1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,200 Good afternoon. It's great to be back. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,080 I'd like to thank the congregation once again for the 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,000 invitation to be your speaker and for inviting me and Lexi to 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,280 spend the day together for just a little while. 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,840 This afternoon I want to have another study in God's Word 6 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,200 that's piggybacking off of the study you guys have been doing 7 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,680 in the Gospel of Matthew. See, from afar I listen and I 8 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,400 hear the sermons that you guys are going through. 9 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,800 And Brother Frank just did a series on the Sermon on the 10 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,600 Mount. As we know, the Sermon on the 11 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,000 Mount begins with the Beatitudes. 12 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,920 The beautiful attitudes that every Christian should have, 13 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:49,200 should exemplify in our lives. As we see in this section of 14 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:56,240 Scripture in Matthew 5, the word blessed is used frequently in 15 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:02,520 the Beatitudes. There are 9 total beatitudes and 16 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,800 these attitudes, these characteristics we should have, 17 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,720 we must have if we want to be well pleasing in the sight of 18 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,840 God. But I actually do not want to 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,800 talk about these beatitudes this afternoon. 20 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,880 There are nine, yes, in Matthew's account. 21 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,160 Did you know that there are more? 22 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,600 These are not the only beatitudes. 23 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:30,480 Are blessed ours in the Scriptures you jump to another 24 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,680 book in the Book of Revelation there are 7. 25 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,720 There are seven other blessed are statements made by Jesus. 26 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,800 I just want to talk about one this evening, this afternoon and 27 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:53,200 that is blessed are the dead. We've been singing a lot about 28 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,200 heaven this afternoon. I've loved it, it's been 29 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,920 encouraging, it's been heartwarming, heart moving. 30 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:08,520 But there are some other steps that must take place before 31 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:12,080 heaven. If we do not live during the 32 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,680 time Jesus will return, we will all die. 33 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:21,680 And we must study this phrase in Revelation 14, verse 13, Blessed 34 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,800 are the dead. Here's the text. 35 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,800 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, right, Blessed are 36 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,640 the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 37 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:37,000 Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their laborers and 38 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,760 their works follow them. We want to make several points 39 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,800 of application from this passage of scripture. 40 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,600 Here's the first Blessed are the dead. 41 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,320 The first thing we need to see is that death is a reality. 42 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,040 It is something we are all going to face. 43 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,320 It is appointed for man to die once and after this the 44 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,200 judgment. Hebrews 9 and 27. 45 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,200 It is unavoidable. Unless Jesus comes back in our 46 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,560 lifetime, we will all die. This is certain. 47 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,960 This is a guarantee the Bible would say in James 2, 48 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:22,240 Ecclesiastes 12 and Luke 23. It would define to us what death 49 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,360 is. Death is simply the separation 50 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:31,040 from the soul and the body. The soul or the spirit of man 51 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,120 leaves the body, returns to God who gave it. 52 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,560 And this we see when Jesus was hanging on the cross, his last 53 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,360 statement of the seven statements. 54 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,640 He cries out to God and he says Father into your hands I commit 55 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,640 my spirit and he breathed his last. 56 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,400 That's what death is when the spirit, the soul leaves the 57 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,680 body. Now we learn from James chapter 58 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:03,720 4. None of us know when we're going 59 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,400 to die and what is interesting is we all know we're going to 60 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,640 die, but we don't know what part of life we're in. 61 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,840 See what greatly impact and help us in this life. 62 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:19,800 If I knew, I got three more days, I got a week, I got three 63 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:24,960 more months, I got five years. That would dictate to us how 64 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,560 we'd we'd live with a certain level of urgency had we known. 65 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,640 The problem is we don't know. The Bible says in James 4 and 66 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,120 14. Whereas you do not know what 67 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,080 will happen tomorrow for what is your life? 68 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,560 It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then 69 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,680 vanishes away. We do not know where we're at in 70 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,400 this process. And Psalms 90 and 12 So teach us 71 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,080 to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 72 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,880 We need wisdom because we need to live each and every day as if 73 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,040 it were our last. What if today was our last? 74 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:10,160 What if you died in the service? What if we died on the way home? 75 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:13,080 What if we died tonight? What if we died tomorrow 76 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,520 morning? Would we be prepared? 