Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Will We Be Married in Heaven Msg 5 21

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Will We Be Married in Heaven Msg 5 21 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: As you read through the Bible, you come to sections
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  Speaker 1: that belong together. Getting beyond the Old Testament, you come
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  Speaker 1: to the New. There are four books that revolve around
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  Speaker 1: the life and ministry of Jesus. They're called the Gospels.
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  Speaker 1: Though they cover the same era of time, the four
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  Speaker 1: writers of the gospels, often referred to as the evangelists,
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  Speaker 1: look at the life and ministry of Jesus from different
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  Speaker 1: vantage points, each one adding his own perspective. Then you
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  Speaker 1: get beyond the gospels, you come to the book of history,
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  Speaker 1: which is the Acts of the Apostles. And that book
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  Speaker 1: takes up the story at the ending of the Gospels,
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  Speaker 1: as Jesus has ascended and has been seated by the Father,
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  Speaker 1: then the apostles carry out his work in the Acts
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  Speaker 1: of the Apostles. This is followed by the letters, commonly
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  Speaker 1: called the epistles in the Scriptures. And from Romans all
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  Speaker 1: the way to Jude, the next to last book of
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  Speaker 1: the Bible, these letters convey truth regarding living the Christian life.
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  Speaker 1: And then last, of course, is the great book of prophecy,
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  Speaker 1: the book of the Revelation. Learn to say it correctly.
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  Speaker 1: It's not revelations, plural. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 1: His work in the lives of his own people in
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  Speaker 1: the last days, bringing in the kingdom in the days
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  Speaker 1: of eternity. We're in the gospel of Matthew chapter 22.
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  Speaker 1: This is my 70th message in Matthew. I remember when
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  Speaker 1: we were going through Job, those laughing were here during
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  Speaker 1: that time. The rest of them who heard have fled
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  Speaker 1: long since. Remember one child saying to his dad, how
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  Speaker 1: old was I when Pastor Chuck began the book of Job? Well,
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  Speaker 1: we've spent many more Sundays in the book of Matthew.
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  Speaker 1: You just cannot hurry your way through a gospel this significant.
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  Speaker 1: So we come to chapter 22. and I'll be reading
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  Speaker 1: verses 23 through 33 from the New Living Translation. Will
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  Speaker 1: you please stand for the reading of God's word? That
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  Speaker 1: same day, Jesus was approached by some Sadducees, religious leaders
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  Speaker 1: who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They
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  Speaker 1: posed this question. Teacher Moses said, if a man dies
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  Speaker 1: without children, his brother should marry the widow and have
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  Speaker 1: a child who will carry on the brother's name. Well,
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  Speaker 1: suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and
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  Speaker 1: then died without children. So his brother married the widow.
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  Speaker 1: But the second brother also died. And the third brother
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  Speaker 1: married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last
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  Speaker 1: of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose
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  Speaker 1: wife will she be in the resurrection? for all seven
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  Speaker 1: were married to her. Jesus replied, Your mistake is that
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  Speaker 1: you don't know the Scriptures and you don't know the
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  Speaker 1: power of God. For when the dead rise, we will
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  Speaker 1: neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect,
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  Speaker 1: They will be like the angels in heaven. But now,
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  Speaker 1: as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead,
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  Speaker 1: haven't you ever read about this in the scriptures? Long
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  Speaker 1: after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, I
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  Speaker 1: am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
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  Speaker 1: the God of Jacob. So he is the God of
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  Speaker 1: the living. not the dead. When the crowds heard him,
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  Speaker 1: they were astounded at his teaching. How great it would
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  Speaker 1: have been to have been on earth and to have
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  Speaker 1: seen the dialogue between Jesus and those who attempted to
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  Speaker 1: trap him, which was impossible. Please be seated. I am
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  Speaker 1: currently reading a fascinating book titled The Vanishing American Adult
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  Speaker 1: by Ben Sasse. Sasse is a senator in Nebraska. Though
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  Speaker 1: he is a politician, the book is not political. The
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  Speaker 1: book is a lamentation. He, like I and many of us,
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  Speaker 1: he's saddened that so many growing up in America, remain adolescent.
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  Speaker 1: Some still in their 30s are still living at home.
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  Speaker 1: Many who are already old enough to be adults do
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  Speaker 1: not know that they are adults and do not conduct
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  Speaker 1: themselves as adults. It's a vanishing group. As I read this, naturally,
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  Speaker 1: I do analogies in my mind with my world, which
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  Speaker 1: is not political. Mine is a world that deals with
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  Speaker 1: the church. So I've been thinking while reading about the vanishing,
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  Speaker 1: responsible believer. Easy to grow older in the church, but
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  Speaker 1: not grow up. and become adult in our relationship with
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  Speaker 1: God and with one another. Bow with me, please. We're grateful,
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  Speaker 1: our Father, for the pleasure of worship. We come to
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  Speaker 1: worship you as the king of our lives, as the
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  Speaker 1: Lord of our decisions, as the master of our walk
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  Speaker 1: on this earth. We want you to know, our Father,
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  Speaker 1: that our love for you is not partial. It is total.
