1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse
45. I'd like to look at verses 45
to 49. Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, how wonderful it
is for us to be in your presence. Lord, you said we're two or three
have been gathered together, and Lord, we're convinced that
you do the gathering. And we pray this evening, knowing
that we're in your presence, may what is said be honoring
to you, be a comfort to your people. For Christ's sake, we
ask. Amen. The Apostle Paul has been
dealing with the resurrection. Now, he started by dealing with
the certainty of it. Some had said, there's no resurrection. And then Paul dealt with, if
there's no resurrection, then we're, of all men, we're hopelessly
lost. If Christ is not raised, then
we're not going to be raised either. And then he dealt with
the nature of the resurrected body. a body that's going to
come out of the ground, united with the soul that has gone to
be with the Lord. Because once this body dies,
to be absent from this body, the Scripture says we're present
with the Lord. So, there is no time that a believer
will not be with the Lord. And his soul is going to be with
the Lord. In the second coming, the Lord
will bring all of His saints. He'll come with all of the holy
angels and all of His saints and the spirit of all of His
people, the spirits of His people are going to be united once again
with their bodies and their bodies are going to be raised out of
the ground, changed, incorruptible. The scripture says glorious,
powerful. a spiritual body. As I said last time, not a spirit
without a body. It's going to be a body. It's
going to be flesh, but it's going to be changed flesh. Now I want
to deal for a few minutes tonight on the difference between the
first Adam and the second Adam and one of those two. The first
Adam of the second Adam was the one that's going to accomplish
the merit. Now you already know that answer. The merit of the resurrection. Paul set forth the certainty
of the resurrection, the nature of the resurrected body, and
now what is the basis of it? What's the foundation of it?
What's the merit of that resurrection? He says in verse 45, And so it
is written. Now what he's about to say is
grounded on God's Word. Aren't we glad that whatever
we're going to talk about tonight, we can look in the Word of God
and we can read it and know for a certainty. Thus saith the Lord. And so it is written. The first man, Adam, He who is the federal head of
mankind in manifested time, the first Adam, manifested in time
to this world, the first Adam, Adam, the first Adam, he was
made or became a living soul. Now, I want you to turn to Genesis
2-7. Now let's just look. We're going
to stay in Genesis for just a few minutes. Genesis chapter 2 and
verse 7. This is what the scripture says.
It's so it's written. The first man was made a living
soul. Well, where was that written?
Well, right here. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. And here's what the scripture
says. And the Lord God formed man like a potter would form
a pot. Scripture says the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life and man became a living soul. And here the Holy
Spirit reveals that created man is a compound being. He's got
a body and he's got a soul. His body, the scripture says,
was formed, it was molded, made out of the dust. And God took
the dust of the earth, took the clay of this earth and formed
a man, made a man. And then the scripture says,
the life of that man came when God breathed into him the breath
of life, and the scripture says in verse 7, and man became a
living soul. What does that mean? It means
a body that is alive but lives and breathes in an environment
in which God made it to be adapted to this earth. He's a living
soul. He's a body and a soul. He possesses a body which derived
its origin from the hand of God out of the earth, created from
that which is perishable. He was susceptible to perish. Because you know he did. So he
was susceptible to perish. It was a body made that was susceptible
to perish even though it was created to be immortal. That body was. It would have
been so had Adam not sinned. But now because of sin, his body
is now corrupted. It's ruined. It's dying. The day that you eat, you're
going to die. So he possesses a body that was
made out of the earth, and God breathed a soul into him. He breathed life into him. I
mean, there's something in man. It's that animal spirit. It's got life. A dog's got it. I mean, it's life. It's something that's in him
that has life. And there's a nature, there's
another thing in him. It's an old nature. An animal
doesn't have that. Men got it. Men's got it. But
man was made out of dirt and a living soul. So God made him
a body, breathed life into him and that man needed air and food
to be sustained. He had to eat. When God made
him, he had to eat. That was the way that God had
made him. Look at Genesis chapter 2 verse 16. I'll tell you what
he said. The Lord God commanded the man
saying, Every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. So man was made a body. and a living soul, a spirit was
breathed into him and he was alive, he could move, but he
had to eat. God made a garden, he created
a place. So it's written, the first man
Adam was made a living soul, out of the dirt, breathed life,
gave him the ability not only to live by eating, but he gave
him the ability to procreate the animal life of his species. Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 to
28. This is how man was made. God
took dust, made him, breathed into him, made him where he had
to eat. And also made him where he could reproduce. Genesis 1.26. God said, let us make man in
our image, after our likeness, Let Him have dominion over the
fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle,
over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the
image of God, created him male and female, created He them,
and God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,
multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over every living
thing that moveth upon the earth. So man was created by God, had
to eat, and he could reproduce, and he was made in the image
of God. Now there's a whole message on
that point right there, made in the image of God, but this
is what I'm going to say for the sake of time right now. God
making man, I'm going to read what I've written down here.
