Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God

Death is the Principle of Life Part 2 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-15

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver continues his exposition of John 12:24-26, emphasizing that physical death for the Christian is not an end but the entrance into true life. Using 1 Corinthians 15, he argues that just as a seed must die to produce fruit, our bodies must die to be raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. He addresses common questions about the resurrection body, affirming that believers will have real, recognizable, flesh-and-bone bodies like Christ's, and that death should hold no fear because it is the principle of life.

[John Weaver] All right, let's open our Bibles to John chapter 12 today. And Lord willing, we'll pick up where we left off last week. John 12 verses 24 through 26. John 12, beginning there with verse 24. You remember, I began a message last week, which I entitled death is the principle of life. And we want to continue with that message this week. John 12 verse 24, our Lord said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

[John Weaver] If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honor. You remember last week I covered several points from this passage. First, the prelude. And I dealt with when our Lord said, verily, verily, in verse 24, literally, it's amen, amen. And I showed you how that word is used in the beginning of a discourse, where it would mean truly, truly. And when it's at the end of a discourse, it would mean so be it, so be it, or may it be fulfilled. And then I showed you how that amen is also a name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we say amen to something, We're also calling Jesus Christ, who is the faithful and true witness, to testify that what has been said is indeed the truth.

[John Weaver] Then we looked at the principle where our Lord said, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. And then we looked thirdly at the potential where he said, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. So it has to die in order to bring forth much fruit. And then we looked at the practical application in verse 25 and other passages as well and we understand of course that our Lord is teaching first and foremost concerning his death in verse 24 but the principle is also this that we have to die to ourselves in order to serve in order to live and it is a practical application to the ministry as well so let's begin talking today again about death is the principle of life I suppose I could accurately say when it comes to death, no one really wants to die. And that would probably be a pretty well accurate statement.

[John Weaver] I have known people in times past who committed suicide. One I am thinking of particularly took poison. And yet when the young girl was found and her stomach was being pumped out, And she was conscious. She was crying and begging to live. And yet she did not live. But I mean, here she was just struggling for life. I have watched Christians die, who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were saved, and they wanted to be with Christ. But when it came time for them to die, their bodies fought with everything within them to live.

[John Weaver] You have to understand that self-preservation is natural. And in self-preservation, the body fights against death. Many are fearful of death. In fact, we hardly ever discuss death in our conversations. Even when you go to a funeral, not many people want to talk about death. They'll talk about anything and everything else. We try to shun the subject almost like it was taboo. And yet the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 9 in verse 27, It's appointed to men once to die, and after that, the judgment. We know for a fact that we're going to die.

[John Weaver] But let me point out something that's vitally important. As Christians, we should not fear death. I want you to hold John 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. This is a very important passage, and I've quoted it in times past, but I want you to see the impact on what I'm trying to give you by way of introduction. Hebrews chapter 2, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 14, the Bible said, for as much then as the children, that is we who are in Christ, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he, that is Christ, also himself likewise took part of the same.

[John Weaver] Now one of the reasons that Christ came is given here. That through death, He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. Now watch verse 15. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note that He not only delivered us from the power of the evil one, He destroyed Satan's works. But the Bible also tells us that He delivered us from the fear of death. It is fear that brings one into bondage. And as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from that fear. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. There's a big difference. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. So I want to give you today a perspective on death that perhaps you have never ever considered. You must remember that the title of this message is death is the principle of life. Now we've already seen how that principle was true in the life of our Lord.

[John Weaver] We looked at that last week. We also saw last week how it is true in reference to ourselves and our Christian ministries. The truth of the matter is if we are going to serve Christ we must die to self. I want you to look in your Bible to John chapter 3. Here's a wonderful illustration of this simple truth. Look, if you would, to John chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 26. John 3 and verse 26. Notice what John the Baptist said. It is very important. John 3 and verse 26. And they came unto John and said unto him, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." So what they're telling John the Baptist is, look, here's the one that you baptized, this same man now is preaching and teaching and all men come to him. John said in verse 27, a man can receive nothing except to be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear witness that I said I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

[John Weaver] He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, that's John, who standeth and heareth him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled." Here it is. He must increase. I must decrease. What was John saying? I am nothing. I'll die to myself. I'll die to the praise and glory of man. I'll die to the recognition of man. Doesn't matter. Christ is everything. He must increase. I must decrease.

[John Weaver] So that has to be our principle if we're going to serve Him. We must die to self in order to live under Christ. So today, I want you to do this. I want you to think with me. And I do not want you to view death as death. I want you to view death as the principle of life. Dying is not simply a part of living for the child of God.

[John Weaver] Let me be very specific. Dying is entrance into life. Our Lord stated it very clearly in John 12 and verse 24. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. The seed only sprouts after it is dead. It must die in order to live. The same is true with Christians and physical death. Death, so far as from preventing quickening, necessary our Lord said it is the prelude as the seed is not quickened except it die and when it dies there is a new sprout and there is a new life I want you to understand that Christ by his death did not relieve us or reprieve us from the necessity of dying He did not do that. What Christ did was this.

[John Weaver] He allows the law of nature, that which He created, to continue and to act as it normally does. And we who were given life, we continue to die until we actually die and experience death. But what our Lord has done is this. He has turned that death around into absolutely newness of life. And so it's imperative today that we understand that death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24 because you will remember this passage I'm sure This is the story of those individuals on the Emmaus Road. And you remember how they were so downcast and downtrodden and discouraged because Christ had been crucified. And they were saying that they had hoped that He was the one, but He was crucified. And besides all this, now is the third day. Well, look in Luke chapter 24, beginning there with verse 25, at what our Lord told these men on the Emmaus Road. Luke chapter 24 verse 35, and they told what things were done in the way, verse 25 it is, and then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory. Now notice what he said, O thou fools, or thou foolish people, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. So our Lord is telling us very plainly that we are not to be so foolish as to disbelieve the Scriptures.

[John Weaver] We are not even to be slow in believing the Scriptures. Whatever the Scriptures say is true. And this was taken in the very context of our Lord's resurrection. And I might add, in the light of His resurrection, our resurrection as well.

[John Weaver] Now, with that As an introduction, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're going to be looking at this passage in detail because very plainly in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul succinctly teaches that corruption or death is actually the commencement of life and the cause of production. Now, I'm not going to have time today to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. As many of you know, there are 58 verses in this chapter. But I am going to give you a breakdown of this chapter, and then I'm going to look at the specific verses that relate to this principle that death is the principle of life. So first of all, in the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, you have an affirmation of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's all that you find in the first 11 verses. You have an affirmation, you have the truth that Jesus Christ was raised bodily from the dead. Then in verses 12 through 19, Paul is rebuking those in the Corinthian church who disputed the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

[John Weaver] There were some who were denying the resurrection. And so the Apostle Paul gives an argument in verses 12-19 which would be against those who deny the bodily resurrection of the dead. So he's teaching very plainly that Christ was raised from the dead bodily and anyone who denies that is wicked and wrong. And then when you come to verses 20-34 Paul again reaffirms the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, he also includes and affirms our resurrection, that is the resurrection of those who are in Jesus Christ. So, when you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the theme of this passage is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now let me point out one thing, and I've done this in times past, but it's important that you see it. I do want you to look back in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and look at verse 3. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 3. Paul tells these Corinthians, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Now I've heard men say, I've heard preachers say, that verses three and four are the gospel in a nutshell that Christ died and was raised from the dead according to the scriptures.

[John Weaver] Well let me ask you a question. Was not Jesus Christ also born according to the scriptures? Did he not also live according to the scriptures? Well of course he did. Everything about Jesus Christ is the gospel for Jesus Christ is the gospel and the only reason in verses 3 and 4 that the Apostle Paul is singling out the death and the resurrection of Christ is because that was exactly what some in the Corinthian church were denying. And he's saying, look, no, Christ died according to the Scriptures and Christ was raised again according to the Scriptures.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 20. So after he affirms the resurrection of Christ, After he rebukes those who deny or denounce the resurrection of Christ, he begins in verse 20 and he says this, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Now watch. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you what the Apostle Paul is saying very clearly here. He said that Christ is risen from the dead, and that Christ has become the first fruits of them that sleep. He said, for since by man came death. Who is he talking about? Adam. You remember Romans 5 and verse 12? Wherefore as by one man, Sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned So death came into this world by man the first Adam, but life is In this world now through Jesus Christ the second or the last Adam then he says in verse 22 as an Adam all die and If you are in the first physical atom, you are going to die because the wages of sin are death. But he said also in Christ, all that are in him shall be made alive. So if you're in the first atom, you're going to die. If you're in the second or the last atom, you're going to live.

[John Weaver] Okay? Now let me just give you an illustration of how important this is. I read an article about the indoctrination meeting that was held in the Soviet Union before the alleged fall of communism. And I want you to note I said the alleged fall of communism. Communism may have died in the Soviet Union, which I really doubt, but it is alive and well in the United States. So, but this story is told before the alleged fall of communism in the Soviet Union, and the communist lecturer was addressing a large audience.

[John Weaver] He summed up his speech with these words, and I'm quoting. He said, In conclusion, there is no God. Jesus Christ never existed. There is no such thing as the Holy Spirit. The church is an oppressive institution in any way, the church is out of date. The future belongs to the state and the state is in the hands of the Communist Party. That's how he concluded his speech. He was about to sit down when an old Russian Orthodox priest stood up and looked at him and said, may I say three words? And the Communist Party agent, disdainfully, gave him permission to say three words. The old Russian Orthodox priest stood up, drew himself to his full height, and shouted as loudly as he could, Christ is risen! There was a momentary pause of silence, and all of a sudden, all those Russian Orthodox Christians shouted in one accord, Christ is risen indeed. Well, they had been acknowledging the resurrection of Christ for thousands of years.

[John Weaver] Why should they stop now? So very obviously, the resurrection of Christ is important. It's not only important because that Christ is salvation, it is also important because His resurrection guarantees our resurrection.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look, beginning there in verse 35, Because Paul is now going to give his argument for the resurrection of the body. Let's read verses 35 and verse 36. 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.

[John Weaver] Now let me emphasize, This is exactly what our Lord taught in John 12 and verse 24. He said that is not quickened except it die. What is Paul teaching? That death is the principle of life. We must die in order to live. So as Christians, we must not view death as the cessation of life. We must view death as the entrance of life. Let me just quote Romans 6 and verse 9. Listen carefully. Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. So Christ died unto sin once. He conquered sin He conquered death. Death hath no more dominion over him. He was raised from the dead. He ascended into glory.

[John Weaver] And now he exercises there his heavenly ministry. What the Bible is teaching is this as well. Those who are in Christ likewise conquer death. and they enter into newness of life. Death will no longer have any dominion over any of us who are in Jesus Christ. So when he says in verse 36, Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except to die. Here's what he's saying, foolish, inconsiderate man.

[John Weaver] How can you make an objection to the resurrection of the body? when before you every day is the same principle that you're denying. You remember, it was an agricultural economy. They planted their corn, they planted their wheat, they planted their rye, they planted their barley, and everything had to die in order to live. He said, look, the objection that you would like to make to the bodily resurrection, That objection is ridiculous because you observe it every day. And he said, you're foolish to make such an objection to the resurrection because it cannot produce except it die. So he says, don't be so foolish as to raise such an argument against the bodily resurrection.

[John Weaver] Now, notice if you would, someone objects. to the bodily resurrection. And then the objection, next objection would be raised is this, well, if there is going to be a resurrected body, what kind will it be? Well, look in verse 37, Paul answers that objection. He said, in that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain. it may chance of wheat, or some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it had pleased Him, and to every seed His own body." Now, notice what he is saying. I'm going to explain verse 37 just a little more fully later. He says, that which you sow, It's not that which is going to be. It may be like it, but it's not going to be exactly the same. Then he says in verse 38, But God giveth it a body, that is the resurrected body, as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body. Here's what the Apostle Paul is saying. That our resurrected bodies will be just as much governed by the sovereignty of God as our physical bodies and physical characteristics are.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you, how many in this room decided before that you were born, that you were going to be born a male or a female, and that you were going to have a head full of hair, and that you were going to be slender, and that you were going to be handsome, and that you were going to be white? How many of you made those choices? Not one.

[John Weaver] Do you realize it was God who determined whether you'd be short or tall? It was God who determined whether you'd be handsome or not so handsome. It was God who determined whether you'd have a head full of hair or no hair. It was God who determined whether you'd be lean or chunky. It was God who determined whether you'd be black or white. You had no control. You had nothing to do with your physical body or your physical characteristics. It was the sovereignty of God that determined that.

[John Weaver] This is exactly what Paul is arguing in verse 38. But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body. In other words, everything is under the sovereign control of God. We may not know exactly what our resurrected bodies will be like, because the scripture does not tell us exactly, but there are principles in the Bible that will reveal and give us some information concerning the resurrected body. Let me just tell you up front, there are so many questions that could be asked concerning what I'm teaching today.

[John Weaver] that it will be impossible to answer them all. I'm just trying to show you what our Lord is teaching, that death is the principle of life. So, someone is going to ask, when we are resurrected, in what kind of body do we come forth? Will our atoms be reassembled? Will the body that we know it somehow, those particles of dust that have rotted, reform Make the same body basically Will we be male or female will we recognize one another will be will we be young or old? Well, those are good questions I want you to hold first Corinthians 15 But I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 17 and let me answer the first question Will we recognize each other? And my answer to that is this, well, most definitely, we will recognize each other.

