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The Promise of a Future · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Dear God, our Father in heaven, we are so, so thankful that we can come together this evening to worship you in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we can worship you in the presence of your Holy Spirit.
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And as we come to you, our God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, we pray that you would still our hearts and we pray that we would come in a posture of worship, of joy, of thanksgiving, and of hunger.
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Because as we come to you this evening, we come knowing that we need you so, so much.
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And so we want to come before you and bow before you.
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And as we've been singing, recognizing that you are our maker, our saviour, our God, our King.
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And we want to come and bow before you.
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We want to lift our hearts and our eyes to you in praise and thanksgiving.
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And we want to hear your voice speaking to us through your word.
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Because, Father, we need you more than anything else.
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And we need you more than we even realize ourselves.
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And so we pray that as we come here together, that we would meet with you, that you would bless us, and that we would all be drawn closer to you.
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So, Father, we pray that you would help us as we come to you just now.
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We're so conscious that we can do nothing on our own.
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But we thank you for all the promises that you give us, for your promise to be with us, to help us, to speak to us, to teach us, and to build us up.
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And we pray that as we come together this evening, that we would be renewed and refreshed in our faith, that we would be taught and built up in our minds and our understanding,
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that we would be strengthened with greater courage and determination to obey you and follow you in our lives.
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And we pray that our hearts would just burn with ever deeper love for you and for one another.
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So we pray that you would bless us as we gather here this evening.
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And we thank you for everybody who is here tonight.
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And as we come together, we come with so many different needs and with so many different burdens that we carry.
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And we just want to pray, especially for any who are here tonight who have had a really tough week.
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We pray for any who are here just feeling tired or anxious or bruised.
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We pray for those who are maybe feeling that their faith is hanging by a thread.
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We pray for those who feel discouraged.
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We pray for those who are anxious about people that they love and who are coming to you this evening with sore hearts and anxious minds.
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We pray, Father, that whatever our circumstances, that you would meet with us all.
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And we pray that we would hear your voice speaking to us in your word.
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We thank you so, so much for the gospel, for the words of eternal life spoken and demonstrated in our Savior Jesus.
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And in all that you have woven together across the pages of Scripture as you've accomplished your purposes.
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And we just pray that we would hear your voice more tonight.
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And that for all of us, you would meet with us and build us up, binding us closer to one another and leading us on so that we can serve you in all of our lives.
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And we want to especially pray for anyone here or anyone in our families or in our workplaces or around us where we live who do not yet know you.
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We pray, Father, that you would be working in people's hearts.
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And we pray that for those who've got no word of you, that you would just press eternity into their hearts and that you'd unsettle them and that you would get their minds questioning and get their hearts seeking so that they would look to you and realize how much they need you.
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And we pray for those who are seeking you and for those who maybe know how much they need you but who are struggling to come to any sense of assurance or certainty.
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We pray that they would just see the simplicity of the gospel, that they'd hear your voice calling their name tonight and that they would just be able to receive and rest on Jesus Christ for their salvation.
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And we pray that for those of us who are following you, we pray that we would be built up and encouraged in our faith as we seek to live out our lives for you.
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As we do that, we are conscious, Father, that so often we fail and we come tonight confessing our sin before you.
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And we do that with sorrow and with frustration, aware that very often it's not just new sins that we fall into, but often it's the same old ones that we keep slipping back into.
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We confess that before you and we come to you tonight in repentance and we want to turn away from sin.
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And as a new week begins, we want to go into that week obeying you and following you and listening to your voice speaking to us in your word.
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And we thank you so much that as we confess our sin before you, we do so knowing that the promise of the gospel is that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
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And how we thank you for that promise.
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And may the reality of that cleansing in the gospel just energize us as we seek to serve you in the days ahead in our lives.
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We want to pray for anyone who's in particular need in our communities or connected to this congregation.
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We pray for those who grieve, asking that you'd comfort and sustain and help them.
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We pray for those who are unwell just now.
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We pray for those who are under pressure at work or with other responsibilities in their lives.
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We pray for those who struggle with addiction, asking that you would help them to turn to you and that you would break the grip of addiction in their lives.
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And we pray for any others for whom these may be difficult days.
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And we know that for people around the world, these are very difficult days in some areas.
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We pray for war-torn regions.
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We pray for areas of conflict.
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We pray for areas of disease and shortage and famine.
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And we just pray for all those, Lord, who are just suffering so much just now.
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And we pray for those who are in authority and able to make decisions or that they would make decisions that make for peace and for justice and for healing and for hope.
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And more than anything else, we pray that people all across the world would hear the good news of Jesus and turn to him and find the peace that only you can give.
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And so we pray that your blessing would be upon each one of us.
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Bless this congregation, bless all the work that they are doing and guide them in the days ahead.
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That they would just be a beacon of hope and light and joy to Stornoway.
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And that you would build them up and that you would immensely bless the work of the gospel here and across our island in all the days that lie ahead.
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We pray that in it all, your majestic name would be glorified.
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And it's in that name that we pray.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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We're going to sing again, this time from Psalm 119 in the Sing Psalms version on page 159.
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So Psalm 119, we're singing the fifth part, verse 33 to 40.
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Psalm 119 on page 159.
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I love Psalm 119.
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It's a psalm that speaks so powerfully of just recognizing the beauty of God's word.
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And as we're singing to God's praise in these words, we're also committing ourselves to follow the teaching of God's word.
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Praying that it would shape every part of our lives.
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And that's one of the amazing things about the Psalms.
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They're songs of praise and they're beautiful prayers.
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And so we praise and pray to the Lord together as we rise to sing these words.
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We'll sing to Rockingham, Psalm 119.
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Teach me to follow your decrees.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Teach me to follow your decrees.
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And I will keep them to the end.
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In this I come, I'll keep your love.
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With all my heart to it attend.
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Lead me in your forgiveness, God.
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For there, O Lord, delight I find.
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In the Lord, delight I find.
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In the Lord, delight I find.
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From selfish gain, please stand my mind.
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O time, my eyes from worthless things.
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Get life according to your word.
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To be, O Lord, delight I find.
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To be, O Lord, who will be, O Lord.
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To be, O Lord, who will be, O Lord.
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You look on me, O Lord.
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You're lost and self in uprightness.
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O Lord, O Lord, who will be, O Lord.
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Please send me in your righteousness.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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We're going to read God's word together in the Gospel of John and Chapter 11.
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John Chapter 11.
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And we'll read from the beginning.
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It's on page 108.1 of this Bible, but it might be different in the Bibles that you're using.
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John Chapter 11, verses 1 to 44.
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Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
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It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
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Lazarus was ill.
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So the sister sent to him, saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill.
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But when Jesus heard it, he said, this illness does not lead to death.
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It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
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Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
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So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
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Then after this, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again.
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The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you.
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And are you going there again?
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Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in the day?
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If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
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But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
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After saying these things, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I
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go to awaken him.
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The disciples said to him, Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he will recover.
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Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought he meant taking rest and sleep.
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Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died.
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And for your sake, I'm glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.
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But let us go to him.
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So Thomas called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, let us also go, that we may die
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with him.
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Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
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Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha
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and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
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So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated
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in the house.
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Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you'd been here, my brother would not have died.
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But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.
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Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.
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Martha said to him, I know that he'll rise again in the resurrection on the last day.
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Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.
