Christ the First Fruit

Tom Shrader works through 1 Corinthians 15:20-34, establishing Christ's resurrection as the firstfruits that guarantees the bodily resurrection of all who belong to Him. He traces the sequential order of resurrections — Christ, then believers at the rapture, then tribulation saints, and finally the great white throne judgment of the unbelieving dead — drawing on 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 20 to fill in the picture. The teaching closes with a pastoral call to stop sinning and endure present suffering by fixing hope on eternity rather than on the temporary things of this world.

“Every sin that's ever been committed must be judged and paid for. It is either paid for in full by Christ on the cross, or it is paid for in all eternity by the person who committed it.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: 1 Corinthians

Recorded: 2002 at East Valley Bible Church

Duration: 57 min

Themes: resurrection, hope, eternity, sin, suffering, heaven, death, endurance, grieving a loved one, struggling with sin, feeling hopeless, new believer, doubting the faith, facing suffering, middle age, questioning eternity

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:20-34, Leviticus 23:10-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:1-15, John 5:28-29, 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, Hebrews 9:27, 2 Timothy 3, Philippians 1:21-23

Theological Themes: firstfruits, bodily resurrection, eschatology, end times, rapture, justification, glorification, eternal judgment

Full Transcript

Christ the First Fruits of the Resurrection

We are looking today at a passage of Scripture that is pretty tough. Going from verse 20 to verse 34, this passage contains what is arguably one of the most difficult verses to interpret in all of Scripture. Paul begins in verse 20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead." That is what we have really been examining as we have looked at this chapter. Paul says, here is what I was given and now I am giving it to you: Christ died for our sins, Christ was buried, and Christ rose again.

He said this is a fact. He said there are even eyewitnesses — he is one, Peter is one, James is one, over 500. There are people all over who witnessed this. If you doubt us, check it out. Then, as we looked at last week, imagine if there was no resurrection. Imagine how hopeless our life would be. Our faith would be in vain. Our teaching is of no value. Our lives are to be pitied, perhaps more than anyone, if that is the case. And for those who have died, there is no hope. But verse 20: Christ has been raised from the dead. That is a fact. It may even be helpful to write the little word "fact" by that verse so it stays fresh in your mind.

Christ as the First Fruits

Now Paul tells us something about Christ's resurrection. He says Christ was raised from the dead — He is the first fruits of those who are asleep. That phrase "first fruits" is a sign of a harvest that is to come. Leviticus 23, verses 10 and 11 talks about it. The Jews would bring before the harvest their very first fruits — the sign of the harvest that was to come, in a sense the first installment, a dedication of all that was to come to the Lord. They would bring it to the priest for sacrifice.

That is what is happening here. Remember what we said before: Paul links Christ's death with our sins — He died for our sins. Now Paul links, and this is really key, Christ's resurrection with your resurrection. They are linked together. He is the first fruits. Because Christ rose from the dead, He is in a sense the first installment of those who are asleep — that is, the believers who have died, those who have put their faith and trust in the one true God, and those who will die in the future. He is the first fruits of them.

This verse also implies, perhaps even states directly, that He is the first to be truly resurrected. We see throughout the Old and New Testaments instances of people who have died and been brought back to life, but they were not resurrected — they were resuscitated. They were brought back to this same earth with the same body, the same relationships, the same problems, the same weaknesses. The resurrection we are talking about here is not just a resuscitation. It brings a new quality and a new dimension to life that were never there before. It is not just a return to this world. It is a life that is different — us in glorified bodies. It is not resuscitation to come and work in this world again. It is a whole new life.

The Principle of Imputation

In verse 21, Paul states a principle — really a principle of imputation. "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead." Just as through one man, that is Adam, all of us sinned and all of us died spiritually, also in Christ all shall be made alive. Every once in a while someone new to the faith wants to understand sin — why is the world the way it is, and how come everybody sins? We sit and explain: we were in Adam. Adam was our representative. When Adam sinned, it determined that every person who ever lived would be a sinner.

How many sins do you have to commit to be a sinner? The answer is none. You do not have to commit any. You come into the world that way. That is what David says: "I was conceived in sin." We had a baby dedication this morning at 8, and we have another one tonight at 6. They are just absolutely wonderful. This morning it was Cameron Decker, and he had on a little tie and looked so spiffy. Tonight is Abigail — I met her the other day and she is a cute little girl, real quiet. I think she will let me pick her up. And when I pick her up tonight, I guarantee you people are going to go, "Oh." But do not be deceived for a second — this is a wretched little sinner being held up there tonight. I will not say that at 6, but it is true. As soon as she has the power, she is going to grab. Why? Because in Adam, we died, we sinned.

