WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.029 If you would, for a moment, think back with me 00:00:02.029 --> 00:00:06.969 to the conversion of Saul in the book of Acts, 00:00:07.110 --> 00:00:10.689 what we call his Damascus Road experience. You 00:00:10.689 --> 00:00:13.009 might recall the story. Saul is headed towards 00:00:13.009 --> 00:00:16.670 that city with authorization in his hand from 00:00:16.670 --> 00:00:19.769 the high priest in Jerusalem to arrest anybody 00:00:19.769 --> 00:00:22.449 he finds along the way who is a part of this 00:00:22.449 --> 00:00:25.629 group they called at that time The Way, followers 00:00:25.629 --> 00:00:31.300 of Jesus. And suddenly a light from heaven flashed 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:34.979 all around him, it says in Acts 9. And Saul fell 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:37.100 to the ground and he heard a voice say to him, 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:43.640 Saul, why are you persecuting me? Look at that 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:47.060 last word. Stunned and blinded by what had just 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:49.799 happened, Saul looks up toward the heavens knowing 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.399 that something supernatural had just happened 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.759 to him. Whatever caused that flash of light from 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.259 above, whoever's voice he was hearing, he knew 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:01.579 there was some kind of powerful presence all 00:01:01.579 --> 00:01:05.400 around him. And he says, who are you, Lord? And 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:08.920 the voice comes back, I am Jesus, whom you are 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.799 persecuting. Now, many of us have heard that 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:14.799 story. You've read it for yourself. You've heard 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:17.659 it taught on. But have you ever stopped to consider 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:21.200 the implications? of what Jesus said to Paul 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:25.519 that day about himself and his followers. Remember, 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:30.120 Saul was not literally persecuting Jesus, was 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:34.599 he? By this time, Jesus had been crucified, buried, 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:37.659 raised to life, ascended into heaven. Jesus was 00:01:37.659 --> 00:01:43.620 out of the reach of Saul's hostile intent, but 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:47.519 Saul was persecuting Christ's followers. And 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:51.019 so in this story, we learn that Jesus is so closely 00:01:51.019 --> 00:01:54.719 united to those who trust in him, he feels such 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:58.000 solidarity with us that it's as if he himself 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:03.640 is being persecuted. Think about that. We are 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.379 members of his body. And when we say we are members 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:09.120 of his body, that is not just religious verbiage. 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:12.419 It is deeply and profoundly true of us. And so 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.599 to attack his body is to attack Christ himself 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.479 because of the deep and inseparable connection 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:23.259 that we have with him. One of the many things 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:25.219 that Christ followers today seem to either not 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.939 understand or miss altogether is that the true 00:02:27.939 --> 00:02:30.750 church And there's only one true church. It's 00:02:30.750 --> 00:02:34.229 all of the elect who are found in Christ by grace 00:02:34.229 --> 00:02:36.889 through faith. The church is not just an organization. 00:02:37.009 --> 00:02:39.750 It is not just a group of individuals who get 00:02:39.750 --> 00:02:42.969 together on Sundays to worship. Together we are 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:46.050 a living organism. We are an extension of the 00:02:46.050 --> 00:02:49.629 presence of Jesus on earth. We are his spiritual 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:53.550 body on display for the world to see. And that 00:02:53.550 --> 00:02:55.909 means we share in his life. What's true of him 00:02:55.909 --> 00:02:59.539 is true of us. And this is the language of a 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:02.560 very essential theological commitment that we 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:07.000 call our union with Christ. And when we begin 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:09.419 to grasp what that term means in all of its fullness, 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:12.360 friends, this will deepen your love for the Savior, 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:16.680 our union with him. Now the concept of union 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:18.960 has two sides of it. By birth and by nature, 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.479 we all as human beings were once in union with 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:24.520 someone else, weren't we? We were in union with 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:27.949 Adam. And we were in union with him in all the 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:30.930 wrong things, in original sin, in corruption 00:03:30.930 --> 00:03:33.909 of the flesh, and most importantly and sadly, 00:03:34.189 --> 00:03:37.009 we were united with Adam in spiritual death. 