The Living Shall Not Precede

The point: Use this truth to exhort and comfort one another, not just keep it as a personal jewel.

Paul's purpose is not to make people 'eschatological geniuses' or provide 'fuel for prophetic congresses' to concoct charts, but to provide comfort. Using the Bible as a crystal ball for future events is an abuse of the passage.

His purpose is not to make them eschatological geniuses, that is, geniuses concerning the doctrine of last things. His purpose is not to give fuel for prophetic congresses, that people may look at the Bible like a crystal ball, and concoct 30 foot wide charts to know all future things. That's not his purpose. And though this passage has been used for that purpose, it is an abuse rather than a proper use of the passage.

4:21 - 4:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Use this truth to exhort and comfort one another, not just keep it as a personal jewel.

The truth of the passage is not to be tucked away as a 'little jewel in the casket of our own hearts' but to be used to exhort and comfort one another, emphasizing its practical application.

Again I say, if we get his purpose clear, and his doctrine clear, but fail to remember the application of it, that we're to take this now, and not tuck it away as a little jewel in the casket of our own hearts, but we're to use it in our interplay one with another, and we are to exhort and comfort one another, you're to use this truth. You as a common, ordinary child of God, not a professional preacher, not a teaching, ruling elder, wherefore, comfort one another with these words. So much then for the general drift of the passage as the thought develops, now let us move this morning to a study...

4:53 - 5:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into verse 14, explaining that Paul builds upon the Thessalonians' existing belief in Christ's death and resurrection. He highlights that this foundational truth is…

Verse 14 is described as a 'capsule' containing the general doctrine, while verses 15-17 are 'opening the capsule, and taking out some of the specific ingredients,' illustrating the progression from general to specific teaching.

dispel the ignorance which leads to despair. Now he states his doctrine in verse 14, in a general way. Verse 14 is the capsule, verses 15 to 17 is opening the capsule, and taking out some of the specific ingredients. Now what does he say?

5:37 - 5:58 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And I would suggest to you that as I've poured over this passage many hours and tried to catch the beat of the Apostle's heart, that the key to the whole comfort that He gives them is in that little phrase, with Him.

If Jesus is to bring dead loved ones 'with him,' they must already be in his presence. This is illustrated by the simple act of needing to have a handkerchief in one's pocket to bring it along, demonstrating that 'to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord'.

now notice how subtly and yet in a very forceful way he does some what we call behind the scenes reasoning here now he says you people know that Jesus is going to come back again right and they say sure we're waiting for the son of God from heaven he said well I've got news for you when he comes back again you know he's going to bring with him all those that fell asleep and someone says wait a minute if he's going to bring them with him that means they must be with him now and they get the point that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord how can you bring with him something...

14:54 - 15:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin elaborates on the doctrine of union with Christ, tracing its origins from eternity (chosen in Him), through Christ's saving acts (dying and rising with Him), to the…

Martin shares a personal anecdote of being so overwhelmed with joy and conviction while studying the doctrine of union with Christ that he 'literally got shouting happy' in his study, conveying the profound comfort and power of this truth.

It isn't often that I literally get shouting happy in my study. But as I've considered this thing, I just couldn't keep it within my own heart. I'm glad that there was a lot of noise downstairs. My wife and the children perhaps didn't think I was getting a bit deranged.

21:43 - 21:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself if the fact of your union with Christ has been brought home to you by the Holy Spirit's illumination.

Christ is the 'first fruits' and the 'head' of His people, and the 'bridegroom' to His 'bride.' It is unthinkable that the head should be raised and the members left to extinction, or the bridegroom without his bride, illustrating the inseparable union between Christ and believers.

Our union with him spans eternity. All that he does is the head he does so that his members might experience the same. Christ is called the first fruits of them that sleep. How unthinkable that the head should die and be raised.

22:11 - 22:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Transitioning to verses 15-17, Martin explains that Paul provides specific details about the resurrection, starting with the source of his information: a special, direct…

The progressive revelation of truth about death and resurrection is compared to viewing curtains from different distances. The Old Testament is like viewing from 50 feet, the Gospels from 10 feet, and Paul's revelation from 2 feet, showing increasing detail without contradiction.

was like those curtains, from where you sit. What the Lord Jesus revealed, would be what I can see in those curtains from where I stand, more detailed. What the Apostle is revealing, is what could be seen by someone standing a foot away, even more detailed. Not different curtains, not rearranged, not changing the curtains, but a fuller, expanded understanding and revelation.

28:57 - 29:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Continually pray that God will expose your wrong thinking and remove the 'weeds of error' from your mind.

Before planting the 'true plant of divine truth,' Paul first 'pulls out the weeds of error.' This illustrates the principle that truth cannot be established in the mind until error is exposed and removed, as 'weeds will always choke good plants'.

And may I suggest that that's the way you and I have to learn. For truth will not be established in the mind until error is exposed and driven from the mind. One of the problems in our day is that we expect the fair flowers of divine truth to grow in the weed patches of human error.

32:39 - 33:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your emotional response to the emphasis on being 'with Him' as the core of hope; disappointment reveals spiritual caliber.

Quoting the hymn 'Jesus, Wondrous Treasure,' which states 'heaven itself without him dark as night would be,' Martin uses it to test the listener's spiritual caliber regarding whether their hope is truly in Christ's presence or in other aspects of the Second Coming.

Do you hear me? Any emphasis which makes part and parcel of the blessed hope of the Lord's return some wish that will be taken out of things when it gets too hot and will be taken to sit somewhere under a tree with apples as big as balloons and oranges as big as beach balls I submit is an unscriptural concept I'm reminded of the words of that hymn that is found in the inner varsity hymn Jesus wondrous treasure Christ of kings the king

35:48 - 36:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your emotional response to the emphasis on being 'with Him' as the core of hope; disappointment reveals spiritual caliber.

Martin recounts asking someone about their idea of the blessed hope, who responded with the notion of being 'taken out when things get too hot' and that it's 'much better than dying.' This anecdote sets up Paul's correction of the false notion that escape from death is superior.

is really the best way to go into the presence of Christ I asked someone the other day I said now tell me be very honest what is your idea of the blessed hope this individual said well it's always been conveyed to me that it will be taken out when things get too hot and that really it's much better than dying well that's the precise thing that Paul corrects he says we who have the privilege of being alive it is coming are not one win ahead of those who die I get disturbed about reading some of these moderns who write about the old saints who thought long and hard about death and they wrote boo...

37:57 - 38:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Long for death when you have run your course and are weary of the battle, as it is scriptural and wholesome to desire rest in Christ's presence.

Martin contrasts modern Christians' reluctance to think about death with the 'old saints' like Baxter, who wrote books on preparing for death ('The Saints' Everlasting Rest,' 'Holy Dying'). This example highlights a lost emphasis on preparing for death as a part of Christian living.

the majority of God's elect through the ages are going to get into the presence of Christ by going through the valley of the shadow and the few that remain they will be relatively few who are here at his coming we don't think much about death do we the old saints did they wrote books on it the saints everlasting rest old Baxter wrote a book good book on how to prepare yourself to die one of them wrote a book holy dying it was dealing more with mortification but this was their thinking it's easy for us little saintlets to pick up our stones and throw down but they sure lived better and died mor...

40:08 - 40:52 Read in full sermon