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  Speaker 1: And we gather today because we realize we cannot make
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  Speaker 1: it without you. If we could, we'd be home. We
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  Speaker 1: wouldn't give much thought to gatherings like this, but we
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  Speaker 1: need to be here. We love being with you and
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  Speaker 1: with one another. Find favor, Lord, in our presence before
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  Speaker 1: you in our act of worship. And now as we give,
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  Speaker 1: be honored in our giving, which is also a vital
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  Speaker 1: part of our worship. In the name of the one
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  Speaker 1: who is our King, our Master, and our Lord, we
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  Speaker 1: pray and we give. Everyone said, Amen. Most people I
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  Speaker 1: know are fascinated over the life after death issue. First
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  Speaker 1: of all, we're intrigued by death itself. When we are
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  Speaker 1: with one that we love and it has been a
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  Speaker 1: long life and those eyes are closed for the last time,
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  Speaker 1: we're there trying to imagine what it is that that
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  Speaker 1: person is now going through. As his own soul and
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  Speaker 1: spirit is removed from him invisibly and instantly and taken
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  Speaker 1: to be with the Lord and the body remains for
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  Speaker 1: us to deal with this body with dignity and gratitude.
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  Speaker 1: Death is intriguing. It's a huge mystery. Since we've never
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  Speaker 1: been there, we've never talked to someone who has gone
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  Speaker 1: there and has returned from it, we can only imagine.
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  Speaker 1: And the imagination of people mixed with superstition is all
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  Speaker 1: over the page. I read this past week about one
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  Speaker 1: who truly believed that angels give guided tours of heaven
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  Speaker 1: to all people who enter. the portals of heaven there
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  Speaker 1: are people who visit cemeteries to talk to gravestones my
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  Speaker 1: mother led the lady across the street from us to
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  Speaker 1: christ Mrs. Roberts had married later in life and she
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  Speaker 1: dearly loved her husband. The two of them, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts,
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  Speaker 1: were delightful people. He suddenly was taken by a heart
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  Speaker 1: attack and she buried him and her heart was broken.
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  Speaker 1: My mother's heart went out to this lady across the
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  Speaker 1: street and she said to me one day, I'm going
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  Speaker 1: to take some lemonade and cookies and I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: talk to Mrs. Roberts. because I understand she's been regularly
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  Speaker 1: going to the cemetery and trying to connect with her husband.
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  Speaker 1: And I want to help her know what death is
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  Speaker 1: all about and what life is about beyond this life,
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  Speaker 1: as the Bible teaches. So pray for me. And I
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  Speaker 1: remember as a little boy praying for my mother, she
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  Speaker 1: walked across the street. She came back all smiles. The
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  Speaker 1: cookies were gone. I also noticed that. And the lemonade
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  Speaker 1: had been enjoyed. She had led Mrs. Roberts to Christ
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  Speaker 1: And Mrs. Roberts had from that moment on made her
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  Speaker 1: last visit to the cemetery. Well, maybe I shouldn't put
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  Speaker 1: it like that. She did return, but she returned to
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  Speaker 1: talk to people, other people at the cemetery who were
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  Speaker 1: trying to connect with the dead. And she regularly and faithfully,
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  Speaker 1: as far as I remember, almost to the last of
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  Speaker 1: her own life, she faithfully told others about Christ. As
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  Speaker 1: I say to folks, she's the only cemetery evangelist I've
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  Speaker 1: ever met. She regularly talked about Jesus with those who
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  Speaker 1: had gone with their hearts broken. Superstition has a field
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  Speaker 1: day with the whole subject of life after death. Did
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  Speaker 1: you know that the ancient Greeks often placed a coin
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  Speaker 1: in the mouth of the corpse to pay his fare
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  Speaker 1: across the mystic river of death into the land of
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  Speaker 1: immortal life. Norsemen of old were often buried with their
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  Speaker 1: horse so that they might ride proudly through the gates
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  Speaker 1: of heaven and along the streets of gold on their horses.
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  Speaker 1: Eskimos in Greenland for years, when their children died, would
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  Speaker 1: often bury the child with the dog that the child
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  Speaker 1: had loved, so that the dog would help guide them
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  Speaker 1: through what they called death's cold wasteland. All of it's superstitious.
