of

crime and

of sickness

and of

pain and

of death.

Friends,

some of us,

I know we are

right there

right now.

We are

feeling the

sting of

death and

let this

come as

a wonderful

balm for

your soul.

There is

going to be

a place

where there

are no

more police

stations

and where

doctors

everywhere will

have been

made redundant.

Our God

is telling

us that

one day

he will

fully and

finally act

to take

away the

sheet that

covers us

at the

minute.

And like

some kind

of giant

Pac-Man,

he's going

to swallow

it up

forever.

And with

it gone,

he will

wipe away

tears.

You ever

thought about

the fact

that there's

coming a

day when

you will

have cried

your last

tear?

And he

will remove

our disgrace

and our

shame.

Fully

and finally,

friends,

we will be

rid of the

sin that

plagues us

so often.

And it's

not just our

bodies that

will go through

this transformation.

The entire

cosmos will

go through

it as

well.

And then

God will

sing over

us,

where,

oh,

death is

your

victory?

Where,

oh,

death is

your

sting?

And we've

got to

understand

that Christ

Jesus,

on that

day,

if our

faith is

in him,

that was

our

resurrection

day too

in a

sense.

All that

he achieved

there,

because our

faith is

in him,

friends,

that victory

is now

our victory.

on that

day will

be our

victory.

Friends,

right now,

know today

that you

are free

from the

penalty of

sin,

because Jesus

died on the

cross in

our place

for our

sin.

And that

can be yours

this morning

if you put

your trust

in him.

We are free

from the

penalty of

it.

When he

walked out

that tomb,

he showed

the price

has been

paid.

And we

are free

now from

the power

of sin.

Because his

spirit lives

in us,

helping us

to say

no to

sin and

yes to

sin,

the things

that used

to dominate

and direct

us.

We are

free from

the power

of sin.

And one

day we

will be

free from

the presence

of sin

and death

because we

will be in

the very

presence of

the God

who redeemed

us and

saved us

and brought

him to

himself.

Do you

see that

what happened

to Jesus

on that

day will

one day

when he

returns

gloriously

happen to

us and

it will

happen to

all of

creation.

Friends,

there are

contours,

there are

dimensions,

there are

colours,

there are

glories,

there are

splendours

to this

day that

we should

never stop

breathing in

and living

in.

This is

your future.

If your

trust is in

him today,

no matter

how you're

feeling,

no matter

how weak

you think

your faith

is,

no matter

how painful

it might

feel right

now,

this is

your future.

And so

as we begin

to draw

this to a

close,

can I just

leave you

with one

question?

And it

is brought

to you by

a band

called

Keen.

And they

had a

song,

I remember

when I

was at

uni this

came out,

it was

called

Somewhere

Only We

Know and

it kind

of made

a comeback

last summer

and that's

why it's

on my

Spotify

playlist

now.

But this

is the

song,

oh simple

thing,

where have

you gone?

I'm getting

old and I

need something

to rely on.

And so here's

the question

friends,

what are you

relying on?

You know,

there's a

man in the

States,

his name

is Don

Carson.

He's one

of the

greatest

Christian

thinkers I

think of

the last

couple of

decades.

He's now

aged 78.

He's from

Canada and

he's been

suffering in

the last

few years of

his life

from Parkinson's

disease.

We know

how horrendous

a thing that

is.

And he

wrote an

open letter

recently to

his friends

about his

decision to

retire from

public ministry.

He just feels

like he hasn't

got the energy

to do it.

And in the

letter he

talked about

how the

limitations of

that disease

are beginning

to take

its toll

on his

body.

Physically

it's slowing

him down.

But by

far the

hardest part

of it is

the impact

that it's

having on

his mind.

He recalls

in this

letter trying

to convince

his neurologist

that they

were in

fact living

in 2008.

And he

was unable

to remember

the name

of the

first

president

of the

United

States.

And you

can hear

in this

letter his

heartbreak

that cognitively

he's beginning

to lose it a

little bit.

But here's

what he said

despite the

heartbreak of

that update

here's how he

ended that

letter.

He said this.

He said

I am not

suffering from

anything that

a good

resurrection

can't fix.

Do you

hear the

faith in

those words?

As horrible

as that is

that is not

where his

story ends.

Friends

there is a

new great

day in our

diaries.

Jesus'

resurrection

is the

beginning of

the remaking

of all

things.

His

glorious

new life

his total

defeat of

death he

will powerfully

share with

all those

who come

to him

today.

This

world is

not all

that there

is.

This

life is

not how

it will

remain.

God has

stepped into

the world

to redeem

it.

And if you

know him

know that

this is your

future.

Verse 58

this is why

he can write

this.

Stand

firm.

You see it

in the text

verse 58

stand firm.

Let nothing

move you.

Give

yourselves

fully to

the work

of the

Lord

knowing that

your labor

your work

for him.

Do you ever

think this to

yourself?

Does it

making any

difference?

What's the

point?

Here's what

Paul says.

Know that

your labor

for him

your trust

in him

is not

in vain.

And so

that's why

Isaiah 25

God's people

declare in

that day

this is our

God.

We waited

for him

and he

came if I

can paraphrase

that he

came and

he triumphed

for us.

Friends our

labor for him

and our trust

in him

is not in

vain.

Let me pray

and maybe

let's just

take a moment

just before we

sing and close

our time

together.

Friends why

don't we

take a moment

just to be

silent.

For some

of us this

will be maybe

the first time

we've heard

this stuff.

Maybe we've

never thought

about Jesus

before.

For all of

us as

others of

us.

Friends I

know that

we're going

through some

serious stuff

and maybe

I pray that

God's spirit

will be

bringing a

fresh

knowledge

knowledge

of what

he has

achieved

through his

son for us

on the cross

to our

hearts right

now.

And so

glorious God

on this

wonderful

Easter Sunday

we celebrate

the resurrection

of your

son.

And in the

same way

that the

sun rises

may the

light of

his victory

over death

shine into

our hearts.

Would you

fill us

this morning

with joy

and gratitude

gratitude

and may

we leave

here today

buoyed

by the

hope

and the

new life

that is

found in

him

who walked

out of

that tomb

having

declared

on the

cross

that it

is

finished.

Father we

thank you

for your

love for

us this

day.

We thank

you that

we have a

saviour

who is not

dead

but is

alive.

Lord would

you lift

the eyes

of our

hearts

to him

today

and this

is our

prayer

in his

wonderful

and in

his strong

name we

pray.

Amen.