77 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,760 Would we be ready? Because tomorrow is not 78 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,160 guaranteed, neither is next week. 79 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,120 So we have a few questions as we explore this topic. 80 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,240 How often do you think about your own mortality? 81 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,200 Kind of depressing, but it's necessary. 82 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,200 How often do we think about our own death? 83 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,040 Secondly, how do you feel about the fact that you're going to 84 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:44,600 die? I think I speak for all of us. 85 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:52,160 Death is not something you automatically welcome that you 86 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,000 long for. Yes, there are moments in our 87 00:05:55,000 --> 00:06:00,040 lives when we are ready for the next, the hereafter. 88 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,440 But when things are going well, when we're excited about how 89 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,840 life's going, we don't want to die. 90 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:12,080 It's very natural for man to do anything in his power to prolong 91 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,440 his life. How do you feel about death? 92 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:19,680 And last but not least, how should a faithful child of God 93 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,200 view death? There are people who are scared 94 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:27,480 to die. Maybe you are scared to die. 95 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:34,360 I don't know if I'm scared to die, but I'm scared of not 96 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,880 knowing how I'm going to die. Perhaps that is how you feel. 97 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,160 I want us to see how Paul felt. The Bible would say in 98 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:50,240 Philippians 1 and 21. For to me, to live is Christ and 99 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,720 to die is gain. What a profound statement. 100 00:06:54,240 --> 00:07:00,240 What a profound perspective to view death as the beginning of 101 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,840 something greater when so often we view it as the opposite. 102 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,880 Death is something we dread, but it is not how those who are 103 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:15,320 spiritually minded view it. So we have to ask ourselves, do 104 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:19,400 I view death this way? Is death a gain for me? 105 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,720 Do I gain so much more in death than I do in life? 106 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,520 If we do view death the same way Paul did, it'll really change 107 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:33,280 how we live. Because if we view death as 108 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:37,840 gain, it really is not a sacrifice to come here and to 109 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,720 worship. It's really not a sacrifice to 110 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,200 read our Bible. It's really not a sacrifice to 111 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:51,840 abstain from XY or Z. Sin, if we recognize later is 112 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:57,720 greater than here right now. But if we do not view death this 113 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,320 way, we haven't truly started living. 114 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:09,320 The best life is living the life of the child of God for Jesus 115 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:14,480 and not for ourselves. Psalms 116 and verse 15. 116 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:19,320 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints. 117 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,160 It's precious in God's sight. It's a gain in pulse sight. 118 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:27,080 We need to have the spiritually mature view of death. 119 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,600 Second thing we want to look at is the realm of the dead. 120 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:33,840 Not everybody's going to the same place. 121 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:38,280 There's different places in the hereafter and what determines 122 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,120 where we go is how we live right now. 123 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:45,000 There is a saying a few of us were talking at lunch about 124 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,880 being born again, being a born again Christian, and how 125 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,320 redundant that is. There's no such thing as a 126 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:54,600 Christian unless they are born again. 127 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,080 Notice this statement. Blessed are the dead who die in 128 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,840 the Lord from now on, who die in the Lord from now on. 129 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:09,640 What is that talking about? Here is the saying, if you're 130 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:15,200 born once, you die twice. But if you're born twice, you 131 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,720 only die once. And this statement is referring 132 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:24,120 to the duality of man. There is the physical side of 133 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,400 man, there is the spiritual side. 134 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:31,120 If you're only born once, and that's physically, you will die 135 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,000 twice. You'll die physically first, 136 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,040 then you'll die spiritually second. 137 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,480 But if we're born physically and spiritually, there's the 138 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,240 opportunity we only die once. Physically speaking, perhaps 139 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,880 better seen on this chart, every one of us. 140 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:53,040 When we are born, we're safe. Children are safe. 141 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,200 They do not need to be baptized. They do not need to be forgiven. 142 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,440 They're born safe. But there comes a point in life 143 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,480 when a child goes from safe to lost. 144 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,240 We call this the age of accountability. 145 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,320 And once someone is lost, they are accountable to their sins. 146 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:19,680 We must be born again, born of water in the Spirit and baptism. 