A Body Prepared for Me

♪ From the cross ♪ ♪ All the Jesus ♪ ♪ Is from the cross ♪ ♪ Every day ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Down to cross ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ What are you doing for the King ♪ ♪ Have you really given everything ♪ ♪ To the one who gave His heart ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Now don't you be satisfied ♪ ♪ Just ignore ♪ ♪ That the Lord will save the soul ♪ ♪ Have you forgotten ♪ ♪ What He needs to do ♪ ♪ To do ♪ ♪ From the cross ♪ ♪ All the Jesus ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Every day ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Down to cross ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪

♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Down to cross ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ I know sometimes ♪ ♪ The road is wrong ♪ ♪ And I know sometimes ♪ ♪ You feel like you hit the wall ♪ ♪ But you can make me happy ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Every day ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Take out the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Take out the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪ ♪ Take out the cross ♪

♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ All the He is ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Don't be afraid ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ To say that you love me ♪ ♪ Round and round and round ♪ ♪ Take back the phone ♪ ♪ Round and round and round ♪ ♪ You'll make us a phone ♪ ♪ Round and round and round ♪ ♪ Take back the phone ♪ ♪ Take back the phone ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ [applause] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, my Redeemer ♪

♪ There's no greater love ♪ ♪ Than what you give and be ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ I'm forgiven ♪ ♪ And I'll never be chained again ♪ ♪ For the very same power ♪ ♪ It pains Christ from the dead ♪ ♪ There's a lightning in me ♪ ♪ For the very same power ♪ ♪ The overcast ♪ ♪ The dead ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ ♪ And now I'm in the glory ♪ ♪ It's a rescue me ♪ ♪ It's a rescue me ♪ ♪ I'm gonna shout it out loud ♪ ♪ Yes, I know ♪ ♪ I'm gonna shout it out loud ♪ ♪ We won't be here ♪ ♪ Thank you ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Take a seat ♪ ♪ I'm out with you ♪ ♪ I'm out with you ♪ ♪ There's no greater life ♪ ♪ There's no greater life ♪ ♪ Than what you mean ♪ ♪ I mean you ♪

♪ I mean you ♪ ♪ I'll forgive my only ♪ ♪ I'll forgive my only ♪ ♪ And I'll never be ♪ ♪ Chained again ♪ ♪ He's come for the very same power ♪ ♪ It pains Christ from the dead ♪ ♪ There's a lightning in me ♪ ♪ For very same power ♪ ♪ Over faith, good day ♪ ♪ When we live in thee ♪ ♪ When the very same power ♪ ♪ Raise Christ over death ♪ ♪ To ride with thee ♪ ♪ When the very same power ♪ ♪ Over the field of care ♪ ♪ Where the waves in me and now I am coming ♪ ♪ Since he rescued me ♪ ♪ Since he rescued me ♪ ♪ I am not ♪ ♪ Sorry I'm out of the sun ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it up ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it up ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it up ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it up ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it up ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪

♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪

♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ I'm gonna show it to you ♪ ♪ Come on, tell me what you think ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ I have freedom but it's a matter of all ♪ ♪ That's very great, it's a matter of all ♪ ♪ I have freedom but it's a matter of all ♪ ♪ I have freedom but it's a matter of all ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You say how that praise rise from the day ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ And the very same power ♪ ♪ Over the face of grace ♪ ♪ Over the face of grace ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ And the very same power ♪ ♪ The praise rise from the truth of death ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪

♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ And the very same power ♪ ♪ Over the face of grace ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ And now I have freedom ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ It's a matter of all ♪ ♪ Show me, show me, show me ♪ ♪ Show me how I know ♪ ♪ Yes I am, yes I am ♪ ♪ Show me how I know ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Show me how I know ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Free, show me how I know ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ (audience applauding) - Good morning, everybody. - Good morning. - Let's say your Bible. Just take a moment and hold it up. There you go. I love that. Just a few moments we're going to Philippians chapter two, it will be on the screen, of course, but I'm glad that you brought your Bible and you can mark it up a little bit today. This week together, let's read first Timothy. First Timothy, five chapters, six, six chapters. One a day, just enjoy it.

