Comment on a Lectionary Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3–13

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3–13

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As usual, there is much going on here as Paul teaches about the work of the Spirit in the church, the body of Christ. However, I’m only going to comment on one verse, and that’s verse seven.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:7

Each and every Christian has been given some ability or other by the Spirit. Now, please note that that is a fact. That means that it refers to you, Christian. The Spirit has certainly blessed you in this way. The second thing to notice here is that this ability has been given to you for the benefit of the others in the church. These are facts that are true of you.

Pitied?

I suspect that most of you are familiar with 1 Corinthians 15, more so than, say, 1 Corinthians 16. And the reason for that is obvious. It’s where Paul deals with the resurrection. This is a chapter that you have heard preached on lots of Easter Sundays. And, as you can see, I’m going to do that again myself. But this time around I’d like to focus on one sentence that I have found quite intriguing.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19

Paul writes this, and then he moves on. He doesn’t explain it. Pitied? What’s Paul saying here? That’s what I’d like to look at this morning. And let me tell you up front what my goal is. I’d like to help you understand reality better, reality now as you work at following Jesus in this age and reality later when you will walk with Him in the age to come. Exploring this sentence can help you do that.

Immortal Souls

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. (1 Corinthians 12)

From time to time I will find myself in the local Giant Eagle where I buy groceries. And when I'm there I notice the people. There are different things that I think about as I walk the aisles. Sometimes I look at a woman and wonder whether her husband loves her. I look at someone else and I see the signs of a life that is not going well, and I wonder how that life will turn out.  And lots of times I look at the people and tell myself that every single one of them will end up either in heaven or in hell. It all depends on whether they are disciples of Jesus.

In the days of my youth the next statement from a pastor would have to do with the need to evangelize the lost and, more often than not, there would be some sort of guilt-based response on the part of those listening. I don't want to do that. Anything done merely to assuage a guilty conscience - and especially if it's a matter of false guilt - is hardly a good work that honors Jesus. It is a fact, though, that there are many who need to hear about Jesus. There are many who need to become his disciples. But the way to proceed is not to press all the saints to evangelize door to door - or whatever the contemporary alternative is. The way to proceed is to be the Church. What each of us needs to do is exactly what Jesus has called each of us to do. And that will be different for each one of us. There are, to be sure, some who are gifted in communicating the Gospel to today's lost souls. And they should do exactly that. But the rest are gifted in other ways. So, these others should do what Jesus has called - and gifted - them to do. It is as we each fulfill our respective callings, or to say that differently, as we together act like the Body of Christ, the Church, that the Gospel will spread.

If Jesus wanted us all to devote ourselves exclusively to personal evangelism he would have given all of us special gifts in that area. (How monolithic - and boring!) But he didn't. Some of us are eyes and others of us are ears. Some of us are up front and visible to all, and others of us do our work quietly in the background almost completely unnoticed. Let's be who we are so that, among other reasons, the lost would hear - and see - the Gospel. Let's be the Church so that many would come to Jesus.

Pitiable

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  (1 Corinthians 15)

I think that it is safe to say that many Christians, if they were to stop and think about it, would say that it would be okay if there were no heaven after this life. They would say this life can be good enough - even if there is no more. I am not among them. If there is no new heavens and new earth, if there isn't the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, if what the Gospel promises me for later is a fraud, then my life is a waste of my time. Eternity with Jesus as a perfected person enjoying all the other saints is the justification I give myself for the disappointments, struggles, heartbreak and loneliness of my life. I'm not saying that life for me now is horrible. It isn't. There are lots of good things to enjoy, and I do enjoy so many of them. But the enjoyment of those things cannot make up for what I lack, what I was made for, what I long for. And the only place where I will be able to experience any of that is as a renewed person in a renewed creation. If there is no resurrection of me and all of this, then I should be pitied for so many of the choices that I have made as I have tried to follow Jesus. And the Apostle Paul agrees with me.

Not Death But Life

Today, we remember Jesus’ resurrection. Today, we remember that His resurrection affects us deeply. It is because of His resurrection that we can hope for lives that actually work. It is His resurrection and only His resurrection that makes that possible.

This morning’s text comes from Paul’s familiar treatment of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. One of his key thoughts here is that because Jesus was raised from the dead you can enjoy victory over Death. That is, because Jesus was raised from the dead you can enjoy Life. My goal for this sermon is simple. I want to move all of that talk about Life and Death further away from the category of church words so that it all makes more sense, and it all makes a difference. It is my hope that as you understand these things better you will be able to enjoy them more.

