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<v Speaker 1>Good morning and happy post-Christmas, post-advent.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the worship service.

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<v Speaker 1>The ushers will be coming through the aisles to pass out any outlines if you need that Bibles.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't have one, this would be a great time to get one, because we're going to be looking at this passage from 1 Corinthians 15, verses 20 through 26.

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<v Speaker 1>So you'll want to keep that open today as we look at it together.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me start by reading that 1 Corinthians 15, 20-26.

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<v Speaker 1>But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

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<v Speaker 1>For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.

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<v Speaker 1>For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, but each in turn, christ the firstfruits, then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God, the Father, after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

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<v Speaker 1>So before we start to look at this passage, I do want to kind of set the context here.

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<v Speaker 1>To look at this passage, I do want to kind of set the context here, and the first thing to think about is we are celebrating Advent and our Advent wreath is still out, although all the candles are out, but that reminds us that there is a second Advent coming.

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<v Speaker 1>We celebrate the first one, but now we're skipping to Christ's second advent, or his return, his appearance, that glorious time when he will be present, and Paul tells us in this passage in Christ, all will be made alive, but each in turn Christ, the first fruits, then and here is the key part when he comes again, those who belong to him.

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<v Speaker 1>So as we think about this passage, we need to put it in the context of this being the return of Christ, the second advent, and this was prophesied in the Gospels.

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<v Speaker 1>We look at Luke and we see this passage where it says of Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>He will be great, he will be called the son of the most high, the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>God will give him the throne of his father, david, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever.

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<v Speaker 1>His kingdom will never end.

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<v Speaker 1>So that is the reign of Christ that we look forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>And as we think about this again, thinking about from the second advent, we also want to kind of put this in another context.

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<v Speaker 1>Paul is writing and this is kind of an unusual Christmas passage, I would say, wouldn't you?

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<v Speaker 1>But Paul is writing in a context to some false teaching.

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<v Speaker 1>In Corinth there were teachers who said there is no resurrection of the dead.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's in that context that Paul comes right out in a little bit earlier, verses 12 through 14,.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll read that Paul says but if it's preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

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<v Speaker 1>For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

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<v Speaker 1>And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith raised.

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<v Speaker 1>And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

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<v Speaker 1>So, right away, paul is after this false teaching to straighten it out.

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<v Speaker 1>And how does he do that?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, he counters it with the true gospel, the good news.

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<v Speaker 1>Gospel is good news, good news that saves us.

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<v Speaker 1>So we see earlier in this passage, verses one to five, that Paul says look, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preached to you.

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<v Speaker 1>By this gospel you're saved if you hold firmly to the word.

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<v Speaker 1>I preached to you For what I received.

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<v Speaker 1>I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures and that he appeared there.

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<v Speaker 1>We have the good news, the gospel message, and we know that the message doesn't stop there.

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<v Speaker 1>We find ourselves right now in the period between Christ's resurrection and his second coming, his second advent, his return to earth, that glorious time when he will set all things right.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's our context that we're looking at today.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, as we look at this passage, I'm going to read it again, now that we've set the context Verses 20 through 26.

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<v Speaker 1>But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

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<v Speaker 1>For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.

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<v Speaker 1>For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, but each in turn, christ, the firstfruits.

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<v Speaker 1>You may have noticed something in this passage Death is mentioned four times, and death is something that we have to deal with in our lives.

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<v Speaker 1>Not a pleasant subject, but it's important that we understand what death is, what the biblical view of that is, what the Christian view of that is, because we need to have that assurance, that understanding, from God's word on what death is how it came to be, from God's word on what death is how it came to be.

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<v Speaker 1>And so we're going to take a look at that because, even though this is familiar to many of you, it's really worth rehearsing, it's really worth understanding and it's not a subject we talk about a lot, is it?

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<v Speaker 1>When's the last time you talked about death around the dinner table or the coffee shop, or TikTok, whatever it is that you listen to?

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<v Speaker 1>Um, first question that comes up for most of us is why death?

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<v Speaker 1>Now, that's really a basic concept.

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<v Speaker 1>We all think about that.

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<v Speaker 1>Why do we die?

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe we don't think about that.