147 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,880 And this we see. It's possible to be physically 148 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:29,200 alive, but spiritually dead. Can the dead bury their own 149 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,080 dead? Jesus would say only if he's 150 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,920 talking about spiritually dead people burying physically dead 151 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,840 people, because physically dead people cannot bury each other. 152 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:46,240 It is possible to be physically alive and spiritually dead, but 153 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,520 it is also possible to be physically dead and spiritually 154 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,600 alive. Ephesians one and three, blessed 155 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,800 be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has 156 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,120 blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places 157 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,560 in Christ. If we want to be saved, we need 158 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:09,600 to be in Christ. Every spiritual blessing is in 159 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,120 Christ. There's not a single one outside 160 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,760 of him. The way we get in him is we must 161 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:22,320 be baptized into Christ and this is a spiritually safe saved 162 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,320 position to be born again. And Luke 23 and verse 43, the 163 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:32,080 Bible says, assuredly, I say to you, Jesus said today you will 164 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,920 be with me in paradise. For those who are spiritually 165 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,960 saved, they walk faithfully with God. 166 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,920 They when they die, will go to paradise. 167 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,560 Here's a chart of where do we go when we die. 168 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:51,080 A lot of people think that when a person dies, they go to heaven 169 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,920 directly. They get the fast pass. 170 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,560 They got the fast track. No, not so fast. 171 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:03,760 Jesus, when he died, did not go to heaven immediately. 172 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,520 The Bible teaches in Acts 2 that his soul, his spirit, was not 173 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,160 left in Hades. The Hadian realm is an 174 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:16,240 intermediary place before heaven and hell. 175 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,520 And in this place of Hades, Jesus was released. 176 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:26,240 And remember, a woman clung to him or sought to cling to him. 177 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:30,640 And Jesus said, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended 178 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:35,960 to my Father Jesus. In those three days dead in the 179 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,280 grave, he did not go to heaven, he went to paradise. 180 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:45,440 Paradise is like heaven before heaven, but not heaven. 181 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:51,440 Torments, on the other hand, is like hell but not hell, because 182 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:58,600 in this intermediary place only the spirit of man goes the 183 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:00,480 difference. One of the differences between 184 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:04,520 the Hadean realm and heaven and hell is there in heaven and hell 185 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:10,360 there is the spirit of man in a new resurrected body, soul and 186 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:15,400 spirit united once again. But this is the intermediary 187 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,440 place, and not everyone is going to paradise. 188 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:26,160 Not everyone is going to torment, but some will, some 189 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:27,760 will. The Third Point we want to look 190 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:33,360 at in our study is the rest that comes after death. 191 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,880 In Revelation 1413. Blessed are the dead who die in 192 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:39,840 the Lord from now on. Yes, as yes, says the Spirit, 193 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,320 that they may rest from their laborers. 194 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:50,840 One of the greatest blessings about Christianity, the whole 195 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:56,160 Bible's about rest. God rested on the 7th day, not 196 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,960 because he was tired, not because he needed to. 197 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,640 The work he had done was completed, and in the Old 198 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,880 Testament he gave them a day of rest. 199 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,720 And that day of rest, the Sabbath, was a foreshadow, a 200 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:14,760 picture of eternity when nothing else matters. 201 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,760 You just spend this day focusing on God. 202 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,840 That's what eternity is going to be like, the eternal rest. 203 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,040 And Jesus, he would say in Matthew 1128, come to me, all 204 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,480 you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 205 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,880 Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and 206 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,720 lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 207 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,480 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 208 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,240 This Christian life, it's wearisome. 209 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:53,520 It can feel burdensome at times. Rest is coming. 210 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:59,360 We only have a few more days to labor as we sometimes sing. 211 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,640 Rest a great promise, a great blessing. 212 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:08,120 For those of us who are weary of this life, we need to remember, 213 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:11,840 we need to remind ourselves when we say there is rest in the 214 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,760 hereafter, we're not talking about soul sleep. 215 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,280 We're not talking about how everyone just going to sleep and 216 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:23,040 we're resting physically. No, rest in the Bible does not 217 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:27,080 speak of inactivity. In fact, in Revelation 21, the 218 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:28,840 Bible says there's no night in heaven. 219 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,200 We're not going to be sleeping in heaven. 220 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,720 Another passage says we shall serve God in heaven. 221 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,520 Revelation 22 and three, day and night. 