1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,820 Today is the second message in our series on Heaven and the series arises 2 00:00:05,820 –> 00:00:09,160 directly from the words that Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, 3 00:00:09,160 –> 00:00:14,960 today you will be with me in paradise. Last week we looked at the question, 4 00:00:14,960 –> 00:00:20,360 how can I be sure of heaven? To whom does Jesus Christ say, 5 00:00:20,360 –> 00:00:24,900 you will be with me in paradise? Of whom is that true? 6 00:00:25,299 –> 00:00:29,480 And we saw from the story that the thief turned to Jesus. 7 00:00:29,480 –> 00:00:35,779 That is, he began to fear God. He recognized Jesus Christ as king and he 8 00:00:35,779 –> 00:00:39,119 asked of Jesus. Asking, meaning that he came empty-handed, 9 00:00:39,119 –> 00:00:41,919 he didn’t try and do a deal, he didn’t try and pretend that he was 10 00:00:41,919 –> 00:00:45,939 righteous in some way which he was not. He turned and he asked. 11 00:00:45,939 –> 00:00:51,860 And then we saw that he trusted in Jesus. What Jesus gave to him was a promise. 12 00:00:51,880 –> 00:00:56,480 And the thief trusted that promise of Jesus in the darkness, 13 00:00:56,480 –> 00:01:01,939 in the pain, and even when it came to the moment of death itself. 14 00:01:01,939 –> 00:01:07,980 And so we saw that to the person who turns to Jesus, and the person who asks 15 00:01:07,980 –> 00:01:13,139 of Jesus, and the person who trusts in Jesus, it is to this person that Jesus 16 00:01:13,139 –> 00:01:20,900 says, you will be with me in paradise. Now today we want to take it a step 17 00:01:21,059 –> 00:01:24,900 further and to ask the question, well, what does that look like? 18 00:01:24,900 –> 00:01:32,500 What exactly is the experience of a Christian believer immediately after death? 19 00:01:32,500 –> 00:01:36,680 Now remember, that immediately after death a believer in the presence of the Lord 20 00:01:36,680 –> 00:01:40,620 does not yet experience all that’s to come in the resurrection. 21 00:01:40,620 –> 00:01:46,860 The resurrection of the body comes when Christ comes in power and in glory. 22 00:01:46,860 –> 00:01:49,739 And death is the separation of the soul from the body. 23 00:01:49,820 –> 00:01:54,680 We lay to rest the body of someone that we love who has died, 24 00:01:54,680 –> 00:01:58,180 and their soul, their spirit, goes into the presence of Jesus. 25 00:01:58,180 –> 00:02:02,120 So, what exactly, between now and the resurrection, 26 00:02:02,120 –> 00:02:09,240 what exactly now, is the experience of a Christian believer in the presence of the Lord? 27 00:02:09,240 –> 00:02:13,759 Today, you will be with me in paradise. 28 00:02:13,759 –> 00:02:16,500 Well, what was it for the thief at the end of that day? 29 00:02:16,539 –> 00:02:23,020 Now, this is obviously a profoundly personal question for all of us. 30 00:02:23,320 –> 00:02:25,860 Earlier this year, as I think most of you know, 31 00:02:25,860 –> 00:02:30,139 Karn and I were in England for the funeral service of her father. 32 00:02:30,139 –> 00:02:36,139 Dad died at the age of 90. He was a believer. He died in the Lord. 33 00:02:36,139 –> 00:02:41,460 And over these last weeks, it has been natural in our minds and in our conversation to be saying, 34 00:02:41,460 –> 00:02:43,460 What does he experience now? 35 00:02:43,580 –> 00:02:47,059 What is it like for Dad now? What is he doing now? 36 00:02:47,339 –> 00:02:54,000 And everyone who has a loved one, a Christian loved one who goes into the presence of the Lord, 37 00:02:54,000 –> 00:02:56,600 you ask these questions and you think about it, 38 00:02:56,600 –> 00:02:58,960 and you may think about it in relation to yourself. 39 00:02:58,960 –> 00:03:03,300 Now, when that moment comes for me and I die and I pass into the presence of the Lord, 40 00:03:03,300 –> 00:03:06,839 what will it be like, one minute after you die? 41 00:03:06,839 –> 00:03:09,320 What is that experience going to be? 42 00:03:09,320 –> 00:03:16,039 Now, I want to offer four answers to that question today and then very briefly at the end 43 00:03:16,039 –> 00:03:20,660 to show how you can use these truths that we’re drawing from different Scriptures today 44 00:03:20,660 –> 00:03:25,479 as a help and encouragement in your own walk with the Lord. 45 00:03:25,479 –> 00:03:32,320 But we begin here that loved ones who have died in the Lord are with Christ. 46 00:03:32,320 –> 00:03:35,500 That’s answer number one, they are with Christ. 47 00:03:35,720 –> 00:03:39,860 Of course, this is right in the words that Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, 48 00:03:39,860 –> 00:03:46,460 today you will be with me in paradise. 49 00:03:46,460 –> 00:03:55,820 So, the great promise was that the thief would be with Jesus and Jesus says that it would be today. 50 00:03:55,820 –> 00:04:01,759 Death, He says to the thief, for you, will be an immediate translation 51 00:04:02,059 –> 00:04:09,759 into the joyful presence of the father in heaven, you will be with me. 52 00:04:09,759 –> 00:04:14,360 Now, we have noted several times that we know Jesus died before the thief, 53 00:04:14,360 –> 00:04:17,519 He committed His spirit into the hands of the father 54 00:04:17,519 –> 00:04:23,160 and when the thief died the thief went immediately into the presence of Jesus. 55 00:04:23,160 –> 00:04:24,459 Think about that. 56 00:04:24,559 –> 00:04:29,559 After all that He had endured, no post traumatic stress 57 00:04:29,559 –> 00:04:32,160 for the thief in heaven. 58 00:04:32,160 –> 00:04:35,760 No wounds from the past, no fears from the future. 59 00:04:35,760 –> 00:04:40,959 Complete healing in the presence of Jesus. 60 00:04:40,959 –> 00:04:47,100 Now that immidiate translation of the soul of the thief 61 00:04:47,100 –> 00:04:51,260 at death entering into the presence of Jesus 62 00:04:51,279 –> 00:04:55,019 That immediate translation is really a kind of prototype 63 00:04:55,019 –> 00:04:58,540 or a model of what happens for the death 64 00:04:58,540 –> 00:05:01,440 of every Christian believer. 