And I want you to take a deep breath, everybody, just, what do they say, chill, chill from... (audience laughing) In a few weeks on Wednesday nights, we're gonna start in the sanctuary, classes on basic Christian doctrine. Because we've come to realize that lots of Christians, modern day Christians don't understand the basic doctrines of the faith. So we're going to be engaging in that in just a few weeks, is that right, Pastor? And I would like for us this morning to sing the doxology. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures, here below. Praise him above, you heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, amen. Okay. ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise him, all creatures, here below ♪ ♪ Praise him above me, heavenly hosts ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ I prayed it this morning. I thank You for never changing. You're the same throughout eternity. Yesterday, today, and forever, sometimes in this world where change is constant, I am settled by the fact that You never change. So in this time, this short time, we have together now, Lord, where You said You would

meet with us. I ask You now to give us a spirit of enlightenment, wisdom, knowledge. Let us receive the Word of God, Your Word, with humble hearts. And may we intentionally walk out of here today to live those very words. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Let's read together Philippians chapter 2, beginning with verse 5, everyone together out loud. Let this mind be in You, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And the church said, Amen. Thank you for being seated. And what you have here is the incarnation of Jesus, about which theologians and philosophers and denominations have argued for 2,000 years. And out of those disagreements or misconceptions of Scripture have grown various sects, divisions and heresies. I won't get into all of these, but some of the things that the apostles dealt with and those who were trained by the apostles were the doctrines of docetism and Arianism and Pelagianism, all kinds of his Gnosticism. And it's when men could not just simply accept Scripture, but they had to find a logical explanation of the Scriptures. You don't receive the Scriptures in any way except by faith. You can't receive it by your brain, it has to come by faith and then the teacher, the Holy Spirit instructs you in the way of righteousness.

So most of those heresies and disagreements were about. Some of it was the depravity of man, the absolute depravity or total depravity. And much of it was about either the divinity or humanity of Jesus. The Scriptures say in John 1, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. The saying was in the beginning with God, drop down. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And then John said later in a letter, there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Spirit, and these three are one God in three persons, and there are others who say they are. For example, the United Pentecostal Church is oneness or Jesus only. They will tell you they believe in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but that they can only be one at a time when God is the Father. He's only the Father, not the Son of the Spirit. When He's the Son, He's neither the Father nor the Spirit. When He's the Holy Spirit, He's neither Father nor Son. And they say they believe in three gods, but they don't believe that three persons eternally exist in one God. And that's the basic teaching of Scripture. And people say, "How can three be one?" Well, here's the question. How can two be one? Jesus said when a man marries a woman, the two become one. They become one flesh. Paul also said, "He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit." So what you have down through the ages, 20 centuries, 2000 years, are heresies repackaged. So today we are dealing with the same heresies that John wrote about in his letters that Paul warned about. It's the same thing Satan has just refurbished it, has recustomized it, but it's the same teaching to get people to doubt the divinity of Jesus Christ. Here's how it is. The Father begot the Son. It says in Hebrews, "This day have I begotten you." The Son was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, and Mary provided the body. The Father, sinless, holy, begot Christ, which makes Christ sinless and holy, had his father been Joseph, or any other man, Jesus would be as much a sinner as we are or have been. But his father was holy, and the Holy Spirit was the means by which he conceived Mary, that is, and Mary provided the body. Hebrew chapter 10 is repeating Old Testament prophecies, Psalms, about Jesus, where Jesus said, "You have not been pleased with sacrifices and offerings, but a body you have prepared for me." So the day when blood sacrifices and offerings and feasts

