Dear Christian friends:

It is difficult to explain about the wonderful life after death. The Bible calls that place "heaven." That is a name; it is not an explanation. For explanations about life after death the Bible writers often compare something here on earth with it. In the lesson I just read, John 14:1-6, Jesus compared heaven with a mansion. He says, "In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." Here in our text St. Paul compares our resurrected bodies with a seed that dies in the ground and then grows a beautiful plant or tree. You plant an acorn seed and it grows to become a huge oak tree. You plant a peach seed like this and it grows beautifully and bears delicious, golden fruit like this! (Show the seed and the peach.)

When you think about the wonderful change that happens when a seed is planted and then grows to become a beautiful tree giving golden fruits, then you begin to understand the glorious change that will happen for all believers in Jesus. The body we have now is wonderful, but it can't compare with the glorious body we Christians will have when we arise from death. In our text St. Paul says, "The body you bury is not the body which will be, but a bare seed."

In this same chapter St. Paul further explains the glory of our resurrected bodies: "The body is buried and becomes dust(or cremated and becomes ashes); it will rise perfect. It is buried in shame; it will rise in glory. It is buried in weakness; it will rise in power. It is buried a natural body; it will rise a spiritual body. This body now dead must put on eternal life. Then happens exactly that which is written in the Bible: “Life overcame death and got the victory." O death, where is your sting? 0 grave, where your victory? Sin is the sting of death; and the law is the strength of sin. But thank God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

This change to a wonderful, glorious life which we shall live in heaven is guaranteed to us Christians. Jesus promises: "Where I live, there shall My servant live also." Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and arose from death on Easter morning for our forgiveness, He can keep this promise to us. We really shall have a wonderful, glorious life with Jesus and with the Father in His house forever. It is guaranteed by Jesus Himself! Jesus arose with a new and glorious body; we, like Him, shall also arise with a new, spiritual and eternal body.

Therefore, dear Christian friends, continue believing in Jesus. Let nothing, not even death destroy your faith. Do the Lord's work more and more, because you know that your work for the Lord is not in vain!

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.
(C.T. Studd, Poem, Only What Is Done For
Christ Will Last)

Amen.