WEBVTT 00:00:01.480 --> 00:00:06.120 Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we're thankful 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.419 for this opportunity that you give us week by 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:11.839 week to come together for worship, to praise, 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:15.980 to hear from you, to have fellowship with you 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:19.280 and with each other. We're coming before you 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.280 now once again to ask for your help confessing 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:25.800 our great need. that indeed you would own your 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:28.379 word, that you'd open it to us, that you'd accomplish 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:30.839 all of your perfect purposes in the hearts of 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.859 your people, that you'd have mercy on the lost 00:00:33.859 --> 00:00:37.340 and save them from their sin, that you'd overcome 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:40.859 the messenger and enable me to present the word 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:45.520 in all of its truth and vigor in a manner that 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:48.240 indeed does make you large in our eyes, brings 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.000 great glory to your name, humbles the pride of 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.420 man. and encourages your saints to walk before 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:58.539 you in love. We're weak, Father. We need your 00:00:58.539 --> 00:01:03.119 help. Help us please now during this time. And 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:07.500 we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Well, we're 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:11.579 still in 1 Corinthians 15. I invite you to turn 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:15.900 there with me. We're considering the resurrection 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:24.349 in all of us. aspects and all of its ramifications 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:31.650 perhaps on our lives and how it is indeed an 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:35.650 integral part of the gospel and I mentioned I 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:39.609 think last week that it was not nearly emphasized 00:01:39.609 --> 00:01:44.209 enough in our teaching and our living and our 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:49.319 thinking the resurrection plays a or should play 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:54.159 a major part in all of our lives. And I even 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:56.920 went so far as to say that there is no gospel 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:01.000 apart from the resurrection. And Paul is going 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.299 to comment on that now in the beginning verses 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:10.919 here this morning when we take a look at verse... 00:02:20.009 --> 00:02:26.569 I guess we could start at 16. 1 Corinthians 15, 00:02:26.990 --> 00:02:30.969 beginning in verse 16. For if the dead not rise, 00:02:31.310 --> 00:02:35.050 then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not 00:02:35.050 --> 00:02:38.030 raised, your faith is in vain, or your faith 00:02:38.030 --> 00:02:42.729 is empty. You are yet in your sins. Then they 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.669 which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:49.960 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:55.939 we are of all men most miserable. So there's 00:02:55.939 --> 00:03:00.020 the importance, stated briefly, succinctly, with 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:05.419 no sugarcoating, just the unvarnished truth that 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:09.500 God has given us. If Christ is not raised, our 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:12.719 faith is in vain. In other words, we're still 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.599 in our sin. That's exactly what Paul says. The 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.400 resurrection proves that Christ was accepted 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:23.840 by his Father, that his wrath is completely satisfied, 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:29.080 and that we are at peace with the Father through 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:32.259 the Son's finished work on our behalf, all the 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:35.280 way through to the resurrection. And of course, 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.520 we would not have the Holy Spirit apart from 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.439 Christ's ascension into heaven when the Holy 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:47.560 Spirit was thus poured out. So hopefully by now, 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:51.300 we are all convinced of this very important doctrine, 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:54.960 the truth of which establishes whether we're 00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:58.819 Christians or not. And there's so many today 00:03:58.819 --> 00:04:01.379 that deny the resurrection that it's impossible 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:06.800 to name them all. But in spite of that, God's 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:10.860 word stands sure and fast, true beyond any doubt, 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:15.340 that the resurrection is a reality. And it's 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:17.939 not a spiritual resurrection. It's not a ghost 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:20.399 that came out of the tomb. It's Christ's bodily 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:23.939 resurrection. That's what is being described 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:28.199 by Paul and declared by all of the witnesses 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:34.920 that saw him after his resurrection. So I just 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:41.160 want to pause briefly here to apply this verse 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:49.160 19. I say this, I guess I could probably say 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:51.759 it every week, but it seems like, you know, the 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:55.879 testimonies, the hymns, the openings, the communion, 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:00.439 it seems like my sermon has already been preached 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:06.459 sometimes. But I'm thankful for the cooperation 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:13.360 of what has already transpired in the meeting. 