Gospel—R. Thonney
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Well, I want to start with those verses again that I quoted before.
In First Corinthians 15.
And I'll just read verses 3 and 4, for there we have those major facts of the gospel.
Paul says to the Corinthian believers, he's talking to believers, and I'm talking majorly to believers here, but he was a little bit doubtful about some of them, whether they were real or not, and that's why we're preaching.
The gospel he says, I delivered unto you, first of all that which I also received.
How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures?
Especially when a focus tonight on that third item, His resurrection, to me it is amazingly wonderful fact. It's something that only God can do.
Resurrect the dead. You know, there's amazing doctors in the world today, and when you get sick you can go to a bunch of them and spend a lot of money and they can do some pretty amazing things.
But when it comes time that you die, you know what the doctors are going to say.
Take him away to the morgue.
He's dead. We can't do anything more.
That's as far as men can do.
When we lived in Bolivia and South America.
I have to say we helped to bury a lot more children than we did adults.
Because kids get sick.
And sometimes if they don't get.
Right treatment at the right time.
They're gone.
And so many times we took a little boy or a little girl in a box out to the cemetery and sometimes we had to dig down to bury them. Sometimes when we were digging down, we hit another box. We had to adjust our hole so that we could bury them properly.
But it's sad, isn't it?
But you know what?
Death does not end it for anybody.
Death is not the last thing on the agenda.
For anybody that is ever born into this world.
I remember when.
Quite a few years ago now.
My mother.
Got to the end of her life.
And I'm thankful I got to be there because I wasn't around when my dad died.
And I only learned that he had died the day they buried him and I was in on the high Alta Plano of Bolivia and South America. There's no way I could get back but when my mother was going.
Down the last Rd. towards that moment she was going to depart. She died about a month short of being 101 years old. Pretty good ain't?
We came home from the prayer meeting in Walla Walla to where she was staying at my my sister's house, and there she was on the bed, breathing, and her breathing got.
Less and less and less.
Until she didn't breathe anymore.
She was dead.
Is that all for her?
No, we took her and we buried her. But that's not all.
Jesus died and rose again. To me that is the most wonderful thing to realize. Death does not end. End it all for anybody. Lots of people say that's that's it for a person that dies. Take him barium and that's it.
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No, that's not it.
You know, in the Old Testament, when Jesus had not come yet, people there.
Didn't know God as we know him today, because the Lord Jesus, when he came, he came to reveal to us who God is.
Interesting.
Now we know because Jesus was God.
Incarnate it means that he was a man at the same time as he was God It must have been a wonderful thing to know the Lord Jesus in this world. People thought he was just another man, but he wasn't just another man So in the Old Testament, before he came, they still.
Had an idea about God and they knew. Lots of them knew something about resurrection.
Resurrection is when a person is dead.
That they're brought back to life.
I'm going to quote what? Well, maybe I better read it in Job. What? Job said he lived way back.
Shove in chapter 19, this is what he said, and I think you'll understand that he realized that there was resurrection. Just listen to what he said. I think it's so interesting.
Job chapter 19 and verse 25.
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And though after my skin worms destroy this body.
Yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see, for myself and mine I shall behold, and not another, though my reigns be consumed within me.
So he said. I know I'm going to see my Redeemer.
And he knew that even though his body died, he was going to see God. And then incredible. I don't know how in the world he knew that. I don't know if we know, but in the Old Testament there were some occasions of people who were raised from the dead. Elijah, you remember, the Lord told him to go to a widow woman.
In Sidon and that she would feed him.
All the days of the famine in Israel, for 3 1/2 years they didn't have any rain.
And when she was staying with that poor widow woman.
She had a little boy that died.
And she felt so terrible. Here she was taking care of Elijah, and so she brought her little boy to him. Little dead boy.
And Elijah prayed, and the Lord gave back his life. I can imagine how happy she was to get her little boy back.
A little later when Elisha was a prophet.
Something similar happened. There was a lady that was very hospitable to Elisha and prepared a bed for him.
And a place for him to stay when he came by her house.
And.
Elisha said. What can we do for you, for all these nice things you're doing?
