1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,320 Well, now this is of course Memorial Day weekend and the purpose of this holiday is to commemorate 2 00:00:06,320 –> 00:00:13,840 and to honor those who have died while in military service to United States of America. 3 00:00:13,840 –> 00:00:22,480 Here is a weekend that is specifically designated in our country to honor and to remember people who 4 00:00:22,480 –> 00:00:29,040 have died. And so it seems to me especially appropriate that we should today look at the 5 00:00:29,700 –> 00:00:35,919 seven words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ from the cross. You will find them in Luke’s Gospel 6 00:00:35,919 –> 00:00:44,560 chapter 23 and verse 46. I invite you to turn there Luke chapter 23 and verse 46 where we read 7 00:00:44,560 –> 00:00:55,360 these words. Jesus called out with a loud voice Father into your hands I commit my spirit. And 8 00:00:55,439 –> 00:01:03,279 when he had said this he breathed his last. My friends, this subject of death is relevant 9 00:01:03,279 –> 00:01:10,800 to every person in this room today. Unless the Lord Jesus Christ comes again all of us 10 00:01:10,800 –> 00:01:16,800 will experience this. You will go through what we are talking about today. So it is 11 00:01:16,800 –> 00:01:25,500 immediately relevant to you. Could happen this coming week, it could be later this year. 12 00:01:25,500 –> 00:01:34,099 For some who are younger it may not be for 70 or 80 years from today. But it will happen 13 00:01:34,099 –> 00:01:41,339 to you and you might think that on this holiday weekend the subject of death is very remote 14 00:01:41,339 –> 00:01:45,699 from all the things that concern and interest you in the activities that you have planned 15 00:01:45,839 –> 00:01:49,879 for this weekend and I promise you the truth that we are looking at in the Bible right 16 00:01:49,879 –> 00:01:56,879 now is more relevant by far to you than anything else that will occupy your interest or attention 17 00:01:57,339 –> 00:02:04,339 over this holiday weekend. Here we are on Memorial Day and we remember those who have 18 00:02:04,540 –> 00:02:11,539 gone into death. What happened to them? Where are they now? What can we say about them? 19 00:02:11,740 –> 00:02:18,740 What can we say about them? One day I will go into death. I will leave the family and 20 00:02:19,300 –> 00:02:26,300 the friends I love so dearly and I will go on and this will happen to you. Now what preparation 21 00:02:29,679 –> 00:02:36,679 have you made for this? This great and climactic, greatest thing in your personal experience. 22 00:02:37,520 –> 00:02:43,660 How deeply have you engaged in thinking about it? What have you done to prepare for it? 23 00:02:43,660 –> 00:02:50,660 This will happen to you and you do not know when but you know for sure that it will. Now 24 00:02:52,919 –> 00:02:57,839 everything that you need to know for facing death is in these words of the Lord Jesus 25 00:02:57,839 –> 00:03:04,839 Christ that are before us today, father into your hands I commit my spirit. And I want 26 00:03:05,600 –> 00:03:11,899 simply to gather what we can learn from our Lord Jesus Christ around four words, spirit, 27 00:03:11,899 –> 00:03:18,899 father, hands, and commit. Very simple. Let’s begin with this word spirit. Jesus says, father 28 00:03:20,460 –> 00:03:27,460 into your hands I commit my spirit. My spirit. Now these words of Jesus remind us that death 29 00:03:27,720 –> 00:03:34,720 is a temporary separating of the spirit from the body and I use the word temporary in this 30 00:03:36,580 –> 00:03:41,580 definition because of course the bible teaches the resurrection of the body. On the third 31 00:03:41,580 –> 00:03:45,240 day the tomb was empty. Jesus rose from the dead and the promise that we’ve read from 32 00:03:45,240 –> 00:03:52,039 scripture is that those who belong to him will share in his resurrection. Christ will 33 00:03:52,039 –> 00:03:59,039 clothe your spirit with a body that is no longer subject to sickness and decay or death. 34 00:04:00,199 –> 00:04:06,440 He will clothe your spirit with a body that is adapted to sustain eternal life. But that 35 00:04:06,440 –> 00:04:13,039 will not happen until the day that Jesus Christ returns in glory and so until that day when 36 00:04:13,039 –> 00:04:20,160 a believer dies his or her soul is separated from their body. Think about this, the spirit 37 00:04:22,040 –> 00:04:27,700 the body, it goes back all the way to the story of creation and you remember what God 38 00:04:27,700 –> 00:04:33,940 did at the creation the very beginning of the bible, he forms a body from the dust of 39 00:04:33,940 –> 00:04:39,679 the ground and there it is lifeless, this corpse as it were that’s lying on the ground 40 00:04:39,679 –> 00:04:46,420 a body that is from the dust of the ground. It could be chemically analysed a thing and 41 00:04:46,619 –> 00:04:53,019 what God does is he breathes the breath of life into it and Adam becomes a living being, 42 00:04:53,019 –> 00:05:00,119 a person. That tells you who you are. Who are you you are a body spirit unity and God 43 00:05:00,119 –> 00:05:07,119 has given life by the fusion of body and spirit together your body belongs to the earth it 44 00:05:07,779 –> 00:05:14,779 can be analysed as it were chemically it decays and one day it will die