WEBVTT

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 Hello, my name is Corrie and I am a member here at Brunsfield Evangelical Church.

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 Our first reading this morning is from 1 Chronicles chapter 16 verses 28 to 36.

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 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. Let them say among the nations, the Lord reigns.

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 Let the sea resound and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them.

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 Let the trees of the forest sing. Let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

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 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

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 Cry out, save us, God our Saviour. Gather us and deliver us from the nations,

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 that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

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 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

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 Hi, I'm Jonathan, also one of the members here.

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 Our second reading is going to be from 1 Thessalonians in chapter 4.

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 We're going to be reading verses 13 to 18 and then I'll pray for you before we hear him preach God's word.

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 So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, starting at 13.

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 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,

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 so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope.

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 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

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 and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

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 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive,

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 who are left until the coming of the Lord,

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 will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

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 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command,

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 with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,

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 and the dead in Christ will rise first.

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 After that, we who are still alive on our left will be caught up together with them in the clouds

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 to meet the Lord in the air.

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 And so we will be with the Lord forever.

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 Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

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 Let's pray.

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 God and Father, we thank you that we can meet, albeit on YouTube, online.

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 We thank you for Ian, and we thank you for the work that he's put in to speak to us this morning.

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 And we pray that you'll give him the words to say.

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 And as he speaks to us, we remember that it is all coming from you,

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 and that you will soften our hearts to your word,

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 and that everyone who is listening, no matter where they may be,

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 or what situations they find themselves in,

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 will be deeply affected by your word.

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 We'll be encouraged and challenged as we listen to what Ian has to say.

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 So bless him as he comes to speak to us.

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 And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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 Good morning, everyone.

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 My name's Ian, and we're delighted to have you sharing with us in our morning service today.

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 I've been asked to speak on a subject which is at the same time wonderful and really challenging,

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 the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

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 Let me begin by asking you some questions.

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 Are you eagerly waiting for the second coming of Jesus?

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 Do you wake up in the morning and think,

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 this could be the day when the Lord returns?

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 When you're talking to Christian family and friends,

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 does your conversation naturally turn to the Lord's return,

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 and does that bring you comfort and encouragement in your troubles?

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 Are you motivated by the fact that Jesus is coming back

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 to live a life of purity and seeking to please him in every way?

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 And does it make you all the more eager to talk to those of your friends and relatives

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 who are not Christians about the need to trust in Jesus and to be ready for his return?

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 If you're able to answer yes to all or most of these questions,

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 I suggest that you're in a fairly small minority of Christians today,

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 certainly of those of my generation and younger.

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 I can look back to when I was young,

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 and I think there was a lot more we talked about and sang about

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 and probably thought about the coming of the Lord Jesus.

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 And certainly if we go back to the time when Paul was writing to the Thessalonians

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 in the passage we're particularly looking at today,

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 there was an excitement, an expectation of the Lord's return,

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 which I think is lacking today.

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 And so we might ask ourselves, why is this?

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 Why are we not more excited about the fact that Jesus is coming back?

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 I'd like to suggest a few reasons before we look at the passage

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 and other passages that talk to us about the Lord's return.

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 First reason I think why we're not more excited than we are

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 is that it's been a long time.

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 Over 700,000 days when people have been saying,

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 maybe this will be the day when the Lord returns.

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 And maybe we think after 2,000 years of the Lord not coming back,

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 it's probably unlikely that he'll come back in my generation.

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 But of course, that is exactly what the Lord warned against.

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 The Lord says you need to be ready because you don't know when he'll be coming back.

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 He told the parable about the bridesmaids who were ready for a wedding

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 and they were all dressed up and they had lamps with oil in them.

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 But the very groom was held up.

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 And by the time he came back, half the bridesmaids had no oil left in their lamp

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 and were excluded from the wedding.

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 They thought he wasn't coming, that he wouldn't be there that day,

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 and he came unexpectedly.

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 And the Lord Jesus similarly will come unexpectedly.

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 And we'll think about that in a few minutes.

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 But we shouldn't be thinking because he hasn't come for nearly 2,000 years,

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 he won't come in the near future.

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 He very well could come today or in the next few days or next year or two.

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 We just don't know.

