Title: Resurrection, the beginning of eternal life
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<Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002>
upbringing sermon
Resurrection, the beginning of eternal life
Isaiah 65:17-20
John 11:17-27
May the grace and joy of the resurrection be with you and your family.
Easter is a special feast only for those who believe in Christ. Easter, which commemorates the fact that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, died on the cross and rose again on the third day, is a feast that removes the dark atmosphere of death and proclaims the season of life full of hope and joy. Easter is a season of grace that guarantees that our lives, which have been limited by death, can be liberated and entered into the world of eternal life. Just as the death of Jesus Christ was not just the death of one person, but the death of all that he embraced in him, so we rejoice today because his resurrection is not only the resurrection of one person but the resurrection of all things.
In the 65th verse of Isaiah we read today, it says, "I will create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind." The new heavens and new earth that God creates represent the work accomplished through the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is, in effect, the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. This is the history of the new heaven and new earth because He did not re-create the heavens and the earth, but because all things, including humans, started a completely different life through the resurrection of Christ. When we, who have been promised eternal life, look at the heavens and the earth, it is not the former heaven, and it is not the former earth. You will see a whole new heaven and a new earth. Easter is thus the history of the new creation and the starting point of a completely different history before and after it. On this merry Easter, let us once again build a vibrant and creative life with the right understanding of the Resurrection.
Resurrection is the gospel proclaimed in the world of the dead
In today's text, John 11, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life." Although Jesus had not yet been crucified and therefore did not die, He referred to Himself as “the resurrection and the life.” Of course, it can also be seen that He said in advance that He would rise again with the premise of the cross that he would soon bear. However, I think there is a different meaning in saying "I am the resurrection" rather than saying that I will be resurrected. In particular, it is worth noting that the words "resurrection and life" are tied together here. Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, shows that He can take away the death cast by sin and open the world of eternal life. Therefore, there is resurrection in Christ, and through that resurrection we can lead to eternal life, so Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life."
Therefore, the resurrection mentioned here does not mean that one person died and rose again, but that all things that were imprisoned under death came to life. Resurrection is not to leave the world ruled by death as it is, and to save each one from there and advance into the world of life, but fundamentally open up the world of life to all people and all things.
There are a lot of North Korean defectors in China, but very few of them have come to South Korea. Last time, 25 people succeeded in exile in groups, but because of that, other North Korean defectors are now under increased surveillance and are forced to panic every day. Our hope is that North Koreans will be recognized as refugees and will be able to enter South Korea legally. If there is a law that allows North Koreans to be recognized as refugees, it will be the good news of life for all North Koreans who are wandering in China.
Resurrection means that the door was legally opened so that all things that lived in the land of death could enter the land of life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news of life for all who groaned in the land of the dead. Resurrection means the transformation of the whole world before it is an individual and individual thing. So, it can be said that it is the history of the new heavens and the new earth. In this great change, personal resurrection became possible.
Therefore, the declaration of Jesus Christ, “I am the resurrection and the life,” continues to resonate in this world today. This is the Lord's work to awaken people who are still unaware that the world has changed. Those who still do not believe in the resurrection will still have to fear under the dominion of death, but those who believe in the resurrection will look forward to the future of history optimistically, even if the world is now in a whirlwind of war and suffering. The church is given a missionary mission to spread this very gospel of life and lead people to believe in the resurrection and go to the world of eternal life.
Resurrection is a transformation into eternal life
The next thing we should think about is the fact that the resurrection was completed through the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross has several inclusive meanings. As we already believe, the cross had the power to atone for our sins. So my relationship with God was restored, and I was able to move on to life. This is the resurrection. So, in this respect, resurrection does not mean that our bodies die and rise again, but that we are saved from the death that came down from us because we are cut off from God and come back to life. Therefore, the moment we live and believe in Jesus, we have access to God, and we can say that we have already reached the resurrection. This is the meaning of the saying, “He who lives and believes will never die.” The actual resurrection will come at the end of physical life, but it does not imply a bodily resurrection. Rather, true resurrection is possible when we leave the body.
The body is, in effect, an obstacle to the resurrection. Resurrection means the completion of our person and body because it is the resurrection to eternal life. The perfection of character and body means that we have overcome all our imperfections. Our bodies are imperfect. Therefore, if you live again with this imperfect body, you will still be constrained by time and space, you will still be sick, and you will still be weak. With such a body, Paul said, we cannot see God. Rather, when we put off this body, we will receive a new body and be resurrected.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their bodies with their lusts and desires.
Once the body is disposed of, it cannot be revived. Resurrection never means that this discarded body will come back to life. When Jesus was resurrected, he had nail marks on his hands, and he had an intestinal wound on his waist, but in reality his body came in even though the door was closed, and he ascended into heaven in front of his disciples. This means that his body is not like ours. He was resurrected as a perfect body that transcended the limits of time and space.
We often liken the resurrection to a chick emerging from an egg. Once the eggshell is broken, it cannot and does not need to be reattached. It is just a vessel that has held life for a while. Now, as a new life, a chick, is born, the shell breaks. Chicks are not living creatures that have reattached their shells. It's a whole new life that has nothing to do with the shell. If the shell is not broken, the life inside it will rather die. Resurrection is like this. Our bodies are like eggshells and will have to be broken. When it is broken, a new complete human being is born there. This is the resurrection.
The resurrected life is a perfect life distinct from the previous life. Resurrection means to be resurrected, so it is easy to mistake the dead body for being resurrected. But the essence of life does not lie in biological life, but in the life gained when the relationship with God is restored and connected to that system of life. Resurrection, therefore, does not simply mean the awakening from physical death, but the progress to eternal life, which is a consummated life. Again, if death is separation from God, then resurrection is the restoration of that relationship. Therefore, the resurrection is the beginning of eternal life.
Beloved, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event that opened the way to eternal life in a world blocked by death. It is not simply a story of a young man dying on a cross and then coming back to life. People try to deal with the resurrection of Christ in that dimension, so they say that it cannot be scientifically, and that it is a myth created by the faith of the disciples. However, the resurrection of Christ is not the resurrection of a young man, but the resurrection of all things, and the event of moving from the world of death to the world of life. It is the good news of the Resurrection that God has opened wide the world of life, which had been closed because of sin, through the atonement of the cross of Christ, and promulgated a new decree that anyone who believes can enter it. When all things are in Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, all comes to the resurrection. Death can no longer threaten those who are in Christ. The stinging arrows of death have become powerless that can no longer reach those who are in Christ.
The life given to us through the resurrection is a strong and glorious life that does not decay, does not fade, and does not become defiled. It is a completed life that is different from the physical life. Resurrection is not the rebirth of an old life, but the beginning of a whole new life. So the resurrection means the beginning of eternal life. When we wake up from the dead, we will be amazed at how beautiful, strong, and perfect we have been transformed into human beings. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ not only saved us from our sins, but also made us perfect human beings with eternal life. Therefore, our resurrection does not mean that we are resurrected in a slightly better form than we are now, but that we will be resurrected as perfect human beings that we cannot even imagine. The kingdom of God is the world where these perfected human beings and creatures come together to praise God.
Now, in the hope of this resurrection, we must lead a creative and active life to drive out the shadow of death that has not yet been lifted on this earth and let the season of resurrection come. May the grace and hope of the Resurrection fill your life.