1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,760 I hope you have your Bible open in front of 2 00:00:02,760 –> 00:00:05,300 you, 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4. 3 00:00:05,300 –> 00:00:09,360 And I want you to notice that the passage that’s been read really comes in two parts 4 00:00:09,360 –> 00:00:13,280 and they both end with the note of encouragement. 5 00:00:13,280 –> 00:00:19,020 Chapter 4 and verse 18, the end of the first part, therefore, encourage each other with 6 00:00:19,020 –> 00:00:20,480 these words. 7 00:00:20,480 –> 00:00:24,400 Chapter 5 and verse 11, the end of the second part, encourage each other and build each 8 00:00:24,400 –> 00:00:28,340 other up, just as in fact you are doing. 9 00:00:29,020 –> 00:00:36,020 The purpose of the passage of Scripture that is open before us today is to encourage Christian 10 00:00:36,020 –> 00:00:42,820 believers and that has been very much my prayer as we come to this time together today. 11 00:00:42,820 –> 00:00:46,340 In fact, because we’re looking at the word of God, I think that it is reasonable for 12 00:00:46,340 –> 00:00:53,000 us to say that it is God’s purpose that you, as a Christian believer, should be encouraged 13 00:00:53,000 –> 00:00:55,099 today. 14 00:00:55,099 –> 00:00:57,060 Now let’s look at that encouragement together. 15 00:00:57,060 –> 00:01:05,900 Verse 13 of Chapter 4, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall 16 00:01:05,900 –> 00:01:12,120 asleep or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. 17 00:01:12,120 –> 00:01:20,139 Now, when Paul talks here about those who have fallen asleep, he is talking about Christians 18 00:01:20,139 –> 00:01:22,480 who have died. 19 00:01:22,519 –> 00:01:32,919 And so, he’s opening up a very painful, sensitive, practical issue that every one of us will 20 00:01:32,919 –> 00:01:36,720 deal with in the course of our lives. 21 00:01:36,720 –> 00:01:43,440 Many of us are living right now with a deep sense and a lasting sense of loss. 22 00:01:44,040 –> 00:01:59,000 A child, a young person who has died, a wife, a husband, parent, a dear friend. 23 00:01:59,000 –> 00:02:04,260 And so much of your life was bound up with that person. 24 00:02:04,260 –> 00:02:11,839 So much of your joy was found in them and suddenly they’re gone and your life goes on. 25 00:02:11,839 –> 00:02:20,119 There’s a void that remains, there’s a grief that continues, there’s a loss that somehow 26 00:02:20,119 –> 00:02:24,220 can’t ever be replaced. 27 00:02:24,220 –> 00:02:27,419 And the death of a loved one raises many, many questions. 28 00:02:27,419 –> 00:02:33,259 You wonder what is happening for them now, you wonder what will happen to them in the 29 00:02:33,259 –> 00:02:34,259 future. 30 00:02:34,259 –> 00:02:36,080 Will you see them, will you know them? 31 00:02:36,080 –> 00:02:38,259 What will that be like? 32 00:02:38,520 –> 00:02:47,520 I have to tell you that the Bible tells us almost nothing about the position of those 33 00:02:47,520 –> 00:02:54,080 who are outside of Christ, immediately after this life, almost nothing, until what it tells 34 00:02:54,080 –> 00:02:58,100 us about the last judgment that is to come. 35 00:02:58,100 –> 00:03:05,979 But when it comes to Christian believers, we are told some specific and wonderful things 36 00:03:06,199 –> 00:03:12,419 about them now, about them in the future, and about us in relationship to them in the 37 00:03:12,419 –> 00:03:15,320 time when Jesus Christ will come again. 38 00:03:15,320 –> 00:03:20,199 And we’re going to be looking at that together from the scripture, so, again, I hope that 39 00:03:20,199 –> 00:03:23,440 you have your Bible open so that we can see it together. 40 00:03:23,440 –> 00:03:28,220 It’s a wonderful gift of encouragement for us. 41 00:03:28,220 –> 00:03:32,960 I want to look first, then, the hope that there is, and that we have, for those who 42 00:03:32,960 –> 00:03:35,619 have died in Christ. 43 00:03:35,619 –> 00:03:40,899 Christian believers who have died, Paul says, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant 44 00:03:40,899 –> 00:03:43,419 about those who have fallen asleep. 45 00:03:43,419 –> 00:03:44,419 Now, notice this. 46 00:03:44,419 –> 00:03:49,220 We are not ignorant about Christians who have fallen asleep. 47 00:03:49,220 –> 00:03:54,720 Now, that in itself is a very important statement because there are some folks who just assume 48 00:03:54,720 –> 00:03:59,940 that we cannot know anything about what lies beyond the grave. 49 00:04:00,080 –> 00:04:06,339 They perhaps want to believe that we can’t know anything because having pushed it from 50 00:04:06,339 –> 00:04:12,300 their minds, they do not want to know, and so they will very vigorously affirm that anything 51 00:04:12,300 –> 00:04:17,239 that may be said about life beyond the grave at a Christian funeral is just speculation 52 00:04:17,239 –> 00:04:21,420 or it’s a metaphor to try and help us in our pain. 53 00:04:21,420 –> 00:04:25,480 But Paul says quite clearly here, we are not ignorant. 54 00:04:25,480 –> 00:04:27,700 We’re not ignorant. 55 00:04:27,700 –> 00:04:29,339 Now why are we not ignorant? 56 00:04:29,579 –> 00:04:35,239 Well, because we have a specific word of Jesus Christ about this. 57 00:04:35,239 –> 00:04:39,399 If we were left to ourselves, we couldn’t possibly know what is beyond the grave because 58 00:04:39,399 –> 00:04:40,940 none of us have been there. 59 00:04:40,940 –> 00:04:46,160 But he says, according to the Lord’s own word, verse 15, the Lord Jesus Christ has come from 60 00:04:46,160 –> 00:04:54,660 heaven so that we will not be in ignorance about that which lies beyond the grave. 61 00:04:54,660 –> 00:05:01,399 According to the Lord’s own word, he has come so that we can know something and we can know 62 00:05:01,399 –> 00:05:09,220 it so that our grief though intense will not be the same as those who have no hope. 63 00:05:09,220 –> 00:05:14,440 There will be a knowledge of what lies the other side of the grave will make a difference 64 00:05:14,440 –> 00:05:17,940 in the pain and in the loss that we are experiencing. 65 00:05:17,940 –> 00:05:18,940 That’s what Paul says. 66 00:05:18,940 –> 00:05:19,940 We’re not ignorant. 67 00:05:19,940 –> 00:05:24,380 We know so that we are left in the position of grieving like the rest of men who have 68 00:05:24,380 –> 00:05:26,059 no hope. 69 00:05:26,059 –> 00:05:35,959 James Denney has a beautifully stated comment here, he says, is it not a striking proof 70 00:05:35,959 –> 00:05:45,540 of the grace of our Lord that we have on His Express Authority a special revelation, just 71 00:05:45,540 –> 00:05:47,700 for our comfort. 72 00:05:48,239 –> 00:05:49,079 It’s beautiful, isn’t it? 73 00:05:49,079 –> 00:05:55,940 That Jesus in His grace so wants you to be comforted when you face loss, that he has 74 00:05:55,959 –> 00:05:59,859 given a special word just for this purpose. 