Sermon Central
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What Will Our Bodies Be Like? Series
Contributed by James Bohrer on Dec 24, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: The sermon shares about the nature of the eternal bodies believers receive.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
YOU WILL HAVE A PHYSICAL TANGIBLE BODY. (41-44)
A. “NATURAL” AND “SPIRITUAL” MODIFY THE NOUN “BODY.” Both the natural person and the resurrected person have a BODY.
B. “RESURRECTION” MEANS “TO STAND UP.”
a. HOW WOULD A SPIRIT STAND?
b. JESUS WAS NOT A SPIRIT. HIS BODY WAS SPIRITUAL, UNDEFILED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF CORRUPTION AND DECAY.
WHAT WILL OUR NEW BODIES BE LIKE?
A. How old will we be in heaven? Some examples of age:
a. 2 Sam. 19:35 Barzillia at 80, waning.
b. Deut. 34:7 Moses was still full of vigor at 120.
c. Joshua 14:10-11 Caleb kept in his prime by God at 85.
B. What does “bear the likeness” mean?
His Body is not a Projection. His Body is flesh and blood.
He could touch and be touched. He could see and be seen. He could hear and be heard.
He ate and enjoyed food.
b. Like does not mean we become Him.
i. He walked through walls. He appeared at will.
ii. Such activity seems to be more of a function of His Divinity.
1. Only Jesus is both fully Human and fully God.
2. We may experience such activities but more as an answer to prayer rather than in response to our will or whims.
DO NOT BUY THE LIE THAT HEAVEN WILL BE BORING!
(v. 58)
A. 1 Cor. 6:9-20; Luke 20:33-36. Don’t let the Devil put your focus on what we can’t do, but rather on what God can do!
B. GOD WILL MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE WILL ENJOY HEAVENLY PLEASURES MORE THAN EARTHLY DESIRES.: ISAIAH 55:1-2
ENJOY THE BODY AND LIFE THAT GOD GAVE YOU NOW!
A. GOD DESIGNED YOUR PRESENT BODY FOR YOU, SO ACCEPT IT AS IT IS!
B. GOD PLANNED THE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS. REJOICE IN HIS DIVERSITY; DON’T TRY TO BE SOMEONE ELSE.
C. GOD KNOWS THAT YOU WILL HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND STRUGGLES; SO STOP CONDEMNING YOURSELF WITH THE “IF ONLY…” (ROMANS 8:1)