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 Second reason why I think people are sometimes reluctant to think and talk about the Lord's return

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 is that there are a lot of areas of it that are subject of debate,

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 where people disagree on the details of what will happen.

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 The passages in the New Testament that talk about the Lord's return,

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 some of them are among the most difficult in the Bible.

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 The words of Jesus in Matthew 24, which we'll be looking at a bit later on,

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 or passages in the book of Revelation,

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 they're quite difficult to understand.

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 And a lot of people have come up with a lot of different thoughts

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 about how things might look on the Lord's return.

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 Different sequences of events.

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 And different interpretations of what is to be taken literally

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 and what is to be seen as figurative.

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 And in the debate, you tend to classify it as belonging to one schooler thought or another.

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 For what it's worth, I think I would be considered a premillennial futurist.

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 But actually, the thing I'm most confident about

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 is that the Lord's second return will be like his first coming.

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 That his return will be different from what anyone expected.

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 But we'll look at it and we'll realise how it exactly fulfills prophecies about him in the scriptures

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 and we'll marvel at the wisdom of our God.

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 And the fact that there are some things we don't understand

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 and that people disagree about

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 shouldn't deter us from thinking about the Lord's return

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 and taking comfort and strength from it.

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 The key things, the really important things, all Bible-believing Christians agree on.

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 The Lord Jesus will come back.

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 He will come back physically.

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 He will defeat completely the evil one

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 and bring about a world which is perfect and without sin.

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 And there will be a judgment.

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 There will be those who are saved by the grace of God

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 and there will be those who are lost.

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 These are clearly stated truths from the Bible

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 and there is no doubt about them.

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 It is the slightly peripheral things, not trivial,

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 but slightly peripheral things that we tend to disagree on.

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 Then the third reason why we perhaps don't think as much as we should about the Lord's return

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 is that we're uncomfortable with the prospect of judgment for many.

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 As I said, that is a fundamental part of the return

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 of the Lord Jesus.

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 That some will be saved and some will be subject to God's judgment.

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 And we don't like to think of that happening to those who may have been our relatives

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 or our friends

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 or on the face of it, perfectly decent, respectable people.

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 But the truth is that all of us deserve God's judgment.

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 There is none of us that deserves to be saved

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 and to be with Jesus forever.

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 And it's only by the grace of God that we have come to believe in him and to trust him.

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 The Lord's judgment certainly should motivate us to go and to tell others about the need for salvation.

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 But it's not a reason not to think about or to look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus.

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 And then finally, and perhaps most significantly, I think most of us are just a bit too comfortable in this world.

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 We're used to a modern world with technology and all the rest of it,

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 and we enjoy it, most of us, and we don't want to leave it behind.

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 And perhaps we have a picture of heaven and of going to be with Jesus

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 that almost is taken from the first century.

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 We see ourselves as going back from the mod cons of the 21st century

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 and walking around in white robes in a very first century world.

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 I have a picture that was in my mind as I was preparing this message, rather a silly one,

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 but I think it illustrates my point.

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 My picture was of someone who has been caught up to be with the Lord Jesus

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 and they're reaching out and they're trying to grab their iPhone or whatever other device they had

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 so that they can go up and they have something to do when they're up in the clouds.

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 Yes, it's silly, but I wonder sometimes whether many of us are so comfortable in this world.

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 We so enjoy the technology and things that are around about us

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 that we don't realise how wonderful it will be when we go to be with the Lord.

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 It won't be a disappointment.

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 It will be something that is marvellous and we will look at it

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 and we will be amazed at how good our God is.

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 After all, our God is the one who made the whole universe

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 and the best scientists and inventors today, they are simply thinking God's thoughts after him.

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 He made all the things that make modern technology and modern comfort possible.

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 And so we need to be very wary of getting too attached to the things of our day

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 because what is to come is so much better.

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 And we really should be rejoicing in the fact that Jesus is coming again.

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 When we look at the scriptures, there is a real excitement in many of the passages that look forward to it.

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 The passage we read earlier from 1 Chronicles, the immediate context of that is David's rejoicing in God

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 as he prepares for the temple to be built under Solomon.

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 But he is also looking forward to the day when the Lord will be seen to reign and to judge.

