What Will It Be Like in Heaven?

Revelation 11
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Pastor Colin explores the experience of Christian believers immediately after death. He explains that although believers are in the presence of the Lord, they do not yet experience the full resurrection, which will occur when Christ comes in glory.

He describes how after death, believers’ souls go into the presence of Jesus while their bodies rest, awaiting resurrection. The sermon emphasises that these souls are fully conscious, actively engaged, and eagerly awaiting the resurrection and the coming of Christ.

Pastor Colin encourages the congregation to draw comfort and courage from these truths, urging those who haven’t yet, to stand with Jesus and commit their lives to Him. He emphasises the eternal promise and joy that come from faith in Jesus Christ.

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.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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