Title: The Resurrection of Christ and After
Today, all churches celebrate Easter Sunday. As we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ today, I hope that the comfort and grace of the risen Lord will overflow among our members.
The reason we held the Easter celebration service today is not to question whether the resurrection is possible or not. We have gathered like this to carry out the mission of proclaiming and witnessing the resurrection of the risen Lord. We are not gathered here to enjoy the joy of the resurrection and the joy of being alone. We have gathered here to share this good news with our neighbors.
Christ conquered death. He gave hope through his resurrection to our lives darkened by sin. The truth of Christianity can only be found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is “the triumph of life over death.” The resurrection of Christ is “the triumph of truth over untruth.” The resurrection of Christ is the triumph of faith over unbelief. Therefore, faith in the resurrection is the center of Christianity and an important requirement for salvation.
The Lord said. “Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even if he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). This question is still asked today after 2,000 years have passed.
Jesus Christ overcame the authority of death and rose again to become our first fruits. What joy and blessing of life can I have if we do not believe this? I hope that Jesus Christ can be introduced as the first fruits of the resurrection through the text of the text. And I hope that you will be able to meditate on God's wonderful blessings while examining the future blessings of resurrection for those who are in Christ.
1. Resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits of those who sleep
Verse 20 says, “But now Christ has risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of them that slept.” The Apostle Peter says that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the firstfruits of those who sleep. The word “sleep” here refers to those who have died in Christ.
Paul said in Philippians 1:23, “Because I am caught between the two, it is better that I have the desire to depart and be with Christ.” It is better to leave this world. Why? It is said that he left this world because he was “with Christ.” The state of enjoying rest (rest) because we are with Christ is expressed as sleep.
It is said that Christ was resurrected, and that resurrection became the firstfruits of those who have already died in Christ, that is, those who slept. To understand the firstfruits, we must understand the Old Testament.
Exodus 23:19 says, “Take the first of the firstfruits of your land and offer it to the house of the LORD your God.” The firstfruits belong to God, so set them apart to be holy. Then the rest will be holy and set apart to God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was presented as the firstfruits on behalf of all Christians who died after believing in Christ. Resurrection as the firstfruits of Christ tells us that the resurrection of all Christians who sleep in Christ will be likewise.
After all, the text refers to “from the resurrection of Christ to the resurrection of Christians at his second coming.” As if Jesus Christ was resurrected with the firstfruits. Likewise, it speaks of the resurrection of Christians at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Here we must be sure of two things:
First, we must believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The fact is that the resurrection was a resurrection presented to God as the first fruits on our behalf. If we do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all Christian truths will be mere superstitions. Also, the gospel that the church testifies will become vain.
So, if you look at the center of all the evidence and proclamation of the gospel of the early church, it was the cross and resurrection. The content that the Holy Spirit came and testified was also the evidence of the cross and resurrection.
It was because they had faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that all the saints of the early church sang as they disappeared as the dew of martyrdom in the midst of tribulation and persecution. As the lions' mouths were torn and they tasted pain, their faces were filled with the brilliance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ said, “It was fate” on the cross. But his destiny is neither eternal darkness nor the end of death. It was such a moment when a new life blossomed into a splendid flower. So Jesus could not continue to be in the tomb after his death.
Jesus opened the tomb and rose up to gain eternal life. The evidence of this empty tomb further confirms the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must believe this. We must believe in the mystery of the resurrection. What is Mystery? It is God's secret.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a mystery from God. The truth hidden in that secret was the glory of the Son of God who was given to God as our first fruits. No shadow of death could invade in front of that splendid glory. We must believe this.
Second, it is the belief that we will be resurrected when Jesus Christ returns.
From our point of view, we use the expression “death”. That is why they say that they die in car accidents, die of disease, and die of old age. However, if expressed through the eyes of faith, it is “eternal life and participation in rest.”
When we die, we do not resurrect immediately. When we die, we go to heaven. In that heaven, we say “sleep”. This means that you will enjoy rest in heaven where there is no death, death, and pain. Then, when Jesus Christ returns, the dead or living saints in the faith of Christ will all be resurrected at that time just as Jesus Christ was resurrected. You must believe this. This resurrection is our hope. Hope.
