Audio Only
•I Corinthians 15:50-58
•Be Steadfast for all will be made New
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 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.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(I Corinthians 15:50-57, ESV)
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
(I Corinthians 15:58, ESV)
•Main Point
• In the end, the climactic conclusion is the reality which our hope as Christian’s dwell
• The victory attained by Jesus Christ
• On the that Day of His coming the transformation will be so instantaneous that all the powers of darkness and hell will seem a minor thing
• Be steadfast, be immovable, in the truth of Christ, knowing none of it is in vain
Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New
• There is a reason why we come to these verses to be comforted
• In the midst of our grief in this world, these verses provide us comfort because of the truth they proclaim
• The reality of our present situations seems dire
• The devastation of the body, the brokenness
• Paul declares all these things in another letter written to the Romans
• In the first three chapters of Romans all are condemned
• It doesn’t matter where we come from
• We are destined to die because of sin
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Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New (2)
• Imagine a scorpion
• Being stung will lead to toxins and venom to enter into our bodies
• Death is like a scorpion, and the stinger is the sin we commit
• Like the scorpions sting which brings about a toxic conclusion…so the sting of death which is sin will always lead to death
• How can we be healed of this?
• Not only do we need the toxins to be removed from our bodies, but we need new bodies
• The issue is greater than a mere removal of the toxin
• The whole body is in need of restoration
• The poison must be drawn out, but so too must the body be made new
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Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New (3)
• How can this even occur?
• Through the victory of Christ the toxin is withdrawn, and the body transformed
• The battle against sin we face is so serious
• It is no wonder Paul concludes with, “Be steadfast, be immovable, always be abounding in the work of the Lord knowing it is not in vain.”
• How can we honestly say we are true followers if we willingly allow death to sting us by continuing to sin?
• Are we unaware of the reality of living in accordance with Him?
• The idea of complete and total liberty is anathema to Paul
• We are saved from being salves of one kind, to being slaves in Christ
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20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:20-23, ESV)
Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New (4)
• Through the redemption given by Christ we have been set free from being slaves to sin
• We are still to be responsible with the lives He has given us
• Not to be ensnared by ourselves and our own passions, for what did they lead to but death?
• Everything hangs in the balance when it comes to Jesus
• Christ has conquered sin and death through perfect obedience to His Father
• We are bound to the fate of the first man through sin and death
• In Christ we are redeemed and can be made new
“18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 5:18-21, ESV)
Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New (5)
• Is it any wonder Paul should say at the end…be steadfast and immovable in Jesus?
• That, in the end, Jesus conquers all and because of Him none of it is in vain?
• We continue to hear the same words spoken by Paul whispered to us throughout the ages
• All past believers tell us, “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
• All the sinners turned into saints by God’s grace
• They all say this same thing to us
• They urge us into faithfulness
• “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Application Points
• Be Steadfast for all will be made New (6)
• Let us not forget the salvation which comes through Jesus
• Let us seek to live in righteousness, turning away from sin and deceit
• There is coming a time when in an instant all will be made new
• We are beings corrupted, but He will, in that moment, in the twinkling of an eye, make us incorruptible through Jesus Christ
• We have a great hope
• Let us continue to seek Him and His righteousness knowing that in Him we find this great salvation
• He alone deserves our ultimate allegiance in this life and eternity
• This allegiance is not in vain, but will lead to all things being made new
Application Points
• The Gospel of Christ
• Origins
• Fall
• Redemption
• Glorification
