Vital Union and the Resurrection

Q: What does the Bible say about resurrection?

The Bible teaches that believers will receive resurrected bodies, eternal and made for immortality. The resurrection is a core belief in Christianity, and the Bible clearly teaches that just as Christ was raised, so too will believers be raised from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not been raised, and our faith is in vain. This highlights the importance of resurrection as it connects directly to our hope and the power of the gospel. Our current bodies are temporary, but they will be transformed into glorified, eternal bodies that are no longer subject to death or sin. This promise of future resurrection reassures believers of their eternal life in Christ, giving them hope beyond their current struggles.

Q: How do we know eternal union with Christ is true?

Scripture teaches that believers have an eternal union with Christ, which guarantees their salvation and eternal life. The concept of eternal union with Christ emphasizes that believers are spiritually united with Him, and this union is guaranteed by God's promises. The Apostle Paul discusses this union emphatically, stating that nothing can sever it. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul describes the confidence of knowing that while believers are in their earthly bodies, they are also with the Lord. This union is not based on personal merit but on God's grace and the finished work of Christ. Moreover, throughout scripture, such as in Ephesians 1:4-5, we see that believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, affirming this eternal union and its significance for salvation and security.

Q: Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

The resurrection is crucial for Christians as it assures them of eternal life and victory over death. For Christians, the resurrection is foundational to their faith. It provides the assurance that just as Christ rose from the dead, believers will also experience resurrection and eternal life. This promise of resurrection offers hope in the face of mortality and suffering in the present life. In 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Paul declares that death is swallowed up in victory through Christ. The resurrection means that believers do not face a hopeless end; instead, their mortal existence is a precursor to eternal life with God. Therefore, the resurrection is not just a future hope but a present reality that guides the Christian life.

Q: What does the Bible say about the nature of our future bodies?

The Bible states that our future bodies will be spiritual and eternal, free from corruption. According to 1 Corinthians 15, our future resurrected bodies will be spiritual and imperishable. The current bodies we inhabit are described as corruptible, mortal, and natural. However, God promises that at the resurrection, believers will receive bodies that are incorruptible, glorious, and powerful, resembling the body of Christ after His resurrection. This transformation is crucial as it signifies the complete redemption of both body and soul. Believers, therefore, can look forward to a new existence where they are fully restored and able to dwell in the presence of God without the hindrances of sin and bodily decay.

Second Corinthians chapter five. I'll read the first 10 verses here. Second Corinthians chapter five, verse one. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent in the body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore, we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. All right, brethren, I would like us to look at a few things here this morning, if the Lord wills.

This isn't normally a passage of scripture that I would run straight to if someone would ask me, Would you show me why you believe in eternal, vital union? I believe eternal, vital union is all over the scriptures. Now there are some brethren that don't believe that, but I believe it's all over the scriptures, even though the actual phrase is maybe not there, but it's taught throughout scripture. But I think if we look close enough, we'll see that there is an eternal, vital union found in these passages.

There's kind of multiple things that I would like to bring out this not only the hope that we have of a resurrected body. Okay. I do believe in a resurrected body. I think that we're going to be resurrected. I think that we're going to have a new body that is going to give be given to us. That is complimentary to the inward man that we already have possession of.

Uh, and so I believe that is a, uh, a future for the children of God. Now, uh, I also see in this passage, uh, not only the comfort of knowing that we're going to be resurrected, but also the security that we have in this life that nothing can sever that. because there is a true, eternal, vital union between the people of God and the outcome, well, the union between the people of God and Christ and the outcome that he has promised, the outcome that is what we are looking towards or hoping in. And so, We studied a few months ago, and I just recently put out the book that I made from those messages, but we studied Romans 7 and 8, right? We went through Romans 7 and 8, and we've seen the plight or the predestinated life of a child of grace that God has given us this flesh that is imperfect, and an inward man that is perfect, and a conflict that is between the two men.

The flesh wars against the spirit, the spirit wars against the flesh. They are contrary to each other. One cannot please God, the other one cannot sin, okay? And so with that duality that is within us, there comes a conflict. And that's why I wrote that book, and that's why I titled it, A Sinner Justified, because that's the two men. We are sinners in the flesh, but we are justified in Christ Jesus, okay? So that sinner is justified before God because of who the inner man is that's in him. We have been given the eternal blessing of justification because of our eternal union to our surety, to our eternal union to our Father. And the life of the Father is our life. And so that inward man is born from above. He is a new creation. He's not this old man reworked over. He's not the old man that has made himself better through progressive sanctification.

