1 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,560 It's good to see you guys today. My name is Kyle. 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:10,640 If you're visiting today with thank you for being here. 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,840 If you have your Bible, you can open the First Corinthians 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,520 chapter 15, First Corinthians 15. 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,320 We'll be there. This will be our final week in 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,920 First Corinthians 15. So over the past, I guess, few 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:30,720 weeks, we've been walking through what you might call this 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,480 glorious chapter. It's a glorious chapter because 9 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:37,440 it describes for us the resurrection and all that it, 10 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:43,800 all the benefits of it for us. And in this chapter, Paul's 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,720 shown us the necessity of Christ's resurrection. 12 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:54,960 He also has shown us the nature of our own resurrection and the 13 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,280 hope that flows from those truths. 14 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:04,040 But as he concludes the chapter, Paul lifts our eyes, if you 15 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,960 will, to final victory, the moment when death itself is 16 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:13,560 swallowed up forever. So this passage takes us from 17 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,880 the struggle of life, at which we'll talk more about as we go. 18 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,160 It takes us from the struggle of life to the certainty of victory 19 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:29,960 through Christ. And it'll be a good journey. 20 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,440 All right. So if you would, would you 21 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,400 please stand? Alan, you just said stand again. 22 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,720 First Corinthians 15, verses 50 through 58 will be our text this 23 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,760 morning. Paul writes in verse 50. 24 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,320 I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the 25 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:56,000 Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the 26 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,480 imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery. 27 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:06,480 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a 28 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,080 moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpets. 29 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,280 For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised 30 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,880 imperishable, and we shall be changed. 31 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,360 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and 32 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,000 this mortal body must put on immortality. 33 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,760 When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts 34 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,240 on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is 35 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,120 written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 36 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:41,480 Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? 37 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,440 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 38 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,080 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord 39 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,000 Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, 40 00:02:55,520 --> 00:03:00,560 be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the 41 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,120 Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 42 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,440 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 43 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,480 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 44 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,560 for your word. We thank you, Father, that you 45 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:20,880 have spoken to us by your Spirit through the pins of your chosen 46 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,520 men. And Father, what we have here 47 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:30,400 are the words of eternal life. What we have here are the words 48 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,040 for our sanctification, for our growth and godliness. 49 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,400 And so, Lord, help us not be hard hearted towards your word 50 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,160 this morning. Would you please soften our 51 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,000 hearts and our spirits to receive Your word with 52 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,920 Thanksgiving. It's a planet deep in our hearts 53 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,480 and spirits that it might. Bear fruits. 54 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,520 In this life and also in the life to come, as we'll see this 55 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,760 morning, my father, we are grateful to be gathered together 56 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,560 with one another, brother and sister in the Lord, to hear from 57 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,600 your word. And so help us to tune our 58 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,480 hearts and minds, our ears into it this morning. 59 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,200 It's in the name of Christ, I pray, Amen. 60 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:16,800 Amen. You may be seated. 61 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:34,360 There are few things, just a few things in life that feel as 62 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:42,960 final as death does. Every funeral we attend, every 63 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:48,560 grave we pass, every sickness that weakens the body, reminds 64 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,080 us that death seems to have the final word. 65 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:58,280 It seems to have the final word, but it seems to win in the end. 66 00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:04,520 And if you think about it, death interrupts marriages, Death 67 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:09,760 separates families. Death silences voices that once 68 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:14,560 brought us great joy. And from the moment that sin 69 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,160 entered the world, death has had a perfect record. 70 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:25,600 Every man and woman born of Adam eventually returns to the dust, 71 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,800 but Paul closes this magnificent chapter by showing us that death 72 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:40,040 will not have the final word. Christ will and then. 73 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,120 The gospel doesn't simply offer us comfort in the face of death. 74 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:53,040 It declares victory over death. That's that's more than comfort 75 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,040 in the face of death. Now, it does bring comfort, but 76 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,680 there's a declaration of victory over death here in First 77 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:04,480 Corinthians 15 through Christ's resurrection. 78 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:08,040 What we see and what we have seen in this chapter is that the 79 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:12,560 curse is broken, the grave has been conquered, and the end of 80 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:18,560 our story is not decay, brothers and sisters, it's glory. 81 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:25,320 The end of your story is glory. When Paul writes these words, 82 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:31,120 he's not speculating, right? He's speaking as one who is 83 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,240 filled by the Spirit of God to pin these words for the Church 84 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:41,960 of Corinth first, but that believers throughout time and 85 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,680 history may be able to find great encouragement in these 86 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:51,080 truths. It's not speculating about what 87 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,440 might happen someday. He's not telling the 88 00:06:54,440 --> 00:07:01,120 Corinthians, hey, this may take place, This might be what it 89 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:02,960 looks like. I don't really know, but this 90 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,600 may be something to look forward to. 91 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,560 No, he he writes with periods, not with question marks. 92 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:19,440 He writes with a pen of finality and not of indecision, right? 93 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:24,560 He's declaring wholesale truths for us, truths you can take to 94 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:29,480 the grave quite literally, and truths that will raise you one 95 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,040 day. He's proclaiming what will 96 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:38,840 happen for every believer united to Christ Jesus, and what began 97 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:44,920 with an empty tomb is going to end with a trumpet blast and the 98 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,560 transformation of all who belong to Christ. 