Hello, it is good to be with you today.
Have you adjusted to self-isolation yet?
Have you changed your routine?
Are you now working at home, exercising on the floor of the lounge room in front of a workout video?
Have you started doing homeschooling and maybe spending more time gardening?
Are you used to not being allowed to go outside yet?
And this past week I celebrated my 35th birthday.
And it was a bit strange because I couldn't see anyone.
And I kept speaking to people and people kept saying,
I really look forward to when life goes back to normal.
And I can come give you a hug and say happy birthday.
And I love that idea.
But have you found yourself saying similar things?
Similar things like when it goes back to normal.
When life goes back to how it was.
I wonder if this is a problem for us.
I wonder if we idolise how things were a couple of months ago.
It's as if that time when we could go outside was perfect.
Now it was definitely better.
But there were still plenty of problems.
Today we are coming to the end of our series, We Believe,
as we look at what Christians believe from the Apostles' Creed.
And today we're looking at the last two lines.
That we believe in the resurrection of the dead.
And that we believe in everlasting life.
And today we're going to be challenged to not just look forward to life going back to normal.
Back to how it was.
Back to something better.
For some of us, I'm sure we're loving hanging out at home.
But for many others, surviving each day of the week is really tough.
But we have something to look forward to that is better than life going back to normal.
We're looking forward to something that won't break apart, that won't fade or be destroyed.
We are looking forward to what God has prepared for us after death and for our life everlasting.
So as we look at God's work today, let me pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, as we hide at home to protect loved ones and those we don't know,
Father, please be with us in isolation.
Help us to look forward to what you have prepared for us in the future.
Amen.
The first thing we're going to look at today is that we believe in the resurrection of the dead.
The New Testament shows that the hope that we have a full life after death.
It is not a spiritual life or a life without a body.
It's not a metaphor.
But there's a future hope of life with a body.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4 that Jesus died and rose.
And God will do the same for those who die.
And Romans says that we have been united with him in his death.
And we will certainly be raised with Jesus, just like he was.
And Jesus says in John 11 that whoever believes in him, even though they die, will live.
Jesus and the other New Testament writers fully believe that just as Jesus died and came back to life,
so will those who believe in him die and come back to a physical life.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 shows how central believing in the resurrection of the dead is.
He says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 3 that it is of first importance that Jesus died for our sins,
that he was buried and that he was raised.
Because if Jesus wasn't raised, there is no hope for us.
Verse 18,
Then those who have also fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
And we are to be pitied for thinking that we will come back to life from the dead.
But, Paul says,
But, that is not how it is, but,
verse 20,
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.
The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through a man,
the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Adam, along with Eve, sinned,
and death was the result.
Jesus did not sin.
And he was placed on a cross instead of us.
And his resurrection means that eternal life is the result.
We are going to celebrate this, this coming Sunday on Easter Day,
where we remember that it is not just a story, but it is history.
That God came himself and died for us on the cross.
And three days later was raised to life everlasting.
He was raised.
People, hundreds of people saw him
before he ascended to the right hand of the Father.
He is the first fruit.
He is the prototype of the resurrection for us.
Because, as Paul says in Christ,
all will be made alive.
I think 1 Corinthians 15 is a really helpful reflection for us on the resurrection.
Now, I've only touched on it briefly.
Let me encourage you to read the rest of 1 Corinthians 15 after church today.
But it is good for us in all seasons
because it enters into the drama of our lives.
We live and start with families
and go to work
and spend time with friends
under the dread of death.
It steadily walks towards us
and to our loved ones.
At the moment,
our whole world is either in lockdown
or heading to lockdown
because we fear death.
We are weak to it.
Whilst not all who get coronavirus will die,
it's spread,
spreads fear,
fear of death.
Because we are weak,
fleshly bodies,
fearful of taking our last breath.
And we've seen the response
of plenty of people
to go on a horde,
trying to protect themselves
for another day.
But even when life does go back to normal,
whether it's in a day
or six months,
we will still
all fear
and face death.
Our hope for the future
has to be bigger
than death.
The Apostle Peter
wrote a letter to a church
who was
in a somewhat similar position.
They were facing
persecution and death
and they were fearful
of what was to come.
And he encouraged them
in this time of uncertainty.
From 1 Peter 1, verse 3,
it says,
Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In his great mercy
he has given us new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
And into an inheritance
that can never perish,
spoil or fade.
This inheritance
is kept in heaven for you.
God, in his great mercy,
has given us hope
in uncertain times.
Resurrection from the dead
like Jesus.
And we have an inheritance
that can never spoil
like too much
stocked food.
It can't fade
like our patients
with our family
and friends
and housemates.
It can't be stolen
like toilet paper
from an unguarded
shopping trot.
This is what Christians
put their hope in.
A resurrection
that cannot spoil
or fade or perish.
after we die
we will all be raised
to the life
of a physical body
just like Jesus's.
This is the hope
that we have.