and festivals would appease the wrath of God was not pleasing to God. He wanted one final sacrifice that would cover the sins of the world, and so he begot his son, prepared him a body in the womb of Mary. Jesus was born, and you know the rest of the story. But what's interesting about this whole concept of the God man, he was totally God and totally man. He was 100% God, 100% man. No, you can't explain it. No, you can't understand it. You have to take it by faith. So the thing that fascinates us is that when you go to the book of Hebrews, it says that Christ learned, now here is the all-knowing one, but Christ learned obedience by the things that he suffered or the things that tested him. What? God had to learn? No. The humanity of Jesus had to learn what humanity is all about so that he could represent humanity when he goes to the Father. Look at a couple of these things if you would. Remember when Jesus was taken? and left him in Jerusalem and they go back and find him. And they were worried sick and they said, son, where have you been? Why didn't you tell us what you were doing? And Jesus said, don't you know that I must be about my father's business? And so, beginning at 12, he learned that the whole reason for being on earth is to serve God, the whole reason. And then at his baptism, see, he humbled himself to be baptized in water, not because he was a sinner, but because he wanted to identify with sinners and because the scriptures foretold that he would be baptized. And while he was coming up out of the water, his father spoke and said, this is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased. And Jesus learned at that moment that obeying God, obeying the scriptures will bring a blessing from the father. But there's another lesson that he learned quite quickly. And that is sometimes the feeling goes away and sometimes the magnificence of the moment dissipates

and you are led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, where you don't hear any voices, you don't feel any goosebumps. It's dark, it's lonely, it's miserable. And all you have is the word of God. And when all that Satan had and all that Satan was came against the Christ and tempted him, he in his weakened condition said, it is written. The word quoted the word and in his humanity, he found out that the word was sufficient to overcome every temptation of the evil one. The word, the word. Jesus learned as he traversed through life, walked through the cities, preached the gospel. People would question him about who he was and what he was doing. He said, I don't say anything that my father doesn't tell me to say, I don't even go anywhere that my father doesn't tell me to go. I am working and so is my father. Jesus was learning that to get through this life, you need direction from God. You don't make decisions on your own, you don't do things independent of heaven. You do what the father tells you, you go where the father tells you to go. And then as sad as it is and most wonderful at the same time, Jesus learned while he was hanging on a cross, the horrible hopelessness and the depravity of sin and what it does to a human being

when they are separated from God for eternity. He learned the awful pangs and punishment of sin on the cross. But then he learned that death can be destroyed through resurrection, praise God. It was in that body, that same body that preached, that healed, that was crucified, that was buried, that was raised on the third day, that same body is the body he went to heaven with and sat down at the right hand of the father in order that he might be a great high priest to humanity and all that he learned and all that he accomplished, he did it on the human side so that when we go to him, he knows what we're praying about. He understands our need. He is familiar with our weaknesses and our infirmities. It is in that body right now that he has called your name this morning. He is praying for you. As a member of his body, he takes you constantly to the father in that body. And I'm emphasizing body because we're having communion this morning and I want the emphasis to be on the body of Christ and the blood of Christ. So here's how important it is that you understand about the body. members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves are free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit." And then he drops down and says to the readers, "Now you are the body of Christ and members in particular." Can I stop just a moment and ask you if you really