99 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,120 This passage is the high points of First Corinthians 15, and I 100 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:56,200 would argue there's been a lot of high points. 101 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,800 But Paul's drawing us to a close in praise. 102 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:08,000 He's drawing our hearts upward. He's helping us to look forward 103 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:13,480 to a day where death will lose its sting, where death will hold 104 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,200 no victory. It's the high points. 105 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,640 It's the crescendo of resurrection hope. 106 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:25,040 But Paul doesn't end with some abstract theology, right? 107 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,520 I want you to understand this morning that what Paul writes 108 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,520 with his great clarity, he's not ending with some distant 109 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,520 prophecy that we can't understand. 110 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:37,679 No, he writes with clarity. He ends with a call to 111 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:43,200 endurance, a call to press on, a call to move forward. 112 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,680 He ends with a call to faithful ministry in the presence. 113 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,560 Whatever it is that God's called you to do, whatever it is that 114 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:58,040 whatever the lot is in life that God has granted you, Paul is 115 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,360 saying, because of these truths, you can endure. 116 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:08,920 You can press forward. What Paul shows us in this 117 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,080 passage today is that what we believe about the future shapes 118 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,960 how we Live Today. What we believe about the 119 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,360 future, what we believe about what's to come, shapes the way 120 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,160 that you organize your life today. 121 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,520 It shapes the way that you Live Today. 122 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:32,040 It shapes the way that you build patterns, rhythms, disciplines 123 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,440 in your life. It ought to shape those things. 124 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,120 What you believe about the future is either in one sense or 125 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,040 another, it's informing how you live right now. 126 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:47,680 So if you're wasting your life, if you see it as something 127 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:51,440 that's just to be used up and spent for your own good and your 128 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,160 own glory, then that shows. That reveals what you believe is 129 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:01,080 to come one day. However. 130 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,920 If you spend your life wisely, if you spend it with purpose and 131 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:14,040 intention, if you're a disciplined man or woman, if you 132 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,920 exercise self-control, if you live for the glory of the Lord 133 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,960 and not yourself, you're seeking to build His Kingdom, not your 134 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,720 own Kingdom, Then that also reveals what you believe about 135 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,000 the future. But what's? 136 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,800 To come. The. 137 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:38,920 Message of this passage. It's all quite simple, and yet 138 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,040 it's unshakeable. If you're taking notes, you can 139 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,800 write this down. Because Christ conquered death. 140 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,320 We can. Live with steadfast hope and 141 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:55,560 labor with enduring faith. Because Christ conquered death, 142 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,960 we can. Live with steadfast hope and 143 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,160 labor with enduring faith. That's the main point of the 144 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:06,800 passage this morning. As we study the text, we're 145 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:11,080 going to see 3 truths that carry us from despair to victory. 146 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,080 They carry. Us from uncertainty to 147 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,680 steadfastness. The first truth we're going to 148 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:20,040 see is that is the transfer. Sorry the transformation we 149 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:21,800 need. That God. 150 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,320 Will change our mortal bodies to fit us for an eternal Kingdom. 151 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:28,320 The second. Truth, we'll see, is the triumph 152 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,520 Christ secured. Through. 153 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,120 His death and resurrection. Jesus has swallowed up death 154 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:36,800 forever. And then the third truth that'll 155 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,360 be revealed is the tenacity that we're called to. 156 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,240 The tenacity we're called to. Because of Christ's victory, we 157 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,720 can stand firm and abound in His work. 158 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,080 So number. One the transformation we need 159 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,960 look again at verses 50 through 53. 160 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:57,040 I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the 161 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,480 Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the 162 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,360 imperishable. Behold, I. 163 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:06,720 Tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we 164 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:11,040 shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of 165 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,800 an eye, at the last trumpets. For the trumpet will sound, and 166 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,280 the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be 167 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:20,720 changed. For this. 168 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,640 Perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal 169 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:28,320 body must put on immortality. So, Paul? 170 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:33,080 Begins by reminding us in verse 50 that our present condition 171 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,840 that this is these are the things that he just talked about 172 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,840 in verses 35 through 49 in the sermon last week. 173 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,400 All right. So it's going to be a bit of of 174 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,480 summary here. He's. 175 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,880 Reminding us that our present condition is not suited for the 176 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,680 world to come. All right, I'll. 177 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:51,000 Tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the 178 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,440 Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the 179 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,520 imperishable. Of the. 180 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,920 Phrase flesh and blood here. Refers. 181 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:06,080 Not simply to physicality. It's not simply about your 182 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:11,960 literal flesh and blood. Rather, it's a reference. 183 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,440 To your. Mortal decaying condition. 184 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:23,640 Humanity, as it exists in Adam, is weakened by sin and subject 185 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,520 to death. The present order that we know 186 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,960 is fragile and fleeting. It cannot inherit the eternal, 187 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:37,160 incorruptible Kingdom of God. And so that means that our 188 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,920 problem is not that we are physical beings. 189 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:44,520 God created us physical beings. That's not a problem, that's a 190 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:48,680 blessing, right? Our problem is not that we are 191 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:52,760 physical beings, but that we are perishable beings. 192 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,200 That. Because of the sin of Adam, we 193 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,120 will perish. So. 194 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,360 Heaven, then, is not merely an improvement on this life. 195 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:09,240 Sometimes. We think of heaven as just like 196 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:14,680 all the best of this life, and that's all that'll exist. 197 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:17,120 Will. Exist in a place where we have 198 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,880 all the best things of this life. 199 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:24,280 No, it's so much more, Revelation promises us. 200 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,120 That it's a. Completely renewed creation. 