but your spirit, your 45 00:05:15,160 –> 00:05:22,160 spirit goes on forever. Now as we think about you are in your very nature a body spirit 46 00:05:24,959 –> 00:05:31,779 union the bible gives us some pictures to help us think about this. Let me give you 47 00:05:31,779 –> 00:05:38,779 a couple for example in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 6 Solomon says remember God before 48 00:05:39,579 –> 00:05:46,579 the silver cord is severed and now he is using a picture here he says think of this Body 49 00:05:46,579 –> 00:05:53,579 Spirit Union in this way it is as if there is a silver cord that ties your spirit to 50 00:05:55,440 –> 00:06:00,859 your body. And you can think of death like this it is like the cutting of the silver 51 00:06:00,859 –> 00:06:05,920 cord and when that happens your spirit and your body separate and there is no longer 52 00:06:06,700 –> 00:06:11,299 the life of your spirit in your body what happens to the body it becomes like a glove 53 00:06:11,299 –> 00:06:16,600 puppet when the hand is taken out. It is just limp there it is on the ground it can 54 00:06:16,600 –> 00:06:23,600 do nothing and has no life in it. Then Solomon uses another analogy he says remember God 55 00:06:24,940 –> 00:06:31,940 before the picture is shattered at the Spring. He is using another picture. He says think 56 00:06:32,660 –> 00:06:39,660 of it this way He says your life is like a jug filled with water and your body is like 57 00:06:40,700 –> 00:06:45,559 the jug and your spirit you think of it being like the water now imagine that the jug is 58 00:06:45,559 –> 00:06:51,359 smashed then what happens is that the water flows out the two separate that’s what death 59 00:06:51,359 –> 00:06:57,559 is. So remember God before the picture is shattered at the spring. Death in other words 60 00:06:57,760 –> 00:07:02,299 the separating of what God has joined together and that is why it is such a fearful thing 61 00:07:02,299 –> 00:07:09,299 for us. It is the undoing of our nature it is the dismantling of what God has put together 62 00:07:09,480 –> 00:07:13,459 now having thought for a moment about that I want you to notice what Jesus says here 63 00:07:13,459 –> 00:07:20,459 he does not say father into your hands I commit my body what he says is father into your hands 64 00:07:21,079 –> 00:07:28,079 I commit my spirit. My spirit. Now that reminds us of this important truth you have a body 65 00:07:29,880 –> 00:07:36,880 but the body is not who you are your body will die your spirit will go on that’s why 66 00:07:40,040 –> 00:07:47,040 Paul says for example the life that I live in the body I live by faith in our Lord Jesus 67 00:07:47,339 –> 00:07:54,339 Christ who loved me and gave himself for me that’s Galatians chapter 2 in verse 20 your 68 00:07:54,480 –> 00:07:58,299 body isn’t your life. Your life is in the body. That’s the phrase that Paul uses now 69 00:07:58,380 –> 00:08:03,239 your body’s very important. It is a temple of the Holy Spirit if you’re a 70 00:08:03,339 –> 00:08:09,339 Christian believer the spirit of God lives within you but as you think about it while 71 00:08:09,339 –> 00:08:15,779 it is important to care for your body it is far more important for you to care about your 72 00:08:15,959 –> 00:08:27,380 spirit. The body will one day be discarded the spirit your spirit will go on forever so 73 00:08:27,480 –> 00:08:33,479 some of you in this culture that candidly is obsessed with the body. Some of you may 74 00:08:33,900 –> 00:08:40,900 spend enormous amounts of money and great deals of energy and time developing the body 75 00:08:41,299 –> 00:08:44,299 or perhaps on your path to make sure you’re the fittest guy alive at the age of 90 and 76 00:08:46,299 –> 00:08:52,299 kinds of things. Well I commend you for that so long as you are investing more in the care 77 00:08:57,179 –> 00:09:02,700 of your spirit. Here’s how the new testament puts it 1 timothy chapter 4 verse 8. Physical 78 00:09:02,700 –> 00:09:07,719 training is of some value it’s of some value so it’s commended it’s not knocked in the 79 00:09:07,940 –> 00:09:13,940 bible it is of some value but Godliness that is the radical pursuit of a Godward life is 80 00:09:16,799 –> 00:09:23,299 of value for all things holding promise both for the present life and for the life to come. 81 00:09:23,299 –> 00:09:28,260 so you see whatever you do in terms of the development of, or the care of, the exercise 82 00:09:28,260 –> 00:09:33,760 of your body and that is a good thing. It is of some value. Understand that that body 83 00:09:33,900 –> 00:09:39,960 however strong is going to die. But what you do for the care of your spirit has greater 84 00:09:39,960 –> 00:09:44,320 value, because it has value not only in this life but also for the life to come. it holds 85 00:09:44,320 –> 00:09:45,580 promise for both. 86 00:09:45,580 –> 00:09:52,000 so you look at that, you think about that, the priority is obvious. Its obvious. Its 87 00:09:52,000 –> 00:09:59,000 over thirty years since I gave this engagement ring to Karn, the Love of my life, and she 88 00:09:59,179 –> 00:10:06,179 has loaned it back to me to use it as an illustration just for this single hour. I will never forget, 89 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:11,099 of course, having purchased it on the city of Edinburgh, my home city, and