Before I start let me tell you my plan for the sermon. First, I want to answer some questions. What does the Bible mean by Death? What does the Bible mean by Life? And then, we’re going to look at the grammar of what Paul wrote, specifically the tenses of two verbs. Then, I’m going to draw some conclusions that I want you to think about, believe and enjoy.

Please listen as I read 1 Corinthians 15.50-57.

I Need You. You Need Me.

1 Corinthians 12

God has not given us a manual on how to be Christians. I'm sure that there have been times when we wished that He had. Then we'd have something with clear statements on exactly what it means to follow Jesus. But He didn't do that. Instead, we have to think through the sometimes confusing life situations of believers – and others – who lived in other times and other places, and all of whom were quite imperfect. And that's what we have in our text. Paul wrote a letter to the saints at Corinth about some of the problems that they facing. In our text he gives special attention to what it means for Christians are to be a church. God willing, as we consider this text, we'll see more clearly what Jesus expects of us as His Church. And that will hopefully lead to more change.

Paul describes the Church as a human body with ears and feet and more. The Scriptures often use illustrations to clarify its message. Jesus does this with His parables. 'The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed', or 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour'. It's helpful when someone uses what we know to explain something that we don't know. So, having read our text, we might say that the Church is like a human body with all its different parts. But if we were to say that we'd be wrong. There is no 'like' in Paul's description. Listen again. 'Now you are[!] the body of Christ and individually members of it.' There is no 'like'! The Church is not like a body. It is a body. It is the body of Jesus. And that really does make a big difference. Listen again to verse 13. 'For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...' Paul teaches that we were baptized not into one Church but into one body, the body of Christ. Something unseen but very real has happened to us. As part of His work of applying salvation to us, the Spirit made us a part of Jesus' body. And that's a very big deal. All of this helps us to understand a bit better what the Church is. It's fine to say that a church is a social institution like the Elks or the Boy Scouts. That would be correct but so very incomplete. There is so much more going on. A church is also, and more importantly, the body of Christ. That defines the one Church around the globe and every local congregation. The body of Christ.

This leads to one implication that needs to be emphasized in our day. The Church is not some useful addition to a Christian's life. It's not an organization that is helpful but not essential to faithful living. Sadly, too many Christians think of it in those terms. The thinking goes something like this. 'If you can find a church, good. But if not, it's okay. You can still do fine following Jesus. You can enjoy good fellowship with your Christian buddies in your accountability group. And there are lots of good sermons on the internet. So, church may be helpful, but it's not essential.' No! The Spirit has baptized us into the body of Christ, the Church. This is an essential work of the Spirit in the life of every Christian. It is part of what it means to be saved. Of course, it's at this point that someone mumbles something about the 'invisible church'. I have yet to find one verse of the Bible that refers to this 'invisible church'. Part of the saving work of Jesus, applied to us by the Spirit, is our becoming a part of His body, the very visible Church.

What I just told you is very important, but it isn't the main point of the sermon. The main point assumes what I've just said, and then it asks this question. How are we, the members of Christ's body, to relate to each other? This was a big problem area in Corinth as you know. And so, Paul speaks to it in our text. He offers two thoughts that I want to point out to you. The first is in verse 21. 'The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."' It's pretty clear what the eye should not say to the hand or the head to the feet. But what should they say, instead? Paul's point is that they should say, 'I need you.' That seems to me to be a profound thought. Consider the language of 'need'. 'Need' is different from 'It would be nice if...' or 'I would like it if...' Those sound optional, and they are. 'It would be nice if you and I could help each other, but if not – well, what are you going to do?' But 'need' is not optional. I need air to breath, food to eat and water to drink. If these needs are not met, then I have a very serious problem. They really aren't optional. And so, you see, the eye should say to the hand, 'I need you'. Paul's point, applied to us, is quite simple. Each of us can and should say to each of the other people in this room, 'I need you'. Now there's something to ponder. 'I need you.'

There is also the flip side. Listen again to verses 15-18. 'If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.' There are those in the body, Christians in the Church, who tell themselves that they aren't really all that necessary. They aren't as important as others in the body. Paul exposes this for the garbage that it is. Each and every Christian is an important part of the body of Christ. So, each and every Christian can and should say to the rest of the saints, 'You need me.' And that is true of each one of you. You have a role to play – an important role to play – when it comes to us being the Church. We need you to fulfill your role as a part of the body.

