WEBVTT 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:06.940 In the early 1800s, a powerful earthquake shook 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:13.140 the Midwest along the New Madrid Fault. We are 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:15.439 told that that earthquake was felt as far away 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.100 as New York City and Washington, D .C., where 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:23.800 the church bells rang as the earth shook. Land 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:29.600 dropped along the fault, forming new lakes. Some 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.859 say that the quake was so powerful... that in 00:00:32.859 --> 00:00:36.320 fact the flow of the Mississippi River was reversed 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:41.020 for a few moments. Can you imagine the power 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:44.840 in that earthquake that caused that river to 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:48.000 actually reverse its course for a few moments? 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.640 This morning we are going to look at a reversal 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.500 that is even more powerful in an event that took 00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:01.979 place 2 ,000 years ago. an event that is captured 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:05.200 in a title given to Jesus Christ in our text 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:10.400 today. It says, He is also head of the body, 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:15.500 the church, and He is the beginning, the firstborn 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:20.000 from the dead, so that He Himself might come 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.980 to have first place in everything. Jesus Christ 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:31.439 is the firstborn from the dead. Titles are important. 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:37.959 Titles denote responsibility, dignity, or rank. 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:42.640 Sometimes even the character of the person is 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.780 connoted by the title that is born. In human 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:51.260 terms, we are sometimes disappointed by the character 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:55.019 of those who hold impressive titles or important 00:01:55.019 --> 00:01:59.700 offices. Just because one is titled the president 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:04.019 or the governor does not necessarily mean that 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:07.340 that person has governed well or has done so 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:12.259 with character. However, there is never any disappointment 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:16.979 in Jesus Christ. In him there is the perfect 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:22.740 match of both office and character in the titles 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:27.259 which are assigned to him. His titles perfectly 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:32.219 reveal his character, and his character perfectly 00:02:32.219 --> 00:02:37.979 supports his titles. Firstborn, as we saw last 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:41.719 Sunday evening, is a title that is rooted in 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:46.479 Hebrew family customs. The oldest male child 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:51.539 was honored with that title, firstborn, and by 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:54.819 it received certain privileges that were attached. 00:02:55.449 --> 00:03:00.310 including a double inheritance and the place 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:03.710 of family leadership upon the death of the father. 00:03:05.330 --> 00:03:10.550 Firstborn came to refer to the honor of preeminence, 00:03:10.569 --> 00:03:16.270 even more so than the birth order itself. For, 00:03:16.389 --> 00:03:18.990 as you know, the title could be transferred to 00:03:18.990 --> 00:03:23.169 other siblings. The most well -known example 00:03:23.169 --> 00:03:26.900 of that, perhaps, is the fact that Esau sold 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:30.300 his title of firstborn to his brother Jacob. 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:36.939 Firstborn then came to connote supremacy, priority, 00:03:37.539 --> 00:03:42.780 and superiority. Those are certainly the ideas 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:46.199 that come to mind when we think of Jesus Christ 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:51.139 as the firstborn. This morning we think of him 00:03:51.139 --> 00:03:56.680 as the firstborn from the dead. After affirming 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.879 Christ's preeminence over the original natural 00:03:59.879 --> 00:04:03.219 creation in the earlier verses of the chapter, 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:07.699 now the apostle asserts Christ's preeminence 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:14.139 over the new spiritual creation. What does this 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:18.319 title, the firstborn of creation, tell us about 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:22.540 Christ? Well, there are at least two claims. 