[John Weaver] And you've heard me say this before, and I'll say it again in light of this context, we will not be any dumber there than we are now. Okay? If I know my wife now, I'm certainly going to know her when I'm in heaven. I'm not going to forget that I was married to her for all these years. No, I'm going to know her. That's just all there is to it.

[John Weaver] Now watch this, Matthew 17 verse 1. And after six days, Jesus taken Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringing them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. Behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias, or Elijah, talking with them. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him." I've got one question. How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were?

[John Weaver] He had never met them. They lived a mighty long time before Peter ever was born. But he instantly recognized them. He knew exactly who they were. He did not have to be introduced. When we get to heaven, I will know you, you will know me. That's just that simple. Peter knew Moses and Elijah instantly. So yes, we'll know each other. We'll know everybody else as well. We won't have to have any introductions. We will know. Paul said, we shall know even as we are known.

[John Weaver] The second question, would there be males and females? Well, look in Matthew 22, since you're there. And my answer is this. Obviously there are going to be male and female in glory. Now our Lord had a perfect opportunity in Matthew 22 to deny. that there would be male and female in glory in his answer to the Sadducees. You remember the Sadducees, first of all, did not believe in the resurrection. And so they came to our Lord with this impossible story. They said, now Lord, in light of the Leverite marriage law in the Old Testament, here was one man who had a wife, and he died, and so the law said if he left no offspring, then his brother should marry his wife and raise up offspring, and so the second brother married her, And then he died, no children, the third buried, and it went on until seven brothers married this one woman. And then they said, lastly, she died. And so they thought they had our Lord stumped, and they said, now whose wife will she be in the resurrection, for they all had her?

[John Weaver] Well, very obviously, she can't be the wife of seven husbands. But you see, look what our Lord answered. Matthew 22 and verse 28. They asked, therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, You do her. First of all, not knowing the Scriptures, you're ignorant of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Secondly, you don't know the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by unto you by God saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but the living.

[John Weaver] But I want you to note what our Lord said concerning the men and the women. Our Lord did not say that we would be sexless. He did not say there would be no males and no females. All he simply said was this. there's not going to be any marriage in heaven so if our Lord wanted to say there's not going to be any women in heaven he could have made it very clear right here but no he just said there's not going to be any marriage so there will be male and female in heaven it's just that simple I had just thought about what one man said when you read it in the book of Revelation he said at least he knows that At one point there would not be any women in heaven because the Bible said there was silence in heaven by the space of 30 minutes. And men are just as bad. But the truth is, yes, there will be male and there will be female in heaven.

[John Weaver] Now, I do want you to look in your Bibles, 1 John chapter 3, because we're talking about general principles of a resurrected body. Notice 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2. First John 3 and verse 2, and I will quote this verse a little bit later. First John 3 and verse 2, the Bible says this, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. In other words, we don't know exactly what our resurrected bodies are going to be like. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. We will be like Christ.

[John Weaver] Now I will be honest. I have heard of some who have taken this verse and pushed it so far that they have taught that everyone will be 33 year old males in heaven. The Bible said we'd be like Him, didn't it? And what they're saying is we will be exactly like Him. We'll be 33-year-old males because He was 33 and He's a male when He died. Well, that's pushing it a mite far, I do believe. When it says we will be like Him, there's another verse that will clarify that a little bit later. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact we will have a resurrected, glorified body like His. Not that we would be exactly like Him in every detail. If you wanted to push that, if you're going to say that we're going to be exactly like Him in every detail, are we going to be uniquely the only begotten Son of God exactly like Him? The answer is no. He is the only begotten of the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, look back in your Bibles, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul is still answering this question, what kind of bodies are we going to have? I'm just trying to show you that our resurrected body, first and foremost, is going to be under the sovereignty of God, okay? Now look at Paul's argument, beginning there in verse 39. He says, after he said in verse 38, but God giveth it to bodies that pleased Him, and to every seed His own body.

[John Weaver] Now he explains what he means. He says, all flesh is not the same flesh. But there's one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another fishes, and another birds. Now watch verse 40. There are also celestial bodies, that is, in the heaven, and there are terrestrial bodies, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, for one star differeth from another star in glory.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note what he is saying. There are different kinds of flesh, but it's flesh. There are different kinds of heavenly bodies, but they're all heavenly bodies. Different kind of stars, but they're all stars. I want to give you two comments. The first one is by Albert Barnes. Here's what he said on verses 39 through 41. Listen carefully. This verse and the following are designed to answer the question in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 35. Look back at verse 35.

[John Weaver] How are the dead raised up and with what body do they come? So Barnes is saying verses 39 through 41 is answering that question. With what bodies do they come? And the argument here is that there are many kinds of bodies that are all not alike. that while they are bodies, yet they partake of different qualities, forms, and properties, and that therefore it is not absurd to suppose that God may transform the human body into a different form and cause it to be raised up with somewhat different properties in the future world. Why the argument is, why should it be regarded as impossible? Why is it to be held that the human body may not undergo a transformation and that it will be absurd to suppose that it may be different in some respects than what it is now?

[John Weaver] Is it not a matter of fact that there is a great variety of bodies even on the earth now? And the answer is yes. One other comment on this, John Gill. He says the intent of this simile is only to show that the resurrection of the dead will be in real flesh in their own flesh, in the selfsame flesh as the substance with which they were clothed when on earth, but that it will be as to its qualities be different, as one sort of flesh is now different from another, and that if God can, as He does, make different sorts of flesh, and yet there are all kinds of flesh, There is no difficulty in conceiving that God is able to raise the dead in their own flesh and yet it be different from what it is

[John Weaver] now being free from the weakness and frailty and corruption and mortality. Now here's what John Gill is saying. Here's what Albert Barnes is saying. Here is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Yes, we're going to have a resurrected body. Yes, it will be our body. Yes, it will be different. But it will be our body. I've heard Alice, and I've heard other women say when they're looking at another lady's dress or another lady's pocketbook, I've got one just like that, except it's different.

[John Weaver] Have you ever said that? You know what is meant by that? It's not exactly like it, but it's built like it. It may be a different color, but it's just like, except it's different. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying. Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different. Well, how will it be different? Well, look in verse 42. Notice the Apostle Paul is making an application.

[John Weaver] He says, so also is the resurrection of the dead. Now he just got through talking about the different kinds of bodies and the different kinds of flesh. He says, so also is the resurrection of the dead. And then he goes on and he says this, it is sown in, uh, it is sown in, in, in corruption. It is raised in corruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown in natural body. It is raised in spiritual body. There is a natural body, there is a spiritual body.

[John Weaver] Now, let's take these things one at a time. He is saying, here is what our spiritual resurrected body is going to be like. First of all, he said it is sown in corruption, it is raised and in corruption. The one characteristic of the body that shall be raised is this, it will be no more liable to wasting sickness, disease, and the loathsome corruption that is in the grave. God can make a body like that, and here the Apostle Paul positively affirms that he shall do that. The bodies will be raised incorruptible. That is, we will never, ever experience corruption of any kind. I'll never have to have a tooth filled again. I'll never have a bad back again. I'll never have sickness again. Never have disease again. It will be raised incorruptible. Nothing can corrupt it. No virus, no bacteria, no fungus, nothing. It will be raised incorruptible. Secondly, he said, it is sown in dishonor. It is raised in honor.

[John Weaver] You know, before we started pumping bodies full of formaldehyde and all other chemicals to preserve them, usually when someone died, he's buried the same day. or just as quickly thereafter as he could be. Why? Because the body actually began corruption right away. And no one wanted to see a corrupting body. It was offensive to look at. And so we take the body and we bury it to get it out of sight. Because to us a corrupting body It's not only corruption, it's dishonorable. We don't want to look at it. Well, God says our body is going to be sown in dishonor. It's going to be raised in honor. There's never ever going to be any more corruption, period. There's never going to be anything that will be dishonorable about our resurrected bodies. He said, It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. Now, the word glory means this. It means splendor, honorable, excellence, perfection. The word glory means that whatever body we have, it will be perfect, it will be excellent, it will be honorable, it will be glorious, it will be splendid.

[John Weaver] It will have nothing to do with the dishonor that we have in our fleshly bodies today. Thirdly, if you will notice, he says, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. You know, it's amazing. how weak one gets, how feeble one gets. Our bodies are not only liable to decay, they're also liable to loss of power and loss of ability. You know, I cannot do some things that I used to do.

[John Weaver] I just can't do it. Brother Ernie can't outrun Marilyn like he used to. She catches him too quickly. You know, just stop and think about this. It is sown in weakness but it is raised in power. Think about this. Here we try to worship the Lord, we try to pray, we try to read our Bibles. And you know, you start praying, you say, I'm going to get up early every morning and pray for 30 minutes. And guess what? You kneel down, put your head on the bed, you start praying, next thing you know, you're waking up 45 minutes later. Or you're going to sit down on the couch and you're going to read your Bible, and next thing you know, you're asleep. I know. And the older you get, the worse it gets. I'm just simply saying. But just think, our bodies will be raised in power by that means there will be no weariness, there will be no languor, there will be nothing to tire us out. We'll have all the energy, we'll have all the strength, we'll have all the power that we ever need to serve and worship our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Hey, I don't know about you, but I like that. Fourthly, he says, and I want you to note this, this is very important. Fourthly, he said, it has sown a natural body and has raised a spiritual body.

[John Weaver] Now, look at verse 44. It has sown a natural body, it has raised a spiritual body. Then he said there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. I want you to understand something right now. The opposition in this verse is not between physical and spiritual. Or, let me take that back. The opposition is not between physical and spirit, is what I'm trying to say. Just like there is a real physical body, there is a real spiritual body. And when I say the opposition is not between physical and spirit, we will not be ghosts floating around somewhere in the universe. It may be a spiritual body, but it will be a real, genuine spiritual body. Okay? Look how the Apostle Paul explains it. Look in verse 45.

[John Weaver] And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, was made a quickening spirit. Now did Jesus Christ have a real body? Yes he did. Did Adam have a real body? Yes he did. Were there differences between them? Yes there were. Watch in verse 47, He said, The first man is of the earth earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven. And as is the earthy, such are they also that are earthly. And as the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. Watch. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall bear the image of the heavenly.

[John Weaver] So what is He saying? If you are in the first Adam, You're going to have a body like the first Adam. It's going to be weak. It's going to be sinful. It's going to be corrupt. It's going to decay. If you are in the last Adam, you're going to have a resurrected glorified body. And just as you bore the image of your first Adam, you also are going to bear the image of the second Adam. We will be like him.

[John Weaver] Very obviously, very clearly, but the Bible teaches that very plainly. Do you know what the goal is? Let me explain the goal of redemption. Romans 8, 29, all we've got to do is quote it. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 51, look at it right there. He says, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Now, let me tell you what the word changed is. It is the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis or metamorphosis. Literally, he says, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. We shall all be metamorphosis. We shall be changed.

[John Weaver] The body will then be imperishable, immortal, glorious. Powerful and spiritually, but yet it will be a body and it's going to have some continuity with our old body Okay, he's talking about the new resurrected body now The Bible says in Romans 6 in verse 5. Let me just quote it for we have been planted together in the likeness of his death We shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection Did Christ have a real, literal, physical body that was crucified? Yes! When Christ was raised from the dead, did He have a real, literal body? The answer is yes!

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Before I do, I want to show you two verses. Well, I'll quote one. I want you to turn to Philippians chapter 3. I'll quote the second one because we've already looked at it. Look in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 21. Just trying to show you what our resurrected bodies will be like. Notice this same contrast in Philippians 3.21. It's what the Apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 15. Philippians 3 verse 21. In fact, let's read verse 20 just so you can see the context.

[John Weaver] He says, For our conversation or our conduct is in heaven, For whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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." So what is He going to do? He's going to change our vile body like unto His glorious body. Wow!

[John Weaver] Now let me just quote 1 John 3 and verse 2. We read it earlier. John wrote, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. How will we be like Him? He will change our vile bodies like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Since we know that we're going to have a body like Christ, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Luke 24. Luke 24. And let's begin reading there with verse 33. Luke 24, verse 33. Luke 24, verse 33.

[John Weaver] Watch this if you would.

[John Weaver] He says, And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem. Now this is the two men on the Emmaus road. And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 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 of them in breaking bread, And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

[John Weaver] But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

[John Weaver] Now look what our Lord said, Behold My hands and My feet, that is, I Myself. Handle Me and see. For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, Have you here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb, and he took it and did eat before them."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note, here's the resurrected, glorified body of Christ. He appeared unto them. He just appeared. He didn't open the door. Or at least the scripture doesn't say he does. He was there, just there. And they thought, it's a ghost. He said, no, no, I'm not a ghost. He said, a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see me have. Here, feel my hand, feel my body, it's real, it's me. And by the way, I'm hungry.

[John Weaver] I'd like some broiled fish there please and some of that honeycomb. And he ate. That's a real body. He was able to eat food.

