God's final purposes in the Resurrection – Andy Davis

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2:12And I warm welcome to the Bill Arnold show. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in world history. I say nothing compares and I think we're quick to talk about the cross and maybe we talk about the resurrection a little less but without the resurrection Christianity collapses. So what is God's final purpose for the resurrection? That's our topic today with Dr. Andy Davis. He's the senior pastor of the first Baptist Church of Durham, North Carolina and the founder of two journeys ministry. That's T-W-O journeys ministry. He's also a visiting professor of church history. It's self-eastern Baptist theological seminary and a council member of the gospel coalition. Andy so nice to be back. Oh Bill I'm so excited to have this conversation with you. You can't wait. Yeah me too and I was talking to Wyatt before we started and I said I have to ask Andy how he does time management because when I look at your schedule and I look at

3:14your commitment to scripture and memorization of scripture, how do you prioritize your time? Wow that's that's such a great question but obviously Christ is my top priority always and I'm called the vocational ministry and the ministry of the word and so years ago actually almost 40 years ago I've given myself to a pattern of of extended memorization of scripture. I started with the book of Ephesians and right now I'm midway through the book of of Jeremiah. Wow and so I'm excited about working through Jeremiah chapter 28 right now. That's crazy you know and it's all a lot of it has to do with review review review doesn't it? Yeah just going back to it again and again repetition over time is how we memorize words anyway and that's what I do but the insights are so overwhelming and just the sense of closeness that I get through the word of God it's it's worth it but man I'll tell you what you said it at the opening how vital the resurrection of Jesus Christ is it's that season for us as Christians to focus on resurrection and be able to share it with a with a needy world

4:20so I'm excited for this conversation. Yeah well I'm looking forward to hearing your teaching on God's final purpose in the resurrection and I know it's this passage comes out of 1 Corinthians 15 I believe. Yes 1 Corinthians 15 20 through 28 preached sermon on that passage back in 2020 a number of years ago and it's available on the two journeys website as you mentioned I go there all the time just so you know yeah thanks praise God but it is a phenomenally powerful passage and love to walk through it with you. Well let's get started I can't wait. Yeah well 1 Corinthians 15 20 through 28 I'm a sequential expositor I believe and just taking books of the Bible and working through it and so if you'd been there in back in I think it was September 2020 this is what I would have done I would say look this where we're at in 1 Corinthians and Paul writing to the Corinthian church which is a dysfunctional gifted talented but dysfunctional church went through a series of

5:22problems with them difficulties and some of it was doctrinal and philosophical and he's dealing with some Greek people there in Corinth who denied that resurrection from the dead could happen or even should happen and they said there is no resurrection from the dead and so Paul is addressing them and he mentions that in 1 Corinthians 15 12 he says some of you are saying there is no resurrection from the dead and so the whole chapter 58 verses long just deals with our resurrection not just Christ resurrection but the the fact of our resurrection and that's what's so exciting about what we call Easter resurrection day is it's not just at Christ rose from the dead but he promises to give us the spoils of that victory and that's thrilling because death stands over all of us but knowing that Christ has been raised from the dead gives us hope yeah so when you prepare a message for your resurrection day services and you just talked about the first fruit

6:32and the guarantee that we have as believers to be enjoying it as well there's very few things thrill me at any given point in my day then that good news well it's incredibly thrilling because it's terrifying I mean it's the fact is we all have a natural fear of death author to Hebrews talks about that that Jesus came to set free of those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death everyone is naturally afraid of death but Christ's life his death on the cross as you mentioned and then his resurrection from the dead has the power to take the sting of death away and and enable us not to fear it and and to grieve for Christians who have died with a Hulk not like those who have no hope and I would say 1 Corinthians 15 is a chapter that every Christian should work through in detail what Paul does is he begins he he we don't know that that's the problem until you get to verse 12 how can some