65 00:05:01,440 –> 00:05:03,820 And we’re told this very clearly in the New Testament 66 00:05:03,820 –> 00:05:08,100 in 2nd Corinthians chapter five and verse eight, 67 00:05:08,100 –> 00:05:11,320 where we’re told that to be away from the body, 68 00:05:11,320 –> 00:05:12,579 that’s what death is. 69 00:05:12,579 –> 00:05:13,940 Your soul and your body 70 00:05:13,940 –> 00:05:16,779 that God has joined together are separated 71 00:05:16,779 –> 00:05:18,679 and you are away from the body. 72 00:05:18,679 –> 00:05:21,079 Your soul is away from the body 73 00:05:21,420 –> 00:05:26,119 that means that your soul is at home with the Lord. 74 00:05:26,119 –> 00:05:28,220 And Paul actually states it both ways around 75 00:05:28,220 –> 00:05:30,920 in 2nd Corinthians in chapter five. 76 00:05:30,920 –> 00:05:35,540 He says, while we are at home in the body, 77 00:05:35,540 –> 00:05:38,059 we are away from the Lord 78 00:05:38,059 –> 00:05:41,540 and he says, we would rather be away from the body 79 00:05:41,540 –> 00:05:46,500 because then we will be at home with the Lord. 80 00:05:47,100 –> 00:05:49,220 So when a believing loved one dies 81 00:05:49,480 –> 00:05:50,799 and the question comes to you, 82 00:05:50,799 –> 00:05:51,760 now where are they now? 83 00:05:52,700 –> 00:05:55,959 Your first answer should always be, 84 00:05:55,959 –> 00:05:57,880 they are with Christ, 85 00:05:59,279 –> 00:06:01,459 they are with Christ. 86 00:06:01,459 –> 00:06:04,239 They are away from the body. 87 00:06:04,239 –> 00:06:06,600 That is why the family, 88 00:06:06,600 –> 00:06:09,859 those who love them will lay the body to rest. 89 00:06:09,859 –> 00:06:11,119 Why do we lay the body to rest? 90 00:06:11,119 –> 00:06:13,160 Because they’re away from the body 91 00:06:13,160 –> 00:06:15,160 and being away from the body, 92 00:06:15,160 –> 00:06:19,459 they are at home with the Lord, 93 00:06:19,459 –> 00:06:22,980 answer number one, with Christ. 94 00:06:22,980 –> 00:06:24,920 Answer number two. 95 00:06:24,920 –> 00:06:28,260 Loved ones who have died in the Lord 96 00:06:28,260 –> 00:06:31,079 are fully conscious, 97 00:06:31,079 –> 00:06:33,760 fully conscious 98 00:06:33,760 –> 00:06:35,279 and when you pass in the presence 99 00:06:35,279 –> 00:06:36,700 of the Lord Jesus through death, 100 00:06:36,700 –> 00:06:40,000 that will be true for you as well. 101 00:06:40,000 –> 00:06:42,299 Notice that Jesus said to the thief, 102 00:06:42,339 –> 00:06:46,380 today you will be with me 103 00:06:46,380 –> 00:06:48,239 in paradise. 104 00:06:48,239 –> 00:06:50,779 There’s immediacy there. 105 00:06:50,779 –> 00:06:53,779 Now notice that Jesus does not say, 106 00:06:53,779 –> 00:06:56,339 when the thief says, will you remember me? 107 00:06:56,339 –> 00:06:59,640 Jesus does not say, well let me explain this to you. 108 00:06:59,640 –> 00:07:01,980 After today, you’re gonna go into 109 00:07:01,980 –> 00:07:03,779 a long period of unconsciousness 110 00:07:03,779 –> 00:07:07,179 that’s actually gonna last more than 2000 years, 111 00:07:07,179 –> 00:07:09,179 but after a long period of unconsciousness 112 00:07:09,179 –> 00:07:10,859 that will last more than 2000 years, 113 00:07:10,940 –> 00:07:12,940 I will come again and then I will waken you up 114 00:07:12,940 –> 00:07:14,519 and then you will be with me in paradise. 115 00:07:14,519 –> 00:07:16,540 He does not say that, does he? 116 00:07:17,500 –> 00:07:20,940 Now get the weight and the significance of this. 117 00:07:20,940 –> 00:07:24,760 Today, you will be with me in paradise. 118 00:07:24,760 –> 00:07:29,459 That means immediate conscious enjoyment 119 00:07:29,459 –> 00:07:33,779 of the presence of the Lord. 120 00:07:33,779 –> 00:07:37,100 Now some Christians are confused at this point, 121 00:07:37,100 –> 00:07:39,700 and through the history of the church, 122 00:07:39,700 –> 00:07:41,940 there have been some small groups 123 00:07:41,940 –> 00:07:44,179 that have seized on the fact 124 00:07:44,179 –> 00:07:48,420 that the Bible often describes death as a kind of sleep. 125 00:07:48,420 –> 00:07:49,980 It uses that analogy. 126 00:07:49,980 –> 00:07:54,519 We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, 127 00:07:54,519 –> 00:07:56,559 and because of that there have been some, 128 00:07:56,559 –> 00:08:01,079 a few, who have suggested that the souls of believers 129 00:08:01,079 –> 00:08:03,279 go to sleep when they die, 130 00:08:03,279 –> 00:08:06,799 in other words, that they become unconscious, 131 00:08:06,820 –> 00:08:11,820 but what sleeps, when the Bible uses that language, 132 00:08:12,519 –> 00:08:15,299 what sleeps is not the soul. 133 00:08:15,299 –> 00:08:17,320 What sleeps is the body. 134 00:08:17,320 –> 00:08:19,679 That’s why we lay the body to rest. 135 00:08:19,679 –> 00:08:23,619 The body is laid to rest until the resurrection. 136 00:08:23,619 –> 00:08:27,660 The soul is alive and thrives 137 00:08:27,660 –> 00:08:31,019 in the presence of Jesus. 138 00:08:32,039 –> 00:08:33,500 Now I think that, 139 00:08:33,500 –> 00:08:35,260 it may be that that some folks 140 00:08:35,260 –> 00:08:38,460 get their minds onto this idea of soul sleep 141 00:08:38,460 –> 00:08:42,340 because candidly it’s easier to imagine unconsciousness 142 00:08:42,340 –> 00:08:47,340 than it is to imagine the life of a soul without a body. 143 00:08:47,739 –> 00:08:50,239 And we’ll come to that in just a few moments time 144 00:08:50,239 –> 00:08:53,059 to try and give some help in that regard. 145 00:08:53,059 –> 00:08:54,559 But what I want you to notice now 146 00:08:54,559 –> 00:08:59,299 is that unconsciousness is not the promise of Jesus. 147 00:08:59,299 –> 00:09:00,820 Thank God for that. 148 00:09:00,820 –> 00:09:04,780 Enjoying the presence of God in the company 149 00:09:04,780 –> 00:09:09,780 of Jesus in Paradise, that is his promise. 150 00:09:09,859 –> 00:09:12,440 And remember this just by way of underlining it. 151 00:09:13,900 –> 00:09:17,700 The Apostle Paul said and you can help me with this verse, 152 00:09:17,700 –> 00:09:22,700 for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 153 00:09:25,099 –> 00:09:27,239 He then goes on 2 verses later, 154 00:09:27,239 –> 00:09:29,179 Philippians chapter one and verse 23 155 00:09:29,219 –> 00:09:32,280 to say that he desires to go and to be with Christ 156 00:09:32,280 –> 00:09:35,419 because to be with Christ is better by far. 157 00:09:36,359 –> 00:09:38,099 And what he’s saying in these two statements, 158 00:09:38,099 –> 00:09:39,460 Philippians one and, 159 00:09:39,460 –> 00:09:41,859 21 and Philippians 1, 23. 