Jump Start # 1957

1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will be changed.”

Our verse today comes from the resurrection chapter of the Bible. Paul gives proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He details the consequences if Christ had not be raised. He draws a connection to our resurrection. Layers of lessons for us.

Paul reveals a mystery in our verse. Two things.

First, we will not all die. That’s what he means by sleep. Jesus said, “our friend Lazarus is asleep.” Lazarus was in the grave. Jairus’ little daughter was “asleep.” Jesus raised her from the dead. Sleep is used to describe the death of God’s righteous people.

Remembering that Corinthians is written to a church, Paul is telling brethren that not all Christians will die. Persecution will not kill all Christians. Wars and disasters will not wipe all Christians off the face of the earth. We will not all sleep. There will be Christians alive when Jesus comes.

Secondly, we will be changed. The change takes place in the following verses as Paul describes the resurrection when Jesus comes. We don’t all have to die first and then be raised. Some will be alive when Jesus comes and they will be changed. In an instant. In the twinkling of an eye, he later says.

That is the thought I want us to think about today, not just the coming of Jesus, but the possibility that we could be alive when that happens. I feel that we have pushed that possibility so far in the background that we don’t really think it will happen. We feel that we’ll get old and die. That has been the course for most people. Why should it be any different for us? Why? This verse is why. We shall not all sleep. We might be the ones who are alive when the Lord comes.

Other places in the N.T. describe the coming of Jesus with a blast of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel. The skies would be filled with all the angels that are coming with Jesus. Immediately, the living is changed. Graves open and the dead are raised. Jesus said all who are in the tombs will come forth. The rapture concept of only certain ones going up to meet the Lord while everyone else remains on earth simply isn’t supported in Scriptures. The earth and creation will be destroyed at that time. Cosmic forces never seen before would change things as we know them.

I’d like to think all of this would happen on a Sunday, His day, the best day of the week, but I have no way of knowing. I can only imagine looking up in the sky and seeing hundreds and hundreds of angels, everywhere. At that moment everything stops. Traffic would stop. People would race out of their houses to look skyward. News casts would be broadcasting this live. Reporters from around the world would all be seeing the same thing. There are no words that would describe this. And, there surrounded by all those angels in the sky, is Jesus, our Lord. Some how we will know it’s Him. Nonbelievers may at first think that we are being invaded by aliens. Some will wonder what is this and who is that? But you and I will know. We’ve been ready for this day. We have read this Corinthian chapter over and over. And now, here it is. And, just like that, before we can take it all in and before we even have time to grasp everything that is going on, we are changed. We become immortal and imperishable. Forget the walkers, the canes, the hearing aids—you suddenly do not need them. You are in a different state. It’s glorious. It’s wonderful. And, just like that we are ushered into eternity.

Parts of this sound scary. We’ve never seen anything like this. It’s hard to imagine our world not being our world. We go to work until we retire. We gather weekly down at the church house. We put fuel in our cars and food in our bellies. That’s our world. That’s all that we know. It’s been that way for a long, long time. To think that all of this changes in an instant and our world as we know it ending, is scary.

Some people will not get to see things that they had planned for. There are weddings that were to take place that won’t. There are babies that will not be born. There are surgeries that do not take place. There are packages that won’t be delivered. Everything stops. Think about this coming week, and if the Lord came today, what wouldn’t happen in your life. I wouldn’t see if the Dodgers made it to the World Series, because there would be no World Series if Jesus came. The discussions about tax reform and border walls being built would never be solved. Some have doctor appointments. Some would be on the road traveling. Some are off in college. If Jesus came today, all of that stops.

Some people would not be ready. Many would not be ready. They have lived their lives doing what they want, ignoring God and finding happiness as the most important thing to pursue. The skies fill with angels and for the first time, some might pray. Some don’t know what to pray, how to pray, nor who to pray to. Some have lived their entire adult life mocking God and living with the assumption that God doesn’t exist. Some have been very vocal and even sought to discredit the Bible. Now, the Lord appears in the sky. Now, they know. Now, they know what a fool they have been. Begging for mercy, cries of ‘save me,’ fill the air, fear and panic race through their hearts. Will the unrighteous also be changed immortal and imperishable? I suppose. The Corinthian passage is written to believers. But Hell is real. Hell is linked with Heaven. If there is a Heaven, then there is a Hell. No Hell, no Heaven. They are found together in the last sentence in Matthew 25. So, the unrighteous will be cast into eternity as well.

For us, it’s a different picture. There was a photo taken years ago, of a serviceman getting off of an airplane. His arms are stretched out as his children run towards him with big smiles on their faces. I’d like to think that’s what it will be for us. We have loved Jesus all of our life. We have followed Him, obeyed Him, quoted Him, imitated Him and talked to Him. We have remembered His death weekly. We have sung hymns to Him. We have told our family and friends about Him. We are who we are because of Him. Our hearts have changed because of Him. And now, there He is in the sky. We have waited and waited for this for a long time. For the righteous, tears will stream down our cheeks as we reach out to embrace our Lord and our Savior. It’s Jesus!