7:39of you say there is no resurrection from the dead what he does do is he begins by reminding them of the gospel that he preached and it's central to that is that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and on the third day was raised to new life raised a life according to the scriptures and then he was seen by eyewitnesses and so Paul says the the Old Testament prophecies predicted resurrection and then we've got 500 eyewitnesses who saw Christ alive after the cross so we have eyewitness testimonies and we came to your city and we testified that Christ has been raised from the dead and so fundamentally we the the resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the gospel that we preached and that you Corinthians believed and so he's just working up to that the section we're looking at is 20 to

8:4328 but in verses 12 through 19 he kind of toys with the idea for their benefit of if Christ has not been raised from the dead and if there is no resurrection from the dead what then and if there is no resurrection from the dead then Christ hasn't been raised the eyewitnesses are liars you you Corinthians are still in your sins and the people who died in Christ you'll never see them again and frankly he's going to say let us eat drink and be married for tomorrow we dead there's no point in doing anything I mean death will destroy everything you've ever worked on so he walks through that in verses 12 through 19 for a while but then in the passage we're looking at he says triumphantly but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep and that's where our passage begins so Andy in verse 20 it says but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep

9:44maybe you would explain to us what the first fruits mean yeah well I knew we're going to have this conversation about this passage and and I went over my sermon and I was like oh my goodness this is a very dense theologically dense passage I don't think oh my goodness we are going to go through some things and so first of all just the simple assertion the Christianity makes that the Bible makes that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead is the good news and how awesome is that it's a fact it's a historical fact and the empty tomb testifies yeah I wouldn't testify to it but Paul says in verse 20 Christ has indeed been raised from the dead and he says the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep and how awesome is every phrase every word in this so first the idea of first fruits now the Jews back then people back then were mostly agrarian they they lived close to the soil and they were farmers and they would they would have crops they

10:48would have vineyards different things and the Lord in the law of Moses required that they would give him the first portion of the harvest as a symbol of the fact that they knew that all of it belonged to him and that they had all of it by his grace and kindness to them and so they had to offer given offering of first fruits when when the harvest began and that was their way of saying that he is Lord of all and that everything comes from him so the idea of first fruits would have been well known to them and and so Christ is the first fruits but what's so exciting about this concept with Christ being raised from the dead is that he is the first of a vast number that's going to come so Jesus's resurrection from the dead is the first of literally countless hundreds of millions who are going to be raised similarly like Christ raised from the dead through faith in Christ so it's a vast number and so the Corinthians who denied that resurrection could happen or should

11:51happen or just completely wrong and if you say well maybe Jesus is an exception he's the son of God after all but we're just ordinary mortals like no no he did this for us because I live you also will live I am the resurrection in life he said he who believes in me will live even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die he did it for us so that we would be raised now when it says first fruits we need to understand he is the first that was raised in the way he was all right there were a number of accounts in the Bible Old Testament and New Testament of dead people who came to life but they are not resurrected like Jesus they came to life in the same pattern of mortal life that they had been in before they died like Lazarus like Lazarus like the widow at name whose son was raised they all were raised into a mortal life and they died later they didn't return with the glorified body yes Jesus was raised in a transformed

12:59resurrected body that Paul later in this chapter will describe verses 42 to 44 describes the nature of the resurrection body but he was raised as the first to receive a body that would never die again and so in that way he's the first fruit but the really exciting part is is a resurrection in which we'll never die again and there's this vast harvest a multitude greater than anyone could count from every tribe language people in nation and from every era of church history will be raised like Christ and he says the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep which is so exciting the reason I think that's exciting is to Jesus when he would raise gyrosis daughters something she is not dead only sleeping he said the point is it's it's no more difficult for Jesus to raise a dead people from dead person from the grave then it is for him to wake up a 12 year old girl who's asleep it's the same that's his power over he holds the keys of death in the grave he has power over death and so we're we're just like those who have fallen asleep I want to ask you this question