160 00:09:41,859 –> 00:09:44,479 It’s gain, it’s better by far is 161 00:09:44,479 –> 00:09:47,380 that what a believer experiences immediately 162 00:09:47,380 –> 00:09:50,039 in the conscious enjoyment of the presence of Jesus 163 00:09:50,039 –> 00:09:54,219 is better, is more than the very best 164 00:09:54,219 –> 00:09:57,799 that you can know as a Christian believer in this world. 165 00:09:58,799 –> 00:10:01,159 So think of everything that you can know and enjoy 166 00:10:01,159 –> 00:10:03,039 as a Christian believer in this world, 167 00:10:03,039 –> 00:10:05,000 in Christ you’re born again. 168 00:10:05,900 –> 00:10:08,400 You are justified by faith. 169 00:10:08,400 –> 00:10:10,739 You are reconciled to God. 170 00:10:10,739 –> 00:10:12,840 You are adopted into his family 171 00:10:12,840 –> 00:10:15,239 as a son or a daughter of the King. 172 00:10:15,239 –> 00:10:18,059 The spirit of God lives within you 173 00:10:18,059 –> 00:10:20,940 and nothing can ever separate you 174 00:10:20,940 –> 00:10:25,440 from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. 175 00:10:25,500 –> 00:10:28,400 You are blessed with every spiritual blessing 176 00:10:28,400 –> 00:10:31,179 in Jesus Christ and that is yours now. 177 00:10:31,179 –> 00:10:32,799 There is no way in the world 178 00:10:32,799 –> 00:10:35,400 that being unconscious is better than that. 179 00:10:36,380 –> 00:10:39,119 That would be so much less. 180 00:10:39,119 –> 00:10:41,400 And Paul says what lies beyond for the believer 181 00:10:41,400 –> 00:10:42,840 immediately is not less. 182 00:10:42,840 –> 00:10:43,679 It is more. 183 00:10:43,679 –> 00:10:44,500 It is gain. 184 00:10:44,500 –> 00:10:46,739 It is better by far than the very best 185 00:10:46,739 –> 00:10:48,919 that you can know in this life 186 00:10:48,919 –> 00:10:52,440 in all of your experience of Jesus Christ in this world, 187 00:10:52,440 –> 00:10:55,559 better than all that you have of Christ right now, 188 00:10:55,559 –> 00:10:57,440 better than anything you have ever known 189 00:10:57,440 –> 00:10:59,440 in this world as a Christian believer, 190 00:10:59,440 –> 00:11:02,460 better than anything you can know in this world 191 00:11:02,460 –> 00:11:03,400 as a believer. 192 00:11:03,400 –> 00:11:05,059 That is not unconsciousness. 193 00:11:05,059 –> 00:11:07,559 That is immediate conscious enjoyment 194 00:11:07,559 –> 00:11:10,919 of the presence of Jesus. 195 00:11:10,919 –> 00:11:12,619 So I want us to be clear about that, 196 00:11:12,619 –> 00:11:15,700 otherwise we will not have a joyful anticipation 197 00:11:15,700 –> 00:11:17,640 of what lies ahead, 198 00:11:17,640 –> 00:11:21,919 as you find so vibrantly in the New Testament. 199 00:11:21,940 –> 00:11:23,419 Believers who have died, 200 00:11:23,419 –> 00:11:25,200 what are they experiencing right now? 201 00:11:25,200 –> 00:11:26,320 They are with Christ. 202 00:11:26,320 –> 00:11:27,880 That’s answer number one. 203 00:11:29,099 –> 00:11:32,940 They are fully conscious is after number two. 204 00:11:32,940 –> 00:11:33,960 And so number three. 205 00:11:35,380 –> 00:11:37,719 They are actively engaged. 206 00:11:37,719 –> 00:11:39,039 Actively engaged. 207 00:11:40,000 –> 00:11:42,140 And here’s what I want to encourage you 208 00:11:42,140 –> 00:11:44,380 in regards to our thinking 209 00:11:44,380 –> 00:11:46,520 about the life that is to come. 210 00:11:48,020 –> 00:11:49,219 Here’s the problem that we have. 211 00:11:49,219 –> 00:11:51,760 I alluded to it a moment ago 212 00:11:52,859 –> 00:11:55,559 everything that we enjoy in this life 213 00:11:55,559 –> 00:11:57,700 is experienced through the body. 214 00:11:59,260 –> 00:12:01,559 So we enjoy walking and running, 215 00:12:02,539 –> 00:12:04,859 but how can you do that without legs? 216 00:12:06,200 –> 00:12:08,979 We enjoy listening to music, 217 00:12:08,979 –> 00:12:11,419 but how could you do that without ears? 218 00:12:12,520 –> 00:12:15,359 We enjoy seeing the world, 219 00:12:15,359 –> 00:12:18,119 but how could you do that without eyes? 220 00:12:19,059 –> 00:12:21,219 Everything we do, everything we enjoy, 221 00:12:21,260 –> 00:12:22,820 everything we experience, 222 00:12:22,820 –> 00:12:26,039 we experience in this life through the body. 223 00:12:27,679 –> 00:12:30,299 Now, here is someone that you love, 224 00:12:30,299 –> 00:12:32,619 and the soul has been separated from the body. 225 00:12:32,619 –> 00:12:36,099 Their body has been laid to rest. 226 00:12:36,099 –> 00:12:38,539 They won’t get the resurrection body 227 00:12:38,539 –> 00:12:40,219 until Jesus Christ comes, 228 00:12:40,219 –> 00:12:42,340 and so it sits in your mind saying, 229 00:12:42,340 –> 00:12:44,760 so what in the world can they possibly 230 00:12:44,760 –> 00:12:46,340 be doing right now? 231 00:12:48,020 –> 00:12:50,359 Now, here’s what has helped me with this question, 232 00:12:50,400 –> 00:12:52,380 and I hope it will be helpful to you. 233 00:12:53,380 –> 00:12:54,940 Think about it. 234 00:12:54,940 –> 00:12:58,380 God has given life to you 235 00:12:58,380 –> 00:13:03,380 through the union of your body and your soul. 236 00:13:03,500 –> 00:13:04,799 That, of course, is why death, 237 00:13:04,799 –> 00:13:06,799 which is the separation of the soul from the body, 238 00:13:06,799 –> 00:13:08,140 is such a fearful thing, 239 00:13:08,140 –> 00:13:10,760 it is the undoing of our very nature, 240 00:13:10,760 –> 00:13:13,140 it is the tearing apart of the very thing 241 00:13:13,140 –> 00:13:15,500 that God has bound together 242 00:13:15,500 –> 00:13:18,539 in given us the life that we know in this world. 243 00:13:18,539 –> 00:13:21,820 So it’s very hard for us to imagine anything other 244 00:13:21,820 –> 00:13:26,820 than life that exists through and in the body. 245 00:13:27,059 –> 00:13:27,900 But, 246 00:13:29,539 –> 00:13:33,619 angels are souls 247 00:13:33,619 –> 00:13:37,059 or spirits without bodies. 248 00:13:37,059 –> 00:13:39,219 They never had bodies, they never will have bodies, 249 00:13:39,219 –> 00:13:40,640 they are souls or spirits. 250 00:13:40,640 –> 00:13:43,099 Hebrews chapter one and verse 14, 251 00:13:43,099 –> 00:13:47,500 angels are ministering spirits. 252 00:13:48,619 –> 00:13:53,460 And Jesus says, in regards to His own resurrection, 253 00:13:53,460 –> 00:13:56,900 He says to the disciples, Luke 24 in verse 39, 254 00:13:56,900 –> 00:14:01,900 a spirit does not have flesh or bones. 