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Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
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And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
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Do you believe this?
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She said to him, yes, Lord.
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I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.
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When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, the teacher
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is here and is calling for you.
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And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
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Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had
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met him.
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When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go
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out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
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Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him,
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Lord, if you'd been here, my brother would not have died.
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When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply
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moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
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And he said, where have you laid him?
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They said to him, Lord, come and see.
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Jesus wept.
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So the Jews said, see how he loved him.
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But some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this
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man from dying?
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Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.
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It was a cave and a stone lay against it.
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Jesus said, take away the stone.
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Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, by this time there'll be an odour,
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for he's been dead four days.
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Jesus said to her, did I not tell you that if you believed you'd see the glory of God?
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So they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that
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you've heard me.
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I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around
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that they may believe that you sent me.
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When he'd said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out.
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The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face
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wrapped with the cloth.
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Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go.
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Amen.
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This is God's word.
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May he add his blessing to it.
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We're going to sing again together, this time from Psalm 37 on page 252.
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So that's in the Scottish Psalter version.
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Psalm 37 on page 252, singing from verse 3 to verse 7.
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Set thou thy trust upon the Lord and be thou doing good.
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And so thou in the land shalt dwell and verily have food.
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This little section that we're going to read, verses 3 to 7, has three wonderful commands.
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It says, set thou thy trust upon the Lord.
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It says in verse 4, delight thyself in the Lord.
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It says in verse 7, rest in the Lord.
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And these are three wonderful things for us to do as we sing together.
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So Psalm 37, verse 3 to 7, stand and sing to the tune Evan.
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And so thou in the land shalt dwell and verily have food.
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Feel like thyself in what you give.
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Thy heart's beside to thee.
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Thy way to go, go with him trust.
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Good thing God.
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For like noontide of the day.
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Praise Him, the Lord, and patiently
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Wait for Him, do not pray
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For Him who prospered in His way
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The sustenance in the day.
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As we turn to God's Word, let's just pray for a wee moment.
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Father, as Your Word is opened before us,
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please may we be open before You.
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Give us ears that can hear, minds that understand,
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and hearts that burn with love for You.
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Amen.
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I'd like us to turn back to John 11,
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and let me read again at verse 25.
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Jesus said to her,
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I am the resurrection and the life.
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Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live.
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And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
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Do you believe this?
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The Bible is full of amazing promises that God gives to His people
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and that God continues to give to us today.
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Promises that run right through from Genesis all the way through to Revelation.
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And in so many ways, the Gospel rests on these promises of God.
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And one of the wonderful privileges that we have when we come to study God's Word together each week
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is that we can come and hear these promises from God anew.
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We can unpack them.
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We can think about them more.
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Because life is so often full of broken promises.
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So often things don't go the way we want them to go.
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So often we are hurt and let down by other people.
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So often things turn out the way that we wish they hadn't.
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So often life can be difficult.
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And in all those difficulties and challenges that life can bring,
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the promises of the Gospel are what give us hope and comfort and strength.
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And one of the most amazing promises that God gives
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is found in these verses that we're going to look at tonight.
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So we're going to think a little bit more about the words of John 11, 25 and 26.
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And as we do that, we're going to ask four questions.
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What does this promise tell us about God?
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What does this promise tell us about ourselves?
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What is God promising?
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And what does God require of us?
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So first of all, we're asking the question,
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what does this promise tell us about God?
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As we read, the context around these verses
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is the illness and death of Jesus' friend, Lazarus.
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And as we read, Jesus had heard reports that Lazarus was ill.
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He had waited a little longer before he travelled to Bethany.
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And by the time he arrives there,
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Lazarus has died and he's been in the tomb for four days.
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As Jesus approaches Bethany,
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Martha, one of Lazarus' sisters and a close friend of Jesus,
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comes to meet him.
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And John records their conversation.
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Martha said to Jesus,
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Lord, if you'd been here, this is verse 21,
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Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
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But even now I know that whatever you ask from God,
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God will give you.
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Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.
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Then Martha said to him,
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I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
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And it's in response to these words
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that Jesus gives the magnificent promise of 11, 25 and 26.
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And that, of course, is one of the great I am sayings
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that we find in John's gospel.
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But what does it teach us about God?
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Well, what I want us to think about tonight in this section
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is that here we are being reminded of the connection
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between God and life.
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And so it's so crucial that we maintain that connection.
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And if you look at the conversation,
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Martha has been confronted by death.
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Her brother has died.
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And her response to that is to look to Jesus.
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And Jesus responds by telling her,
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your brother will rise again.
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Martha replies by saying, well, yes, that's true.
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He's going to rise again on the last day.
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And what Martha says is true,
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but it's not the whole truth.
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Because Martha believes in the resurrection,
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but when she thinks of it,
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she thinks of the resurrection as a thing
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that's going to happen then.
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In other words, it's an event that lies in the future.
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That's not wrong.
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But it's not the whole truth.
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Jesus responds to that by saying,
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I am the resurrection and the life.
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Now, I want to just unpack that statement a little bit more.
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First of all, Martha was thinking of resurrection
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as a thing that's happening then.
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It's an event sometime in the future.
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Jesus directs her to himself.
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And he says, I am.
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And this, as we said,
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is one of the seven I am sayings
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that we have in John's gospel,
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along with I am the light of the world,
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I am the way, the truth, and the life, etc.
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These are crucial descriptions of Jesus.
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And in all of them,
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there's a very deliberate link
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to the nature and character of God himself.
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I love the fact that the two smallest words in the Bible,
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I am,
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are probably the two most important words in the whole Bible.
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Because if you think back to the Old Testament,
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particularly when Moses met Jesus,
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when God met Moses at the burning bush,
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God reveals his name.
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And his name is these words,
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I am who I am.
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And so when Jesus says,
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I am,
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it's actually a really loaded phrase
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because it's making a direct connection to God.
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All of this is teaching us
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about who Jesus really is
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as God the Son.
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It's teaching us about God.
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And so Jesus says,
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I am the resurrection.
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And he says,
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I am the life.
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And these two words,
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resurrection and life,
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these two words are pointing us
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to what we could call,
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we could call them meta realities.
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Now that's just a fancy way of saying big stuff.
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It's making us think about the big stuff,
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the big questions,
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the big realities of life.
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And in many ways,
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if you think about it,
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the resurrection is pointing us
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to the very end of history.
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It's pointing us to the last day,
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the end point
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in the history of the universe.
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It's the big moment
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that everything is heading towards.
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And if you think about the word life,
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and if you kind of stretch
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what lies behind that word,
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we're thinking about the big reality
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that makes the universe
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more than just existence.
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When you look at the universe,
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it doesn't just exist.
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It's not just a lump of stuff.
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The universe contains life.
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Earth is not just a bare planet.
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It supports life.
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And so if you think about it in those terms,
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we start to realize that
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resurrection is pointing us
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to the very last day,
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the climax of everything.
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Life is actually pointing us back
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to the very first day,
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thinking about where that came from,
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thinking about the source of everything.
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And that's why we're saying
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that this is talking about meta realities.
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We're talking about the source,
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where everything has come from,
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and the destiny to which everything is going.
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And you think to yourself,
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okay, that's the big stuff,
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the big meta realities.
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And we ask the question,
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what lies behind those?
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And that's a question
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that the whole world
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has spent centuries trying to answer.