00:03:38.069 --> 00:03:41.009 But God, who is rich in mercy by his grace, he's 00:03:41.009 --> 00:03:43.830 redeeming a people for himself, drawing us out 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:47.569 of the world. And when the Lord rescues a man 00:03:47.569 --> 00:03:49.949 or woman from the domain of darkness and transfers 00:03:49.949 --> 00:03:53.580 him or her into the kingdom of his son, From 00:03:53.580 --> 00:03:56.639 that point forward and forevermore, our headship 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:01.580 changes. No longer are we united in Adam. We 00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:04.080 are now said to be in Christ. We are said to 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.900 be united to the eternal son of David, united 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:10.159 to the savior of the world, united to God's Messiah, 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:15.180 his one and only son. If you know Jesus this 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:18.439 evening, that's happened in your life. You had 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:20.620 a head in Adam and now you have a new head in 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:25.079 Christ. We're united with him. As I shared in 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.819 last Sunday's message, if we haven't trusted 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:30.740 in that version of Jesus, his true identity as 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:34.420 revealed to us in the scriptures, then we can't 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:38.920 be in him. And we can't be with him. And we won't 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:42.220 be covered by his garment of righteousness. By 00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:44.560 the way, we just heard in the text that Grant 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.339 read evidence from Matthew's gospel of exactly 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:50.259 who he is. And ironically, it came from the lips 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:53.379 of his most powerful accuser from Caiaphas, the 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:56.680 high priest of Israel. The high priest said to 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.660 him, I adjure you by the living God. And that's 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:01.620 a serious statement for a high priest to make. 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:03.939 By the living God, you tell me the truth, he 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:07.579 said. Are you the Messiah, the son of God? What 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:10.699 a blunt question. Straight to the point, right? 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:14.060 And in front of the entire Sanhedrin, the chief 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:16.459 priests, the elders, the scribes, everybody involved 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:20.420 in that sham trial, Jesus said, you, Caiaphas, 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:23.939 have said it yourself. You, Caiaphas, have declared 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:29.319 what is true about me, Jesus says. I am the Messiah, 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:33.259 the Christ, and the Son of God. And then Jesus 00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:35.519 wasn't done stating his case, but I tell you 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:39.389 from now on, Caiaphas, You will see the Son of 00:05:39.389 --> 00:05:42.189 Man seated at the right hand of power and coming 00:05:42.189 --> 00:05:44.230 on the clouds of heavens. Friends, you have to 00:05:44.230 --> 00:05:47.569 understand where that citation comes from and 00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:50.310 what it means, what it said to everybody in the 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:53.370 room that night. He's talking about a royal courtroom 00:05:53.370 --> 00:05:56.189 scene prophesied by Daniel in the Old Testament. 00:05:56.829 --> 00:05:58.990 where we have this divine figure known as the 00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:01.870 Son of Man riding on the clouds, and only God 00:06:01.870 --> 00:06:04.209 rides on the clouds, but he comes on the clouds, 00:06:04.269 --> 00:06:06.529 and he is presented before Yahweh, the God of 00:06:06.529 --> 00:06:09.069 Israel, who's referred to in Daniel 7 as the 00:06:09.069 --> 00:06:12.009 Ancient of Days. And Yahweh, get this now, gives 00:06:12.009 --> 00:06:15.750 the Son of Man glory. He gives him dominion. 00:06:15.750 --> 00:06:18.430 He gives him a kingdom that will never pass away. 00:06:19.629 --> 00:06:23.269 That's what Jesus is talking about. And of course, 00:06:23.269 --> 00:06:25.769 Caiaphas understood that prophecy. He knew exactly 00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:28.490 what Jesus was claiming in that moment. That's 00:06:28.490 --> 00:06:32.649 why he reacts as he does. After all, who's able 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:36.370 to stand in the presence of God Almighty? But 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:40.769 God. To whom does Yahweh give glory and dominion? 