We don't wait
for a spiritual future
but we are waiting
for future bodies
to be raised.
But other than
just having a body
in this everlasting future,
what does it actually
look like
to be in this future
that God has prepared
for us?
Well, we come to
the final part
of the creed.
The final line
of the creed
says that we believe
in the everlasting life.
And the New Testament
paints a picture
for us
of what this
everlasting life
looks like.
Jesus in John
chapter 14
tells his disciples
that he's going
to God
to prepare
a house,
to prepare
a place
for us.
Jesus is preparing
God's house
for us
for eternity.
And in this chapter
Jesus is potentially
alluding
to the types
of houses
that rich
Roman rulers
would have.
They would have
houses that had
a central atrium
and all around
the atrium
would be rooms.
You know,
a central space
and then around
the atrium
would be different rooms.
And so
all of the bedrooms
would connect
into a central
gathering area.
So you could
connect and gather
with people
very easily.
And this is a picture
of God
that he doesn't
just have a place
for us
but it's a place
that is connected
to everyone else.
A place
where there is
community forever.
A place
where God
is with us.
And I am
yearning for that.
It is good
to be standing
with you today
looking down
a camera
into your living
room
starting to
wherever you
are right now.
It is good
to be with you
but I am
yearning
to be
gathering with
you in church
together.
This building
is empty
and I miss you.
I miss
gathering
and singing
loudly
as a church
and I am
looking forward
to that day
again.
But how much
greater will it
be
when there will
be nothing
that can stop
us from
gathering
together
and praising
God.
Two passages
from Revelation
continue to
paint what
this everlasting
life will look
like.
Revelation
21 shows us
John's vision
of heaven
and God
shows him
and from
verse 3
it says
I heard a loud
voice from
the throne
saying
look
God's dwelling
place is now
among the people
and he will
dwell with them
they will be
his people
and God
himself will be
with them
and be their
God.
He will wipe
every tear
from their
lives
for there will
be no more
death
or mourning
or crying
or pain.
The old
order of things
has passed
away.
God himself
will dwell
with us
in heaven.
God has
destroyed
the old
order of
things.
There will
be no more
pain or tears
but God
himself will
be with us.
John continues
painting his
picture of
heaven in
verse 18
the wall
was made
of jasper
and the
city of
pure gold
as pure
as glass.
The foundation
of the city
walls were
decorated with
every kind
of precious
stone.
The first
foundation
was jasper
the second
sapphire
the third
agate
the fourth
emerald
the fifth
onyx
the sixth
ruby
the seventh
chrysolite
the eighth
beryl
the ninth
topaz
the tenth
turquoise
the eleventh
jesson
and the twelfth
amethyst.
The twelve
gates
the twelve
pearls
each gate
made
of a single
pearl.
The great
streak of the
city was
of pure
gold
as pure
as translucent
glass.
This is just
an amazing
picture of
luxury and
decadence of
what the city
of God is
going to look
like.
I love the
picture of the
street of gold
it's like it's
polished so
much that it's
translucent and
see-through.
This is a
picture of the
greatest city
ever where you
can even put
precious stones
in the wall
without fear of
them being
stolen.
It's a
wonderful picture
of our
everlasting
future.
God has
spared no
expense to
prepare it for
us by
sacrificing his
own son so
that we can go
to a city
covered in
jewels and
riches that
is not filled
with fear and
uncertainty and
tiredness and
fatigue from
trying to figure
out how to
work from home,
how to do
homeschool,
how to try
and get enough
food that you
need with
restrictions on
food all at
the same time.
Revelation lifts
our eyes to a
picture of a
better city.
A city that is
better than
Sydney, better
than any in
the world.
Hebrews 13
calls us to
look to this
city because it
is better than
the one living
in.
I don't think
we do this
nearly enough.
I don't think
we look to our
future hope, to
this city that
we will be in
enough.
We don't look
to this
heavenly city
and spend
enough time
thinking about
what everlasting
life will look
like.
Colossians
chapter 3
that was read
for us says
since then
you have been
raised with
Christ.
Set your
hearts on
things above
where Christ
is, seated
at the right
hand of God.
Set your mind
on things above,
not on earthly
things.
for you
died and
your life
is now
hidden with
Christ
your God.
That is
where our
life is.
We have
been raised
with Christ
and now
our life
is hidden
with God.
It is not
this temporary
life.
We are here
but for a
moment.
We will be
there with
God for
eternity.
And so
we should fix
our minds
on it.
as Paul
has said.
Fix our
minds on it.
We should
get excited
for it.
We should
long for it
and not
hold too
tightly to
this life
here.
The
Barnett family,
we have been
here in St.
Paul's for
nearly two
years.
We are
coming up
to our
second
anniversary.
And I
remember once
it was
announced that
we were
rejoining
St.
Paul's
family and
leaving
our
family.
I
remember
getting
very excited.