14:04because first century people would have had more experience being around dead people I would think I mean our experience around dead people as we see it see them in a in a a mortuary in a you know in a beautified state but they're dead but we don't we don't deal with dead people very often and you do not yeah and the the professional whalers were already outside the door because they knew dead and gyrosis daughter was dead but Jesus just said she's just asleep was that what what was the meaning behind that because I don't think he was out to confuse or misrepresent anything no I mean any and he he's pretty clear with Lazarus because he says Lazarus has fallen asleep and we're going to go there to wake him up and his disciples thought he met natural sleep and he said Lazarus is dead I mean let me be clear and so he would he would have had the same conversation about gyrosis daughters like he's using a metaphor what he's saying is this is not going to be a problem for me all right if you were to ask the three people of Jesus we have the

15:06kind of him raising raising dead people already list of them so you got Lazarus the widow at name son and and gyrosis daughter that's it but there's indications that he had raised other dead people but if you were to ask him of all of those dead people which was the most difficult you would have just been like none of them right no nothing is difficult for me so that's the whole joy of it is that Christ it's effortless for him to raise a dead person from the grave it's so effortless that he can delay going to gyrosis house and help the woman who's been in a state of perpetual bleeding yeah what a great account that is it's well we could easily take an off ramp here but let me tell you something that's that there's an incredible account and he's and and when the messenger comes with gyrosis and says don't bother the teacher anymore your little girl is dead he says to to gyrosis don't be afraid just believe I mean and just give

16:07some reassurance and it's so so very very beautiful yeah but yeah that's the idea Christ has been raised from the dead and he is the first fruits those who have fallen asleep and Colossians calls him the first born from the dead and says so that everything he might have the preeminence which we if we look at God's purpose and all this which is the title of our time together here God shows as as part of his beautiful complex wonderful plan to make death the final enemy to be defeated and so we're going to have to deal with it in 20 centuries of people that Christ loved that believed in him that trusted in him would die and it wouldn't they wouldn't be raised like Lazarus etc they would they would die and that would be apparently that and so you had to believe in a future resurrection which our texts will tell us happens at the end of the world at the end of the age but God's purpose in that was in some part of it would be that in all things

17:09Christ might have the preeminence so for two thousand years he is the only one in the universe with a resurrection body no one else has it he's the only one so all the righteous people who have died before us are absent from the body but present with the Lord they have no bodies they're waiting for the resurrection from the dead but Jesus has his resurrection body and in that way he is esteemed and honored and glorified as the first born from the dead this is fine Andy I really am enjoying this doctor Andy Davis is my guest we're going to take a break and come back continue our discussion about God's final purpose in the resurrection we'll be right back back back with Dr. Andy Davis we're talking about God's final purpose in the resurrection we're

18:13looking at a passage out of 1 Corinthians 15 we're starting in verse 20 and we've discussed the first fruits and then in verse 21 Andy it says for since death came through a man the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man for as in Adam all die so in Christ all will be made alive this is a very very wavy theological topic but it is the text we're looking at and so let's walk through it this is the idea of what's known theologians call federal headship what that means is that we are represented someone represents us in a very very significant and key way and what we have is the first Adam and the second Adam so the first Adam was of course the original man the first man Adam and Eve and so in that first man we all were represented at the tree of the

19:14knowledge of good and evil the forbidden fruit and Adam stood there and he disobeyed he violated the clear command of God and when he ate from the forbidden fruit we are told and the more significant passage on this is in Romans 5 12 through 21 that we all died and sin we sinned and died in Adam our first father he represented us and he sinned on our behalf and so we sinned in him and so this is clearly taught in Romans 5 he says sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and in this way death came to all men because all sinned that is the doctrine of original sin it's in Romans 5 12 and it's here again in the passive we're looking at so death entered through one man Adam and in the same way that death entered through one man so also life and salvation comes through one man Jesus and so God's consistent he deals with us by means of

