WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.459 Well, good morning, friends. Christ is risen. He's risen indeed. Would you open your pew Bible 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:11.339 with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. That's page 903 in the pew Bible. 00:00:12.740 --> 00:00:16.000 We're going to be looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 this morning. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:23.280 As you turn there, page 903, let me pray for us as we come to God's Word together. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.579 Father, you have caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus, 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:43.640 our Lord, from the dead. Let our minds and our hearts grasp not just the reality, 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:51.079 but the significance of his resurrection this morning, that we might be people of the resurrection, 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:58.359 full of hope, living hope, as your Word says. In Christ's name and by the power of the Spirit, 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:04.459 we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, 1 Corinthians 15 is a long chapter. We won't look at all of it this 00:01:04.459 --> 00:01:10.640 morning, but I'm going to begin by reading 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 through 19. But keep 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:14.719 your pew Bible open because we'll look at more of the verses as we go, but we'll start with verses 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:23.319 1 through 19. This is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth around 53 or 54 AD, and he 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:53.299 writes this, 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:59.319 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, and he appeared to more than 500 brothers 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:06.179 at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, 00:02:06.639 --> 00:02:13.400 then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:18.979 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church 00:02:18.979 --> 00:02:27.019 of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:32.280 I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 00:02:33.259 --> 00:02:44.739 Whether it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believed. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:52.180 the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:57.120 resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, 00:02:57.200 --> 00:03:05.560 then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:12.539 because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if it is true that the dead 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:19.840 are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:25.319 been raised, your faith is futile, and you're still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:35.400 in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope, in this life only, we are, of all people, 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:49.020 most to be pitied. Hope's a funny thing, isn't it? Most often when we think of hope, we think that 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:56.400 it's something that we do, right? I hope it doesn't rain today because we're going to have an epic Easter 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:03.020 egg hunt in our backyard, right? I hope that I pass my exams. I hope I meet someone and fall in love. 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:07.860 When we think about hope, we usually think that it's something we do, and it sort of feels like 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:14.540 something that's not too far off from wishful thinking, right? But notice that the Apostle Paul 00:04:14.540 --> 00:04:21.060 talks about the Christian's hope not as something that we do, but as something that we have. 00:04:23.400 --> 00:04:27.480 This is true across the New Testament. Hope isn't something we do. It's not wishful thinking 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:36.140 about the future. It's something that we have. It's a certain future. Hope in the New Testament is 00:04:36.140 --> 00:04:44.020 something solid, reliable. It's sort of like an anchor fixed to a point that will not give way, 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:50.160 but will keep you secure and steadfast until you arrive at the destination. 00:04:50.160 --> 00:05:03.760 Now, you don't need me to tell you that we live in an age of deep anxiety and fear and unrest. 00:05:04.520 --> 00:05:12.540 I feel it just as much as you do. But what if, rather than living in fear and unrest, 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:23.680 we could live in hope, solid hope, steadfast hope, hope that takes our wildest dreams and actually 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:31.939 makes them look like child's play? That's what 1 Corinthians 15 is all about. It's all about the 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:37.939 resurrection of Jesus Christ and the certain hope that we have in him because of it. 00:05:37.939 --> 00:05:43.540 In a nutshell, what Paul's going to say in the rest of this chapter is that because Jesus Christ has 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:49.339 been raised from the dead, there's hope. There's certain hope. There's hope for the world and there's 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:56.939 hope for you. But before we get to those two main points, we have to consider first what Paul says 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:02.899 if Christ hasn't been raised. That's the paragraph we just read. If Christ has not been raised, 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:13.019 then he says we're hopeless. No resurrection of Christ, no hope. Now, it would seem that some 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:20.579 Christians in Corinth had begun to believe that the physical body, the material world, especially our 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:26.579 material bodies, they had begun to believe that it doesn't really matter. You see this earlier in the 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:31.459 letter of 1 Corinthians. As Paul grapples with certain ethical questions with the Corinthians, 00:06:31.459 --> 00:06:37.139 they seem to think that it's the spirit or the soul that's the only important thing. And if that's 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:41.159 true, then it doesn't really matter what we do with our bodies. You can eat what you want to eat. You 00:06:41.159 --> 00:06:44.939 can sleep with whoever you want to sleep with. Who cares? It's just your physical body. That thing 00:06:44.939 --> 00:06:53.579 doesn't matter. But Paul in this letter is saying, no, God made your physical body. God will redeem your 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:58.079 physical body. And in fact, you don't belong to yourself anymore. You belong to Christ. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:07.500 Christ. But here in chapter 15, this downgrading of the importance of the body at Corinth has seeped 00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:14.860 into their thinking even about the resurrection of the body. It seems they were thinking something 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:22.079 along the lines of the resurrection of a body. That's weird. Who needs the body? 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:29.599 But think a minute, Paul says, if there's no resurrection of the body, 00:07:31.419 --> 00:07:36.159 then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ hasn't been raised, he says, then our preaching 00:07:36.159 --> 00:07:43.860 is in vain and your faith is in vain. In other words, it's all empty. The Christian message, 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:49.680 the preaching is empty, and the Christian life, the faith is empty. To remove the resurrection from 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:55.720 Christianity is sort of like removing all the air from your car tires, right? You might sort of clump 00:07:55.720 --> 00:08:00.019 along for a few blocks. You know, if you ever had a flat tire, you're like, you know right away, right? 00:08:00.060 --> 00:08:07.399 It's like, and you're like, you can go for a few blocks, right? But eventually you just grind to a halt. 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:11.360 And then you've got to replace your rims, which is really expensive. Don't do that. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:18.900 I've been there. Takes a lot of money. But why is that? Why is it like taking all the air 00:08:18.900 --> 00:08:25.360 from the car tires if we get rid of the resurrection? Well, as far as the Christian 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:30.280 message, the preaching goes, Paul says, if there's no resurrection, then we're misrepresenting God. 00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:33.919 You know, you can't read the New Testament for long until you realize that what all the apostles 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:40.279 and the earliest followers of Jesus were saying was not that Christ had been sort of spiritually 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:46.559 preserved through death. They were not saying that they had had some kind of strong impression of 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:54.220 Jesus living on in their hearts after death. No. What they said and what they meant was that Jesus 00:08:54.220 --> 00:09:04.519 rose bodily from the grave and they met him. And it's hard to go on trusting a message when you don't 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:11.019 really believe the central thing about it. So the preaching is empty if there's no resurrection. 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:19.360 But the faith is empty too, Paul says. Why? Well, because, he says, then you're still in your sins. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:29.720 If Christ died and stayed dead, Paul seems to be saying, then maybe his death would have been the death 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:34.879 of a martyr, but it would not have been the death of a redeemer. 00:09:37.340 --> 00:09:41.139 You see, Jesus claimed during his earthly ministry that his death would be our ransom 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:47.240 from sin and death. But if his death was the end, then we have no reason to think that his crucifixion 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:49.700 achieved anything along those lines. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:56.440 So then, if Christ has not been raised, we Christians are, as verse 19 says, of all people, 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:01.960 most to be pitied. We don't really have any hope. 00:10:04.780 --> 00:10:09.400 So, Christian, on this Easter Sunday, remember the centrality of the resurrection. 