redemption by the blood, that
glorious, wonderful transaction that took place on Calvary when
our Lord redeemed his people from the curse of the loss and
the judgment of sin. And regeneration, what happens
in the heart of a sinner when the Holy Ghost with the word
of God gives life, regenerates it, ruin, redemption, and regeneration. But I feel like another hour
ought to be added. I really believe it would be
an incomplete gospel if we didn't add in resurrection. But Paul said over here in 1
Corinthians chapter 15, if the dead rise not, Christ is not
raised. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 16, if the
dead rise not, Christ is not raised. And if Christ be not
raised, your faith is vain. You're yet in your sins. And then they also which are
fallen asleep in Christ, believe in Christ. I could name dozens
who worshiped here in this building over a period of 40 some odd
years who are asleep in Christ. And he said if the dead rise
not and Christ is not raised, they're perished. They're annihilated. If in this life only, if in this
world and what we call life, we have hope in Christ,
we're of all men most miserable. But thank God, now is Christ
risen from the dead and become the first fruits. of them that slept. What are
firstfruits? Firstfruits are the evidence of fruits to come. The first one raised will be
followed by many, many, many, many raised in his likeness. Now the resurrection of the dead
was the hope of Old Testament believers. I want you to use
your Bible with me a little now if we're going to deal with this
subject of resurrection. We need to base all that we say
upon the Scriptures. And this was the hope of Old
Testament believers. Let's go to the oldest book in
the Bible, the book of Job. The book of Job, chapter 14.
Job 14. beginning with verse 12. This
is Job speaking now. And he says in Job 14, verse
12, So man lieth down, and riseth not, till the heavens be no more. They shall not awake, nor be
raised out of their sleep. Oh, that thou wouldest hide me
in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath
be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me. Here's our question. If a man
die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed
time will I wait till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I
will answer thee. thou will have a desire to the
work of thine hands." God's going to finish what he started. That's
what he said. Even after I die and I'm buried,
till the heavens are passed and there's a new heaven and new
earth, he'll call. And I'll answer. Because he's
going to finish what he began. He that hath begun a good work
in you will complete it. in the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Job 19. Job 19 verse 23. And Job said
this, Oh, that my words were now written. Oh, that they were
printed in a book. And they are, aren't they? Right
here before us. that they were graven with an
iron pin and laid in the rock forever. Engrave these words
on my tombstone, he says, where my body lies. Put it in the rock. Engrave it forever. Here's the
statement. Verse 25, for I know that my
Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon
the earth. That's Christ. There's just one Redeemer. That's
Christ Jesus. And though after my skin, worms
destroy this body. We bury the body in the ground
and the worms from within. The body begins its destruction
from within. The worms don't have to eat it
without it from within once we die. Yet in my flesh, I'm going
to see God. There are two powerful statements
there. One, I'm going to be in new flesh, glorified flesh, resurrected
flesh, and I'm going to be in such condition that I can look
on God and live. Moses couldn't look on Him and
live. He said no man can see God and
live. Well, this man can that's been resurrected and glorified. Look, he can look upon the face
of God. Whom I shall see for myself.
Now he said, this isn't another person, this is myself. This
is Job. By and I shall behold not another,
not a stranger. He's not a stranger to me and
I'm not a stranger to him. Not a stranger. Though my reins be consumed within
me. Isaiah. Turn to Isaiah. I said
this is the hope of Old Testament believers. Isaiah 26. Isaiah
26, 19. Isaiah. We love Isaiah. No prophet quoted
in the New Testament as much as Isaiah. And he says in Isaiah
26, 19, thy dead men shall live. Together with my dead body shall
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell
in the dust. For thy dew is as the dew of
herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. They're coming
forth. Daniel, let's go to Daniel. Daniel
chapter 12, just a few. We could read many, many, but
let's just read a few here. Daniel chapter 12. This is the
hope of Old Testament believers, the resurrection of the dead. Daniel 12, verse 1. At that time
shall Michael stand up, great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people. There shall be a time of trouble
such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same
time. At that time, thy people shall
be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the
book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting
contempt." Well, that's what the Old Testament prophets had
to say about the resurrection. They believed it. And then our
Lord. Turn to John chapter 11. Our
Lord taught the resurrection of the dead. Let's read in John
chapter 11. You know, Lazarus had died, and
our Lord deliberately stayed away from this little town of
Bethany. Mary and Martha and Lazarus,
two sisters and a brother, had a home in Bethany, which our
Lord visited several times. He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Lazarus died, and the sister
sent word to the master that he whom thou lovest is sick.
