1 Thessalonians Hope
Series: STAND FIRM
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 27th October 2018
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 What happens after I die?
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 This week, some of the staff, we went on a staff retreat.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:12 We spent some time out in a place called Bathurst,
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 planning the future of the rest of the year and the next couple of years.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:21 And on the way out to Bathurst, there's a little tiny town called Yetome.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 This is where my family, the Barnett family, comes from.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 There's even a Barnett's Road.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 I didn't get a selfie, although I should.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 Definitely should do that next time.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 And so because I hardly ever get the chance to go out there,
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 but, you know, Bathurst is not close,
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 the staff team thankfully indulged me.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 We dropped in there for about five minutes.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 And we stopped into Yetome.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 And the only thing worth visiting in Yetome is the cemetery.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 And that's where all my family are.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 And so we went to the Anglican church at Yetome,
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 where there are a lot of my family.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:02 And so you'll see a photo come up of my pop, my grandfather, Aubrey Austin.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 My great-grandfather is there, my grandfather's brother.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 There's a lot of family connections.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 And I love visiting my pop when I can.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:18 It's quite a special thing to kind of journey out to Yetome and see my family.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:23 And I've always thought that was where I was going to go when I died.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 But recently, my dad, who I thought would be heading back to Yetome,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 recently my mum and dad said,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:36 oh, we've bought some land somewhere else.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 And I was shocked, flabbergasted.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 What do you mean?
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 I've always thought that the Barnett family, we were all going to be at Yetome.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 This is where our family is buried.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:55 But they've bought some, you know, a small amount of land in the Sutherland Shire, of all places.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 And I've got this uncertainty.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 What happens after I die?
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 Where am I going to be buried?
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 What's going to happen to my corpse?
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 Look, I don't really care.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:15 But there's this family connection and then this specialness to Yetome.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 Am I going to lose this family connection after I die?
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 And I'm thrown into this place of unknown where I'm going to end up.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:30 Maybe you know what's going to happen to you after your body dies.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 Maybe you're not even thinking about it at all.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 But there are many uncertainties when it comes to death.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:39 What's going to happen to me when I die?
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 I'm worried what's going to happen to my body.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 I'm worried about what's going to happen leading up to death.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 The sickness and the pain.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 Death causes me so much fear.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 And so it's easier to just not think about it, to avoid it.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 We've been looking through the book of Thessalonians.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 And we've had a look at how this little church started.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 And the encouragement Paul has written to them.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 And this church were worried about the same thing.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 They were worried about what happens after death.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:19 And so Paul spends a fair chunk of time writing so that they are informed about what's going to happen after death.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:28 And so as we look at this last sermon in our Stand Firm series, we're going to be challenged to stand firm in the face of death.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 So let me pray as we have a look at 1 Thessalonians.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 Heavenly Father, death causes us so much pain and grief.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 Help us to understand how you have defeated it.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 And how to have hope in what you have given us, Lord.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 Amen.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 Please have your Bibles open, your phones unlocked, or look at the screen.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 We're going to start in chapter 4, verse 13.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:03 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:09 so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:14 Paul wants to make sure that the church of Thessalonica is not confused,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:21 that they're not uninformed, that there is no speculation and wild guessing and fear-mongering.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 But he wants people to be able to say with confidence,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 I know where I'm going.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 I know what's going to happen to me.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 Paul wants there to be no fear.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 And so he talks about those who have already died.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:39 Paul's going to use a particular metaphor about sleeping in death.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 He's going to use it twice in totally different ways.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Paul likes to mix his metaphors sometimes.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:50 And so the first way he's going to talk about sleeping is those who are dead following Jesus.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:56 If I was to die right now, I would be asleep following the Lord in that metaphor.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:02 Paul is a little bit later in chapter 5 going to talk about those who are asleep,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 as in those who are ignoring God.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 So you've got these two different illustrations that he uses.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 He talks about those who follow the Lord and then die,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 and they're waiting on Jesus, and those who are ignoring Jesus.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 And so Paul, he doesn't want this church,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 who are facing persecution from the people around them,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 who are being attacked and may even have been martyred and killed,
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 he doesn't want them to grieve like the rest of the world.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:38 The rest of the world who grieves without Jesus and without hope.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:42 He doesn't want them to grieve like there is no future,
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 or that their future is in doubt.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 In the Greek religious culture,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:52 people had to stand before hostile spiritual forces,
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 hostile gods, without hope.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:01 One author from that time reflected that hope is for the living.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 The dead are without hope.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:09 In the face of death and desperation, grief reigns.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 How do people deal with grief?