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.589 that can be made because Jesus Christ is the 00:04:26.589 --> 00:04:31.029 firstborn from the dead. In the first place, 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:37.910 he is the first. Jesus Christ is the first to 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:42.889 come back from the dead with immortality. He 00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:46.329 is the first to come back from the dead, the 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:51.879 great reversal. and to come back from the dead 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:57.139 with immortality. When we think of this event, 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:01.300 it causes us to recall the basic movements in 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:03.560 the redemptive work of Christ. They might be 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:08.079 condensed to six. In the first place, there was 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:12.319 his movement from heaven to the womb of Mary, 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:17.889 the incarnation. When he, the eternal... Son 00:05:17.889 --> 00:05:24.470 of God who preexisted with the Father, came to 00:05:24.470 --> 00:05:32.110 the earth and united himself to humanity, sinless, 00:05:32.230 --> 00:05:37.930 within the womb of Mary. And then we think of 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:40.750 his second movement, from the womb into the world, 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:44.569 his birth. It is that which we remember at this 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:49.470 time of year. When all the heavens rang, the 00:05:49.470 --> 00:05:56.910 night the angels sang, and Jesus was born. His 00:05:56.910 --> 00:05:59.410 third movement might be described as the one 00:05:59.410 --> 00:06:05.449 to the cross and the grave. Substitution. Where 00:06:05.449 --> 00:06:08.850 on our behalf he made the supreme sacrifice, 00:06:09.089 --> 00:06:11.889 as we heard earlier in the dramatic reading. 00:06:13.129 --> 00:06:17.490 Where he offered himself in the place, of us 00:06:17.490 --> 00:06:23.410 sinners and died on our behalf. Substitution. 00:06:25.069 --> 00:06:28.009 The fourth movement was from the cross and the 00:06:28.009 --> 00:06:31.990 grave back to the world of the living. Resurrection. 00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:35.750 The fifth movement of redemption was his movement 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:39.589 from this world back to heaven where today he 00:06:39.589 --> 00:06:42.990 is at the right hand of God the Father. His ascension. 00:06:44.110 --> 00:06:48.149 And the sixth movement. anticipates that day 00:06:48.149 --> 00:06:51.769 when he will come back from heaven to the earth, 00:06:51.930 --> 00:06:57.610 his return and his reign. We are focusing this 00:06:57.610 --> 00:07:00.629 morning on the fourth of those six movements. 00:07:01.209 --> 00:07:06.069 His return from the grave to the world of the 00:07:06.069 --> 00:07:09.790 living. For he is the firstborn, the preeminent 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:17.439 one from the dead. This title causes us to reaffirm 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:21.079 the reality of his death. It was not a pretense. 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:26.240 He did not experience something like death. It 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:30.759 was the real thing. As a real man, he really 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:35.920 died. Of course, deity cannot die, but humanity 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:42.319 can and does. And so, in order to save humanity, 00:07:43.150 --> 00:07:48.529 Listen to this. In order to save humanity, he 00:07:48.529 --> 00:07:54.209 experienced the death judgment on humanity's 00:07:54.209 --> 00:08:00.569 behalf that he himself had imposed because of 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:05.430 humanity's sin. For he is the one who warned, 00:08:05.509 --> 00:08:09.269 if you eat of this fruit, you will die. He is 00:08:09.269 --> 00:08:11.870 the one who has said, the soul that sins, it 00:08:11.870 --> 00:08:16.970 will die. And now on behalf of the humanity that 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:20.050 disobeyed and brought upon itself the judgment 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:27.490 of God, he endures the judgment of God. We are 00:08:27.490 --> 00:08:30.990 reminded of the reality of his death on our behalf. 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:36.250 This title also causes us to realize the uniqueness 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:39.409 of his resurrection. He is the firstborn from 00:08:39.409 --> 00:08:43.690 the dead. He has come back from the dead with... 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:48.679 others of course had been resuscitated and restored 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:53.320 to physical life. Jesus himself is recorded as 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:56.620 having raised at least three people. There was 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:59.480 a little girl of a man whose name was Jairus, 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:03.460 whom he raised from the dead. Little girl, I 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:11.340 say to you, get up. And she did. There was a 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:15.759 boy being carried out. to burial the son of a 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:20.000 widow in the town of name jesus encountered the 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.220 funeral procession and stopped it right there 00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:28.000 because he raised that boy from the dead and 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:29.799 then toward the end of his ministry there was 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:35.159 one lazarus as you know his good friend jesus 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:39.100 arriving at lazarus home four days after he had 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:43.490 died inquired where the grave was They told him 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:46.909 but warned him that already decay had set in. 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:52.230 Jesus nonetheless had the door of the tomb open 00:09:52.230 --> 00:09:57.009 and called Lazarus forth from the realm of the 00:09:57.009 --> 00:10:02.769 dead. There were others before Jesus who were 00:10:02.769 --> 00:10:06.049 raised from the dead, but each of them later 00:10:06.049 --> 00:10:11.490 returned to the grave. Jesus arose differently. 