00:05:16.170 --> 00:05:21.230 But verse 19 says, if in this life only we have 00:05:21.230 --> 00:05:24.370 hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 00:05:25.589 --> 00:05:28.569 Now how much emphasis do we put on the hope in 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:34.230 this life? We talk about that a lot, right? We 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:36.750 talk about Christ going to get me through. The 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:39.509 Holy Spirit's going to empower me. I'm going 00:05:39.509 --> 00:05:44.189 to please God in this life. I'm going to be faithful. 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:47.139 Really, we spend a lot of time talking about 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:54.220 this life. But that's not our only hope. We have 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:57.959 a much better hope. If Christ only fixes this 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:01.899 life, we're miserable, he says. But Christ doesn't 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:06.199 only fix this temporary, very brief life that 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:10.740 we live. He fixes eternity for us. He brings 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:14.199 us to eternity. He brings us to himself in eternity. 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:18.339 He's got blessings to bestow in eternity that 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:22.379 we have no idea of what we are going to experience 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:27.360 when we leave this life. This life is a preparatory 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:33.019 life. It's God preparing us for heaven. It's 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:36.879 God using us to bring glory to his name. All 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.220 those things are true. to share the gospel, to 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:43.339 bring in the other saints that are yet in their 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:49.459 sins. But in all of that doing, it's all in preparation 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:54.220 for the life to come. The Puritans used to call 00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:57.459 it our long home. We're all going to our long 00:06:57.459 --> 00:07:01.819 home. Eternity is a long time. We can't even 00:07:01.819 --> 00:07:05.680 imagine. It's beyond our... deepest thoughts. 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:07.639 Have you ever tried to contemplate eternity? 00:07:09.540 --> 00:07:12.980 You can't do it. You might get close. You might 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:18.379 get a little idea of it, perhaps. But you can't 00:07:18.379 --> 00:07:21.819 get close to the realization of what eternity 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:25.439 is and what it's going to look like. So again, 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:27.620 as has already been mentioned, I don't even remember 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:30.600 who mentioned it, but we should contemplate these 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:33.819 things. We should think on our great hope. Our 00:07:33.819 --> 00:07:40.060 greater hope. We're not only. As I said. Looking 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:44.100 for help and security. And what not in this life. 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:48.439 But we're looking to heaven. We're looking for 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:51.600 that time. When we'll be in a glorified body. 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:59.720 Without sin. Face to face. To God. Serving him. 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:03.879 Not. With no struggle. With no interference. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:11.439 With no sin. That's our glorious hope. That's 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:16.060 what's awaiting us. And keep in mind, there is 00:08:16.060 --> 00:08:23.000 already a man in heaven. Right? Do you contemplate 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:27.980 Christ, the man, Christ Jesus in heaven? He's 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:33.669 there. He's already there. He's not only there 00:08:33.669 --> 00:08:38.110 in spirit. He's his body. The man, Christ Jesus, 00:08:38.309 --> 00:08:48.649 is there. And this is how Paul describes it in 00:08:48.649 --> 00:08:53.029 verse 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead 00:08:53.029 --> 00:08:56.289 and become the first fruits of them that slept. 00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:00.799 Christ is the first fruits. Remember the first 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:03.960 fruits offering from the old covenant. This is 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:08.919 Christ fulfilling that prophecy in that feast. 