201 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,160 That. Christ is making all things new 202 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,760 in the new heaven and new earth, and for us to share in that 203 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:41,560 glory, you too, we must also be made new. 204 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,400 The. Perishable must become 205 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,840 imperishable. The corruptible must become 206 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:53,280 incorruptible, and so Paul is exposing our deepest need here. 207 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,400 Our. Deepest need is transformation. 208 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,600 The. Bodies that you have now are not 209 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,120 suited for a fallen world. The bodies. 210 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:12,480 We will have must be suited for a redeemed world. 211 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,320 And what Paul is showing us is that that transformation will 212 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:25,080 not come by self efforts. The world spends a ton of money, 213 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:33,000 a ton of research, a ton of time in trying to convert the mortal 214 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:36,520 into being immortal, does it not? 215 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:43,120 I mean, we do all sorts of things to try to preserve. 216 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:47,400 Life. And yet here we are in the year 217 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,160 of our Lord 2025, and death still comes. 218 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,280 Death. Still reigns over us. 219 00:16:02,350 --> 00:16:04,230 It's not going to. Come through self effort. 220 00:16:05,830 --> 00:16:07,990 It's not going to. Come through gradual reform. 221 00:16:07,990 --> 00:16:12,470 But what Paul's showing us is that the transformation will be 222 00:16:12,470 --> 00:16:16,590 the work of God himself, that this is the only way it can 223 00:16:16,590 --> 00:16:19,760 come. Through the work of our Lord, so 224 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:20,800 every. Wrinkle. 225 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:25,200 Every ache, every sign of aging, every diagnosis that reminds us 226 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,320 of our weakness. All of these are witnesses that 227 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:33,600 testify that we need something more than repair. 228 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:40,840 We need resurrection. And then in verse 51, Paul 229 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,040 discloses a divine secret. Behold. 230 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:49,600 I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we 231 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:55,080 shall all be changed. The word mystery, when you see 232 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:58,920 it in the New Testaments, it doesn't describe something 233 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,040 mysterious or puzzling. You may think of Ephesians 5 234 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:08,839 where Paul writes about marriage and talks about this mystery of 235 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,720 marriage, and all that transpires in it is a revelation 236 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:20,760 of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we see the. 237 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:22,800 Word mystery. It's not something we can't 238 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,119 figure out. Rather, it refers to a truth 239 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:29,960 that was once hidden in God's plan but now revealed in Christ 240 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:30,480 Jesus. It's. 241 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:34,440 The truth, right? It's not something. 242 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,280 We can't figure out. So here's the mystery that Paul 243 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,200 lays out. Not every believer is going to 244 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,360 die, but every believer will be changed. 245 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,640 Whether we sleep in the grave or we live to see the trumpet 246 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,600 sound, all of us must be transformed. 247 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,920 And Paul elaborates in verse 52 when he says in a moment, in the 248 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,480 twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. 249 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:03,040 So the change will be instantaneous in a moment. 250 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,920 This comes. From a Greek word which means an 251 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:16,640 indivisible instant, an indivisible instance, the 252 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:19,080 twinkling of an eye captures the speed. 253 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,080 Right the. Blinking of your eye and the 254 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,760 last trumpet marks this climactic moments of Christ's 255 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,640 return. Now I want you to understand 256 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:35,200 when Christ returns it will be a public cosmic event. 257 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:39,160 It's. Often thought that it'll be a 258 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,160 secret escape. But the. 259 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,360 Truths of Scripture revealed that it'll be a royal 260 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:47,320 declaration that the King has come. 261 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:50,360 The dead. In Christ will rise 262 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,880 imperishable, and the living will be transformed to match 263 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,640 their glory. And then in verse 53, he 264 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:01,960 concludes this portion of our passage with this For this 265 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:05,320 imperishable body must put on the I'm sorry, for this 266 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,560 perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal 267 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:15,280 body must put on immortality. Do you see the word must there? 268 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:18,480 I don't have. To explain to you what must 269 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,680 means, right? Even children, you understand 270 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:23,920 when your parents say you must clean your room. 271 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:28,920 It's not a suggestion, all right? 272 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:39,120 It's a command. And here it's a promise must 273 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:43,680 indicates divine necessity. This is not an optional thing. 274 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:47,520 Brothers and sisters, the very bodies that now tire and decay 275 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,960 will put on, they must put on. And so they will put on 276 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:53,200 immortality. They'll put. 277 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,680 It on like clothing. Paul doesn't say we will discard 278 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,160 these bodies, but that they will be clothed in glory. 279 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,880 They'll be transformed from frailty to permanence, from 280 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:08,280 corruption to splendor. And so this is the final stage 281 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,920 of God's redemptive work. What? 282 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:16,560 Began with justification and continues in sanctification. 283 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,920 Will. Culminate in glorification. 284 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,680 The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will raise and 285 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:30,480 transform your mortal body. And so this ensures both 286 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:36,640 continuity and renewal, right? You will still be yourself, but 287 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:39,760 you will be completely freed from sin and decay. 288 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,680 You'll be conformed to Christ's glorious body. 289 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,760 I read it last week, but it's worth reading again. 290 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,240 Philippians 320 through 21. But our citizenship is in 291 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,800 heaven, and from it we await A Savior. 292 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:53,800 The. Lord. 293 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:57,520 Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His 294 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,880 glorious body by the power that enables Him even to subject all 295 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,440 things to Himself. If you'd like to hear more about 296 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:10,040 that, you can come listen to Jo Loniger who preach this evening. 297 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,400 God's. Plan was never to save souls 298 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,560 only. God's. 299 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:27,120 Plan is to redeem whole person's body and spirit for eternal 300 00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:31,080 fellowship with him. So what does that? 301 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:34,760 Mean for our lives. What are? 302 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,200 We supposed to do with these glorious truths, right? 303 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,880 I mean, that ought to be a question we ask. 304 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,360 Why is Paul teaching this? Well, this. 305 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:48,520 Truth changes how we live, and it changes how we suffer. 