being travelling 90 00:10:11,099 –> 00:10:18,099 on a train 500 miles to where her home was. I had this thing in a box, the most valuable 91 00:10:19,859 –> 00:10:26,859 thing I had ever bought or possessed. I had it in a pocket and I had my hand in the pocket 92 00:10:27,260 –> 00:10:33,659 . And I had my hand in the pocket on the train just about every hour of the journey and eventually 93 00:10:33,659 –> 00:10:40,000 got to the marvellous moment of giving that to her now, over 30 years ago. By the way 94 00:10:40,000 –> 00:10:46,000 this is not the original box. I’ve no idea where the original box is actually. But this 95 00:10:46,000 –> 00:10:53,000 is the ring. Listen, would not it be very strange if the ring was put in the drawer 96 00:10:53,640 –> 00:11:00,640 and the box was put on display. Oh look at the box, look at the box, look at the box. 97 00:11:02,799 –> 00:11:09,260 They will come when the box is discarded, it’s a box! One day when your body lies in 98 00:11:09,260 –> 00:11:16,260 the ground, God will secure the jewel and it will be safe in his hands! Father into 99 00:11:16,260 –> 00:11:29,820 your hands I commit my spirit says our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 100 00:11:29,820 –> 00:11:37,020 Spirit. Now here’s the second word that I want us to think about first is the 101 00:11:37,020 –> 00:11:45,820 word spirit, the second is this marvelous word father. Father into your hands I 102 00:11:46,000 –> 00:11:55,380 commit my spirit. Now, Jesus says father, have you noticed this in the first word 103 00:11:55,380 –> 00:12:01,739 and the last word that he spoke from the cross? What was the first word? Father 104 00:12:01,739 –> 00:12:06,859 forgive them they do not know what they are doing. What is the last word? Father 105 00:12:06,859 –> 00:12:13,940 into your hand I commit my spirit. Now between these two words in which Jesus 106 00:12:14,380 –> 00:12:20,119 invokes and apprehends the father, what do you have? You have that awful cry of 107 00:12:20,119 –> 00:12:25,359 dereliction in which out of the abyss of darkness, Jesus cried out not father but 108 00:12:25,359 –> 00:12:36,580 my God, my God why have you forsaken me? There’s no father language there. Now in 109 00:12:36,580 –> 00:12:41,900 this series we have understood why. The Bible speaks about death in two 110 00:12:41,979 –> 00:12:47,700 different ways. There is death as we’ve discussed it so far, which is the 111 00:12:47,700 –> 00:12:51,539 separating of the spirit from the body, but there’s also in the Bible what is 112 00:12:51,539 –> 00:12:56,760 called the second death. And the second death, referred to four times in the book 113 00:12:56,760 –> 00:13:03,140 of Revelation, is the judgment of God in which sinners without Christ are cast 114 00:13:03,140 –> 00:13:09,960 body and soul into hell. Now Jesus experienced the first death and the 115 00:13:10,080 –> 00:13:15,760 second death at the same time. He died a double death on the cross. That is the 116 00:13:15,760 –> 00:13:19,640 significance of what’s been at the heart of this series. We’ve been learning that 117 00:13:19,640 –> 00:13:25,880 in the darkness, Jesus endured for his people all the dimensions of hell on the 118 00:13:25,880 –> 00:13:31,739 cross. In fact, strictly speaking, he experienced the second death before he 119 00:13:31,739 –> 00:13:37,840 entered into the first. He endured all the dimensions of hell on the cross. This 120 00:13:38,659 –> 00:13:43,059 Bible. That Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins. That he bore 121 00:13:43,059 –> 00:13:48,039 these sins in his body on the tree. On the tree. That the punishment that 122 00:13:48,039 –> 00:13:52,119 brought us peace was upon him. That is what was happening in the darkness. He 123 00:13:52,119 –> 00:13:56,979 entered into the pain of hell, and in that utter darkness, of course the love 124 00:13:56,979 –> 00:14:02,219 of the father was beyond his reach. And so he’s no longer saying Father, but in 125 00:14:02,219 –> 00:14:07,580 that hell of darkness he’s saying, my god my god why have you forsaken me? 126 00:14:07,580 –> 00:14:13,880 That is what hell is. But I want you to see today how marvelous it is that it 127 00:14:13,880 –> 00:14:20,919 didn’t end there. You will not leave his soul in hell, the Old Testament says. 128 00:14:20,919 –> 00:14:28,799 Christ endured hell. He came through it. He came out of it and now he says in 129 00:14:28,799 –> 00:14:33,200 triumph having exhausted the wrath of God on behalf of all his people with 130 00:14:33,500 –> 00:14:38,020 just as perfectly satisfied with atonement fully made, he says it is 131 00:14:38,020 –> 00:14:45,440 finished. Into your hands father I commit my spirit. You see the significance of 132 00:14:45,440 –> 00:14:50,400 this? The hell is over. The price is paid. The infinite agonies endured by the Son 133 00:14:50,400 –> 00:14:58,679 of God our past and now the light of the Father’s love shines on him again. 