[0:00] Let's pray. Lord God, we thank you for our time together today. Thank you once more for the boys and the girls.
[0:10] We thank you for their attendance in this place, this time of worship. We thank you just now as they leave and as they go and spend time together around your word. You give us a mindset that reminds us that they're not separate from us, that they are part of the church, that together as one body we worship and we serve and we seek to grow in our understanding and knowledge of you.
[0:34] We give you praise, Lord, that no one is too young to be saved, to be transformed. You are the God who takes people to yourself from all ages and all stages of life, from all various backgrounds.
[0:46] Help us, therefore, never to hinder them, never to look down on them, but instead to consider them as those who have a full ability and full capacity to know and understand, to seek to serve and to love Jesus for themselves.
[1:03] We thank you once more for the Sunday School teachers. Thank you for those who have served in this place over many years, Sunday School teachers who have served in this congregation for decades and those who served many years ago.
[1:16] Lord, we ask you to bless your word as they shared it over these years. We know that in preaching and teaching and all the gospel work of the church, we often do much effort and much work and we see, at least to us, we see little results.
[1:35] After weeks or years or decades of preaching, we see little results. After years of teaching, we see little results. Help us, therefore, not to be downtrodden, not to be downcast, but help us understand that we come to our Lord who plants its seed deep in the heart of man and woman and boy and girl.
[1:55] And that seed slowly and gradually, it grows. And we don't see the effect of the growth. We don't see that quiet growing work. But behind the scenes, you are growing your word in the hearts of those who are hearing it.
[2:08] Give us, Lord, we ask, the privilege of seeing some come to a saving knowledge of you in our own congregation. Help us today to have hearts and minds listening and ready to acknowledge who you are.
[2:19] We come to this place with so many burdens in our minds, so many stresses and worries, so many things which feel too heavy for us and too difficult for us. We bring just now before you those here today with heavy hearts, those here today who are mourning the loss of ones they loved so dearly, recent loss, but also the loss which years and memories bring up time and time again as anniversaries come and go.
[2:47] Lord, we bring those suffering before you. We bring just now those suffering from physical and mental health worries, those going through hard days and difficult times, those who are suffering in their souls, those who this past week have had a long week, a complicated week, a dark week, those who at this moment are uneasy, who have many burdens on their shoulders.
[3:12] Lord, we bring all these before you, understanding and confessing that there is often nothing we can do for ourselves, that we have little to no control over our own lives, nor mind the rest of the world.
[3:23] And we come humbly just now before you, confessing that we have no power, you have all the power. Help us then to rest in that knowledge, that we come this day to our Lord and Saviour, who is eternal in your power.
[3:39] You have full control. There is nothing and no one beyond you this day. Help us then to come before you humbly. We bring before you just now the brothers and sisters here today, those of us who know and who love our Saviour, Lord, we thank you for this chance to worship you, this chance to serve you once more.
[3:58] Help us to rest and to find rest for our souls in your word today, as we look forward to the joy and peace that waits ahead of us as believers.
[4:09] Lord, you would remind us that you have a one who has promised never to leave us, nor forsake us. Pray just now for our friends here, friends who have gathered for many weeks and many years, and many decades for some, who come faithfully to hear the word, but who perhaps as of yet can't say fully that they know Jesus or that they understand what it is to follow him or to love him.
[4:34] We ask that even this day, through your word, you would speak to them once more, that through your word, you would show them their need of a Saviour, that through your word, you would show them the danger they are heading towards.
[4:45] And through that, Lord, you would show them the Saviour, who has opened up his arms towards them. If only they would come and trust in him, they would find hope and rest, find a home in him, for now and for all eternity.
[5:01] We bring just now before you the many burdens of this world, too many for us to even contemplate in their mind name. We pray especially today for our brothers and sisters in Grace Church Leaf.
[5:13] We thank you for them. We pray for their continued mission in that great city, in our capital city, Lord, in that place where there are so many who don't know you, who don't know what it is to serve or to worship Jesus.
[5:29] Lord, we ask you to be with them. We ask you to encourage them. Help them in their service today. Help those who lead them.
[5:39] Hey, Lord, for Reverend Afol Rennie as he breaks down your words, they bless him and be with him. As you remember then, we also pray for brothers and sisters in Turkey.