[John Weaver] Now, you say, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 50, Now say unto you, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Yeah, Paul said that. Christ did not say he was flesh and blood, did he? He said, I'm flesh and bone. We don't need blood in heaven. Flesh and bone. I want you to turn in your Bibles, John chapter 21. John chapter 21, let me show it to you again. John 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 5. John 21, verse 5.

[John Weaver] Peter and the rest of the disciples have gone fishing. So our Lord appears, On the bank of the Sea of Tiberias, or the Sea of Galilee, notice if he says in verse 5, Then Jesus said unto them, Children, have you any meat? They answered, No. John 21, verse 5. Children, have you any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore, now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that, it was the Lord, he girded his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, and they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits, dragging a net with fishes.

[John Weaver] And as soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid their own in bread. And Jesus said unto them, Bring of the fish which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to a land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty-three. And for all that were so many, yet the net was not broken, Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. Now watch.

[John Weaver] And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou, knowing that it was the Lord? Jesus then cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This now is the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead. Our Lord had a real body. It was a spiritual body, but it was a real body. In John 21, no one had to guess who it was. Everyone recognized Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, I've got some good news for myself and people like me. And I've got some bad news for Ron. Evidently, brother Ron, the resurrected glorified body needs a lot of fish. I'm so thankful that fish is my favorite food. I do love fresh fish. Ron doesn't like fish, but brother, if you get to heaven, you're going to have to learn to like them, I can assure you. Because that's all our Lord was eating in this resurrected glorified body. Fish and bread and honeycomb. That sounds good to me. But anyhow, Scripture does not give us a detailed exact account of what our glorified bodies are going to be like. But it does tell us they will be real bodies.

[John Weaver] We will be flesh and bone. Our bodies will be similar, yet different. Just like we have now except different. Yeah. Because no more pain, no more sickness, no more sorrow, no nothing. What the Bible does emphasize is two things. Number one, we will be like Christ. And that should be sufficient for any child of God. And the second thing it emphasizes is that we will have an immensely pleasurable, enjoyable, glorious life.

[John Weaver] For the scripture said in Psalm 16, at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this, Jesus Christ was made flesh for the purpose of redeeming all things. And the truth of the matter is this, God has not abandoned His physical world and He has not abandoned our physical bodies. In fact, the Bible teaches us in Romans chapter 8 that the creation itself will be released from the bondage of corruption when we, the saints of God, are also released from ours. That is, when we receive, as the Scripture says, the redemption of the body.

[John Weaver] We will have a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness." And the Bible said, in this we actually groan for the redemption of our body. We have to remember what the Apostle Paul said, for our citizenship is in heaven from whence we also look for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he said, he shall change our vile bodies like in his glorious body.

[John Weaver] Yes, we will know each other. Yes, we will recognize each other. Yes, our bodies will be the same. But yes, our bodies will be different.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Why should a child of God ever fear death if he understands and believes that death is the principle of life? Life does not begin at 40. It begins at death for the child of God. Why should we fear death? Have you ever wondered, you know the Apostle Paul said, you remember, we shall all be changed and I told you the Greek word was metamorphosis.

[John Weaver] We shall all be metamorphosized. Have you ever wondered, does a caterpillar fear metamorphosis? Does a caterpillar fear becoming a beautiful, glorious butterfly? Do you think a child in the womb fears being born? Why should a child of God fear that which will bring him into the glorious liberty? and the wonderful presence of Jesus Christ. For in Christ and in Christ alone, we have life. Death for the child of God is not the end, it is the beginning. Death for the child of God is not cessation of life. That is when life really begins. Death is the principle of life. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for this glorious truth and we are thankful, Father, that You have delivered us from the fear of death. And in Thee, Lord, we have life. Glorious life. Give us, Lord, Thy grace and Thy mercy that we may Serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. And Lord, may we look forward to our death, not necessarily wishing it needlessly or unnecessarily, but understanding, Lord, we have nothing to fear.

[John Weaver] And thou dost walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. And Thou art our life, and in Thee we never, ever die. Help us to believe, help us to trust. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Death is the Principle of Life Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	xPK361v_ESY
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 190: Death is the Principle of Life — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	82

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous week's message on John 12:24-26, covering the meaning of 'verily, verily,' the principle of the dying seed, and the practical application of dying to self.

All right, let's open our Bibles to John chapter 12 today. And Lord willing, we'll pick up where we left off last week. John 12 verses 24 through 26. John 12, beginning there with verse 24. You remember, I began a message last week, which I entitled "Death is the Principle of Life." And we want to continue with that message this week. John 12 verse 24, our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — John 12:24-26

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." You remember last week I covered several points from this passage. First, the prelude. And I dealt with when our Lord said, "verily, verily," in verse 24, literally, it's "amen, amen." And I showed you how that word is used in the beginning of a discourse, where it would mean "truly, truly." And when it's at the end of a discourse, it would mean "so be it, so be it," or "may it be fulfilled." And then I showed you how that "amen" is also a name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we say "amen" to something, we're also calling Jesus Christ, who is the faithful and true witness, to testify that what has been said is indeed the truth.

Then we looked at the principle where our Lord said, "Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." And then we looked thirdly at the potential where He said, "But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." So it has to die in order to bring forth much fruit. And then we looked at the practical application in verse 25 and other passages as well, and we understand, of course, that our Lord is teaching first and foremost concerning His death in verse 24, but the principle is also this: that we have to die to ourselves in order to serve, in order to live, and it is a practical application to the ministry as well. So let's begin talking today again about "Death is the Principle of Life." I suppose I could accurately say when it comes to death, no one really wants to die. And that would probably be a pretty well accurate statement.

The Natural Fear of Death and the Christian's Deliverance

While self-preservation is natural, Christians are delivered from the fear of death through Christ, who destroyed the devil's power and freed us from bondage.

I have known people in times past who committed suicide. One I am thinking of particularly took poison. And yet when the young girl was found and her stomach was being pumped out, and she was conscious, she was crying and begging to live. And yet she did not live. But I mean, here she was just struggling for life. I have watched Christians die, who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were saved, and they wanted to be with Christ. But when it came time for them to die, their bodies fought with everything within them to live.

You have to understand that self-preservation is natural. And in self-preservation, the body fights against death. Many are fearful of death. In fact, we hardly ever discuss death in our conversations. Even when you go to a funeral, not many people want to talk about death. They'll talk about anything and everything else. We try to shun the subject almost like it was taboo. And yet the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 9 and verse 27, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." We know for a fact that we're going to die.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

But let me point out something that's vitally important. As Christians, we should not fear death. I want you to hold John 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. This is a very important passage, and I've quoted it in times past, but I want you to see the impact on what I'm trying to give you by way of introduction. Hebrews chapter 2, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 14, the Bible said, "Forasmuch then as the children"—that is we who are in Christ—"forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he"—that is Christ—"also himself likewise took part of the same."

Now one of the reasons that Christ came is given here. "That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Now watch verse 15. "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Now I want you to note that He not only delivered us from the power of the evil one, He destroyed Satan's works. But the Bible also tells us that He delivered us from the fear of death. It is fear that brings one into bondage. And as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from that fear. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. There's a big difference. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. So I want to give you today a perspective on death that perhaps you have never ever considered. You must remember that the title of this message is "Death is the Principle of Life." Now we've already seen how that principle was true in the life of our Lord.

Death as the Principle of Life in Christ and Believers

Christ's death did not remove the necessity of dying but transformed death into newness of life. Death is the beginning of life for the child of God.

We looked at that last week. We also saw last week how it is true in reference to ourselves and our Christian ministries. The truth of the matter is if we are going to serve Christ we must die to self. I want you to look in your Bible to John chapter 3. Here's a wonderful illustration of this simple truth. Look, if you would, to John chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 26. John 3 and verse 26. Notice what John the Baptist said. It is very important. John 3 and verse 26.

Scripture Reading — John 3:26-30

"And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him."

So what they're telling John the Baptist is, look, here's the one that you baptized, this same man now is preaching and teaching and all men come to him. John said in verse 27,

Scripture Reading — John 3:26-30

"A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him."

"He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom"—that's John—"which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." Here it is. "He must increase, but I must decrease." What was John saying? I am nothing. I'll die to myself. I'll die to the praise and glory of man. I'll die to the recognition of man. Doesn't matter. Christ is everything. He must increase. I must decrease.

So that has to be our principle if we're going to serve Him. We must die to self in order to live unto Christ. So today, I want you to do this. I want you to think with me. And I do not want you to view death as death. I want you to view death as the principle of life. Dying is not simply a part of living for the child of God.

Let me be very specific. Dying is entrance into life. Our Lord stated it very clearly in John 12 and verse 24. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." The seed only sprouts after it is dead. It must die in order to live. The same is true with Christians and physical death. Death, so far from preventing quickening, is necessary. Our Lord said it is the prelude. As the seed is not quickened except it die, and when it dies there is a new sprout and there is a new life. I want you to understand that Christ by His death did not relieve us or reprieve us from the necessity of dying. He did not do that. What Christ did was this.

He allows the law of nature, that which He created, to continue and to act as it normally does. And we who were given life, we continue to die until we actually die and experience death. But what our Lord has done is this. He has turned that death around into absolutely newness of life. And so it's imperative today that we understand that death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.

Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24 because you will remember this passage I'm sure. This is the story of those individuals on the Emmaus Road. And you remember how they were so downcast and downtrodden and discouraged because Christ had been crucified. And they were saying that they had hoped that He was the one, but He was crucified. And besides all this, now is the third day. Well, look in Luke chapter 24, beginning there with verse 25, at what our Lord told these men on the Emmaus Road. Luke chapter 24 verse 25 it is,

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:25-26

"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"

Now notice what he said, "O thou fools," or

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:25-26

"thou foolish people, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."

So our Lord is telling us very plainly that we are not to be so foolish as to disbelieve the Scriptures.

The Resurrection Affirmed and Defended (1 Corinthians 15:1-34)

Paul affirms Christ's bodily resurrection, rebukes those who deny it, and connects Christ's resurrection to the future resurrection of believers.

We are not even to be slow in believing the Scriptures. Whatever the Scriptures say is true. And this was taken in the very context of our Lord's resurrection. And I might add, in the light of His resurrection, our resurrection as well.

Now, with that as an introduction, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're going to be looking at this passage in detail because very plainly in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul succinctly teaches that corruption or death is actually the commencement of life and the cause of production. Now, I'm not going to have time today to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. As many of you know, there are 58 verses in this chapter. But I am going to give you a breakdown of this chapter, and then I'm going to look at the specific verses that relate to this principle that death is the principle of life. So first of all, in the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, you have an affirmation of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's all that you find in the first 11 verses. You have an affirmation, you have the truth that Jesus Christ was raised bodily from the dead. Then in verses 12 through 19, Paul is rebuking those in the Corinthian church who disputed the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

There were some who were denying the resurrection. And so the Apostle Paul gives an argument in verses 12-19 which would be against those who deny the bodily resurrection of the dead. So he's teaching very plainly that Christ was raised from the dead bodily and anyone who denies that is wicked and wrong. And then when you come to verses 20-34 Paul again reaffirms the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, he also includes and affirms our resurrection, that is the resurrection of those who are in Jesus Christ. So, when you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the theme of this passage is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now let me point out one thing, and I've done this in times past, but it's important that you see it. I do want you to look back in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and look at verse 3. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 3. Paul tells these Corinthians,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

Now I've heard men say, I've heard preachers say, that verses three and four are the gospel in a nutshell, that Christ died and was raised from the dead according to the scriptures. Well let me ask you a question. Was not Jesus Christ also born according to the scriptures? Did he not also live according to the scriptures? Well of course he did. Everything about Jesus Christ is the gospel, for Jesus Christ is the gospel. And the only reason in verses 3 and 4 that the Apostle Paul is singling out the death and the resurrection of Christ is because that was exactly what some in the Corinthian church were denying. And he's saying, look, no, Christ died according to the Scriptures and Christ was raised again according to the Scriptures.

Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 20. So after he affirms the resurrection of Christ, after he rebukes those who deny or denounce the resurrection of Christ, he begins in verse 20 and he says this, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Now, let me show you what the Apostle Paul is saying very clearly here. He said that Christ is risen from the dead, and that Christ has become the first fruits of them that sleep. He said, "For since by man came death." Who is he talking about? Adam. You remember Romans 5 and verse 12? "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." So death came into this world by man, the first Adam, but life is in this world now through Jesus Christ, the second or the last Adam. Then he says in verse 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." If you are in the first Adam, you are going to die because the wages of sin are death. But he said also in Christ, all that are in him shall be made alive. So if you're in the first Adam, you're going to die. If you're in the second or the last Adam, you're going to live.

Okay? Now let me just give you an illustration of how important this is. I read an article about the indoctrination meeting that was held in the Soviet Union before the alleged fall of communism. And I want you to note I said the alleged fall of communism. Communism may have died in the Soviet Union, which I really doubt, but it is alive and well in the United States. So, but this story is told before the alleged fall of communism in the Soviet Union, and the communist lecturer was addressing a large audience.

The Resurrection Body Explained (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)

Paul uses the analogy of a seed to argue that the resurrection body is real but different—sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.