134 00:14:59,479 –> 00:15:03,880 Hugh Martin, a great writer on the subject of the atonement, makes this 135 00:15:03,880 –> 00:15:11,159 point very beautifully. He says when you think about it, the justice of Heaven and 136 00:15:11,159 –> 00:15:19,919 the injustice of Earth and the hatred of hell all conspired against Jesus 137 00:15:19,919 –> 00:15:25,239 together at the cross. You think of what he endured. He’s got the wrath of God 138 00:15:25,479 –> 00:15:29,419 that has been poured out on him, and at the same time he’s got the hatred of the 139 00:15:29,419 –> 00:15:35,320 dark demons of hell being shot towards him, and he’s got this awful injustice of 140 00:15:35,320 –> 00:15:42,140 earth that is causing him to be fixed to this cross. The justice of Heaven, the 141 00:15:42,140 –> 00:15:47,239 injustice of Earth, and the hatred of hell, and they’re all conspiring 142 00:15:47,239 –> 00:15:51,659 together against Christ. That’s the utter darkness that he’s in. Heaven, Earth, 143 00:15:52,219 –> 00:15:58,539 all against him. Hugh Martin says when you think about that, here is the glory of 144 00:15:58,539 –> 00:16:07,700 Jesus Christ, that His action outlasted and outlived them all. You see the wrath 145 00:16:07,700 –> 00:16:12,500 was spent, the Justice was satisfied, and there he still is and what’s he doing? 146 00:16:12,500 –> 00:16:20,900 He’s saying it’s finished, he’s there, he’s come through it he’s accomplished it. 147 00:16:20,940 –> 00:16:28,280 Jesus was not overwhelmed by death. It did not overcome Him, it was not that He 148 00:16:28,280 –> 00:16:34,859 ran out of strength. Remember He says, no one takes my life 149 00:16:34,859 –> 00:16:44,840 from me. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. 150 00:16:44,960 –> 00:16:58,880 Friends, Jesus life was not taken. Jesus life was given on the cross. 151 00:16:58,880 –> 00:17:01,900 That’s the significance of what we’re seeing right here. He’s making this choice, 152 00:17:01,900 –> 00:17:09,660 Father, now the atonement is done, it’s finished and so Father into your hands 153 00:17:09,920 –> 00:17:18,920 I commit my spirit. Spurgeon says Jesus died of his own free will. That’s a great 154 00:17:18,920 –> 00:17:26,500 statement. He laid down his life and I think that is the significance of the 155 00:17:26,500 –> 00:17:30,619 fact that he calls out with a loud voice. You see how Luke records that? It’s very 156 00:17:30,619 –> 00:17:35,619 significant. He calls out in a loud voice. Now many of you have cared for 157 00:17:35,619 –> 00:17:41,920 someone who has died and if you think to the experience of being by the bedside 158 00:17:41,920 –> 00:17:51,140 of someone who is dying, have you ever heard of someone whose last word was 159 00:17:51,140 –> 00:17:56,280 spoken with a loud voice? If you’re able to speak with a loud voice you’re able 160 00:17:56,280 –> 00:18:00,180 to go on living a little bit longer aren’t you? What happens when someone 161 00:18:00,180 –> 00:18:04,520 dies is that they become weaker and weaker and their voice becomes fainter 162 00:18:04,739 –> 00:18:08,260 fainter, and the last thing that you hear them say will be no more than a 163 00:18:08,260 –> 00:18:13,140 whisper and then, and then the breath is gone. 164 00:18:13,140 –> 00:18:17,020 So Jesus died in a way that is different from anyone else because he is the Son of 165 00:18:17,020 –> 00:18:20,979 God. He enters into death but he is not going into death in defeat, he is going 166 00:18:20,979 –> 00:18:24,619 into death already in triumph! He’s come through the second death and now he’s 167 00:18:24,619 –> 00:18:33,020 going into the first as the victor! Marvelous. Mark tells us that when the 168 00:18:33,219 –> 00:18:38,520 centurion heard this last word of Jesus, you imagine this man and he’s seen 169 00:18:38,520 –> 00:18:42,859 scores of people dying and they’re all the same, and they gradually get weaker 170 00:18:42,859 –> 00:18:45,880 and weaker and weaker and at first they’re shouting but then they get 171 00:18:45,880 –> 00:18:50,199 quieter and then they can’t say a word and then they’re gone. This centurion has 172 00:18:50,199 –> 00:18:55,199 seen that a hundred times, but here’s the Lord Jesus Christ and He’s hardly said 173 00:18:55,300 –> 00:19:01,880 anything, only these six words in six hours and now He’s saying it is finished 174 00:19:01,880 –> 00:19:08,520 father into your hands I commit my spirit and he breathes his last and the 175 00:19:08,520 –> 00:19:15,760 centurion says surely He is the Son of God and never saw anyone die like that 176 00:19:15,880 –> 00:19:26,959 death did not overcome him he laid down his life he gave himself into death no 177 00:19:26,959 –> 00:19:32,540 one takes it from me I have power to lay it down I have power to take it up again 178 00:19:32,540 –> 00:19:40,640 do you see the glory of your conquering Savior you see his power Christ endured 179 00:19:40,660 –> 00:19:45,719 the second death and he exhausted that on behalf of his people and that changes 180 00:19:45,719 –> 00:19:51,079 the nature of death for all who are in him I give you this assurance on the 181 00:19:51,079 –> 00:19:57,959 basis of scripture that if you are in Christ you will never experience the 182 00:19:57,959 –> 00:20:03,380 second death because Jesus endured and exhausted all that’s as far as you are 183 00:20:03,380 –> 00:20:08,540 concerned on the cross he came through it and so for the believer death is 184 00:20:08,540 –> 00:20:13,880 transformed by his death Jesus changed the nature of death for all who are in 185 00:20:13,880 –> 00:20:19,400 him forever and if you are in Jesus Christ I can give you this promise on 186 00:20:19,400 –> 00:20:23,719 the basis of the scripture