1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,680 Waffer, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, County 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,400 of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,240 Now some people, they, they have a glib view of life. 6 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,760 Hey, I'm not dead yet. I have this will to survive and 7 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,200 conquer and achieve. And I don't like to think about 8 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,080 death a matter of fact. I like to ignore it. 9 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,440 I find it ironic, especially as people age. 10 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,320 You talk to people in their 70s and 80s and it should be obvious 11 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,320 that they're going to be checking out sometime in the not 12 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,680 too distant future. It becomes more inevitable the 13 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,160 older we get. And you bring up the subject and 14 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:04,599 they want to change it immediately. 15 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:06,880 Unbelievers want to change it immediately. 16 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:14,760 ChatGPT told me just now that $5.3 trillion is spent every 17 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,720 year here in the United States on the health, beauty, and 18 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,800 fitness industries combined. Why is that? 19 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,760 The bottom line is that people simply don't want to die. 20 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,160 They don't want to accept death, and so they do everything they 21 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:32,480 possibly can to extend their life. 22 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,080 And while living a healthy life is crucial for the follower of 23 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,400 Jesus, we know that one day we will die and we will be with 24 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,160 Jesus. That is our hope, not this world 25 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,280 for how many years we get to spend on it now? 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,280 Here's Pastor Clark in Revelation Chapter 11 with 27 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,200 today's edition of Living Waters of Grace. 28 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:59,200 If you go with me to Revelation 11, we started in chapter 12 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,920 last week, but I just wanted to review a couple things in 11. 30 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:09,120 On verse 15 about the 7th Angel sounding, there were loud voices 31 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,040 in heaven saying, the Kingdom of this world have become the 32 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,640 kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign 33 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,320 forever and ever. And the 24 elders who sat before 34 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,360 God on the Thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God, 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,280 saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who 36 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,760 is and who was and who is to come, because you've taken your 37 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,080 great power and reign. The nations were angry and your 38 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,800 wrath has come. And the time of the dead, that 39 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,520 they should be judged, and that you should reward your servants, 40 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,200 the prophets and the Saints, and those who fear your name shall 41 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,760 small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the 42 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,600 earth. Then the temple of God was 43 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,240 opened in heaven, and the ark of the covenant was seen in this 44 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,360 temple. And there were lightnings, 45 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,160 noises, thunderings and earthquakes and great hail. 46 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,840 Sometimes I like walking through cemeteries. 47 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,800 You might think that's morbid, but I find great solace in the 48 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,680 fact that there will be one day a great and final resurrection. 49 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,360 That everybody in that tomb, no matter how decomposed or how 50 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,680 torn apart it is by the insects and the worms, is going to be 51 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,880 totally transformed and the twinkling of an eye, The Bible 52 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,600 said. And that means every human being 53 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,440 that has ever died since the beginning of time until the 54 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,120 until the return of the Lord. And so as I was contemplating 55 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:33,440 what's on the horizon for us as a family, as a church body and 56 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,160 individually for all of us, I'd like to sort of review the 57 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,680 importance of understanding what is in store for every one of us 58 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,440 in the days ahead. If you would turn to 1st 59 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:49,640 Corinthians verse 15, the picture in Revelation is prior 60 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,040 to the return of the Lord, prior to the final resurrection that I 61 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,520 just read about. When he will meet out his 62 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,440 rewards to his Saints and also deal with those who are without 63 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,760 him and his anger and his wrath. Because they didn't believe in 64 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,400 Jesus, they their whole life they just ignored the Lord. 65 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,360 They didn't have time for Him. They didn't contemplate their 66 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,840 need. They thought they were OK and 67 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,960 they refused to accept him as their savior. 68 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,959 But the first Corinthians 15, verse 50, this is the final 69 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:25,520 victory that I read about in the sermon of Chrysostom. 70 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,480 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit 71 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,680 the Kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 72 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,280 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we 73 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:39,360 shall all be changed in a moment, and the twinkling of an 74 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,360 eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and 75 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,480 the dead will be raised incorruptible. 