Believe and Speak--We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

 

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

1 Corinthians 15:35, 42-49

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

John 3:16-17

2 Corinthians 4:13

We've spent the last 4 weeks studying important Christian doctrine--God Almighty, Creator.  Jesus Christ, son of God, equal with God, Creator who, for us and for our salvation, came down from heaven. His kingdom will have no end.  The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, with the Father and the Son, worshipped and glorified.  The celebration of baptism and the institution of the church.  But where do we go with all of this?  What's the point? Just to memorize and be able to spout it off?  All of this we've learned has a target--eternal life with God, through faith in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this God so loved us.   In our life now, we plant things that have an expiration date, but it is raised to last forever.  What we plant in weakness, God raises in power. We are limited by our physical body; in eternity, we are not.  Our mortal body will put on immortality.  If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has put eternity into man's heart. All that we know about God and love about God finds it's culmination in eternal life.  It's the end, the conclusion.  But for those of us who have anchored our hope in Christ, we look forward to it as a beginning--resurrection from the death, and life in the world to come.  So I'd like to leave you with a series of verses.  Some of these verses are found at the beginning of a letter or book of the Bible as a greeting.  Some are found at the end as a closing or benediction.  This is a pattern we can follow as we seek to bookend our lives with eternity in mind.  Always ready to begin and end each day, and all of our days. with praise to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  

• "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36
• "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:17
• "To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen." 1 Peter 4:11
• "To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen." Jude 1:25
• "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Revelation 7:12
• "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

"Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence.  For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God."  2 Corinthians 4:13-15