Is He Living or Did He Die - 30

Thanks everyone willingly. Both would almost give a donation to vision is what you return rates of loosing impact. 1125 Is Way generous with those who refresh of those supposedly refreshed. So if you fall regarding being generous and refreshing with a true cool drink all summer day with your text at all.how you use the free Christian media what point we can addition the cross was once an instrument of execution is now the symbol of Christianity. The reminder of Jesus's victory over the David Jeremiah reflects on the list is David shares his message is he living what did he dine once again. This is the weekend edition of Turning Point and I'm David Jeremiah were in the midst of the study of Jesus.

The Jesus you may not know were investigating his life through some provocative questions. Here's the question for today is he living or did he die, what do you say about our Savior who died and then came back to life. Who is this Jesus, what do we need to know about him in order that we can spend eternity with him someday. The answer to that question is next weekend.

In the first four chapters of first is 15, Paul gives us the clearest and most concise definition of the gospel. If someone will ask you today. What is the gospel. What would you say what here's your answer. I declare to you the gospel, said Paul that which I also received, and here it is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures that is the gospel that is the good news, and Paul insisted that the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Be a part of that definition. It is pivotal to our lives.

In fact, the apostle said that if the resurrection is in a part of it. Nothing that we do has any meaning in the next few verses of first Corinthians chapter 15 in verses 17 through 19.

Paul says this.

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. That mean it's meaningless if Christ is not risen, you are still in your sins. If Christ is not risen all of those Christians who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If Christ is not risen in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are all men most to be pitied. I remember growing up in a Christian family and going to the church where my father preached in the always preached on the resurrection on Easter, and once in a while he would preach on it. At other times, but I was a student in seminary my second semester as a freshman. Before I really came to grips with what the resurrection was all about.

I never forget it.

I went to a friendship dinner where Haddon Robinson was the speaker and he spoke on the resurrection, and I will never forget that message for the first time in my life. I realize that the death of Christ is without meaning. If there is no resurrection if Christ died and he did not come out of the grave as he said he would. Then his death is no better than the death of any martyr who ever lived before him or after him. The resurrection is the touchstone of the gospel. It was the resurrection. That was the message of the apostles after Jesus came out of the grave that if Jesus Christ is not alive today. Men and women. Those of us who are Christians should be pitied and here's why.

Because we believe there is a better world than the one in which we live. We believe that this world is temporary and if Christ is risen, we have given up all the worlds we have turned our backs on this world in order to face the world which doesn't even exist. Paul was right. If Christ is not risen, we should be pitied. We simply cannot overestimate the importance of Jesus resurrection if it didn't happen. Our lives are futile and meaningless.

But look at the next verse in the text, and rejoice with me, but now Christ is risen from the bad, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Hallelujah it is in the matter of did he rise.

It is a matter that he did and now we rejoice in the fact that we know the risen Christ, and we understand the resurrection. I don't miss this. The Bible says that Jesus resurrection is not just about him, but it's about us. He is the firstfruits of those who have slept. I've read that verse hundreds of times without understanding the incredible depth behind it. Today I want you to consider some things we might never have known about Jesus and one of them is this that Jesus is the firstfruits of those who sleep and I want you to just hold your questions about that and let me explain that from the Old Testament. This is a doctrine that we believe that Jesus is the firstfruits of those who sleep in the Old Testament book of Leviticus in the 23rd chapter, we have the background of the feast of the firstfruits that was a Jewish feast.

How many of you know that much of the truth of the New Testament rests upon some understanding of the Old Testament.

So let me tell you little bit about this feast feast of the firstfruits went like this every year during harvest time a Jewish person would go out into the harvesting he would go out into the grain, and he would mark out a spot in the grain, and he would cut off his chief of the harvest and he would bring it back to the tabernacle and he would give it to the precinct and the priest would take and he would waive that sheaf before the Lord was the meaning of that while it was called the firstfruits it came out of the first part of the harvest and by waving it before the Lord, the priest was saying this is the beginning of the harvest, but the harvest hasn't totally come yet. This is the firstfruits. This is a promise. There is more we bring this offering to you from the harvest but there's more to come. And he would wave the sheaf now when Jesus says he is the firstfruits of those who sleep in the work sleep there means death.

He is waving the resurrection of himself before the Lord and saying on the firstfruits there's more resurrections to come there resurrections are coming Melanie's tell you something about this feast. It was the third of the seven Jewish feast and the pledge was presented to the Lord on the day after the Sabbath, did you know that Sunday is not the Sabbath, and the word Sabbath means seven and Sundays.

