WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.839 Good morning again. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:08.300 My name is Matthew Capone, 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:11.380 and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:14.720 and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:15.200 --> 00:00:18.359 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. 00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:19.320 We're glad that you're here. 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:21.780 I'll remind you what I mentioned at the beginning, 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:24.199 which is that we'd love to be able to connect with you, 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:29.460 and the way that you can do that is by going to our website at cmpca.net. 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:31.940 There will be a pop-up as soon as you go to it 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:34.539 that gives you a link to our Connect card, 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.160 or if you're already on our website, 00:00:36.620 --> 00:00:40.899 under the New Here tab, you can click the link that says Connect, 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:43.859 and that'll give us a chance to have a record of your time with us 00:00:43.859 --> 00:00:46.500 and to be able to begin to build a relationship. 00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:50.179 With that, we're going to jump into God's word. 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:53.380 We're at the portion of our service where we study the Bible together, 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:56.400 and we study the Bible together because we're convinced 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.679 that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:01.839 and no one so bad that they can't have it, 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:06.739 which means that God has something to say to everyone in his word, 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:09.680 and he promises us that his word is powerful. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.400 It does what he intends for it to accomplish, 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.439 and so we come to it knowing that he offers to speak to us. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.480 We are again in the book of 1 Corinthians at chapter 15, 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:25.600 like we were last week, and as we come to this section, 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:26.960 we're starting at verse 50. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:30.320 I am reminded of when I grew up. 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:34.100 Now, many of you know that I grew up on the East Coast, 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:35.980 right outside Washington, D.C., 00:01:35.980 --> 00:01:38.560 and one of the things that happened many times 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:39.740 when we were growing up there 00:01:39.740 --> 00:01:41.719 is that my mom would drive us into the city, 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.840 and she would take us to the National Gallery of Art. 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:46.620 My mom was a real lover of art history, 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:48.020 is a real lover of art history, 00:01:48.019 --> 00:01:52.099 and so she wanted to pass that on to us as well, 00:01:52.219 --> 00:01:54.599 and it was wonderful for us to have access to that. 00:01:54.699 --> 00:01:57.819 The museum was free, as many are in D.C., 00:01:57.819 --> 00:02:00.799 and so we spent many days and many hours there, 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:03.500 and I remember one time when we were there 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:05.199 coming across a painting, 00:02:05.979 --> 00:02:08.060 and all that the painting had was a skull. 00:02:09.079 --> 00:02:12.620 If I remember correctly, it was a skull that was on a table, 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:15.919 and you might find that strange, right? 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:17.240 Why is there just a painting of a skull? 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:20.680 But it's actually part of a broader genre within art history, 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:22.920 and it's a genre known as the memento mori, 00:02:23.760 --> 00:02:25.800 a reminder of death. 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:29.120 And I bring this up not to be morbid, 00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:31.879 but because it was a theme that people would focus 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:33.260 from time to time on things 00:02:33.260 --> 00:02:35.120 that would remind them of their mortality. 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:36.379 It wasn't always a skull. 00:02:36.980 --> 00:02:39.800 Sometimes it might be a clock or an hourglass. 00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:43.219 But it was a way of remembering, 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:45.919 no matter what's happening in this world, 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:48.020 death is the great equalizer. 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:51.500 It's something that comes for all of us. 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:54.219 And it's something that we're reminded of, 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:55.900 not just by pieces of art, 00:02:56.340 --> 00:02:59.500 but also by small tragedies, everyday tragedies. 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:03.379 We're reminded of it as our bodies begin to fail. 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:09.300 We're reminded of it as other people around us experience death. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.439 We are reminded of it when we feel our own weakness. 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:19.180 Of course, it's not something that just small crisis reminds us of, 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:21.539 but that big things remind us of. 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.780 The situation that we're in in this world right now with a pandemic 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:30.379 is a reminder to us of what's always been true, 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.060 which is that we're fragile and mortal. 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:39.020 No matter how successful we are now or were in the past, 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:43.000 death is as real as it's ever been. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:48.620 And in fact, that's the backdrop that Easter comes against. 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.379 It's what makes our celebration of the resurrection a celebration. 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:55.039 It's that knowledge of death. 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:56.460 It's that reminder of it. 00:03:57.139 --> 00:04:00.219 And so that's going to be our simple focus this morning. 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:03.699 What is our hope in the face of death? 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:08.000 What's our hope in the face of death? 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:11.300 Of course, that's a question we should always be asking 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:13.160 and be aware of, 00:04:13.380 --> 00:04:17.079 but it's something that for many of us is even more pressing at a time like this 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.660 where we're watching many people die 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:23.360 and we're reminded of the frailty of our own bodies. 00:04:24.080 --> 00:04:26.000 I had a friend remind me recently 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:30.480 that we read the Bible differently when we need it to be true. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:33.460 Of course, we always need it to be true, 00:04:33.640 --> 00:04:37.040 but it's times like this that underscore that for us, 00:04:37.580 --> 00:04:40.220 that bring it to the forefront of our minds, 00:04:40.280 --> 00:04:45.439 that we realize more now than at other times our need for comfort and hope. 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:49.900 And so that's why we're going to turn now to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 00:04:49.960 --> 00:04:51.700 and we're going to be starting at verse 50. 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:54.899 I invite you to read along with me, perhaps on your phone. 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:59.279 You may be able to easily open this passage up on your computer browser. 00:04:59.979 --> 00:05:03.000 However you open it up, remember that this is God's word. