Church: Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia | Text: 1 Corinthians 15:58 | Date: January 7, 2024 | Speaker: Fred Zaspel

Introduction

Let’s bow together in prayer.

Our Father, our whole hope is grace. We have nothing to plead but Jesus and all that’s been given to us in him. Lord, how thankful we are that you’ve given us an all-sufficient Savior, and in him you have done for us all that you require of us. He’s taken our sin, he’s taken our place, he’s given us his righteousness. He has borne the curse of our sin, condemned in our place. We’re grateful that we have one who is all-sufficient to give us all that we need before you. We thank you for your grace in him. We come this morning now to look at a passage of Scripture that exhorts us to faithfulness in service for Christ. We pray that you will fill our minds and our hearts with what we have sung this morning, with the greatness of your grace to us in Jesus Christ. And we pray that will impel us to serve more faithfully in this coming year. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

It is customary on the first Sunday of a new year for a pastor to take a passage of Scripture that would help shape our thinking for the coming year. And I’m going to do that this morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. When I was in high school, we had at our church a pretty aggressive Bible memory program. I memorized yards and yards and yards of Scripture, and it’s just been a wonderful thing for me ever since. And I remember distinctly during that time memorizing 1 Corinthians 15:58, which is the verse that we will look at this morning. And I thought, “Here is a verse that just ought to mark me for life.” And it was one of those that just had a wonderful impact on me. And I’ve probably referred to it countless times over the years, but here we are 50 years later, and this is the first time I’ve devoted the entire message to the verse. But that’s what we’ll do. But of course, we’ll look at it in its context to see what Paul has for us.

Let’s begin our reading in verse 50:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

As I mentioned, the word “therefore” is significant. It always is. It’s drawing a conclusion. It’s pulling on what has just been said, and it’s drawing some kind of an application or conclusion—in this case, an exhortation related to what he has just been teaching in the previous passage.

The Context of the Resurrection

So let’s glance back over the passage. You are familiar with it, I think. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is confronting a theological problem in the church at Corinth where some had denied the resurrection of Christ. So he begins 1 Corinthians 15 with an exposition of the gospel. A brief summary of it is in verses 1 and following: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. This is an essential of the gospel. And we have this: that he was seen of witnesses. This is a gospel essential which we have embraced, and having embraced it, we are saved, and we stand safe before a holy God.

And by the time we get to verse 12, we see where Paul is going with this. If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a gospel essential which you have embraced, well then, how in the world can some of you deny the resurrection of the body? You’ve already acknowledged it. You’ve already embraced it. It is an essential of the gospel that you’ve already assented to and acknowledged. And in fact, the resurrection of Jesus—and this is essential to Paul’s whole argument through the chapter—the resurrection of Jesus is that end-time resurrection that we look forward to. Jesus experienced it first. He was raised into that resurrection of the last day. And because he was raised into that, we, being joined to him, will be raised also with him. But the point up through verse 12 is the resurrection is a gospel essential. You can’t deny it; you’ve already acknowledged it is an essential that we have all embraced.

And then verses 20 and following, we have this Adam Christology—our union with Christ. Adam was our first head; now Christ is our great head. Tied to him, we have all that he has accomplished for us. And so because Jesus has been raised from the dead, we also shall be raised from the dead because we are united to him. We will be raised from the dead—and this is essential to Paul’s teaching here—we will be raised from the dead in the last day, not simply because God has said so. There’s an undergirding necessity. We will be raised from the dead because we have been united to Jesus Christ, who has been raised from the dead. And because our forerunner has gone ahead of us and been raised, we also will be raised with him. That’s verses 20, 21, and 22.

Then we come to verse 23, and Paul gives us a brief overview of the end times. We have the return of Christ. We have the resurrection of the righteous. We have a brief period of time, undefined, when Christ will put down all authorities and powers. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

And then we come to verse 35, and we have Paul’s exposition of what that resurrection body will be like. So you say, “What in the world is a resurrection body going to be like? How does it compare to this body?” And Paul’s answer, in short, is that there’ll be continuity with this body because we will be raised just like Jesus was raised physically. The tomb was empty; there’s continuity, but it’ll be of a different kind. It will be remade in a way that is fitting for that immortal life there. And it comes to its climax in verse 49: “We shall bear the image of the man from heaven.” We already bear the image of the man from the earth, Adam; now we will bear the image of the man from heaven. Or more clearly, what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3, verse 21: “He will transform our bodies to be made like his glorious body.” So Jesus, raised in resurrection power and in glory—that will be the kind of resurrection body we will have, a body that is suited for that life in the new heavens and the new earth.