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:15.200 He is the first fruits. What was it? Well, the 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:18.200 first fruits were offered in full confidence 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:23.100 and assurance that the harvest was coming. The 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:27.429 beginning of the harvest. A portion of that beginning, 00:09:27.610 --> 00:09:30.350 the first fruits, the first part of the harvest, 00:09:30.409 --> 00:09:35.669 was given over unto God. And so, again, Christ 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:40.049 is the first fruits offering. He's only the beginning 00:09:40.049 --> 00:09:46.789 of the reward that is His. And that reward, again, 00:09:47.090 --> 00:09:53.590 is totally beyond our comprehension, is us. We 00:09:53.590 --> 00:09:59.269 are the reward. He has gained for himself a people, 00:09:59.389 --> 00:10:05.529 a kingdom. And we'll see later that he's going 00:10:05.529 --> 00:10:09.490 to gloriously turn over to God the Father. It 00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:14.470 was Jesus' whole mission, his whole work to accomplish, 00:10:14.549 --> 00:10:18.509 to bring this kingdom to pass, to bring it into 00:10:18.509 --> 00:10:23.250 existence. He is the first fruits. Now, if he 00:10:23.250 --> 00:10:26.929 is the first fruits, that guarantees us, To follow 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:31.789 Athens. That's what he's saying there. We are 00:10:31.789 --> 00:10:35.110 going to be similarly raised. In our glorified 00:10:35.110 --> 00:10:40.470 bodies. At some point. Paul hasn't identified 00:10:40.470 --> 00:10:42.990 it yet. But he's going to. And we're going to 00:10:42.990 --> 00:10:47.649 get to that also. But for now. We can have a 00:10:47.649 --> 00:10:50.409 confidence and assurance. That we are going to 00:10:50.409 --> 00:10:53.169 experience. This glorious resurrection. Because 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:56.909 Christ has already been. gloriously raised from 00:10:56.909 --> 00:11:00.309 the dead and ascended into heaven as the first 00:11:00.309 --> 00:11:04.210 fruits the beginning of the kingdom the beginning 00:11:04.210 --> 00:11:08.409 of the reward the beginning only the beginning 00:11:08.409 --> 00:11:13.190 there'll be another following following following 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:17.470 following remember why is the world still spinning 00:11:17.470 --> 00:11:20.730 because there's still christians to be brought 00:11:20.730 --> 00:11:27.399 to god through The work of Jesus Christ. So then 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:34.320 he drops back here. And this section here, admittedly, 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:40.259 there's difficulties here. And I'm going to do 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:43.919 my best to make it as plain as I can. Hopefully 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:47.379 we'll get some benefit out of it, even though 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:53.269 I'm far from any type of a Greek scholar. But 00:11:53.269 --> 00:11:58.029 in verse 21 and 22, For since by man came death, 00:11:58.190 --> 00:12:01.370 by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 00:12:01.669 --> 00:12:06.389 For as in Adam all die, even so Christ, in Christ, 00:12:06.409 --> 00:12:10.529 shall all be made alive. Alright, here, what 00:12:10.529 --> 00:12:14.730 is, get the significance of this. Get a hold 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:19.590 of this. Every man as it was in, is, or was in 00:12:19.590 --> 00:12:26.000 Adam. Paul has made the same claim in Romans 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:31.139 5, so this isn't unique. But man brought sin 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:36.899 and death into the world. That's how it got here. 00:12:38.980 --> 00:12:44.259 Adam, the first man. There was no death before 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:49.840 Adam. The creation was perfect, remember? God 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:52.840 said it's very good, it's perfect. There was 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:58.100 absolutely nothing wrong with the creation. But 00:12:58.100 --> 00:13:02.940 man got in there, and by man, sin and death came 00:13:02.940 --> 00:13:09.899 upon all. The creation groans under this. Men 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:15.899 groan and toil under this curse of sin in this 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:21.659 life. All because of Adam, the first man. The 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:27.220 first man. There was nothing. There was no life 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:33.320 until God created it all in six days. There was 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:38.240 no sin until Adam fell and threw the whole kit 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:41.700 and caboodle into sin and ruined, ruined the 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:46.720 perfect creation of God. I'm not going to go 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.399 so far as to say you can't be a Christian if 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:52.960 you don't believe that. I'm not saying that. 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:59.320 But it's a mystery to me how you can't be. So, 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:03.639 again, and he's tying this into the resurrection. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:08.720 If none of that's true of Adam, none of that, 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:13.580 the following verse, is true of Christ. See the 00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:17.240 significance. He says in the following verse, 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:22.220 far as in Adam all die, Even so, in Christ shall 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:25.059 all be made alive. Do you see the linkage there? 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:29.320 If Adam is not a historical figure, and he didn't 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.000 do everything that I just said he did, then Christ 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.519 is not a historical figure, and Christ has not 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:40.799 done what Paul claims him to have done. So it's 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:43.059 a little bit bigger than just denying a physical 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:46.059 Adam, or denying that Adam was the first man, 00:14:46.179 --> 00:14:49.759 or denying the six -day creation. It's a little 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:53.820 bigger than that. You're on the verge of denying 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.879 the reality of Jesus Christ and his finished 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:01.139 work upon us. Because he says it's exactly like 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:04.940 Adam. Adam was the representative that plunged 00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:08.919 us all into sin and death. Christ is the representative 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:13.620 that brought us all to life. We've all been made 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:17.399 alive in Christ. All who are in Christ are alive. 