Day 169 – June 18, 2021

 Day 169 – June 18, 2021
Scriptures: 1 Kings 17, 1 Corinthians 15
 
The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fabric that holds everything together. Like a loose thread in a sweater, start pulling it and pulling it, there is nothing left at the end. If you pull at the thread of the resurrection, and question it, dismiss it, and remove it as a possibility, there will be nothing left.
 
That’s my paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 15. It is one of the most important chapters in the book, and in much of the Bible. The opening verses of 1 Cor 15, Scot McKnight argues, in King Jesus Gospel, that this would have been a common phrase and a foundational creed for the first believers. He argues that this was the Gospel proclamation of the early church.  When people announced the Gospel, they would have shared that Jesus rose from the dead, he is Lord and King. That’s what was shared, over and over and over again as an announcement of the Gospel. Everything hinges on the Lordship of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus and the witnesses thereof. 
 
An interesting comparison happens in today’s reading. 1 Kings 16 tells of the Elijah, the widow and her son. Her son dies, and Elijah sprawls out over the boy three times, in the midst of that, he cries out to the Lord, and the boy’s life is restored.
 
Paul goes on to explain what is happening in the resurrection of Jesus and the upcoming resurrection for all of creation. Chiefly that there is something dramatically different than just the resuscitation of life. Elijah resuscitates life through the power of God. Jesus destroys death as we know it. Jesus is victorious over death, and that changes everything. The perishable becomes imperishable.
 
Exploring what this means for us as Christians is vital to our growth in Christ. 
 
“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:54–58)
 
The power and reality of the resurrection of Jesus, and our impending resurrection empowers us to stand firm, and commit ourselves to the work of the Lord. There will be more than just the resuscitation, reviving us back to life. All things will be made new. Sin and death will be completely vanquished. You will have eternal life in the Kingdom of God!
 
Stand firm, and give thanks to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
 
Jordan