Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

This powerful verse appears at the end of one of the greatest chapters on the resurrection in the Bible. This chapter teaches us about Christ's resurrection and then our own resurrection from the dead. Because of this, the sting of death and the grave is gone. What, then, is the great implication of all this? If we take our stand on a Gospel that includes such a resurrection, how should we then live? If I were to write the greatest chapter in the Bible on the resurrection, and I wanted to end the chapter by punching home a powerful application, I think I would have said:
* Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, don't be afraid to die. Or...
* Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, don't lose hope by the grave of a loved one. Or,
* Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, make sure you know the Risen Savior.

But Paul makes a different application. He gives us three commands and a promise as an application to the wonderful truth of the resurrection (v. 58).

Command # 1 - Stand firm. He states this in the very first verse, "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand." We are to stand firm in the Lord's message. And then in the very last verse we are to stand firm in the Lord's ministry. Like fence posts that are firmly embedded in cement, we are to be firmly embedded in the Christ's word and work.

Command #2 - Let nothing move you. Here we have a Greek word that appears nowhere else in the Bible. It is a very strong word that means unshakable, unbreakable, unshakable. It's easy to be moved off the mark when trouble or trials come. But we are inspired to stay the course because of the resurrection of Christ.

Command #3 - Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Pour yourself into it. Don't grow weary in well doing. Don't grow slack. Don't get discouraged. This implies the ability to recreate ourselves day by day; it is the idea of resiliency.

Promise - Because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain. What a great promise. What we do for the Lord is never meaningless. We are doing more eternal good than we think.

Bill Gaither wrote a resurrection song called "Because He Lives". The chorus says:

"Because He lives I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone, Because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives."

In light of 1 Corinthians 15:58 allow me to do a re-write:

Because He lives, stand firm, Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Because He lives,

Pastor Tim