Body
The Trumpet Shall Sound, 19 April 2026
19 04 26 Filed in: Sermons | Handel's Messiah
The Trumpet Shall Sound
Handel’s Messiah
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
April 19, 2026
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Series Big Idea: Handel’s Messiah may be the greatest work of music ever created, bringing praise and glory to the Creator.
Big Idea: Transformation is coming soon…get ready!
Today we’re continuing our series on Handel’s Messiah, arguably the greatest piece of music ever composed…with lyrics taken directly from the Bible. Today’s song is The Trumpet Shall Sound.
The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
High school. For some, it’s filled with wonderful memories of making the homecoming court, scoring the winning touchdown, or winning the spelling bee. For others, it’s social awkwardness, struggling through final exam week, or a long list of poor choices. I went to Brighton High School in Michigan and graduated in nineteen…something! The best thing that happened to me in high school occurred in my senior year when I met the love of my life, an amazing girl named Heather.
The second-best memory of high school is band…symphonic band, jazz band, and most of all marching band. I played the trumpet and our trumpet section was so passionate, we made t-shirts that said, “Trumpets Jam.” I don’t have the t-shirt, but I still have the trumpet! The greatest thrill was when four of us were featured at the Detroit Lions halftime show at the old Pontiac Silverdome, hearing my name over the PA system in front of 80,000 fans (most of whom were at the concession stands or bathrooms!).
There are several texts in the Bible that mention musical instruments, but arguably the most exciting is found in today’s scripture reading. The New Living Translation of Paul’s message to the church in Corinth says,
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, NLT)
There is so much we don’t know about the future, but this hopeful text reveals many things. First, transformation is coming. I’m too old to have played with Transformers, but I know of their ability to change from one thing to another. That’s the idea of transformation. A caterpillar is transformed into a…butterfly. We all realize change can be hard, especially when loss is involved, but in the case of our bodies, transformation is a beautiful thing.
Our transformed bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrected body. It will be immortal. Jesus ate after the resurrection, so we will eat…but perhaps we won’t have to count calories! There was at least one moment when Jesus seemed to defy the laws of physics and enter a room without going through a door or window.
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. (John 20:26, NLT)
That’s kind of fun! Easter is about more than just Jesus’ resurrection. It’s a preview of coming attractions for his followers, too. We will have our own resurrection day soon (well, after we die!).
Let’s compare our current bodies from our resurrected ones:
Perishable imperishable
Sown in dishonor raised in glory
Sown in weakness raised in power
Sown a natural body raised a spiritual body (1 cor. 15:35-54)
Sickness and death no sickness or death
There’s more to the transformation than just the physical flesh and blood which will decay and die. Our sinful nature is in rebellion against God. It’s not suitable for the new world that is to come, the new creation, and someday followers of Jesus will be free from sin and temptation. If we read a bit more…
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, NLT)
I love those words. Those are fightin’ words! Death, you won’t have the last word. Your time is coming to an end. Jesus defeated you. King Jesus rules!
Paul quotes from two Old Testament prophets, Isaiah (25) and Hosea (13). But if you look at the entire library we call the Bible, you will see the themes of creation, death, and new creation. What God did in Jesus the Messiah He will do for all of Jesus’ followers. Through Jesus, we’ve been given victory over sin and death. It has been given, it will be given, and in the here and now it is being given to us.
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57, NLT)
Like much of scripture, it is a present and future reality, now and not yet. Sure, we look to the future, but don’t miss the present reality, the mission, the calling to make disciples, to love, equip, and send. Jesus didn’t come so we can go to heaven when we die. He came so we could experience moments of heaven now—Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven—and in a more complete way in the future.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT)
The things we do in this life matter for eternity, good or bad. Paul is saying specifically the things we do for the LORD are not in vain, they are never useless. This is an important thing for us to remember. We have a present responsibility, an opportunity today.
All this talk of resurrected bodies and new creation are wonderful…for followers of Jesus. But tragically, there is an alternative destination for those in rebellion against God. From Matthew 25 to 2 Thessalonians 1 to Revelation 20, we see judgment is coming and without Jesus as Savior, they are without hope. We must tell them. We must show them. We must proclaim good news in word and deed.
