WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.040 Today's scripture reading is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13 to 5, verse 11. 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:18.600 ! If you don't have a Bible, please do grab them from the front or at the back near the door. 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:27.359 Our passage is on page 928 in the Church Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.759 Hear, then, God's word to us today. 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:45.899 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:55.719 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 00:00:55.719 --> 00:01:07.219 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:17.280 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:21.219 Then the dead in Christ will rise first. 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:29.140 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:32.400 And so we will always be with the Lord. 00:01:33.219 --> 00:01:36.400 Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:44.520 Now, concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:51.219 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:58.980 While the people are saying, there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them, 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:03.400 as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:09.520 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 00:02:10.620 --> 00:02:14.640 For you are all children of light, children of the day. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.219 We are not of the night or of the darkness. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:24.900 So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:30.960 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:37.840 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, 00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:41.000 and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:48.060 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:53.620 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. 00:02:53.620 --> 00:03:00.240 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.659 Let us believe and respond to God's true and living word. 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:07.659 Thank you, CK. 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:11.079 Let me pray for us, and then we'll look at this scripture together. 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:13.960 Lord Jesus, your word is always good news. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:17.079 Sometimes we need to work a bit to understand what it's saying, 00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:22.539 but it always points us back to you, the fountain of life, the source of life. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.960 And God calls us to hope in you and trust in you. 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.240 Lord, I pray that we help us to understand this word. 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:31.159 Help us to understand what you're saying in your scriptures, 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:33.099 that we might hold on to you. 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:35.039 In your name we pray. 00:03:35.579 --> 00:03:35.840 Amen. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:36.699 Amen. 00:03:38.259 --> 00:03:43.120 November the 13th, 1789, so almost 250 years ago, 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.259 a very old and frail man by the name of Benjamin Franklin, 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:49.419 one of the founding fathers of the United States, 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:52.560 inventor of the electric light bulb and other things, 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.079 he wrote a letter to a French scientist called Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 00:03:56.539 --> 00:03:58.519 a man he had befriended when he lived in Paris, 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:01.260 and he wrote these now very famous words. 00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:07.120 Our new constitution is now established and has an appearance that promises permanency. 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:12.980 But in this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes, right? 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:14.240 You've heard those words before. 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.860 Nothing is certain except death and taxes. 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:21.819 Well, many countries have tried to promote themselves as tax-free havens, 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.480 tax-free areas where you don't need to pay tax, 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:30.080 but no country has avoided the absolute certainty of death. 00:04:30.580 --> 00:04:34.360 Despite Brian Johnson's best efforts and tens of millions of dollars, 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:39.439 starving off death, starving off aging, trying to stay young forever, 00:04:39.939 --> 00:04:45.620 the death rate for the human rate is still 100%. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:49.860 Friends, each one of us, for each day that passes, 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:53.819 is one day closer to the day when we will leave this world. 00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:57.800 None of us get to live in this world forever. 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.960 And that means that all of us need to think about two things. 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:06.180 We need to think about death, because that will come to all of us. 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.860 And we need to think about how we're going to live our lives now 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:13.580 in light of the fact that we will one day leave this world. 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:17.300 And that's what God wants to help us think about in this passage today. 00:05:17.300 --> 00:05:20.680 So if you've got your Bible, you'll notice when CK read to us, 00:05:21.020 --> 00:05:23.819 there's two very clear sections in our scripture. 00:05:24.460 --> 00:05:26.920 First one is chapter 4, verse 13 to 18. 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:29.560 And it ends with these lines, with these words. 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:32.139 Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:36.280 And then the second section is chapter 5, verse 1 to 11. 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:37.699 And it also ends with these lines. 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:41.199 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:46.279 So the first section, chapter 4, is how do we think about death 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:48.639 in light of Jesus' return? 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:54.120 Both of these sections talk about the fact that Jesus is going to come back again. 00:05:54.599 --> 00:05:58.819 And how do we think about death in light of the fact that Christ is one day going to return? 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:02.680 And then the second section, chapter 5, helps us to think about 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:07.620 how do we think about life in light of the fact that one day Jesus is going to return? 00:06:07.860 --> 00:06:10.300 So how do we think about death in light of Jesus' return? 00:06:10.300 --> 00:06:14.180 How do we think about life in view of Christ's return? 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:19.259 And what God wants to say to us this morning is the fact that Jesus died, 00:06:19.340 --> 00:06:23.759 but didn't stay dead, that he rose again, means he's alive. 00:06:24.080 --> 00:06:29.340 And the fact that he's coming again means that we get to face death, 00:06:29.580 --> 00:06:34.580 both our own death and that of our loved ones, with hope, not fear. 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:41.819 And it means we get to live life with purpose and conviction, not apathy or indifference. 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:44.099 Okay, so that's what God is going to be saying to us this morning. 00:06:44.419 --> 00:06:48.680 Those of us that are Christians get to face death, both our own and that of our loved ones, 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:56.019 with hope, not fear, and get to live life with purpose and conviction, not apathy or indifference. 00:06:56.019 --> 00:06:58.299 So let's look at it together. 00:06:58.479 --> 00:07:02.839 Look at the first section with me, chapter 4, verse 13 to 18. 00:07:03.479 --> 00:07:06.339 Facing death in view of Christ's return. 00:07:06.979 --> 00:07:08.479 So verse 13 says this, 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:31.700 So what's going on here? 00:07:32.220 --> 00:07:34.620 In the very first century, the early Christians, right? 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:39.399 But they knew that because Jesus had died and risen again, 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:41.519 as the Old Testament scriptures said he would, 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.800 and as the apostles had witnessed and verified themselves, 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:47.720 that meant that Jesus was still alive. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:51.379 And it also meant, as the Old Testament prophesied was going to happen, 00:07:51.540 --> 00:07:56.120 that Jesus will one day come again and bring with him, collect with him, 00:07:56.220 --> 00:08:00.759 his believers, his followers, and take them with him into the new creation, 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:02.879 into the new heavens and the new earth. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:05.719 And so they were waiting for Jesus' return, 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.719 when Christ will come and take us to the new creation. 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:13.079 But Jesus' return took longer than they expected. 00:08:13.939 --> 00:08:16.000 And so after a couple of months or years, 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:19.480 some of the members of the church got old and some passed away. 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:21.279 And so they have this question, 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:23.719 What's happened to those that have died? 00:08:24.219 --> 00:08:27.259 Have they now gone to the land of the dead, to Sheol, 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.680 and they are separated from us forever? 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:31.879 Have we lost those, have passed away? 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:34.539 Jesus will come and get us who are still alive. 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:36.059 But what about those that are dead? 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:38.340 Maybe we'll be with Jesus forever, 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:41.580 and they are forever lost in the land of the dead. 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:43.620 And so Paul writes, and he says, 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:44.720 No, that's not the case. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:45.639 Look at verse 15. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.399 For we declare to you by word from the Lord, 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:52.360 that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 00:08:52.699 --> 00:08:55.740 will not proceed, that means not go ahead of, 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:58.759 those who have already fallen asleep or died. 00:08:59.299 --> 00:09:03.779 For the Lord Jesus himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:07.699 with a voice of an archangel, with the sound of a trumpet from God. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.939 That means with authority and power. 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:13.180 And the dead in Christ will rise first, 00:09:13.400 --> 00:09:16.600 and then we who are alive, who are left, 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:20.600 we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord, 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:24.100 and we will always be with the Lord together. 00:09:24.660 --> 00:09:25.940 So do you see what Paul's saying here? 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:29.040 When Christ comes again, it could be next week, 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:30.580 it could be in a thousand years from now, 00:09:30.900 --> 00:09:33.160 those that are Christians, that are in Christ, 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:34.520 that have already died, 00:09:34.920 --> 00:09:38.360 they will rise with new physical resurrected bodies, 00:09:38.680 --> 00:09:40.040 and they will meet Jesus. 00:09:40.520 --> 00:09:43.840 And we who are still alive, if Christ comes in our lifetime, 00:09:44.280 --> 00:09:47.240 we will rise with our physical resurrected bodies, 00:09:47.560 --> 00:09:49.660 and we will together meet the Lord, 00:09:49.660 --> 00:09:54.940 and we'll go with him to the new heavens and the new earth to glory with him. 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:56.860 Okay, so that's what Paul's saying. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.400 So we won't be separated, we won't be lost forever, 00:09:59.580 --> 00:10:01.960 we will together be reunited with Christ. 00:10:02.680 --> 00:10:04.360 Now, just as a side note here, 00:10:05.260 --> 00:10:09.920 those Christians who have already died over the last 2,000 years, 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:13.100 where do you think they are now, and what do you think they are doing? 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:18.140 Do you think they are walking the streets of gold and the new creation, the new heaven? 00:10:18.880 --> 00:10:19.760 Well, actually, no. 00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:22.360 What it seems, the Bible says, 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:26.139 is that those that are in Christ are in an intermediate state. 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:27.960 We are waiting for Christ's return. 00:10:28.060 --> 00:10:29.600 The new resurrection hasn't happened. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:31.800 Heaven and earth is not being united. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.120 We are not, they are not in heaven yet. 00:10:34.220 --> 00:10:35.159 That is still going to come. 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:38.379 When Christ returns, that will be the resurrection, 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:41.419 when all those who are in Christ will be raised to our new bodies, 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:44.820 and we will be with him in the new creation forever and ever. 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:48.879 But in the immediate time, those people that are in Christ that have died, 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:52.260 their souls are in heaven waiting for the resurrection, 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:56.400 waiting for Christ to come and bring us with him to the new creation. 00:10:56.920 --> 00:10:58.860 So sometimes at funerals, you hear people say, 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:01.600 well, it's so sad that my loved one's not here, 00:11:01.680 --> 00:11:03.660 but they are dancing on streets of gold in heaven. 00:11:04.060 --> 00:11:05.040 No, not yet. 00:11:05.180 --> 00:11:05.800 That'll come. 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:08.660 But at the moment, they are waiting for the resurrection. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.800 In fact, this week, I was with a friend. 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.139 We were visiting a cemetery up in Taiwai, 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:18.679 and we were walking around, and I stumbled across this headstone. 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:21.199 This is a lady called Miss Anna Martinson. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.599 She's one of the very first missionaries to China and Hong Kong. 00:11:26.059 --> 00:11:31.879 Her husband moved to Guangzhou in 1902 with their three very, very small children. 00:11:32.359 --> 00:11:34.419 Her husband then died 12 years later, 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:37.359 and she stayed in Guangzhou province and then in Hong Kong 00:11:37.359 --> 00:11:40.959 for the next 50 years, raising her children. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:44.200 And she died in Taiwai and was buried. 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:45.840 But look at what her headstone says, 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:47.680 awaiting the resurrection. 00:11:48.280 --> 00:11:49.660 She is absolutely right. 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:51.720 Right now, where is Anna Martinson? 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:53.800 She's in an intermediate space. 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:55.100 Her soul is in heaven, 00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:58.340 but she is awaiting the resurrection for Christ to return 00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.080 when she will be given a new body, 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:02.980 a perfect body free of sickness and death 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.220 and aching and wheelchairs 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:08.080 and all sorts of sicknesses, 00:12:08.180 --> 00:12:09.860 and Christ when Christ returns. 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:11.899 So, what is the point of all this? 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:12.800 Verse 13, 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:15.279 We do not want you to be uninformed, 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:16.259 brothers and sisters, 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:17.600 about those who are asleep, 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:21.000 that you may not grieve as others do 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:22.720 who have no hope. 00:12:23.060 --> 00:12:24.419 And that's what Paul is saying, 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.039 that for those who are in Christ, 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:28.779 death is not the end. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:31.200 Rather, on this side of the resurrection, 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:32.879 while we wait for Christ to return, 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:36.460 death just means the end of the dress rehearsal. 00:12:36.920 --> 00:12:38.320 It's the end of the warm-up. 00:12:38.660 --> 00:12:40.840 It's the end of the warm-up lap 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:42.900 until the real thing begins 00:12:42.900 --> 00:12:44.460 when Jesus returns 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:46.240 and the new creation begins. 00:12:46.780 --> 00:12:50.320 And that's why the Bible uses this euphemism for death. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.780 How does the Bible call death here? 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:54.420 What's the word it uses? 00:12:54.660 --> 00:12:55.360 Sleep, right? 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:57.400 Why does the Bible use the word sleep 00:12:57.400 --> 00:12:58.580 for those who have died? 