You remember, I've mentioned all through that series of Romans 7 and 8 that the theme that I had in the back of my mind through all of it was a denial of progressive sanctification, progressive holiness, that we are becoming more and more holy and less and less sinful the more that we go along and appropriate the means of grace, that God has determined and designed the subject to vanity, this old flesh, of every child of grace that's born from above.

We have this subjectiveness to this vanity and must participate in this conflict until we are released from it. And we are only released from it from the time that God has set the habitation of this temporal life that we are a part of. See, we are eternal children that have come from God. And yet he has placed us here in this temporal time in these bodies, subject to sinfulness, subject to vanity, as we read in Romans. And so this habitation has a time fixed upon it. Ecclesiastes tells us that, right? There's a time and a season for everything.

We also read, is it an axe? I believe it is. I can't remember the passages. Gabriel Gonzalez, I'm sure we'll throw him up in the comments. He always does. I think it's an axe that says that he has determined our habitation, our times and our place where we're going to live, who we're going to be living around. He's determined our parents. He's determined on who comes out first when you're twins, who comes out a minute ahead. God has determined all that stuff, okay? So every minor detail God has determined, including our conflicts.

In Romans chapter seven, we read that Paul said that we groan, seven and eight, we groan in this inner man. I know that in me dwells no good thing. I know that in my flesh I can't do anything to please God, that this flesh is continually perishing, but the inward man is being renewed every day. And then in chapter eight, we see that this inward man groans to be put off and put out from this subjectiveness to vanity.

And we found out in that, that we have a hope that one of these days, as Paul ended chapter seven, who shall deliver me from this body of death? And then we seen praise the Lord and Jesus Christ. Christ is going to deliver us from this body of death. That's what we are hoping and that's what we are longing for. That's what we, as our days on this earth get shorter and shorter as we get older and older and we know that our time here is almost gone. That hope, I believe, is being kindled hotter and hotter because we've experienced a lifelong time of conflict in this sinful body. And our desire is for this body to be put off and that new body that no longer is subject to vanity will be put on. Well, I believe what Paul taught in Romans 7 and 8 can also be brought out of what we see right here in this passage in Corinthians.

Let's look, if you would, at the first couple of verses. It says, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So the first thing I want you to pay close attention to is that this body is only a temporary tabernacle. Well, of course, I guess the first observation we ought to make is that the Bible is using the word tabernacle here to symbolize our body. Our body is a tabernacle. We've learned that from the past few weeks whenever we talked about in Hebrews that we are now the tabernacle. This body is now the tabernacle of God where God dwells. God doesn't dwell in brick buildings. God doesn't dwell in fabric tent huts in the wilderness. God doesn't dwell in ivory towers where popes sit, okay? God doesn't dwell in synagogues, mosques. God doesn't dwell in any place made with hands. He dwells in us, okay? Our body is the tabernacle of God. That's where he dwells. So, first thing we should realize is that we're talking about our body here.

This tabernacle, and he says, we know So this is actually something that obviously is a teaching of scripture is it was a teaching of the Apostles because Paul here is telling the the Gentile Christians the Corinthians That this is something that was taught to us Therefore we know this by the teaching of the Holy Spirit We have come to know a fact about What's going to happen with these earthly bodies? Whenever Paul in Romans 7 said, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Paul knew the answer to that was Christ Jesus. That's why in chapter eight in verse one, he said, therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Why is that? Because Paul knew that this earthly tabernacle is not the final tabernacle that this inward man is gonna be clothed with. He knows that there is another tabernacle in heaven that is waiting for us. He knows that there is, as it says right here, a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So that's something that Paul was taught by God and therefore was teaching others as well.

That's what true discipleship is right there. A lot of people think discipleship is you taking somebody alongside of you and you growing them up and showing them how to live and showing them how to act and showing how to think and, you know, being an example to them of how to be a preacher or whatever. Oh, you know what discipleship is? Taking God's word and teaching God's word. That's what discipleship is.