Family, one of my five prayers for us is passion…passion for the things that matter to God…passion for the lost. I have family members, friends, and neighbors I love who are facing an eternity without God. I can’t imagine such a hell! My heart aches when I think about them living without God now, too, and how they’re missing out on a life of peace, joy, and meaning.
But ministry is hard. I don’t mean professional ministry. Any ministry, any discipleship, any outreach, any investment we make in people…because people are people. They are messy. They wander. They betray. They deny. They leave. They backslide. They sin (just like all of us!). Discouragement is rampant among anyone trying to make disciples, love their neighbor as themselves. You’re heard the old adage “no good deed goes unpunished.” It’s not biblical, but it seems true sometimes.
College First, be strong. Be immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the LORD. Nothing you do for God’s Kingdom is in vain. Even if people quit your small group. Even if your ministry struggles. Even if the person you are discipling seems clueless. Even when that student you poured your life into makes poor choices. Even when your own children or grandchildren walk away from the faith. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You matter. Your Kingdom work matters. We’re all called into the disciple-making ministry and it’s hard. It’s rarely convenient. It will stretch you and take you out of your comfort zones…but God will meet you there, and there’s nothing better than that!
I love these words from N.T. Wright:
How God will take our prayer, our art, our love, our writing, our political action, our music, our honesty, our daily work, our pastoral care, our teaching, our whole selves – how God will take this and weave its varied strands into the glorious tapestry of his new creation, we can at present have no idea. That he will do so is part of the truth of the resurrection, and perhaps one of the most comforting parts of all.
Family, I love you, and I’m so proud of you. Many of you have served around here for decades, pouring your time, talent, and treasures into God’s work here and around the world. A day is coming when you will receive your reward. It will be greater than any paycheck or new car or lottery winning. Your new body alone will be worth it, to say nothing of eternity with the LORD.
So What?
The day is coming. The trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised. We will be transformed.
We must prepare for the transformation. There will be no advance notice. It will happen suddenly…in the blink of an eye. That’s fast! Nobody knows when this event will occur, not even Jesus (so don’t waste your time with people claiming to know)!
Are you ready? Are your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers ready? The day is coming…soon. It will be a great day…for those who are ready. For the rest…not so much.
Transformation is coming soon…be encouraged, prepare, get ready! The best is yet to come!
Handel’s Messiah
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
April 19, 2026
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Series Big Idea: Handel’s Messiah may be the greatest work of music ever created, bringing praise and glory to the Creator.
Big Idea: Transformation is coming soon…get ready!
Today we’re continuing our series on Handel’s Messiah, arguably the greatest piece of music ever composed…with lyrics taken directly from the Bible. Today’s song is The Trumpet Shall Sound.
The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
High school. For some, it’s filled with wonderful memories of making the homecoming court, scoring the winning touchdown, or winning the spelling bee. For others, it’s social awkwardness, struggling through final exam week, or a long list of poor choices. I went to Brighton High School in Michigan and graduated in nineteen…something! The best thing that happened to me in high school occurred in my senior year when I met the love of my life, an amazing girl named Heather.
The second-best memory of high school is band…symphonic band, jazz band, and most of all marching band. I played the trumpet and our trumpet section was so passionate, we made t-shirts that said, “Trumpets Jam.” I don’t have the t-shirt, but I still have the trumpet! The greatest thrill was when four of us were featured at the Detroit Lions halftime show at the old Pontiac Silverdome, hearing my name over the PA system in front of 80,000 fans (most of whom were at the concession stands or bathrooms!).
There are several texts in the Bible that mention musical instruments, but arguably the most exciting is found in today’s scripture reading. The New Living Translation of Paul’s message to the church in Corinth says,
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, NLT)
There is so much we don’t know about the future, but this hopeful text reveals many things. First, transformation is coming. I’m too old to have played with Transformers, but I know of their ability to change from one thing to another. That’s the idea of transformation. A caterpillar is transformed into a…butterfly. We all realize change can be hard, especially when loss is involved, but in the case of our bodies, transformation is a beautiful thing.
Our transformed bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrected body. It will be immortal. Jesus ate after the resurrection, so we will eat…but perhaps we won’t have to count calories! There was at least one moment when Jesus seemed to defy the laws of physics and enter a room without going through a door or window.