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.399 And God tells us that his word is a lamp to our feet 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:09.139 and a light to our path. 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:14.159 In other words, he has not left us alone to stumble in the dark, 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.759 but instead he's given us his word to show us the way to go. 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:22.399 And so that's why we read it now, starting at verse 50. 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:25.099 I tell you this, brothers, 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:28.879 flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:32.539 nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:35.240 Behold, I tell you a mystery. 00:05:36.099 --> 00:05:39.439 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:40.980 Verse 52. 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:46.439 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:51.319 for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:53.000 and we shall be changed. 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:56.980 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:00.420 and this mortal body must put on immortality. 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.579 When the perishable puts on the imperishable 00:06:03.579 --> 00:06:05.579 and the mortal puts on immortality, 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:08.500 then shall come to pass the saying that is written, 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:11.360 death is swallowed up in victory. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.720 O death, where is your victory? 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:17.819 O death, where is your sting? 00:06:18.900 --> 00:06:23.600 The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:27.300 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory 00:06:27.300 --> 00:06:29.319 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:31.199 Verse 58. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.560 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:38.120 always abounding in the work of the Lord, 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:42.360 knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:48.280 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:55.780 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.300 That's both a challenge and a comfort to us. 00:06:59.300 --> 00:07:04.360 We praise you that you haven't left us alone, 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:06.759 like orphans, 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:09.180 but that you've spoken to us. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:12.480 And you've spoken to us in words that we can understand. 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:14.900 And so we ask that you would do that this morning, 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:16.360 that you would send your Holy Spirit 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:17.920 to open our eyes, 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:20.259 to unstop our ears, 00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:23.139 to clear our minds and to soften our hearts, 00:07:23.400 --> 00:07:26.699 that we would be able to see and hear 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:28.620 and understand and believe 00:07:28.620 --> 00:07:32.339 everything that's written about you in your word. 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:34.519 We ask these things, 00:07:34.599 --> 00:07:36.860 not because we have earned them or deserve them, 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:38.279 but because we belong to Jesus. 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.300 And so we ask these things in his mighty name. 00:07:42.039 --> 00:07:42.279 Amen. 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:47.180 Paul begins at the beginning of this section 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:49.939 by reviewing simply what we saw last week. 00:07:50.039 --> 00:07:51.180 In verse 50, he tells us, 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:59.180 Now, you'll remember from our discussion last week, 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:00.740 we talked about the new body 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.340 and the fact that the new body is going to be connected 00:08:03.340 --> 00:08:04.759 to our current bodies, 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:06.519 but it's going to be different. 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:08.319 It's going to have a different quality to it. 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:11.960 While our old bodies are subject to decay and death, 00:08:12.019 --> 00:08:13.340 our new bodies will not be. 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:15.800 Now, you might be confused by this phrase 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:16.879 about flesh and blood. 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:20.160 It might sound like Paul is telling us here 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:22.540 that we won't have physical bodies 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:24.439 in the world that's going to come. 00:08:24.880 --> 00:08:25.960 Of course, we spent a lot of time 00:08:25.960 --> 00:08:27.360 talking about that last week. 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:28.620 That's not what he means. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:31.100 What he means here is what he called the difference, 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:32.540 I believe it was in verse 44, 00:08:33.040 --> 00:08:35.420 between the natural body and the spiritual body. 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.019 And he actually clarifies it here for us in this verse, 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:38.660 verse 50. 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:41.759 Flesh and blood, perishable, imperishable. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.580 In other words, flesh and blood refers 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:45.019 to the perishable body. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.100 It's the body, the natural body that we have now 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:49.639 that's subject to sin and decay. 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.319 The spiritual body is the body that we look forward to. 00:08:54.959 --> 00:08:57.379 It's the body that's powered by the Holy Spirit 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:01.279 and does not experience sin and decay. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:04.839 And so it's just a reminder, as he tells us here, 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.839 the kingdom of God is coming. 00:09:08.439 --> 00:09:10.399 The imperishable are coming. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.279 That's what he's telling us in verse 50. 00:09:14.079 --> 00:09:16.019 And so what's happening with our bodies 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:17.639 is what we prayed already this morning 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:18.340 in the Lord's Prayer, 00:09:18.439 --> 00:09:20.779 that it would be on earth as it is in heaven. 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.199 It's with that reminder that Paul jumps in 00:09:24.199 --> 00:09:26.699 and tells us what this is going to look like. 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.319 In verse 51, he tells us it's going to be a mystery. 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:33.059 And he outlines what that mystery is going to entail. 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:35.460 First of all, it's going to be instantaneous 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:38.240 and it's going to happen to everyone. 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:39.580 So we shall not all sleep. 00:09:39.580 --> 00:09:41.299 Verse 51 is referring to the fact 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:44.519 that some people will still be alive when Jesus returns. 00:09:45.479 --> 00:09:46.559 Some people will not. 00:09:47.859 --> 00:09:50.859 Everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ 00:09:50.859 --> 00:09:52.719 will receive this new body. 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:53.719 We shall not all sleep. 00:09:54.219 --> 00:09:55.659 In other words, some of us will be alive, 00:09:55.859 --> 00:09:57.519 but we shall all be changed. 00:09:57.599 --> 00:09:59.120 There will be this change in our bodies 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:00.419 that we discussed last week 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:02.639 that was like the difference between the seed 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:04.740 and the fully grown grain. 