Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/bbcsylmar/sermons/18418/our-final-departure/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Get your Bibles out, please, and find, we're going to run a few verses here to begin. Find Genesis 35. Be ready to turn a little bit here tonight.

[0:11] Genesis 35 is the first verse we'll start in. When I saw that video, it was connected to Brother Anderson's email of his prayer letter.

[0:31] He posted one a while back about just when they were, before they had their sawmill, and he posted one about what cutting wood is like there, and it's interesting.

[0:41] If you're into that sort of thing to watch that, you could probably search for Joey Anderson, or I don't know if it would come up, but you could try. But also then I found that the Wells family had been putting some videos on a YouTube channel for the last couple years, a little bit here and there, and one of them was a video of them driving to church to go out into the bush, and you'd see the vehicle.

[1:05] It's an off-road and for real vehicle, and they just drove through these rough conditions, crossed this horrible-looking wooden bridge, and hitting huge puddles, and just, it's terrible.

[1:21] And so the video was like, what was your commute to church like? And then they showed how long it took them to go, how short, and then the thing broke down, and so they walked the last two miles, which wasn't no big deal.

[1:34] Nobody's sitting in church like, where's the preacher at? I've got to go. It's not like that at all. They showed up when they showed up. They had meeting. They had church, and they walked two miles back to the vehicle where the guy stayed and had the thing fixed, and off they went driving back.

[1:48] It was just a day in the life of Papua New Guinea missions. But it's interesting to get that glimpse, and YouTube's good for something every now and then. All right, so Genesis 35.

[2:01] Take a look. We'll start in verse number 17. This is Jacob's wife, Rachel, and she's about to deliver her second son, Benjamin. Verse 17 says, It came to pass when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not, thou shalt have this son also.

[2:18] And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, for she died, that she called his name Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died and was buried in the way.

[2:29] Now, Rachel's body stayed right here on the earth. They buried that carcass. But in verse 18, it says that her soul was in departing, for she died.

[2:42] So we understand there's a Bible doctrine. There's a teaching that the Bible enlightens us. We'd have no idea otherwise that we are three parts, a body, soul, and a spirit.

[2:52] And when we die, when we cease to exist, in a living manner, our soul departs the body. Now come to Luke chapter 2.

[3:02] That's the Bible word, is a departure. Look at Luke chapter 2. certain denominations, and this has nothing to do with really what we're going to preach tonight, but just doctrinally, so you know, certain denominations teach that your soul sleeps in your grave.

[3:30] You die, you go to the grave, and you just are sleeping there. But there's no departure. Her body went to the grave, but her soul was in departing.

[3:41] So they miss that. All right, Luke chapter 2, we'll start in verse 25. Here's Simeon, when the Lord Jesus Christ, just eight days old, is circumcised. He gets taken then to the temple.

[3:52] And in verse 25 it says, Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

[4:08] And he came by the Spirit into the temple, when the parents brought up the child Jesus, for to do for him after the custom of the law. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

[4:25] He wasn't going to see death, before he had seen it. Now that he sees the Lord's Christ, now he says, I can depart. That's the Bible word for his death. He's not just departing this earth, as far as his relationship with others.

[4:39] He's actually, his soul is leaving. All right, now come to Philippians chapter 1. Let's run another two verses here. Philippians chapter 1. This might be a little overkill, to start off where we're going, but nothing wrong with getting more Bible, and just establishing a truth here.

[5:04] Philippians chapter 1. And here's the Apostle Paul. I'll start in verse 20. According to my earnest expectation, and my hope that in nothing I should be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

[5:24] For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I want not, for I'm in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.

[5:40] Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh, is more needful for you. So Paul is either going to abide in the flesh, or he's going to depart, what?

[5:54] The flesh, and be with Christ. His body doesn't go anywhere, does it? But his soul departs. All right? Go to 2 Timothy chapter 4. And here's the Apostle Paul, coming to the very end of his life, and look what he says.

[6:12] 2 Timothy chapter 4, and verse number 6. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

[6:29] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. So Paul knows that his life is short here, and he's about to die, and he calls it his departure. And I'll come back to 1 Thessalonians, just a few pages, chapter 4.