306 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,360 Every limitation you feel in your body, every doctor's 307 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:57,120 visits. Every. 308 00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:02,040 Moment of pain or fatigue. Every loved 1 you lay in the 309 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:07,280 ground reminds you not just of your mortality, but of your 310 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,680 coming transformation, that these things shall not last. 311 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,320 And so I urge you, don't cling to what is passing away. 312 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:25,080 Fix your hope on what is imperishable for those that are 313 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,640 in Christ. If you're a believer, the worst 314 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,480 thing that can happen to your body is not your end, but your 315 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,640 beginning. The grave. 316 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,280 Is not your conclusion, rather it's your cocoon. 317 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:42,360 So take. Courage. 318 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:47,280 Take. Courage and weakness endure 319 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:52,640 trials with hope long for the day when, as Paul says, what is 320 00:22:52,640 --> 00:23:01,320 mortal is swallowed up by life. We'll come to our next truth, 321 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,080 the triumph. Christ. 322 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:10,570 Secured. We see the triumph Christ 323 00:23:10,570 --> 00:23:16,450 secured in verses 54 through 57, when the perishable puts on the 324 00:23:16,450 --> 00:23:18,170 I'm sorry, Yeah, when the perishable puts on the 325 00:23:18,170 --> 00:23:22,730 imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then she'll come 326 00:23:22,730 --> 00:23:26,050 to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up 327 00:23:26,050 --> 00:23:28,250 in victory. Oh, death. 328 00:23:28,250 --> 00:23:30,130 Where is your victory? Oh death? 329 00:23:30,130 --> 00:23:34,920 Where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and 330 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,840 the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives 331 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:42,560 us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 332 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,000 So, Paul? Is moving now from the promise 333 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,400 of transformation. To the. 334 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:55,160 Triumph that makes it possible in verse 54 he says when the 335 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,920 perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts 336 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:03,600 on immortality then. You get to. 337 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:07,240 Make note of the word then then shall come to pass the saying 338 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:11,080 that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. 339 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,480 The word. Then marks the completion of 340 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,240 God's plan. When the transformation of verse 341 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:23,760 53 is completed, prophecy will have been fulfilled. 342 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:28,360 Paul is quoting prophecy here. He's quoting Isaiah 25, eight, 343 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,000 where the prophet foretold of a day when God would swallow up 344 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:39,160 death forever and he would wipe away tears from every face. 345 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:42,720 So in. Christ's resurrection. 346 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:48,880 That. Promise began right but at our 347 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,120 resurrection. That. 348 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:55,280 Promise will be finalized. Death. 349 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:59,400 Will not merely be restrained. Brothers and sisters, we're told 350 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:03,400 here that death will be consumed by our Lord Himself. 351 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,440 The. Enemy that has devoured every 352 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,600 generation will itself be devoured. 353 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,320 In verse 55, Paul takes the prophetic declaration and he 354 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:23,720 turns it into a victory taunt. I love it when my men of God and 355 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,920 the Scriptures begin to taunt evil. 356 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,000 Oh. Death, where is your victory? 357 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:40,000 Oh, death, where is your sting? Paul's mocking A defeated foe. 358 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:47,680 Yes, it's true that the the grave may still claim bodies. 359 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,520 But it can. No longer claim victory. 360 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,880 For. Those that are in Christ, death 361 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,320 has been defamed. It can. 362 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,800 Hurt us, and certainly it's a hurtful thing to lose a loved 363 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,480 one, is it not? It can cause great pain and 364 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,680 great grief. It can cause remorse. 365 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,240 It can cause you to reflect on what should have been, what 366 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,640 could have been. It'll cause you to. 367 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,120 Ask all sorts of questions. It'll cause you to doubt the 368 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,760 goodness of God. Like. 369 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:34,440 Death still stings, and so it can hurt us, but it cannot. 370 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:40,000 It cannot hold us. The grave. 371 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,200 Can sting, but it only stings for a moment. 372 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,560 Because. It no longer has the poison of 373 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:53,240 eternal separation from God. In verse 56, Paul explains why 374 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:57,840 the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. 375 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,720 So death. Sting, it's fatal wound is sin. 376 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:09,760 We die because we have sinned. Romans 623 For the wages of sin, 377 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,880 the payment of sin is death. Very good. 378 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:24,880 It's death, do you remember? The remainder of Romans 623 But 379 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:30,600 the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 380 00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:41,770 We die because we've sinned. Sin gains its condemning power 381 00:27:41,970 --> 00:27:45,490 through the law, which rightly exposes our guilt. 382 00:27:48,330 --> 00:27:50,530 We talk about the law. We're talking about the commands 383 00:27:50,530 --> 00:27:55,000 of God. If you don't. 384 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,760 Have a full understanding of God's commands in the Old 385 00:27:57,760 --> 00:27:59,600 Testament. You might think just merely of 386 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,840 the 10 commandments. What we? 387 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,200 Know about the law. What we see about the law, what 388 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,600 we can testify to be true, is that the law is holy. 389 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,080 It's holy. It's. 390 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,440 Holy because it's God's. It's wholly because it's God's 391 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,360 commands. It's utterly unlike ourselves. 392 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,920 It's. Utterly against everything that 393 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:36,960 we are. The law is also just now a just 394 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:41,000 law is a. Terrifying thing for an evil 395 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:46,880 doer, right? When the laws are upheld justly, 396 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:51,240 that is meant to terrify evil. Like even in the even in the 397 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:56,160 worldly sense of the government. Romans 13 reveals this. 398 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:04,640 But here we're talking about God's law being just if God's. 399 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:11,240 Law is just and God is holy, and we are unjust and unholy. 400 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:18,920 We're not going to fare very well in the final judgments, are 401 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:24,000 we? The other. 402 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,480 Thing you can say about God's law besides it being holy. 403 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:32,400 And just as you can say that it's good, it's good that you 404 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,280 should not murder, it's good that you should not steal, it's 405 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,640 good that you should not have other gods above God. 406 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,040 It's good that you should not or that you should keep the 407 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:42,680 Sabbath. It's good that you should not 408 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:44,720 commit adultery. It's good that you should not 409 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,320 dishonor your parents. It's good that. 410 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:53,880 You shouldn't covet or lie, bear false witness against your 411 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:55,880 neighbor, right? These are good things. 