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 And he says,

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 Let the heavens rejoice.

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 Let the earth be glad.

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 Let them see among the nations,

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 The Lord reigns.

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 Let the trees of the forest sing.

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 Let them sing for joy before the Lord.

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 For he comes to judge the earth.

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 The second coming of the Lord Jesus is something that should be very much in our thoughts

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 and something that we should be looking forward to with an eager expectation,

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 knowing that it will be so much better for us to go and to be with our Lord.

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 So what does the Bible have to teach us about the return of the Lord Jesus?

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 There are many different passages we have chosen to read today.

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 The return, the second coming of the Lord Jesus is one of the things that is most talked about in the whole Bible.

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 Someone has estimated, and I don't know how they counted,

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 that around one in 30 verses in the Bible refer in one way or another to the return of the Lord Jesus.

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 And we refer to quite a number of others, particularly of what the Lord Jesus had to say about it as we go along.

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 But we've chosen to read from the passage in 1 Thessalonians,

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 where Paul presents a very clear picture of how he sees the Lord coming back for the church.

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 And Paul, as he writes, is addressing a question that's been put to him by the Thessalonians.

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 The Christians in Thessalonica were quite worried because the Lord hadn't returned.

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 It had only been a few years, but they had expected he'd come quickly.

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 He hadn't returned and some of them had died.

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 And they were saying, well, these people that have died,

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 what a shame they seem to have missed out on the return of the Lord.

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 And Paul says, by no means.

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 In fact, it's almost the opposite.

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 Those who have passed away believing in the Lord Jesus,

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 they will be the first to meet with him when he returns.

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 And he bases that on some very important theology.

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 If you're looking at it in your Bible, it's in verse 14.

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 Paul says, we believe that Jesus died and rose again.

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 And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

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 We believe that Jesus died and rose again.

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 That must be about the simplest statement of Christian faith that there is in the whole Bible.

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 The death and the resurrection of Jesus are absolutely fundamental to Christian faith.

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 He died for our sins on the cross.

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 And as we were thinking at Easter, he then rose again on the third day.

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 And Paul says here, as he does separately in 1 Corinthians, in a more expanded version,

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 Paul says because Jesus rose from the dead,

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 and we have this as a fundamental belief of our faith,

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 we can also have confidence that those who die knowing Jesus will also be raised from the dead.

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 And that will happen when Jesus returns.

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 They will be the first to go and meet him.

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 And then those of us who are still alive on earth who are Christians

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 will be caught up also to meet him in the air.

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 Now, there are a number of things I think we could point to

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 that are features of the return of the Lord Jesus.

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 And I've selected four things which all begin with the letter S,

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 which hopefully makes them a little bit easier to understand.

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 They're based largely on verses 16 and 17 of 1 Thessalonians 4,

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 but also I've said on other passages.

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 So 16 and 17 say,

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 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command,

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 with the voice of the archangel,

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 and with the trumpet call of God,

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 and the dead in Christ will rise first.

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 After that, we who are still alive and are left

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 will be caught up together with them in the clouds

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 to meet the Lord in the air.

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 And so we will be with the Lord forever.

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 So four things about the return of the Lord Jesus.

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 The first of these is that it will be sudden.

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 We've already alluded to that a little bit.

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 It's not explicitly stated in the verses in Thessalonians,

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 but I think it's certainly implied there.

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 The shout, the trumpet call, the Lord's voice.

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 These are things which just suddenly happen,

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 and then the Lord returns,

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 and Christians are caught up to be with them.

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 The Lord Jesus himself,

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 in an awful lot of his teaching about his return,

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 his emphasis was very much on the fact

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 that it would be sudden,

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 that it would be unexpected.

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 So in Matthew chapter 24, he says,

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 in the days before the flood,

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 people were eating and drinking,

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 marrying and giving in marriage,

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 up to the day Noah entered the ark.

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 And they knew nothing about what would happen

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 until the flood came and took them all away.

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 That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

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 So on Noah's day, people had no clue

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 that judgment was about to come.

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 It came suddenly,

00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:36.519
 and Jesus says,

00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:39.460
 his return will also be sudden.