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. (John 20:26, NLT)
That’s kind of fun! Easter is about more than just Jesus’ resurrection. It’s a preview of coming attractions for his followers, too. We will have our own resurrection day soon (well, after we die!).
Let’s compare our current bodies from our resurrected ones:
Perishable imperishable
Sown in dishonor raised in glory
Sown in weakness raised in power
Sown a natural body raised a spiritual body (1 cor. 15:35-54)
Sickness and death no sickness or death
There’s more to the transformation than just the physical flesh and blood which will decay and die. Our sinful nature is in rebellion against God. It’s not suitable for the new world that is to come, the new creation, and someday followers of Jesus will be free from sin and temptation. If we read a bit more…
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, NLT)
I love those words. Those are fightin’ words! Death, you won’t have the last word. Your time is coming to an end. Jesus defeated you. King Jesus rules!
Paul quotes from two Old Testament prophets, Isaiah (25) and Hosea (13). But if you look at the entire library we call the Bible, you will see the themes of creation, death, and new creation. What God did in Jesus the Messiah He will do for all of Jesus’ followers. Through Jesus, we’ve been given victory over sin and death. It has been given, it will be given, and in the here and now it is being given to us.
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57, NLT)
Like much of scripture, it is a present and future reality, now and not yet. Sure, we look to the future, but don’t miss the present reality, the mission, the calling to make disciples, to love, equip, and send. Jesus didn’t come so we can go to heaven when we die. He came so we could experience moments of heaven now—Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven—and in a more complete way in the future.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT)
The things we do in this life matter for eternity, good or bad. Paul is saying specifically the things we do for the LORD are not in vain, they are never useless. This is an important thing for us to remember. We have a present responsibility, an opportunity today.
All this talk of resurrected bodies and new creation are wonderful…for followers of Jesus. But tragically, there is an alternative destination for those in rebellion against God. From Matthew 25 to 2 Thessalonians 1 to Revelation 20, we see judgment is coming and without Jesus as Savior, they are without hope. We must tell them. We must show them. We must proclaim good news in word and deed.
Family, one of my five prayers for us is passion…passion for the things that matter to God…passion for the lost. I have family members, friends, and neighbors I love who are facing an eternity without God. I can’t imagine such a hell! My heart aches when I think about them living without God now, too, and how they’re missing out on a life of peace, joy, and meaning.
But ministry is hard. I don’t mean professional ministry. Any ministry, any discipleship, any outreach, any investment we make in people…because people are people. They are messy. They wander. They betray. They deny. They leave. They backslide. They sin (just like all of us!). Discouragement is rampant among anyone trying to make disciples, love their neighbor as themselves. You’re heard the old adage “no good deed goes unpunished.” It’s not biblical, but it seems true sometimes.
College First, be strong. Be immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the LORD. Nothing you do for God’s Kingdom is in vain. Even if people quit your small group. Even if your ministry struggles. Even if the person you are discipling seems clueless. Even when that student you poured your life into makes poor choices. Even when your own children or grandchildren walk away from the faith. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You matter. Your Kingdom work matters. We’re all called into the disciple-making ministry and it’s hard. It’s rarely convenient. It will stretch you and take you out of your comfort zones…but God will meet you there, and there’s nothing better than that!
I love these words from N.T. Wright:
How God will take our prayer, our art, our love, our writing, our political action, our music, our honesty, our daily work, our pastoral care, our teaching, our whole selves – how God will take this and weave its varied strands into the glorious tapestry of his new creation, we can at present have no idea. That he will do so is part of the truth of the resurrection, and perhaps one of the most comforting parts of all.
Family, I love you, and I’m so proud of you. Many of you have served around here for decades, pouring your time, talent, and treasures into God’s work here and around the world. A day is coming when you will receive your reward. It will be greater than any paycheck or new car or lottery winning. Your new body alone will be worth it, to say nothing of eternity with the LORD.
So What?
The day is coming. The trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised. We will be transformed.
We must prepare for the transformation. There will be no advance notice. It will happen suddenly…in the blink of an eye. That’s fast! Nobody knows when this event will occur, not even Jesus (so don’t waste your time with people claiming to know)!