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<v Speaker 1>It's probably easier to go through life and not think about those questions, but ultimately, at some point in our life, we do have to answer that for ourselves.

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<v Speaker 1>Why death, why death?

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<v Speaker 1>So we're going to look at what the scripture says about that In 1 Corinthians 15,.

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<v Speaker 1>In this passage, paul tells us, in verse 21, that death came through a man.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I think we all can imagine who that man is Adam.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's look at the passage from Genesis, going back to the beginning how did death enter the world Genesis 3, 4-6, and you can look at this on the screen there as I read it.

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<v Speaker 1>You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

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<v Speaker 1>When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some of it and ate it.

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<v Speaker 1>And she gave some of it to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it and he ate it.

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<v Speaker 1>So there was the lie from Satan you won't die.

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<v Speaker 1>Death entered the world through man, adam and Eve transgressing God's commandment, eating of the tree that they were told not to.

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<v Speaker 1>That really is the source of death and the source of all the death-associated suffering illnesses, sicknesses, the little deaths that occur in our lives, separations, anxieties, arguments, fights amongst us those are signs of death and sin.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, we see in Genesis 5, a couple chapters later, what actually happened, and the scripture there says altogether, adam lived a total of 930 years and then he died.

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<v Speaker 1>He didn't die right away, but he did die.

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<v Speaker 1>That's where death entered the world.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's what scripture teaches us about why there is death.

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<v Speaker 1>Now our natural response to that is okay, why me?

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<v Speaker 1>Why do I have to die?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not Adam, and the scripture tells us an answer to that.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to share with you this passage from Ezekiel 18, which says that the one who sins is the one who will die.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a little bit of argument about children and parents in Ezekiel.

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<v Speaker 1>Why are we suffering for the sins of our parents?

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<v Speaker 1>And God said very clearly look, the soul that sins is the soul that's going to die.

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<v Speaker 1>So the answer to our question, even though we don't like it, why me?

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<v Speaker 1>Why do I have to die?

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<v Speaker 1>It's because we're all sinners, we've all transgressed God's command for ourselves, and so death is our lot.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only do we inherit it, but we have earned it.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a pretty bleak picture.

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<v Speaker 1>So what's the remedy?

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<v Speaker 1>The next question is is there a remedy?

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<v Speaker 1>Praise God, there is Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that answer?

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<v Speaker 1>Back to our passage here, 1 Corinthians 15.

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<v Speaker 1>Look at verses 22 to 23 as I read that.

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<v Speaker 1>For as in Adam, all die, which we already talked about, so in Christ all will be made alive, but each in turn Christ the firstfruits, then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

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<v Speaker 1>So we're told that life comes through Christ.

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<v Speaker 1>The answer to our problem, a remedy, is Jesus himself.

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<v Speaker 1>He offers us life, but only to as I've kind of underlined there on the passage those who belong to him, only those who belong to Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>What will come next?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, there will be a resurrection body.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only do we have life when we accept Christ, when we become united with him, but there's also life to come, a resurrection body.

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<v Speaker 1>And we're not looking at that part of the passage today, that's a little bit further down, so I'm going to read that just so that we can benefit from it though Verses 42 through 44 in the same chapter.

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<v Speaker 1>So it will be with the resurrection of the dead.

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<v Speaker 1>The body that is sown is perishable.

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<v Speaker 1>It is raised imperishable.

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<v Speaker 1>It's sown in dishonor.

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<v Speaker 1>It is raised in glory.

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<v Speaker 1>It is sown in weakness.

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<v Speaker 1>It is raised in power.

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<v Speaker 1>It is sown a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body.

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<v Speaker 1>If there's a natural body, there's also a spiritual body.

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<v Speaker 1>So God tells us that not only is the remedy Jesus, united with him, but there is a new body that we're going to get to those who belong to him, that we're going to get to those who belong to him.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, back to the main topic of today's sermon the reign of Christ.

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<v Speaker 1>Christ does reign and this is somewhat of a difficult concept, at least to me and probably to most of us as Americans.

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<v Speaker 1>What does reigning really mean?

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<v Speaker 1>We don't have kings anymore After the Enlightenment.

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<v Speaker 1>The 17th century, 18th century, we cast off kings, we cast off rulership by kings.

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<v Speaker 1>We believe in democracy.