Well, he was sick at that time, and the Lord stayed away several
days, and Lazarus died, and they buried him, and then Christ came.
It says here in verse 20 of John 11, then Martha, as soon as she
heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him. still in the house. And then
said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother
had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever
thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. And Jesus said
unto her, thy brother shall rise again. That ought to be sufficient.
Thy brother shall rise again. Christ said that. The dead shall
rise. Our brother shall rise. He's
dead, been dead four days, but he'll rise. Martha said unto
him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day. I know that. I believe that. And Jesus said unto her, Martha,
I am the resurrection. The resurrection is not just
a doctrine. The resurrection is a person.
Because I live, the dead shall live. I am the resurrection. I am the life. And he that believeth
in me, though he were dead, a person who believes on Christ, he that
believeth in me, though he's dead and buried, it doesn't matter
how long, as long as four days as Lazarus or 400 years as Isaiah,
or 4,000 years as Abel, yet shall he live. And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me will never really die. Never really die. They'll sleep,
but not die. That regenerated person who was
born of the Spirit of God in Christ won't die. This body dies,
but we never die. Believest thou this? And then in John chapter 14,
our Lord said to his disciples, he had told them that he would
lay down his life, go back to the Father, and they were so
depressed, distressed, troubled of heart, and he said in John
14, 1, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God,
you do believe in God. Well, believe in me. In my Father's
house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have
told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. Those disciples have been dead
1,900 years. But Christ is coming again, and
he's going to receive them unto himself, that where he is, there
they may be also. The Old Testament believers taught
the resurrection. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught
the resurrection. He said, the day is coming when
all that are in the grave shall hear the voice of the Son of
God and they that hear shall live. But the disciples, now
turn to the book of Acts, chapter 1. The disciples preached the
resurrection. This was one of the main points
of the preaching of the disciples, the resurrection. It brought
great persecution on them because they preached the resurrection
of the day, the resurrection of Christ and his people. And the thing about these disciples
is they didn't just preach a doctrine of the resurrection, they walked
with a living Lord. And here in Acts chapter 1, verse
20, when they selected a replacement for Judas. Judas hanged himself. He betrayed the master and hanged
himself. And these disciples got together
and were going to pick a successor, an apostle. It says in verse
20, For it is written in the book of Psalms of Judas, Let
his habitation be desolate, Let no man dwell therein. Let his
office, bishopric, his office or charge, let another take.
His office let another take. Wherefore, of these men which
have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus
went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until
the same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained
to be a witness with us of his resurrection. Not only of his death, but his
resurrection. This is our message. And so,
right or wrong, we're not discussing the right or wrong of their selecting
an apostle. I believe they made a mistake.
I believe they rushed ahead of the Lord. chose Paul to be that
apostle. But what these men were saying
here is what I'm trying to emphasize. They said whoever we choose to
take Judas' place must be a witness of the resurrection. Got to have
the resurrection. That's the message. And then
Acts 2, listen to Peter here at Pentecost. Acts 2 verse 22,
ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs
which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also
know. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain whom God hath raised up. Having
loosed the pains of death because it's not possible, that he should
be holding of it. Death cannot keep the Son of
God nor the sons of God. Got to turn them loose. Turn
him loose! Joe, you read that, what, I found
a ransom. Turn him loose. Deliver him from
going down the pit. I found a ransom. Acts 4, verse
1 and 2, listen. And this brought great persecution
on these men. preaching the resurrection. You
see, if they could keep Jesus Christ in the tomb, it would
destroy everything that he preached. He said, you destroy this temple
in three days, I'll raise it up. But if they can keep him
in the tomb, and they tried to, they put that stone there and
put the seal of the Roman government on it and put guards outside. Acts 4, verse 1, and as they
spake unto the people, The priest and the captain of the temple
and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they thought
the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the
dead. Can't have that. But I'll tell
you, Acts 17, listen to this, Acts 17. Acts 17. Oh, here's the importance. of
the resurrection. Acts 17, 31. God, because God hath appointed
a day in which he hath judged the world in righteousness by
that man, Jesus Christ, whom he hath ordained, whereof he
hath given assurance of his deity of His glory, of
the efficacy of His sacrifice, of His power to save, of His
acceptance and exaltation, God hath given assurance unto everybody,
unto all men. How did He give that assurance?
