“The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting”
2 Corinthians 4:14

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
All Saints’ Day—November 1, 2015

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

“I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”  “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”  Each week, we confess our faith in those words of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.  But, what does it really mean?  This morning, as we observe All Saints’ Day and remember those who have gone before us into “the life of the world to come,” we are going to review what the Bible says about death, resurrection, and eternal life.

Point #1) Death is not natural or normal, but an unnatural abnormality, brought into our world by sin.

The only comfort the world has to offer regarding death is the idea that death is just another part of the cycle of life, and we should accept it as natural and normal.  That might make sense to our heads, but our hearts know differently.  Even when the death of a loved one is anticipated, even when we can rationalize that it seems like the best thing, it still hurts, and hurts very deeply.

Death is AB-normal and UN-natural, because God never intended for anyone to die.  It was his will that we live with him forever, in paradise.  But, the Lord warned Adam and Eve, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Paul says in Romans, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

Death is not natural or normal, but the horrible consequence of our sin.  As Paul also says in Romans, “For the wages of sin is death; BUT, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Point #2) Through faith in Christ, physical death is the beginning of eternal life.

After humankind’s fall into sin, God put into place his plan for the salvation of the world, his plan for your personal salvation.  “He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.”  “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Jesus promises, “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day.”  “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even though he dies, yet shall he live.”

Point #3) At the moment of death the souls of all who trust in Christ depart the body and go immediately to be with him in paradise.

Paul says in Philippians, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”  Jesus promised the thief on the cross, who trusted in him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading: “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. . .  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Point #4) At the Last Day, the same body you have now will raised up, restored, wonderfully transformed, and reunited with your soul.

Job says, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.”

Ezekiel had a fascinating vision about how the resurrection of our bodies will take place: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘O Lord God, you alone know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them.”

Paul describes the resurrection and glorification of our bodies this way: “We will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”  “He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Point #5) You will pass the final judgment, not because of works righteousness, but because of Christ’s righteousness.

The Bible completely rules out the possibility of works righteousness, earning your salvation by your own good works:

“No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. . .  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”

“[He] saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

God’s plan of salvation for you is not works righteousness but Christ’s righteousness.  In the sermon outline is a picture of God’s Great Exchange.  God’s Son, Jesus Christ, took your sins upon himself, and through faith in Christ, you have the forgiveness he earned for you.  The second part of God’s Great Exchange is he also credits to you the holiness, righteousness, and perfection of his own Son. So when God looks upon you, he sees not only an absence of sin, but also the presence of holiness and righteousness and perfection, making you worthy of heaven; not your own holiness and righteousness and perfection, but Christ’s holiness and righteousness and perfection, credited to you.  Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Isaiah says that, without faith, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”  But, through faith in Christ, you and your life are acceptable and pleasing to God.  Through faith in Christ you will pass the final judgment, not because of works righteousness, but because of Christ’s righteousness, credited to you.

Point #6) Heaven will be the end of all life’s troubles and griefs.

Today’s reading from Revelation says of the blessed in heaven: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation.”  The “great tribulation” describes life in this world, which is so often full of struggles and afflictions, tragedies and sorrows, as Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “While we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened.”

But Revelation promises, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.  They will rest from their labors. . .  Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. . .  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain . . .  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Paul puts it this way in Romans, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us.”  Isaiah describes the joy of heaven, “They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

Point #7) In heaven we will see God face to face and finally have perfect knowledge and understanding of all things.

As Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully.”  John says, “When he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  And Paul puts it this way in today’s Epistle Reading: “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.”

Point #8) In heaven we will be reunited with the departed faithful.

Paul says in 1 Thessalonians, “We would not have you be ignorant, brothers, about those who fall asleep. . .  We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. . .  And so we shall be forever with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

“I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”  “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”