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:18.100 With a new and higher principle of life, he arose 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:23.259 never to die again. He arose from the dead not 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:27.559 only as the Son of God, but as immortal man. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:35.700 The firstborn from the dead. The first to come 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:40.779 back to accomplish the great reversal with immortality. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:47.179 Jesus Christ. Not only is he the first to come 00:10:47.179 --> 00:10:49.840 back from the realm of the dead with immortality, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:53.720 but in this title, the firstborn from the dead, 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:59.799 we see about him that he is the source. Jesus 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:05.720 Christ is the source of a new creative order 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:12.440 that will share his immortality. You will notice 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:16.250 in our text that it says, that he is the beginning, 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:20.649 the firstborn from the dead. He's the beginning. 00:11:21.789 --> 00:11:24.529 Those of you who are interested in grammar, which 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:28.789 is usually not many high school students, but 00:11:28.789 --> 00:11:31.830 those of you who notice grammar will find that 00:11:31.830 --> 00:11:35.389 firstborn from the dead is an appositional phrase. 00:11:36.649 --> 00:11:40.669 That is, it more fully explains what the beginning 00:11:40.669 --> 00:11:45.330 means. He is the beginning, that is, the firstborn 00:11:45.330 --> 00:11:51.570 from the dead. This title, beginning, is misunderstood 00:11:51.570 --> 00:11:55.169 by some. Those who follow the Arian controversy 00:11:55.169 --> 00:12:01.970 today, which we call Jehovah's Witnesses, take 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:04.710 this word to mean that Jesus was the first created 00:12:04.710 --> 00:12:07.830 thing. In fact, they go to Revelation 3 .14 where 00:12:07.830 --> 00:12:10.929 Jesus says, I am the beginning of God's creation. 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:17.120 And they say that, you see, Jesus himself claimed 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:19.679 to be the first thing that God created. But the 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:22.279 problem is, they haven't looked deep enough to 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:26.840 find out what the word beginning means. It doesn't 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.980 mean the first thing created. The word beginning 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:39.159 means the source, the origin. He is the source 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:44.259 of the church's life. the firstborn from the 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:50.200 dead. He is the beginning and the ending. He 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.940 is the source and he is the culmination of all 00:12:53.940 --> 00:13:00.440 of history. Jesus Christ originated both the 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:05.379 natural creation and the spiritual creation. 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:09.980 They are both the extensions of his life. As 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.419 we saw in our study last Sunday night, He is 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:16.659 called in Colossians 1 .15, the firstborn of 00:13:16.659 --> 00:13:20.500 all creation. That means that all of creation 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:24.379 finds its origin in Him. It was created through 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:27.879 Him, and not only that, but He holds it together. 00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:32.120 It is the power of Jesus Christ that holds the 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:38.940 atom in place. In the book of Acts we read, in 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:43.980 him we live and move and have our being. Jesus 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:48.600 is the source of the natural creation. It originated 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:52.639 with him. But he's also the source of the supernatural 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:58.279 creation, the spiritual creation. It is all an 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:04.320 extension of his very life. And what we learn 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:06.659 from this truth that he is the source of a new 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:11.360 creative order is this, that this same life power 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.000 that brought everything into existence, even 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:19.240 now at this moment, resides in every believer 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:26.399 because of our union with Jesus Christ. Do you 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:32.940 understand that the same life power That in the 00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:36.039 book of Genesis, brought into being the whole 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:41.419 universe, is the same life power that resides 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:49.500 in you if you are a Christian. In Romans chapter 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.500 6, the apostle says, Now if we have died with 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:55.360 Christ, we believe that we shall also live with 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.820 him, knowing that Christ, having been raised 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:03.679 from the dead, is never to die again. Death no 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:07.379 longer is master over him. For the death he died, 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:12.000 he died to sin once for all. But the life that 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:16.480 