The first day, not the seventh day. So when did they wave the firstfruits offering before the Lord on the day after the Sabbath, which day is that that is Sunday and what is Sunday. It is the reminder to us of the risen Lord on the day after the Sabbath on Sunday.

They waived the sheaf before the Lord, almost as if the connected to the New Testament, for the Lord Jesus is the firstfruits of those who sleep. It is so interesting to me that this puts these two things together because Jesus Christ came out of the grave. We rejoice in his resurrection, but we don't often realize that because he came out of the grave. That's the promise that one day we shall come out of the grave.

He is the firstfruits he is the first of the resurrections and there's more resurrections coming. If you and I if we live and die before Jesus comes back we will go in the grave are spirit and soul will go to be with the Lord. But our bodies will go in the grave and the Bible says one day because Jesus came out of the grave victorious over death.

Our bodies will also be raised up. How do we know that because Jesus was the firstfruits and he's the guarantee he's the promise that there's more resurrections coming. That's the firstfruits of the resurrection. First Corinthians 1520 want to talk with you next about the foundation of the resurrection, and this is in verses 21 and 22, and I'm not trying to get overly theological today. I'm trying to help you grab hold of some truth in this passage that is some things about Jesus, you may not know what I'm pretty sure there's someone here today that did not know that Jesus was the firstfruits of all the resurrections to come.

Here's the second thing let me read this passage to you for since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dad for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Now in verse 21 we learned that there was a time when tragedy came into this world through one man who was in my class was Adam for Adam we been piling on him for a long time. We don't often say much about his wife and I'm not going to get into that discussion today by the viruses by one man death came into this world. Did you know that before Adam sinned, there was no death if Adam had not send everyone would have lived forever, there would've been no death but when Adam sinned death was born and the tragedy that came into this world through Adam's death, but the Bible says in the same verse that to another man triumphantly came into the world and who was that man that was Jesus Christ and how did that come into the world to the resurrection through one man came death to another man came life. If you have a Bible like mine looked down at the text and you will notice that the second man in your text is capitalized, because that man by whom came the resurrection is the Lord Jesus Christ.

So what we have here are two different categories of men.

We have Adam's race and we have Jesus race really there's only two races.

We hear a lot about racism today put in the context of the Bible.

There's only two races. There's Adam's race and there's God's race. He saying that basically these two races are in the world today.

There's a race of natural man enters the race of spiritual man. Adam is the federal head of the natural race and because Adam sin. We've inherited that DNA were all in Adam's race. You don't have to ask you get in that race you automatically, and it. The Bible says in sin. We were born we were conceived in sin that is in me anything about what we do.

It's just the inheritance that we have from our federal head in the natural race who is Adam because Adam sin we all sin. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Now let me pause here and straighten out something that's got no sideways over the years. How many of you know what universalism is. Universalism is the idea that everybody get saved no matter what they do, that we all go to heaven. Hallelujah. Isn't this a wonderful party. Nobody has to get saved.

Nobody had to repent.

If you're born, God is so loving he's going to take everybody to heaven someday. Not in one of the verses they use is this verse. They say here says even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But let's go back and look at that verse more carefully the walls in this verse are particular as in Adam all die. That means everyone in the human race. Everyone of us who are of Adam. One day we shall die as in Adam all die because Adam once died, we will die, but are all of us in Christ.

That is the question. I hope you are but notice it says, as in Adam all die if you're in Christ be all goes with you. All you are in Christ you are, it's not all everybody in the world. It's all everybody in Christ. So, as in Adam all die in Christ everybody was in Christ shall be made alive. Everyone who is in Adam dies. However, everyone was in Christ shall live answer this question. Are you in Christ you say how do I get in Christ you get Christ in you, you ask him to come and live in your heart to accept him as your Savior. Bible says if you're just in Adam you're going to die. But if you're in Christ you live.

There's a little paradigm that I remembered from way back when it goes like this.

If you been born once you have to die twice, but if you been born twice.

You only have to die once.

That's a pretty good deal right there you say I was at work. Pastor well it works like this. If you been born once and you haven't been born again. You're going to die physically and you're going to die spiritually. Physical death is the separation of soul from the body.

Spiritual death is the separation from your soul from God forever.

You don't want the second death. You want that.

The Bible says you can avoid the second death by being born twice already been born physically now did born spiritually let Jesus Christ come into your life and when you are born spiritually. You may die once physically, but you will never die spiritually. So let me say it again. If you have been born once you will die twice, but if you have been born twice, you will only have to die once and some of you. Some of us I believe I will be one of them I might not have to die at all because of Jesus comes back before I die have to die no more at all. How would you like how would you like to escape it all. Jesus came back and none of us have to die at all.