Now let me emphasize, this is exactly what our Lord taught in John 12 and verse 24. He said that it is not quickened except it die. What is Paul teaching? That death is the principle of life. We must die in order to live. So as Christians, we must not view death as the cessation of life. We must view death as the entrance of life. Let me just quote Romans 6 and verse 9. Listen carefully. "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him." So Christ died unto sin once. He conquered sin. He conquered death. Death hath no more dominion over him. He was raised from the dead. He ascended into glory.

And now he exercises there his heavenly ministry. What the Bible is teaching is this as well. Those who are in Christ likewise conquer death, and they enter into newness of life. Death will no longer have any dominion over any of us who are in Jesus Christ. So when he says in verse 36, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die," here's what he's saying: foolish, inconsiderate man. How can you make an objection to the resurrection of the body when before you every day is the same principle that you're denying? You remember, it was an agricultural economy. They planted their corn, they planted their wheat, they planted their rye, they planted their barley, and everything had to die in order to live. He said, look, the objection that you would like to make to the bodily resurrection, that objection is ridiculous because you observe it every day. And he said, you're foolish to make such an objection to the resurrection because it cannot produce except it die. So he says, don't be so foolish as to raise such an argument against the bodily resurrection.

Now, notice if you would, someone objects to the bodily resurrection. And then the objection, the next objection that would be raised is this: well, if there is going to be a resurrected body, what kind will it be? Well, look in verse 37, Paul answers that objection. He said, "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest 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." Now, notice what he is saying. I'm going to explain verse 37 just a little more fully later. He says, that which you sow, it's not that which is going to be. It may be like it, but it's not going to be exactly the same. Then he says in verse 38, "But God giveth it a body"—that is the resurrected body—"as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." Here's what the Apostle Paul is saying. That our resurrected bodies will be just as much governed by the sovereignty of God as our physical bodies and physical characteristics are.

Now let me ask you, how many in this room decided before that you were born, that you were going to be born a male or a female, and that you were going to have a head full of hair, and that you were going to be slender, and that you were going to be handsome, and that you were going to be white? How many of you made those choices? Not one. Do you realize it was God who determined whether you'd be short or tall? It was God who determined whether you'd be handsome or not so handsome. It was God who determined whether you'd have a head full of hair or no hair. It was God who determined whether you'd be lean or chunky. It was God who determined whether you'd be black or white. You had no control. You had nothing to do with your physical body or your physical characteristics. It was the sovereignty of God that determined that.

This is exactly what Paul is arguing in verse 38.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:35-38

"But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."

In other words, everything is under the sovereign control of God. We may not know exactly what our resurrected bodies will be like, because the scripture does not tell us exactly, but there are principles in the Bible that will reveal and give us some information concerning the resurrected body. Let me just tell you up front, there are so many questions that could be asked concerning what I'm teaching today. that it will be impossible to answer them all. I'm just trying to show you what our Lord is teaching, that death is the principle of life. So, someone is going to ask, when we are resurrected, in what kind of body do we come forth? Will our atoms be reassembled? Will the body that we know it somehow, those particles of dust that have rotted, reform to make the same body basically? Will we be male or female? Will we recognize one another? Will we be young or old? Well, those are good questions. I want you to hold 1 Corinthians 15, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 17 and let me answer the first question. Will we recognize each other? And my answer to that is this, well, most definitely, we will recognize each other.

And you've heard me say this before, and I'll say it again in light of this context, we will not be any dumber there than we are now. Okay? If I know my wife now, I'm certainly going to know her when I'm in heaven. I'm not going to forget that I was married to her for all these years. No, I'm going to know her. That's just all there is to it.

Now watch this, Matthew 17 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 17:1-5

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias"

—or Elijah—

Scripture Reading — Matthew 17:1-5

"talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

I've got one question. How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were?

He had never met them. They lived a mighty long time before Peter ever was born. But he instantly recognized them. He knew exactly who they were. He did not have to be introduced. When we get to heaven, I will know you, you will know me. That's just that simple. Peter knew Moses and Elijah instantly. So yes, we'll know each other. We'll know everybody else as well. We won't have to have any introductions. We will know. Paul said, "we shall know even as we are known."

The second question, would there be males and females? Well, look in Matthew 22, since you're there. And my answer is this. Obviously there are going to be male and female in glory. Now our Lord had a perfect opportunity in Matthew 22 to deny that there would be male and female in glory in his answer to the Sadducees. You remember the Sadducees, first of all, did not believe in the resurrection. And so they came to our Lord with this impossible story. They said, now Lord, in light of the levirate marriage law in the Old Testament, here was one man who had a wife, and he died, and so the law said if he left no offspring, then his brother should marry his wife and raise up offspring, and so the second brother married her, and then he died, no children, the third buried, and it went on until seven brothers married this one woman. And then they said, lastly, she died. And so they thought they had our Lord stumped, and they said, "Now whose wife shall she be in the resurrection, for they all had her?"

Well, very obviously, she can't be the wife of seven husbands. But you see, look what our Lord answered. Matthew 22 and verse 28.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:28-32

"Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

First of all, not knowing the Scriptures, you're ignorant of the Word of God. Secondly, you don't know the power of God.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:28-32

"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

But I want you to note what our Lord said concerning the men and the women. Our Lord did not say that we would be sexless. He did not say there would be no males and no females. All he simply said was this: there's not going to be any marriage in heaven. So if our Lord wanted to say there's not going to be any women in heaven, he could have made it very clear right here, but no, he just said there's not going to be any marriage. So there will be male and female in heaven. It's just that simple. I had just thought about what one man said when you read it in the book of Revelation. He said at least he knows that at one point there would not be any women in heaven because the Bible said there was silence in heaven by the space of 30 minutes. And men are just as bad. But the truth is, yes, there will be male and there will be female in heaven.

Now, I do want you to look in your Bibles, 1 John chapter 3, because we're talking about general principles of a resurrected body. Notice 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2. First John 3 and verse 2, and I will quote this verse a little bit later. First John 3 and verse 2, the Bible says this, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." In other words, we don't know exactly what our resurrected bodies are going to be like. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." We will be like Christ.

Now I will be honest. I have heard of some who have taken this verse and pushed it so far that they have taught that everyone will be 33 year old males in heaven. The Bible said we'd be like Him, didn't it? And what they're saying is we will be exactly like Him. We'll be 33-year-old males because He was 33 and He's a male when He died. Well, that's pushing it a mite far, I do believe. When it says we will be like Him, there's another verse that will clarify that a little bit later. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact we will have a resurrected, glorified body like His. Not that we would be exactly like Him in every detail. If you wanted to push that, if you're going to say that we're going to be exactly like Him in every detail, are we going to be uniquely the only begotten Son of God exactly like Him? The answer is no. He is the only begotten of the Father.

Now, look back in your Bibles, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul is still answering this question, what kind of bodies are we going to have? I'm just trying to show you that our resurrected body, first and foremost, is going to be under the sovereignty of God, okay? Now look at Paul's argument, beginning there in verse 39. He says, after he said in verse 38, "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."

Now he explains what he means. He says, "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and 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, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Now, I want you to note what he is saying. There are different kinds of flesh, but it's flesh. There are different kinds of heavenly bodies, but they're all heavenly bodies. Different kind of stars, but they're all stars. I want to give you two comments. The first one is by Albert Barnes. Here's what he said on verses 39 through 41. Listen carefully. This verse and the following are designed to answer the question in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 35. Look back at verse 35.

"How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" So Barnes is saying verses 39 through 41 is answering that question. With what bodies do they come? And the argument here is that there are many kinds of bodies that are all not alike. That while they are bodies, yet they partake of different qualities, forms, and properties, and that therefore it is not absurd to suppose that God may transform the human body into a different form and cause it to be raised up with somewhat different properties in the future world. Why the argument is, why should it be regarded as impossible? Why is it to be held that the human body may not undergo a transformation and that it will be absurd to suppose that it may be different in some respects than what it is now?

Is it not a matter of fact that there is a great variety of bodies even on the earth now? And the answer is yes. One other comment on this, John Gill. He says the intent of this simile is only to show that the resurrection of the dead will be in real flesh, in their own flesh, in the selfsame flesh as the substance with which they were clothed when on earth, but that it will be as to its qualities be different, as one sort of flesh is now different from another, and that if God can, as He does, make different sorts of flesh, and yet there are all kinds of flesh, there is no difficulty in conceiving that God is able to raise the dead in their own flesh and yet it be different from what it is.

Now being free from the weakness and frailty and corruption and mortality. Now here's what John Gill is saying. Here's what Albert Barnes is saying. Here is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Yes, we're going to have a resurrected body. Yes, it will be our body. Yes, it will be different. But it will be our body. I've heard Alice, and I've heard other women say when they're looking at another lady's dress or another lady's pocketbook, "I've got one just like that, except it's different."

Have you ever said that? You know what is meant by that? It's not exactly like it, but it's built like it. It may be a different color, but it's just like, except it's different. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying. Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different. Well, how will it be different? Well, look in verse 42. Notice the Apostle Paul is making an application.

He says, "So also is the resurrection of the dead." Now he just got through talking about the different kinds of bodies and the different kinds of flesh. He says, "So also is the resurrection of the dead." And then he goes on and he says this, "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." Now, let's take these things one at a time. He is saying, here is what our spiritual resurrected body is going to be like. First of all, he said it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. The one characteristic of the body that shall be raised is this, it will be no more liable to wasting sickness, disease, and the loathsome corruption that is in the grave. God can make a body like that, and here the Apostle Paul positively affirms that he shall do that. The bodies will be raised incorruptible. That is, we will never, ever experience corruption of any kind. I'll never have to have a tooth filled again. I'll never have a bad back again. I'll never have sickness again. Never have disease again. It will be raised incorruptible. Nothing can corrupt it. No virus, no bacteria, no fungus, nothing. It will be raised incorruptible. Secondly, he said, it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory.

Characteristics of the Resurrected Body

The resurrected body will be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. It will be a real body of flesh and bone, like Christ's glorified body, capable of eating and being recognized.

You know, before we started pumping bodies full of formaldehyde and all other chemicals to preserve them, usually when someone died, he's buried the same day, or just as quickly thereafter as he could be. Why? Because the body actually began corruption right away. And no one wanted to see a corrupting body. It was offensive to look at. And so we take the body and we bury it to get it out of sight. Because to us a corrupting body, it's not only corruption, it's dishonorable. We don't want to look at it. Well, God says our body is going to be sown in dishonour. It's going to be raised in glory. There's never ever going to be any more corruption, period. There's never going to be anything that will be dishonorable about our resurrected bodies. He said, "It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory." Now, the word glory means this. It means splendor, honorable, excellence, perfection. The word glory means that whatever body we have, it will be perfect, it will be excellent, it will be honorable, it will be glorious, it will be splendid.

It will have nothing to do with the dishonor that we have in our fleshly bodies today. Thirdly, if you will notice, he says, "It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power." It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. You know, it's amazing how weak one gets, how feeble one gets. Our bodies are not only liable to decay, they're also liable to loss of power and loss of ability. You know, I cannot do some things that I used to do. I just can't do it. Brother Ernie can't outrun Marilyn like he used to. She catches him too quickly. You know, just stop and think about this. It is sown in weakness but it is raised in power. Think about this. Here we try to worship the Lord, we try to pray, we try to read our Bibles. And you know, you start praying, you say, "I'm going to get up early every morning and pray for 30 minutes." And guess what? You kneel down, put your head on the bed, you start praying, next thing you know, you're waking up 45 minutes later. Or you're going to sit down on the couch and you're going to read your Bible, and next thing you know, you're asleep. I know. And the older you get, the worse it gets. I'm just simply saying. But just think, our bodies will be raised in power. By that means there will be no weariness, there will be no languor, there will be nothing to tire us out. We'll have all the energy, we'll have all the strength, we'll have all the power that we ever need to serve and worship our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Hey, I don't know about you, but I like that. Fourthly, he says, and I want you to note this, this is very important. Fourthly, he said, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." Now, look at verse 44. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." Then he said, "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." I want you to understand something right now. The opposition in this verse is not between physical and spiritual. Or, let me take that back. The opposition is not between physical and spirit, is what I'm trying to say. Just like there is a real physical body, there is a real spiritual body. And when I say the opposition is not between physical and spirit, we will not be ghosts floating around somewhere in the universe. It may be a spiritual body, but it will be a real, genuine spiritual body. Okay? Look how the Apostle Paul explains it. Look in verse 45.

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." Now did Jesus Christ have a real body? Yes he did. Did Adam have a real body? Yes he did. Were there differences between them? Yes there were. Watch in verse 47, He said, "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: 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 heavenly."

So what is He saying? If you are in the first Adam, you're going to have a body like the first Adam. It's going to be weak. It's going to be sinful. It's going to be corrupt. It's going to decay. If you are in the last Adam, you're going to have a resurrected glorified body. And just as you bore the image of your first Adam, you also are going to bear the image of the second Adam. We will be like him.

Very obviously, very clearly, the Bible teaches that very plainly. Do you know what the goal is? Let me explain the goal of redemption. Romans 8:29, all we've got to do is quote it. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Now, in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 51, look at it right there. He says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:51

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."

