The Great Refrain

we spend much of our lives afraid of death we are like that little kid who is afraid of a monster in the closet until the father comes in in the middle of the night and turns the light on we live our lives afraid of this nasty monster in the closet the monster of death but when Jesus rose from the dead he walked into the dark room of this world and he turned the lights [Music] on hey let's give it up for all of our great volunteers who served so great last week and really every week here at Cross Church but uh especially on Easter there is a lot to do on Easter i know that because I used to do stuff on Easter uh this is a weird past uh couple of weeks for me um this past Easter was the first Easter Sunday that I didn't preach in 41 years yeah I'm old that's all that tells you is I'm really old uh and uh I I'm not going to lie not preaching on Easter was a little weird uh but it was not all bad uh I got to hear some great sermons from our young campus pastors across our collection and uh then uh I got to actually sit with my son in church uh at his church in Scottsdale for the first time in my adult life and his adult life we we actually sat next to each other in church and during this whole season I found some other things that are interesting matter of fact uh a couple months ago Tanya and I uh went to our Phoenix campus to attend there and went to the early service so on the way back uh we we decided to go to breakfast and um did you know there is such a thing I never knew this as Sunday brunch like but literally I'm sitting in there like a Baptist in a bar i'm like I hope somebody doesn't see me like it's in the middle of church hours and I'm eating breakfast so it's kind of weird but uh in a good way uh however preaching today uh while I'm not preaching on Easter is uh the next best thing because uh this text that we're going to look at and I invite you to open your Bible to the last half of 1 Corinthians 15 is almost like preaching on Easter um one of the good things about being in my new role is I get to sort of cherrypick text uh they'll ask me "Can you preach on that Sunday?" And I'll look at the text like "No I ain't touching that one." Uh as for you guys you handle divorce and remarage oh I'm I'm I'm going to be busy that day u But uh this text is like cherrypicking now if you're not familiar with the term cherry-picking uh that's a basketball term and it refers to a guy that uh doesn't get all the way back down the court uh for defense and there's a missed shot and a rebound and they throw it to him and he gets like a freebie layup on the other end that's cherry-picking if that still isn't enough description think LeBron James all right uh he's the master cherrypicker and so I am when it comes to text so we're going to be jumping into 1 Corinthians 15 here and just by way of getting us started there are three key thoughts that I want you to extract from the text with you this morning first of all uh this is so important that God has set eternity in all of our hearts god has set eternity in all of our hearts one of our favorite verses around here is Ecclesiastes 3:11 it says that very thing that he has made everything appropriate in his time he has also put eternity in their hearts but no one can discover the work God has done from the beginning to end god has put in all of our hearts eternity uh I think on the screen here is a picture of some really cool looking kids uh those are my grandkids uh this is my new ministry uh this is my new focus group but uh up there to the top right is uh uh Baker uh no Baker and Harper and Harper's looking like why are you setting me next to Baker down here is our oldest granddaughter Baylor and Hadley and over here is Maverick and Hudson and uh you know they're just such a joy and a blessing and you look at those little babies and I've got that opportunity over the last 3 months to hold in the hospital room these little bitty babies and the truth of their life and the truth of your life and everyone's life in this world is that God has put eternity in their hearts and Paul references here an obscure passage and an obscure practice that proves this look with me in verse 29 he's talking about the resurrection and you looked at the first half the resurrection of Jesus last week and now he's going to move in and talk about the the possibility of our bodies being resurrected one day and he says "Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead if the dead are not raised at all then why are people baptized for them?" Now this verse and we'll explain it a little bit in just a moment sets before us that inside every human heart is this innate desire for eternity and that's why people do silly things like being baptized for the dead this is not something that is encouraged by the Apostle Paul here this is not something that you find the early apostles in any place in scripture in all of acts or any of the epistles practicing but he is observing that there is this practice inside Corinth which was full of all kinds of pagan rituals and practices this practice inside of Corenth people actually coming to church or the temple or wherever and being baptized for dead people why in the world would they do that unless somewhere deep inside of their heart they knew there must be something past this life paul is not encouraging this he is simply referencing this paul is not encouraging in case you're wondering Mormonism but there are other silly things that we do also that reflect our innate desire for eternity the practice of penance that is paying for our sins or the sins of our dead loved ones through money or merit and Paul is not encouraging in this passage Catholicism or rhetoric you hear at funerals have you ever noticed how religious and mystical complete pagans get at the death of a loved one they'll always say if you'll listen closely "Well he or she is in a better place." I'm convinced you could attend the funeral of a mass murderer and somebody would say "Well he's in a better place." Uh but but understand that may not be entirely true he is in another place because God has put eternity in all of our hearts but he or she may not be in a better place because 5 seconds after you're dead you're either eternally in heaven or you're eternally in hell or think about this concept you see Paul's not encouraging Mormonism he's not encouraging Catholicism he's certainly not encouraging universalism and then another thing that we do the the baptism for the sake of salvation practice that we think about this is not baptism for the dead but these are people that believe if I get baptized or any other spiritual ritual that you want to fill the blank with that means I will be saved