20:18our head we died in Adam and we live in Christ and it's so beautiful if you study Romans 5 as I mentioned 12 through 21 on the doctrine of original sin the fact that we all sinned in Adam our first father it's it often people say well that's not fair I mean I wasn't there I mean why should I be held accountable for something that someone else did but in the same way we weren't there when Christ died on the cross in our place on our behalf and rose from the dead on our behalf and so God is consistent and he wants us to understand how this works and so Romans 5 19 says very powerfully just as through the through the disobedience of the one man Adam the many were made sinners so awesome through the obedience of the one man Jesus the many will be made righteous so I am seen to be as a Christian righteous in Jesus that's mind-boggling it is that's the doctrine of

21:20federal headship or representation but fundamentally what it's saying here is death came through a man so also the resurrection of the dead comes through a man through Jesus for as in Adam all die so in Christ all will be made alive and so Jesus died for us in our place representing us and he rose from the dead representing us as well and so that's the doctrine of federal headship connected also with the doctrine of original sin Andy do I have to go to theological school to hear about federal headship I feel like I'm hearing about it for the first time what about you why you're hearing about federal headship for the first time I am indeed okay I don't feel so dumb then well the the words are theological words so they're not in the Bible like the word Trinity isn't it's a theological term but the the concept is clearly taught I mean you look at the book of Romans which I consider to be the most important book in the Bible it's the clearest explication of the of the gospel in the Bible and I walk through it just so you know you mentioned

22:22memorization I recite the book of Romans once a week every week and I just do that whole book yeah it takes you know it does it it takes me I don't know how long to recite it but I usually do Romans one through eight recite it on my way home from church on Sunday and then I've got the rest of the week to do nine through sixteen and I just just you know as I find time where I'm driving I just recite it and go over these but Romans five teaches the doctor original sin and it's just there it's a vital doctrine but this is just a little thumbnail sketch of it it's a very tiny aspect but he's saying look we died in one man Adam and we live in one man Christ and Christ is our representative so federal means representation that's what it means he's he's our representative and in Adam we died in Christ we live and then in Romans five Paul states the the principle of of our righteousness do I have that correct in the Romans five absolutely okay yeah Romans 519 I would commend it fundamentally God sees you and me for Christians it was we are God

23:29sees us as righteous as Jesus and righteous there's a lot of ways to say but righteous means law abiding like we kept God's laws we never broke any of the ten commandments of the two great commandments God sees us that way that's what justification is by faith and so once you come to faith in Christ that perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to us as if we were as righteous as Jesus and we need to be because God won't let us in heaven if we are not as righteous as his son and so that's the beauty of the gospel it's a gift just a free gift but as we died and work it's a scene to be disobedient and rebellious and sinful in Adam so we by faith and Christ are seen to be righteous in him that's Romans 519 now Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 is saying it is in Christ that we are made alive we are raised from the dead when I think of being as righteous as Jesus and if I say that to somebody they almost cringe thinking well that can't be true

24:32even though it is but I think that's one of the harder things to embrace as a believer is that you are walking around as righteous as Jesus I was in that's Christianity yeah it's the gospel it's it's a gift of grace but we need to understand God cannot allow any unrighteousness in his presence yeah it says in Habakkuk 113 you're a pure and holy eyes you cannot even look at evil and so he's certainly not going to dwell with it um the new heaven new earth the new Jerusalem is called the home of righteousness if we're not as righteous as Jesus we won't be there but we know we're not and that's where the gift of grace comes in where he just gives us that righteousness like a beautiful robe that we put as the book of Revelation calls it to cover our shameful nakedness so we have a history and a heritage of sinfulness and God's very aware of that he knows what we've done but he also knows what Christ did on our behalf and he gives us that gift of righteousness but in 1 Corinthians 15 the idea the point is it is in Jesus and in Jesus alone that will be raised