[6:45] When you cease to exist, when you die, your soul departs your body. In Psalm 90, in verse number 10, the verse that talks about our days being three score and ten, and if by the reason of strength they be four score, it says, it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

[7:06] It is soon cut off, that term is often a term of death, being cut off. And then what happens? We fly away. Psalm 90, verse 10. Now, the soul departs the body at death.

[7:20] Now, what happens to that soul, and we're not going to really study this in its entirety, but just be in thinking of that, specifically about believers. 1 Thessalonians 4, and you know this passage about the rapture, verse 13.

[7:35] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you saw or not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, notice this, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

[7:52] Hmm. So they're not sleeping. Their souls aren't sleeping. They're with the Lord. And God's going to bring them, their souls back, to be reunited with a body, as he describes, not just here but elsewhere, as we'll see.

[8:06] Even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. I can't help but point this out. Another doctrinal note, side note, is that Jesus is God.

[8:18] Because Jesus, it says, will God bring with him? Who's coming back? The Lord Jesus Christ. Look at chapter 3, verse 13. Notice the very end of the verse, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

[8:33] That's God. Jesus Christ is God. Bringing them with him. All right, verse 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep.

[8:45] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

[8:58] And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Now there's a, there's a blessed passage, you know, just full of hope for us believers, whether we wake or whether we sleep in the Lord Jesus Christ, that one day he's going to call us out of this planet, away from this sin and this filthiness, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

[9:28] Now having recently traveled to Florida and back, and just a few months ago to Pennsylvania and back, I'm reminded of how much I'm growing to despise traveling.

[9:43] Travel days, I call them. I already just, if I'm taking a trip, I kind of am excited about the trip, but in the back of my mind, I gotta travel. And I really don't want to sound first world spoiled, because I realized that I crossed the continent in a matter of hours.

[9:58] And I didn't have to do it on a horse, or even in a car for three days or something. I realize how convenient it is. But if I could just complain for just a little bit here, about how I'm growing to despise flying from the West Coast, it's, it's such a process, isn't it?

[10:18] When I was younger, it wasn't so bad. When I was younger, and I didn't fly a whole lot, but it was really, it was more fun, of course, being younger. But with all that 9-11, and the security protocols, and the fussing, and now with the mask, it just, it just gets worse.

[10:31] It gets worse, and more annoying. You start by getting up early, earlier than you probably want to, so that you can travel to the airport. When we were in PA, it was always a good hour plus to get to the airport, and you're supposed to be there so many hours beforehand.

[10:48] And so add on to your travel, your travel. And it just continues on. And with the luggage, and the masks, and dealing with strangers, and being in the public, and waiting in lines, and undressing to walk through some detectors, and so it seems.

[11:02] And then having them just scan you, and check you out, top to bottom. I've gone through the thing, and put your hands up, and then had them say, sir, step aside. And I'm just, I don't like doing this, period.

[11:14] And then I have to swallow it like, what in the world? I don't have any guns on me. I don't have any knives. I don't have anything that's going to kill anybody. I'm not attacking a pilot or a co-pilot.

[11:25] Just seriously. You know what? Oh, you, my armpit showed a little red dot, on your scanner. So now you've got to pull me aside, and give me the pat down, and give me the, you know, protect yourself, by saying whatever line you're supposed to say, before you start touching my body.

[11:44] Eh. And that's what I think of when I fly. And then you go wait again. And then you go stand in line. And then you go in a plane, and you're cramped beside these strangers, and you have to wait some more.

[11:57] You know. And then the thing smells like exhaust, before you take off. I don't know why that happens. Anyway, when the trip's finally over, and you're back home, I don't know about you all, but to me, I'm just exhausted.

[12:08] There's just an element of, I need to recover from the travel. And traveling doesn't always, have the same appeal today to me, that it did probably when I was younger.

[12:19] But let me say, in light of the passages that I read to you, there's a trip that we're going to take together, that I am looking forward to. And there's an element of excitement within me, that this departure, I'm longing for.

[12:34] And I'm not worried about any of the details, about the trip. I'm not sweating it at all. And I want to preach to you tonight, a short little message I call, our final departure.

[12:45] And I want to encourage you with it, and as the Bible says in this passage, comfort you with these thoughts. And maybe even in doing this, try to tune your heart, away from this life, and the cares of this life, and the issues, and the work, and the co-workers, and the family, and the, just all of it, as it just can weigh on you, and tune you back into thinking, of what God has planned for you, when he saved you.