All of that now is in the background when we come to verse 58. Here he comes to make application. “Therefore, because of all of this that you’ve learned now about the resurrection, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” In brief, he’s saying here that because we will be raised with Christ tomorrow, busy yourself in service for Christ today. That’s the long and the short of it. Now you’ve heard the whole message. Because I’m a preacher, I want to expound on that at great length today, but that’s the message in brief: Because tomorrow we’ll be raised with Christ, busy yourself in service for Christ today. This truth about the resurrection, this truth about the future life, serves as an incentive to faithfulness in service for him today.

The Work Of The Lord

Now the terms that he uses here are “work” and “labor.” Work in the Lord and labor—synonymous expressions. In 1 Corinthians, these terms are used with reference specifically to Christian service, service that is done for Christ. You find that in chapter three, chapter nine, and some other places where Paul uses the word in that kind of a context. It’s Christian ministry in a formal sense. So it’s pastors, it’s deacons, it’s Sunday school teachers—Christian ministry in a formal sense.

Just to give you an idea of what this work is for the Apostle Paul, I’ll read for you 2 Corinthians 11. He said he had far greater labors than most others, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, often near death. “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea.” So you get this picture of Paul hanging on a board or something out at sea for a day and a night. “On frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” And you thought you had to work. This is what work for the Lord, or the work of the Lord as he expresses it here—this is what it cost the Apostle Paul.

But we shouldn’t keep this in just a formal sense. Paul is addressing the church at large. He’s not just talking to the elders, he’s not just talking to the deacons, or just the Sunday school; he’s talking to the church at large. And when he speaks here of the work of the Lord and your labor for the Lord, he has in mind any work that is undertaken out of commitment to Christ, whether it’s a formal office of some kind or any work that is done for Christ. One commentator expresses it well, I think, when he says he’s referring to activity that one would not naturally engage in were it not for their faith in Christ. And I think we can add something to that, and that is: it is a work, an activity that we engage in because of Christ that is particularly difficult or burdensome. After all, it is work and it’s labor.

So, what does he mean here by the work of the Lord? Well, put minimally, the work of the Lord is—let’s just say it this way—inconveniencing ourselves in order to serve Christ. It’s making decisions, making commitments, taking actions that are maybe burdensome, but we take those actions and make those commitments and make those decisions because of kingdom values that we have. That’s the work of the Lord. In plain words, that’s spending your time, spending your energy, yes, spending your money, because of kingdom values. Helping, serving, witnessing, advancing the cause of Christ on an individual level; advancing the cause of Christ, helping at a corporate level in the assembly; putting aside other otherwise legitimate interests in order to busy yourself specifically in service for Christ. What Paul has in mind, as we’ll see here, is the idea of just throwing yourself into service for Christ.

Now, to get that in perspective, we should point out that Paul here is just echoing something that the Lord Jesus said. He’s simply echoing what Jesus laid down as the demand of discipleship. Matthew 16:24, also in Mark 8:34, are familiar verses to you: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Cross-bearing. Now I think this needs some definition. Often in popular usage today in Christian circles, “bearing a cross” has somehow come to mean enduring something that’s happened to you. “So I have a debilitating illness; that’s my cross to bear.” Or, “Someone has wronged me; that’s my cross to bear.” And I suppose in some extended sense that might be a right use of it. But what Jesus has in mind here is not something that happens to you. What Jesus has in mind is a deliberate choice of a painful alternative. That’s how I like to define it. When he says, “Take up your cross, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me,” he’s speaking of a deliberate choice of a painful alternative. We follow Christ in his way of suffering. We live under the cross. Ours is not the way of glory. Ours is the way of the cross, like Christ. And so we make decisions and we make commitments that are inconvenient, and maybe even painful and difficult, but we do it in order to serve Christ. “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”

And Jesus tells us that that is a basic requirement of all who would come to Christ. He makes it very plain: if you’re not willing to do that for me, then you’re not worthy of me, and I won’t have you. Luke 14, verse 27: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Jesus says, in effect, “I have not saved you to ride on beds of ease all the way to heaven.” You don’t get just a “get out of hell free” card. You’ve been saved to serve.