He raised Him from the dead. He raised Him from the dead. All right, here's the fourth
thing now. Old Testament believers preached, found great comfort
in the resurrection. Our master, thy brother shall
rise again, thy husband shall rise again, thy daughter shall
rise again, thy son shall rise again. And the disciples, this
was their message, the resurrection, the ruin, Redemption, regeneration,
resurrection. You see, our gospel is the gospel
of life from the dead. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians,
this is our gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ came in
the flesh, became a man, walked this earth under the law, obeyed
it perfectly, went to the cross, He who knew no sin was made sin
for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Died under the wrath and condemnation of God for our sins. Was buried
like a scapegoat of old, let out in the wilderness. And then
on the third day he arose victorious over death, over sin, over the
grave. Our great high priest ascended
to heaven. There he ever lives, the forerunner
who's entered the veil. There's a man in glory. Beloved,
there's one God and one mediator between God and men, and that's
a man, Christ Jesus. And he's there, we'll be there.
Because I rose, you'll arise. Because I live, you live. Because
I'm in glory, you'll be in glory. Because I'm accepted, you're
accepted. You see, he represented the people. I read to you a while ago, down
there in verse, well, verse 21 of 1 Corinthians
15, by man came death, that's by Adam. By man came the resurrection,
that's Christ. In Adam we die, verse 22, in
Christ we're made alive. Verse 48, as is verse 47, the
first man is of the earth, earth is the second man is the Lord
from heaven. representation. But back at 1 Corinthians 15,
more of a brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. This is
our gospel, which I preach to you, which also you have received
and wherein you stand, by which you are saved. If you keep in
memory what I preach to you, remember it, unless you believe
in vain. For I deliver it unto you, first
of all, that which I received from him. 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.
You can't stop with Christ died for our sins. He was buried and
rose again, according to the scriptures. Victorious, effectual,
Because I live, you live. This is our gospel. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. This is
the promise of our gospel. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1.
Listen. And you, I think, made alive, who were dead
in trespasses and sins, Wherein in time past you walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit and our workers and the children
of disobedience. Among whom we all, also we all
had our citizenship, our behavior in times past, born in sin, in
the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, we were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, by grace you say, and hath raised us up. Already spiritually he's raised
us up and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ.
We're already there. But in the ages to come, he's
going to raise our bodies. and show the exceeding riches
of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
That's our gospel. The death of Christ, burial of
Christ, resurrection of Christ. And because He died and was buried
and rose again, we'll rise. Because we're already seated
with Him in glory. And this is what baptism, turn to Romans
6. See, when we baptize, people
and confess Christ. This is the gospel that baptism
pictures. This is what we're saying in
baptism. Romans 6, now listen to verse
1. This is the way we confess Christ and confess the gospel,
confess our Lord. Romans 6, verse 3. Know ye not
that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into
his death, therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death. That, like as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. See, this is the gospel. Christ
was buried, Christ arose. Glorified, victorious. We believe
him, we say with him we died, we're buried, we rise to walk
in newness of life. That's what baptism says. And
it says also that one day we'll die and be buried, but we're
not going to stay there. We're going to be raised. We're
going to be raised. With what body do we come? Turn
to Luke chapter 24. This gives me a lot of joy and
pleasure to teach this particular passage here because it's so
clear to me. It's so plain. You see, our Lord suffered on
the cross and He died and He was buried and He rose again.