25:33from the dead by faith in Christ alone um we'll be raised from the dead and we need to understand this as an atom all died that's the entire human race in Christ all be made alive that's not the entire human race so we just have to understand the word all properly it's all those that each of those atoms so-called represented atom represented all of his physical descendants that's the entire human race in sin and death Jesus represents his children those given to him uh those are Christians and in Christ we are made alive so Andy talk about how important it is to belong to him oh well fundamentally uh that's it's only those that belong to him that will receive the gifts we've been talking about the gift of perfect perfect righteousness and the gift of resurrection in Christ and we belong to him uh by believing in him but that that that that sense is so powerful the idea

26:35that he owns us we are his possession uh we are bought with a price uh the price being his blood and he owns us in the most beautiful way he owns us because he made us and he owns us because he redeemed us with his own blood and so that's where Paul talks in verse 23 uh Christ the first fruits and then when he comes those who belong to him now I think it's beautiful because uh we are seen to be in John's gospel love gifts from the father to the son he says in John 6 37 all that the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I'll never drive away so we were given by the father to the son we're told in the Bible before the foundation of the world but then certainly when we come to Christ we are love gifts um from the father to the son and we belong to him um he is our lord and our king and our savior also another metaphor is we're part of the ride and he's he is the bridegroom and so we are his um he he owns us and died for us and those who

27:42belong to him will be raised up and he seems like the idea of obedience is so simple yet why do people have such a hard time being obedient oh well you know so no I mean going back to Romans Romans 7 Paul says I do not understand what I do and this is the great Apostle Paul he's like the the very thing I hate I do and the good things that I want to do I don't do it's essential bill it's essential insanity it's irrationality so why do we disobey it's because we act like we're crazy people um there's nothing good has ever come from it and yet we we're assaulted daily by the world of flesh and the devil and as a result of that we do things that violate our conscience and that we need to confess with tears for the Lord but thanks be to God he cleanses us and covers us what we do and he talk about the that great old him the churches one foundation oh yeah well I was

28:46thinking in this passage about the idea of belonging to him and how sweet that is and I went to that image of marriage um you know the fundamental idea here is that we are the bride he he loved loves us and so Jesus will not allow his bride to stay dead he he will not allow death to triumph over the one he loves there's no way he's going to let that happen he bought her with his blood and and he will not allow her to be a cold lifeless corpse forever that would be he lost he lost her to the enemy because at the end of this passage it says death is the final enemy he was not going to let his his enemy win um and so he must raise her from the dead and so as I was thinking of as I was preaching the sermon I thought about that beautiful him the church is one foundation and and that marriage image uh the church is one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord she is

29:47his new creation by water and the word from heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride with his own blood he bought her and for his life he died how could he the bridegroom the king of the ages let his bride stay dead there's no way he's going to raise her up oh it's fantastic we're going to take a break but before we go to break if you have not gotten your faith radio app oh do it now I mean you got 90 seconds during the break so just go and get your app text the word app to eight seven seven nine three three two four eight four again eight seven nine three three two four eight four we'll send you a link you click the link you have the app it's a sweet deal we'll be right back my guest is dr. Andy Davis we're talking about resurrection today first Corinthians chapter 15 and Andy are around verse 24 to 28 it talks about then the end will come when he hands over

30:52the kingdom of god the father after he has destroyed all dominion authority and power where he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet the last enemy to be destroyed is death these are these are amazing words well we're getting a glimpse into the the eternal heavenly realms that we would have no other information about if it weren't for the word of god and so yeah we're talking about our resurrection now in this passage in this whole section this first Corinthians 15 is our resurrection Christ has been raised as the first fruit but what about the rest of the harvest and that's going to happen at the end of the age at the second coming when he comes he's going to raise up all believers it's very very plain first Thessalonians forces the the rapture verse I don't want it to be unaware ignorant about those who