Are you ready? Are your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers ready? The day is coming…soon. It will be a great day…for those who are ready. For the rest…not so much.
Transformation is coming soon…be encouraged, prepare, get ready! The best is yet to come!
Fit for the King, 27 December 2020
27 12 20 Filed in: Sermons
Fit for a King
Mark 12:30
Big Idea: We are to glorify God not only with our heart, soul, and mind but also our bodies.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. It was great to worship with many of you, both here on campus and with those who participated online.
Here we are…that awkward time between Christmas and New Year’s. Gifts are returned. Decorations come down. Toys are broken! And if you’re like me, you may have eaten too many Christmas cookies which leads to those dreadful new year’s resolutions! I think our entire world is looking forward to Friday, though the calendar change will not end the pandemic, political chaos, and division in our land, unfortunately. But a new year is a chance to develop a new you, to maybe set some goals, begin some new habits, and get a fresh start.
I want to challenge you with two things:
According to YouGov, 28% of Americans planned to make New Year’s resolutions last year: 39% of Millennials, 30% of us GenXers, and 19% of Baby Boomers. The most popular resolutions are
(https://www.theactivetimes.com/home/most-popular-new-years-resolutions/slide-15)
I think they are all noble quests, but I found the first seven especially fascinating because they all fit into two categories: money (2, 7) and body (1, 3, 4, 5, 6).
We’ll talk about money in the future, but today’s focus is on the body, becoming Fit for the King.
The Jewish Bible we call the Old Testament is loaded with hundreds of rules and commands about everything from relationships to animal sacrifices. Religious leaders would add their own rules, traditions, and interpretations to suit their preferences and ensure others would be impressed by their outward piety (despite their prideful, unseen hearts).
During Jesus’ years on earth teaching and modeling what it means to be human and glorify God, he was asked which of the laws was most important. He replied,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
I think most people understand what it means to love with your heart. After all, a heart is the symbol of love. The original Greek word here for heart, kardia, refers to feelings. We can emote love to God. Loving God with all your soul is different. It involves the spirit, something a bit more abstract, perhaps. The Greek word psuche literally means breath. Many in the western world understand loving God with our mind. We read and study the Bible. We develop statements of faith and talk theology, helping one another understand a knowable yet mysterious Creator God. Loving God with our mind can involve our imagination and understanding in addition to mere facts and data.
But then there’s the last one. How do we love the Lord with all our strength, our might, our ability, our power? This certainly takes on a physical dimension. First, a little church history lesson.
In the early days of Christianity, there were some who believed the body and all material reality are evil. This was called Gnosticism. These people thought only the spiritual was good, and salvation was achieved by moving toward a purely spiritual state, transcending the body. Even today, some churches see the body as just a temporary skin that will burn up, a vehicle for our journey on earth until the bus to heaven comes. All that matters, they teach, is the spirit, the soul.
The opening pages of the Bible in the book of Genesis reveal everything as created by God, for God, and for God’s glory…including you and your body. God’s reaction to His work was repeatedly “very good.” Obviously sin has corrupted God’s beautiful work, but that never classified the material world as evil.
Our celebration of the birth of Jesus is testimony to this. He came as Emmanuel, God with in what we call the incarnation. God became flesh. Jesus came into our world with a real body like ours. His presence. To quote writer Ragan Sutterfield,
Early theologians saw this as a work by which Christ was renewing creation, restoring the bodily life through resurrection. Christ’s mission was not to rescue spirits for an ephemeral heaven, but rather to bring resurrection to a created order that had been trapped by the powers of Death. For Christians, the body is not a thing to transcend, but to resurrect.
Someday our bodies will be like the resurrected body of Jesus, but a physical body nonetheless. Our bodies are not evil. In fact, Paul gave a wonderful teaching to the church in Corinth about our bodies. He said,
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Where is God? God is everywhere, but God’s Spirit which used to appear in different places throughout scripture was unleashed in the second chapter of Acts. The Jewish temple in Israel was destroyed, but now God lives within every follower of Jesus.
We are God’s temple.
What a remarkable reality! God’s house is not this building. It’s us! This might be why we sometimes talk about letting Jesus come into our heart. We invite God to dwell, to make His home in us. It doesn’t mean that we are God or become God, but that God lives in us.
