The Coming of the Lord

Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Wow. We've had a big few weeks. We had baptisms last week, which was super, super fun. And then, of course, Darren and Ziwe yesterday. We're going to jump straight in and carry on with one Thessalonians. We have some guests here. Darren, Ziwe, your family. Welcome. It was just so good to be able to celebrate with you guys. You must be so, so proud. So just really glad that you're here. And maybe just for your sake and anyone else who isn't usually part of our gathering. We've been going through the book of Thessalonians.

This church that Paul is writing to, maybe he started two years ago. And then he started this church and then he got run out of town. And so he writes this letter two years in to probably a group of around this size. And he just loves this church. And he's saying, I'm so proud of you. I was so worried when I left. But now I'm hearing such good things. So you guys are the model church. I'm hearing about your work of faith, your labor of love and your steadfastness of hope is what he's saying. And he's saying everyone else is hearing about it too.

And the question that I asked us a few weeks ago was, well, who are you modeling your life after? Or rather, if someone was to model their life after you, Trevor, would they start to look more like Christ?

And that was a convicting message. Because if someone followed me around and lived the way that I lived and read this book the way that I read and prayed to him the way that I prayed, would they be more like Christ?

And I've still been modeling that question because I'm not entirely sure, but I hope they do.

And then he goes into chapter two and then he says, hey, you guys are doing so well, but I know.

And I'm hearing that there are some people who are talking some smack about me, who are trying to basically distract you and discourage you from this church.

And I just want to remind you, you know me. Don't listen to those things outside about what they're saying about me.

You know me. You know what I was like when I was with you and how I was working hard.

And it wasn't for my own selfish gain. So remember that.

And that week, do you remember when I got my accountability group up and we talked about what accountability means?

What being a leader, what are the dangers of being a leader?

And I had my guys come up and shared things about me to you because we need accountability.

That's what we needed. And then he goes, hey, so you are the model church.

You know my motives as a leader. And then he said, hey, you guys sat here.

You guys gathering in this kind of church. I know that it comes at a cost.

I know there are dangers or rather the moment people know that you are following this guy called Jesus or what they would have called that you are followers of the way.

They will mistreat you. They will leave you out of parties.

They will pull out of business deals because of who they know that you're identifying with.

And he says, stay in there. Hang in there.

And then last week, he starts to go into this different part, which is what Paul always does after he drops theological bombs.

He then says, this is how you will live.

Do you remember what I said? During that time in the Greco-Roman culture, the way they even perceived sex was different.

But the unlimited rights that a man had and how and I said, hey, imagine, imagine a man walks in here who was living by that kind of way.

And then he meets Jesus and then he sits and he goes, man, I've got to change the way that I live.

I can't go to the brothel anymore. I can't go to my mistress anymore.

I can't have all these things anymore. I've got to live in a different kind of way.

What does that look like?

And last week, we had the uncomfortable time of having your pastor talk to you about sex.

And then he continues into this week.

Because last week, we said, since the beginning of time, the chief end of humanity has been to seek pleasure, to do things that make you feel good.

But we start to realize that doesn't actually end up helping us feel good.

And we realize that actually we need to choose another way.

And that's where the catechism comes in and says, actually, the chief end of humanity should be to glorify God and to enjoy him forevermore.

And I encourage those all to actually have a higher view of sex.

Saying, actually, the topless bars and the pornography is actually not talking about sex enough.

The beauty of sex, what it's supposed to be for.

And Paul's taking them and going, hey, look, it is so much more than that.

You are made in the image of God.

Sex is for procreation and for pleasure.

Don't sell sex short, is what he says.

And then he moves on to the second part here.

And so if last week was about sex, this week is about something else.

It's actually about death.

Which is, again, not really my choice sermon to preach.

Especially on a weekend that has so many festivities.

But alas, this is the word of God.

And I truly believe, as we prayed in the morning, and I think it was Nathan that prayed.

This word, God breathed this word out to us.

And I truly believe there is something that he wants to say to all of us here about the issue of death.

Yesterday for the wedding, we had the pleasure of having Trevor do the scripture reading for the ceremony.

And it just made me think, I think we might be neglecting one of his gifts of being a public reader.

So I'm going to invite you, Trevor, to come back up to read the word of God to us.

As is our custom, we believe, man, this word is so packed and so powerful.

So much more better than anything I will say.

So we remind ourselves by that by reading it.

And we stand in reverence and in awe of this word.