uh I attended church i told you I attended four services this past weekend probably more than some of you um and one of the church services I attended very well-known church the preacher was amazing i mean everything all of the graphics on the screen everything was just perfect i'm like man I wish I was like that um and he was preaching on how to become a Christian there is no list none at all and I was like "Amen man that's the gospel of grace I came to hear." And then at the end of the sermon he created a list he said "Salvation is as simply as admitting that you're a sinner." I believe that everybody believe that amen amen it is believing in Jesus everybody believe that amen and then he said the ABCs it is confessing by baptism and if you will be baptized and matter of fact we have the baptistry open after services just go out there and be baptized i'm thinking what if I'm in the service and I'm lost and I die of a heart attack between the time the end of the service and I get to the tank now don't get me wrong we believe in the importance of baptism you saw all these beautiful pictures of people's baptism and more coming in the next couple of weeks but baptism does not save you the work of Christ on the cross is what saves you baptism is important it doesn't save you if that were the case the thief on the cross would have been toast because he was never baptized so Paul does not encourage Mormonism in this text he does not encourage Catholicism in this text he does not encourage universalism in this text nor does he encourage incrementalism we aren't saved by a series of incremental good or religious deeds or acts done by us or for us he is simply saying the reason people are baptized for the dead is they have an understanding somewhere in their heart that there has to be something after this life there's a second key thought um it's probably the most controversial key thought that I'll share today god has put eternity in all of your hearts but God has not put eternity in the hearts of your pets let me give you a verse verse 35 but someone will ask "How are the dead raised what kind of body will they have when they come?" You fool what you sow does not come to life unless it dies and as for you that sow are you not sowing the body that will be not only a seed perhaps of wheat or grain but God gives it a body as he wants and look at verse 39 not all flesh is the same flesh there is one flesh for humans and another for animals another for birds and another for the fish i've got some news for you this morning all dogs do not go to heaven as a matter of fact I think the Bible teaches that no dogs go to heaven we still friends all right if we can't agree on that at least we can believe that no cats go to heaven amen i'm drinking out of my favorite mug here i don't know if you can see it get a closeup of it it's my coffee mug that I was given years ago and uh uh I used to have a little saying in here before they made me stop preaching that said cats uh are for kicking amen somebody I don't know who made me this mug and I've I use it all the time i love it uh it's a reminder of a biblical principle that God has not put eternity in the hearts of your pets why is this though because only mankind has been made in the true image of God and as his imagebearers we are the only ones that were made for eternity and eternity in heaven or in hell here's the third key thought and this is what I want to rest on the rest of the time today is resurrection 1.0 that is Jesus's resurrection guarantees for us resurrection 2.0 know that is our resurrection what am I saying is because Jesus rose from the dead we looked at that last Sunday those who know Jesus as savior will also rise from the dead because Jesus rose from the dead life has meaning and life has purpose because Jesus rose from the dead life has hope and we have confidence it is the great refrain of the Christian faith because he lives I can face tomorrow because he lives all fear is gone because he lives I know he holds the future and because he lives life is worth the living just because he lives now we see this unpacked by the apostle Paul in the 15th chapter this means that because of his resurrection our resurrection means there will be personal change look with me in verse 51 of chapter 15 it says "Listen I'm telling you a mystery we will not all fall asleep but we will all 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 incorruptible and we will be changed say that with me we will be changed say it again we will be changed these old bodies that are decaying and and tearing up and running down are going to be changed i'm at the stage of life now that uh things that shouldn't hurt are hurting anybody else there yeah yeah i I have I am developing arthritis in my left hand and so in the middle of the night I'll wake up with my hand hurting i haven't swung a hammer i haven't uh worked construction during the day i went to the office i read my Bible and took some notes with my right hand and yet my left hand is getting some arthritis in it let me tell you something paul is saying here that arthritic hand changed those limited bodies changed those cancerous organs and cells changed those decaying eyes changed some of you what are you saying those uncanny ears changed and there is a necessity involved in this look in verse 53 uh for this corrupt corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptability and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality now in the Greek language there's an interesting word structure here that kind of puts the emphasis on the necessity that is involved the word must starts the sentence must be changed i like that amen not it could be changed or we should change it but must be changed you look at this body and you're like must be changed right amen needs it desperately must be changed you think about Jesus's glorified body after his resurrection that's much like the body we one day will receive able to transcend matter able to travel at the speed of speed of light glorified you compare that to our mortified bodies crippling arthritis a bum knee need a hip replacement you can only get so many of those you know and mortified bodies when you compare our present body to our future body it is like comparing a Model T to a Tesla you in one of those amazing i was in a Tesla and an Uber ride in Salt Lake City some months ago and I said 'I hear these things got some get up and go would you punch it and let me know wow they really do by the way they have cameras all the way around so if you think about keying one you better not you'll get caught there is a necessity involved but there is also a mystery involved look at verse 51 listen I'm telling