And she said no, I have everything I need.
And the servant of Elijah said she didn't have any children. OK, then about this time next year, you'll have a little boy. And so it happened because God gives children to parents. Did you know that God gave you children to your parents? I think it's so amazing, isn't it? And.
But it time time a little later.
He went out into the field and they were working and it was hot and I don't know if he had a stroke or a heat stroke or what it was, but he got sick and the father said take him to his mother and he took him to his mother and there he died. And ** *** went to tell Elisha because Elisha said.
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That you're going to have a little son. And so she told him. He said I didn't ask for this son. You said I would get it. And now he died. And so Elijah went back.
And close the door. In that little chamber that she had made for him, there was that little dead boy laying on the bed.
And he do you know what he did? He went and stretched himself on that little boy, put his eyes on his eyes, his mouth on his mouth, his hands on his hands.
And all of a sudden, the little boy sneezed. Do dead people sneeze? You know they don't. And so he said OK, God gave him his life again.
So those are instances where there was resurrection and in the New Testament I want to go to three places where.
The Lord Jesus before he died.
Resurrected people that had died. The first one I want to talk about is a girl that just died. It's in Luke chapter 8.
Luke chapter 8.
And verse 41.
And behold, there came a man named Gyrus.
And he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus feet and besought him that he would come.
Into his house, for he had one only daughter.
About 12 years of age and she lay a dying.
But as he went, the people thronged him. Now go down to verse 49.
While he was, yet he yet spake. There cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him.
Thy daughter is dead. Trouble, not the master.
But when Jesus heard it, he said to him, answered him, and said, Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, say, Peter and James, and John, and the father and mother of the maiden, and all wept and bewailed her, but he said.
Weep not she is not dead, but sleepeth.
And they laughed him to scorn.
Do you laugh at us at a funeral?
Not really. It's not really the way should act at a funeral. Do you? Where's?
A dead person lying out there.
He put the mall out and took the little maid by the hand.
And called, saying, Maid arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway. And he commanded to give her food. And her parents were astonished, but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. And you imagine how happy.
Her parents were was their only child.
A little girl and they were so glad to get their little girl back again.
So the Lord Jesus had power to raise the dead. Now let's go back to Chapter 7.
To see another person that died.
And it's in verse 11, Chapter 11 came to pass.
The day after that, he went into a city called Nain.
And many of his disciples went with him, and much people now when he came nigh to the gate of the city.
Behold, there was a dead man.
Carried out the only son of his mother.
She was a widow, and much people of the city was with her, and when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came and touched the beer. That's the casket. And they that bear him stood still.
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And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
And he that was dead sat up and began to speak.
And he delivered him to his mother.
And there came a fear on all, and a glorified God, saying that a great prophet is risen among us.
And that God has visited his people. Now here we have a man who.
Had died and they had put him in his casket or his box, whatever they used then, and they were on the road to go to the cemetery to bear him.
2 great companies. Here is one with a dead man carrying them to the graveyard, and here comes another group of people where Jesus was.
And they met that other group of people. Which group of people are you with? The one who's with the dead people on the way to the grave.
Or are you with the Lord Jesus who has the power over death?
Anyhow, Jesus stopped them and he went over to that casket and said, young man.
I say unto thee, Arise now, I could talk to dead people. I'm sorry they're not going to listen to me. But the Lord Jesus is different because he has the power of death in his hands. And it says that young man set up and began to speak. I wonder what he said.
I remember somebody talking about that. I don't know where it was, but it was where there were a lot of black people. And one of the men says, well, I know what he said. What was it? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
Well, we don't really know because Scripture doesn't say, but Can you imagine how thankful that young man was he didn't have to go to the cemetery to be buried at that time?
So there's one more that I want to talk about. It's in John Chapter 11. And here's a man that had died and he was buried. And when finally Jesus gets there.
It's four days he was buried.
You know, in our country we.
Delay burial, sometimes quite a bit.
But in Latin America, if you die one day, you're buried by the next day because they don't embalm people there and so they have to bury him right away.
But here's a man that was dead and buried four days. Let's just read a little bit of this chapter because it's such a beautiful illustration of the Lord's power over death. Verse one. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany.