255 00:14:03,739 –> 00:14:04,900 And then He says, as you see, 256 00:14:04,900 –> 00:14:06,659 I have a fascinating reference 257 00:14:06,659 –> 00:14:08,500 to the nature of the resurrection body. 258 00:14:08,500 –> 00:14:12,000 But he says, a spirit does not have flesh and bones, 259 00:14:12,000 –> 00:14:14,700 a spirit does not have flesh and bones. 260 00:14:14,700 –> 00:14:17,940 Angels don’t have flesh and bones. 261 00:14:19,340 –> 00:14:22,000 Wayne Grudem, who has written a marvelous book 262 00:14:22,000 –> 00:14:23,479 called Systematic Theology, 263 00:14:23,479 –> 00:14:26,179 that’s just means bringing in a systematized way, 264 00:14:26,179 –> 00:14:28,380 truths on various themes together 265 00:14:28,380 –> 00:14:29,919 from across the whole Bible. 266 00:14:29,919 –> 00:14:31,419 He says this about angels, 267 00:14:31,419 –> 00:14:36,419 angels are created spiritual beings with moral judgment, 268 00:14:36,820 –> 00:14:41,820 with high intelligence, but without physical bodies. 269 00:14:45,020 –> 00:14:46,679 So think this through with me. 270 00:14:47,559 –> 00:14:52,559 In the Bible, we have created beings 271 00:14:53,580 –> 00:14:58,340 that are souls or spirits without bodies, 272 00:14:59,219 –> 00:15:04,219 and we are told a great deal about their activity, 273 00:15:05,460 –> 00:15:07,940 a great deal about the activity of angels, 274 00:15:07,940 –> 00:15:10,960 a great deal about the activity of these created spirits 275 00:15:10,960 –> 00:15:13,780 who’ve never had bodies, never will, 276 00:15:13,780 –> 00:15:16,179 and yet they’re joyful, engagement, 277 00:15:16,820 –> 00:15:19,080 actively engaged in the purposes of God. 278 00:15:20,080 –> 00:15:23,140 So thinking about what is possible for angels 279 00:15:23,140 –> 00:15:26,099 without bodies will just begin to give us some help 280 00:15:26,099 –> 00:15:30,760 to trigger our minds and whet our appetites 281 00:15:30,760 –> 00:15:33,419 with regards what is possible in the presence of God 282 00:15:33,419 –> 00:15:37,880 for those who have gone as souls and as spirits 283 00:15:37,880 –> 00:15:42,260 into the presence of Jesus awaiting the resurrection. 284 00:15:43,179 –> 00:15:45,419 So this is what has helped me. 285 00:15:45,419 –> 00:15:49,380 You don’t need a body to do what angels do. 286 00:15:50,340 –> 00:15:53,099 They are ministering spirits. 287 00:15:53,099 –> 00:15:56,580 They therefore give to us a model, a pattern 288 00:15:56,580 –> 00:15:58,559 for thinking about the experience 289 00:15:58,559 –> 00:16:03,200 of our believing loved ones who are now with the Lord. 290 00:16:03,200 –> 00:16:05,460 So let me just, to tease that out a little bit for you, 291 00:16:05,460 –> 00:16:07,000 give you just one or two examples 292 00:16:07,000 –> 00:16:09,659 that quickly come to mind from the Bible 293 00:16:09,659 –> 00:16:14,140 about what angels do, how they’re actively engaged, 294 00:16:14,179 –> 00:16:16,659 and therefore open up our thinking 295 00:16:16,659 –> 00:16:18,859 with regards to the experience now 296 00:16:18,859 –> 00:16:21,380 of our believing loved ones in heaven. 297 00:16:21,380 –> 00:16:26,380 For example, angels see and so do believers in heaven. 298 00:16:29,039 –> 00:16:32,219 So Jesus says this, Matthew 18 in verse 10, 299 00:16:32,219 –> 00:16:34,020 don’t despise these little ones, 300 00:16:34,020 –> 00:16:36,280 for I tell you that in heaven, 301 00:16:36,280 –> 00:16:39,900 their angels always see the face 302 00:16:39,900 –> 00:16:42,659 of my Father who is in heaven. 303 00:16:43,479 –> 00:16:47,119 Now they don’t have bodies, angels don’t have eyeballs, 304 00:16:47,119 –> 00:16:48,239 they don’t have retina. 305 00:16:48,239 –> 00:16:50,760 So you say, how do you see without an eyeball on a retina? 306 00:16:50,760 –> 00:16:52,640 I don’t know, but the Bible tells me 307 00:16:52,640 –> 00:16:56,679 that angels see the Father, the Spirit see the Father. 308 00:16:57,640 –> 00:16:59,760 They behold Him. 309 00:16:59,760 –> 00:17:01,820 You don’t need a body to do that 310 00:17:01,820 –> 00:17:05,839 is what we’re being told in Matthew 18 in verse 10. 311 00:17:07,079 –> 00:17:08,560 And the same therefore is true 312 00:17:08,560 –> 00:17:10,040 for your believing loved ones, 313 00:17:10,180 –> 00:17:12,979 faith has been turned to sight for them. 314 00:17:14,060 –> 00:17:18,239 They will have eyes in the resurrection, 315 00:17:18,239 –> 00:17:21,400 but right now they see and behold the face of the Father 316 00:17:21,400 –> 00:17:23,260 in the same way as angels do, 317 00:17:23,260 –> 00:17:26,719 and they do not have bodies and do not need them to do it. 318 00:17:27,900 –> 00:17:31,900 Second, angels speak and so do believers in heaven. 319 00:17:31,900 –> 00:17:33,959 There’s joyful communication. 320 00:17:33,959 –> 00:17:35,979 We read this every Christmas, don’t we? 321 00:17:35,979 –> 00:17:37,819 Suddenly there was with the angel 322 00:17:37,819 –> 00:17:39,739 a multitude of the heavenly host 323 00:17:40,420 –> 00:17:42,359 praising God, saying… 324 00:17:42,359 –> 00:17:45,920 how do you say without a larynx? 325 00:17:45,920 –> 00:17:47,420 I don’t know. 326 00:17:47,420 –> 00:17:49,819 But angels do and they don’t have bodies 327 00:17:49,819 –> 00:17:52,500 and they communicate and they declare the glory of God 328 00:17:52,500 –> 00:17:56,239 and your believing loved ones do so also 329 00:17:56,239 –> 00:17:57,699 in the presence of Jesus. 330 00:17:57,699 –> 00:18:00,839 We will have vocal cords in the resurrection, 331 00:18:01,839 –> 00:18:05,760 but right now they speak as angels do. 332 00:18:07,239 –> 00:18:09,140 Thirdly, angels rejoice. 333 00:18:10,300 –> 00:18:12,099 And so do believers in Heaven, 334 00:18:12,099 –> 00:18:14,359 remember Jesus saying, Luke chapter 15, 335 00:18:14,359 –> 00:18:18,500 I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God 336 00:18:18,500 –> 00:18:21,739 over one sinner who repents. 