Now, you’ve heard me say it many times: on the one hand, we must say—and we glory in this—salvation is absolutely free. Jesus has done all the work that saves; he’s borne the sin, he gives us his righteousness, and our whole hope is grounded on Jesus and nothing else. But on the other hand, salvation costs us absolutely everything. Jesus says, “You come to me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” Every day, we make choices that will serve him, that will inconvenience us, but we take up our cross. Jesus emphasizes this repeatedly also. If you put your hand to the plow and turn back, you’re not worthy of me. If you come to me, you must hate your mother and father. Your service for me must be of such great commitment that it seems that all other loves are hates.

And Paul is drawing on that, and we find that often in the epistles where the apostles will describe for us the Christian life. The metaphors that the apostles use for the Christian life are enlightening here. They speak of warfare. They speak of the Christian life as striving, running a race, punching out your own body. Those kind of metaphors are used to describe what the Christian life is like. I was going to take the time to turn here to 2 Timothy chapter two, but I think I’ll skip that for now, but I’ll just characterize it briefly. In that passage—you can look it up on your own—Paul gives us three metaphors for the Christian life: it’s like being a farmer, it’s like being an athlete, and it’s like being a soldier. Can you imagine a soldier out there whining, “Hey, they’re shooting at me”? Or, “Man, it’s cold out here, I don’t like this”? Or can you imagine an athlete saying, “I don’t want to train. I don’t want to do the workouts”? Or can you imagine a farmer? We have an expression: “He’s a lazy farmer.” I don’t know that there’s ever been one, and if there was, he wasn’t a farmer for long. A farmer works. That’s the characteristic of being a farmer. You work; you’re up early, you’re at it, you plant, you weed, you harvest, you cultivate, you fix the machinery, take care of the animals. The Christian life is like a farmer at work. It’s like an athlete pressing hard, and it’s like a soldier enduring hardship. Well, that’s how Paul deals with it in 2 Timothy chapter 2.

Be Steadfast, Immovable, Always Abounding

Now Paul is drawing on all of that here when he says in verse 58, “your work” or “your labor for the Lord.” Our commitment to Christ is more than just a mere profession. Our commitment to Christ is something that shapes all of life. It requires something of us. It requires work, effort, diligence. It requires our attention. It requires our money, our energies. We work for others, we serve them, we help them, we pray for them, we witness, and we do all of these things that sometimes involve self-sacrifice out of commitment to Christ.

Now notice the terminology that Paul uses here in verse 58: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Now those first two, “steadfast” and “immovable,” I guess are just synonyms. Steadfast has the idea of being fixed solidly in place. Immovable—it’s really saying the same thing, but from the negative standpoint. The idea is that of being resolute and determined and resolved. “I’m in this, and I’m in it for good.” And Paul probably means when he says, “be steadfast and immovable,” he probably has that in mind with reference to the gospel essentials, like the resurrection, which some were denying—be steadfast in adhering to this. But I think in the context of this work of the Lord, he’s speaking with reference to perseverance in Christian service. The work of the Lord: be steadfast. In other words, don’t be the person who quits. Don’t be the person who serves by fits and starts. Be steadfast, immovable.

And then he adds another one: “Always abounding in the work of the Lord.” That word “abounding” has the idea of overflowing, excessiveness, being rich, having more than enough, having an abundance. This is the same word, by the way, that’s used in Ephesians 1:8, that God’s grace was lavished on us—more than enough. In other words, it’s not just a brief moment of service here and a moment of service there, but continually giving ourselves to the work of the Lord in many ways—not half-heartedly, but wholeheartedly; not with laziness, not giving in to self-interests. It’s not the person who says, “Well, I’m already doing more than he is,” but there’s an abundance and an overflow of abundance of service for the Lord. The New International Version here in verse 58, as it often does, kind of paraphrases this, but it captures the sense very well. Those of you who have the NIV, you’ll see that it reads, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.” Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. That’s the idea of the verse—giving yourself completely and entirely and fully, always giving your best effort and throwing yourself into the work of the Lord. You may be tired in serving Christ, but in fact there may be more to do. That’s the idea here. More areas of ministry, more people who need your help, more money that should be given to help others, to further the kingdom in whatever way. Neither Paul, nor the other apostles, nor Jesus himself ever said, “Well, you can only do so much.” Rather what Paul says is, Acts 20, verse 24: “I do not count my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that the Lord Jesus has given to me.” It’s too easy for us to feel that we’ve already given too much. You have the self-interests that come in and we forget this idea of taking up our cross. Paul is saying here, let this be the focus, let this be the shaping consideration of our lives: work for the Lord.