412 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:59,680 None of us look at that and say that's that's not good. 413 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,200 Those are evil laws. We. 414 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,800 Look at that. And we say these are good laws 415 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,120 and if we lived in a land where people actually kept those 416 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:10,720 things. This would be a. 417 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:17,240 Sweet place to live. Would you understand that a good 418 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,560 law is not good for those who are evil? 419 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:28,320 If our nature is corrupt, and it is, then good laws expose evil. 420 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:36,720 Good laws expose hearts that want their own good, that seek 421 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:45,400 their own desires. And so because we are sinners. 422 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,320 The law. Being holy, just and good 423 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:52,440 because we are sinners, the law now condemns rather than 424 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:59,600 comforts. The law holds up a perfect. 425 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:05,200 Standard that none of us can meet, and thus sin reigns and 426 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:10,000 death follows. Now to. 427 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:14,880 Remove death's sting. Sin. 428 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:20,200 Must be forgiven. To remove. 429 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,760 Sin's Power. The law. 430 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:32,520 'S demands must be satisfied. And this is precisely what Jesus 431 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:40,560 Christ did through his life. He fulfilled the law. 432 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:47,520 He was perfect. It's the only unjust death, 433 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,800 truly unjust death in the history of mankind. 434 00:31:55,560 --> 00:32:00,480 But through His death He bore. Our curse. 435 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:10,120 He takes our sin on himself. Our sin is imputed to him so 436 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:14,960 that his righteousness might be imputed to us. 437 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:18,920 Because through his resurrection. 438 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:23,320 He breaks the chains of death over us. 439 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:31,840 And so now you can see what Paul in verse 57 sums it up in this 440 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,920 cry of praise. Now again, he's coming to the 441 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,080 end of chapter 15. So he's taking all these things 442 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:42,360 into account and he says, but thanks be to God, who gives us 443 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,920 the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 444 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:54,640 And to that we can all say Amen. You see the? 445 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,880 Verb gives. There is present tense. 446 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,120 Thanks be to God who gives us the victory. 447 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,280 God. Continues to give this victory 448 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,680 to all who are united to Christ. This isn't a past thing, this is 449 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:13,240 a continuational thing. God continues to give the 450 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,320 victory to all who are united to Christ by faith. 451 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:21,720 You see the? Victory is not earned. 452 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,160 The victory. Is not even achieved by us. 453 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,760 The. Victory is merely received. 454 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:35,880 It's received by faith. At the. 455 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:39,320 Cross Jesus takes the full weight of the lost curse. 456 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:44,280 He bears your sin, He satisfies divine justice, and he rises as 457 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,400 the first fruits of a new humanity. 458 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,120 The. Resurrection is not just proof 459 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:53,320 of his power, it is the declaration of His triumph. 460 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:59,960 And so because he lives, we can attest with the Scriptures that 461 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:07,640 sins debt is cancelled, death's dominion is ended. 462 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:15,040 Death may still strike, yes, but it cannot conquer any longer. 463 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:22,600 Its sword has been broken at the hilt by a risen Christ. 464 00:34:27,830 --> 00:34:33,550 And so believe her. Listen to me, listen to Paul. 465 00:34:34,870 --> 00:34:38,070 You no longer need to fear death. 466 00:34:42,030 --> 00:34:43,750 You no. Longer need to fear death. 467 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,199 For those. That are outside of Christ. 468 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:53,840 Death. Remains a great terror. 469 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:58,840 And you have. Every right to fear death. 470 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:04,840 In fact, if you're not fearing death, that's a really foolish 471 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:11,680 place to stand. But for. 472 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:17,160 Those who are in Christ. Death. 473 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:22,040 Has become a doorway in the glory when you attend a 474 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,040 Christian funeral. You're not. 475 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,320 Witnessing defeat. You're. 476 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:32,280 Witnessing a moment between two victories, Christ's resurrection 477 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:38,440 behind us and ours ahead. Every grave of a believer. 478 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:42,040 Is a seed planted in hope. It's awaiting the great trumpet 479 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:45,720 call. And so do not despair as the 480 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:48,560 world despairs. Do not grieve as the world 481 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:51,680 grieves. Sing Paul's words over your 482 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:55,920 fears. Oh, death, where is your sting? 483 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:02,280 Let that confession. Be your. 484 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,200 Comfort and sorrow. Let that. 485 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,760 Confession be your courage and suffering. 486 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:11,960 The victory has been secured by our Lord Jesus Christ. 487 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:16,880 Amen. Thirdly. 488 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:19,960 We see the tenacity we're called to in verse 58. 489 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:22,080 The. Tenacity. 490 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:29,810 We're called to. Therefore. 491 00:36:29,810 --> 00:36:36,650 My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always 492 00:36:36,650 --> 00:36:39,770 abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord 493 00:36:39,770 --> 00:36:46,520 your labor is not in vain. Paul has. 494 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,800 Described the transformation we need. 495 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:50,960 He's. Described the triumph that 496 00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:53,960 Christ has won. And now he ends this great 497 00:36:53,960 --> 00:37:02,640 chapter with a call to weakness. No, he ends it with a call to 498 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:09,040 perseverance. He he's calling therefore. 499 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:12,480 My beloved brothers, be steadfast, be immovable, always 500 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,160 abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord 501 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:19,360 your labor is not in vain. He's calling us to perseverance. 502 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:24,040 The word. Therefore is key. 503 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:26,520 Paul. Is too high. 504 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:31,640 He's tying theology to life. These. 505 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:35,800 Things go together, right? The theology, the things you're 506 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:39,160 learning about what the Lord has accomplished and what that means 507 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:43,320 for you now means something for the way that you live. 508 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:49,320 It means you are to persevere. The resurrection isn't meant to 509 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,920 stay in the clouds of speculation, brothers and 510 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,280 sisters. It's called down from heaven, 511 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,440 and it's meant to land in the soil of obedience. 512 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:01,040 Because. Christ has secured a victory. 513 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,520 We can live confidently, not fearfully. 514 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,600 We can live steadfastly, not sporadically. 515 00:38:13,100 --> 00:38:17,660 And so Paul first calls the Corinthians to be steadfast. 516 00:38:20,540 --> 00:38:22,340 I'm sure. You have an understanding of the 517 00:38:22,340 --> 00:38:28,460 word steadfast, but in case you don't, it means firm, it means 518 00:38:28,460 --> 00:38:33,680 settled. It means I like this one 519 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:37,720 anchored. It means anchored. 