We will not all sleep. It’s not up to us, but if it were, would you like to be one who is alive when Jesus comes? Would you like to witness His coming? You might. Don’t push this so far back in your mind that you’ll be shocked if it happens. It just may.

We sing, “There’s a great day coming, a great day coming…”

Someday, it will come.

Roger

Jump Start # 1668

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This week we have been looking at a series of things in which Christians are victorious over. We are not a defeated, pitiful bunch. Our spiritual trophy cases are stuffed with victories. We have victory over temptation. We have victory over fear. And, in this final piece, we have the ultimate victory over death.

Paul’s superb chapter on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ends with a reminder that we, too, will be raised. Christ was the “first-fruits.” And in a taunting fashion, Paul ridicules the finality of death. He says here, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Satan’s greatest tool and man’s most dreaded fear, is death. Everyone dies. Everyone that we know that has died, has remained dead. No one dies over the weekend, and is back to work on Monday. Death ends it all. Death held mankind like a slave. There was no getting around it. Everyone died. Kings died. The famous died. The poor died. The rich died. Solomon declared, “there is one fate,” and that was death. There was no place you could flee to that would protect you. People died at home. They died in war. They died at work. They died on vacation. The rich couldn’t buy a ticket to avoid death. Doctors couldn’t find a way to end all death. Since the day Adam left the garden, death has been a part of this world. “It is appointed unto man to die once…” was a sign that hung around our necks. Our time is coming. Research has ended some serious diseases. Rabies, cholera, yellow fever, small pox, polio, while still problematic in some places, has been controlled and defeated in most Western cultures. But people still died. The march is on to defeat cancer. I hope a cure is found. I’ve lost too many close friends and my own mother to dreaded cancer. Yet, if cancer is crossed off, we will still die. Since Adam, the world is broken and cursed. Death will always be a part of life. In that way, it seems that death wins. It seems that Satan wins. That is, until Christ. He too, died. Yet, He declared ahead of time, that death wouldn’t hold Him. “Up from the grave, He arose.” Jesus was raised to never die again. Everyone that had been resurrected, eventually died again. That’s true of Lazarus. That’s true of the twelve year-old synagogue official’s daughter. That’s true of the young man in the coffin on his way to be buried. They were raised only to die again. Jesus is the first to be raised to never die again.

Death couldn’t touch Jesus any more. Death no more had dominion. Death had no victory. O, death, where is your sting? Paul’s words remind us that the righteous are victorious over their greatest fear and their greatest enemy, death. Death isn’t the end. Death doesn’t end all things. Death changes. It becomes only a doorway to the next room in God’s house. It allows us to enter a room where death is not welcomed. It allows us to enter a room where there are no more tears, sorrow or mourning. It allows us to enter a room to be with God. Death is welcome for the Christian. Paul told the Philippians, “to die is gain.” Our outlook and our perspective changes because of Jesus. Instead of hating death, it becomes something to look forward to. Instead of seeing it as something bad, it is great for the one who is with Christ. They made it. They made it safely. They get to be where they want to be.

That having been said, the outlook for the Christian at the end of his life is upbeat and cheerful. Nonbelieving doctors will do all that they can to keep a person alive, including surgeries at advanced age, which is really risky, because they do not see anything beyond death. For the Christian, he may skip all those procedures and put his hope in the Lord. There is nothing to lose, literally. Death isn’t the end. Death is a defeated enemy.

Oh, I wish I could get brethren to see these things. I wish we could not fear death. I wish we could have the outlook like Paul did. There is a victory to be gained! We win! Just be faithful. Believe. The tears at the funeral of a Christian are so different. There is a hope, as Paul told the Thessalonians. Sure the person will be missed. Certainly, there is a pain. But it’s not final. We rejoice because of where they are. In the hands of God, is the best place to be. No more troubles. No more temptations. No more fears. No more Satan. No more bad news. They made it safely. I have witnessed the last breath of several Christians. That last moment is not like the movies. There is no music playing. There is no dramatic, “this is it.” Very peaceful. Very quiet. They simply stop. It’s at that moment that the angels carry the soul to Paradise. It’s at that moment, that I wish I could hold their hand and go with them. What they now see. What they now feel. They wouldn’t come back if they could.

We sing about Heaven. Our favorite sermons are about Heaven. We talk about Heaven. But, when one of us actually goes, we act as if it is crippling tragedy that we will never get over. Death for the righteous means being with the Lord.

Victory…celebrate. It’s going to be ok. It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be incredible. So, don’t get fixated upon death. It’s just a door, and I might add, an ugly door at that. Satan can’t do anything right. Don’t fear the door. Look beyond it, to who is waiting for you.

When Jesus raised the little twelve year old from death, the Bible says that the Lord took her hand and spoke to her. I wonder, just wonder, when she opened her eyes, that the first person she saw was Jesus. I rather hope it’s that way when the righteous dies. They open their eyes on the other side, and the first one that they see is Jesus. Hope so!

Christ has taken the chill off of death. He has removed the fear of death. Do not fear the one who can take your life and do no more. That is understandable now. So you die. Look where you are going. Do you want to stay around here?