he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:22.320 yourselves to be, right now, to be dead to sin, 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:28.779 but alive to God in Christ Jesus. There is life 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:34.379 that is inside of you. That is the life of the 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:38.379 resurrected Christ. The apostle puts it this 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:41.820 way in his own testimony, Galatians 2 .20. I 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:49.279 have been crucified with Christ. The old I, he 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.820 is saying, that I was in Adam. I have been crucified 00:15:52.820 --> 00:16:00.139 with Christ. It is no longer I, the old person 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:05.679 who lives. But Christ lives in me, and the life 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.779 which I as a new man now live in the flesh, I 00:16:08.779 --> 00:16:12.399 live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:16.539 and delivered himself up for me. When he says, 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:20.340 Christ lives in me, he is not saying that in 00:16:20.340 --> 00:16:23.740 the sense of the New Agers, who say that there 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:27.220 is the Christ principle in all of us, that we 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:31.769 are all God. He is saying that there was some 00:16:31.769 --> 00:16:35.529 dramatic point in his life when he was radically 00:16:35.529 --> 00:16:40.350 changed and Jesus came to live in him. And that 00:16:40.350 --> 00:16:42.570 was the moment that he trusted the Savior. He 00:16:42.570 --> 00:16:44.909 says, at that moment I was crucified and I was 00:16:44.909 --> 00:16:50.330 raised with Christ and he lived in me. Let us 00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:52.909 never take for granted this blessed union with 00:16:52.909 --> 00:16:56.690 the Savior. Colossians 3 .3 puts it this way. 00:16:56.970 --> 00:17:00.779 You have died and your life is hidden. with Christ 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:05.960 in God. Hidden with Christ in God. That is a 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.380 meaningful word. It connotes in the first place 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:16.279 secrecy, hidden. The picture is of a spring, 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:20.180 the source of which cannot be seen. It's secret. 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:27.700 On the farm I grew up on, after a hard rain, 00:17:28.349 --> 00:17:31.789 I enjoyed going over to the second creek. You 00:17:31.789 --> 00:17:34.529 know which one that is. It's after the first 00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:37.089 one, right? There were two creeks, and it was 00:17:37.089 --> 00:17:40.670 the second creek. And I enjoyed going to the 00:17:40.670 --> 00:17:43.130 area where the crossing for the tractors was, 00:17:43.190 --> 00:17:45.750 and then up to the left in the creek, about 15, 00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:49.390 20 feet, was a spring after the rain. It was 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:54.099 not a deep spring, but a superficial one. Somewhere 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:56.720 there was a layer of rock that gathered the water, 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.079 and for several days after a rain, it would bubble 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:05.160 up out of the bank there in that creek. And I 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:07.940 used to enjoy going there and scraping away the 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:10.920 mud and waiting until the water cleared and taking 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:14.779 a drink from that spring. It never killed me, 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:20.480 which is amazing. But I did it. Here we have 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:23.160 the picture of a... spring, the source of which 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:25.960 cannot be seen. That's the life of Jesus Christ 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:29.440 in you. Have you made the statement or heard 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:32.259 someone make it? I don't know how people go through 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:37.700 this without the Lord. You see, in the Christian, 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:43.319 there is a spring of life, of grace, of strength 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:47.059 that the world knows nothing about. It's a secret 00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:52.779 to them. We know the source of it. The word hidden 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:56.319 also has to do with identity. Hidden with Christ 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:01.440 in God. We are united with Jesus Christ. And 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.880 because of that, we have within us life that 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.779 is ever fresh. Our inner man is ever being renewed. 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:15.240 A text of scripture that has become very meaningful 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.960 to me in recent weeks is 2 Corinthians chapter 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:24.869 4. The apostle says in this context that our 00:19:24.869 --> 00:19:27.309 bodies are nothing more really than clay pots. 00:19:28.509 --> 00:19:32.990 Just jars, common ordinary clay things that break 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:38.349 easily. But he says inside that clay pot, God 00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:42.970 has put treasure. It's the gospel. And he says 00:19:42.970 --> 00:19:47.529 our clay pot, this outer man, is experiencing 00:19:47.529 --> 00:19:53.049 the process of being broken down. But the inner 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:57.089 treasure, the life of Jesus Christ in us, he 00:19:57.089 --> 00:20:00.089 says, is constantly in reverse. It's doing just 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:02.990 the opposite. It's growing. It's being renewed. 