Well, in today's passage, I want to invite everyone who's listening or here today to have a new dream. And what I mean by that is, think about when you were young, you would dream of what kind of job or career you might have, or you might dream of what kind of spouse you would marry, or perhaps where you would live. And as you got older, your dreams changed. You might dream about that dream promotion, or the dream vacation, or retirement, or whatever it was. But what you found out is that your dreams wouldn't satisfy as you get older. And either because they didn't come true, or even if they did, you knew that they weren't eternal, that they were fleeting because the death rate is one per person. Well, today we're being invited to have a new dream. And that is that we would constantly be thinking about the kingdom of God and be dreaming of that day when Christ gives us our reward. Because if we're going to find out today, if we live for that reward that Christ brings, we're going to live godly lives here and now. But we have to know that this reward that Christ is going to bring to us is also certain. It won't get flubbed up by human failings. And this dream of the future kingdom is eternal. It's not fleeting, it won't fade away. It will be with us forever. And dear ones, that's how Paul, as we're gonna see today, the apostle, was able to run the race with perseverance and fight the good fight of faith. We have to have the same love for Christ reward. Now today I wanna begin in 2 Timothy 4, 6, where Paul here explains why he had commissioned Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season. Notice what he says. Paul said, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. Now I want you to notice here in the beginning of verse six, you have an explanatory for in the box. And so that's Paul's way of explaining why it is that Timothy was to preach the word in season and out of season. He says for, and notice you can actually skip, let me pull up my pointer. You can skip right to the red, for the time of my departure has come. So why was Timothy to be prepared to always preach the word? Because Paul was going away, he was going to die. And Timothy needed to stand in the gap and make sure that the gospel was accurately preached in the churches that Paul had planted. That's the ultimate reason he was to preach in season and out of season. Now I want to focus though, before we get to the red, notice Paul says that he was currently, in fact he says, already being poured out as a drink offering. Now, what's interesting is in the Greek, there's actually just one verb, spendo. So this whole phrase where it says, being poured out as a drink offering, that's one word in the Greek. That's how precise the Greek can be, and that's how many words we have to often add to explain what it's saying. Now, what's sufficient or significant, I think, about spendo, this being poured out as a drink offering, is number one, it's a present tense verse. And what that implies is this is something that was ongoing. It's not something that happened just once, but it was ongoing in Paul's life and in his ministry. It's also a passive voice verb. And the passive voice is significant because it means that this isn't something that Paul did himself, but rather it's something that God did to him. We call this a divine passive. So he wasn't pouring himself out. God was the one who did that through him. So, I want you to see two things regarding him being poured out. It shows Paul's sacrificial living. He did sacrifice tremendously for the sake of the gospel, for its proclamation, for its defending. In fact, if you remember back in Numbers chapter 15 in the Old Testament, a drink offering was something that accompanied the other offerings, the burnt offering or the sin offering. And so Paul is being poured out. But what's interesting is if you read the data in the Old Testament, the drink offering was something that God only partook in or had the Israelites partake in once they reached the promised land. So there's an element of celebration behind the drink offering. It's not just dire. And to that, it's significant, I think, that it may allude to Paul's soon-shed blood. He's gonna shed his blood for the sake of the furtherment of the gospel, for the sake of the furtherment of God's salvific plan. And so don't have pity here for Paul. Paul sees his drink offering as symbolizing victory, yes, sacrifice, but victory as well in God's redemptive plan. In fact, turn your Bibles, if you will, to Colossians 1.24. Colossians 1.24. The reason I want you to turn there is I want you to see how Paul understood his own suffering. He understood his suffering as part of God's redemptive plan, the salvific plan of redemption. That's how Paul saw it. Colossians 1.24. Notice what he says there. Again, Colossians 1.24. I hope you've turned there. Paul says this. He says, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body, which is the church. in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. So why did Paul suffer? It was for the sake of the church, the edification of God's people. It wasn't pointless, it was purposeful. But second, I want you to focus on that last phrase where he said he was filling up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions. What