One Resurrection - Nicaea 1700 Pt 5

[00:00:00] Speaker A: That is so good to us. Amen. [00:00:03] Speaker B: We are finishing out today our series on Nicene Creed. We've spent several weeks discussing this ancient Christian document. And I've said this each week, and. [00:00:15] Speaker A: So I'm not gonna. [00:00:16] Speaker B: I'm not gonna spend too long here. [00:00:17] Speaker A: But the. [00:00:17] Speaker B: The reasons are basically twofold, right? [00:00:19] Speaker A: This. [00:00:20] Speaker B: This year represents the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of the Nicene Creed, which is kind of nuts when you think about it. There is a creedal document, a doctrinal document that's 1700 years old that Christians. [00:00:36] Speaker A: Across language, culture, time, and denominational differences all agree on. [00:00:42] Speaker B: It's pretty wide. [00:00:44] Speaker A: This is a unquestioned document in historic Christian orthodoxy. [00:00:49] Speaker B: And the reason is simple. It's because the Creed isn't anything new. It's just a distillation of biblical teaching. [00:00:56] Speaker A: Right? It was written in a time when there weren't written Bibles that most Christians had access to. [00:01:01] Speaker B: And so because of that, some heresies around the person of God had become really prevalent, especially Arianism, the teaching that Jesus isn't actually God, that the Trinity. [00:01:11] Speaker A: Doesn'T exist, that Jesus is a created being. [00:01:13] Speaker B: And so the council came together to. [00:01:16] Speaker A: Defend biblical teaching, and the creed came out of that. And it was meant to be a way of distilling the biblical teaching in a way that illiterate Christians with no access to the Bible could easily memorize to protect churches from false teaching. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Which, by the way, I think, is why it's still beneficial for us today. [00:01:33] Speaker A: To look at it. [00:01:34] Speaker B: On the one hand, it roots us in the historicity of our faith. [00:01:38] Speaker A: I mean, it's kind of cool in the middle of our worship when we're singing songs in English that were written in the last 50 years to stop and speak a creed together that Christians around the globe have said this morning and Christians for 1700 years have said in their gatherings. [00:01:52] Speaker B: That's kind of cool, right? To remember that we're part of such a large movement that is Christ's church and his kingdom. But beyond that, what I really think this is helpful for us in our cultural moment is that the Creed helps us put really clear eyes on primary doctrines. Primary doctrines is the phrase we use to talk about the dividing line of belief between beliefs that are Christian and beliefs that are not Christian. [00:02:20] Speaker A: Right. [00:02:21] Speaker B: There are plenty of doctrines and convictions that Christians in good faith debate and discuss. [00:02:27] Speaker A: Right. [00:02:27] Speaker B: You can drive around west county today. [00:02:29] Speaker A: You can go to Presbyterian churches and Methodist churches and Lutheran churches. [00:02:33] Speaker B: And we divide on certain secondary doctrines. [00:02:37] Speaker A: Modes of baptism and how you sing songs and how the pastor should dress and how you engage the church calendar. [00:02:43] Speaker B: And these are all fine things. [00:02:45] Speaker A: There's nothing wrong with these things. [00:02:46] Speaker B: And we readily and joyfully affirm that. [00:02:49] Speaker A: We'Re all brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of these differences. Right. [00:02:53] Speaker B: But there are certain primary doctrines that when you step outside of those beliefs, you're stepping outside of Christianity. And it's really important that we as. [00:03:03] Speaker A: Believers have eyes on those doctrines because. [00:03:06] Speaker B: We live in a cultural moment where it's actually incredibly popular to co opt. [00:03:12] Speaker A: Jesus and his likability or certain facets. [00:03:16] Speaker B: Of Christian ethics and to try and apply those without actually submitting to the. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Overarch of biblical teaching on Jesus or Jesus's lordship. [00:03:26] Speaker B: I'll give an example of this. And this is not meant to defame, but, but to explain what we're talking. [00:03:30] Speaker A: About, you know, I, I write most. [00:03:31] Speaker B: Of my sermons in, in coffee shops. [00:03:33] Speaker A: In St. Louis, bread companies around the area because I don't have an office. Right. [00:03:36] Speaker B: And it's probably twice a month when. [00:03:39] Speaker A: I'm sitting in my bread co posted up with all my books writing. The Mormon missionaries come up and talk to me because I have Bibles stacked up in front of me. Right. [00:03:47] Speaker B: And they're, and they're wonderful conversations. [00:03:48] Speaker A: I actually deeply enjoy my time hanging out with young Mormons who are all like 19 and haven't seen their mom in a year. [00:03:55] Speaker B: Like, they're, it's, it's a great time to like sit with them and encourage. [00:03:57] Speaker A: Them and, and remind them that they're, they're seen in their loved. [00:04:00] Speaker B: Right. But the discussion invariably comes back to. [00:04:04] Speaker A: Primary doctrines because my Mormon friends will, will tell me Mormonism exists within the realm of Christian orthodoxy. It's another denomination like Presbyterianism or Baptists or whatever. [00:04:15] Speaker B: And I'll say, well, that's, that's actually. [00:04:17] Speaker A: Not true because Mormonism rejects primary Christian doctrine. It rejects the Trinity. Right? Yeah. They say that they actually hold to. [00:04:25] Speaker B: The Aryan heresy, that the Nicene Creed was written for saying that Jesus is not divine, but a created being who is an order above us, but who. [00:04:33] Speaker A: At the same time is in submission to God. [00:04:35] Speaker B: And so that's, that's outside of Christianity. [00:04:38] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:38] Speaker B: And so even though our Mormon friends. [00:04:40] Speaker A: Hold to a lot of Christian ethics. [00:04:42] Speaker B: About human dignity and the golden rule. [00:04:45] Speaker A: In the way we treat other people. [00:04:47] Speaker B: We can't affirm it as a Christian movement. [00:04:50] Speaker A: It's outside the bounds of what is and isn't Christian. You guys got to know. That's