337 00:18:23,079 –> 00:18:24,619 People sometimes ask the question, 338 00:18:24,619 –> 00:18:28,020 do those who’ve gone before us are believing loved ones, 339 00:18:28,020 –> 00:18:29,520 do they know what’s going down here, 340 00:18:29,520 –> 00:18:31,380 are they sort of peering over the parapet 341 00:18:31,380 –> 00:18:32,819 and keeping an eye on us all? 342 00:18:32,819 –> 00:18:36,660 There is absolutely nothing in Scripture to suggest that. 343 00:18:36,660 –> 00:18:39,160 And perhaps by the way, that’s just as well. 344 00:18:39,160 –> 00:18:44,160 But several writers have made this observation 345 00:18:48,000 –> 00:18:50,640 that there is joy in the whole of heaven 346 00:18:50,640 –> 00:18:52,760 over a sinner who is converted, 347 00:18:54,160 –> 00:18:57,959 joy in the advance of the redeeming work of God 348 00:18:57,959 –> 00:19:01,239 that is sounded aloud among the angels of heaven 349 00:19:02,979 –> 00:19:05,339 and the redeemed who are in the presence of Christ 350 00:19:05,339 –> 00:19:06,180 are among them. 351 00:19:07,020 –> 00:19:10,420 Is it really possible that there should be joy ringing 352 00:19:10,420 –> 00:19:12,319 in heaven over a sinner converted 353 00:19:12,319 –> 00:19:14,040 and that the redeemed who are already there 354 00:19:14,040 –> 00:19:15,979 would not be aware of it or know of it? 355 00:19:17,280 –> 00:19:19,359 I find that to be such a helpful thought, 356 00:19:19,359 –> 00:19:22,319 particularly as I think of a parent and a grandparent 357 00:19:23,319 –> 00:19:25,959 who has prayed for a child, a grandchild, 358 00:19:25,959 –> 00:19:30,140 a great-grandchild and perhaps prayed for 10, 20, 30, 359 00:19:30,140 –> 00:19:34,760 40 years and then died without seeing that prayer answered. 360 00:19:34,780 –> 00:19:36,920 And they are in the presence of the angels 361 00:19:36,920 –> 00:19:38,260 in the presence of Jesus in heaven 362 00:19:38,260 –> 00:19:40,020 and then the prayer is answered. 363 00:19:40,020 –> 00:19:42,119 Don’t you think when the joy and the shout goes up 364 00:19:42,119 –> 00:19:44,160 that they are going to know? 365 00:19:44,160 –> 00:19:49,160 And what a joy, angels rejoice in the presence of Jesus 366 00:19:49,239 –> 00:19:54,319 and so do believers in heaven for angels worship 367 00:19:54,319 –> 00:19:56,540 and so do believers in heaven. 368 00:19:56,540 –> 00:19:58,380 I’m looking at Revelation five, 369 00:19:58,380 –> 00:20:00,420 I looked and I heard around the throne, 370 00:20:00,420 –> 00:20:03,219 the voice of many angels. 371 00:20:03,239 –> 00:20:04,760 So here are these spirits 372 00:20:04,760 –> 00:20:07,380 and there are thousands upon thousands of them 373 00:20:07,380 –> 00:20:09,160 and they’re saying in a loud voice, 374 00:20:09,160 –> 00:20:11,260 worthy is the Lamb that was slain 375 00:20:11,260 –> 00:20:13,459 to receive power and wealth and wisdom 376 00:20:13,459 –> 00:20:17,000 and might and honor and glory and blessing. 377 00:20:18,420 –> 00:20:23,420 And the redeemed in the presence of Christ share in this. 378 00:20:23,439 –> 00:20:25,739 Don’t yet have the resurrection body 379 00:20:25,739 –> 00:20:30,339 but, oh, weak is the effort of my heart 380 00:20:30,339 –> 00:20:32,660 and cold my warmest thought 381 00:20:32,660 –> 00:20:35,579 but when I see thee as thou art, 382 00:20:35,579 –> 00:20:38,000 I’ll praise thee as I ought. 383 00:20:38,000 –> 00:20:43,000 You will worship out of a full and an overflowing heart 384 00:20:45,180 –> 00:20:49,180 in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 385 00:20:49,180 –> 00:20:52,420 Faith turned to sight, fullness of joy, 386 00:20:52,420 –> 00:20:56,719 uninhibited by any sluggishness of the flesh. 387 00:20:57,859 –> 00:20:59,619 It’s gonna be glorious. 388 00:20:59,619 –> 00:21:01,319 And here’s one more thing to think about. 389 00:21:02,160 –> 00:21:07,160 Angels inquire, highly intelligent, engaged. 390 00:21:09,099 –> 00:21:13,060 Angels inquire and so do believers in heaven. 391 00:21:14,000 –> 00:21:15,839 And you’ll remember perhaps in wants Peter 392 00:21:15,839 –> 00:21:18,560 in chapter one in verse twelve where Peter speaks 393 00:21:18,560 –> 00:21:21,000 about all that was accomplished through the death 394 00:21:21,000 –> 00:21:23,479 and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 395 00:21:24,359 –> 00:21:26,619 And he says as he’s trying to fathom this 396 00:21:26,619 –> 00:21:28,280 and as he’s laying out its beauty, 397 00:21:28,880 –> 00:21:33,640 even angels long to look into these things. 398 00:21:33,640 –> 00:21:38,260 They try to fathom all that God has done in Jesus Christ. 399 00:21:38,260 –> 00:21:40,439 And we’re told quite specifically here 400 00:21:40,439 –> 00:21:43,400 in Revelation chapter six that was read to us 401 00:21:43,400 –> 00:21:47,199 that the believers in the presence of Jesus 402 00:21:47,199 –> 00:21:49,599 are also asking questions. 403 00:21:49,599 –> 00:21:53,000 John sees souls in the presence of Jesus. 404 00:21:53,000 –> 00:21:56,160 In other words, the souls there were made visible 405 00:21:56,160 –> 00:21:57,380 to John in the vision. 406 00:21:57,400 –> 00:22:00,479 Just like the angels were made visible to the shepherds 407 00:22:00,479 –> 00:22:01,900 on the night that Jesus was born. 408 00:22:01,900 –> 00:22:03,339 You don’t normally see angels, 409 00:22:03,339 –> 00:22:05,540 but they were made visible for that purpose. 410 00:22:05,540 –> 00:22:07,119 And the same thing happens here. 411 00:22:07,119 –> 00:22:09,540 And John sees these souls in Heaven. 412 00:22:10,479 –> 00:22:13,500 And what he sees is that they were actively engaged 413 00:22:13,500 –> 00:22:17,420 asking questions, how long, O Lord?! 414 00:22:17,420 –> 00:22:21,500 Verse 10 of Revelation and chapter six. 415 00:22:21,500 –> 00:22:23,800 In other words, there are some things 416 00:22:23,800 –> 00:22:28,119 that the redeemed in Heaven now do not yet know. 417 00:22:29,040 –> 00:22:32,880 Some things that are yet to be revealed. 418 00:22:32,880 –> 00:22:36,319 God has more to be revealed to them yet 419 00:22:36,319 –> 00:22:38,400 when Jesus Christ comes, 420 00:22:38,400 –> 00:22:41,040 just as He has more to be revealed for us 421 00:22:41,040 –> 00:22:42,680 when Jesus Christ comes. 422 00:22:42,680 –> 00:22:47,479 And yet they are looking forward to this, just as we are. 423 00:22:47,479 –> 00:22:51,400 They’re saying how long until this should happen. 424 00:22:51,439 –> 00:22:55,859 And until then, they are actively engaged. 425 00:22:57,760 –> 00:23:00,000 Now I find this very, very helpful 426 00:23:00,000 –> 00:23:02,099 in terms of thinking about the life, 427 00:23:02,099 –> 00:23:07,099 the experience of those who are in the presence of Christ. 428 00:23:07,640 –> 00:23:11,339 Never think of them being passive, 429 00:23:11,339 –> 00:23:14,939 slumbering, inactive. 