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What lies behind everything?
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And some people might think,
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well, nothing.
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And there are many people
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who would hold that view today.
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Others might think more
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in terms of like a force,
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maybe a force of physics,
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like gravity,
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maybe something to do with biology,
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like DNA,
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maybe more something like fate
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or chance
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or something like that.
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Other people think
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that behind those realities
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is just a machine
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that keeps going round
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and round and round in circles,
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that life just keeps on going round
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and round and round.
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Lots of people have different ideas
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as to what lies behind
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these big meta realities.
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The Bible tells us something different.
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The Bible tells us
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that behind these meta realities
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is a person.
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And that means
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that according to the Bible's worldview,
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the absolute
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that underlies all reality
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is a person.
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Now, that person has life.
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So he thinks and speaks
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and acts and wills and relates.
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And that person gives life.
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He's the source
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from which all other life comes.
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And all of this means
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that the foundation of life,
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the foundation of all meta realities
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is not something,
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it's someone.
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A true, real, living someone.
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And that person
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is Jesus Christ.
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He is the one who lies
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behind it all.
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If you imagine it
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a wee bit like this,
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if any of you
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like listening to music,
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imagine maybe you like
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listening to Ed Sheeran
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on Spotify.
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If anyone's not heard
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of Ed Sheeran,
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he's just,
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he's like a not quite
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as good version of Costello.
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And you like listening to him.
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And you think to yourself,
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well, I love listening to him
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on my Spotify,
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so I'm going to go and see him.
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And so you book a concert
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in Glasgow at the Ovo
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or whatever location it might be.
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And you think,
29:32
oh, I'm listening to this music.
29:34
I've got my tickets.
29:35
I'm going to go.
29:35
And I'm finally going to get
29:37
to see Ed Sheeran.
29:39
And if you got there
29:41
and all you saw on stage
29:44
was a guitar and a stand
29:47
and a chair
29:49
and a voice recorder,
29:53
you'd be thinking,
29:54
that's not what I came to see.
29:57
And it would make no sense.
30:00
The whole thing only works
30:02
if Ed Sheeran is there himself.
30:05
In other words,
30:06
from the first moment
30:08
when you've listened
30:09
to an Ed Sheeran song
30:10
to the day when you finally get
30:12
to an Ed Sheeran concert,
30:14
behind all of that music
30:15
is a person.
30:19
And the Bible is saying
30:22
that exactly the same
30:24
is true of the universe.
30:27
Behind it all lies Jesus.
30:32
Now, that tells us
30:33
two incredibly important things.
30:35
It tells us, first of all,
30:36
how massive this statement is.
30:38
When Jesus says,
30:39
I am the resurrection and the life,
30:42
he is saying something massive.
30:43
He is saying that he
30:45
is the foundation of all reality.
30:47
He is the end point of all reality.
30:50
You cannot have a first day
30:51
or a last day without Jesus.
30:54
He is the center of all existence.
30:56
He is the ultimate meta-reality.
31:00
And so we're discovering
31:01
how massive this statement
31:03
Jesus makes is.
31:04
But even more so,
31:07
this is showing us,
31:08
this whole passage is showing us,
31:10
that the someone
31:11
who lies behind all existence,
31:15
the absolute
31:16
from which everything else comes,
31:21
is someone
31:22
who is utterly lovely.
31:25
He's kind
31:31
and wise
31:34
and patient
31:36
and fair
31:37
and true
31:39
and compassionate.
31:41
And this is one of the amazing things
31:42
about what the Bible teaches us.
31:44
If you peel back the universe
31:46
to find its ultimate source,
31:49
you find loveliness.
31:50
you find all the beauty
31:55
and goodness
31:57
and grace
31:58
of Jesus.
32:02
And perhaps most importantly of all,
32:04
what you discover
32:05
is that this person is a son.
32:08
He is a son
32:08
who has a father.
32:10
This means that he's not solitary,
32:12
he's not isolated.
32:14
Instead,
32:14
he is relational.
32:15
From all existence,
32:16
he has existed
32:17
in this beautiful relationship
32:19
between God the Father,
32:21
God the Son,
32:21
where the love,
32:22
the infinite,
32:23
eternal love
32:24
between them
32:24
is carried forth
32:25
by the Holy Spirit.
32:28
He is loved,
32:29
he loves,
32:30
he is dependent,
32:31
he is dependent upon,
32:32
he is precious to his Father,
32:34
his Father is precious to him.
32:37
All of this is pointing us back
32:38
to the Bible's absolute of all reality,
32:40
the living God,
32:42
the persons of the Father,
32:43
the Son,
32:44
and the Holy Spirit.
32:45
Now,
32:47
I hope all that makes sense.
32:49
A lot of that's very big stuff
32:51
to think about.
32:52
I hope that that's not too complicated.
32:54
Put simply,
32:56
Jesus is telling us
32:57
that the absolute
32:59
that lies behind reality
33:01
is not a dead thing.
33:06
It's a living person.
33:09
It's him.
33:12
And that means
33:13
that the norm
33:15
for reality
33:16
is not deadness.
33:19
The norm for reality
33:21
is life.
33:24
And that's an incredibly important thing
33:26
for us to remember.
33:28
And I hope we'll see that in a moment.
33:29
We need to go on to question two.
33:31
What does this promise
33:32
tell us
33:33
about ourselves?
33:35
Well,
33:35
the big thing that I want to highlight here
33:37
is that
33:37
this passage is telling us
33:39
that your life is precious.
33:43
Now,
33:44
you might be thinking,
33:44
well,
33:44
I know that.
33:45
And we all spend a lot of our time
33:47
trying to preserve and protect
33:48
our lives.
33:50
But
33:51
what I want us to see
33:53
is that your life
33:54
actually matters
33:56
way,
33:57
way more
33:58
than we tend
33:59
to realize.
34:00
we tend to think
34:01
that life is precious
34:03
because it's short
34:04
and fragile.
34:06
And that's true
34:07
in so many ways.
34:08
And we want
34:10
to protect ourselves
34:11
because
34:11
we know that actually
34:12
our lives
34:13
sometimes
34:15
we're confronted
34:16
by the fact
34:17
that we realize
34:17
our lives
34:18
are actually
34:18
hanging by
34:20
not very much
34:20
and it's far more fragile
34:23
than we sometimes realize.
34:24
And so we think
34:24
when your life is short,
34:26
life goes by
34:26
so quickly
34:27
and so we think
34:28
we need to make
34:28
the most of it.
34:30
We need to protect it.
34:32
Life is precious.
34:33
So we tend to think
34:34
life is precious.
34:35
Be careful with it.
34:36
Life is precious.
34:37
Make the most of it
34:39
because it's short.
34:40
God doesn't think like that.
34:44
God thinks
34:44
in a way
34:46
that is far better.
34:49
God thinks
34:50
life is precious.
34:53
Make it last forever.
34:55
So when we read
35:00
of Lazarus
35:01
being ill
35:01
when we read
35:03
of two sisters
35:04
losing their brother
35:05
we think
35:06
well that's a shame
35:07
but it's normal.
35:10
And Thomas
35:11
sums it up
35:11
really well
35:12
in verse 16
35:13
when he said
35:14
to the other disciples
35:15
well let's go to Bethany
35:16
so that we can die
35:18
with them.