in the world does that mean? Does Paul intend to say that there was something lacking in Jesus Christ's death on the cross? No. If Paul were here today, he'd be the first to say, no, what Christ did on the cross is sufficient for the salvation of God's people. So the phrase, the afflictions of Christ has to be understood in a corporate sense. In other words, not just the suffering that Jesus went through, but also the sufferings of God's people who are connected to Christ. In fact, let me make a connection for you. So associated with the people of God, With christ so associated are we with christ that if we suffer he's depicted as suffering Do you remember in acts chapter 9 on the road to damascus? Do you remember jesus confronts in his resurrected body? He confronts saul who later becomes paul And he says saul saul. Why are you persecuting me? Well, I if I were writing it i'd probably say saul saul. Why are you persecuting the church? But unexpectedly, Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, records Jesus as saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Why? Because so associated is the believer with Christ that if you persecute one of them or many of them, you're persecuting Christ himself. And so the New Testament writers conceive the afflictions of Christ is not just the sufferings of the Messiah, but the sufferings of the people of God that are connected to Him by faith. And there's a total allotment of suffering that will occur during this church age, or the time of the Gentiles, or the last days, whatever you want to call it. But at some point, think of it as a bucket being filled. When the last saint has suffered The last amount that god will tolerate god sends forth the son who raptures the church to save us finally and forever But to pour his wrath upon his enemies who've been putting us through affliction That's the idea. So paul sees his suffering in a victorious way But brothers and sisters that is indeed why? he had to suffer was for the furtherment of the gospel. Now, I want you to notice here in red, Paul says also that the time of his departure had come. Notice the term departure there is a euphemism for Paul's death. The term actually is anallusis. It means to be loosened. And how fitting is that because Paul is going to be loosened from the bonds of this body. to go be home with the Lord. That's something we'll talk more about in our application today. Notice he says his time of departure or death has come. Literally, it's imminent. That's how the Lexham English Bible says it. The time of his death was imminent. That's why Paul commissioned Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season. He had to stand in the gap. Now, let's talk about here how Paul explains how he had finished the role that God had predetermined for him. Listen to what he says in verse 7. He says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Now one thing we have to wrestle with, dear ones, notice here when he says, I fought the good fight, the term fought there is agonizami it's where we get our term for agony and one of the debates in this passage is paul referring to a military metaphor as the new american standard bible renders it or is he referring to an athletic metaphor like an athlete who agonizes so that they win the race or they win whatever contest they are in well at the end of the day it doesn't matter because the the idea as whether you have the soldier metaphor in your mind or the athlete is that you have to be disciplined. Disciplined in godliness is really the idea. Now, notice what he fought. He fought the good fight. Notice how he describes contending for the faith and protecting the gospel. It is the good fight. There are a lot of fights that people are engaged in, especially if you look out in Minneapolis of the last few nights, they were burning it down again. But they're not fighting the good fight. They're fighting a fight in vain. To fight a fight to bring Marxism or some sort of tyranny to a place isn't a fight that's worth having. But the fight that is worth battling for is the truth of the gospel. It's the supreme fight. Because this battle is about whether a person suffers for all eternity. or dwells with the Lord for all eternity. That's why Paul calls it the good fight. That's why it's worth fighting. In fact, notice too that he says, I have finished the course. The term course there, dromos, is the mission or the course that God has predetermined in a person's life. Now, we are accountable to running that course in a faithful way. That's what Paul is asserting that he did all by God's grace. So think of it, each one of you has a different course that God has predetermined that you would run in it. You have different gifts, different vocations, but the idea is that you would be faithful to the gospel as you run that course. In fact, think about Ephesians 2.10. Ephesians 2.10 says, For we, believers, are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus, that's a sphere, we're in Him, for the purpose of good works which God has prepared beforehand that we would walk in them. God has prepared the course for each one of you. And the prayer is that all of us, by God's grace, can say after we've run our course, the predetermined plan is that we've