1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that
your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 15 is the classic chapter on the resurrection. It begins by speaking about the resurrection of Christ and how His resurrection was according to the Scriptures. It then goes on to tell about many of the eyewitnesses of the risen Christ, and then Paul goes on to present a case for the absolute necessity of the resurrection. He states that if Christ did not rise from the dead then our faith is worthless. But after talking about all that, the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to go on and talk about a future resurrection, a resurrection of all believers. The Bible teaches that when a Christian dies their body goes into the ground but their spirit goes to be with the Lord. But there is a resurrection coming in which the bodies of those who have died will be taken up into heaven and changed into a new body, one that is imperishable and undefiled. When this resurrection happens all the believers that are still living will be caught up along with those who have died. This is what 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is speaking about - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." This is the event known as the rapture of the church and Paul clearly talks about this event in 1 Corinthians 15. And we can gain a great deal of knowledge by reading through this entire chapter and seeing how the Lord connects His bodily resurrection to the resurrection that is in store for all believers. But my purpose right now isn't to look into all the different aspects of the resurrection, although that is a very profitable study, my purpose is to look in this text and see how the Lord says we are to be living in the light of His soon return.
At the end of the chapter we're given one verse of application. In light of the fact that we are going to be called up at the last trumpet and changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, verse 58 says - "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
Be steadfast, immovable. This almost sounds redundant. He says that we're to be "steadfast." This word carries with it the idea of being fixated, but in case we missed it he seems to emphasize that point by say that we are to be, not only steadfast, but also immovable. This is a much stronger word. To be immovable means just that. So what is this talking about here? Does this mean that we are to stand in one spot and never move again as we wait on the Lord to appear? Certainly not. Is this speaking of a moral or doctrinal steadfastness, holding firm to the truths of Gods Word without compromise? It could be. Peter says something along these lines in 2 Peter 3:17-18 - "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 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." So this is definitely a something that is taught in Scripture. We need to watch out for deceitful philosophies and false teachers creeping into the church and be sure that we are standing firm upon Gods Word as the ultimate authority in all things. But that doesn't appear to be what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 15:58. He doesn't mention doctrine or false teachers but actually he is talking about being involved in the Lords work. Again the verse says - "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." In Light of Christs soon return we need to be busy about our Lords business. We need to be so committed to the work of the Lord that no one or nothing will be able to distract or dissuade us from it. We need to be steadfast, immovable in the Lords work. When Christ returns He should find us busy about His business. Christ is doing a work all around the world today. Wherever His people are He is doing a work in that place. Christ did not place you where you are right now for no reason. God has a specific work for you to do right now right where He placed you and we need to be busy about our Fathers business. Are you doing the work that the Lord has given you to do? Here's a better question, are you steadfast and immovable in the work that the Lord has called you to do?
But the verse doesn't stop there. In light of Christs imminent return we need to be steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord, but it also says that we are to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord." Always means always, it's pretty hard to get around that. And abounding doesn't sound halfhearted or like we're barely getting by. But is these even feasible? Is it possible for us to "always abound" in the work of the Lord? In his book, the pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer talks about a habit that Christians have of unconsciously dividing their lives into two categories, the sacred and the secular. The sacred would consist of things like going to church, praying, reading the Bible, witnessing and others things like this. The secular would be things like eating, sleeping, going to work or school, things that both saved and lost people do because they're just a part of living in this world. And so when we're told to "Always abound in the work of the Lord" we can respond by saying something like, "I can't be involved in the Lords work right now, I have to go to work, don't I?" Or, "I have to sleep sometime, I can't always be busy about Gods work." But this mentality comes as a result of dividing our lives into these two different categories. The Lord hasn't called us to a divided life. Did you know that the things we might call "secular" we can actually do for the glory of God? Paul tells the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." The Bible says that we can even do such trivial things as eating and drinking for the glory of God. And this can apply to any area of our lives. When you go to work or to school, you can do your work to the best of your ability, having a good attitude, and God will be glorified in that. So what am I getting at? I am simply saying that it is possible to "always abound in the work of the Lord." Everything that the Lord has commanded us to do He has enabled us to do. He would not tell us to "Always abound" in His work if it were not possible. Gods commands are His enablings. At the same time, this doesn't mean that everything we do is automatically fulfilling His work. We need to be careful with our time and our choices. We need to consider how God can best do His work through our lives, and if there is some trivial event or practice in our lives that is hindering His work or dimming the light that He wants to shine through us then we need to forsake that, whatever it is. This is extreme, but this is the life that God wants us to live. A life wholly devoted to His work. And in light of His soon return this is how He wants us to live. "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."
But that still isn't the whole verse. After telling us to "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," He says "knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." The work that we do "in the Lord" will last forever. There are a lot of things that we do in the flesh, sometimes we even think that we're doing them for the Lord, but our heart isn't right, our motivation isn't right, and these works will be burned up at the judgment seat of Christ when our lives will be tested by fire to divide the worthless from those things that bring God glory. In our flesh we cannot please God, with our own efforts we cannot bring Him glory. The only way He will be glorified in our lives is if we allow Him to live His life through us. We need to surrender ourselves, body, mind and spirit to Him. Our toil is not in vain "in the Lord."
Christ is coming soon, maybe today. Our lives can either be filled with earthly pursuits, or we can be consumed with Him. As the Lords return draws near may we be found faithful in the work that the Lord has called us to. May we not become distracted by the trivial worthless things of this world that are passing away. May we constantly abound in His work without wavering.