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:17.540 All of life for the Christian really is nothing more than a witness in word, in deed, in affection. 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:23.559 All of our life, corporately and individually as Christians, is really nothing more than a witness 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:25.899 that Jesus Christ is risen. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:31.679 But if you're here and you're not a Christian, 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:35.059 can I submit to you 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:38.319 that you're also in the same boat? 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:41.719 That is, if there's no resurrection, 00:10:41.939 --> 00:10:43.659 admittedly, Christianity is pretty empty. 00:10:44.459 --> 00:10:47.120 We should probably just go straight to the egg hunt, right? 00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:53.099 But what about what you believe, friend? 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:56.679 Without the resurrection, 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:00.059 do you have hope? 00:11:03.599 --> 00:11:04.740 Or the older you get, 00:11:05.219 --> 00:11:06.980 do you also feel the air 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:09.199 leaking out of your tires, as it were? 00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:11.839 You know, this seems to happen 00:11:11.839 --> 00:11:13.179 kind of in a progression. 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:16.039 You get into the school you always wanted. 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:18.019 You land a dream job. 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:19.819 You get your first big success. 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:23.719 But then the glory of that starts to wane. 00:11:24.839 --> 00:11:26.359 And it doesn't quite satisfy. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:31.000 So you trade success for duty 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.579 and for doing something good in the world. 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:36.180 And you try that, 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:36.920 and then you see, 00:11:37.020 --> 00:11:39.940 no matter how hard we try to live moral lives, 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:40.960 lives of duty, 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:41.900 of service, 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:42.660 of justice, 00:11:43.300 --> 00:11:44.759 that at the same time, 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:48.420 there's also just an intractable brokenness in the world. 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:51.240 And at times, 00:11:51.300 --> 00:11:53.220 there's no better word to describe it 00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:54.420 than evil. 00:11:54.419 --> 00:11:58.319 Not all the world, 00:11:58.479 --> 00:11:59.860 but there's something in the world 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:00.699 that's broken. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:03.919 And then you have that moment 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.599 when you realize that the brokenness, 00:12:06.459 --> 00:12:07.839 the warped nature of things, 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:08.979 isn't just out there, 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:11.079 but it's in here too. 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:14.000 And what is there to do about it? 00:12:15.459 --> 00:12:17.079 And the air keeps leaking out, 00:12:17.479 --> 00:12:19.639 and your tires get lower and lower to the pavement. 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:22.559 And then maybe you get a phone call 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.179 that a loved one has died. 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:27.079 And then the air really starts leaking out. 00:12:28.339 --> 00:12:29.659 And you realize one day, 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:31.299 someone else will get a call, 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:33.199 and it will be news of your death 00:12:33.199 --> 00:12:34.479 that's getting passed along. 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:38.539 And then maybe, 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:40.120 no matter what it is that you believe, 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.000 you start to realize that 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:43.579 if the only hope we have 00:12:43.579 --> 00:12:45.559 is hope in this life only, 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.579 it all starts to look pretty empty, 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:49.819 pretty vain. 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:54.120 But wait, 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:55.399 the apostle Paul says, 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:57.120 wait, 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:00.539 that doesn't have to be the end of the story. 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:02.240 Yes, 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:03.759 if Christ has not been raised, 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:04.940 if there's no resurrection, 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:06.980 it's pretty bleak for all of us. 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:09.879 But let's pick up in verse 20 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:10.860 of our text. 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:13.840 In verse 20, 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:14.379 Paul says, 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:14.840 but, 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:16.700 in fact, 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:19.840 Christ has been raised from the dead. 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:22.139 The first fruits of those 00:13:22.139 --> 00:13:23.100 who have fallen asleep. 00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:26.100 for as by a man came death, 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:27.840 by a man has come also 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:29.100 the resurrection of the dead. 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:31.019 For as in Adam all die, 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:32.480 so also in Christ 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.680 shall all be made alive, 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:35.960 but each in his own order. 00:13:36.820 --> 00:13:37.860 Christ the first fruits, 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:39.259 then at his coming, 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:40.740 those who belong to Christ. 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:42.259 Then comes the end, 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:44.100 when he delivers the kingdom 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:45.019 to God the Father, 00:13:45.540 --> 00:13:46.920 after destroying every rule 00:13:46.920 --> 00:13:48.540 and every authority and power. 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:50.259 For he must reign 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.120 until he has put all enemies 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:52.839 under his feet. 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:55.779 The last enemy to be destroyed 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:57.039 is death. 00:13:58.099 --> 00:13:59.679 For God has put all things 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:00.919 in subjection under his feet. 00:14:02.079 --> 00:14:02.839 But when it says, 00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:04.539 all things are put in subjection, 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:06.799 it is plain that he is accepted 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:07.879 who put all things 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:09.120 in subjection under him. 00:14:09.879 --> 00:14:12.039 When all things are subjected to him, 00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:14.240 then the Son himself 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:15.579 will also be subjected 00:14:15.579 --> 00:14:18.519 to him who put all things 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:19.759 in subjection under him, 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.600 that God may be all in all. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:26.539 Let me translate. 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:28.279 Paul's saying, 00:14:28.819 --> 00:14:29.319 there's hope. 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:31.179 There's hope for the world 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:32.779 and there's hope for you. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:35.159 First, consider how this paragraph 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:36.799 points us to hope for the world. 00:14:37.460 --> 00:14:38.799 There's talk here, right, 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:39.819 of kingdoms, 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:41.199 of rule, 00:14:41.319 --> 00:14:41.939 of authority, 00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:42.679 of power, 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:44.759 of all things being subjected to God. 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:45.919 And all that language 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.120 kind of seems a bit foreign to us. 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:50.480 But what Paul is saying 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:53.100 is that because of the resurrection 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:53.600 of Jesus Christ, 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:55.559 one day, 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:56.579 the world, 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:58.399 in all of its brokenness, 00:14:58.519 --> 00:14:59.899 will be put right. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.939 All the misuse of power, 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:08.259 all the destructive twisting of authority, 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:10.559 all the hurt and suffering 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.159 and death that that causes, 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:14.120 one day, 00:15:14.839 --> 00:15:16.759 it will all be put to an end. 