Two Resurrection part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking about the Two Resurrections. He will be in John 5:25-29.

If you are resurrected unto life and you stand before God, will the Lord be pleased with what you have done for him? Will he be pleased with your giving? Will he be pleased with your serving? Will he be pleased with your faithfulness?

Will he be pleased with all that you did? Hello and welcome to Hope Worth Having. This is Pastor Mike Sanders, your host of today’s radio program. We’re excited that you’re a part of our program today and we’re looking forward to what God has to say.

Last week we began the study in the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verse 25 through 29. We’ve started learning about the two resurrections. It’s amazing that Jesus taught that there is a resurrection for the righteous and there is a resurrection for the unrighteous.

We often think that there will only be the righteous who are resurrected, but God teaches us the unrighteous will be resurrected as well and each will have to give an account of their life before God.

And so I want us to dive in today and learn more about what that means to our spiritual life. So grab your Bible. Join me in John, chapter 5. Grab a pen, paper, start taking some notes and let’s learn together.

We’re not talking about the love of the world that’s based upon you do your part and I do my part. We’re not talking about the love of the world that says you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. We’re talking about an unconditional sacrificial agape love that comes down from heaven into our hearts that’s given to us and poured out into us by the Holy Spirit of God.

How do you know that you are truly resurrected spiritually? You love the brethren. You love God’s people. You may find them annoying sometimes and you might find them annoying sometimes. find them difficult sometimes and you might be frustrated with them sometimes but you love them in the Lord Jesus Christ and you have an unconditional love for them.

This is the evidence and this is the assurance that your faith is real and that you have gone from a spiritual death to resurrected to become a spiritual life. God’s true people are those who hear God, they hear God speaking to them and they respond to the Lord.

When I was a young boy I came to church in the bus and the bus dropped me off and they sat me on the front row not because I like to sit on the front row but I didn’t know any better. I hadn’t gotten saved I hadn’t become spiritually mature to move to the back row yet.

People say why did you sit on the front row that’s where the deacons put me. I didn’t have any choice I didn’t know I thought everybody was supposed to sit on the front row. And there the preacher proclaimed that I was a sinner.

And I went to one of those old country, out in the woods, kind of a church. Well, there wasn’t really no woods in Oklahoma, but out in the ranch land there, the flat land. And you know what? He faithfully told me I was a sinner.

And he also faithfully told me that Jesus loves sinners. And Jesus went to the cross for sinners. And you see, my friends, I’d never heard that message. But even as a 11 -year -old boy, I heard the voice of God through the preacher, through the teaching of God’s Word.

I heard the voice of God, and I realized I needed to respond. And so it is this morning that when you hear the voice of God, your response to Him should be full surrender, should be full humility, confession of your sin, and a receiving of His grace and forgiveness into your life.

Ephesians 2 .5 says this, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace, you have been saved. You see, it was Jesus that made you alive. It was Jesus who resurrected you spiritually.

Again, the Bible says in 1 John 5 .11, and this is the record that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. You see, what I want you to know, that it is only through the Son and the voice of the Son, in hearing the voice of the Son, that one is brought to newness in life in Jesus Christ.

This is important for us as a believer, because we call this the evangelistic gospel. As a matter of fact, I encourage all soul winners, all of those who are concerned and burdened about our family and our friends who do not know Christ that we encourage them to read the Word of God.

Why? Would you go back to your text? Would you go back to verse 25? Would you note again? He says, very, very, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead, the spiritually dead, shall hear the voice of the Son of God.

The voice of who? The shall live. You see, they’ve got to hear the voice of the Son of God. And the voice of the Son of God has been penned. His words are right here. Church, you don’t have to have an experience emotionally to hear his words.

It’s right in the Bible. You see, never, ever come to the point where you think the Bible is insufficient to do the work of evangelism. Because when they hear the voice of God, when they hear the words of God.

It is the words of the Son of God that brings life. It’s not the words of Mike Sanders. It’s not the words of the most persuasive evangelists. It’s not the words of the most dynamic, emotional story that you’ve ever heard in your life that brings new life to the heart of people.

It’s rather the true Word of God. It’s the Word of God. That’s why when you’re trying to reach your family, you share the Word of God with them. That’s why you encourage them to read the Word of God.

That’s why we have to be a church that, not of entertainment, not a church that somehow thinks we can persuade people to come to Christ, but we are a church that proclaims the name of Jesus, proclaims the Word of God, and we are convinced as the Word of God goes out that God will bring to life the spiritually dead.