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  Speaker 1: None of it referred to in the scriptures, but all
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  Speaker 1: of it a matter of tradition that was believed by
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  Speaker 1: a number of people over the years, and I've hardly
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  Speaker 1: scratched the surface. The whole idea of being raised from
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  Speaker 1: the dead and changed so that our bodies live forever
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  Speaker 1: is intriguing to us. Because we are so riveted to
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  Speaker 1: this earth. Everything around us is based on life on
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  Speaker 1: this earth, of course. And we can hardly even imagine
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  Speaker 1: life beyond this earth. Eternity will not be like this
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  Speaker 1: earth at all. Life beyond the grave will not be
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  Speaker 1: like life before the grave. And when you attempt to
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  Speaker 1: study that subject, you're left to all kinds of human
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  Speaker 1: opinions and ideas, and as I stated earlier, superstition. One
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  Speaker 1: of the larger books in my library is a book
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  Speaker 1: titled simply Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Randy's a reliable author.
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  Speaker 1: He's written a 516 page book on that one subject
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  Speaker 1: and admitting all the way through it is not an
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  Speaker 1: exhaustive work. Much more could have been written because there
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  Speaker 1: is much to be learned from the scriptures. And the
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  Speaker 1: whole subject of reincarnation is adding to our confusions. Some
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  Speaker 1: believe that you don't really pass from this life, you
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  Speaker 1: return in another body, adding to the chaos of the subject.
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  Speaker 1: Scripture does not teach reincarnation. It teaches that we die once,
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  Speaker 1: and after death, we face the future. Judgment, time before
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  Speaker 1: the Lord where we give account of our deeds, Eternity
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  Speaker 1: in heaven with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus
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  Speaker 1: and with one another. Amazingly, in spite of all that's
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  Speaker 1: been written in the Bible, many people, I would even add,
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  Speaker 1: most people have real serious questions about the resurrection. Many
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  Speaker 1: do not believe we will be raised at all. We live,
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  Speaker 1: we die, and that's it. But that's not what Scripture says.
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  Speaker 1: Listen to these words. The Lord himself will descend from
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  Speaker 1: heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
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  Speaker 1: with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
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  Speaker 1: shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain
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  Speaker 1: shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
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  Speaker 1: to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall
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  Speaker 1: we ever be with the Lord. And then that added
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  Speaker 1: word at 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 18, comfort one another
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  Speaker 1: with these words. Be comforted to know that those who
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  Speaker 1: have died will be raised. Those who have known and
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  Speaker 1: loved the Lord in life will not be forgotten. They
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  Speaker 1: will in fact be rewarded and will have an eternal
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  Speaker 1: kind of life that they will live face to face
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  Speaker 1: with Jesus and with one another in a conscious, glorified state.
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  Speaker 1: Not only are there people today who do not believe that,
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  Speaker 1: there were people in Jesus' day who did not believe
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  Speaker 1: in a resurrection. In fact, there was a whole religious
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  Speaker 1: group who didn't believe in life after death. We meet
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  Speaker 1: up with them in verse 23 of Matthew chapter 22.
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  Speaker 1: I invite you to turn there with me. As I
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  Speaker 1: mentioned earlier in this series, Jesus is in his final
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  Speaker 1: week on earth before he is taken under arrest, declared guilty,
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  Speaker 1: not proven guilty, for he wasn't guilty. He goes through
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  Speaker 1: the mockery of six illegal trials. He is then tortured,
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  Speaker 1: nailed to a cross, and left to die. And he
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  Speaker 1: too would be resurrected three days later. But before I
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  Speaker 1: go there, let's go back to this final week. The
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  Speaker 1: Pharisees have tried again and again to stump him, to
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  Speaker 1: prove that he's not qualified to be who he claims
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  Speaker 1: to be, the Messiah. Each time they have been knocked
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  Speaker 1: back on their heels, each time they have simply gone
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  Speaker 1: away realizing that they were not able to make their point. Well,
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  Speaker 1: the Sadducees decide to give it a try. We meet
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  Speaker 1: them here in verse 23, the same day Jesus was
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  Speaker 1: approached by some Sadducees. And the writer adds, they are
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  Speaker 1: religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.
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  Speaker 1: There you have it. The Sadducees are smaller in number
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  Speaker 1: than the Pharisees. They were wealthy, sophisticated liberals of that day.
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  Speaker 1: Let me summarize. They rejected all things supernatural. Did not
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  Speaker 1: believe in angels, the existence of angels, or any supernatural spirits.
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  Speaker 1: They denied it all. They did not believe there was
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  Speaker 1: life beyond death. Therefore, there was no such thing as
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  Speaker 1: future judgment, future rewards, penalties, or punishment. No heaven, no hell.