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:18.579 And God's kingdom, 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:21.299 God's way of power and authority, 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:22.659 a way of goodness 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:23.980 and rightness 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:25.059 and compassion 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:26.079 and love, 00:15:26.199 --> 00:15:26.779 one day, 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:28.439 that will be all in all. 00:15:29.539 --> 00:15:30.659 No more injustice, 00:15:31.459 --> 00:15:32.299 no more oppression. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:33.699 God 00:15:33.699 --> 00:15:35.039 will be all 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:35.839 in all. 00:15:36.839 --> 00:15:37.579 The creator 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:39.820 will put creation 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:41.080 right again. 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:45.160 It's a bit like a broken bone, 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:45.639 you know. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:47.200 You know, 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:48.139 if you're out of shape, 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:49.440 like me, 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:50.900 and you go to the gym, 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:52.920 and they put you 00:15:52.920 --> 00:15:53.840 on a new diet, 00:15:54.040 --> 00:15:54.879 and they give you 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:56.060 an exercise plan, 00:15:56.379 --> 00:15:57.639 all of that's probably 00:15:57.639 --> 00:15:58.820 going to do you much good, 00:15:58.960 --> 00:15:59.259 right? 00:16:01.040 --> 00:16:02.200 But what if your leg 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:02.759 is broken? 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:03.480 Well, 00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:06.120 the new diet 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:06.980 will be good for you, 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:07.480 probably, 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:09.159 and many of the exercises 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:10.000 might be good, too. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:11.659 But there's still 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:13.039 a deep brokenness 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:15.200 that needs to be fixed, 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:15.720 right? 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:18.100 Your broken bone 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:19.259 needs to be reset. 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:20.860 It needs to be mended. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:22.799 It needs to be put right again. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:26.759 And the Christian hope 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.240 rooted in the resurrection 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:28.939 of Jesus 00:16:28.939 --> 00:16:31.439 is that God will one day 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.020 put it right again. 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:35.300 Not just this thing 00:16:35.300 --> 00:16:36.040 or that thing, 00:16:36.540 --> 00:16:37.400 but the whole thing. 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:39.780 In another passage, 00:16:39.900 --> 00:16:40.340 Romans 8, 00:16:40.420 --> 00:16:41.340 Paul puts it this way. 00:16:41.420 --> 00:16:41.760 He says, 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:43.560 for the creation waits 00:16:43.560 --> 00:16:44.680 with eager longing 00:16:44.680 --> 00:16:45.340 for the revealing 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:46.220 of the sons of God. 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:47.820 For the creation 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:49.340 was subjected to futility, 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:50.100 not willingly, 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:51.080 but because of him 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:52.560 who subjected it in hope 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:54.940 that the creation itself 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:56.520 will be set free 00:16:56.520 --> 00:16:57.980 from its bondage 00:16:57.980 --> 00:16:58.700 to corruption 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:00.660 and obtain the freedom 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:01.379 of the glory 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:02.459 of the children of God. 00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:03.919 For we know 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:04.980 that the whole creation 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:06.099 has been groaning 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:07.220 together 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.399 in the pains 00:17:08.399 --> 00:17:09.339 of childbirth 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:10.599 until now. 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:12.599 All of creation 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:14.119 is groaning 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:15.539 and grinding 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:16.980 and waiting, 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:17.779 Paul says. 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:20.119 Don't we feel that? 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:25.119 God will set it free 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:27.039 and release it 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:27.799 from its bondage 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:28.279 to decay. 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:29.899 Even death, 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:30.939 the last enemy, 00:17:31.059 --> 00:17:31.899 will be destroyed. 00:17:36.179 --> 00:17:37.039 But how, 00:17:37.139 --> 00:17:37.879 you might ask, 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:38.959 is the resurrection 00:17:38.959 --> 00:17:39.899 of Jesus connected 00:17:39.899 --> 00:17:40.539 to all that? 00:17:43.379 --> 00:17:44.439 How does the resurrection 00:17:44.439 --> 00:17:45.559 of Jesus connect 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:46.419 to any of that? 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:48.680 Well, 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:49.740 the answer is found 00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:51.100 in that little word 00:17:51.100 --> 00:17:52.400 in our passage, 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:53.860 that little word, 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:54.980 firstfruits. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:57.360 Sort of a strange word. 00:17:58.200 --> 00:17:58.960 Anybody here 00:17:58.960 --> 00:17:59.740 grow up on a farm? 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:02.300 No one, right? 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.500 We're in urban New England. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:05.019 No one does. 00:18:05.080 --> 00:18:05.759 No one does a farm. 00:18:06.820 --> 00:18:07.240 Firstfruits 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:08.140 is sort of a strange word, 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:08.320 right? 00:18:08.380 --> 00:18:09.539 It's a term from agriculture. 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:10.600 It's a term from farming. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:12.200 And the firstfruits 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:13.220 literally were just that. 00:18:13.300 --> 00:18:13.759 They were the sort of 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:14.700 first part 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:16.200 of the coming crop 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:17.119 that you would harvest. 00:18:17.779 --> 00:18:19.079 So if you had an olive grove 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:20.000 or a fig tree 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:21.460 and the sort of growing season 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:22.279 was coming to an end, 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:23.500 the firstfruits 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:24.460 were that initial 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:25.299 sort of batch 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:25.900 or basket 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:26.779 or plucking 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:27.440 of olives 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:28.259 or figs 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:29.379 that you could pick 00:18:29.379 --> 00:18:29.859 and enjoy. 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:31.559 And here's the thing. 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:33.160 The firstfruits, 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:34.559 that first initial part 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:35.039 of the harvest, 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:36.799 would be like an indication 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:38.240 of what was to come 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:39.279 with the rest of the harvest. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:40.420 So if you got 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:41.579 a good initial batch 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:42.240 of olives, 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:43.819 you'd expect a good year, 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:44.559 a good harvest. 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:46.559 It was a bit of a guarantee 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.620 of what was to come. 00:18:50.420 --> 00:18:51.940 Now we do sort of get this 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:52.980 living in New England, 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:53.299 right? 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:55.259 Because our winters 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:56.900 are so dreadfully long 00:18:56.900 --> 00:18:57.620 and dark, 00:18:58.039 --> 00:18:58.299 right? 00:18:58.720 --> 00:18:59.839 We spend months 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:00.539 in the cold 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:01.599 and then sometime 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:02.279 around February 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:02.900 we all think, 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:03.799 why do we live here? 