Now, let me tell you what the word changed is. It is the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis or metamorphosis. Literally, he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:51

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep. We shall all be metamorphosized. We shall be changed."

The body will then be imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful, and spiritual, but yet it will be a body and it's going to have some continuity with our old body. Okay, he's talking about the new resurrected body. Now the Bible says in Romans 6 in verse 5, let me just quote it, "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." Did Christ have a real, literal, physical body that was crucified? Yes! When Christ was raised from the dead, did He have a real, literal body? The answer is yes!

Now, let me show you. Before I do, I want to show you two verses. Well, I'll quote one. I want you to turn to Philippians chapter 3. I'll quote the second one because we've already looked at it. Look in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 21. Just trying to show you what our resurrected bodies will be like. Notice this same contrast in Philippians 3:21. It's what the Apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 15. Philippians 3 verse 21. In fact, let's read verse 20 just so you can see the context.

He says, "For our conversation"—or our conduct—"is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 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." So what is He going to do? He's going to change our vile body like unto His glorious body. Wow! Now let me just quote 1 John 3 and verse 2. We read it earlier. John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." How will we be like Him? He will change our vile bodies like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Since we know that we're going to have a body like Christ, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Luke 24. Luke 24. And let's begin reading there with verse 33. Luke 24, verse 33.

Watch this if you would.

Christ's Post-Resurrection Appearances as Proof

Jesus' appearances in Luke 24 and John 21 demonstrate that His resurrected body was tangible, had flesh and bones, ate food, and was recognizable—providing a pattern for our future bodies.

Now let me just quote 1 John 3 and verse 2. We read it earlier. John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." How will we be like Him? He will change our vile bodies like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Since we know that we're going to have a body like Christ, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Luke 24. Luke 24. And let's begin reading there with verse 33. Luke 24, verse 33.

Watch this if you would.

He says, "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem." Now this is the two men on the Emmaus road. "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 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 of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." "But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"

Now look what our Lord said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them."

Now I want you to note, here's the resurrected, glorified body of Christ. He appeared unto them. He just appeared. He didn't open the door. Or at least the scripture doesn't say he does. He was there, just there. And they thought, it's a ghost. He said, no, no, I'm not a ghost. He said, a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see me have. Here, feel my hand, feel my body, it's real, it's me. And by the way, I'm hungry.

I'd like some broiled fish there please and some of that honeycomb. And he ate. That's a real body. He was able to eat food.

Now, you say, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 50, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Yeah, Paul said that. Christ did not say he was flesh and blood, did he? He said, I'm flesh and bone. We don't need blood in heaven. Flesh and bone. I want you to turn in your Bibles, John chapter 21. John chapter 21, let me show it to you again. John 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 5. John 21, verse 5.

Peter and the rest of the disciples have gone fishing. So our Lord appears on the bank of the Sea of Tiberias, or the Sea of Galilee. Notice if he says in verse 5, "Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No." John 21, verse 5. "Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes."

"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine." Now watch. "And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead." Our Lord had a real body. It was a spiritual body, but it was a real body. In John 21, no one had to guess who it was. Everyone recognized Christ.

Now, I've got some good news for myself and people like me. And I've got some bad news for Ron. Evidently, brother Ron, the resurrected glorified body needs a lot of fish. I'm so thankful that fish is my favorite food. I do love fresh fish. Ron doesn't like fish, but brother, if you get to heaven, you're going to have to learn to like them, I can assure you. Because that's all our Lord was eating in this resurrected glorified body. Fish and bread and honeycomb. That sounds good to me. But anyhow, Scripture does not give us a detailed exact account of what our glorified bodies are going to be like. But it does tell us they will be real bodies.

Applications and Conclusion

Believers should not fear death because it is the gateway to life. God has not abandoned our physical bodies; He will transform them to be like Christ's. Death is the principle of life.

We will be flesh and bone. Our bodies will be similar, yet different. Just like we have now except different. Yeah. Because no more pain, no more sickness, no more sorrow, no nothing. What the Bible does emphasize is two things. Number one, we will be like Christ. And that should be sufficient for any child of God. And the second thing it emphasizes is that we will have an immensely pleasurable, enjoyable, glorious life.

For the scripture said in Psalm 16, "at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this, Jesus Christ was made flesh for the purpose of redeeming all things. And the truth of the matter is this, God has not abandoned His physical world and He has not abandoned our physical bodies. In fact, the Bible teaches us in Romans chapter 8 that the creation itself will be released from the bondage of corruption when we, the saints of God, are also released from ours. That is, when we receive, as the Scripture says, the redemption of the body. "We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." And the Bible said, in this we actually groan for the redemption of our body. We have to remember what the Apostle Paul said, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." And then he said, "He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."

Yes, we will know each other. Yes, we will recognize each other. Yes, our bodies will be the same. But yes, our bodies will be different.

Now, let me ask you a question. Why should a child of God ever fear death if he understands and believes that death is the principle of life? Life does not begin at 40. It begins at death for the child of God. Why should we fear death? Have you ever wondered, you know the Apostle Paul said, you remember, "we shall all be changed" and I told you the Greek word was metamorphosis. We shall all be metamorphosized. Have you ever wondered, does a caterpillar fear metamorphosis? Does a caterpillar fear becoming a beautiful, glorious butterfly? Do you think a child in the womb fears being born? Why should a child of God fear that which will bring him into the glorious liberty and the wonderful presence of Jesus Christ. For in Christ and in Christ alone, we have life. Death for the child of God is not the end, it is the beginning. Death for the child of God is not cessation of life. That is when life really begins. Death is the principle of life. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for this glorious truth and we are thankful, Father, that You have delivered us from the fear of death. And in Thee, Lord, we have life. Glorious life. Give us, Lord, Thy grace and Thy mercy that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. And Lord, may we look forward to our death, not necessarily wishing it needlessly or unnecessarily, but understanding, Lord, we have nothing to fear.

And Thou dost walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. And Thou art our life, and in Thee we never, ever die. Help us to believe, help us to trust. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Death as the Principle of Life

Summary: Physical death is not the end but the necessary prelude to resurrection and true life, both for Christ and for believers.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.'

Deliverance from the Fear of Death

Summary: Through Christ's death and resurrection, believers are freed from the fear of death and the bondage it brings.

Evidence: Hebrews 2:14-15 is cited: 'that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death... and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.'

The Resurrection Body

Summary: The resurrection body will be real, physical, and transformed—incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual—yet retaining identity and continuity with the earthly body.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 is expounded: 'It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption...'

Conformity to Christ's Glorified Body

Summary: Believers will be changed to be like Christ in His resurrection, bearing the image of the heavenly man.

Evidence: Philippians 3:21: 'Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.'

The Sovereignty of God in the Resurrection

Summary: God determines the nature of each resurrected body, just as He sovereignly designed our earthly bodies and the variety in creation.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:38: 'But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.'

Dying to Self as a Prerequisite for Service

Summary: The principle of death leading to life applies practically to Christian ministry: we must decrease so Christ may increase.

Evidence: John the Baptist's words in John 3:30: 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'

Key Arguments

The resurrection body is a real, physical body, not a ghost.

Summary: Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 shows that the resurrection body is a transformed physical body, not an immaterial spirit. Christ's post-resurrection appearances confirm this.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The opposition is not between physical and spirit... we will not be ghosts floating around somewhere in the universe.'

Death is necessary for resurrection life.

Summary: Just as a seed must die to produce a plant, our bodies must die to be raised to new life. This is a universal principle observed in nature.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:36: 'Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.'

Christ's resurrection guarantees the believer's resurrection.

Summary: Because Christ rose as the firstfruits, all who are in Him will also be made alive. His victory over death is our victory.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:20-22: 'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept... even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'

The resurrected body will be different in quality but the same in identity.

Summary: The body is sown in corruption, dishonor, weakness, and as a natural body; it is raised in incorruption, glory, power, and as a spiritual body. It is 'just like the body we have, except it will be different.'

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different.'

Believers will recognize each other in heaven.

Summary: Peter recognized Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration without introduction, indicating that recognition will be immediate and complete in the resurrection.

Evidence: Matthew 17:1-5 is cited, and Weaver asks, 'How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were? He had never met them... But he instantly recognized them.'

There will be male and female in heaven, but no marriage.

Summary: Jesus' answer to the Sadducees in Matthew 22 only denies marriage in the resurrection, not the existence of gender distinctions.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Our Lord did not say that we would be sexless... all he simply said was this: there's not going to be any marriage in heaven.'

Scripture References

John 12:24-26

Context: The primary text of the sermon, teaching that a grain of wheat must die to produce fruit, and that hating one's life in this world leads to eternal life.

Hebrews 9:27

Context: Cited to affirm the certainty of death and judgment for all people.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Context: Explains that Christ partook of flesh and blood to destroy the devil's power of death and deliver believers from the fear of death.

John 3:26-30

Context: John the Baptist's declaration that he must decrease and Christ must increase, illustrating dying to self in ministry.

Luke 24:25-26

Context: Jesus rebukes the disciples on the Emmaus road for being slow to believe the prophets, emphasizing that Christ had to suffer and enter glory.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Context: Paul's summary of the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Context: Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection; as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Romans 5:12

Context: Referenced to explain that death entered the world through Adam's sin.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38

Context: Paul answers the question of how the dead are raised and with what body, using the seed analogy and God's sovereignty.

Romans 6:9

Context: Quoted to show that death no longer has dominion over Christ, and by extension, over believers.

Matthew 17:1-5

Context: The Transfiguration, where Peter recognized Moses and Elijah, demonstrating recognition in the afterlife.

Matthew 22:28-32

Context: Jesus' response to the Sadducees about marriage in the resurrection, showing there is no marriage but implying gender remains.

1 John 3:2

Context: We will be like Christ when He appears, though the exact nature of our resurrected bodies is not yet fully revealed.

1 Corinthians 15:39-44

Context: Paul's argument that there are different kinds of bodies and glories, and the resurrection body is sown in corruption but raised in incorruption, etc.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Context: Contrast between the first Adam (a living soul) and the last Adam (a quickening spirit); we will bear the image of the heavenly.

Romans 8:29

Context: Cited to show that God's purpose is to conform believers to the image of His Son.

1 Corinthians 15:51

Context: The mystery that we will not all sleep but we will all be changed (metamorphosized).

Romans 6:5

Context: If we have been united with Christ in His death, we will also be united with Him in His resurrection.

Philippians 3:20-21

Context: Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body by His power.

Luke 24:33-43

Context: Jesus appears to the disciples, shows His hands and feet, and eats broiled fish to prove He has a real, flesh-and-bone body.

Historical References

Soviet Union and Russian Orthodox Church

Context: Weaver recounts a story of a communist lecturer who denied God, and an old Russian Orthodox priest who responded by shouting 'Christ is risen!' to which the congregation replied 'Christ is risen indeed.'

Important Quotes

Death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.

Significance: This quote encapsulates the central thesis of the sermon: that physical death is the gateway to true, eternal life for believers.

We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. There's a big difference.

Significance: Distinguishes between the natural aversion to death and the fear of death, which Christ has removed for Christians.

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.

Significance: Paul's rebuke to those who question the resurrection, using the agricultural principle that death must precede new life.

It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

Significance: The key biblical description of the transformation from the earthly body to the resurrection body.

Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different.

Significance: A memorable, colloquial summary of the continuity and discontinuity of the resurrection body.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

Significance: John the Baptist's statement, applied as the principle of dying to self in Christian service.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Significance: Jesus' proof to His disciples that His resurrected body was physical and real, not a ghost.

We shall all be changed.

Significance: The promise of transformation at the resurrection, using the Greek word for metamorphosis.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding death as 'the principle of life' change the way a Christian views suffering and mortality?

Context: Weaver argues that death is necessary for resurrection life, both physically and spiritually.

In what ways does the fear of death still affect believers, and how can we practically apply the truth of Hebrews 2:14-15 to overcome it?

Context: Weaver explains that Christ delivers us from the fear of death, but acknowledges that self-preservation is natural.

What does the analogy of the seed teach us about the necessity of 'dying to self' in our daily walk with Christ?

Context: The sermon applies John 12:24 to both Christ's death and the believer's need to die to self.

How should the promise of a resurrected, glorified body influence our perspective on physical ailments, aging, and disabilities?

Context: Weaver describes the resurrection body as incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual.

Why is the bodily resurrection of Christ essential to the Christian faith, and how does it guarantee our own resurrection?

Context: Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Christ is not raised, our faith is vain.

What comfort can we draw from the fact that we will recognize loved ones in heaven and that our resurrected bodies will retain identity?

Context: Weaver uses the Transfiguration and Christ's post-resurrection appearances to argue for recognition.

How does the sovereignty of God in designing our resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:38) help us trust Him with the unknowns of the afterlife?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that God gives each seed its own body as He pleases.

In what practical ways can we 'decrease' so that Christ may 'increase' in our ministries and relationships?

Context: John the Baptist's example is held up as the model for dying to self in service.

Applications

Do not fear death.

Summary: Believers should not fear death because Christ has conquered it and turned it into the entrance of life.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'As children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from that fear.'

View death as the beginning of life.

Summary: Christians should adopt a perspective that death is not the end but the start of true, eternal life with Christ.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Death is not the end. Death is the beginning.'