76 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:48,440 And we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on 77 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,040 incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 78 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,440 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal 79 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,920 has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass a 80 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:03,520 saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 81 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:09,680 O death, where is your sting? O hades, where is your victory? 82 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:14,040 The sting of death is sin, and the strength is sin in the law. 83 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,240 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord 84 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,200 Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, 85 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,120 be steadfast and movable, always abounding in the work of the 86 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,440 Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 87 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,800 Famous writer. I used to like reading back in 88 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,800 the days of college. Feed or dust. 89 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,680 Ask anybody ever read any of his stuff? 90 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:42,400 Russian author. He was a fascinating individual 91 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:48,080 and he said, ah, how afraid I am of death and how sinful that is. 92 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,480 That was from his book called the Adolescence. 93 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,040 And today some of you might be sitting here thinking, oh man, 94 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,040 I'm I'm afraid of death. Well, the Bible says we're not 95 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,840 to be afraid of it. We're actually to anticipate it 96 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,720 with joy. It's a homecoming. 97 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,680 It's a glorious, as we've seen here in the writings of Paul, a 98 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:14,000 glorious victory, a reward for those of us who have trusted in 99 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,120 walk with Christ in our life, believe in him as our Savior and 100 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,960 Lord, our sin bearer. And every day of our life, we're 101 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:24,640 living in two different dimensions. 102 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,680 We're either living like, hey, this is all there is. 103 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,960 Grab as much gusto as you can. You only go around once, man. 104 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,280 Make sure you have the greatest house, the greatest car, the 105 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:36,720 greatest clothing, whatever it is, you know, grab on to 106 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,760 whatever you need. And like the rich guy that had 107 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,560 the barns, Jesus calls him a full he's the guy's like so 108 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,560 prosperous in life. He's thinking, man, I got to 109 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,680 build bigger barns to put all my material wealth in. 110 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,520 And the Lord says you full your soul's required of you this 111 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,000 night. And none of us know when will be 112 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,120 called to to meet the Lord to be before him. 113 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,400 And so a quote by another famous individual who lived many years 114 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:08,120 ago. He said, As we rise daily, let 115 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:11,280 us suppose that we shall not survive till evening. 116 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:15,080 And again, as we prepare for sleep, let us consider that we 117 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:19,120 shall not awaken. That may be the way it is for 118 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,400 some of us. By its very nature our life is 119 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:27,400 uncertain, and it is given out daily by Providence. 120 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:31,280 If we think this way and then this way, live daily, we will 121 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:35,000 not desire to sin. So if I recognize today and you 122 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,400 as well, that this could be my last day, that we would be 123 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:43,280 prepared to realize that one day we're all going to be with the 124 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,240 Lord. It tells us in Hebrews 927 it's 125 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:50,360 appointed for men to die once. But after this judgment, some of 126 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,200 us have appointments this week. We have to see the doctor, we 127 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,080 have to see an attorney, or we have an appointment with a 128 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,600 friend for lunch or breakfast or all kind of different things 129 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,160 that we set appointments for in our daily schedule. 130 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,120 You can break the appointment with the dentist and say, hey, I 131 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:06,520 just don't feel like coming tomorrow. 132 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,040 I'm afraid of the dentist. I'll push that off as far as I 133 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,840 can into the future. And they'll say, well, do you 134 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,640 want to reschedule? I'll call you, you know, But 135 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,520 when God sets his appointment schedule, there is no 136 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:21,720 negotiation. It's time. 137 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,800 And he says now is a day of judgement. 138 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,120 If you go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, this one chapter over 139 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:35,159 from First Corinthians to the right, Second Corinthians 5, 140 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,480 this is what we have to be prepared for. 141 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:41,880 Verse 9. Therefore, we make it our aim, 142 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,120 whether present or absent, to be pleasing to him. 143 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,560 Is that your aim every day of your life? 144 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:51,240 Are you aiming to be pleasing to your God, your Maker, your 145 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,440 Creator? For me, we must all appear 146 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,720 before the judgment seat of Christ, and that each one may 147 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,520 receive the things done in the body according to what he has 148 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,240 done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror 149 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,120 of the Lord, we persuade men that we are well known to God, 150 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,320 and I trust, are well known in your consciences. 