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:05.000 Why aren't we moving 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:05.799 to like Virginia 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:06.759 or North Carolina 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:08.559 or St. Vincent, 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:09.220 you know? 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:11.000 The trees are bleak, 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:12.000 the grass is withered, 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:13.480 and then one day, 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:15.779 pushing up through the dirt 00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:17.799 is a crocus. 00:19:19.099 --> 00:19:20.299 This little flower, 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:22.599 seemingly where it doesn't belong, 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:24.240 this little like burst of color 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.000 amidst all the dead grass. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:29.400 And then you know, 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.700 then you know, 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:33.339 the winter's passing away 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:35.599 and the spring is coming. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:38.000 it's the first fruits 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:38.819 of what's to come. 00:19:39.399 --> 00:19:40.240 It's the guarantee. 00:19:42.459 --> 00:19:43.619 Paul says the resurrection 00:19:43.619 --> 00:19:44.659 of Jesus Christ 00:19:44.659 --> 00:19:45.719 is just like that. 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:47.659 It's the indicator. 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:48.619 It's the guarantee 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:49.839 of what's to come. 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:51.679 It's the advance 00:19:51.679 --> 00:19:52.779 in breaking 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:54.619 of a coming harvest. 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:58.119 Now think with me 00:19:58.119 --> 00:19:59.079 about the life 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:00.319 and death of Jesus. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:01.679 In Jesus, 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:02.859 God took human flesh 00:20:02.859 --> 00:20:04.279 and lived among us. 00:20:04.779 --> 00:20:05.399 And he taught 00:20:05.399 --> 00:20:06.019 and he healed 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:06.679 and he loved 00:20:06.679 --> 00:20:07.379 and he instructed. 00:20:08.479 --> 00:20:09.439 And what did we do? 00:20:10.619 --> 00:20:11.779 How did humans respond? 00:20:13.719 --> 00:20:14.139 You know, 00:20:14.179 --> 00:20:14.879 sometimes we can think 00:20:14.879 --> 00:20:15.379 to ourselves, 00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:16.919 I wish God would just 00:20:16.919 --> 00:20:18.000 make himself clear. 00:20:18.659 --> 00:20:19.759 I wish God would just 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.479 quit hiding 00:20:20.479 --> 00:20:21.439 and let me know 00:20:21.439 --> 00:20:22.059 he's there. 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:24.500 And the truth is, 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.440 God did just that 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:27.399 in the person of Jesus. 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:29.480 And he even had it 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:30.379 all written down 00:20:30.379 --> 00:20:31.299 so that we could 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:32.039 keep reading it 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:33.299 generation after generation. 00:20:34.859 --> 00:20:35.740 God's not trying 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:36.259 to hide 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:37.099 or be secret. 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:38.720 There was no secret. 00:20:38.919 --> 00:20:39.559 There was no hiding. 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:40.240 God came right 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:40.839 into our midst 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:42.259 in the best way 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:43.279 we could understand how 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.240 in our own flesh 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:44.980 and said, 00:20:45.179 --> 00:20:45.919 this is what I'm like. 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:47.159 This is who I am. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:51.279 But what did we humans do? 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:53.500 We saw him. 00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:55.480 We heard him. 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.139 And then we rejected him. 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:01.500 Humanity ended up 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:03.099 doing its worst to Jesus. 00:21:03.940 --> 00:21:05.259 We crucified him. 00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:08.000 The living God 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:09.079 walked in our midst 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:11.399 and we consumed him 00:21:11.399 --> 00:21:12.960 in our anger 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:14.339 and jealousy 00:21:14.339 --> 00:21:15.679 and hatred 00:21:15.679 --> 00:21:16.899 and fear. 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:19.640 It was as if 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:20.880 all the injustice 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.140 of human history 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:23.820 and all the twisted 00:21:23.820 --> 00:21:25.040 self-centeredness 00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:25.780 of humanity 00:21:25.780 --> 00:21:27.140 was gathered up 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:28.440 into a single moment 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:30.140 and we unleashed it 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:31.519 on the very God 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:32.340 who made us 00:21:32.340 --> 00:21:33.860 and who loves us 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:35.440 but whose presence 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:36.100 and rule 00:21:36.100 --> 00:21:37.140 we wanted nothing 00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:37.800 to do with. 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:42.960 And what was God's response? 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:47.319 Imagine if God 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:48.160 had given us 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:49.079 what we wanted 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:50.220 in that moment. 00:21:51.840 --> 00:21:52.660 Imagine as we 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:53.559 crucified God, 00:21:54.140 --> 00:21:55.079 God turned and said, 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:55.500 okay, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:57.440 you want this world 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:58.019 without me. 00:21:58.539 --> 00:21:59.380 You can have it. 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:01.100 Thy will be done. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:04.759 What kind of world 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.319 would it be? 00:22:07.019 --> 00:22:08.180 A scary place. 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:11.660 But that's not 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:12.279 what God did. 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:14.080 Instead, 00:22:15.080 --> 00:22:15.960 God bore 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:17.060 the full verdict 00:22:17.060 --> 00:22:18.120 of our enmity 00:22:18.120 --> 00:22:18.740 and hatred, 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:19.920 went down 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:20.799 into the grave 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.360 and then he issued 00:22:23.360 --> 00:22:24.080 a new verdict. 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:26.920 In the place 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:27.880 of the death 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:28.700 that we dealt, 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:30.279 God spoke life. 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:32.100 And in the place 00:22:32.100 --> 00:22:33.180 of our hatred 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:34.200 and jealousy, 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:35.799 God spoke forgiveness. 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:37.759 God said, 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:38.420 you've done 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:39.099 your worst. 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:39.920 Now, 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:41.359 my will be done. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:43.319 And Jesus Christ 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:44.299 rose from the dead, 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:46.640 overturning our evil 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:47.839 and our death 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.019 and in its place 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:49.579 bringing forth 00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:50.839 goodness and life. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:51.859 In other words, 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:53.079 in the resurrection, 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:54.819 God put it right. 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:59.019 And that putting right 00:22:59.019 --> 00:22:59.960 on Easter morning 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:00.500 was, 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:01.420 as Paul says, 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:03.200 the first fruits. 