God making man in his image sets forth that man, God's highest
order of creation, was the one most blessed in his place on
earth. He had dominion over the rest
of the creatures. He possessed a living soul, spiritual,
an invisible and immortal soul, and he was created with the ability
of reasoning and understanding. There was something about man
that was created in the image of God. He wasn't elevated to
God's position. I'm not saying that, but there
was something about man. He was created to have dominion
over the earth. He was to watch over and protect.
That was his calling. God made him like that. But man,
though given the ability to procreate, to have dominion over the animals,
there was one thing about man that he did not have. He did
not have total freedom. God set some bounds on him. This
is the way he was made. Dust. Spirit. Procreate. He has to eat. He's got dominion
over him. Watch over him. It's his responsibility.
That was it. But the scripture says in Genesis
chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, the Lord God planted a garden eastward
in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed out of
the ground, made the Lord to grow every tree that's pleasant
to the sight good for food, the tree of life also in the midst
of the garden, and the tree of knowledge, and good and evil. Look at 15. The Lord God took
the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it, to
keep it. And the Lord God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not
eat of it, For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt
surely die. There was a tree. Man's got dominion
over the animals. He's to keep the garden, dress
it, procreate. He has understanding. He's the
highest order of God's creation. But there was a tree. One tree. The tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. And God set some bounds upon
that tree. And God forbid man to eat of
that fruit. That tree was the tree declaring
God's singleness. That's my tree. That's my tree. I'm God. The Lord said in Isaiah
45, 5, I am the Lord. And there is none else There's
no God beside me. You can eat of every tree in
this garden. You have dominion over all the
creation, all the animals, everything. You dress it. You watch it. This
is your responsibility. The first man, created by God,
made in the image of God. Man was placed in a garden. He
was created to obey. and to worship God. This is what
I'm saying. Worship. The heart of worship
is obedience. Obedience. If you want to say,
what is it to worship God? Obey. Now I know that from the
first time the word worship was ever used. You know that. I've
told you this before. The first time the word worship
in the scriptures is used is when Abraham was told by the
Lord, I want you to take your son, your only son, offer him
unto me for a burnt offering." So Abraham took his son and went
and found the place, went up, told the man that was with him,
said, you stay here with the ass. The lad and I are going
to go up and worship. We're going to worship God. He
was going to sacrifice Isaac. Worship, the heart of worship
is obedience. Man was created to worship God,
to obey God. You're my creation. You have
dominion. But don't you touch this tree.
Don't you eat of this tree. That's what he told him. But
something changed man's standing before God. Satan came into the garden and
beguiled Eve. Told her that eating of the tree
would not result in death. that eating of the tree would
result in her and Adam having the knowledge of God. Genesis
chapter 3 verse 5 to 7, For God doth know that in the day you
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes in
a tree to be desired to make one wise, She took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her,
and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were
open, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig
leaves together, and made themselves aprons. They ate of the fruit
that was forbidden by God, and their eyes, their minds, were
now open to see that now they're deceived. They knew that they
had disobeyed God and had incurred His displeasure and had destroyed
themselves and they knew now that they were naked before God
spiritually and they had now died. They died spiritually and
they attempted to fix that which they had destroyed, their innocence
before God, and they did that which every dead, depraved, blind,
disobedient sinner has done since then. Tried to appease God, tried
to appease his own conscience by attempting to supply his own
covering before God, a covering of his own making. This is the
declaration of the gospel. How should man be just with God? Justification before God. That's what the gospel declares
and this is what happens when man disobeyed God. He died spiritually
and now tried to reconcile himself, cover himself before God, justify
himself before God and took some fig leaves. You know what's amazing
to me? You know where he got the fig
leaves? In the garden. In the garden that God had created. He tried to take something of
God's creation and put his hand on it and make it look like it
was something that he could take of God's provision and he could
take and cover himself. That's the heart of man and his
free will. Free will, false religion. He didn't go outside the garden.
He took what was in the garden, tried to make it look spiritual,
and tried to cover himself, but God knew. God knew Adam's guilt,
and He revealed the cost of his guilt. So all of creation now
was cursed by one man's sin. Now, that's the first Adam. If we want to find where is the
merit for being raised from the dead. Where is the merit of coming
out of the ground, changed, immortal, incorruptible, undefiled, holy,
blessed in the sight of God? Where is that? In the first Adam?
