Our Resurrection - Part 1

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

In John 14 verse 19 Jesus said this because I live syllables because I live, you shall live also.

That may be one of the most hopeful statements ever made. That may be one of the greatest thoughts that everything joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world there is a creature of the old school buddy speaks as boldly as ever today is not very popular, and even though the whole world is his parish and he travels to every part of the globe and he speaks in every language he visits the poor.

He visits the rich.

He preaches to people of every religion and he preaches to many of no religion.

The subject of his sermon is always the same and never changes is an eloquent preacher and he is able to stir emotions in the hearts of people who are not emotional. He is able to bring tears to people who seldom if ever weep his arguments are beyond reputation. There is no heart the remains untouched and unmoved by the force of his appeals. This preacher shatters life. This preacher disturbs the status quo.

Almost everybody hates him. But everybody listens to him. His name is death. Every tombstone is his pulpit. Every newspaper print this text and one day you will be the subject of the sermon and he will stand your gravesite and he will preach to others. With that kind of thought in mind, Thomas Gray, the great 18th-century poet, and scholar from Cambridge wrote these words.

He said the boast of heraldry the pop of power and all that is beautiful and all that is wealth awake alike. The inevitable hour. The paths of all glory lead but to the grave. Every single one of us every one of us are born into this world with diffuse and the day we are born the fuses lit and it burns for some the fuse burns slow but for others it burns much too fast for some of us find that life seems like a long time yet for others, it seems like it's over before it even starts when you were born a countdown begin ended for each and every one of us. It's going to end with all zeros, because we will be visited by death. You see, in one way I guess you could describe life is the process of dying because you begin to die from the moment that you're born you try to ignore you could shrug it off with indifference.

You could be on its face, but your wick is burning your countdown is moving inevitably, your wick will burn out and your countdown will be all zeros men what you see and then what is there an escape.

Is there hope that open your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 1 the book of Revelation chapter 1.

I'm just using this as a launching pad. You know the book the great book of the Apocalypse, the great prophetic visions that is given to John but I when I look right in the beginning of chapter 1 beginning in verse 12. I want to see something something we may not think about when we think of the book of Revelation, but we should in verse 12 John says, then I turned to see. I wanted to see the voice that was speaking with me.

And having turned.

He said I saw seven golden lampstands in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash in his head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow in his eyes were like the flame of fire.

His feet were like burnished bronze, when it had been made to glow in a furnace in his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword in his face was like the sun shining at full strength when an image Johnson I saw my photos feet like a dead man. Could you imagine seeing that we know that he has seen the ascended and glorified Christ is overwhelmed by that.

Listen to what happens next, and he placed his right hand on me and he said do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the living one. Now here's the part that want to pay particular attention to, and I was dead, behold I am alive forevermore, I have the keys of death and Hades. I was dead, behold I am alive forever more. Somebody has gone to the grave and come out the other side. Somebody has done this. That's great news. I mean that's what amazing thing. Now, you would save my debit mean that was the son of God that did that. I mean that's God in the flesh is Jesus Christ the Lord. It is, but in John 14 verse 19 Jesus said this because I live, you shall live also because I live, you shall live also. That may be one of the most hopeful statements ever made. That may be one of the greatest thoughts you could ever think because I live, you shall live also highly responded that you see. I think that as people so often we are so mesmerized by the great preacher death we don't talk about a much we know he's there. We like them sequestered. We like people to where he preaches just a little out-of-the-way places so we can speed by our cars and modify the local be involved in less it's a relative or friend and we have to stop by using Omar point of view we would just rather not deal with it but it's reality for each and every one of us. It's reality, it's reality. We all know is coming.

We know it's there. We just rather not talk about it.

Jesus Christ says because I live, you shall live also. If you stop and think about that that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. You live beyond the grave. Beyond the live beyond the grave forever.

Jesus said I am alive forevermore, you should be overwhelmed by that thought. I know this. The apostle Paul was.

He was completely overwhelmed by that thought.

Turn with me know to first Corinthians chapter 15 first Corinthians chapter 15 and will get a start, or the spot that I like to speak, particularly on his beginning in verse 54 of the will look at parts of the whole chapter, first Corinthians 15 verse 54. When you study this chapter and you get to these verses. They seem odd and they seem odd because of the context it seems odd because it's the apostle Paul, if you spend your life as I have studying him. You come away with certain conclusions about having one thing you know for sure he is logical. Paul was the epitome of logic. That's what is like he's analytical.

He thinks things through his prosaic he's very defined in his thinking. Maybe that's what I love so much about him but in verse 54, he changes and all of a sudden he stops the logic. It's as though his soul kind of explodes on the pages. The pros that he always writes is kind of turn in the poetry is cool calculation becomes raw emotion. Now you can see because your verse 54 and you can all count. You know this is a long chapter.

If you know Paul, this is a really long chapter fluke not so much.

But for Paul, this is a really long chapter in the whole chapter is only about one thing, resurrection is about nothing else. First, the resurrection of Christ and then our resurrection. Look back to verse three with the resurrection of Christ. When Paul begins the chapter he said, for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas in the 12 Christ historically raised the dead pulses. That's a first importance.

That's very important you understand that look then down to verse 20 he says, but now Christ has been raising the dead, the firstfruits of those who are sleep.