Die to self in service.

Summary: To serve Christ effectively, believers must die to self-importance and ambition, following John the Baptist's example.

Evidence: John 3:30 is quoted: 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'

Trust God's sovereignty over your resurrection body.

Summary: Just as God determined our earthly bodies, He will sovereignly design our resurrection bodies, and we can trust His goodness.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:38: 'But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him.'

Look forward to the redemption of the body.

Summary: Believers should eagerly await the transformation of their bodies to be like Christ's glorious body, free from corruption and weakness.

Evidence: Philippians 3:21 is cited: 'Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.'

Find comfort in the reality of the resurrection body.

Summary: The promise of a real, recognizable, glorified body should comfort those facing death or grieving loved ones.

Evidence: Weaver argues from Christ's appearances that we will have tangible bodies and know each other.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:41:01Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:04:16Z

Clean Transcript

Death is the Principle of Life Part 2 of 2

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's open our Bibles to John chapter 12 today. And Lord willing, we'll pick up where we left off last week. John 12 verses 24 through 26. John 12, beginning there with verse 24. You remember, I began a message last week, which I entitled "Death is the Principle of Life." And we want to continue with that message this week. John 12 verse 24, our Lord said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
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"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." You remember last week I covered several points from this passage. First, the prelude. And I dealt with when our Lord said, "verily, verily," in verse 24, literally, it's "amen, amen." And I showed you how that word is used in the beginning of a discourse, where it would mean "truly, truly." And when it's at the end of a discourse, it would mean "so be it, so be it," or "may it be fulfilled." And then I showed you how that "amen" is also a name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we say "amen" to something, we're also calling Jesus Christ, who is the faithful and true witness, to testify that what has been said is indeed the truth.
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Then we looked at the principle where our Lord said, "Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." And then we looked thirdly at the potential where He said, "But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." So it has to die in order to bring forth much fruit. And then we looked at the practical application in verse 25 and other passages as well, and we understand, of course, that our Lord is teaching first and foremost concerning His death in verse 24, but the principle is also this: that we have to die to ourselves in order to serve, in order to live, and it is a practical application to the ministry as well. So let's begin talking today again about "Death is the Principle of Life." I suppose I could accurately say when it comes to death, no one really wants to die. And that would probably be a pretty well accurate statement.
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I have known people in times past who committed suicide. One I am thinking of particularly took poison. And yet when the young girl was found and her stomach was being pumped out, and she was conscious, she was crying and begging to live. And yet she did not live. But I mean, here she was just struggling for life. I have watched Christians die, who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were saved, and they wanted to be with Christ. But when it came time for them to die, their bodies fought with everything within them to live.
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You have to understand that self-preservation is natural. And in self-preservation, the body fights against death. Many are fearful of death. In fact, we hardly ever discuss death in our conversations. Even when you go to a funeral, not many people want to talk about death. They'll talk about anything and everything else. We try to shun the subject almost like it was taboo. And yet the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 9 and verse 27, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." We know for a fact that we're going to die.
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But let me point out something that's vitally important. As Christians, we should not fear death. I want you to hold John 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. This is a very important passage, and I've quoted it in times past, but I want you to see the impact on what I'm trying to give you by way of introduction. Hebrews chapter 2, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 14, the Bible said, "Forasmuch then as the children"—that is we who are in Christ—"forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he"—that is Christ—"also himself likewise took part of the same."
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Now one of the reasons that Christ came is given here. "That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Now watch verse 15. "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
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Now I want you to note that He not only delivered us from the power of the evil one, He destroyed Satan's works. But the Bible also tells us that He delivered us from the fear of death. It is fear that brings one into bondage. And as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from that fear. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. There's a big difference. We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. So I want to give you today a perspective on death that perhaps you have never ever considered. You must remember that the title of this message is "Death is the Principle of Life." Now we've already seen how that principle was true in the life of our Lord.
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We looked at that last week. We also saw last week how it is true in reference to ourselves and our Christian ministries. The truth of the matter is if we are going to serve Christ we must die to self. I want you to look in your Bible to John chapter 3. Here's a wonderful illustration of this simple truth. Look, if you would, to John chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 26. John 3 and verse 26. Notice what John the Baptist said. It is very important. John 3 and verse 26. "And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." So what they're telling John the Baptist is, look, here's the one that you baptized, this same man now is preaching and teaching and all men come to him. John said in verse 27, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him."
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"He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom"—that's John—"which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." Here it is. "He must increase, but I must decrease." What was John saying? I am nothing. I'll die to myself. I'll die to the praise and glory of man. I'll die to the recognition of man. Doesn't matter. Christ is everything. He must increase. I must decrease.
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So that has to be our principle if we're going to serve Him. We must die to self in order to live unto Christ. So today, I want you to do this. I want you to think with me. And I do not want you to view death as death. I want you to view death as the principle of life. Dying is not simply a part of living for the child of God.
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Let me be very specific. Dying is entrance into life. Our Lord stated it very clearly in John 12 and verse 24. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." The seed only sprouts after it is dead. It must die in order to live. The same is true with Christians and physical death. Death, so far from preventing quickening, is necessary. Our Lord said it is the prelude. As the seed is not quickened except it die, and when it dies there is a new sprout and there is a new life. I want you to understand that Christ by His death did not relieve us or reprieve us from the necessity of dying. He did not do that. What Christ did was this.
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He allows the law of nature, that which He created, to continue and to act as it normally does. And we who were given life, we continue to die until we actually die and experience death. But what our Lord has done is this. He has turned that death around into absolutely newness of life. And so it's imperative today that we understand that death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.
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Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24 because you will remember this passage I'm sure. This is the story of those individuals on the Emmaus Road. And you remember how they were so downcast and downtrodden and discouraged because Christ had been crucified. And they were saying that they had hoped that He was the one, but He was crucified. And besides all this, now is the third day. Well, look in Luke chapter 24, beginning there with verse 25, at what our Lord told these men on the Emmaus Road. Luke chapter 24 verse 25 it is, "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" Now notice what he said, "O thou fools," or "thou foolish people, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken." So our Lord is telling us very plainly that we are not to be so foolish as to disbelieve the Scriptures.
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We are not even to be slow in believing the Scriptures. Whatever the Scriptures say is true. And this was taken in the very context of our Lord's resurrection. And I might add, in the light of His resurrection, our resurrection as well.
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Now, with that as an introduction, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're going to be looking at this passage in detail because very plainly in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul succinctly teaches that corruption or death is actually the commencement of life and the cause of production. Now, I'm not going to have time today to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. As many of you know, there are 58 verses in this chapter. But I am going to give you a breakdown of this chapter, and then I'm going to look at the specific verses that relate to this principle that death is the principle of life. So first of all, in the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, you have an affirmation of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's all that you find in the first 11 verses. You have an affirmation, you have the truth that Jesus Christ was raised bodily from the dead. Then in verses 12 through 19, Paul is rebuking those in the Corinthian church who disputed the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
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There were some who were denying the resurrection. And so the Apostle Paul gives an argument in verses 12-19 which would be against those who deny the bodily resurrection of the dead. So he's teaching very plainly that Christ was raised from the dead bodily and anyone who denies that is wicked and wrong. And then when you come to verses 20-34 Paul again reaffirms the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, he also includes and affirms our resurrection, that is the resurrection of those who are in Jesus Christ. So, when you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the theme of this passage is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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Now let me point out one thing, and I've done this in times past, but it's important that you see it. I do want you to look back in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and look at verse 3. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 3. Paul tells these Corinthians, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Now I've heard men say, I've heard preachers say, that verses three and four are the gospel in a nutshell, that Christ died and was raised from the dead according to the scriptures.
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Well let me ask you a question. Was not Jesus Christ also born according to the scriptures? Did he not also live according to the scriptures? Well of course he did. Everything about Jesus Christ is the gospel, for Jesus Christ is the gospel. And the only reason in verses 3 and 4 that the Apostle Paul is singling out the death and the resurrection of Christ is because that was exactly what some in the Corinthian church were denying. And he's saying, look, no, Christ died according to the Scriptures and Christ was raised again according to the Scriptures.
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Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 20. So after he affirms the resurrection of Christ, after he rebukes those who deny or denounce the resurrection of Christ, he begins in verse 20 and he says this, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
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Now, let me show you what the Apostle Paul is saying very clearly here. He said that Christ is risen from the dead, and that Christ has become the first fruits of them that sleep. He said, "For since by man came death." Who is he talking about? Adam. You remember Romans 5 and verse 12? "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." So death came into this world by man, the first Adam, but life is in this world now through Jesus Christ, the second or the last Adam. Then he says in verse 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." If you are in the first Adam, you are going to die because the wages of sin are death. But he said also in Christ, all that are in him shall be made alive. So if you're in the first Adam, you're going to die. If you're in the second or the last Adam, you're going to live.
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Okay? Now let me just give you an illustration of how important this is. I read an article about the indoctrination meeting that was held in the Soviet Union before the alleged fall of communism. And I want you to note I said the alleged fall of communism. Communism may have died in the Soviet Union, which I really doubt, but it is alive and well in the United States. So, but this story is told before the alleged fall of communism in the Soviet Union, and the communist lecturer was addressing a large audience.
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He summed up his speech with these words, and I'm quoting. He said, "In conclusion, there is no God. Jesus Christ never existed. There is no such thing as the Holy Spirit. The church is an oppressive institution; in any way, the church is out of date. The future belongs to the state and the state is in the hands of the Communist Party." That's how he concluded his speech. He was about to sit down when an old Russian Orthodox priest stood up and looked at him and said, "May I say three words?" And the Communist Party agent, disdainfully, gave him permission to say three words. The old Russian Orthodox priest stood up, drew himself to his full height, and shouted as loudly as he could, "Christ is risen!" There was a momentary pause of silence, and all of a sudden, all those Russian Orthodox Christians shouted in one accord, "Christ is risen indeed." Well, they had been acknowledging the resurrection of Christ for thousands of years.
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Why should they stop now? So very obviously, the resurrection of Christ is important. It's not only important because Christ is salvation, it is also important because His resurrection guarantees our resurrection.
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Now, I want you to look, beginning there in verse 35, because Paul is now going to give his argument for the resurrection of the body. Let's read verses 35 and verse 36. "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."
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Now let me emphasize, this is exactly what our Lord taught in John 12 and verse 24. He said that it is not quickened except it die. What is Paul teaching? That death is the principle of life. We must die in order to live. So as Christians, we must not view death as the cessation of life. We must view death as the entrance of life. Let me just quote Romans 6 and verse 9. Listen carefully. "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him." So Christ died unto sin once. He conquered sin. He conquered death. Death hath no more dominion over him. He was raised from the dead. He ascended into glory.
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And now he exercises there his heavenly ministry. What the Bible is teaching is this as well. Those who are in Christ likewise conquer death, and they enter into newness of life. Death will no longer have any dominion over any of us who are in Jesus Christ. So when he says in verse 36, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die," here's what he's saying: foolish, inconsiderate man.
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How can you make an objection to the resurrection of the body when before you every day is the same principle that you're denying? You remember, it was an agricultural economy. They planted their corn, they planted their wheat, they planted their rye, they planted their barley, and everything had to die in order to live. He said, look, the objection that you would like to make to the bodily resurrection, that objection is ridiculous because you observe it every day. And he said, you're foolish to make such an objection to the resurrection because it cannot produce except it die. So he says, don't be so foolish as to raise such an argument against the bodily resurrection.
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Now, notice if you would, someone objects to the bodily resurrection. And then the objection, the next objection that would be raised is this: well, if there is going to be a resurrected body, what kind will it be? Well, look in verse 37, Paul answers that objection. He said, "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest 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." Now, notice what he is saying. I'm going to explain verse 37 just a little more fully later. He says, that which you sow, it's not that which is going to be. It may be like it, but it's not going to be exactly the same. Then he says in verse 38, "But God giveth it a body"—that is the resurrected body—"as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." Here's what the Apostle Paul is saying. That our resurrected bodies will be just as much governed by the sovereignty of God as our physical bodies and physical characteristics are.
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Now let me ask you, how many in this room decided before that you were born, that you were going to be born a male or a female, and that you were going to have a head full of hair, and that you were going to be slender, and that you were going to be handsome, and that you were going to be white? How many of you made those choices? Not one.
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Do you realize it was God who determined whether you'd be short or tall? It was God who determined whether you'd be handsome or not so handsome. It was God who determined whether you'd have a head full of hair or no hair. It was God who determined whether you'd be lean or chunky. It was God who determined whether you'd be black or white. You had no control. You had nothing to do with your physical body or your physical characteristics. It was the sovereignty of God that determined that.
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This is exactly what Paul is arguing in verse 38. "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." In other words, everything is under the sovereign control of God. We may not know exactly what our resurrected bodies will be like, because the scripture does not tell us exactly, but there are principles in the Bible that will reveal and give us some information concerning the resurrected body. Let me just tell you up front, there are so many questions that could be asked concerning what I'm teaching today.
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that it will be impossible to answer them all. I'm just trying to show you what our Lord is teaching, that death is the principle of life. So, someone is going to ask, when we are resurrected, in what kind of body do we come forth? Will our atoms be reassembled? Will the body that we know it somehow, those particles of dust that have rotted, reform to make the same body basically? Will we be male or female? Will we recognize one another? Will we be young or old? Well, those are good questions. I want you to hold 1 Corinthians 15, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 17 and let me answer the first question. Will we recognize each other? And my answer to that is this, well, most definitely, we will recognize each other.
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And you've heard me say this before, and I'll say it again in light of this context, we will not be any dumber there than we are now. Okay? If I know my wife now, I'm certainly going to know her when I'm in heaven. I'm not going to forget that I was married to her for all these years. No, I'm going to know her. That's just all there is to it.
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Now watch this, Matthew 17 verse 1. "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias"—or Elijah—"talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." I've got one question. How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were?
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He had never met them. They lived a mighty long time before Peter ever was born. But he instantly recognized them. He knew exactly who they were. He did not have to be introduced. When we get to heaven, I will know you, you will know me. That's just that simple. Peter knew Moses and Elijah instantly. So yes, we'll know each other. We'll know everybody else as well. We won't have to have any introductions. We will know. Paul said, "we shall know even as we are known."
