Apr 17 2022 Easter - What will our Resurrected Bodies be Like?

Today, we will look at the resurrection!

In eternity – we will be known and loved for ever – those we loved here we will love there. Help us to focus on what You have done and Your love for us.

Luke 24: But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;

Luke leaves out Jesus appearing to Mary and some of the other women. There are some points here we will focus on.

5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

Luke wants to emphasize – the women went to the right place (the tomb, for the dead body of Jesus) but to the wrong SPACE – (for the risen body of Jesus).

6 "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." 8 And they remembered His words,

Luke is concerned that we remember the words Jesus had spoken. Remember what He said! Remember what He told you! And when they remembered, they believed.

Not until they remembered the words spoken do they believe.

They returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

So the apostles failed to remember what Jesus had said, and so, they were unable to believe.

In Luke’s gospel, this is followed by the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. He spoke of all that He had done and then THEY believed and came back to the other disciples:

While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be to you." 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

What kind of body will we have in the resurrection? We are seeing it right here! Jesus said when He comes, we will be like Him.

He appears to them as a ghost – he does not go through the door – he does not knock – they thought he was a ghost – but then - "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

Wow! What will your body be like in heaven?

There is this picture that we have from artists and cartoons about what happens when we die – like people who are eerie and floaty on clouds.

It will not be like that – you won’t float on clouds when you die!

40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them.

These are not parlor tricks! Jesus is being revealed the way He is.

It is important for us to understand the physicality of the next world. Jesus says we will live in a new heaven and a new earth. We will occupy two spaces – heaven and earth. When you go to hug someone – you will hug something that is solid, real, and familiar.

Heaven will be completely familiar – and it will also be earth – we will not just be ‘up there’ – but will be occupying both.

In the ancient Roman world -Paul and the disciples – they thought the resurrection was nuts. The dead can’t rise because they have deteriorated. When Paul talks about the resurrection of the dead – they are thinking he is talking about ‘the living dead’

So Paul says –

1 Cor. 15:35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish!

Paul’s response – how foolish! You don’t know what you are talking about.

36b What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

Now this acorn is not an oak tree – is it? Does it look like an oak tree?

THIS – pointing to himself – is not the resurrected body.

This acorn has all it needs to become an oak tree.

This body has all it needs to become an eternal body. Because THIS Is made in the image of God.

He follows – and I won’t read it all – with an analogy of animals – a fish is perfect for the water. It is lousy for the desert. A bird can occupy the air – and be in the trees. Our bodies are for here – and there is a new body we are going to get that will be perfect – and our new bodies will occupy both spaces. Like Jesus, we will be able to somehow move in and out – heaven and earth.

He talks about how the earth and sun and moon occupy the spaces they were meant to occupy.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;

Think of all of the dishonor/shame in these bodies – sown in shame, but raised in glory – the shame removed.

43b it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

This is where we get off – we think of spiritual body – like ghosts floating around in clouds. We think- well, there is this body that you can touch – and that body that floats, because it is a spirit. But Jesus said, touch Me.

The word natural and spiritual in this case are talking about the energy and power that animate the body – what brings them to life – what makes them who and what they are.

These bodies are animated by the soul. God breathed life into man and woman – so they might be and do.

When we get to heaven – the word spiritual there is the word Pneuma – our bodies are animated by the Holy Spirit – He will bring us to life.

So then we move to 2 Cor. 4:7 - As Christians, we have something weird going on inside of us!

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

That treasure is Christ in us, of course – we have something inside of us that is made for the resurrected body, not this body – and that is Christ.

So we have started already to live in the next world. It is just vague – and partial – but the Spirit lives in us. The spirit is not making my hand better – or make me strong – or heal my disease – but He energizes something inside of us. We are already a new Creation – but we live in these ‘jars of clay’ – we have already begun to live in the resurrection – in a partial way.

Later, in 2 Cor. 4 – Paul is talking about how his body is falling apart – but he is trusting in God –

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

We do not lose heart when everything is falling apart – because Jesus was raised from the dead – we do not lose heart.

So that treasure – is being transformed already.

It is now spring! Though it will snow tomorrow – it is now spring. Spring means yardwork, and yardwork reveals sore muscles -and each year you recover much quicker, right? Not!

The big story from The Masters last weekend – was Tiger Woods – He just about lost his leg a year ago. He did great the first round! But by the end, it seemed like he needed to use his putter as a cane. He was in the best physical condition at one point.

But we do not lose heart… 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

The inner person will continue to grow – that portion that is connected with Jesus will naturally transition into the new body! Wow! Yeah, this is still me – it is myself, as Jesus said. But it will be a you that you cannot imagine!

2 Cor. 5: For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens

We know for certain – there is one thing we know – when this body is dismantled, there is a new house waiting for us – brand, spanking new! Turnkey! You just move right in! All furnished! The roof will never leak! No weeds in the garden!

2 For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked. 4 For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

When we wake up in our new bodies – it will not be like that dream where you are running around in your underwear! You can be alive and never experience life –

If you watched the Bible Project video I sent – great – if not, watch it!

Tom Wright – Our new bodies are not just like us – but more truly us than we will ever imagine! We will become the complete us! All of us are in some ways unhappy with our bodies – and if not, as Yoda said, you will be! Just give it some time.

For some it is shame – it comes in numerous ways – shame for what we have done, shame for what we have allowed to happen. In the resurrection, every bit of that shame will be redeemed.

None of us likes that our flesh is weak – that our bodies give in to desires and temptations in so many areas. In the resurrection – our bodies will never give in. All of that will be redeemed.

In the resurrection, there will be no sickness or disease.

Our limitations – our bodies are very limited.

In the resurrection – there will be no limits.

That does not mean you will golf like Tiger Woods in the resurrection – but for doing the good you want to do and the good you want to be for others – you will be. All that you want to be for God, you will be for God.

Just in closing – Cindy’s dad and mom – and my mom – all experienced a long, slow, painful deterioration at the end. It affected their minds and their bodies. It was hard to watch – especially for my dad who was there, but for all of us.

The inner person – all three – was renewed – every single day of that. Think about that! The inner person, even though the body and mind were completely deteriorating – the inner person is being renewed day after day!

When they woke up in the presence of God – it was all restored completely – Yes, it was hard getting there, but we have that for sure.

10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.