If a Man Dies, Will He Live Again?

Hello, well it is Resurrection Sunday here in Felt. For those who don't know this is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ Jesus. I like preaching, but I especially like preaching on the resurrection. This blog is the sermon that I preached this morning, I pray you enjoy it as much as I did preaching it.

1 Corinthians 15

Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. Paul was a popular professional golfer who had just won a PGA championship and had seventeen tournament victories to his credit. He wrote about that experience, “A genuine feeling of fear came over me—I could die from cancer. But then another reality hit me even harder: I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. I am definitely going to die. It’s just a question of when. But everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live.”

He said about that same moment he remembered something that Larry Moody (who taught a Bible study on the pro tour) said to him: “Zinger, we are not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying, we are in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living.” (Paul Azinger quoted in Links Newsletter, vol. 15, no. 1 1995)

Have you ever wondered about that ancient question that Job asked so long ago in Job 14:14 ~ “If a man dies, will he live again?” That is the most important question you can ask, because life is your most precious possession. A dying millionaire would give everything that he has for one more year of life. Some of you put yourselves through strenuous exercise and strict diets everyday in the hopes that you’ll be able to extend your life a few years.

The more you live, the more you realize that life is coming to an end and it is all in vain if there is not hope beyond the grave. Vance Havner once said, “The hope of dying is the only thing that keeps me alive.”

In 1 Corinthians 15 the apostle Paul deals with this question in light of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Look at how he begins 1 Corinthians 15 ~ Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. The word gospel means good news, and the good news is that the resurrection of Christ Jesus provides positive answers to the three most important questions about life after death.

The first question naturally is:

1. Is There Life After Death? (vs. 3-5, 54-55)

The answer is a resounding yes! Christ Jesus’ resurrection proves it. Old Testament Scripture had predicted that the Messiah was going to die. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?” (Isaiah 53:7-8)

Christ Jesus’ death was not the accidental death of a martyr; it was the deliberate and planned death of God-man who offered His life as a sacrifice. God laid all of our sins on Him as He hung on that cross. He was the perfect lamb offered up for our atonement of sin. Then after having a spear shoved into His heart Christ Jesus was buried. His dead mutilated body was laid in a tomb. It was wrapped in strips of linen and hastily anointed with a 100lb. of spices and then sealed in a tomb. By all accounts Christ Jesus' body was not going anywhere. By all human accounts that is.

On that resurrection morning Christ Jesus walked out of that tomb very much alive. When the women went to the tomb to anoint His body, they discovered the tomb was empty and an angel said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen, just the way He said that He would!” (Luke 24:5). Now in verses 5-8 Paul states emphatically, “We know Christ Jesus is alive, because we have seen Him.”

Peter saw Him alive; he ate breakfast with Him and the other disciples, and had discussions with Him. The disciples saw Him alive in the upper room when suddenly Christ Jesus appeared and said, “See the nail prints in my hands.” And if that were not enough witnesses to Christ Jesus' resurrection; He appeared to 500 people at once. Also there were the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And Christ Jesus also appeared to His half-brother James.

10 of the original apostle were killed because they would not renounce the risen Christ Jesus, and John spent his last years in exile for the same reason. Christ Jesus also appeared to Paul, who basically said, “I was not a believer; I was determined to obliterate Christianity from the face of the earth; but Christ Jesus appeared to me on the road to Damascus and knocked me down. And I had to admit I was dead wrong. He was alive, and my life did a 180 reversal. And so Christ Jesus' resurrection verifies that there is life after death.”

One night during an Easter Pageant, the pastor sat behind a five-year-old boy who was enthralled. When the crucifixion scene took place he got real quiet. But then Jesus came back from the grave and there was a song of celebration, and his eyes lit up and he looked at his mother and said, He’s alive!” And he began to clap and he hugged her around the neck. It was so powerful to see somebody understand the resurrection for the first time. 

Before man went to the moon people asked if we would ever make it there. But then on July 20, 1969, Neal Armstrong walked on the face of the moon, and we don’t ask that question any more, because that moment put that question to rest. 

Christ Jesus demonstrated once and for all that there is life after death. In verse 12 Paul seems a little perplexed that people even question the resurrection. Christ Jesus doesn’t come physically and preach from our pulpit so that you can see Him visibly, but there is ample evidence to believe. 

We have the eyewitness testimony in Scripture, testimony of non-biblical sources, and testimony in the people who died for that conviction that He is alive. We have the testimony of millions of people whose lives have been changed by Christ Jesus over the centuries. We have the Holy Spirit convicting us in our hearts today that Christ Jesus is alive. Now you have the option to examine the evidence and believe or to examine the evidence and choose to disbelieve it. 

Winston Churchill chose to believe. In fact, he arranged his own funeral. There were stately hymns in St. Paul’s Cathedral and an impressive liturgy. When they said the benediction, he had arranged for a bugler high in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral on one side to play “Taps,” the universal signal that the day is over. But when that was finished, there was a long pause and then a bugler on the other side played “Reveille,” the signal of a new day beginning. It was Churchill’s way of communicating that while we say “Good night” on this earth, it’s “Good morning” in heaven!

Christ Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). When a person steps out of His own grave, by His own initiative, He is anything that He says that He is and He can do anything that He says He can do! Of course the only one who has and who will ever do that, is Christ Jesus, God-man. 

Yes, there is life after death, but depending on the choice you make before you die; it will be glorious or it will be one of everlasting torment. You can choose Christ Jesus and everlasting life or say no to Christ Jesus and choose everlasting torment – it's your choice.

The first question is answered, there is life after death. Now for the second question.