Not physically, not spiritually. Hallelujah. Even so, Lord Jesus. Amen. So you have the firstfruits of the resurrection, and then you have the foundation of the resurrection.

Now this is going to get a little complicated but I think if you stay with me we can get through this. This is the future order of the resurrection verse 23 says, but each one in his own order Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at his coming in the Bible. Resurrection is a preeminent theme we have the resurrection of Christ. But there's other resurrections want to go 30s with you so you understand them and we don't leave here.

Stage one is the resurrection of Jesus Christ more than 2000 years ago Christ was raised from the dead, and that doesn't mean he was the first one ever to overcome death. Some people say no Jeremiah. He wasn't the first. There were people in the Old Testament were resurrected. What about Lazarus and the widow son and gyrus daughter. There were at least 10 events in which people rise from the dead in the Bible. That's true, but Christ's resurrection was different from the wall because whereas they rose to die again, Jesus rose to die. No more.

And when he rose to live in the power of an endless life. He rose with the glorified body so he is the first resurrection. This is a wonderful reminder for all of us that when we get to know the resurrected Jesus were getting to know Jesus as he really is today, we remember we not that we discovered one of the things we made on a note about Jesus that he's in heaven.

In his body and his glorified resurrected body. He is in heaven. When we pray to him, he hears us not just to his.

But he hears us through his humanity is in heaven will be see him in heaven someday he will show us the scars in his hands in the wound in his side and probably were the thorns went on his head forever. Whenever we see him throughout eternity will be reminded of the price that was paid for us to be in heaven with the Lord Jesus.

The degree to which we neglect the resurrection is the degree to which we neglect to think about Jesus as he really is. Jesus is in heaven and his resurrected body. So stage one in the resurrections is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you know, there's another resurrection coming here so that works. Let me just paint this picture the best I can hear we are. Folks were living in the church age. That's where we are right now.

How have you know the end of the church age is when Jesus comes back in the rapture. He doesn't come all the way back to the earthly go up to meet him, and socially ever be with the Lord and the Bible says in first Thessalonians chapter 4 that when Jesus comes back in the rapture. What will happen is those who have died already, those who are asleep in Jesus. The Bible says it this way they will hear the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God and that dad in Christ shall rise there is the second resurrection rise first. So he said were the dead in Christ will are not the people to fall asleep in church the people who died the dead in Christ are the people who die as Christians before Jesus comes back Thessalonians were all concerned when they heard about all the good things that happened in the future because their loved ones had already died and they were in the grave, and they were saying what about mom and dad. What about grants and grandma was going to happen to them in Jesus and worry about that Paul wrote he said when Jesus comes back is going to be a shout.

The voice of the archangel and when that happens, the dead in Christ shall rise first. That means that all of us who have loved ones who've already died as Christians, they will participate in stage II of the resurrections.

The next resurrection that is coming is the resurrection of all who have died in Christ during the church age.

During this time as we await the return of Jesus Christ resurrection number two somebody says, why do they come first and some I said because they have 6 feet to go. I don't know.

In the Bible says that at the rapture when this resurrection happens to be caught up to be with the Lord and listen to me now on the way for going to get our resurrection bodies and our bodies are going to be just like the body of the Lord Jesus are several passages in the New Testament that talk about that and I love what Paul said in Philippians he said God is going to transform our lowly bodies so that it may be conformed to his glorious body listen to me someday. We are going to have bodies by the Lord bodies of Jesus.

The Bible says that we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

One day you and I are going to have perfect bodies, bodies like the Lord Jesus. Amen, delayed but I'll take it. So here's the first resurrection. Jesus Christ is the second at the rapture know what happens after the rapture folks a little lesson in prophecy after the rapture is a period of time called the tribulation seven years. It's going to happen on this earth don't get scared about this because of your Christian healing will be here. You may be in heaven for you to be ruptured up before the tribulation.

But on this earth. Seven years all hell is going to break out on this earth. And some people say will nobody's going to get saved during the tribulation. That's not true. The Bible says that during that seven year period of time is to be 144,000 Jewish evangelists set loose on this earth. Can you imagine what will happen to witnesses.

Moses and Elijah.

I believe will be teaching and preaching the word of God. Here's what you need to know during the tribulation. There will be the greatest revival on this earth that is ever happened in the history of the world. Hundreds of thousands of people will be saved during the jubilation. And many of those who are saved will pay for their salvation with their life. They will be martyred. The antichrist will take the lives they will be starved out, they will die in the Bible says at the end of the tribulation at the end of the seven years there's going to be another resurrection.

