From Earth to Heaven or Hell

From Earth to Heaven or Hell

Part of Old Made New—1 Corinthians 15

February 11, 2024

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1 Corinthians 15:45-50 (New International Version)
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.

47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

I. Becoming someone more spiritual (vv. 45-46)
• The Bible teaches the universal

of humanity.
• Adam is the prototype of free human

against God.
• The Bible teaches the universal

of salvation to humanity. (Jn. 3:16)
• Imputation of sin or righteousness does not discount our

. (Rom. 5:12-18)
• Heaven is God’s gracious

from sin and all of its effects (Rev. 21:1-4).
• Hell is God’s gracious

of those not seeking a cure from sin.
II. Becoming more spiritual for a spiritual destination (vv. 47-48)
• Adam had an

and

origin.
• Jesus has a

and

origin.
• Heaven opened at Jesus’

. (Mt. 3:16-17)
•

/

was the place for the dead prior to Jesus. (Lk. 16:19-31)
• Jesus

into Hades/Sheol after his crucifixion. (Acts 2:31)
• Jesus

for our sins and

to all the souls in Sheol/Hades (1 Pt. 3:19-20)
• Jesus led the OT saints out of

/

. (Eph 4:8-9)
• Hades/Hell will be replaced with the

. (Rev. 20:10, 21:8)
III. Becoming the image of heaven or hell (vv. 49-50)
• The Bible teaches every human is made in the image of God, but not all will be

in death.
• Heaven and Hell are

destinations (Mt. 25:31-46)
• People in Heaven and Hell will be given a

body.
• If God doesn’t allow sin he is

and

.
• If God allows pagans into heaven then he doesn’t value

or

.

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TAKE OFF
What is one moment/experience in your life that you wish could have lasted forever?

TEXT
1. What thoughts or feelings did you have during this week’s sermon?
2. What example does the apostle Paul utilize to explain natural and spiritual bodies (vv. 45-48)? How does he differentiate between the two people used in this example?
3. What is the first step to becoming a Christian? Discuss examples of how Christians can bear the image of Christ (v. 49).
4. Read Matthew 3:16-17 and 25:40-46. What do we learn about heaven and hell in these verses? What other questions/thoughts/ feelings do you have?

TAKE AWAY
What is one thing you can do this week to show that you choose heaven?