This is discipleship. Whenever Brother Larry does his little things on YouTube, his devotions and stuff in the morning, that's discipleship. What's he doing? He's taking the Word of God and he's teaching the Word of God. Whenever I stand here and preach, I'm teaching the Word of God, that's discipleship. That is discipling you in the things of Jesus Christ, okay?

Discipleship is not going out and making somebody a believer. That's the Holy Spirit's job. Okay. And it isn't to make somebody a better believer because that also is Holy Spirit's job. Our job that God has given us is to preach the word, to teach the word, to declare the gospel. Okay. That's what we are to do.

And we disciple each other by teaching each other, sharing the scripture, encouraging each other in the scripture, right? So Paul here is saying this is something that was taught to us. Christ taught it to me. We learned that in Galatians. Men didn't teach this to Paul. Christ taught it to Paul. And now Paul is delivering it to them. Let's see.

Let me look that up real quick, because I don't want people to take my word for it. Paul says in Galatians chapter one, he says, but I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, Neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." So Paul here has told us that the doctrine that he is preaching and the doctrine that he is sharing with everybody else is a doctrine that comes from Christ.

So that's why whenever he comes here, he says, for we know that if our earthly tabernacle or earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. He knows that because that's what God said. And if God said it, that's a promise of God. And he can stand on the promises of God because God's promises do not fail. They're yay and amen. in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus can't fail. So Paul is confident in this. And he's telling these brethren, you can be confident in this as well. That if you are a child of grace, if you have been given a hope of eternal life, you too have this very thing to look forward to. that the dissolving of this earthly flesh is not the end.

You're not going to be some disembodied spirit out there floating around somewhere. That's why we don't believe in ghosts, you know. We don't believe in a trap between here and there. People, okay? Because the Bible teaches that the children of grace, they go to be with Christ. Those who aren't, don't.

And so, but notice also while you're here, he says, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building with God, a house not made with hands. Look what it says here though, eternal in the heavens. We have an eternal house of God, an eternal residence, an eternal body.

Now, Christ, whenever he came, he took on the form of his brethren. And that body that he came, whenever he was born of Mary, he came and he took that form on. But brethren, before he took that form on, our Lord had an eternal body that he did all of his work in prior to his coming in Bethlehem. And whenever he was raised up, the Bible says that he was raised up also and restored back to that glory that he had before the foundation of the world. And in that glory, the Bible says we are going to be made like unto that. Look, if you would with me to 2 Corinthians chapter Is that in the Corinthians? Nope, I'm sorry Brethren, it's the 1st Corinthians. Look with me if you will to chapter 15.

Verse 12, it says, now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? I'd rather, this right here settles the question for me on whether or not there's a resurrection or not. Paul is asking the question, now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? There was at Paul's time, Jesus's time, a group called Sadducees, I believe it was, who didn't believe in the resurrection. But brethren, there are also some among us today that doesn't believe there's gonna be a resurrection, okay?

But yet there is, because Paul talks quite extensively about it. That was his hope in Romans 7 and 8, That's his hope in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And we see here that he is clearly teaching that there is something that goes beyond this physical body. Because this physical body was made to be temporal. This physical body was made to be something symbolical. And when the symbolicalness of it is done, whenever the physicality dies, there is an immortality that is to be had for the child of grace. Look if you would.

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there's no resurrection of the dead? But if there being no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? If there's no resurrection, then Christ hasn't been raised.

For those who say there's no resurrection for us, But Christ has been resurrected. Well, that goes against what Paul is saying. Because Paul is equating that if Christ is be risen, so are we. If Christ hasn't been risen, then there is no resurrection for us. So if you say there's no resurrection, then Christ wasn't resurrected. So now you're saying that not only Christ, but all of the scripture is lying. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Because see, what is our faith given to us for? Faith is the what? What does Hebrew say our faith is? The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. There is a true reality of things that are not seen, which is we have a immortal life that has been hid with God that is now hid in this earthen vessel but now is going to be revealed and united into a body one of these days it's going to be resurrected into a new body that corresponds with that inner man and faith is something that looks in hope that all the promises that we will be raised like our Lord with that body, that's what fuels us, right? That's what keeps us. That's what preserves us.