an example I'm giving off the top of My head. [00:04:56] Speaker B: But we live in a cultural moment. [00:04:58] Speaker A: Where this is prevalent. To take facets of Christian ethics, to take the face and likeability of Jesus and to stamp it onto worldviews and belief systems and traditions that have nothing to do with biblical Christianity. [00:05:14] Speaker B: And so it's incredibly important for us to learn to understand primary doctrine that not, not just to keep ourselves safe, but to protect our families and our churches. [00:05:23] Speaker A: Right? [00:05:24] Speaker B: To stay within the realm of, of. [00:05:26] Speaker A: What the scripture actually teaches us. [00:05:28] Speaker B: And so over the course of this series, we spent most of our time talking about the Trinity. We talked about God the Father and. [00:05:34] Speaker A: How he is creator and his Creator he has authority and claim over his creation. [00:05:38] Speaker B: We talked about God the Son and how because of sin and God's holiness, God is constantly other and unapproachable and unknowable. But God the Son is God with flesh and bones. [00:05:50] Speaker A: He makes God approachable. [00:05:51] Speaker B: He makes the invisible God visible. That we can hang out with him, we can talk to him, we can learn about the God we were built. [00:05:58] Speaker A: To be in relationship with. [00:06:00] Speaker B: But the Christ's accomplished work, his perfect. [00:06:02] Speaker A: Life, his unjust death, his supernatural resurrection, his victorious ascension and his eventual final. [00:06:08] Speaker B: Return, these work required the use of his body. [00:06:11] Speaker A: And so he is no longer bodily present with us. And so in order to increase intimacy rather than decrease intimacy, God the Spirit enters into the picture. And now God doesn't just hang out with us as a person, but God dwells within believers. He doesn't set up his tent in our midst, he sets up his tent in our own hearts. And in Christ, God lives with us. [00:06:35] Speaker B: Last week we talked about the doctrine of the church, how God has adopted. [00:06:40] Speaker A: One family unto himself, that there is a unity. [00:06:43] Speaker B: That the defining characteristic of the kingdom. [00:06:46] Speaker A: Of God is not our differences, it is our unity. That in spite of differences, God adopts us into one family with one mission. And our singular baptism points us to that unity over and above our differences. [00:07:02] Speaker B: And so today we land out the creed by talking about resurrection. We're going to talk about Jesus's return. We're going to talk about the resurrection of the dead. We're going to talk about the end of all things. You know, like light, just light discussion, right? Like just an easy one. But I think this is so important for us. Guys, you probably know this, but historically Christians kind of obsess over the return. [00:07:28] Speaker A: Of Jesus and the final resurrection. [00:07:30] Speaker B: It's caused actually lots of problems and lots of anxiety and lots of cheesy. [00:07:36] Speaker A: Christian straight to video movies. [00:07:38] Speaker B: It has anyone. Kirk Cameron left Behind fans in the room. Anyone? Anyone? [00:07:42] Speaker A: Listen, you don't have to expose yourself publicly right now. There's no shame in this game. [00:07:46] Speaker B: We love you. [00:07:47] Speaker A: We all love some Kirk Cameron every now and again. [00:07:49] Speaker B: But guys, the point is this culture. [00:07:52] Speaker A: Obsession with this facet of Christian theology. [00:07:55] Speaker B: It actively drives me to why this. [00:07:58] Speaker A: Is so important for us today. [00:08:00] Speaker B: So my main point today for us. [00:08:01] Speaker A: Is going to be this. [00:08:03] Speaker B: Resurrection is our hope. That's the point today. I think too many Christians think of Christ's return in the end of all things and the book of Revelation and the Apocalypse and it brings about fear and anxiety. It's a scary thing to consider. [00:08:24] Speaker A: My challenge for you today is really simple. In Christ, resurrection is your hope. It is not an anxiety inducing idea. It is not a fearful doctrine. It's a joyful doctrine. [00:08:39] Speaker B: Look at the way the creed says this. We look forward to the resurrection of. [00:08:43] Speaker A: The dead into a life in the world to come. I love that phrasing. We look forward to. [00:08:50] Speaker B: You know, I look forward to. I look forward to Christmas. I look forward to a date night with my wife. [00:08:58] Speaker A: I look forward to a night to sit on the couch and watch a movie. I look forward to things I like, things I'm anticipating, things that bring me joy and life. It's about something you actually love to looking forward to. It's about something you actually desire. [00:09:17] Speaker B: And yet, if we're being honest, right, how many of us associate Jesus's return. [00:09:25] Speaker A: And the resurrection of the dead with actual palpable joy? [00:09:29] Speaker B: I'll be honest, guys. [00:09:31] Speaker A: I'm not exaggerating when I say this. [00:09:33] Speaker B: By and far, the majority of conversations I have with believers about the end. [00:09:38] Speaker A: Of all things, about Christ's return, about resurrection, are anxiety filled conversations. They're worry and fear and doubts of faith. [00:09:47] Speaker B: What if I'm not? [00:09:49] Speaker A: What if I'm a goat? I don't realize it. What if God comes back and I face judgment? Won't it be terrifying? What if people I love aren't in Christ when Christ returns? Almost always when I have these conversations, they're fearful conversations, they're anxious ones. And I think, guys, like, I think there's a reason for that. I think there's a good reason for that. There's a jokingly mentioned earlier, right, that there's all these numerous fiction works about Jesus's return. There's a certain brand of evangelical faith in the last 30 and 40 years. [00:10:23] Speaker B: That saw Jesus's return and thought of believers being resurrected as scary as a way of using fear to motivate Us toward repentance and evangelism. Right? You better be ready. You don't want to be left behind. [00:10:35] Speaker A: Right? [00:10:37] Speaker B: But I think it's even beyond that because you mix that reality that we. [00:10:42] Speaker A: Live in a cultural moment where Christ's return has been used as a fear tool to draw about repentance, and you. [00:10:49] Speaker B: Mix it with the fact