I was
looking forward
to working
with the
team here
of St.
Paul's,
looking forward
to rejoining
family.
I was
looking forward
to working
with Steve
again.
And I
remember
doing so much
planning and
preparation.
One of the
things I
really love
to do
is I
would draw
the shape
of the
house and
then I
would draw
where the
furniture is
going to
fit in and
I would
plan how
the house
is going
to look.
When we
had a
day off
we'd
measure up
things in
the house
we'd
call in
on the
team and
see how
everything
was going.
My
future
was never
far from
my mind.
I was
living and
planning for
that future
day to
come when
we would
come to
our new
home.
This is
what we
are meant
to be
doing.
To be
looking forward
to the
day when
we come
to our
home.
For us
we need to
be setting
our mind
on what
is to
come.
What is
above.
I can't
wait to
see my
grandmother
again.
To see
many loved
ones.
To never
be in
pain.
To be in
a city of
such wonder
and security
that God
has placed
precious stones
in the
walls.
I am
excited to
see all
that God
has prepared
for us.
Because our
everlasting life,
our future
will be
a place
of more.
It is
more than
we can
imagine.
It is
more joy,
more goodness,
more purity.
Everything we
think is good
will either be
amplified or
it will be
replaced with
something even
better,
something
transcendent.
It will be a
place of the
highest joys
and the
deepest and
most satisfying
pleasures.
so we
should set
our minds
on.
And then
there is
our God.
We will
know God
for eternity.
We will
get to speak
with him and
ask him our
questions.
We will
get to praise
him for his
grace and
kindness and
love to us.
We will be
there with our
brother and
saviour Jesus
and we can
thank him and
praise him for
all that he
has done for
us.
As I
mentioned,
it was my
birthday on
Wednesday.
Today,
April 5th,
is Micah's
birthday.
He turned
three today.
And one of
his grandmothers
sent him some
birthday presents
in the mail.
And he was
really excited to
open those up.
He opened those
up while his
grandmother was
on FaceTime.
So she could
see his
excitement for
those presents.
And those
presents were
great.
But how much
better will it
be when Micah
and his
grandmother are
reunited?
And they
can hug.
He can hug
his grandmother
and say,
thank you.
God has
so many good
things waiting
for us in
heaven.
But how much
better will it
be that we
get God
himself?
As we come
to the end
of the Apostles
Creed, it
ends with an
absolute bang.
We have
declared what
we have
believed,
what we
continue to
believe about
God, our
Father, that
he is almighty
and he created
the heavens and
the earth.
We declare what
we believe about
Jesus, his
son, our
Lord, who was
conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin
Mary, that he
suffered even
though he was
innocent and
was crucified,
died and was
buried.
He suffered
hell for us.
Yet he was
raised from the
dead, he
ascended into
heaven and
now he sits
at the right
hand of God
on the throne
above all
thrones with
the name of
all names.
And we
believe that
he is coming
back to judge
the living and
the dead.
And we
believe in the
Holy Spirit
who has made
us a church,
who has united
us together,
even though we
are divided,
united us
together to
treasure Jesus
together.
He has brought
forgiveness from
our sins and
he will one
day raise
us from the
dead, just
like Jesus.
And we
will live our
life with God
for eternity.
This creed
doesn't exhaust
all that there
is to say
about the
Christian faith.
But Christians
have declared
this boldly for
centuries, in
the face of
opposition, in
the face of
death and
plague.
We take our
place with all
of our brothers
and sisters
declaring what
we believe
about our
God as we
follow him.
The creed
starts with
our God who
has created
and ends
with the hope
that we have
in what God
has created
for us, the
new heavens.
So right
now, it is
easy for us
to have our
eyes set on
when the lockdown
ends, whether
that's July 1st
or some other
time, when
this is all
over and
life can feel
like it goes
back to normal,
we can go back
to work and
school and go
outside and go
to shops and
restaurants again,
but it won't
be satisfied.
It will be
better, but a
normal life here
is not all that
God has for us.
And if we are
just yearning for
life to go back
to normal, we
will be let
down.
God has
something far
better in
store for us
that we can
be setting our
eyes on.
A day that is
worth yearning
for and looking
to.
A day that
will satisfy.
A life lived
for eternity,
in God.
Let me pray
for us.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you so
much for the
Apostles' Creed
that we can
declare what we
believe about
what you have
done for us
and who you
are.
Heavenly Father,
help us to
set our eyes
on things
above.
Help us to
set our eyes
on the
resurrection hope
that we have,
that we get to
be with you
forever.
Lord, as we
live our lives
waiting for that
day, unsure of
what tomorrow
will look like,
Father, help us
to place our
anxieties and
worries before
you and help
grow our trust
in you as the
God who is
sovereign over
all things,
all plagues and
disease.
And help us to
know and to
long for the
day that we
will see you
face to face
and be with you
for eternity.
And we pray
this in your
Son's name,
for your
glory.
Amen.