[5:50] As you bring your word to that place, that place where your word was once known and once revered, and where the gospel had out so clearly in the generations gone by, in the last thousand or so years, we see a place that is so darkened to the gospel truth.
[6:06] Lord, we ask you to bring blessing and days of renewal to your people in that great nation. that those who persecute the gospel, those who persecute your people, those who try and put us stop to the gospel through violent means, would themselves be transformed and changed to that very same gospel.
[6:30] help us remember the wider gospel work, not just in our island or our nation, but across the world. You are God, and you cross all cultures, all languages, but all who are yours belong to you across this world this day.
[6:45] As we join together in worship, we join together with brothers and sisters across this world. But more than that, we join in with the worship of glory. As we worship you today, we join in with the worship of brothers and sisters who have left time and gone into eternity, who at this moment are praising your name, Lord, we praise it with them.
[7:05] But we join not just a universal church, but we join a triumphant church in glory. Help us to have that perspective in our private worship, in our public worship, that we join in as we sing the praises of you, as you are seated on your throne.
[7:23] I pray to you, Lord, for safety for us as a congregation, safety from the attacks of the evil one, as he hates this time, as he hates this gathering, as he seeks to distract us and disrupt us and distress us in this time, Lord, we ask you to keep us safe from him individually, but also as a congregation.
[7:42] That nothing would distract us away from the hope we have in your word today. As he seeks to move some here away from coming to the means of grace, so they would never come to know Jesus, Lord, we ask you to intervene in that.
[7:56] We ask, Lord, as we look forward to his destruction, to the preparing of a lake of fire into which you will be cast. Lord, we look forward to that day when evil is swallowed up, when death is no more, when the evil one has no more power, no more place in this world.
[8:12] Until that day comes, until the new heavens and the new earth are rolled out, until we see these days of fear, and these days of glory, these days of power, help us to serve you well.
[8:25] Help us to serve you well in North Tulsa. Give us, Lord, we ask a heart for this place. Help us to be faithful witnesses in our homes, to our neighbours around this village, our places of work, our places of study.
[8:38] Help everything we say and do to be glorious witnesses of our risen Saviour. Forgive us for the times where we fail as witnesses. In our words, in our actions, they show us to be less than Christ-like.
[8:52] We say things we regret. We do things that we wish we never would have done. And we act in ways that are not becoming of those who have been shown the love of a Saviour.
[9:04] Lord, forgive us for that. Help us in our witness this new week. Help us, we ask, to have a missionary mindset in this place, to go out with the good news, without fear and full of hope.
[9:17] Forgive us, Lord, our sins, we ask. We come before you asking forgiveness for them, but trusting in the finished work of our Saviour. It's in his name and for his sake we ask these many things.
[9:28] Amen. Let's read, excuse me, in God's Word. We have a section from 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
[9:42] That's on page 904 of the Church Bibles. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, page 904.
[9:56] We can read from verse 35 of the chapter. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 35. Verse 35. Let's hear the word of God.
[10:10] But someone will ask, how are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? You foolish person. What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
[10:22] And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
[10:37] For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, and ever for animals, and ever for birds, and ever for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies.
[10:48] But the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. For there is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for stars differ from star and glory.
[11:03] So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor.
[11:14] It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
[11:28] Thus it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being. The last, Adam, became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
[11:42] The first man was from the earth, a man of dust. The second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are off the dust.
[11:53] And as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are off heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
[12:08] I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery.
[12:21] We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
[12:35] For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
[12:55] O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gave us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[13:10] Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
[13:23] And I give praise to God for his holy and his perfect word. Let's sing again, this time from Sing Psalms, and Psalm 16.
[13:34] Sing Psalms, Psalm 16. Sing verses 8 down to verse 11 of the psalm.
[13:46] Sing Psalms, Psalm 16, verses 8 down to verse 11. It's on page 17. The hope of a believer.
[13:59] Before me constantly I set the Lord alone. Because he is at my right hand, I'll not be overthrown. Therefore, my heart is glad. My tongue will, joy will sing.