[13:12] He didn't save you, to leave you here. He saved you, to take him somewhere, take you somewhere. And he's going to do it. And so let me say a few things, about this, and hopefully it'll be a blessing to you.

[13:24] Let me say number one, in our final departure, one reason this is going to be, so much better than, the stuff that we just did recently, is we won't have to pack our bags. We won't have any bags, you know why?

[13:34] Because it's not going with us. Let me run you through, a little chain here. This will be short, but let's get your Bibles ready. Go to Job chapter one. The B-I-B-L-E, that's the book for me.

[13:45] Don't be ashamed to turn, and afraid to, find out what it says. Job chapter one. Let's establish this truth, from the mouth of two, or actually four witnesses.

[14:01] Job says this, in verse number 20, after Job lost everything, he still had his health, he still had his wife by his side, until chapter two, but he lost everything.

[14:15] Children, possessions, servants, his status, all of it. And what did he say? Verse 20, then Job arose, and ran his mantle, and shaved his head, because he's mourning, that's legit, he's mourning, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither.

[14:37] The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job is a, is a strong man, to say those words.

[14:48] An upright man, absolutely. In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. You know what Job understood? I can't take it with me. Can't take any of it with me.

[14:58] I came out with nothing. I'm going back with nothing. Look at Psalm 49. Psalm 49. Psalm 49.

[15:14] This passage is predominantly about the wicked, and thinking that they're going to last, and have their name last forever, and so forth, and naming their lands after themselves.

[15:27] Notice this statement in Psalm 49. We'll start in verse 16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away.

[15:42] His glory shall not descend. Notice that. He's going down. Not descend after him. I guess they all went down in that day. But he shall carry nothing away.

[15:53] I won't have to pack any bags for this departure. Come to Ecclesiastes. Let's see another great man, and what Solomon said about this. Solomon said this in Ecclesiastes chapter 5.

[16:06] And he's talking about riches, talking about material goods, when they increased. I'll just read verses 14 and 15.

[16:16] But those riches perished by evil travail, and he begat the son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

[16:34] Amen. It's all staying here. Every last bit of it. And there's more. One more. 1 Timothy chapter 6. I'm just going to read it when I get there. You can catch up. I think you know the verse.

[16:44] 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 7. Paul says, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And I'm okay with that.

[16:56] I'm okay knowing that this final departure, that I'm not taking anything out. I'm calling it our final departure because we saw some scriptures that the soul leaves the body, but then Jesus Christ comes back, and the dead in Christ rise, and those that are alive and remain, we're caught up, and that's the final departure, what we call the rapture, the day of Christ.

[17:19] We won't have to pack our bags. Realizing this thought, realizing this truth from the word of God, it is certain we can carry nothing out. Maybe we ought not to set our affections on things on this earth, like Paul said in Colossians 3.

[17:36] Set your affections on things above. That's where we're going. Not on the things of this earth. The Lord Jesus Christ said, Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life.

[17:49] He said in Matthew 6, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth. But what should we do then? Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. You won't be able to take anything with you.

[18:04] So don't get too attached to it down here. Our final departure, we won't have to pack bags. We won't want to pack bags. There's something else about our final departure. It's not just not packing bags and worried with luggage, but we won't have to pass through security.

[18:19] You won't need an ID. You won't need some mobile boarding pass and worry that you deleted it. There won't be any line. There won't be any shoes to take off and no belt to take off and no scanning of your body.

[18:33] As a matter of fact, you won't have any body to scan. There'll be no body scan. There'll be no residue that they pull you out to check and see if you have gunpowder or any bomb-making residue on your hands.

[18:45] Like, have they ever caught one person doing that random... They picked me for that. They picked my wife for that. And I remember doing it just... I know what you're doing.

[18:56] Just do it. Just put the... Do it. That ain't gonna happen. I'm not gonna pass through any security. I'm not gonna get patted down. I'm not gonna get wanded and searching for anything on my person.

[19:08] Not only am I not taking personal items through any security check, I'm not even taking this body with me. This body isn't going on this trip. Amen.