understand the importance of what I just read to you? You are the body of Christ, that body that sitting on a throne at the right hand of the Father right now, who has already suffered and bled and died. He suffered the wrath of the Father. He has gone to intercede for you. You are members of that body in particular. And when you hold up that little square piece of tasteless bread this morning, it's only about that being. You have it. You are taking something so small and so simple to remind you of something so great and so eternal and so mighty that you are in the body of Christ, hallelujah to God. I want to preach for a couple of moments about two things, about prophecy and mystery, prophecy and mystery. We know about prophecy, it's Old Testament up until the time of John the Baptist. We know that throughout the history of Israel, God sent prophets, major prophets, minor prophets. Some were just farmers that he picked out, some were prophets that he chased down and he made them do it and nobody wanted to do it. Only Isaiah ended up saying, "Here I am, send me." But see, being a prophet was not an honorable thing in the sight of people in those days and it was a dangerous job. Most of them ended up dead. But that's prophecy and what they foretold came to pass and the Old Testament is full of it. For example, the first prophecy was given by God himself in Genesis chapter 3. Did you hear what the first prophet was God himself? He looked at the serpent and said, "I'm going to put hatred between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed." You may bruise his heel, but he's going to bruise your head. That was the first gospel message that was ever preached saying at some point down the line, the son, the Messiah, the Savior is going to do away with you. Your time will be up. That was it. It was prophesied and then the holy prophets prophesied of a day when a Messiah would come into this world to save a people named Israel. It prophesied of an Israel that would be scattered. Just read the depressing prophets if you would. It's all bad. God's going to just do this and that because you're hard-headed and stubborn and I can't get to you, you're going to suffer. But he prophesied that he was going to scatter them and it happened in 70 A.D. and they are still scattered all over the world. What's happening in Israel right now is not the re-gathering. They are still scattered from the east to the west, the north, and the south. Then the prophets prophesied of a rejection of their Messiah. He came into his own, but his own did not receive him. He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but they said, "We will not have this man. Give us Barabbas. May his blood be on us and on our children." They rejected the Christ and then they crucified the Christ, which was prophesied in the Old Testament, Isaiah 53. The Old Testament prophesied a resurrection

that would cause a They prophesied of a day in Daniel 9, 10, 11, and 12, they prophesied of an antichrist, a man of sin, a wicked one, a son of the devil that would offer Israel a deal that they would accept. Jesus said, "I came to you in my name and you rejected me, but if another comes in his own name, him you will receive." It was prophesied that they would make a covenant with the antichrist for seven years. And the Bible talks about that in Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesied the 70th week of Daniel. He called it a time of Jacob's trouble, and that there has never been nor will there ever be again anything as horrible and unbelievably painful as the tribulation period, the seven years. That was all prophesied. But then the prophets all foretold that there would be a second coming, that this king, this Messiah, would come back and he would rule over the people, Israel, and the whole world for 1,000 years of peace. It prophesied of a judgment of the wicked and the dead, of the just and the unjust. It prophesied of a new heaven and a new earth. All of that was prophesied. We've read all of that, but the Old Testament and the prophets did not prophesy about the church. There's nothing in the Old Testament about the church, the body of Christ. Jesus made a slight reference to it

when he said, "Upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." And then he said something about the government of that church, if you have something against your brother, take it to the elders and that whole thing. But Jesus was not revealing the true depth and meaning of the church at that point because the church was a mystery. We're out of prophesy, now we're into mystery. See, God doesn't tell everything at the same time. He reveals things gradually by degree. Old Testament saints knew some things. Those in the early church knew some other things. But the Bible says that the secret things belong to God, but the things that he has revealed to us belong to us and our children that we may obey him forever. So when this Jew named Saul of Tarsus was on his way to persecute those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus thumped him off of his horse and stood in front of him and blinded him with his glory. And Paul said, "What do you want me to do? Who are you?" And Jesus said, "I've picked you out to go to the Gentiles." It's at that point that Paul realized God had something to say to the world. And the Bible says he went and spent the next three years on Mount Sinai in Arabia where God himself gave him instructions.

He opened up the mysteries of the church to Paul. Not only that, Jesus called Paul up into the third heaven and gave him more instructions about his body, about his people, his bride, his chosen ones that had nothing to do with Israel and the Old Testament and had nothing to do with the tribulation and all of those things that were coming. I heard one man say it like this. I can't remember his name. I didn't say it. He said it. He said, "It's almost like for 4,000 years you've got prophets prophesying to Israel, Israel disobeying, Israel trying to get it right again and then falling. And God suddenly, all of a sudden said, "Time out." We've been in time out for 2,000 years. What was time out about? It's called the dispensation of grace. It's when God said, I've got something I want to do. I want to call out a people for myself. I want a bride for my son. And they will not come to me by shedding lamb's blood or keeping feasts and festivals. I'm just going to open the door wide. And I'm going to say, "Whosoever calls on me shall be saved." All I'll do is open my arms and say, "If you're thirsty, come and drink. If you're hungry, come and eat. If you're lonely, I'll be your best friend. If you're lost, I'll find you whatever you need, I am that for you.