that death for you will not be going into a dark 187 00:20:23,719 –> 00:20:30,520 abyss of judgment death for you will be a going home to your Heavenly Father 188 00:20:30,520 –> 00:20:36,319 that’s what it means to belong to the Son of God 189 00:20:36,420 –> 00:20:41,380 how wonderful there for that he was able to say father and all that that assures 190 00:20:41,380 –> 00:20:48,239 us of and think about this he says father in the two hardest things that we 191 00:20:48,239 –> 00:20:55,579 have to accomplish in this life forgiving and dying father forgive them 192 00:20:55,579 –> 00:21:02,599 father into your hands I commit my spirit how wonderful that as a child of 193 00:21:02,640 –> 00:21:07,719 God through faith in Jesus Christ you can call on the Father in the hardest 194 00:21:07,719 –> 00:21:12,560 things of your life because he is endured the hell that’s not part of your 195 00:21:12,560 –> 00:21:14,739 experience he’s done that been there for you 196 00:21:14,739 –> 00:21:18,540 but forgivings heart and dyings heart and many other things in life are hard 197 00:21:18,540 –> 00:21:24,560 and when you face the hardest things of life Spurgeon says your main strength is 198 00:21:24,560 –> 00:21:31,579 in knowing that you are a child of God your main strength is in knowing that 199 00:21:31,920 –> 00:21:40,140 you are a child of God my friend if you have not come to that place then even 200 00:21:40,140 –> 00:21:43,739 today so what I would like to be able to know God as my father here’s what the 201 00:21:43,739 –> 00:21:49,800 Bible would say to you to all who receive Jesus to those who believe on 202 00:21:49,800 –> 00:21:56,180 His name John chapter 1 and verse 12 God gives the right to be called children of 203 00:21:56,420 –> 00:22:01,619 God you put your trust in this conquering Savior today and as He makes 204 00:22:01,619 –> 00:22:06,219 you as it where his brother he’s not ashamed to call us his brothers you will 205 00:22:06,219 –> 00:22:10,979 know that God is your father and in the hardest things of life your main 206 00:22:10,979 –> 00:22:20,079 strength will be to know that you are a child of God so as we consider these 207 00:22:20,119 –> 00:22:25,439 marvelous truths we’ve thought about Spirit we thought about father 208 00:22:25,439 –> 00:22:37,819 thirdly let’s think about this word hands father into your hands into your 209 00:22:37,819 –> 00:22:48,160 hands your hands I commit my spirit now the whole life of Jesus of course has 210 00:22:48,160 –> 00:22:52,400 been in the hands of the father but now at death he commits his spirit into the 211 00:22:52,400 –> 00:22:57,359 father’s hand and here is what happens at the death of the believer the 212 00:22:57,359 –> 00:23:00,459 separation of the spirit from the body and that’s what’s happening 213 00:23:00,459 –> 00:23:05,140 Jesus’ body has been the tortured instrument in which he has endured all 214 00:23:05,140 –> 00:23:09,040 the agonies of hell and now he lays the body down 215 00:23:09,040 –> 00:23:18,040 and he commits his spirit into the hands of the father and when you die to be 216 00:23:18,040 –> 00:23:22,579 absent from the body if you’re a believer will be to be present with the 217 00:23:22,579 –> 00:23:28,699 Lord your spirit will go into the immediate presence of God into the 218 00:23:28,699 –> 00:23:37,140 father’s hands now this is so important into your hands I commit my spirit you 219 00:23:37,140 –> 00:23:46,219 know different things may happen to the box some of you will think of people you 220 00:23:46,239 –> 00:23:54,760 love and the body has been ravaged by cancer and you’re going to see him or 221 00:23:54,760 –> 00:23:58,739 you’re going to see her and you said I hardly recognize them hardly recognized 222 00:23:58,739 –> 00:24:08,219 and look what this dreadful enemy this awful disease has done to his body some 223 00:24:08,219 –> 00:24:14,660 of you may have had as I have had the awful experience of having to go and 224 00:24:14,660 –> 00:24:20,680 identify someone whose body has been horribly mutilated in a terrible 225 00:24:20,680 –> 00:24:25,140 accident so as to be almost unrecognizable 226 00:24:25,660 –> 00:24:32,599 think of folks who were lost at sea may have a loved one and you don’t know 227 00:24:32,599 –> 00:24:38,660 where the resting place of their body is and think of folks who would involved in 228 00:24:38,780 –> 00:24:45,900 911 and other circumstances that might be similar great fire or inferno and 229 00:24:45,900 –> 00:24:55,579 there is nobody to bury. Many things may happen to the box but for his people God 230 00:24:56,300 –> 00:24:57,579 secure the 231 00:25:00,119 –> 00:25:12,219 into your hands. I commit my spirit and as you may think of loved ones in very 232 00:25:12,219 –> 00:25:17,819 different circumstances of death or a person who is in Christ this is the 233 00:25:17,819 –> 00:25:25,260 truth that you need to know and to hold onto what ever happens to your body your 234 00:25:25,319 –> 00:25:30,739 spirit is safe in the Father’s hands. It’s what I want you to get today whatever 235 00:25:30,739 –> 00:25:37,000 should happen to your body in the future whatever happens to your body if you are 236 00:25:37,000 –> 00:25:45,280 in Christ and God is your Father your spirit is safe. How in the Father’s hands 237 00:25:45,319 –> 00:25:53,420 the fathers hands! What