Resurrection more than just an afterlife insurance policy.

A reading from First Corinthians 15:20 through 34 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello good people.

Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

This is where we offer you a daily reading of the New Testament from the Bible.

Every single day we drop an episode to help you to have a fresh look at the reading of your Bible.

We do this by reading from the Revised Common Lectionary.

We have a three year cycle in that to read through the whole Bible and we read through the New Testament here here.

When you see the Epiphany season and all this is brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com which is the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Guide.

We make the reading here of the Scriptures understandable by reading from the New Testament.

Only the message translation relatable by offering you a couple of points to ponder applicable giving you a point of action to take.

We have a prayer.

We do all of that in under 10 minutes.

Here's our reading for the day from 1 Corinthians 15:20 34.

The message reading from the message if corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't because he was indeed dead.

And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever.

It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection because they're already in their graves.

If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.

But the truth is that Christ has been raised the first and a long legacy of those who are going to leave the the cemeteries.

There is a nice symmetry in this.

Death initially came by a man and resurrection from death came by a man.

Everybody dies in Adam.

Everybody comes alive in Christ, but we have to wait our turn.

Christ is first, then those with him at his coming.

The grand consummation when after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father.

He won't let up until the last enemy is down and the very last enemy is death.

As the psalmist said, he laid them low, one and all.

He walked over them.

When scripture says that he walked over them, it's obvious that he couldn't at the same time be walked on.

When everyone and everything is finally under God's rule, the Son will step down, taking his place with everyone else.

Showing that God's rule is absolutely comprehensive, a perfect ending.

Why do you think people offer themselves to be baptized for those already in the grave, if there's no chance of resurrection for a corpse, if God's power stops at the cemetery gates, why do we keep doing things that suggest he's going to clean the place out, pulling everyone up on their feet alive?

And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work?

I look death in the face practically every day I live.

Do you think I do this?

If I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected messianic Jesus, do you think I was trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beast at Ephesus hoping it would be the end of me?

Not on your life.

It's resurrection.

Resurrection, always resurrection that undergirds what I do and say the way I live.

If there's no resurrection, we eat, we drink, the next day we die and that's all there is to it.

But don't fool yourselves.

Don't let yourselves be poisoned by this anti resurrection loose talk.

Bad company, ruins good manners.

Think straight.

Awaken to the holiness of life.

No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts.

Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these.

Aren't you embarrassed that you've let this kind of thing go on as long as you have?

What a great reading of the scripture this is all about.

Resurrection is more than just an insurance policy.

And Paul is really passionate about the resurrection here and he defends the resurrection.

And let's get into some points that he makes here that are applicable to your life.

Some points to ponder, if you will.

First is, number one, resurrection as a collective liberation.

Paul isn't just talking about individual salvation here.

He's painting a picture of a cosmic transformation.

That is when he speaks of Christ as the first and a long legacy.

He's describing a movement of liberation that begins with Jesus but extends to all of creation, including you and me.

This isn't about floating away to heaven.

It's about God's transformative power breaking into our world, challenging systems of death and oppression.

Resurrection is political.

It declares that empire, exploitation and death will not get the final word.

Another point the body matters.

In an age where some Christians still emphasize saving souls while ignoring bodily suffering, Paul's insistence on physical resurrection is radical.

He's saying that matter matters to God.

This has profound implications for how we approach issues like climate, justice, health care issues and food security.

If God cares about bodies enough to resurrect them, shouldn't we care about bodies enough to protect and nurture them in the here and now?

One more point.

It's about living resurrection.

Now.

The Bible says this.

Think straight.

Awaken to the holiness of life.

That's what the scripture says.

In today's lesson, Paul urges that resurrection isn't just a future hope, it's a present reality that should shape how we live.

When Paul talks about fighting the beast of Ephesus, he's describing the cost of challenging the dominant powers of the day.

Resurrection faith gives us courage to stand against death dealing systems today, whether they're economic injustice or environmental destruction or systematic racism.

Here's your action step this week.

Identify one death dealing system in our community.

It might be food insecurity.

It might be lack of affordable housing.

It might be the degradation of our environment.

Take a concrete action to resist it.

This could mean joining a local advocacy group, starting a community garden, or organizing a letter writing campaign to your local officials.

Whatever it is, remember every act of love and justice is in itself a small resurrection.

We're going to come back in a minute and have a closing prayer.

Just a reminder that everything we do here, A Daily Bible Refresh is brought to you by our website, voiceofgodddaily.com and that is where you can find an important resource for you.

It's the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Guide.

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It's just a few pages long and it gives you a point by point ABC 1, 2, 3 letter and number way to study your Bible every day.

You need this resource.

So please, please get this resource.

It's@voiceofgoddaily.com let's pray.

God of life and liberation shake us awake to the holiness that surrounds us when we're tempted to separate spirit from body, faith from action, future hope from present justice.

Remind us that you are the God who raises bodies and transforms systems.

Give us courage to risk ourselves for love, to stand against death in all its forms, to believe in resurrection enough to live it.

Help us to see that every meal shared, every injustice challenged, every act of solidarity is a taste of resurrection.

Make us people who don't just believe in resurrection, but embody it in our communities.

Amen.

Always a joy and a wonder to be with you here on the Daily Bible Refresh.

And this is Indeed episode number 805.

So you can count on us to be here tomorrow for episode 806 where we'll bring you a fresh expression of the reading of the Scriptures which is understandable, relatable and applicable.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

I hope that you'll join me again tomorrow.

We usually drop our episodes before 6am so I'll see you then.

Remember until then that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love doesn't dry up.

It's created new every morning.