also fought the good fight, that we contended for the faith. that we were faithful to the gospel. In fact, notice Paul says to this in blue, I have kept the faith. The term kept there, terao, can literally mean to guard, to protect something from something. In fact, it's used by Jesus in Revelation 3.10 where he says, because you've been faithful to keep my word, terao, keep, I will keep you from the hour of trial that comes upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. So in saying that Paul kept the faith, he's really saying, I think, two things. Number one, he's saying that he had guarded the gospel, meaning the objective content of the gospel. He had protected it from the heretics so that the gospel would be handed down accurately. The gospel is about the person and work of Christ. And so if you distort the person of Christ, you have a different gospel. If you distort the sufficiency or what Christ did in his work, you have a different gospel. Paul protected that. That was first and foremost. He taught it and he defended it. But second is implied, and we'll talk about this in our application, is Paul lived out subjectively the ethical implications of the gospel. He lived it out. And as we're gonna see later in 1 Corinthians 9, it's so that after he preached to others, he would not be disqualified himself of the great eschatological prize. Dear brothers and sisters, this same thing is true for you and I. If you wanna run the course that God has for you, You have to be one who contends for the faith once and for all, handed down to the saints, Jude 3. That's not just for the apostles, that's for all of us. We have to defend objectively the gospel. We have to hold to the doctrinal fidelity of the gospel. But we also have to live it out. It's both end. And let us, brothers and sisters, by God's grace, be those who do it. So that we can say like Paul at the end, I kept the faith. I fought the good fight. Now, as we come to verse 8, Paul now blends the great future reward that he's living for, and that's why he could suffer, but he blends that reward with the reward that you and I will share in as well. It's not just his reward. We're going to have the same reward. Every believer will. Notice what he says. 2 Timothy 4.8, he says, In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to notice here at the very beginning where he talks about this future gift or reward he's going to get. It is in the future. It's not something that he's going to have now during the church age. And I say that because if you listen to many of the Word of Faith teachers, they will claim that your reward happens here and now. that if you ever suffer, or if you don't have a Cadillac in your garage, or you're not somehow financially doing stupendous, it's somehow a lack of faith. But no, Paul looked forward to a future reward. In fact, notice when he says it's laid up, literally it's a reservation. This is reserved in heaven for him. It's a reservation for this future reward. Now, what is the reward? Well, he says it's the crown of righteousness. Now, does that mean it's a literal crown that he'll receive? It's possible. But I think it's a metaphor, meaning the crown is righteousness itself. Now, I'm going to talk more about that. You might say, well, wait a minute, didn't he receive that the moment he believed? Yes, he did, and you're an astute theologian for thinking that. We're going to come back to that. But what I wanna do is I want you to turn your Bibles to Proverbs 14, 18. Proverbs 14, 18. I'm gonna start in the Old Testament and then into the New. And I wanna build the case that the crown isn't the gift itself, but rather it's symbolizing the gift that we get. In this case, it would be righteousness. So please turn your Bibles to Proverbs 14, 18. Proverbs 14, 18. I hope you've turned there. And notice here, for those of you, by the way, that have been studying Proverbs with us, you'll be noticing an antithetical parallelism. This, but that. Notice he says, the naive inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge. Now, focus on the sensible there. Does that mean they have a crown and it says knowledge on there? No, the crown is knowledge. In other words, those who love God's word, as it says in Proverbs 1, 7, who fear the Lord, that's the beginning of knowledge or wisdom, they're the ones who are going to be given the gift of knowledge, who understand the way the world really works. who understand the way of salvation. So the gift isn't the crown. The crown is a symbol of the gift, which is knowledge itself. That's how I think the crown of righteousness is functioning here in 2 Timothy 4.8. Now, turn your Bibles to the New Testament. You're going to get a workout in the Bible, by the way, today. Hebrews 2.7. Please turn your Bibles there. I'll show you how the crown idea is also used in the New Testament. Hebrews 2.7. As you're turning to Hebrews 2.7, this is all about God the Father crowning Christ with glory and honor. Hebrews 2.7. Notice here in Hebrews 2.7, the writer of Hebrews says about the Father, he says, you made him, that's Jesus, for a little while lower than the angels, you have crowned him with glory and honor. So what was Christ crowned with? Glory and honor. He doesn't have a crown, but that's the idea