Church, if you would just grasp that, if you would just understand that, you would not be caught up in all of the razzle dazzle. You would not be caught up in all of the emotionalism because you would recognize that the only way people come to true life in Jesus Christ is if they hear the voice of the Son of God.

Now why? Why is that true? Look at verse 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, so has he given it to the Son to have life in himself. I can’t give you life, not spiritual life. I can teach you maybe how to be a little bit more happier than you used to be.

I can help you manage some problems in your life. I can be an encouragement and a blessing to you. I can pray for you, but I cannot impart life to you. Only Jesus imparts life. Only Jesus gives eternal life.

And you see, that authority is from the Father, which was given to the Son, and the Son has… life in himself and it is the son who gives life to everyone who hears his voice who believes in him and trusts in him as his Lord and Savior and so my friends it’s not based upon a person it’s not based upon because you got a new technique it’s not based upon somehow your personality is better than somebody else it’s simply based upon this one truth Jesus has life within himself that was given to him from the Father and Jesus says that his word has gone out and whoever hears it will have life and so this morning spiritual resurrection is essential for us to have eternal life and it is important for us to make sure that we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ it is important that we proclaim the Word of God But the second thing that Jesus teaches us is physical resurrection,

not just spiritual resurrection. Jesus goes on to teach us about a physical resurrection. Pick up in verse 28. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth.

Now what is interesting is this, that it is so interesting to me again that Jesus uses that phrase, hear his voice. There are many people who hear the voice of God now, but they don’t receive Christ.

They don’t respond to Christ. But there’s coming a day, no matter who you are, whether a believer or an unbeliever, you will hear his voice and you will respond to God. But the problem is that if you are an unbeliever and you respond to God, you will stand before God and give an account of your life.

And therefore, my friend, those who did not have a spiritual resurrection and hear the voice of God by receiving Christ into their life, they will then be cast into the eternal lake of fire. What you need to know is this.

There are two resurrections that need to take place in your life, not just one. Some Christians are under the belief that there’s only one resurrection, but the Bible teaches us differently. The Bible says in Acts 24, verse 15, there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

Jesus tells us already in our text that everybody who’s in the grave will hear his voice. And look again at verse 29. And shall come forth and they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil.

unto the resurrection of damnation so every person is going to be resurrected now death results in the separation of our soul and spirit from the body the Bible teaches us that if you are a believer that your soul and spirit immediately is in the presence of God to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord how glorious how wonderful how magnificent it is to be in the presence of God the Bible says in thy presence is fullness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore I’ve told you church no one goes to heaven is and is disappointed no one goes to heaven and say man this is not what I expected in relation to it being below expectation Thank you.

But rather they go and there’s so much joy, there’s so much pleasure, there is so much fullness, there is so much meaning, there is so much blessing in heaven for our loved ones who have already gone.

And when God calls you home, when God calls you to be with Him, you will be so exhilarated. You will be so full of energy and excitement in your heart as you are in the presence of God. But here’s what I want you to get straight.

Is that your body stays in the ground. Your body stays in the ground. You say, Pastor, the Bible says I get a new body. I know you do. But it’s not gonna be right at the moment that you are in the presence of God when you have died.

No, it’s different. The Bible teaches us something totally different. That one day there’s gonna be a resurrection. Revelation 26, blessed and holy is He that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Believers have been granted immortal existence. We have an incorruptible life and we will one day receive an incorruptible body. This body that you have right now is eventually going to die. But don’t be discouraged in that.

I know you’re making every effort to replace your knees and hips and shoulders and maybe some of you have been replacing noses and different places on your face and you do all these things because you’re just trying to hang on with this body you got.

But one day God’s gonna give you a new body. It’s gonna be immortal. It’s gonna be incorruptible. It will never know any disease. It will never have to make a trip to the hospital. It’ll never ever have to go see the dead.

doctor for a checkup because this body will be perfect. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6 .14 that God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. That’s why I tell you church that his resurrection is our resurrection.

What do I mean? Paul taught us that the resurrection of Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection, not first in order because we know that others were resurrected before Jesus, but first in kind.

All other resurrections before Jesus were not like the resurrection of Jesus because all other resurrections, they had to go back and die again. What a bummer to have to die physically twice, amen? I mean, great that God would raise you up.