00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:41.299
 A few verses later,

00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:43.859
 he talks about a thief coming in the night,

00:17:44.439 --> 00:17:45.659
 and says that the owner of the house

00:17:45.659 --> 00:17:46.879
 knew the thief was coming.

00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:48.559
 Then he'd have made provision,

00:17:48.700 --> 00:17:50.399
 he'd have had the police waiting outside,

00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.420
 he'd have made sure that the thief couldn't get in.

00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:56.440
 But the whole point of the thief is it's unexpected.

00:17:57.060 --> 00:17:58.720
 He takes people unawares,

00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:02.540
 and so is able to get away with what he steals.

00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:04.420
 And Jesus says again,

00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:05.780
 it will be like that.

00:18:06.320 --> 00:18:09.600
 People won't be expecting me to return.

00:18:10.320 --> 00:18:12.400
 My return will be sudden.

00:18:13.100 --> 00:18:15.660
 And none of us knows when it will be.

00:18:16.360 --> 00:18:18.060
 We don't know whether it will be tomorrow,

00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:20.100
 whether it will be in the coming weeks and months,

00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:22.919
 or whether it might be many years ahead.

00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:25.379
 We won't know until it happens.

00:18:25.719 --> 00:18:29.359
 It will be a sudden and a glorious event.

00:18:30.379 --> 00:18:32.719
 And that brings me to my second thing about it.

00:18:33.219 --> 00:18:34.919
 It will be spectacular.

00:18:35.959 --> 00:18:39.599
 This is something that is really, really dramatic.

00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:42.779
 Do you get it in the language Paul uses?

00:18:43.379 --> 00:18:44.579
 The Lord will come,

00:18:44.980 --> 00:18:47.459
 and for Christians that will be the most wonderful thing,

00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:49.840
 to see Jesus coming back.

00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:51.440
 There will be a command.

00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:53.920
 There will be a trumpet call.

00:18:54.600 --> 00:18:57.740
 And people will be raised up to be with him.

00:18:58.259 --> 00:18:59.440
 Graves will be emptied.

00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:00.920
 And people who are dead,

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:02.680
 people who have been long dead in some cases,

00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:06.140
 will be resurrected to go and be with Jesus.

00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:08.180
 And then those of us who know him,

00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:09.440
 those of us who are Christians,

00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:10.900
 who are still on the earth,

00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:12.540
 alive at that point,

00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:15.560
 we too will be caught up.

00:19:16.060 --> 00:19:20.100
 It will be the most spectacular event in history.

00:19:20.099 --> 00:19:25.219
 And it will be something that will be unprecedented

00:19:25.219 --> 00:19:27.419
 compared with what's gone before.

00:19:28.139 --> 00:19:30.879
 Jesus expands a little bit more on this in Matthew chapter 16.

00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:31.939
 He says,

00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:34.219
 The Son of Man is going to come

00:19:34.219 --> 00:19:37.939
 in his Father's glory with his angels.

00:19:38.659 --> 00:19:40.339
 So it's not just the Lord returning.

00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:44.500
 It's the angels like the angelic host that there was at his birth.

00:19:44.919 --> 00:19:47.099
 He will be coming back with his angels.

00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:47.699
 Angels.

00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:51.159
 It will be something that is really spectacular,

00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:53.599
 that is really different.

00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:56.219
 And then the third thing,

00:19:56.500 --> 00:20:00.439
 the third S about the Lord's return is separation.

00:20:01.399 --> 00:20:03.459
 It will be an event like no other

00:20:03.459 --> 00:20:06.779
 that separates people into two groups.

00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.199
 There will be those who know the Lord

00:20:09.199 --> 00:20:10.939
 and have their trust in him

00:20:10.939 --> 00:20:13.659
 and will go to be with him in glory.

00:20:14.199 --> 00:20:16.319
 And there will be those who don't know the Lord,

00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.339
 who don't have their trust in him

00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:22.619
 and who ultimately face judgment for that.

00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:24.759
 Again, in Matthew 24,

00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.899
 the Lord pictures this.

00:20:27.619 --> 00:20:29.079
 And he pictures two people

00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:31.639
 doing a similar kind of thing.