that we live in a generally affluent society where our lives aren't that bad, and all. [00:10:56] Speaker A: Of a sudden, it makes a ton of sense. [00:10:57] Speaker B: Several years ago, there was a Christian. [00:10:58] Speaker A: Comedian who used to joke that too many Christian singles can't wait for Jesus to come back as long as it's after their honeymoon. [00:11:08] Speaker B: And the joke was, they want eternity. [00:11:11] Speaker A: In heaven forever, but not until they've experienced their wedding night. Right? [00:11:16] Speaker B: And that's funny. It is funny, right? It's funny, but it also proves a point. If your life is so good that you want Jesus to delay his return until you hit certain milestones or pleasures, then you don't really understand the doctrine of Christ's return. You don't really understand the biblical teaching about resurrection. And so hopefully our text today will. [00:11:43] Speaker A: Encourage you all, all of us, regardless of how we approach this, to a place of joy and hopefully, eager expectation of your Lord. [00:11:51] Speaker B: So pray with me. [00:11:51] Speaker A: We're going to jump into this text. Jesus, we need you today to be our discipler. We need you to be our teacher. We need you to be the one who encourages us, who challenges us, who reminds us of truth for your text. Lord, for those of us in this room who have experienced anxiety or fear around these things, Spirit, I pray that you would be a balm of healing today, that you would speak through your word in a way that is encouraging, in a way that doesn't just challenge our wrong beliefs, but actually heals our hearts. Father, we need you to do this. We need your strength amongst us today. So we pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen. [00:12:29] Speaker B: Okay, we're going to be in first Thessalonians chapter four today. If you want to go ahead and turn there. If you're here today and you don't. [00:12:35] Speaker A: Have a Bible with you, we have house Bibles around the room. Just look under the chairs in front of you. You'll find one. [00:12:39] Speaker B: By the way, we really believe in. [00:12:41] Speaker A: The importance of the access to God's word here at Emmanuel Fellowship. If you're in the space today and. [00:12:45] Speaker B: You don't own a Bible, please feel. [00:12:47] Speaker A: Free to take one of our pew Bibles or talk to one of the pastors. We'll get you One that is nicer. [00:12:52] Speaker B: We're going to be in 1st Thessalonians 4 today. And while you turn there, I'm going to give you a little bit of context. So aside from being the most fun New Testament church to pronounce their name, Thessalonica, the Thessalonian church is a church that was planted by Paul and Silas during Paul's second missionary journey. You can read about it in Acts 17 and that's actually an important bit of context. For a seat. This church has a really interesting origin story. It was planted with real fervor. There was an established Jewish community in Thessalonica. And when Paul and Silas show up and they meet with the faith community there and begin preaching the Gospel and showing from the scripture that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, this church births with passion. The Jews in the community grab ahold of the Gospel message with fervor, with so much fervor that it actually causes a lot of controversy. It actually causes a lot of conflict. [00:13:45] Speaker A: Within the Jewish community. Of Jewish theological leaders going, this random. [00:13:49] Speaker B: Heretical movement has shown up and taken half the synagogue. We have to do something about this. Within three days, those disagreements turn into a riot and they actually have to. [00:13:59] Speaker A: Sneak Paul and Silas out of the city. [00:14:01] Speaker B: And so Paul and Silas, Paul especially is left with this real anxiety of going, man, God did this amazing work to plant this church. And three days later I had to jet and I have no idea what happened to them. But I mean, within days the leader of this new church had been publicly. [00:14:17] Speaker A: Beaten in the streets. Right? [00:14:18] Speaker B: He's worried about this church. So he sends Timothy back to go ahead, he's you to go back to. [00:14:23] Speaker A: Thessalonica and see how they're doing. And when Timothy goes and meets with the church and comes back, the report he brings is that yes, the persecution is brutal and it's not let up. This church is being treated horrifically. But they are thriving in their faith. [00:14:39] Speaker B: They're all that much more committed to Christ. And they actually send back questions with. [00:14:44] Speaker A: Timothy, ask Paul this, this, this, this. [00:14:46] Speaker B: And this and get him to write back. So that's what we get with first Thessalonians is this letter Paul writes. And he's writing it on the one hand to encourage this church that that literally got to hang out with him for less than a week. [00:14:59] Speaker A: Right? [00:15:00] Speaker B: He's trying to encourage them in their. [00:15:01] Speaker A: Faith, encourage them to stand strong in the face of persecution. [00:15:05] Speaker B: And he's always also trying to help them specifically engage some key theological questions. [00:15:12] Speaker A: They've asked Him. [00:15:13] Speaker B: And in our text, they're asking about the resurrection and the return of Christ. The question of the resurrection was chief on the Thessalonians minds because they had experienced uniquely difficult and brutal persecution, right? [00:15:29] Speaker A: They really suffered as a church. [00:15:32] Speaker B: And that led a group of false. [00:15:34] Speaker A: Teachers in the area to propagate the idea that Jesus had already returned. And the reason they were suffering is because a tribulation was going on before the end of all things. And so this church starts to go, wait a minute, Christ already came back. [00:15:49] Speaker B: We've been at church for like a year. He already came back. It was that quick. And they sort of look around and go, but what about all the people that died because they're still dead? Like, how does that work? Are they just missing out? And they had genuine questions. So they bring this to Paul. How does this work? What's. What the heck is going on here? And Paul, with sincerity born out of. [00:16:12] Speaker A: His own, like, connection to their suffering, his love for this church. [00:16:16] Speaker B: He answers them really clearly. [00:16:17] Speaker A: So jump in with me first. Thessalonians 4, we're going to start in verse 13 says this. [00:16:24] Speaker B: We do not want you to be. [00:16:25] Speaker A: Uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not. [00:16:30] Speaker B: Grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died. [00:16:35] Speaker A: And rose again in the same way. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord. We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, so that we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. I love the way this text opens up with Paul's. [00:17:14] Speaker A: His pastoral heart, right? [00:17:17] Speaker B: It's so easy to separate ourselves from. [00:17:18] Speaker A: These kind of truths because we're reading this thousands of years later and it's. [00:17:22] Speaker B: Like it's Paul, right? Like he's. He's Paul, he's an apostle. But. But at its core, the Christian life. [00:17:28] Speaker A: Is a communal life, right? We are for each other. [00:17:32] Speaker B: And Paul is so encouraged by how. [00:17:35] Speaker A: This church is thriving in the midst of persecution because he loves them. And because he loves them, he's concerned about the things that are causing them anxiety and sorrow. So he doesn't want them to be uninformed, right? Because he cares about them. He wants them to know what's going on. [00:17:53] Speaker B: And he uses this phrase, asleep, as. [00:17:55] Speaker A: Sort of a micro metaphor. [00:17:57] Speaker B: The New Testament, by the way, often. [00:17:59] Speaker A: Refers to dead people as asleep because. [00:18:01] Speaker B: Of what Paul's about to explain here. In Christ, physical death is temporary, right? Like when you go to sleep at night, you go to sleep with an. [00:18:11] Speaker A: Expectation that you'll wake up, that your state of sleep is temporary. [00:18:15] Speaker B: And in Christ, the state of death is temporary and has an expectation that it will end. And so look at Paul's concern here. I don't want you to grieve like those who have no hope. [00:18:31] Speaker A: He's saying there's something different about the Christian life. [00:18:34] Speaker B: There's something about the Gospel message that should change the way you engage and face death and suffering. Paul is saying here, the truth of the Gospel has a literal and immediate effect on the way we engage the death of loved ones who are precious to us. And one of the most amazing privileges. [00:18:52] Speaker A: I have as a pastor is that. [00:18:54] Speaker B: I get to be with people in. [00:18:55] Speaker A: The highs and lows of life. It's a real thing. It's really intense, right? Like, I get to do baby dedications, and I get to officiate weddings, but. [00:19:03] Speaker B: Then I also sit with people in. [00:19:04] Speaker A: Hospitals and emergency rooms, and I officiate funerals, right? Like, both ends of that. [00:19:10] Speaker B: And when I was younger in ministry, the lead pastor who was over me. [00:19:14] Speaker A: Volunteered me to help Schroeder Funeral Home with funerals. When the family had no contacts with the church, he. He looked at me and said, you need more reps. You need to learn how to do this stuff. And so we told them, if a family doesn't have any church to contact, just call us, and my youth pastor will do it. [00:19:29] Speaker B: And so there was a season of life where I did a lot of funerals for strangers. And I got to tell you something. There is a palpable difference, palpable difference. [00:19:42] Speaker A: Between a normal funeral in our culture and one full of believers who are mourning the loss of a brother or sister. [00:19:50] Speaker B: Because death is unnatural. [00:19:53] Speaker A: It's not the way God designed this world. Hard for us to remember that because it's all we've known our whole life. But if Genesis 1 and 2 are scripture, then death is not a part of God's design. It's here because of sin. Everyone feels the sting of loss when someone precious is lost to them. But the hope and the genuine celebration that undergirds a Christian funeral, it's palpable in most funerals. [00:20:28] Speaker B: People are sad and they speak comforting. [00:20:30] Speaker A: Platitudes and that's harsh, but it's true. We've experienced that before. We talk about how this person was so great, never did anything mean, and they would just love what we're doing here, and they would have picked the same song and all those things. And it's a way of dulling ourselves to the pain of the loss. But believing funerals, our worship experiences, you hear them say things like, he's free, she is healed. [00:20:58] Speaker B: He is living his dream right now. She had the choice, she wouldn't come back to us because she's in glory with the Father. [00:21:04] Speaker A: We will see him again in glory. Those are the kind of phrases that come up in Christian funerals because we do not grieve as those who have no hope. [00:21:16] Speaker B: And Paul wants this truth for this church. [00:21:21] Speaker A: The Gospel infects our mourning and turns it into worship. Come on, church. [00:21:28] Speaker B: And why is this? [00:21:30] Speaker A: It's because at the end of the day, for the Christian, death is like sleep. It's like sleep. It's a metaphor for the Christian, death is not the end. Because Jesus rose from the dead. [00:21:41] Speaker B: In him you will rise too. What a beautiful truth. And then in verse 15, he switches to talking about Jesus return. And guys, this is important. When we talk about the work of Jesus for our salvation, most of us readily remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, right? Those are his work. And that's true. But I would encourage you to remember when we talk about the work of Jesus, that this ascension unto heaven and his eventual return, they're just as important a part of the work for the power of the gospel on your behalf. A part of it. It all goes together. His perfect life, his unjust death, his supernatural resurrection, his victorious ascension and his eventual return, they are all a part of the work of Christ. And here Paul directly connects our hope. [00:22:31] Speaker A: In the face of death to this latter part of Christ's work. [00:22:36] Speaker B: He says that when Christ returns, those who have already died will be the first to experience the blessing of Jesus. [00:22:42] Speaker A: Return. [00:22:44] Speaker B: He'll return. He'll resurrect them and draw them to himself. Now, it's worth noting here that Paul mentions that those who are still alive will also be