Now, let me anticipate something here. Some of you might feel reluctant to even to think, 'You need me'. It just sounds proud. It's true that someone could say that in a very proud way. But it doesn't have to be that way. Someone could also say it just as a fact. After all, it is a fact. There are some who, afraid of becoming proud, deny what is true. But these need to see that just as being proud is a sin, so is lying about what is true. So, each of you can and should believe this simple fact when it comes to the rest of the group, 'You need me. I have something to add, something very important. You need me.' And that is also something that needs to be pondered.

Now a question. We need each other – to do what? How shall we answer that? You might be tempted to answer that in terms of one of the many areas of your life. 'Well, I need you in this area of my life or that one over there. But that's about it.' If you answer in this way, you've made a mistake. You've divided your life into sections that are more or less separate. And so, when this is played out, how could a history teacher at the local school be of help to a doctor who specializes in caring for sick babies? Or vice versa. Mutual helpfulness is limited. Oh, the one might help the other in some 'spiritual' matter, like praying for him every once in a while. But that's about it. However, even if you think of your life in terms of sections – vocation, family, hobbies, community involvement, church – they all have something in common, don't they? You. They are all an expression of who you are and who you are becoming; your character, your virtues, your personality, your sins and your weaknesses. Even assuming this fragmented life, you need the others and they need you so that you and they can become more like Jesus, and that's something that affects us in all that we do. You are a tool that the Spirit uses to change the others here so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ, and each of the others of us is also a tool to change you. I need you, and you need me.

So, what's a Church? It's not just some social club. It's not just some religious organization. It's not even a preaching center for weekly thoughts to ponder. A Church is a group of people who are bound together by the Spirit in some supernatural way and who are used by the Spirit for the mutual good of each and all to the end that they might follow Jesus well and thus change the world.

So, consider the people of Faith Reformed. Picture them in your mind, one at a time. As you see each picture, say to yourself, 'I need you.' And then say, 'You need me.' Then, picture the people of Faith Reformed as a group and say the same things. I need you. You need me. That is what the Spirit is telling us all from this bit of Scripture. And that is something to ponder.

Let's move on. I think that we all can agree that what I've said is the truth, God's truth. You know it's true because it came out of our text. As a result, it is to be believed. And if it is believed, it will show in our thoughts, our attitudes and our behavior. And it's here that we all face a problem. We've all been taught to be relatively independent. There is a spectrum. Some of us are very independent and others of us are less so. But we've all been taught the virtues of independence, of depending on ourselves. What the Spirit has just told us is that being depending on yourself is wrong, and it's wrong because it's based on a lie. And the lie is this. 'There are ways to describe our relationship but need isn't one of them.' Or to put it in terms of our summary statement: 'I don't need you, and you shouldn't need me.' But it's clear that that doesn't fit with what we've seen in our text. The truth is that we do need each other. It's the way Jesus has established His Church and the way that the Spirit does His work in us. This is a major part of what it means to be saved. So, we have a problem. We all, to a greater or lesser degree, believe in being independent, but we shouldn't. It's sin. And that's not good. However, apart from a miracle, we aren't going to wake up tomorrow completely changed, fully believing our text and living in ways that reveal that we believe it. So what do we do?

I have a few ideas. First, acknowledge what the Spirit is saying in the text. It helps to say things to yourself. It helps to look at the people in this room and say to yourself, 'I need you. You need me.' It's just admitting the truth, and we all need to yield to the truth. And telling yourself the truth helps you to yield to it. 'I need you and you need me.'

Remember that I get the sermon first. So, as I was working on it, of course, the question pops into my head, 'Do you believe the things that you are writing? Do you believe this I-need-you-and-you-need-me stuff?' Now, I am a solitary person. I am an introvert and rather private. There are parts of being solitary that I enjoy and parts that really stink. The parts that I enjoy tell me that I don't need you. Being solitary is less messy, less demanding. Being involved with people can be such a pain. And, of course, this part of me assumes that I can manage alone well enough. It's when I get to the parts that stink that I see life more clearly. I do need you – in lots of different ways, only some of which I am aware of. So, I do acknowledge the truth of these words of the Spirit. I do believe this I-need-you-and-you-need-me stuff. But changing who I am is hard. And quite frankly, I'm not sure how to do that. I have been solitary all of my life. It's not like there's a switch I can flick off.