00:10:06.219 --> 00:10:08.859 Not only will there be a change as part of this mystery, 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:11.180 but it will happen instantly. 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:13.560 Verse 52, in a moment, 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.259 in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:18.899 Now you might be wondering 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:20.360 why there's a reference to a trumpet. 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:23.300 This is a image throughout the Old Testament 00:10:23.300 --> 00:10:26.820 and the New Testament that accompanies Jesus' return. 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:28.100 In the Old Testament, 00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:31.560 the trumpet accompanied what was called the day of the Lord. 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:33.620 And Israel in the Old Testament 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:34.860 understood the day of the Lord 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:37.440 to be a reference to the time when God would come. 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:38.840 He would bring judgment 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:40.380 and He would make everything right. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.980 This is refined for us or clarified for us 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:46.080 in the New Testament in Matthew chapter 24. 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:48.520 We're told that when Jesus returns, 00:10:48.800 --> 00:10:50.540 there will be a trumpet sound. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.160 And so this sound of the trumpet 00:10:53.160 --> 00:10:54.900 is simply a reminder to His readers 00:10:54.900 --> 00:10:56.680 of what they most likely already know, 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:59.340 that He's referring to Jesus' return. 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:03.580 And that return is going to happen immediately. 00:11:03.760 --> 00:11:05.680 It's going to happen like the twinkling of an eye. 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:07.519 It's going to be in an instant. 00:11:08.859 --> 00:11:11.139 Now Paul is writing this to Christians 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:13.819 and so he means this here as an encouragement to them. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:18.739 But of course, there's also a warning implicit in it. 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:21.179 When Jesus comes, 00:11:21.359 --> 00:11:23.000 as we're told throughout the New Testament, 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:26.459 there will not be a telegraph about it. 00:11:27.459 --> 00:11:29.319 We won't know that it's coming. 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:33.620 It will happen instantaneously around the world at one moment. 00:11:34.180 --> 00:11:35.140 There won't be a warning 00:11:35.140 --> 00:11:36.860 outside of the warnings 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:39.440 that God's already given us in His scriptures. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:41.840 And so I want you to think about it like this. 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:43.480 We're in a current crisis, right? 00:11:44.780 --> 00:11:48.980 Had we known exactly what was going to happen right now, 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:51.260 we would have done things differently. 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:53.779 If we could have seen the future, 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:56.100 if we could have seen March of 2020 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:58.939 in say November of 2019, 00:11:58.939 --> 00:12:01.159 we would have prepared in a different way. 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:03.740 Perhaps there's certain things we would have purchased. 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.679 Maybe some of us would have purchased masks 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:06.539 that we didn't have. 00:12:07.319 --> 00:12:09.659 Maybe some of us would have purchased more toilet paper. 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:12.299 Maybe some of us would have saved more money. 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:13.980 There's all sorts of things that we would do 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:15.419 if we had known. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:17.919 We had some warning, right? 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.539 But we didn't have tons and tons of warning. 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:23.579 What I want to highlight in all of that though 00:12:23.579 --> 00:12:24.620 is that had we known, 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:26.659 we would have prepared in a different way. 00:12:28.839 --> 00:12:32.679 Jesus' return will be like that even more so. 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:36.919 Jesus is not going to return to one part of the world 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:38.439 and then the rest of the world 00:12:38.439 --> 00:12:40.279 have a chance to watch it happen and prepare. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:42.860 It will happen in such a way 00:12:42.860 --> 00:12:44.839 that there will be no preparation. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:46.939 At that moment, 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:48.080 in the twinkling of the eye, 00:12:48.160 --> 00:12:48.980 the sound of the trumpet, 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:50.940 there will be those who have faith in Jesus Christ 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:51.940 and those who do not. 00:12:53.040 --> 00:12:54.040 And at that moment, 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:55.520 it will be too late. 00:12:57.200 --> 00:12:59.060 And so this passage reminds us 00:12:59.060 --> 00:13:00.140 that all of us 00:13:00.140 --> 00:13:03.720 need to be prepared for Christ's return. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:06.600 Jesus walked on this earth 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:08.540 in his first coming as a man. 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:10.360 He ascended into heaven 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:13.320 and he told us that he was going to come back 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:14.240 with his second coming. 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:15.759 And when he comes back, 00:13:16.060 --> 00:13:18.519 that's when he's going to make all things right. 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:20.320 That's when he's going to restore and renew 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.180 the bodies of those who are believers. 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:24.419 And that's when he's going to bring full 00:13:24.419 --> 00:13:26.580 and final judgment on the earth. 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:29.139 And so as we're asking this question 00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:30.379 about what our hope is, 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:31.519 as we face death, 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:34.220 our hope is that we will be 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:36.440 those who belong to Jesus Christ 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:37.200 when he returns. 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:39.940 And so we need to be prepared, 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:40.920 all of us, 00:13:41.300 --> 00:13:42.300 for Jesus' return. 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:45.200 And the way that we are prepared for it 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:46.200 is very simple. 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:48.940 It's what the Bible refers to as faith. 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:50.940 Faith has three parts to it. 00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:52.080 The first part, 00:13:52.420 --> 00:13:54.700 this is according to a man named Charles Spurgeon, 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:56.140 is knowledge. 00:13:56.900 --> 00:13:58.940 It's knowledge of the facts about the gospel. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:01.580 The fact that we are sinners 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:04.379 and we deserve God's punishment and judgment. 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:07.080 But also the fact that Jesus came, 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:08.439 he lived life in this world, 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:09.899 he lived a perfect life, 00:14:10.419 --> 00:14:11.840 the life that we should have lived. 