75 00:05:59,859 –> 00:06:04,959 And Denney says, Jesus knew the terrible sorrow of bereavement. 76 00:06:04,959 –> 00:06:10,260 He had stood by the bedside of Jairus’s daughter by the young man’s coffin at Nain and by the 77 00:06:10,260 –> 00:06:11,899 tomb of Lazarus. 78 00:06:11,899 –> 00:06:14,880 He knew how inconsolable it was. 79 00:06:14,880 –> 00:06:16,399 How subtle. 80 00:06:17,040 –> 00:06:18,579 How passionate. 81 00:06:19,239 –> 00:06:25,500 He, Jesus knew the dead weight at the heart which never passes away. 82 00:06:25,500 –> 00:06:30,440 The sudden rush of feeling that overpowers even the strongest. 83 00:06:30,440 –> 00:06:31,920 He knows that. 84 00:06:32,579 –> 00:06:38,679 And that all this sorrow might not rest on His church unrelieved. 85 00:06:38,760 –> 00:06:40,940 He lifts the curtain, 86 00:06:41,739 –> 00:06:47,320 so that we might see with our eyes the strong consolation beyond. 87 00:06:47,320 –> 00:06:48,679 That’s beautiful. 88 00:06:48,920 –> 00:06:52,279 So that you will not have this pain unrelieved, 89 00:06:53,100 –> 00:06:55,079 He lifts the curtain. 90 00:06:55,679 –> 00:06:59,739 And Paul says, we are not ignorant. 91 00:07:01,920 –> 00:07:05,899 And that is why though our grief is intense, 92 00:07:06,679 –> 00:07:08,660 it’s not as if we had no hope, 93 00:07:10,260 –> 00:07:13,679 because we have the Lord’s own Word 94 00:07:14,220 –> 00:07:17,779 with regards to our Christian loved ones 95 00:07:18,140 –> 00:07:20,940 who have died in the Lord. 96 00:07:22,019 –> 00:07:26,779 Now, with that sense of encouragement drawing us into the Scriptures, 97 00:07:26,779 –> 00:07:29,200 let’s ask the question, then what do we know? 98 00:07:29,880 –> 00:07:32,739 And I want you to look particularly at verse 14 here, 99 00:07:33,179 –> 00:07:35,779 Where we have this most marvellous statement 100 00:07:35,779 –> 00:07:38,140 of the very core of Christian faith. 101 00:07:39,420 –> 00:07:42,179 1 Thessalonians chapter four and verse 14, 102 00:07:42,179 –> 00:07:47,179 we believe that Jesus died and rose again. 103 00:07:47,179 –> 00:07:48,540 It’s like a creedal statement, 104 00:07:48,540 –> 00:07:49,820 so let’s just say it together, 105 00:07:49,820 –> 00:07:51,299 shall we. A couple of times. 106 00:07:51,299 –> 00:07:55,619 We believe that Jesus died and rose again. 107 00:07:55,619 –> 00:07:57,260 Say it again with me, please. 108 00:07:57,260 –> 00:08:02,660 We believe that Jesus died and rose again. 109 00:08:02,839 –> 00:08:04,059 Now think about that. 110 00:08:04,059 –> 00:08:05,760 What are we saying? 111 00:08:05,760 –> 00:08:10,760 Number one, we believe that Jesus died. 112 00:08:14,019 –> 00:08:16,619 Jesus died. 113 00:08:18,579 –> 00:08:21,019 Now, relate these things together here. 114 00:08:21,019 –> 00:08:26,019 Many of us have watched a loved one take their last breath. 115 00:08:28,260 –> 00:08:30,119 You stayed, perhaps, for some time, 116 00:08:30,140 –> 00:08:33,200 some period of time, close to the bedside. 117 00:08:34,239 –> 00:08:37,539 You watched them lose strength, 118 00:08:38,960 –> 00:08:42,260 and then you heard them take their last breath, 119 00:08:42,260 –> 00:08:44,200 and it was all quiet. 120 00:08:45,500 –> 00:08:48,919 Now that happened to Jesus. 121 00:08:50,659 –> 00:08:52,340 Jesus died. 122 00:08:54,520 –> 00:08:57,359 Jesus entered death. 123 00:08:58,000 –> 00:09:03,000 Death is a place where Jesus has been. 124 00:09:05,179 –> 00:09:06,059 We believe that. 125 00:09:07,780 –> 00:09:12,780 Now, thinking of that, 126 00:09:13,340 –> 00:09:15,460 during the last presidential election, 127 00:09:16,880 –> 00:09:20,979 the president visited Thomas School 128 00:09:20,979 –> 00:09:22,320 just over the road here, 129 00:09:23,359 –> 00:09:25,179 and watching from this building, 130 00:09:25,179 –> 00:09:26,299 it was quite fascinating, 131 00:09:26,299 –> 00:09:28,239 because you wouldn’t believe what had to happen 132 00:09:28,239 –> 00:09:31,419 before the president could come to Thomas School. 133 00:09:32,979 –> 00:09:36,219 We had the FBI, of course, 134 00:09:37,239 –> 00:09:40,219 sweeping the building, every corner. 135 00:09:40,219 –> 00:09:41,039 Why? 136 00:09:42,260 –> 00:09:44,659 They swept the building to make sure 137 00:09:44,659 –> 00:09:47,559 that this was a safe place 138 00:09:47,559 –> 00:09:49,979 for the President of the United States 139 00:09:49,979 –> 00:09:52,020 of America to pass through. 140 00:09:52,960 –> 00:09:57,299 Now, you know, that is what Jesus Christ has done for us. 141 00:09:57,299 –> 00:10:00,200 He has swept death. 142 00:10:00,200 –> 00:10:02,219 He has gone through it, 143 00:10:03,219 –> 00:10:05,320 and what he says to us is, 144 00:10:05,320 –> 00:10:07,780 look, I have swept it clean. 145 00:10:07,780 –> 00:10:10,719 There is nothing for you to fear, 146 00:10:10,719 –> 00:10:13,820 as it were, in that dark room or that dark passage, 147 00:10:13,820 –> 00:10:15,840 because I am sovereign there, too. 148 00:10:15,840 –> 00:10:17,179 I have been there. 149 00:10:17,179 –> 00:10:21,059 I have established my authority in death, over death, 150 00:10:21,140 –> 00:10:22,559 as much as I have established 151 00:10:22,559 –> 00:10:25,619 my authority over life and in eternity. 152 00:10:25,619 –> 00:10:29,020 So, the valley of death for a Christian believer 153 00:10:29,020 –> 00:10:30,859 is still a dark place. 154 00:10:31,940 –> 00:10:34,880 It may still be a painful place, 155 00:10:35,859 –> 00:10:37,460 but we can say with confidence 156 00:10:37,460 –> 00:10:40,940 that it is a safe place for the Christian believer, 157 00:10:40,940 –> 00:10:43,719 why, because Jesus has cleared out 158 00:10:43,719 –> 00:10:45,159 the enemies who lurk there. 159 00:10:45,159 –> 00:10:46,119 He swept it. 160 00:10:47,140 –> 00:10:48,799 He has defanged death. 161 00:10:48,799 –> 00:10:50,299 He has drawn its sting. 162 00:10:50,299 –> 00:10:51,440 He has gone through it. 163 00:10:51,440 –> 00:10:52,919 He has swept it. 164 00:10:52,919 –> 00:10:55,020 He has entered death for us. 165 00:10:55,020 –> 00:10:56,380 And it is very important 166 00:10:56,380 –> 00:10:58,200 that we affirm that Jesus has died. 167 00:10:58,200 –> 00:10:59,099 You remember, by the way, 168 00:10:59,099 –> 00:11:02,059 that that’s a thing that distinguishes Christian faith 169 00:11:02,059 –> 00:11:03,440 from what is taught in Islam, 170 00:11:03,440 –> 00:11:05,500 who say that Jesus did not die. 171 00:11:06,880 –> 00:11:08,719 We believe that Jesus died. 172 00:11:09,559 –> 00:11:12,119 I know that we want to rush onto the fact that he rose, 173 00:11:12,119 –> 00:11:15,119 but we must get hold of the significance of his death. 174 00:11:15,119 –> 00:11:18,440 Because it is by his death that he defangs death. 175 00:11:18,440 –> 00:11:22,239 It is by his entering into death that he sweeps death. 