that he was given the gift, the reward of glory and honor from the Father. Now, let's get back to Paul. You might be saying to yourself, well, wait a minute, didn't he receive righteousness the moment he believed? Yes, Paul taught that in Romans chapter four, that once a human being believes in Jesus Christ, they have the imputed righteousness of God forevermore. But the reason why Paul is focusing on this as being a future gift is because it's only the righteous that can dwell with God forever. Read Psalm 5, 4-5. Only the righteous will dwell with God. And so what he's really affirming is that he is going to be with God forevermore. He will reign with him. That's the greatest gift that any of us can be given. But why does he say it this way? Think about as Paul is writing the epistle to Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy, he's awaiting certain death. at the hands of whom? The hands of the Romans. Because Nero, the emperor of Rome, has stated that Paul is unrighteous. And this is Paul's way of putting his thumb in the eye of the emperor and saying no, no, no. The tribunal of the emperor doesn't matter. It's the tribunal of the Holy One of Israel that ultimately matters. Brothers and sisters, that's true for you today. As you see more and more persecution coming against Christians in America, you have to be convinced that the tribunal that matters is not the tribunal of a mayor, a governor, a president, a senator, a prime minister, the pope, or anyone else. What ultimately matters is before the tribunal of Jesus Christ, you're declared righteous. therefore you'll live forever with him. That was the greatest gift that Paul was looking forward to, being in the presence of God forevermore. Now, notice he says it's the Lord, the righteous judge that will give him, but when will he receive it? Notice in the underline it says, on that day. That is a reference to the future day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, I believe, begins with the rapture of the church, And then you have the ensuing wrath of God that is poured out And so during this large period of time the day of the lord you have multiple judgments within For example, you have the white throne judgment in revelation chapter 20 after the millennial kingdom the thousand-year reign of christ on the earth You're going to have all unbelievers who will be given a resurrection but for the purpose of being thrown into the lake of fire But at some time during the day of the Lord, you're gonna have what's called the bama seat judgment, the reward seat judgment, where Christ rewards his people. That's what Paul's referring to. In the future day of the Lord, he's gonna be given this great reward. But notice he says, it's not only for him, but it's to all who love his appearing. That's for every believer. So every believer is called to be one who loves the appearing, the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So you and I, if we say, yes, I believe that Jesus did come, but I don't believe that he's coming again, we're outside of the faith. We're outside of the faith. That is a departure from orthodoxy. That is heresy. Now you might say, well, who would teach that? Well, think about at Corinth, what did Paul have to wrestle with? while these rascals who were saying there's no such thing as a resurrection. Or remember in Ephesus regarding 1st and 2nd Timothy, that was the background there. There were some who were saying that the resurrection had already occurred. Or in 2nd Peter, Peter had to deal with these rascals who were saying, well, Jesus isn't coming again. That's heresy. True believers have a love for his appearing. Not just that he did come, but that he's coming again. That's what Paul looked forward to as well. And that's how he could persevere. and fight the good fight. Dear ones, if you wanna fight the good fight and live a faithful life now, it's by believing with certainty in the future promises of God. If you don't believe that he's appearing a second time to reward those who belong to him, you'll start trying to get all you can here and now, the fleeting pleasures of sin, the sins that so easily entangle us. But if you will trust the great reward, you'll live for those things. That's how living for Christ's reward leads to godliness. Okay, now I have two points of application for you here this morning. Number one, we should see the need to follow Paul in living a disciplined life of godliness for the sake of great reward. Again, he not only defended the faith, the objective truth, but he lived it out. And we'll talk about discipline in following the ways of the Lord. Number two, Loving Christ's appearing is key to godly living here and now. In particular, I'm going to be talking about the intermediate state. Paul was about to die, but he died and went to be with the Lord prior to the resurrection. What is life like for the Christian prior to the resurrection? I'm going to show you that it's glorious. It's something not to be feared. but to be absolutely excited about. So we'll talk about that. So let's begin with number one. I mentioned earlier that when Paul wrote that he had kept the faith, he meant that he had fought the good fight and defended the doctrinal integrity objectively of the gospel, but he also lived