31:54fall asleep about dead Christians or to grieve like hopeless people but god is going to bring Jesus back from the back from heaven to earth and at that moment the dead in Christ will rise first and after that the ones that are still alive on planet earth will be caught up and meet the Lord in the air that's the second coming that's when it happens and so that's the timing of it now in the meantime we have a glimpse into what Jesus is doing and so Jesus rose from the dead and for 40 days gave many convincing proofs to his church to his apostles that he was alive that he went to them in multiple settings the two disciples in the road to Emmaus he had a little meal with them he was in a broom with the apostles and gave them convincing proofs of his resurrection doubting Thomas you know week later or this went on for 40 40 days and at the end of that he went out to the Mount of Olives and he ascended up from earth and went higher and higher until last a cloud

33:00hit him from their side and they couldn't see him anymore but the book of Hebrews says he passed through the heavenlies he went through the heavenly realms and so he went through the heavenly realms and were told he was seated at the right hand of god god is seated on the throne of absolute power i mean Jesus is at the right hand of god seated at the at with him in absolute power and so Jesus said in Matthew 28 all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me but we're told in Ephesians chapter one at the at the end of that chapter that Christ god raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms far above all rule and authority power and dominion and every title that can be given not only in the present age but also in the age to come and god placed all things under his under his feet and made him head over everything

34:05for the church which is his body and so the idea here is that Jesus is on the throne of absolute power all authority in heaven and on earth has been given him he's raining on a throne of power and our tech says the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to god the father after it says he has destroyed all dominion authority and power for he must reign as he does on a throne of glory and power right now until he has put all his enemies under his feet so the idea here is and I think it comes very powerfully from the Old Testament Psalm 110 where the Lord said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet and so that idea I think is what Paul's bringing over here so he's seated on a throne of power with all authority and heaven and earth and he's going to take on his enemies and destroy them he's going to defeat them well we need to understand what those enemies are dominion authority and power that's language here that talks about

35:11delegated authority that god has given to created beings both angels and humans now in the angelic world we learn from the Bible that there was a fall Satan led a rebellion in the heavenly realms against god and took angels with him that we now know as demons and those angels and arch angels and all of that were given originally by god positions of power in the universe but they became evil and wicked and they used their power in a very wicked vicious and evil way we get a clear indication of this in Ephesians 6 where we're told our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this present darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms well I think they're in view here in our passage in 1 Corinthians 15 so we've got dominions powers and demons and arch demons and

36:12Satan himself ruling an invisible dark kingdom and then you've got human puppets who do his bidding without even knowing perhaps that he exists certainly not actively seeking to serve Satan they may be atheists they may be Muslims Buddhists they may be agnostics but if they're not born again they are using their positions of power so I'm talking about leaders in the world so prime ministers presidents potentates emperors throughout all history they are in some way serving Satan Jesus said this to his enemies you're of your father the devil and so sometime they're not aware of it but he is manipulating them and guiding them and influencing them he used their positions of power in a very evil way like Pontius Pilate who crucified Jesus like Felix who kept Jesus or sorry Paul incarcerated for two years though he had done nothing wrong

37:14or Caesar who ultimately executed the apostle Paul so those are human rulers who use their positions of power in a very evil way anyway there's a whole array of powers and principalities and dominions that are fighting against Jesus and Jesus is raining on a throne of power and he's ruling over this whole thing for his own glory and he's going to rain until he has finally destroyed all of his enemies now at the human level now no demons will ever be converted there's no salvation for demons nothing they will go to hell they will be in the lake of fire human beings who have joined Satan as rebellion are Jesus's enemies initially but we can be rescued from being his enemies by repentance and faith in Christ and we will be exenemies and become his beloved children but there are some that will not be rescued they will continue enemies in their minds and in their lives until the day they die and so both demonic enemies Satan himself and then wicked people who never