151 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:16,280 So the purpose of a pastor, a teacher, an evangelist is to 152 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,760 warn the sheep, warn the people that there is a day of judgment 153 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,960 coming, that we all must stand before our maker and give an 154 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,280 account of our lives. Standing before the judgement 155 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,560 seat of Christ. How are how are we living? 156 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:34,760 What are we thinking about? What are our priorities? 157 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,480 Is Jesus the number one person in our lives today? 158 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,200 Do we love him more than life itself? 159 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,240 That's the last song they sang. Was this glorious, wasn't it? 160 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:49,880 It's all about you, Jesus. I could just sense God that's 161 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,280 reaching into our hearts today and saying to you and to me. 162 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,840 It's about from his perspective you. 163 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:03,840 He loves you so much that God so loved this world that He gave 164 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,240 His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 165 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,760 should not perish that have everlasting life. 166 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,760 Now some people, they, they have a glib view of life. 167 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,160 Hey, I'm not dead yet. I have this will to survive and 168 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,520 conquer and achieve. And I don't like to think about 169 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,400 death a matter of fact, I like to ignore it. 170 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,600 I find it ironic, especially as people age. 171 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,400 You talk to people in their 70s and 80s and it should be obvious 172 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,320 that they're going to be checking out sometime in the not 173 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,600 too distant future. It becomes more inevitable the 174 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,040 older we get. And you bring up the subject and 175 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:39,560 they want to change it immediately. 176 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:44,400 Unbelievers want to change it immediately because death is an 177 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,720 enemy. It's something that we're prone 178 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,520 to fear even at times as Christians, even though as doth 179 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,360 to ask a said it a sinful thing that I would be afraid of death 180 00:10:55,360 --> 00:11:01,120 after what crisis accomplished for me and Psalm chapter 90. 181 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:02,560 If you flip over there for a minute. 182 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:08,280 Psalm chapter 90 A great Psalm to bring comfort to one another 183 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:14,320 in the times of nearing the end. Lord, You have been our dwelling 184 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,160 place in all generations before the mountains were brought 185 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,320 forth, or ever you formed the earth in the world. 186 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,480 Even from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 187 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,760 You turn man to destruction and say, return, O children of men, 188 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,280 for 1000 years in your sight, or like a yesterday when it is 189 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,520 past, and like a watch in the night. 190 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:35,280 You carry them away like a flood. 191 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:38,520 They're like a sleep in the morning. 192 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,200 They are like grass which grows up in the morning. 193 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,720 It flourishes and grows up in the evening. 194 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,920 It is cut down and Withers. For we have been consumed by 195 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,680 your anger and by your wrath. We are terrified. 196 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,600 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in 197 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,800 the light of your countenance, for all our days have passed 198 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,960 away in your wrath. We finish our years like a sigh. 199 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,360 The days of our lives are 70 years, and if by reason of 200 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,320 strength they are 80 years, yet there boast is only labor and 201 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,440 sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away. 202 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:12,640 Who knows the power of your anger? 203 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:15,920 For as the fear of you, so is your wrath. 204 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,520 And I love this. So teach us to number our days 205 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,880 that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 206 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,280 Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to 207 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,560 wisdom. What is it that we're living 208 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:31,480 for? What is it that we're thinking 209 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,960 about moment by moment in our lives? 210 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,720 I mean, this is such a short journey, guys. 211 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,680 You might think it seems like a long time, that this seems like 212 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:43,440 a blink of an eye that I was sitting around 20 years old, 213 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,200 have my whole life ahead of me. I'm not kidding you. 214 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,680 A blink of an eye. I look at my granddaughter and I 215 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:50,920 say, oh, they're grandkids and they're just starting their 216 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,800 life, you know, But it'll be that way for them one day. 217 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,800 My daughters look and say it to seem like yesterday our kids 218 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,800 were just little running around and now they're teenagers, want 219 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,560 their own way, you know, do their own thing. 