out the ethical implications of the gospel. And how did he do that? Well, we're gonna see in the passage I'm about to put up, 1 Corinthians 9, he did so by living a disciplined life. We'll talk about what that discipline is and what it isn't. Listen to what Paul said. 1 Corinthians 9, 25 through 27. Paul said, everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim, I box in such a way as not beating the air, but I discipline my body and make it my slave so that, here's the purpose, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. Now I want to begin here up in the blue. Notice Paul's talking about exercising self-control in all things. Now, there's three things I want you to know that this self-control does not imply. First of all, it does not imply that Paul was following some legalistic traditions of men. So many times I see people in my years of being a pastor, they will find some teacher will say, you can't do this and you can't do that. Things that Christ and the apostles never commanded. And they'll think that that's discipline. No, that's not discipline, that's a false piety that attacks the sufficiency of Christ. Paul isn't talking about that kind of discipline. Second, it does not imply that Paul went back to the Mosaic legal code as a means of sanctification. No, that would be heresy as well. The third thing it does not imply by Paul living a disciplined life, that somehow we are not saved by faith alone. No, we are saved by faith alone, in Christ alone, all by God's grace alone. So why the need for discipline? Because at the end of the day, you and I will act on what we truly believe. So if we are to act on what we truly believe, We are to live a disciplined life where we abide by the commands that come from Christ and the apostles under the new covenant. Now, let me give you three ways that you can live a disciplined life, which I think are biblical. Number one, be dedicated to prayer. Remember, we have the right and privilege as Christians to approach the throne of grace, as it says in Hebrews 4.16, and we can find real timely help when we're being tempted to sin. In fact, Jesus modeled us this very idea for us in his prayer. Remember his model prayer? I like to call it Jesus' model prayer, rather than the Lord's prayer, because sometimes, remember he begins by saying, don't say things in vain repetitions as the heathen do. And then we go, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. You know, we just turn it into a rote thing, right? So it's his model prayer, pray like this. Well, in Matthew 6.13, what did he say? That we would pray that we would not be led into temptation, but that we would be delivered from the evil one. The Lord can powerfully, supernaturally enable us to withstand temptation. The second principle that we see to live a disciplined life is flee from that which easily entices you. We see that, for example, in 1 Corinthians 6.18, where Paul says, flee immorality. Flee from it. In other words, flee from sexual immorality. Don't come up to it and force the temptation and then say, I overcame. Flee from it. The model there I always think of is Joseph with Potiphar's wife. Did he lay down with her and negotiate? No. He fled. He got out of there. You and I can do the same thing. Flee. from being tempted in the first place. Now, we always can't help it. Sometimes temptation comes and we can't. We have to rely upon the power of God in prayer. But think about it. Let me just give you a simple analogy. If you're a kleptomaniac, you may not want to be the one who volunteers to count the money at the school bake sale. Are you with me? Flee from that. Don't put yourself in a position where you're gonna be tempted. Now, the third thing that Bob and I often talk about is focus on the promises of God. Where do you find that? You find it in the Lord's Supper. You find it in the scriptures and the encouraging one another as we assemble together. You find it in God's means of grace. Because as we dwell in the promises of God, we say, yes, I'm living for that kingdom rather than the fleeting pleasures of sin. That's what Paul did. He lived a disciplined life. Now, brothers and sisters, notice in verse 27, he talks about this discipline. The purpose was so that after he preached to others, he would not be disqualified. Some very good teachers I've seen before have said that this disqualification was not of salvation, but rather of his ministry, being disqualified as an elder, pastor, that sort of thing. But that's not what Paul is talking about here. Notice, how do I know that? Well, he's talking about the imperishable prize. The imperishable prize is salvation itself. And you might say, well, how would Paul be disqualified? Well, if he preached to others the truth of the gospel but didn't live it out, he would show himself to be the hypocrite. That's the idea. He would show that he really didn't believe. And that's the relationship between obedience and faith. You act on what you really believe. If I believe something is a chair but I'll never sit in it, does it show I have any trust in it as a chair? That's the relationship between works and saving faith. Not only do I know Christ and who He is, but I sit in Him. I live it out. Dear brothers and sisters, that's what Paul did. He kept the