drawn up to Jesus. [00:22:52] Speaker A: To experience the blessing of Jesus eternal reign, but just after the resurrection of the holy dead, right? There's a strange facet of the faith for us reading these words 2,000 years later. But you have to understand this. [00:23:06] Speaker B: The early church, before the New Testament. [00:23:08] Speaker A: Was fully written they just assumed Jesus's return was like, really imminent, right? [00:23:15] Speaker B: Like, they didn't, they didn't have access. [00:23:17] Speaker A: To the whole of the closed scripture. [00:23:19] Speaker B: The way we do. [00:23:20] Speaker A: So they just assumed like, any day. [00:23:22] Speaker B: Now, any day now, like, we're ready. And so they lived with a different. [00:23:28] Speaker A: Understanding of Christ's return than we do. [00:23:32] Speaker B: For most, for most first century Middle. [00:23:35] Speaker A: Easterners, they didn't realize how big the mission of Christ was, right? That the Gospel was going to go forth to all nations and all peoples all around the world, even places they didn't yet know existed, in peoples they had never heard of, right? [00:23:46] Speaker B: And so they're like, gospel's gone around Rome, he's probably coming back, like maybe next week. And they just, they lived with that sort of expectation. That's why these Thessalonians could be convinced that their persecution meant Christ had already. [00:24:01] Speaker A: Returned and they just hadn't noticed yet. [00:24:04] Speaker B: Right? Now we can read our Bible and know that Jesus's followers, his misunderstanding of his intentions is basically par for the course, right? [00:24:12] Speaker A: Like, Christians are really bad at understanding Jesus's intentions. [00:24:16] Speaker B: But regardless of the timing, facet of. [00:24:19] Speaker A: It, it's going to happen soon or it's going to happen far from now. Jesus wants this church to understand that Jesus will return and when he returns, there won't be any mystery to it, right? [00:24:31] Speaker B: There's no chance you'll miss Christ's return by accident. When Jesus came to earth the first time, essentially no one noticed. [00:24:40] Speaker A: He was a poor peasant and the majority of the world went on like nothing happened. But when Jesus returns, the Scripture says in places like Philippians 2, when Christ returns, the world will stop and the world will take notice that he'll be announced with angels and trumpets, that he'll arrive in glory and power and victory, that the entire world will stop and bow to him. [00:25:07] Speaker B: The dead will rise. [00:25:09] Speaker A: All of those in Christ will be drawn to him to be with him forever. We're talking about heaven, beloved. Heaven. [00:25:15] Speaker B: When Christ returns, you will be drawn into your perfect eternity with the lover of your soul. [00:25:23] Speaker A: It's no wonder that Paul says that this truth should be something that encourages the church, Right? We should be encouraged by this truth. [00:25:31] Speaker B: Remember, remind each other of this truth and be encouraged. Beloved. The hope of the resurrection is a joy for those of us who are in Christ. It's hope. Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15 that the hope of the resurrection is the linchpin of our faith, that without it, we are to be pitied. And Christianity doesn't work as A self help philosophy. In spite of what so many people in our culture say, you cannot simply commandeer Christian ethics and live a good and fulfilled life. You can't. The gospel of Jesus tells us that sin has left the world, that God made good an absolute ruin, but the only outcome of sin is death. That it's unavoidable and inevitable. But Jesus's work, what we already said, is his perfect life, his unjust death, his supernatural resurrection, his triumphant ascension, his glorious return. That that work has made a way forward for sin to be forgiven and Christians to walk in connection with their God again in Christ. You and I can be forgiven, but you can't just take bits and pieces. [00:26:38] Speaker A: Of that work piecemeal. Take the pieces you want and lead the others. No. Without the resurrection of Jesus, there is no gospel, there is no hope. But as Paul said to the Corinthians, praise be to God that Jesus did raise from the deaf. Amen. That he invites us into the fruit of his work. That he also invites us into the. [00:26:59] Speaker B: Work that he calls us to join him in the work of seeking and saving the lost. And hear this. There is a real cost in your life in this world to actually not just receive the ministry of Jesus, but to join him in the work that he has called you to costs you. The call of discipleship is a call to cross now and crown later. It's a call to give of yourself. It's a call to serve. It's a call to radically pour one's life into generosity and service and proclamation of the Gospel with the knowledge that your forever is secure in Christ's resurrection. [00:27:37] Speaker A: And beloved, that is where the real hope of Christ lies. [00:27:43] Speaker B: I know in a room like this. [00:27:44] Speaker A: Some of us have experienced and some of us are experiencing really hellish circumstances. Some of you are right now beaten down and hurting, having drug yourself over the threshold of this church today. If that's you, beloved, I hope you hear this. There is more hope for you today than simply your life in this world. [00:28:14] Speaker B: There is more hope for you today. [00:28:17] Speaker A: Than the sorrow and the hurt and the darkness you have experienced in your years on this earth. Be encouraged, beloved. [00:28:25] Speaker B: When you rely on Christ, when Christ has your all, when you fall at the feet of the cross saying I've tried my best and this world has the better of me, I. I need your help. When you rely on Christ, the worst this world has to offer cannot take away your hope. [00:28:45] Speaker A: It cannot take away your righteous reward. Because Christ already bought it and secured it for you. In John 10:10 he says no one can snatch you out of my hand. When you belong to Christ, there is nothing that can take you away from him. Your redemption is secure in Christ. That is hope. That is encouragement. Just a chapter later in John 11, that Jesus approaches some of his closest friends after his friend Lazarus has died. And Lazarus's sisters are mourning and they're frustrated with Jesus. [00:29:16] Speaker B: Why didn't you come earlier? [00:29:17] Speaker A: Why? [00:29:18] Speaker