00:14:12.439 --> 00:14:13.960 And then he died a death, 00:14:14.059 --> 00:14:16.000 the death that we should have died for our sins, 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:19.360 taking God's punishment and wrath onto himself. 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:22.240 And he offers life through that 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.100 to anyone who has faith in him. 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:26.019 And so it's knowledge, 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:27.480 but faith is also a belief. 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:29.799 It's actually believing that those things are true, 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:31.019 believing that we are sinners 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:32.559 and we have no hope 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:35.239 outside of God's mercy and Jesus' sacrifice. 00:14:36.479 --> 00:14:38.259 It's even more than that belief though, 00:14:38.339 --> 00:14:39.419 it's action, 00:14:40.099 --> 00:14:40.859 it's trust. 00:14:41.819 --> 00:14:44.639 It's living our lives as if those things are true, 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:46.119 revealing through our actions 00:14:46.119 --> 00:14:47.359 that that's what we believe. 00:14:49.699 --> 00:14:50.779 Brothers and sisters, 00:14:51.839 --> 00:14:52.959 Jesus is coming back. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:55.860 And when he comes back, 00:14:55.920 --> 00:14:57.980 it will be like the twinkling of an eye. 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:01.259 It will happen instantaneously. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.740 There will not be a warning. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:06.620 And so the warning is now, 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:08.379 the call to faith and repentance 00:15:08.379 --> 00:15:11.100 is both important and urgent. 00:15:12.560 --> 00:15:15.460 Just as most of us did not see this crisis coming, 00:15:15.560 --> 00:15:17.960 we didn't know when its timing would occur. 00:15:18.040 --> 00:15:19.259 We didn't know it was going to happen. 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:23.019 We don't know the timing of Jesus' return. 00:15:23.439 --> 00:15:25.159 However, unlike this crisis, 00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:27.759 we know that it's going to happen. 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:32.080 And so Jesus' call to repentance is urgent. 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:36.620 And so if you do not have faith in Jesus Christ, 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:39.200 I encourage you now, 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:42.480 I urge you to repent and believe on him, 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:45.480 knowing that when he returns, 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:46.779 it will be too late. 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:48.720 He is the one who gives us hope. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.279 And he's our only hope in the face of death. 00:15:55.079 --> 00:15:56.860 That's what we learn here from knowing 00:15:56.860 --> 00:15:58.799 that it's going to happen in a moment 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:00.720 in the twinkling of an eye. 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:04.240 Paul then goes on to outline 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.419 what will happen at that return. 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:09.579 He says these words over and over. 00:16:09.699 --> 00:16:12.199 We see perishable, imperishable, verse 53. 00:16:12.699 --> 00:16:14.779 Perishable, imperishable, verse 54. 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:17.699 Or mortal, immortality, verse 53. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.100 Mortal, immortality, verse 54. 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:21.559 Paul's making a point. 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:24.980 He's repeating these things over and over 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:26.919 to hammer home what it is 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:27.980 that we're looking forward to. 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:29.620 We're looking forward to God's restoration 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:31.339 and his renewal. 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:34.579 We face death now. 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:37.799 If we're in Christ, we won't face it forever. 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:40.599 We experience death now. 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:43.159 We will not experience it forever. 00:16:43.319 --> 00:16:45.699 Our hope in the face of death 00:16:45.699 --> 00:16:48.259 is that the perishable 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:50.319 will be replaced by the imperishable. 00:16:50.959 --> 00:16:53.859 The mortal will be replaced by the immortal. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:57.099 Paul repeats that here over and over 00:16:57.099 --> 00:16:58.359 to drive this home. 00:16:59.579 --> 00:17:00.939 That we have a hope. 00:17:02.179 --> 00:17:04.200 And it's not in what we can do, 00:17:04.259 --> 00:17:05.500 but what Jesus will do 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:07.420 when he returns to the earth. 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:09.720 We have that hope 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.140 because of his resurrection from the dead. 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:14.619 And so that's what we celebrate now at Easter. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.180 Paul then tells us 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:20.579 that this is going to happen, right? 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:22.259 This perishable, imperishable, 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:22.960 mortal, immortal. 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:24.240 And at that time, 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.400 he gives us a quote here. 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:28.140 There's going to be a saying 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:29.359 that's going to come to pass. 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:30.960 Death will be swallowed up in victory. 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:32.180 And we'll say, 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:33.359 oh, death, where's your victory? 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:34.740 Oh, death, where's your sting? 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:35.759 These are quotations 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.500 of Old Testament passages. 00:17:38.219 --> 00:17:39.139 And you'll remember 00:17:39.139 --> 00:17:41.099 when we were in the letter of 1 Peter, 00:17:41.399 --> 00:17:42.679 I told you at one point 00:17:42.679 --> 00:17:44.079 about the quote from Martin Luther 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:45.039 where he said that 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:46.879 Jesus, after his resurrection, 00:17:47.159 --> 00:17:48.639 went and thumbed his nose 00:17:48.639 --> 00:17:49.740 at the devil. 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:52.419 This is similar to that. 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:54.639 It's a acknowledgement of the fact 00:17:54.639 --> 00:17:56.659 that when Jesus comes back, 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:59.839 we will thumb our noses at death. 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:02.679 We will thumb our noses 00:18:02.679 --> 00:18:04.559 at sickness and disease. 00:18:07.099 --> 00:18:08.839 And that is going to mean 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:10.519 that our bodies are restored. 00:18:10.879 --> 00:18:11.819 And that's part of the emphasis 00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:12.639 of this passage. 00:18:12.899 --> 00:18:14.579 And the body's restoration 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:16.000 proves the victory. 00:18:16.899 --> 00:18:18.439 You'll know there's a logic to victory, 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:19.279 which is that victory 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:21.319 and territory come together. 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:22.519 If you win a battle, 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:24.679 you receive the territory 00:18:24.679 --> 00:18:25.619 that goes with it. 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:28.259 Jesus won the battle against death. 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:30.819 He receives the territory 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:31.819 of our bodies 00:18:31.819 --> 00:18:33.339 that were under the reign of death. 