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:24.379 Did you ever think about it this way? When you 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:28.200 pray at home, when you get out of your bed, we're 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:31.899 all happy to be alive, aren't we? We made it 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:34.299 through the night. We're alive again. Here we 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:36.500 are again. We're going to experience more of 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:39.679 God in this life. We're going to have an opportunity 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:45.000 for service in this life. We have life. Well, 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:49.610 all the whole world has that life. All of those 00:15:49.610 --> 00:15:55.230 who are yet breathing. Right? They're alive. 00:15:57.590 --> 00:16:02.250 So we have more than that to be thankful for. 00:16:03.289 --> 00:16:09.549 We have a life in Christ. We have abundant life. 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:16.450 We have the real life in Christ. So let's be 00:16:16.450 --> 00:16:19.519 thankful for that. Think of it. Do we have the 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.860 real opportunity to experience God? We have the 00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:25.860 real opportunity to love and to serve Him, to 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:28.940 be loved. All of the truths, all of the spiritual 00:16:28.940 --> 00:16:32.820 realities that are ours in Christ, that's the 00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:35.600 true life. That's the life that the world knows 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:41.100 nothing of. All of the dead men walking know 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:46.519 nothing of the spiritual life and love. Of Jesus 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:51.480 Christ. That he's given us. In Christ. We're 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:57.259 in Christ. We should be those who. Long after 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:03.360 the resurrection. Jake Barrett. In his opening. 00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:10.279 I mean. Those are. Exactly what Matthew tells 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.990 us. that we don't need to do or be in any way 00:17:13.990 --> 00:17:17.630 considering and concerned about, the reality 00:17:17.630 --> 00:17:20.529 is that this is the stuff that we are concerned 00:17:20.529 --> 00:17:25.089 about. Isn't it? If we're honest with ourselves, 00:17:25.410 --> 00:17:28.289 don't we spend our time thinking about all of 00:17:28.289 --> 00:17:31.430 these things that the Bible clearly tells us 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:37.230 that God is going to take care of? But yet we... 00:17:37.289 --> 00:17:39.509 We have to plan. We have to think. We have to 00:17:39.509 --> 00:17:43.890 figure it out. Can I afford to have a child? 00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:48.690 Can I afford to have another one? That's ridiculous. 00:17:50.089 --> 00:17:52.490 I can tell. I don't care how much money you make. 00:17:52.549 --> 00:17:56.630 No! There's your answer. Stop fooling with it. 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:02.109 But God's going to take care of it. He's going 00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:05.140 to take care of all of our needs. Why do we spend 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:10.099 so much time on those things? Let's think about 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:13.259 the real life that we have in Christ. The real 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:18.400 life that awaits us in the resurrection. What 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:24.980 will that be? It's wonderful. It's glorious. 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:30.460 The truth of God's word. And it's all because 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:34.670 of the resurrection. Our faith is not in vain. 00:18:34.750 --> 00:18:39.130 It's not empty. It's real. It's a glorious faith. 00:18:40.529 --> 00:18:42.710 It's going to take us all the way to heaven. 00:18:42.890 --> 00:18:45.549 It's going to take us all the way to our raised 00:18:45.549 --> 00:18:50.250 bodies. What's it going to be like to see our 00:18:50.250 --> 00:18:54.470 glorified body coming up out of the ground? We're 00:18:54.470 --> 00:18:57.430 going to be looking around. We're coming up. 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:01.680 Here we come. We got our body back. There's no 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.980 more aches and pains. There's no more deformities. 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:07.119 There's no more problems. It's perfect. Just 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.279 as it was created to be. And we're going to rise 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:14.799 up to meet Christ. In the glorious resurrection. 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:25.400 Wonderful. In verse 23. But every man in his 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:28.220 own order. Christ the first fruits. Afterwards. 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:32.269 They that are Christ's at his coming. Ah, here 00:19:32.269 --> 00:19:36.990 it is. At his coming. This resurrected body is 00:19:36.990 --> 00:19:40.730 coming out of the grave at his coming. That's 00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:44.150 what Paul's telling us here. That's when it happens. 