The Nut is Gone
But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.
— 1 Corinthians 15:20
A minister who was conducting a funeral service wanted to speak of some of the wonderful things about the deceased. But this poor guy said the wrong thing. He boldly proclaimed, "What we have here is only the shell," gesturing toward the coffin." Then he added, "But the nut has gone." He didn't want it to come out that way. But that is a pretty accurate statement of what happens when we die.
God will give us new bodies one day—resurrection bodies. And we will need these new bodies because we will be in a new place called heaven. Of course, we wouldn't think of sending astronauts into outer space dressed like they are going to the beach. They must have special suits that are designed to allow them to breathe and function in their new environment. Our earthly bodies suit us fine for life on Earth. But in heaven, we will need new bodies.
We will need new bodies for our new environment because, to begin with, if we were to see God in the bodies were are living in right now, we would disintegrate on the spot. Why? Because we are not perfect people. Our bodies are limited by the effects of sin. The very fact that we age, can get sick, and will one day die (if the Lord does come back for us first) means that we have bodies that are tainted by sin. We need new bodies, made into the image of Jesus.
You will leave the shell, but the "nut," the real you, will go into the presence of the Lord.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Host of the television program Knowing God with Greg Laurie and nationally syndicated radio program A New Beginning, Laurie is also the founder and featured speaker for Harvest Crusade — a contemporary, large-scale evangelistic outreach which local churches organize nationally and internationally. Laurie has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, Fox News, and MSNBC. He is also a guest commentator at Worldnetdaily.com.
He currently resides in Newport Beach, California with his wife, Cathe.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.