520 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:46,400 All of those things mean not easily shaken, not easily 521 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,640 shaken. It speaks of an inner stability 522 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:55,400 that's rooted in the gospel. Be steadfast in your 523 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,640 convictions, Be steadfast in your faith, be steadfast in your 524 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:06,160 love for Christ. The winds of the world will blow 525 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:13,400 like crazy, and they'll seek to toss you to and fro, but the 526 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:17,560 resurrection fixes your anchor deep. 527 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:27,440 And so then he adds immovable. Paul's. 528 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:32,040 Piling on words here, but they're not meaningless words. 529 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,520 He's wanting to make a clear point. 530 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:41,080 Be steadfast, be immovable. So if. 531 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:47,600 Steadfast describes the hearts. The posture of our hearts. 532 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:53,640 Then immovable describes the posture of our spirits. 533 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,960 It's the posture of our life. It's a refusal to drift. 534 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:02,280 It's a. Refusal to be pushed off course. 535 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:05,960 Right. Don't be moved by opposition. 536 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:09,800 Don't be moved by weariness. Don't be moved by the lure of 537 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,960 worldly ease. No, the empty tomb of Christ 538 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:17,040 assures that the gospel you labor for is not in vain. 539 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:23,080 You're laboring for a gospel of victory, brothers and sisters. 540 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,840 And so Paul urges next always abounding in the work of the 541 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,520 Lord. Be steadfast, be immovable. 542 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:33,480 Be always abounding in the work of the Lord. 543 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:42,360 Abounding means overflowing. It's really fun. 544 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:46,720 When your children start to want to do things on their own. 545 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:50,120 Right. Show a little. 546 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:53,800 Independence. It's one of the things though, 547 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,600 they're happy to learn how to do, and it's not really that 548 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,120 they want to be taught at all. It's just that they want to take 549 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,400 the bull by the horns and do it themselves. 550 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,800 And one of those things is they'll go get a cup from the 551 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:06,720 pantry. We'll grab. 552 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:09,680 A massive jug of sweet tea. Because this is the South, 553 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:12,440 right? We'll set. 554 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,200 The cup on the counter and they'll begin to pour. 555 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:20,480 With no. Indication that they have any 556 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:26,400 idea that that cup is being filled until the cup's 557 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,120 overflowing and it's like Oh my gosh all. 558 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,680 Right, the Cup. Is abounding. 559 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:39,200 It's overflowing. Overflowing means not doing the 560 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:44,360 bare minimum. You take that small little bit 561 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,480 of sweet tea and get it out of my face, right? 562 00:41:48,240 --> 00:41:56,280 Want a cup that's overflowing, abounding, not doing the bare 563 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:01,840 minimum? You may ask, Well, what is the 564 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,680 work of the Lord? How am? 565 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:06,680 I to abound in the work of the Lord. 566 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:09,280 What am I? To abound in. 567 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:11,600 Well. The work of the Lord. 568 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:15,000 When Paul writes that it's an all-encompassing term, it 569 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,080 encompasses everything that's done in His name. 570 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:21,800 Everything. That's done in his name, so. 571 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:26,480 It could be. Evangelism could be telling 572 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,200 unbelievers about the gospel, imploring them to believe it's. 573 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:33,120 Could be. Discipleship. 574 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:36,040 Or you're taking someone who's professed faith in Christ and 575 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,800 you're teaching them how to obey the commands of the Lord. 576 00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:45,360 Could be service, finding ways to serve your church, finding 577 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:48,240 ways to serve your Co workers or your neighbors. 578 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:52,320 Could be mercy, right? Someone's. 579 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,640 In need and so you show mercy to them in some way. 580 00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:57,960 Could be. Prayer. 581 00:42:57,960 --> 00:42:59,200 All right, I'm going to write this down. 582 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,320 I'm going to remember that so and so asked me to pray for them 583 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:04,120 and write it down. I'm going to pray for them. 584 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:09,040 Could be parenting. Lord knows it's parenting, all 585 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:16,160 right. Could be marriage always 586 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:18,760 abounding in the work of the Lord in marriage. 587 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:23,280 Learning to be a godly husband. Learning to be a godly wife. 588 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:27,600 Learning to put Christ first in all things. 589 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:31,080 Working. Through difficulties and strife 590 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:34,800 and struggle to glorify the Lord and to leave a legacy for your 591 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:38,160 children and grandchildren. Could be. 592 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:43,440 Hospitality, thanking God for the home you have, not the home 593 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,200 you wish you have, and opening the doors of that home. 594 00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:50,200 Setting. Extra seats around the table 595 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:55,560 inviting people in. And it's so much more than those 596 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:57,720 things. It's not even scratching the 597 00:43:57,720 --> 00:44:00,840 surface of the things that the Lord's likely called you to do 598 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:08,960 in your life. What Paul wants the believers in 599 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:11,680 Corinth to understand, and what the Spirit of God wants you and 600 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:15,480 I to understand, is that the resurrection doesn't make us 601 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:20,000 idle dreamers, but we're just always dreaming up some good 602 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,480 work we could do and never actually doing a thing. 603 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:32,400 That's the way of the sluggard. You see the sluggard in 604 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:36,280 Proverbs. He lays in his bed, He tosses 605 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:39,480 and he turns. He says things like this cup is 606 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:45,320 too heavy to bring to my mouth. He dreams of going outside, and 607 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:46,880 yet he sees a line in the streets. 608 00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:53,320 And so he returns to his house. We're not called to be. 609 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:58,080 Idle dreamers. We're called to be diligent 610 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:03,320 workers, men and women of God who apply ourselves with 611 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:05,520 diligence. With. 612 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:10,600 Perseverance with steadfastness, being immovable, always 613 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:16,760 abounding in the work. Of our Lord the more. 614 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:21,600 Certain we are of the end. This is what Paul believes. 615 00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:24,560 That's what you and I need to believe, that the more certain 616 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:29,320 we are of the end of all things, the more active we become in the 617 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:32,840 Presence. If your. 618 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,640 Theology of death. Leads. 619 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:38,880 You to never do anything. It's a bad theology. 