00:19:44.450 --> 00:19:54.470 Now, in verses 24 to 28, is Paul's, I don't know, 00:19:54.470 --> 00:19:57.390 we can call it a brief summary of the end times. 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:03.690 I mean, if most of our friends and brothers in 00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:08.009 Christ are right, then this is a very brief summary. 00:20:08.789 --> 00:20:11.630 But if they just might be wrong, it's not so 00:20:11.630 --> 00:20:16.130 brief. But anyway, we're not going to argue about 00:20:16.130 --> 00:20:18.769 it. We're just going to let the Bible speak for 00:20:18.769 --> 00:20:22.390 itself, right? So here's what he's got to say. 00:20:23.109 --> 00:20:29.250 He says then, verse 24. Then cometh the end, 00:20:29.410 --> 00:20:32.730 when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to 00:20:32.730 --> 00:20:36.309 God, even the Father, when he shall have put 00:20:36.309 --> 00:20:40.170 down all rule and all authority and all power. 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:45.789 Okay, so here, I mean, this seems pretty clear 00:20:45.789 --> 00:20:51.549 to me. He says, then cometh the end. I mean, 00:20:51.569 --> 00:20:56.230 the end. Not an interlude. Not a temporary... 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:05.480 Stop. The end. That's it. It's the end. When 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.980 you used to have movies and a great big thing, 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:13.359 the end would come up there. Right? You remember? 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.380 That's it, right? You don't sit there in your 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:18.140 seat and think, oh, this is just a temporary 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:23.980 interlude. No, it's the end. It's over. It's 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:28.640 finished. That's what Paul's saying. We are all 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.480 going to be raised from the dead when it is over, 00:21:31.619 --> 00:21:37.859 when it is the end. So then he says that he shall 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:41.019 have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:46.880 Father. So we'll get back to that as he repeats 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:50.319 it. But what we need to emphasize or what we 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.940 need to understand is that he shall have put 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:57.440 down all rule and all authority and power. Now 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:02.299 those are spiritual forces. Those are wicked 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:07.980 angels. Of course all the earthly, feeble, nothing 00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:11.539 powers are obviously going to be eradicated also. 00:22:12.329 --> 00:22:14.910 Paul doesn't even mention that, but he mentions 00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:17.849 this, that all these different categories of 00:22:17.849 --> 00:22:20.930 demons, all the wickedness, they're all going 00:22:20.930 --> 00:22:25.009 to be put down. They're going to come to their 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:30.849 end. At the end. That's what he's saying there. 00:22:31.170 --> 00:22:34.890 Now you should be familiar because Timothy just 00:22:34.890 --> 00:22:39.650 went over the spiritual warfare and who our warfare 00:22:39.650 --> 00:22:43.400 is against. And this is the same categories that 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:47.119 Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. So you can look 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:50.119 it up again and remind yourselves of it if you 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:54.759 want to in Ephesians 6, verse 12, where he talks 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:58.579 about these wicked angels, these demons that 00:22:58.579 --> 00:23:01.519 we're warring against in the spiritual life. 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:09.339 Okay, so in verse 25 then he says, For he must 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:13.200 reign, that is, Christ must reign, till he hath 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:20.539 put all enemies under his feet. Now, he must 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:27.480 reign. That's what it said. In other words, remember, 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:32.099 all authority has been given unto me in heaven 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:39.400 and earth. When? Way back there. Has he lost 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:43.359 some authority? Has he lost his power? Has he 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:47.200 lost his position? No, he must reign. In other 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:52.000 words, he's reigning right now over all of the 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:57.299 earth, over every power, every authority. He's 00:23:57.299 --> 00:24:01.619 completely sovereign in his reign. He's undisputed 00:24:01.619 --> 00:24:06.019 king. There's nobody that can take his power 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:09.759 and authority. He must reign because he must 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:13.079 finish his course. He must bring the kingdom 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:17.019 to God. He must. It's commissioned by God the 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:20.640 Father that Christ would carry out the work of 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:25.240 the gospel and establish the kingdom, keep the 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:28.619 kingdom, finish the kingdom, and present the 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:34.940 kingdom to God his Father at the end. That's 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:37.869 what it says. This is... The millennium, in other 00:24:37.869 --> 00:24:42.309 words. The thousand year reign of Christ. We're 00:24:42.309 --> 00:24:47.430 in it. The thousand years is simply a symbolic, 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:52.450 