35:18
Because to Thomas
35:19
to the disciples
35:20
to all of these people
35:21
death just seems
35:22
inevitable
35:23
and we think
35:23
like that as well.
35:24
So though we try
35:25
to push it away
35:25
though we try
35:26
to protect ourselves
35:27
from it
35:27
when it does come
35:28
we kind of resign
35:29
to it and think
35:30
well death is going
35:30
to come.
35:31
It's inevitable.
35:33
We just have
35:34
to accept it.
35:35
Jesus does not
35:36
think like that.
35:40
Jesus does not
35:41
think like that.
35:44
Because from
35:44
Jesus' perspective
35:45
death is not normal.
35:48
Death is not
35:49
inevitable.
35:51
Death is not
35:51
acceptable.
35:52
death is
35:53
fundamentally wrong.
35:56
And that's brought
35:57
out very very
35:57
powerfully in this
35:58
passage but we
35:59
don't actually see
36:00
it very clearly
36:00
in the English
36:01
translation that
36:03
we have before us.
36:04
So if you look
36:04
at verse 33
36:05
of John chapter 11
36:07
it says that
36:08
when Jesus saw
36:09
her weeping
36:10
and the Jews
36:12
who had come
36:12
with her also
36:13
weeping
36:13
he was deeply
36:15
moved in his
36:16
spirit
36:16
and greatly
36:17
troubled.
36:19
And so when you
36:19
read that verse
36:20
you tend to think
36:20
of Jesus
36:21
sees Mary
36:23
coming and
36:24
sees her weeping
36:24
sees the Jews
36:26
with her also
36:27
weeping
36:27
and you see
36:28
his heart
36:29
I don't know
36:30
how you describe it
36:31
but you see him
36:32
feeling sorrowful
36:34
and moved
36:35
and sympathetic
36:38
and sad
36:41
to see them
36:42
suffering.
36:43
but deeply
36:45
moved isn't
36:45
really what the
36:46
word in Greek
36:46
means.
36:47
The word in
36:48
Greek that
36:49
describes how
36:50
Jesus felt
36:50
in this moment
36:51
actually means
36:52
outraged.
36:55
It's a word
36:55
that means
36:56
angry
36:56
means very
36:58
angry.
36:59
Jesus is
36:59
outraged
37:00
at what he
37:01
sees
37:02
and that's
37:03
so important
37:04
for us to
37:04
recognize
37:05
because to
37:05
Jesus
37:05
the illness
37:07
and the
37:08
death of
37:08
this man
37:09
was wrong
37:09
and the
37:10
pain
37:10
that these
37:11
sisters
37:11
felt
37:12
was wrong
37:13
and the
37:14
agony
37:14
of separation
37:15
that many
37:16
of you
37:16
have experienced
37:17
is wrong
37:18
because to
37:20
Jesus
37:21
death is not
37:22
just this
37:23
inevitable part
37:24
of life
37:25
that we hate
37:26
that we have
37:26
to accept
37:27
to Jesus
37:27
death is
37:28
an utter
37:29
outrage
37:30
and if you
37:32
think about it
37:32
no wonder
37:33
it's an outrage
37:34
because he is
37:35
the source
37:36
of life
37:36
he is the
37:38
one from
37:39
whom
37:39
life has
37:40
come
37:40
and here
37:42
it's as though
37:43
Jesus is
37:44
standing
37:44
before the
37:46
tomb of
37:46
his friend
37:47
and his
37:47
arch enemy
37:48
is mocking
37:49
him
37:49
as though
37:50
to say
37:50
look at
37:50
this
37:50
you didn't
37:51
get it
37:51
in time
37:52
look at
37:53
this
37:53
your friend's
37:54
gone
37:55
look at
37:56
this
37:56
there's
37:56
another one
37:57
in the
37:57
tomb
37:58
and there's
37:59
many many
38:00
more
38:00
coming
38:01
look at
38:02
all these
38:02
precious
38:03
people dying
38:04
Lazarus
38:05
is just
38:05
one of
38:05
the many
38:06
many lives
38:06
that you
38:07
can't
38:08
save
38:08
no wonder
38:10
Jesus was
38:10
outraged
38:11
and no
38:12
wonder
38:12
he says
38:13
take that
38:14
stone away
38:14
and no
38:16
wonder
38:16
he says
38:17
Lazarus
38:18
come out
38:19
and in
38:22
doing that
38:23
Jesus is
38:23
giving us
38:24
a glimpse
38:25
of what
38:25
his mission
38:26
is all
38:26
about
38:27
he has
38:29
come
38:29
to give
38:31
life
38:32
he has
38:34
come
38:34
to defeat
38:36
death
38:37
and all
38:40
of that
38:40
tells you
38:41
that your
38:42
life matters
38:43
and I want
38:45
you to
38:45
recognize that
38:46
whether you
38:47
are young
38:47
and hoping
38:48
for a lot
38:49
of life
38:49
ahead of you
38:50
whether you're
38:52
in the middle
38:53
like me
38:53
and you're
38:53
like well
38:54
I don't
38:54
know if
38:54
I've got
38:54
as much
38:55
ahead of
38:55
me
38:55
as I do
38:55
behind me
38:56
or whether
38:56
you're
38:57
further on
38:57
and you're
38:58
absolutely
38:59
aware
38:59
that
39:00
most of
39:02
your life
39:02
story lies
39:03
behind you
39:04
I want you
39:05
all to
39:05
recognize that
39:06
your life
39:07
matters
39:08
and so
39:10
if you are
39:11
ill
39:11
and your
39:14
body is
39:14
suffering
39:15
because of
39:16
the fact
39:16
that sin
39:17
has left
39:18
us decaying
39:19
if you are
39:21
hurt
39:21
where life
39:23
has bruised
39:23
you and
39:24
battered you
39:24
and knocked
39:25
you
39:25
and if
39:27
you are
39:28
confronted
39:28
with death
39:29
either the
39:29
fear of
39:30
death
39:30
yourself
39:31
or the
39:31
agony of
39:32
death
39:32
in losing
39:33
somebody
39:34
you love
39:34
I want
39:35
you to
39:35
realize
39:36
that the
39:36
absolute
39:37
of the
39:38
universe
39:38
is
39:38
outraged
39:39
and why
39:43
is he
39:43
outraged
39:44
because
39:47
your life
39:47
is precious
39:48
because
39:51
you
39:51
matter
39:52
to him
39:52
so
39:56
what is
39:57
God
39:57
promising
39:57
that's
39:59
our
39:59
third
39:59
question
40:00
go back
40:03
to verse
40:03
25
40:04
Jesus said
40:04
to her
40:04
I am
40:05
the
40:05
resurrection
40:06
and the
40:06
life
40:06
whoever
40:07
believes
40:08
in me
40:08
though
40:09
he die
40:09
yet he
40:10
shall
40:11
live
40:11
and
40:12
everyone
40:12
who
40:12
lives
40:12
and
40:13
believes
40:13
in me
40:13
shall
40:13
never
40:14
die
40:14
do
40:14
you
40:14
believe
40:15
this
40:15
as
40:16
we
40:16
said
40:17
a
40:17
minute
40:17
ago
40:17
in
40:18
this
40:19
passage
40:19
and
40:19
for
40:19
all
40:19
of
40:20
us
40:20
in
40:20
our
40:20
experience
40:20
there's
40:21
just
40:21
a
40:21
kind
40:21
of
40:21
inevitability
40:22
about
40:23
death
40:24
you see
40:25
it
40:25
in
40:25
Thomas
40:26
you see
40:26
it
40:26
in
40:26
Martha
40:27
and
40:27
Mary
40:27
and
40:28
they
40:28
kind
40:28
of
40:28
come
40:28
saying
40:29
if
40:29
only
40:29
you'd
40:29