The town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his.
Feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto him.
Saying, Lord, Behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard therefore that he was sick, he abode 2 days still in the same place where he was.
Why didn't he hurry up? He could save him from dying.
Why didn't he hurry up?
You know, sometimes the Lord does things different than what we would think to do.
And sometimes we think, doesn't he care? Do you think he cares?
Yes, he cares and we're going to see that.
And so he stayed there, and then he finally says, let's go.
And they come to where Jesus is.
And verse 17 it says then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain.
In the grave four days already.
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Now men and Bethany was 9 to Jerusalem, about 15 furlongs off, and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. And Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary sat still in the house a little bit further down.
Verse.
32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hast been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, which came with her.
He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
And said, Where have ye laid him?
They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
Verse 35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. 2 words.
Jesus wept.
Why do you think he wept?
He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
But he knew what it meant to those dear sisters that they'd lost their brother.
Do you think he cares?
Yes, he cares. When there's something that happens like that that really affects us, he cares. He feels it, and he wept. I mean, that's so amazingly wonderful.
Think you all know the other verse in the Bible? That's only two verse 2 words long.
Who can tell me?
Rejoice evermore.
Almost seems like a contradiction.
But it isn't.
Jesus wept. Rejoice evermore.
Well, it didn't stay there. Let's read on here what happened. Verse 36 then said the Jews. Behold how he loved them.
Some of them said, could not this man which opened the eyes of the blind have caused at this?
Even this man should have not have died. Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave.
And a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away The stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he had been dead 4 days.
Jesus said unto her, Shed said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst believe, thou should see the glory of God.
Do you believe God?
It seems like an almost impossible thing. Do you believe God?
That's what everyone has to ask themselves when God says something in His Word. Can you believe it?
Yes, you can, because there's one thing that's impossible for God to do.
To lie so when he says something you can't believe. It said I not unto thee, that if thou shouldst believe, thou should see the glory of God. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee.
That thou hast heard me, and I knew that thou.
Hearest me always, but because of the people which stand by.
I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me when he had.
Thus had spoken. He cried with a loud voice.
Lazarus, come forth.
You know, I could stand in a cemetery and shout at people and sorry, nothing would happen.
But this was a different person. This was the Son of God.
And when he said something, it happened. He created all the universe by the word of his power. Now he says Lazarus come forth.
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Lazarus didn't say in there, I can't, I'm all tied up. No, you know, even though he was all tied up, he got up and he came out of that tomb. It was like a little cave there where they buried him.
And he came right out, and then Jesus said loose him and let him go.
So this is a wonderful thing that the Lord Jesus did, but all this that we're talking about took place before the Lord Jesus died. And now I want to talk about the Lord Jesus's death and his resurrection because it's different than all the ones before, as far as we know.
All the ones that were resurrected from the dead before at a certain time died again.
But the Lord Jesus, when he was resurrected, he was resurrected in the power of a life that cannot ever die again, and that's the life he gave to those who believe in him. This is such a wonderful thing. Let's go on in chapter in John's Gospel to chapter 19 where we have the Lord Jesus going to the cross where he gave his life.
For us.
Let's read about it starting with verse 1, chapter 19. And Pilate therefore took Jesus.
And scourged him.
You know what scourging is?
Is getting a weapon.
And it was terrible what the Romans did. They used a big whip with big straps on it, and the points of those straps had pieces of metal in them. Every time they were whack, it would swipe and cut a gash into his back.
Sometimes it was so bad that people just died even there before they even got to the cross.
But they scourged Jesus, and the soldiers platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head.
You know, the thorns we have around here are not very big sometimes.
But in Bolivia we have long thorns, probably about four inches long, some of them thorn trees.
And they took some of those thorns, and they made a crown, and they put it on Jesus head.
And they took sticks and they whacked him over the head. Imagine how that scraped his scalp. Can't imagine.
Those were strong horns.
One time in Bolivia and Cochabamba we were going to visit somebody down this little back Rd. Somebody must have seen this going. We had verses painted on our Jeep.