symbolic number. It signifies a long time, but 00:24:52.450 --> 00:24:57.970 to men. That's what we're in. We're living in 00:24:57.970 --> 00:25:03.970 it. Christ is reigning. How is your faith? You 00:25:03.970 --> 00:25:09.170 believe that? The condition of all the world 00:25:09.170 --> 00:25:13.150 around us. You think if Christ was reigning that 00:25:13.150 --> 00:25:18.509 it would be like it is? Do you? Well, I hope 00:25:18.509 --> 00:25:21.549 the answer is yes. Because he is reigning and 00:25:21.549 --> 00:25:24.730 it is like it is. And it's exactly how Christ 00:25:24.730 --> 00:25:28.410 wants it. That should be the most encouraging 00:25:28.410 --> 00:25:30.670 and comforting thing that could ever be said 00:25:30.670 --> 00:25:36.509 in Christ's reign. We don't know the mind of 00:25:36.509 --> 00:25:40.230 God. We don't know what's going on. We know nothing, 00:25:40.369 --> 00:25:46.269 essentially. But all we do know is God is accomplishing 00:25:46.269 --> 00:25:50.289 his purposes in this world at this very time 00:25:50.289 --> 00:25:54.650 because Christ is reigning at this very time. 00:25:56.470 --> 00:26:01.029 That's beautiful. I mean, how can we have any 00:26:01.029 --> 00:26:05.390 hope if that were not the case? Would you rather 00:26:05.390 --> 00:26:09.009 that some devil was reigning, controlling everything? 00:26:09.210 --> 00:26:12.609 Would you rather that the leaders of this world 00:26:12.609 --> 00:26:16.650 actually control this world? Would you feel safe 00:26:16.650 --> 00:26:19.509 and secure and comfortable and think everything 00:26:19.509 --> 00:26:23.150 is great because we have such a wonderful earthly 00:26:23.150 --> 00:26:30.450 leader? I hope not. There's no greater comfort 00:26:30.450 --> 00:26:34.160 to the believer than Christ. reigning power. 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:37.859 He is in charge. He's accomplishing all of the 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:42.559 work that God has given him to do. He is still 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.700 the mediator, you know. The work's not over. 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:52.440 He's still doing the gospel work. He's the mediator. 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:57.099 He's bringing men to God. He's keeping men to 00:26:57.099 --> 00:27:06.440 the end. Not losing any. In verse 26, the last 00:27:06.440 --> 00:27:10.839 enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Okay? 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:16.359 The last enemy to be destroyed. Now, again, in 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:20.539 our day, death is nothing. It's just a slipping 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:28.160 out. It's just a natural part of life. Don't 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:32.880 be afraid of death. Death's just part of living. 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:39.000 It happens to us all. Death is an enemy. Death 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:44.319 is to be resisted. We don't give in to death. 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.380 Death is a result of sin. Adam brought death 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:52.720 in the world, remember? It's not natural. It's 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.799 not part of the original creation. It's totally 00:27:55.799 --> 00:28:01.039 unnatural for a man to die. Man should never 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:06.559 have died apart from the fall. Man should have 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:10.480 lived forever. Because the creation was perfect. 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:14.680 Man was perfect. But sin came into the world. 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:18.880 We are to fight against death. And recognize 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:23.400 it as our enemy. That's what the Bible calls 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:26.380 it. I just read it to you. The last enemy to 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:31.720 be destroyed is death. It is our enemy. So there's 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:35.019 nothing wrong with seeking help, seeking medication, 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:38.759 doing whatever you can to maintain your health, 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:43.240 to stay involved, active, be a part of this world. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:47.920 God will not allow you to go out of this world 00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:52.779 until your time here is up. Do you believe that? 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:55.519 If you're still alive, you've got something to 00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:01.240 do. It may just be to pray. You may not be able 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:06.799 to do anything but pray. And I feel horrible 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:09.920 saying that because what better thing could you 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:15.359 be doing? Have a whole list of people to pray 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:22.240 for. That's wonderful. That's definitely a minister. 00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:25.480 That's definitely something that you should fight 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:29.910 death over. Death's not going to silence my voice 00:29:29.910 --> 00:29:34.250 without a struggle. I am going to serve God with 00:29:34.250 --> 00:29:36.970 all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength until 00:29:36.970 --> 00:29:40.069 the very end when God calls me home, when he 00:29:40.069 --> 00:29:43.890 takes me home. I'm not longing for death. I'm 00:29:43.890 --> 00:29:46.230 not longing for that. It's far better for me 00:29:46.230 --> 00:29:49.509 to stay here than it is to go there. Because 00:29:49.509 --> 00:29:52.589 why? Because God has left me here and given me 00:29:52.589 --> 00:29:58.200 things to do. Think on these things. Think on 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:02.859 these realities. Forget all that physical junk. 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:09.740 This is a spiritual life. We have the true life. 