The covenant reading is taken from Isaiah, the 25th chapter. So if you will please turn there, Isaiah chapter 25, and we will read the first 12 verses. I guess that's the whole chapter. Isaiah chapter 25, when you found your place, if you would stand with me as we show our respect to God at the reading of his inspired, infallible, inerrant, and sufficient word. Isaiah chapter 25, beginning with verse one. Oh Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee, I will give thanks to thy name, for thou hast worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness. For thou hast made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of strangers is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore, a strong people will glorify thee. Cities of ruthless nations will revere thee, for thou has been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress. A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, for the breath of the ruthless is like a rainstorm against a wall. Like heat and drought, thou dost subdue the uproar of aliens, Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced. And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain, a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined aged wine. And on this mountain, he will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over the all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and he will remove the reproach of his people from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation. But the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain and Moab will be trodden down in his place as straw is trodden down in the water of a manure pile. And he will spread out his hands in the middle of it as a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim. But the Lord will lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands and the unassailable fortifications of your walls he will bring down. Lay low and cast to the ground, even to the dust. Our New Covenant reading is the first chapter of Philippians, a portion of that, Philippians chapter one. And we'll begin reading with verse 12 and read through verse 26. I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else, and that most of the brethren trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife. but some also from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness Christ shall even now as always be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, and I do not know which to choose. While I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better. Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. thus far the reading of God's holy word. All flesh is grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God abides forever. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. It is not a pleasant thing to think about, but the consideration and contemplation of your death is a useful thing. You children who are here think that it's a long way off, and in one sense it is, but you will be surprised when you get to be my age how quickly you will get to my age and it will pass. The scripture describes life as a vapor that appears for a moment and then vanishes away. And Moses in his psalm prays, Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. It's not easy to contemplate death. There's a lot of unpleasantness in that, and yet there's something valuable in it. I've used this passage from Ecclesiastes in funeral sermons And it's useful for us to remember, Ecclesiastes 7, 1 and 2 says, a good name is better than good ointment. And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man. And the living takes it to heart. It's good to be in the house of mourning, the living takes it to heart because that is the end of every man. Death is universal for us all. And whether we understand it or not, life is very fragile. There is very little standing between you and death. Well, actually, there's a great deal standing between you and death, and that is God and His providence. But just thinking about things that Our life just is hanging on a very thin thread, and it can be taken from us at any time. And so we have to think about how little stands between us and eternity, no matter what our age is. For those apart from Christ, death is the ultimate victory of sin. I was reading again, and it's a long quote. I hesitate to read it. I want you to hear it because for all of his unbelief and for all of his rebellion as a convinced atheist, Bertrand Russell got it when it came to life. Listen to what he said with regard to his free worship. This is in his book, A Free Man's Worship, free meaning that he's not a servant of Jesus Christ. This is what he said. Brief and powerless is man's life. On him and all his race, the slow, sure doom falls, pitiless and dark. So he knows what's coming. But then he goes on, he says, blind to good and evil, Reckless of destruction, omnipotent matter rolls on in its endless way. For man, condemned today to lose his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gate of darkness, it remains only to cherish, ere yet the blow fall, the lofty thoughts that ennoble his little day. disdaining the coward terrors of the slave of fate to worship at the shrine that his own hands have built, undismayed by the empire of chance to preserve a mind free from the wanton tyranny that rules his outward life, proudly defiant of the irresistible forces that tolerate for a moment his knowledge and his condemnation, to sustain alone a weary but unyielding atlas the world that his own ideals have fashioned despite the trampling march of unconscious power. All you've got is what you make with your hands and you shake your fist in the face of death and it's all futile. The ultimate success or the ultimate victory of death But there is comfort for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I've just read the preamble. I haven't read the whole thing. At least I can't remember everything. But John Owens, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. I love the title. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Because there is the victory over death. The Heidelberg Catechism's first question and answer is a wonderful question and answer. What is your only comfort in life and death? The answer, that I am not my own but belong with body and soul both in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my Heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head. Indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him. The Apostle Paul put it that in Him, Christ would be exalted in his body, whether by life or by death. We've been talking about the benefits that are ours in Christ and the encouragement, and one of those encouragements that he gives to us is the assurance of resurrection. That's what we want to look at. Again, I'm not going to be expositing a passage of scripture, but drawing loosely from many scriptures. But I want just to encourage you this evening to find your objective comfort in Christ's resurrection. We all know it. It's something that we have been taught from childhood. If we have been raised in Christian homes, that Christ was crucified for us, was buried, and raised again from the dead. But this is something that should always encourage and establish us, that we look again and again to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is there that we find our comfort in life and in death. The Bible is clear in declaring and affirming Christ's physical resurrection. Christ's resurrection is recorded in all four Gospels. This is essential Christian doctrine. And all four of those who record the life, death, and resurrection of Christ as eyewitnesses, all of them record his physical resurrection. They were eyewitnesses of his life, his death, and his resurrection. And so Christ's apostles were those eyewitnesses. And so the apostle Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 3 through 8, talks about all those who had seen the Lord after he'd been raised from the dead. And he goes on and he says, more than 500, many of whom are still living, were witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, his bodily In fact, it's one of the most well-established historical facts of the ancient world. It is the most established historical fact. Had you been living in that day, you could have talked to those who beheld Christ's resurrection body. And in fact, you hear the words of those witnesses, the Apostle Paul himself being an eyewitness after the fact of the risen Christ. And in fact, the scripture teaches that denying Christ's resurrection is the rejection of Christianity itself. Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, we know that this is something which destroys the gospel itself. Because he's a living savior, not a dead savior. He came to deliver us from sin and death. To deny the resurrection repudiates both of the covenants. It's a repudiation of the old covenant. in Acts 26 verses 6 through 8 as the Apostle Paul is on trial. He says, and now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, the promise to which our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by the Jews. Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead. You see what he's saying there is why is it incredible to the Jews who for throughout their existence as the people of God looked ahead to the resurrection they expected the resurrection it was the hope of the old covenant and the Apostle Paul says why do you think it's something strange that God does raise the dead and it certainly is a repudiation of the the new covenant. Romans 1.4 says that he was declared the son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. This was God's witness that he was indeed the very son of God, God in the flesh raised with power from the dead. And Paul, of course, in his great treatment of the resurrection in chapter 15, verses 12 through 19, tells us about the implications of denying the resurrection. Now, if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say there is no resurrection from the dead? You see, he's saying the gospel is that Christ has been raised from the dead. That's the central part of the message of the gospel. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain. Your faith also is vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if, in fact, the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. Basically says if Christ has not been raised from the dead, shut the doors, go home. No more assembly for the worship of God because the gospel is a lie and we're all deceived. But Christ has been raised from the dead, as the Apostle Paul goes on. The resurrection of Christ is clear, but also the teaching that all who trust in Christ participate in his resurrection is clear as well. We are joined to him by faith, and in union with him, we participate, we commune with his death, but also in his resurrection. And so we have been raised from the dead. In John 11, verses 24 and 26, through 26, we have the record of the death of Lazarus. Excuse me. And Martha goes to him and says, Lord, if you had been present, my brother had not died. And the Lord responds, don't you know that he's going to going to be raised from the dead. Of course, he was speaking about what was about to happen, but her response was this. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, the life. He who believes in me will live even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. believe this. Now, obviously, he's not speaking just about physical death, although he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but never ultimately die. Do you believe that? Do you believe that those in Christ will be raised from the dead, that he is the way, the truth, and the life? I would urge you I would urge you, if there's any question, if you've not thought about it, if you've just passed it off as kind of a truth that is okay to tip your hat at, but you've not embraced that resurrection, your resurrection in Christ, you've not closed with him in faith, and you can't say that you're going to be raised, you've been raised with him and will be raised with him, I urge you, today's the day when the Lord calls you to believe in the Lord Jesus, because he tells us, if we confess, with our mouths and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. So all who trust in Christ participate in his resurrection. You're identified with Christ by faith, and you enjoy the benefits of Christ's work in communion with Christ. And believers enjoy present and future benefits of Christ's resurrection. In John chapter 5, verses 25 through 29 and following, you'll recall that he speaks about two resurrections. And let's just go back and look at that very, very quickly. Turn in your Bibles, if you will, to John chapter 5, and we'll look at this very important passage, verse 25 and following. Truly, truly to you, Jesus says, an hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear shall live. For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave the Son also to have life in himself. And he gave him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice. and shall come forth those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. You see, he talks about two resurrections. He says, an hour is coming. In fact, it's not coming. It now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live. What's he speaking about that? He's speaking about that new birth, that regeneration that every believer participates in by the power of God. He says, the hour