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:06.710 Notice how he puts it in verse 10. Always carrying 00:20:06.710 --> 00:20:10.009 about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the 00:20:10.009 --> 00:20:13.890 life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 00:20:14.089 --> 00:20:16.970 For we who live are constantly being delivered 00:20:16.970 --> 00:20:20.490 over to death for Jesus' sake. that the life 00:20:20.490 --> 00:20:24.289 of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal 00:20:24.289 --> 00:20:29.230 flesh. Verse 16, Therefore we do not lose heart, 00:20:29.309 --> 00:20:33.309 but though our outer man is decaying, yet our 00:20:33.309 --> 00:20:36.750 inner man is being renewed day by day. You see 00:20:36.750 --> 00:20:40.089 the two processes, one in decay, the other in 00:20:40.089 --> 00:20:45.029 renewal. The outer man is decaying. The testimony 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:50.049 to that was the mirror this morning, right? Sometimes 00:20:50.049 --> 00:20:53.490 because of advanced age or disease, the decay 00:20:53.490 --> 00:20:57.390 is more rapid, it's more apparent to folks every 00:20:57.390 --> 00:21:03.210 day it's there. For the Christian, however, there 00:21:03.210 --> 00:21:07.710 is another process because on the inside there 00:21:07.710 --> 00:21:13.029 is life that is constantly being renewed. He 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:16.369 says in verse 17, for momentary light affliction. 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:20.009 is producing for us an eternal weight of glory 00:21:20.009 --> 00:21:22.910 far beyond all comparison, while we look not 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:26.269 at the things which are seen, but the things 00:21:26.269 --> 00:21:30.829 which are not seen. We tend to spend most of 00:21:30.829 --> 00:21:33.390 our days, just like the other people in the world, 00:21:33.450 --> 00:21:39.390 looking at things that are seen. When in fact 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:43.089 the priority of our lives ought to be the invisible 00:21:43.089 --> 00:21:48.259 things, why is that? He says, the things which 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:53.640 are seen are temporal. The things which are not 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:58.380 seen are eternal. Oh, that we would learn to 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:03.660 order our lives so that the priorities are focused 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:08.599 on the things that are invisible. The hidden 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:12.160 things, the inner things, because that's what 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:20.299 lasts. That's what counts forever. He says in 00:22:20.299 --> 00:22:22.880 chapter 3, verse 18 of this same book, We all 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:25.519 with unveiled faith, beholding as in a mirror 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:28.579 the glory of the Lord, are being transformed 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:32.940 into the same image from glory to glory, just 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:36.039 as from the Lord the Spirit. As we behold the 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:40.869 glory of God in this book, And we see as in the 00:22:40.869 --> 00:22:44.309 mirror what Jesus is like. The Holy Spirit is 00:22:44.309 --> 00:22:48.109 in the inside of us, renewing us, transforming 00:22:48.109 --> 00:22:52.029 us. There is a process of metamorphosis going 00:22:52.029 --> 00:22:57.009 on so that we are being radically changed from 00:22:57.009 --> 00:23:00.049 one level of glory to another on the inside. 00:23:01.069 --> 00:23:05.930 My point is this. Jesus Christ is the source 00:23:05.930 --> 00:23:09.369 of a new creative order. which has already begun. 00:23:10.890 --> 00:23:16.130 It's already begun in you, Christian, because 00:23:16.130 --> 00:23:21.430 of your union with Jesus Christ. And someday 00:23:21.430 --> 00:23:24.049 this life is going to be fully experienced in 00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:26.869 the resurrection at Christ's coming. Back just 00:23:26.869 --> 00:23:32.519 a few pages to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He says 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:35.440 in verse 20, Now Christ has been raised from 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:38.700 the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep. 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:43.359 Firstborn is not used in this chapter, but firstfruits 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:47.839 is. The meaning in firstfruits is the first installment, 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:53.700 the pledge of what is yet to come. Jesus Christ 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.119 is the first installment of the resurrection 00:23:56.119 --> 00:24:00.259 to immortality. You and I are the second installment. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:09.160 He is the pledge of us to come. The first fruit. 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:14.759 You are not going to be able to get out of this 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:17.339 world and into the kingdom of God like you are 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:23.180 now. Verse 50 of this chapter says, Flesh and 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:27.680 blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. You 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:31.539 are going to have to be changed. perishable cannot 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:35.279 inherit the imperishable. Something has to happen 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:39.299 to you. He goes on to say, I tell you a mystery. 