Resurrection in Review

Dr. Andy Woods, an associate professor at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, Tx, blessed us with his pearls of theological wisdom on Sunday, April 4, 2010. I always look forward to his sermons/lessons when he appears at Bayside Community Church. Here is an overview of my notes: Andy presented his Resurrection in Review in three parts:

1. 1. Define Resurrection
2. 2. Demand for Resurrection
3. 3. Description of Resurrection

1. Definition: Reunion in Glory God created us in two parts - material and invisible. When the body dies, the material and invisible parts separate. So resurrection is the opposite of death. Lazarus was not resurrected when he came out of the grave. (John 11:43-44) Jesus brought him back to life after four days in the same body, therefore, he was resuscitated. The many who came out of their tombs after Jesus on that first Resurrection Sunday (Matthew 27:52) may have been resuscitated, as well, instead of resurrected. The physical body dies, but the glorified body, which we get at the moment of resurrection, never dies. 2. Demand for Resurrection: We have a cursed physical body Why do we need to be resurrected? Because Heaven is eternal, and our physical bodies are temporal. Sin has tainted us since Adam, leaving us to bear his curse. As such, we are not fit to enter God's presence in our physical bodies. Heaven is both a physical and spiritual experience. Although we have an obligation to be good stewards of our physical bodies, 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us "our adornment must not be merely external... let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." We must have our glorified bodies to come into His presence in Heaven. 3. Description of Resurrection: The perishable becomes imperishable In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul tells us we are "sown a perishable body, but will be raised with an imperishable body; sown in dishonor, but raised in glory; sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ...sown a natural body, ...raised a spiritual body." And "just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." Jesus, in His resurrected body, walked through walls and closed doors, (John 20:26) yet he ate a plate of fish with His disciples on the beach (Luke 24:43), proving that He was not a spirit, and not a physical man. The Resurrection is both. The scars Jesus bears on his hands, feet, and side remain as a constant reminder to us of the exorbitant price He paid for our sins. Stay tuned for the second part of Andy's message, regarding who will be resurrected, and when?