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  Speaker 1: One man writes, they were mean-spirited, rude, arrogant, self-righteous, That's
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  Speaker 1: why they were sad, you see. Therefore, they come with a,
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't pass it up. It's just laying right out
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  Speaker 1: there and anybody with half a sense of humor would
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  Speaker 1: have seen it. So there it is. Now they come
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  Speaker 1: with a question that's like a word problem. Remember word
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  Speaker 1: problems when you were in school and you studied math
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  Speaker 1: and didn't you hate them? They're like a conundrum. A
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  Speaker 1: boy has a sack of five apples and he gets
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  Speaker 1: on the bus. and he sits down by his friend
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  Speaker 1: who has 18 apples. He gives him four of his
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  Speaker 1: 18 and the boy gives him three of his five apples.
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  Speaker 1: What color is the bus? That's the part of the
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  Speaker 1: word problem I could never figure out. It never asked
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  Speaker 1: the question you expected to ask. Now, these Sadducees think
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  Speaker 1: they are so smart, they're gonna stump the brightest mind
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  Speaker 1: of the centuries. How stupid of them to think they
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  Speaker 1: could do it. But of course, when you're arrogant, self-serving,
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  Speaker 1: rude and mean-spirited, and you have no place in your
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  Speaker 1: theology for the supernatural, you come at Jesus with this
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  Speaker 1: kind of question. Look at it. They say to Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: Moses said if a man dies without children, his brother
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  Speaker 1: should marry her the widow and have a child who
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  Speaker 1: will carry on the brother's name. But that's too simple.
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  Speaker 1: Let's make it complicated. Suppose there were seven brothers. The
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  Speaker 1: oldest one married and then died without children. So the
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  Speaker 1: next brother married her and died. There were no children.
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  Speaker 1: And the next brother married her and died without children.
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  Speaker 1: And it goes all the way down to the seventh
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  Speaker 1: of them, last of all, the woman also died. Which
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  Speaker 1: one will be her husband in heaven? Now, the thing
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  Speaker 1: that makes this so weird is that they don't believe
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  Speaker 1: in heaven. They don't believe in a resurrection. But they're
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  Speaker 1: asking him about this so-called life after death with their
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  Speaker 1: eyes rolling. thinking they could probably stump him if they
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  Speaker 1: add the number of brothers and they've got this woman
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  Speaker 1: who is finally the widow of all of these men
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  Speaker 1: and ultimately she goes to heaven. Who's going to be
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  Speaker 1: her husband there? For them to think they could stump Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: it just isn't enough to make you smile. It's kind
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  Speaker 1: of like my stepping in the ring with Mike Tyson
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  Speaker 1: or maybe playing a little hoop with LeBron James. Who
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  Speaker 1: am I kidding? I couldn't hold a candle to either
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  Speaker 1: one of them. They come arrogantly, but they look stupid.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus listened to the question, by the way. He knew
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  Speaker 1: where they were going. He was all ready with an answer,
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  Speaker 1: but he let them finish their question. And then he,
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  Speaker 1: what I would call, comes to terms with the whole
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  Speaker 1: issue with his opening comment. It's in verse 29. Look
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  Speaker 1: for yourself. You are deceived, or your Bible may read,
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  Speaker 1: you err. This New Living translation renders it, your mistake
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  Speaker 1: is that. Then he goes on to tell them, the
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  Speaker 1: word is planao, P-L-A-N-A-O. We get a word planet from it.
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  Speaker 1: It's the idea of wandering, going astray, getting off course.
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  Speaker 1: You've gotten way off course. You're out to lunch, we
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  Speaker 1: would paraphrase it, because you do not know the scriptures
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  Speaker 1: and you do not know the power of God. I'll
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  Speaker 1: give you a little tip here that might help you
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  Speaker 1: in your own walk. This is a verse worth memorizing. This,
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  Speaker 1: in summary, explains why most people are confused spiritually. That's it,
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  Speaker 1: in a nutshell. It's not meant to be insulting. It's
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  Speaker 1: meant to be informing. The fact is, Sadducees, you don't
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  Speaker 1: know what you're talking about. You don't know what the
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  Speaker 1: Scriptures teach. Furthermore, you don't know anything about the power
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  Speaker 1: of God. I'll add this little sidebar before I go further.
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  Speaker 1: If you want to trace areas of chaos in your
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  Speaker 1: own walk, you can trace the chaos back to one
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  Speaker 1: of these two reasons, maybe both. Either you got off course,
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  Speaker 1: away from what Scripture teaches, Which is easy to do
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  Speaker 1: if you don't know the Scriptures. Or you were not
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  Speaker 1: aware of the doctrines that relate to the power of God.
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  Speaker 1: A knowledge of the truths of God mixed with a
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  Speaker 1: knowledge of the Word of God. Let's put it this way.