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:07.619 As in Jesus Christ, 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.200 one day, 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:09.220 one day, 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:10.640 over all creation, 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:12.079 every injustice 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:13.359 and every evil 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:14.720 and every disordered 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:15.680 rule and authority 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:16.900 will be overturned 00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:17.940 and put right 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:19.819 through the one 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:20.599 who was raised, 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:22.579 the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:25.539 who bears in his own 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:26.879 resurrected body 00:23:26.879 --> 00:23:28.640 the verdict of God, 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:30.500 the verdict of God 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:31.279 that human evil 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:31.879 and injustice 00:23:31.879 --> 00:23:33.140 don't have the last word. 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:33.640 No, 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:35.200 that God will 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.140 be all in all. 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:39.840 Now, 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:41.039 is that just wishful thinking? 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:44.819 That God could overturn 00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:46.080 the deeply entrenched 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:47.380 brokenness of the world 00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:49.259 and set creation free 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:50.160 from its bondage 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:50.720 to decay? 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:52.980 Is that just 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:53.840 some wish dream? 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:57.439 not if Christ 00:23:57.439 --> 00:23:58.000 has been raised 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.500 from the dead. 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:00.939 It's as certain 00:24:00.939 --> 00:24:01.720 as the crocus 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:03.459 speaking of the coming spring. 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:06.519 And that means 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:07.599 if the bodily resurrection 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:08.159 of Christ 00:24:08.159 --> 00:24:09.159 is true, 00:24:10.819 --> 00:24:11.699 then all those 00:24:11.699 --> 00:24:12.459 deep longings 00:24:12.459 --> 00:24:13.419 you and I have 00:24:13.419 --> 00:24:14.639 for justice 00:24:14.639 --> 00:24:16.279 and for a world 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:17.379 made right and whole, 00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:18.980 all those deep longings 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:19.679 that are so deep 00:24:19.679 --> 00:24:20.079 in our heart 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:21.099 we can't escape them, 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:23.039 they're not just daydreams. 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:24.559 They're harbingers, 00:24:24.639 --> 00:24:25.299 they're signs 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:25.799 within us 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:26.779 of what's actually 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.379 to come 00:24:27.379 --> 00:24:30.779 and of which 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:31.679 God gave the guarantee 00:24:31.679 --> 00:24:32.579 in raising his son 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:33.199 from the dead. 00:24:35.459 --> 00:24:36.219 And that means 00:24:36.219 --> 00:24:36.980 when we act 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:37.959 on those longings, 00:24:38.439 --> 00:24:39.399 when we love 00:24:39.399 --> 00:24:40.659 and when we serve 00:24:40.659 --> 00:24:42.480 and when we even sacrifice, 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:44.240 you know, 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:44.839 we're not just 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:45.980 arranging deck chairs 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:46.740 on the Titanic 00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:49.819 because if everything's 00:24:49.819 --> 00:24:50.259 just going to 00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:51.059 peter out 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:52.940 into the frozen waste 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:54.339 of an ever-expanding universe, 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:55.619 what more are we doing? 00:24:58.379 --> 00:24:59.359 But if Christ 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:00.240 has been raised, 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:02.799 every act of love 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:03.519 and justice 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:04.339 and service 00:25:04.339 --> 00:25:06.480 is enacting 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:07.299 the future. 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:09.500 We're witnessing 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.500 to what will be true 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:12.599 forevermore. 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:14.400 We're saying 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.000 there's hope 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000 for the world 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:17.140 in the resurrection 00:25:17.140 --> 00:25:18.180 of Jesus Christ. 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:23.240 But it's not just 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:23.900 hope for the world, 00:25:24.060 --> 00:25:24.320 friends. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:26.360 It's hope for you. 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.560 Paul says 00:25:29.560 --> 00:25:30.200 in verse 20 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:31.140 that all this 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:31.759 isn't just about 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:32.120 kingdoms 00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:32.720 and rule 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:33.320 and authority 00:25:33.320 --> 00:25:33.759 and putting 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.120 the world 00:25:34.120 --> 00:25:34.720 to rights. 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:37.380 It's also about 00:25:37.380 --> 00:25:38.019 those who have 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:38.779 fallen asleep, 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:40.480 which, 00:25:40.560 --> 00:25:41.440 as you probably guessed, 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.140 is Paul's way 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:42.860 of talking about 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.799 those who have died. 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:46.720 what hope is there 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:47.579 for you and me 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:48.859 facing the very real, 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:50.659 ultimately inevitable 00:25:50.659 --> 00:25:51.200 prospect 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:53.819 that we will die? 00:25:56.159 --> 00:25:57.099 Now, many religions 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.180 have some sort of notion 00:25:58.180 --> 00:25:58.859 of an afterlife, 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:00.519 whether it's sort of 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:01.839 existing in a spiritual state 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:03.359 or being reincarnated 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:04.220 into a different life 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:04.700 altogether 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:05.359 and sort of going 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:06.059 through cycles 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:07.079 where you can eventually 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.700 sort of be united 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:10.240 with sort of the oneness 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.039 that is the universe. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.700 There are lots of ways 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.440 of thinking about 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:14.119 the afterlife, 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:14.980 but Christianity 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.359 is actually quite unique. 00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:18.920 Christianity says 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:19.960 not just your spirit 00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:20.759 or your soul, 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.819 but your body 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:22.279 is going to be 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:23.180 rescued from death. 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:27.180 A number of years ago, 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:27.940 a French philosopher 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:28.680 named Luc Ferry 00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:29.579 wrote a book 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:30.399 called A Brief History 00:26:30.399 --> 00:26:30.839 of Thought, 00:26:30.879 --> 00:26:32.039 A Philosophical Guide 00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:32.500 to Living. 00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:33.720 And in this book, 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:34.460 which is quite interesting, 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:35.799 he sort of traces 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:37.299 different worldviews 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:38.420 and different philosophies 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:39.680 and sort of what makes 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:40.759 them able to carry 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:41.839 the weight of living 00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:42.940 and ultimately 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:43.819 of facing death. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:45.119 And even though 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.319 he's not a Christian himself, 00:26:46.379 --> 00:26:47.920 he writes in that book 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:48.819 about how Christianity 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:50.339 was actually incredibly unique 00:26:50.339 --> 00:26:53.180 because only Christianity, 00:26:53.379 --> 00:26:53.839 he says, 00:26:53.859 --> 00:26:55.819 is the one philosophy, 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:56.680 the one worldview 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:57.599 that says 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:00.279 we will eventually see 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:01.379 the face 00:27:01.379 --> 00:27:02.779 of our loved ones 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:05.339 face to face. 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:07.299 Not spiritually, 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:09.379 not metaphorically, 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:10.760 but actually 00:27:10.760 --> 00:27:12.860 because of the resurrection 00:27:12.860 --> 00:27:13.580 of the body. 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:16.240 And then he goes on 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.940 sort of as a historian 00:27:17.940 --> 00:27:19.280 of philosophy to say, 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:22.240 and in the first century 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.560 and second century 00:27:23.560 --> 00:27:24.580 and third century, 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:26.600 Christianity just swept 00:27:26.600 --> 00:27:27.440 the field. 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:30.160 No one could compare to it. 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:32.680 There were beautiful systems 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:33.260 of thought. 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:34.560 There was a beautiful system 00:27:34.560 --> 00:27:35.620 of thought called Stoicism, 00:27:35.840 --> 00:27:36.600 which was about sort of 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:37.740 self-control 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.980 and determination 00:27:38.980 --> 00:27:40.019 and ultimately 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:40.539 this hope 00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:41.079 that the good 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:41.599 that you do 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:42.059 will sort of 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:43.759 echo out into the world 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:44.579 and you'll be sort of 00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:45.959 combined with the one, 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:47.299 the sort of all soul 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:47.939 that guides 00:27:47.939 --> 00:27:48.799 and governs all. 00:27:50.379 --> 00:27:51.259 But Ferris says, 00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:55.140 that might be a nice thought, 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:58.140 but it can't hold a candle 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:00.039 to seeing your loved ones 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:00.960 face to face. 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:05.019 But how could that be? 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:07.740 How could that be? 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:11.180 How could there be hope 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:11.940 for you and me 00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:12.960 in the face of death? 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:16.559 Paul puts it this way. 00:28:17.980 --> 00:28:18.720 He says, 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:20.839 For as by a man came death, 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:23.440 by a man has come also 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:24.720 the resurrection of the dead. 00:28:25.579 --> 00:28:27.360 For as in Adam all die, 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:28.480 so also in Christ 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:29.680 shall all be made alive, 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:31.480 but each in his own order. 00:28:31.860 --> 00:28:33.279 Christ, the firstfruits, 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:34.319 there's that word again. 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:36.539 Then it is coming, 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:37.920 those who belong to Christ. 00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:39.720 Paul's sort of saying, 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:40.980 it's your birthright, you know. 00:28:41.259 --> 00:28:42.240 It's your birthright 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.000 that you gained 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:44.700 from our first parents in Adam. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:46.240 It's your birthright to die. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.079 That's what you get 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:48.900 for being a human. 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:50.940 Mortality. 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:53.839 But there's a new family 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:54.779 you can be part of. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:57.240 Because a second Adam, 00:28:57.539 --> 00:28:58.779 a new Adam has come. 00:28:59.900 --> 00:29:01.099 And in this new Adam, 00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:01.839 in Christ, 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:03.079 death has been overcome. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:05.599 He actually went through death 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:06.799 and was raised. 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:08.660 And if you belong to him, 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:10.240 you too will be raised. 00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:14.720 Now does that seem 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.960 too hard to believe? 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:19.700 They scratch their heads 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:21.100 about that in the first century too, 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:21.460 you know. 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:22.640 Later in this very chapter 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:23.660 in 1 Corinthians 15, 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:24.839 Paul kind of speaks 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:25.740 to that very question. 00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:27.539 How can the dead be raised? 00:29:27.620 --> 00:29:28.579 What sort of body 00:29:28.579 --> 00:29:29.299 could that be? 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:30.420 Well, Paul says, 00:29:30.779 --> 00:29:31.019 you know, 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:31.680 when you put a seed 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:32.200 in the ground, 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:33.000 what happens? 00:29:33.600 --> 00:29:34.880 The seed dies, as it were. 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:35.980 It sort of nearly falls apart. 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.339 But then something wonderful happens. 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:38.500 From the ground, 00:29:38.620 --> 00:29:39.759 up springs new life. 00:29:41.059 --> 00:29:41.819 Now just think. 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:43.660 Think of all the bodies. 00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:45.380 God the creator has made. 00:29:46.120 --> 00:29:47.320 Think of the millions 00:29:47.320 --> 00:29:49.040 of species of animals 00:29:49.040 --> 00:29:49.880 and plants 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:50.880 and birds 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:51.580 and fish, 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:53.300 each with its own unique, 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:55.620 perfectly suited body. 00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:56.860 Think of the stars 00:29:56.860 --> 00:29:57.720 and the planets. 00:29:58.140 --> 00:29:58.900 If God is able 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:00.180 to make earthly bodies 00:30:00.180 --> 00:30:01.519 and heavenly bodies, 00:30:01.800 --> 00:30:02.580 don't you think 00:30:02.580 --> 00:30:03.540 this God could make 00:30:03.540 --> 00:30:04.580 a resurrection body? 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:08.240 And that's just 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:08.859 what he's done. 00:30:10.399 --> 00:30:11.740 It's not wishful thinking 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:13.079 because God's already 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:13.939 proved he can 00:30:13.939 --> 00:30:14.699 and will do it. 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:17.240 On Easter morning, 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:17.759 when the tomb 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:18.539 was found empty 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:19.399 and the risen Jesus 00:30:19.399 --> 00:30:20.339 met the disciples, 00:30:20.639 --> 00:30:22.579 he wasn't just showing them 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:23.419 what the Father 00:30:23.419 --> 00:30:24.559 had done for him. 00:30:25.639 --> 00:30:26.919 He was showing them 00:30:26.919 --> 00:30:28.079 what was going to be true 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.799 of them 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:30.799 because of him. 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:33.220 He had broken down 00:30:33.220 --> 00:30:33.720 the door. 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:36.339 He had put the crack 00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:37.319 in the dam. 00:30:39.899 --> 00:30:41.200 He was the firstfruits, 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:42.099 the guarantee that, 00:30:42.419 --> 00:30:42.440 yes, 00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:43.740 God can and will 00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:44.680 do it. 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:49.379 Do you wonder 00:30:49.379 --> 00:30:50.559 what this resurrection body 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:51.259 will be like? 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:52.980 Again, 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:53.799 later in this chapter, 00:30:53.919 --> 00:30:54.419 Paul will speak 00:30:54.419 --> 00:30:55.000 to that too. 00:30:55.139 --> 00:30:55.399 He says, 00:30:55.400 --> 00:30:55.860 right now, 00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:57.180 our bodies are perishable. 