So come, come by grace, come by mercy, grace, grace, grace, whoever needs God can call on God today by faith. It is grace." There's another mystery about to be opened. Now, for us who read the Bible, it is not a secret, it's not a mystery. He says, "Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep or stay dead. We shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we who are alive and remain shall be called up with them in the clouds." Most of two groups, because Paul thought Jesus could come in a moment, he said, "When the trumpet sounds, those who have died are going up, and then we who are alive will join them in the clouds to meet the Lord forever." It's called the rapture of the church, it's when the last Gentile believer falls at the foot of the cross and calls on the name of the Lord, and the number of the Gentiles is full. God's got a specific number, and when that specific number comes in, God will say, "Son, get ready, blow the trumpet, archangel, now son, go get the bride, go get your bride, and bring them home." And that's the secret that we now know, "Behold, I show you a mystery." You know, I said this a few weeks ago, let me just see if you heard it. First let me say, the raptures when all church saints are taken out of this world, oh, if you are washed in the blood, if you've obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, when the trumpet sounds you're out of here. And here's what I said a few weeks ago, and I thought, "I don't think anybody really heard that. Think of it. Most of the church is already in heaven." Did you hear it? For the last 2,000 years, most of the body of Christ is already in heaven.

It's just this little tail-in remnant here. We who look up every morning and say, "Even so come, Lord Jesus." One of us who gets up every day and say, "This could be the day." Old people say, "You know, my heart could stop beating today. This could be the day." Young believers say, "Yeah, my heart's fine, but this could still be the day. This could be the day when the trumpet sounds. This could be the day when the sky splits. This could be the day." When we go up to join Christ in the clouds to be with Him forever, "Oh, He didn't want us to sorrow as those who have no hope." He said, "I go prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That per I am there, you may be also." Folks, He's been building His house for us for 2,000 years. I think maybe about the time they drive the last nail in and the last Gentile comes in. You're going to hear a trumpet blast that's going to split the sky's wide open and all all of us will in a moment in the twinkling of an eye stand in the starts. I've asked Leah to put a couple of scriptures up there for me. She doesn't mind Romans 5 and 9, Leah. Now I'm not just talking into the air. There really is a Leah back there. And she's a pretty girl too. Ready? I want you to read this out loud with me, church, everybody. Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. His body and his blood. Put it back up there, Leah. Much more than having now been justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath. How about First Thessalonians 1 and 10, Leah? And to wait, read it, church, and to wait for his son from death, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. I don't know what you're preparing for, but I ain't storing up beans. I don't have a big room full of freeze-dried food. No, sir. And before I lose it, let me go to another verse here. Then who's going to be in the tribulation? If I'm in heaven, if the body of Christ is in heaven, if we've delivered from the wrath to come, if he has already

been, has suffered under the Father's wrath, it won't happen twice. He suffered once the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. I'm a part of his body, but hallelujah. Then who's going to be in the tribulation? Let me read it to you. This is 2 Thessalonians 1, 8, and 9. I'll do another verse, Leah. And to give you who are troubled rests with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God. And on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's going to be in the tribulation? Those who don't know God. Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. Then, one page over, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. That's who will be in the tribulation, my brother and my sister. We who know Christ, who have put our faith in His blood are delivered from wrath. We who are in His body are seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And we might be a small remnant down here waiting for the Lord to come back, but I want you to know that there is an untold numberless army of saints in glory who have already made it. They've already walked this road of faith and the Bible says they're watching us. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. He said, if that's true, if they're watching us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience. Praise God forever. I know, I know this would be a good time to quit, but I'm not finished. I got an old daddy up there, but he's not old anymore. He's got a bright, shining, glorified body. I got a sweet mother with a glowing, shiny, glorified body. Sandra does. All of us know of people we love, relatives and friends who are up there. We bury people every week in this church who are up there right now. And if you could hear them, if you could see them in the stands, they would be saying, "Keep on it just a little bit longer.