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.559 We shall not all sleep or die. We shall all be 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:48.400 changed, altered, made different. In a moment, 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:51.259 in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:55.819 for the trumpet will sound. And the dead will 00:24:55.819 --> 00:24:59.099 be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:02.819 This perishable must put on the imperishable. 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:08.240 This mortal must put on immortality. You and 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:13.099 I are going to be changed someday. We're going 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:17.880 to be made like Jesus, immortal. The renewal 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:20.779 that has already begun on the inside is going 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:24.329 to consume us in an instant. and we will be like 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:29.670 him. Before Jesus came, Satan had the power of 00:25:29.670 --> 00:25:33.710 death. He was able to keep people in the realm 00:25:33.710 --> 00:25:38.829 of death. But Jesus came and destroyed Satan's 00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:42.750 power. He entered into the realm of death itself 00:25:42.750 --> 00:25:46.910 and conquered death and the grave. And he came 00:25:46.910 --> 00:25:50.589 back to life and to immortality. And by the way, 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:52.750 when he came back, he brought the keys with him. 00:25:53.829 --> 00:25:56.490 John sees him in Revelation chapter 1, and the 00:25:56.490 --> 00:25:59.869 keys to death and to Hades are in the hands of 00:25:59.869 --> 00:26:05.549 Jesus himself. This life that has begun in Jesus 00:26:05.549 --> 00:26:09.009 Christ will be consummated in him when he returns, 00:26:09.230 --> 00:26:14.869 and we're like him. In closing, there are four 00:26:14.869 --> 00:26:17.309 brief and quick statements that I want to make. 00:26:18.029 --> 00:26:23.349 result of our study today. First, death is the 00:26:23.349 --> 00:26:29.390 direction that we are all moving. Life is one 00:26:29.390 --> 00:26:33.430 way, and we're all moving toward the same destination. 00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:39.069 It's death. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, there 00:26:39.069 --> 00:26:44.559 is a time to live and a time to die. I recognize 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:46.940 there's a generation that will be alive when 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:50.319 Jesus returns that will not die. I hope we're 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:53.460 that generation, but we don't know that. And 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:55.799 nonetheless, we are all moving at this point 00:26:55.799 --> 00:27:00.339 toward death, every one of us in this room. Secondly, 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:05.299 death cannot finally hold the souls or the bodies 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:10.019 of the dead. They are in an impermanent situation 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:14.119 now. All of them are awaiting death. the future 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:19.079 disposition of God. Eventually, all the sons 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:23.680 of Adam will be raised in resurrection bodies 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:28.500 to stand before Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke of 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:32.079 this in John chapter 5 as though it were two 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:35.599 general times. We know it's more than that, but 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:39.640 he says there are some who will be raised for 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:43.109 judgment. And there are others who will be raised 00:27:43.109 --> 00:27:49.109 for life. Death cannot hold the souls and the 00:27:49.109 --> 00:27:52.710 bodies of the dead because Jesus has conquered 00:27:52.710 --> 00:27:57.849 death. The third statement is this, that death, 00:27:57.890 --> 00:28:05.109 death will be experienced a second time by those 00:28:05.109 --> 00:28:13.460 who are spiritually lost. Their first death will 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:16.299 be reversed in the sense that they will be raised 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:21.779 in new bodies to stand before God, the purpose 00:28:21.779 --> 00:28:26.200 of which is frightening. Because they are raised 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:31.740 to stand before God for judgment. John in Revelation 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:36.529 20 looks ahead and he sees that day. And he says 00:28:36.529 --> 00:28:40.210 that all of the lost who died are raised to stand 00:28:40.210 --> 00:28:44.990 before God before a great white throne of God's 00:28:44.990 --> 00:28:49.789 holiness. And the works of all of their lives 00:28:49.789 --> 00:28:52.950 are brought forward in books where the records 00:28:52.950 --> 00:28:57.849 are now kept. And those who stand before God 00:28:57.849 --> 00:29:00.789 in that day are judged on the basis of the things 00:29:00.789 --> 00:29:05.839 written in the books. And then it says, that 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:09.299 they will be assigned their portion in the lake 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:13.400 of fire. They will be cast into the lake of fire, 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:22.400 it says, which is the second death. That death 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:28.740 is irreversible. That death is eternally permanent. 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:40.140 No change. It is a terrifying thought. And it 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:42.240 is a thought that should cause every person here 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:45.519 who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior to flee 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:51.799 to him, to escape judgment. For you see, he bore 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:56.140 on the cross that second death for those who 00:29:56.140 --> 00:30:01.700 will trust him. It has been said, if you're born 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:08.099 but once, you die twice. But if you're born twice, 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:15.839 you only have to die once. The second death is 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:19.019 irreversible, and it awaits every person who 00:30:19.019 --> 00:30:24.180 rejects Christ. There's a final statement that 00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:26.140 we can make, and that is a wonderful statement. 