So I can invite you to stand.

We're going to read this from here to here.

Oh, no, sorry.

Here, sorry.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,

that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,

that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,

will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,

with the voice of an archangel,

and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left,

will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

Lord, we hang on every word that you say.

We believe this book has the words of life.

So we empty our minds of anything that isn't of you.

And we ask that you would speak this morning.

Thank you, Lord.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Please take a seat.

So last week was,

your perspective on life will determine how you live.

The way you perceive life,

and what it's really for,

the purpose of it,

will then dictate how you live.

And the man who walked into that church,

who now has to change his ways,

how he treats women,

how he perceives women,

that is it.

And maybe then,

just off the back of that,

this week is actually,

how you perceive death,

will determine how you live.

So imagine that guy's coming in and going,

he has to rethink his whole life.

The context here,

and he says this,

but we do not want you to be uninformed,

brothers.

So he's saying,

and this is really what the purpose of teaching is about,

as people walk into a church,

and they're choosing this new way of life,

there are so many questions.

Now that I'm a follower of Christ,

am I allowed to do this?

Am I allowed to do that?

Am I allowed to eat pork?

Am I allowed to go here?

And those are these kind of questions.

And the context here is,

during this time,

now there was talk,

hey, this Jesus that we're following,

he's going to come back again.

He's coming back again.

And so let's just wait.

Let's just pray,

and be expecting for him to come back.

And of course,

something about any kind of community filled with people,

is that there is death.

So people start passing away,

and then people go,

wait,

wait,

you said Jesus is coming back,

and he's coming to collect us.

But now,

but now,

Kevin is gone.

What about Kevin?

What about Susan?

And so they're asking,

well,

in this new way,

what do we even think about death?

You told us Jesus is coming back,

and we'll be around to see him,

but now,

my son is gone.

Where's he going to go?

And so those are the questions that are happening.

And so,

Paul knows this,

and he's saying,

I don't want you to be uninformed.

I want you to know about what happens,

or really,

what is death?

This morning,

I was having breakfast with Ruben and Alicia,

and Ruben asked me,

what are you talking about today?

And I said,

death.

And she was like,

Solomon said,

that one of the only certainties in life,

is death.

I was like,

say what?

Solomon said,

I was like,

wait,

wait,

wait,

like,

tell me more.

Where did you get that from?

Well,

the Action Bible is where I got it from.

I was like,

oh,

that is so cool.

Well,

not the,

not the certain death part,

but just the fact that you know that.

And I was like,

she was like,

is that in your Bible,

dad?

I was like,

I think so.

But I'm going to have to find out.

So then I get my,

not my Bible,

I get my phone out and Google.

Where did Solomon say that?

And of course,

it's Ecclesiastes,

right?

He says,

everything is meaningless.

And then chapter nine,

he says,

death comes for us all.

So,

so whilst we're giggling and smiling,

let me just maybe turn it a little bit morbid right now.

Every single person here,

do you think about this?

I do.

Every single person here in this room has death in their future.

I look around at all of you,

all of those of you who are really good looking and those of you who are not.

I look and I go,

man,

we're all going to die.

You're going to die.

You're going to die.

We're all going to die.

Every single person,

you know,

you will either go to their funeral or they will go to yours.

Isn't that morbid?

Isn't that sad?

It makes me think,

what is your perspective on death?

Do you think,

put your hand up if you think about death fairly regularly.

I've told you,

I do.

Anyone else?

Something.

It's just something that's kind of there.

But really,

our perspective on death is what's going to then determine how we're going to live.

And you see Paul here,

and I'm grateful for him to do this,

because actually,

this passage is one of my favorite passages.

Because he says,

I don't want you to be uninformed.

Because we don't grieve like others do.

Because we grieve in a way that has hope.

So I want to split this message into two parts.

The first part is,

I want to talk about death,

and I want to ask you what your relationship with death is like.

So when I say death,

what's the next word that comes to mind for you?

Aaron,

when I say death,

what's the next word that comes to mind for you?

Freedom.

Right now,

freedom.

Freedom.

That is so good.

When I say death,

what is the next word that comes to mind for you, Annabelle?

Life.

Life.

When I say death, Rocky,

what is the next word that comes into your mind?

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

The words of every man since the beginning of the...

What's going on in your head, honey?

Nothing.

It's interesting.

When it comes to death.

We need to be a people who look at death differently.

And I've joked about this regularly.