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<v Speaker 1>We grew up in that right.

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<v Speaker 1>Abraham Lincoln said government by the people, of the people, for the people.

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<v Speaker 1>We all live that way as Americans.

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<v Speaker 1>We understand life that way, we understand politics that way.

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<v Speaker 1>It's hard for us to kind of grasp this concept of a king, unless perhaps you've been watching King Charles and you follow the British royals.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you do that.

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<v Speaker 1>But they're not full kings, they're limited kings.

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<v Speaker 1>They're still the parliament that runs the country and they're kind of the figurehead kings.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's difficult for us to understand what does reign mean.

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<v Speaker 1>What does reign mean?

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<v Speaker 1>But it means that the king historically had three roles.

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<v Speaker 1>His first role was to maintain peace in his kingdom and he was also the one who administered justice, who served justice and made sure that that got done, and he upheld the rule of law in his kingdom.

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<v Speaker 1>So, in other words, he was the sovereign, he was the ruler over all of those things.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's what our good king, the king of kings, lord of lords, jesus, is.

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<v Speaker 1>He is reigning.

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<v Speaker 1>When did he start to reign?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, you can answer this a couple of ways and I'm going to say they're all perfectly okay.

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<v Speaker 1>When we look at Colossians, we understand that Jesus not only created the world, but that he sustains it and he holds it together.

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<v Speaker 1>The passage tells us this.

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<v Speaker 1>One from Colossians tells us that the Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for in him all things were created, things in heaven, things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities.

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<v Speaker 1>All things have been created through him and for him.

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<v Speaker 1>He is before all things and in him all things hold together.

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<v Speaker 1>So, truthfully, from the beginning of time, jesus is the creator, sustainer, ruler of all these things.

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<v Speaker 1>But there was another point when we can say Christ started to reign in a different way.

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<v Speaker 1>Last week, pastor Jim presented the Incarnation.

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<v Speaker 1>The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

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<v Speaker 1>The word God took on human character, he took on humanness and became one of us.

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<v Speaker 1>The fabulous moment that we celebrate with the coming of Christ Christmas.

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<v Speaker 1>And so we know from the story also that he lived a perfect life, sinless life.

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<v Speaker 1>He drew disciples to himself, he was crucified, he died, he resurrected and he ascended.

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<v Speaker 1>And Jesus said before he ascended, he said in Matthew, when he was just before he ascended, he said to the disciples all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, all authority.

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<v Speaker 1>Those are the words of a king who is ruling and reigning.

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<v Speaker 1>It reminds us that in Psalms there is a quote Psalm 110, verse 1, where it says the Lord God said to my Lord Jesus, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

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<v Speaker 1>The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion saying Rule in the midst of your enemies.

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<v Speaker 1>Now there's an expression in here about make the enemies a footstool for your feet.

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<v Speaker 1>That was a terminology that kings used to use when they conquered someone.

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<v Speaker 1>They would have the conquering king would have the subjected king under his feet, at his feet, meaning that he is controlling everything that that person had.

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<v Speaker 1>But the scripture tells us that Jesus will be the ultimate ruler and everything will be under his feet.

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<v Speaker 1>Every king, every power, every principality is subject to him, and that process is ongoing right now.

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<v Speaker 1>So Christ is reigning.

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<v Speaker 1>What does that mean to us?

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<v Speaker 1>What does that mean to us?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, it means that he is sovereign, he is in control.

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<v Speaker 1>It's really that truth that Jesus is king, that he is in control, that allows us to come to him with our problems in life, our sufferings, our hurts, whatever it might be, and bring those before his throne room and ask him for help, for his grace.

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<v Speaker 1>It's really this kind of truth that's the basis of that well-known verse, romans 8.28.

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<v Speaker 1>All things work together for good to those that love God, who are called according to his purpose, because the king reigns, he is in control, and we can come to him for our problems.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we're going to go a little bit out of order.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at verse 24, and then we'll come back.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's see verse 24.

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<v Speaker 1>The end will come.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll start with 24, and then we'll go backwards, but the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God, the Father, after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

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<v Speaker 1>And there we see that God is in the process of establishing.

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus, is in the process of establishing his reign.

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<v Speaker 1>He will destroy all dominion, all authority, all power, but the end will come.

