Rejoicing In The Climax

glory in the lord joy
Hope for Today (English)
Rejoicing In The Climax
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1 Corinthians 15:51-58

In my younger days, we used to debate the question, “Which is better, anticipation or realization?” It was a stupid question, I suppose, and debating it was useless, but we did it anyway.

Anticipation holds the future in view, always exciting for its uncertainty. Realization takes the edge off excitement. The look is either now or then, backwards I mean. Of course, the subject lends to the idea of the experience, “Which is better, anticipation or realization?”

The apostle Paul examines how hope functions in Romans 8:20-25. Here is what He said:

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Anticipation then is the essence of hope. When realization comes, hope is no longer needed.

Thus far in I Corinthians 15 Paul has led us through the philosophical maze to faith in the resurrection of Christ. He was well able to do that, having been raised in the city of Tarsus, an independent Roman town, with a Greek university. He led us through the maze and then to the resurrection of all human beings, they that are Christ’s at His coming, and the rest at the end.

From I Corinthians 15:50 we learned that the present order of flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The two are incompatible; that is, flesh and blood and the kingdom of God are incompatible. To inherit the kingdom of God, a radical change must take place. I’ve called it the climax. All leads up to that great event, the climax of human history.

So let’s consider I Corinthians 15:51-58 for my message REJOICING IN THE CLIMAX.

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

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?

56 The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law.

57 But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord victory?

Now follow me as I bring to you the powerful INCENTIVES Paul uses to call us to Rejoice in the Climax.

The first incentive is:

THE MYSTERY REVEALED

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

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

A mystery in the Bible is not mysterious in the sense of odd or without explanation. Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms, however, defines mystery thus:

Mystery often, especially in theological use, implies the . . . incapacity for comprehension by human reason. The term is applied specifically to any one of the doctrines of Christianity (such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, or the Resurrection) which have this character.

This means the character goes beyond human reason. It cannot be totally explained by reason alone.

In revealing the mystery, Paul is not using human reason but divine revelation. There is a great difference, friend. The difference between human reason and divine revelation is that a change must take place by an act of God. Corruption cannot become incorruption automatically. Mortality cannot put on immortality without divine intervention. That is very clear.

It will come to pass, not in a long process, but in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. For the word “moment,” the apostle Paul used the Greek word atomo, from which we get our word “atom.” An atom, according to the dictionary, is the smallest particle that is indivisible (however, that does not preclude it from being “smashed”). He says in an atom, in the twinkling of an eye, in an indivisible instant of time. No forewarning! At the last trumpet!

Observe what Barnes comments on this wonderful truth:

The word [mystery] here does not mean anything which was in its nature unintelligible, but that which to them had been hitherto unknown. “I now communicate to you a truth which has not been brought into the discussion, and in regard to which no communication has been made to you.” On this subject, there had been no revelation. Though the Pharisees held that the dead would rise, yet they do not seem to have made any statement in regard to the living who should remain when the dead should rise. Nor, perhaps, had the subject occupied the attention of the apostles; nor had there been any direct communication on it from the Lord Jesus himself. Paul then here says, that he was about to communicate a great truth which till then had been unknown and to resolve a great inquiry on which there had as yet been no revelation.

So the first incentive is The Mystery Revealed.

The second incentive is:

THE VICTORY REGAINED

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?

56 The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law.

57 But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now notice “So when.” Those two words are very important in our text. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.” The event is coming. The change from mortality to immortality will strip death of its stranglehold on believers! Paul stressed it, “We shall all be changed.”

Death fastened its fangs on the human race when Eve and Adam sinned in Eden. God told them if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. And He made no exception for that.

So now we turn to Romans 5:12-18 to find how Paul explained it:

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: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Paul elaborates on the results of that first sin and the result of death.

Victory, however, is assured because, as we go on in our text, we see that the word of God comes true. Victory swallows death! This is only true of Christians. The wicked will experience the second death, eternal death. But the righteous will be delivered from death. Death will no longer have dominion over them. Oh, the difference is remarkable. The wicked will experience the second death and never be released from it.