The victory belongs to the Lord! Satan crushed. Fear gone. We busy ourselves in the work of the kingdom, knowing someday we will be on the other side. The sooner we get there the better!

“Won’t it be wonderful there…”

Roger

Jump Start # 1437

1 Corinthians 15:57 “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  There are many things that a person is thankful for. Come November, we set aside one day especially for thanks, we call it Thanksgiving. It has turned into a day of feasting, family and football. The “thanks” part has be limited to a few sentences uttered before we stuff ourselves. But for the soul that is walking with God, there are many things he is thankful for, throughout the day and throughout his life. At first, it seems that our thanking is focused upon the simple and obvious things such as a new day, the food we eat, enjoyable moments. As our faith grows, our reflections, observations and introspections also grow. We become thankful for a mate that loves us. We look around and become thankful for godly friends who have touched our lives. Growing more, we realize that there have been teachable moments that have changed us and molded us and we become thankful for those.

Our verse, concluding a long section about the resurrection and especially the resurrection of Jesus, reminds us of the great spiritual thanks that we owe to God for Jesus. Not only did He save us by forgiving us, our future is changed as we shall all be resurrected on the last day.

I thought about that yesterday. I stood at an open grave. A casket was ready to be lowered into it as soon as we all left. It was a funeral. What a day. Huge crowd. More chairs had to be put out. We had to delay the start because of the long line of people wanting to talk to the family. The singing was amazing. I spoke. I read one of these Jump Starts. We prayed. We laughed. We hugged. We cried. It was a trip down memory lane for me. There were so many people that I had not seen in years, for some, decades. My kids were there. My dad was there. It was something. But then we got into our cars and drove out to that spot in the cemetery where we were going to leave the casket that carried one that we loved so dearly. That moment is always hard. It was here that this passage came to my mind. The grave would be closed, but someday, when the Lord returns, there would be a resurrection.

Have you ever thought about all the resurrections in the Bible? We remember some of them. Lazarus, Jesus’ friend came out when Jesus commanded, “Lazarus, come forth.” The 12 year old daughter of the synagogue official was resurrected before she was even buried. There was an unnamed young man, in a coffin, being carried to the cemetery. Jesus came upon him and stopped the funeral procession. He touched the coffin and the young man was raised. That sure turned that day around.

We might get the impression that someone was raised nearly every day, but that’s not the case. There were just a handful of people, all righteous or children, who were ever raised. And the thought we forget about is that each of those that were raised had to later die again. Their souls, safe on the other side, were brought back to this place of struggle, temptation, disease and sorrow. They had to again go through the things that faced before. Back to working for a living. Back to paying bills. Back to having bad days. Back to trying to make the right decisions again. Back to sin. Back to becoming ill again and dying again. Everyone who was ever raised from the dead had to die again! Can you imagine. I wonder after Jesus left Bethany, and around the table sat Mary, Martha and the newly raised Lazarus, no longer sickly, no longer near death. Back. Alive. Well. The Bible never tells us what he heard, saw or felt. God didn’t want us to know. I just wonder what that private conversation was about. I just wonder if he looked at his sisters and said, “Why did you cry so much? Why did you make such a commotion? I was there. It was wonderful. It’s amazing. I didn’t want to leave. Why did I have to come back?”

Jesus, however was the first to be raised that never died again. This is why He is referred to as the first fruits. He was the first. Raised to never die again. We will follow. Not now. But in time, on resurrection day, we will be raised and never again die. That is the victory Paul is speaking about. Until Jesus, everyone who died, seemed to be locked in a prison of death. Not now. Not because of Jesus. Forgiveness, grace has opened that door. There is something better than this life. There is something still to come. There is something great awaiting us. That powerful hymn, “Up from the grave He arose,” echoes these strong Biblical truths.

The grave closes and a darkness fills our heart. I like cemeteries, especially old ones. My kids have experienced me pulling the car to the side of some country road and seeing dad heading off across the field to go look at some old cemetery on top of a hill. When our kids were learning to drive, we often took them to practice in city cemeteries. There’s little traffic, a lot of narrow roads and turns which would help them and I told them if they crashed, I’d just open the door and roll them out. I’ve been to some small towns where it seems that there were more people buried in the cemetery than were living. Just think, all those graves opening up. Raised to never die again.

This passage tells us that Satan loses. He must have thought that Jesus dying on the cross was his victory. It wasn’t. It wasn’t by his design, but rather God’s design. Raised to never die again.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory. We like victories. I check the scoreboard often for my favorite teams. In baseball, the Dodgers are at the top. In football, my Purdue is at the bottom. We like victories. We like them in sports. We cherish them when dealing with cancer. It’s encouraging to hear of someone who has beaten the bottle or has overcome long addictions. But the greatest victory is over Satan. The greatest victory is being raised to never die again. This victory belongs to God but we have a part in it. We must be among the righteous. We must walk daily with our Lord. We must choose to be on the side that wins.

Thanks be to God. Closed graves will one day be opened. Closed by man. Closed by Satan. Opened by God. Opened and never to be closed again!

Roger