176 00:11:22,239 –> 00:11:26,020 It is by his death that he changes the nature of death 177 00:11:26,020 –> 00:11:27,099 for you and for me, 178 00:11:27,099 –> 00:11:30,640 and for those who have entered it ahead of us already. 179 00:11:31,840 –> 00:11:32,960 That is why the Bible says 180 00:11:32,960 –> 00:11:35,760 there is nothing in life or in death 181 00:11:35,760 –> 00:11:37,859 that can separate you from the love of God, 182 00:11:37,859 –> 00:11:40,380 which is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 183 00:11:42,039 –> 00:11:45,520 Now, we believe, Paul says, Jesus died. 184 00:11:45,520 –> 00:11:46,880 We believe that. 185 00:11:47,880 –> 00:11:52,700 And that changes the nature of death 186 00:11:52,700 –> 00:11:54,200 for every Christian believer, 187 00:11:54,200 –> 00:11:55,919 for everyone who is in him. 188 00:11:55,919 –> 00:11:58,640 Notice that Christians who have died 189 00:11:58,640 –> 00:12:03,640 are described here as falling asleep in Christ. 190 00:12:04,320 –> 00:12:05,380 It comes three times. 191 00:12:05,380 –> 00:12:06,559 Look at it, please. 192 00:12:06,559 –> 00:12:09,059 This is a characteristic New Testament way 193 00:12:09,059 –> 00:12:11,520 of describing the death of a Christian. 194 00:12:11,520 –> 00:12:13,460 Verse 13, we don’t want you to be ignorant 195 00:12:13,460 –> 00:12:16,119 about those who have fallen asleep. 196 00:12:16,179 –> 00:12:18,140 Verse 14, God will bring with Jesus 197 00:12:18,140 –> 00:12:21,260 those who have fallen asleep in him. 198 00:12:21,260 –> 00:12:22,679 Isn’t that beautiful by the way? 199 00:12:22,679 –> 00:12:26,380 Fallen asleep in him. 200 00:12:26,380 –> 00:12:28,700 Verse 15, we will certainly not proceed 201 00:12:28,700 –> 00:12:31,919 those who have fallen asleep. 202 00:12:31,919 –> 00:12:33,020 And by the way, 203 00:12:34,440 –> 00:12:38,200 fallen asleep does not mean 204 00:12:38,200 –> 00:12:40,179 that Christians who have died 205 00:12:40,179 –> 00:12:42,140 are in a state of unconsciousness. 206 00:12:42,140 –> 00:12:43,659 Some folks have suggested that, 207 00:12:43,700 –> 00:12:46,219 that we can be confident that that is not true. 208 00:12:47,359 –> 00:12:49,840 Because Paul says for me to live is Christ 209 00:12:49,840 –> 00:12:51,260 and to die is gain. 210 00:12:51,260 –> 00:12:53,099 That is what is immediately after death 211 00:12:53,099 –> 00:12:55,200 for a Christian is more, not less. 212 00:12:56,479 –> 00:12:58,979 He says to be with Christ is far better. 213 00:13:00,219 –> 00:13:03,900 Now, unconsciousness is not far better 214 00:13:03,900 –> 00:13:05,780 than the joys of this life. 215 00:13:06,979 –> 00:13:09,119 Far better is the conscious enjoyment 216 00:13:09,119 –> 00:13:12,479 of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 217 00:13:13,239 –> 00:13:16,359 So, I think Calvin is right when he says 218 00:13:16,359 –> 00:13:19,099 that the reference in fallen asleep 219 00:13:19,099 –> 00:13:22,080 is not to the soul, but to the body. 220 00:13:23,080 –> 00:13:24,359 The soul is not asleep, 221 00:13:24,359 –> 00:13:26,080 the soul is consciously enjoying 222 00:13:26,080 –> 00:13:27,479 the presence of the Lord. 223 00:13:27,479 –> 00:13:29,900 But the references to the body says Calvin, 224 00:13:29,900 –> 00:13:32,520 for the dead body of rests in the tomb 225 00:13:32,520 –> 00:13:37,520 as on a bed until God raises the person up. 226 00:13:37,520 –> 00:13:42,520 So, our loved ones, and it is important to know this, 227 00:13:42,520 –> 00:13:44,500 who have fallen asleep in Christ, 228 00:13:44,500 –> 00:13:48,940 have a richer and fuller and closer experience 229 00:13:48,940 –> 00:13:51,979 of the Lord than any of us can enjoy here 230 00:13:51,979 –> 00:13:55,000 on the earth, they are a secure in Christ 231 00:13:55,000 –> 00:13:59,080 in death as you and I are in Christ in life 232 00:13:59,080 –> 00:14:01,500 and we all will be for all eternity. 233 00:14:01,500 –> 00:14:06,200 But there is something more still 234 00:14:06,200 –> 00:14:10,020 to come for them as there is something more 235 00:14:10,020 –> 00:14:13,919 still to come for us, and so let’s continue, 236 00:14:13,919 –> 00:14:17,880 we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 237 00:14:17,880 –> 00:14:20,539 verse 14, it’s not just that we believe 238 00:14:20,539 –> 00:14:23,539 that Jesus died, we believe that Jesus 239 00:14:23,539 –> 00:14:28,340 died and rose again, death couldn’t hold Him 240 00:14:28,340 –> 00:14:31,039 on the third day, He triumphed over the power 241 00:14:31,039 –> 00:14:33,919 of death rising from the grave. 242 00:14:33,919 –> 00:14:38,919 Now, here’s the great enigma, Jesus died and rose again, 243 00:14:43,000 –> 00:14:48,000 your loved one has died, but they have not risen, 244 00:14:51,539 –> 00:14:56,539 so they are in an enigma of a position, 245 00:14:58,179 –> 00:15:01,919 it’s like an unresolved musical chord, 246 00:15:02,239 –> 00:15:05,919 it leaves you straining for the next note 247 00:15:05,919 –> 00:15:10,919 that has to come in because though the chord appeals, 248 00:15:11,799 –> 00:15:16,799 it has to lead to another note and no wonder therefore 249 00:15:18,619 –> 00:15:22,219 that this whole thing feels to you incomplete, 250 00:15:23,539 –> 00:15:27,960 it is incomplete, it is not yet finished, 251 00:15:28,900 –> 00:15:33,500 there is something still to happen for your loved one 252 00:15:33,500 –> 00:15:36,239 as well as us to enter into the fullness of all 253 00:15:36,239 –> 00:15:37,900 that Jesus Christ has accomplished 254 00:15:37,900 –> 00:15:40,140 through his death and resurrection 255 00:15:41,619 –> 00:15:43,880 and Paul tells us what that is, 256 00:15:45,299 –> 00:15:50,260 Christians who have died in Christ will come with Christ, 257 00:15:50,260 –> 00:15:55,400 verse 14, God will bring with Jesus 258 00:15:55,400 –> 00:15:59,659 those who have fallen asleep in him. 259 00:15:59,659 –> 00:16:01,059 By the way, that does make it pretty clear 260 00:16:01,059 –> 00:16:03,940 they’re with him, God will bring with Jesus 261 00:16:03,940 –> 00:16:07,239 those who have fallen asleep in him 262 00:16:08,299 –> 00:16:10,739 and when our Lord appears, verse 16, 263 00:16:10,739 –> 00:16:14,580 the dead in Christ will rise, 264 00:16:14,580 –> 00:16:17,440 in other words, they who consciously enjoy 265 00:16:17,440 –> 00:16:21,500 the presence of the Lord now will on that day 266 00:16:21,520 –> 00:16:25,239 enter into the full blessing of the resurrection. 