Now, as always, Jesus is the model. “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many.” Or as Paul echoes that in 2 Corinthians chapter 8: “He who was rich for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.” Or Philippians chapter 2: He that was in the form of God—imagine all the glories of the Son of God—did not grasp onto that at all cost but emptied himself; he humbled himself and was found in fashion as a man. What a condescension from that to that. And not just that, but became obedient—while he’s doing it—obedient all the way to the cross. Jesus is the model.

Your Labor Is Not In Vain

Now notice again how Paul reasons here in verse 58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast.” So, “therefore”—he’s drawing it, his exhortation is drawn from this resurrection theology. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing. This almost certainly would be called a causative participle. It would be very right to translate it, “because you know.” So, “My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know.” And what is it you know? You work for the Lord, you abound in work for the Lord, because you know something. And what you know is: this work that I give to Christ is not for nothing. That’s the Christian hope.

Now in context, he’s saying here—by the way, this expression, “you know that your labor is not in vain,” that’s a—there’s a word for it: litotes. Anybody ever heard that word? It’s a dramatic understatement. It’s the word that you use in literary context. So it’s a word, litotes—you have to say it and then you have to explain it. It’s a dramatic understatement. So Paul says, for example, in one place, he comes from “no mean city.” Well, in other words, it was a great city. You dramatically understate to say the other. Or we know of a person who invested $10,000 in some stocks, and they took off, and now he’s worth millions. And he might say, “Yeah, that wasn’t a bad investment.” No, it wasn’t bad at all; it was spectacular. It’s a dramatic understatement. And what Paul is saying here—”because you know that your labor is not in vain”—he’s saying you know that you will be fully rewarded. In context, that’s the return of Christ, the resurrection, the glory that we share in Christ’s resurrection, and the Christian hope that we have in him. In other words, there’s continuity between life in our mortal bodies and a future life in our resurrection, glorified bodies.

Paul speaks of this in terms of rewards. In 1 Corinthians, this book, chapter three and four, he speaks of those who work for Christ and the rewards that will be given for them. One commentator writes—he’s a 19th-century writer—he says, “Faith in the resurrection produces a consciousness of boundless and endless power for work.” Paul talks like that. You remember back in—oh, look at it, verse 19: “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men to be pitied.” As if there’s no resurrection of the dead, and what? Pitiable, stupid people we are. We give ourselves to all this work and sacrifice for Christ and there’s no resurrection? What’s the point? How dumb is that? We are to be the most pitied of all people, to give ourselves to a delusion. And Paul talks like that again, down in verses 30 to 32: “Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'” What’s the point of all of this, if there is no resurrection?

But what he is telling us here in verse 58 is that we know something. We know that our labor is not in vain. There is a resurrection, and there is reward, and there’s full payment to come. We work, he says, because we know. I’m not much for “keys to Christian living.” It always kind of worries me when people say that, but there are some considerations for Christian living that are absolutely essential, and this is one of them: we work because we know. We subject our emotions and our feelings to what we know. We make decisions and we make commitments based on what we know. God has revealed certain things to us and we make our decisions accordingly. We work because we know. We subject lesser interests to interests that are of greater importance because of what we know. And what that means here is that work for Christ—we work for him in an abundant kind of way, like he describes—because we know that the Lord Jesus will make it more than worth it to us.

Now, there are other incentives for Christian living and perhaps higher incentives, but this is one. In fact, this introduces us to the whole idea of rewards in the New Testament; it’s an intriguing theme. He doesn’t tell us everything about it and we’re left with some questions, but he does tell us enough to know that something big is coming. Jesus speaks of it often in his parables. “You’ve been faithful in little, I’ll set you over much.” “You’ve been faithful in this, I’ll give you authority over ten cities.” What does that look like in the eschaton? Paul speaks of it in terms of reward in 1 Corinthians 3. He speaks of it in terms of reward in 2 Corinthians 4 and 5. He says this “momentary light affliction”—you know, out in the deep for a day and a night, hanging on a board and being beaten and left to starve and all of that—this “light momentary affliction works for us a far exceeding weight of glory.”