You were made by God.
You were made for God.
You were made for God’s glory. This includes your body.
Your body is a gift from God. No matter how it compares to supermodels or professional athletes, you were created by God in His image with dignity, value, and worth. All of our bodies are different—and they change over time—but we’ve been given them to bring glory to God.
How do we love God with our body?
We can glorify God with what we put into our bodies.
I’m not going to shame you for your holiday feasting, but think about your fuel. If you put Mountain Dew in a car’s gas tank, how long would it run? If you feed a dog nothing but Cheetos, how healthy would it become?
When I was a kid growing up in church, I used to hear people say, “Don’t smoke. Your body is a temple.” We know now that tobacco use can harm our bodies, leading to cancer and other ailments. But do you know what the number one killer in the USA is?
Presently, it’s COVID-19…so please wear a mask to protect those around you. It’s a simple way to possibly save lives.
The number two killer—and the number one killer in most years—is heart disease. I always found it ironic when an overweight, potluck-loving preacher told people to avoid tobacco while he ate his way toward death! One large Christian comedian remarked, “If the body is a temple, I’m a megachurch!”
I think we all realize obesity, COVID-19, cigarettes, and drug abuse can be harmful to our temples. What we are learning more about is nutrition and the effects of chemicals in our foods. I’m not a nutritionist, but good information is easy to find. One of our church members, Nancy Pickens, is a great resource on nutrition.
We can glorify God with what we do with our bodies.
I asked for some input on this sermon from Nancy and her husband, Dr. Michael Pickens. Here’s what he said:
Loving God with all our strength means using our body to show God you love Him. This means directly loving Him through our worship and by giving Him the first fruits of our labors, both of which require using our bodies. And, it involves loving others as Jesus commanded us - being His hands and feet, which also involves using our physical bodies.
Therefore, we are to “enthusiastically” use our physical bodies, the “temple” of the Holy Spirit, to show God we love Him. How are we going to be able to do this foggy headed, tired/exhausted, and sick all of the time, because we are eating refined and nutritionally deficient artificial foods and not exercising? We can’t! How can we give abundantly from the fruits of our labor if we are spending a huge chunk of our income on doctors’ visits, drugs and hospital stays? We can’t!
To “run the race”, to “fight the good fight”, we need to get back to nourishing our bodies with the bounty that nature provides. God’s nature. Fruits and a lot of veggies in a rainbow of colors, with smaller amounts of meat and grains… Who would want to fly in an airplane made out of parts from a junk yard?
And, we have to get out of our chairs and move! That doesn’t mean tedious hours on end on the elliptical trainer or pumping iron for endless hours in the gym, unless you like to do those things. Walk, bike, swim. You can play games, such as tennis or pickle ball. Make it fun! Just do it on a regular basis. Make arms and legs of steel, instead of spaghetti, to serve our God with all your strength!
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
There’s not much in the Bible about working out at the gym, swimming, or playing pickle ball, but that’s because they didn’t spend 93% of their time indoors…or driving cars! I doubt Jesus and his friends lacked exercise.
That reminds of one of my favorite stories. Entertainer John Davidson was told by his dad that he could have the keys to the car for the upcoming prom if he got straight A’s in school, read the Bible every day, and cut his hair. On the night of the prom, he asked his dad if he could drive the car. His dad said, “You had to do three things.” John replied, “I got straight A’s and read my Bible every day.” His dad said, “Son, you didn’t cut your hair.” John said, “Dad, Jesus had long hair,” to which his dad wisely added, “Jesus walked everywhere he went!”
We can glorify God with what we do with our bodies…and that includes rest. We are human beings, not human doings. We need good rest daily. We need to sabbath weekly, taking a day off to enjoy God and those things which bring us joy and delight. We need to use our vacation days, recharging not only our bodies, but our brains. I’ve heard many say the pandemic has caused them to slow down, which can be a good thing, especially when we’re driven to be so busy. I find it’s easier to focus, care for others, pray, and work well when I’m well-rested. Self-care is vital, and that includes rest.