Now, granted, brethren, it's not your faith that you work up and muster up. It's the faith that Christ has given you in measure as he determines, and it's his promise that he will preserve you with that faith. He will continue in that faith, giving you hope, giving you faith. Some days it may be less so that you might learn some things. Some day it may be great so that you might exalt and praise the Lord because of what he has given you. But whatever measure of faith it is, it's gonna be enough because the Bible says that his grace is sufficient for you. And faith is a grace of God that he has given to us.

Look, it says that if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he raised not up. If so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain. year yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. If we only have a hope in this life for what happens now, we're of the most men most miserable because if this is all we got, this ain't great brethren. Once we die, we're dead and that's it. Then we have lived a whole life of faith, a whole life of longing, a whole life of desire, a whole life of subjectivity to vanity for nothing on the other side.

And I know some people may say, well, you're being kind of selfish about that. You know, that's, don't you believe God predestinated that? Absolutely. He did. But you know what he also predestinated? According to Romans chapter eight, he predestinated that, that conflict, that subjectiveness to vanity in hope. He did that so that we would hope. And it's not a hope that we would die. It's a hope that we would live again. It's a hope that we would be made like our elder brother. That's our hope.

He says, for if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain. You're yet in your sins. Then they also, which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished. They're just dead. All these people that we keep saying is going to be on the other side, they're not there. They're dead. David, no, he's not going to be there. Job, who said, hey, I know that I'm going to see my savior in flesh. Nope, he's not gonna be there, Job lied.

He says, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are all men most miserable, but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. See, because of the sin of Adam, all of us die. And I'm talking about a physical death. For since by man came death, by man also the resurrection of dead.

That means by Christ comes the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I believe that is physical. I think that's talking about physical. life. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ at his coming. Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power, For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Now, if you remember, I preached a message quite a while back about the footstool of God. First heard this from Brother Herb Hatfield, and I quite agree with the brother on what he said. I believe that the enemies that he's talking about here, that he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, is talking about all of his children who the Bible says, we were at enmity with God.

And until he quickens them and draws them by his spirit, grants to them repentance, gives them faith, they are enemies of God. Not God's enemy, God's an enemy against them. They are an enemy against God. They rebel against God. They are by nature, haters and at enmity with God. Okay?

And God makes them his servant, which is what the footstool signifies. The footstool was a place of service. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, for he hath put all things under his feet. But when he has said all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the son also himself be subjected unto him, be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

And why shall we in jeopardy every hour? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage it me if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Why is it that we continue on with this?

You know, why do we, you know, some of y'all may not see this and I'm not trying to make me or brother larry or anybody else that preach the gospel not trying to make us martyrs or something that we're not but you guys really don't understand the kind of email that you get whenever you go on public platform and you start preaching the true gospel you don't see the hate mail you don't see the constant nitpicking from all other christians on how right you are how wrong you are or whatever you know What kind of heretic you are this week and what kind of heretic you were last week and all that kind of stuff You don't see all the hate mail that comes and this is basically kind of what Paul is saying He said if there is no resurrection if there is nothing beyond this life And if Christ be not risen He said why in the world are we going through all the persecution that we seem to now we have not been persecuted to death and or by blood or by anything really that drastic.

We've had our names called. I've been called names a few times. I've been let go from a job for my stand in the ministry. I'm sure all of us have had our issues. Brother Larry has lost his job and everything because of a stand for his beliefs and things like that. There is some persecution that takes place.

We haven't lost our life, and we haven't been imprisoned, and we haven't been tortured or anything, but we have experienced that, and that's kind of what Paul's saying. He says, if this is all there is, he says, then why continue doing it? I mean, if there isn't nothing on the other side, if there isn't no release from this mess that we are in, then he says, you know, why do we continue to go and do this? He says, what advantage is it in me if the dead rise not?

Let us eat, drink, or tomorrow we die. Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame, but some man will say, how are the dead raised up?

And with what body do they come? Thou fool that which thou sowest, is not quickened except it die. And that which thou soweth, thou soweth not that body that shall be, but bare grain. It may chance of wheat or of some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him. And to every seed his own body.

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, one glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, and one star differeth from another star in glory. So also, in like manner, These are illustrations.

So also in the resurrection of the dead, it is sown in corruption. That means this body that is corruption is going to be sown, but yet it's not going to be reaped the same thing. It's going to be sown Corrupted, it's gonna be raised incorrupted. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.