00:06:13 --> 00:06:17 Well, we say that there's the five stages of grief that people go through.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:22 So how would someone at this time deal with their own pending mortality
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 or the death of a loved one?
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 First of all, there would be denial.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:32 It's easy for many of us here who feel like death is a long way away
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 just to deny that it's ever going to happen to us.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 We just push it out of our minds.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 Maybe at this time, when somebody did pass away,
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 maybe there would be anger.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 There would be anger at the gods who had taken their loved one.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Maybe then they move to bargaining.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 Bargaining with the gods, offering sacrifices,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 trying to buy this person's health
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 or buy their way out of hell into some kind of heaven.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 Maybe they move into depression then,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 where there is just no hope.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:09 And finally, to acceptance that their loved one is lost.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 There is no hope in any of this.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:19 And how do people comfort those who are in grief when there is no hope?
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 Often there is just empty platitudes.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 Even if someone doesn't believe in God,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 they'll often speak like they do.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:32 I've found people who will say things like,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 it's okay, they're with God now.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 They're one of God's angels.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 They're looking down from heaven on you right now.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 And people say it because they want to comfort people grieving,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 but they don't have any real hope in the future.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 In reality, they'll just end up grieving because all is lost.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 So what should we do then?
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 How should we grieve?
00:07:59 --> 00:07:59 Paul says,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 Don't grieve like them,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 like all hope is lost.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:09 What do we do when we face sickness and pain and our own mortality?
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 Verse 14.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:22 And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 Paul doesn't give a fickle comfort.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:26 He doesn't say,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 Don't worry about death.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 It's fine.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 It's going to be lovely.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 You'll go to be with God.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 You'll be an angel.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 Paul doesn't tell them,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 Don't grieve.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 Death is awful.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 It is horrible.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 It's painful.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:46 When Jesus himself was confronted at the tomb of his friend Lazarus,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:52 even knowing that in a moment he was going to raise his friend to life,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 Jesus still weeps.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:00 We see pain and death and it is right to grieve.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 It's right to get angry and say,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 This is not right.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 This is not how God made the world to be.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 Death is an enemy.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:14 And we cannot deny it by suppressing our grief.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:20 But it is not a grief that has no hope.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 Hope is not a subjective feeling that can change day by day,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 depending on how our mood feels.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:33 The hope that we have is an objective reality that is true every day.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:39 Our grief is tempered and informed by the hope that we have.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Jesus was raised from the dead.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 This is the reality of the world we live in.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 We live in a world where dead people come back to life and live forever.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 It's only happened once.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:56 There's only been one person who's died and come back to life and is still alive,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:56 and that's Jesus.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 But we live in a world where that is the reality.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:04 The reality is that Jesus is coming back soon,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 and all of those who have followed him,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 even if they have died, they will be raised.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 And that is not false hope.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 Jesus' resurrection is a guarantee for us.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 He was dead and he was raised.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 So too will the Thessalonians,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 and so too will us.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 If Jesus wasn't raised from the dead,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 as we saw in 1 Corinthians 15,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 we are fools for believing it.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 We are fools for even being here tonight.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 It's the most important.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 It's the central part of Christianity.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:45 It's the one piece that all of Christianity rises or falls on.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:50 The testimony of Jesus' resurrection from the dead has gone out.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 There were authoritative witnesses.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 There were people who saw it.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 They could have been appealed to.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 People could go and check.
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 Did you see Jesus after he was dead?
