(#078) 1 Corinthians 15 - God Has the Power to Transform Us in Life and in Death

Do you have faith to see the new life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning! 

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Welcome to this Bible lesson!  Who is Jesus Christ?  At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God. 

 

When told by the other apostles that Jesus was raised from the dead, the doubting apostle, Thomas, refused to believe it.  Thomas told the other apostles that he would not believe it until he saw Jesus for himself.   Jesus appeared to Thomas, and said to him in John, Chapter 20, Verse 27…

 

JOHN 20:27b

“…(Thomas)…do not be unbelieving…but keep on believing.”

 

What did Thomas say when He saw the resurrected Christ?  John, Chapter 20, Verse 28…

 

JOHN 20:28

Thomas answered and said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

 

Clearly, the doubting one knew the One to whom He was speaking…the Sovereign GOD of the Universe…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

 

Why does Barah Ministries exist?  At Barah Ministries, we make a

difference by introducing people to the Lord…teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.  Barah Ministries exists for the benefit of Christians…those of us who want a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord through the study of His Word.  Why study the Word of God?  Proverbs, Chapter 30, Verse 5 says…

 

PROVERBS 30:5

Every word of God (communicated through the Bible) proves itself to be true…the Lord is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

 

We study the Word of God because the Lord reveals Himself through His infallible Word.  We get to know Him by studying the Bible and through what we learn in the Bible we develop a personal relationship with the Lord.  The truth of the Word of God shields us in Satan’s kingdom.  However, a warning.  We implore you to always compare what you learn, both at Barah Ministries and in the world, with what the Bible says.  That’s not just an invitation, it’s a responsibility for believers in Christ!

 

God has an enemy…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’  First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19…

 

FIRST JOHN 5:19

We believers in Christ know that we are possessions of God the Father… and we also know that the whole world lies in the power of Satan…the evil one.

 

Satan encourages us to act independently from God’s will.  Look at the lie he told Isha (later known as Eve) in the Garden of Eden after she had been instructed by God through Adam not to eat from a certain tree…Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

GENESIS 3:5

“For God knows that in the day you (Isha) eat from the tree in the middle of the garden your eyes will be opened…and YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD… knowing good and evil.”

 

Satan sponsors thoughts like, “be Christ-like” … “I am the captain of my fate…I am the master of my soul” … and “If it’s to be…it’s up to me.” These thoughts make us ignore our dependence on God…yet we are not independent.  Don’t believe Satan’s lies.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God Has the Power to Transform Us in Life and in Death

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

We have a God who specializes in transformation. He is completely able to change us in form, in appearance, in structure, in character, and in nature.  In Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2, Paul reminds us of this established and irrevocable fact…

 

ROMANS 12:2a

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)...instead, keep on being transformed by (God the Holy Spirit)...through the renewing of your mind (by studying the Word of God)...

 

ROMANS 12:2b

...so that you may see clearly...through the testing of experience...what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you and that which is acceptable to Him and that which is perfect in result.

 

Our transformation began from the moment of salvation.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in union with Christ, and all believers in Christ are…there is a new creation…the old man things passed away (they died)… behold, the new creation has come into being.

 

But in the first-century Corinthian church, its believers were being influenced by the Greek culture it existed within…influenced by a group of unbeliever Greek philosophers who posed intellectual questions to raise doubt in the minds of believers about the viability of the resurrection of the dead.  Their doubt-inspiring antics worked!

 

In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul puts their human, logical arguments to shame by introducing the power of our Almighty God to transform.  

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  As believers in Christ, we keep on being conformed

by God the Holy Spirit to the image of God the Son.  Why does God the Holy Spirit do this for us?  Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 10 says it is…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:10

…so that you believers in Christ will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord…to please Him in all respects…bearing fruit in every good work…and increasing in the knowledge of God…

 

Our lifestyle is worthy of the Lord when we genuinely take the time to get to know Him through the study of His Word…when we notice how He is transforming our character…when we say yes to His way of thinking…when we realize that we are holy just as He is holy.  We are worthy of the Lord when we aren’t weighed down by what Unspoken describes as our HUMAN CONDITION.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HUMAN CONDITION