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  Speaker 1: They didn't know the Word of God and they didn't
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  Speaker 1: know the God of the Word. When you are in
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  Speaker 1: that no man's land, hear me, you are at the
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  Speaker 1: mercy of anyone who comes knocking at your door or
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  Speaker 1: leaning across your desk at the office or some neighbor,
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  Speaker 1: well-meaning neighbor who says, I've got a real insight regarding
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  Speaker 1: life as it ought to be considered. and they offer
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  Speaker 1: you some thoughts regarding new age or the whole movement
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  Speaker 1: of whatever may be the latest fad. If you do
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  Speaker 1: not know the scriptures and you're not plugged into the
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  Speaker 1: power of God, you are at the mercy of that individual.
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  Speaker 1: But I'll tell you, if you know both, you are
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  Speaker 1: calm and deliberate in your response. You are discerning and
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  Speaker 1: able to see through it all. and able to give
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  Speaker 1: an answer that makes sense, as Jesus does. Now, let's
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  Speaker 1: look at his careful explanation. Look for yourself. By the way,
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  Speaker 1: he reverses the order for some reason when he answers
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  Speaker 1: the question. He first answers the power of God issue,
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  Speaker 1: and then he turns to the scripture issue. Regarding the
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  Speaker 1: power of God, look at what he says. Verse 30.
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  Speaker 1: Let's take our time. When the dead rise, they will
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  Speaker 1: neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect,
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  Speaker 1: they will be like the angels in heaven. Look at
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  Speaker 1: the verse. If you were sitting at your kitchen table
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  Speaker 1: or in your study at your desk, you'd be able
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  Speaker 1: to take that verse apart and make three significant statements
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  Speaker 1: about it. because that's what Jesus does. He's addressing the
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  Speaker 1: power of God. Please observe first how much he believes
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  Speaker 1: in the resurrection. Not if the dead will be raised,
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  Speaker 1: but when the dead rise. We stop right here and
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: assure you, when your loved one who has known the
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Lord Jesus through life passes from this life to the next,
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: you can be sure that that body will be raised
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: from the dead. God will see to it. The body
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: will never be lost, overlooked, or abandoned. Jesus says, when
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: the dead rise. So he believes clearly in a resurrection.
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: They did not. Didn't hold him back because he knew
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: what the truth was theologically. When the dead rise, that's first.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: when the dead rise. Second, please notice what he says
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: about marriage. They will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: So in eternity future, there will not be wedding ceremonies.
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: There will not be dads giving daughters away. there will
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: not be the familiarity related to the marriage life on
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: this earth. Now, this is a good place for me
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: to pause and extend this reminder. You must discipline yourself
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: to think outside the terms of the familiar. What's familiar
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: to all of us is life on this earth. We,
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: to the best of our ability, pretty well understand what
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: life is about. We're familiar with weddings. We're familiar with
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: people falling in love. We're familiar with dads who go
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: through giving away daughters and moms who are at the wedding.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: We're familiar with that scene. That's very earthly. It has
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: nothing to do with eternity. Okay? When you're thinking about
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: life after this life, you must remove from your mind
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: and discipline yourself to think outside the realm of the familiars.
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: as you focus on the unfamiliar.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: Okay?
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: So let's let Jesus' words stand. They will neither marry
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: nor be given in marriage. Now, let's get very practical.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: You mean I won't know my wife in heaven? Doesn't
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: say that. You mean you won't be close to your spouse?
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: You're married on earth, you won't be close. It doesn't
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: say that. This is talking about the act of marriage
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: and giving people into the commitment of marriage. I mentioned
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: earlier Randy Alcorn's book. Let me quote from what he's written.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: Perhaps he makes it clearer than I could. And by
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: the way, remember in the vows that you take when
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: you're married, till death do us part? At death, there's
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: a parting. obviously a parting on this earth, and there
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: is a different kind of relationship when we step into eternity.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Now Alcorn, I quote, Earthly marriage is a shadow, an
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: echo of the true and ultimate marriage, a perfect marriage
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: with Christ. Once that ultimate marriage begins, all the human
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: marriages that pointed to it will have served their noble
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: purpose and will be assimilated into the one great marriage
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: they foreshadowed. The purpose of marriage on earth is not
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: to replace heaven, but to prepare us for it. Then
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: he gives his own personal illustration. He names his wife, says,
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: she's my best friend. my closest sister in Christ. Will
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: we become distant in heaven? Of course not. We'll become closer,
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: I'm convinced. The joys of marriage will be far greater
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: because of the character and love of our bridegroom, Christ.
