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Complete Sermon Notes
Dead Men See God
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” ~ 1 Cor. 15:50 KJV
LifeWay Research states: 1 in 4 pastors say the rapture is not literal. Almost 1 in 5 thinks the rapture happens after the tribulation (18 percent).
The Parable of the Fig Tree – Matt. 24:32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
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“Genea” [γενεά] is used here for the tenth time. It often refers to the time span of a single human generation.
But has Christ returned, has the elect been gathered, were there signs in the heavens, has the abomination of desolation occurred? Doubtful…
No One Knows the Day or Hour – 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
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We are living on borrowed time – Live for Christ now
40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
“Taken” seems to be the negative – cf. 39
“Left” seems to be the negative – cf. 31 – “the angels gather the elect”.
A thief will not set an appointment – one must be ready at 12am and 4am.
Be ready – “If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey?” ~ Oswald Chambers
~ Noah preached but they didn’t listen: ALL OF CREATION CRIES OUT!
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“God, you never showed Yourself to me”
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1st Point of Application: “Death is separation from the body.”
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Cor. 15:35 Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
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When you sow, you plant the seed not the plant – the sin nature, the DNA of Adam dies.
Common Text for the Rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
- The grief of a lost soul is immeasurable “if”….
14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
- Do you truly believe? Do you have HOPE today? If not, you may have religion & not relationship.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
“Paul’s mixed metaphors of trumpets blowing and the living being snatched into heaven to meet the Lord are not to be understood as literal truth, as the Left Behind series suggests, but as a vivid…description of the great transformation of the present world of which he speaks elsewhere…” ~ N.T. Wright
The words “caught up” are the Greek word harpazo – “to snatch away.” My being “caught up” in reading the Bible is a state of mind, not a physical movement.
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Enoch and Elijah were taken up, as was Philip.
Facts: 1. New Bodies 2. Be prepared – not caught off guard – “be ready incase He comes sooner than expected”. 3. You will be with Jesus
Why are most terrified about death? Because they’re not ready.
Death is separation from the body – DEAD MEN SEE GOD.
2nd Point of Application: “Death is Separation from the World.”
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11, ESV).
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The problem is that we often don’t “feel” dead to sin – “Grace changes the nature of man, but nothing changes the nature of sin” (Puritan, John Owen).
James McDonald, “It means that because Christ died in our place, we are dead to the power of sin. It’s as if we used to live in an apartment with an awful landlord who would burst in whenever he wanted, but now we’ve moved to a new apartment with a new landlord. We have new locks; we owe the former landlord nothing. He can’t get into our new apartment unless we open the door and invite him in.”
The more I die to self, the closer God gets.
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The enemy robs you of Joy by influencing you with Bitterness.
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He robs you of Peace by influencing you with Fear.
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He robs you of a strong vibrant relationship with God by influencing you with lust and addiction.
“BE KILLING SIN – OR SIN BE KILLING YOU” (John Owen).
The principle of sowing and reaping applies to all areas of our lives.
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We must first empty ourselves in order to be filled with His SPIRIT.
You are either dead to the world & alive to the things of God – or dead to the things of God & alive to the world. DEAD MEN SEE GOD!
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