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:35.700 And so the restoration 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:37.240 of our bodies emphasizes 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:38.779 how complete and total 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:40.779 Jesus' victory is. 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:44.160 It's in that resurrection, 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:45.259 our resurrection, 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:47.099 that we finally thumb 00:18:47.099 --> 00:18:48.200 our noses at death. 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:51.579 That taunt, though, 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.500 highlights something else for us. 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:56.119 Remember I pointed out 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:58.039 in our congregational prayer 00:18:58.039 --> 00:18:59.659 that it says in verse 54, 00:18:59.939 --> 00:19:01.279 then shall come to pass. 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:01.759 In other words, 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:03.039 this is not true yet. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:06.559 We still experience 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:08.879 the sting of death 00:19:08.879 --> 00:19:11.119 in some ways in this world. 00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:13.839 It is shown by those 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:14.619 who are dead, 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:17.659 and it's already at work 00:19:17.659 --> 00:19:19.219 in those who are alive. 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:21.719 It's shown by those 00:19:21.719 --> 00:19:22.219 who are dead. 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:23.059 When we know someone 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:23.779 and they pass, 00:19:23.879 --> 00:19:24.839 they're deceased, 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:25.500 they die, 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:27.519 that reveals that death 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.000 still has some ability 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:30.699 in this world. 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:33.619 And we also experience 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:34.679 it ourselves, 00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:35.699 as I mentioned earlier 00:19:35.699 --> 00:19:36.779 in our congregational prayer, 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:37.919 when we experience 00:19:37.919 --> 00:19:38.659 a weakness. 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:42.759 I came across a story 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:44.480 recently about a man 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.099 named Mr. P in Italy, 00:19:46.459 --> 00:19:48.659 and Mr. P was being lauded 00:19:48.659 --> 00:19:49.619 for the fact that he had 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:50.659 survived the coronavirus. 00:19:51.159 --> 00:19:51.980 Now, there are many people 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:52.579 who have survived, 00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:54.139 but Mr. P is special 00:19:54.139 --> 00:19:55.919 because he's 101 years old. 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:58.119 He was born in the year 1919, 00:19:58.939 --> 00:20:00.039 which means that he was born 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:01.099 during the Spanish flu. 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:03.319 He lived through the Holocaust. 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:06.019 Now he survived the coronavirus. 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.059 And he's being celebrated, right? 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:10.019 Here's this man 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:11.139 who's an overcomer. 00:20:11.199 --> 00:20:11.980 He's a conqueror. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:13.159 He's going to be able 00:20:13.159 --> 00:20:15.079 to beat death so many times. 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:16.679 Man, look at him. 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:18.939 And I don't mean to devalue that. 00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:20.559 There is something encouraging 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:22.019 and something that gives us 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:22.860 hope about that. 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:24.680 On the other hand, 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:25.500 when I heard that, 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:26.160 I thought, 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.440 that's wonderful. 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:31.519 And Mr. P is still going 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:32.900 to die one day. 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:36.940 Ultimately and finally, 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:38.700 he's not going to be able 00:20:38.700 --> 00:20:40.440 to escape death. 00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:43.360 He's not going to be able 00:20:43.360 --> 00:20:44.720 to escape that sting. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:46.420 He will not live forever 00:20:46.420 --> 00:20:49.339 and neither will you 00:20:49.339 --> 00:20:52.720 unless Jesus returns 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.980 in our lifetime. 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:56.620 And so the point is this. 00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:00.220 No matter how much kale you eat, 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:02.779 you cannot escape death. 00:21:04.660 --> 00:21:07.299 No matter how much you exercise 00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:09.140 and take care of your body, 00:21:09.860 --> 00:21:11.600 you cannot escape death. 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:15.379 No matter how productive you are 00:21:15.379 --> 00:21:17.599 and how much you save 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:18.439 for retirement, 00:21:19.419 --> 00:21:20.659 you cannot escape death. 00:21:22.419 --> 00:21:24.039 No matter how wonderful 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:25.619 of a job you have, 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:27.259 no matter how much fulfillment 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:28.500 you find in that, 00:21:29.399 --> 00:21:30.679 you cannot escape death. 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:34.599 Even if you find 00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:36.639 a wonderful man or woman 00:21:36.639 --> 00:21:37.879 who's compatible with you 00:21:37.879 --> 00:21:38.799 and wants to spend 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:40.139 the rest of their life with you, 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:43.740 you cannot escape death. 00:21:47.040 --> 00:21:48.060 It is something 00:21:48.060 --> 00:21:50.240 that all of us feel 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:51.640 the sting of. 00:21:53.080 --> 00:21:54.180 And Paul goes on 00:21:54.180 --> 00:21:56.220 to explain why that's so, 00:21:56.320 --> 00:21:57.620 why we can't escape it 00:21:57.620 --> 00:21:58.560 in verse 56. 00:21:58.860 --> 00:21:59.180 He says, 00:21:59.300 --> 00:22:00.940 the sting of death is sin 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:02.720 and the power of sin 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:03.640 is the law. 00:22:04.360 --> 00:22:04.860 In other words, 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:05.840 no matter what we do, 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:06.700 we're all going to die 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:07.540 and the reason we're all 00:22:07.540 --> 00:22:08.040 going to die 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:09.859 is because none of us 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:11.039 can defeat sin. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:12.799 None of those things 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:13.399 that I listed 00:22:13.399 --> 00:22:14.180 can conquer sin. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.720 Eating kale cannot conquer sin. 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:17.779 Exercising cannot conquer sin. 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:19.039 Marrying the right person 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:19.920 cannot conquer sin. 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:21.440 A wonderful and fulfilling job 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:22.799 cannot conquer sin. 