38:16repent and turn they will all be subjugated by the power of Jesus he's going to rain until he has defeated all of his enemies Andy when you talk about enemies are enemies to a believer someone who is hostile to the gospel trying to figure out absolutely who my enemies are yeah yeah yeah absolutely I mean you know the the Bible says once we were enemies in our minds that's shown by evil behavior you know Romans 5.8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this that while we're still sinners enemies 5.10 says there were enemies so yes unconverted people are called enemies okay now these are the people that we're supposed to love our enemies pray for those who persecute us you know he tells us how to behave toward our enemies but that's the title that they make themselves enemies by not believing in Jesus by opposing the kingdom of God some are more hostile some are more powerful some are just passive passive aggressive but if they're unconverted there in the enemy camp so that's what how the Bible season and God allows Satan to rule on this earth as

39:22the God of this age yes he does but he controls him absolutely he's on a leash he's not allowed to tempt us beyond what we can bear you know he there was that hedge that was frustrating Satan he couldn't get at Job in his possessions like he wanted to and so God is controlling the demons and controlling Satan frankly using them for his own wise purposes and in the end they will all be thrown in the lake of fire so the devil leads Jesus up to a high place it says in Luke in chapter 4 and shows him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and he said to him I will give you all their authority and splendor for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to so is this what what is how what is his strategy here he's got to know he's talking to what's so amazing about that I told you a memorizing Jeremiah right now yeah and I'm in Jeremiah 28 but guess what I found in Jeremiah 27 I think it is Jeremiah 27 5 this is what God says

40:33listen to this with my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it and listen and I give it to anyone I please whoa that's what God said Satan's basically quoting God wow I did not know that until today isn't that awesome I didn't either but that's what memorization does it's like wow that's a detail I missed so God's words he is he is and Jesus doesn't refute him because in one sense it's true temporarily he does have the power to kind of give it out to his servants and Jesus therefore doesn't refute him but we also know that ultimately it's God who rules over all things and so yeah but Jesus in our passage is raining until progressively and mysteriously and secretly Jesus is defeating his enemies in marvelous ways he's thwarting them blocking them changing and overturning their plans and all of that to build

41:34his eternal kingdom and so beautiful as he rains until one by one he puts his enemies under his feet but then it says the last enemy to be destroyed will be death and that's very significant for us so when we think of the encounters that Jesus had with Satan we can sit there and say well I know he's not going to give in I know he's not going to fall the temptation because we know who Jesus is and we know his character and Satan doesn't have anything to accuse him of because he's sinless this the whole thing feels like a fool's errand I mean Satan trying to get Jesus to sin yes yeah he's just foolishly confident isn't he and it says he left him until an opportune time so he's going to come back and try it again so I don't know what to say about it but I'm just glad we're on the right side on that whole war I agree all right Andy let me take one more break Dr. Andy Davis is my guest we're talking about the resurrection and we'll be right back

42:40there's a lot to look up to look forward to with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that has happened as a result and what awaits us as believers in Christ my guest is Dr. Andy Davis as we're talking about the resurrection today and Andy boy there's a lot you have shared today and has given me a lot to think about so I've always appreciated that and we've only got about eight minutes left so let's start putting a nice big bow on this one absolutely well I mean there is no better news than this what we've talked about how could we spend our time any better than this celebrating the resurrection not just Jesus resurrection but hours because I lived you said you also will live how exciting is that but as we look at it now the passage we've been studying 1 Corinthians 15 20 to 28 ends in some amazing teachings Jesus is raining progressively

43:40defeating his enemies one at a time putting them under his feet he must reign until he has destroyed all of his enemies and the last enemy to be destroyed is death and we could say wild Lord and he knew that he was letting us in for a lot of grief and sorrow we just did a funeral week of one of the godliest women I've ever known and we'll miss her we know she is with the Lord and that brings us joy but it's still sad for us but God in his wisdom his purpose was that death would be the final enemy and so we have to deal with it I think that's why you wept in front of Lazarus's tomb before raising Lazarus and so the last enemy to be destroyed is death now once he's destroyed his final enemy and has put everything under his feet then he will finish handing over effectively the kingdom to his heavenly Father that he was sent on mission from the Father to do this work everything comes from God the Father and so Jesus came under