267 00:16:26,520 –> 00:16:29,219 They will experience the full blessing 268 00:16:29,219 –> 00:16:33,099 of resurrection life in a glorified soul 269 00:16:33,099 –> 00:16:36,900 and body and we will share in the joy 270 00:16:36,900 –> 00:16:38,739 of that together on that day. 271 00:16:40,340 –> 00:16:43,500 Now, notice that in verse 17, will you? 272 00:16:43,500 –> 00:16:46,739 We who are still alive and are left 273 00:16:46,739 –> 00:16:50,799 will be caught up together with them 274 00:16:50,820 –> 00:16:53,979 in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 275 00:16:55,320 –> 00:16:57,619 So the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, 276 00:16:57,619 –> 00:17:00,359 He will bring those who are consciously 277 00:17:00,359 –> 00:17:01,799 enjoying his presence. 278 00:17:01,799 –> 00:17:04,020 He will give to them on that day 279 00:17:04,020 –> 00:17:06,579 the gift of the resurrection body. 280 00:17:06,579 –> 00:17:09,599 They will rise, is the way that the Bible puts it. 281 00:17:10,760 –> 00:17:12,579 And we will be caught up together 282 00:17:12,579 –> 00:17:14,900 with them, with them, to meet 283 00:17:14,900 –> 00:17:17,060 the Lord in the air, verse 17. 284 00:17:17,060 –> 00:17:19,219 Now, Paul is describing here, 285 00:17:19,219 –> 00:17:24,219 the ascension of Christian believers. 286 00:17:25,180 –> 00:17:28,060 See, when we are united with Jesus Christ, 287 00:17:28,060 –> 00:17:30,119 he shares everything with us. 288 00:17:31,400 –> 00:17:33,060 We enter into his death. 289 00:17:34,060 –> 00:17:35,939 We enter into his resurrection, 290 00:17:35,939 –> 00:17:40,060 and we will enter into and share 291 00:17:40,060 –> 00:17:42,140 His ascension also. 292 00:17:42,140 –> 00:17:45,520 You see, everything that is true of Christ 293 00:17:45,560 –> 00:17:47,739 will be true of you. 294 00:17:49,040 –> 00:17:50,140 Now, thinking about this, 295 00:17:50,140 –> 00:17:54,199 I find my mind wandering onto film stars 296 00:17:54,199 –> 00:17:56,819 and prenuptial agreements. 297 00:17:56,819 –> 00:17:58,520 Let me explain. 298 00:17:58,520 –> 00:17:59,699 You know, there’s some of these folks 299 00:17:59,699 –> 00:18:01,880 that have pots of money, 300 00:18:01,880 –> 00:18:03,920 and they’re gonna get married, 301 00:18:03,920 –> 00:18:08,380 and they set up a prenuptial agreement. 302 00:18:09,979 –> 00:18:12,319 You read about this in the papers, right? 303 00:18:12,319 –> 00:18:16,880 Now, what is a prenuptial agreement? 304 00:18:17,900 –> 00:18:19,739 Well, a prenuptial agreement 305 00:18:19,739 –> 00:18:21,979 is someone who’s got everything you can imagine, 306 00:18:21,979 –> 00:18:25,199 saying I want a relationship with you, 307 00:18:25,199 –> 00:18:28,880 but I’m holding a good deal back from you, right? 308 00:18:28,880 –> 00:18:32,040 That’s what it is, a prenuptial agreement. 309 00:18:33,359 –> 00:18:35,640 You’ll gather I’m not commending this, right? 310 00:18:36,599 –> 00:18:41,599 Now, listen, Jesus Christ has no prenups with his people. 311 00:18:44,579 –> 00:18:47,819 There is nothing that Jesus Christ holds back 312 00:18:47,819 –> 00:18:51,079 from sharing with you, fully, finally, and eternally, 313 00:18:51,079 –> 00:18:53,959 when he binds himself to you in a relationship 314 00:18:53,959 –> 00:18:56,160 of love and faith that will transform your life 315 00:18:56,160 –> 00:18:59,300 now and eternity, forever and forever. 316 00:19:00,839 –> 00:19:03,119 When you’ve come to belong to Jesus Christ, 317 00:19:03,119 –> 00:19:05,079 all that is his becomes yours, 318 00:19:05,079 –> 00:19:09,000 death resurrection, ascension, everlasting life 319 00:19:09,000 –> 00:19:11,319 in the presence of the father. 320 00:19:13,239 –> 00:19:16,359 All that is his becomes yours, think of what that means. 321 00:19:16,359 –> 00:19:21,280 Christ’s sin-bearing death becomes yours, 322 00:19:21,280 –> 00:19:25,680 so that when you die, you will not carry your guilt 323 00:19:25,680 –> 00:19:29,239 or sin into your death because he carried your guilt 324 00:19:29,239 –> 00:19:30,880 and sin into his death. 325 00:19:32,119 –> 00:19:34,800 And he shares the sin-bearing death with you. 326 00:19:34,839 –> 00:19:37,079 So you will never know what a sin-bearing death is like 327 00:19:37,079 –> 00:19:38,380 because he did it for you. 328 00:19:39,540 –> 00:19:43,540 And more than that, Christ’s risen life becomes yours. 329 00:19:43,540 –> 00:19:45,699 Being a Christian is more than believing certain truths 330 00:19:45,699 –> 00:19:48,300 about Jesus, it is the life of the risen Christ 331 00:19:48,300 –> 00:19:50,660 coming into you and being lived in you 332 00:19:50,660 –> 00:19:52,040 by the power of the spirit. 333 00:19:52,040 –> 00:19:56,099 Christ lives in me, Paul says, and it is Christ in you 334 00:19:56,099 –> 00:19:58,000 that is the hope of glory. 335 00:19:59,060 –> 00:20:01,219 And what we’re learning in this part of the Bible 336 00:20:01,219 –> 00:20:04,420 distinctly, is that Christ’s glorious ascension 337 00:20:04,420 –> 00:20:06,219 will also be yours. 338 00:20:06,219 –> 00:20:08,619 He is ascended to the right hand of the father, 339 00:20:08,619 –> 00:20:09,959 so will you. 340 00:20:09,959 –> 00:20:14,020 He went up into the clouds, 40 days after his resurrection, 341 00:20:14,020 –> 00:20:17,160 so will you, you will share in that ascension. 342 00:20:18,339 –> 00:20:20,760 All that is his becomes yours. 343 00:20:20,760 –> 00:20:22,560 And here’s the marvelous thing, 344 00:20:23,479 –> 00:20:25,319 the dead in Christ come. 345 00:20:25,319 –> 00:20:26,839 Those of us are still alive 346 00:20:26,839 –> 00:20:28,520 are caught up together with them 347 00:20:28,520 –> 00:20:30,000 to meet the Lord in the air. 348 00:20:30,000 –> 00:20:32,079 Every Christian who has ever lived, 349 00:20:32,079 –> 00:20:34,760 those who have died and those who are living at the time, 350 00:20:34,760 –> 00:20:36,300 every Christian who has ever lived 351 00:20:36,300 –> 00:20:39,040 will share in the ascension of Jesus, of course, 352 00:20:39,040 –> 00:20:41,099 because every Christian who has ever lived 353 00:20:41,099 –> 00:20:42,520 has already shared in the death 354 00:20:42,520 –> 00:20:45,359 and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ 355 00:20:45,359 –> 00:20:47,800 and we will share in his everlasting life 356 00:20:47,800 –> 00:20:50,280 in glory forever. 357 00:20:51,520 –> 00:20:53,739 So if you die before the day of his coming, 358 00:20:54,760 –> 00:20:58,660 you will rise and you’ll still be part of it. 359 00:21:00,000 –> 00:21:01,839 And if you are alive on the day of his coming, 360 00:21:01,839 –> 00:21:04,000 you’ll be caught up together with these folks 361 00:21:04,000 –> 00:21:07,239 who come with him and rise on that day 362 00:21:07,239 –> 00:21:09,459 and in a moment and in a twinkling of an eye, 363 00:21:09,459 –> 00:21:11,339 you will be changed and transformed 364 00:21:11,339 –> 00:21:15,599 and we shall be, Paul says, forever with the Lord. 365 00:21:15,599 –> 00:21:16,880 Now, I want you to notice 366 00:21:16,880 –> 00:21:21,880 because Paul is speaking to comfort those who are bereaved, 367 00:21:22,560 –> 00:21:24,160 that’s his purpose. 