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:25.659 There's nothing 00:22:25.659 --> 00:22:27.200 that's in our power 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:28.539 that's able 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:29.980 to conquer sin 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:31.420 because death 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:32.099 and sin 00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:33.039 are tied together. 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:33.579 Death 00:22:33.579 --> 00:22:35.200 is a result of sin. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.360 Death is a result 00:22:37.360 --> 00:22:38.240 of our rebellion 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:39.140 against God. 00:22:39.900 --> 00:22:41.319 The emphasis here 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:42.019 in this passage 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.180 is on physical death, 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:43.759 but of course, 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:44.660 death affects us 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:46.400 spiritually as well. 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:48.160 It affects us 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:49.259 as we experience 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:50.319 broken relationships 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:50.920 with others. 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:52.779 It affects us 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:54.100 as we worship ourselves 00:22:54.100 --> 00:22:54.960 rather than God. 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:56.480 It affects us 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.940 as we pursue pleasure 00:22:57.940 --> 00:22:59.140 even when it hurts 00:22:59.140 --> 00:23:00.440 and violates other people. 00:23:01.620 --> 00:23:02.519 Death is at work 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:03.920 when we have frustration 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:05.039 and disappointment 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:07.039 rather than peace 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:07.779 and intimacy. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:09.860 Death's at work 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:10.880 when we have futility 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:11.519 in our work. 00:23:11.620 --> 00:23:12.220 It doesn't always 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:12.960 have purpose 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:13.700 and power. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.060 Death is at work 00:23:16.060 --> 00:23:17.140 when we use our power 00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:18.480 to push other people down 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:19.779 rather than to lift them up. 00:23:20.620 --> 00:23:21.259 Death's at work 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:22.440 when we use our anger 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:23.900 to punish other people 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:25.539 rather than to move 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:26.460 towards reconciliation. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:28.000 Death is at work. 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:28.820 It has power. 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:30.100 We are not able 00:23:30.100 --> 00:23:30.779 to defeat it 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:31.660 because it's the product 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:32.180 of sin. 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:34.480 Only Jesus 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.920 can defeat death 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:39.560 because only Jesus 00:23:39.560 --> 00:23:41.700 is able to defeat sin. 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:45.060 And so that's the hope 00:23:45.060 --> 00:23:46.440 that Paul presents 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:47.420 for us here. 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:49.640 On the one hand, 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:51.039 there's a sting, right? 00:23:51.860 --> 00:23:53.080 On the other hand, 00:23:53.120 --> 00:23:53.620 we'll be able 00:23:53.620 --> 00:23:54.519 to taunt death 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:55.180 about that. 00:23:56.120 --> 00:23:57.440 And we'll taunt death 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:57.980 about that 00:23:57.980 --> 00:23:59.080 not because of anything 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:00.359 that we can do, 00:24:00.659 --> 00:24:01.379 have done, 00:24:01.419 --> 00:24:02.220 or will do. 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:04.819 But as Paul tells us here, 00:24:04.919 --> 00:24:06.699 we are going to taunt death 00:24:06.699 --> 00:24:08.339 because of the victory 00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:09.619 of Jesus Christ. 00:24:10.859 --> 00:24:12.159 That's what he tells us 00:24:12.159 --> 00:24:14.240 in verses 56 and 57. 00:24:14.379 --> 00:24:15.699 The sting of death is sin 00:24:15.699 --> 00:24:17.159 and the power of sin 00:24:17.159 --> 00:24:17.720 is the law. 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:19.639 But thanks be to God 00:24:19.639 --> 00:24:20.879 who gives us the victory 00:24:20.879 --> 00:24:22.699 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:25.299 That's the victory 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:26.420 that Jesus showed 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:27.880 when he rose from the dead. 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:30.420 And it's the victory 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:32.080 he gives to anyone 00:24:32.080 --> 00:24:33.100 and everyone 00:24:33.100 --> 00:24:35.000 who repents of their sins 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.740 and has faith in him. 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:39.519 Jesus has defeated death. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:41.460 Those who are in him 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:43.420 will defeat death as well. 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:46.560 And so that's the victory 00:24:46.560 --> 00:24:48.519 that Paul offers us. 00:24:48.620 --> 00:24:49.460 It's a victory 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:51.200 that's through Jesus 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:52.720 and his conquering of death. 00:24:53.620 --> 00:24:54.380 Our hope 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:56.300 as we face death 00:24:56.300 --> 00:24:57.980 is in Jesus. 00:25:00.580 --> 00:25:02.000 Paul then goes on 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.800 to tell us 00:25:02.800 --> 00:25:03.779 that that doesn't just 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:04.880 affect our hope 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.600 but it affects 00:25:06.600 --> 00:25:07.580 our action. 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:09.160 He tells us in verse 58 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:11.800 that if we need to be 00:25:11.800 --> 00:25:12.420 steadfast, 00:25:12.580 --> 00:25:13.039 immovable, 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:14.000 always abounding 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.019 in the work of the Lord 00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:16.299 because we know 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.799 that in the Lord 00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:19.139 our labor is not in vain. 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:21.359 Why is our labor 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:22.420 in the Lord not in vain? 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.079 Well, it's because 00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:24.480 God is not demolishing 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:25.139 this world 00:25:25.139 --> 00:25:26.879 but renewing it 00:25:26.879 --> 00:25:28.139 and restoring it. 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:31.440 And so what we do now 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:33.139 matters for the future. 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:35.059 As it says here, 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.639 if we do it in the Lord, 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:38.379 if God is restoring the world, 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:40.440 then the work that we do 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:42.139 towards that end matters. 