The Chinese culture is terrified of death.

Everything is about death.

Everything is about death.

I mean, that is the ultimate fear, right?

And anything else,

we link in to death.

When we're trying to describe something to an extreme level,

we use the word death.

I see what's going on in your head.

Heart, say that.

No, say that.

Everything is about death.

But yet, Paul's saying here is,

can we be a people that look at death differently?

That we look at it and say,

it means freedom.

That we go completely counter-cultural and say,

death actually means life.

What does that even mean?

You see, he carries on here.

So if you're following me,

and please do if you have your Bible,

1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 13 is where we began.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers,

about those who are asleep,

that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

The first thing I want to show you here is that he says,

in this passage from verse 13 to verse 15,

he uses the word asleep three times to describe death.

So people are asking,

hey, what about my son who died?

What about my mom who has died?

What's going to happen there when Jesus comes back?

What's going to happen to them?

And within three lines, three sentences,

he goes, they're asleep.

So maybe just that's the first distinction we need to make

as Christians when we look at something like death,

we go, actually, death is simply as going to sleep.

There is not a finality about it that maybe the world has.

That death has been described as a door.

And that's really all it is.

And so he's saying, hey, look at it differently.

When we're thinking about death,

it's because we're looking at it in a way

where we still have hope,

where actually we believe death is not the end.

The question then is why?

Peter says, hey, be ready at any moment

to give reason to explain the hope that you have.

Why is that?

And then he goes into the next verse here.

Verse 14.

So that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Verse 14.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again.

That Jesus basically took the horror of death

and removed it.

So we, when we die, we fall asleep.

But that's because he died

and went to the extreme, utter horror of death.

The utter separation that he experienced from God.

And he took it so that death now for us

is merely just a door.

It's just temporary.

Now note here, he says in three times

that for us, when we die, we fall asleep.

But for Jesus, when he died, he died.

And there's a difference.

Because Jesus did experience the actual separation

and he bore the full horror of death.

This is where we go into 1 Corinthians 15.

Paul's saying, the thing of first importance,

the utmost important thing,

why we're all gathered here.

Maybe we could put it up as a mission statement,

but it would really scare people, especially newcomers.

We are gathered here because someone died.

It's essentially what this faith is about.

And it's the first importance, he's saying.

He's not everything else.

It's not even about the teaching.

Why do you go to church?

Why do you want your son to be a Christian?

Oh, because he'll be a good person.

Because he'll be kind and he'll be studious

and then he'll become a doctor

and he'll earn lots of money.

No, we gather, we want people to be Christians

because someone died, no full stop yet,

and then they rose again.

That's it.

We follow Jesus not because he's a great teacher,

though he was a great teacher.

We follow Jesus because he died and rose again.

Tim Keller says this.

If Jesus rose from the dead,

then you have to accept all that he said.

If he didn't rise from the dead,

then why worry about any of what he said?

The issue on which everything hangs

is not whether or not you like his teaching,

but whether or not he rose from the dead.

That's it.

Because what we believe is Jesus,

the son of God,

came to life here on earth

and then he faced death

and then he conquered death

so that we wouldn't have to face it anymore

because then he comes back from the grave.

That's why we're here.

Did you think about that this morning?

Why am I going to church?

Man, because Jesus died,

defeated my greatest fear,

and then he came back to life.

And that changes everything.

And that's why I'm coming to church.

As we're on Tim Keller,

he always had this quote

that I think he quoted multiple times

about another pastor

called Donald Barnhouse

who, as a pastor,

he lost his wife

and the story goes,

I think he was either driving

to his wife's funeral

or he was driving from

and he was consoling his youngest child.

He was consoling his youngest child

in the car

and then as they were driving,

they see a truck.

And so he turns to his child

and says,

do you see the truck?

And the child says,

yes, I see that truck.

Do you see the shadow of that truck?

Yes, dad,

I see the shadow of the truck.

And then he asks the question,

would you rather be hit by the truck

or by the shadow of the truck?

And of course the child says,

well, I'd much rather be hit

by the shadow of the truck.

And then he says,

Jesus was hit by the truth of death

so your mother only had to go through

the shadow of it.

That Jesus was hit by the truth of death

so that your mother

would only have to be hit

by the shadow.

And that's why Psalm 23 is so powerful.

That line that Coolio quotes,

even though I walked through the valley

of the shadow of death.

It's beautiful.

Thank you, Grace.