220 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:09,200 And so would God give us wisdom that today we could be able to 221 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:17,680 see in a spiritual way, God's plan and intentions for each of 222 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,240 our lives not to waste our lives. 223 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:25,400 You know, when you think about life every day, everything we 224 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:30,840 do, even our simple communion of, of eating, it's no accident 225 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,760 that we eat what's already for the most part, dead in order to 226 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,760 stay alive. A life comes out of death. 227 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:42,200 Even, you know, our sustenance, our physical sustenance, it 228 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,440 comes out of what is in the process of decaying. 229 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,120 And Jesus said unless a corn of wheat fall into the ground and 230 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:56,480 it abides alone, that the seed has to first die in order to 231 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:58,760 become alive. It's a paradox. 232 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,080 And you look at the goal of modern healthcare today, it's 233 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,240 it's fascinating. They want to deny the reality of 234 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,240 death. I mean, the last thing that they 235 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,520 want to tell you in the hospital is like, there's no more hope. 236 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,960 I mean, an honest doctor will say that they'll be upfront with 237 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,880 you, but most of them say, hey, we can do this, we can do that. 238 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,680 They've got all these ideas of magic tricks they can pull out 239 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:20,840 of their hat to maybe give you another couple years. 240 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,680 They don't tell you like how miserable you might be or you 241 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:25,920 might, you know, have to be forced to be on artificial life 242 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,200 support and that kind of stuff because it's a point on the man 243 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:30,680 wants to die and after this a judgement. 244 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,360 So my question is at times, when does medical science become a 245 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,680 blessing and when is it becoming a curse? 246 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,720 Because if it gets in the way of God's preordained plan, right, 247 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,600 and begins to try to make life its own sustainer as opposed to 248 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:49,320 God himself, then these poor people are are on these tubes 249 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,960 unconscious and staying alive for a sometimes a very long time 250 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,480 when they're already pretty much gone. 251 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,280 It's an interesting discussion and I'm sure all of us might 252 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,760 have some different points of view on that, but it's the 253 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:11,760 medical and the new age gurus today that have this philosophy 254 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:16,040 that it's just a matter of time before we conquer aging. 255 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,760 Isn't that good news, guys that make you feel better, Danny? 256 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,640 This is a matter of time, brother, before we conquer 257 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:23,400 aging. You're going to live to be 500. 258 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,360 No, boy, I have a friend. He's a doctor in Charleston and 259 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:32,160 fascinating guy who developed a good friendship, good brother 260 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:33,920 and the Lord. And once in a while I go down 261 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:35,040 there. He invites me to stay at his 262 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:36,440 house and I do business down there. 263 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,000 And one morning I'm getting up, having coffee there and I'm 264 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,000 talking to his son and I see this guy, this picture of this 265 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,560 guy on the wall, physique guys like in his early 70s. 266 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,560 This guy's cut man. I mean, he looks like he's like 267 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,840 a Charles Atlas of like 73 or whatever. 268 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:55,240 And he, his claim to fame, doctor life is that you can have 269 00:15:55,240 --> 00:16:00,760 perpetual youthful longevity. If you deal with these youth 270 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,360 hormones, you know, you get shot up. 271 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,920 He's the guru doctor of all the Hollywood stars, all the glamour 272 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,160 people, right? And so I'm like, looking at this 273 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,040 picture, I'm thinking now, what's the connection here with 274 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:13,720 my Christian friend? Why would you have the picture 275 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,280 of this guy on the wall? Is he like, is he into this? 276 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,480 Is this what? And so I asked his grant, I 277 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,960 guess his son, who is that guy? This is my grandfather. 278 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,840 So David wakes up. I said, man, I read about that 279 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:24,920 guy. I mean, what's he into? 280 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:28,160 He says, Clark, my dad's. He's a great guy, but he's like, 281 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:32,120 totally out of it because he thinks that he can conquer 282 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,200 death. And in other words, instead of 283 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:39,160 the body dying, it can be restored through all these 284 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,120 metabolic changes. You know? 285 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,800 And I said to him, I said, what's interesting, maybe, you 286 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,960 know, for a few years, but does he realize that eventually this 287 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,560 isn't going to work? I mean, eventually he's going to 288 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,760 die. I mean, it's appointed unto man 289 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,400 wants to die. And after this is judgment. 