With this hope and hope, we can endure all the pain and tribulation in this world. So the resurrection of Jesus is our resurrection. Bury a loved one in a grave and struggle in a desperate reality. But we need not despair. Why? It is because we have hope.
So Paul was bold because he kept this hope. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But I do not know what will be hidden if living in the flesh is the fruit of my work. I am caught between the two, and it is better to have the desire to depart and be with Christ. It will be more profitable for you that I dwell in the flesh.” (Philippians 1:21-24) Let's live in this world with this hope.
2. At the second coming of Christ, until his sovereignty is transferred to God
Verse 24 says, “And after that, when he will destroy all principalities and all authority and power, and present the kingdom to God the Father.” When Jesus returns as King of kings, he will destroy the principalities and all authority and power. Revelation 2:27 says, “He will rule them with a rod of iron, as they break earthen vessels, as I have received from my Father.”
With the authority that Jesus received from God, he will break all powers as if he were breaking an earthen vessel with an iron rod. You will judge. Philippians 2:9-10 says, “For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” .
When Jesus, who has such authority, comes again, He tells us that He will bring peace to the earth. Before handing over the authority received from God to God, Jesus finally binds Satan's authority into the abyss. His sovereignty will break the power of death on this earth. So, in verse 26 of the text, when Jesus comes again, he says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (verse 26). These things show that these things will happen before Jesus cedes all authority and sovereignty to God.
Like a roaring lion, Satan the devil tries to devour even God's chosen people. I'm trying to make you fall. I'm trying to put you to the test. It tries to make you discouraged and frustrated. I'm trying to make you jealous. The tares are mixed among us.
Such tares coexist with us on this earth now. But the reason we should not despair over such tares is that God will put them into a fiery furnace at the Last Judgment. We should never be discouraged.
3. Heavenly Father's Universal Reign - Shalom and the Consummation of Salvation
Verse 28 says, “When all things are put in subjection to him, then the Son himself will also be subject to him who put all things in subjection to him, so that God, Lord of all, may be in all.” It was God who brought all things into subjection to Jesus. Jesus, who has now transferred all sovereignty to God, also submits to God. This obedience is not a concept of obedience in this world where the lowly submit to the high. Now, as Lord of all, God reigns over all. Now true salvation is complete and the peace of Shalom comes.
Now, even though we say we have been saved by God through faith in Jesus, we are always insecure because our salvation is not yet complete. However, when our salvation is completed, our salvation will also be completely completed. After the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, He will resurrect those who are in Christ and bind the powers of Satan. He will calm all principalities and powers, and He will put all things under His feet.
When that is done, all authority and sovereignty are transferred to God the Father. Now Jesus, the Son of God, also submits to God, and God's universal reign begins. Now we will see the completion of true salvation. The peace of Shalom, a completely new country that has never been experienced on this earth, is coming. This is our ultimate wish.
There is our hope and our hope. In order to retain such hope and hope, we must not fall short of the standards that He has set in the field of our lives now. The standard is to believe in Jesus Christ, and beautiful fruits and responses according to that faith must appear. That is, we must live according to the will of the Lord. What kind of fruit are we seeing now? Is it the fruit of the Spirit? Is it the fruit of the flesh?
invitation to the word
The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows that He is our Savior. He “died according to the Bible” and was resurrected after three days “according to the Bible”. The resurrection of Christ is our hope. The resurrection of Christ became our firstfruits. He overcame the authority of death and ascended to heaven by resurrection. The victory of Jesus' resurrection is my victory. Because of that faith in the resurrection, many of our ancestors in the 2,000-year history of Christianity were persecuted and martyred, bearing witness to the gospel of the resurrection. We, too, must bear witness to the gospel of the resurrection.
Jesus, who was resurrected as the firstfruits, will surely return according to the word. When He returns, Satan's forces and all evil forces on this earth will be bound in a furnace of fire. Then our salvation will be complete and the peace of God's shalom will be established. If we look at such salvation, we will have to live strong on this earth.