[19:19] When Jesus Christ comes back, John says this, When he shall appear, we shall be like him. Look at 1 Corinthians 15. Let's get a little more detail of this body that we will have and show this in connection with what we read in 1 Thessalonians 4.

[19:36] Because this passage here explains what happens in 1 Thessalonians 4. It describes the dead rising first and it just says that we're gonna be caught up. But something happens before we're caught up.

[19:47] This body can't go up there. This body can't function. But what? I can't even be 20,000 feet off of this earth and have enough oxygen to breathe.

[19:58] I can't go up there to where the Lord is. 1 Corinthians 15. And let's read through this passage. Verse 42 is where we'll start. So also is the resurrection of the dead.

[20:10] Notice what it comes up as. It is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.

[20:22] It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There's a natural body and there's a spiritual body. Come down to verse number 49. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

[20:37] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

[20:49] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.

[21:05] Now there's what happens at that moment that he described in 1 Thessalonians 4. We don't really know the timing of it all. That's not given. We do know that we're going to be changed in a moment.

[21:18] This corruptible is just going to either just be totally changed or it's just going to drop and my soul is going to take its new spiritual body, which if it's a spiritual body, we can look at what Jesus Christ was when he came out of the tomb and try to get some insight if that's what it's going to be like.

[21:37] And I don't have any reason to doubt it. I don't know it for sure. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5. But when we're caught up together, we're going up immortal and we're going up incorruptible.

[21:51] We're going up in glory and in power, bearing the image of the heavenly. 2 Corinthians 5. And look at verses 4 through 8.

[22:03] For we that are in this tabernacle do groan. He says that in Romans 8 as well. Being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

[22:16] So he's talking about that new body that we want to put on. Verse 5. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God. He wrought us.

[22:27] We are his workmanship. That's the new man inside of you. And God did that for a purpose and that is not to leave you here. Who also hath given us of the earnest of the Spirit.

[22:37] Therefore, we are always confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we're absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

[22:52] What's the term the Bible uses for being absent from the body? It's the departure. At our final departure, we're going to have a body we won't have to pass through security. We won't have to worry about somebody checking on us.

[23:04] One more thing is we won't have to deal with strangers. Now, there's a... I'll make an application to this, but people are different this day than they were.

[23:16] And I'm one of them to a degree. But I'm not going to just tell them myself the whole time up here. But people are rude. And people are selfish. And people are annoying. And the public, just the public in our land has taken a serious dive in the last generation, to say the least.

[23:35] Folks don't have morals and they don't have manners. And that's just the way it is. And sometimes traveling and just being in public places like that, it just...

[23:47] You just get around an element that kind of grades on you. But let me tell you about our final departure. You won't have to deal with strangers. And what I mean by that is the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 that we were at one time aliens from the covenant or the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise.

[24:08] But then he goes on to say in Ephesians 2 and verse 19 that we're no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints because the blood of Jesus Christ has made us nigh.

[24:21] We used to be strangers. Those lost Gentiles are still strangers. In Galatians he says that because we believe on Jesus Christ we're no more a servant but a son.

[24:33] And so this departure, this final departure is only for the children of God. No strangers are going up. And something that Paul says in almost every letter to these churches, he says, he warns them of, he references the, well, I just call them strangers.

[24:50] He says in Galatians, who hath bewitched you? Who? Who hath bewitched you? Somebody is messing with them. Who did hinder you? He said to that group. He said, I wish they were, or would that they were even cut off which trouble you.

[25:03] The church is always having trouble with somebody. He says in Philippians, he calls them your adversaries. He says to them, beware of dogs, beware of evil workers.

[25:13] He says in chapter 3 of Philippians, they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. He's warning that church, they've, there's got, they have enemies. These are the lost. In Colossians, he warned of men that are enticing them, men that are spoiling them, men that are beguiling them.

[25:30] In every letter, Paul's warning, and he's referencing the opposition the body of Christ experiences and has to endure while we're here.

[25:41] All the devices of Satan will be mute and powerless. We won't have to deal with them anymore. You are going to be eternally untouchable and you'll be eternally untemptable.

[25:58] You'll have the mind of Christ. You'll be like Christ. You'll be an heir of God. The ministers of Satan, the deceivers in this world, the ravening wolves that Christ warned about and false prophets, they'll be in the rear view mirror and that final departure and they'll just be getting smaller and smaller and smaller while this world goes to hell and gets deceived by the devil.