So what does that tell us, brethren, about this body that we are gonna receive whenever we die or whenever Christ resurrects us? It is gonna be an incorrupted body. It is going to be a powerful body. It's going to be a glorified body. It says it is sown a natural body is raised a spiritual body. Wait a minute. Spiritual body. There's a spiritual body. That's what the Bible tells me. There's a spiritual body. We have a natural body. That's what Adam was created with, is with a natural body. We'll see that here in just a second.

And so it was written, the first man, Adam, was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. How be it that was not first, which was spiritual. That's why I don't believe that Adam was made a spiritual person. He was made a natural person.

But that which is natural and after that, which is spiritual, the first man is of the earth earthy. The second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. That's us right now. We are born of Adam. As is the earthy, such are they also who are of the earthy. Like begets like. Remember in Genesis, everything reproduces after its own kind. Adam reproduced after its own kind. And what did he make?

Another natural man. another natural man then another natural man another natural man on down the line natural people over and over and over again and all we are is out of multiply but look what it says after that and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly brethren who are we though in this body of flesh the bible says that we are a new creation and that new creation was born from above, that's from heaven, right? So this is telling us that there is a heavenly person that is gonna be clothed with a heavenly body. As we have, notice the phrasing here, as we have born the image of the earthy, we shall also bear, future, the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. So see this fleshly body, this fleshly body cannot inherit the kingdom of God. That means nobody is gonna enter heaven with these bodies. That God has prepared a body specifically for being in his presence. for being immortal, eternal, spiritual. And that's not this body.

Me and Larry's had these conversations before. People that are worried, you know, we've had the conversation about cremation one time. And one time I was, I mean, ravenously opposed to cremation and everything. But that was back when I was a really strict legalist. about a lot of things. But anyway, we've had conversation about cremation.

Larry's mentioned it before that he's had people that's asked him questions about, you know, what about people that's, you know, been blown up in bombs and they're, you know, out on the battlefield, you know, that they've been dismembered and all the parts and they can't find all the parts or people that have been thrown out to sea and, you know, the fish has come and eat them and they deteriorated become sand and all that you know and so everybody believes that you know we got to be buried in a box in a in a in a casket so that God has all the parts together there so he can put them all back together you know as if God couldn't put them back together no matter where they're at because you know he created everything out of nothing right okay but the point is is their thoughts are is you know what about all these People that are cremated and their ashes are scattered off of a mountain and they blow into the four winds and all this stuff. You know, what about all that? You know, what about their body? How are they going to get all that back together and all that kind of stuff?

Brethren, listen, God has a totally different body that he's going to raise up. He's going to raise up a spiritual body, not a natural body. Your natural body is going to go back to the dust from which God made it. And you're going to receive a spiritual body that is from heaven. So it's not made up of the things of earth. See, that's the hope that we have.

Our treasures are laid up in heaven where moth and rust cannot decay. Where nothing can get to it. Nothing can taint it. Nothing can spoil it. And whenever we receive that body, there will be no more sin. There will be no more devil. There will be no more Temptation, there will be no more things. And that body is not susceptible to death like this body that came from Adam.

And that's what Paul was saying here. He said, there's one body that is like unto our earthly father, Adam, which is all natural and only natural, and it's gonna go back to the dust. But yet for the child of grace, those who are of the heavenly, and the only ones who are of the heavenly are the ones who are chosen in Christ Jesus, He says, they will bear the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. The last trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord. That's what Paul said at the end of, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Praise be Jesus. It's gonna be Jesus. Who does it, right? Okay, let's go back to 2 Corinthians chapter five. I wanna point out a couple more things here before we end.

So we learned that death is not gonna destroy the child of God. The believer has already an eternal house waiting for him in Christ Jesus. And Paul has said, we know this. Now, how did Paul know that? Well, I believe it because it was taught by Christ. But I also believe that it's also taught in other places in scripture.

Look, if you would, in Job chapter 19. I kind of alluded to this just a while ago. In fact, I actually mentioned it a while ago, but Job chapter 19, look at verse 25. Matter of fact, let me go to verse 23. Oh, that my words were not written. Oh, that they were printed in a book, were now written. Oh, that they were printed in a book. Well, Job, you got what you wanted there. That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever.