I can do the whole song.

Don't you,

I don't think you realize

how good that verse is.

Even though you walk through the valley

of the shadow of death,

you're not walking through

the valley of death.

You're walking through the shadow

of death.

I'm okay with being hit by a shadow.

It won't hurt.

Because it's not real death.

And so I can walk through,

I don't even need to run through it,

I don't need to hide it.

I can just walk through

because it's just a shadow.

I would much rather

be hit by the shadow.

And you know,

there are such great men

that have gone before us,

and women,

who have just completely changed

the way I perceive death.

George Herbert says this,

death used to be an executioner,

but the gospel has made him

just a gardener.

Death used to be an executioner,

but the gospel has made him

just a gardener.

D.L. Moody says this,

just before he was about to die,

pretty soon you're going to hear

that Dwight Moody is dead.

Don't you believe it?

I'll be better than I've ever been before.

Don't you want that kind of faith?

If you're someone who's worried about death,

as someone who is worried about death,

wouldn't it be nice

to have that kind of faith?

Don't you believe it?

When you hear that I've died,

James is not dead.

He'll be better

than he's ever been before.

Tim Keller himself said,

just before he died,

there is no downside for me leaving.

Not in the slightest.

There is no downside.

His mentor,

Martin Lloyd-Jones,

says this,

Christians need to die well.

Death is not something

to slip past.

It should be victorious.

We should not avoid it.

We should not slip past it.

Christians should die well

because of what we believe.

Reminds me of the Apostle Paul

when he says in Philippians 1,

to live is Christ

and to die is gain.

To live in the flesh

means fruitful labor for me.

Yet which shall I choose?

I cannot tell.

I am hard-pressed between the two.

My desire is to depart

and be with Christ

because that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh

is more necessary

on your account.

I want that perspective

on death

because it changes the way

I perceive and live life.

And so at this point,

I'm actually going to invite someone up,

someone who's very dear to me,

someone who I've carried

for the whole of his life.

And it's my brother.

So can we invite

my brother up here?

Because if you know

about my brother

and about me,

we do share the same parents

even though it's just

such a shock to me

when I look at him

that we share the same parents.

We've experienced death.

I think by the end

of our teen years,

at least my teen years,

we'd lost all four

of our grandparents.

And of course,

the story that I know

that many of you have heard

share is that

we lost our dad

when I was 17

and he was 14.

And it was actually

on his 14th birthday

that happened November the 1st,

which was only

a week or two ago.

And of course,

those of you who also know

that day,

November 1st,

is very special.

It was his birthday.

Then became

dad's departing day.

And then just a few years ago,

it became his wedding day.

So man,

that day is a special day.

And those of you

who also know Joe,

he works for Hope International,

which is Danny is representing

right there with the hat.

That's his full-time job.

But he actually has

a part-time gig

on the side

that not very many people

know about,

which is actually

he goes and helps out

in a lot of funerals.

And he's said often

that he prefers

funerals to weddings,

which is actually

what scripture says too.

Solomon says that too.

Solomon.

Solomon's a wise man.

He is a wise man,

apart from the concubines

at the end.

But I'm going to give

some time to Joe now

to share a little bit

about his thoughts

when it comes to death.

Because I think it's formed

him and who he is.

So anyway,

Joe, over to you.

Thank you, James.

Thank you, thank you.

For those

who don't know,

we are from England.

There's also another

pair of brothers in England.

They're princes.

And we also have

the similar hairstyle.

You can guess who's who.

And...

Sorry, I had to just

start with that.

James.

So yeah,

I walked through

the valley

of the shadow of death,

as James said,

on my 14th birthday.

So how many of you,

I mean,

the teens are in the class,

but 13 years old,

do you remember

what it was like?

Your life is just

very much about you.

Everything is centered up.

For me, it was basketball.

It was school, basketball,

try to have,

get girlfriends.

Still trying now.

I've got my wife.

I win.

Tick.

But 13 years old,

everything I was thinking

about was so small.

And on a birthday,

it was a very simple meal.

It was James,

myself,

mom and dad.

We just got back

from Hong Kong.

We had a vacation there

for a week.

And we were also

jet lagged.

Well, let's just have

our birthday meal at home.

And so we sat at home

and we had a simple dinner.

And I don't remember

which part of the dinner,

but it was just such

a sudden moment

when my dad's eyes

just closed.

He just tilted his head back,

fell to the floor,

and that was it.