And so, that leads to my second suggestion. The second thing to do is to pray. There are deep structures within us – certainly within me and I'm pretty sure within you – that need to be changed. It's helpful to me to know that there will be no solitary people in heaven. I will be changed. I will finally be freed from my fears that keep me from being as open as a part of me would like. And that gives me hope. But in the meantime change isn't something that I can do on my own. And neither can you. Changing people is the Spirit's work. So, we can pray that He will do that in our lives so that we will more firmly believe the truth of our text and live that way. Change is not something that happens overnight nor does it commonly occur by means of some Spiritual 'zap!' It is something that we'll need to pray about for quite a while. And as you pray for yourself, remember to pray for the others. We need to help each other in this. I do pray for you, and I hope that you pray for me. And let's be confident. Changing us is definitely something that the Spirit wants to do. We can be very optimistic about this.

Then there's a third suggestion. We're going to have to do things that we really don't want to. We're going to have to take risks. That means that I will need to do things with you that my solitary self doesn't feel comfortable doing. Needing each other is such a personal thing and it is so difficult moving in that direction. But we need to take the risks. And we need to do that because of love, for Jesus and love for each other.

I've done a lot of thinking and praying about Faith Reformed over the last year. And as part of that, I've asked myself what it is that I want. What do I want to happen at Faith Reformed? I find that a good question. 'What do you want?' Answering it helps to clarify things. I've come to a conclusion to that question. How would you answer that question? What do you want for Faith Reformed? It seems to me that if the answer to that question does not include what we've seen from this text this morning, then we're aiming at the wrong thing.

Knowing the Things of God

1 Corinthians 2.9-16

We're looking at the Spirit once again. My goal in this is for you to reflect on who the Spirit is and understand better what it is that He does. Today, we look at a passage of Scripture that has been used to explain why some people get the Gospel while others don't. My intention in looking at this passage is not to look at our past and what the Spirit did back then so that we got the Gospel. Rather, it is to look at our future and what the Spirit will do in us and with us.

In the text that I read to you Paul wrote, 'The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.' The natural person doesn't get it. In fact, he can't get it. He can't because the things of God are Spiritually discerned. That is, it takes the Holy Spirit to understand these things. It takes the Spirit to understand the Gospel. But on the other hand, Paul writes, 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.' The spiritual person, that is, the person in whom the Spirit has done His work, does get it. He understands the Gospel and believes it. The Spirit makes the Gospel real to a person and that's why He believes it. That's why he entrusts himself to Jesus.

Now, let's look at all of that from a particular vantage point. It should be obvious that, say, some college student taking a course in religion could study the right books on the Gospel and pass some test on it with flying colors. Imagine overhearing him as he studies in the library. 'That religion test is coming. I've done all the assigned readings, and I think that I've got all that down pretty well. But I'd better go over that outline again just to be sure. So, what was that first point? Oh yeah, God is the creator of all things and He made all of this for Himself. Okay, I've got that down. What's next? Sin. Sin is rebelling against God as the creator. It is rejecting His authority. Okay, I've got that. Next - what was that third point? Something about Jesus. Jesus ... is the savior sent by God to rescue people from the justice due them for messing up, I mean sinning. All who believe what God says about Jesus as savior are forgiven all their sins. I think I've got that too.' Our religion student might take his exam the next day and get a really good grade. But, to use Paul's words, he still does not 'understand the things that have been freely given to us by God.' Paul is talking about something more profound than being able to recite the facts of the Gospel, even with some clarity. Something else is going on.

It is very important that this difference be clear. So, let me explain the difference this way. It's kind of like falling in love. Here's some young guy. He knows this young lady because they've taken some classes together. In fact, she was also a part of that group of students who crammed for the final together. It was a good thing that he spent all that time with the group. That's the only reason he did as well as he did when it came time to take the tests. So, if you asked him about that young lady he could probably tell you a few things about her: about how tall she is, color of hair, maybe even color of her eyes - though that might be pushing it. But that was last semester, and his thoughts were focused on advanced calculus at the time. But something happened recently. There was more study time together. But this time, instead of studying the class assignment he found that he was studying her. And now things are different. Now, he sees how the sun highlights her hair. Now, he notices that her eyes are so soft and inviting - and that they are a beautiful shade of hazel. Now, he notices that beneath the gentleness of her words there is a passion about things that she thinks important. Something has happened. The facts are still the same and yet, he sees them in an entirely different way. He's in love. The facts haven't changed, but it's obvious that he has.