00:11:00 --> 00:11:00 Yeah, I saw him.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 People saw it.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 It was recorded.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 Jesus was dead,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 and now he is alive.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:10 The Thessalonians,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 they were worried about their death.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 They were worried about what their future held.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 In particular,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 they were worried that their friends who had died
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 were going to miss out on seeing Jesus.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:27 But Paul doesn't want them to be fearful or anxious
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 about what happens when we die.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:34 He wants to inform them so that they can have certainty,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 that they can have hope in the future.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:41 I think fear of death is pretty similar to the fear of the unknown.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 It's a fear of what happens after we die.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 I see it in kids.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 I see it in my kids.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 They fear the dark under their bed.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 And what do they do?
00:11:53 --> 00:11:58 They often fill the dark under their bed with imaginary things.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 They fill it with monsters and boogeymen.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 Is there some kind of great phrase in Chinese?
00:12:03 --> 00:12:07 I didn't hear you.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 I'm sure there is.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 We fill the unknown with things that we fear.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 But Paul,
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 he gets a flashlight,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 and he shines a light in the dark,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 and he says,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 relax.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 Child, there's nothing there.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 Go back to sleep.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 He says, relax.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 God has got this.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 Actually,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 he doesn't just take a light and shine it under the bed.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 He takes a hacksaw to the legs,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 chops the bed,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 and the bed drops down.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 So there's nothing under the bed.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 There is no fear.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:36 Jesus,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:37 who was dead,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 is alive.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 And those who follow him,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 they will be too.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 If you're struggling in your faith,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 and yet can say,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 and God will raise me like him.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 That is an amazing and wonderful thing to hold on to.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 Even if you're struggling with all other parts of Christianity,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 with how God wants you to live your life,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 with sexual purity,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 as we saw last week,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:12 stand firm in the fact that God raised Jesus,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 and he will raise us.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 Verse 14,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 for we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 those who have fallen asleep in him.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 Paul doesn't want them to fear.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 He wants them to have certainty about the future.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:37 But we don't know too much about what the resurrection will look like.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 We don't know what this future hope looks like.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 But Paul gives us some certainties.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 He paints a bit of a picture of what it will look like.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 Have a look at verse 15 with me.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 According to the Lord's words,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 we tell you that we who are still alive,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 we who are left until the coming of the Lord,
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:04 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 with the voice of the archangel,
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 and with the trumpet call of God,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 and the dead in Christ will rise first.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 After that,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 we who are still alive and are left
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 will be caught up together with them in the clouds
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 to meet the Lord in the air.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 And so we will be with the Lord forever.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 Paul reassures the Thessalonian church
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 about those who have already fallen asleep.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 And he paints a picture of those who are already dead.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 Will they have a place of privilege?
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 The dead will rise first to meet the Lord in the air.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 And then those who are still alive,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 they'll be caught up in the clouds to meet with the Lord.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:50 Now, I don't necessarily think this is a step-by-step guide to the resurrection.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 However,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 what it does affirm for us
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 is that Jesus hasn't forgotten the dead.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 Even those who have been dead for thousands of years,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 like the Thessalonians,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 we will all meet with Jesus together.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 And he speaks of the clouds
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 because that's the meeting place between humans and the divine.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 The clouds were the place where we meet.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:17 You know, you think of the kind of the classic picture of heaven
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 from, you know, the Simpsons or something.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 It's always fluffy clouds.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 It's a metaphor.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 It's a picture of being together with Jesus.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 And when that moment does come,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 the moment when Jesus returns,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 the moment we've been waiting for for thousands of years,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 it will come with a loud command.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 The voice of the archangel
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 and the trumpet call of God.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 Does anybody play the trumpet these days?
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 I know Darcy does,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 but I think he's actually playing it right now.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 But the trumpet, if you didn't know,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 it's primarily a military instrument.