Now, what does that reward look like? That’s part of the questions that aren’t answered for us in the New Testament. What does it mean, Christ will reward us? In fact, some Christian interpreters have even been skeptical of the whole idea. There aren’t going to be slums in heaven, are there? No, there won’t be. Well, what does it mean then that we’ll be rewarded according to our faithfulness and service? And I’ve got a great answer for it: it’s, “I don’t know.” Maybe it’s some degree of recognition, maybe it’s some degree of realization of God’s blessing, I don’t know. But one of my favorite expressions of this idea is found in Hebrews chapter six and verse 10. Why don’t you take the time to look at it? I think it’s just a most encouraging verse. Hebrews chapter six and verse 10. I’ll give you a moment to find it. All right, Hebrews 6:10: “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints.” Notice this: it is a matter of justice. God considers it a matter of justice to reward you for the work that you’ve done, the love that you’ve shown toward his name in serving others.

Now that brings up a certain kind of irony with regard to this whole doctrine of rewards in the New Testament. It’s really a strange thing, because on the one hand, we have to say, when I have served Christ faithfully, I’ve only done what I ought to have done. How do you get rewarded for that? Jesus talks about that in Luke 17. You’ve done what you ought to have done; you’re still an unworthy servant. And then, on the other hand, another consideration that makes this all seem very strange is that alongside this promise of rewards in the New Testament is the persistent reminder of our helplessness apart from divine grace. So if you serve Christ, it is only because God is at work in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And Paul can say, “I’ve worked more than you all,” and then on the other hand, he says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” And if, after I have served Christ faithfully, I’ve only done what I ought to have done, and if after I’ve served him, it’s only because of God’s effective work in me, why should I get rewarded for it? And yet, it remains the case that God rewards faithfulness. And he considers it a matter of justice. He will not overlook. He is not so unjust as to overlook your work and your love for his name that you have shown in serving the saints. As he says in Matthew 25 in the parable of the talents, when he greets the workers when they come in: “Well done, you good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful in a little, I’ll put you over much.” And then that great line: “Enter into the joy of your master.” Can you imagine? The Lord Jesus says, “Well done, enter into the joy of your master.”

All of this is what Paul tells us in verse 58: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Service for Christ can be demanding. You may wonder sometimes if you can keep up. One of our deacons here not long ago happened to remark that he was here at the church building eight hours one day because of all that he had to do at the deacon’s meeting and other commitments that he does. And it’s not just him; there are plenty of others around here that work in various ways, both for the church corporately and out in other various ministries. People look in and they think—they’ve gotta think—”Why would you do that?” And Paul tells us we do that because we know something. We know that this work is not for nothing. Jesus Christ has died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He’s been raised from the dead the third day for our justification according to the Scriptures. And according to the Scriptures, he’s ascended to the throne of the universe. And according to the Scriptures, he’ll return and raise us to share in his glory.

Your work may be tiresome. In fact, your work might go unrecognized and unappreciated. What Paul is telling us here very plainly is that the Lord Jesus, the judge, takes it all into account. And he’s not unjust so as to overlook your work, your love shown toward his name in ministering to the saints. And because we know all this, we stay at it—continually, resolutely, unreservedly, immovably. With our minds fixed on Christ, we labor knowing that it’s not for nothing. And we remind ourselves, and we gather with those who will remind us, of the realities of Christ’s resurrection and ours.

The Christian mind is always oriented to the future. We have an ordinance where we look back and remember Christ. We do this in remembrance of him, but we do this in remembrance of him until he comes. These are the two bookends of the Christian life, the two points of reference. We look back to see what Christ has accomplished for us; we look ahead to see what he will bring when he brings us the blessings of it in their fullness. The Christian mind is always oriented to the future.

A couple of generations ago, there was a chorus that was sung in churches that was popular. I haven’t heard it in years and years. Some of you probably remember it: “With eternity’s values in view.” Anybody remember that? “With eternity’s values in view, with eternity’s values in view; let me do every day’s work for Jesus with eternity’s values in view.” That’s what Paul is telling us here: that we are to live under the cross, follow Jesus in his way of the cross, abounding in service for him, and joyfully anticipating the day when he comes to raise us and to share in his glory. We must make this not just for 2024, but for the rest of our lives, the shaping consideration that marks our lives. Amen.