1 Corinthians 15 is the classic chapter on the resurrection. It begins by speaking about the resurrection of Christ and how His resurrection was according to the Scriptures. It then goes on to tell about many of the eyewitnesses of the risen Christ, and then Paul goes on to present a case for the absolute necessity of the resurrection. He states that if Christ did not rise from the dead then our faith is worthless. But after talking about all that, the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to go on and talk about a future resurrection, a resurrection of all believers. The Bible teaches that when a Christian dies their body goes into the ground but their spirit goes to be with the Lord. But there is a resurrection coming in which the bodies of those who have died will be taken up into heaven and changed into a new body, one that is imperishable and undefiled. When this resurrection happens all the believers that are still living will be caught up along with those who have died. This is what 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is speaking about - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." This is the event known as the rapture of the church and Paul clearly talks about this event in 1 Corinthians 15. And we can gain a great deal of knowledge by reading through this entire chapter and seeing how the Lord connects His bodily resurrection to the resurrection that is in store for all believers. But my purpose right now isn't to look into all the different aspects of the resurrection, although that is a very profitable study, my purpose is to look in this text and see how the Lord says we are to be living in the light of His soon return.
At the end of the chapter we're given one verse of application. In light of the fact that we are going to be called up at the last trumpet and changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, verse 58 says - "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
Be steadfast, immovable. This almost sounds redundant. He says that we're to be "steadfast." This word carries with it the idea of being fixated, but in case we missed it he seems to emphasize that point by say that we are to be, not only steadfast, but also immovable. This is a much stronger word. To be immovable means just that. So what is this talking about here? Does this mean that we are to stand in one spot and never move again as we wait on the Lord to appear? Certainly not. Is this speaking of a moral or doctrinal steadfastness, holding firm to the truths of Gods Word without compromise? It could be. Peter says something along these lines in 2 Peter 3:17-18 - "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 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." So this is definitely a something that is taught in Scripture. We need to watch out for deceitful philosophies and false teachers creeping into the church and be sure that we are standing firm upon Gods Word as the ultimate authority in all things. But that doesn't appear to be what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 15:58. He doesn't mention doctrine or false teachers but actually he is talking about being involved in the Lords work. Again the verse says - "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." In Light of Christs soon return we need to be busy about our Lords business. We need to be so committed to the work of the Lord that no one or nothing will be able to distract or dissuade us from it. We need to be steadfast, immovable in the Lords work. When Christ returns He should find us busy about His business. Christ is doing a work all around the world today. Wherever His people are He is doing a work in that place. Christ did not place you where you are right now for no reason. God has a specific work for you to do right now right where He placed you and we need to be busy about our Fathers business. Are you doing the work that the Lord has given you to do? Here's a better question, are you steadfast and immovable in the work that the Lord has called you to do?
But the verse doesn't stop there. In light of Christs imminent return we need to be steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord, but it also says that we are to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord." Always means always, it's pretty hard to get around that. And abounding doesn't sound halfhearted or like we're barely getting by. But is these even feasible? Is it possible for us to "always abound" in the work of the Lord? In his book, the pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer talks about a habit that Christians have of unconsciously dividing their lives into two categories, the sacred and the secular. The sacred would consist of things like going to church, praying, reading the Bible, witnessing and others things like this. The secular would be things like eating, sleeping, going to work or school, things that both saved and lost people do because they're just a part of living in this world. And so when we're told to "Always abound in the work of the Lord" we can respond by saying something like, "I can't be involved in the Lords work right now, I have to go to work, don't I?" Or, "I have to sleep sometime, I can't always be busy about Gods work." But this mentality comes as a result of dividing our lives into these two different categories. The Lord hasn't called us to a divided life. Did you know that the things we might call "secular" we can actually do for the glory of God? Paul tells the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." The Bible says that we can even do such trivial things as eating and drinking for the glory of God. And this can apply to any area of our lives. When you go to work or to school, you can do your work to the best of your ability, having a good attitude, and God will be glorified in that. So what am I getting at? I am simply saying that it is possible to "always abound in the work of the Lord." Everything that the Lord has commanded us to do He has enabled us to do. He would not tell us to "Always abound" in His work if it were not possible. Gods commands are His enablings. At the same time, this doesn't mean that everything we do is automatically fulfilling His work. We need to be careful with our time and our choices. We need to consider how God can best do His work through our lives, and if there is some trivial event or practice in our lives that is hindering His work or dimming the light that He wants to shine through us then we need to forsake that, whatever it is. This is extreme, but this is the life that God wants us to live. A life wholly devoted to His work. And in light of His soon return this is how He wants us to live. "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."
But that still isn't the whole verse. After telling us to "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," He says "knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." The work that we do "in the Lord" will last forever. There are a lot of things that we do in the flesh, sometimes we even think that we're doing them for the Lord, but our heart isn't right, our motivation isn't right, and these works will be burned up at the judgment seat of Christ when our lives will be tested by fire to divide the worthless from those things that bring God glory. In our flesh we cannot please God, with our own efforts we cannot bring Him glory. The only way He will be glorified in our lives is if we allow Him to live His life through us. We need to surrender ourselves, body, mind and spirit to Him. Our toil is not in vain "in the Lord."
Christ is coming soon, maybe today. Our lives can either be filled with earthly pursuits, or we can be consumed with Him. As the Lords return draws near may we be found faithful in the work that the Lord has called us to. May we not become distracted by the trivial worthless things of this world that are passing away. May we constantly abound in His work without wavering.
Give
me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh
let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only
one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
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