And you've got to imagine,

as a 13-year-old,

you're thinking,

what on earth just happened?

Did he choke?

Did he...

So the doctor said

it was actually

a sudden death syndrome.

So the heart just stopped.

It was just like a fuse.

Someone just pulled it out

and it was gone.

And for me,

that began a journey of death.

Of what it means

to live a life

that, you know,

death is very much

in my thoughts all the time.

Every birthday that comes around

is very much in my thoughts.

Last week was

my wedding anniversary.

Alex and I,

we celebrated three years.

And as James said,

it was a day of birth.

It's my birthday.

It's a day of death.

And it's a day of love.

And what I've learned,

really to sum it up

and I think very quickly,

is I found that love

conquers death

and death brings life.

It's just as simple.

The three live in unison.

Love conquers death

and death can bring life.

So for me,

I learned early on

that death is something

that's inevitable.

It happens to all of us.

It's like love.

It's all around us.

We have no control

on the day we were born.

We have no control

on the day we die.

So sometimes it makes me wonder

why we think we have

any control of any

of the days in between.

And so I live by this verse

in Psalm 90,

Psalms 90:12

verse 12.

It says,

Lord, teach us

to number our days

so that we may gain

a heart of wisdom.

Teach us to number our days

so that we may gain

a heart of wisdom.

It doesn't make death

any easier.

Death is hard.

It's so hard.

And it's hard for everyone.

And you see that in the movies.

It's hard for the gangsters,

the bad guys.

It's hard for the good guys.

It's hard for no matter

which side you're on.

It's the great equalizer.

It doesn't matter

if you're the richest man

in the world.

It doesn't matter

if you're the poorest man

in the world.

We all end up

in that same place.

And I grew up in England

with lots of multicultural friends.

My best friends to this day

are Muslim and Hindu.

And honestly,

I talk to them about death

all the time.

The Muslims,

they don't have the best news.

They're crossing their fingers.

I talk to my Hindu

and Buddhist friends.

They don't know either.

We met the Dalai Lama together.

Even he said,

we don't know.

I don't know where.

I'm going to come back.

I don't know where.

I'm going to come back.

Maybe I'll come back as a frog.

Atheists as well,

those who don't believe in a God,

they don't have any hope

against death.

Death is,

as Rocky said,

nothing.

And so all of us,

in some way,

we numb ourselves,

we distract ourselves

with the pleasures

of this world.

We try to avoid this topic.

But I truly believe,

guys,

as Christians,

we need to lean in.

We need to,

this is our go-to topic.

This is not just a place

where we have good news.

This is a place

where we have phenomenally good news.

Phenomenally good news.

And sometimes I wonder

whether we're not sharing

this good news

because we don't really realize

how bad the bad news is.

And I pray that none of you

need to go to that place

where you realize,

man,

at the end of a funeral

when there's nothing,

when there's no hope,

that is one of the worst places

you can be.

And I've been in so many funerals.

I'd get to do two

to three a month.

And there's so many times

that I'm just like,

God,

they are so desperate

for good news.

And here I am holding on

to this phenomenal news.

How can I not share?

How can I not tell them

that there is hope?

There is hope beyond the grave,

that death is not the end.

It may feel like the end

at the funeral,

but it is not the end.

Occasionally,

after the funeral,

we'd go to the crematorium

and we'd have a line up,

usually.

There's someone before

in the room

that they're doing the burial.

Usually,

it's a Taoist funeral.

And for those who've been,

has anyone been to a banyikun

or a Taoist funeral?

They see the priest.

So I'm standing there

with my black suit,

holding my Bible

and a cross.

And they come out.

They come out

with a whole caravan of stuff.

They come out

in his white costume.

He's got his hat.

They've got money,

fake money,

fake Teslas,

fake iPhones

that they were just burning.

They have come out

with this big incense

and everyone who leaves

the funeral

has to jump over it

and then walk around it.

So many rituals,

so many things,

so many things

that in a way

we do as well

to just think

and comprehend

and grasp death.

But for us,

it's simple.

It's just book

and a cross.

It's a cross

that we wear

in our hearts,

a cross that symbolizes

that love

has conquered death.

And because of that,

death can bring life.

And so,

back to my wedding day.

Even just last week

at the anniversary,

I remember asking

James and Christina,

hey,

can you send me

some pictures of dad?

Because I was 13.

Honestly,

even as a 13-year-old,

my memories of dad

is fading away.