[14:11] My body too will rest secure in hope unwavering. Psalm 16, verses 8 to 11. To God's praise. Before he constantly I set the Lord alone.
[14:36] Because he is at my right hand, I'll not be whole and whole.
[14:52] Therefore, my heart is found. My heart is found.
[15:29] yoga movieEEP until inclined. I smell a special gift that you feel.
[15:41] God's dread. Goodbye. Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh We're coming to the conclusion of our series looking what it is to be in Jesus in union with Jesus we're looking at the chapter we had there 1st Corinthians but just to to bring our time to an end we can turn to Ephesians 1
[16:50] I'll just read briefly in Ephesians 1 we can keep your chapter if you wish in 1st Corinthians but read Ephesians 1 Of the hope we have of our future Ephesians 1 verses 8 down to verse 10 Which he lavished upon us and all wisdom and insight making known to us a mystery of his will according to his purpose which is set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth As we come to a conclusion of our time of what it is to be in Jesus as we saw it in Jesus we are chosen we are loved before time itself in Jesus we were redeemed we were set free we were rescued last week we saw in Jesus we are sealed of the Holy Spirit that we are set apart that we are guaranteed safety and peace not from the physical things but spiritually we are safe we are safe until the end and logically to come to a conclusion of our short study today we see that in Jesus we find our home our eternal home now quite providentially this evening series has come together initially it wasn't planned this way but as working on a sermon it worked itself out this way so this evening we are seeing the future of the church which is the same sermon really but this evening we will look at the future as our gathered body what is our future as a gathering of God's people but today we see individually what it means for us to be in Christ in other words what does it mean to die in Jesus at the end of all times
[18:54] Ephesians tells us all things are fully united in him how does that look for us what does that mean for us what does it mean for man to be united in Jesus at the end of all time in other words what does the death of a believer look like what does it mean to die in Jesus what does it mean to be at home in Jesus now we can use Ephesians 1 but really to help us to understand in a short time we can use the framework that we have in the catechism question 37 and question 38 of course the catechism it's not infallible it's not perfect it's not God's word but it's a summary of God's word and as I was preparing this and working it together my sermon was following the same structure as a catechism anyway so we might as well have what God has given us and use that so following that structure what does a future look like for the Christian first of all what does it look like for us right now to die again this applies to the brothers and sisters to the Christians here today for those here who as of yet you can't say you know the Lord in the back of your mind ask the same question for yourself and see the hope see the peace see the assurance that you're missing out on question 37 of the catechism asks what benefits do believers receive in Christ or from Christ at death what benefits do you receive from Christ at death the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory and their bodies being still united to Christ rest in the grave till the resurrection in him we leave this world behind now an obvious point and we know it death of course comes to all of us
[21:03] Christian and non-Christian alike there's no deep theology in that we all know the reality of that that ahead of every one of us is the sure reality at some point we will close our eyes for the last time but with that those of us I'm sure it's all of us the chances are and I'm positive almost positive we've all seen death we've all seen loved ones pass away relatives close and loved we've been with them perhaps even at that point and there's one thing I'm sure we've all noticed death it feels so unnatural it feels so strange why?