And he appeared to the women at the tomb and talked to them,
told them to go tell his disciples that he had risen. They went
and told him. And then he appeared to the disciples
here in Luke 24, verse 36. Verse 34, and saying, the Lord
is risen indeed. and hath appeared to Simon. And
they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known
to them in the breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them." Now, this is the resurrected
Lord. And as he arose, we'll arise.
And with the same body, he's a man. He's a man in glory. Glorified
man. And this is the same body we'll
have. We'll rise just like heroes,
just exactly. All right, let's read about it.
And he said, peace be unto you, spoke to them. They were terrified. They were afraid, supposing they'd
seen a spirit. And that's normal, that's natural.
They watched him die. They watched him bleed to death
on that cross, give up his life. They saw him hang limply in death.
They saw him taken down from the cross and prepared for burial
and put in a tomb and lie there for three days and nights. And
they thought they, they knew he was dead. They thought they
saw a spirit. And he said, now listen, he said
to them, why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet. Behold, why did
he show them his hands and feet? That's where they put the nails.
He was pierced, wounded in the house of his friends. He still
bears those wounds. His is the only glorified body
that will bear any wounds. That's right. He bears those
wounds in glory. But they're precious wounds,
wonderful wounds. They're wounded for us, our transgression. He said, you reach hither and
touch my hand. Look at my feet where they drove
the nails. Handle me. Touch me. Spirit doesn't have... Remember
this now, flesh and bones. What did Job say? In my flesh,
I see God. Our Lord said, I have flesh and
bones, as you see me now have. And when he had thus spoken,
he showed them his hands and feet, and while they yet believed
not for joy, still they're not convinced. He said to them, do
you have any food? And they gave him a piece of
broiled fish and a honeycomb. And he took
it and ate it. What kind of body will I have
when God brings this body out of the tomb? You have it right
there. A body of flesh. I'll be I myself. Be who I was and who I am. That's
who I'll be. I'll say unto him who loved me
and washed me from my sins in his own precious blood. I'll
have flesh and bones just like my Lord. That's what Job said,
that's what Christ said. Now let's turn over here to 1
Corinthians and see if the Lord will help us a little bit with
this flesh. Because we read flesh and blood shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. We read that just a little while
ago. And we know this flesh is called corruptible, mortal, weak, diseased, and shameful. So it's going to have to be a
different kind of flesh, isn't it? And it is. In 1 Corinthians
15, 35. But some man will say, are the
dead raised up and with what kind of body do they come? Well,
my Lord said, flesh and bones, able to eat. You see, God made
Adam in his own image. He made him flesh too, didn't
he? All right, listen. Thou fool, that which thou sowest
is not quickened except it die. It's got to die. Our Lord uses
this illustration of a grain of corn or wheat, whatever it
may be. In order for it to live, you've
got to plant it. That's what he says. It won't
come forth until it's planted. And that, verse 37, which you
sow, you sow not the body that shall be. What you sow is bare
grain, maybe wheat or some other grain or corn. Let me stop just
a moment. Here's a grain of corn, shriveled and wrinkled and dry
and old. And I plant it in the ground,
cover it over, God sends the rain and the sunshine and it
grows. Here comes the green, the little plant out of the ground. It grows tall like this and ears
of corn on it, juicy, delicious, sweet, bountiful fruit. From this? Is that this? Exactly. Exactly,
I planted this and that's what came forth. One day you'll plant
this and that new body will come forth. That's right. It'll be infinitely more glorious
and wonderful and beautiful even than that compared to this. This corruptible will put on
incorruption, this mortal will put on immortality, this weakness
will put on strength, this shame will put on glory. If God can make this little shriveled,
wrinkled grain of corn into an eight-foot stalk of corn with
hundreds of corn grains on it, He can sure do that for this
wrinkled old body. That's right. But you say, wait
a minute, it's flesh. Well, read on. God giveth a body, God giveth
it a body, as it pleased Him to ever see His own body. All
flesh is not the same flesh. When Christ said that He had
flesh, it wasn't the same flesh that came out of Mary's womb,
because that flesh died. But this flesh can't die. All
flesh is not the same flesh now. Listen, there is one kind of flesh of
man and another kind of flesh of beast. Your flesh, but your
dog's flesh too. But you're far above a dog. Your flesh is far superior to
a dog's flesh. And then there's the flesh of
fish. We catch the fish and we feel no qualms whatsoever of
pulling it out of the water and taking a knife and scraping it.