B: You could have healed him if you showed up. [00:29:20] Speaker A: And Jesus's response to them in their. [00:29:22] Speaker B: Mourning, in their sorrow, in their anger, is to remind them of the truth of the resurrection. I am the resurrection of the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in. [00:29:35] Speaker A: Me will never die. Do you believe this? He says to the sister walking to the tomb of her brother. Do you believe this? Though your brother dies, he may live, and that in me he will never die. There is something fundamental about Jesus that is counter to the evil and loss that is death in the curse. Beloved, to be with Christ is to be away from death, is to be free from the power of death. Even if he dies, he will yet live. Beloved, Jesus conquers the power of death in your life, conquers the power of death. Paul says, where, O death, is your sting? Not that it isn't there, but that being there, it's less powerful. I can't sting you the same way. And this is what Paul tells us to encourage one another with. Read on with me. [00:30:35] Speaker B: Verse 1 of chapter 5 about the times, the seasons. [00:30:39] Speaker A: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know very well the day of the Lord will come, just like a thief in the night. [00:30:46] Speaker B: When they say peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains on a pregnant woman. And they will not escape. [00:30:55] Speaker A: But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark for this day, to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. Just a few months back, when we were still going through the Gospel of Matthew, we did the short teaching on short series on Jesus's teaching on the end times. [00:31:15] Speaker B: I was continually struck by Jesus's own words. [00:31:18] Speaker A: You can look them up. In Matthew 24 he says. He basically says that no one's going to know when he comes back. [00:31:24] Speaker B: There's no one knows. I don't even know. Only the Father knows, which is wild. There'll be signs, signs of the end is coming. But then he even goes on to say, but they'll always be there. They'll be there the whole time till I get back. You won't know. You won't know. No one will know. It's one of the most clear and. [00:31:41] Speaker A: Consistent aspects of the end times. The way the scripture talks about them, where Jesus talks about them, is that Christ will return. [00:31:49] Speaker B: There will be a final judgment where God will restore all things and judge all sin, but no one knows when it will happen. Period. Full stop. End of story. Did anyone, anyone in the room follow. [00:32:03] Speaker A: That deal last month with the the prop, the African prophet on TikTok who predicted that the rapture was going to happen like September 18th. Anyone follow? Anyone follow? This became a global social media trend. People around the world sold their possessions in preparation for Christ's return on September 18th last month. And we all missed it. Guys, bad news. [00:32:26] Speaker B: That's rough. That's rough. We all got left behind. Here's the problem. This sort of thing feels like it happens once every year or two. [00:32:33] Speaker A: And I'm always. A heart is so broken when you read about people who suck this stuff in, right? [00:32:41] Speaker B: Whenever I read these articles, like, I. [00:32:43] Speaker A: Want to shout at them. [00:32:45] Speaker B: Jesus said no one would know. If this guy is telling you he knows, then he's going against the words of Jesus. Jesus said nobody will know if anyone tells you they know when Jesus will return. Well, here's the thing. Either the Bible is true or that person is right. [00:33:03] Speaker A: You gotta pick. [00:33:04] Speaker B: You only get one scripture or random prophet on TikTok. I tell you which one. I'm. I'm picking guys. But the reality is this inclination is understandable. We don't like uncertainty. [00:33:19] Speaker A: We don't like sacrifice. We certainly don't like suffering. [00:33:23] Speaker B: So if we know in this life, we'll have trouble. [00:33:25] Speaker A: But the light and momentary affliction is nothing compared to the weight of the glory of Christ's return. [00:33:29] Speaker B: Then we want to know when he's coming back. Right? Because uncertainty is scary. [00:33:36] Speaker A: This is why so many of us are drawn to end times, to reading the signs, to looking at the books and watching the movies and trying to figure it out. Because uncertainty is scary. We want to know when it's going down. [00:33:49] Speaker B: But here's the piece. [00:33:50] Speaker A: Beloved no one knows. No one knows when Christ will return. But that isn't actually scary. I want you to hear that. [00:34:02] Speaker B: You won't fix that part. No one knows when Christ will return. [00:34:07] Speaker A: But that uncertainty isn't actually scary. [00:34:11] Speaker B: Now let me nuance that because it actually. [00:34:14] Speaker A: What I mean is it isn't scary for those of us who are in Christ. Because in Christ, his return is your. [00:34:20] Speaker B: Glory, it's your joy, it's your reward. As Paul says, you are in the light and the light of Jesus glorious. [00:34:29] Speaker A: Return will be wonderful. But for those who are not in Christ, his return is dreadful. It means judgment, it means justice. It means every single sin will be accounted for and paid for, every wrong. [00:34:48] Speaker B: Viewed by the holy and righteous God. [00:34:50] Speaker A: When Christ returns, you beloved, you will face a holy and righteous God and give an account for every sin and. [00:34:59] Speaker B: Every careless word and every moment of your entire life. And for those of us who are. [00:35:04] Speaker A: In Christ, when you stand in that moment, Christ himself will stand at your side and his righteous work will be viewed by the Lord and his righteous works will be accounted to you. And you will receive the just reward of his righteousness. It will be a beautiful moment, a joyful moment, because all your sins and all your careless words and all your petty wrongs have actually been taken by Christ. And he'll give an account for them, and he already paid the price for them. But for those who aren't in Christ, they'll sin before a righteous judgment, with no advocate, with no counsel standing on their own righteousness and their own works. And beloved, that is faith, that is fearful. It's dreadful. Apart from Christ Jesus return is the end of all things in Christ. Jesus's return is the