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:00.340 He says here in verse 13, 00:13:00.400 --> 00:13:01.700 We do not want you to be uninformed 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:02.900 about those who are asleep. 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:04.459 God will bring with him 00:13:04.459 --> 00:13:05.720 those who have fallen asleep. 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:07.559 You know the word cemetery 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:10.179 means the place of sleeping, 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.899 the dormitory for those who are asleep. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:14.559 And the reason for this 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:15.620 is because it communicates 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:17.600 the temporiness of death 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:18.919 for those that are in Christ. 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:20.699 Just as when you sleep 00:13:20.699 --> 00:13:23.240 and you sleep will be followed by being awake, 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.539 those who are in Christ who die, 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:27.860 that will be followed by resurrection. 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:29.720 Death is just temporary. 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:31.940 It's just a time while we're waiting 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:33.960 for Christ to return. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:38.460 Friends, many of us here have lost loved ones. 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:41.580 Many of us here have had to bury mothers 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:43.980 or fathers, grandparents, 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:45.560 just in the last week or so. 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:48.120 Friends, some of us have had to bury 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:49.480 brothers and sisters. 00:13:50.420 --> 00:13:52.139 Some of us here have even had to bury 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:54.139 sons and daughters, our children. 00:13:55.160 --> 00:13:56.100 Friends, for some of us here, 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:57.940 our loved ones are still alive, 00:13:57.940 --> 00:13:59.420 but they are almost there. 00:14:00.180 --> 00:14:02.300 And if they know and love Jesus, 00:14:02.860 --> 00:14:04.980 and if you know and love Jesus, 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:08.160 soon, very, very soon, 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:10.120 Jesus is gonna return. 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:11.700 And look at what verse 17 says. 00:14:12.300 --> 00:14:14.840 We will be caught up together with them 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:15.980 and meet the Lord, 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.300 and we will always be 00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:20.220 with the Lord Jesus together. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:23.720 So do not grieve as those who have no hope. 00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:26.160 Do not mourn as if this world 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:27.159 is all that there is. 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:28.779 John Stott put it like this. 00:14:29.459 --> 00:14:30.439 The hope of Christianity 00:14:30.439 --> 00:14:33.000 is more than simply the expectation 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:34.179 that the King is coming. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:36.419 It's the belief that when He comes, 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:38.259 the Christian dead will come with Him, 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:40.339 and the Christian living will join them, 00:14:40.699 --> 00:14:42.539 which means the people of God 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:44.919 enjoy unbreakable solidarity 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:47.199 with Christ and with each other, 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:50.980 which death is utterly unable to touch. 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:55.279 about 130 years ago, 00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:57.139 some archaeologists were in Egypt, 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:59.060 you know, digging through ruins, 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:01.039 and they stumbled across a piece 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:04.340 of very old papyri from the second century AD, 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:06.220 so 1800 years old. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.420 And one of the pieces was a letter 00:15:09.420 --> 00:15:12.080 written by a lady called Irene to a couple. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:12.820 There we have it, 00:15:13.180 --> 00:15:14.620 Theronephorus and Philo, 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:17.100 and they had lost their son. 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:18.379 Their son had passed away. 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:21.080 And so she writes this letter of condolences, 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:24.000 and she expresses her sorry for their loss. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:25.559 She weeps with them 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:27.120 as she had wept over the loss 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:28.980 of her own loved one called Didymus. 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:31.559 And she assures that her and her friends 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:33.159 have done everything they can 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:34.039 in the circumstances, 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:34.980 which probably means 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:37.960 they've offered funeral prayers and offerings. 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:40.600 But then look at how she concludes this letter. 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:44.000 But still, there is nothing one can do 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.659 in the face of such trouble. 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:48.559 So I leave you to comfort yourselves. 00:15:49.199 --> 00:15:49.759 Farewell. 00:15:50.839 --> 00:15:52.539 Friends, that's what hope she offers. 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:54.459 Still, there's nothing we can do. 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:56.139 So comfort one another. 00:15:56.860 --> 00:15:57.159 Goodbye. 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:01.360 Friends, that is not the hope of the gospel. 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:04.559 That is not the hope of Jesus Christ. 00:16:05.219 --> 00:16:08.000 Because Christ died and rose again. 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:11.059 The hope that Christ offers us, 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:13.199 the message of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:16:13.199 --> 00:16:15.559 is that we can have certainty and conviction 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:18.279 that those in Christ have died 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:19.619 will not stay dead. 00:16:20.019 --> 00:16:21.259 But they will rise, 00:16:21.339 --> 00:16:22.539 and we will rise with Him. 00:16:22.579 --> 00:16:24.219 And together we will join them 00:16:24.219 --> 00:16:25.199 in the new creation 00:16:25.199 --> 00:16:27.219 where there will be no more pain, 00:16:27.699 --> 00:16:28.699 no more suffering, 00:16:29.179 --> 00:16:30.239 no more tears, 00:16:30.719 --> 00:16:31.599 no more sorrow, 00:16:32.099 --> 00:16:32.959 no more sadness, 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:34.759 no more wheelchairs, 00:16:35.179 --> 00:16:37.279 no more old age and Alzheimer's. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:39.500 Friends, we will rise with Him 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:41.740 in the new creation forever and ever. 00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:43.579 And how do we know that this is true? 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:45.659 Well, look at verse 14. 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.699 For since we believe that Jesus died 00:16:48.699 --> 00:16:49.899 and rose again, 00:16:50.319 --> 00:16:51.639 so through Jesus, 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:52.959 God will bring with Him 00:16:52.959 --> 00:16:54.639 all those who have fallen asleep. 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:56.860 Friends, the reason we can know this 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.039 is because of the historical fact of history 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.559 that there was a man called Jesus of Nazareth 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.619 who died and didn't stay dead. 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:05.979 He rose again, 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:07.479 and the cross is empty, 00:17:07.479 --> 00:17:08.879 and the tomb is empty, 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:10.819 and Jesus says that all those 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:12.539 who trust in Him and believe in Him, 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:15.259 just as He passed through death to life, 00:17:15.459 --> 00:17:19.439 we too will pass through death to life as well. 00:17:20.379 --> 00:17:21.419 So what does this mean? 00:17:22.459 --> 00:17:24.639 It doesn't mean that Christians don't grieve. 