And they must not like to us because we had to come out that same way. What we didn't realize that when we came out, they had put a whole bunch of those thorns on the road so we would walk, go right over him.
Next morning, all four of my tires were flat on the ground.
That's how strong those thorns were. They were right into the tires, just strong with nails.
And they said.
Hail King of the Jews. And they smote him with their hands. Pilot therefore went forth again, and said unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to Uten, that you may know that I find no fault in him. And came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns in the purple robe. Pilot saith unto them, Behold the man.
When the chief priests therefore an officer saw him, they cried out, saying crucify him.
Crucify him, Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.
The Jews answered and said, We have a law. By our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
Was that true?
Did he make himself the Son of God? No, he was the Son of God.
And he became a man, but it wasn't true what they were accusing him of.
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Pilate therefore heard that saying, He was the more afraid, and went again into the judgment hall, and said unto Jesus, Whence art thou? Jesus gave him no answer. Then said Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Norest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except who were given thee from above.
Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
From thenceforth Pilate sought to release him. The Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. Pilate therefore heard that saying. He brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the pavement. And in the Hebrew, Gabbatha was the preparation of the Passover in about the 6th hour.
He saith unto the Jews, Behold your king.
They cried away, cried out away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your king? Chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar then delivered he, him therefore unto them to be crucified. They took Jesus and led him away.
He, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull.
You know what a skull has inside of it?
When a person has been dead a long time, there's nothing inside that skull.
It's empty. That's where they took Jesus and they crucified them.
Where they crucified him and two other, with him on either side, one and Jesus in the midst.
Pilot wrote a title and put it on the cross. The writing was Jesus of Nazareth.
The King of the Jews. This title then read many of the Jews for the place where Jesus was crucified.
Was nigh to the city and it was written.
In Hebrew and Greek and Latin.
In this gospel, we don't have some of the other details that are mentioned in another gospel, but.
In other gospels, we know what happened. Jesus was crucified approximately about 9:00 in the morning.
That Friday.
And.
He died at 3:00 in the afternoon. For six hours he hung there by his hands and the feet nailed to that cross. For the first 3 hours, people passed in front of him, mocking him and jeering him and spitting on him.
Then at 12 noon, everything got dark until 3:00 in the afternoon.
Nobody could see what was happening in those three hours of darkness.
What happened?
You know God is so holy he can't have one sin in his presence.
Is everybody up here in the front row send at some time?
You have sinned. How about you?
How about you?
OK, they all nod their head.
So how many of those sins are you going to be able to go into heaven with?
What do you think?
0 exactly, not one.
How can you be cleansed from your sins? Somebody had to pay for that.
And it was in those three hours of darkness that God said, I'm going to talk about myself.
Bob Tony has a whole bunch of sins. I can't let him into heaven that way.
Jesus said Father, I will pay for him.
And it was in those three hours of darkness that God took those sins of mine and laid them on Jesus.
And then punished him.
I can't tell you how grateful I am to Him for bearing my sins on that cross. He died for me, and that's why now I belong to Him. I can't live for myself. I don't live for Him.
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At the end of those three hours of darkness, he said, it is finished. The payment was made in full. He had paid the price of redemption.
And then?
Let's read what he says. Here it is.
Verse 30. Then Jesus therefore had received the vinegar.
He said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up. The ghost means he gave up his spirit. He died.
Jesus died. That's the first thing in that gospel message we read in First Corinthians 15. Christ died for our sins, according to the gospel according to the Scriptures.
The Jews, therefore, verse 31, because it was the preparation that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high day.
Besought Pilate, that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
People that were crucified in those times would last sometimes as long as two or three days. Hanging there before they would actually die was awful. Awful.
But since Jesus could give up his life, he gave it up after he had paid the price for our sins in full. And so.
The other two that were crucified with him, they were still alive and the soldiers came and what? His legs and their legs broke and they couldn't press up to breathe anymore.
So he died here, coming whack his legs, and he died too. They came to Jesus. Oh, he's dead already. We don't have to break his legs.
Verse 32 They came and then they came to the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and the other which was crucified with him, but when they came to Jesus.
Saw that he was dead already.