[21:54] because it's not how we were created to be death entered into the world through sin it's not how things were made to be but now death reigns and we all must die but it's not natural but at some point we all leave this world behind that much we know and the other truth is as the Christians here know and those of us who've seen Christians pass away by no means do Christians escape the pain and the reality of death I know this is a difficult topic we speak to it sensitively and carefully and we've all lost loved ones and some here have lost far far more loved ones than I can begin to imagine so I'm not telling you what you saw what you felt but Christians by no means escape the reality of what it is to die the physical pain is still there and Christians brothers and sisters
[22:57] I'm sure many of us we do fear the reality of physical death the reality of decline or of pain that's only natural there's no sin in that we fear the physical death so we all must leave this world behind but also as the catechism reminds us we leave also for Christians we leave our sin behind yes death is grim and death is unnatural the point of death as the catechism reminds us the souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness we leave behind the weight of sin that weighs us down right now in Christ if we die in him we leave behind all the burden and pain and misery of our own sin yes we're forgiven and yes we know the wrath has been removed from us but brothers and sisters I hope you agree there are times when your own sin it comes back to you and you feel so burdened and so weighed down by it the shame perhaps of past sin the regret of past sin the things you said and did which you can't take back at the point of the death of the believer and how painful how tragic we leave that sin behind yes in our lives as Christians we are forgiven of our sin we know that and we love that and we believe in that in our lives yes the wrath of sin is removed from over us we live in freedom as those who know the Lord and love the Lord but again we still feel the weight of sin and the shame of sin that hangs over us it shouldn't but it does at the point of the death of the Christian we now have no more blemish of sin no more shame no more weight no more burden weighing us down why is that true well again the catechism goes on we're made perfect in holiness and then we do immediately pass into glory we leave our sin behind because in Christ we leave this reality behind we leave as it were time and space behind now at the point of our death the believers who pass away just now we pass away of course not into the new heavens and the new earth we'll get to that in our second point we pass away into the glory of our father into the glory of our
[25:46] Lord Lord as a confession of faith says in chapter 32 that Christians are received into the highest heavens where we behold the face of God in light and glory waiting and so on we'll see later on what we're waiting for perhaps our view of heaven has been so tainted by the world so shaped by the world the second we close our eyes in earth just now on earth we open our eyes in glory yes our bodies remain behind for now but we pass into what is often called the intermediate state we pass into paradise think of the thief on the cross where Jesus assures and promises today you will be with me in paradise in my literally in the glorious garden in the place of glory the place of peace for every believer which once sat in the pews of this building every believer who is buried down behind us down there the second they close their eyes in death they open them again in glory yes they are souls yes their bodies remain in the ground there waiting for the final day but they're not unconscious we don't believe it in soul sleep the
[27:19] JWs the 70 Adventists various other groups believe in soul sleep we don't believe in that our souls are conscious we are very much aware of what's around us and what we're in and the glory that faces us Matthew 22 verse 32 we're reminded I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living we are conscious living souls in glory with and in the presence of our God of our Saviour we're there waiting we are in heaven yes a place of rest but also a place of activity but more than that it's a place of glorious perfect anticipation perhaps a word we don't think of often but everyone who dies just now every believer who dies at this moment they're at peace they're at rest with the
[28:22] Lord but they're also in constant glorious anticipation what are they waiting for Revelation chapter 6 we have this vision that we see into glory and we see the souls of believers as they speak to the Lord the fifth seal is opened and the believers the souls in heaven they cried out of a loud voice O sovereign Lord holy and true how long before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth how much longer till the end comes how much longer till we receive our resurrected bodies there's no rudeness in that it's not a bad thing they are happy in heaven they're at peace of the Lord but they're waiting the souls in heaven are waiting with a glorious excited heavenly anticipation of something more something better to come and often even as
[29:25] Christians we've been shaped by the world not by the word we think that heaven when we close our eyes and death and open them we're just souls and glorious glory floating around for eternity that's not what scripture says there's more there's more beauty than that there's more wonder than that for a while for a time until the end comes yes we're there with the Lord in our soul and the details of that we don't grasp it we can't grasp it we believe it we leave this reality behind and go be in our souls with the Lord but note we also leave our bodies behind of course our bodies are left in the grave we know that but brothers and sisters Christians we're not materialists I worry perhaps sometimes we've been so influenced by the world we're we're not just as it were shells with souls inside
[30:28] God makes us body and soul we are very much preciously beautifully created our souls are precious but also our bodies are precious to the Lord both created both important of course we know our bodies go to the grave and return as we know back as it were to the dust but don't think for a second that the Lord who made and sustains all things that he's not able to account for every atom of our bodies every part that makes up the smallest part of us at the point of our death it is all accounted for it all belongs to him not one part of our created bodies are lost to him and more than that we're told our bodies of course they rest in the grave they go back to the dust we know that but one day soon we'll see this in a second we'll be united undefiled incorruptible that every atom of our bodies right now will be transformed and changed to new glorious heavenly bodies and we'll see in a second what that means from death right now until the day of resurrection we are in glory awaiting anticipating in full peace and joy of the
