Thought for June 9

 History:

• 68: Nero commits suicide
• 1534: Jacques Cartier sails into the St. Lawrence
• 1549: Church of England adopts the Book of Common Prayer
• 1732: Oglethorpe granted charter for Georgia
• 1856: 500 Mormons leave Iowa City for Salt Lake City
• 1909: Alice Ramsey is the first woman to drive across the US--Manhattan to San Francisco in 59 days
• 1931: Robert Goddard patents first design for a rocket powered plane
• 1934: First appearance of Donald Duck
• 1943: Income tax withholding authorized
• 1949: Georgia Clark becomes the first woman to serve as Treasurer of the US
• 1949: George Orwell publishes "1984"
• 1973: Secretariat wins Belmont and the Triple Crown
• 1978: Mormons allow black men into the priesthood
• 2013: Edward Snowden admits leaking NSA documents
• 2020: Charles Brown named Air Force Chief of Staff--first black to lead a branch of the armed forces
• Born: Peter the Great, Bertha von Suttner [1st woman to win Nobel Peace Prize], Cole Porter, Les Paul, Dick Vitale, Michael J Fox, Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman, 
• Died: William Carey [founder of the Baptist Missionary Society], Charles Dickens, Anna Atkins [1st person to publish a book with photographic images as illustrations], Carrie Nation, Alain LeRoy Locke [Father of the Harlem Renaissance], Adam West

Thought:

Chapter 15 of First Corinthians concerns another problem in the church at Corinth--some did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Look at how Paul addressed this issue:

• Paul reminds them that our faith is based on the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead [15:1-11]. Here is a summary of the gospel: Christ died for our sins; Christ was buried; Christ arose on the third day; Christ appeared alive to the apostles, 500 brethren, and others. Paul concludes in verse 12 saying--if our faith is based on the resurrection of Christ from the dead, how can anyone say the dead are not raised?
• The remainder of the chapter contains teaching on the resurrection:
• The order of the resurrection: Christ, those who are in Christ at His coming. [15:20-28] Paul gives more details in 1 Thessalonians 4.
• What kind of body will those who are raised have? [15:35-44] Resurrection bodies will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual. Praise God, we will have resurrection bodies uniquely prepared for eternity with Christ. They will not wear out; they will not get tired or weak [Isaiah 40]; they will share the glory of Christ; they will be spiritual, not physical. O happy day! Think about what God has prepared for you. So we can say, death, where is your sting--we have resurrection bodies waiting for us!
• Our bodies will be victory bodies. [15:54-58] The victory Christ won at Calvary will be realized fully. Death will be destroyed and we will be removed from the presence of sin. 
• So knowing about the resurrection of the dead and assured of the victory in Jesus, how must we live--steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord. Think about those directions--
• Steadfast. We will keep the faith no matter the circumstances. Paul tells the church at Ephesus to stand firm--put on the whole armor of God--then stand firm. The picture in chapter 6 is of a Roman soldier who puts on his uniform--helmet, shield, breastplate, sword, shoes--then digs his spikes into the ground and stands firm. For us it is a goal line stand. We are the linemen digging in, we will not let Satan win, we will not let him conquer. 
• Immovable. Martin Luther was asked to recant his beliefs. He concluded his statement with "On this I take my stand, I can do not other. God help me. Amen." For us the question is on what do I take my stand? The Rock or the sand? The Word or the world? 
• Steadfast and immovable sounds like we are standing still. But Paul tells us to be abounding in the work of Christ. So we recall Ephesians 2:10--"we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." 
• The good news--we do not labor in vain [15:58] God is faithful and keeps every promise. Christ has set the anchor of our souls in heaven awaiting the day when we will be brought home. 

What a chapter--the promise of our resurrection bodies gives us power to labor today and to stand firm on the Rock of Jesus. Amen

Blessings

Larry

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