Actually,

Christina may have

more memories

of my dad

than I do.

And I asked them

to send me

some more pictures

just so I can

reminisce

and remember

and reflect.

And then this

fall hit me.

Every week that passes,

yes,

my memory of my dad

fades.

In reality,

when I zoom out,

every week that passes

is a week closer

to seeing him.

And so,

as I walk

and live out

this good news,

this phenomenal good news,

I get to see that,

yes,

on one side,

I mourn

my dad

who passed away

on my birthday,

but at the same time,

how lucky,

how blessed I am

to have had 14 years

of an incredible dad.

That fact that we have

something to mourn

is a gift in itself.

The person who created us,

you know,

death and life

came from the same hands.

And so,

we cannot lose

the bigger picture.

We cannot lose it.

And I encourage you all

today,

let us all learn

as a community,

teach us to number our days

so that we may gain

a heart of wisdom.

And finally,

Mark Twain,

the author has a great saying,

is there's two

most important days

of your life,

the day you're born

and the day you find out why.

And everyone here,

I think we know why.

And that's why

we're here this morning.

And the third day

I encourage us all,

as we mentioned it

yesterday at Darren

and Zira's wedding,

is that day.

That day where we get

to see him face to face.

Just as dad was eating

his dinner with us,

I think we read the Bible

every day as a family,

just to think that

for one second

he was eating with us

and the next second

he was eating

with Jesus himself.

That teleportation,

it's better than any

Marvel universe

or multiverse

from one moment

to the other.

We're reading the Psalms

that day together,

the next moment

he's hearing Jesus

read the Psalm

in his very words to him.

So to end on a lighter note,

eternity is real.

Eternity is as real

as James is bold.

We can grasp it,

we can see it,

we can touch it.

And I pray that

every time you see James

that will be a reminder

that eternity

is coming.

It's real.

So let's live like

there is an eternity,

okay?

Amen?

Alright,

thank you James.

Thank you.

It's always the same

lack of creativity joke

that we have here.

Okay,

so you get the message,

death.

Well,

last week we said

from the beginning

of the chapter

the Lord is an avenger.

This week we're saying

death is inevitable.

Death is inevitable.

But is that really

all that message is about?

Is that really

what Paul is saying?

Hey guys,

hang in there,

y'all gonna die.

No,

he's not.

He's saying,

hey,

I don't want you

to be uninformed

because I don't want you

to grieve as those

who have no hope.

Because you might go,

okay,

well fine,

every person that I've ever loved

that I still love

is going to die

and will die,

including myself.

But man,

that grief,

that hurt.

What am I supposed

to do with that?

Am I supposed to fake it

and just kind of

keep the smile?

Because Jesus

came alive,

but that doesn't really,

that's not what it's saying here.

He's saying,

do not grieve as those

who have no hope.

What he's also saying

is that you can grieve.

You can grieve.

You can feel the loss.

And maybe there's no better

place to see that

in John 11

where Jesus has a friend,

a close friend,

Lazarus,

who dies.

And we know

that very soon

Jesus is going to do

something pretty crazy.

Right?

He's going to bring him

back to life.

He's going to say,

Lazarus,

wake up.

And he does.

But what happens

before that?

What's Jesus'

first response?

What does Jesus do first?

Weeps.

He cries.

Have you thought about that?

Just think about that

now for a second.

He's about to do

something completely crazy

that will blow

everyone's mind.

He doesn't need

to be sad,

really.

Because in 10 minutes,

it'll be a different place.

But he cries.

Why?

Why does Jesus

still cry?

Why?

I think he cries.

Because he's angry.

I think he cries

because he realizes

and he knows

this is not how

it's supposed to be.

Death was not supposed

to be part of this picture.

What's supposed to be here?

When his father

created the garden,

it was not supposed

to be there.

Death is an intruder.

He's angry

because death

has come into this world

when it wasn't supposed

to be in this world.

And so when we grieve,

we grieve

because we know

that this isn't

how it's supposed

to be.

But then we grieve

with hope.

Because then he shows us

there's something

more here.

When we grieve,

we can grieve.

And we can go,

that is not

how it's supposed

to be.

Yesterday,

I was with a group

of friends

talking about

the next generation.

and that's the thing.

Young people

are growing up

and you're grieving

because you look

at the world,

you look at the leaders

of the world,

maybe the leaders

of the free world

and you're going,

what is going on?