Sometimes when you hear that for the first time, you think: that is not fair, that is not right. One person should not be able to do something on behalf of somebody else. But my friend, you do not want to give up that principle. If you give up that principle, you give up the resurrection. God looks at you today, if you are a Christian, and He says you are righteous. We ask how can that be — and the answer is the same principle: Christ's righteousness imputed to us.

The Word "All" Used Two Ways

Let me stop for a moment, because the word "all" appears twice in verse 22, but it is used in two different ways. This is really helpful, and just a reminder that you need to stay sharp as you work your way through Scripture. Every time you see the word "all," it does not mean everybody, every place, every time. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it speaks to a specific group, a subset.

That is the case here. "For as in Adam all died" — the "all" there is everybody who has ever lived. But then: "also in Christ all shall be made alive." Wait a minute. Is he saying everybody who has ever lived will be made alive in Christ? We do not believe that, do we? We are not universalists here. We do not believe that everybody who has ever lived will go to heaven. We understand there is a lake of fire — ultimately the

The Order of Resurrection

Now verse 23. We get a chronological order of the resurrection — a chronological sequencing of resurrection — "but each in his own order." Here is what is going to happen. Paul says in verse 20 that Christ has been raised from the dead, that He is the first fruit, and so now all these people are going to rise. Here is the order. First is Christ. That happened 2,000 years ago, and it is what we are going to celebrate two weeks from today in this church on this platform. It is just a terrific time of celebration for Easter. Then after that, those who are Christ's at His coming.

So here is what is going to happen. Christ rises, and then all of those who have been saved by grace through faith will rise, but they will not all rise at once. There is a sequencing here. The first group is those who are at Christ's coming.

What Paul Means by "Those Who Are Christ's at His Coming"

What is he talking about? Turn right from 1 Corinthians — through 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians — to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4. This is what Paul has in mind as he speaks of this. The Thessalonians were also a little confused about this bodily resurrection, so he writes this in verse 13: "We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep" — in other words, those who have died — "that you may not grieve as do the rest of the world who have no hope."

Stop there. Paul is not saying that we do not grieve when somebody dies. If you have someone you love — a mother or a father, a grandmother, a sister or a brother, a son or a daughter, a mentor or a friend — and they die, you grieve. You are not a robot. Your heart is sore. In many instances, there is a hole in your life that can never be filled. This is a person who has a very special relationship with you. Larry Wright was that for me. There is not going to be another Larry Wright in my life. There is not going to be somebody who was there when I was born spiritually and who nurtured me through those steps. There is a hole there. You have people like that in your life. We grieve.

Paul makes a distinction here. He is saying there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with tears, and there is nothing wrong with missing someone. There is even a sense in which that may continue for months and years and all through your life. It may get a little better, but it is there. But he says our grief is not without hope. He contrasts our grief with the world's grief.

Grief With Hope

This is not all there is. We believe there is resurrection after physical death, and in that resurrection we are with the Lord forever. There is a reuniting that takes place, and there is a joyous celebration, because this is not home. This is temporary.

We are getting ready to go to San Diego tonight. As soon as we are done with the last service, we are going to fly over to San Diego. When we get there, we will need to get around, so we will rent a car. We will have that car for two or three days, and then I will turn it in. Here is what I guarantee I will not do: I am not going to rotate the tires on that car. I am not going to change the oil. I am not going to run it through and get it cleaned and washed and detailed, because it is not mine. If it breaks down, I am going to leave it by the side of the road, take my phone, and call for help. But I do not really care much about that car. Why? Because it is not mine. There is a sense in which I would be diligent and treat it appropriately and not trash it, but it is not mine.

Paul is saying the same thing about this life. This is not our home. Do you not respond to your apartment differently than you did your first home?

This World Is Not Our Home

The problem with us is we have a tendency, as we go through this world, to accumulate stuff and polish stuff and save stuff and put stuff up on plaques and walls, accumulating more and more as though this is home. This isn't home. Paul is saying that when we die, we grieve because we are going to be separated, but our grief is always tempered. "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Paul writes to the church at Philippi and says, "For me to live is Christ and to die is great gain." He tells them, "I am pressed in both directions, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, and a desire to be with you."

We act like death is the end. Death isn't the end. Death is the beginning. We think we are living in the land of the living and moving to the land of the dead, when the reality is we are leaving the land of the dead and moving to the land of the living. That is what Paul is saying. Don't get so attached to this world.

