April 05, 2023
Key verse 20: “But now Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Among our Korean missionaries in Germany, Young-Ja Bae, Monika Kwon, Isaak Youk, Joseph Han, Esther Choe and Monika Nam fell asleep. Paulus Kwon has woken up from the coma state and is still active in the Gospel ministry. Thomas Kullmann in Dortmund is sleeping last week and this week because of the cardiac arrhythmia.
And all of us will eventually die in God's time.
Is physical death the final end of human life? Or is there a new life after physical death?
What does the apostle Paul answer to this?
Paul answers in verse 20: “Now Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
With these words, he says that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and has died will be resurrected. Serious illness or death is bad news. But we have good news that will help us to overcome our sorrow at such tragedy: All who believe in Christ will one day be resurrected and go to the kingdom of heaven. This has become possible through Christ's death and resurrection.
So we who believe in Jesus' resurrection can live with our sure resurrection hope and share this good news with others.
1. The certainty of our resurrection (12-19)
The world population is currently about 8 billion. About a third of them are Christians. This means that two thirds of the world's population does not yet believe in the resurrection of Christ. Unfortunately, not all people who call themselves Christians believe in the resurrection of Christ. Such people are called nominal Christians. These Christians mainly focus on their current concerns, such as job, money, holidays etc. They cannot even imagine the resurrection. Therefore, they do not prepare for their heavenly future. Their faith is humanistic.
But Paul says in verse 12:"But if Christ is preached that he has risen from the dead, how do some of you say, 'There is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ risen, then our preaching is in vain, so your faith is in vain'."
The expression "your faith is in vain" means that without resurrection faith one will receive no forgiveness of sins, deliverance from hell's damnation, and no kingdom of heaven. This is fatal.
But if we believe in Jesus as Christ, crucified and resurrected, we receive forgiveness of sins and after our physical death, we will rise from the dead and enter the kingdom of heaven.This is what the Bible calls "salvation."
Through Jesus' death and resurrection, God opened wide the door of salvation and the kingdom of heaven for us. This is fantastic news for us.
2. Despite the Suffering
Jesaja Lee, a Korean missionary in Dortmund, had a good job in Korea after studying at Seoul National University. But he came to Germany with his wife and two children as a student missionary, worked with his wife as cleaners and invited students to study the Bible. One of those invited is Thomas Kullmann, who is in acute danger of his life this week because of a heart attack.
At one point, Mark Yang, the then church leader in Korea who had sent Isaiah Lee as a missionary, suggested that he stop the ordeal as a student missionary and return to work with him. Isaiah rejected his suggestion on the spot with the word: "Once a missionary is forever a missionary!"
Missionary health statistics say that one of five missionaries becomes ill. In the early stages of the Korea Mission, missionaries had to travel by ship from the United States or Europe to Korea for about 3 months. At that time there was no concept of short term missionary. Some missionaries died of endemic diseases shortly after their missionary service. Despite such adverse circumstances in their mission land, they were burning for the salvation of souls because of the resurrection hope.
Today, about 30 percent of Koreans have become Christians as a result of their commitment.
Apostle Paul also suffered a lot during his missionary work. He says the following about his suffering as a missionary:
“24From Jews I received five times, forty lashes less one; 25 I have been beaten with sticks three times, stoned once; three times I was shipwrecked, one day and one night I was adrift on the deep sea. 26 I have traveled often, I have been in peril by rivers, in peril among robbers, in peril from my people, in peril from nations, in peril in cities, in peril in deserts, in peril at sea, in peril among false ones brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:24-26).
This Paul tells us: "If we hope in Christ in this life alone, we are the most miserable of all men" (19).
3. Resurrection Body
We can now ask with what body we will be resurrected, for the resurrected body is far beyond our imagination.
In verse 20 Paul calls the resurrected Jesus "the first fruits of the resurrection".
By this, he means that we will also be resurrected in the resurrection body.
And Paul names the characteristics of the resurrection body:
"So also the resurrection of the dead. It is sown perishable and is raised imperishable. It is sown in lowliness and is raised in glory. It is sown in poverty and is raised in power. A natural body is sown and a spiritual body is raised” (42b-44a).
Young people look strong and beautiful. But as the years go by they grow old, weak and not beautiful as their early day.
Our earthly body is corruptible, low, poor, and natural.
But our future resurrection body is imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual.
I often look at photos of Esther, mostly from her young age. For I believe that her resurrection body is younger and much more beautiful than her earthly body.
Not only she, but I and all Christians will be young, pretty, strong, and glorious like angels.
4. Resurrection Glory
Paul reveals a secret to us, saying:
“Behold, I tell you a secret; We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be transformed; and that suddenly, in a moment, at the time of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (51-52).
We can then make fun of death and say,
'Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” (55).
And we will say: "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (57).
Because of this resurrection hope, Paul tells us,
"Therefore, my dear brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and always increasing in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work is not in vain in the Lord" (58).
We want to thank God for the hope of resurrection and to serve the work of the Lord heartily out of gratitude – that is the conclusion of Paul's resurrection sermon.
We can live happily because of the resurrection hope and share this good news with others. Amen!