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:43.880 And so we have hope 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:45.180 in the face of death 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:46.300 as we look to the future 00:25:46.300 --> 00:25:47.940 and we have hope 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:48.800 in our work 00:25:48.800 --> 00:25:49.560 even now. 00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:50.320 We have hope 00:25:50.320 --> 00:25:52.620 as we have jobs 00:25:52.620 --> 00:25:53.600 that we're pushing for 00:25:53.600 --> 00:25:54.440 what the Old Testament 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:55.340 calls shalom, 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:56.820 this full-bodied flourishing 00:25:56.820 --> 00:25:57.460 of the world. 00:25:58.180 --> 00:25:59.480 As we do work 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:00.720 that's towards that end, 00:26:01.340 --> 00:26:02.259 that's in the Lord 00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:02.980 and his purposes 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:03.740 for this world 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:04.240 that we know 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:04.840 that it matters. 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:07.159 as we're parents 00:26:07.159 --> 00:26:09.439 and we raise children 00:26:09.439 --> 00:26:10.459 who have a vision 00:26:10.459 --> 00:26:11.699 for God in this world 00:26:11.699 --> 00:26:12.659 that they have faith 00:26:12.659 --> 00:26:13.240 in him 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.240 and they're looking 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:15.099 for God's goodness 00:26:15.099 --> 00:26:15.839 and his love 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:16.759 to be made known 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:18.019 in this universe, 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:20.459 we know that our work 00:26:20.459 --> 00:26:21.699 in that is not in vain. 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:24.519 As we enjoy 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:25.539 the creation 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:27.059 that God has given us, 00:26:27.579 --> 00:26:29.319 we give tremendous glory 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.379 and honor to him 00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:31.800 that points to 00:26:31.800 --> 00:26:33.080 an even greater glory 00:26:33.080 --> 00:26:33.520 and honor 00:26:33.520 --> 00:26:34.320 that we'll be able 00:26:34.320 --> 00:26:35.020 to give him 00:26:35.020 --> 00:26:36.300 once he returns. 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:38.440 And so we work 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.420 and we live 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:40.260 and we play 00:26:40.260 --> 00:26:42.580 knowing that those things 00:26:42.580 --> 00:26:43.740 are not in vain 00:26:43.740 --> 00:26:45.880 as and when 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:46.840 they give glory 00:26:46.840 --> 00:26:47.860 and honor to God. 00:26:49.560 --> 00:26:50.460 Paul then 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:51.860 gives us tremendous 00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:52.560 encouragement 00:26:52.560 --> 00:26:54.060 for the future 00:26:54.060 --> 00:26:55.100 and for now. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.280 We are not just people 00:26:56.280 --> 00:26:56.900 who are looking 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:58.400 to escape this world 00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:59.400 but we're people 00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:00.720 who love this world 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:02.040 and love it so much 00:27:02.040 --> 00:27:03.240 that we long for God 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:04.019 to renew it 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:04.820 and restore it 00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:07.759 and we work now 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:08.880 towards that hope, 00:27:08.980 --> 00:27:09.680 in that hope. 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:13.560 That victory then, 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:14.620 Jesus' victory 00:27:14.620 --> 00:27:16.680 is something 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:17.340 that gives us 00:27:17.340 --> 00:27:18.280 hope for the future 00:27:18.280 --> 00:27:20.500 and it gives us 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:21.320 encouragement 00:27:21.320 --> 00:27:22.740 and energy now. 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:23.660 It's what allows us 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:24.680 to be steadfast 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:25.920 and immovable. 00:27:27.640 --> 00:27:28.780 What is our hope 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:29.740 in the face of death? 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:30.420 It's our hope 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:30.899 in Jesus 00:27:30.899 --> 00:27:32.059 that he's coming back, 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:33.960 that he's making 00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:34.920 all things right 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:38.299 and that we can look 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:39.700 and work towards that 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.519 and for that 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:41.539 even now. 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:42.339 It's a hope 00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:43.240 that we have 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:44.819 because Jesus 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.000 rose from the dead. 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:49.639 And so that's the hope 00:27:49.639 --> 00:27:50.460 that we celebrate 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:51.019 at Easter. 00:27:52.639 --> 00:27:53.639 It's not a pie 00:27:53.639 --> 00:27:54.500 in the sky hope. 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:54.559 hope. 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:57.319 It's not a sweet, 00:27:57.480 --> 00:27:58.279 sentimental hope, 00:27:58.740 --> 00:28:01.059 but it's a real 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:02.440 time and space hope 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:03.619 because we believe 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:05.720 what we're celebrating 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.200 now 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:07.859 is that Jesus 00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:08.900 actually died 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:11.099 and he actually 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:12.299 rose from the dead. 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.579 And when he did 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:15.299 those things, 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:16.880 he defeated death 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:19.160 and he defeated it 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:20.019 for us. 00:28:20.019 --> 00:28:22.299 and so no matter 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:23.039 what happens, 00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:25.960 we can have joy 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:26.740 in Christ 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:27.579 knowing that, 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:28.779 moving forward 00:28:28.779 --> 00:28:29.200 together, 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:30.339 knowing that his death 00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:30.900 has accomplished 00:28:30.900 --> 00:28:32.680 that for us 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:34.240 and we can have 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:34.940 faith and trust 00:28:34.940 --> 00:28:35.379 in it because 00:28:35.379 --> 00:28:36.119 of his resurrection. 00:28:36.119 --> 00:28:40.519 In his book, 00:28:40.739 --> 00:28:41.459 The Lion, 00:28:41.699 --> 00:28:42.119 The Witch, 00:28:42.159 --> 00:28:42.799 and the Wardrobe, 00:28:42.939 --> 00:28:43.659 I mentioned the Narnia 00:28:43.659 --> 00:28:44.599 series last week, 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:45.659 C.S. Lewis, 00:28:46.459 --> 00:28:47.299 tells the story 00:28:47.299 --> 00:28:48.679 of four children 00:28:48.679 --> 00:28:49.299 who are sent 00:28:49.299 --> 00:28:50.559 to a professor's house 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:52.199 during World War II 00:28:52.199 --> 00:28:53.819 and they find 00:28:53.819 --> 00:28:54.319 a wardrobe 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.339 that serves 00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:55.939 as an entrance 00:28:55.939 --> 00:28:57.119 into another world. 00:28:57.219 --> 00:28:57.699 It's a world 00:28:57.699 --> 00:28:58.739 called Narnia. 