beginning. So your fear should melt. Your fear should melt. Christ's return being an unknown for those of us in Christ is not a scary thing. But hear this. It is an urgent thing. Your fear should melt, but your urgency should be stirred. Because today is the day of salvation. Because there is still time. Because Jesus tarries and because of that, more can be brought into grace. Right? Read on with me. Verse 6. This is how we'll land this out. [00:36:39] Speaker B: So then let us not sleep like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night. And those who get drunk, get drunk at night. [00:36:48] Speaker A: But. [00:36:48] Speaker B: But since we belong to the day, let us be self controlled and put on the armor of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. So that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing now. [00:37:12] Speaker A: Paul gives us this play on words. [00:37:15] Speaker B: Before he used sleep as a metaphor. [00:37:17] Speaker A: For the fleeting nature of death for those who are in Christ. [00:37:20] Speaker B: But now he speaks to those who are Living and says, don't sleep. It's an echo of Jesus own warning. [00:37:28] Speaker A: In his teaching on the end times to stay awake and alert as we await his return. [00:37:32] Speaker B: Paul takes it a step further. He says, don't live today like you're already dead. Don't live like you're dead. Live into the patterns of sin and death in this world. Live like you're awake. Live like Jesus is real. Live like Jesus is actually coming back. And hear this, that you're excited for it. If the gospel is true, if the God of the universe appointed salvation through Jesus for you instead of death so that you can live with Christ forever in heaven, then that is worthy of a response in your life. Beloved, come on. God has called you away from death and brought you into eternal life. What a promise. Jesus says to stay awake like a. [00:38:23] Speaker A: Guard awaiting the return of his king on a trip at the gate, ever vigilant, expecting the King's return. [00:38:30] Speaker B: This is a way of saying, if. [00:38:31] Speaker A: Jesus is coming back on Sunday and. [00:38:33] Speaker B: We don't know when, but it's not. [00:38:35] Speaker A: Scary because of the blessing of the gospel, then let's just get ready for his return. It's not a scary return, it's an exciting one. So let's get ready. Last week we had the women's retreat. My wife was gone, it was me and four children. And I'm not going to lie to you, for about 90% of the women's retreat, it was just Mad Max in my house, okay? I was tied up in a room. There was chanting Lord of the Flies. It was rough. [00:39:02] Speaker B: But somewhere around 5pm on Saturday, we. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Started to realize the hope that one day Kim would return. [00:39:10] Speaker B: And it would be in the morning, like with the. [00:39:12] Speaker A: Dawn, she would come to us. And so we said, because we're excited for this return, we're going to prepare for it. So we clean the house and we do dishes and we fold laundry and we put things away so that she'll come home to a tidy house and joyful kids, right? Because that's what you do when you're excited about a return. You get ready for it. You get ready for it. Beloved, if Christ is coming back and it's not scary, but it's exciting and you should be getting ready for it. You should be getting the house ready. What does that mean? Well, it all comes together like this. Looking forward to the resurrection, as the creed states, it made us tap into the core of the Christian experience. It's something we're looking forward to. It's something we're Preparing our own hearts. [00:40:07] Speaker B: For it's something we're telling others about. [00:40:10] Speaker A: So that they can prepare with us. Jesus's gospel work fundamentally changes the way. [00:40:15] Speaker B: We view death and suffering. Fundamentally changes. It adulls the sting of death. It infuses our morning with hope. It drives us to live with anticipation of our own coming blessing. And so in a very practical sense, the hope of the resurrection has an immediate impact on your experience of suffering today. For those of you that are hurting, for those of you that are going. [00:40:38] Speaker A: Through the ringer right now, take hope in Christ. Your affliction is light and momentary. Put it in the cosmic perspective of the forever that Christ has won for you. The worst this world has to offer cannot touch the grandness of the eternity that Christ has bought for you. Put your suffering in a cosmic context. And beyond this, it calls us to be ready, to prepare not just our own hearts, but to go out and invite others that more and more and more might come to the table of Christ. [00:41:18] Speaker B: Because there are still empty seats at the wedding feast. And today they're still available, right? A day is coming when the gates will be closed and it will be too late. But that day is not today. So we pray for the lost. We think of them. [00:41:36] Speaker A: We consider our family members, kids, grandkids, siblings, cousins, people we love. We consider our neighbors. We consider our co workers, we consider our friends. We consider those around us who are not in Christ, who are not ready for his return. We pray for them continually. We put their names before our own mind and we put their names before the Lord. And we don't just pray for them, never do less than that. But we don't just pray for them. We look for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ to them, to show them the power of the gospel, to invite them into the truth of resurrection. I want to challenge you to consider this right now. Beloved, I guarantee, I guarantee it is true. There is someone in your life who needs to hear your testimony of salvation. It might be a grandkid, might be a kid, it might be a co worker. There is someone who you love that needs to hear you say, have I ever told you my story, like my whole deal of how I got here, like where I'm at with life and faith and all that stuff. I gotta tell you something. If you're in the room and you're a grandparent, I just want you to hear this. Your grandchild would love, love for you to get them up on a Saturday, take them to Donuts and hear your whole life story. They would love it. They would love it. Pick them up, take them to Donut palace, get em a chocolate milk and go. I want to tell you my story. I don't think you know my whole story. You tell them you get to preach the