That is not how

it's supposed to be.

You look at how

we're treating the planet

and you're like,

that is not how

it's supposed to be.

You're looking at

how we're treating

other people

and we're going,

that is not how

it's supposed to be.

And so to that,

I say grieve

and grieve away.

lean into it

because that really,

it truly is

the gospel message

as well,

that hey,

there is bad news.

These things

are happening.

The people

that we love

are dying

and so let us

grieve.

But let us grieve

with hope

because we believe

that Jesus died

and rose again.

Even so,

through Jesus,

God will bring

with him

those who have

fallen asleep.

We can hate death.

Jesus hated death.

And that was John 11

and then John 16,

just before he goes

to confront death,

he says,

I'm going to turn

your sorrow into joy.

I'm going to turn

my sorrow into joy

because I'm going

to do something

that no one's

ever done before.

And I'm going to show

once and for all,

I'm going to clean

out everything

that the enemy

puts into this creation

and I'm going to

deal with it

and I'm going to

pay for it.

I'm going to

turn things around

and then I'm going

to come back again.

And in Revelation 21,

we see this,

we see this new heaven

and this new earth

that is coming.

And it says,

there will be a new heaven

and a new earth,

there will be a new Jerusalem

and he will be

with his people

and he will dwell

with his people.

We will finally

be together

because he took

the separation

from God

for us

so that we can

then be with God.

And I can just imagine

this being in a movie

as those words

come out

from Revelation 21

and he will be

with his people

and he will dwell

with his people

and I can just see

the film.

The film director

can do this for me

one day maybe

and it will just rewind

just the history

of mankind

and all the brokenness

and all the pain

and all the sickness

and all the death

and he will rewind

it all

and at one point

we'll get back

to the Garden of Eden

again

where we can dwell

with him

because Jesus

addressed

and redeemed

the story.

That's why

I can still grieve

but I can grieve

with hope

because I know

that Jesus

is coming back

to restore

that.

C.S. Lewis

says this

if you are really

a product

of a materialistic

universe

how is it

that you don't

feel at home there?

Do fish complain

of the sea

for being wet?

Or if they did

would that fact itself

not strongly suggest

that they had not

always been

or would not

always be

purely aquatic creatures?

Why are we

continually shocked

and repulsed

by death

unless indeed

something in us

is not temporal?

Why are we

so shocked

and repulsed

every time?

Why are we

so angry

every time?

It's because

it was never

supposed to be.

But we're okay

with that

right now.