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:27.639 It doesn't mean that Christians don't mourn. 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:30.979 It doesn't mean that death is not terribly sad. 00:17:30.980 --> 00:17:34.920 If Jesus wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus, 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:37.120 then followers of Jesus can weep 00:17:37.120 --> 00:17:39.559 at the gravesides of our loved ones too. 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:41.339 But what it does mean 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:43.740 is that we don't grieve and mourn without hope. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:47.420 We don't grieve and mourn as if this is the end, 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:48.779 for death is not the end. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:50.740 Christ has conquered death, 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.319 and those who know Him will rise with Him again 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:54.900 to everlasting life. 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:59.460 So, facing death in view of Christ's return. 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:02.700 Secondly, living life in view of Christ's return. 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:04.600 Now, the obvious question is, 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.740 all this hangs, all this hinges 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:09.579 on the fact that Jesus is going to come back again one day. 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:11.740 But the question is, when is that going to happen? 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:13.100 Is that next week? 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:14.120 Is it next year? 00:18:14.360 --> 00:18:15.860 Is it 2,000 years from now? 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.059 Well, look at what Paul writes in chapter 5. 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:18.420 He says, 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:21.019 Now, concerning the times and the seasons, 00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:22.140 brothers and sisters, 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.180 you have no need to have anything written to you. 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:25.799 So he says, 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:28.279 you don't need me to tell you what's going to happen. 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:28.660 Why? 00:18:28.660 --> 00:18:31.560 Is that because they worked out some secret Bible code, 00:18:31.620 --> 00:18:32.300 and they worked out, 00:18:32.620 --> 00:18:33.800 we know when Jesus is coming? 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.140 No, it's because when Paul was with them, 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:37.160 he told them, 00:18:37.320 --> 00:18:39.060 nobody knows when Jesus is coming. 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:40.519 So, verse 2, 00:18:40.519 --> 00:19:00.079 Now, let's think about this for a bit, 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:01.319 because it's a bit confusing. 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:03.359 Paul uses mixed metaphors here. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:04.359 He says, 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:04.379 He says, 00:19:04.439 --> 00:19:05.159 On one hand, 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:06.039 for some people, 00:19:06.719 --> 00:19:10.179 that Christ's coming again is going to be like a thief in the night. 00:19:10.579 --> 00:19:12.659 Now, this is a phrase that began with Jesus. 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:14.159 Jesus says in Matthew 24, 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:16.579 I will come again like a thief in the night. 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:18.339 Therefore, he says, 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:20.500 Therefore, you must also be ready, 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:23.980 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect. 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:26.240 And the Apostle Peter used this phrase, 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:27.420 and 2 Peter chapter 3, 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.900 and the Apostle John used this phrase. 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:31.900 So this was kind of a common phrase in the first century, 00:19:32.019 --> 00:19:34.799 to talk about the time when Jesus will come. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:36.680 And the meaning is quite obvious, right? 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:40.299 Jesus will come in a way that is sudden and unexpected, 00:19:40.860 --> 00:19:42.039 like a thief in the night. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:46.160 We live in, obviously, one of the best cities in the world, Hong Kong, 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:47.700 one of the safest cities in the world. 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:50.759 We often forget to lock our door at night. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:52.440 If you ever want to steal anything, 00:19:52.560 --> 00:19:53.720 our house is freely available. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:56.680 We don't even lock the door that often. 00:19:57.340 --> 00:20:00.120 But I grew up in another country called South Africa, 00:20:00.120 --> 00:20:02.019 which is not quite as safe. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:04.039 And when I was growing up, 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:05.580 we had a spate, 00:20:05.820 --> 00:20:06.640 probably about a year, 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:08.000 where every couple of months, 00:20:08.060 --> 00:20:09.360 maybe every six to eight weeks, 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:11.200 somebody would climb over the fence, 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:14.259 they would cut out the window pane of our living room, 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:15.299 climb in, 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:16.660 and clear everything out. 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:18.220 TVs, high-fives, 00:20:18.340 --> 00:20:18.860 take it all. 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:20.259 And we'd wake up in the morning, 00:20:20.360 --> 00:20:21.279 and we've all been cleared out. 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:23.039 And then we'd replace it, 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:23.960 replace the glass, 00:20:24.060 --> 00:20:25.039 and two months later, 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:26.420 wake up in the morning, 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:27.279 and it's all gone. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.100 And this happened about four or five times 00:20:29.100 --> 00:20:31.060 in one year alone, right? 00:20:31.580 --> 00:20:32.340 But of course, 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:34.420 if you know when the thieves are coming, 00:20:35.420 --> 00:20:35.820 well, 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:37.200 what are you going to do? 00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:38.079 You're going to wait up. 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:39.220 You're going to set a trap. 00:20:39.679 --> 00:20:41.200 You're going to have the police waiting for them. 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:42.559 You're going to catch them. 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:43.579 But of course, 00:20:43.639 --> 00:20:44.379 the point is, 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:45.319 thieves know that. 00:20:45.399 --> 00:20:47.139 So they don't come when you're expecting it. 00:20:47.179 --> 00:20:48.500 They come when you don't expect it. 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:49.399 That's the whole point. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:52.259 So that you can be caught off guard. 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:55.460 Jesus says that for many people, 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:58.519 his coming again is going to be like that. 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:00.420 It's going to be unexpected. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:02.119 It's going to be surprising. 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:04.319 When people are living for themselves, 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:05.960 seeking personal pleasure, 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:07.339 self-glory, 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:08.879 hedonistic lifestyles, 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:09.799 just living it up, 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:11.200 not a care in the world, 00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:13.299 Jesus will suddenly appear, 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:15.640 and all the stuff that we were seeking 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:17.619 and living for will feel shallow 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:19.899 and have zero bearing in our life. 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:22.339 Jesus is going to come, 00:21:22.419 --> 00:21:24.239 and his coming is going to be a surprise 00:21:24.239 --> 00:21:25.619 and sudden and unexpected. 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:27.959 And some people say, 00:21:28.419 --> 00:21:31.519 I'm not really ready to get serious with God now. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:33.419 Let me just live my life and enjoy my life 00:21:33.419 --> 00:21:34.339 and wonder when I'm older, 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:35.079 I'll settle down, 00:21:35.159 --> 00:21:36.519 and then I'll take God seriously. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:37.739 And Paul says, 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:39.019 you don't know what you're talking about. 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:41.319 If you think that that's the way it works, 00:21:41.659 --> 00:21:42.399 that's a myth. 00:21:42.539 --> 00:21:43.439 You're going to be caught unaware. 00:21:44.159 --> 00:21:45.500 Jesus is going to come one day, 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:47.019 and you're going to face him face to face. 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:48.059 Either he will come, 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:49.759 or your life will be taken from you, 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:52.099 and you'll be face to face with your creator, 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:53.099 and it'll be too late. 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:55.000 But then, 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:55.700 so Jesus says, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:56.180 on one hand, 00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:57.740 his coming will be like a thief in the night. 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:58.720 But then he says, 00:21:58.980 --> 00:21:59.859 on the other hand, 00:21:59.900 --> 00:22:01.559 it's going to be like a pregnant woman 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:03.220 experiencing labor pains. 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:04.019 Now, 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:05.400 unlike a thief in the night, 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:06.740 if you are pregnant, 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.720 labor should not be unexpected. 00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:09.200 Okay? 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:11.660 Sorry to tell you, 00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:13.019 it's coming your way. 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:15.139 It's just a matter of time. 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:16.639 But the point here, 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.120 is that Christ's coming is not unexpected. 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:20.700 It's inescapable. 00:22:21.060 --> 00:22:22.040 It is inevitable. 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:25.020 If you have a child growing in your womb, 00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:26.680 it's just a matter of time 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:28.340 before labor comes upon you. 00:22:28.560 --> 00:22:31.120 And there is nothing you can do to avoid it. 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:31.740 Well, 00:22:31.800 --> 00:22:32.480 in his day anyway, 00:22:32.580 --> 00:22:33.860 maybe now you can have a cesarean. 00:22:34.100 --> 00:22:34.280 Okay? 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:35.720 But the point here is, 00:22:36.080 --> 00:22:36.960 if you are on labor, 00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:38.780 it is inescapable. 00:22:39.580 --> 00:22:39.900 And so, 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:41.360 Jesus says that his coming again 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:42.740 will be both unexpected 00:22:42.740 --> 00:22:44.599 and inescapable. 00:22:44.679 --> 00:22:45.740 As one commentator said, 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:46.919 in the first case, 00:22:46.979 --> 00:22:47.719 there is no warning. 00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:49.240 In the second case, 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.379 there is no escaping. 00:22:51.299 --> 00:22:52.119 But then, 00:22:52.579 --> 00:22:54.039 Paul seems to change track. 00:22:54.199 --> 00:22:54.839 And then he says, 00:22:55.159 --> 00:22:55.619 but actually, 00:22:55.719 --> 00:22:56.339 for many of you, 00:22:56.379 --> 00:22:57.979 it's not going to be like that at all. 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.399 Because it's not going to be like a thief in the night. 00:23:00.639 --> 00:23:02.119 It's going to be like a visitor 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:04.379 who comes to your house in the daytime. 00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:05.359 Someone that you've been expecting 00:23:05.939 --> 00:23:07.859 and anticipating all day long. 00:23:08.139 --> 00:23:09.379 Look what he says in verse 4. 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:11.280 But you are not in darkness, 00:23:11.520 --> 00:23:12.080 brothers and sisters, 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:14.060 for that day to surprise you like a thief. 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:15.020 No, 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:16.220 you are children of the light. 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:17.560 Children of the day. 00:23:18.300 --> 00:23:18.480 So, 00:23:18.540 --> 00:23:18.900 Jesus says, 00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:19.680 for some people, 00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:20.960 it's going to be like a surprise, 00:23:21.060 --> 00:23:21.960 like a thief in the night. 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:25.100 Or labor for a pregnant lady. 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:26.520 But for other people, 00:23:26.860 --> 00:23:27.000 oh, 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:28.320 it's going to be an expected thing. 00:23:28.360 --> 00:23:30.060 It's like a guest that you welcome your home. 00:23:30.120 --> 00:23:31.400 You've been waiting for them to arrive. 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:32.440 You've got everything ready. 00:23:32.620 --> 00:23:33.400 And when they come, 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:34.540 you're glad to see them. 00:23:35.100 --> 00:23:35.320 So, 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:36.100 which one is it? 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:38.040 Is it a thief in the night? 00:23:38.040 --> 00:23:39.340 Or is it someone coming? 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:41.900 And the answer is, 00:23:42.340 --> 00:23:43.260 it depends. 00:23:44.020 --> 00:23:47.760 It depends on your standing with the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:23:48.540 --> 00:23:51.360 It depends on whether you know him or not. 00:23:51.780 --> 00:23:55.240 It depends on whether you're part of the domain of the kingdom of God 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:57.120 or the things of this world. 00:23:57.700 --> 00:24:00.280 Whether you're the age of God or the age of this world. 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:01.120 You see, 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:02.040 in the Old Testament, 00:24:02.280 --> 00:24:05.180 the Bible described this world as like a long, 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:06.360 dark night. 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:08.619 And when the Messiah would come, 00:24:08.699 --> 00:24:12.039 it was like the sun was going to rise on the darkness of this world. 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:13.399 Remember Malachi 4? 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:16.439 The sun will come and bring healing on its wings. 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:18.759 And Jesus talks about himself like this. 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:21.079 He says that this world is darkness, 00:24:21.199 --> 00:24:22.579 and the light has come to the world, 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:24.240 and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:24:24.719 --> 00:24:27.899 Jesus says that he has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness 00:24:27.899 --> 00:24:30.479 into the kingdom of his glorious light. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:33.339 Jesus says that he is the light of the world. 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:36.940 And so whether we are ready for Christ's coming or not, 00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:39.460 depends on which kingdom are we a part of? 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.019 Which age are we a part of? 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:42.960 Are you part of the age of this world? 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.860 Are you living for the things of this world? 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:46.140 Is this where your hope, 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:46.700 your identity, 00:24:46.819 --> 00:24:47.720 your security is, 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:48.299 your status? 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:50.860 Or are you part of the kingdom of the sun? 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:52.420 The kingdom of the light? 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:54.920 Paul writes here and he says to the Christians, 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:58.079 you are not in darkness for that day to surprise you. 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:00.079 You are children of the light, 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:01.619 children of the day. 00:25:02.699 --> 00:25:03.199 So friends, 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:03.879 what about you? 00:25:04.699 --> 00:25:05.740 Where do you stand? 00:25:06.379 --> 00:25:07.879 You can't have a foot in either world. 