Let me read to you the Scripture. Daniel 12. There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation and even to that time and at that time your people shall be delivered.

Everyone was found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

When Christ returns to reign during the millennium. Not one single believers bobbing from Adam until that time will still be in the grave.

All of those who have been saved during the church age will have gone up and then resurrected at the rapture. All of those in the tribulation, including all the Old Testament saints will go up at the end of the tribulation, try to confuse you. Let me just paint this again one more time so everybody got we live now in the church age that's going and when Jesus comes back in the rapture when all the Christians who are alive during this age go to heaven if your Christian unity with the Lord. Then there's a seven year period of tribulation.

A lot of people get saved in the tribulation. Many of them die there resurrected at the end of the tribulation after the translation. There's the millennium, the millennium is a thousand years. When Jesus is going to rain on this earth is going to be King of Kings and Lord of lords on this earth.

He will have a reign of righteousness and peace now, no one who was unsaved will go into the millennium, but in the millennium will be many unsaved will have children who don't know the Lord and at the end of that thousand years. The final resurrection is like this. Everybody who is not saved. Everyone is not a Christian will be raised on all at once and they will come before what the Scripture calls the great white throne judgment and they will give an account for their life.

There will be no Christians at the great white throne. That's the last resurrection.

Here's how the Scripture describes it, and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books and the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them and they were judged, each one according to his works. There will be no saved people at that judgment. Everybody who comes before that judgment will be sent down because they have rejected Jesus Christ but there will be this great resurrection at the end of the millennium, he does for me read it from the Scripture in this helps us to understand what Jesus said, each in his own order. First, Jesus that all the Christians when it comes than all those who get saved during the tribulation and then all of the unsaved of all time are resurrected.

Somebody said while we just die and that's it. Or we die as dogs after you die. That's it, you're done. Know that's not true. Listen to me here every one of us is going to be alive somewhere forever. We get to make the decision as to where that will be in this life alone you get a do over. You only go to heaven if you make the decision to go to heaven now have to make a reservation now by putting your trust in Jesus Christ. If you're not a Christian.

I hope that message is clear. Now we come to the last part of first Corinthians 15 and were finished. What is the final result of this resurrection here. It is an here's what Paul says. He says when this is all done. Jesus Christ is going to deliver up the kingdom to God the father.

Verse 24 and 25 when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his foot Jesus came into this world, not just to redeem us became into this world to redeem the whole universe in one day is going be a renovation of this world on time to talk about today, just as he redeems us and changes us from the inside mixes new one days can redeem this old earth and make it new. And that's a story for another day. He will deliver the kingdom and the Bible says he will destroy death. The Bible says that when Jesus comes to the end of his time on this earth. Death will be destroyed. 1526 and first Corinthians says the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. Just as death came because Adam's sin, all way at the other end. Death will be destroyed and the Bible says that Jesus Christ is going to take this last enemy. This last enemy of death and it will be forever destroyed. I don't know whether you like it or not I sure don't like it but were overtly created to think about death and the older we get, the more we do it every time you have a little pain. Is this the end every time you forget something you say oh my goodness. Is this the beginning we think about.

I don't like in the Bible says that there are some people go through life. That's all they think about the Bible says that they are held in the grip of bondage because of their fear of death in one of these days are resurrected. King is going to wrap the chains of eternity and the strength of his glorious power around death and he's going throw death into the lake of fire, and death will be done and will never have to face it again. The Bible says. In heaven there will be no more dying. No more dying. I love that final truth.

As a pastor I have presided over death a lot in 50 years I've buried my mother my father my sister and my my brother-in-law Donna's brother, her mother and her father been a lot of death over the years though we don't fear death. As believers we don't want to have it happen either. I tell everybody I'm not afraid to die, but I don't want to die with manna and the wonderful truth of all of this, men and women is that death is not the end, however bad it may be the one truth that stabilizes everything as were related to a God, and to a Christ who never dies, who lives within us is the same yesterday today and forever in our lives can be a daily experience of sharing in the power of the risen Christ.

We you enjoyed today's tuning point, weekend edition with Dr. David Jeremiah this and other programs and get more information about how ministry by downloading the free tuning point mobile and fuel's not final by visiting our website at David Jeremiah don't/David Jeremiah.G/you can also view tuning point television, flee to each channel 7 to Sunday mornings at night and I CCTV Sundays at 6:30 AM and Fridays at 1 PM.

We invite you to join us again next week is Dr. David Jeremiah. She is another powerful message from God's word right here on tuning point, weekend edition taking time to listen to trim trees and all