00:30:57.320 --> 00:30:57.960 They wear out. 00:30:58.380 --> 00:30:59.140 They get old. 00:31:00.060 --> 00:31:01.080 But what is raised 00:31:01.080 --> 00:31:02.360 will be imperishable. 00:31:02.460 --> 00:31:03.240 They'll never get old, 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:03.980 wear out, 00:31:04.080 --> 00:31:04.640 or die. 00:31:06.100 --> 00:31:06.620 Right now, 00:31:06.660 --> 00:31:06.940 he says, 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:07.680 our bodies carry 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:08.800 the weight of dishonor, 00:31:08.860 --> 00:31:09.519 of shame. 00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:12.320 How deeply we feel that. 00:31:12.800 --> 00:31:13.780 How deeply we're coming 00:31:13.780 --> 00:31:14.620 to understand 00:31:14.620 --> 00:31:16.040 how our bodies 00:31:16.040 --> 00:31:17.200 carry 00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:19.040 the wrongs 00:31:19.040 --> 00:31:19.700 that we've done 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:20.420 or the wrongs 00:31:20.420 --> 00:31:21.560 that have been done to us, 00:31:21.620 --> 00:31:22.160 the trauma 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:22.720 and the sin 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:23.340 and the scars. 00:31:23.340 --> 00:31:23.860 Paul says, 00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:25.019 our bodies right now 00:31:25.019 --> 00:31:25.920 carry that. 00:31:27.099 --> 00:31:28.039 But in the resurrection, 00:31:28.259 --> 00:31:28.740 he says, 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:30.720 we'll be raised in glory. 00:31:32.099 --> 00:31:33.460 The body will no longer 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:35.099 carry the weight of sin. 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:38.139 Right now, 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:38.440 he says, 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:39.420 our bodies are weak. 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:42.039 There are things 00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:43.279 we wish to accomplish, 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:45.259 goals we wish to reach 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:45.980 that we know 00:31:45.980 --> 00:31:47.099 will never complete. 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:49.680 I read somewhere 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:50.559 that that's basically 00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:51.220 the definition 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:52.039 of middle age 00:31:52.039 --> 00:31:53.200 when you realize 00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:53.819 that you're not going 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:54.240 to accomplish 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:54.879 all your goals. 00:31:55.019 --> 00:31:57.460 If you're 20, 00:31:57.599 --> 00:31:57.900 sorry, 00:31:57.960 --> 00:31:58.319 it's coming. 00:31:59.900 --> 00:32:00.440 You know, 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:01.079 we're weak. 00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:04.039 And we're weak 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:04.900 not just because 00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:06.200 of good creaturely limits. 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:07.139 There's good limits 00:32:07.139 --> 00:32:07.799 to our life, 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:08.519 but we're weak 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:09.579 because of the fallen 00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:10.039 weakness 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:11.279 of our present bodies. 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:13.799 But these bodies, 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:14.299 Paul says, 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:15.579 will be raised in power. 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:19.480 Imagine having the freedom. 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:21.079 The freedom 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:21.920 not to exceed 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:23.039 our creaturely limits, 00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:23.960 but to live 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:24.639 within them 00:32:24.639 --> 00:32:25.619 and to accomplish 00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:26.399 the very things 00:32:26.399 --> 00:32:27.420 for which you were created. 00:32:31.420 --> 00:32:33.000 This is the Christian hope 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:35.159 grounded in the resurrection 00:32:35.159 --> 00:32:36.180 of Jesus Christ. 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:38.519 Because he has been raised, 00:32:39.099 --> 00:32:40.920 so will all those be raised 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:42.940 who belong to him. 00:32:42.940 --> 00:32:46.120 And that means something 00:32:46.120 --> 00:32:46.860 very powerful. 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:49.220 It means that the frustrations 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:50.000 of this life, 00:32:50.660 --> 00:32:51.500 the limitations 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:52.420 of this life, 00:32:52.940 --> 00:32:54.299 all the things you never 00:32:54.299 --> 00:32:55.700 got to do in this life, 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:59.160 they're not the final word. 00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:03.480 Paul will end this chapter 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:03.960 by saying, 00:33:04.080 --> 00:33:04.300 therefore, 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:05.860 my beloved brothers and sisters, 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:07.120 be steadfast, 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:08.540 immovable, 00:33:09.340 --> 00:33:10.340 always abounding 00:33:10.340 --> 00:33:11.279 in the work of the Lord, 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:13.180 knowing that in the Lord 00:33:13.180 --> 00:33:15.360 your labor is not in vain. 00:33:17.580 --> 00:33:19.080 The work of this life, 00:33:19.340 --> 00:33:19.880 Paul is saying, 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:21.360 is not in vain. 00:33:21.480 --> 00:33:22.680 It's not empty. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.220 Even when it seems incomplete, 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:27.259 even when it seems riddled 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:29.220 with setbacks and disappointments, 00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:30.400 it's not in vain. 00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:31.140 Why? 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:34.200 Because of the resurrection. 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:36.619 Because the future 00:33:36.619 --> 00:33:37.819 that God has in store 00:33:37.819 --> 00:33:40.099 is not some alternate reality 00:33:40.099 --> 00:33:41.680 or some escape 00:33:41.680 --> 00:33:42.839 or wholesale rejection 00:33:42.839 --> 00:33:43.500 of what's happened 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:44.160 in this life 00:33:44.160 --> 00:33:45.200 or in your life. 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:47.420 No, the deeds 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:48.140 that you have sown, 00:33:48.259 --> 00:33:49.579 the labors you have expended, 00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:50.579 the weariness 00:33:50.579 --> 00:33:51.480 that is gathered 00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:52.319 in your bones 00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:53.339 as you've run this race 00:33:53.339 --> 00:33:53.900 with endurance, 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:55.339 none of it's in vain. 00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.740 Because God's going to take 00:33:58.740 --> 00:33:59.700 what's perishable 00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:01.019 and what's weak 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:01.980 and yes, 00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:03.819 what's even dishonorable 00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:05.720 and he's going to sweep it up 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:07.119 and make it new 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:08.320 in the resurrection. 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:13.199 The question is, 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:13.900 will you and I 00:34:13.900 --> 00:34:15.639 on this Easter Sunday 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:17.760 give ourselves 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:20.039 to the resurrected Jesus 00:34:20.039 --> 00:34:22.000 to belong to him? 00:34:22.300 --> 00:34:23.940 As Paul says in verse 23, 00:34:23.940 --> 00:34:26.960 can you and I say, 00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:28.119 can you say 00:34:28.119 --> 00:34:30.159 that you belong 00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:31.220 to Christ? 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:34.460 If you are a Christian, 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:35.639 then that's true of you 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:37.740 and you have this hope. 00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:39.380 So live it, 00:34:39.700 --> 00:34:40.519 brothers and sisters. 00:34:40.760 --> 00:34:41.480 Live it out. 00:34:42.039 --> 00:34:42.920 Be steadfast. 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:43.659 Be immovable. 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:44.579 Always abounding 00:34:44.579 --> 00:34:45.460 in the work of the Lord 00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:46.700 and do it with joy 00:34:46.700 --> 00:34:47.340 and peace 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:48.300 and faithfulness 00:34:48.300 --> 00:34:49.340 because you have a hope 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:51.119 that cannot be taken away. 00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:52.960 A hope that's as certain 00:34:52.960 --> 00:34:54.119 as the coming of spring. 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:56.159 A hope of a world made right 00:34:56.159 --> 00:34:57.799 and you made new 00:34:57.799 --> 00:34:59.199 right in the midst of it. 00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:02.940 But if you're here 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:03.659 and you're not a Christian, 00:35:03.859 --> 00:35:04.599 then I wonder, 00:35:04.739 --> 00:35:06.059 what would it take for you 00:35:06.059 --> 00:35:07.839 to consider 00:35:07.839 --> 00:35:09.380 giving yourself 00:35:09.380 --> 00:35:11.019 to the risen Christ? 