I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't do it to me, let alone
to you. The value of this. But a fish
is flesh. Birds have flesh. But I want
a bird, dead birds, in my yard to throw in the garbage can. There are celestial bodies and,
verse 40, terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial
is one thing and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There's
one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory
of the stars. One star differs from another
in glory. So is the resurrection of the
dead. We bury rotten, dead, weak, corruptible flesh. It's raised
in incorruption. Flesh, like unto the flesh of
the Son of God, glorified flesh, incorruptible flesh, sown in
dishonor, raised in glory, sown in weakness, raised in power,
sown a natural body, subject to all the diseases and pains
and distress and bleeding and infections, but that spiritual
body will be like the body of the Son of God. That's right. That's what Scripture says. And
we'll just have to wait. I can hardly wait. But we'll
have to wait and see. But that gives you an insight. You see, there's nothing... God
made man. Made him a body. Flesh and bones. And sin messed up this body.
And when God takes sin away, we're going to have a new body.
We're going to be a whole lot like Adam was. Except we're going
to have more. Adam could sin, we can't. Adam
could die, we can't. With that new body. Alright,
whom shall he raise? John chapter 6. John chapter
6. I'll close the message with my
Master's words. And this chapter I love, I dearly
love. John 6 verse 37. What he said in verse 35, I'm the bread of
life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But
I said this unto you, and you also seem and believe not. But
all that my Father giveth me, they'll come to me. All of his
chosen covenant people, his elect, they'll come to him. And him
that cometh to me I'll in no wise cast out, for I came down
from heaven. not to do my own will, but the
will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will
which has sent me, that of all which he hath given me I'll lose
nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." That's
whom the Lord will raise. Whom he foreknew, he predestinated
to be conformed to his image, glorified flesh. Whom he predestinated,
he called. Whom he called, he justified.
Whom he justified, he raised up and glorified. That's those
whom he'll raise. Read the next word, next verse.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeeth
the Son, not with these eyes, but the eyes of faith, see him
in his word, see him in his gospel, see him in his personal work,
see him with the heart, and believes on him, will have everlasting
life, and I'm going to raise him up at the last day. Paul said, I want to attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. I do too. But I tell you who's
going to attain, those whom he gave to Christ and those who
hear the gospel and believe Christ. I'm going to raise them up. That's
the folks I'm going to raise up and make like myself. Read
on now. So these folks murmured at him.
And folks always have and always will. Because he said, I am the
bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus? A man, son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How is it then? He said, I came
down from heaven. And he answered. Jesus therefore answered and
said to them, Now, murmur not among yourselves. No man can
come to me. No man can come out of the grave.
No man can come to me. Believe on me. Except my Father
which sent me, draw him. I'm going to raise him up at
the last day. That's the one I'm going to raise. The one my
Father draws. By the Spirit and the God. It's
written in the prophets. This is no new doctrine. This
is written in the Old Testament. And they shall all be taught of God. And every man
therefore that hath heard, and learned of the Father, he come
to me, and I raise him up at the last day." Whom will he raise? The ones the Father gave him. Whom will he raise? The ones
who see the Son and believe on Whom shall He raise? Those who
are drawn by the Spirit and taught of the Father. The Gospel of
His Son. We're not experts at all on the
Word, but we're believers in the Son. So many things we don't
know. We preach in part, we know in
part, but when that which is perfect is come, we'll know as
we have been known. I pray that it'll be a blessing
to you. Let's say number 505. 505. Oh, that'll be glory for
me. When by His grace I look on His
face. Isn't that something Job said?
In my flesh, I'm going to see God. When by His grace I look
on His face, that'll be glory. 505. Let's stand while we sing. you