290 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,000 And so the society is always trying to like push away the 291 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,440 inevitable. The church should be the most 292 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:08,560 clear, peaceful place for us to learn about our destiny, right? 293 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,839 What's in store for all of us now? 294 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:17,319 The idea of Christianity being reconciled with death. 295 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:21,160 You know, God hates death. It wasn't His intention to have 296 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,040 death when He created us in the garden. 297 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,960 He created us to live forever. We're the ones that changed the 298 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,960 setup, didn't we? We took it upon ourselves to 299 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:37,040 take life in our own hands, and sin and the wages of sin is 300 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,280 death. Christ is our life and death, 301 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,680 Christianity proclaiming it to be namely an enemy to be 302 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:50,400 destroyed and not a mystery to be explained. 303 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,640 The scriptures teach about death as being abnormal. 304 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,920 It's not God's plan, is it? If it was his plan, there would 305 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:03,480 be no resurrection. God wouldn't have come in the 306 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:08,000 flesh to die and to go through what He went through for you and 307 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,720 I if death was his plan. He's done everything he could 308 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:18,120 for you and me to sustain us in eternity. 309 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:22,640 Turn to John Chapter 11. This is Jesus own experience of 310 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,320 death with Lazarus. See how he feels about it. 311 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,920 He's God in the flesh, fully God, fully man. 312 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:35,280 John Chapter 11, verse 28. And when she had said these 313 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,560 things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, 314 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:40,480 saying, The teachers come and is calling to you. 315 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,120 As soon as she heard, she quickly arose and came to him. 316 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:49,440 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in place where 317 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,280 Martha met him. And then the Jews who were with 318 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,840 her in the house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary 319 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,640 Rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, She's 320 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,960 going to the tomb to weep there. And then when Mary came where 321 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,120 Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, 322 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,440 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 323 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,600 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came 324 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,320 with her weeping, he groaned in the Spirit and he was troubled. 325 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:19,920 And he said, Where have you laid him? 326 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,280 And they said to him, Lord, come and see. 327 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:27,200 Verse 35, Jesus wept. Jesus didn't say don't worry, 328 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,080 he's in a better place, everything's OK. 329 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,280 Death is the final enemy, isn't it? 330 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,200 God hates death, what it does to people, what it does to 331 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,960 families, what it does to human existence. 332 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,560 And the Jews said, see how he loved him. 333 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,720 And some of them said, could not this man who opened the eyes of 334 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,160 the blind also have kept this man from dying? 335 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,640 Then Jesus again, groaning in himself, came to the tomb. 336 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:04,240 You know the darkness of death, the horror of separation of 337 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:10,840 family and loved ones, the waiting of the Conqueror who had 338 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,760 not yet gone into Hades to set the captives free. 339 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:18,320 This is pre death, burial and resurrection that is occurring 340 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:22,080 here. And Jesus senses obviously the 341 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,680 extreme intenseness of the demonic spirits and the hatred 342 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:31,200 of the devil and all his demons and dark powers. 343 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,040 And Jesus groans in himself, and he comes to the tomb. 344 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,280 It was a cave, a stone lay against it. 345 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,080 And Jesus said, take away the stone. 346 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,800 Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, Lord, by 347 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:45,320 this time there is a stench, for he has been dead for days. 348 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,600 Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you would 349 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,720 believe, you would see the glory of God? 350 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,520 And then they took away the stone from the place where the 351 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,560 dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and 352 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,920 said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, and I know 353 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,240 that you always hear me. But because of the people who 354 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:06,360 are standing by, I said this now that they may believe you sent 355 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,240 me. Now when he said these things, 356 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:14,320 he cried with a loud voice. Lazarus come forth and he who 357 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:18,640 had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his 358 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,480 face was wrapped in a cloth. And Jesus said to them, lose him 359 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,240 and let him go. Jesus wept. 360 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,040 He doesn't again say, hey, everything's OK, he's in heaven, 361 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,400 everything's well. He's gone from this difficult 362 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:36,720 life. He's in a better place. 