For I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroyed this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not another." See, he was looking at Christ through another during this time period, right? But he said, mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reigns be consumed within me." So here Job was given a hope that he, even though his body was gonna go to the dust, that in his flesh he would see his Redeemer, Christ Jesus. He knew that. Why? Because it's a promise of God that God had taught to his children. Even before the clarity of the gospel came forth like we see it today, Christ's people was taught the gospel by the Spirit of God even back then, brethren.

And Job had been given a hope that this body is not the final body. that I will have a body that will disintegrate, but a new body will come forth that I will be able to see my Redeemer in. Which, by the way, he had a hope that he would see his Redeemer. Not through the eyes of someone else, but him. Look, if you would, at John chapter 14. Look at verse chapter 14. Verse one, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. You ought to believe in him because he is God, right? Verse two, in my father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whether I go, you know, and the way you know."

So here we see that word know again. God has given his children to know that he has gone to prepare a place for them. That word mansion there, that's translated mansion in our King James Bible, that word means houses. My father and my father's house are many houses. That's what we've seen Paul call this a tabernacle, a house. So we see here that there is a, the Bible teaches that Jesus taught that there was a place prepared for you.

If Jesus has promised that, then I can't say whenever it's over, it's all over. There ain't nothing left. There ain't nothing outside of this. I can't say that because Jesus said that he's going to prepare a place for me so that I can be at that place, that I can be in that house.

Philippians chapter three. Verse 20. Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly. I'm in Ephesians, sorry. Ephesians three, verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven. From which, what does that mean? For our conversation. That kind of sounds weird, don't it? Our conversation is in heaven. What does that word mean, conversation? For most of us in modern English, that word conversation means we're having dialogue back and forth together. But in the scripture, it means something else. Anybody know what that means, conversation? Our life or our walk.

It says, for our life is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, or our walk is in heaven, from whence also we look for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.

Notice the difference between his glorious body and his body that was made after the likeness of us. Okay, so that's two different kinds of bodies, right? Christ took upon himself the form of his brethren. We took upon ourselves that same form, right? We didn't take upon ourselves, we was placed in it, but we took the form that we have now Christ took that form. Christ has another form that he went back to. And whenever we die, we have a form that we will go to. Now, some may ask the question, was we in that form before we came here?

I don't know. The Bible doesn't say that. The Bible does say that we had a life that was hid with God in Christ before the foundation of the world. I don't know what that means. I don't know if that is just the eternal life that is in Christ Jesus was there. The Bible does say that our names were named before the foundation of the world, that he knew us before the foundation of the world, that he'd give us a Christ before the foundation of the world, that he blessed us with all spiritual blessing and heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And I know that that can be argued away that that was in prospect, that that was in, you know, the decree of God, everything that's what I'm trying to say is I don't know it's vague and you know the scripture doesn't give a solid yes or no on that so I don't know am I gonna call somebody a heretic that believes that I know I don't have the grounds to say no you're wrong I may not be given to believe that but I can't say that so anyway seek the Lord and what what you think what he thinks that that means, you know, or what he wants you to think that means.

Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Who is he subduing unto himself? His enemies. Who are his enemies? The children of grace. Who are made the footstool? His servants.

Who also is he subduing to himself? He's subduing death to himself. That will be the final enemy. In Romans chapter 7 and Romans chapter 8. What is the subduing there? You're subject to vanity, but we are given a hope. We are subdued. unto the hope that is ahead of us. God subdues us from being in despair. He subdues us from having no hope. He subdues us and gives us those things. Now, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 14, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

So brethren, we have a hope that we live out past this time. Now, How does this have to do anything with eternal union? Let's go back to 1 Corinthians, or 2 Corinthians chapter five. I want you to notice something that really kind of stuck out to me, and my thinking might be wrong on this, brethren, You seek the Lord in this. And I'll be glad to be corrected. We're approved on this. We know that we have an eternal, vital union with Christ. That's taught all over the scripture. He is our life, our actual life. And we were in Him. We were given to Him. We are His. We're his generation, his seed.

The Bible talks about two seeds. There's the seed of Christ, and there's the seed of the serpent, and that there's those who are the reprobate. There are those who are not the reprobate, the elect of God. Those who are the elect of God are the children of God, who are the seed of God, who are the generation of Christ.