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<v Speaker 1>What is that end that he's talking about here?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, that end is what we hear about in Titus the blessed hope, the second coming, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus, his second advent, his return.

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<v Speaker 1>We're waiting for it, and when it comes, he will do all of these things.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we have two ways to experience this.

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<v Speaker 1>People are going to experience that end in two ways.

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<v Speaker 1>We want to look at passages that talk about that, and we'll do that in just a minute.

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<v Speaker 1>There's two ways you might experience this glorious return of the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at the first one, in 1 Thessalonians 4.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll read this For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

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<v Speaker 1>After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we will be with the Lord that's Jesus forever.

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<v Speaker 1>Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

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<v Speaker 1>Those are the words of encouragement, those are the words of hope.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to be joined to Jesus when he returns and be with him forever those who are with him.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's option one.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's another one that's not so fun.

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<v Speaker 1>That's option two.

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<v Speaker 1>In the end that will come.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll read that passage as well Matthew 24.

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<v Speaker 1>Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

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<v Speaker 1>Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, mourning.

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<v Speaker 1>So will we be rejoicing, will we be mourning?

00:22:12.246 --> 00:22:14.603
<v Speaker 1>It depends if we're in Christ.

00:22:14.603 --> 00:22:16.634
<v Speaker 1>That's the challenge to everyone.

00:22:16.634 --> 00:22:28.085
<v Speaker 1>The call is to join the Messiah, to become part of him, not to mourn when he arrives a second time, but to rejoice.

00:22:28.085 --> 00:22:34.424
<v Speaker 1>So what's going to be accomplished when he comes back the second time?

00:22:34.424 --> 00:22:46.200
<v Speaker 1>Well, we're going to go back and look at verses 24 through 26 again in our passage, and I'll read those.

00:22:47.295 --> 00:22:58.595
<v Speaker 1>The end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power, for he must reign until he has put his enemies under his feet.

00:22:58.595 --> 00:23:00.694
<v Speaker 1>The last enemy to be destroyed is death must reign until he's put his enemies under his feet.

00:23:00.694 --> 00:23:04.981
<v Speaker 1>The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

00:23:04.981 --> 00:23:16.458
<v Speaker 1>This is telling us that Jesus will abolish all rule, all rule, all of his enemies.

00:23:16.458 --> 00:23:19.625
<v Speaker 1>And what's the last enemy to be destroyed?

00:23:19.625 --> 00:23:21.288
<v Speaker 1>It's death.

00:23:21.288 --> 00:23:32.986
<v Speaker 1>It's that death that we talked about earlier, that death that we inherited, the death that we earned because of sin, but the death that Christ came to deliver us from.

00:23:39.655 --> 00:23:44.640
<v Speaker 1>There's a great passage in Revelation that talks about that time, and I want to read that.

00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:45.282
<v Speaker 1>Listen to this.

00:23:45.282 --> 00:23:53.402
<v Speaker 1>I heard a loud voice from the throne saying Look, god's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.

00:23:53.402 --> 00:23:59.508
<v Speaker 1>They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God.

00:23:59.508 --> 00:24:02.084
<v Speaker 1>He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

00:24:02.084 --> 00:24:08.722
<v Speaker 1>There will be no more death or mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

00:24:08.722 --> 00:24:10.307
<v Speaker 1>Amen.

00:24:10.307 --> 00:24:17.663
<v Speaker 1>The last in me to be destroyed is death crying, pain, mourning, mourning.

00:24:21.036 --> 00:24:27.528
<v Speaker 1>So now the question is how do we come into the reign of Christ and his kingdom?

00:24:27.528 --> 00:24:28.496
<v Speaker 1>How do we do that?

00:24:28.496 --> 00:24:30.881
<v Speaker 1>Well, it's fairly simple.

00:24:30.881 --> 00:24:32.785
<v Speaker 1>We've heard all this before.

00:24:32.785 --> 00:24:37.499
<v Speaker 1>Maybe you've not heard it, but if you haven't, we're going to look at Jesus' own words.

00:24:37.499 --> 00:24:44.789
<v Speaker 1>Jesus said come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

00:24:44.789 --> 00:24:49.582
<v Speaker 1>So the call from Jesus is to come to him, to come to him.