222 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,520 Well, there's no night in heaven, so how can you serve Him 223 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,320 day and night? He's just saying all day. 224 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:47,760 In fact, you can't even say it today. 225 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:52,560 It's just, it's just always for eternity we serve God. 226 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,560 There is no sleep. When the Bible says there is 227 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:00,240 rest in heaven, it means there is the absence of sin, sickness 228 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:04,120 and sorrow. We will be finally, once and for 229 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:10,600 all, comforted in the hereafter. 2nd Corinthians 4 and 17 For our 230 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:17,120 light affliction, which is but for a moment is working for us a 231 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,520 far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 232 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,920 Romans 8 and 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this 233 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:30,600 present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 234 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,840 shall be revealed in US. Maybe you're here this afternoon 235 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:38,880 and you're thinking about calling it quits. 236 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:42,960 You're here, you're overburdened. 237 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:47,800 It's just been like this for who knows how long, and you're 238 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:51,520 discouraged. These are some of the best 239 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:57,800 passages and the New Testament to remind us heaven is so good 240 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,120 that whatever we're going through can't even hold a candle 241 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,680 to how good heaven is. We do not want to miss out. 242 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:11,640 We cannot give up. It's too good. 243 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,200 What we're going through now is light and the grand scheme of 244 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:23,160 things. 4th, Not everybody finds rest in the hereafter. 245 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,240 There are quite a few people. They find regret. 246 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:32,960 They will find regret. And what we mean by this is that 247 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,640 not everybody dies in a spiritually saved state. 248 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,160 Not everybody becomes born again. 249 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:47,000 Perhaps what is worse, in my opinion, than dying in a lost 250 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:52,840 state, having never been born again, is having been born again 251 00:17:53,840 --> 00:18:01,120 and still dying, lost, having heaven at your fingertips, but 252 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:06,360 quitting before the race is finished and losing the prize. 253 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:11,560 Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus, The rich man. 254 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,440 It's, it's interesting to me. The rich man on earth is the 255 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:20,080 poor man in the hereafter, and the poor man on earth, he is the 256 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:25,120 rich man in the hereafter. 2 Totally different lifestyles. 2 257 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:30,480 totally different afterlife experiences In Luke 1622 the 258 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,880 Bible says so it was that the beggar died and was carried by 259 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,560 the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was 260 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:44,320 buried, and being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and 261 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:50,440 saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. 25 Son, remember 262 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,800 that in your lifetime you received your good things and 263 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:57,680 likewise Lazarus, evil things, but now he is comforted and you 264 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:03,400 are tormented. The rich man didn't get rest in 265 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,880 the hereafter. Lazarus did. 266 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,320 Instead, the rich man, he's filled with regret. 267 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:17,840 This story, this account in Luke's Gospel teaches us that 268 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:23,080 those who have died, they are conscious and they're 269 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,360 conscientious. They remember. 270 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:31,960 They recognize who they are, where they are, and why they are 271 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:37,800 just like the rich man did. He remembered his family, He 272 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,400 remembered Lazarus. He could recognize Lazarus. 273 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:44,000 Here are some of the things he experienced. 274 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:48,240 He saw Lazarus, he spoke with Abraham, he heard Abraham. 275 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:53,760 He felt the flames, he experienced thirst, he 276 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:57,000 remembered his life, he remembered his family. 277 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:05,840 I think the worst part of being an eternal punishment, whether 278 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:11,080 we're talking about torments or we're talking about hell, I'm 279 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,880 scared of fire. There are. 280 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,680 There are, unfortunately, impressive things. 281 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,600 People have done to get out of the way of fire. 282 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:30,280 Member of 9/11, the people who were trapped in the twin towers 283 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:38,680 and rather than being burned alive, it was better to them to 284 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:44,640 make the jump. People will do a lot to get out 285 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:46,720 of the way of fire. I think there's something worse 286 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:52,520 than fire, though. Remembering what we could have 287 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:58,120 lived like, what we could have changed, where we went wrong. 288 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:03,320 Having that regret and that guilt for eternity, knowing it 289 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,280 did not have to be like this. That is more painful than the 290 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:11,800 fire. And fifthly, it's the reach 291 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:13,880 after death. These people who are in 292 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,120 torments, they are taught and we are taught. 