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The second question, would there be males and females? Well, look in Matthew 22, since you're there. And my answer is this. Obviously there are going to be male and female in glory. Now our Lord had a perfect opportunity in Matthew 22 to deny that there would be male and female in glory in his answer to the Sadducees. You remember the Sadducees, first of all, did not believe in the resurrection. And so they came to our Lord with this impossible story. They said, now Lord, in light of the levirate marriage law in the Old Testament, here was one man who had a wife, and he died, and so the law said if he left no offspring, then his brother should marry his wife and raise up offspring, and so the second brother married her, and then he died, no children, the third buried, and it went on until seven brothers married this one woman. And then they said, lastly, she died. And so they thought they had our Lord stumped, and they said, "Now whose wife shall she be in the resurrection, for they all had her?"
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Well, very obviously, she can't be the wife of seven husbands. But you see, look what our Lord answered. Matthew 22 and verse 28. "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." First of all, not knowing the Scriptures, you're ignorant of the Word of God.
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Secondly, you don't know the power of God. "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
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But I want you to note what our Lord said concerning the men and the women. Our Lord did not say that we would be sexless. He did not say there would be no males and no females. All he simply said was this: there's not going to be any marriage in heaven. So if our Lord wanted to say there's not going to be any women in heaven, he could have made it very clear right here, but no, he just said there's not going to be any marriage. So there will be male and female in heaven. It's just that simple. I had just thought about what one man said when you read it in the book of Revelation. He said at least he knows that at one point there would not be any women in heaven because the Bible said there was silence in heaven by the space of 30 minutes. And men are just as bad. But the truth is, yes, there will be male and there will be female in heaven.
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Now, I do want you to look in your Bibles, 1 John chapter 3, because we're talking about general principles of a resurrected body. Notice 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2. First John 3 and verse 2, and I will quote this verse a little bit later. First John 3 and verse 2, the Bible says this, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." In other words, we don't know exactly what our resurrected bodies are going to be like. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." We will be like Christ.
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Now I will be honest. I have heard of some who have taken this verse and pushed it so far that they have taught that everyone will be 33 year old males in heaven. The Bible said we'd be like Him, didn't it? And what they're saying is we will be exactly like Him. We'll be 33-year-old males because He was 33 and He's a male when He died. Well, that's pushing it a mite far, I do believe. When it says we will be like Him, there's another verse that will clarify that a little bit later. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact we will have a resurrected, glorified body like His. Not that we would be exactly like Him in every detail. If you wanted to push that, if you're going to say that we're going to be exactly like Him in every detail, are we going to be uniquely the only begotten Son of God exactly like Him? The answer is no. He is the only begotten of the Father.
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Now, look back in your Bibles, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Paul is still answering this question, what kind of bodies are we going to have? I'm just trying to show you that our resurrected body, first and foremost, is going to be under the sovereignty of God, okay? Now look at Paul's argument, beginning there in verse 39. He says, after he said in verse 38, "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
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Now he explains what he means. He says, "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and 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, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."
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Now, I want you to note what he is saying. There are different kinds of flesh, but it's flesh. There are different kinds of heavenly bodies, but they're all heavenly bodies. Different kind of stars, but they're all stars. I want to give you two comments. The first one is by Albert Barnes. Here's what he said on verses 39 through 41. Listen carefully. This verse and the following are designed to answer the question in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 35. Look back at verse 35.
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"How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" So Barnes is saying verses 39 through 41 is answering that question. With what bodies do they come? And the argument here is that there are many kinds of bodies that are all not alike. That while they are bodies, yet they partake of different qualities, forms, and properties, and that therefore it is not absurd to suppose that God may transform the human body into a different form and cause it to be raised up with somewhat different properties in the future world. Why the argument is, why should it be regarded as impossible? Why is it to be held that the human body may not undergo a transformation and that it will be absurd to suppose that it may be different in some respects than what it is now?
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Is it not a matter of fact that there is a great variety of bodies even on the earth now? And the answer is yes. One other comment on this, John Gill. He says the intent of this simile is only to show that the resurrection of the dead will be in real flesh, in their own flesh, in the selfsame flesh as the substance with which they were clothed when on earth, but that it will be as to its qualities be different, as one sort of flesh is now different from another, and that if God can, as He does, make different sorts of flesh, and yet there are all kinds of flesh, there is no difficulty in conceiving that God is able to raise the dead in their own flesh and yet it be different from what it is.
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Now being free from the weakness and frailty and corruption and mortality. Now here's what John Gill is saying. Here's what Albert Barnes is saying. Here is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Yes, we're going to have a resurrected body. Yes, it will be our body. Yes, it will be different. But it will be our body. I've heard Alice, and I've heard other women say when they're looking at another lady's dress or another lady's pocketbook, "I've got one just like that, except it's different."
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Have you ever said that? You know what is meant by that? It's not exactly like it, but it's built like it. It may be a different color, but it's just like, except it's different. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying. Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different. Well, how will it be different? Well, look in verse 42. Notice the Apostle Paul is making an application.
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He says, "So also is the resurrection of the dead." Now he just got through talking about the different kinds of bodies and the different kinds of flesh. He says, "So also is the resurrection of the dead." And then he goes on and he says this, "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
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Now, let's take these things one at a time. He is saying, here is what our spiritual resurrected body is going to be like. First of all, he said it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. The one characteristic of the body that shall be raised is this, it will be no more liable to wasting sickness, disease, and the loathsome corruption that is in the grave. God can make a body like that, and here the Apostle Paul positively affirms that he shall do that. The bodies will be raised incorruptible. That is, we will never, ever experience corruption of any kind. I'll never have to have a tooth filled again. I'll never have a bad back again. I'll never have sickness again. Never have disease again. It will be raised incorruptible. Nothing can corrupt it. No virus, no bacteria, no fungus, nothing. It will be raised incorruptible. Secondly, he said, it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory.
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You know, before we started pumping bodies full of formaldehyde and all other chemicals to preserve them, usually when someone died, he's buried the same day, or just as quickly thereafter as he could be. Why? Because the body actually began corruption right away. And no one wanted to see a corrupting body. It was offensive to look at. And so we take the body and we bury it to get it out of sight. Because to us a corrupting body, it's not only corruption, it's dishonorable. We don't want to look at it. Well, God says our body is going to be sown in dishonour. It's going to be raised in glory. There's never ever going to be any more corruption, period. There's never going to be anything that will be dishonorable about our resurrected bodies. He said, "It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory." Now, the word glory means this. It means splendor, honorable, excellence, perfection. The word glory means that whatever body we have, it will be perfect, it will be excellent, it will be honorable, it will be glorious, it will be splendid.
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It will have nothing to do with the dishonor that we have in our fleshly bodies today. Thirdly, if you will notice, he says, "It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power." It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. You know, it's amazing how weak one gets, how feeble one gets. Our bodies are not only liable to decay, they're also liable to loss of power and loss of ability. You know, I cannot do some things that I used to do.
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I just can't do it. Brother Ernie can't outrun Marilyn like he used to. She catches him too quickly. You know, just stop and think about this. It is sown in weakness but it is raised in power. Think about this. Here we try to worship the Lord, we try to pray, we try to read our Bibles. And you know, you start praying, you say, "I'm going to get up early every morning and pray for 30 minutes." And guess what? You kneel down, put your head on the bed, you start praying, next thing you know, you're waking up 45 minutes later. Or you're going to sit down on the couch and you're going to read your Bible, and next thing you know, you're asleep. I know. And the older you get, the worse it gets. I'm just simply saying. But just think, our bodies will be raised in power. By that means there will be no weariness, there will be no languor, there will be nothing to tire us out. We'll have all the energy, we'll have all the strength, we'll have all the power that we ever need to serve and worship our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Hey, I don't know about you, but I like that. Fourthly, he says, and I want you to note this, this is very important. Fourthly, he said, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."
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Now, look at verse 44. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." Then he said, "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." I want you to understand something right now. The opposition in this verse is not between physical and spiritual. Or, let me take that back. The opposition is not between physical and spirit, is what I'm trying to say. Just like there is a real physical body, there is a real spiritual body. And when I say the opposition is not between physical and spirit, we will not be ghosts floating around somewhere in the universe. It may be a spiritual body, but it will be a real, genuine spiritual body. Okay? Look how the Apostle Paul explains it. Look in verse 45.
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"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." Now did Jesus Christ have a real body? Yes he did. Did Adam have a real body? Yes he did. Were there differences between them? Yes there were. Watch in verse 47, He said, "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: 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 heavenly."
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So what is He saying? If you are in the first Adam, you're going to have a body like the first Adam. It's going to be weak. It's going to be sinful. It's going to be corrupt. It's going to decay. If you are in the last Adam, you're going to have a resurrected glorified body. And just as you bore the image of your first Adam, you also are going to bear the image of the second Adam. We will be like him.
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Very obviously, very clearly, the Bible teaches that very plainly. Do you know what the goal is? Let me explain the goal of redemption. Romans 8:29, all we've got to do is quote it. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
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Now, in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 51, look at it right there. He says, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." Now, let me tell you what the word changed is. It is the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis or metamorphosis. Literally, he says, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep. We shall all be metamorphosized. We shall be changed."
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The body will then be imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful, and spiritual, but yet it will be a body and it's going to have some continuity with our old body. Okay, he's talking about the new resurrected body. Now the Bible says in Romans 6 in verse 5, let me just quote it, "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." Did Christ have a real, literal, physical body that was crucified? Yes! When Christ was raised from the dead, did He have a real, literal body? The answer is yes!
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Now, let me show you. Before I do, I want to show you two verses. Well, I'll quote one. I want you to turn to Philippians chapter 3. I'll quote the second one because we've already looked at it. Look in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 21. Just trying to show you what our resurrected bodies will be like. Notice this same contrast in Philippians 3:21. It's what the Apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 15. Philippians 3 verse 21. In fact, let's read verse 20 just so you can see the context.
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He says, "For our conversation"—or our conduct—"is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 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." So what is He going to do? He's going to change our vile body like unto His glorious body. Wow!
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Now let me just quote 1 John 3 and verse 2. We read it earlier. John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." How will we be like Him? He will change our vile bodies like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Since we know that we're going to have a body like Christ, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Luke 24. Luke 24. And let's begin reading there with verse 33. Luke 24, verse 33.
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Watch this if you would.
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He says, "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem." Now this is the two men on the Emmaus road. "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 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 of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."
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"But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"
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Now look what our Lord said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them."
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Now I want you to note, here's the resurrected, glorified body of Christ. He appeared unto them. He just appeared. He didn't open the door. Or at least the scripture doesn't say he does. He was there, just there. And they thought, it's a ghost. He said, no, no, I'm not a ghost. He said, a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see me have. Here, feel my hand, feel my body, it's real, it's me. And by the way, I'm hungry.
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I'd like some broiled fish there please and some of that honeycomb. And he ate. That's a real body. He was able to eat food.
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Now, you say, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 50, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Yeah, Paul said that. Christ did not say he was flesh and blood, did he? He said, I'm flesh and bone. We don't need blood in heaven. Flesh and bone. I want you to turn in your Bibles, John chapter 21. John chapter 21, let me show it to you again. John 21, and let's begin reading there with verse 5. John 21, verse 5.
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Peter and the rest of the disciples have gone fishing. So our Lord appears on the bank of the Sea of Tiberias, or the Sea of Galilee. Notice if he says in verse 5, "Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No." John 21, verse 5. "Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes."
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"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine." Now watch.
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"And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead." Our Lord had a real body. It was a spiritual body, but it was a real body. In John 21, no one had to guess who it was. Everyone recognized Christ.
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Now, I've got some good news for myself and people like me. And I've got some bad news for Ron. Evidently, brother Ron, the resurrected glorified body needs a lot of fish. I'm so thankful that fish is my favorite food. I do love fresh fish. Ron doesn't like fish, but brother, if you get to heaven, you're going to have to learn to like them, I can assure you. Because that's all our Lord was eating in this resurrected glorified body. Fish and bread and honeycomb. That sounds good to me. But anyhow, Scripture does not give us a detailed exact account of what our glorified bodies are going to be like. But it does tell us they will be real bodies.
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We will be flesh and bone. Our bodies will be similar, yet different. Just like we have now except different. Yeah. Because no more pain, no more sickness, no more sorrow, no nothing. What the Bible does emphasize is two things. Number one, we will be like Christ. And that should be sufficient for any child of God. And the second thing it emphasizes is that we will have an immensely pleasurable, enjoyable, glorious life.
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For the scripture said in Psalm 16, "at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Now let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this, Jesus Christ was made flesh for the purpose of redeeming all things. And the truth of the matter is this, God has not abandoned His physical world and He has not abandoned our physical bodies. In fact, the Bible teaches us in Romans chapter 8 that the creation itself will be released from the bondage of corruption when we, the saints of God, are also released from ours. That is, when we receive, as the Scripture says, the redemption of the body.
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"We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." And the Bible said, in this we actually groan for the redemption of our body. We have to remember what the Apostle Paul said, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." And then he said, "He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."
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Yes, we will know each other. Yes, we will recognize each other. Yes, our bodies will be the same. But yes, our bodies will be different.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Why should a child of God ever fear death if he understands and believes that death is the principle of life? Life does not begin at 40. It begins at death for the child of God. Why should we fear death? Have you ever wondered, you know the Apostle Paul said, you remember, "we shall all be changed" and I told you the Greek word was metamorphosis.
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We shall all be metamorphosized. Have you ever wondered, does a caterpillar fear metamorphosis? Does a caterpillar fear becoming a beautiful, glorious butterfly? Do you think a child in the womb fears being born? Why should a child of God fear that which will bring him into the glorious liberty and the wonderful presence of Jesus Christ. For in Christ and in Christ alone, we have life. Death for the child of God is not the end, it is the beginning. Death for the child of God is not cessation of life. That is when life really begins. Death is the principle of life. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for this glorious truth and we are thankful, Father, that You have delivered us from the fear of death. And in Thee, Lord, we have life. Glorious life. Give us, Lord, Thy grace and Thy mercy that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. And Lord, may we look forward to our death, not necessarily wishing it needlessly or unnecessarily, but understanding, Lord, we have nothing to fear.
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And Thou dost walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. And Thou art our life, and in Thee we never, ever die. Help us to believe, help us to trust. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:41:01Z