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:13.960 We're not just breathing. We have the spirit. 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:19.539 We're serving God. We're in the kingdom. We're 00:30:19.539 --> 00:30:23.819 being kept. Sign every letter. Kept by the power 00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:29.259 of God. That's a beautiful way to end a letter, 00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:33.039 or a text, or an email, or whatever it is these 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:40.759 days. Kept by the power of God. But death will 00:30:40.759 --> 00:30:44.400 be defeated, along with all the powers of hell, 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:49.059 at the last time. Now remember, this is all happening 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:53.940 at the end. And then he says in 27, For he hath 00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:57.259 put all things under his feet. But when he saith 00:30:57.259 --> 00:31:00.579 all things are put under him, it is manifest 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:05.259 or obvious that he is accepted, which did put 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:08.019 all things under him. In other words, God the 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:12.500 Father is accepted. All things in the whole universe, 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:17.259 heaven and earth, are put under Christ, save 00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:21.240 the Father. Christ is on the Father's mission. 00:31:21.299 --> 00:31:26.519 Remember, that's the redemptive covenant. It's 00:31:26.519 --> 00:31:29.380 all been planned and purposed and set out in 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:35.720 stone. It cannot fail. So all things will at 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:40.960 some time be put under him. Now, that's, again, 00:31:41.099 --> 00:31:43.859 that's got to be comforting. That's got to be 00:31:43.859 --> 00:31:47.819 a beautiful thought. That all of this wickedness, 00:31:47.819 --> 00:31:50.599 all this stuff that we're constantly confronted 00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:56.369 with is all going to go away. It's going to go 00:31:56.369 --> 00:32:03.210 under Christ's authority, under his power. Now, 00:32:03.210 --> 00:32:06.730 and again, that should be a great stir to our 00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:10.609 prayer. We don't want our loved ones to suffer 00:32:10.609 --> 00:32:14.769 that fate. We want our loved ones to submit themselves 00:32:14.769 --> 00:32:19.890 willingly unto Christ and be saved. But either 00:32:19.890 --> 00:32:24.740 way, either way, it's going to happen. It's going 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:30.559 to be life, life everlasting, or death. But they 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:33.339 will be under Christ. They will be submitted 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:38.279 to him. And at the end, there's not a second 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:41.740 chance. There's not, when Christ returns, we're 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:43.819 going to have another thousand years to get right 00:32:43.819 --> 00:32:46.700 with God. All of that foolishness, I don't see 00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:53.900 it here. It's the end. That's all it is. This 00:32:53.900 --> 00:32:57.299 is the probationary period. This is when your 00:32:57.299 --> 00:33:01.519 destiny is determined. Right here in this life. 00:33:02.440 --> 00:33:06.099 What we do in this life determines what happens 00:33:06.099 --> 00:33:17.000 in eternity. No second chances. And in verse 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:20.099 28. And when all things shall be subdued unto 00:33:20.099 --> 00:33:23.859 him. Then shall the Son also himself be subject 00:33:23.859 --> 00:33:26.400 unto him that put all things under him, that 00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:33.759 God may be all in all. So this, again, this is 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:39.859 mysterious, I admit it. I can't explain it. I 00:33:39.859 --> 00:33:44.019 can't explain all of this to where it makes perfect 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:48.779 logical sense to a human mind, at least my human 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:54.920 mind. Christ is co -equal with God. They're the 00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:59.400 same in essence. Yet there's this willing submission, 00:33:59.619 --> 00:34:04.140 subjection between them. But there's only one. 00:34:05.640 --> 00:34:11.800 But that one exists in a trinity. How do we explain 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:15.940 this? Well, we don't really explain it. I don't 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:19.860 believe you can totally explain this. It's something 00:34:19.860 --> 00:34:24.239 that we believe. The Bible tells us, it's very 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:28.679 clear, that in some manner, all of the kingdom 00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:32.300 is going to be presented to God the Father who 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:35.940 designed the whole plan. The whole gospel plan 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:39.500 is the wisdom of God the Father. Christ carried 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:43.619 it out perfectly. And at the end, he's going 00:34:43.619 --> 00:34:49.050 to present this gospel kingdom to God. and in 00:34:49.050 --> 00:34:54.190 all things will be under God the Father. He will 00:34:54.190 --> 00:34:59.090 be in charge. Now, does that mean that the Holy 00:34:59.090 --> 00:35:05.610 Spirit, that the Son, what happens to them? Well, 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:09.550 they're in the Father, the same way they were 00:35:09.550 --> 00:35:14.809 before the creation. During the creation, we 00:35:14.809 --> 00:35:18.679 had the Trinity. After the end of all things, 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:21.420 we'll still have the Trinity. And then we will 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:26.820 