There’s another issue related to what we do with our bodies that Paul addressed to that church in Corinth. He said,
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
As I’ve said before, sexual immorality is essentially any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and woman. I know, it’s not politically correct, but that’s God’s plan. Making Jesus Lord means making him master, following his wisdom, obeying his commands. We’re given the freedom to make choices about what we put into our bodies and what we do with our bodies, but those decisions have consequences. I don’t mean to be simplistic, but Daddy knows best. God can be trusted…even with your body. I’ve never met someone who kept themselves pure and regretted it, but there are plenty of examples of people who did whatever felt good at the time, only to find themselves with unwanted pregnancies, diseases, or memories.
If you are a follower of Jesus, God lives in your body. Honor God with your body.
There’s one more thing I want to mention about loving God with our bodies.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus to those we encounter.
People can’t see your heart, your soul, or your mind. They only see our bodies. We are to be Jesus with skin on, the hands and feet of Jesus. It’s been said that you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Whether you know it or not, people are watching you if you call yourself a Christian. They’re evaluating whether you’re real or a faker. Do you act like Jesus or just talk religious? How you treat your body and use it to serve others matters. Actions speak louder than words, and when we love well, it will be noticed.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
You can’t have a part-time Lord. He’s master and controller…or not. Following Jesus is not a Sunday-thing. It’s a 24/7/365 devotion to your Maker. Jesus calls us to love him with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind…and with all of our strength…our body.
So What?
What’s your next step today? Perhaps you should make some new year’s resolutions to better take care of the temple. I’ve been trying to do ten pushups a day. It’s not much, but it’s a start. Maybe you need to reduce the food products with ingredients you can’t pronounce, order the small instead of the large portion, or simply eat more fruits and vegetables. Some of you need to choose once and for all to honor God with your body in the bedroom. I believe rest some of us need more rest, whether it’s sleep, taking a weekly sabbath, or using all of your vacation days (I said “some of us!”). We could probably all do more to use our bodies to serve, bless, and love others. Jesus said the most important command was to love God, but then he added,
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
My prayer for you and me is that we would honor God with our bodies in 2021, loving God well and loving others well. To God be the glory!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Mark 12:30
Big Idea: We are to glorify God not only with our heart, soul, and mind but also our bodies.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. It was great to worship with many of you, both here on campus and with those who participated online.
Here we are…that awkward time between Christmas and New Year’s. Gifts are returned. Decorations come down. Toys are broken! And if you’re like me, you may have eaten too many Christmas cookies which leads to those dreadful new year’s resolutions! I think our entire world is looking forward to Friday, though the calendar change will not end the pandemic, political chaos, and division in our land, unfortunately. But a new year is a chance to develop a new you, to maybe set some goals, begin some new habits, and get a fresh start.
I want to challenge you with two things:
- 1. Mission:119 (Mission119.org)
- 2. 40 Days of Prayer (https://mailchi.mp/cmalliance.org/40daysofprayer-signup)
According to YouGov, 28% of Americans planned to make New Year’s resolutions last year: 39% of Millennials, 30% of us GenXers, and 19% of Baby Boomers. The most popular resolutions are
- 1. Exercise more (50%)
- 2. Save money (49%)
- 3. Eat more healthily (43%)
- 4. Lose weight (37%)
- 5. Reduce stress (34%)
- 6. Get more sleep (30%)
- 7. Stick to a budget (30%)
- 8. Focus on spiritual growth (28%)
- 9. Travel more (25%)
- 10. Learn a new skill (25%)
(https://www.theactivetimes.com/home/most-popular-new-years-resolutions/slide-15)
I think they are all noble quests, but I found the first seven especially fascinating because they all fit into two categories: money (2, 7) and body (1, 3, 4, 5, 6).
We’ll talk about money in the future, but today’s focus is on the body, becoming Fit for the King.
The Jewish Bible we call the Old Testament is loaded with hundreds of rules and commands about everything from relationships to animal sacrifices. Religious leaders would add their own rules, traditions, and interpretations to suit their preferences and ensure others would be impressed by their outward piety (despite their prideful, unseen hearts).