been
40:29
here
40:30
as if
40:30
to say
40:31
well
40:31
obviously
40:32
otherwise
40:32
it's
40:33
just
40:33
completely
40:34
inevitable
40:34
and we
40:35
all face
40:35
the same
40:36
reality
40:36
so no
40:37
matter
40:38
what
40:39
our
40:39
lives
40:39
are
40:40
the
40:41
final
40:41
clause
40:43
in our
40:44
life
40:44
story
40:44
is
40:45
always
40:45
going
40:45
to
40:45
be
40:46
yet
40:47
he
40:47
will
40:47
die
40:48
yet
40:50
she
40:50
will
40:50
die
40:51
and
40:53
so
40:53
you
40:55
might
40:55
get
40:55
a
40:55
brilliant
40:56
job
40:56
and
40:56
you
40:56
might
40:57
have
40:57
a
40:57
really
40:58
successful
40:58
career
40:59
and
40:59
everything
40:59
might
41:00
go
41:00
every
41:01
way
41:01
you
41:02
dreamt
41:02
of
41:02
in
41:02
terms
41:02
of
41:03
what
41:03
you
41:03
achieve
41:03
in
41:04
your
41:04
work
41:04
yet
41:05
you'll
41:06
die
41:06
you
41:08
might
41:08
be
41:08
able
41:08
to
41:08
build
41:08
the
41:08
house
41:09
of
41:09
your
41:09
dreams
41:09
and
41:10
you
41:10
think
41:10
everything
41:11
that
41:11
you
41:11
dreamed
41:11
of
41:12
and
41:12
you
41:12
build
41:12
the
41:12
house
41:12
and
41:13
it's
41:13
there
41:13
and
41:13
you
41:14
make
41:14
a
41:14
nice
41:15
garden
41:15
and
41:16
it's
41:16
just
41:16
everything
41:17
that
41:17
you
41:17
wanted
41:17
it
41:18
to
41:18
be
41:18
yet
41:18
you'll
41:19
die
41:19
and
41:23
you
41:23
might
41:23
think
41:23
well I
41:24
really
41:24
want
41:24
to
41:24
make
41:24
a
41:24
name
41:25
for
41:25
myself
41:25
and
41:25
many
41:26
people
41:26
have
41:26
made
41:27
a
41:27
massive
41:27
name
41:28
for
41:28
themselves
41:28
and
41:29
even
41:29
the
41:29
people
41:29
who
41:30
are
41:30
the
41:30
most
41:30
famous
41:31
in
41:31
the
41:31
world
41:31
have
41:32
the
41:32
same
41:32
final
41:33
clause
41:33
in
41:33
their
41:33
life
41:33
story
41:34
yet
41:34
she'll
41:34
die
41:35
yet
41:37
he
41:38
will
41:38
die
41:38
it's
41:41
inevitable
41:41
and
41:43
all
41:45
the
41:45
other
41:45
stuff
41:45
just
41:46
kind
41:46
of
41:46
shrinks
41:46
in
41:47
terms
41:47
of
41:47
its
41:47
significance
41:48
the
41:48
house
41:48
the
41:49
job
41:49
the
41:49
success
41:49
the
41:50
fame
41:50
the
41:50
whatever
41:50
because
41:51
our
41:52
death
41:53
is
41:53
inevitable
41:53
and
41:55
it
41:55
takes
41:55
all
41:56
of
41:56
that
41:56
away
41:57
and
41:57
the
41:58
key
41:58
point
41:58
I
41:58
want
41:58
you
41:59
to
41:59
see
41:59
in
41:59
these
41:59
verses
41:59
is
42:00
that
42:00
Jesus
42:01
is
42:01
promising
42:02
us
42:02
a
42:03
new
42:03
inevitable
42:04
Jesus
42:06
is
42:06
promising
42:07
a
42:07
new
42:08
inevitable
42:09
so
42:10
if
42:10
you
42:10
look
42:10
at
42:10
verse
42:10
25
42:11
you
42:12
can
42:12
see
42:12
that
42:12
the
42:12
clause
42:13
where
42:13
it
42:13
says
42:14
though
42:15
he
42:16
die
42:16
so
42:16
you
42:17
see
42:17
it
42:17
just
42:17
towards
42:17
the
42:17
end
42:18
Jesus
42:18
said
42:18
though
42:20
he
42:20
die
42:20
I
42:22
was
42:23
useless
42:23
at
42:23
English
42:23
in
42:24
school
42:24
so
42:24
I
42:24
don't
42:25
really
42:25
know
42:25
the
42:25
grammatical
42:26
term
42:26
for
42:26
this
42:26
but
42:26
basically
42:27
those
42:27
three
42:28
words
42:28
have
42:29
what we
42:29
could
42:29
call
42:29
it
42:30
actually
42:31
doesn't
42:31
matter
42:31
statement
42:32
because
42:33
that's
42:33
what's
42:33
being
42:34
conveyed
42:34
here
42:34
the
42:34
fact
42:34
that
42:35
those
42:35
three
42:35
words
42:35
actually
42:36
don't
42:36
matter
42:36
they're
42:36
not
42:37
the
42:37
final
42:37
story
42:38
those
42:39
words
42:40
don't
42:41
have
42:42
the
42:42
final
42:42
say
42:42
what
42:44
has
42:44
the
42:44
final
42:44
say
42:45
is
42:46
the
42:46
words
42:46
that
42:47
come
42:47
after
42:47
in
42:50
other
42:50
words
42:50
the
42:50
though
42:51
she
42:51
may
42:51
die
42:52
though
42:52
he
42:53
may
42:53
die
42:53
but
42:53
in
42:54
the
42:54
sentence
42:55
is
42:55
not
42:56
the
42:56
inevitable
42:56
but
42:57
there's
42:57
a
42:57
new
42:57
inevitable
42:58
the
42:59
new
42:59
inevitable
43:00
is
43:02
that
43:02
we
43:02
shall
43:02
live
43:03
and
43:06
there
43:08
is
43:08
no
43:08
comeback
43:09
on
43:09
that
43:09
everyone
43:11
who
43:12
believes
43:13
in
43:13
Jesus
43:14
shall
43:15
live
43:16
and
43:17
that
43:17
means
43:17
that
43:17
for
43:18
everyone
43:18
if
43:18
you
43:19
put
43:19
your
43:19
trust
43:19
in
43:19
Jesus
43:20
if
43:20
you
43:20
are
43:20
a
43:20
Christian
43:20
or
43:21
if
43:21
you
43:21
become
43:21
a
43:22
Christian
43:22
the
43:23
final
43:24
word
43:24
for
43:24
you
43:24
is
43:24
not
43:25
yet
43:25
you
43:25
will
43:26
die
43:26
the
43:27
final
43:27
word
43:27
for
43:28
you
43:28
is
43:28
yet
43:28
you
43:29
will
43:29
live
43:30
yet
43:31
you
43:31
will
43:31
live
43:32
forever
43:33
with
43:33
Jesus
43:34
so
43:35
you
43:35
might
43:35
have
43:35
an
43:36
absolutely
43:36
awful
43:37
week
43:37
this
43:37
week
43:37
yet
43:38
you
43:38
will
43:38
live
43:38
you
43:40
might
43:40
get a
43:40
terrible
43:41
diagnosis
43:41
this
43:42
year
43:42
and
43:43
maybe
43:43
some
43:43
of
43:43
you
43:43
are
43:43
living
43:44
with
43:44
those
43:44
diagnoses
43:45
yet
43:46
you
43:46
will
43:46
live
43:47
you
43:48
might
43:48
not
43:49
get
43:49
the
43:49
job
43:49
or the
43:50
house
43:50
or the
43:51
marriage
43:51
that you
43:52
dreamed
43:52
of
43:52
yet
43:52
you
43:53
will
43:53
live
43:53
you
43:56
might
43:56
have
43:56
your
43:57
heart
43:57
broken
43:58
many
43:58
many
43:58
times
43:59
in this
43:59
life
44:00
yet
44:00
you
44:01
will
44:01
live
44:02
that's
44:04
the new
44:04
inevitable
44:05
that the
44:06
gospel
44:06
promises
44:07
and it
44:08
all
44:09
makes
44:09
perfect
44:09
sense
44:10
because
44:10
the
44:10
reason
44:11
your
44:11
new
44:12
inevitable
44:13
as a
44:14
person
44:14
can be
44:15
life
44:15
is because
44:16
the
44:16
absolute
44:17
of the
44:17
universe
44:17
is a
44:18
living
44:18
person
44:18
who
44:19
gives
44:19
life
44:20
and
44:21
that's
44:21
so
44:22
so
44:22
crucial
44:22
for us
44:23
to
44:23
recognize
44:23
this is
44:24
how we
44:24
need
44:24
to
44:24
understand