293 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,920 There is a great gulf. We cannot reach over to the 294 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,120 other side. There is no crossing, there is 295 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:27,040 no changing. Once we have died and this game 296 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,800 of life is over. There is no redos, there are no 297 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,000 undos. Our fate is sealed at that 298 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,600 moment. And in Luke chapter 16 verse 27, 299 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,960 then he said, Lazarus, or excuse me, the rich man, I beg you 300 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,760 therefore Father, that you would send them to my father's house, 301 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:51,440 for I have 5 brothers. That he may testify to them, 302 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,920 lest they also come to this place of torment. 303 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:59,760 He remembered his family. This is so bad. 304 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,400 I can't change where I am, but maybe I could change where my 305 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,040 family's going. You ever feel that? 306 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,160 I've felt that on earth. We have felt that on earth and 307 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:18,920 we're not even in the hereafter. You know what God told him how 308 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,800 this story goes? His answer was no, you can't. 309 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,120 They've got the Word of God. Your family's got the word of 310 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:27,800 God. They got Moses and the prophets. 311 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,320 If they're not going to hear a dead man come from, come back to 312 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:33,680 life in the grave, they won't listen. 313 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,120 The message of the Word of God is more powerful than any 314 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:45,360 miracle. Jesus just taught that Jesus, 315 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:49,720 knowing people wouldn't believe in him, still died on the cross 316 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,680 because he knew some would be faithful to the Word. 317 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,920 Second to last, last, second to last. 318 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,640 What we want to see is that there is a great and marvelous 319 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:06,800 resurrection from the dead. We know about this, we talk 320 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,640 about this, but maybe you're here and you've struggled in 321 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,560 your mind. Resurrection. 322 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:19,320 How is this possible? What is the greatest miracle in 323 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:24,080 the Bible? It's not the resurrection of 324 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,280 Jesus. The greatest miracle in the 325 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,000 Bible is the first verse of the Bible. 326 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,480 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 327 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,640 If God can create everything out of nothing, he surely can do 328 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,600 anything. If he can make the rules out of 329 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,680 nothing, if he can make man from dirt, he can raise man from the 330 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,480 dead. This is just something logical 331 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,280 to us when we think of the power of God. 332 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,840 And this explains Paul's argumentation and Acts 26 and 8. 333 00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:00,840 Why should it be thought incredible by you, King Agrippa, 334 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:06,360 that God raises the dead? This is this is cookies to God. 335 00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:09,680 This is a little thing, to raise the dead. 336 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,480 God can and he will raise the dead. 337 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:17,120 First Corinthians 1521 For since by man came death, by man also 338 00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:18,760 came the resurrection of the dead. 339 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,360 For as an Adam will die, Even so in Christ all shall be made 340 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:26,160 alive. Jesus is undoing. 341 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:31,600 He has undone the physical death that spread to all man when man 342 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,360 was kicked out of the Garden of Eden and lost access to the Tree 343 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,600 of Life. Here's my favorite part, though. 344 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,800 I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning 345 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:50,800 those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who 346 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:56,600 have no hope. We know those verses, every 347 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:01,520 funeral, those verses. Few of us were talking at lunch. 348 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:03,840 I got some spiritual grandparents here. 349 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,960 I have lost some spiritual grandparents in the last six 350 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,200 years. For those of us who have been in 351 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:19,600 the church longer, I can only imagine your list when I think 352 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:26,280 about my long list in six years. People we miss, we just want to 353 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,600 see again. We just want to hear their 354 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,320 laugh. We just want to talk to them. 355 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,160 We just want to worship with them one more time. 356 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:43,880 We can't weep like the world, the world, they weep. 357 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:49,160 They mourn without hope. But we have perhaps the greatest 358 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,720 hope to see our loved ones again, to be reunited on the day 359 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,800 of resurrection, the second coming of Jesus. 360 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:00,440 And we shall always be together with the Lord. 361 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:09,480 Last but not least, we would like to close with looking at 362 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,520 the reward that comes after death. 363 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:20,360 Why do you serve God? Why are you here this afternoon? 364 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,840 You could be doing anything. Why are we here? 365 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,520 Do we want to be here? Why do we serve? 