Look what it says there at the end of our verse. We have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Now, I'll be honest, I don't know how to answer this question. How does he go to prepare a place for us, but yet we have that place that's already eternal in the heavens? And to me, whenever I look at that, I see we may have a spiritual union with Christ that's eternal, but here Christ has intimately, personally overseen that tabernacle that we are gonna live in, the mansion that he has prepared for us, the house not made with hands, that he has for us in heaven. And it says here that it's eternal. What does that mean? To me, that was a pretty good question. Maybe it's not a good question. Maybe I'm just a ding-a-ling and that, you know, don't pick up on things very well. And maybe I'm just blind to what it means.

But to me, whenever I see that body, that mansion, that tabernacle, if it says it's eternal in the heavens, that means it's, number one, it's made outside of time. It exists outside of time. It exists outside of the temporal because it's eternal. And if it's eternal, that means it's been there. eternity where there is no time if there is no time this is again just by thinking of this and I may be thinking wrong if there is no time where this body is then that means that this body has been in our vernacular this body has been was there life in that body at one time I don't know don't leave that for you to study Come back and tell me.

I just wanted to bring that up here at the very end, just to put a little food for thought out there. And anybody that's watching, listening, I'm eager to hear anybody's thoughts on that thing. I know there are some heretical stakes that a lot of people call heretical that hold to things like that and everything, but I'm kind of curious as to what it means.

I'm given to think that whenever Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you, whenever he's talking about this, doesn't necessarily always means that it wasn't existed. It wasn't existing. He's going to a place where it didn't exist and now he's making it to exist.

But he's going to make it ready for us. You know, every now and then we'll be out in town. At some times we've been out in town and someone will call and say, hey, we're coming through Joplin, we'd like to stop in and see you. I'm sure everybody here is kind of like we are.

What do you do? You drop what you're doing, you run to the house real quick and you do the flight of the bumblebee, trying to get your house all in order, cleaned up, Everything put up, made presentable for whenever a company comes, right? We go and we don't prepare a house by making it into a house. What do we do?

We go and we prepare the house for those who are coming to live in the house. We're going to get all things ready so that when the house is occupied, that those who come to occupy that will be fully furnished with everything that is needed. That will be made welcome.

So, I don't know, brothers. What's your thoughts about it? You don't have to answer now. You don't have to even answer, period, but just some thoughts that you might have. All right, anybody got any questions or comments? Corrections or rebukes? All right, any of y'all brother got anything you'd like to share this morning? All right.

Just a reminder again, we won't be here next week. We'll be going to a meeting out in West Virginia, but we will be back together again the following Sunday, which will be, I have to give me a date because I don't have my phone. We're not gonna be here on the, We'll be gone on the 31st, back on the 7th. I'll try to do live stream while we're out there, though, for any of y'all that are interested in watching.

If it's all right with the brethren out there for me to record, I did record my message the last time I was out there. They didn't have a problem with that, but if they don't want, because there are some preachers out there that don't like to be recorded, period. They don't like to be on camera and all that kind of stuff. personal conviction about some of that stuff, but I won't wanna do anything that makes anybody uncomfortable. But anyway, if they're allowed, then I'll try to record some of that so you guys can get to see some of the other preaching and everything that's out there as well.

All right, let's bow. Father, once again, we do thank you. And Lord, we especially this morning wanna thank you for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus and the hope of the resurrection. We thank you that this tabernacle made of dust is not our final resting place, but that not only will we receive a new body, but we will also be in your presence. We will get to see you. That scripture we didn't even get to this morning, but it says that we walk by faith and not by sight. That's for this time. We know that you've given us faith to walk by looking under those things which are heavenly, those things that are spiritual.

But praise the Lord, one of those days that faith will end whenever sight is real, when we see you face to face, whenever this body of sin has been put down, whenever we are in your presence for all eternity. And we're so grateful that you've given us that promise. We're so grateful that you have included us in your children. And so Father, thank you again for all that you've done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. For it's in his name that we pray. Amen.

Vital Union and the Resurrection

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about resurrection?

How do we know eternal union with Christ is true?

Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

What does the Bible say about the nature of our future bodies?

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Vital Union and the Resurrection

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about resurrection?

How do we know eternal union with Christ is true?

Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

What does the Bible say about the nature of our future bodies?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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