It's the same way with the Gospel and the work of the Spirit. Let's go back to our religion student. And let's assume that something happens some time after his test on the Gospel. Let's assume that the Spirit did His work in this person's life. He gets the Gospel. The facts are the same. They haven't changed in the least. But he sees them differently. Let's listen again as he goes over that outline.

'What was that first point? God is the Creator and He has made all of this for Himself. God created all of this? Out of nothing? How did He do that? And He made it all for Himself? I guess that means that ... that He created me for Himself. I am here to do whatever He wants. I'm the creature. He's the Creator. Whoa!'

'Second point: sin. Sin is rebelling against God as the Creator. It is rejecting His authority. Oh my goodness! That's me. I'm a rebel. I've been rebelling against His authority. I've rejected the authority of the God who created me. Oh no. What is He going to do to me?'

'Oh wait! Third point: Jesus is the Savior sent by God to rescue people from the justice due them for messing up, for sinning. All who believe what God says about Jesus as Savior are forgiven all their sins. God sent Jesus to rescue me? Why would He do that? If I believe what God says about Jesus then I will be forgiven all my sins. All of them. All of them? All of them. That's amazing.'

Something is different. Something has changed. The facts are the same, but the person is different. We can't see what changed inside our student friend. We can't see the secret work of the Spirit in his heart. But we can see that something about this person has changed.

It's just like the young man who fell in love. When that happened to him, his priorities changed. Being with that special woman shot to the top of the list. His emotions were engaged in a way that they weren't before. Life feels different to him now. And he looks different to others. It's the same with our converted religion student now that the Spirit has done His work. His priorities are different. Jesus is now the priority of his life. His emotions are engaged. He is in awe of this Creator-Redeemer God. He is stunned by the joy of a forgiveness that covers all the evil and sadness of his sin. Life feels different to him now. And he looks different to others. The Spirit has done His work. 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.'

Our starstruck young man is fortunate that the young lady in question feels similarly. So they marry and establish a family. Fast forward a few years. Things have changed. Life has happened, with all its ups and downs. Our young couple are no longer quite so young. They still have a solid marriage, but the thrill of falling in love is no longer there. And they notice this at times - and wonder about it. But there are others in the same kind of situation who just accept this as how life works. 'After all', they tell themselves, 'you can't maintain that emotional pitch forever.' And so, the marriage remains, but the priorities have changed, and the emotions are not as engaged.

There are others, however, who take a different tack. They also understand that the emotions of new-found love don't last. But instead of accepting the myth that those feelings have to fade away, they see that such feelings can mature and develop into emotions of a kind that they could never have imagined when they were younger. The priorities have changed some, since there are more responsibilities, but, for them, what was on the top of the list is still on the top of the list. In the midst of all that has been added to life, she is still his priority. He is still her priority. And, yes, the emotions are not as electric as they once were. Instead, they are deeper and more profound. While the emotions of young love are ready for the sprint, the emotions of mature love continue the marathon, joyfully.

What I want you to see is that the same thing sometimes happens to a new faith. As the years go by, it's possible to settle for something not really like what it once was. The thrill of a new-found faith fades. 'After all', they tell themselves, 'you can't maintain that emotional pitch forever.' So, the relationship with Jesus remains, but the priorities are different and the emotions are not as engaged. I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be. In fact, I'm know that's not the way it's supposed to be. And just as there are ways to make sure that a new found love grows and develops into something deeper and much more profound, something that a young love could never have imagined, there are ways to make sure that a new-found faith - that love affair with Jesus - grows and develops into something deeper and much more profound, something that a young faith could never have imagined. Walking with Jesus after forty plus years isn't supposed to feel the same that it did when the relationship was but a few years old. It's supposed to be better and feel better. And I can tell you that, in my case, it is.