368 00:21:24,160 –> 00:21:25,239 We don’t want you to be ignorant 369 00:21:25,239 –> 00:21:28,000 about those who have fallen asleep. 370 00:21:28,959 –> 00:21:33,280 So, I want you to notice that in verse 17 here, 371 00:21:33,280 –> 00:21:34,880 Paul says that we who are left 372 00:21:34,880 –> 00:21:39,280 will be caught up together with them. 373 00:21:39,280 –> 00:21:40,660 Together with them. 374 00:21:43,020 –> 00:21:44,739 There’s something wonderful here 375 00:21:45,739 –> 00:21:47,359 and I have to say, as I’ve studied it, 376 00:21:47,359 –> 00:21:48,839 it’s come freshly to me 377 00:21:50,300 –> 00:21:51,839 and I don’t want us to miss it. 378 00:21:53,280 –> 00:21:56,839 We’ll be caught up together with them. 379 00:21:56,859 –> 00:21:58,400 Now, who’s the them? 380 00:21:58,400 –> 00:21:59,239 Now remember, 381 00:22:00,579 –> 00:22:02,300 Paul is writing to believers 382 00:22:02,300 –> 00:22:05,479 who are grieving over their family, 383 00:22:06,459 –> 00:22:09,780 friends who have died. 384 00:22:09,780 –> 00:22:11,160 He’s writing to real people, 385 00:22:12,300 –> 00:22:17,180 fathers, mothers, children, husbands, wives 386 00:22:18,739 –> 00:22:22,339 and their grief isn’t about death in general. 387 00:22:23,319 –> 00:22:26,260 Their grief is about the person 388 00:22:26,260 –> 00:22:29,040 they have lost, in particular. 389 00:22:30,579 –> 00:22:33,660 And Paul writes to comfort them in their sorrow 390 00:22:33,660 –> 00:22:35,979 and he says, now encourage in your bereavement 391 00:22:35,979 –> 00:22:38,219 one another with these words. 392 00:22:39,079 –> 00:22:40,780 What words? 393 00:22:40,780 –> 00:22:44,699 That we will be caught up together with them 394 00:22:46,099 –> 00:22:47,500 to meet the Lord in the air. 395 00:22:48,939 –> 00:22:50,020 Now, though what he says 396 00:22:50,040 –> 00:22:52,680 is obviously true of all believers. 397 00:22:53,699 –> 00:22:55,479 He’s not thinking, as he writes, 398 00:22:55,479 –> 00:22:57,380 surely, about believers in general. 399 00:22:57,380 –> 00:22:59,900 He’s thinking about the loved ones 400 00:22:59,900 –> 00:23:02,920 of these bereaved Thessalonians in particular. 401 00:23:04,239 –> 00:23:06,339 And the whole point that Paul is making here, 402 00:23:06,339 –> 00:23:09,140 surely, if it is to be an encouragement to them, 403 00:23:09,140 –> 00:23:10,599 which is what he says, 404 00:23:10,599 –> 00:23:13,319 is that these Christians 405 00:23:14,500 –> 00:23:17,459 may have the comfort of knowing 406 00:23:17,560 –> 00:23:21,699 that they will see and immediately enjoy 407 00:23:21,699 –> 00:23:23,939 the company of their own loved ones 408 00:23:23,939 –> 00:23:25,819 whose loss they mourn right now. 409 00:23:25,819 –> 00:23:29,900 They will see them and they will enjoy them again. 410 00:23:32,439 –> 00:23:34,640 Listen to this from Jonathan Edwards. 411 00:23:37,140 –> 00:23:39,099 The special affection 412 00:23:40,260 –> 00:23:42,819 that the saints have in this world 413 00:23:42,819 –> 00:23:46,579 towards other saints who are their friends 414 00:23:46,579 –> 00:23:51,140 will in some respect remain in another world. 415 00:23:52,140 –> 00:23:53,619 The special affection 416 00:23:55,400 –> 00:23:58,380 known in this world, Edwards says, 417 00:23:58,380 –> 00:24:00,140 because it is a wonderful gift of God 418 00:24:00,140 –> 00:24:03,219 and God always gives more but never less, 419 00:24:03,219 –> 00:24:05,739 the special affection will remain in another world. 420 00:24:06,979 –> 00:24:08,920 Karen and I have talked several times, 421 00:24:08,920 –> 00:24:11,020 I guess over the 27 years we’ve been married 422 00:24:11,020 –> 00:24:12,900 about the verse that says you’ll be neither given 423 00:24:12,900 –> 00:24:15,219 or taken in marriage in heaven. 424 00:24:16,219 –> 00:24:17,560 And we’ve talked about it this week 425 00:24:17,560 –> 00:24:19,300 and we’ve said, you know, 426 00:24:19,300 –> 00:24:21,060 looking at what we are told in the Bible 427 00:24:21,060 –> 00:24:24,040 I think I’ve underestimated how much 428 00:24:24,040 –> 00:24:27,420 I will enjoy you in the presence of Jesus 429 00:24:28,739 –> 00:24:32,560 because the gifts of special affection 430 00:24:34,219 –> 00:24:35,979 are wonderful gifts of God. 431 00:24:35,979 –> 00:24:38,780 The gift of relationship that we enjoy 432 00:24:38,780 –> 00:24:40,979 are wonderful gifts of God 433 00:24:40,979 –> 00:24:42,979 and God always gives more 434 00:24:44,180 –> 00:24:47,900 but never gives less. 435 00:24:47,900 –> 00:24:50,040 And when Paul says that we will be caught up together 436 00:24:50,040 –> 00:24:52,219 with them, he’s not talking about 437 00:24:52,219 –> 00:24:55,780 the vague faceless generality of believers, 438 00:24:55,780 –> 00:24:59,479 he’s saying you will share with your loved ones 439 00:24:59,479 –> 00:25:01,540 the greatest moment in all human history 440 00:25:01,540 –> 00:25:04,459 and it will be the entrance into the eternity 441 00:25:04,459 –> 00:25:06,660 that Christ died and rose to prepare for you. 442 00:25:06,660 –> 00:25:08,579 So comfort one another with these words 443 00:25:08,579 –> 00:25:10,540 because we’re not grieving like the rest of people 444 00:25:10,619 –> 00:25:13,619 who have no hope, who have no idea about what lies ahead 445 00:25:13,619 –> 00:25:15,219 and have no entrance into it 446 00:25:15,219 –> 00:25:18,400 if they are outside of Jesus Christ. 447 00:25:19,400 –> 00:25:21,739 I’ve noticed, too, just pondering this 448 00:25:21,739 –> 00:25:25,260 and we’re at the edge here of what is revealed 449 00:25:25,260 –> 00:25:29,599 but look at 1 Thessalonians 2 in verse 19 450 00:25:29,599 –> 00:25:31,459 where Paul in this very same letter, 451 00:25:31,459 –> 00:25:32,819 chapter two in verse 19, 452 00:25:32,819 –> 00:25:34,780 he’s talking about what is our hope, 453 00:25:34,780 –> 00:25:38,819 what will be our joy when Jesus Christ comes. 454 00:25:38,819 –> 00:25:41,939 That’s the question in chapter two, verse 19. 455 00:25:41,939 –> 00:25:45,859 What will be our joy when Jesus comes? 456 00:25:48,400 –> 00:25:52,260 And Paul says, is it not you? 457 00:25:53,939 –> 00:25:55,699 And you see the power of what he’s saying. 458 00:25:55,699 –> 00:25:58,739 There is a special relationship between us now, 459 00:25:58,739 –> 00:26:01,060 Paul says to these Thessalonian believers 460 00:26:01,060 –> 00:26:04,180 and that special bond will not be decreased 461 00:26:04,180 –> 00:26:05,380 but it will be increased 462 00:26:05,380 –> 00:26:07,859 and the joy of it will be more, not less. 463 00:26:09,079 –> 00:26:11,780 As we enter into the presence of Jesus, 464 00:26:11,780 –> 00:26:16,780 therefore comfort one another with these words. 