00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:35.339
 He pictures people perhaps walking through a field

00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:37.240
 or working together.

00:20:37.639 --> 00:20:38.659
 Two people together.

00:20:39.179 --> 00:20:39.740
 Looking at them,

00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:41.599
 you wouldn't know there was any difference between them.

00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.439
 And yet one will be taken

00:20:43.439 --> 00:20:46.299
 and the other will be left behind.

00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.659
 I think we get that in the passage of 1 Thessalonians as well.

00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:51.439
 Because Paul says,

00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:54.879
 it will be the dead in Christ who rise first.

00:20:54.959 --> 00:20:58.219
 It will be Christians who have died who rise first.

00:20:58.779 --> 00:20:59.959
 Those who are not Christians,

00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:02.240
 there will be a later resurrection to judgment.

00:21:02.639 --> 00:21:06.759
 But the first to rise will be those who knew the Lord Jesus.

00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:08.859
 And we, he says,

00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:10.799
 we, I'm sure he means the Christians,

00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:12.539
 it's not everybody in the world,

00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:14.440
 it's those who know the Lord Jesus.

00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:18.259
 We will be caught up to meet him in the air.

00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:21.140
 And so there will be this separation at that point

00:21:21.140 --> 00:21:22.960
 between those who know Christ

00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:25.140
 and those who don't.

00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.079
 And then there will be the subsequent separation

00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:31.079
 of those who are declared righteous,

00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:32.660
 not because of any good in them,

00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:34.700
 but because they have trusted in Christ

00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:38.120
 and have been forgiven through his sacrifice for them.

00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:40.700
 And there will be those who haven't trusted in Christ

00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:44.580
 and they will be judged for what they have done.

00:21:45.080 --> 00:21:46.519
 At the beginning of 2 Thessalonians,

00:21:46.560 --> 00:21:47.660
 Thessalonians chapter 1,

00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:50.680
 Paul says he will punish those who do not know God

00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:54.000
 and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:56.600
 And then a couple of verses later on that day,

00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:58.880
 he comes to be glorified in his holy people

00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:03.920
 and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed.

00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:08.860
 There is a separation associated with the Lord's return.

00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:12.580
 And that is a very solemn thing to think about.

00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:16.880
 That either you are saved or you are lost.

00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:20.520
 Either you know Christ or you don't.

00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:23.720
 And today your trust isn't in the Lord Jesus.

00:22:24.320 --> 00:22:26.880
 If you haven't believed that he died for you

00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.340
 and that he rose again

00:22:28.340 --> 00:22:30.760
 and that he can save you from your sins

00:22:30.760 --> 00:22:32.780
 and from what you deserve,

00:22:33.280 --> 00:22:35.480
 then I would urge you to put your trust in him

00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:36.960
 and to come to know him

00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.080
 and have that assurance of eternal life.

00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:42.220
 If you are a Christian,

00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:45.700
 let's be motivated by the return of the Lord Jesus

00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:47.940
 and the consequences of that

00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:49.500
 to reach out to others,

00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:53.480
 to tell them about his love and his care for us

00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:56.460
 and that the gospel is for everyone.

00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:02.360
 That whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life.

00:23:03.020 --> 00:23:06.640
 The Lord's return will be a time of separation.

00:23:08.560 --> 00:23:10.380
 When I was young,

00:23:10.780 --> 00:23:12.820
 there was a film that was very popular

00:23:12.820 --> 00:23:15.140
 called A Thief in the Night.

00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:17.140
 And the theme song on that was sung

00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:19.820
 by a Christian rock singer called Larry Norman.

00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:21.259
 And it was called,

00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:24.099
 I wish we'd all been ready.

00:23:24.419 --> 00:23:27.039
 The kind of hook line inside that was,

00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:29.500
 there is no time to change your mind.

00:23:30.139 --> 00:23:31.119
 The sun has come

00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:33.980
 and you've been left behind.

00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:36.839
 Let's all of us make sure that we are ready

00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:38.879
 and that we help others

00:23:38.879 --> 00:23:41.319
 to know the truth of the Lord Jesus,

00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:43.759
 that they too may be ready

00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:45.679
 when he returns.