Paul leads us further to understand that the victory is through Jesus Christ: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Praise the Lord! He is alive. The resurrection is the bedrock of the victory.

When my wife’s mother died, the Lord gave me this poem:

O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

O death, where is thy sting?

The Son Incarnate came

To live in flesh the same.

Then stood beside the tomb;

With shout He pierced the gloom

Him from earth’s bowels, to bring!

O death, where is thy sting?

The perfect man: a few

With wicked hands they slew.

Though on the cross He died.

With piercing shout He cried;

The fearless gauntlet down to fling!

O death, where is thy sting?

The Prince of Life—too much

He was for icy clutch.

The quaking earth and angel word

Acclaimed Him then the Risen Lord.

To all the hope of life to bring!

O death, where is thy sting?

He comes, He comes again;

Accompanied by His holy train!

Alive! Alive and well!

We shall the chorus swell;

O death, O death, where is thy sting?

Amen. Hallelujah!

So the second incentive is The Victory Regained. Glory in it, my friend.

The third incentive is:

THE REWARD REALIZED

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord victory?

This verse is full of great truth. Paul says, “My beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” “Steadfast!”

The world seems to be full of compromisers. Years ago I was in conversation with a friend of mine about conditions in the world, and he made this statement: “Love is more important than truth.” Do you think that is correct? I don’t. After all, love is not love if it is not true love. And there is much of that today. Truth has been sacrificed on the cross of tolerance. You get that everywhere. Paul called for security. The word steadfast carries the thought of being established. It is a synonym with the next word, “unmoveable.”

The word steadfast carries with it the idea of a seat. Sit down. Don’t be moved about. Don’t be tossed about with every wind of doctrine. Some people are weathercock Christians. They go the way the wind blows. They are like chameleons, changing as the environment changes. That’s not what Paul was talking about. He said, “Be ye steadfast and unmoveable.” And then “abounding in the work of the Lord.” Pressing on!

In this present world, Christ has only our hands. He has only our feet, only our words. He has given us His word that we might go with it around the world. And I must remind you again that the human family is the only species of the earth’s population that communicates with words, as far as we know.

Paul said, “Always abounding in the work of the Lord.” The Lord left the work to us. He said to the disciples, “As you go, make disciples of all nations.” That is what we have inherited. It has come down to us.

And then it is proper for us to expect a reward. “For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord,” the apostle said. It is proper for us to look forward to the reward. Jesus gave a parable and said that the faithful servant was commended and rewarded. His Lord said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21). So we can expect just rewards.

The apostle Paul said he looked forward to the crown of righteousness the Lord was going to give to him, and not to him only, but to everyone who looks for His appearing. I am looking for the Lord’s appearing. I believe therefore that the Lord has a crown of righteousness for me. Praise God! Friend, labor on. God is not unmindful! He will reward you if you are faithful in serving Him.

I must share again from Barnes’s comments on this beautiful passage, showing us the importance of this climax I am talking about:

No other system of religion has any such hopes as this; no other system does anything to dispel the gloom or drive away the horrors of the grave. How foolish is the man who rejects the gospel—the only system which brings life and immortality to light! How foolish to reject the doctrine of the resurrection, and to lie down in the grave without peace, without hope, without any belief that there will be a world of glory; living without God, and dying like the brute. And yet infidelity seeks and claims its chief triumphs in the attempt to convince poor dying man that he has no solid ground of hope; that the universe is “without a Father and without a God;” that the grave terminates the career of man for ever; and that in the grave he sinks away to eternal annihilation. Strange that man should seek such degradation! Strange that all men, conscious that they must die, do not at once greet Christianity as their best friend, and hail the doctrine of the future state, and of the resurrection, as that which is adapted to meet the deeply-felt evils of this world; to fill the desponding mind with peace, and to sustain the soul in the temptations and trials of life, and in the gloom and agony of death!

Praise God! So, friend, I urge you to keep going. The Reward is Realized, Amen.

Therefore, together we can be Rejoicing in the Climax because of

THE MYSTERY REVEALED

Brings joy

THE VICTORY REGAINED

Brings purpose

THE REWARD REALIZED

Brings hope

Amen. Praise God!

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