44:25
reality
44:25
and
44:25
this
44:25
is
44:26
where
44:26
what
44:26
the
44:27
bible
44:27
teaches
44:27
and
44:28
what
44:28
everybody
44:28
around
44:28
us
44:28
thinks
44:29
are
44:29
completely
44:29
opposite
44:30
because
44:31
the
44:31
world
44:31
tends
44:32
to
44:32
view
44:32
reality
44:33
a little
44:33
bit
44:33
like
44:33
this
44:34
I
44:35
don't
44:37
nothing
44:44
nothing
44:45
nothing
44:45
nothing
44:45
nothing
44:45
nothing
44:45
and then
44:46
there's
44:46
this
44:46
wee blip
44:47
of life
44:47
for a
44:49
few
44:49
billion
44:49
years
44:50
where
44:50
the
44:50
universe
44:51
comes
44:51
into
44:51
existence
44:51
and
44:52
there's
44:52
life
44:53
and
44:53
everything
44:53
and
44:53
all
44:53
that
44:54
stuff
44:54
and
44:54
slowly
44:55
it
44:55
all
44:55
starts
44:56
to
44:56
burn
44:56
up
44:56
and
44:57
disappear
44:57
until
44:57
the
44:58
end
44:58
it
44:58
all
44:58
collapses
44:58
and
44:58
we
44:59
go
44:59
back
44:59
to
44:59
deadness
45:00
so
45:01
it's
45:01
a
45:01
little
45:01
bit
45:01
like
45:01
you
45:02
start
45:02
with
45:02
death
45:03
there's
45:04
start
45:04
with
45:04
deadness
45:05
there's
45:06
this
45:06
this
45:07
anomaly
45:08
in the
45:08
middle
45:08
called
45:09
life
45:09
and
45:10
then
45:10
there's
45:11
a
45:11
death
45:11
erection
45:12
at
45:13
the
45:13
end
45:13
but
45:14
everything
45:14
just
45:14
becomes
45:15
dead
45:16
again
45:17
and
45:18
that's
45:18
actually
45:19
how most
45:20
people would
45:20
view reality
45:21
in Britain
45:22
today
45:23
the Bible
45:24
says
45:25
the opposite
45:26
the exact
45:28
opposite
45:28
in the Bible's
45:30
worldview
45:30
the norm
45:31
is life
45:32
life is
45:33
what everything
45:34
came from
45:34
the life
45:35
of the living
45:35
God
45:35
father son
45:36
and holy
45:37
spirit
45:37
the anomaly
45:38
in the middle
45:39
is death
45:39
that's the
45:40
intrusion
45:41
sin has
45:42
brought in
45:42
something
45:42
that was
45:43
never meant
45:44
to be
45:44
there
45:44
something
45:45
that has
45:45
ruined
45:46
what God
45:46
has
45:47
created
45:48
and
45:49
that's
45:50
why
45:51
it's
45:51
all going
45:52
to end
45:52
with a
45:52
resurrection
45:53
everybody
45:55
restored
45:56
to life
45:57
everyone
45:58
appearing
45:58
before the
45:59
judgment
45:59
seat
45:59
of the
46:00
living
46:00
God
46:00
and the
46:01
whole
46:01
point
46:01
of Jesus
46:02
mission
46:02
is to
46:02
break
46:03
the power
46:04
of death
46:04
to undo
46:05
that anomaly
46:06
to put
46:07
right the
46:07
wrong
46:08
and to
46:09
give
46:09
you
46:10
life
46:11
and at the
46:13
heart of that
46:13
life is two
46:14
things that we
46:15
see in this
46:15
chapter
46:16
there's
46:17
individual
46:18
preciousness
46:19
and precious
46:20
togetherness
46:21
individual
46:23
preciousness
46:24
and precious
46:26
togetherness
46:27
so Jesus
46:28
restores
46:29
your life
46:30
for everyone
46:31
here who's a
46:31
Christian
46:32
for everyone
46:32
who becomes a
46:33
Christian
46:33
Jesus
46:33
restores
46:34
your life
46:35
because you
46:35
as an
46:36
individual
46:36
are precious
46:38
and so he
46:39
died to take
46:39
your sin
46:40
he died in
46:41
your place
46:41
and you are
46:42
united to him
46:42
in the power
46:43
of his
46:43
resurrection
46:44
because you
46:45
as an
46:45
individual
46:46
are precious
46:47
but Jesus
46:47
also restores
46:49
your life
46:50
so that other
46:51
people can enjoy
46:52
your company
46:53
and so that you
46:55
can enjoy theirs
46:56
so that there's
46:57
this beautiful
46:57
togetherness
46:58
in the new
46:59
humanity
46:59
that Jesus
47:00
is restoring
47:01
through his
47:01
death and
47:02
resurrection
47:02
and you see
47:03
this so
47:04
clearly
47:04
in Lazarus
47:05
Jesus
47:06
wept at
47:07
the grave
47:08
of this
47:08
individual
47:09
this dear
47:12
friend
47:12
who Jesus
47:14
knew and
47:15
loved
47:15
Lazarus
47:16
the individual
47:17
mattered
47:18
to Jesus
47:19
and you
47:20
as an
47:20
individual
47:21
matter to
47:22
him as
47:22
well
47:23
but the
47:23
amazing
47:23
thing
47:24
about
47:25
Lazarus
47:25
is that
47:26
you never
47:26
hear him
47:26
talk
47:27
when you
47:29
look at
47:30
all
47:30
he's like a
47:31
key figure
47:31
in the
47:31
gospel
47:31
but you
47:32
never
47:32
hear him
47:32
talk
47:33
instead
47:35
he's
47:36
always
47:37
described
47:38
in terms
47:39
of his
47:39
relationship
47:40
with other
47:40
people
47:41
so he's
47:44
described
47:44
as a
47:46
friend
47:46
as a
47:48
brother
47:49
and in
47:50
chapter 11
47:51
his death
47:52
is mourned
47:53
but in
47:53
chapter 12
47:54
you find
47:54
Lazarus
47:55
again
47:55
and he's
47:56
having a
47:56
meal
47:56
with his
47:57
friends
47:58
everyone
47:59
is enjoying
48:00
being
48:00
together
48:01
and so
48:02
Jesus
48:02
promises
48:03
you
48:03
life
48:04
because
48:04
you
48:04
are
48:05
precious
48:05
to him
48:06
and because
48:07
you are
48:07
precious
48:08
to others
48:09
that there's
48:09
this collective
48:10
preciousness
48:11
this beautiful
48:13
togetherness
48:14
that lies
48:15
at the heart
48:16
of the gospel
48:17
and the result
48:18
is that for all
48:18
of us who
48:19
trust in Jesus
48:20
we can enjoy
48:20
this amazing
48:22
togetherness
48:23
and I think
48:23
that the meal
48:24
that Lazarus
48:25
shares
48:25
is a glimpse
48:26
of this
48:26
I think it's a
48:26
beautiful picture
48:27
that Lazarus
48:28
has died
48:29
Lazarus
48:30
is restored
48:31
to life
48:31
through Jesus
48:32
the very next
48:33
thing we see
48:33
him doing
48:34
is having a
48:34
meal with his
48:35
friends
48:36
with his
48:38
fellow believers
48:38
and I think
48:40
that that's
48:41
a beautiful
48:42
picture of how
48:43
the gospel
48:43
works because
48:44
you as an
48:44
individual are
48:45
saved and
48:46
then you're
48:46
brought into
48:47
this beautiful
48:47
family called
48:48
the church
48:49
where precious
48:51
individuals enjoy
48:53
beautiful
48:54
togetherness
48:55
side by
48:56
side
48:57
and it's
48:59
all reminding
49:00
us that the
49:00
new life
49:01
that the gospel
49:01
gives starts
49:02
now and the
49:04
church is always
49:05
meant to be a