620 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,440 But if your. Theology of death and the 621 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:49,320 resurrection leads you to become immovable, to be steadfast and 622 00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:50,480 always abounding the word of the Lord. 623 00:45:50,600 --> 00:46:00,080 Then it's a good theology. Finally, Paul gives the reason 624 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:07,400 for such perseverance knowing. If you're not opposed to writing 625 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:11,720 in your Bible, you may underline the Word knowing there, knowing 626 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:14,120 that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 627 00:46:17,080 --> 00:46:19,160 That word. Knowing is so crucial. 628 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:25,520 Knowing implies that it is not wishful thinking. 629 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:35,680 I hope that this is good. I have. 630 00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:46,080 Dreams about it being good, you know that it's good, you know? 631 00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:49,920 That your labor. Is not in vain. 632 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:56,520 And so you labor for the Lord, and all things you have a 633 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:59,640 settled confidence. I know this. 634 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,640 Paul So. Believes in the resurrection, 635 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:07,680 that he's encouraging the Corinthians in this. 636 00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:09,640 Because. Of the resurrection. 637 00:47:09,640 --> 00:47:12,720 Every act of faithfulness matters to God. 638 00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:16,640 Every act of faithfulness matters for eternity. 639 00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:19,840 Every act of faithfulness is meaningful. 640 00:47:19,840 --> 00:47:27,280 It's not meaningless. Nothing done for Christ is 641 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:30,560 wasted. Maybe you don't. 642 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:32,080 Get the outcome you want. So what? 643 00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:36,160 It's not wasted. Nothing done for Christ is 644 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:41,360 forgotten. Nothing done for Christ is even 645 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:50,640 fruitless when you serve quietly, when you persevere 646 00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:53,840 through discouragement, when you give yourself to the church and 647 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:57,200 to your family and to your community in the name of Christ. 648 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:02,880 None of it is in vain, not one bit of it. 649 00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:07,360 It's all meaningful. It all matters for eternity. 650 00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:15,160 The resurrection of Jesus not only secures our future, it 651 00:48:15,160 --> 00:48:20,160 sanctifies our presence. It gives eternal significance to 652 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:25,320 temporary work. Well, I'm only. 653 00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:29,880 Here for 60 or 7080 years, maybe by reason of strength. 654 00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,440 What can I? Do that matters for eternity? 655 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:37,480 What? Can't you do? 656 00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:41,360 The. Lord has given you a divine 657 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:45,560 imperative here to go and be immovable, be steadfast, always 658 00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:46,880 abounding in the work of the Lord. 659 00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:49,160 These things matter, So what can't you do? 660 00:48:49,160 --> 00:48:54,160 That's a better question. What's God called you to do it? 661 00:48:55,280 --> 00:48:57,440 Do it with. Glad hearts do it with joy. 662 00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:02,120 Do it. Knowing that those things that 663 00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:05,040 work for the Lord is not in vain. 664 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:11,720 Brothers and sisters, this is what separates Christian 665 00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:13,760 perseverance from worldly ambition. 666 00:49:16,280 --> 00:49:18,600 The Worldly. Ambitious will do great things. 667 00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:25,240 They will you go look at Michael. 668 00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:26,920 Jordan's career and say man, he was great. 669 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:30,600 He's worldly. Ambitious. 670 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:34,400 It's. Admirable. 671 00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:36,440 It's inspiring even in some ways. 672 00:49:38,080 --> 00:49:39,720 Notice I didn't say LeBron James. 673 00:49:39,720 --> 00:49:47,000 OK? It's the only Amen you've given 674 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:56,160 all morning, all right. But this? 675 00:49:56,160 --> 00:49:59,080 Is what separates Christian perseverance from worldly 676 00:49:59,080 --> 00:50:02,560 ambition. Guys like. 677 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:06,960 Jordan and even LeBron, if you hold him that high, labor not to 678 00:50:06,960 --> 00:50:09,200 build or labor to build their own legacy. 679 00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:19,680 They labor to be the GOAT. But we. 680 00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:24,360 Labor not to build our legacy. No, it's not about our legacy. 681 00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:26,720 What? When? 682 00:50:26,720 --> 00:50:29,640 I encourage you to love your wife and your children so that 683 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,680 you leave a great legacy. I'm not talking about your 684 00:50:32,680 --> 00:50:35,880 legacy. I'll talk about a. 685 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:40,920 Legacy that honors the Lord. A legacy where children grow up 686 00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:43,200 in a home where Christ is praised. 687 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:46,280 Christ. Is magnified Christ is 688 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:48,440 glorified. And so they go on to marry 689 00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:51,640 someone who's going to help them magnify the Lord, and their 690 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:53,840 children are going to magnify the Lord, and they'll go on to 691 00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:55,360 marry people who will magnify the Lord. 692 00:50:55,360 --> 00:50:57,040 You see what I'm saying? That's the legacy. 693 00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:00,480 The legacy is how high can we exalt Christ? 694 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:03,920 How great. Can we make his name not our 695 00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:11,680 name? How many of you remember? 696 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:13,480 Maybe some of you do. All right, but I'm going to 697 00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:15,240 throw this out there. How many remember the names of 698 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:17,800 your great, great grandparents? Great, great. 699 00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:22,560 All right, there we go. It's a couple of you who've done 700 00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:28,720 some sort of ancestry work. Or you had. 701 00:51:28,720 --> 00:51:33,760 It passed down. The point is, is after a couple 702 00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:36,160 of generations, your name's typically forgotten. 703 00:51:37,720 --> 00:51:40,400 So why labor? So hard to build your own glory, 704 00:51:40,880 --> 00:51:45,240 only to have it pass away as it ought to labor to build the 705 00:51:45,240 --> 00:51:47,520 glory of the one who's never passing away. 706 00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:49,960 Labor to. Build the glory of the one who 707 00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:53,240 will always be exalted, who will always be magnified and 708 00:51:53,240 --> 00:51:56,440 glorified in the heavens and the earth, and one day every knee 709 00:51:56,440 --> 00:52:00,040 will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord. 710 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:07,000 That's worth giving. Our life to that's a legacy 711 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:13,520 worth leaving. We labor not to build our own 712 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:15,680 legacy. We labor to honor our risen 713 00:52:15,680 --> 00:52:18,800 Lord, whose Kingdom will not, cannot fail. 714 00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:24,360 So, Paul? Is telling believers here stay 715 00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:26,920 steady. Be. 716 00:52:26,920 --> 00:52:29,680 Unmoved. Keep laboring. 717 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:33,640 Don't lose hearts when ministry feels unnoticed or exhausting. 718 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,960 Don't lose heart when your life feels unnoticed or exhausting. 719 00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:40,280 Don't give up when obedience is costly. 720 00:52:41,600 --> 00:52:44,040 Be unmoved. Keep laboring. 721 00:52:44,040 --> 00:52:49,160 Stay steady. Christ's victory guarantees that 722 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:52,200 your labor will echo in eternity. 723 00:52:53,520 --> 00:52:58,320 If death itself cannot make your work vain, then no hardship can 724 00:52:58,320 --> 00:53:01,720 make it vain either. The. 725 00:53:01,720 --> 00:53:05,360 Resurrection doesn't call us to retreat and to hide in holy 726 00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:08,360 huddles or holes. No the. 727 00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:13,520 Resurrection calls us to abound in every good work because 728 00:53:13,520 --> 00:53:17,360 Christ is victorious. Your steadfast faith and your 729 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:21,360 faithful labor will one day share in Christ's glory. 730 00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:27,920 So, Paul? Began this chapter with the 731 00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:30,440 Gospel. That Christ. 