faith. He fought the good fight because he lived. a disciplined life, trusting that the reward of Christ was indeed great. Now, let's go to our second point today. You know, Bob and I will often talk about the promises of God. And again, we believe that that is the key to sanctification because the biblical writers teach that. And again, we see that that is the case today in 2 Timothy 4. The reason why Paul fought the good fight It's because he believed the promises of God. Now, when we talk about the promises of God, we often focus on the rapture, the resurrection, the millennial kingdom, the eternal states, and we should. Those are the pinnacle of God's promises. But what about life in the intermediate state? That's the one that seems to concern Christians often. Now, what do I mean by the intermediate state? Well, that is the state that you are in when you die as a believer prior to the rapture. Your body goes into the ground, but your soul goes to be with the Lord. And what you have to know is that the apostle Paul was looking forward, even in the intermediate state, he said that this is the greatest thing that could happen to a believer. And you have to be convinced of that as well, that going to be home with the Lord even without the resurrected body is a glorious thing. So what's the other state that we would be in in the afterlife? Well, that's the resurrection life. So after you die, there's two things that you can be in, either the intermediate state prior to the resurrection, or you're in the resurrection state. It's one or the other. Now, what I want to do is I want you to look at, in fact, I actually can just turn to it here. I've got it on the screen. I was going to have you turn to it in your Bible, but I've got it. Philippians 1.23, here's what Paul says about the intermediate state. By the way, this is a parallel passage to what we're studying here in 2 Timothy 4. Paul says, but I am hard-pressed from both directions having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better. Now, notice here in the box that verb depart. That's the verbal counterpart to the noun that we saw today where Paul said the time of his departure was imminent. It's the same term. So it's referring, of course, to his imminent death. But notice what Paul is saying. This is prior to the resurrection happening. He's saying that his departure is what? It's very much better. Polis molon in the Greek. It's a superlative. It doesn't get any better than this. I don't know why I'm a little strange, but I thought years ago when I was watching football, Do you remember the Milwaukee beer commercials? I hate to bring up that, but you remember the guys would be fishing, they'd be out in the sun, they're getting fish and they're eating fish and they're out in the sun, and they say, it doesn't get any better than this. That's what Paul was saying. It's far better than a Milwaukee beer commercial. It's the best, it doesn't get any better. That's what Paul was saying. In the most superlative way he can muster, this is the greatest, that he would die. So that way, when he's being poured out as a drink offering, you and I say, well, this is victorious. This isn't something to be saddened about. But the question is, well, how could he say that? In fact, not only does he say it here, but in 2 Corinthians 5.8, Paul says that we very much would rather be absent from the body and therefore present with the Lord. That's what he's saying. Well, how could he be so confident? What accounts for Paul saying that dying prior to the resurrection is a certainly glorious thing. Well, one thing you can tell is this means that a believer after death but prior to the resurrection must have a conscious existence. Why? Otherwise, it's not such a great deal. And if it was a great deal, you wouldn't know about it. Are you with me? So let's listen to why Paul says this is so great. Paul knew because he was there. He saw the new Jerusalem to where he was heading. That's why he said it was so great. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 12, two through four, notice Paul says, I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago, whether in the body I do not know or out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, God knows, was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. Notice Paul begins with some humility. He says, I know a man. He's trying not to boast. But what did this man do? Notice he says, whether it was in the body or was out of the body, I don't know. I think that's significant. The implication is Paul certainly enjoyed seeing the New Jerusalem, and he doesn't even know if he had the body or not. Apparently the body isn't necessary for enjoying the heavenly kingdom. He doesn't even know if he had it. Now notice, where did he go? He went to the third heaven. To the Jews' conception of the third heaven, the first heaven is where the birds fly. It's our atmosphere. Now you have airplanes that fly through it and you've got clouds, etc. The second heaven was the celestial sphere, where the stars and the planets are. But the third heaven was where the New Jerusalem was, the heavenly kingdom. And so what I'm contending is that the third heaven, where you go after you die but prior to the resurrection, is the heavenly