00:25:08.399 --> 00:25:11.419 You're either of the night or of the day. 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:13.679 You're either of the kingdom of this world 00:25:13.679 --> 00:25:14.899 or the kingdom of the sun. 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:17.819 Are you awake to Christ and his grace 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:19.460 or are you dead to his reign? 00:25:20.199 --> 00:25:21.579 That's the essential question. 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:23.519 And so what does this mean for us? 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:24.279 Well, 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:25.939 look for those of us that are in Christ. 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:28.279 It means we get to live now, 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:30.420 ready and expectant, 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:32.100 attentive and purposeful 00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:34.299 as we wait Christ's return. 00:25:34.620 --> 00:25:37.039 Look at verse six to eight of chapter five. 00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:38.420 He says this, 00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:42.400 so then let us not sleep as others do, 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:44.860 but let us keep awake and be sober minded. 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:46.539 For those who sleep, 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:47.460 sleep at night, 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:48.799 those who get drunk, 00:25:48.860 --> 00:25:49.620 get drunk at night. 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:52.640 But since we belong to the day or the light, 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:53.779 let us be sober, 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:56.879 having put on the breastplate of faith and love 00:25:56.879 --> 00:25:57.700 and for a helmet, 00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:59.460 the hope of salvation. 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:01.299 What's Paul's point here? 00:26:01.899 --> 00:26:04.740 Paul's point is he's not against people having fun 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:06.619 or having a party or enjoying themselves. 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:10.139 He's against the seduction of indulgence 00:26:10.139 --> 00:26:11.680 and extravagance 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.399 rather than being alert, 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:15.079 focused and disciplined. 00:26:15.899 --> 00:26:17.279 And so Paul here uses the language 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.559 of military uniform, 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:18.920 right? 00:26:19.379 --> 00:26:19.700 He says, 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:21.240 let us be sober minded, 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:23.620 having put on the breastplate of faith and love 00:26:23.620 --> 00:26:24.680 and for a helmet, 00:26:24.859 --> 00:26:26.019 the hope of salvation. 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:27.519 These are the kinds of things 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:29.799 that a Roman soldier would wear 00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:31.680 as they are guarding Caesar's palace 00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:33.279 or they're standing in the watchtower 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:34.200 that have a helmet, 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:35.019 that have breastplate, 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:36.440 keeping themselves safe. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:38.519 They are defensive armor, 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:40.559 military wear as they stand on watch. 00:26:41.140 --> 00:26:42.380 But what does the watchman do? 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:43.759 A watchman's got to be alert, 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:44.420 attentive, 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:44.960 awake. 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:47.039 If a watchman is drunk in the tower, 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:48.299 that's not a great watchman. 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:49.639 If he's fast asleep, 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:51.460 the enemy's going to take him out 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.599 and take out Caesar. 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:54.460 A watchman's got to be alert, 00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:55.220 awake, 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:55.859 attentive, 00:26:56.419 --> 00:26:56.960 purposeful, 00:26:57.579 --> 00:26:59.240 watching to see what's going on. 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:00.599 And Paul here says, 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:01.000 therefore, 00:27:01.139 --> 00:27:02.500 that's how we should live. 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.099 Watchful and attentive, 00:27:04.339 --> 00:27:04.799 purposeful, 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:06.419 knowing that we don't have much time. 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:07.460 Christ is coming. 00:27:07.879 --> 00:27:09.059 Soon we will meet our maker. 00:27:09.419 --> 00:27:10.599 So let's live with purpose 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:11.279 and conviction 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:12.299 and intentionality. 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:14.960 Does anybody remember 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:17.759 what happened at 7.55 a.m. 00:27:18.340 --> 00:27:19.740 on the 7th of December, 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:20.720 1941? 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:23.100 Anyone was there? 00:27:24.340 --> 00:27:25.140 Pearl Harbor, right? 00:27:25.860 --> 00:27:26.400 Pearl Harbor. 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:27.240 Anyone seen the movie 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:27.940 of Pearl Harbor? 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:29.180 I can't remember. 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:29.940 It was Ben Affleck 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:30.720 and someone else. 00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:31.920 They're kind of in their 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:33.200 Hawaii t-shirts, 00:27:33.660 --> 00:27:34.700 lying on the beach, 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:36.279 kicking it up. 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:37.180 Just, you know, 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:38.160 what better place 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.120 to be posted in the military 00:27:39.120 --> 00:27:39.880 than Hawaii? 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:41.299 And suddenly, 00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:42.680 the Japanese bombers came 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:44.480 and took them by surprise. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:45.880 And everyone starts scrambling 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:47.360 and trying to get the aircraft 00:27:47.360 --> 00:27:47.880 in the air 00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:49.000 and dive for bunkers 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.259 caught unaware. 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:51.539 Paul says, 00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:52.299 don't live like that. 00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:52.900 No, no, no, no. 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:53.980 Be alert. 00:27:54.440 --> 00:27:55.000 Be attentive. 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:56.460 Be purposeful. 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:57.640 Live with conviction. 00:27:58.319 --> 00:27:58.980 Know who it is 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:00.220 that Christ has called us to. 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:02.160 John Piper puts it like this. 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:05.160 There is a war going on. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:07.200 All talk of a Christian's right 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:08.599 to live luxuriously 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:09.960 as a child of the king 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.279 in this atmosphere 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:12.059 sounds hollow, 00:28:12.059 --> 00:28:13.960 especially since the king himself 00:28:13.960 --> 00:28:15.299 is strapped up for battle. 00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:17.079 Almost nobody lives 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:18.159 as if life is war. 00:28:18.619 --> 00:28:19.700 Almost all of us live 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:20.659 as if it's peacetime. 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:21.859 In peacetime, 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:23.039 life goes on. 00:28:23.679 --> 00:28:24.299 You're concerned 00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:25.319 about your own comforts 00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:26.159 and your own securities. 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:27.559 In wartime, 00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:29.019 everything changes. 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:30.240 Friends, 00:28:30.700 --> 00:28:31.700 if you're a follower of Jesus, 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:33.259 you're living in wartime. 