44:41orders from the Father he said the Son of Man I speaking to himself I came not to do my own will but to do the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me I shall lose none but raise them up on the last day that's a resurrection so he's he's come to do that and so when he finished all of his saving work for all of his children in every generation that final generation when all that's done he's going to hand the whole thing over to the Father he will give the kingdom back he says to the Father he will he will give the finished work to his Father and the Father will then reign over everything and so it says in verse 28 when he has done this then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him so that God may be all in all so what we need to understand is sin had a destructive explosive fragmentary grenade effect on the universe everything was

45:47kind of blown apart in some way and death is part of that but also fracture relationships the fact that we're enemies of God and of each other that's what sin did God sent Jesus to bring all things back together and make them one Ephesians 1 9 and 10 says he made known to us the mystery as well according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will reach the fulfillment to bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head even Christ so he's going to bring everything together and make it one so what that means is that all Christians will be as perfectly one with each other as the Father and the Son are one we'll agree about everything absolutely everything we will love in the same way we will we'll be individuals but we will have a complete beautiful unity and the universe itself the creation which was destroyed by Adam's sin and turned into thorns and thistles will be made harmonious again with us with the

46:51human race and there won't be any effects of sin anymore so he's going to bring everything together so that it says God may be all in all so there's a beautiful unity of the entire universe under the throne of God how awesome is that it's so awesome it's just awesome so Andy we just have a couple minutes left and I kind of want to finish where we started which was you take the resurrection out and you don't have a gospel right yeah that's everything and that was Paul's main point in this passage wasn't it absolutely I mean yeah I think our understanding from some of the historians back then is the Romans were crucifying hundreds thousands of people it was not unusual for a man to be crucified but Jesus is different because on the third day he was raised from the dead so without without the resurrection we don't have Christianity so any other parting thoughts for the audience you've given us a lot to think about yeah for sure I want to go

47:52beyond that and say look I think there's a whole book in the Bible which takes the ideas of 1 Corinthians 15 12 through 19 if Christ has not been raised if Christ has not been raised then our faith is useless if Christ has not been raised we're liars if Christ has not not been raised etc if there's no resurrection for the dead it just goes with this even though it's count contrary to fact there's a whole book in the Bible that does that and that's the book of Ecclesiastes and I think what Ecclesiastes says is effectively if there is no resurrection from the dead then everything is vanity everything you work on in life is vain it's empty it will be dust in the wind if there is no resurrection from the dead but 1 Corinthians 15 answers that because it says in the last verse in this chapter because there is a resurrection from the dead be steadfast and immovable always abounding in your labor for the Lord because you know that in the Lord your labor is not vanity it's not in vain because Christ has been raised from the dead there is a

48:55resurrection all of the good works we do will be rewarded in heaven and shine for all eternity we're heading toward a world whether be no more death morning crying or pain how beautiful and awesome is that so we need to meditate daily on the joys of the resurrection and not grieve like those who have no who Andy I feel like I learned a lot today thank you so much for taking the time well thanks for having me part of your show you bet dr. Andy davis has been my guest you can go to two journeys tw o two journeys dot org to learn more about his amazing ministry there are tons of resources there and they're really good and I go there often and I know you'll be you'll be glad you did I don't know if you've downloaded the faith radio app go to your app store and check it out I have to say it's a it's a beautiful app I've got mine on my iPhone and when you download it you just can't believe how pretty it is and you open it up and it's very easy to navigate your way through it and you can listen to a faith radio live or you can just check out the podcast it

49:56doesn't matter where you go you can download if you've got that faith radio app so give it a try and if you don't like it you know it's easy just to delete it off your phone but I'm pretty sure you'll keep it that's all the time we have have a great night everyone see you tomorrow you

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