“ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” 1 Corinthians 15:20,22

 The need for strong foundations – Hebrews 6:1 – 2  The final two topics relate to the future for each of us here today  The Resurrection of Jesus lies at the heart of the gospel  The promise of our resurrection has sustained and inspired Christians for the past 2000 years  Paul says that without Jesus’ Resurrection and the promise of ours then our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:19)

 We are made of three components – body, soul and spirit. Body is material, soul and spirit are invisible and immaterial  At the point of death these three elements have different destinies  It is only the body that needs to be resurrected because our souls and spirit do not die and decompose “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

What happens to our spirit at death? The position before Jesus’ Resurrection Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19 – 31) Note that Jesus does not call this a parable  The spirits of the righteous and unrighteous had separate destinations within sheol (Hebrew) or hades (Greek), the place of the dead  The righteous, faithful were received into a place Jesus called “Abraham’s bosom”, a place of rest  The unrighteous were in a place of torment  There was a vast gulf between the two that no one could bridge

What happens to our spirit at death? The position after Jesus’ Resurrection  The Christian’s spirit has immediate access to where Christ is in heaven  Stephen had an assurance that when he died his spirit would be with Christ (Acts 7:55 – 60)  Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:6,8 talks of being absent from the body and to be thereby present with the Lord  Similar thoughts in Philippians 1:

But what about our bodies?  Our bodies decay or are cremated at death  God is able to reconstitute our bodies instantaneously (no growth required)  At His resurrection Jesus had a body – He could be touched, eat, His hands still bore the scars  BUT His body was no longer limited by the constraints of a mortal body – He could walk through walls, appear and reappear, fly

The same but different  God reconstitutes our bodies but there are major changes  Recognisable  – 1 Corinthians 15:42 – 44 ◦ Corruption to incorruptible ◦ Mortal to immortal ◦ Dishonour to glory ◦ Weakness to power ◦ Natural to spiritual ◦ Flesh and blood to light

When does this resurrection take place?  At the return of Jesus (Second Coming) - 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18  The shout of the Lord – see John 5:28 – 29  The voice of an archangel  The trumpet of God  All true believers who have died will be resurrected  All true believers who are still alive will find their bodies instantaneously transformed  Both groups will rise to meet the coming King  This is the first resurrection (see Revelation 20:4 – 6)

CONCLUSION  Jesus is the firstfruits of those resurrected  There will be a bodily resurrection of all people  Believers receive new incorruptible bodies when Jesus returns  Until then the spirits of believers are already with Christ (as soon as their spirit leaves their mortal bodies)  Rejoice that the power of God who raised Jesus is the guarantor of our own resurrection