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:34.259 There's a battle. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:35.759 And Christ is going to come 00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:36.399 victoriously. 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.519 He's going to destroy the enemy. 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:39.160 But don't be sleeping 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:39.940 in the watchtower. 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:41.460 Don't be inebriated 00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:44.139 just by the seduced 00:28:44.139 --> 00:28:44.759 and drunk 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:46.319 on the luxuries of life. 00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:47.599 Let's be aware. 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.079 So how should we live? 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:50.420 Well, this passage 00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:51.879 calls us to live attentively. 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:52.539 Look at what he says. 00:28:52.879 --> 00:28:54.059 With faith, hope, and love. 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:54.700 Did you see that? 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:55.559 Verse 8. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:56.700 Let us be sober 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:57.940 having put on the breastplate 00:28:57.940 --> 00:29:00.139 of faith and love 00:29:00.139 --> 00:29:01.200 and for a helmet 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:02.759 the hope of salvation. 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:03.940 Faith, hope, and love. 00:29:04.019 --> 00:29:04.960 The three things we found 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:05.720 in chapter 1. 00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:06.759 When Paul says, 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:08.220 as you hold on to Jesus, 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:09.440 this is what the gospel 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:10.559 is going to produce in you. 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:11.920 A life of faith 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:13.500 and hope and love. 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:14.680 Friends, as Christians, 00:29:14.819 --> 00:29:15.819 we get to be vigilant 00:29:15.819 --> 00:29:16.720 and sober-minded 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.879 rather than lazy 00:29:17.879 --> 00:29:18.619 and apathetic. 00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:20.180 It means living with purpose 00:29:20.180 --> 00:29:21.259 and intentionality 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:22.619 rather than indulgence 00:29:22.619 --> 00:29:23.559 and extravagance. 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:25.180 It means being attentive 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:25.960 and purposeful 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:27.079 for the things of Jesus 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:28.299 rather than living 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:29.640 for the things of this world. 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:31.180 Because Christians know 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:32.379 this world is not our home. 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:34.259 We are temporary residents here. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:35.299 And soon, 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:36.400 very soon, 00:29:36.920 --> 00:29:38.540 Jesus is coming back again. 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:39.440 So, 00:29:39.580 --> 00:29:41.120 how should we live this week? 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:42.280 What should we do differently? 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:42.600 Well, 00:29:42.700 --> 00:29:43.860 three very quick things. 00:29:44.340 --> 00:29:44.660 Firstly, 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:46.259 if you're here this morning 00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:48.200 and you're not a follower of Jesus, 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.040 you're not yet a Christian. 00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:51.000 Friends, 00:29:51.040 --> 00:29:51.700 you see what the Bible 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:52.340 is saying here? 00:29:53.080 --> 00:29:53.860 At the heart 00:29:53.860 --> 00:29:54.900 of the Christian faith 00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:55.600 is the message 00:29:55.600 --> 00:29:57.080 that Jesus of Nazareth 00:29:57.080 --> 00:29:57.860 died 00:29:57.860 --> 00:29:59.340 and rose again. 00:29:59.860 --> 00:30:00.560 And the apostles 00:30:00.560 --> 00:30:01.280 and the disciples, 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:02.200 the people that wrote 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:02.720 the scriptures, 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:03.600 they saw him 00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:04.379 with their own eyes. 00:30:04.379 --> 00:30:05.939 They felt his hands 00:30:05.939 --> 00:30:07.039 with their own hands. 00:30:07.539 --> 00:30:08.480 They witnessed it. 00:30:09.139 --> 00:30:09.980 Jesus died 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:10.819 and rose again. 00:30:10.919 --> 00:30:12.059 And that same Jesus 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:13.619 is the divine son of God. 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:15.959 And he is coming again 00:30:15.959 --> 00:30:16.859 in power 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:18.059 and glory. 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:19.939 At his first coming, 00:30:20.439 --> 00:30:20.980 Jesus came 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:21.500 in vulnerability 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:22.259 and weakness. 00:30:22.699 --> 00:30:23.679 He's born in a manger. 00:30:24.059 --> 00:30:25.240 He's an unread teenage mom. 00:30:25.699 --> 00:30:27.240 The backwaters of Israel somewhere. 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:28.439 In humility 00:30:28.439 --> 00:30:29.099 and weakness. 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:30.339 At his second coming, 00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:31.779 he will come with power 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:33.039 and authority 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:34.419 and glory. 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:36.019 Friends, 00:30:36.099 --> 00:30:37.019 don't remain as you are. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.159 Don't remain in the dark. 00:30:40.199 --> 00:30:41.379 Don't remain oblivious 00:30:41.379 --> 00:30:42.359 to who Christ is 00:30:42.359 --> 00:30:43.319 and what he's calling you to. 00:30:44.179 --> 00:30:45.740 Jesus Christ this morning, 00:30:45.879 --> 00:30:47.219 the risen living God 00:30:47.219 --> 00:30:48.599 is looking you in the eye 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:49.119 and saying, 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:49.799 come, 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:51.480 let me help you move 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:52.619 from the kingdom of darkness 00:30:52.619 --> 00:30:53.619 into the light. 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:55.519 Let me show you who I am. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:57.579 Come and discover my grace. 00:30:58.339 --> 00:30:58.519 Friends, 00:30:58.519 --> 00:30:59.240 all you need to do 00:30:59.240 --> 00:30:59.759 is come to him 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:00.019 and say, 00:31:00.139 --> 00:31:00.420 Jesus, 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:01.500 forgive me of my sin. 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:02.400 I need you. 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:03.240 I don't even know 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:04.099 what that means exactly, 00:31:04.259 --> 00:31:05.440 but I want to follow you. 00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:06.279 Friends, 00:31:06.339 --> 00:31:07.200 don't leave this place 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:07.960 without doing that. 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:09.319 Come and know 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:10.359 the living Lord Jesus. 00:31:11.160 --> 00:31:12.119 He wants to save you 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:12.720 and forgive you. 00:31:13.259 --> 00:31:14.220 If you're not a Christian, 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:14.920 do that today. 00:31:15.379 --> 00:31:16.039 For those of us 00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:16.599 who are Christians, 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:17.700 what might this look like 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:19.039 to live with intentionality 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:19.559 and purpose? 00:31:20.180 --> 00:31:21.099 What might it look like 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:21.839 for your goals, 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:22.940 your dreams, 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:24.680 your ambitions in life? 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:25.440 Friends, 00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:26.680 what are your goals 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:27.200 and dreams? 