00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.740
 And then the final S,

00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:49.600
 the second coming of the Lord Jesus,

00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:51.860
 is about our Saviour.

00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:55.980
 It is above all about the return of Jesus.

00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:58.680
 And that will be the most wonderful thing

00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:00.180
 for those of us who are Christians,

00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:01.799
 that we will see him

00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:03.299
 and more than that,

00:24:03.380 --> 00:24:04.720
 we will be with him forever

00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:06.519
 and more than that,

00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:08.819
 we will be like him.

00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:10.620
 We will be changed,

00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:11.880
 we will be transformed

00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:14.620
 to be like Jesus.

00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:16.900
 Paul in this passage,

00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:19.000
 many times he talks about the Lord

00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:20.279
 and what will happen

00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:21.559
 when the Lord returns.

00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:22.660
 The Lord himself

00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:24.779
 will come down from heaven.

00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:27.920
 We will meet the Lord in the air

00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:32.299
 and so we will be with the Lord forever.

00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:34.619
 The return of Jesus

00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:38.359
 is very much associated with him.

00:24:38.919 --> 00:24:40.859
 And it is him that we will look at

00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:43.319
 and it is Jesus who we will focus on

00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:45.779
 and Jesus who we will worship

00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:47.819
 when he returns.

00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:51.919
 1 John chapter 3 verses 2 and 3.

00:24:52.419 --> 00:24:54.000
 We know that when Christ appears

00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.200
 we shall be like him

00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:57.720
 for we shall see him as he is.

00:24:58.839 --> 00:24:59.839
 And then the challenge,

00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:01.019
 all of us,

00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:03.059
 all who have this hope in him,

00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:04.679
 purify themselves

00:25:04.679 --> 00:25:08.599
 just as he is pure.

00:25:08.939 --> 00:25:10.279
 And then we have the wonderful scene

00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:12.500
 in Revelation chapter 5.

00:25:13.159 --> 00:25:15.500
 John gets a glimpse into heaven.

00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:17.559
 And what does he see?

00:25:17.659 --> 00:25:19.699
 What is the focus of heaven?

00:25:20.399 --> 00:25:23.539
 It is the Lamb who is on the throne.

00:25:23.539 --> 00:25:25.619
 And the message,

00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:26.920
 the song that's being sung

00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:28.000
 is this,

00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.319
 to Jesus,

00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.259
 you are worthy to take this scroll

00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:33.619
 and to open its seals

00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:34.920
 because you were slain

00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:36.519
 and by your blood

00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:37.740
 you purchased for God

00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:39.480
 people from every tribe

00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:40.480
 and language

00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:41.420
 and people

00:25:41.420 --> 00:25:42.460
 and nation.

00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:44.099
 You have made them

00:25:44.099 --> 00:25:45.440
 to be a kingdom and priest

00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.539
 to serve our God

00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:48.279
 and they will reign

00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:49.599
 on the earth.

00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:51.579
 And then there's a great chorus

00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:52.359
 of the thousands

00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:53.699
 and thousands of angels

00:25:53.699 --> 00:25:55.439
 worthy is the Lamb

00:25:55.439 --> 00:25:56.240
 who was slain

00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:58.000
 to receive power

00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:59.339
 and wealth

00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:00.639
 and wisdom

00:26:00.639 --> 00:26:02.059
 and strength

00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:03.259
 and honour

00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:04.539
 and glory

00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:06.039
 and praise.

00:26:07.379 --> 00:26:08.459
 And there's a second coming

00:26:08.459 --> 00:26:09.039
 of the Lord

00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.099
 that is the thing

00:26:10.099 --> 00:26:11.339
 that will be most precious

00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:12.399
 to us.

00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:14.139
 That we will be

00:26:14.139 --> 00:26:15.079
 with Jesus.

00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:17.240
 That we will be changed

00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:18.480
 to be like him

00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:20.000
 and that we will be

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:20.799
 with him forever

00:26:20.799 --> 00:26:21.759
 and be able to join

00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.420
 that wonderful choir

00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:24.579
 in heaven

00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:26.359
 and to sing his praises

00:26:26.359 --> 00:26:27.980
 and to rejoice

00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:29.700
 in all that he has done

00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:30.839
 for us.