00:28:59.939 --> 00:29:00.500 But Edmund, 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:01.279 one of the brothers, 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:03.459 betrays his siblings 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:05.720 and so it's determined 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:06.740 that because of that, 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:07.660 because of his sin, 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:08.620 he needs to die. 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:11.480 However, 00:29:11.620 --> 00:29:12.579 there's a great lion 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:14.720 and this great lion 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.600 is named Aslan 00:29:15.600 --> 00:29:16.620 and Aslan decides 00:29:16.620 --> 00:29:17.960 that instead of allowing 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:18.819 Edmund to die, 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:20.519 he's going to die 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:21.720 in Edmund's place 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:23.920 and the great lion 00:29:23.920 --> 00:29:24.660 kills him. 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:29.039 Susan and Lucy, 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:30.340 Edmund's sisters, 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:31.900 visit the place 00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:33.540 where Aslan was killed. 00:29:35.940 --> 00:29:37.519 But they don't find 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:39.300 Aslan's dead body. 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:42.019 Instead, 00:29:42.340 --> 00:29:44.100 they find Aslan himself, 00:29:45.100 --> 00:29:46.060 not dead, 00:29:46.800 --> 00:29:47.680 but alive. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.820 And confused, 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:52.300 Susan asks Aslan, 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:52.700 she says, 00:29:52.800 --> 00:29:54.780 what does all this mean? 00:29:56.920 --> 00:29:57.960 Aslan responds 00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.400 and says, 00:29:58.519 --> 00:29:59.019 it means 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:01.420 that though the witch 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:02.559 knew the deep magic, 00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:05.639 there is a magic deeper still 00:30:05.639 --> 00:30:06.759 which she did not know. 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:09.619 Her knowledge goes back 00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:11.119 only to the dawn of time. 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:13.740 But if she could have looked 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:14.879 a little further back 00:30:14.879 --> 00:30:16.700 into the stillness 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:17.319 and darkness 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:18.799 before time dawned, 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:20.559 she would have read there 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:22.000 a different incantation. 00:30:23.420 --> 00:30:24.619 She would have known 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:26.099 that when a willing victim 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:27.699 who had committed 00:30:27.699 --> 00:30:28.659 no treachery 00:30:28.659 --> 00:30:30.199 was killed 00:30:30.199 --> 00:30:31.419 in a traitor's stead, 00:30:32.059 --> 00:30:33.679 the table would crack 00:30:33.679 --> 00:30:35.779 and death itself 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:38.099 would start working backwards. 00:30:39.719 --> 00:30:40.959 Brothers and sisters, 00:30:41.419 --> 00:30:43.179 Jesus was a willing victim 00:30:43.179 --> 00:30:45.019 who had committed 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:46.199 no treachery 00:30:46.199 --> 00:30:48.579 and he died 00:30:48.579 --> 00:30:49.599 in our stead. 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:52.519 And so at that moment 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:53.679 and even now, 00:30:54.719 --> 00:30:55.899 for everyone 00:30:55.899 --> 00:30:57.740 who has trust 00:30:57.740 --> 00:30:58.779 and faith in him, 00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:00.639 death itself 00:31:00.639 --> 00:31:02.359 is working backwards. 00:31:05.099 --> 00:31:06.279 What is our hope 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:08.079 in the face of death? 00:31:08.139 --> 00:31:09.500 Our hope is in Jesus. 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:11.819 And if we are in Jesus, 00:31:11.959 --> 00:31:12.740 then we are able 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:13.679 to say this 00:31:13.679 --> 00:31:14.959 as we face death 00:31:14.959 --> 00:31:16.099 in this world 00:31:16.099 --> 00:31:16.599 in the present 00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:17.659 and as we look forward 00:31:17.659 --> 00:31:18.519 to it in the future. 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:20.299 O death, 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:21.559 where is your victory? 00:31:22.480 --> 00:31:23.200 O death, 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:24.639 where is your sting? 00:31:25.940 --> 00:31:27.019 Please pray with me. 00:31:29.660 --> 00:31:30.839 Our Father in heaven, 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:33.160 we confess to you 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:34.660 that we face 00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:36.519 many difficult 00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:37.960 and challenging things 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:38.720 in this world 00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:39.619 and perhaps nothing 00:31:39.619 --> 00:31:40.259 more difficult 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.039 and challenging 00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:42.900 than death itself. 00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:44.900 And so we thank you 00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:46.900 that you have given us 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:48.980 a hope beyond death. 00:31:49.040 --> 00:31:49.580 You've given us 00:31:49.580 --> 00:31:50.500 a hope in Jesus 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:52.440 who has defeated death 00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:53.259 for us 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:55.860 and so promises 00:31:55.860 --> 00:31:57.420 that it will not sting us. 00:32:00.040 --> 00:32:01.740 We pray that you would work 00:32:01.740 --> 00:32:02.400 that confidence 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:03.120 and that hope 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:04.560 deep into our hearts 00:32:04.560 --> 00:32:06.440 and we pray for those 00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:07.840 who do not have faith in you 00:32:07.840 --> 00:32:09.340 that you would use 00:32:09.340 --> 00:32:10.420 this passage now 00:32:10.420 --> 00:32:11.400 to draw them 00:32:11.400 --> 00:32:12.900 even at this moment 00:32:12.900 --> 00:32:14.060 to confess 00:32:14.060 --> 00:32:15.220 that they are sinners 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:16.280 in need of your mercy 00:32:16.280 --> 00:32:18.780 and that you are their Lord 00:32:18.780 --> 00:32:19.460 and their Savior. 00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:21.380 It's because Jesus 00:32:21.380 --> 00:32:21.960 is our Lord 00:32:21.960 --> 00:32:22.500 and our Savior 00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:23.720 that we ask these things. 00:32:23.800 --> 00:32:24.460 We don't ask them 00:32:24.460 --> 00:32:26.180 in our own merit 00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:26.700 or behavior 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:27.600 but we ask them 00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:29.160 in his mighty name, 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:30.200 the mighty name of Jesus. 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:30.920 Amen. 00:32:30.920 --> 00:32:31.040 Amen. 00:32:31.040 --> 00:32:31.080 Amen. 00:32:31.080 --> 00:32:31.120 Amen. 00:32:31.120 --> 00:32:31.140 Amen. 00:32:31.140 --> 00:32:31.200 Amen. 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:33.120 Amen. 00:32:33.120 --> 00:32:33.200 Amen. 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:35.080 Amen. 00:32:35.080 --> 00:32:35.160 Amen. 00:32:35.160 --> 00:32:35.200 Amen. 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:37.120 Amen. 00:32:37.120 --> 00:32:39.120 Amen. 00:32:39.120 --> 00:32:39.200 Amen. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:39.220 Amen. 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:39.240 Amen. 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:39.300 Amen. 00:32:39.300 --> 00:32:41.160 Amen. 00:32:41.160 --> 00:32:42.880 Amen.