430 00:23:16,479 –> 00:23:18,400 Today you will be with me in paradise, 431 00:23:18,400 –> 00:23:23,400 the conscious enjoyment of the presence of Jesus. 432 00:23:25,400 –> 00:23:28,420 Many Christians go through the idea that, 433 00:23:28,420 –> 00:23:30,180 life with the idea that somehow 434 00:23:30,180 –> 00:23:33,979 being in the presence of Jesus is a sort of half-life, 435 00:23:33,979 –> 00:23:36,959 that it’s a shadowy sort of a world, 436 00:23:36,959 –> 00:23:38,119 the complete denial of, 437 00:23:38,119 –> 00:23:40,599 for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 438 00:23:40,599 –> 00:23:43,339 It says if we come to the conclusion, 439 00:23:43,339 –> 00:23:45,420 for me to live is Christ and to die is less. 440 00:23:45,420 –> 00:23:46,959 It’s just a half than it was before. 441 00:23:46,979 –> 00:23:49,400 That cannot possibly be true. 442 00:23:50,359 –> 00:23:55,260 Listen, the soul goes ahead of the body. 443 00:23:55,260 –> 00:23:57,380 The body waits for the redemption, 444 00:23:57,380 –> 00:24:00,280 which is coming at the coming of Jesus, 445 00:24:00,280 –> 00:24:03,260 but for the believer, the soul goes ahead 446 00:24:03,260 –> 00:24:06,300 and is made perfect at death. 447 00:24:07,260 –> 00:24:12,000 In this life, the soul lives through the body. 448 00:24:12,000 –> 00:24:15,560 But the body, as well as facilitating the life of the soul, 449 00:24:15,560 –> 00:24:19,119 also places limits on the life of the soul. 450 00:24:19,119 –> 00:24:21,680 Think about this, and end the statement with me, please. 451 00:24:21,680 –> 00:24:26,239 The spirit is willing, but the flesh is 452 00:24:26,239 –> 00:24:28,660 weak, weak. 453 00:24:28,660 –> 00:24:30,119 So where’s the limitation, 454 00:24:30,119 –> 00:24:33,280 according to that statement of Jesus? 455 00:24:33,280 –> 00:24:35,520 It’s not in the spirit, it’s in the flesh. 456 00:24:35,520 –> 00:24:37,560 For a Christian believer, 457 00:24:37,560 –> 00:24:39,939 the will of a believer’s spirit 458 00:24:39,939 –> 00:24:44,939 outstrips the capacity of a believer’s flesh. 459 00:24:45,199 –> 00:24:46,540 And you know this experience. 460 00:24:46,540 –> 00:24:48,959 As long as you live in this mortal body, 461 00:24:48,959 –> 00:24:50,739 you experience this tussle, 462 00:24:50,739 –> 00:24:52,699 the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, 463 00:24:52,699 –> 00:24:56,380 you never quite become the believer that you want to be. 464 00:24:56,380 –> 00:24:59,660 You never quite make the progress in sanctification 465 00:24:59,660 –> 00:25:03,020 that you wish you were able to make. 466 00:25:03,020 –> 00:25:06,000 But believers who go into his presence, 467 00:25:06,000 –> 00:25:08,260 their souls are made perfect, 468 00:25:08,260 –> 00:25:10,339 entering into the presence of Jesus. 469 00:25:10,339 –> 00:25:13,079 That’s why it says in Revelation chapter seven, 470 00:25:13,079 –> 00:25:16,300 that they serve him day and night in his temple. 471 00:25:16,300 –> 00:25:18,599 There’s no more sluggishness, no more tiredness, 472 00:25:18,599 –> 00:25:21,119 no more discouragement, no more jaded, 473 00:25:21,119 –> 00:25:23,880 more alive, more vigorous, more energetic 474 00:25:23,880 –> 00:25:26,119 than you have ever been before. 475 00:25:26,119 –> 00:25:28,260 That’s a glorious vision. 476 00:25:28,260 –> 00:25:30,880 That’s not a half-life. 477 00:25:30,880 –> 00:25:34,180 That is what lies ahead for a Christian believer 478 00:25:34,180 –> 00:25:38,280 in the presence of Jesus with Christ. 479 00:25:38,280 –> 00:25:42,959 Fully conscious, actively engaged. 480 00:25:42,959 –> 00:25:46,319 Now, I hope I’m whetting your appetite for heaven. 481 00:25:46,319 –> 00:25:48,420 I’m hoping I’m making you think well 482 00:25:48,420 –> 00:25:50,439 of those who are already there. 483 00:25:51,800 –> 00:25:53,619 Here’s the fourth answer. 484 00:25:53,619 –> 00:25:57,660 With Christ, fully conscious, 485 00:25:58,819 –> 00:26:03,819 actively engaged, eagerly waiting. 486 00:26:03,819 –> 00:26:05,640 Eagerly waiting. 487 00:26:07,160 –> 00:26:09,560 Now, remember, and this is very important, 488 00:26:09,560 –> 00:26:11,619 that there is a big difference 489 00:26:11,619 –> 00:26:16,619 between heaven as it is now and heaven as it will be 490 00:26:18,260 –> 00:26:21,520 when there is a new heaven and a new earth. 491 00:26:23,140 –> 00:26:25,819 Believers who have died are with Christ. 492 00:26:25,819 –> 00:26:27,099 They are fully conscious. 493 00:26:27,099 –> 00:26:29,819 They are actively engaged right now. 494 00:26:29,819 –> 00:26:32,260 But there are some things they do not yet have. 495 00:26:33,859 –> 00:26:36,280 They do not yet have the resurrection body. 496 00:26:37,579 –> 00:26:41,280 They do not yet have the new heaven or the new earth. 497 00:26:42,280 –> 00:26:45,619 They do not yet have the whole family of God 498 00:26:45,619 –> 00:26:48,540 gathered together in Jesus Christ saying in triumph, 499 00:26:48,540 –> 00:26:53,119 here I am, and the children you have given me. 500 00:26:54,500 –> 00:26:56,420 So please always remember, 501 00:26:56,420 –> 00:26:59,180 and this is wonderful to think about, 502 00:26:59,180 –> 00:27:02,380 that for a Christian believer there is a good, 503 00:27:02,380 –> 00:27:06,500 better, best pattern to life. 504 00:27:07,339 –> 00:27:10,819 To be in Christ is good. 505 00:27:10,920 –> 00:27:13,020 It is really good. 506 00:27:13,020 –> 00:27:16,380 When life in this world is at its hardest for you, 507 00:27:16,380 –> 00:27:19,760 you are blessed with every spiritual blessing 508 00:27:19,760 –> 00:27:21,219 in Christ Jesus. 509 00:27:21,219 –> 00:27:22,540 It is good. 510 00:27:23,479 –> 00:27:26,479 But to be with Christ is better. 511 00:27:26,479 –> 00:27:29,000 Better by far than anything you have known 512 00:27:29,000 –> 00:27:31,880 or anything that you can know in your Christian experience 513 00:27:31,880 –> 00:27:34,280 or in your life in this world. 514 00:27:35,599 –> 00:27:39,739 But even for those who are in heaven now, 515 00:27:39,780 –> 00:27:43,880 the best is yet to be. 516 00:27:43,880 –> 00:27:48,640 And you see that very clearly in Revelation and chapter 6, 517 00:27:48,640 –> 00:27:52,979 where John sees the souls of believers in heaven. 518 00:27:52,979 –> 00:27:55,599 He doesn’t see the souls of all believers at this point. 