Jerusalem. Now, in fact, notice he says he was caught up to paradise. The term paradise there literally means a garden in the Greek. In fact, the same term is used 14 times in the Greek Septuagint in the Old Testament to refer to the Garden of Eden. But see, we lost that because of our sin. But in the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21, Revelation 22, the garden is reestablished. Where is the garden, the paradise? It's in the New Jerusalem. That's where it is. And that's why when Jesus said to the thief on the cross, Luke 23, 43, he said, today you'll be with me in paradise. Where was that thief going because he trusted in Christ? He's going to the New Jerusalem. Now, let me build the case that heaven is this heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. And if you should die tonight as a believer in Christ, that's where you're going. Turn your Bibles, if you will, to Galatians 4, 25 through 26. Let's build the case biblically that this new Jerusalem exists, that's heaven for the people of God. Galatians 4, 25 through 26. Please turn your Bibles there. Now, as you're turning again, Galatians 4, 25 through 26, the context here is about Paul talking about two different types of people. The people of faith are the people of promise. They belong to Sarah in the heavenly Jerusalem. But if you're a person of works, of law works, you're a person who belongs to Mount Sinai, to Hagar in the present Jerusalem. Do you see the idea? So but notice the implication of this text Galatians 4 25 through 26. He says now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and Corresponds to the present Jerusalem stop there. Why the present Jerusalem because they were in bondage. They had rejected the Messiah they were in works They rejected messianic salvation notice. It says for she is in slavery with her children and And again, this shows that the issue isn't your genetics, but whether you believe or you don't believe. Verse 26, it says, but the Jerusalem above is free. She is our mother. Let's think about the implications of this text. Was Hagar real? Yes, she was real. She existed. Did Mount Sinai, is that real? Does that exist? Yes. What about the present Jerusalem? Does that exist? Yes. What about the Jerusalem above? Are we gonna say, no, that doesn't exist? No, it exists. There's a Jerusalem above. That's the heavenly city. And that's where you go when you breathe your last prior to the resurrection. That's what Paul saw. That was the paradise of God. That was the third heaven. That's why he could fight the good fight. Now, brothers and sisters, let me show you another passage that implies the heavenly Jerusalem. Turn your Bibles to Romans 11, 26. Romans 11, 26. A very famous passage that you all know where God promises one day all Israel will be saved. That's in the 70th week of Daniel. when he turns his attention again from the Gentiles to saving the Jews in mass. Romans 11.26, notice what he says there. I hope you've turned. Romans 11.26, he says, Now, he's going to quote from Isaiah 59.20. The deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. Now, everyone, look in your Bible. Notice that phrase, the deliverer will come from Zion. That's Isaiah 59 20. But if you read Isaiah 59 20, it actually says the deliverer will come to Zion. Here, Paul says the deliverer will come from Zion. Now, is Paul just playing fast and loose with the Old Testament as some scholars claim he is, which I would reject utterly? No. Paul is making the deliberate play on words because when Christ comes a second time, where is he coming from? The heavenly Zion. That's his point. At the first coming, he came to the earthly Zion to remove sin. But he comes a second time coming from the heavenly Zion, the heavenly New Jerusalem, to save his people finally and forever. That's Paul's point. That's where Christ is coming from. Now, one more passage to look at. You're getting a workout today. Your Bible's probably all worn out. You'll have to buy a new one after this weekend. Hebrews 12.22. Please turn your Bibles there. Hebrews 12.22. Now in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22, remember here the writer of Hebrews is contrasting and comparing one's relationship under the old covenant to those who are now under the new covenant. And if it was a fearful thing to come to Mount Sinai and to disobey the Lord, how much more is it to be disobedient to the new covenant with better promises, a better mediator, et cetera. That's all of the argument that's gone in here. Notice he says, Hebrews 12, 22, he says, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the myriads of angels. That's where you've come. When you've come to faith in Jesus Christ, that's where you belong. Dear ones, the moment you believe, you're heading to the new Jerusalem. The moment you die, I should say, if you're a believer, prior to the resurrection, that's where you're going. Now, I want to show you this isn't just a one-off. How did Abraham live such a godly life? Abraham, notice here in the book of Hebrews 11, verses 8 through 10. It says that by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. Notice verse nine, by faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise as in a foreign land, dwelling in the tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. Let