They break not his legs. One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. Soldiers used to fight with a spear. It's a long steel pull iron pole that had a point on the end. So one of those soldiers took that point and right into Jesus side.
And forthwith came there out.
Blood and water, the only thing that can cleanse your sins.
Is the blood of Jesus the blood of Jesus Christ? His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Says in one John 1/7.
So there that blood came out of his sight, says he that saw it bear a record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled. A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another Scripture saith, They shall look upon him.
Whom they pierced. So this is the record of the Lord Jesus's death.
Now his burial.
Verse.
38 And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take him.
Take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus.
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought.
A mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 LB weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wounded in a living in linen clothes with the spices. It's the manner of the Jews is to bury now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
There lay they Jesus. Therefore, because of the Jews preparations, day for the sepulchre was nigh.
At hand. So there he is buried. That's the first two things in the Gospel message.
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and he was buried.
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Now the third thing chapter, 21St day of the week.
He was buried on Friday afternoon.
And then?
Saturday passed. It's interesting. Today is the Jews Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
I think it ends tonight and it probably is ended by now, but.
Jews Day of Atonement. But now the day, the next day is after Saturday is Sunday.
And the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, until the sepulchre.
Is there any ladies here that would like to go to the cemetery when it's still dark? Well, but you know by yourself.
I think most of you would not like to do such a thing, but here is Mary Magdalene. She feels such a debt of gratitude to the Lord Jesus that she comes when it was still dark all by herself, and she finds the stone taken away from the sepulchre. And she runs and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, Miss John.
Whom Jesus loved and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
They thought that they had stolen his body from the tomb. She thought that Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun. Peter came first to the sepulchre, and he stooping down, looking in, saw the linen clothes line, yet went not in.
And cometh Simon Peter, and following him, and went into the sepulchre, and see at the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head.
Not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
This shows that couldn't the cloak of Tureen that they talk about is not the answer.
Because the napkin around his head was lying separately. It was a separate piece.
What had happened is that the Lord Jesus, when he was resurrected, just vacated those clothes, grave clothes, and since there was a lot of weight of the spices, it just settled right down. That's what they found. He wasn't there.
And so they didn't know what had happened. The Lord Jesus had told them.
But they didn't listen. Sometimes, you know, we don't listen.
Does that ever happened to your kids? Your mom and dad talked to you and you don't listen very well. That happens, doesn't it? When God speaks to us, we need to learn to listen.
And when she looks down, there's 2 angels. Have you ever seen an Angel?
Probably have without realizing it, but she sees 2 angels. Do you think she's interested in angels?
No, she wants the Lord. One was sitting at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They say unto her, Woman, Why weepest thou? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she had said thus, she thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing.
And knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She's supposing him to be The Gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary.
She turned herself immediately she recognized who it was, and saith unto him, Rap all night, which is to say, Master Jesus, Seth unto her, Touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and send to them. I send them my Father and your father, and to my God and to your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had said these things.
Things under her. That's beautiful. Here's Mary and she sees the Lord.
He says to her, Mary, and it was the shepherd, the Good Shepherd, calling his sheep by name.
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And she knew immediately who it was, I guess so beautiful. But she says don't touch me.
People are puzzled why he said. Don't touch me.
Let me give you a verse that tells why he said this in Two Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 16 Listen.
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh?
Yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
That's why he said don't touch me. She wanted to have him back like she had known him in life.
And he says no, Mary.
You're gonna have me in a far better way now.
And so in resurrection, it's not flesh and blood.
He said in Luke's gospel, he said.
A spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have.
And brought in resurrection doesn't have blood. It has.
Flesh and bones. This life of the body in resurrection is spirit, not blood.
And that's a life that never can die again and that amazingly wonderful. But one other thing he said to the Lord, to Mary, Tell my brethren, I ascend into my father, and your father into my God and your God, so that now we can know God as Father. You look through the Old Testament and you can't find any place where people knew God.
As Father.
They knew him as God Almighty, as Jehovah, and he had a number of names that he was known by.
But now we can call God our Father and that amazing, wonderful you know, I learned to talk to the Lord Jesus when I was first saved.