519 00:27:55,599 –> 00:27:58,079 He sees the souls of some believers, 520 00:27:58,079 –> 00:28:01,619 and in particular he sees the souls of believers 521 00:28:01,619 –> 00:28:05,459 who have been martyred, who have laid down their life 522 00:28:05,520 –> 00:28:09,859 on account of the Word of God and the testimony 523 00:28:09,859 –> 00:28:12,560 that they have born to Jesus. 524 00:28:12,560 –> 00:28:15,859 And notice what they’re saying in the presece of Jesus 525 00:28:15,859 –> 00:28:18,680 in heaven, as John sees it opened. 526 00:28:18,680 –> 00:28:21,859 These believers, they cry out to God, 527 00:28:25,199 –> 00:28:27,500 how long, O Lord, 528 00:28:27,500 –> 00:28:32,319 until the evils of this present world are brought to an end, 529 00:28:33,319 –> 00:28:34,780 how long, O Lord, 530 00:28:34,780 –> 00:28:39,780 until the sufferings of your people are brought to an end, 531 00:28:40,859 –> 00:28:42,260 how long, O Lord, 532 00:28:42,260 –> 00:28:46,359 until King Jesus returns in power and glory 533 00:28:46,359 –> 00:28:48,319 and we get to come with him, 534 00:28:49,239 –> 00:28:51,760 how long until the day you have promised 535 00:28:51,760 –> 00:28:56,359 when all his enemies will be placed under his feet, 536 00:28:56,359 –> 00:28:59,359 how long until the day that has been prophesied 537 00:28:59,359 –> 00:29:01,699 in both Old and now New Testament 538 00:29:01,719 –> 00:29:03,260 that there will be a new heaven 539 00:29:03,260 –> 00:29:05,060 and that there will be a new earth 540 00:29:05,060 –> 00:29:07,500 and that it will be the home of righteousness 541 00:29:07,500 –> 00:29:11,420 and they are told that they must wait. 542 00:29:13,060 –> 00:29:16,459 Hermann Bavinck, the great Dutch theologian 543 00:29:16,459 –> 00:29:21,459 has a fascinating comment on the experience of believers 544 00:29:22,260 –> 00:29:25,060 in the presence of Jesus that it’s based on these verses. 545 00:29:25,060 –> 00:29:26,459 I’ve been thinking about this. 546 00:29:26,459 –> 00:29:27,719 It intrigues me. 547 00:29:27,719 –> 00:29:29,140 It’s fascinated me 548 00:29:29,140 –> 00:29:31,819 since first I came across it some years ago 549 00:29:31,819 –> 00:29:33,239 and so I just give it to you. 550 00:29:33,239 –> 00:29:34,719 It will cause you to think 551 00:29:34,719 –> 00:29:38,900 and I encourage you just to ponder its implications. 552 00:29:39,920 –> 00:29:43,800 He says this of the experience of believers 553 00:29:43,800 –> 00:29:45,300 in the presence of Jesus. 554 00:29:45,300 –> 00:29:47,459 They have a past 555 00:29:48,699 –> 00:29:51,099 which they remember, 556 00:29:51,099 –> 00:29:54,140 a present in which they live 557 00:29:55,060 –> 00:29:58,719 and the future which they are approaching. 558 00:29:59,680 –> 00:30:01,640 They have a past which they remember, 559 00:30:01,640 –> 00:30:04,680 know what they’ve been saved out of 560 00:30:04,680 –> 00:30:06,719 and as a Christian always should, 561 00:30:06,719 –> 00:30:10,099 cause that to glorify God for his great mercy 562 00:30:10,099 –> 00:30:11,760 and for his grace. 563 00:30:11,760 –> 00:30:15,579 A present that they enjoy and that they are given 564 00:30:15,579 –> 00:30:18,319 and they have a future that they are approaching 565 00:30:18,319 –> 00:30:20,199 and that they are anticipating. 566 00:30:20,199 –> 00:30:23,000 They up there are saying as we say down here, 567 00:30:23,000 –> 00:30:26,339 Lord Jesus come quickly. 568 00:30:26,819 –> 00:30:31,819 In the last year we have grieved over the loss 569 00:30:34,079 –> 00:30:39,079 of many who have been slain for the Word of God 570 00:30:41,339 –> 00:30:44,959 and for the testimony of Jesus. 571 00:30:46,219 –> 00:30:49,579 We’ve grieved over two members of our own congregation 572 00:30:49,579 –> 00:30:54,579 who laid down their lives one year ago this coming week. 573 00:30:54,780 –> 00:30:59,119 And here we are told in these verses 574 00:30:59,119 –> 00:31:04,119 that there is a definite number known to God 575 00:31:06,479 –> 00:31:09,560 of those who will lay down their lives 576 00:31:09,560 –> 00:31:11,219 for the sake of Christ. 577 00:31:12,699 –> 00:31:16,359 And every time you hear of a brother or a sister 578 00:31:16,359 –> 00:31:19,479 killed on account of being a Christian 579 00:31:19,479 –> 00:31:22,280 you should self consciously say 580 00:31:22,280 –> 00:31:26,500 the coming of Jesus just got nearer. 581 00:31:28,119 –> 00:31:31,199 It got a whole lot nearer in the last 12 months. 582 00:31:32,079 –> 00:31:35,680 A whole lot nearer, according to these verses of scripture. 583 00:31:36,979 –> 00:31:41,979 And one day, the last act of violence will be perpetrated 584 00:31:44,599 –> 00:31:47,459 and the last martyr will be killed 585 00:31:48,079 –> 00:31:52,359 and the father will say to the son that’s it. 586 00:31:52,359 –> 00:31:57,300 Go wrap this thing up and bring my children home 587 00:31:58,939 –> 00:32:00,540 and Christ will come in glory 588 00:32:01,819 –> 00:32:03,939 and our loved ones who have gone ahead 589 00:32:03,939 –> 00:32:06,219 will come with him and be with him 590 00:32:06,219 –> 00:32:11,219 and we will be joined to him and reunited with them 591 00:32:11,819 –> 00:32:16,420 and so we shall be forever with the Lord. 592 00:32:17,380 –> 00:32:21,939 Loved ones, who have died in Christ, they’re with Christ. 593 00:32:21,939 –> 00:32:24,660 They’re fully conscious, they’re actively engaged 594 00:32:25,540 –> 00:32:28,699 and they are eagerly waiting. 595 00:32:30,619 –> 00:32:35,599 So use these truths in these two ways. 596 00:32:35,699 –> 00:32:39,939 First, use this as a means of comfort. 597 00:32:39,939 –> 00:32:42,500 Use this as something you lean into 598 00:32:42,500 –> 00:32:46,319 when you grieve over the loss of a dear loved one. 599 00:32:47,300 –> 00:32:49,619 And let me give you this encouragement. 600 00:32:49,619 –> 00:32:53,079 Whenever you think of what you have lost 601 00:32:54,079 –> 00:32:58,260 try your best to turn your mind to what they have gained. 602 00:32:59,219 –> 00:33:01,619 Whenever you think of what you have lost 603 00:33:01,619 –> 00:33:05,880 and you often will, do your best to turn your mind 604 00:33:05,880 –> 00:33:09,319 to think about what it is that they have gained. 605 00:33:10,579 –> 00:33:13,819 They would not wish to be back if they could. 