Great that God would do this miracle. But friends, let me tell you something. they had to go back and die again. But the resurrection of Christ is a resurrection unto life, and it is a resurrection that is an immortal, incorruptible body that would never die again.

So when Paul talks about the first fruit, Jesus’ resurrection being the first fruit, it is in kind. And one day believers will receive a resurrected body that will endure forever and ever. And yes, there’ll be no more wrinkles.

Yes, there’ll be no more physical challenges. And yes, there’ll be no more death. Here’s what the Bible teaches us, that the soul and the spirit will reunite with the physical body at the resurrection.

The soul and the spirit will reunite. We will. We will be reunited, and it’ll take place at the resurrection. Now, here’s what people ask me. They say, will we look like we are now when we are resurrected?

How will we look, pastor? Here’s what the Bible says, that you’ll be known as you are known. You’ll be known as you’re known. Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher in London, England said, I hate to think that in heaven I would be dumber than I am now.

And so the point is, I think that we will have identifiable bodies and that people will know. But here’s the thing, your body will look better than it’s ever looked. And you’ve been working on 10, 20 pounds to get off.

And listen, you’re going to be just wonderfully looking. I don’t know what that wonderful means, but I just know you’re going to look wonderful. Okay, I have the utmost confidence in God that in his glorious body that he imparts unto you will be a wonderful body, and he is going to take care of you.

The Bible says this also, that we, when we see him, we will be like him. We will be like him. People have debated. Does that mean? will be the same age as Jesus? Does that mean, no, I think what it means is that we’ll have a glorious body.

We’ll have a physical, immortal, glorious body that does not corrupt. We will have a body like him in essence. We will have a body like him in nature in that we will receive this body and God will raise up this new body that he’s given to us and it will be wonderful.

Paul explains it like this in Philippians chapter three, verse 21, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working thereby, he is able even to subdue all things unto him.

So here’s the point, God will fashion your body like the body of Christ. It’ll be glorious and corruptible. It’ll be immortal. Can God’s people say amen? God will give us a resurrection body. that is like the resurrection body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After death, both believers and unbelievers will experience a resurrection, and they will face God’s judgment. Now, let me help you explain this out. And this is where it might get real heavy for you, and we may have to impart and come back next week.

But let me say this to you. I don’t want you to think that somehow Mike’s whacked in his theology because he’s not, but I always try to make sure that I am accurate and consistent with the Word of God.

But when someone dies, people say, okay, if there’s going to be two resurrections, I get it that I’m going to get a new body, it’s going to be reunited with my soul and spirit, and I’m going to live eternally with Jesus and my loved ones forever and ever.

I’ll know them, they’ll know me, and we’ll have sweet fellowship in heaven, and we’ll just live gloriously as we rule and reign with Christ. Yes. But what about these bodies that are resurrected now for unbelievers?

What about them? Here’s what I want you to note, that in the Scriptures, there are three types of hell. In the Scriptures, there are three types of hell. In the Old Testament, basically, we understand what Jesus taught us, that it was basically one place where those who were looked forward to the Messiah, those who looked forward to the coming of Christ, to bring salvation to them, that they were there in this place of a holding place,

if you will. But there was a great gulf between those who followed God and those who had rejected God, and there was a place for those who did not believe in God and did not look forward to the coming of a Messiah and a savior.

How do you know this pastor? Because Jesus told a story about a rich man and he told a story about a very poor man and the poor man went to be in Abraham’s bosom and there was this great gulf between them and that the rich man who did not follow God but lived for money and lived for self and he continued to ignore the needs of this poor man and he lifted up his eyes and he there being in the torment of hell he could see through this great gulf he could see this poor man in the bosom of Abraham and he desired just a drip,

just a drop if you will of water upon his tongue to bring great relief. And not only did he desire a drop of water but he did not want any of his family to come here and he told Jesus, or he told God if you will, Abraham in the bosom.

All those that were in the story that Jesus was sharing, he told him, go send somebody to tell my brothers not to come here. And Jesus said, they have the prophets, meaning they already have God’s Word.

It’s just they won’t listen. It’s they won’t listen. And what I’m trying to say is that in the Old Testament, there was this place, like a holding place. And the scripture says in Ephesians chapter 4 that after Jesus died on the cross, that he took captive those in captivity.

That is, he took those who looked forward to the cross and he took them and he led them in a procession, a victorious procession march to heaven. It was a spiritual procession. It’s in Ephesians chapter 4.