465 00:26:17,339 –> 00:26:21,199 I am so sure it will be very different 466 00:26:21,199 –> 00:26:23,420 in a thousand ways that we cannot say 467 00:26:24,400 –> 00:26:26,959 but please don’t ever think it will be less 468 00:26:27,859 –> 00:26:32,859 for God never gives less but always more. 469 00:26:33,359 –> 00:26:38,359 Therefore, encourage each other with these words. 470 00:26:39,640 –> 00:26:42,180 And to note, let me just draw your attention 471 00:26:42,180 –> 00:26:44,140 to one more phrase here in verse 14 472 00:26:44,140 –> 00:26:47,939 as we’re trying to bring this into our minds together. 473 00:26:47,939 –> 00:26:50,060 Do you notice in verse 14 there 474 00:26:50,060 –> 00:26:54,619 that Paul says God will bring with Jesus 475 00:26:54,619 –> 00:26:57,060 those who have fallen asleep in Him, 476 00:26:57,060 –> 00:26:58,599 God will bring them. 477 00:26:59,420 –> 00:27:00,420 Isn’t that beautiful? 478 00:27:01,400 –> 00:27:05,719 God loves bringing people together. 479 00:27:06,400 –> 00:27:11,119 God brought Eve to Adam. 480 00:27:12,900 –> 00:27:16,599 God has brought the people who are a blessing 481 00:27:16,599 –> 00:27:18,119 in your life to you. 482 00:27:21,599 –> 00:27:26,579 God sets the solitary in families, God does that. 483 00:27:26,579 –> 00:27:30,800 God brings brothers and sisters together in the church. 484 00:27:31,800 –> 00:27:36,560 God has brought your loved ones to you in this life 485 00:27:36,560 –> 00:27:40,339 and Paul is telling us that God will bring them together 486 00:27:40,339 –> 00:27:44,640 with you again on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 487 00:27:44,640 –> 00:27:46,160 He will bring them. 488 00:27:46,160 –> 00:27:50,819 He himself will bring them to you. 489 00:27:51,739 –> 00:27:52,579 To you. 490 00:27:53,839 –> 00:27:55,719 And so, verse 17, 491 00:27:56,280 –> 00:28:02,140 we will be with the Lord forever. 492 00:28:03,599 –> 00:28:06,660 Now one more quote from Jonathan Edwards here, 493 00:28:06,660 –> 00:28:09,400 that again I find very helpful to just stretch 494 00:28:09,400 –> 00:28:11,680 my own mind thinking about this. 495 00:28:13,400 –> 00:28:18,400 Edwards makes the point that we shall go in holiness 496 00:28:19,400 –> 00:28:23,599 and happiness in eternity. 497 00:28:23,599 –> 00:28:25,599 See, we shouldn’t think of it as static. 498 00:28:25,660 –> 00:28:29,239 We have such vague, uninteresting views of heaven sometimes 499 00:28:29,239 –> 00:28:32,439 that we are not lifted by it, as we should be. 500 00:28:33,660 –> 00:28:36,140 Edwards says we will grow in holiness 501 00:28:36,140 –> 00:28:37,900 and in happiness in eternity, 502 00:28:37,900 –> 00:28:39,319 and here’s how he makes the argument, 503 00:28:39,319 –> 00:28:41,959 and then I’d like to read you a short quote. 504 00:28:41,959 –> 00:28:43,959 He said now think about this, 505 00:28:43,959 –> 00:28:45,680 as you move through life in this world 506 00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:49,280 you add to your experiences and you add to your joys. 507 00:28:49,280 –> 00:28:50,859 Your memory of some things fades, 508 00:28:50,859 –> 00:28:53,880 and there’s a whole things in the last 10 years 509 00:28:53,880 –> 00:28:55,140 that have filled your life 510 00:28:55,979 –> 00:28:58,020 that are beyond what was in the previous 10 years, 511 00:28:58,020 –> 00:29:00,619 and the joys of your life increase 512 00:29:00,619 –> 00:29:03,959 and the experiences of your life abound. 513 00:29:05,260 –> 00:29:08,859 And the Scripture makes it very clear 514 00:29:08,859 –> 00:29:12,180 that God will wipe all tears from our eyes. 515 00:29:12,180 –> 00:29:15,660 That all pain and all dysfunction 516 00:29:15,660 –> 00:29:18,359 will be healed and removed, 517 00:29:18,359 –> 00:29:21,160 and every grief will be taken from us 518 00:29:21,160 –> 00:29:23,439 so that we will not live with any of that. 519 00:29:24,420 –> 00:29:28,979 And all that is less than God purposes it to be 520 00:29:28,979 –> 00:29:30,339 will be made perfect. 521 00:29:30,339 –> 00:29:33,079 We won’t carry any pain into heaven, 522 00:29:33,079 –> 00:29:34,780 we will not carry any sorrow, 523 00:29:34,780 –> 00:29:37,239 we will not carry lasting regret, 524 00:29:38,640 –> 00:29:40,599 but the joys of this life 525 00:29:40,599 –> 00:29:43,300 and of his grace in us will remain. 526 00:29:44,880 –> 00:29:48,599 And on top of these joys that remain 527 00:29:48,599 –> 00:29:50,500 will be the joys of heaven 528 00:29:51,000 –> 00:29:54,040 that will go on adding to the joys of earth. 529 00:2:54,040 –> 00:29:55,380 It’s almost more, never less. 530 00:29:55,380 –> 00:29:58,699 So, as year on year, in decade on decade, 531 00:29:58,699 –> 00:30:01,079 their richness of life has expanded for you 532 00:30:01,079 –> 00:30:05,660 so into eternity, experience upon experience 533 00:30:05,660 –> 00:30:08,819 will cumulate Edward says. 534 00:30:09,760 –> 00:30:11,719 And he says, we cannot suppose 535 00:30:11,719 –> 00:30:14,520 that we will ever entirely forget 536 00:30:14,520 –> 00:30:16,660 everything that has happened on earth 537 00:30:17,640 –> 00:30:19,560 nor can we suppose 538 00:30:19,579 –> 00:30:21,640 that we will ever entirely forget 539 00:30:21,640 –> 00:30:23,859 everything that has happened in heaven. 540 00:30:24,739 –> 00:30:27,300 So, here’s his point, Edward says. 541 00:30:28,739 –> 00:30:32,780 Think about what it will be like then 542 00:30:32,780 –> 00:30:35,079 when you have been in heaven 543 00:30:36,020 –> 00:30:40,339 for a million, million ages 544 00:30:41,739 –> 00:30:42,939 and here’s what he says. 545 00:30:45,020 –> 00:30:47,739 Your knowledge will increase to eternity 546 00:30:48,739 –> 00:30:51,880 and if your knowledge, so your holiness 547 00:30:53,199 –> 00:30:56,540 for as you increase in the knowledge of God, 548 00:30:56,540 –> 00:30:59,199 you will see more of his beauty 549 00:30:59,199 –> 00:31:01,819 and as you see more of his beauty, 550 00:31:01,819 –> 00:31:03,939 you will love him even more 551 00:31:05,000 –> 00:31:06,800 and as you love him even more, 552 00:31:06,800 –> 00:31:08,260 you will delight in him 553 00:31:08,260 –> 00:31:10,760 and have more happiness in him. 554 00:31:12,459 –> 00:31:17,040 We will be with the Lord forever. 555 00:31:17,040 –> 00:31:19,680 Folks, we’re talking about 556 00:31:19,680 –> 00:31:24,380 exponentially increasing joy. 557 00:31:27,119 –> 00:31:29,760 Now, look at the application Paul makes 558 00:31:29,760 –> 00:31:31,800 over to chapter five in verse eight. 559 00:31:33,719 –> 00:31:35,119 So, in the light of all of this, 560 00:31:35,119 –> 00:31:37,199 he says, you put on faith 561 00:31:38,199 –> 00:31:40,359 and you put on love as a breastplate 562 00:31:41,359 –> 00:31:43,560 and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 563 00:31:43,599 –> 00:31:47,520 See what he’s saying, you draw strength here. 564 00:31:49,199 –> 00:31:51,880 So, you are enduring pain and sorrow. 565 00:31:53,800 –> 00:31:58,359 Put on faith as a breastplate and hope as a helmet. 