is coming and it is now, even as he preaches the word, he says that those who hear are those who have been made alive to hear and to close with Christ. And he is the one who has life. He'll live in Christ. Regeneration is the present benefit of Christ's resurrection, a new life. And so the Apostle Paul prays that we might know what is surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might, which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. And in chapter 2, verses 5 and 6, he says, even when we were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places. The present benefit is that life that comes from the work of regeneration. I remember reading this, and I'm probably going to, it just occurred to me, but I thought it was I thought it was an interesting insight. And I can't even remember who it was. I believe it may have been Thomas Boston again. But he said, he was talking about the creation. And he said, God brought everything into existence by speaking the word. But it took Christ's life, death, and resurrection to raise you from the dead. He didn't just say the word, he sent the word in Christ Jesus. Your regeneration, your spiritual regeneration, is a work that is greater than the work of creation. That's the present benefit. But bodily resurrection is the future benefit of Christ's resurrection. And so he says, don't marvel at this spiritual resurrection. He says, but as the day is coming, when those who are in the graves will come forth, those who have been regenerated and have been engaged in serving the Lord to a resurrection of life, and those who continue in their unbelief to a resurrection of damnation. Well, that's the objective comfort, the reality of Christ's resurrection. But Christ's resurrection restores purpose and hope for life as well. Read this passage that we read from Philippians 1. Can you not just hear the comfort and the victory and the assurance the Apostle Paul expresses in these words. He says, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I'm to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, and I do not know which to choose. I'm hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, For that is very much better, yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake." He says, I have purpose. I have purpose for life. I have purpose for death. And here he's expressing his confidence that he has purpose in life, that the Lord indeed is our comfort in life and in death. For me to live is Christ, he tells us. And so Paul is is confident in these things because of the comfort that the Lord gives us in His resurrection. The resurrection delivers you from the fear of death. The saints in Revelation did not love their lives even unto death. They weren't afraid to die. They had something more important. It gave them focus in their lives. In Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15, The writer of the Hebrew says, therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who, through fear of death, were subject to slavery all their lives. I'm not saying here that death is not unpleasant. Death is ugly. It's ugly. And yet, somehow the Apostle Paul, looking ahead, is able to overlook that and he says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And I don't know which one to choose. You see how he's been delivered from the fear of death? I can't figure out which one to choose. He says, you know, life is OK. Now, Paul had a difficult life, but he celebrated life, and for me to live is Christ. And so he celebrated life. But he says, but you know, something to die, that's gain. And he says, and given my druthers, now, he wasn't being morbid here, he said, I'd kind of like to depart and be with Christ, but for your sake, I think it's going to be better for me to stay on a little while longer. I want to have that confidence, and I think I've mentioned this to you on several occasions, but the Puritans thought a lot about this, and they had this They had this wonderful, wonderful view of these things saying, why would anyone dread what is an advantage? Why would anyone dread what is far better? Well, I have to ask myself the question because I do dread it. But you can see how resurrection puts things in perspective. The threat and power of death have been removed. The condemnation that is associated with death, the sting has been taken away. We read in Isaiah chapter 25 how in that day death is going to be swallowed up. I think that's where Paul gets this from in I believe it's 1 Corinthians 15, death is swallowed up in victory. But the threat and power had been removed. The indictment against us has been nailed to the cross. We'll look at that as we go through the book of Colossians in the morning. It's been nailed to the cross and taken out of the way and death becomes the way to glorify God. So that in my body, whether by life or by death, Christ will be exalted. It becomes a way to glorify God. You recognize your purpose will be fulfilled in life and in death. Again, it's a brief one, but I can remember it just struck me in the movie Braveheart. William Wallace, of course, was one who desired freedom, and he was He was about ready to be executed, a terrible death. And in the movie, I don't know whether this actually happened, whether somebody recorded it or not, but he was, in the movie, it was a wonderful thing to say. He was being pleaded with not to die, but to do whatever he could to escape death. And he said, everybody dies. Few men ever really live. And that's what the fear of death does. It takes away your life in the present. The resurrection focuses your life in Christ. You'll find that your purpose in life is the glory of Christ. Your rule of life is the word of Christ. Your life is derived from Christ's life. and your direction is unto Christ, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever and ever. And the resurrection guarantees the success of Christ's kingdom. It's not just you. It is the success of the kingdom. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 25 again that great resurrection chapter tells us for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death itself. Now he's going to reign until death is destroyed. That means he is going to put all enemies under his feet. Your enemies and his enemies are going to be defeated. He is the one who fights our battles. He ascended to assume his reign on high for this purpose, to subdue men and nations. Shall he fail? Will he fail? And the answer is no, because he must reign until every enemy is put under his footstool. And the last enemy that shall be defeated is death. Again, Westminster Shorter Catechism 26, how doth Christ execute the office of a king? Christ execute at the office of a king by subduing us to himself in ruling and defending us and restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. And when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are praying that this would come about, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And so we can take the admonition of Christ, of Paul, I should say, in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 58 as he concludes his great treatment of the hope of the resurrection and life and death. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Do you have that sense that your labor is not in vain in the Lord? I get discouraged and I come back to this, the resurrection guarantees that our labor is not in vain in him, whether we see it or whether we don't. And the final heading, Christ's resurrection is your comfort in life. It is that which gives purpose and hope in life, but it is also your comfort in death. For me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain. It is the comfort in your own death, and it is the comfort in the death of believing loved ones. as well. We have the hope of resurrection. I was talking with someone the other day and was just commenting about how much we have, Bunny and I, have enjoyed our lives together, 50 years of marriage, the best 50 years of my life. And it was great. And there's something about me that makes it very sobering recognizing that that close relationship was going to end someday. I've always said, you know, Bunny, I think we ought to go out together somehow. That would be a wonderful thing to do. Don't know if that's going to happen. But in all likelihood, and this friend with whom we were talking was saying, you'll have a whole lot more than 50 years together. And then it was an interesting thing. He was talking about how it will be enlarged because all of God's people will be together and we will be truly one. That close relationship that we experience with our wives or husbands, as the case may be, will be that kind of relationship that we have with the whole members of the body. It'll be just enlarged. It won't be diminished, but enlarged. And so as I was preparing this evening, a hymn came to mind, and I just want to read the first verse. I wish I had memorized it. I haven't, but hymn 596. Jesus lives and so shall I. Death by sting is gone forever. He who deigned for me to die lives the bands of death to sever. He shall raise me from the dust. Jesus is my hope and trust. Victory and comfort in death. Death is God's servants to deliver you from remaining sin. You can see why it's very much better, right? You wrestle with it. I'm tired. I get tired of the battle. And yet, death is going to be God's servant for, will be delivered from remaining sin. Our warfare will end and we'll enter into rest. Death is God's servant to usher you into his nearer presence. is being in the presence of the triune God. And we are in his presence in a sense, and yet there's a veil, yet, and it will be the immediate presence of God in his nearer presence, and death does that for us. Let's think about Moses. Moses, the faithful mediator of the covenant, climbs Mount Pisgah and must look across the Jordan River and see the land of Palestine from a distance." And he never entered the land. That always kind of struck me as a little bit sad. But you must remember that when Moses died, he was ushered into heaven itself, of which Palestine was just a type. Moses didn't miss Palestine at all. Moses was Canaan, I should say, was Canaan. His warfare was ended. He entered into rest. He went into the nearer presence of God, this one who could only see the hinder parts of God's glory. was ushered into his presence. Death is God's servant to banish corruption and mortality. Our bodies grow weak and frail. Things start to break. And when one thing breaks, it affects something else. And on it goes. And we know that this body will go into the ground and will return to dust. From dust we are made, to dust we shall return. Listen again to the Apostle Paul in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. This perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall it be that death is swallowed up in victory. It's hard even to imagine, but these bodies will be raised in a totally, it'll be the same body, but dramatically different, glorified, without any corruption and mortality. And of course, the death of death, which is the resurrection, anticipates Christ's final victory. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. And then will come about that saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Brothers and sisters, this is the comfort that you have in life and death. And so return to this again and again. I know that it is nothing new. It's old as the gospel itself. But keep going back to the resurrection, the resurrection of Christ. Rest in that. Rest in Christ who is your life and your hope in death. The early Christians would greet one another with the words, He is risen. And you know the response, don't you? He is risen indeed, that great cry of victory. He is risen. He is risen indeed. Amen. Amen. What a hope. And the resurrection of Christ is that which secures your resurrection, both spiritual and physical. If you are trusting in Christ, your resurrection is just as certain as the resurrection of Christ. And that is certain. And your comfort in life and death is found in Christ alone. And so you who are trusting in Christ have this hope in life and in death. The sting of death has been taken away. You can live for his glory. You can die for his glory and hope that you shall live forever. in Christ alone. Let's pray together. O Lord God, we pray that you will indeed give us comfort in life and death, that we might have that sense of victory that the Apostle Paul exuded in these words as he wrote from a Roman prison, limited in his ability to do what you called him to do, and yet rejoicing in the reality of the resurrection and recognizing that that your word was not bound, and that he could serve you and glorify you and enjoy you in life and in death. And so remove from us that fear, that paralyzing fear, and establish us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And will you indeed bring that about on the last day that death will be swallowed up in the victory of Christ? It has been in principle, and make us mindful also. that as we go through life and do our little part in the work of the kingdom, that our labor is not in vain in you, because the last enemy that will be destroyed in death, and you are going about defeating all other enemies as well, even as you have subdued us to yourself, you rule and defend us, and you deliver us from all your and our enemies. Hear our prayers, O Father, and establish us in the faith, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.