Unspoken

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HUMAN CONDITION

Unspoken

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for every perfect decision You make in this life, including the death of Your godly ones…thank you for putting in place the support we need and the solutions we need long before we have a problem…thank you for Your Word that we study today…we know that You are storing in our souls the seeds which will grow into plants that provide spiritual comfort in due time…

 

Today, we pray for the Barah Ministries family because you have called home one of our own…protect our hearts from the seeds of doubt Satan is willing to sow during this time of vulnerability…help us to trust You…just as Job did, realizing Your name is blessed regardless of our circumstances… and remind us that You restore everything in due time, just as You did for Job, providing much more grace than we could possible imagine…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ's

name...Amen.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God Has the Power to Transform Us in Life and in Death

 

We continue our study of First Corinthians, Chapter 15 at section five.  As a reminder, the issue Paul is addressing in First Corinthians, Chapter 15 is a concern the believers in the first-century church at Corinth have…is there really a resurrection of the dead?  Some were saying NO… First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 12…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:12

Now if Christ is preached, and He is…that He has been raised from the dead…how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

 

In the first four sections of First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Paul is answering the question the first-century Corinthians believers have… "Is the resurrection from the dead real?"

 

As I reflect on the tsunami of thought that is pouring forth now that the puzzle pieces of this chapter are forming a clear picture, it occurs to me that the first-century Corinthians believers were being influenced by unbelievers!  In Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 21 the Lord reminds us…

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

There are a lot of unbelievers who study the Bible.  There are a lot of unbelievers who talk about Jesus.  There are a lot of unbelievers who go to church (perhaps more than Christians do!)  There are a lot of staunch unbelievers!  There are a lot of unbelievers who have dyed-in-the-wool beliefs that cannot be changed.  There are a lot of unbelievers who write Biblical commentaries.  There are a lot of unbelievers who influence the thoughts of Christians with their nonsense.

 

The first-century Corinthians believers probably were listening to unbelievers in the Greek culture who enjoyed asking provocative questions seeking no real answer.  First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 14 reminds believers how to think about unbelievers who do this…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:14

But a natural man (the unbeliever) does not accept the things of the (Holy) Spirit of God…for they are foolishness to him…and he cannot understand them…because they are spiritually examined.

 

The Bible is filled with unbelievers asking intellectual questions seeking no real answer…Nicodemus is an example in John, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 4…

 

JOHN 3:1

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews…

 

JOHN 3:2

…this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher…for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

 

JOHN 3:3

Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 

JOHN 3:4

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born again when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

 

Nicodemus' question was not seeking an answer.  It was simply the nonsensical thoughts of a natural man who can't perceive spiritual things.  But the Lord gave Nicodemus an answer that is quite relevant in our study of the next section…John, Chapter 3, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 3:6

That which is born of the flesh (mortals) is flesh (mortal)…and that which is born again of God the Holy Spirit is spirit.

 

Unbelievers never take God into account in their thinking.  Unbelievers ignore God’s transformation powers.

 

In the next section of First Corinthians, Chapter 15, the apostle Paul addresses a new question.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15

How is the Resurrection Possible?

 

          SECTION 5          Verses 35 to 49

          SECTION 6          Verses 50 to 58

 

Here are the questions of unbelief Paul sought to answer…let’s begin at First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 35…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:35

But some will ask, “How (is it possible that) the dead are raised (resurrected from the dead)? And with what kind of body do the dead come (back)?”

 

Paul uses an agricultural analogy to explain a spiritual phenomenon.  Belief in the resurrection is like belief in the harvest.  Neither are fully understood (except perhaps by farmers)…but both are real!!!!  How is it that a few seeds become hundreds of stalks of delicious corn?  How is it that a few seeds sprout into stalks of wheat?  Paul doesn't like such inane questions as these in Verse 35…so he says, “Don’t be schtoopid!” in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 36…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:36

You fool! That which you sow (a seed) does not come to life unless it dies…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:37

…and that which you sow (a seed)…you do not sow the body which is to be (when the seed is fully grown)…but you sow a bare grain…perhaps of wheat or of something else.

 

A seed’s life comes from its death…a believer’s transformed life comes from his God.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:38

But God GIVES the seed a body just as God WILLS…and to each of the seeds God gives a body of its own (one that is proper for its situation).