Death is the Principle of Life Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver continues his exposition of John 12:24-26, emphasizing that physical death for the Christian is not an end but the entrance into true life. Using 1 Corinthians 15, he argues that just as a seed must die to produce fruit, our bodies must die to be raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. He addresses common questions about the resurrection body, affirming that believers will have real, recognizable, flesh-and-bone bodies like Christ's, and that death should hold no fear because it is the principle of life.

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous week's message on John 12:24-26, covering the meaning of 'verily, verily,' the principle of the dying seed, and the practical application of dying to self.

Scripture Reading — John 12:24-26

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

The Natural Fear of Death and the Christian's Deliverance

While self-preservation is natural, Christians are delivered from the fear of death through Christ, who destroyed the devil's power and freed us from bondage.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 9:27

But let me point out something that's vitally important. As Christians, we should not fear death. I want you to hold John 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. This is a very important passage, and I've quoted it in times past, but I want you to see the impact on what I'm trying to give you by way of introduction. Hebrews chapter 2, notice if you would, beginning there with verse 14, the Bible said, "Forasmuch then as the children"—that is we who are in Christ—"forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he"—that is Christ—"also himself likewise took part of the same."

Death as the Principle of Life in Christ and Believers

Christ's death did not remove the necessity of dying but transformed death into newness of life. Death is the beginning of life for the child of God.

Scripture Reading — John 3:26-30

"And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him."

So what they're telling John the Baptist is, look, here's the one that you baptized, this same man now is preaching and teaching and all men come to him. John said in verse 27,

Scripture Reading — John 3:26-30

"A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him."

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:25-26

"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"

Now notice what he said, "O thou fools," or

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:25-26

"thou foolish people, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."

So our Lord is telling us very plainly that we are not to be so foolish as to disbelieve the Scriptures.

The Resurrection Affirmed and Defended (1 Corinthians 15:1-34)

Paul affirms Christ's bodily resurrection, rebukes those who deny it, and connects Christ's resurrection to the future resurrection of believers.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

The Resurrection Body Explained (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)

This is exactly what Paul is arguing in verse 38.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:35-38

"But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."

Now watch this, Matthew 17 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 17:1-5

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias"

—or Elijah—

Scripture Reading — Matthew 17:1-5

"talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

I've got one question. How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were?

Well, very obviously, she can't be the wife of seven husbands. But you see, look what our Lord answered. Matthew 22 and verse 28.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:28-32

"Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

First of all, not knowing the Scriptures, you're ignorant of the Word of God. Secondly, you don't know the power of God.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:28-32

"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Characteristics of the Resurrected Body

The resurrected body will be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. It will be a real body of flesh and bone, like Christ's glorified body, capable of eating and being recognized.

Now, in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 51, look at it right there. He says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:51

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."

Now, let me tell you what the word changed is. It is the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis or metamorphosis. Literally, he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:51

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep. We shall all be metamorphosized. We shall be changed."

Watch this if you would.

Christ's Post-Resurrection Appearances as Proof

Jesus' appearances in Luke 24 and John 21 demonstrate that His resurrected body was tangible, had flesh and bones, ate food, and was recognizable—providing a pattern for our future bodies.

Watch this if you would.

I'd like some broiled fish there please and some of that honeycomb. And he ate. That's a real body. He was able to eat food.

Applications and Conclusion

Believers should not fear death because it is the gateway to life. God has not abandoned our physical bodies; He will transform them to be like Christ's. Death is the principle of life.

Yes, we will know each other. Yes, we will recognize each other. Yes, our bodies will be the same. But yes, our bodies will be different.

Death is the Principle of Life Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	xPK361v_ESY
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 190: Death is the Principle of Life — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	82

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the previous week's message on John 12:24-26, covering the meaning of 'verily, verily,' the principle of the dying seed, and the practical application of dying to self.
The Natural Fear of Death and the Christian's Deliverance: While self-preservation is natural, Christians are delivered from the fear of death through Christ, who destroyed the devil's power and freed us from bondage.
Death as the Principle of Life in Christ and Believers: Christ's death did not remove the necessity of dying but transformed death into newness of life. Death is the beginning of life for the child of God.
The Resurrection Affirmed and Defended (1 Corinthians 15:1-34): Paul affirms Christ's bodily resurrection, rebukes those who deny it, and connects Christ's resurrection to the future resurrection of believers.
The Resurrection Body Explained (1 Corinthians 15:35-49): Paul uses the analogy of a seed to argue that the resurrection body is real but different—sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.
Characteristics of the Resurrected Body: The resurrected body will be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. It will be a real body of flesh and bone, like Christ's glorified body, capable of eating and being recognized.
Christ's Post-Resurrection Appearances as Proof: Jesus' appearances in Luke 24 and John 21 demonstrate that His resurrected body was tangible, had flesh and bones, ate food, and was recognizable—providing a pattern for our future bodies.
Applications and Conclusion: Believers should not fear death because it is the gateway to life. God has not abandoned our physical bodies; He will transform them to be like Christ's. Death is the principle of life.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The resurrection body is a real, physical body, not a ghost.

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 shows that the resurrection body is a transformed physical body, not an immaterial spirit. Christ's post-resurrection appearances confirm this.

Weaver says, 'The opposition is not between physical and spirit... we will not be ghosts floating around somewhere in the universe.'

Death is necessary for resurrection life.

Just as a seed must die to produce a plant, our bodies must die to be raised to new life. This is a universal principle observed in nature.

1 Corinthians 15:36: 'Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.'

Christ's resurrection guarantees the believer's resurrection.

Because Christ rose as the firstfruits, all who are in Him will also be made alive. His victory over death is our victory.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22: 'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept... even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'

The resurrected body will be different in quality but the same in identity.

The body is sown in corruption, dishonor, weakness, and as a natural body; it is raised in incorruption, glory, power, and as a spiritual body. It is 'just like the body we have, except it will be different.'

Weaver explains, 'Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different.'

Believers will recognize each other in heaven.

Peter recognized Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration without introduction, indicating that recognition will be immediate and complete in the resurrection.

Matthew 17:1-5 is cited, and Weaver asks, 'How did Peter know who Moses and Elijah were? He had never met them... But he instantly recognized them.'

There will be male and female in heaven, but no marriage.

Jesus' answer to the Sadducees in Matthew 22 only denies marriage in the resurrection, not the existence of gender distinctions.

Weaver states, 'Our Lord did not say that we would be sexless... all he simply said was this: there's not going to be any marriage in heaven.'

Scripture References

John 12:24-26: The primary text of the sermon, teaching that a grain of wheat must die to produce fruit, and that hating one's life in this world leads to eternal life.
Hebrews 9:27: Cited to affirm the certainty of death and judgment for all people.
Hebrews 2:14-15: Explains that Christ partook of flesh and blood to destroy the devil's power of death and deliver believers from the fear of death.
John 3:26-30: John the Baptist's declaration that he must decrease and Christ must increase, illustrating dying to self in ministry.
Luke 24:25-26: Jesus rebukes the disciples on the Emmaus road for being slow to believe the prophets, emphasizing that Christ had to suffer and enter glory.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: Paul's summary of the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22: Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection; as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Romans 5:12: Referenced to explain that death entered the world through Adam's sin.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38: Paul answers the question of how the dead are raised and with what body, using the seed analogy and God's sovereignty.
Romans 6:9: Quoted to show that death no longer has dominion over Christ, and by extension, over believers.
Matthew 17:1-5: The Transfiguration, where Peter recognized Moses and Elijah, demonstrating recognition in the afterlife.
Matthew 22:28-32: Jesus' response to the Sadducees about marriage in the resurrection, showing there is no marriage but implying gender remains.
1 John 3:2: We will be like Christ when He appears, though the exact nature of our resurrected bodies is not yet fully revealed.
1 Corinthians 15:39-44: Paul's argument that there are different kinds of bodies and glories, and the resurrection body is sown in corruption but raised in incorruption, etc.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49: Contrast between the first Adam (a living soul) and the last Adam (a quickening spirit); we will bear the image of the heavenly.
Romans 8:29: Cited to show that God's purpose is to conform believers to the image of His Son.
1 Corinthians 15:51: The mystery that we will not all sleep but we will all be changed (metamorphosized).
Romans 6:5: If we have been united with Christ in His death, we will also be united with Him in His resurrection.
Philippians 3:20-21: Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body by His power.
Luke 24:33-43: Jesus appears to the disciples, shows His hands and feet, and eats broiled fish to prove He has a real, flesh-and-bone body.

Historical References

Soviet Union and Russian Orthodox Church: Weaver recounts a story of a communist lecturer who denied God, and an old Russian Orthodox priest who responded by shouting 'Christ is risen!' to which the congregation replied 'Christ is risen indeed.'

Important Quotes

Death is not the end. Death is the beginning. Death is not cessation of life for the child of God. Death is the beginning of life.

This quote encapsulates the central thesis of the sermon: that physical death is the gateway to true, eternal life for believers.

We may not want to die, but we're not afraid to die. There's a big difference.

Distinguishes between the natural aversion to death and the fear of death, which Christ has removed for Christians.

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.

Paul's rebuke to those who question the resurrection, using the agricultural principle that death must precede new life.

It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

The key biblical description of the transformation from the earthly body to the resurrection body.

Our resurrected bodies are going to be our resurrected bodies. It will be just like the body we have, except it will be different.

A memorable, colloquial summary of the continuity and discontinuity of the resurrection body.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist's statement, applied as the principle of dying to self in Christian service.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Jesus' proof to His disciples that His resurrected body was physical and real, not a ghost.

We shall all be changed.

The promise of transformation at the resurrection, using the Greek word for metamorphosis.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding death as 'the principle of life' change the way a Christian views suffering and mortality?

[Context]

Weaver argues that death is necessary for resurrection life, both physically and spiritually.

[Question]

In what ways does the fear of death still affect believers, and how can we practically apply the truth of Hebrews 2:14-15 to overcome it?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Christ delivers us from the fear of death, but acknowledges that self-preservation is natural.

[Question]

What does the analogy of the seed teach us about the necessity of 'dying to self' in our daily walk with Christ?

[Context]

The sermon applies John 12:24 to both Christ's death and the believer's need to die to self.

[Question]

How should the promise of a resurrected, glorified body influence our perspective on physical ailments, aging, and disabilities?

[Context]

Weaver describes the resurrection body as incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual.

[Question]

Why is the bodily resurrection of Christ essential to the Christian faith, and how does it guarantee our own resurrection?

[Context]

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Christ is not raised, our faith is vain.

[Question]

What comfort can we draw from the fact that we will recognize loved ones in heaven and that our resurrected bodies will retain identity?

[Context]

Weaver uses the Transfiguration and Christ's post-resurrection appearances to argue for recognition.

[Question]

How does the sovereignty of God in designing our resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:38) help us trust Him with the unknowns of the afterlife?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that God gives each seed its own body as He pleases.

[Question]

In what practical ways can we 'decrease' so that Christ may 'increase' in our ministries and relationships?

[Context]

John the Baptist's example is held up as the model for dying to self in service.

Applications

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