The Order of the Resurrection

Verse 14: "For if we believe that Christ died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Christ. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who have fallen asleep." Paul tells us here that when Christ comes for His church — what we now call the rapture — there will be those Christians who will never die.

Here is how it takes place. Verse 16: "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." In other words, all those saints will rise first. "Then those of us who are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we will always be with the Lord." That word — rapture — is what he is talking about here. We are taken away in a moment. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, "in the twinkling of an eye." What is this going to look like? Bodies flying out of graves, and then those who are alive.

Here is what is interesting: we rarely read verse 18. "Therefore comfort one another with these words." There is the comfort. This life is not a bed of roses. There is hardship, difficulty, suffering, work, pain, and agony. But no matter how bad it gets, it can only last a lifetime. Then it is over, and we will be with the Lord forever. Comfort one another with these words.

The End and the Reign of Christ

So here is what Paul is saying regarding the order of the resurrection. First, Christ. After that, those who are in Christ at His coming. Then comes the end. The saints are taken away in the rapture, and after that an end comes. At this end, several things will happen: "He delivers up the kingdom to God the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and all power." This is when Christ takes all the things that have been subjected to Him and returns them to the Father.

Verse 25: "For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy that will be abolished is death." Even now, as you look around, it may not look like it, but Christ is reigning. Christ is in control. I had two or three occasions this week where I was talking to someone in the midst of something very difficult, and they said the same thing to me — and I think they say it because we come back with this message again and again at East Valley Bible Church. Here is what they said: "God either caused this or allowed it. Therefore, what I want to do is not respond by trying to figure out why. I just want to learn the lesson God has for me — and maybe it is nothing more than being able to associate with and feel compassion toward those around me who are hurting."

God is in control now. We do not lie awake at night worrying about things that look so disastrous to us, because we understand that God is in control. Watching the news, it is easy to spiral — what if this happens, and then that happens, and they bomb over there, and they do this over here. But God is in control. Your kids are growing up and getting away from you, and you don't know what to do. God is in control. They are laying off at work and you may not survive the next round. God is in control. He reigns. We need to understand that. And the last enemy that will be abolished is death.

The Resurrection of Believers in Three Stages

What Paul is talking about now is another resurrection. There is the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of believers, and the resurrection of believers takes place in three stages. Let us look at stages two and three. Turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 20.

John has this vision of how this world will end and how what Paul describes will be accomplished. Chapter 20, verses 1 and 2: Satan is bound and thrown into the abyss. Verse 4: "I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead or on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

Here is this next resurrection. We said Jesus will take His church away. Then Scripture tells us there will be a time of extraordinary tribulation. In the midst of this time, there will be an Antichrist.

The Mark, the Martyrs, and the Millennium

There will be a time of peace, and he looks like the real deal, but he is not. He is anti — the antithesis of Christ. In the midst of this, he will ask people to take a mark either on their hand or on their forehead. John says he saw those who were beheaded, but that is not necessarily a reference to execution by severing the head from the body. It is a general term that can speak of execution, not necessarily only that particular method. These are people who were killed because they would not take that mark and would not worship.

So in that tribulation time, there are going to be people who come to Christ in repentance and faith — a marvelous thing. That will all be of God, because at that point there are no believers left. Whatever evangelism takes place there will be through the Holy Spirit, or there is none at all. And they will reign with Him for a thousand years.

"And the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power. And they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years."

This is what we call the millennium. There are many different views on this passage, but our view at this church is that Jesus is literally coming again, and that this millennial reign describes Jesus presiding and ruling on this planet while Satan is bound. Some — amillennialists, for example — suggest that Satan has already been bound. But if Satan is bound right now, he is on a pretty long leash, because he is doing a great deal of damage in the process. It is hard to get around the plain reading of this text, though there are those who argue it is figurative. I do not think so. I believe he means literally a thousand years.

Satan's Final Defeat and the Great White Throne

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come and deceive the nations once more. But then, in verse 10, Christ intervenes: "And the devil who deceived them will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." That is the end — and that destruction is eternal torment, forever and ever.

Verse 11 continues: "I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose presence heaven and earth fled away, and no place was found. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire."

John records the words of Jesus in John 5:28–29, where Christ says do not be surprised — there is a moment coming when all the dead will hear His voice, and they will rise and be judged according to their deeds. Now when Scripture speaks of their deeds, it is not simply talking about the good things or the bad things they did in a moral ledger sense. The good deeds that lead to heaven are coming to Christ in repentance and faith. The others are thrown into hell — they are judged.