[32:06] Lord waiting the moment we're raised again from the grave right now as Christians die we are united in Jesus because of his finished work because we're chosen in him redeemed in him sealed in him when we close our eyes in death we join with him in that intermediate state our souls are at rest in him waiting well waiting for what question 38 what benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection we're united to Jesus and our souls but also one day we as Christians those who know and love the Lord we have the hope we will be united with him also in our bodies a resurrection believers being raised up in glory shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity in him one day we will be raised up all the saints down there by the shore by the beach one day they will be raised up new glorious bodies yes we have laid plenty of them to rest and we treated our bodies with care as we should we treated the remains respectfully as we should prayerfully as we should bodies which the
[33:48] Lord gave them which return back to the dust but one day one glorious day it won't be death down there behind us it won't be a place of mourning it'll be a place of life where the dead are raised with new incorruptible imperishable bodies the dead in Christ that is all are raised all are given as it were new bodies but not all are raised in Christ and we know this and this is the reality friends I've been here for a year and I hope you know that I love you enough by now I do and Emma and I we love being here and we'll be here the Lord keeps us here and we do love you and we try very hard in the preaching we try very hard to be balanced but it comes to sections like this and sermons like this I'm duty bound if nothing else but I'm also bound by love for you to point out and to remind you of the obvious all will be raised down there one day all will be raised on the final day all will be raised but there's a difference what's the difference of the last day this confession of faith summarising it for us all the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies although with different qualities will be with new bodies of course perfected which will be united again to their souls forever and quite clearly and quite horrifyingly we see the bodies of the unjust shall by the power of Christ be raised to dishonour and the bodies of the just by his spirit unto honour the hard reality is and we preach it mournfully we must preach it at the final day there will be a resurrection of all a judgment of all but on that final day those who die in
[36:05] Christ and are raised in Christ of new bodies given to us by Christ we will be judged also but we will be judged and called innocent I quitted as our confession says to us why because he has paid the price for us I quitted called innocent and we go and enjoy the new heavens and the new earth if on that final day we did not and we do not know Jesus there is no more opportunity there is no more chance we are raised to face a judge who is no longer there as saviour but is there only as king and as righteous judge and who will say to us quite simply and quite horrifyingly depart from me I never knew you we can't scare anyone into heaven
[37:12] I could raise my voice and slap the pulpit and do what I wanted I can't scare you into heaven it's not my job I'm here to give the scriptural proof and that is the reality that awaits us the Christians we are raised with what is imperishable what is beautiful and the Christians were raised up were raised up never again to see sadness never again to see pain never again to see what it is we suffered in this life and many here brothers and sisters you had hard lives you had long lives but one day you were raised up with bodies incorruptible imperishable bodies which will no longer fail you in any way whatsoever and with those new bodies you and I will enter into the new heavens and the new earth we're touching that more this evening that's our focus this evening what that means for us as a church what is our future going to look like in the new heavens and in the new earth we will be with brothers and sisters not just with ourselves here brothers and sisters across all of time across the whole of the earth brothers and sisters who we never knew or met we will spend eternity with them in real bodies in a real new creation exploring and growing don't think for a second we'll just be as it were floating around again that's medieval it's a wrong way of thinking scripture is very clear in the new heavens and new earth we will have very real bodies the make up of these bodies the skills we'll have the abilities we'll have in these new bodies no idea no idea haven't got a clue we're not told we shouldn't speculate too much privately we can but in a service of worship we can't add to
[39:14] God's word we must be very careful we'll have new bodies glorious bodies as we're meant to be we'll live for all time growing in our love for one another and for our saviour growing in our knowledge as the aeons of eternity flash by as the new heavens of the new earth continue to be explored and examined and as we spend time in them that is our future we're with him spiritually for all time with him physically for all time no more storms of life nothing to ever remove us or distress us nothing ever again to remove us from his presence we're with him forever that is the future hope of a
[40:18] Christian it's twofold we close our eyes now in death we open them in his presence and glory we then await to join once more of our bodies to be raised up then incorruptible imperishable untouched by sin untouched by the decay in our bodies mentally and physically no more pain and we're still us many ways we are we maintain our personalities without sin we maintain I'm sure our quirks of personality without sin we maintain our sense of humour our sense of being without sin we are still ourselves but we are perfected with him forever that is the hope of a Christian and that hope again is not just some unformed vague hope why does it matter well it reminds us that in him this is the ultimate benefit and we said at the start and we said every way through many people want the benefits
[41:38] Jesus gives without actually going to Jesus we want the peace that Jesus gives his people the hope the joy and many people want to go to heaven but without Jesus these benefits will never be ours it's only in him and with him and through his finished work we receive these benefits it's quite simple to come to the end of our study if you want to know him know his peace know his love his forgiveness and if you want to know what it is to spend eternity and glory with him you have to get to know him now I don't see this Lewis said it or he quotes it from someone else but C.S.