During Jesus’ years on earth teaching and modeling what it means to be human and glorify God, he was asked which of the laws was most important. He replied,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
I think most people understand what it means to love with your heart. After all, a heart is the symbol of love. The original Greek word here for heart, kardia, refers to feelings. We can emote love to God. Loving God with all your soul is different. It involves the spirit, something a bit more abstract, perhaps. The Greek word psuche literally means breath. Many in the western world understand loving God with our mind. We read and study the Bible. We develop statements of faith and talk theology, helping one another understand a knowable yet mysterious Creator God. Loving God with our mind can involve our imagination and understanding in addition to mere facts and data.
But then there’s the last one. How do we love the Lord with all our strength, our might, our ability, our power? This certainly takes on a physical dimension. First, a little church history lesson.
In the early days of Christianity, there were some who believed the body and all material reality are evil. This was called Gnosticism. These people thought only the spiritual was good, and salvation was achieved by moving toward a purely spiritual state, transcending the body. Even today, some churches see the body as just a temporary skin that will burn up, a vehicle for our journey on earth until the bus to heaven comes. All that matters, they teach, is the spirit, the soul.
The opening pages of the Bible in the book of Genesis reveal everything as created by God, for God, and for God’s glory…including you and your body. God’s reaction to His work was repeatedly “very good.” Obviously sin has corrupted God’s beautiful work, but that never classified the material world as evil.
Our celebration of the birth of Jesus is testimony to this. He came as Emmanuel, God with in what we call the incarnation. God became flesh. Jesus came into our world with a real body like ours. His presence. To quote writer Ragan Sutterfield,
Early theologians saw this as a work by which Christ was renewing creation, restoring the bodily life through resurrection. Christ’s mission was not to rescue spirits for an ephemeral heaven, but rather to bring resurrection to a created order that had been trapped by the powers of Death. For Christians, the body is not a thing to transcend, but to resurrect.
Someday our bodies will be like the resurrected body of Jesus, but a physical body nonetheless. Our bodies are not evil. In fact, Paul gave a wonderful teaching to the church in Corinth about our bodies. He said,
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Where is God? God is everywhere, but God’s Spirit which used to appear in different places throughout scripture was unleashed in the second chapter of Acts. The Jewish temple in Israel was destroyed, but now God lives within every follower of Jesus.
We are God’s temple.
What a remarkable reality! God’s house is not this building. It’s us! This might be why we sometimes talk about letting Jesus come into our heart. We invite God to dwell, to make His home in us. It doesn’t mean that we are God or become God, but that God lives in us.
You were made by God.
You were made for God.
You were made for God’s glory. This includes your body.
Your body is a gift from God. No matter how it compares to supermodels or professional athletes, you were created by God in His image with dignity, value, and worth. All of our bodies are different—and they change over time—but we’ve been given them to bring glory to God.
How do we love God with our body?
We can glorify God with what we put into our bodies.
I’m not going to shame you for your holiday feasting, but think about your fuel. If you put Mountain Dew in a car’s gas tank, how long would it run? If you feed a dog nothing but Cheetos, how healthy would it become?
When I was a kid growing up in church, I used to hear people say, “Don’t smoke. Your body is a temple.” We know now that tobacco use can harm our bodies, leading to cancer and other ailments. But do you know what the number one killer in the USA is?
Presently, it’s COVID-19…so please wear a mask to protect those around you. It’s a simple way to possibly save lives.
The number two killer—and the number one killer in most years—is heart disease. I always found it ironic when an overweight, potluck-loving preacher told people to avoid tobacco while he ate his way toward death! One large Christian comedian remarked, “If the body is a temple, I’m a megachurch!”
I think we all realize obesity, COVID-19, cigarettes, and drug abuse can be harmful to our temples. What we are learning more about is nutrition and the effects of chemicals in our foods. I’m not a nutritionist, but good information is easy to find. One of our church members, Nancy Pickens, is a great resource on nutrition.
We can glorify God with what we do with our bodies.
I asked for some input on this sermon from Nancy and her husband, Dr. Michael Pickens. Here’s what he said:
Loving God with all our strength means using our body to show God you love Him. This means directly loving Him through our worship and by giving Him the first fruits of our labors, both of which require using our bodies. And, it involves loving others as Jesus commanded us - being His hands and feet, which also involves using our physical bodies.