00:15:56 --> 00:16:00 And so you would use it to get the army ready for battle.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 You know, it's a nice loud instrument
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 that just kind of cuts through everything
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 a bit better than, you know, gentle keys
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 or the strumming of an acoustic guitar.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 It cuts through.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 And it says, people, get up, stand up, be ready.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 And Paul says, when the Lord returns,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 there's going to be a trumpet call.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:26 It paints this picture that we're going to be ready,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 that we'll hear a trumpet call and we will rise.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 Even those who are dead will stand up,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 ready to attention, ready for our commander,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 ready for our Lord to return.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 And so this picture of the Lord's return,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:44 it paints that the dead are raised,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 that those who are still living
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 are lifted up to be with Jesus.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 Everyone will hear the trumpet will ring out.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 Now, I have no idea what this looks like in practice.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 We have a globe, not a flat earth.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 And so I don't know what it's going to look like
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 when there's a trumpet call
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 and Jesus returns at one point.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 It fascinates me.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 I love to dwell on this.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 But what I have confidence in
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 is that no one will miss out.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 All of those who follow the Lord,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 living or dead,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 will hear his call,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 will hear that trumpet call.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 The dead will be raised.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 Paul gives all of this information,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 not so that people are really aware
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 of trumpet calls and watch the clouds.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 Paul gives this information
00:17:34 --> 00:17:38 so that people don't grieve without hope.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 Verse 18.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:43 Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 Remind each other that the hope is in the Lord
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 and in his return.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 Our hope, our future,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 is not the stuff of speculation.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 It's not the stuff of fiction.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 It's not the stuff of the latest sci-fi TV show.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:05 So, it's a passage for us at a funeral,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 at a graveside,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 in our hands comforting a brother or sister
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 in their greatest sorrow.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 I know of a man who became a Christian
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 about 15 years ago,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 but he was so fearful of death
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 that he just didn't talk about it at all.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 He would avoid the topic.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 If the topic came up,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 he would just change the conversation.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 He was so fearful,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 he just couldn't engage at all.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 And it's only been in the last three years
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 that he's actually been able to engage,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 that he's been able to talk about his own funeral,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 about his own death,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and what the future holds.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 It took 12 years of following the Lord
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 to see that change in him.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 I can understand fearing the pain
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 and fearing the uncertainty
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 of how we're going to die,
00:18:57 --> 00:19:00 but we don't need to fear death itself
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 or what happens after.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 We know what will happen after.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 Those who are following the Lord,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 they will be raised to everlasting life.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 So, when we grieve,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 we don't grieve like it's the end.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 We don't grieve as if we have no hope.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 We grieve in the hope,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 knowing that the Lord will return
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 and that we'll be raised with him.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:27 Paul has painted this picture
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 of what happens after death
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 and when the Lord returns.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 And now he answers the question
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 that's on everyone's mind.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 Imagine the Thessalonians,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 they're being persecuted.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 Some of them are being murdered
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 for following Jesus.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 They've heard that the Lord is going to come back
00:19:44 --> 00:19:47 and I can imagine they would be thinking,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 when?
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 When is he coming back?
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 We're facing a lot of persecution.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 When is the Lord coming back?
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 And so Paul,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 likely knowing that this was their next question,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 he answers it at the start of chapter 5.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 Have a look at verse 2 with me.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06 The day of the Lord will come
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 like a thief in the night.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Compared with those who were saying
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 that there was peace and security,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 the Lord will return
00:20:14 --> 00:20:17 in an instant when no one is ready.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 There was a common phrase
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in the city at the time,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 peace and security.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 It came from,
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 I think it's Latin,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 Pax Romana under Augustus,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 who was in charge at the time.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 This was a repeated phrase.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 The Romans had taken control
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 of the empire
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 and they had brought peace and safety,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 peace and security.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 And so it described a reality for people
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 that there was an absence of war
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 and there was social harmony
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 that brought joy and prosperity to people.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 But in reality,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:59 there was joy and prosperity
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 between countries,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 but there was no peace
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 between people and God.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 It gave them false hope.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 Just like the false hope
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 of living in Sydney,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 we can very easily walk around
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 and say,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 peace and prosperity,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 peace and security,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 life is good,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 everything's great.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 You know,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 yesterday was a wonderful day
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 to be at the beach
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 out in the sun.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 Pretty sure I got sunburned
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 mowing the lawns.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 Peace and safety,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 no one was attacking me.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 It was lovely.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:42 It's the flip side of the picture
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 of joy and hope in Jesus.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 For those who aren't following Jesus,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:50 who think there is peace
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 and safety and security,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 destruction comes.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 And it comes without warning.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 This is not like a typhoon