When we were

praying this morning

in pre-service

prayer

there was

drilling

happening

and I was like

oh my goodness

I mean that's part

of living in Hong Kong

as well

and I was like

oh my goodness

and then I thought

oh you know what

I've got to be

okay with this

because that is

us living here

on this planet

in this earth

that God is

making all things

new

and in the meantime

there will be

some drilling

but one day

this new city

is coming

we weren't made

for this place

and as my daughter

quoted Ecclesiastes

he planted eternity

into the heart

of man

knowing very well

that death

would come

for us all

that's the crux

of our hope

in this one

Thessalonians passage

is that the Lord

himself will descend

from heaven

with a cry of command

and with the voice

of an archangel

with the sound

of the trumpet

of God

and the dead

in Christ

will rise

then we

who are alive

who are left

will be caught up

together with them

in the clouds

to meet the Lord

in the air

so that we will

always be with the Lord

therefore

encourage one another

with these words

reminds me of Hebrews 10

when it says

don't stop meeting

don't stop meeting

keep stirring each other

up in love

and good works

and encourage each other

as the day draws near

that's why we're here

because someone died

and someone rose again

and in the meantime

we need encouragement

that's what we're here doing

and that's what I hope

even this message

even this morbid message

of you will die

can leave you lifted

as you deal

with friends

who have passed away

children

who have passed away

parents

who have passed away

you can still be lifted

you can still be lifted

because of this

the fact that there is

an empty tomb

remains unchanged

and that fact

changes

everything

the fact that there is

an empty tomb

remains unchanged

and that fact

changes

everything

so maybe that question

that I asked you

at the beginning

about

your perspective

on death

is what

determines how you live

maybe that's not really

the right question

maybe it is

what's your perspective

on the resurrection

because that will change

how you live

the fact that someone

died and rose again

will change how you deal

with your boss

how you deal with heartache

how you deal with uncertainty

how you deal with loss

how you deal with death

let us be a people of hope

knowing that

he is here

but maybe I'll finish

with this

how do we encourage

one another

if you're grieving

you're like

hey James I get it

death is inevitable

I can still grieve

but what does that

even look like

how do we encourage

one another

like this

and I'll just

quickly share with you

three final thoughts

about this

the first

is lean in

lean

in

when you feel

that hurt

don't run away

don't find something

to try and take

your mind off it

to comfort you

or to distract

lean into it

I'm sure Jesus

wept

Jesus sobbed

when his friend died

and he knew

he was going to

raise him back

to life again

lean in

to it

and just go

that's okay

oh I feel

pain

I feel pain

that that person

is not here anymore

I feel pain

as I walk into a room

and I see something

that my best friend

would have totally seen

and we would have looked at each other

and we would have a little giggle

without even speaking

I feel pain

that that friend

is not here anymore

and that's okay

because

feeling that pain

is part of being human

lean into it

the second is

as a community

can we be willing

to listen

can we be willing

to listen

to each other

because once we're aware

of that pain

and we lean into it

we should also share it

can we be a community

when we know

that something's happening

look it can be death

but it can also

just be

a bad week

can we be aware enough

and caring enough

to look at each other

and go okay

you've had a bad week

can you just

share with me

I want to listen

I'm not here

to provide solutions

I just want to lean in

with you

in an ideal perfect world

we can be that

for each other

every time

any of us

have any kind of trouble

we can be that person

for each other

but I also recognize

that many of us

don't feel equipped

man when someone else

loses a loved one

I don't know

what to say

by the way

that's usually

how I start

I don't know

what to say

can I just sit here

with you

can I just listen

can you tell me

stories about

your friend

so I can know

a little bit

let us lean into it

ourselves

but then let us

listen to each other

and if we need more

then we need more

then we go and seek help

then we seek counseling

then we seek therapists

let us not be afraid

of going to that place

where we can share it

with each other

and finally

look

so you lean

you listen

and then you look

not to each other here

but you encourage each other

to look up there

to look to the new city

to look to the future

and go hey

this sucks right now

and I'm with you

it totally sucks

that drilling

is so annoying

but let us look

why don't we look together

look to him

I'm going to invite

Gracie and the team

to come back

to lead us in a song

and

I don't know

where you're at

I don't know

what you're grieving over

I don't know

what really hurts you

as your pastor

I wish I did

but I knew

every single person's pain

that I'd be able

to lean in with you

listen to you

and then encourage you

to look

but I don't

but my prayer

is that I hope

that between us

we can cover each other out

we can encourage

one another

I want to spend

the final few moments

whether it's you

by yourself

and if that's what

makes you comfortable

that's fine

or whether it's

you have someone

next to you

who knows

what the grief is

to encourage them

to look

and Gracie's going

to sing this song

for us

and it's called

Soon

I love this song

because it gives us

some very simple

very powerful words

to deal

with grief

and so when you

find yourself

hurting

in deep pain

in deep anger

you can remember

these words

and so maybe

I encourage you

whatever place

you're in right now

that you would just

maybe right now

let us close our eyes

Lord we ask you

to search our hearts

test our thoughts

if there is any

offensive way in us

any anxiety

in us

when it comes

to death

any grief

and we come to you

not a concept of you

not a memory

of you

not an image

of you

Lord you

the living God

you right here

right now

knowing that you

have something

to say about death

you have the final

word

on death

would you fill us

with hope

fill us with hope

as we say

and sing

and pray

the words

soon

very soon

death will be

no more

our king

is coming

and he will

make all things

new

he will wipe

away every tear

every sickness

every pain

and so while

things are not

how they should

be

they will

they will in the

end

and we will

dwell with you

and it will

be just

as you wished

it to be

because of

what you did

thank you

thank you Lord

that the drilling

has come right on

time

that we would

be people

who are

okay

sitting

in this

moment

with the

construction

happening

and my

goodness

it is

annoying

it is

painful

but we

know that

you are here

making all

things new

and you are

building a new

city

soon

and very

soon

so for

now we

tolerate it

we lean in

we listen to

one another

but we look

to you

thank you for

being here

this morning

be with us

as we go for

lunch

be with us

as we

step into

Monday

be with us

every day

it is

in your name

we pray

amen

it is the

end of our

time here

thank you

for being

here

and I pray

that this

will bless

you into

this new

week as

well

see you

next

Sunday

Thank you.