No, no, no. That's the first Adam. Made that
living soul, had that animal life in him, coming to all creatures,
breathing, eating, drinking, sleeping, One able to possess
that dominion over God's, but he could not keep his first state
of innocence before God. And neither has any other sinner
that's ever come. One that incurred nothing but
ruin, displeasure, and now man in himself has no hope, no merit
to be raised from the dead. None. Left to himself. Ah, back
in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45, so it is written, the first man,
Adam, was made a living spirit. The last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. The last Adam. The Lord Jesus
Christ. The uttermost. The final. The end of the law. for righteousness. He who is the provider of all
that was required of God's people, the obedient one. Adam, what
was it? Disobedient. Took a name, died. What did Christ do? Came into
this world, did always, only those things that pleased the
Father. He is the one that came into
this world and partook of the same flesh and blood as his people,
mankind. And the scriptures, look at this,
very interesting. You know, if you look at the
italicized words, a lot of times the writers would add these words,
and if they added that word, that meant it was not in the
original, that's what it meant. So if your Bible has some italicized
words, look at this. This italicized word right here,
to me, actually takes away from it. It would be better if you
just don't read it. Look at verse 45. And so it is written, the
first man, Adam, was made a living soul. The last Adam, a quickening
spirit. See what I'm saying? It says
was made, but the last Adam, a quickening spirit, a life-giving
spirit, the restorer of the dead to life. He who has made flesh
took upon himself human flesh and bore in that flesh the responsibility
to restore, he said, that which he took not away. Adam took it
away. He said, I've come to restore
that which I didn't take away. What was that? To answer God's
demand for righteousness, obedience. In man's fall, this is what was
taken away. In Adam's transgression, this
is what man lost. Number one, the joy, the ability, the love
to worship God. Now listen, we're sitting here
tonight. The most unbelievable thing is happening in the heart
of God's people tonight. They hear the Word of the Lord.
They hear the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. They know what
they are in Adam. They agree with everything that's
been said right here. I know, I know that in me, that
is in my flesh. I know there dwells no good thing.
Oh, but tell me about that second Adam. Tell me about Him. Tell
me about the restorer of life. Tell me about the quickening
spirit. Tell me about Him who loved me and gave Himself for
me. Tell me about Him. Here's what you're doing. You're
worshiping God. You agree with God. You agree,
you're obeying in heart what God has to say. He took that
which man could not do, made it his own, made it his responsibility,
came into this world and restored back. Man's worship was lost. What did Adam and Eve do? They
hid. They hid. They separated. You know when
a man separates himself, you know, because of something, something
wrong, something, you know, that worship was taken away by sin. What else did he lose? Safety.
Safety. Peace. Peace. He was scared. He was scared
now. Why? I'm naked. I don't have
a covering. He was naked before. But he was
innocent. But now he's guilty. Joy. No joy. There's no comfort. All stripped away. God's presence.
Go back and we read, we looked at Song of Solomon. 16, almost 16 years ago, went
through the book of Song of Solomon. Remember what the Shulamite would
say, you know, have you seen him whom my soul loveth? Have
you seen him? If you tell him, tell him I'm
sick of love. Tell him my heart breaks for him. What did he lose?
He lost the presence of God. Oh, but by his finished work,
he came into this world. And by His finished work at Calvary,
He restored worship toward God by His sheep in regenerating
power. Gave them a new heart. Gave them
a love for the Lord. Gave them a heart for Him to
hear His voice by a new ear, new mouth. He restored peace. Peace by His blood. Peace in
their conscience, in their heart. You know, I know whom I have
believed. That's what Paul said. I'm persuaded. that he's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. I believe him. I believe
him. I believe that he's not lifted up to me to save myself.
I believe that I'm a loser in me. That's what I believe. I
believe he's the winner. He's the master. He's the Lord. I love it. I told you when I'd
go down to Mexico and you could hear these These Mexicans, I
could hear them pray. I couldn't hardly understand
anything they said, but I knew when they were praying, when
they said, Lord, here's what they said. They said, Senor.
Senor. And to them, that means, sir. Sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Respect. Respect. He restored the joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength. He restored righteousness. Righteousness that they had nothing
but filthy rags as righteousness. Dead, but now God's pleased with
them. Receives them in Christ. The
first Adam, he was made a living soul and derived his life from
God, lost it by one act of disobedience, but Christ, the second Adam,
He was the quickening spirit. He's not the one that received
life as Adam received life. No, He is the life. He's the
life giver. He gives the life to His people.