Why People Are in Hell

I received this question this week: are people in hell because they did not believe in Jesus? No. They are in hell because their sin must be judged. That is what is taking place here. We say this often: every sin that has ever been committed must be judged and paid for. It is either paid for in full by Christ on the cross, or it is paid for throughout all eternity by the person who committed it. That is the judgment.

If you are here today and you did not take communion, I do not have a crystal ball — I am not a psychic you call for $2.99 a minute — but I can tell you your future. Here is your future: you are going to live for a while, then you are going to die, and then you are going to be tormented day and night forever and ever. In the place called hell, there is this picture of fire. I watched a program the other night about people in a burn unit, and Mark Renz and I were talking after the first hour. They were describing how burns may be the most extraordinarily painful of all injuries. This is eternal torment and pain with no hope, no way out, and no second chance. That is the second death he is describing.

The Order of Resurrection Completed

So here is the full picture of the resurrection that has taken place: Christ first, then the believers who are alive at the time He comes for the rapture, then those who come to faith during the tribulation and then come to reign. Apparently even some in that process are judged and taken into heaven.

And now, verse 26 of 1 Corinthians 15: "The last enemy is abolished." Death is destroyed. Judgment has taken place. Verse 27: "For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, 'All things are put in subjection,' it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him." In other words, the Father presents all things to the Son, but the Father is not in subjection to the Son. All things are in subjection to the Son, but the Son is in subjection to the Father. He is still fully God, still part of the Holy Trinity, but He submits His will to the Father.

Verse 28: "And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all." At this end, the Son comes back and presents all things to the Father, and all things are restored again.

The Difficulty of Verse 29

John MacArthur says verse 29 may be one of the most difficult in all of Scripture, with many legitimate possible interpretations. I was talking to somebody this week who said that if you go into the library at Dallas Theological Seminary, you will find 52 doctoral theses written on this verse, and all 52 have a different perspective. I think I have the right interpretation. I'll tell you what I think it means in a minute, but first I want to tell you what I know it doesn't mean.

Let's read it: "Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead aren't raised, then why are they baptized for them?" The Mormons have taken this verse and instituted a whole doctrine of baptism for the dead. Do you ever wonder how, if you want to figure out what your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather did, the fastest place to find the information is Salt Lake? The reason genealogy is part of the Mormon faith is that they think they can go back and be baptized for those ancestors, and those ancestors can be saved.

This is a classic example of how you get bad doctrine and heresy. You take a verse that I think is simply meant to be illustrative, and you make it a precept or a truth. You find this concept nowhere else in all of Scripture.

In fact, the idea of baptism for the dead runs counter to what we believe. We don't even believe that in this world baptism saves you. We are going to have a baptism at 11 and again tonight at 6, and baptism is very important, but those people in that tank are not going to be saved because they were baptized. They are either saved or not saved by grace through faith. If I cannot be saved in this world by baptism, why would I be saved in the next world for somebody else as they are baptized for me?

Even in this world, as we did the baby dedication this morning, I guarantee you Jack and Jan Decker would love to be able to believe on Christ for Cameron, but they cannot. Our relationship with God is a personal relationship. It seems so obvious: Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed to man once to die and then judgment." If you are offering prayers for the souls of the dead, sending burning candles for them, saying masses for them, or being baptized for them, you are spinning your wheels. You are wasting your time, and that is really a symptom of a deeper misunderstanding of what salvation really is.

What Paul Is Actually Arguing in Verse 29

If you think you can contribute to somebody else's salvation, here is what I think Paul is doing in verse 29. He says "they" — "Why are they being baptized for them?" This is not something going on in that church, and it is clearly not something Paul is instituting and saying to go and follow. I think Paul is pointing to a group of people who are trying to do something for those who are already dead. His point is not "go do likewise." His point is not even to get into what they are doing.

What he is trying to get at is: why would they do that? Because they understand there is a resurrection. That is all he is saying. He is saying that the reason you go through all these gymnastics is because you understand there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

Watch how perfectly that fits into verse 30: "Why are we also in danger every hour?" They are going through the motions of baptizing for the dead — he does not fully understand why they do that — but he sees it rooted in the same conviction that drives his own suffering. In other words: why do we do what we do? Why are we in suffering and hardship?

The Resurrection Changes Everything

Look at verse 31: "I protest, brethren, by boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." And verse 32: "If from human motives I fought wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me?" Do you see the theme? You have people out there baptizing for the dead, and we are going through all kinds of suffering and pain — Paul is dying daily. If it is all just for human motives, for this earth alone, that makes no sense. It is about the resurrection. He now illustrates the importance of the resurrection because it begins to change all of life.