00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:34.099
 I don't know if you've ever thought

00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:35.079
 and I sometimes have

00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:36.240
 if you were asked to go

00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.599
 on Desert Island Discs

00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:39.940
 what songs would you choose

00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:40.880
 to get played?

00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:41.680
 Well it's not going to happen

00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:42.160
 for me

00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:43.480
 but I know if I were

00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:44.480
 ever to be asked

00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:45.599
 one of the songs

00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:46.160
 that would be one

00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:47.160
 of my first choices

00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:48.340
 it would be

00:26:48.340 --> 00:26:49.900
 Timothy Dudley Smith's hymn

00:26:49.900 --> 00:26:51.120
 When the Lord

00:26:51.120 --> 00:26:53.200
 in Glory Comes.

00:26:54.080 --> 00:26:55.100
 The version by

00:26:55.100 --> 00:26:55.900
 the All Souls

00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:56.900
 Choir and Orchestra

00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:59.100
 I think is particularly good

00:26:59.100 --> 00:26:59.660
 and I think there are

00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:00.200
 details of that

00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:01.240
 on the screen just now

00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:02.640
 they're also on the website

00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:03.200
 and the email

00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.460
 that went to church members

00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:05.300
 today.

00:27:06.040 --> 00:27:06.860
 Timothy Dudley Smith

00:27:06.860 --> 00:27:07.600
 looks forward

00:27:07.600 --> 00:27:08.400
 to the return

00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:09.400
 of Jesus

00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:10.660
 and he says

00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:11.220
 some of the things

00:27:11.220 --> 00:27:12.340
 that we've been saying today

00:27:12.340 --> 00:27:13.759
 it will be spectacular

00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:15.680
 and there will be

00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:16.900
 sound of trumpets

00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:17.900
 and voices shouting

00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:19.019
 that there will be

00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:20.120
 evidence of the glory

00:27:20.120 --> 00:27:20.640
 of God

00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.560
 and all the angels

00:27:21.560 --> 00:27:23.019
 and everything else

00:27:23.019 --> 00:27:24.420
 but he says

00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:25.580
 what really matters

00:27:25.580 --> 00:27:27.280
 is that Jesus

00:27:27.280 --> 00:27:29.440
 will be there

00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:31.019
 and he says

00:27:31.019 --> 00:27:32.259
 his voice

00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:32.960
 upon

00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.200
 when he appears

00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:35.900
 shall be music

00:27:35.900 --> 00:27:37.320
 to my ears

00:27:37.320 --> 00:27:38.880
 his face upon

00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:39.720
 my sight

00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.920
 shall be

00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:41.640
 darkness

00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:43.920
 into light

00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:45.700
 and then the last

00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.000
 verse

00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:46.440
 and I finish

00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:47.019
 with this

00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:48.180
 he says this

00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:49.860
 when the Lord

00:27:49.860 --> 00:27:51.019
 to human eyes

00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:52.660
 shall bestride

00:27:52.660 --> 00:27:54.300
 our narrow skies

00:27:54.300 --> 00:27:55.920
 not the child

00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:57.120
 of humble birth

00:27:57.120 --> 00:27:59.140
 not the carpenter

00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:00.240
 of earth

00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:01.759
 not the man

00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:02.759
 by men denied

00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:04.180
 not the victim

00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:05.000
 crucified

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:07.000
 but the God

00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:08.240
 who died to save

00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:09.980
 but the victor

00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:11.360
 of the grave

00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:12.919
 he it is

00:28:12.919 --> 00:28:14.439
 to whom I fall

00:28:14.439 --> 00:28:16.279
 Jesus Christ

00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:17.579
 my all

00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:18.699
 in all

00:28:18.699 --> 00:28:19.519
 may that be true

00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:20.279
 of all of us

00:28:20.279 --> 00:28:21.619
 let's pray together

00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:24.779
 our father

00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:25.359
 we thank you

00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:25.819
 for this

00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:26.859
 wonderful theme

00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:27.559
 that we thought of