Adam received it. He gives it. He doesn't derive
life from any other. I am the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by Me. Being God, He's omnipotent. But being the Messiah, the Scripture
says, John 17, 2, He was given power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou, the Father, has
given Him. This is the quickening Spirit. The life-giving Spirit Himself. He said, for as the Father hath
life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. That is an amazing thing. I mean,
you see the deity and you see the humanity of Christ. As God,
He wasn't given power. He is power. He is all power. But as the Messiah, as He humbled
Himself as a man, The God-man, God gave to that man all power
to have dominion over all things. Just like Adam was created in
the image of God to have dominion over the creation. Oh, the second
Adam, he was given all power to do it. He did it. He says
in John 14, 19, yet a little while and the world seeth me
no more, but you see me because I live, you shall live also. So this is the difference. What's
the merit of the resurrection? He's the merit. He's my merit.
I'll tell you what my merit is. It's not my works. It's not my
ability. It's not me as I was born in
the first Adam. I can tell you this, I lost everything
by his transgression and I just followed suit. That's all I did.
No, there's no merit in me for the resurrection. All of my merit
is in that second Adam right there. that was made the quickening
spirit. Now I'm going to take that back,
the one that is the quickening spirit. I already said that italicized
word is not supposed to be there. He is the quickening spirit.
God, man, mediator, obedient, faithful, victorious, God Almighty,
human flesh, the glorious Messiah, who is the life-giving second
Adam. When He speaks, and all are going
to hear His voice, I can tell you, the dead are going to hear
His voice. All mankind is going to rise at the second coming. All those that sleep in Christ,
they're going to be united with their souls that Almighty God
has had. And all of those that have been
in hell, they're going to be united too and be cast into the
lake of fire. And they're going to live forever
under the judgment of God. But oh, to know Him and be found
in that second Adam will be forever with the Lord. Now look, I'm
just going to read verses 46 to 49. How be it? Why was it, let's see, that that
was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural. And
afterward, that which is spiritual. He said, how is it that the first
that was revealed in time was the natural first? And afterward,
the spiritual. Why was that? He said, I'll tell
you in just a second. The first man is of the earth. earthy. Second man is the Lord
from heaven. And as is the earthy, such are
they also that are earthy. And as is the heavenly, such
are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heaven."
This is what he said in those verses. This is God's way. This was the way. How be it,
that's what he said in verse 46, how be it That was not first
which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward
that which is spiritual. This is the way God was pleased
to do it. He made the first Adam, he that
fell, disobeyed, and therefore being fallen in trespasses and
sin, imperfect now, shown to be inadequate, not able to sustain
himself, not able to keep his estate, not able to obey God,
unable to redeem himself, unable to obey, earthy, dust, clay,
corruptible. That was what was revealed first,
man's inability. But the second Adam, the Lord
of glory, Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. By His merit and obedience, He
accomplished that which the first couldn't. This was God's way
to show us what we couldn't do. and having shown us first what
we couldn't do. Look at it again, that's what
he's saying. This is why God did it. How be it that was not
first which is spiritual, but that which is natural and afterward
that which is spiritual. God was going to show us our
need first. And showing us our need in the
first Adam. And what Adam couldn't do, don't
think for one second that Adam slipped up and tripped up God,
then God realized, oh no man, now what am I going to do? Almighty
God knew just exactly what the first Adam was going to do. The
second Adam came and showed man, this is your only hope, this
is the quickening spirit right here. That which is of the earth,
that begat, that which is earthy, we bear his image, look around.
We have borne the image of the first birth. As Adam fell and
we begat his image, we all came forth from the mother's womb,
wires, inadequate, insufficient. But the scripture says in verse
49, as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly. That second Adam that gives life
to whomsoever He will. Such are they that are heavenly,
born from above in the second birth, and finally in the glorious
resurrection, we're going to be raised to newness in life.
What's the merit? Is there a resurrection? Yes,
there is. Now is Christ raised from the
dead. That's what Paul said. Is there a resurrection? What
kind of body? are we going to have? Well, it's
going to be a spiritual body. It's going to be changed. It's
going to be sown corruptible, but it's going to come out incorruptible. Well, if it's going to come out,
what's the merit? On what basis? What's the foundation of that?
It's coming out. There's got to be something.
Well, I can tell you this, it wasn't the first Adam. It wasn't
the first Adam's ability. It was the second Adam's ability.
that quickening spirit. May Almighty God bless our hearts
through the preaching of the glorious gospel of Christ, His
honor, and our blessed eternal good. Amen.