Therefore, we are to “enthusiastically” use our physical bodies, the “temple” of the Holy Spirit, to show God we love Him. How are we going to be able to do this foggy headed, tired/exhausted, and sick all of the time, because we are eating refined and nutritionally deficient artificial foods and not exercising? We can’t! How can we give abundantly from the fruits of our labor if we are spending a huge chunk of our income on doctors’ visits, drugs and hospital stays? We can’t!
To “run the race”, to “fight the good fight”, we need to get back to nourishing our bodies with the bounty that nature provides. God’s nature. Fruits and a lot of veggies in a rainbow of colors, with smaller amounts of meat and grains… Who would want to fly in an airplane made out of parts from a junk yard?
And, we have to get out of our chairs and move! That doesn’t mean tedious hours on end on the elliptical trainer or pumping iron for endless hours in the gym, unless you like to do those things. Walk, bike, swim. You can play games, such as tennis or pickle ball. Make it fun! Just do it on a regular basis. Make arms and legs of steel, instead of spaghetti, to serve our God with all your strength!
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
There’s not much in the Bible about working out at the gym, swimming, or playing pickle ball, but that’s because they didn’t spend 93% of their time indoors…or driving cars! I doubt Jesus and his friends lacked exercise.
That reminds of one of my favorite stories. Entertainer John Davidson was told by his dad that he could have the keys to the car for the upcoming prom if he got straight A’s in school, read the Bible every day, and cut his hair. On the night of the prom, he asked his dad if he could drive the car. His dad said, “You had to do three things.” John replied, “I got straight A’s and read my Bible every day.” His dad said, “Son, you didn’t cut your hair.” John said, “Dad, Jesus had long hair,” to which his dad wisely added, “Jesus walked everywhere he went!”
We can glorify God with what we do with our bodies…and that includes rest. We are human beings, not human doings. We need good rest daily. We need to sabbath weekly, taking a day off to enjoy God and those things which bring us joy and delight. We need to use our vacation days, recharging not only our bodies, but our brains. I’ve heard many say the pandemic has caused them to slow down, which can be a good thing, especially when we’re driven to be so busy. I find it’s easier to focus, care for others, pray, and work well when I’m well-rested. Self-care is vital, and that includes rest.
There’s another issue related to what we do with our bodies that Paul addressed to that church in Corinth. He said,
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
As I’ve said before, sexual immorality is essentially any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and woman. I know, it’s not politically correct, but that’s God’s plan. Making Jesus Lord means making him master, following his wisdom, obeying his commands. We’re given the freedom to make choices about what we put into our bodies and what we do with our bodies, but those decisions have consequences. I don’t mean to be simplistic, but Daddy knows best. God can be trusted…even with your body. I’ve never met someone who kept themselves pure and regretted it, but there are plenty of examples of people who did whatever felt good at the time, only to find themselves with unwanted pregnancies, diseases, or memories.
If you are a follower of Jesus, God lives in your body. Honor God with your body.
There’s one more thing I want to mention about loving God with our bodies.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus to those we encounter.
People can’t see your heart, your soul, or your mind. They only see our bodies. We are to be Jesus with skin on, the hands and feet of Jesus. It’s been said that you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Whether you know it or not, people are watching you if you call yourself a Christian. They’re evaluating whether you’re real or a faker. Do you act like Jesus or just talk religious? How you treat your body and use it to serve others matters. Actions speak louder than words, and when we love well, it will be noticed.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
You can’t have a part-time Lord. He’s master and controller…or not. Following Jesus is not a Sunday-thing. It’s a 24/7/365 devotion to your Maker. Jesus calls us to love him with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind…and with all of our strength…our body.
So What?
What’s your next step today? Perhaps you should make some new year’s resolutions to better take care of the temple. I’ve been trying to do ten pushups a day. It’s not much, but it’s a start. Maybe you need to reduce the food products with ingredients you can’t pronounce, order the small instead of the large portion, or simply eat more fruits and vegetables. Some of you need to choose once and for all to honor God with your body in the bedroom. I believe rest some of us need more rest, whether it’s sleep, taking a weekly sabbath, or using all of your vacation days (I said “some of us!”). We could probably all do more to use our bodies to serve, bless, and love others. Jesus said the most important command was to love God, but then he added,
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
My prayer for you and me is that we would honor God with our bodies in 2021, loving God well and loving others well. To God be the glory!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.