[26:22] We're gone. We're departing this thing. Look at 1 Corinthians 6. We'll finish up here quickly. 1 Corinthians 6. And notice, here's some people that aren't coming.

[26:38] Verse 9 and 10. And by the grace of God, this is what we were. This is what the strangers still are. Verse 9 says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

[26:49] They're not getting on that flight. Be not deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves, of mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

[27:07] One day that'll be a thing of the past for us. Wicked men, the Bible describes unreasonable and wicked men messing with the apostles and messing with the apostle Paul.

[27:18] No more putting up with the proud and the arrogant in this life, the rich and the famous. No more will your soul be vexed with the unrighteous unrighteous or like Jude writes of Enoch having to deal with the ungodly and their ungodly deeds.

[27:33] When we take this flight, this final departure, we won't have to deal with strangers. And the Bible says, we read it to begin here back in 1 Thessalonians, it says, And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

[27:47] And that we, at first was the we that are alive and remain, but it described the dead in Christ rising first and being caught up together with them. And then he says, So shall we ever be with the Lord.

[28:01] Not just we that are alive and remain, if we would have the privilege of being that day, but believers that were just raised, those that were dead in Christ, that sleep in Jesus.

[28:15] We're going to be with the Lord. It's going to be us and them as one complete body and no strangers. No strangers.

[28:26] This flight will be absent of the lost. Matter of fact, it will be absent of the old nature. It'll just be a purified people washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. It'll be one big, happy, Jesus Christ loving family going to be with the Lord.

[28:44] You know, when you join the dead in Christ that day that are raised, some of them are going to be your loved ones. You're going to meet them again. They're going to be on that flight.

[28:56] You know, I was thinking today, I'm going to, for the first time, meet Brother Dave Gilbert and I've got some questions I'm going to ask him. I'm going to meet him.

[29:08] You're going to meet your parents or grandparents or you're going to meet some of those that have gone on before in church history. And so shall we. That's one flight.

[29:19] We're all going to be on together when we meet the Lord in the air and ever be with the Lord. This is our final departure. And I got my boarding pass.

[29:30] It's called The Earnest of the Spirit. I've been sealed until the day of redemption with the Holy Spirit of promise. I'm on the flight manifest because my name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

[29:44] I don't know when it's scheduled to depart. I don't know when that day is but I'm ready to go. I'm ready for that trip. There's trips down here that I kind of cringe at because I just know I'm not into the travel.

[29:59] But this departure I'm longing for. My inside, Paul said it, I read that one, I didn't read the Romans 8 one, I'm groaning within myself. The new man is groaning.

[30:11] He's done with his flesh. He's done with the sin, the temptation, the lust, the sights of it all. He wants to be out of here. He wants to be where he's supposed to be.

[30:23] And so may you be encouraged today and this evening and this week to realize that God has purposed something with us. He's predestinated us to be with him, ever be with the Lord.

[30:35] And you might have to put up with this thing a little bit longer. You might have to put up with the strangers. You might have to put up with your flesh. You might have to deal with some things a little bit longer. But take hope that this thing's real and this flight's taken off and you won't miss it.

[30:51] Even those that are out in the world in sin, they're not going to miss it. If they're saved and they're born again, they're going. They'll be at the airport.

[31:02] Lord Jesus Christ will handle that. Father, thank you for tonight and for these thoughts from the scriptures. Lord, I pray that it would help us to get our minds focused on the reality. This world is just a facade.

[31:15] It's got nothing for us. They're lost. This place is on their way to hell. Don't even know it. Deceived. But Lord, we're not deceived. You've given us your spirit.

[31:27] You've given us light. You've given us your words. And we believe them and we know they're true. And Father, as we live this life, as we wake up tomorrow, just let this hope burn alive in us that you're coming to get us one day.

[31:41] Our final departure is one day closer. And Lord, may we joy in that. Thank you for these promises. Thank you for the truth of the Bible. Thank you for Bible doctrine that we can live by and know it's a sure thing.

[31:54] We love you. We long to see you. Please give us the courage we need to endure in this life until that day. Help us to do what's right. We pray in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

[32:05]  Amen. You're dismissed tonight. Thank you for being here.