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:44.889 Who but God himself is capable of ruling over 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:49.189 a kingdom that lasts forever? Who but God? We 00:06:49.189 --> 00:06:51.269 know that Caiaphas understood it because he says, 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:58.000 He is utter blasphemy, and he tears his robes, 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.480 and he says he deserves death. And that's what 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:07.860 Jesus received, a death sentence and Roman crucifixion. 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:10.660 And when we get to the cross, this is where our 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:13.240 union with him becomes so important. Listen to 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.319 the theological truth that Paul brings out in 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:19.439 Romans 6. He says our old self was crucified 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:24.259 with him. For the believer, that old self was 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:27.879 the person who was once united to Adam. By virtue 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:29.920 of our union with Christ, that person is now 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.339 dead. We're to consider that old man dead because 00:07:34.339 --> 00:07:39.100 it died on the cross. Do you understand the massive 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:41.899 implications of that in your life? How often 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:43.699 do we lose sight of that truth? The old man is 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:47.300 gone. Paul goes on in Romans 6, not just dead, 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:50.120 but he says we've been buried. We've been buried 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:53.689 with him. And I know you say, well, look, we 00:07:53.689 --> 00:07:55.750 weren't around 2 ,000 years ago. How is that 00:07:55.750 --> 00:07:58.529 possible? Because we're united to our Savior 00:07:58.529 --> 00:08:03.550 in every way as members of his body. Spiritually, 00:08:03.610 --> 00:08:06.470 we don't only share his life, but we share his 00:08:06.470 --> 00:08:10.610 death. We share his burial as well. And that 00:08:10.610 --> 00:08:13.189 truth produces the best news any man or woman 00:08:13.189 --> 00:08:16.790 could ever hear in their entire life, that our 00:08:16.790 --> 00:08:20.689 whole body of sin Our whole body of sin, past, 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:23.589 present, future, was nailed to that cross and 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:29.949 now we are free. The whole body of sin nailed 00:08:29.949 --> 00:08:31.610 to the cross. That's what Romans 6 confirms. 00:08:32.330 --> 00:08:35.789 Our old self was crucified with him in order 00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:38.250 that our body of sin might be done away with 00:08:38.250 --> 00:08:42.230 so that we would no longer be slaves to sin for 00:08:42.230 --> 00:08:47.580 he who has died is freed from sin. So get the 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.539 two -fold thing here. The ransom price for our 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:52.580 sin was paid on that cross, and then more, Paul 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.360 says that we were buried with him so that we 00:08:55.360 --> 00:09:00.279 might walk in newness of life as new creatures. 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:04.200 Peter says the same thing, 1 Peter 2. He bore 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:09.460 our sins in his body on the cross so that, purpose 00:09:09.460 --> 00:09:12.580 statement, so that we might die to sin and live 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:15.539 to righteousness, for by his wounds you were 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:19.440 healed. This is the good news of the gospel, 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.059 friends. For those who've been rescued by God, 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.899 our union with Christ has completely turned our 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:28.059 lives upside down, reversed everything. Our fallenness, 00:09:28.059 --> 00:09:31.279 our sin, our slavery to sin, it all died on that 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:34.639 cross and was buried with Jesus all because of 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:39.080 our union with him. Friends, on Good Friday, 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:44.740 we rightly grieve over the fact that our Savior, 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:49.139 who had done no wrong, was unfairly and unjustly 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:53.200 treated as a criminal. We agonize with him in 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:56.179 the garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood. 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:59.779 We shudder when we think about the torture he 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:03.120 endured, the scourging. It pains us to think 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:05.720 of Jesus hanging on that cross, being nailed 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.919 there as a substitute for us, having to bear 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:13.860 that shame because of our sin. And yet we also 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:17.779 rejoice tonight. We rejoice because of the truths 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:21.879 we just saw. The glory of the cross. The glory 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:26.259 of the cross. Because as Peter says, by his wounds, 00:10:26.299 --> 00:10:32.480 we have been healed. Isaiah prophesied that God's 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:35.519 Messiah would be a man of sorrows acquainted 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.539 with grief. And as we read the gospel accounts, 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:43.480 we find out that is exactly how Jesus lived his 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:48.200 life. rejected by his own people, misunderstood, 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:53.259 maltreated, scorned, mocked, and eventually murdered. 