The Bible always describes the death of a believer sleep and he says Christ is raising the dead. It's just like what Jesus said in John 14 and because that he's this, the firstfruits and those of believers who die will follow him and so he now introduces the idea of our resurrection. Notice verse 23 but each one in his own order Christ, the firstfruits after that those who are Christ's at his coming, then down the verse 42 so also is the resurrection of the dead.

He said it is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body is talking about us being raised.

The trouble is kind of in the words.

The new American Standard use the work perishable.

Now when you think perishable you think of something of questioning your refrigerator. Don't use or smell it. Maybe this is perishable, it's not a great word. 15.

James uses corruption of the Greek word there perishable is the word flora. It comes from another Greek word which is Biro and Biro is an interesting word.

It means spoiled. It means decaying. It means riding. That's a description of us. By the way, that's what he is saying.

He said our body is sown a perishable body you were born to die diffuses like the countdown begins, he said, but you are raised imperishable. Then he goes on. He says it is sown in dishonor, but it's raised in glory.

It is sown in weakness but is raised in power. It sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. He said if there is a natural body, and there is.

He said then there is a spiritual body as well. That's a Paul says when Paul was writing this, he's beginning to become overwhelmed because he's thinking of how profound it is. The question for all of us.

It's always a question we never talk about the whole question. It's always in the back of our mind. There's going to be a time when you're not here anymore is just the reality of life is just the way it works and we love it when it's out there and by the way, for you young people that are here is like what's even talking about it so far out there, but two things to keep in mind. One is you won't believe the speed of the aging process and the front end. It just seems like you're barely moving.

I'm in ninth grade to 12th grader may seem like a century the changes but the other thing is a lot of wicks go out young. Happens all the time. People die that way as well.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, young or old, and so it's always another Paul was thinking about this and urging us to think about it. Think about this how important this is a citizen first importance is the distinguish complete distinguish aspect of Christianity Jesus Christ raising dead, Jesus Christ raised from the dead, you never hear that about Mohammed you not hear that about Confucius shall not hear that about any religion of the world, raising the dead. That's why it's the most important part in it should create in us a sense of wonder not of sense of trepidation. So when Paul looks at this comes to his conclusion, he gets kind of verse 54 he so overwhelmed that he just starts praising and or four different ways in which appraisers he so overwhelmed he says is a praise of transfer. I want to praise this great transformation I want to praise this great triumph. I want to have a great Thanksgiving toward God and then he concludes is going to be a great therefore conclusion that he has in the first one is the great transformation in verse 54, he says, but when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this morning will have put on immortality, then he says will come about the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. What does verse 54 tell me something's coming. Something is coming when this perishable. We are going to radically change your gonna go from perishable to imperishable for mortal immortal.

He said it's going to be amazing. In fact, he says you're going to go from weakness to power your gonna go from this article he says the glory to go from this natural body to your spiritual body. That's what you're saying and is overwhelmed by that and is an amazing thing. Death is swallowed up never think of death.

That way we think of death is just the inevitable thing he said no. Death is swallowed up in victory.

Imperishable immortal. See, we don't think about that enough, but we think of everything else. We are victims of deterioration. If you stirfry I'm standing you know it.

In fact, I guess looking at me. You got a pretty good idea. We are victims of deterioration. I mean, as we grow older, our hair falls out, it's gone we lose its pigment and it turns gray because it happens.

Our skin loses its elasticity and at first you just think little lines then you start thinking :-) lines and then you start thinking oh my goodness these are like premises that my grandmother had our skin, wrinkles. You see, it just happens.

We are part of that and and what do we do instead of thinking profound thoughts description. We try to camouflage. We think our work. I've said this before, but the only person left aforethought your route. You really are for anyone else. Not at all. And then we make up statements that are complete lives life begins at 40. It doesn't if you're 40 or just turned 40, you are closer to dying than ever before. Then ever in your life. 60 is the new 40 really know 60 is 60 and that's a big number. Just the reality, but we try to camouflage it pulses we can't we can't perishable you see were terminal were deteriorating, were gonna die. That's reality. But notice he says death is swallowed up in victory. Something is coming. Something is coming. If you read the end of the book Revelation 21 you start hearing something sinners who read him donning you think of the profound. This says things there like no more sorrow no more tears. No more suffering no more pain, no more death see something is coming see there are two Greek words in that verse to me to just great words, when, and then you see when this in this perishable will put on the imperishable, and this morning while put on immortality, then then please not happen in my life now, but it's going to. You see it's going to then is going to change. That's the distinguishing aspect of our whole faith when tells me it's not yet then tells me it's surely common. You see, that's what happens.

My resurrection is a future event which can be like. Not sure exactly but I think I'm a pretty good idea.

I know Jesus Christ was raising the dead by 2000 years ago, and I know even before he ascended his resurrected body was different.

I know that I know that it bore the scars of the crucifixion. So was right there in a resurrected body.

I know that he ate with the disciples just like the heat but I also know he walked right through walls that he was not limited by the dimensions of our space and says he just appeared in their midst. I also know that in the book of acts that body just ascended and went to heaven know about you but I think that's pretty cool. You see, I think that that that's a resurrected body using what's my body going to be like, what's going to be like well to place her cousin coming back to go with me to first John chapter 3, first John right to the end of the Bible chapter 3 and here the apostle John starts the chapter by saying see how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called the children of God and such. We are not enough to get you all excited. John says we are called the children of God is an amazing statement but he says for this reason the world does not know was because it did not know him and then he says this beloved, now we are the children of God, but is talk about then he says that it is not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears your news we will be like him, because we will see him just as Pastor broke apart on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.

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