gospel to them. And a lot of you, your grandkids need that. And they would delight at receiving it from me. [00:43:17] Speaker B: We're not talking about you like figuring out how to go to door to. [00:43:19] Speaker A: Door evangelism, although some of you maybe should really. We're just talking about being faithful, being open, being honest with the people in your life who you want to see them. Get ready for Christ's return. [00:43:31] Speaker B: And if you want to come back up. [00:43:34] Speaker A: The reality is this spies tomorrow is not guaranteed. We don't know when Christ will return. And so we need to live like he's actually coming back. We need to live like he's coming back soon. Let that fuel the way. Not just our hope in affliction, but our urgency for the mission. [00:43:56] Speaker B: You know, the early church was heavily. [00:43:58] Speaker A: Persecuted for the first like 300 years. It was really rough to be a Christian for several hundred years. The Roman Empire was so brutal in its crackdown of Christian worship that in many cities, Christians actually had to hide and worship in secret. A lot of you guys have heard this before, but this part is interesting. In a lot of Roman cities, the Christians would actually meet for worship in the graveyards because they would go there and people would leave them alone. They'd go into underground crypts in places where they could hide and be away from the world. And they'd hang out with graves to whisper hymns to one another and read the word and encourage each other in the Gospel. That's often the context we're taught even as early as some of the New Testament churches. Hiding away in crypts, in graveyards and catacombs because it was too dangerous to be found above ground worshiping the Lord. Surrounded by the graves of their pagan neighbors and brothers and sisters, they worshiped the risen Lord. This is a little, just interesting tidbit, but I really think it locks in a truth here. One of the most common epitaphs that Romans would put on graves. You know, kind of we, we have, in Western world, we have art, rip right? Rest in peace, kind of the generic epitaph, the most common epitaph in Roman world, translates to I was not, I was, I am not, I care not. It's kind of poetic, but it's also very nihilistic, right? I didn't exist. I did. I don't Anymore, who cares? It's very kind of a nihilistic way of thinking about death. But it was the common standard inscription put upon Roman graves. And so you can imagine Christians hiding in crypts, whispering their songs, surrounded by this phrase. And a beautiful thing happened. Christians began to develop secret symbols and ways of communicating to identify one another. And you've probably heard of the fish, right? Ichthus. And it spells out in acrostic, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. And Christians began using the fish to mark their secret places of worship. But as generations began to pass and they began to be Christians in the catacombs, they would mark their graves differently. They would mark them with a fish. But then something really beautiful happened. We actually have tons of archaeological evidence to support this. You can Google and look up pictures of this because it's really cool. Christians weren't satisfied with the standard Roman epitaph, and so they started writing their own. And a couple that became really common that I love. Or this. Asleep in Christ, Christ rose and so will I. And my favorite one. Leave me here. I await the resurrection is. The world has been owned and controlled by the fear of death ever since sin entered the world. But Jesus defeated sin and death in him. [00:46:54] Speaker B: You have a new life. [00:46:56] Speaker A: You have a new hope, a life of freedom. So, yeah, we get to look forward to the resurrection, because who wouldn't? Who couldn't? I want to invite you guys to take just a moment of reflection. [00:47:12] Speaker B: I want to invite you to come to Christ and consider what it means. [00:47:16] Speaker A: To find hope in the resurrection. And here's what I want to encourage you with this morning. In just a moment of prayer, I want to encourage you to find a posture of prayer. If you can do that sitting in your seat, that's awesome. If you want to get on your knees in the room, if you want to come forward to the altar or grab one of the pastors, we invite you to do that. [00:47:32] Speaker B: But I want you to get alone. [00:47:33] Speaker A: With Christ for just a moment. We'll be brief, and I want you to ask him to give you eyes on your own hope on the way you consider the resurrection the end of all things. I want you to ask him to shine a spotlight on places where maybe your own fears, your own doubts, your own affluence have caused you to connect anxiety to the resurrection rather than hope. And then, really, I want you to take a moment to consider urgency. Consider what it means that today is the day of salvation. Consider those in your life that you need to pray for that God might be calling you to Help prepare for that day. [00:48:12] Speaker B: And when you feel like you've met. [00:48:13] Speaker A: With the Lord and heard from in. [00:48:14] Speaker B: The way your heart needs, I want. [00:48:15] Speaker A: To invite those of us who are in the room, who are in Christ, to continue our response through communion. We do this every week at Emmanuel because we believe there's something powerful in the physical act of connecting with communion. Not something magical, but something powerful that when we take of the elements, as Christ said, his body broken for us, his blood poured out for us, that these simple things of bread and juice remind us of the truth of the gospel. Right? Paul says that when we take the olives, we're proclaiming his death until his return. And I think that's what's happening. We eat this little bit of bread and get this little bit of juice, and it's just this way for our heart and our mind to step back and say, Christ's body really was broken. His body, his blood really was poured out. And that work, that work of Jesus is sufficient for my heart and for the needs of the world around me. [00:49:08] Speaker B: So when you feel like you've met. [00:49:09] Speaker A: With the Lord, for those of you who are in Christ, who want to continue in response to that, I would invite you to come forward. If you are not able to get up and walk, you can just raise your hand and Sally will bring you qingyed elements. But church, meet with the Lord in the way your heart needs.