606 00:33:14,800 –> 00:33:17,420 And if you could see what they see 607 00:33:17,420 –> 00:33:19,260 and what they enjoy right now, 608 00:33:19,260 –> 00:33:23,479 it would never occur to you to wish them back, either. 609 00:33:23,479 –> 00:33:25,439 And God’s calling to you right now 610 00:33:25,439 –> 00:33:29,420 is that you should press forward in your journey of faith, 611 00:33:29,420 –> 00:33:31,040 in your life of obedience, 612 00:33:31,040 –> 00:33:34,280 and that you should do it all the more wholeheartedly 613 00:33:34,280 –> 00:33:37,160 as Heaven in this sense, has come nearer to you. 614 00:33:37,160 –> 00:33:41,239 You must now press more vigorously towards the prize 615 00:33:41,420 –> 00:33:46,040 that they, the ones you love, already enjoy. 616 00:33:46,920 –> 00:33:48,319 So use it for your comfort 617 00:33:48,319 –> 00:33:51,800 and then use it lastly for your courage. 618 00:33:51,800 –> 00:33:53,000 You don’t need me to tell you 619 00:33:53,000 –> 00:33:55,199 that this world is increasingly hostile 620 00:33:55,199 –> 00:33:57,459 towards Christian believers. 621 00:33:57,459 –> 00:33:59,939 And I don’t see any reason from the Bible 622 00:33:59,939 –> 00:34:02,640 to expect that to change. 623 00:34:02,640 –> 00:34:04,420 As best as I can tell, 624 00:34:04,420 –> 00:34:06,959 the indication of the scripture is 625 00:34:06,959 –> 00:34:09,540 that as the coming of Jesus gets nearer, 626 00:34:09,540 –> 00:34:12,379 darkness just gets darker. 627 00:34:12,379 –> 00:34:14,959 And precisely because the darkness gets darker, 628 00:34:14,959 –> 00:34:19,560 the light therefore shines more brightly and more clearly. 629 00:34:19,560 –> 00:34:23,280 In other words, as we move towards the coming of Jesus, 630 00:34:23,280 –> 00:34:26,379 the so-called middle ground 631 00:34:26,379 –> 00:34:29,600 of people who are neither particularly committed to Jesus 632 00:34:29,600 –> 00:34:33,080 nor particularly antagonistic against him, 633 00:34:33,080 –> 00:34:35,080 that middle ground just gets cleared out 634 00:34:35,080 –> 00:34:38,399 more and more and more until it’s evacuated altogether. 635 00:34:39,399 –> 00:34:41,760 So if you are one of these people who says, 636 00:34:41,760 –> 00:34:44,199 you know, I think faith is a good thing 637 00:34:44,199 –> 00:34:46,679 but I’m not personally committed to Jesus Christ, 638 00:34:46,679 –> 00:34:48,879 understand this, you can expect to have 639 00:34:48,879 –> 00:34:51,139 less and less company on that ground. 640 00:34:52,639 –> 00:34:57,639 And in the end, nobody will be on that ground 641 00:34:57,719 –> 00:35:00,260 where you are standing right now, nobody. 642 00:35:01,239 –> 00:35:03,679 And so here’s what I’m asking of you today, 643 00:35:04,600 –> 00:35:07,260 that you should take courage in hand 644 00:35:07,300 –> 00:35:09,439 and that you today should step out 645 00:35:09,439 –> 00:35:11,899 and take your stand with Jesus Christ 646 00:35:11,899 –> 00:35:14,800 and nail your colors to the mast. 647 00:35:14,800 –> 00:35:18,060 That you would confess Him as Lord of your life, 648 00:35:18,060 –> 00:35:20,100 that you would do what the thief on the cross did 649 00:35:20,100 –> 00:35:22,399 when the vast majority of people 650 00:35:22,399 –> 00:35:24,219 were hurling abuse at Jesus, 651 00:35:24,219 –> 00:35:25,580 what did the thief on the cross do? 652 00:35:25,580 –> 00:35:28,739 He stood out and he said, remember me. 653 00:35:28,739 –> 00:35:31,060 He put his trust in Jesus, he turned to Jesus 654 00:35:31,060 –> 00:35:32,919 when others were turning against him, 655 00:35:33,919 –> 00:35:36,620 and Jesus said, you will be 656 00:35:36,620 –> 00:35:38,959 with me in paradise. 657 00:35:38,959 –> 00:35:40,479 Why wouldn’t you do that today? 658 00:35:41,320 –> 00:35:43,040 Why wouldn’t you let these truths 659 00:35:43,040 –> 00:35:44,800 that have been coming to us from the Bible 660 00:35:44,800 –> 00:35:46,699 lead you to Jesus Christ and say, 661 00:35:46,699 –> 00:35:49,879 I am going to take my stand with Him. 662 00:35:49,879 –> 00:35:53,000 I can no longer stand in this supposed middle ground 663 00:35:53,000 –> 00:35:55,280 that will be empty on the last day 664 00:35:55,280 –> 00:35:57,719 when Jesus Christ comes in power 665 00:35:57,719 –> 00:35:59,639 and in glory. 666 00:35:59,639 –> 00:36:01,639 And if you are a believer, 667 00:36:01,639 –> 00:36:03,280 let this give you courage in the way 668 00:36:03,280 –> 00:36:04,239 that you live this week. 669 00:36:04,239 –> 00:36:06,600 Tell Christ that you love Him, 670 00:36:06,600 –> 00:36:08,320 that you will serve Him. 671 00:36:08,320 –> 00:36:10,879 And when it is costly as it will be, 672 00:36:10,879 –> 00:36:13,919 you will view this as your share in His suffering. 673 00:36:15,560 –> 00:36:18,560 And then like Jesus, that you will draw strength 674 00:36:18,560 –> 00:36:20,979 even this week, from the joy that today 675 00:36:20,979 –> 00:36:24,659 from the Bible is set before you. 676 00:36:25,639 –> 00:36:30,320 Jesus said, whoever would save his life, 677 00:36:30,320 –> 00:36:31,659 whoever goes through life saying, 678 00:36:31,659 –> 00:36:33,439 it’s my life, I’m gonna live it for me, 679 00:36:33,439 –> 00:36:35,300 that person will lose it. 680 00:36:36,379 –> 00:36:38,280 But whoever loses his life for me, 681 00:36:38,280 –> 00:36:40,600 for my sake and for the Gospel, 682 00:36:40,600 –> 00:36:42,760 he will find it, he’ll keep it, 683 00:36:43,600 –> 00:36:46,800 he’ll have it for eternal life. 684 00:36:46,800 –> 00:36:51,800 Father, press into our hearts the glories 685 00:36:52,560 –> 00:36:55,159 that are at your right hand 686 00:36:55,159 –> 00:36:58,560 for all who are in Jesus Christ 687 00:36:58,580 –> 00:37:00,479 in your nearer presence in Heaven. 688 00:37:01,679 –> 00:37:04,260 Grant that we may run our race well, 689 00:37:05,060 –> 00:37:07,760 that we may draw comfort and that we may draw courage 690 00:37:07,760 –> 00:37:10,719 from the great truths that are set before us today, 691 00:37:11,760 –> 00:37:14,020 and that when our time comes, 692 00:37:14,020 –> 00:37:17,639 when you will come in glory, 693 00:37:17,639 –> 00:37:22,639 we shall be found in you and with you 694 00:37:22,879 –> 00:37:24,959 forever and forever. 695 00:37:24,959 –> 00:37:26,760 And these things we ask in Jesus’ name 696 00:37:26,760 –> 00:37:28,239 and everyone together said, 697 00:37:28,560 –> 00:37:28,879 Amen.