 

God shows us spiritual things through so many different earthly things.  For example, God has the power to give different bodies to different creatures, whether they are on the land, in the air, or in the sea.  There is a death coming to life process in agriculture…but what about the flesh of the earth, and the sky, and the sea?  First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 39…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:39

All flesh is not the same flesh…but there is one flesh of men (humans)…and there is another flesh of beasts (animals)…and there is another flesh of birds…and there is another flesh of fish.

 

Paul continues his argument with the thought that must follow logically…that if God has the power to give different bodies in the earthly realm…then God has the power to give different bodies in the heavenly realm.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:40

There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies…but the glory of the heavenly body is one thing…and the glory of the earthly body is another thing (it’s different).

 

God has the power to give different bodies…both in the agricultural realm and in the celestial realm…the visible heavenly realm…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 41…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:41

There is one glory of the (blazing) sun…and there is another glory of the (soft glow of the) moon…and there is another glory of the (twinkling) stars…and star differs from star in glory (stars have individual qualities… God is intricate as well as intimate).

 

In light of all these intricacies from God…does a resurrection from the dead seem likely?  Does it seem that resurrection is possible?  Does it seem that God has the power to give us resurrection bodies?  Does it seem that a God who concerns Himself with all these small things would concern Himself with this big thing?  Unbelievers don’t think so…Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 21 to 23…

 

ROMANS 1:21

For even though those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness KNEW (there is a) God… those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness did not honor Him as God or give Him thanks…instead they became futile in their speculations (intellectual questions)…and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

ROMANS 1:22

Professing to be wise…those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness became fools…

 

ROMANS 1:23

…and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and in the form of birds and in the form of four-footed animals and in the form of crawling creatures.

 

Unbelievers can only perceive what they see on land, in the air, and in the sea…as a result…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 25…

 

ROMANS 1:25

For those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness (unbelievers) exchanged the truth of God for a lie…and worshiped and served the creature (and his idols) rather than the Creator who created the creature… He who is blessed forever. Amen.

 

The limited earthly thinking of unbelievers gets in the way of godly, heavenly thinking.  Yes!  There is a resurrection from the dead.  And yes!  Believers will have a resurrection body….and the resurrection body will not be the same as the earthly body.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then continue our study of section five of First Corinthians, Chapter 15.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God Has the Power to Transform Us in Life and in Death

 

Our Lord gave and gave and gave.  And in the Bible, there is a constant call from our Lord to giving and to sacrifice.  He wants us to do what He did.  That’s probably why there is such resistance to it.  Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 16 says… 

 

HEBREWS 13:16

And do not neglect to do good…and do not forget to share what you have…for with these sacrifices, God is pleased.

 

The ruler of this world and the enemy of God, Satan, encourages us to adopt a mindset of scarcity…the mindset of being suspicious about giving…the mindset of doubting the motives of the receivers of our generosity…the mindset of hoarding our blessings because they might run out.  The Lord has a mindset of abundance.  At the offering, be generous, just as the Lord is generous with you.  Give and give and give some more.  Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of His always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

ROMANS 6:4

Therefore, we believers in Christ have been buried with Christ through baptism into His death...so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God the Father...so we too might walk in a new life (the resurrection life).

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Don Moen

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God Has the Power to Transform Us in Life and in Death

 

Welcome back!  The human body is like a seed…the resurrection body is like a plant.

 

HEIRLOOM SEED SLIDE

 

HEIRLOOM PLANT SLIDE

 

There IS a resurrection of the dead…and the resurrection body will be quite different from the human body.  As we move forward in this section, we’ll see the transformative power of God express in FROM-TO form.  First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 42…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:42

So also is the resurrection of the dead.  It is sown a perishable body (the human body…like a seed)…and it is raised (by God) an imperishable body (a resurrection body…like a plant)…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:43

…it is sown in dishonor…and it is raised (by God) in glory…it is sown in weakness…and it is raised (by God) in power…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:44

…it is sown a natural body…and it is raised (by God) a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, and there is, there is also a spiritual body.

 

Paul…a tentmaker by trade…uses a similar analogy in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 1…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:1

For we believers in Christ know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, and it is (thorough physical death)…we have a building from God…a house not made with human hands (not mortal)…a house eternal (imperishable) in the heavens.