00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:56.779 But we know this too, his sufferings were not 00:10:56.779 --> 00:11:00.700 without purpose. As we've already seen this evening, 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:04.240 our life, our salvation is rooted in the sufferings 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:07.539 that he endured for us. But there's even more 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:10.759 that we need to understand. Jesus lived a life 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:13.860 of suffering in order to show us what we should 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:17.460 expect in union with him. Let me say that again. 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.019 Jesus lived a life of suffering in order to show 00:11:21.019 --> 00:11:25.659 us what we can expect to live in union with him. 00:11:25.740 --> 00:11:29.340 That is why one of the core teachings was cross 00:11:29.340 --> 00:11:32.440 -bearing. If anyone would come after me, Jesus 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:35.559 said, let him deny himself and take up his cross 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:40.960 daily and follow me. So whether we like it or 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.399 not, that is the template of the Christian life. 00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:46.379 Now remember, all the promises of God are ours. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.320 Nothing can separate us from the love of God 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:52.080 in Christ, and our hope is certain, but before 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:55.120 we're resurrected to life and glory, we suffer 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:59.500 down here below. That's the promise we've been 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:03.980 given. Our union with Christ explains why this 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:06.100 life is so hard. Have you ever thought about 00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:08.840 it? Why is this life so hard? For someone who 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.039 loves God, who seeks to serve him, why is it 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:15.600 so hard? Our union with Christ explains it. Above 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:18.000 all the people on the earth, we see how broken 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:21.980 this world is. And it's so difficult for us to 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:25.019 know the truth, to know how beautifully God originally 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:28.179 designed this world, yet to have to watch it 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:32.259 unravel so thoroughly. And of course, God's children 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:35.159 are not exempt from the pain that sin has brought 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:37.970 into the world. Tragedy happens. The loved ones 00:12:37.970 --> 00:12:42.049 die. Children disobey. Life goals don't pan out. 00:12:42.669 --> 00:12:47.250 Nothing is right. Everything feels broken. And 00:12:47.250 --> 00:12:51.370 so the pattern, first for Jesus, and now for 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:55.450 us as his followers, is first suffering and then 00:12:55.450 --> 00:13:00.779 glory. First suffering and then glory. We don't 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:03.139 despair, friends. We saw earlier on the Damascus 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:05.759 Road that as we go through the travels of this 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.639 life, as we suffer, Jesus is never distant from 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:11.740 our suffering because we're part of his body. 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:14.799 And so we always keep in mind this union that 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:17.559 we have with him. Because he suffered, we're 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:20.019 called, we're actually called to participate 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:23.389 in those sufferings. In fact, this was a privilege 00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:26.350 that drove the Apostle Paul in his ministry. 