But how? That's the question, isn't it? How is a young faith, one that naively thinks it is ready to take on the world, transformed into something mature that actually can take on the world? The answer is simple. The answer is the Gospel. Remember, the Gospel is not complicated. It's simple. Not easy, but simple. Let me give you some Scripture to answer our question about 'how'. The first comes from our text. One more time: 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.' Making the Gospel real is the Spirit's work. He must act if we are to to know the things of God in that special way. But what He does is not just a one time event. His work in your soul is to be a life-long experience. So, we read this: 'And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.' The Spirit doesn't just do His work at the beginning of our walk with Jesus. It's up to Him to see it through to the end. It is His continuous work in the soul that takes a young faith and deepens it until it becomes a mature faith. But that then brings us to this: 'Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling...' The work of the Spirit is absolutely necessary. But that doesn't mean that we sit around, say a prayer every once in a while, and expect the Spirit to hit us with His magic wand. There is work for you to do. You need to pursue the Spirit. You need to pursue communion with Him if He is going to continue to make the Gospel real to you. There is something for you to do. So, let me encourage you to continue what you are doing. Pursue the Spirit as best you know how. Pursue communion with Him. This will bear fruit. Persevere in this and you will see things that you would never have expected.

Now, I'm sure that you have questions about this. And who knows, maybe the Spirit will bring me back to this to answer some of those questions. But He's given you more than enough to consider and mull over. And I sincerely hope that you will.

Easter

1 Corinthians 15.54

Our text is the climax of Paul’s famous chapter on the resurrection. ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ These are words that Christians get excited about and rightly so – but only if we understand what they mean. The last thing that we need today is another empty slogan, words that people get excited about but without knowing why. So, let me tell you what I want to happen as a result of today’s sermon. I want you to be excited, excited about what Jesus did at His resurrection and about what He is doing now. I want you to be filled with joy as you live in this fallen world. I want you to be so up that people will look at you funny. And to that end I want you to understand the words of our text. So, for the sake of the joy of your soul, I ask that you to listen as I work to explain what Paul is talking about.

Let’s start where the text starts. Let’s talk about death. Death is not an original part of Creation. It came in later as something abnormal. Death is here because of the curse of God. Remember what He said to Adam about that one tree. ‘In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ But then, ignoring God’s warning, he ate. As a result, he and the rest of Creation experienced death. Let me remind you that death is not defined as that moment a heart stops beating. It is much more involved than that. To be sure, whenever your body doesn’t work right – whether it’s cancer or the common cold – that is an expression of death. But death also shows itself in other ways.

When relationships are damaged, that’s death. By God’s original design, we are to be in relationships of love with everyone else. No walls, no phony smiles, no ‘polite’ conversations. But that is not where we are. We all have our walls. The only difference is how high they are and how far out from our hearts we build them. And it gets worse when we do allow someone in close to our heart and then something goes wrong and we are wounded. That’s when the walls tend to get a bit higher and more excluding. What is that but death?

The problem isn’t just in terms of relating to other people. We have problems dealing with ourselves. Who here doesn’t understand the wrestlings of the Apostle Paul when he wrote, ‘The good that I want to do I don’t do but rather the evil that I don’t want to do, that’s what I do.’ Who here has never wrestled within himself, trying to sort things out but unable to it? And confusion takes hold, along with a taste of hopelessness. Isn’t that also death?

Let me add to one more. Think of the young Jesus. Because He knew the Scripture prophecies about Himself, He could say, ‘I know what my life will be like. I know what’s going to happen to me when I grow up. I’m going to be single all my days, wander about as a preacher, make lots of enemies and die alone as a criminal.’ He knew. But consider us. We don’t know the future. What do we tell ourselves when we are young? ‘When I grow up I’m going to be married, have lots of kids, and be happy all the time.’ Or fill in the blanks with what are – or were – your own hopes and dreams. But as you know, life is filled with surprises and disappointments. Doors of opportunity that you were ready to walk through suddenly get slammed in your face. You find yourself touched by failure, sometimes your own failure and sometimes the failure of others near you. And life turns out to be not exactly what you expected. That doesn’t have to mean that life is completely black. But we all have seen and still see some gray at the edges. This too is death.

It’s at this time that some folk might begin to think that I have painted a picture that is too bleak. But it’s a fact that there are others for whom I haven’t been bleak enough. What matters is this. I’ve been faithful to the Scriptures. I have described death more or less as they picture it. It does no good for anyone to try to hide from it, cover it up or even just soften it a little. And I’ll tell you one reason why. Your joy in the Gospel is at stake. The degree of your joy and excitement in Jesus’ victory over death is tied to the degree of your grasp of the awfulness of this death. King David wrote these words at the end of one of his Psalms: ‘But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult…’ Words of great joy and excitement. But listen to how he started that very same Psalm: ‘O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.’ David understood death’s grip on this life, making it a dry and weary land. And one place it shows is in his joy in Jesus and what He has done to this death. Your experience of the joy of the Gospel is tied to your seeing death for what it really is. That is where we must all start. Jesus’ victory over death will not make sense unless you understand what He has conquered.