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:14.179 Perhaps you need 00:35:14.179 --> 00:35:15.039 to spend more time 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:16.480 considering the historicity 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:17.960 of the resurrection of Jesus. 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:20.240 After all, 00:35:20.340 --> 00:35:21.920 if this is what's at stake, 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:23.659 isn't it worth 00:35:23.659 --> 00:35:25.139 taking just a little time 00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:26.079 to consider 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:27.059 whether it's true? 00:35:28.740 --> 00:35:29.440 There's actually 00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:30.420 a book table at the back 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:31.280 Pastor Matt mentioned 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:32.380 with lots of great resources 00:35:32.380 --> 00:35:33.099 to do that. 00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:34.039 Take one. 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:36.059 Consider it for yourself. 00:35:37.300 --> 00:35:38.639 No one should go through life 00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:40.139 without seriously considering 00:35:40.139 --> 00:35:41.679 the claims of Jesus' resurrection. 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:43.659 This is your chance. 00:35:46.139 --> 00:35:46.820 But of course, 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:47.820 belonging to Christ 00:35:47.820 --> 00:35:48.440 is more than just 00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:50.120 an intellectual endeavor, right? 00:35:50.500 --> 00:35:51.360 You can believe 00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:52.400 something is true 00:35:52.400 --> 00:35:53.860 without really giving 00:35:53.860 --> 00:35:54.980 your allegiance to it. 00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:57.760 I believe that the Chiefs 00:35:57.760 --> 00:35:59.120 won the Super Bowl this year. 00:36:00.019 --> 00:36:01.780 But my heart still belongs 00:36:01.780 --> 00:36:03.260 to the Philadelphia Eagles, 00:36:03.680 --> 00:36:05.460 as silly and strange 00:36:05.460 --> 00:36:06.980 and as perpetually heartbreaking 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:08.780 as that will be, right? 00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:12.260 What keeps you from giving 00:36:12.260 --> 00:36:14.000 your allegiance to Jesus Christ? 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:17.659 What keeps you from belonging to Him? 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:21.480 You know, whatever it is, 00:36:21.539 --> 00:36:22.400 however you would answer 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:23.099 that question, 00:36:23.500 --> 00:36:24.440 and we all have to answer 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:25.380 that question at some point 00:36:25.380 --> 00:36:25.900 in our life, 00:36:26.920 --> 00:36:29.119 whatever it is that keeps you 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:30.400 from belonging to Him, 00:36:32.079 --> 00:36:32.900 I hope you see, 00:36:33.900 --> 00:36:35.880 I hope you see that long before 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:38.099 you and I ever considered 00:36:38.099 --> 00:36:39.179 whether or not 00:36:39.179 --> 00:36:40.699 you should give your life to Him, 00:36:40.699 --> 00:36:43.960 He decided to give His life for you. 00:36:46.279 --> 00:36:48.039 And who else would do such a thing? 00:36:49.919 --> 00:36:50.639 Your work, 00:36:50.939 --> 00:36:51.539 your friends, 00:36:51.799 --> 00:36:52.379 your family, 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:53.719 these are all good things, 00:36:54.699 --> 00:36:56.000 but none of them 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:57.419 ever gave themselves 00:36:57.419 --> 00:36:58.980 so fully for you 00:36:58.980 --> 00:36:59.519 as He did. 00:37:00.859 --> 00:37:02.659 Whatever it might cost you 00:37:02.659 --> 00:37:03.960 to belong to Jesus 00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:05.939 is nothing compared 00:37:05.939 --> 00:37:07.239 to what you gain. 00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:09.399 a lover of your soul, 00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:11.719 a friend in the darkest night, 00:37:12.519 --> 00:37:13.939 and hope like an anchor 00:37:13.939 --> 00:37:15.259 that cannot be shaken, 00:37:16.699 --> 00:37:18.119 the defeat of sin and death 00:37:18.119 --> 00:37:20.000 and resurrection life. 00:37:21.779 --> 00:37:23.319 Friends, let's give ourselves to Him. 00:37:24.459 --> 00:37:25.119 Let's pray. 00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:25.159 Let's pray. 00:37:33.959 --> 00:37:35.699 Father, in the midst of the busyness 00:37:35.699 --> 00:37:37.859 of a holiday weekend 00:37:37.859 --> 00:37:40.679 and just the general busyness 00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:41.519 of our lives 00:37:41.519 --> 00:37:43.219 and the noise of so much 00:37:43.219 --> 00:37:44.519 that crowds in around us, 00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:48.179 we pause just for a minute now 00:37:48.179 --> 00:37:51.079 in silence and stillness before you, 00:37:52.719 --> 00:37:54.559 asking for your Spirit to come 00:37:54.559 --> 00:37:57.839 and open our hearts to you. 00:37:57.839 --> 00:37:57.899 Amen. 00:37:57.899 --> 00:37:57.960 Amen. 00:37:57.960 --> 00:37:58.019 Amen. 00:37:58.019 --> 00:37:58.059 Amen. 00:37:58.059 --> 00:37:58.079 Amen. 00:37:58.079 --> 00:37:58.119 Amen. 00:37:58.119 --> 00:37:58.159 Amen. 00:38:05.699 --> 00:38:18.899 Father, by your Spirit, 00:38:19.779 --> 00:38:20.899 help us to live 00:38:20.899 --> 00:38:22.519 as people of the resurrection 00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:25.559 and open the eyes 00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:26.579 of the hearts of those 00:38:26.579 --> 00:38:28.299 who want to believe in you 00:38:28.299 --> 00:38:30.879 but who have such a hard time doing so. 00:38:32.539 --> 00:38:33.879 Lord, come with your grace. 00:38:34.399 --> 00:38:35.259 Make yourself real. 00:38:36.339 --> 00:38:37.719 And draw your people to yourself, 00:38:37.839 --> 00:38:38.239 we pray. 00:38:38.439 --> 00:38:39.179 In Jesus' name. 00:38:39.739 --> 00:38:39.980 Amen. 00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:41.059 Amen. 00:39:05.699 --> 00:39:06.699 Amen. 00:39:35.699 --> 00:39:36.699 Amen. 00:40:05.699 --> 00:40:06.699 Amen. 00:40:35.699 --> 00:40:36.699 Amen. 00:41:05.699 --> 00:41:06.699 Amen. 00:41:06.699 --> 00:41:07.699 Amen. 00:41:35.699 --> 00:41:36.699 Amen. 00:41:36.699 --> 00:41:37.699 Amen. 00:42:05.699 --> 00:42:06.699 Amen. 00:42:06.699 --> 00:42:07.699 Amen. 00:42:35.699 --> 00:42:36.699 Amen. 00:42:36.699 --> 00:42:38.139 Amen. 00:43:05.699 --> 00:43:35.679 Thank you. 00:43:35.699 --> 00:44:05.679 Thank you. 00:44:05.699 --> 00:44:35.679 Thank you. 00:44:35.699 --> 00:45:05.679 Thank you. 00:45:05.699 --> 00:45:35.679 Thank you. 00:45:35.699 --> 00:46:05.679 Thank you. 00:46:05.699 --> 00:46:35.679 Thank you. 00:46:35.699 --> 00:47:05.679 Thank you. 00:47:05.699 --> 00:47:35.679 Thank you. 00:47:35.699 --> 00:48:05.679 Thank you. 00:48:05.699 --> 00:48:35.679 Thank you. 00:48:35.699 --> 00:49:05.679 Thank you. 00:49:05.699 --> 00:49:35.679 Thank you. 00:49:35.699 --> 00:50:05.679 Thank you. 00:50:05.699 --> 00:50:35.679 Thank you. 00:50:35.699 --> 00:51:05.679 Thank you. 00:51:05.699 --> 00:51:35.679 Thank you. 00:51:35.699 --> 00:52:05.679 Thank you. 00:52:05.699 --> 00:52:35.679 Thank you. 00:52:35.699 --> 00:53:05.679 Thank you. 00:53:05.699 --> 00:53:35.679 Thank you. 00:53:35.699 --> 00:54:05.679 Thank you. 00:54:05.699 --> 00:54:35.679 Thank you. 00:54:35.699 --> 00:55:05.679 Thank you. 00:55:05.699 --> 00:55:35.679 Thank you. 00:55:35.699 --> 00:56:05.679 Thank you. 00:56:05.699 --> 00:56:35.679 Thank you. 00:56:35.699 --> 00:57:05.679 Thank you. 00:57:05.699 --> 00:57:35.679 Thank you. 00:57:35.699 --> 00:58:05.679 Thank you. 00:58:05.699 --> 00:58:35.679 Thank you. 00:58:35.699 --> 00:59:05.679 Thank you. 00:59:05.699 --> 00:59:35.679 Thank you. 00:59:35.699 --> 01:00:05.679 Thank you. 01:00:05.699 --> 01:00:35.679 Thank you. 01:00:35.699 --> 01:01:05.679 Thank you. 01:01:05.699 --> 01:01:35.679 Thank you. 01:01:35.699 --> 01:02:05.679 Thank you. 01:02:05.699 --> 01:02:35.679 Thank you. 01:02:35.699 --> 01:03:05.679 Thank you. 01:03:05.699 --> 01:03:35.679 Thank you. 01:03:35.699 --> 01:04:05.679 Thank you. 01:04:05.699 --> 01:04:35.679 Thank you. 01:04:35.699 --> 01:05:05.679 Thank you. 01:05:05.699 --> 01:05:35.679 Thank you. 01:05:35.699 --> 01:06:05.679 Thank you. 01:06:05.699 --> 01:06:35.679 Thank you. 01:06:35.699 --> 01:07:05.679 Thank you. 01:07:05.699 --> 01:07:35.679 Thank you. 01:07:35.699 --> 01:08:05.679 Thank you. 01:08:05.699 --> 01:08:35.679 Thank you. 01:08:35.699 --> 01:09:05.679 Thank you. 01:09:05.699 --> 01:09:35.679 Thank you. 01:09:35.699 --> 01:10:05.679 Thank you. 01:10:05.699 --> 01:10:35.679 Thank you. 01:10:35.699 --> 01:11:05.679 Thank you. 01:11:05.699 --> 01:11:35.679 Thank you. 01:11:35.699 --> 01:12:05.679 Thank you. 01:12:05.699 --> 01:12:35.679 Thank you. 01:12:35.699 --> 01:13:05.679 Thank you. 01:13:05.699 --> 01:13:35.679 Thank you. 01:13:35.699 --> 01:14:05.679 Thank you. 01:14:05.699 --> 01:14:35.679 Thank you. 01:14:35.699 --> 01:15:05.679 Thank you. 01:15:05.699 --> 01:15:35.679 Thank you. 01:15:35.699 --> 01:16:05.679 Thank you. 01:16:05.699 --> 01:16:35.679 Thank you. 01:16:35.699 --> 01:17:05.679 Thank you. 01:17:05.699 --> 01:17:35.679 Thank you. 01:17:35.699 --> 01:18:05.679 Thank you. 01:18:05.699 --> 01:18:35.679 Thank you. 01:18:35.699 --> 01:19:05.679 Thank you. 01:19:05.699 --> 01:19:35.679 Thank you. 01:19:35.699 --> 01:20:05.679 Thank you. 01:20:05.699 --> 01:20:35.679 Thank you. 01:20:35.699 --> 01:21:05.679 Thank you. 01:21:05.699 --> 01:21:35.679 Thank you. 01:21:35.699 --> 01:22:05.679 Thank you. 01:22:05.699 --> 01:22:35.679 Thank you. 01:22:35.699 --> 01:23:05.679 Thank you. 01:23:05.699 --> 01:23:35.679 Thank you. 01:23:35.699 --> 01:24:05.679 Thank you. 01:24:05.699 --> 01:24:35.679 Thank you. 01:24:35.699 --> 01:25:05.679 Thank you. 01:25:05.699 --> 01:25:35.679 Thank you. 01:25:35.699 --> 01:26:05.679 Thank you. 01:26:05.699 --> 01:26:35.679 Thank you. 01:26:35.699 --> 01:27:05.679 Thank you. 01:27:05.699 --> 01:27:35.679 Thank you. 01:27:35.699 --> 01:28:05.679 Thank you. 01:28:05.699 --> 01:28:35.679 Thank you. 01:28:35.699 --> 01:29:05.679 Thank you. 01:29:05.699 --> 01:29:35.679 Thank you. 01:29:35.699 --> 01:30:05.679 Thank you. 01:30:05.699 --> 01:30:35.679 Thank you. 01:30:35.699 --> 01:31:05.679 Thank you. 01:31:05.699 --> 01:31:35.679 Thank you. 01:31:35.699 --> 01:32:05.679 Thank you. 01:32:05.699 --> 01:32:35.679 Thank you. 01:32:35.699 --> 01:33:05.679 Thank you. 01:33:05.699 --> 01:33:08.059 Thank you.