2. If There Is Life After Death, What Is It Like?

In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul tells us that Christ Jesus is the first fruit of those who are asleep. The Bible says, “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2). In other words, if you want to know what it’s like for a Christian to die and live again, look at the experience of Christ Jesus. 

There is a departure of the spirit from the body. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 Paul writes, We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Picture it like this, a hand animates a glove, so it is that the spirit energizes the body. When the spirit departs the body, it’s like a lifeless glove put aside. We go directly to be with God when we die. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

There is a departure of the spirit from the body, then there is a resurrection of the body: After three days Christ Jesus came out of the tomb in a resurrected body. He showed the disciples the nail scars in His hands and feet. 

The Bible teaches there is going to be a resurrection of our bodies. In John 5:28, Christ Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,” 

If God has the power to make matter out of nothing, if He has the power to make Adam out of the dust of the ground, then He has the power to create our resurrected bodies. When Christ Jesus told them to open up the tomb of Lazarus, Lazarus’ sister, Martha, objected. She said, “Oh no, he’s been dead four days. There is already a bad odor. His body is already beginning to decompose.” Christ Jesus said, “Martha, you are going to see the glory of God.” He rolled the stone away and called out, “Lazarus, come forth!” This man who had been dead for four days and already decomposing came out of the grave whole. 

It won’t matter if you have been dead four days or four centuries or four millennia. When Christ Jesus commands it, there will be a resurrection of your body. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

In vs. 42-53 Paul explains what it means to have a resurrected body.
Before death you have a perishable body – Your body can get sick, it can get hurt, it will grow old, and it will wear out and quit someday. You will die. After you are raised to a new life you have a new imperishable body – no more sickness, no more aches and pains, no more wearing out, an immortal body.

Before death you have a body of dishonor. That is you have a sinful body/nature, you can't help it you were born with. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23). After death you are raised in glorious new body – no more sin.

Before death your body is sown in weakness. Corruption, and decay, prevailed over it; disease undermined it; and death has made it it's prey. After death your body will not be weakened by sickness, or overcome by fatigue. You will be capable of service to God without weariness.

 Right now you have a natural body. That is your body is made up of of muscles, fibres, tendons, cartilages, bones, arteries, veins nerves, blood etc... and as such requires continual support; and hence, the necessity of labor to provide food, and skill to prepare it; food that must be eaten, digested, and so on. When you are resurrected you will have a spiritual body - One perfect, no longer dependent on natural things for its support; being built up on indestructible principles, and existing in a place where there will be no more death.

Some may say, “That’s too supernatural, that’s too fanciful to believe.” Let me ask you a question: What if I tried to describe it to you the birth of a baby, would you believe it? This tiny unseen little sperm from man is combined with this tiny unseen little egg from a woman, and they form a cell, and those cells begin to multiply, and nine months later out comes this little fully formed person with hands, arms, eyes, a nose, and a mouth - all the parts of a full grown person, but smaller. You’d say, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

We see that miracle over and over again, but we take it for granted because it is so common. It is no more difficult for God to raise the dead than it is to create life in the form of a baby. Our resurrected body will be a perfect resurrected physical body. You are not going to spend eternity as disembodied spirits floating around on a cloud strumming a harp. You will a have body like Christ Jesus' resurrected body. You will be identifiable. I think it might be something like this, all of your friends gather inside the gate, and after you meet Jesus Christ, He’ll take you through and there they will be cheering when you come in, maybe even giving high 5s and fist bumps. Just think about the embraces, the tears of joy, the laughter, the surprises, the tour that waits. But only if you know Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.  

This brings me to the final question:

3. How Can You Attain Eternal Life?

If life after death were for sale, how much would you pay for it? If this were a legitimate offer, if you knew life after death is better than this life, you would pay everything for it. A man and his family were in an automobile accident in Pennsylvania and his wife was seriously injured. They were in a hospital 400 miles from home, didn’t know the personnel in the hospital, and felt really frustrated. A Dr. from their church flew up in a medical plane, picked them up, and flew them back to their hospital where she could get personal attention. The husband was extremely grateful. He said, “Dr., I want to pay for the plane. How much is it?” The Dr. said, “It is a gift, and believe me: you can’t afford it.” The husband did some investigation, and sure enough the Dr. was right, he couldn't afford it! 

I’m telling you right now that you can’t afford eternal life. Heaven is the dwelling place of God, a place of perfection, and we have forfeited our right to be there because of our sin. The only purchase price is the blood of a perfect person, and you and I don’t qualify. So you can’t earn it and you don’t deserve it, none of us do. The good news, is that Christ Jesus stepped in to pay the debt for all of us. (vs. 3-4) So you can’t earn it. You have to receive it. You have to believe.

So why you would refuse such a fantastic offer. One reason you might reject the offer of Christ Jesus is because of a love for sin: There is a sense in which eternal life doesn’t cost you anything, and there is another sense in which it costs you everything. The Bible says that we are to repent of our sins, put our trust in Christ Jesus, confess Him as Lord and Saviour.

The second reason you might reject the offer of Christ Jesus is because of personal pride. Maybe you have a keen mind and your greatest asset is your greatest liability. There is plenty of good evidence to verify the resurrection of Christ Jesus, but in the end you have to accept it on faith like a humble child. For over 2,000 years Ephesians 2:8-9 has stated this simple truth: “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”

If you die, will you live again? Yes! Christ Jesus proved it. But what that life will be like is up to you. If you humbly ask Christ Jesus to become your Lord and Saviour this morning then you will spend eternity with the Triune God in a glorious resurrected body. If you decide to go it on your own, then you will spend eternity in the outer darkness separated from God. And it will be an eternity of suffering.