00:30:26.140 --> 00:30:30.539 It is that death can never again lay its power 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:35.930 upon those who are Christ. Because he has battled 00:30:35.930 --> 00:30:39.490 with death and conquered it. And he stands today 00:30:39.490 --> 00:30:43.369 victorious over death and the grave. And he is 00:30:43.369 --> 00:30:46.289 able to deliver all of those who will come to 00:30:46.289 --> 00:30:51.250 him in genuine faith. Death can never again lay 00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:55.549 its power upon those who are Christ. It may claim 00:30:55.549 --> 00:31:01.730 their bodies for a while. But it can never retain 00:31:01.730 --> 00:31:07.400 their bodies. And as for the soul, it's already 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:12.079 passed from death into life at the moment that 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:17.539 faith is placed in the Savior. The best hope 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:22.980 of all humanity is the only hope, and that is 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:28.740 Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead. An 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:32.720 agnostic professor once said to a little girl 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:37.069 who was... testifying of her faith in Jesus Christ. 00:31:38.509 --> 00:31:41.230 He said to her, there have been many who have 00:31:41.230 --> 00:31:45.289 claimed to be Christ. How can you be so sure 00:31:45.289 --> 00:31:48.210 that you've been told the truth? Which one of 00:31:48.210 --> 00:31:53.289 these Christ do you believe in? And despite the 00:31:53.289 --> 00:31:56.730 sneer on his face, without hesitation, the little 00:31:56.730 --> 00:32:00.789 girl looked up at him and said, I believe in 00:32:00.789 --> 00:32:06.859 the one. who rose from the dead. There's only 00:32:06.859 --> 00:32:12.500 one of those. Jesus Christ, the firstborn from 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:21.900 the dead. Let's pray. With our heads bowed, I 00:32:21.900 --> 00:32:24.279 wonder if there is someone in this congregation 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:28.400 this morning who is at that point where you realize 00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:34.269 your desperate need for the Savior. And should 00:32:34.269 --> 00:32:37.569 you die today and go into eternity without Jesus 00:32:37.569 --> 00:32:41.029 Christ, you know that eventually you would go 00:32:41.029 --> 00:32:48.069 to the second death, the lake of fire. Dear friend, 00:32:48.109 --> 00:32:50.109 there is yet opportunity because you are in the 00:32:50.109 --> 00:32:53.089 land of the living. There is opportunity for 00:32:53.089 --> 00:32:58.150 you today to trust him, will you? Will you place 00:32:58.150 --> 00:33:00.950 your faith in him alone for salvation, believing 00:33:00.950 --> 00:33:07.799 him to have died for your sins? If you will, 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.880 trust him. Would you give an indication of that 00:33:11.880 --> 00:33:14.880 simply by lifting your hand where I can see it? 00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:19.119 That act, of course, is not going to save you, 00:33:19.140 --> 00:33:21.200 but it does indicate what you're doing in your 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:26.039 heart today in placing your faith in this one 00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:32.079 who conquered death, Jesus Christ. Will you lift 00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:34.539 your hand and then put it down, saying, I'm trusting 00:33:34.539 --> 00:33:40.289 him today. is my Savior and my Lord. Is this 00:33:40.289 --> 00:33:49.930 someone? I may have missed your hand if so. I'm 00:33:49.930 --> 00:33:53.150 sorry. God knows your heart. And oh, may those 00:33:53.150 --> 00:33:57.430 of us who know Jesus rejoice today in this wonderful 00:33:57.430 --> 00:34:01.789 Savior that we have. Father, thank you for this 00:34:01.789 --> 00:34:05.720 truth. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:08.320 victory and the life that we share because of 00:34:08.320 --> 00:34:13.000 our union with him. Thank you for the hope that 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:19.659 one day we shall be like him forever. We anticipate 00:34:19.659 --> 00:34:24.139 that day and praise you that because Jesus lives, 00:34:24.219 --> 00:34:31.219 we too shall live. Amen. Well, that's a good 00:34:31.219 --> 00:34:36.420 reason. But it's not the best reason. Is it because 00:34:36.420 --> 00:34:40.559 of the fear of discovery? Should we live purely 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:43.039 because of the fear of undesired consequences 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:47.019 of immoral actions? Well, there are a couple 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:49.619 of better reasons for Christians to keep in mind 00:34:49.619 --> 00:34:53.320 as to why we should live purely. The first is 00:34:53.320 --> 00:34:59.239 God's judgment. God is the avenger. God is the 00:34:59.239 --> 00:35:03.460 one who brings justice. when his standards have 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:07.300 been broken. And secondly, because of God's calling, 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:14.239 God has called us in sanctification, in holiness. 00:35:14.659 --> 00:35:18.280 God's whole direction for our lives and our purpose 00:35:18.280 --> 00:35:22.880 of existence is toward purity, toward wholeness, 00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:27.320 not filthiness. God is holy, and he knows... 