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 where there's a warning,
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 there is no earthquake alarm.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 It is labor pains.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 It comes upon a woman suddenly.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 I remember when Alyssa was in labor
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 with Isaac.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 She had a really long labor.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 But at one point,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 she tried to get up and say,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 I don't want to do this anymore.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 This hurts.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 I want to escape this.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 I want to go home.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 I'm going to get off the bed.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 You know,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 she couldn't.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 I don't know why I'm laughing at her.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 She's not here.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 But there was no salvation.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 That baby had to come.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 There is no escaping labor.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 In that day when Jesus returns,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 there will be fulfillment of hope.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 There will be joy.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 But it will also be destruction
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 for those who are not ready for the Lord.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 There will be no escape.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 But he hasn't come back yet.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 And I think this is a great motivator
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 for us to be on mission.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 Jesus could return at any moment.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 And there's many people in my family
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 who don't know the Lord.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:08 This should be an alarm for us.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 This should be the earthquake warning.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 We should be getting ready.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 Growing up,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 my parents had a garage door
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 that had a clicker.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:22 So I remember sitting in my room at home,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 teenager,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 should have done all kinds of stuff,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 homework,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 clean the room.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 And then I'd hear the garage door
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 start opening
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 and it was a sign that my parents were home.
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 And I'd jump up
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 and I'd start cleaning things
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 and start looking like I was really busy.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 The Lord will return at any moment.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 This should be the thing
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 that alerts us to get ready,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 to get our lives in order,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:52 to get our friends
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 and our family ready
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 for the Lord's return.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:58 But what do we do while we wait?
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 It's been 2 years.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 The Lord's return is a lot closer
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 than it was 2 years ago,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 but we don't know when it's going to be.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 So Paul says we need to wait ready.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 Have a look at verse 6.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:15 So then let us not be like others
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 who are asleep,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 but let us be awake and sober.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 For those who sleep,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 sleep at night.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 And those who get drunk,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 get drunk at night.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 Paul says to wait for the Lord.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 Wait and be ready.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 Don't be drunk.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 Don't go to sleep.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 But stay awake
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 and be ready for the Lord's return.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 Don't walk through life thinking,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 ah, look, I'll follow Jesus later.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 I'm going to live my life like I want,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 but when I get to about 80 or so,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 or maybe when I get sick,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 just on my deathbed,
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 I'll repent,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 I'll turn to Jesus,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 and I'll just slip into heaven,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 and I'll have it all.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 Be ready.
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 The Lord will come back
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 at any moment.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 He will come back
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 like a thief in the night.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 So don't binge on immoral activity,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 but wait patiently.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 Wait expecting the Lord to return.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 Verse 8,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 But since we belong to the day,
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 let us be sober,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 putting on faith and love
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 as a breastplate,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:25 and the hope of salvation
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 as a helmet.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 These are the themes
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 that have been all throughout
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 1 Thessalonians.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 Faith, hope, and love.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 And it comes back to them
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 at the end.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 So while we wait,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 we stand firm
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 in faith,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 in hope,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 and in love.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 We stand firm in the faith
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 that Jesus was raised
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 from the dead,
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 and so will we.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 We stand firm
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 in the hope
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 that even though we will die,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 Jesus is coming back
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 to take us to be home.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:57 We stand firm
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 in love of God
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 and one another.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 When we do this,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 when we stand firm
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 in the face of death,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 we show,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 we model to people.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:12 we actually get the chance
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 to encourage
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 and build others up,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 persevering towards
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 that last day.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 It was towards
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 the end of last year.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 One of my aunties
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 got sick with cancer
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 and passed away
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 very suddenly.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 She was a wonderful
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 Christian lady.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 And even though
00:26:31 --> 00:26:34 it was a time of grief,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 it was also a time
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 of celebration.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 There was joy
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 and hope
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 in what we long for.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 She now has the reward.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 She is now with the Lord
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 that she has what I want.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 She gets to be with Jesus.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 And I don't have that yet.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 It is such a different grief
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 to those who have no hope.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 When we stand firm
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 in the face of death
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 saying Jesus is Lord,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 even when it terrifies me,
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 it speaks loudly
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 to those people around us.
