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INTRODUCTION
The religion of atheism says there is nothing after death, this is all there is. “You
only live once, grab all the gusto you can get.” “Eat, drink, and be merry for
tomorrow we die.” No concept of a resurrection of soul or body.
Most religions believe there is some sort of life beyond death. There has to be more. To the
Hindus - Reincarnation not resurrection, For the martyers of Islam 70 virgins are waiting,
Mormons believe in celestial marriages, liberal Christianity, universalism - everyone goes to
heaven. At best they have a foggy understanding about the resurrection, if any.
What do you believe about life after death? Soul goes to heaven or hell. I guess our bodies
will be resurrected someday, someway, to somewhere. What does the Bible say about our own
resurrection? Christians need to be excited about resurrections = a rising from dead, or
returning to life after death.
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OT
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Abraham Gen. 22:5 “and I and the lad will
go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Heb.
11:17-19 “He considered that God is able to raise people even
from the dead,”
Job 14:14; “If a man dies, will he live
again?” 19:25-27 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer
lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after
my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God,”
Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the
dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the
others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
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NT
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Paul Acts 23:6; “Brethren, I am a Pharisee,
a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the
dead!”
Peter 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven
for you,”
Jesus John 11:25, 26 “I am the resurrection
and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and
everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
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Today we will talk about - How do resurrections they really work? Our text talks about two
resurrection events. Theme for today is make sure you are in the first resurrection so you can
be rewarded in the second. TEXT.
1. Spiritual Resurrection 5:25-26
- I hope you already experienced this resurrection, if not, today is the day.
- When we are saved, invite Christ into our life, we pass “from death into
life.” Eph. 2:1,5 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins...even
(now) made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.”
- This spiritual resurrection is all about removing our sins and giving new life to
believers. A central theme in John’s gospel 1:4; 3:15-16; 5:21,24
- Has Christ made you alive? Has your soul been resurrected from the deadness of your
sins to new life in Christ?
- If not - you are spiritually dead because of your sins. Incapable of a lifestyle of
righteousness, you may have a physical body that is alive, but your soul is a corpse -
can’t give itself new life, your soul is dead.
- To be saved, you need to “hear the voice of the Son of God...and live”
His voice is “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12) His voice is heard
in the Word, heard through the Holy Spirit who prompts your heart to come to Christ.
Listen to the voice of God, then repent and believe in Christ.
- When that happens Christ comes into us, cleans out our sin that deadened our soul and
makes us alive in Him, transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of
light. PTL!!!!
- Theme of John: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word of
God, who brings us light, love and life.“
- Christ can do this because He is God in the flesh, deity “Son of God”
- If you are saved, you are more alive than ever before, than even unsaved.
- Baptism pictures that our sins are washed away and new life is given.
ILLUS: Christian Reader had a story of woman in Michigan who at her baptism in the
local lake joked with her pastor as he lead her into the water that her sins would
pollute the lake, one week later she didn’t know if she should cry or laugh,
the local newspaper announced: “Lake closed because of pollutants.”
(July/August 2007)
- This is the first resurrection Jesus talks about, a spiritual resurrection of our
soul. Has Christ removed your sins? Has He given you His new life?
2. Physical Resurrection 5:27-29
- In future “an hour is coming... all in tombs will hear His voice” v. 28
- v. 29 describes two separate resurrection events. If you are spiritually
resurrected you will be rewarded in the first, if not saved, tragically you will
suffer the second. If you are saved then you will experience...
- a resurrection of life
- this is for “those who did the good deeds” Please
understand this is not works salvation, this is works evidence of salvation.
Salvation is always a work of God John 6:29. But our deeds show our
salvation John 3:21. Good deeds is not the root of salvation by the
fruit, not the cause but the effect. Our actions reflect our inner nature
Luke 6:45
- Be in Christ and bear fruit John 15:4, 5
- This resurrection to life gives us a new body, a glorified body.
- This body isn’t fit for heaven. Glad it will not be recycled.
- This resurrection occurs at the rapture, right before the 7 year tribulation
on earth begins, “when the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we
who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord”
1 Thess. 4:13-18. 1 Cor. 15:20-22, 51-57.
- This resurrection is our physical reward for believing in Christ.
- 4 times a year I earnestly pray for the rapture to occur. Today is one of
those days - before 12:45 p.m. so we can avoid another Quarterly Business
Meeting.
- We will stand before our Savior “Well done good and faithful
servant...enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt. 25:23)
- Rev. 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first
resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be
priests of God and of Christ... and reign a thousand years”
- If you are spiritually resurrected you will be rewarded in this. If not
spiritually resurrected, you will suffer...
- a resurrection of judgment
- this is for "those who committed the evil deeds"
- The most evil deed they did was reject the salvation of Christ: Christ will
say “I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE
LAWLESSNESS.” (Matt 7:33) Thus since Christ was not in their heart
their actions display their sinful heart - Matt. 15:18-19
- This resurrection occurs at the 2nd coming of Christ at the end of
the 7 year tribulation, and all sinners are ushered before the Great White
Throne of God to be sentenced to eternal hell. Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8.
- They who did not Christ as Savior as those in the first resurrection, will
instead know Christ as their condemning Judge.
- The verdict is “Guilty.” Sentence is “eternal hell” It
is Final!
- This resurrection is not to life, it is to death - separation from God, from
the goodness of life, to the blackness and suffering of sin unrestrained,
unending, unbearable.
- What a horrible sight. But justice of God must prevail, if the righteous are
to be rewarded justly, then the wicked must be punished justly. Rev.
19:1,2 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great
multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power
belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous...;”
- Bodies and souls that were used for sin in life on earth, will suffer the
consequences of sin for all eternity. Unspeakable horror.
- Right now, at death the soul is condemned to punishment, and later the
resurrection of the body makes it worse final sentence of fire.
CONCLUSION
That is how resurrections work. If you are saved, you have already experience one - do you
thank the Lord for your salvation from sin, new life? Are you looking forward to the rapture
for your physical resurrection?
If you don’t know Christ your soul is dead, invite Christ to come into you remove all
your sins, and give you His new eternal life. Don’t miss out…
Hope you were blessed by Uncle John last week. Honor to have him and Aunt Gail here and at
ICBA meetings. At dinner time Dad and Uncle John were talking about what must the unsaved
people realize 3 sec. after death... The horror. Even the famous newsmakers who were known by
everyone, but not to God…We don’t want to imagine 3 sec. after death… Make sure you are
not one who will experience that. Let Christ give you new life now and for eternity.
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