00:24:49.582 --> 00:24:52.867
<v Speaker 1>And he doesn't stop there.

00:24:52.867 --> 00:24:55.938
<v Speaker 1>He tells us a little more about that, not only when we come to him.

00:24:55.938 --> 00:25:00.505
<v Speaker 1>He says all those the Father gave me.

00:25:00.505 --> 00:25:03.609
<v Speaker 1>He says all those the Father gave me, or all those the Father gives me will come to me.

00:25:03.609 --> 00:25:10.194
<v Speaker 1>And whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.

00:25:10.194 --> 00:25:14.159
<v Speaker 1>He won't drive you away if you come to him.

00:25:14.159 --> 00:25:20.484
<v Speaker 1>Our ruling reigning, messiah the King who is coming, the second advent, his return.

00:25:20.484 --> 00:25:36.394
<v Speaker 1>It's going to be a glorious day and he invites you to come and join him, be part of his kingdom, look forward to his reign.

00:25:39.974 --> 00:25:45.567
<v Speaker 1>What I'd like to do is also mention that coming to Jesus is not just something that we do once in our life.

00:25:45.567 --> 00:25:47.637
<v Speaker 1>We come to him for salvation.

00:25:47.637 --> 00:25:51.756
<v Speaker 1>We come to him to be part of his kingdom, to accept him as our king, our sovereign.

00:25:51.756 --> 00:25:58.028
<v Speaker 1>But we also do that when we have problems and, as we said earlier, jesus reigns.

00:25:58.028 --> 00:26:00.679
<v Speaker 1>He is in charge of all things.

00:26:00.679 --> 00:26:06.019
<v Speaker 1>You can come to him with your problems and for believers.

00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:06.821
<v Speaker 1>We need to do that.

00:26:06.821 --> 00:26:12.980
<v Speaker 1>We need to come to him and say I need your help, I want your help.

00:26:13.902 --> 00:26:23.000
<v Speaker 1>Whether it's a physical hurt, whether it's stress from the holidays, fights with the family because, oh guess what, we don't all get along well.

00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:27.826
<v Speaker 1>Maybe you have emotional upsets.

00:26:27.826 --> 00:26:39.762
<v Speaker 1>Whatever they may be, we all have problems that we're working through and Jesus wants you to come to him and he will not drive you away.

00:26:39.762 --> 00:26:45.799
<v Speaker 1>The ruling, reigning king, who is sovereign overall, will help you with those problems.

00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:58.387
<v Speaker 1>So what I'd like to do today, now we have a few minutes, I'm going to ask the elders who are here, john and Bruce, to come forward.

00:26:58.387 --> 00:27:07.402
<v Speaker 1>John and Bruce to come forward, and we're going to pray for people.

00:27:07.402 --> 00:27:21.000
<v Speaker 1>Come and just tell us, like one sentence we don't want great detail, but if there's anything in your life you're struggling with whether it's coming to Christ, whether it's issues in your own life, struggles with other people, sins that you can't quite shake, whatever it is we want to pray for you.

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:30.356
<v Speaker 1>We're going to take a moment to do that and cut my mic, and then, when I come back up, we'll be happy to do that.

00:27:42.426 --> 00:27:48.471
<v Speaker 1>Let's finish by reading from 1 Corinthians 15, starting with verse 24.

00:27:48.471 --> 00:28:04.622
<v Speaker 1>Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power, for he must reign until he's put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

00:28:04.622 --> 00:28:15.981
<v Speaker 1>Praise God, death's day is the final day when death is destroyed has been written in history.

00:28:15.981 --> 00:28:18.660
<v Speaker 1>Join me in prayer.

00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:29.044
<v Speaker 1>Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the victor, that you are the word of God that came to us and became flesh and dwelt amongst us.

00:28:29.044 --> 00:28:43.086
<v Speaker 1>You lived the perfect life, you died for us, you rose from the dead, you ascended to heaven, where you are seated at the right hand of God the Father, and you will return to bring salvation to those that are yours.

00:28:43.086 --> 00:28:47.462
<v Speaker 1>Judgment on your enemies, destruction of death.

00:28:47.462 --> 00:28:50.169
<v Speaker 1>We look forward to that day, that glorious day, amen.