 

God’s transformative power takes us from tent to building!  Continuing in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 45…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:45

So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul (in a human body).” The last Adam (Jesus…the Christ) became a life-giving spirit (in a resurrection body).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:46

However, the spiritual body is not first…but the natural body is first…then the spiritual body comes after.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:47

The first man is from the earth, earthy…the second man is from heaven.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:48

As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy…and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:49

Just as we have borne the image of the earthy…we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

What do unbelievers fail to notice?  They miss it that an omnipotent God with all the power can change the mortal into immortality…the corrupt into incorruptibility…dishonor into glory…weakeness into power…and the natural body into a spiritual body.

 

The unbeliever, with natural eyes and reason, sees the resurrection as

impossible.  Believers in Christ who see things with supernatural and

spiritual eyes see everything as possible because we count on the power of God.  Our resurrection bodies in the future will not be a reconstruction of our physical bodies…that’s the way unbelievers see things.  Our resurrection bodies will be a complete transformation into a body that can exist in the heavenly realm. We will be transformed from an earthly body that will be buried and turn to dust to a resurrection body that is recognizable to family and friends, that eats, that can walk through walls, that can disappear in one place and appear in another.

 

We have a lot to look forward to!  Thanks be to the God who is powerful enough to transform us!

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

You are one of God’s creatures!  If you choose, you can be a child of God.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 12 says…

 

JOHN 1:12

But as many as received the invitation from Jesus to be saved…to them He gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Jesus’ name…

 

Yet one of the things you need to know is that your Divine Parent does not operate the same way a human parent operates.  As human parents, often we are emotional, arbitrary, and sentimental.  We tell our children exactly what we want them to do, expecting they will do it.  Often, they do the opposite, and then they ask us for an exception to our request.  “I know I didn’t do exactly what you asked…but please, please, please…can I do it my way?”  Often, our emotional, arbitrary, and sentimental self allows them to disobey.  By doing this, we teach them to ignore our requests in critical matters.

 

God is NOT a human parent.  God tells us exactly what we must do to be saved, and those who don’t do it think in the end God will be emotional, arbitrary, and sentimental.  They think God will let them into heaven their own way.  He won’t!  God has a different plan.  In John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said…“I am the way (to salvation)…and I am the truth (through the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

God’s plan for your salvation is a critical matter, and the Lord isn’t emotional, or arbitrary, or sentimental about it.  He’s crystal clear.  In Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 21, the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter into the kingdom.”

 

What is God the Father’s will in the matter of your salvation?  First of all, Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 tells us what is NOT God’s will…

 

SECOND PETER 3:9b

…(it is not God’s will) for any of you (unbelievers) to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

What IS God’s will is quite simple, and it is revealed in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

That’s what it takes to be saved.  It only takes about thirty seconds of your time.  You simply turn your salvation over to the God who saves you.  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

If you ignore God’s critical request, there are consequences…John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

So, if you want to get to heaven, it’s probably just best to do what God asks you to do…Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

When we believe, we simply take God’s word for it in the matter of what it takes to be saved, and we benefit from it!  Do it right now…just once…and you’ll be saved for all time!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

What is a guarantee?  It’s a promise that something committed to will be fulfilled.  When God makes a promise, it’s a guarantee.  Here’s one of the Lord’s promises…Psalm 37, Verses 23 and 24…

 

PSALM 37:23

The steps of a righteous man (a believer in Christ) are established by the Lord…and the Lord delights in his way.

 

PSALM 37:24

When a righteous man falls…he will not be hurled headlong…because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

 

When the Sovereign God of the Universe has your back, what is there to fear?  Here’s June Murphy to encourage us believers in Christ…to FEAR NOT!

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

FEAR NOT

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

FEAR NOT

June Murphy

 

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

          A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

Let’s close with words of worship for our Almighty God1

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Stop worrying about anything…instead, in everything by prayer and petition with an attitude of thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:7

And the peace of God the Father, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds (flooding your souls with peace)…you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

JUDE 1:24

Now to Jesus Christ…the One who is able to keep you from stumbling…and the One who is able to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…

 

JUDE 1:25

…to the only God…our Savior…through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord…be glory…majesty…dominion…and authority…before all time…and now…and forever. Amen.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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