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: On earth, the closer we draw to him, the closer
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: we draw to each other. Surely the same will be
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: true in heaven. Jesus said the institution of human marriage
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: would end, having fulfilled its purpose, but he never hinted
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: that deep relationships between married people would end. So understand,
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: we could take it for what it says. Be careful
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: when you do that not to add to it. Put
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: some restraint on your imagination. Let's let it say what
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: it says. The dead will rise. So resurrection is a
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: sure thing. We will not be marrying or giving in marriage.
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: So that's also a fact. Look at the third part
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: of the verse. They will be like the angels in heaven.
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: Maybe you've never done this. but I suggest that you
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: make a study of the angels. You will learn much
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: about your eternal state when you study about the angels.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: I'll give you a quick little glimpse. Angels worship. We
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: will worship. They exalt their Lord God, our creator. We
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: will do the same. However, they do not engage in
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: sexual relations. We will not. They do not reproduce, nor
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: will we in heaven. They do not give birth, nor
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: will we. Angels are sinless, deathless, and ageless. The same
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: will be true of us. They delight in the will
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: and presence of their creator. So will we. These are
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: the benefits of thinking theologically. He says you will be
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: as the angels in heaven when you read that. Set
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: your mind free to go to the scriptures and study
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: what the Bible says about angels and you'll be free
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: from superstition and theological error. Now make one more statement
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: here before I move on. Ignorance is not bliss. All
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: my life I've heard, well, ignorance is bliss. Nothing blissful
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: about ignorance. Ignorance about slavery kept people enslaved. Ignorance about
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: God keeps people atheistic. Ignorance about Christ causes most people
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: not to understand the love of God and the offer
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: that he makes possible through his son, through himself. at
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: the cross. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is chaotic. So
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: your goal as a believer is to be informed. That's
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: why you will often choose to attend a class where
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: good information is given that prepares you with knowledge that
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: replaces longtime suspicion, longtime ignorance. I wrote a book on
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: grace years ago, and I don't know how many people
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: have written me. I didn't know what the response would be,
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: but I've had so many. I would say now hundreds,
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: maybe even thousands say to me, I had no idea
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: what grace was all about until I read this. And
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: you know what? All I did was pull from the
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: scriptures what it says about grace and help people see
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: in writing that what that subject is all about, how
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: to live in grace, how to extend grace, how to
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: treat people in grace. The same is true here. So
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: don't let yourself, when death gets near, to be caught
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: up in a lot of fear, a lot of worry,
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: a lot of anxiety about what's it going to be like,
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: like the comedian who said, I'm not afraid of it.
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: I just don't want to be there when it happens. Well,
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: when you're informed, you want to be there when it happens.
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: My granddad used to say, I don't want to be
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: taken up to be with the Lord when I'm alive.
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: I want to go through the whole process of death.
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: I want to see how all of that is going
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: to work and come together in such a beautiful way.
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: The Lord did not make you then wonder what he's
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: going to do with you when you're no longer on
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: this earth. He has a perfect plan. Perfect plan. And
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: he gives us a little hint of what life will
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: be like as he says we will be as the
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: angels in heaven. Now he goes even further and he
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: addresses the scriptures. Look at this. He's talking to people
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: who think they are so sharp in the scriptures. The
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: problem with the Sadducees, they based everything on just what
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: the first five books of the Bible taught. called the
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: Pentateuch or the law. I think it's genius of Jesus
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: to quote from the law and use a verse from
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: the very passages that they would be familiar with to
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: put the quietus on their argument. Look at what he says.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: He says, but now as to whether there will be
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: resurrection of the dead, haven't you ever read about this
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: in the scriptures, which is a rather open-faced slam against them,
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: these people who thought they were walking Bibles. Haven't you
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: ever read in the scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: Jacob had died, God said, I am the God of Abraham,
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Emphasis
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: on the I am. I am the I am of Abraham, Isaac,
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: and Jacob. What makes it interesting is all three of
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: them have long been dead. But in Exodus 3 and
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: verse 6, where that verse is found, Jesus quotes from it.
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: He says, God is the God of the living, not
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: the God of the dead. If there were no resurrection,
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: what is he doing talking about being the God of Abraham, Isaac,
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: and Jacob? And they're standing there with their mouths open,
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: wondering what they ought to say in response, so they
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: say nothing. See that little blank space at the end
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: of verse 32? That represents their brain at this point.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: They don't know what to say. He's got them. But
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: he doesn't flaunt it. He just leaves it. See, when
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: you know what you're talking about, to those who don't
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: know the scriptures, you don't have to scream and shout
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: and yell and insult and go through all of that.
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: The Bible speaks for itself. Jesus, drawing from Exodus 3-6,
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: makes the statement, Statement that had been made to Moses.