absolutely be able to comprehend exactly what 00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:30.739 Paul is stating here. Until then, we believe 00:35:30.739 --> 00:35:35.219 it because the Bible tells us so. Somehow it 00:35:35.219 --> 00:35:37.659 all works out. Somehow it's true. Everything 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:43.079 is true. Maybe you don't have any problem understanding 00:35:43.079 --> 00:35:46.780 it, grasping it. That's good. It's fine. I mean, 00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:50.440 I don't have a problem in that I'm caused to 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:55.800 doubt. I have no doubt that this is true. I just 00:35:55.800 --> 00:35:59.900 have a problem explaining it all. You don't have 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:01.719 to explain it. All you have to do is believe 00:36:01.719 --> 00:36:05.860 it. There's coming a time, and it's the end, 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:09.380 when Christ is going to turn the kingdom over 00:36:09.380 --> 00:36:13.239 to his Father. And God the Father is going to 00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:17.989 be reigning over all. In all. Through all. And 00:36:17.989 --> 00:36:21.090 that's other places in scripture as well. It's 00:36:21.090 --> 00:36:25.769 not just here. But anyway. So that's the end. 00:36:26.829 --> 00:36:30.989 That's the end times. There's not. This is the 00:36:30.989 --> 00:36:33.949 kingdom. This is the millennial. The kingdom 00:36:33.949 --> 00:36:36.809 is going to come to a conclusion. All things 00:36:36.809 --> 00:36:39.110 are going to be put under Christ. He's going 00:36:39.110 --> 00:36:42.230 to present those all things to the father. And 00:36:42.230 --> 00:36:45.289 the father is going to be ruling over all. And 00:36:45.289 --> 00:36:48.960 that's it. It's eternity. It's eternity for us 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:53.739 all. So that's pretty straightforward and it's 00:36:53.739 --> 00:37:00.500 pretty simple. So it should again be a great 00:37:00.500 --> 00:37:03.179 encouragement and comfort to all of God's people 00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:07.280 to understand that this is not chaos. We're not 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:09.960 living in chaos. We're not living in uncertain 00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:14.460 times. We're living because Christ is reigning. 00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:18.780 And he's sustaining and keeping and caring for 00:37:18.780 --> 00:37:23.820 us through this life as a preparatory time for 00:37:23.820 --> 00:37:28.219 the wonderful, astounding, terrific life in eternity 00:37:28.219 --> 00:37:34.559 that waits for all of his people. So I'm going 00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:36.780 to read a couple of verses here and be finished. 00:37:41.480 --> 00:37:50.480 In Romans 8. Beginning at verse 36. As it is 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:53.380 written, for thy sake we are killed all the day 00:37:53.380 --> 00:37:56.000 long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 00:37:56.019 --> 00:37:59.760 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors 00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:03.119 through him that loved us. For I am persuaded 00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:07.179 that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor 00:38:07.179 --> 00:38:10.539 principalities, nor powers, nor things present, 00:38:10.619 --> 00:38:14.199 nor things to come. There they are. Not height, 00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:17.730 depth, or any other creature. Shall be able to 00:38:17.730 --> 00:38:20.949 separate us from the love of God which is in 00:38:20.949 --> 00:38:27.510 Christ Jesus our Lord. Wonderful. Beautiful. 00:38:37.690 --> 00:39:03.199 One more then. In whom, chapter 1, verse 14, 00:39:03.420 --> 00:39:06.440 in whom we have redemption through his blood, 00:39:06.500 --> 00:39:09.920 even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:13.300 of the invisible God, the firstborn of every 00:39:13.300 --> 00:39:16.380 creature, for by him were all things created 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:19.559 that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible 00:39:19.559 --> 00:39:23.219 and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, 00:39:23.219 --> 00:39:27.099 principalities, powers, there they are. All things 00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:31.500 were created by him and for him, and he is before 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:35.179 all things, and by him all things consist or 00:39:35.179 --> 00:39:39.179 are maintained. And he is head of the body, the 00:39:39.179 --> 00:39:42.360 church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from 00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:45.280 the dead, that in all things he might have the 00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:48.920 preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in 00:39:48.920 --> 00:39:53.099 him should all fullness dwell. And having made 00:39:53.099 --> 00:39:57.309 peace, Through the blood of his cross. By him 00:39:57.309 --> 00:40:01.250 to reconcile all things unto himself. By him 00:40:01.250 --> 00:40:04.389 I say. Whether they be things in earth or things 00:40:04.389 --> 00:40:08.829 in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated 00:40:08.829 --> 00:40:13.610 and enemies. In your mind by wicked works. Yet 00:40:13.610 --> 00:40:18.909 now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh 00:40:18.909 --> 00:40:24.679 through death. To present you holy. and unblameable 00:40:24.679 --> 00:40:29.860 and unreprovable in his sight. If ye continue 00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:33.480 in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not 00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:36.900 moved away from the hope of the gospel, which 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:39.699 ye have heard and which was preached to every 00:40:39.699 --> 00:40:43.179 creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, 00:40:43.460 --> 00:40:48.360 am made a minister. The glorious resurrection. 00:40:48.840 --> 00:40:51.300 We'll pick it up there next week.