566 00:32:00,560 –> 00:32:03,119 For, what is this sorrow in the light 567 00:32:04,199 –> 00:32:07,780 of a million, million ages 568 00:32:07,780 –> 00:32:10,780 of exponentially increasing joy? 569 00:32:11,780 –> 00:32:14,420 You have come to church today 570 00:32:14,420 –> 00:32:17,560 and you are facing pressure and disappointment. 571 00:32:17,560 –> 00:32:20,560 Put on faith and love as a breastplate 572 00:32:20,560 –> 00:32:24,300 and hope as the helmet of your salvation. 573 00:32:24,300 –> 00:32:28,439 For, what is disappointment and what is this pressure 574 00:32:28,439 –> 00:32:31,280 to a man or to a woman who will savor joy 575 00:32:31,280 –> 00:32:33,780 that goes on increasing forever? 576 00:32:35,160 –> 00:32:37,099 And, you have suffered an injustice 577 00:32:37,099 –> 00:32:39,380 and there is no way of righting it in this world 578 00:32:39,459 –> 00:32:42,219 and it gnaws and it gnaws and it gnaws at you 579 00:32:42,219 –> 00:32:44,839 and it threatens to take you down. 580 00:32:44,839 –> 00:32:48,459 Oh, put on faith and put on love as a breastplate 581 00:32:48,459 –> 00:32:50,780 and hope as the helmet of your salvation 582 00:32:50,780 –> 00:32:54,300 for what is injustice in this world 583 00:32:54,300 –> 00:32:57,800 to a man or a woman who will know 584 00:32:57,800 –> 00:33:01,280 the presence and joy of Christ forever? 585 00:33:03,140 –> 00:33:05,119 And, are you facing death? 586 00:33:06,680 –> 00:33:09,079 Do you know that you have a serious illness? 587 00:33:10,319 –> 00:33:14,060 What is death to a man or a woman 588 00:33:14,060 –> 00:33:17,900 who will be forever with the Lord? 589 00:33:20,160 –> 00:33:25,160 Now, Paul says encourage one another with these words. 590 00:33:32,099 –> 00:33:35,640 Now, the very last thing I want to say is simply this. 591 00:33:35,640 –> 00:33:38,560 We’ve talked about hope for those who have died in Christ. 592 00:33:38,640 –> 00:33:42,959 We’ve talked about hope for those who are alive in Christ. 593 00:33:42,959 –> 00:33:45,319 And I want simply in these last few moments 594 00:33:45,319 –> 00:33:47,319 simply to land on this, 595 00:33:47,319 –> 00:33:51,959 that there is no hope without Jesus Christ, 596 00:33:51,959 –> 00:33:55,040 no hope without Christ. 597 00:33:55,040 –> 00:33:58,119 And I say that because Paul mixes that in plainly 598 00:33:58,119 –> 00:34:00,319 to the middle of this passage. 599 00:34:00,319 –> 00:34:02,800 In fact, he begins in chapter four and verse 13 600 00:34:02,800 –> 00:34:05,660 by saying that we do not want you to be ignorant brothers 601 00:34:05,660 –> 00:34:06,839 about those who fall asleep 602 00:34:07,260 –> 00:34:10,760 or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. 603 00:34:12,659 –> 00:34:15,800 And there are millions of people today 604 00:34:17,000 –> 00:34:19,419 living without the hope 605 00:34:20,459 –> 00:34:23,199 that we have spoken of for the last half hour 606 00:34:23,199 –> 00:34:26,459 and this hope does not belong to them. 607 00:34:29,540 –> 00:34:32,100 It is a hope that is in Christ 608 00:34:32,100 –> 00:34:34,580 and it is found and experienced 609 00:34:34,580 –> 00:34:36,580 and belongs to those who are in Christ 610 00:34:36,699 –> 00:34:39,239 but there is no hope outside of Christ. 611 00:34:40,199 –> 00:34:42,280 And so that is why, in chapter five, 612 00:34:42,280 –> 00:34:43,219 it seems to me 613 00:34:43,219 –> 00:34:45,300 Paul goes on to describe people 614 00:34:45,300 –> 00:34:48,139 who are living in darkness. 615 00:34:49,919 –> 00:34:52,580 And he draws attention to the fact 616 00:34:52,580 –> 00:34:55,860 that apart from Jesus Christ, 617 00:34:55,860 –> 00:34:57,939 you find yourself in this darkness 618 00:34:57,939 –> 00:34:59,419 and if you’re in this darkness, 619 00:34:59,419 –> 00:35:01,419 you shouldn’t think that you have hope. 620 00:35:02,919 –> 00:35:04,840 This is the way the Bible frames it. 621 00:35:05,260 –> 00:35:07,659 If you’re in darkness, 622 00:35:07,659 –> 00:35:08,719 you’re without Christ. 623 00:35:08,719 –> 00:35:10,239 There is no hope in the darkness. 624 00:35:10,239 –> 00:35:12,280 The only way that you can find hope 625 00:35:12,280 –> 00:35:14,399 is to get out of the darkness. 626 00:35:15,340 –> 00:35:16,860 Some of us have thought 627 00:35:16,860 –> 00:35:18,379 that we could live in darkness 628 00:35:18,379 –> 00:35:19,939 and still have the hope. 629 00:35:19,939 –> 00:35:20,919 You can’t. 630 00:35:22,379 –> 00:35:24,479 Don’t deceive yourself 631 00:35:24,479 –> 00:35:27,300 if you’re walking in darkness 632 00:35:27,300 –> 00:35:29,939 and Paul describes it here. 633 00:35:30,879 –> 00:35:33,080 He gives some examples of walking in darkness. 634 00:35:33,280 –> 00:35:36,659 He talks about verse seven. 635 00:35:37,760 –> 00:35:39,260 Those who sleep, sleep at night, 636 00:35:39,260 –> 00:35:42,199 those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 637 00:35:42,199 –> 00:35:44,360 Verse five, people who belong to the night, 638 00:35:44,360 –> 00:35:47,219 people who belong to the darkness. 639 00:35:47,219 –> 00:35:51,600 Some folks take their character from darkness, hidden. 640 00:35:52,719 –> 00:35:54,080 Always having to remember the secret 641 00:35:54,080 –> 00:35:55,540 you can’t speak about. 642 00:35:56,520 –> 00:35:57,500 Double life. 643 00:35:58,500 –> 00:36:02,459 And for those who secretly are more openly, 644 00:36:04,979 –> 00:36:07,340 following what Paul identifies here, 645 00:36:08,860 –> 00:36:11,399 you’ve given yourself to drink 646 00:36:12,739 –> 00:36:16,260 and you’ve given yourself to drugs. 647 00:36:18,020 –> 00:36:20,300 You wouldn’t have done that if you were happy. 648 00:36:21,500 –> 00:36:24,719 You wouldn’t have done that if you had hope. 649 00:36:25,479 –> 00:36:28,760 You’ve done that feeling overwhelmed by life. 650 00:36:28,760 –> 00:36:30,639 Feeling that there is no way out. 651 00:36:30,639 –> 00:36:33,280 Feeling that it is so bleak, so pointless 652 00:36:33,280 –> 00:36:37,120 and the pain is too great. 653 00:36:37,120 –> 00:36:38,600 You’re in darkness. 654 00:36:41,179 –> 00:36:43,280 Notice what it’s like to be in darkness. 655 00:36:44,639 –> 00:36:46,840 One of the distinguishing marks of darkness 656 00:36:46,840 –> 00:36:48,439 is that you feel secure. 657 00:36:50,340 –> 00:36:51,820 It’s a deception of course. 658 00:36:51,939 –> 00:36:55,979 And Paul says in verse 3 it’s when people are saying 659 00:36:55,979 –> 00:36:58,340 peace and safety, 660 00:36:58,340 –> 00:37:00,979 the destruction will come upon them suddenly. 661 00:37:02,360 –> 00:37:03,199 If you come to church you know 662 00:37:03,199 –> 00:37:05,419 that you’re not following Jesus Christ now, 663 00:37:06,840 –> 00:37:07,959 but you come week after week 664 00:37:07,959 –> 00:37:09,479 and you’re okay with it. 665 00:37:11,000 –> 00:37:12,639 You know that there is stuff 666 00:37:12,639 –> 00:37:14,159 that is hidden that is dark 667 00:37:14,159 –> 00:37:16,060 and it’s been like that for a while. 