Go from 1 Corinthians 15 to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Paul says he dies daily, and he speaks of momentary light affliction. Look at 2 Corinthians 11, verse 24. He has been speaking of labor and imprisonment and beating and danger of death. Verse 24: "Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers in the sea, dangers among false brethren."

Paul said his life was lived right on the edge, constantly in danger in many different settings — on land and on sea, from fellow Jews, from Gentiles, in the country, in the city. He continues: "I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." And Paul's question, which is the very question he is asking here in 1 Corinthians 15, is: why would I do this? Why do I go through this?

I cannot relate to that. I have not received a beating. I have not been stoned, at least not in the sense Paul means it here. I have not been shipwrecked. I have not spent a night and a day adrift at sea.

Living for Eternity, Not This Moment

Apart from such external things, Paul writes of "the daily pressure on me for the concern of all the churches." I can't relate to verses 24 through 27, but verse 28 I can. There is rarely an hour of a day that goes by that I don't think about you and this church — the leadership, the volunteers, the staff, the elders. God allowed us the privilege of being part of the team that started this church, just as Paul did in Corinth. The difference is Paul moved on and was now wondering what was going on from a distance. The difference for me is that I hope to literally die right here one day — a long time from now.

Paul said he had pressure all over him. Why would he do that? Why would he go through the suffering and the pain? That makes no sense on the surface. But here is the answer, and it is the answer for Paul, and it is the answer for you — it is the reason you endure.

Momentary Light Affliction

Go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though the outer man is decaying, the inner man is being renewed day by day for momentary light affliction." Paul says listen — all those beatings, all that traveling, all those things we just looked at — you know what they are? Momentary light affliction. Why? Because he was just passing through here.

We don't even relate to that, and I know I need to call you on it because I need to check myself as well. There is an easy tendency to look at Good Friday and Easter and say, what a hassle — we have to add services, go out to the parking lot, some are going to sit on the floor, some are going to stand along the wall, and a bunch of people are going to be in our seats who don't give any money and are going to drink our coffee. Yes, what a hassle. You may have to stand along that wall while somebody comes in and God uses that service to open their heart and save them. What a hassle for you.

We cannot even relate. Our biggest hardship — and I hear it every week — is that it is too cold in the worship center. But seriously, how do we get through real hardship in life? Here is the answer: "Our momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporal. The things that are not seen are eternal."

Here is how we get through this life — by looking at the next life. All of a sudden, this life comes into focus. We are not deceived. We do not think this is all there is. We see things as they really are and understand it is not about this place, this time, this hour, this thing. It is about Christ taking the message to the world. Even the hardship we face in our lives, we endure it — and we endure it joyously — because this is temporary and that is eternal. That is why we do this.

The Earthly Tent

Verse 1 of chapter 5: "For we know that if the earthly tent, which is now our home, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For indeed, in this house we are groaning, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven." He is talking here about the body. This earthly tent — nobody really lives in a tent. You do not even want to stay in a tent. That is precisely his point. This body is a temporary dwelling. It is an earth suit for here. It is temporary.

He says we groan to get out of here. The closer I get to Him, the more I see Him, and the more I understand Him, the more I yearn to be with Him. That is what Paul is saying. The things that draw us to this world begin to lose their grip. Two things happen: we are racing toward eternity, and we are no longer being pulled back by people and places and things and stuff that weigh us down. We want to be free. That is what he is talking about.

Stop Sinning in Light of the Resurrection

He says, "If the dead are not raised, then let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" — bring on the party, verse 33 and 34. "Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. Be sober-minded as you ought and stop sinning." There is the motivation.

You have some besetting sin, something you cannot seem to conquer. We have all sorts of twelve steps for this and eleven thoughts for that and chicken soup for something else. Here is how you stop it, right here: you understand that it is sin, and you understand that you will rise again and your life will be judged. As Christians, your life will be judged by how you lived for Him. In 2 Timothy 3, before Paul tells us that all Scripture is inspired by God, he describes mankind — and then he points to Scripture as the answer. Why is Scripture the answer? Because an eternal God has written it. It is the owner's manual for your life.

Stop sinning. Why? Because you will rise again. Your life is going to be judged. Begin to really think about this, and you will start to yearn and see even how God is beginning to decorate heaven with those things.

Father, help us understand that these aren't just words. This is reality. If there is an illusion around us, it is this world that is temporary. The people you love and care for will be there, and you will be with them forever and ever.