But later on it was I recognized, now I can talk to God the Father too, because the Lord Jesus has revealed to us that God is a Father and that he loves us. Just like you have an earthly father, now we have a Father.
In glory, the Lord Jesus's Father is our Father. I think this is so amazingly wonderful.
So I want to go before we get to the end of our meeting now to First Corinthians chapter 15 to read about resurrection a little bit because it's such a wonderful subject. 1St Corinthians 15 and we'll read from verse 50.
Says a lot in this chapter that we could go over, but there's not time to do it all. But let's read from verse 50 now I say, brethren.
That flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I show you a mystery. Here is something that was never revealed before till it was revealed to the Apostle Paul.
We shall not all sleep. That means die physically. We shall not all die physically.
But we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
So when the Lord comes, one of the things that happens is that there's going to be a trumpet that sounds and the trumpet will sound. It says the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Those that have died in faith in the Lord Jesus are going to be raised from the dead.
In new bodies.
Incorruptible bodies and we shall be changed. We can't go to heaven with these bodies. Here. You see, on my head I got a bunch of Gray hairs, right?
You think I'm going to have Gray hairs in heaven?
Nope, I've got to be changed. I've got a knee that kind of hurts me at times, especially when I stand up here for a length of time. But that's all right. I can bear it for a little while. But that's not going to be that way in heaven. We're going to get bodies that are completely impossible that we'll ever get sick again. I see you broke your arm, Did you?
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Well, you'll have a body there that will never be able to have a broken arm again.
And so we're going to have incorruptible immortal. Incorruptible means you never get sick again. Immortal means that you never die. Absolutely impossible. It's hard for us to believe that, but that's what it's telling us. This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal shall be put on immortality. So then this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the same it's written.
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Now let's go back to John chapter 5, and I want to show you that there are two resurrections. The one we read about here in First Corinthians 15 is the resurrection of life.
John 5 and we're going to read from verse 28.
Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which those that are in the graves.
Shall hear his voice, and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life. That's what we've been talking about.
And they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. So there is 2.
Distinct resurrections, Everybody that has put their faith in the Lord Jesus.
And has died, is going to be resurrected again from their tombs at any moment. That's going to happen when the Lord Jesus comes. And then there's a resurrection of damnation.
Those that have rejected the Lord Jesus have not received Him and died in unbelief.
Are going to be resurrected tomb but not at the same time that's going to be quite a bit later and so let's just read.
Those two resurrections, First Thessalonians chapter 4 is the resurrection of life.
Just read a few verses there.
In verse First Thessalonians 4.
And verse 15 For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent its means to go before.
Them which are asleep, those that have fallen asleep in the Lord Jesus, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.
With the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So shall we ever be with the Lord? That's the resurrection of life. Now go over for the last part, the resurrection of damnation, which is so awful, terrible to think about, but it wasn't going to happen. Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11. And I saw a great white throne, Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.
The books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in them, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast.
Into the lake of fire. How awful. This is people who died without faith in the Lord Jesus.
They're going to be raised. Not one single person that has ever lived on this earth will be left when this heaven and earth pass away. Every single 1 is going to be raised to stand before that great white throne.
And the books were opened. God has a record of your life and of my life. And you can't get away, you can't escape, you can't hide anything from him. He knows it all. The dead were judged according to the things that were written in the books. And then it it ends with.
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And there was another book opened and it was the book of life. And I can imagine there stands.
Adolf Hitler, who killed so many people.
Their sons Joseph Stalin.
And so many others that did awful crimes against humanity, they're going to stand there and have to hear the charges read out against him because God is clear that He is a just God. He wants to be your savior tonight. And if you don't accept him, this is what you have to face.
You will have to stand before God in judgment. That's what we preach the gospel for, because we don't want anyone going to that awful end. And it says whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. I often think of it. There stands that person. There's no place to stand except in space.
And now it's guilty he refused to accept the Lord Jesus.
And he shrinks from that awful end and he's taken and cast.
Into the Lake of Fire.
A contained place of eternal torment.
Please stop and think. Please make sure.
Your trust is in the Lord Jesus because that's the only way of escape. Let's pray.