00:35:27.880 --> 00:35:31.179 What makes life most fulfilling and most enjoyable 00:35:31.179 --> 00:35:34.820 in this world? His desire for our holiness is 00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:38.260 not to hold us back, it's not to be unkind to 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:41.400 us, but rather it is so that we can enjoy the 00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:44.679 kind of life he knows that we can. We can enjoy 00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:49.800 the fullness of joy. God desires that life be 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:53.780 lived to its fullest, and it will be if we live 00:35:53.780 --> 00:35:57.849 purely in this world. But what if... What if 00:35:57.849 --> 00:36:02.449 I don't want to live this way? What if I choose 00:36:02.449 --> 00:36:07.929 to live the way that I feel? Then he gives us 00:36:07.929 --> 00:36:14.710 a warning. He who rejects this, or he who despises 00:36:14.710 --> 00:36:18.949 this, or he who treats this as unimportant, is 00:36:18.949 --> 00:36:25.280 not doing so to man, but to God. My fellow Christians, 00:36:25.400 --> 00:36:29.219 for you and me to look down upon this, to despise 00:36:29.219 --> 00:36:32.980 this message of sexual purity, is for us to slap 00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:39.239 God in the face. Rather, what we need to ask 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:42.340 God to do is to give us pure desire that we might 00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:46.199 want to live this way. But what if I want to 00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:50.460 live this way, but I'm afraid I can't? He gives 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:53.989 us a promise. He says, God has given us his Holy 00:36:53.989 --> 00:36:58.070 Spirit. The implication is that we can be sure 00:36:58.070 --> 00:37:01.570 that the Holy Spirit is going to enable us if 00:37:01.570 --> 00:37:07.190 we will set our hearts to obey. I want to say 00:37:07.190 --> 00:37:09.590 at the conclusion of this message right now that 00:37:09.590 --> 00:37:14.590 this is a heavy message. And because of the kinds 00:37:14.590 --> 00:37:17.769 of temptation that is before all of us, this 00:37:17.769 --> 00:37:20.570 kind of a message can create all kinds of guilt. 00:37:21.900 --> 00:37:27.599 And it ought to, if in fact we have transgressed. 00:37:28.420 --> 00:37:31.480 Guilt and shame are God's ways of throwing up 00:37:31.480 --> 00:37:33.840 red flags in our lives to say, what you're doing 00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:39.019 is wrong. And it gives us the opportunity to 00:37:39.019 --> 00:37:43.960 repent, to confess, to be cleansed. I am glad 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:46.219 that the God who gave us the standard is a God 00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:50.860 of forgiveness as well as a God of justice. And 00:37:50.860 --> 00:37:53.000 that when we are broken about our sin and we 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:56.219 humble ourselves before him, he is willing to 00:37:56.219 --> 00:38:02.860 restore us. God is willing also to deliver us 00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:06.139 from bondage, from uncleanness, from patterns 00:38:06.139 --> 00:38:09.880 of shame to the power of Jesus Christ. We are 00:38:09.880 --> 00:38:15.559 not expected to clean up ourselves, but by the 00:38:15.559 --> 00:38:19.179 Holy Spirit who lives within us. God has set 00:38:19.179 --> 00:38:22.099 the standard that we should live purely in this 00:38:22.099 --> 00:38:33.260 world. We must close with that. Father in heaven, 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:41.960 all of us find the point of your word this morning. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:46.820 And it does us good to hear what you want, what 00:38:46.820 --> 00:38:50.900 your will is. And we would pray that we might 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:55.400 fulfill your will, that by the Holy Spirit living 00:38:55.400 --> 00:38:58.139 in us, we might live according to the standards 00:38:58.139 --> 00:39:04.039 of sexual purity, thus being a distinctive people, 00:39:04.159 --> 00:39:10.820 God's own people, in the midst of a pagan culture. 00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:17.139 With our heads bowed, our eyes closed, I wonder 00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:20.369 just in the... quiet moments that remain. If 00:39:20.369 --> 00:39:22.329 right where you're seated, you need to say something 00:39:22.329 --> 00:39:26.530 to the Lord regarding this application of purity 00:39:26.530 --> 00:39:30.530 in your life. What does it mean? What changes 00:39:30.530 --> 00:39:34.809 need to take place? What's your commitment to 00:39:34.809 --> 00:39:49.289 God? He's told you what His will is. And I want 00:39:49.289 --> 00:39:52.010 you to know that if there are issues that you're 00:39:52.010 --> 00:39:54.489 struggling with and you don't know where to turn, 00:39:54.690 --> 00:39:58.929 that our pastors are available to talk with you. 00:39:58.949 --> 00:40:02.070 I will speak with you, others on our staff. Or 00:40:02.070 --> 00:40:05.630 find a Christian friend that you respect that 00:40:05.630 --> 00:40:11.030 you can go to. Seek help. Don't struggle alone. 00:40:14.469 --> 00:40:17.150 And above all, let God have his way in your life. 00:40:18.599 --> 00:40:22.699 and make seeking help the first step. Let's stand 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:27.699 together, please. Fathers, we depart from this 00:40:27.699 --> 00:40:34.059 place of worship and soon return to the world 00:40:34.059 --> 00:40:38.179 where we are called to live. May the Holy Spirit 00:40:38.179 --> 00:40:43.219 so empower and infill us. that we shall be able 00:40:43.219 --> 00:40:46.500 to rise above the law of sin and death by the 00:40:46.500 --> 00:40:49.519 law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus. 00:40:50.760 --> 00:40:55.139 May we live and soar as eagles in this world. 00:40:56.760 --> 00:40:59.099 And I pray that you will deliver us from the 00:40:59.099 --> 00:41:04.139 extremes and help us to live in the spirit -filled, 00:41:04.239 --> 00:41:11.119 God -expressed balance of your word. In Jesus' 00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:11.559 name.