me stop there in verse nine. Do you know as Abraham obeyed God, he lived by faith. That's the point. You and I are to live by faith, and therefore we believe the promises as well. But isn't it interesting in verse nine, it says that Abraham lived as an alien in the promised land. Well, what does that mean? Well if you read the accounts in the Old Testament Abraham went through the promise line He never owned one scintilla of it except the cave of Machpelah where he buried his wife That doesn't sound like much of a promise the only thing that he had in this world was enough land to bury his wife And the question is well, how can he stand it? How could he go through all that he went through look at verse 10? for He was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. He was looking for the same city Paul was. He's looking for the same city you are. That's how you and I can confidently contend for the faith. We can run the course. We can fight the good fight. And we can be those who proclaim the gospel, even under persecution. We're living for that city. Dear ones, I know many of you in here have had to bury a loved one who was a believer, and sometimes I was part of that ceremony. What I want you to do is rejoice today. Because the moment your loved one, who is a believer in Christ, breathed their last, they went to the New Jerusalem. That's where they are. It's not pie-in-the-sky thinking. It exists, just as Mount Arabia does, just as the present Jerusalem does. Why? Because you and I serve a God who's not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, three dead guys, but who's the God of the living. That's how Paul could persevere. That's how you and I are to persevere, looking for the promises of God. And dear ones, if the intermediate state is so awesome that Paul can say it's very much better, I wanna go there, how much grander is it after the resurrection? And so we should look for the resurrection. Paul says as much, Titus 2.11-13, he says, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Dear ones, I want you to notice in this text, when Paul talks about the grace of God has appeared, There you have this verb right here. That verb is the same as the one down here. Does everyone see that? So here you have a reference to epiphaneia. You have a reference to the first coming. Down here it's used regarding the second coming. Does everyone see that? That's why context tells you whether epiphaneia is for the first or the second coming. whereas the term parousia is reserved for the second coming. It's only used for that. But notice at the first coming, God's grace did what? Well, it instructed us to do several things. It instructed us to deny ungodliness. The grace at the first coming instructed us to live sensibly and righteously and godly. That's the discipline Paul was talking about. But notice it also implied as instructing us to be those who look forward to the blessed hope and the second appearing of Jesus Christ our Savior. We're to do both. So I want to leave you with this. Perhaps today your dreams have been shattered. Maybe you're middle-aged or you're older than that and your dreams haven't come true or you know that even they have and they're wonderful, they're fleeting and temporal because the death rate's one per person. Today is the day to have a new dream. To set your mind, as it says in Colossians 3, 2, not on things on the earth, but things above. Because if you will focus on this kingdom, if that will be your dream, and if you'll live for that, it will lead to godly living here and now. You'll live for the promises, and also you have to know that living for Christ's reward is something that won't disappoint. Because it is certainly given to all who believe, and it is eternal. It will never go away. Brothers and sisters, let us be those who live for Christ's reward and live appropriately. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you that you give us these great promises, that even if we should breathe our last, prior to the day of you coming for us, we're with you in the new Jerusalem, and that we're going to enjoy our life with you. We thank you for the promise, though, of resurrection, and the future glorious kingdom in which you reign upon the earth and all the nations will come up to bring you honor and glory. We give you thanks for these things. We give you thanks for the promises so that we may live appropriately a disciplined, godly life here and now. I do pray for any of my brothers and sisters who may be in sin. We do pray, Lord, that we would keep a short account before you, that we'd be quick to turn and to repent and get back on that straight and narrow path, one of godly living, that accords with those who believe in you. We also pray, Lord, again, that you'd give us opportunity to proclaim your gospel salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. I do pray ahead of time for those who will be hearing Mike Gendron next week. We pray for him and traveling mercies upon Mike and Jane. We pray, Lord, that there's anyone who does not believe who hears him that they would, they'd repent and come to faith in Jesus Christ. They'd also share in this great promise. of Christ's reward. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.