49:06
glimpse that the
49:07
world can see of
49:08
all the beauty
49:09
and joy and
49:10
goodness of the
49:11
life to come in
49:12
the new creation
49:13
and that's why
49:15
as we come to
49:16
faith in Jesus
49:17
we leave sin
49:18
and deadness
49:20
behind and
49:21
again you see
49:22
that reality in
49:23
Lazarus because
49:24
when Jesus calls
49:26
him out of the
49:26
grave Lazarus
49:27
comes out and
49:29
his hands and
49:30
feet are bound
49:30
with linen
49:31
strips his face
49:32
is wrapped with
49:32
a cloth Jesus
49:33
said to them
49:34
unbind him and
49:36
let him go and
49:37
I think that
49:38
there's an
49:38
incredibly important
49:39
truth conveyed in
49:40
those words unbind
49:41
him and let him
49:42
go we come to
49:43
faith in Jesus
49:44
and sin still
49:46
kind of has its
49:47
grip on us we're
49:48
still wrapped with
49:49
all the mess of
49:50
our mistakes and
49:51
all the kind of
49:51
bad choices that
49:53
we make and all
49:54
the attraction that
49:54
we have towards
49:55
sin and all the
49:56
attitudes that
49:56
have been just
49:58
cultivated in a
49:58
life that's not
49:59
centered on Jesus
50:00
and then as we
50:01
come to faith in
50:02
Jesus and turn to
50:03
him and follow him
50:04
Jesus is saying
50:05
get all that off
50:06
you
50:07
unbind him
50:10
let him go
50:11
live in the
50:12
freedom of the
50:14
gospel in other
50:15
words live life
50:17
have the life
50:20
that I created you
50:22
to have
50:23
love and that's
50:24
why there is such
50:25
an amazing change
50:26
now for everybody
50:29
who comes to
50:31
faith in Jesus
50:31
but ultimately it
50:33
will be fully
50:33
enjoyed then at
50:35
the resurrection
50:36
when we will be
50:37
brought into the
50:38
new creation and
50:40
when you look at
50:40
the Bible's
50:41
descriptions of
50:42
that new creation
50:43
the descriptions
50:44
picture just
50:45
beautiful togetherness
50:47
of God's people
50:47
enjoying life you've
50:49
got imagery of a
50:50
heavenly banquet
50:51
you've got imagery
50:51
of a marriage
50:53
supper of the
50:53
lamb nobody has a
50:54
banquet on their
50:54
own nobody has a
50:56
marriage on their
50:57
own it's all about
50:58
togetherness Jesus
50:59
reclaiming us from
51:01
the kingdom of
51:01
darkness restoring us
51:03
to life and bringing
51:04
us into his kingdom
51:05
where we can enjoy
51:06
the fullness of his
51:09
life together oh God
51:11
is promising us so so
51:14
much and you think
51:16
of every single way in
51:17
which life is rubbish
51:19
just now every way in
51:21
which friendships are
51:22
broken families are
51:24
torn apart every time
51:26
we're hurt by other
51:27
people every time we
51:28
feel lonely every time
51:29
we feel isolated every
51:30
bruise that's hit our
51:31
heart then it's going
51:34
to be none of that
51:35
ever again instead we
51:40
will be together every
51:41
single believer will be
51:42
together with Jesus and
51:44
we will see the most
51:45
beautiful version of one
51:47
another as the power of
51:49
sin is broken forever and
51:52
the grave clothes are
51:53
fully unbound and fully
51:55
left behind and together
51:57
we will reflect the
51:59
beauty and glory of
52:00
Jesus together in his
52:02
kingdom what is God
52:04
promising us he is
52:05
promising us an amazing
52:08
life that begins now and
52:11
that will last forever
52:12
last question what does God
52:17
require of you for all of
52:18
that well the answers in
52:23
our verses he wants you to
52:27
believe in him everyone who
52:32
lives and believes in me shall
52:35
never die and the key point
52:39
here is that that Jesus is not
52:43
asking us to believe things
52:44
he's not asking us to believe
52:46
information he's not asking us
52:48
to believe even in a
52:50
particular world view we're not
52:52
being asked to believe in things
52:54
we're being asked to believe a
52:55
person he's asking us to believe
53:00
him and that's where it all comes
53:03
together perfectly the absolute of
53:05
the universe is a person Jesus and
53:07
all that's required of us is to
53:09
believe in him to trust him and
53:12
it's reminding us that the whole
53:13
gospel is to be understood in
53:15
terms of a relationship no wonder
53:17
because the absolute of reality is
53:18
the triune God in an eternal
53:20
perfect beautiful relationship and
53:23
at the heart of any relationship is
53:24
trust
53:25
and you know that's true in any
53:29
family in any work relationship with
53:32
friends in any way in a church for a
53:35
relationship to function there's got
53:36
to be trust and when trust isn't
53:38
there you either have enmity where
53:40
people fall out or you have
53:41
manipulation where somebody might be
53:43
trusting somebody but they're
53:44
actually not trustworthy and they're
53:46
not doing or being what they said
53:49
that they would be a true healthy
53:51
relationship involves trust and
53:54
that's why being a Christian doesn't
53:56
mean bargaining with Jesus it doesn't
53:59
mean you think you know well okay I
54:01
well Jesus if you do this maybe for me
54:03
then I will follow you that's not the
54:05
basis for the gospel nor does being a
54:08
Christian mean impressing Jesus it's
54:09
not saying well Jesus look I I think
54:11
I can do this I'll try I'll make sure
54:13
I don't make that mistake again and
54:14
I'll keep it as good as I can be
54:15
that's not the gospel and it doesn't
54:18
mean using Jesus where we think well
54:20
oh yes Jesus I'm in a crisis right
54:22
now can you help me and then we go
54:23
through the rest of our lives as though
54:25
he's not there at all that is not
54:27
what the gospel involves the gospel
54:29
involves trusting him and that's all
54:34
it involves we trust him and follow
54:41
him so often we make make two mistakes
54:46
when we approach the gospel and we do
54:48
this as Christians and we do this as
54:49
non-Christians so often we play down or
54:53
minimize what we think Jesus will do for
54:55
us and we amplify what we must do for
55:00
him so we kind of we kind of minimize
55:02
what we think Jesus will do for us so
55:04
we sometimes think well Jesus is
55:05