You can read it in your own time. And he led them to victory and he took them and they were now qualified to be able to enter the pearly gates because their sins had been paid for on the cross. And so there is a New Testament hell.

In this New Testament hell, when people die, where do they go? Their body doesn’t go to hell, not yet, but their soul and spirit goes to hell. The Bible describes hell as being a place where people have feelings, they have emotions, they can rationalize, they can thank, and the Bible describes it as a place of torment.

It is a place where people recognize that they had the opportunity to trust and believe, but they didn’t. And they are not only tormented by all that hell is relating to, the physical aspects of it, but they are tormented by the eternal thought that they walked away from Jesus Christ.

I want you to know that there is a third hell. It is called the Everlasting Lake of Fire. Revelation describes this Everlasting Lake of Fire. So what Jesus is talking to us about here is this, there’s gonna be a resurrection.

Everybody’s coming out of that grave. The believers, they’re gonna be resurrected unto life. The unbelievers, they’re gonna be resurrected unto judgment because every one of us is gonna stand before God.

No matter who you are, and you’re gonna give an account of your life. And so the Bible clearly teaches this. As a matter of fact, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 .10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

When Jesus came the first time, he did not come to judge the world. But when he comes a second time, he will. He came as a lamb. He came as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. But when he comes a second time, he’s coming as a lion.

And he will bring judgment upon this world. And listen to what the Bible says, for those that do not believe. Revelation 21, 8, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

My friends, there is a third hell. There is a third hell for those that do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they will be judged before God according to our text today. And they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

Daniel 12, verse 2 says this, and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The resurrection of the unrighteous will be to eternal punishment at the end of Christ’s 1 ,000 -year reign.

Now let me help you understand this real quickly. The judgment that is to come has two parts. The first part is that God will reward. He will reward all believers. Daniel talks about the Old Testament saints.

1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 3, 1 Corinthians 15, talks about the raptured church. And then the tribulation saints in Revelation chapter 20. They will all be rewarded. You and I do. do not have to fear the judgment of God.

Why? Because Christ took our judgment on the cross for us. What we will give an account for is what did you do for Christ? What did you do for the advancement of the gospel? What did you do for the glory of God?

What did you do? How did you get involved in your local church? How did you stay active for Jesus? What were you participating? Were you on the sidelines? You will give an account. And you fall into one of those categories.

And you will give an account of your life. But the second part of this judgment is that God will condemn all unbelievers to the lake of fire. Revelation 20 verse 15. Read it on your own. And this morning the question is that when you are resurrected, will you be resurrected under life?

Or will you be resurrected unto damnation. And if you are resurrected unto life and you stand before God, will the Lord be pleased with what you have done for him? Will he be pleased with your giving?

Will he be pleased with your serving? Will he be pleased with your faithfulness? Will he be pleased for with all that you did for the cause of Jesus Christ? Jesus did not come the first time to judge the world, but the second time he comes, he will judge the world.

And that’s why there will be two resurrections, is that every life must give an account to God. And Jesus has been given all authority, and therefore he is the judge. And we will all stand before him.

If you believe in Christ, you have nothing to fear, because all of your judgment is already been taken care of at the cross. And Jesus Christ has washed away all your past, present, and future sins. And you are living with the Spirit of God in you, like living in the waters flowing out of your belly.

And you live in the empowerment and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don’t know Jesus, you have a lot to fear and a lot to be concerned about. And you need to give your life fully and freely to Jesus Christ.

And you need to recognize that there will be no escape from eternal punishment for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ. And that God will reward the saints, but he will punish the unbelievers. And the unbelievers will be condemned to the lake of fire forever.

We say this not to somehow bring judgment or condemnation into your life or to make you feel even more guilty, but rather we say this because it is the truth of God, and He is speaking into your life, drawing you to Him.

And we pray that this truth will transform, and that you will become a true believer in Jesus Christ. As long as we have breath on this earth, there is time for us to respond to God. And may today be the day that you respond to Him.

If you’ve responded to Jesus Christ, if He’s working in your life, let us know how God is working. Go to our website, HopeWorthHaving .com, go to the contact button, share with us your testimony of faith, or you can call us at 717 -264 -3266, extension 120.

Feel free to write us at 600 Miller Street, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 17201. We want to hear from you and know that God is touching your life, and we will rejoice together as we are thankful for His good work in each of our hearts.

And so I want to just remind you as we leave today. that in Christ there is hope worth having.

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