00:13:26.509 --> 00:13:29.110 He wrote to the Philippian church that he wanted 00:13:29.110 --> 00:13:33.669 to know the fellowship of Jesus' sufferings being 00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:37.190 conformed to his death. And to the Colossian 00:13:37.190 --> 00:13:40.049 church, he added, I now rejoice in my sufferings 00:13:40.049 --> 00:13:42.269 for you for the sake of his body, which is the 00:13:42.269 --> 00:13:46.269 church. Now, does that mean that Paul enjoyed 00:13:46.269 --> 00:13:49.250 the pain of life? Does that mean he sought out 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:53.090 the pain and affliction? Of course not. But for 00:13:53.090 --> 00:13:55.710 Paul, the source of his joy and trials was found 00:13:55.710 --> 00:13:58.549 in the meaning behind it, the meaning of why 00:13:58.549 --> 00:14:02.629 he had to suffer in this life. It meant that 00:14:02.629 --> 00:14:05.389 he could identify ever so slightly with his Savior 00:14:05.389 --> 00:14:09.149 to share in the fellowship of the sufferings 00:14:09.149 --> 00:14:12.450 of his Lord. It meant that he could feel in a 00:14:12.450 --> 00:14:15.330 very strong way the contrast between this fallen 00:14:15.330 --> 00:14:19.230 world and the glory to come in eternity. It meant 00:14:19.230 --> 00:14:22.320 that he could serve as Jesus did, to become a 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:25.259 bondservant for the benefit of the church, for 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:28.919 his fellow saints and servants. And we know that 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:30.960 the church as well, not just us as individuals, 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:33.539 but the church as well, exists in union with 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:36.899 Christ. Christ is our head as the church. We 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:41.220 are the bride. And so as a collective body, all 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:45.549 believers, we follow him toward Jerusalem. We 00:14:45.549 --> 00:14:47.929 follow him into the garden of Gethsemane. We 00:14:47.929 --> 00:14:50.750 follow him to that trial. We follow him along 00:14:50.750 --> 00:14:54.490 the rocky path to Golgotha and the cross. We 00:14:54.490 --> 00:15:01.090 follow our Lord unto death. But here's the joy. 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:04.389 The gospel tells us that we also follow him through 00:15:04.389 --> 00:15:07.330 the gates of heaven. And that's our hope here 00:15:07.330 --> 00:15:09.870 tonight. Because we suffer with him, we shall 00:15:09.870 --> 00:15:15.700 be raised with him. He was humiliated. We will 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:18.299 be exalted. That's what the scriptures tell us. 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.039 Because of our union with Christ, our suffering 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:25.039 in this life always has a purpose. It always 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.360 has a purpose. And once we come to terms with 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:29.340 the essential role that suffering plays in our 00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:32.019 union with Jesus, then all the frustrations of 00:15:32.019 --> 00:15:35.240 this life become endurable because we see the 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:38.000 purpose. We see why. We see the fellowship of 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.340 his sufferings. But friends, know this. This 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:43.159 is a non -negotiable aspect of our discipleship. 00:15:43.750 --> 00:15:46.649 Because of our union with him, cross -bearing 00:15:46.649 --> 00:15:50.370 is part of cross -following. And the pathway 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:53.309 to a mature, lasting faith is paved with the 00:15:53.309 --> 00:15:56.950 rough stones of this life. But we can know this. 00:15:57.009 --> 00:15:59.230 There is nothing, there is no power that can 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:03.450 separate us from the love of God in Christ. What's 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:05.110 the worst thing the world can do to us? They 00:16:05.110 --> 00:16:07.809 can kill us, but then we're blessed, Scripture 00:16:07.809 --> 00:16:11.529 says, because we've been persecuted. Because 00:16:11.529 --> 00:16:13.950 of Jesus. And then even if that were to happen 00:16:13.950 --> 00:16:15.710 in that very moment, we'd go to be with them 00:16:15.710 --> 00:16:18.529 anyway. So really, what can the world do to us? 00:16:18.570 --> 00:16:23.169 What can they really threaten us with? In union 00:16:23.169 --> 00:16:26.669 with Jesus, we suffer down here on the earth, 00:16:26.730 --> 00:16:30.129 but a day is coming when it will all end. Can 00:16:30.129 --> 00:16:32.629 you imagine this? A day when there will be no 00:16:32.629 --> 00:16:36.049 more sin, no more suffering, no more disease. 00:16:36.610 --> 00:16:40.100 All limitations passed away. And in that day, 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:42.799 we will be united with God the Father who has 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:45.899 faithfully cared for us through all of life's 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:49.639 trials. And we will see God the Son face to face. 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:55.639 And when we see Jesus, after all these years 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.600 of wrestling and struggling and sharing in the 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:00.860 fellowship of his sufferings, it will hit us 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:03.440 finally that the years that we suffered here 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.019 on the earth are a vapor compared to the vast 00:17:07.019 --> 00:17:11.029 endless joy we will have with him forever and 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:16.170 ever. That's Good Friday. That's what it means, 00:17:16.309 --> 00:17:19.289 our union with Christ, union with him in his 00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:22.309 life, union with him in his death and his burial, 00:17:22.410 --> 00:17:24.750 and we'll see Sunday that something else is coming. 00:17:25.670 --> 00:17:26.109 Amen.