you a mystery we will not all fall asleep but we will all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we will be changed there are two groups of Christians in history the first group of Christians are those who have already physically died he's referring to them when he uses the word sleep it's a eupheanism for death they are already dead but he says "Though they are already dead they will be changed." Some months ago there was a group of preachers on a uh preacher only uh Facebook page they ought to outlaw those some of your preachers are a lot more uncaring on those pages than they are on the ones you can see and this group of preachers begin to pontificate on why cremation was not a good spiritual choice and I listened to him listened to them i I don't know if I ever even commented on it but I had my comments some of the best ones are the ones you never sinned amen but I'm thinking as they're spending all of this time and energy and effort talking about this this pointless t topic what's the point who cares who cares we will all be changed those dead believers at the bottom of the sea who have become fishbait changed those believers blown away and blown apart in war changed those incinerated instantly in 911 those believers changed and then there's a second group of Christians in history not only those that have already died but those that are still alive at his return listen I'm telling you a mystery we will not all fall asleep in other words we're not all going to be in that first category but we will all be changed paul elaborates a little more on that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the archangel's voice and the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first that's the first group of Christians in history here's the second then we who are still alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so will we always be with the Lord i had a poetic pause there thinking if you were saved you'd say amen to that i'm going to read it again for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the archangel's voice and the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will be rise f will rise first then we who are still alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord and so shall we always be with the Lord amen thank you you say "Well how fast will this change take?" Look at verse 52 of the text it says "In a moment in the twinkling of an eye uh not the blink of an eyelid by the way that takes a little time but the twinkling of an eye that is the time it takes for light to hit your eye and reflect from it that fast and so we're waiting for that change amen that's why Paul would say in Romans 8:23 we wait eagerly for our adoption that's why we join the chorus on Easter Sunday and the Sunday after Easter and should be every Sunday we gather together we join the chorus of all of Christianity even so Lord come quickly because we will be changed but there's also here a hint of a perpetual conquest look at verse 54 it says "When this corruptible body is clothed and incorruptible when this mortal body is clothed with immortality then the saying that is written will take place death has been swallowed up in victory where death is your victory where death is your sting the sting of death is sin the power of sin is the law but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ now I got to speed up a little bit here because I had to read a couple of verses trying to get you to say amen took me a little longer than I intended it's not my fault that's on you so let me just speed through here uh there is the conquest over the strength of sin that the resurrection brings sin may seem all powerful to you in your life oscar Wild famously quibbed "I can resist anything but temptation." But knowing the resurrected Lord should change that that's why Paul would write earlier we studied through it in this series in 1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you than such as common a man and God is faithful who will not tempt you above that you are able but will with every temptation make a way to escape so that you may be able to bear it." Conquest over the strength of sin then conquest over the sting of death where death is your victory where death is your sting he says there's two ways to die you either die in your sin and you spend eternity apart from God in hell or you die in the one who died for your sins on the cross and was resurrected on the third day and you spend your eternity in heaven we spend much of our lives afraid of death we call him the grim reaper little kids who are afraid of a monster we are like that little kid who is afraid of a monster in the closet until the father comes in in the middle of the night and turns the light on we live our lives afraid of this nasty monster in the closet the monster of death but when Jesus rose from the dead he walked into the dark room of this world and he turned the lights on he removed the sting of death and then finally there's a practical challenge i had two great illustrations you'll have to hit me up afterwards for those that I just skipped over because Josh told me I needed to finish on time but he told me I could go longer in the second service so I will that's probably why you come to the first service you're smart that way there's a practical challenge here verse 58 therefore my dear brothers and sisters be steadfast immovable always excelling in the Lord's work because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain here's the practical application because Jesus has defeated death hell and the grave we need to stay faithful and we need to stand firm you as believers you need to stay faithful and you need to stand firm do not grow weary in welloing for you shall reap in due season if you faint not you see resurrection 1.0 guarantees for us resurrection 2.0 know that we will be changed in the moment the twinkling of an eye we will be changed into his glorious image it's no wonder this is the great refrain of all of Christianity when Bill Gaither got ready to write that hymn that I quoted earlier he um he was in a very difficult season of life they were expecting their third child and there was possible complications some of you have lived through that with that child and there were other pressures pushing in on their family and their ministry and he wrote that great great hymn that we sang last Sunday on Easter because he lives I can face tomorrow because he lives all fear is gone i don't fear the monster in the closet of death because he lives i know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives but let me tell you that is only true if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior [Music]