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: And he says he's the God of the living, not
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: of the dead. Look at the response of the crowd.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: When the crowd heard him, they were astounded at the teaching.
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: By the way, I've looked through this 22nd chapter, and
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: I've got three verses that I've marked with an arrow.
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: Each is a response to Jesus' answers. Verse 22. Look
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: at what the Pharisees and the Herodians responded. His reply
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: amazed them and they went away. No argument. There's no
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: room for argument. He answered them in their silence. The
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: one we just saw, verse 33. When the crowds heard him,
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: they were astounded at his teaching. No argument. No pushback.
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: Just astonishment. And look at verse 46. No one could
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: him any more questions. I can't speak for you, but
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: I've had the privilege in my student days of sitting
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: in classrooms that were taught by very competent professors. Very
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: reliable individuals who knew their subject. And as is often
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: true in a class like this, I'm referring to my
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: years at Dallas Seminary, there will always be a few
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: students who think they've come today to stump the professor.
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: And they give it a try. And they ask a question,
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: and the prof, who has probably had 15 other students
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: just like him or her, answer the same question years past,
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: will sit and listen and let the student share with
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: him some of his intelligence that he can't afford to lose,
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: but he lets him go ahead and run off at
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: the mouth. And when he finishes, the prophet, just like
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: a surgeon, just surgically takes the issue apart. And I
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: remember sitting and thinking the best response to this is silence.
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: Just be quiet. Now, normally a student like that won't
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: be quiet. Well, what are you going to do with
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: verse so-and-so and so-and-so? I'm thinking, you idiot. You keep
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: this up. He's going to saw you off that limb
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: with a hard set of facts. You'd be wise not
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: to say anything else. Why? Because that man or that
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: woman knows what they're talking about. Jesus knew where they
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: were going and what they were trying to do, and
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: he simply gave them the facts. And you know what
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: else he left us? He left us a pretty good
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: guideline for our lives. Let me show you why I
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: say that. Go back to verse 29. Let's see how
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: this affects us today. I want to talk about the
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: two major flaws in the lives of most Christians. Here
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: we go. Verse 29. The first mistake is is that
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: we're not real well versed in the scriptures. We don't
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: know the scriptures. Do you? Can you defend your case
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: from the scriptures regarding resurrection and life after death? Can
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: you show from the scriptures that we will literally see
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: Christ face to face, have a relationship with him? Could
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: you describe the crowns that will be ours, that will
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: be granted as rewards for life lived on earth? Do
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: you know the scriptures on the crowns? Do you know
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: what the Bible teaches about eternal hell? By the way,
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: it teaches more about that than about heaven. Are you
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: aware of the biblical teaching? I know you know what
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: your friend says. I don't care what your friend says.
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: I care what the book says. When the Bible states it,
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: you're on solid ground because God never lies to his own. Now,
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: where am I going with this? Not simply to rebuke
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: or reprove us, but to encourage you to begin a
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: program of Bible study. We live in a day when
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: there's so much available for this. You can go online.
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: You can tune into many a broadcast that teaches the Bible.
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: You can get into a program that's a home Bible study.
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: And as a group, you can learn together. You can
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: take a short course at most Bible colleges or seminaries
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: where you can do your own study. And I'll tell
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: you this, it won't cost you a thing, except the
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: price of a book. I wrote a book called Searching
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: the Scriptures. I never talk about my stuff, but I
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: do it here because it's appropriate. You get that book
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: and you sit down at your table with that book
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: on one side and your Bible on the other. You
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: can do your own Bible study. You'll learn how to
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: observe the Scriptures, interpret the Scriptures, compare Scripture with Scripture,
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: and apply Scriptures. You can do it. You can do it.
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: And I'll tell you what else. It will equip you
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: and take away your uncertainty regarding life. You will no
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: longer be confused about suffering. You'll learn why we suffer.
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: You'll learn what it means to remain stable in the
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: midst of storm. You'll learn how you can live a
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: life without fear. I mean, you can't beat that. Begin
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: your own study. searching the scriptures on your own. I
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: would say this, start with a reading program. You don't
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: have to get a book. Start on your own. You've
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: got 66 books right here. Begin in Genesis. Begin in
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: the Psalms. Start in Proverbs. Take one of the letters
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: of Paul. On your own, you read 30 minutes a day,
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: sit down with your Bible open, TV off in a
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: place where you won't be interrupted and pour over what
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: you're reading. Read aloud. Read repeatedly. Read thoughtfully. And I'll
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: tell you the crowning part. Begin a scripture memory program.
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: Jesus said the word memorized. He quotes directly from Exodus 3,
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: 6 and in other places. He's not walking around with scrolls.