a marvelous place to be Christ has been in the hands of 238 00:25:53,459 –> 00:25:57,880 sinners and look at what that has been like betrayed he says into the hands of 239 00:25:57,880 –> 00:26:04,079 sinners now he says Father into your hands I commit my spirit. The Father’s 240 00:26:04,079 –> 00:26:09,199 hands are the place of eternal security. Remember Jesus says no one can snatch 241 00:26:09,199 –> 00:26:17,000 you out of my Father’s hands your loved ones in Christ who have died whatever 242 00:26:17,020 –> 00:26:27,260 may have happened to the body are safe in the Father’s hands earlier this month 243 00:26:27,260 –> 00:26:32,699 Karna and I had the joy of welcoming a dear friend Johnny prime he was my 244 00:26:32,699 –> 00:26:36,800 assistant in Enfield North London and the church that we served there for 16 245 00:26:36,800 –> 00:26:42,040 years and has been my successor has had continues to have a marvelous ministry 246 00:26:42,099 –> 00:26:48,160 they’re giving leadership to that church in recent times Johnny has experienced 247 00:26:48,160 –> 00:26:53,280 and his family have experienced a double loss his mother died of cancer and then 248 00:26:53,280 –> 00:26:59,140 also his sister sila his youngest sister died of cancer at the age of 38 249 00:26:59,140 –> 00:27:05,439 and many of you have someone within your family circumstances died early in life 250 00:27:05,439 –> 00:27:11,079 perhaps a lot earlier than 38 and you know the grief of that loss and it is 251 00:27:11,160 –> 00:27:15,880 with you still today well as we had a week together we got into many 252 00:27:15,880 –> 00:27:20,439 conversations and on one evening particularly we got into talking about 253 00:27:20,439 –> 00:27:25,160 this and I said Johnny you know you’ve been through a lot in this regard what 254 00:27:25,160 –> 00:27:31,260 has helped you and he said a couple of things and then I said I’d love to share 255 00:27:31,260 –> 00:27:36,040 that with the folks he gave me his permission to do that he said 256 00:27:36,040 –> 00:27:43,160 one thing that has helped me as this he said no believer who has died has ever 257 00:27:43,160 –> 00:27:50,920 regretted it I love that say here’s my little sister she’s 38 and I miss her 258 00:27:50,920 –> 00:27:57,119 but no believer who has ever died has ever regretted it she’s not saying I 259 00:27:57,119 –> 00:28:02,760 miss him she’s just looking forward to the rest of the family being there so 260 00:28:02,760 –> 00:28:10,079 here’s sorrow here’s lost this side for us but not for her no believer who has 261 00:28:10,079 –> 00:28:14,079 died has ever regretted it no one in evans says oh I wish I could go back 262 00:28:14,079 –> 00:28:19,119 there and then he said something else he said you know I thought a lot about this 263 00:28:19,119 –> 00:28:24,199 he said she died when she was 38 suppose I lived till I’m 90 264 00:28:24,199 –> 00:28:29,420 he said honestly in the light of eternity how much of a difference is 265 00:28:29,579 –> 00:28:34,619 that really I mean after a hundred billion years if you were in Christ and 266 00:28:34,619 –> 00:28:38,780 you died at 38 and you’re in Christ new diet 90 and 100 billion years of 267 00:28:38,780 –> 00:28:45,900 eternity how much difference does that make it’s that truly helped me and you 268 00:28:45,900 –> 00:28:51,160 know that is profoundly helpful because it focuses on this what is your life 269 00:28:51,160 –> 00:28:57,180 well Paul says my life is hidden with Christ in God 270 00:28:57,180 –> 00:29:01,459 and I have tiny little sliver of life even if I live to 90 or 120 or whatever 271 00:29:01,459 –> 00:29:07,119 it’s going to be the max out there and then there’s eternity what matters is 272 00:29:07,119 –> 00:29:13,420 that my life is in Christ he says that has helped me I have another dear friend 273 00:29:13,420 –> 00:29:18,420 whose wife died of a sudden illness and he was so devastated he used to speak 274 00:29:18,420 –> 00:29:23,160 about all there are things I want to say to her and I can’t and so forth and a 275 00:29:23,199 –> 00:29:27,819 kind Christian nurse said this to him and it really helped him that she said 276 00:29:27,819 –> 00:29:37,239 one though remember this you can’t tell her the things that you want to say but 277 00:29:37,239 –> 00:29:44,459 she is in the Father’s hand and you could always ask the father to tell her 278 00:29:44,459 –> 00:29:48,900 for you that’s beautiful you see what that does 279 00:29:48,900 –> 00:29:53,119 that am I just thinking that she’s lost and that she’s sawn a nowhere or am I 280 00:29:53,119 –> 00:30:02,119 really grasping that she is in the father’s hand he said that’s the comfort 281 00:30:02,119 –> 00:30:09,619 both as we anticipate our own death and as we think of the death of others we 282 00:30:10,219 –> 00:30:26,119 so spirit father hands one more commit father into your hands I commit my 283 00:30:26,119 –> 00:30:33,199 spirit now here is an act of faith at the moment of death and it is born out 284 00:30:33,199 –> 00:30:39,160 of the life of our Lord Jesus being lived for the Father’s glory. Read these 285 00:30:39,160 –> 00:30:44,680 words of Jesus I remember how Stephen the first Christian martyr echoed them 286 00:30:44,680 –> 00:30:51,819 and I thought to myself this week I want to renew my resolve to live in such a 287 00:30:51,819 –> 00:31:00,040 way to know the Father so that when the point of death comes it will be very 288 00:31:00,040 –> 00:31:08,760 natural to say father into your hands I commit my spirit we trust what we know 289 00:31:08,859 –> 00:31:13,579 and so it’s no use going through life you see saying well I have a belief in 290 00:31:13,579 –> 00:31:17,540 God whoever he she or it may be you know you hear that phrase a lot these days 291 00:31:17,540 –> 00:31:24,660 what use is that an unknown God what use is an unknown God to you at the moment 292 00:31:24,660 –> 00:31:32,219 of death who ever he she or it may be no you need to know God the Father and the 293 00:31:32,219 –> 00:31:37,380 way to know God the father is through faith in his Son and you need to live in 294 00:31:37,560 –> 00:31:41,439 such a way that is for him learning to worship him and to speak to him in prayer 295 00:31:41,439 –> 00:31:46,160 and to trust him in life so that it will not be strange to you at the moment of 296 00:31:46,160 –> 00:31:53,839 death to say Father into your hands I commit my spirit I am committing myself 297 00:31:53,839 –> 00:31:59,579 to you in death because I have committed myself to you in life that how you’re 298 00:32:00,219 –> 00:32:11,880 Robert Louis Dabney was a pastor and a chaplain in the Confederate Army during 299 00:32:11,880 –> 00:32:18,880 the dark days of the American Civil War and this week anticipating Memorial Day 300 00:32:18,880 –> 00:32:23,880 I read a sermon of his preached can you imagine this preach to a group of 301 00:32:24,180 –> 00:32:30,040 soldiers in the woods just before the engaged in one of the battles in the 302 00:32:30,040 –> 00:32:34,359 Civil War. So here’s this pastor here’s this chaplain and he’s speaking to this 303 00:32:34,359 –> 00:32:39,939 gathered group of men Confederate Army and they’re in the woods and they’re 304 00:32:39,939 –> 00:32:43,939 about to go into battle and most of these men will be dead by the end of the 305 00:32:43,939 –> 00:32:51,839 day. So that’s a moment when a pastor speaks a pretty direct sermon right. His 306 00:32:51,920 –> 00:32:58,000 title in speaking to these men in the woods for his sermon was our comfort in 307 00:32:58,000 –> 00:33:04,739 dying. That’s a good pastor. He’s speaking to the point right. Let me read 308 00:33:04,739 –> 00:33:09,959 to you some of the things that he said. He he opened up for them in this message 309 00:33:09,959 –> 00:33:17,780 what it would be for the spirit to go into these unknown worlds. 310 00:33:17,780 –> 00:33:25,219 He says this, how could we endure to be launched out into the untried ocean of 311 00:33:25,219 –> 00:33:32,599 space? People by we know not what mysterious beings. How can we be certain 312 00:33:32,599 –> 00:33:38,540 that we will not lose our way in the pathless vacancy and wander up and down 313 00:33:38,540 –> 00:33:47,119 forever, a bewildered solitary roving spirit amidst the wilderness of worlds? 314 00:33:47,339 –> 00:33:55,280 Truly will the trembling soul needs someone on whom to lean, someone mighty, 315 00:33:55,280 –> 00:34:02,380 someone experienced, a tender guardian who will point the way to prepared 316 00:34:02,380 –> 00:34:12,620 mansions. And then he says, that guide is Christ, that guide is Christ. Therefore 317 00:34:12,639 –> 00:34:22,419 he says, let us say in dying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And then at the end of 318 00:34:22,419 –> 00:34:28,959 the message he goes on to add this, by way of a challenge. Because not everyone 319 00:34:28,959 –> 00:34:33,379 who was listening to him had faith in Jesus Christ, just as not everyone 320 00:34:33,379 –> 00:34:39,459 listening to me right now has faith in Jesus Christ. And so with an intensity 321 00:34:40,100 –> 00:34:45,540 that you can understand was born of this moment, he says these words, on WHOM 322 00:34:45,540 –> 00:34:52,399 then will you call? You who have neglected this Savior! When you pass down 323 00:34:52,399 –> 00:34:58,239 into this valley of great darkness, when death thrusts out your soul from its 324 00:34:58,239 –> 00:35:04,159 house, when you are launched forth into the immense void, a naked shivering ghost, 325 00:35:04,159 –> 00:35:08,719 and you stand before the great White Throne, can you bear these horrors alone? 326 00:35:08,719 –> 00:35:16,760 And then he says this, call on Christ then today. Call on Christ today, in 327 00:35:16,760 –> 00:35:22,120 repentance and faith, in order that you may be entitled to call on Him in the 328 00:35:22,120 –> 00:35:28,840 hour of your extremity. Own Him now as your Lord, that He may confess you then 329 00:35:28,840 –> 00:35:37,179 as His people. And it’s no less important for you to do that today, because you do 330 00:35:37,179 –> 00:35:53,340 not know the day or the hour. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. One 331 00:35:53,340 –> 00:36:01,340 story and then we’re through. What will it be like, when your spirit leaves your 332 00:36:01,340 –> 00:36:09,120 body, what will that be like? The first time Karin and I ever visited the United 333 00:36:09,120 –> 00:36:16,820 States, we spent some time with friends. This guy is a pastor in California and the 334 00:36:16,820 –> 00:36:20,479 Lord has put him in a marvelous place. There were some folks in his congregation 335 00:36:20,479 –> 00:36:25,820 who flew small aircraft and after I preached in his church on a Sunday 336 00:36:25,820 –> 00:36:30,419 morning, these two guys come up and say, would you like to do a flight over the 337 00:36:30,520 –> 00:36:36,060 coast this afternoon? What? That’s a no-brainer, you know? So here we are, two 338 00:36:36,060 –> 00:36:41,320 pilots, two planes, our friends, Karin and myself, and the two pilots and their 339 00:36:41,320 –> 00:36:46,899 wives, four couples, eight people, two planes, and it was a magnificent 340 00:36:46,899 –> 00:36:53,800 afternoon, I will never forget it. Flying over the Pacific Ocean right up the 341 00:36:53,840 –> 00:37:00,860 coast, and after about an hour we landed on a small Peninsula, and we went 342 00:37:00,860 –> 00:37:05,520 into a restaurant there and enjoyed this marvelous meal, four couples together. 343 00:37:05,520 –> 00:37:11,699 The pilot of the first plane had been flying for about thirty years and when 344 00:37:11,699 –> 00:37:15,919 he told us about this that prompted Karin to ask the guy who was flying the 345 00:37:15,919 –> 00:37:23,179 plane we were in, how long he had been a pilot, to which he replied, just a few 346 00:37:23,459 –> 00:37:28,840 months, and which was not so reassuring. Well, we enjoyed the meal, but 347 00:37:28,840 –> 00:37:35,600 after a while, after a while, the lead guy noticeably was becoming a bit 348 00:37:35,600 –> 00:37:39,739 agitated and then at one point he got up from the table, he went out of the 349 00:37:39,739 –> 00:37:43,239 restaurant and then a few moments later he comes running back in, we’ve got to go, 350 00:37:43,239 –> 00:37:47,760 we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go! Place on fire or what? Well you know whatwas 351 00:37:47,760 –> 00:37:53,280 happening? There was a very heavy mist that was rolling in. We had not 352 00:37:53,280 –> 00:37:58,159 anticipated it, but it was thick and it was coming in at very, very great speed 353 00:37:58,159 –> 00:38:02,419 and I want you to try and picture it, here are these four couples on a Sunday 354 00:38:02,419 –> 00:38:06,280 afternoon and we’re running down this cinder track towards two planes at the 355 00:38:06,280 –> 00:38:11,280 end. This mist is coming rolling in, and the lead guy gets into his plane. 356 00:38:11,280 –> 00:38:16,479 It’s like a scramble, I tell you this is good stuff for Memorial Day Sunday, as 357 00:38:16,979 –> 00:38:22,620 this mist is rolling in, the lead guy takes off. I tell you, I’ve never seen a 358 00:38:22,620 –> 00:38:28,100 plane take off so fast and then as he took off into the mist 359 00:38:28,100 –> 00:38:35,360 it was very obvious our guy was in a panic, and I was saying my prayers! 360 00:38:35,360 –> 00:38:41,020 He revved up and with the appropriate interval from the first plane going off, 361 00:38:41,020 –> 00:38:44,439 we left the ground. Some of you will be telling me that this should never have 362 00:38:44,600 –> 00:38:48,679 happened, I’m just telling you it did happen and off we go into the mist. I 363 00:38:48,679 –> 00:38:58,939 tell you, we could not see a thing and it was scary. It was really scary and I will 364 00:38:58,939 –> 00:39:06,300 never forget the voice of the lead pilot on the radio coming through into the cabin 365 00:39:06,419 –> 00:39:11,300 and he laughed and we had the earphones 366 00:39:11,540 –> 00:39:14,560 on. and he said, 10 seconds and 367 00:39:14,560 –> 00:39:17,060 you’ll be 368 00:39:18,139 –> 00:39:23,040 through. one two I’m telling you, 369 00:39:23,040 –> 00:39:28,100 he was as good as his word. 8 nine 370 00:39:28,100 –> 00:39:32,320 ten. I have never seen such 371 00:39:33,179 –> 00:39:38,719 When the moment comes for your 372 00:39:38,719 –> 00:39:40,020 spirits to separate from your 373 00:39:40,020 –> 00:39:41,600 body, you will not be going 374 00:39:41,600 –> 00:39:46,800 into an abyss. God will not 375 00:39:46,800 –> 00:39:49,199 leave you in the mists of 376 00:39:49,199 –> 00:39:51,939 eternal darkness father into 377 00:39:51,939 –> 00:39:57,500 your hands. I commit my spirit 378 00:39:57,500 –> 00:40:00,620 to be absent from the body is 379 00:40:00,639 –> 00:40:04,219 dead. The lord. Listen to this 380 00:40:04,219 –> 00:40:05,919 hymn. Some of you know it very 381 00:40:05,919 –> 00:40:07,159 well and can help me with it 382 00:40:07,159 –> 00:40:10,679 all the way. My savior leads 383 00:40:10,679 –> 00:40:14,899 me. Oh, the fullness of his 384 00:40:14,899 –> 00:40:17,899 love perfect rest to me is 385 00:40:17,899 –> 00:40:20,100 promised in my father’s house 386 00:40:20,100 –> 00:40:25,939 above When my spirit clothed 387 00:40:25,939 –> 00:40:28,800 immortal wings its flights to 388 00:40:29,659 –> 00:40:33,199 This my song through endless 389 00:40:33,199 –> 00:40:36,919 ages Say it with me. Jesus Lead 390 00:40:36,919 –> 00:40:39,719 Me all the way. Father, we 391 00:40:39,719 –> 00:40:41,260 thank you for such a glorious 392 00:40:41,260 –> 00:40:44,419 and triumphant savior. who is 393 00:40:44,419 –> 00:40:46,600 fully worthy of our complete 394 00:40:46,600 –> 00:40:50,040 trust in life and in death and 395 00:40:50,040 –> 00:40:54,340 forever. May we live and die 396 00:40:54,340 –> 00:40:56,580 to his glory through Jesus 397 00:40:57,459 –> 00:41:03,120 Jesus. say the Lord and 398 00:41:03,120 –> 00:41:06,520 everyone said amen.