important but he's probably going to
55:07
spoil my life and maybe you know I know
55:11
that my sins need to be forgiven but I
55:13
kind of don't really want to surrender
55:15
my independence and he'll maybe he'll
55:18
maybe kind of get in the way of my life
55:19
a wee bit or we might think well yes
55:21
Jesus he'll give me the ticket to
55:23
heaven that I know I'm going to need
55:24
when I die but just now I'd kind of
55:26
quite like to just keep him to one
55:27
side in my life because we kind of
55:29
think that you know what Jesus is
55:31
probably going to just interfere with
55:33
my life or spoil it or do something to
55:36
me that I don't want him to do so we
55:38
kind of play down what we think Jesus
55:40
will do for us and at the very same
55:41
time we amplify what we need to do for
55:44
him so we think well okay I need to
55:47
learn more I need to understand more
55:49
I need to be better at attending
55:50
church I need to become more diligent
55:52
in my my my my personal study time and
55:55
devotions I need to make sure that I
55:57
don't make these mistakes and I need
55:58
to kind of actually just get my life
56:00
in order and then I'll be able to
56:01
follow Jesus so we have these two
56:02
views where we kind of minimize what
56:04
Jesus has done or we reduce it we
56:06
kind of amplify what we have to do
56:08
both of them are completely wrong
56:09
the gospel is the opposite
56:14
what Jesus will do for you is beyond
56:20
anything that I can describe
56:22
Jesus's love for you is deeper and
56:29
stronger than anything that I can
56:31
convey and Jesus's promises for you are
56:35
bigger and better than anything that I
56:39
could set before you with my words
56:41
tonight and what Jesus will promise
56:43
what Jesus is promising us in the
56:45
future when we we will step into the
56:47
new creation and we will be there for
56:49
one second and we will think wow this
56:53
is beyond anything that I imagined and
56:56
so what Jesus will really do for you is
56:58
just way way way bigger than what we
57:02
imagine and what Jesus requires of you in
57:05
in comparison to that is never bigger
57:10
than one word
57:11
believe
57:16
you don't need to add any extra
57:24
requirements to that
57:25
you don't need to bring any impressive
57:29
knowledge
57:30
you don't need to you don't need to know
57:35
this that and the next thing
57:37
all you need to do
57:41
is believe in him
57:44
and that's what makes the gospel so
57:48
amazing that's the astounding truth of
57:50
the gospel Jesus is saying I am the
57:52
resurrection and the life I am the
57:53
absolute of the universe I am the
57:55
source of all life I am the beginning
57:57
and the end you are precious to me your
58:00
life matters I've come to save you from
58:02
death I am outraged by the fact that
58:05
death is threatening you I have come to
58:07
save you in fact I have come to die
58:09
instead of you
58:10
and though you may suffer and though you
58:15
may get ill and though you will die
58:17
physically yet you will never die because
58:22
I'll never forget you and I will delight
58:26
over you and I will delight in you being
58:29
with me for all eternity along with all
58:32
your brothers and sisters that is the
58:33
promise of the gospel that is what
58:35
Jesus wants and Jesus is saying for all
58:38
of that to happen for you to receive all
58:40
these promises I will do everything I'll
58:42
do absolutely everything you don't have
58:46
to do anything just trust me and that's
58:52
when we see that the question at the end of
58:55
verse 26 becomes the most important
58:59
question you'll ever ask
59:00
do you believe this
59:04
amen let's pray
59:10
Lord Jesus we just thank you so much for who you
59:20
are you are the resurrection and the life and
59:23
thank you for everything that you've done
59:26
for us and help us all just to live out this
59:30
week and every week of our lives and with our
59:34
minds and our attitudes and our whole lives
59:37
shaped by the gospel by the reality of who you
59:41
are and of everything that you've done and if
59:43
there's anyone here who's maybe not yet come to
59:45
faith or not sure I'll help them just to hear that
59:50
beautifully simple command to believe
59:53
amen
59:55
we're going to conclude with I think the greatest
1:00:06
resurrection song that was ever written
1:00:08
psalm 16 and we're going to sing the sing psalms
1:00:11
version on page 17
1:00:13
and we're singing from verse 7
1:00:23
I'll praise the Lord my God whose counsel guides my
1:00:27
choice and even in the night my heart recalls
1:00:29
instructions voice this is and the words we're going
1:00:32
to sing are quoted in the New Testament all
1:00:35
directly referencing the resurrection of Jesus
1:00:38
Jesus and we can sing with joy down to the words of
1:00:41
eleven you have made known to me the path of life
1:00:44
divine bliss shall I know at your right hand joy from
1:00:48
your face will shine we'll sing to the tune Golden Hill
1:00:52
and we'll stand together
1:00:53
amen
1:00:54
I'll praise the Lord my God whose counsel guides my
1:01:12
choice and even in the night my heart recalls my
1:01:22
heart recalls my instructions voice before me constantly I
1:01:29
said the Lord alone before me constantly I said the Lord alone he
1:01:50
voice and I'll king the bell the Lordden home my heart
1:01:59
clearly knows his favorite the man who died by 신
1:02:00
a lot of choices and and and for the more mie
1:02:03
heard the Lord soisten to the Lord through me Fed can however he
1:02:08
heard my heart tell them life
1:02:19
With glory we'll sing
1:02:26
My holy tomb
1:02:32
Will be secure
1:02:36
In war of me
1:02:42
For you will
1:02:49
What I love
1:02:53
My soul
1:02:57
In death to stay
1:03:01
How will you
1:03:07
In your holy heart
1:03:13
To see
1:03:15
Aogenic day
1:03:21
You are
1:03:41
I know that you I can
1:03:49
For in hope your face will shine
1:03:57
As you go into a new week together
1:04:01
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
1:04:03
The love of God
1:04:05
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
1:04:07
Be with you all
1:04:08
Amen
1:04:11
Amen