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.580 Is it to be successful, 00:31:29.080 --> 00:31:30.059 to be famous, 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:31.100 to be wealthy 00:31:31.100 --> 00:31:32.160 by Hong Kong standards? 00:31:32.840 --> 00:31:33.460 Why don't you aim 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:34.500 a little higher for that? 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:35.779 Christ, 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:36.700 the living God, 00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:38.019 has given you his spirit 00:31:38.019 --> 00:31:39.460 to make a difference 00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:40.100 in this world, 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:41.519 to live for him. 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:43.279 How would Jesus Christ 00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:44.039 want you to steward 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:44.640 your gifts, 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:45.340 your talents, 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:46.039 your resources 00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:46.759 for his glory? 00:31:47.420 --> 00:31:48.259 What might it mean 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:48.660 for the way 00:31:48.660 --> 00:31:49.860 that you raise your kids? 00:31:50.600 --> 00:31:51.600 Are we raising our kids 00:31:51.600 --> 00:31:52.140 to be champions 00:31:52.140 --> 00:31:52.900 of the darkness, 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:54.460 champions of the night, 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:55.980 A-grade students 00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:56.480 who are ignorant 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:57.640 of Jesus and his coming? 00:31:58.380 --> 00:31:59.079 The headmaster 00:31:59.079 --> 00:32:00.420 of the school 00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:01.640 that we send our kids to, 00:32:02.100 --> 00:32:03.279 at one parent's day, 00:32:03.340 --> 00:32:03.819 he once said, 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:05.279 we are raising your kids 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:06.600 and preparing them to die, 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:07.799 which is not something 00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:08.600 that most headmasters 00:32:08.600 --> 00:32:09.640 tell parents, right? 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:10.940 Your little Johnny, 00:32:11.059 --> 00:32:11.559 we're preparing 00:32:11.559 --> 00:32:12.440 to help him die. 00:32:13.100 --> 00:32:13.660 But actually, 00:32:13.779 --> 00:32:14.759 he's absolutely right. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:16.039 And what he meant 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:16.579 by that is, 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:17.840 we want to help your kids 00:32:17.840 --> 00:32:19.019 to know Jesus 00:32:19.019 --> 00:32:20.180 so that one day 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:21.259 they will not meet him 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:21.840 face to face 00:32:21.840 --> 00:32:22.559 and not know him. 00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:23.519 Friends, 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:24.119 what might it mean 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:24.819 for our parenting? 00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:26.700 Are we helping our kids 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:27.839 to love the light, 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:29.299 to love the truth, 00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:31.419 to anticipate Jesus' return? 00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:32.319 Friends, 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:32.960 what might it mean 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:33.319 for the way 00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:34.679 that we steward our finances? 00:32:35.399 --> 00:32:35.940 Are we living 00:32:35.940 --> 00:32:37.039 in excess indulgence, 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:38.119 spending money 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:39.099 only on ourselves 00:32:39.099 --> 00:32:40.339 as if this life 00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:41.019 is all there is? 00:32:41.639 --> 00:32:42.639 Or are we using this 00:32:42.639 --> 00:32:43.679 to glorify God 00:32:43.679 --> 00:32:44.659 and encourage one another? 00:32:45.139 --> 00:32:45.599 And then here's 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:46.139 the last thing. 00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:47.919 Look at the last two verses 00:32:47.919 --> 00:32:48.779 of our sections. 00:32:49.339 --> 00:32:50.259 Four verse 18. 00:32:50.819 --> 00:32:51.119 Therefore, 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:52.500 encourage one another 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:53.460 with these words. 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:55.019 Look at five verse 11. 00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:55.740 Therefore, 00:32:55.940 --> 00:32:57.099 encourage one another 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:58.740 and build one another up 00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:00.099 just as you are doing. 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:00.839 Friends, 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:01.619 what might this mean 00:33:01.619 --> 00:33:02.640 if you're a follower of Jesus? 00:33:03.099 --> 00:33:04.220 How can you encourage 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:04.779 one another, 00:33:05.460 --> 00:33:06.539 build one another up, 00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:07.779 point each other 00:33:07.779 --> 00:33:08.900 to the risen Christ 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:10.339 and help us to live 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:11.420 with purpose 00:33:11.420 --> 00:33:12.539 and conviction? 00:33:13.579 --> 00:33:14.779 What should we do with this? 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:16.019 Those of us 00:33:16.019 --> 00:33:16.880 who know the Lord Jesus, 00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:17.779 we get to live 00:33:17.779 --> 00:33:18.319 encouraging, 00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:19.480 strengthening each other, 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:20.519 urging each other 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:21.359 to hold to Jesus, 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:22.859 to not give up the fight, 00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:24.359 to live purposeful, 00:33:24.539 --> 00:33:25.039 attentive, 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:26.439 intentional lives 00:33:26.439 --> 00:33:28.319 as we wait with hope, 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:29.919 live by faith, 00:33:30.479 --> 00:33:31.779 serve others in love 00:33:31.779 --> 00:33:33.279 in the name of Christ, 00:33:33.659 --> 00:33:34.399 our risen 00:33:34.399 --> 00:33:35.799 and returning King. 00:33:36.139 --> 00:33:36.959 Let's pray together 00:33:36.959 --> 00:33:37.899 as we come to Him now. 00:33:39.399 --> 00:33:40.219 Lord Jesus, 00:33:40.559 --> 00:33:41.859 thank you for reminding us 00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:42.500 in your word 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:43.979 that you are not just 00:33:43.979 --> 00:33:45.000 a relic of history, 00:33:45.159 --> 00:33:46.159 not just a good man 00:33:46.159 --> 00:33:47.399 who died many years ago. 00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:48.319 God, 00:33:48.379 --> 00:33:48.839 thank you that 00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:49.959 the hope of Christianity 00:33:49.959 --> 00:33:51.419 is not like the letter 00:33:51.419 --> 00:33:52.639 that that Egyptian lady, 00:33:52.740 --> 00:33:53.079 Irene, 00:33:53.159 --> 00:33:54.259 wrote to her friends. 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:55.619 Beyond this, 00:33:55.679 --> 00:33:56.799 we have nothing to offer you. 00:33:57.199 --> 00:33:57.959 Comfort yourselves. 00:33:58.279 --> 00:33:58.679 Farewell. 00:33:59.279 --> 00:33:59.740 No, friends. 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:00.599 No, Lord Jesus, 00:34:00.779 --> 00:34:02.000 you give us the gospel. 00:34:02.139 --> 00:34:02.980 You give us the hope. 00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:03.919 You remind us 00:34:03.919 --> 00:34:04.959 that you are coming again 00:34:04.959 --> 00:34:06.279 and you will take us with you 00:34:06.279 --> 00:34:07.619 and we will be with you 00:34:07.619 --> 00:34:09.019 forever and ever. 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:10.039 I pray, God, 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.000 help us as a church 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.519 to live in light of that, 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:13.759 to face death 00:34:13.759 --> 00:34:14.679 in view of your coming 00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:16.139 and to live life 00:34:16.139 --> 00:34:17.019 in view of your coming 00:34:17.019 --> 00:34:17.419 as well 00:34:17.419 --> 00:34:18.480 with purpose, 00:34:19.019 --> 00:34:19.460 conviction, 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:20.500 and hope. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:21.659 In your great name, 00:34:21.719 --> 00:34:22.079 I pray. 00:34:22.779 --> 00:34:23.119 Amen. 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:23.919 Amen. 00:34:23.919 --> 00:34:24.039 Amen. 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:24.079 Amen. 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.079