363 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:38,640 If you ever find yourself saying that kind of stuff. 364 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,680 We have to see death as God sees it. 365 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,040 Now Paul tells us to be absent the bodies, to be present with 366 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,360 the Lord. But keep in mind the final 367 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:50,120 resurrection has not occurred yet. 368 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,520 You know, we understand today the Lord in some small degree, 369 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:55,440 don't we? All of us? 370 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,440 We have some insight of His love, His grace, and His mercy. 371 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,240 Do we know it all? I mean, my understanding of 372 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,920 God's love and His grace is so small compared to the way it 373 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:09,040 really is because I can't grasp it in my fallen human condition. 374 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,400 I know God's good. He loves, He's merciful, He's 375 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:16,960 forgiving, but I don't know him today like I will know him one 376 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,120 day. When Jesus said through Paul, I 377 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:23,880 hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of 378 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,840 man the things that God has prepared for those who love him. 379 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,120 None of us can comprehend that yet, can we? 380 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:32,320 We get it. We're looking through a glass 381 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,400 darkly, Paul said in First Corinthians 13. 382 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,560 We're seeing a little bit right now, but one day the Bible said 383 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:41,920 we will see him face to face, for we shall see him as he is, 384 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:47,680 and we will become like him. Now when we think of Christ, it 385 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:52,240 tells us in the Word that he was crucified and he was buried. 386 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,960 He suffered. He's a man of sorrows, 387 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,480 acquainted with grief. Christ lived a life of constant 388 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,240 suffering for your sake and mine. 389 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:07,720 He had joy, He had pleasure, he loved the children, he obviously 390 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,320 loved communing with the Father, because every chance he got, he 391 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,400 was alone with his Heavenly Father, praying and glorifying, 392 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:18,760 worshiping him. But he was a man of extreme 393 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,200 sorrow and grief. It says he looks out over the 394 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,520 city of Jerusalem. He looks out today in the city 395 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,320 of southwest Greensburg. He looks into your homes, your 396 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:29,640 neighborhoods, your families, this country, this world. 397 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,920 And he still is broken. His heart is grieving because he 398 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,880 sees the majority of people on the earth as sheep without a 399 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,600 shepherd. He sees people trying to live 400 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:43,080 life without him. And so this suffering and death 401 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,680 is interwoven in the human experience. 402 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,240 And the presence of 1 implies the presence of the other. 403 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:54,880 Suffering and death are entwined together. 404 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,840 Thanks for being with us today here on Living Waters of Grace. 405 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,320 We are in the Book of Revelation, and we find it 406 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:08,640 fascinating how influential and involved the angels are in this 407 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,840 book. They bring about whatever it is 408 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,440 that God has instructed them to do, but it's through their 409 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,560 actions that much of the judgments come on the earth. 410 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,800 The angels are in submission to God as their authority, but He 411 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:26,080 utilizes them in unique ways throughout this book. 412 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:30,280 Like angels have a specific purpose from God, you have a 413 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:34,240 unique purpose and plan too. God wants to use you in your 414 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,720 life as a testimony to others and to bring others who are 415 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,400 currently lost into the fold of God. 416 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,280 God would love more than anything for all who are willing 417 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,360 to come to Him for salvation. He wants it to be their choice, 418 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:53,200 not a forced situation. This is the way God works, not 419 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,440 forcing himself on anyone, but giving each person free will. 420 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,400 If you're interested in learning about this choice that's free 421 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:06,200 and that it's a gift, go to calvarychapelonline.com and 422 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,560 click on the About Us tab and then find the link for what we 423 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,160 believe. We'd love to be a help and a 424 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,680 resource for you as you walk through what it means to be a 425 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:20,600 follower of Jesus. If you find the contact tab on 426 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:24,040 our website, you can get in touch with us or submit a prayer 427 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,400 request. We'd love to hear from you. 428 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,680 That's all for today's edition in Revelation, but there's much 429 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:34,000 more that Pastor Clark plans to share with us from this 430 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:37,760 culminating book of the Bible. Stay tuned for that and make 431 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,480 sure to mention this radio program to others. 432 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:46,800 Invite them to tune in to Grace FM 91.7 FM and they can stream 433 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:52,760 worldwide at Grace Radio dot FM. This has been living Waters of 434 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:53,320 Grace.