That’s all about death. Now we’re ready for the rest of our text. ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ This word translated, ‘swallowed up’, paints such a great picture. Let me show you another place it is used in Scripture. Remember when Moses and Aaron first went to Pharaoh and Aaron threw down his staff and it became a serpent? ‘Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.’ Do you see what happened? Each of the Egyptian magicians’ serpents was consumed by Aaron’s serpent until, at the end, there was nothing left but Aaron’s serpent. ‘Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.’

‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ That is, death is consumed by life until there is no death at all. Imagine that: no death at all. At that point everything changes. Our bodies always work well. Hearts never stop beating. Every day you awaken rested and ready to go. No aches or pains. Not even a sniffle. The same applies to our relationships. No walls. Everyone is welcomed into your heart. No one ever disappoints. No wounds to the heart. Only and always love. And as we deal with ourselves, there is no confusion. None. We understand ourselves ever so clearly. And even hopes dreams are resurrected. So, instead of living in some dry and weary land, home is more like this place that Isaiah described. ‘… waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water…’ Death is consumed until all that is left is life. And it is for that reason that, ‘…the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult…’

It’s here that someone is thinking, ‘But that’s not what’s happening now. I don’t see life standing alone. I still see – and feel – death.’ Yes, that’s true. And Paul knew that when he wrote our text. Listen again to the whole sentence. ‘When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."’ Our text is not about what now is. It is a description of what Jesus is working toward right now. Jesus is aiming at a world where death is gone, consumed by life. Paul is telling us about Jesus’ plans for this world. And this isn’t some secondary topic of the Bible. This is the Gospel. Jesus came to save a world. His plan is not to save a few souls that they might exist in some vague spirit world doing nothing. Jesus has come to rescue this world from death in all its forms. Jesus’ goal is to swallow up death until it is no more so that all that is left standing is life. And because He is the resurrected Lord over all, He will most certainly accomplish that. The crowning moment of His success will be His visible return to a rescued world. Our text is Jesus’ promise of these things. And that is one reason why we can rejoice and be so excited.

But this is not just about the future. It also explains the present. What is Jesus doing now? He is in the process of completely defeating death, of swallowing it up in victory. The key battle was won when Jesus walked out of that tomb. But as crucial as that was, it isn’t the only battle. Jesus continues to battle and defeat His enemy. So, every time a person is turned from his evil ways and places his faith in Jesus as Savior and places his life in His hands as Lord, death loses another battle. Every time a Christian lowers a wall and opens himself to another person, even just a bit, death loses another battle. Every time a Christian stands over his own shattered dream but still believes Jesus will resurrect it, death loses another battle. And every time a nation enacts a righteous law and some social evil is suppressed, death loses another battle. Do you see why I say that we Christians, of all people, can be full of joy and excited? There will be times when we will need to do that through tears. Death is not yet gone, and we still feel its sting. But we know that one day Jesus will finish His work and then death will be gone, never again to wreak its evil. In that we can rejoice.

So, here’s David and he visits the armies of Israel to see his brothers. While he’s there, Goliath, the giant, stands before those armies and utters his challenge. And the men of Israel run in great fear. After all, it is Goliath, the giant. But David takes up the challenge and with his sling and five smooth stones from the brook he confronts Goliath, this supposed giant. After hearing Goliath’s proud and mocking words, David flings a stone. The giant falls. David takes Goliath’s own sword and chops off his head. At this the armies of Israel charge their enemies and consume them in battle. You’ve all heard about this before. But understand why the Spirit recorded these events. David is a stand-in for Jesus. Goliath is Death. You stand among the armies of Israel and you’re watching. Jesus is at the brook gathering His stones. The supposed giant, Death, approaches with its proud and mocking words. The men of Israel run in fear. After all, it’s Death. But you stand fast. You know what’s going on. You know how it’s going to end. So, you get yourself ready to charge as you watch Jesus about to fling His stone. And then you follow Jesus until the enemy is consumed, until death is swallowed up, until all that is left is life. The complete victory is not here – not yet. There are more battles to fight. But we know how it will all end.

And now we have a slogan that means something. Now we have a slogan that we can get excited about. ‘Death is swallowed up in Victory!’ All Praise to Jesus!