00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:28.139
 this morning

00:28:28.139 --> 00:28:29.539
 that Jesus

00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:30.599
 is coming

00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:31.099
 again

00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:32.459
 that he is

00:28:32.459 --> 00:28:33.279
 coming to take

00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:33.839
 those of us

00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:34.519
 who know him

00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:35.659
 to be with him

00:28:35.659 --> 00:28:36.079
 forever

00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:37.679
 and to enjoy

00:28:37.679 --> 00:28:38.579
 his presence

00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:39.879
 through eternity

00:28:39.879 --> 00:28:41.599
 we thank you

00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.119
 that it will be

00:28:42.119 --> 00:28:43.279
 a glorious thing

00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.199
 when he returns

00:28:44.199 --> 00:28:46.159
 and when we see him

00:28:46.159 --> 00:28:47.899
 and when we become

00:28:47.899 --> 00:28:48.960
 like him

00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:50.439
 and we pray

00:28:50.439 --> 00:28:51.119
 that those of us

00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:51.819
 who know him

00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:53.179
 may take that

00:28:53.179 --> 00:28:54.119
 and that it may

00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:54.919
 change our lives

00:28:54.919 --> 00:28:55.699
 that we may really

00:28:55.699 --> 00:28:56.480
 be excited

00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:57.859
 by the prospect

00:28:57.859 --> 00:28:59.740
 that we may

00:28:59.740 --> 00:29:00.799
 encourage one another

00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:01.960
 with these words

00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:02.519
 as Paul

00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:03.519
 exhorted

00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:04.699
 the Thessalonians

00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.200
 to do

00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.819
 that we may seek

00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:08.080
 to purify ourselves

00:29:08.080 --> 00:29:09.500
 as he is pure

00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:11.299
 as John exhorts us

00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:12.200
 to do

00:29:12.200 --> 00:29:13.880
 and that we may wish

00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:15.220
 to redouble our efforts

00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:16.420
 to help others

00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:17.640
 to know about the Lord

00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:18.920
 and the salvation

00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:20.039
 that's available

00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:20.779
 through him

00:29:20.779 --> 00:29:22.180
 we pray for any

00:29:22.180 --> 00:29:23.000
 watching this morning

00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:24.240
 who don't yet know Jesus

00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:25.980
 and we pray that they

00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:26.700
 may come to put

00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:27.779
 their trust in him

00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.960
 and to know

00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:29.700
 the salvation

00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:31.100
 and the hope

00:29:31.100 --> 00:29:32.400
 that he offers

00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:34.559
 we pray for your help

00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:35.319
 for us all

00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:36.079
 during this week

00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:37.579
 in this difficult time

00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:39.359
 of the coronavirus crisis

00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:40.960
 we pray that you will

00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.819
 help us to keep

00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:42.779
 a strong faith

00:29:42.779 --> 00:29:43.419
 and confidence

00:29:43.419 --> 00:29:44.099
 in the Lord

00:29:44.099 --> 00:29:45.720
 that those who are

00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:46.960
 lonely may be

00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.379
 comforted by him

00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:49.659
 and also by the

00:29:49.659 --> 00:29:50.299
 phone calls

00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:51.299
 of others

00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:52.500
 that those who are

00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:53.480
 struggling in other ways

00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:54.579
 may be really helped

00:29:54.579 --> 00:29:55.679
 and strengthened

00:29:55.679 --> 00:29:57.039
 through this period

00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:58.299
 we thank you

00:29:58.299 --> 00:29:58.859
 that you are

00:29:58.859 --> 00:29:59.819
 in control

00:29:59.819 --> 00:30:00.960
 we thank you

00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:01.279
 that you are

00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:02.480
 the great God of heaven

00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:03.579
 and that you have

00:30:03.579 --> 00:30:04.299
 all things

00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:05.480
 in your hands

00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:06.740
 and so we commit

00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:07.620
 ourselves to you

00:30:07.620 --> 00:30:08.799
 and we ask for your

00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:09.880
 presence and your help

00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:10.880
 we give you our thanks

00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:12.140
 in Jesus name

00:30:12.140 --> 00:30:13.140
 Amen

00:30:13.140 --> 00:30:22.660
 you

00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:24.759
 you

00:30:24.759 --> 00:30:26.500
 you

00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:29.200
 you

00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:31.200
 you

00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:32.500
 you

00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:33.860
 you