668 00:37:16,780 –> 00:37:19,540 But you feel secure, you feel okay 669 00:37:20,540 –> 00:37:24,199 and you cannot see when you’re in darkness, 670 00:37:24,199 –> 00:37:26,600 not only do you feel secure, 671 00:37:26,600 –> 00:37:28,139 darkness means you can’t see. 672 00:37:29,679 –> 00:37:31,879 And honestly some of us come to church 673 00:37:31,879 –> 00:37:36,719 and you don’t see the glory of Jesus. 674 00:37:37,780 –> 00:37:39,939 Bible says the God of this world Satan 675 00:37:39,939 –> 00:37:41,699 has blinded the minds of unbelievers 676 00:37:41,699 –> 00:37:46,159 so that they cannot see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 677 00:37:46,159 –> 00:37:48,919 Read the Bible, you see nothing great nor magnificent, 678 00:37:49,000 –> 00:37:51,939 can’t really understand what other people see in it, 679 00:37:51,939 –> 00:37:53,379 you’re in darkness. 680 00:37:55,179 –> 00:37:56,760 Paul says if you’re in darkness 681 00:37:56,760 –> 00:37:58,860 you will be taken by surprise, 682 00:37:58,860 –> 00:38:00,139 verse two of chapter five. 683 00:38:00,139 –> 00:38:02,780 The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. 684 00:38:05,020 –> 00:38:08,260 You imagine a wasp’s eye view of the world, 685 00:38:08,260 –> 00:38:10,179 can you get inside a wasp? 686 00:38:11,020 –> 00:38:12,879 And here you are buzzing around with all your friends, 687 00:38:12,879 –> 00:38:14,379 bzzz, bzzz, bzz, bz. 688 00:38:14,379 –> 00:38:17,139 And you find a wonderful nest and a crack in the siding 689 00:38:17,399 –> 00:38:21,280 of the house and you feel very, very secure 690 00:38:21,280 –> 00:38:22,719 as you go about your daily work 691 00:38:22,719 –> 00:38:24,439 because after all you’ve got a stinger. 692 00:38:24,439 –> 00:38:26,500 I mean who can touch a guy with a stinger? 693 00:38:27,520 –> 00:38:29,479 From time to time one of your friends dies, 694 00:38:29,479 –> 00:38:30,840 doesn’t come back to the hive, 695 00:38:30,840 –> 00:38:32,399 but that’s all part of life, 696 00:38:32,399 –> 00:38:33,919 you’ve got work to do, food to find, 697 00:38:33,919 –> 00:38:36,040 so on you go not realizing that 698 00:38:36,040 –> 00:38:38,459 the owner of the house is walking down the path 699 00:38:38,459 –> 00:38:41,080 with a spray can in her hand. 700 00:38:42,600 –> 00:38:45,199 And in a moment the whole nest will be gone. 701 00:38:45,939 –> 00:38:47,320 No clue. 702 00:38:48,959 –> 00:38:50,479 Now Paul’s saying this is what it’s like 703 00:38:50,479 –> 00:38:51,320 to live in darkness. 704 00:38:51,320 –> 00:38:52,540 You feel so secure. 705 00:38:53,679 –> 00:38:56,639 You don’t see the glory of Christ. 706 00:38:58,800 –> 00:39:01,379 You will be taken by surprise. 707 00:39:03,360 –> 00:39:05,679 And look at what he says in verse three. 708 00:39:05,679 –> 00:39:07,379 I wouldn’t say this if it wasn’t there. 709 00:39:07,379 –> 00:39:10,280 He says you will not escape. 710 00:39:12,020 –> 00:39:13,959 Destruction will come upon them suddenly 711 00:39:14,100 –> 00:39:15,860 as labor pains on a pregnant woman 712 00:39:15,860 –> 00:39:17,899 and they will not escape. 713 00:39:17,899 –> 00:39:20,500 So there is no word of hope for people 714 00:39:20,500 –> 00:39:22,379 who continue in darkness, 715 00:39:22,379 –> 00:39:25,100 for people who belong to the darkness. 716 00:39:26,540 –> 00:39:30,919 And if that’s you, you have to change your position. 717 00:39:32,139 –> 00:39:33,659 You cannot remain there 718 00:39:34,800 –> 00:39:36,479 because the future for the darkness 719 00:39:36,479 –> 00:39:39,379 is as clear as the future of the light, 720 00:39:39,379 –> 00:39:41,719 but it is polar opposite. 721 00:39:42,280 –> 00:39:45,179 So don’t deceive yourself today, boy, 722 00:39:45,179 –> 00:39:46,520 if you’re in darkness. 723 00:39:47,520 –> 00:39:49,540 Get out of it into the light 724 00:39:49,540 –> 00:39:51,340 and I know some of you will be saying 725 00:39:51,340 –> 00:39:53,060 in your heart even now, 726 00:39:53,060 –> 00:39:54,060 you don’t understand, 727 00:39:54,060 –> 00:39:56,500 I can’t get out of the darkness. 728 00:39:56,500 –> 00:39:57,340 Listen, 729 00:39:58,639 –> 00:40:02,439 that is why Jesus Christ has come into the world, 730 00:40:03,620 –> 00:40:07,100 to deliver you from darkness. 731 00:40:07,100 –> 00:40:09,360 The gospel is not just forgiveness, 732 00:40:09,360 –> 00:40:11,520 it is power. 733 00:40:11,520 –> 00:40:13,159 The power of God 734 00:40:13,159 –> 00:40:16,979 for the salvation of those who believe 735 00:40:16,979 –> 00:40:19,199 in the Lord Jesus Christ 736 00:40:19,199 –> 00:40:21,219 who died and rose for you. 737 00:40:21,219 –> 00:40:25,219 His saving work is like the freeing of hostages, 738 00:40:25,219 –> 00:40:27,800 it is bringing people out of darkness 739 00:40:27,800 –> 00:40:30,439 and into his marvelous light 740 00:40:30,439 –> 00:40:33,439 for men and women in darkness. 741 00:40:33,439 –> 00:40:36,320 Older people who have lived their lives in darkness 742 00:40:36,320 –> 00:40:38,360 never really seeing the glory of Christ. 743 00:40:38,399 –> 00:40:39,840 Here’s the good news, 744 00:40:39,840 –> 00:40:42,719 there is someone who can deliver you. 745 00:40:43,919 –> 00:40:45,840 There is someone who can get you out, 746 00:40:45,840 –> 00:40:48,060 who can reclaim and rebuild your life 747 00:40:48,060 –> 00:40:50,479 and position you for eternity. 748 00:40:50,479 –> 00:40:51,939 His name is Jesus 749 00:40:51,939 –> 00:40:56,439 and he is the one who died and rose again. 750 00:40:56,439 –> 00:41:00,320 And you will see him as your judge in the life to come 751 00:41:00,320 –> 00:41:05,320 but he offers himself to you as savior in this life today. 752 00:41:05,340 –> 00:41:09,939 And you can come to him in repentance 753 00:41:09,939 –> 00:41:13,659 and his sin-bearing death will be yours. 754 00:41:14,639 –> 00:41:17,560 And the power of his resurrection life 755 00:41:17,560 –> 00:41:18,860 will come to you 756 00:41:20,219 –> 00:41:22,919 and you will share in his ascension 757 00:41:22,919 –> 00:41:25,760 all this he offers to you. 758 00:41:28,040 –> 00:41:31,719 And if today your eyes are opening 759 00:41:31,719 –> 00:41:35,159 so you see even a little bit of your own need 760 00:41:35,159 –> 00:41:37,199 and his ability, thank God 761 00:41:37,199 –> 00:41:40,439 because it is the Holy spirit who’s showing it to you. 762 00:41:40,439 –> 00:41:43,199 Other people don’t see it but right now you do. 763 00:41:44,340 –> 00:41:47,000 So today if you hear his voice, 764 00:41:47,000 –> 00:41:50,080 do not harden your heart. 765 00:41:50,080 –> 00:41:51,159 He’s calling you, 766 00:41:52,260 –> 00:41:53,100 so come.