[42:30] Lewis made the point if you didn't want to know him now then why would you want to spend eternity with him you have to get to know him now and that final day you can't bargain your way in you can't point to your place in this church and say I attended faithfully let me in your godly lineage won't save you parents and grandparents they can't speak up for you why because they'll be gone into the glory themselves ahead of you they'll be there in glory and peace you're on your own before the judge of all the earth and he knows you and he has seen you and there is nothing you can do or say to convince him what admits you to glory what lets you through the door to use that simple term is it a good life is it knowing your catechism your confession off by heart is it knowing all your scriptures off by heart good things but it won't save you is it faithful attendance to this place good things good to be here essential to be here but being here alone does not save you if we don't close our eyes in this world having closed them with the hope of our saviour we will never have that hope again that's the bad news the good news is with it that is not a gloom and doom sermon the sermon is that right now you are not dead you are alive and right now we have the glorious
[44:35] God opportunity to place not just your life right now but place your whole eternity into the hands of the one who has formed you anyway who has made you not hear of folks saying and perhaps you're thinking you're scared to give your life over to Jesus you're scared to give it to him because you know what's going to happen with you it's not yours it's his anyway he gave it to you in the first place every day we have every breath we draw it belongs to him I assure you and I promise you don't take my word for it speak to our brothers and sisters here becoming a Christian serving Jesus loving Jesus by no means is a Christian's journey the easy journey it certainly isn't but we lie and say it was but it is quite literally the best way it was a way you were created to live you were created to worship him to know him to love him to serve him that is why we were made the way we are and you know that there's that gap in your souls aware until you serve him and worship him and this is the hope we have the hope that one day we will be able to say death is swallowed up in victory oh death where is your victory oh death where is your sting thanks be to god who gives us the victory through our lord jesus christ you would know him and one day you be raised up with us to go to glory with him forever let's bear heads now a word of prayer lord we thank you for the gift of your word help us lord we ask to serve you well we pray just now for brothers and sisters encourage us encourage us as we're reminded as to the hope we have of glory and the hope we have of the new heavens and new earth spent with our saviour leading us into and through death and into glory help these things to be real for us help us to apply them well we pray just now for our brothers and sisters who are going through difficult days and hard days who perhaps fear that the time of their death is drawing close
[47:06] Lord be with them page 10 once more for our friends we thank you for them we ask you to speak to their hearts we would know not only that we love them but more importantly than that they would know the love of a saviour who has done all things to rescue them from the grave if only they would come and receive him for themselves to you we know we sing words that are perfect and words that are glorious and words that exult and glorify your name let's call these things in and through the power of our risen saviour amen let's bring our time to a conclusion we can sing to God praise Psalter Psalm 72 Scottish Psalter Psalm 72 this is of course a psalm that speaks of the new heavens and the new earth that speaks of the new creation
[48:09] Scottish Psalter Psalm 72 we can sing from the second half of verse 16 the section we know so well this is the future brothers and sisters the city shall be flourishing her citizens abound and numbers shall like to the grass that grows upon the ground his name forever shall endure last like the sun it shall men shall be blessed in him and blessed all nations shall him call come psalm psalm psalm 72 second half of verse 16 to the end psalm psalm ris resistance
[49:16] Whose hand え What goes upon the ground?
[49:27] In forever challenging The sky of salvation Then shall be blessed In heaven bless For he shall come Now bless me The heart that comes The come of Israel For he alone won that one
[50:33] Thou lord In glory of excel And bless Blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.
[50:58] For all earth let his glory fill. Amen.
[51:13] So let it be. The love of the Lord our God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, both you now and forevermore. Amen.