366 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:37,320 Well, there's a few different reasons why people serve God. 367 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,520 I don't know how or why you serve God. 368 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:45,880 Let me tell you why I do. I don't want to go to hell. 369 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:52,400 That perhaps is the most basic bottom level of obedience, fear 370 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,280 of punishment. That is biblical. 371 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,480 If you serve God because you don't want to be punished 372 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:04,240 eternally, that is scriptural. Knowing therefore the terror of 373 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,800 the Lord, we persuade men. Second Corinthians 5:10 and 374 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:13,440 11:00, that's biblical. Some people serve God because 375 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,080 it's the right thing to do, and that is the right thing to do. 376 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:22,720 Some people serve God because it impresses other people, or it's 377 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,800 expected from us. Maybe that's where you begin, 378 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:28,800 but that can't be where it stays. 379 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,320 Other people serve God out of a love for God. 380 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:38,960 And I know we serve God for a combination of these reasons, if 381 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,600 not all of them. But it is not wrong to serve God 382 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:47,680 because you want to go to heaven. 383 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:53,160 Notice what Jesus said. Blessed are you when they revile 384 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,800 and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you 385 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:00,160 falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 386 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,160 for great is your reward in heaven. 387 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:08,280 For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 388 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,600 I want to go to heaven. We all want to go to heaven. 389 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,800 Now if we actually dissected that we mean a quite a few 390 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,440 things when we say that we want to be with God, we want to be 391 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,000 with our loved ones who have passed on. 392 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,520 So this is not something selfish, this is not something 393 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,320 wrong, it is good. Jesus used this as motivation 394 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,000 for others. And in Revelation 1413, then I 395 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,320 heard a voice from heaven saying to me, right, blessed are the 396 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,040 dead who die in the Lord from now on, yes. 397 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:44,000 Does the spirit that they may rest from their laborers and 398 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,920 their works follow them? You ever seen the movie The 399 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,640 Gladiator? One of my favorite movies, 400 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:56,560 Russell Crowe, his character Marcus Aurelius, he says this. 401 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:01,000 What we do now echoes in eternity. 402 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:07,160 That's biblical. And their works follow them from 403 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,040 this life. All of the good deeds we've 404 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:14,480 done, all of the sins we've committed, they follow. 405 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:19,400 And people are influenced by them long after we're gone. 406 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:23,440 The question is, how are we influencing people when we're 407 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,960 alive? Jesus would say, For the Son of 408 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,560 Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and 409 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,160 then he will reward each according to his works. 410 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,840 And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give 411 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:40,320 to everyone according to his work. 412 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:44,360 It matters how we live. We're all preaching a sermon. 413 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:51,560 It's just called our life. In conclusion, God will wipe 414 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,560 away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, 415 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:01,480 nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for 416 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,840 the former things have passed away. 417 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,720 Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we work 418 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,320 for, but that we may receive a full reward. 419 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,920 And do this knowing the time that now it is high time to wake 420 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:21,320 out of sleep. For now, our salvation is nearer 421 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,680 than when we first believed. That's the greatest motivation 422 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,680 right there. You're closer. 423 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:32,000 We're closer now than ever to the eternal reward. 424 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,200 Why give up? We don't even know when He's 425 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,040 coming back. We could be at the finish line 426 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,640 right now. We can't give up. 427 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:44,080 Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is He who keeps the 428 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,880 words of the prophecy of this book. 429 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:49,880 Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have 430 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:53,120 the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates 431 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:57,880 into the city. Blessed are the dead. 432 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,800 We are all physically alive right now. 433 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,400 The question is, are we spiritually dead? 434 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,400 Will we be spiritually alive or dead in the end? 435 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:13,160 How is it with you? Do you need to obey the gospel 436 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,640 and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and 437 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:20,960 placed into Christ? Have you been in Christ but are 438 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,200 out of Christ or struggling with sin? 439 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:28,000 Whatever the case, whichever the situation, please come as we 440 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,560 stand and sing the song of imitation.