732 00:53:30,440 --> 00:53:33,600 Died for our sins accord in accordance with the Scriptures 733 00:53:34,080 --> 00:53:37,040 that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in 734 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:42,040 accordance with the Scriptures. And he ends by showing us what 735 00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:47,680 the gospel produces. Transformation, triumph, 736 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:52,840 tenacity. The resurrection is not merely 737 00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:56,880 something we affirm. It's not a true. 738 00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:59,120 It's not simply a truth we affirm. 739 00:54:00,560 --> 00:54:03,040 The. Resurrection is something we 740 00:54:03,040 --> 00:54:05,720 live by. It's a. 741 00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:10,160 Truth that transforms us. It means that the worst enemy 742 00:54:10,160 --> 00:54:12,560 has been defeated. That the. 743 00:54:12,560 --> 00:54:16,040 Greatest fear in our life has been silenced and that the 744 00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:22,240 surest hope has been secured. And so for the believer. 745 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:24,840 For the one. Who has set his affections on 746 00:54:24,840 --> 00:54:27,000 Christ? This is. 747 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:35,200 Your anchor, death will not touch you forever, meaning death 748 00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:39,120 cannot hold you. The grave may take your body for 749 00:54:39,120 --> 00:54:43,160 a time, but Christ has already claimed your soul for eternity. 750 00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:46,360 Therefore, stand firm in the faith. 751 00:54:46,760 --> 00:54:50,160 Be immovable when trials come. Don't grow weary in the Lord's 752 00:54:50,160 --> 00:54:53,480 work because none of it, none of it, none of it, none of it is 753 00:54:53,480 --> 00:54:56,200 wasted. Every. 754 00:54:56,200 --> 00:55:00,200 Prayer that you offer, every act of service, every tear shed, and 755 00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:03,640 faith will be gathered and rewarded when the trumpet 756 00:55:03,640 --> 00:55:08,080 sounds. And so you may not see the fruit 757 00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:12,840 of it now, but your risen Lord sees. 758 00:55:16,480 --> 00:55:25,320 Your risen Lord sees all of it. He remembers every moment of 759 00:55:25,320 --> 00:55:33,120 your life, and so he will one day crown your labor with glory. 760 00:55:36,280 --> 00:55:38,680 So believer. Lift your eyes above the decay 761 00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:41,520 of this world. And fix. 762 00:55:41,520 --> 00:55:44,840 Them on your victorious savior. Let his. 763 00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:50,120 Resurrection make you courageous in the face of opposition. 764 00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:53,520 Let His resurrection make you patient in the midst of 765 00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:56,000 hardship. Let His resurrection make you 766 00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,320 hopeful even at the edge of the grave. 767 00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:06,760 Live and labor as someone who knows how the story ends, 768 00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:09,880 because you do. You do. 769 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:14,320 Know. But if you're. 770 00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:16,200 Here today, and you're without Christ. 771 00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:20,240 If you. Remain outside of him. 772 00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:23,800 This. Victory is not yours. 773 00:56:24,440 --> 00:56:28,880 Not yet the same. Death that has lost its thing 774 00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:34,640 for the believer still holds its venom for the unbeliever apart 775 00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:38,280 from Christ. Death is not gain, it's 776 00:56:38,280 --> 00:56:41,960 judgement. You will. 777 00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:45,880 Stand before a holy God, whose law you have broken more than 778 00:56:45,880 --> 00:56:53,760 once, and whose justice you will not escape, and yet the same 779 00:56:53,760 --> 00:56:58,520 God. In Ephesians. 2 Paul says the 780 00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:05,360 same God with great love has sent his Son to bear your sin. 781 00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:09,320 He sent his own son to fulfill his law. 782 00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:13,960 He sent his own son to rise again to give you life. 783 00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:18,560 The victory that Paul is celebrating here can be yours, 784 00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:23,560 but only by faith in the risen Jesus Christ. 785 00:57:26,720 --> 00:57:28,560 So I. Urge you to come to him today. 786 00:57:29,920 --> 00:57:32,320 I urge you to turn. From your sin to trust in a 787 00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:34,440 Savior who died and rose for you. 788 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,440 The grave. No longer has to be your end. 789 00:57:38,960 --> 00:57:42,040 The sting of sin no longer has to define your life. 790 00:57:42,760 --> 00:57:44,760 Christ. Is offering you this day 791 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:48,000 forgiveness. He's offering you peace and he's 792 00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:51,120 offering you offering you the promise of resurrection life. 793 00:57:53,800 --> 00:57:56,800 So please. Do not leave today still 794 00:57:56,800 --> 00:58:00,320 clinging to what's perishable. Still. 795 00:58:00,320 --> 00:58:03,640 Hoping that you'll be the first one to prove God wrong. 796 00:58:08,320 --> 00:58:10,600 Come and take hold of what is imperishable. 797 00:58:12,200 --> 00:58:15,600 Take hold of the eternal life that is found only in Jesus 798 00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:18,520 Christ. You see, this resurrection hope 799 00:58:18,920 --> 00:58:22,520 is not just a future hope. It's a present. 800 00:58:22,520 --> 00:58:24,600 Call. It's a. 801 00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:27,000 Summons for everyone to come to Christ. 802 00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:31,200 Because Christ lives. You can live differently today. 803 00:58:31,720 --> 00:58:35,000 You can live with new life, with a new heart, with a new spirits. 804 00:58:35,800 --> 00:58:39,160 And one day, when the trumpet sounds, all who are in him will 805 00:58:39,160 --> 00:58:42,640 rise victorious, never to die again. 806 00:58:44,760 --> 00:58:48,200 And to tell that day, brothers and sisters stand firm. 807 00:58:49,400 --> 00:58:52,080 Stay. Faithful abound in the work of 808 00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:53,560 Christ. For your. 809 00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:56,240 Risen Lord is worthy of all your steadfastness. 810 00:58:56,240 --> 00:58:59,560 He's worthy of all your service. He's worthy of all your song. 811 00:59:01,680 --> 00:59:04,920 And remember, because Christ conquered death, we can live 812 00:59:05,160 --> 00:59:08,840 with steadfast hope and labor, with enduring faith. 813 00:59:09,560 --> 00:59:14,280 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 814 00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:16,800 for the truths First Corinthians 15. 815 00:59:20,440 --> 00:59:28,280 I recognize that I am unable, incapable even, of adequately 816 00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:32,960 giving you the glory you so deserve in these truths in this 817 00:59:32,960 --> 00:59:37,800 chapter. But I'm. 818 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:40,880 Grateful for it I'm. Grateful. 819 00:59:40,880 --> 00:59:48,040 For these truths, it's my hope. That all. 820 00:59:48,040 --> 00:59:52,280 Who have heard them will believe them, will trust that they're 821 00:59:52,280 --> 00:59:57,040 true, and that they'll live lives for your glory, for your 822 00:59:57,040 --> 01:00:03,760 name's sake, as they too become immovable and steadfast, as they 823 01:00:03,760 --> 01:00:06,600 too abound in every good work that you have granted. 824 01:00:09,640 --> 01:00:11,840 And so, Lord, as we come to the end of this chapter, would you 825 01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:13,960 examine our hearts by your spirits? 826 01:00:16,000 --> 01:00:18,160 Would you? Purge us of anything that is 827 01:00:18,160 --> 01:00:25,280 unclean in US. Purge us of anything that is 828 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:32,400 false within us. Show us, Lord. 829 01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:36,320 Where we have so doubted the resurrection. 830 01:00:39,160 --> 01:00:41,080 That we've. Tried to make ourselves 831 01:00:41,600 --> 01:00:46,200 immortal, or we've acted as though we are immortal already 832 01:00:50,320 --> 01:00:55,160 and Lord would you grant us a. Heart of. 833 01:00:55,160 --> 01:00:59,680 Confession grant us a heart of faith. 834 01:01:01,560 --> 01:01:04,480 Grant us a heart of praise this morning. 835 01:01:07,840 --> 01:01:09,160 Lord. If there's anyone in here who 836 01:01:09,160 --> 01:01:13,760 doesn't know you, who's not yet set their faith on you, their 837 01:01:13,760 --> 01:01:17,360 hope on you, who's not yet believed in their heart and 838 01:01:17,360 --> 01:01:19,720 confessed with their mouth that Christ is Lord. 839 01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:23,760 Or I. Ask you to save them by your 840 01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:30,720 spirit, that you would draw them to new life, that they would 841 01:01:30,720 --> 01:01:33,000 believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that 842 01:01:33,000 --> 01:01:36,520 Christ is Lord, that He rose from the dead. 843 01:01:40,200 --> 01:01:42,720 Grant them repentance and faith, Father. 844 01:01:48,180 --> 01:01:50,220 Let me give you a. Moment there in your seat to 845 01:01:50,220 --> 01:01:54,820 pray and to seek the Lord. However. 846 01:01:54,820 --> 01:01:56,980 It is that the Spirit's leading you in this moment. 847 01:02:36,280 --> 01:02:37,680 Heavenly. Father, we thank you for your 848 01:02:37,680 --> 01:02:41,760 saving grace. We thank you for your marvelous 849 01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:44,080 mercy. Which we've. 850 01:02:44,080 --> 01:02:50,600 Received in Jesus Christ our Lord, Help us, Lord, to be 851 01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:55,920 obedient. Help us to see that we are 852 01:02:55,920 --> 01:03:02,360 merely branches attached to the vine and not vines ourselves. 853 01:03:07,480 --> 01:03:10,400 Lord, help us to walk in obedience as those who love 854 01:03:10,400 --> 01:03:14,960 Christ, who want to honour Him, bring glory to His name. 855 01:03:16,880 --> 01:03:18,200 It's in the name of Christ I pray. 856 01:03:18,600 --> 01:03:19,040 Amen.