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 When we hope
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 in the resurrection
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 that is more
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 than this life.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 Paul answers
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 the what happens
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 when you die question.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 We will be raised
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 with the Lord.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 He answers the question,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 what's going to happen?
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 Sorry,
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 when is the Lord
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 going to return?
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 And Paul says soon.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 It is very soon.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 I mentioned earlier
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 that we got to visit
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 Yet Home,
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 where a lot of my family
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 are buried.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 And there is one
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 headstone
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 that I thought
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 I would show you.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 It should be on the screen.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 It is normal Barnett.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 It is proof
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 that there is at least
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 one normal Barnett.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 We actually think
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 they got his headstone wrong
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 and it should have been
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 Norman Barnett,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 but there you go.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 It is normal.
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 But what will
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 our headstone say?
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 Will it just be
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 he was a normal person?
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 He was a good father,
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 a good mother.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 These are good
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 and important things.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 Is our headstone
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 going to say,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 you know,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 he is someone
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 who tried to have
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 everything in life.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 Do we just want to have
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 a normal headstone?
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 He was a person
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 who was normal
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 but is now dead.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 What would it like
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 to live a life
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 so that our headstone
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 read,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 this person
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 stood firm
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 in faith
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 in the face
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 of death.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 They hoped
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 for the resurrection
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 of the dead
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 and they loved
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 people radically
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 while they waited.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 How will people
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 describe us
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 as a church?
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 See,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 standing firm
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 doesn't mean
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 that we stand still.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 We hold firmly
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 onto the gospel
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 so we can go forward
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 in God's plans
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 and in God's purposes
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 for us.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 When our hope
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 is in God,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 when we trust in
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 no matter what
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 happens on earth,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 even death,
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 when our hope
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 in God
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 is like this,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 we can make
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 radical decisions.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 We can take
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 massive risks
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 because it doesn't
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 matter what happens
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 to us on earth
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 because God
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 has an eternity
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 for us.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 Standing firm
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 in faith
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 means we won't
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 be rattled
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 by every wind
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 of temptation.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 Standing firm
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 in hope
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 helps us
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 to make decisions
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 that aren't
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 just about
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 our,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 I don't know,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 80 or so years,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 whatever the current
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 life expectancy is.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 Standing firm
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 in hope
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 means we
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 have an eternal view.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 It helps us
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 to make decisions
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 that have
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 an eternal impact.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 And standing firm
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 in love
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 means we can
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 hold out
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 the hope
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 that we have
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 in the Lord's
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 return
00:29:54 --> 00:29:56 to those
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 who grieve
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 and say
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 this is the only
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 comfort
00:30:00 --> 00:30:02 that there is a
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 Lord who loves
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 you,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 who died
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 so that we
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 can have life.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 What will you
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 stand firm in?
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 Let me pray.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 Lord and Heavenly
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 Father,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 we thank you
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 to your word
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 to us,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 to the whole
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 letter to the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 Thessalonians.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 And Father,
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 we thank you
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 that we can
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 indeed stand
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 firm in you
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 because of what
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 you have done
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 through your Son.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 Heavenly Father,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 we ask
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 that in the face
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 of death
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 and pain
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 that we would
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 stand firm
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 hoping
00:30:42 --> 00:30:44 not in this
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 life but in
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 what you have
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 prepared for us
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 in advance.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 Father,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 help our lives
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 be ones
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 that show
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 that this
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 life is
00:30:54 --> 00:30:56 only temporary
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 but we
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 long for
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 what is
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 eternal,
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 Lord.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 And while we
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 wait,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 help our lives
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 be marked
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 with love
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 for those
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 around us.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 We ask
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 this in your
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 Son's name
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 and feel glory.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 Amen.