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: He's got it memorized. The Navigators is a great program
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: to begin with. Connect with them and they'll help you
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: know how to get underway in your own scripture memory program.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: It's the method I use. And I still employ the
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: same principles as I did when I first became acquainted
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: with it. You become a student of the memorized word.
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: Trust me, you will begin to really know your Bible.
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: It will give you a confidence boost that you've never
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: had before. You won't have to rely on what I'm teaching.
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: You'll pull it out for yourself. Now, when you're involved
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: in worship like this, it'll only verify what you're digging
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: out on your own. So let me encourage you to
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: begin your own study of God's Word. I know you've
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: heard this. You've heard it since we've started as a church.
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: Your tendency is to think, you know, I'm I can't
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: remember how many times you've said this. Well, how many
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: times have you done it? What are you doing about it?
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: You don't learn to drive a car by reading. You
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: learn by doing it, being trained in it, putting it
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: into action. That's all part of learning the script. Now,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: here's the second. Second factor is not knowing the power
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: of God. Many of you are more familiar with the
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: power of our government than you are with the power
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: of God, which ain't much power, by the way, I
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: might add. You're familiar with the power of those people
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: that are in authority over you, maybe your boss or
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: those who have a responsible position. How about the power
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: of God? I'm talking about a life of faith that
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: begins with prayer. I'm talking about beginning every day, coming
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: before the Lord with simple words like, here I am, Lord,
• 49:17
  Speaker 1: facing this day. I've got some things that I'm going
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: to have to deal with that won't be easy. Go
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: before me. Help me through them. I'm going to lay
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: all of this in front of you, Lord, and I'm
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: going to trust you. I want to see your power
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: go to work in my life. I want you to
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: work this out because, frankly, it's beyond me to do it.
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: The power of God. Confident prayer. Can I mention one
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: other discipline and then I'm through. Begin your own journal.
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: I'm not talking about a diary. Your own private journal.
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: You're not writing down all the stuff you're doing 10 o'clock, 1130, 134.
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: That's a diary. A journal, you write down what God
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: is showing you, what you were learning. And then you're
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: able to look back over the previous weeks and see
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: how God worked, and it strengthens you. As you record
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: this today, you were in church, and you listened to this,
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: and you were encouraged to begin to make notations about
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: God's hand in your life. And you record how he
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: worked this out. Or maybe the struggle you're going through.
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: And you're trusting him, so you write your prayer in
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: your journal. What a great way to build into your
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: life with your own fingers. Thoughts disentangle themselves over the
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: lips and through the fingertips. Thoughts disentangle themselves over the
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: lips and through the fingertips. Write it out. Think it through.
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: Pray over it. Trust God. I want you to bow
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: your heads with me, please. You've listened so well. I
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: want you to continue to for just a few more moments.
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: Are you absolutely certain that you know the Lord? Maybe
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: you don't know the scriptures because you really don't know Christ.
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: I mean, you know of him. You know about him,
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: but you and he are not really on speaking terms.
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: And you'd love to be. You'd love to have a
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: relationship with God that's meaningful and personal and really transforming.
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: And that's possible. It begins with simple words like a prayer. Lord,
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: I'm Coming before you today to admit that things have
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: not been right between you and me. I'm lost. I've
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: been going my own way long enough. I wanted to stop.
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: I'd love to know your book and I'd love to
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: know your power. But first, I want to know Jesus.
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: I invite him to come and take residence in my
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: life and become for me my own Savior and Master,
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: my guide. Thank you, Lord, for coming into my life.
• 52:59
  Speaker 1: We would love to help you in this journey, but
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: we can't if you don't ask. So please ask. Or
• 53:07
  Speaker 1: maybe you'd just rather write us. Do that. Let us
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: help you begin to know Christ, to know the scriptures,
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: the power of God. Thank you, Father, for the hope
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: that there is in this life, that not even death
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: is enough to derail us and depress us, for there
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: is hope beyond the grave through Christ. Help all of
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: us today to realize the value of knowing the scriptures
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: and being plugged into the power of our God. Make
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: that a reality, Lord, and begin today. Give us an
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: intense dissatisfaction with where we are that we might turn
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: our lives over to you. May we have the discipline
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: to follow through on these challenges. which we have heard
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: this day. Now, Father, dismiss us with the encouragement that
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: only you can bring. Through Christ our Savior, we pray.
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: Everyone said, Amen. Amen.
• 54:31
  Speaker 2: The preceding message, Will We Be Married in Heaven?, was
• 54:35
  Speaker 2: copyrighted in 2017 and 2021, and the sound recording was
• 54:37
  Speaker 2: copyrighted in 2021. by Charles R.
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: Swindoll, Inc.
• 54:44
  Speaker 2: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
• 54:48
  Speaker 2: commercial use is strictly prohibited.