Hang on. Don't give up. Don't stop. Don't quit. Don't let the devil trick you. Don't get cold. Don't get lukewarm. Fight the good fight of faith. Run after me. Pursue holiness." I want you to look at the sequence in the book of Revelation. We know in the first chapter, John received this vision of the glorified Kingly Christ. You know, his head and his hair were white like wool, his whitest nose, his eyes are as a flame of fire. He has in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth goes a sharp two edged sword. He's gird about the chest with a golden band and a white garment down to the feet and his feet are like fine brasses if refined in a furnace. Nobody can comprehend that kind of imagery. It's the glorified Jesus. That's chapter one in chapters two and three. This glorified Jesus is writing to seven churches, literal physical churches on this earth. He's telling them what he wants out of them, what he sees in them. That's chapters two and three. And in chapters four and five, we're suddenly taken to heaven. The word church is not mentioned again until you get to Revelation 22, 16 where it says the spirit and the bride say come, but it's never mentioned again throughout the tribulation or everything that's happening on this earth. Chapters four and five, we suddenly find ourselves in the throne room of God. We see or we try to depict this being on a throne.

And in the midst of the throne is a lamb that looks like it has been slain. And around that throne are thrones of 24 elders who are those 24 elders. They represent the church because they are seated, which means they finished. They have crowns on their heads, which means they've been rewarded. And what do they do? They fall down on their face with all angelic beings and they cry, holy, holy, holy is Him who was, who is, who is to come the Almighty. And John said, I saw this group and I will wonder about them and said that they are from every tribe, every tongue, every nation, and they are saying, thank you God for you have redeemed us by your blood out of every kindred tongue, people and nation. It's the church. It's the raptured church around the throne of God, thanking Him that the lamb slain from the foundation of the world has blood, has given His blood that they might be redeemed. They're all there in heaven, but then something happens. There's a scroll in the hand of Him that sits on the throne and it's sealed with seven seals. These seven seals open up the tribulation. the seals are broken. I want you to understand that God is not a wife beater. I want you to know that His blood is sufficient. I want you to know that the tribulation is not to perfect anybody. We've already been washed in the blood. We've already been made perfect by the Spirit of God. We've already been filled with the Word of God. We are the people of God, now in the presence of God. But when those seals are broken, come the tragedies and the punishment and the pain upon a wicked world that has rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. I say today and I say it with all the energy I've got left. Thank you Jesus. I read that Bible every day. I study that revelation almost every day of my life. And I can tell you that when seals are broken and trumpets are blown and vials are poured out, unspeakable, unimaginable horrors are coming on this earth from God Himself. The wrath of God is about to be poured out, but it won't be poured out on me. And it won't be poured out on you. Let me say it again, because of the blood of Jesus, you will never see the angry face of God. He might be mad when He comes back on a white horse and He might be angry with the nations, but I'll never see it because I'm behind Him on my own white horse. Hallelujah, Jesus suffered

wrath for me. Yeah. What am I doing? We're about to have communion. Sit back down, please. Thank you. I'm sorry. I got caught up. You can be seated. I didn't get caught up too far if you know it. I'm sorry. A lot of strange things happen up on this stage sometime. In 1 Corinthians 12, I'm sorry, 11. Let me read some words to you. This is Paul, the one who got the secrets, the one who received the mysteries and broke them to us in Scripture. Paul said, "I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread. And when He had given things, he broke it and said, "Take, eat. This is my body." See, that's what I've been preaching about today, that body, that same body, that the Father prepared for Him, that same body that He left earth and found Himself living in, that same body is seated at God's right hand right now and we're in the body of Christ. And this represents the body of Christ. This is not religious liturgy. That's what I want to tell you right now. He said, "In verse number 29, for He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to Himself not discerning the Lord's body." Hey, hey everybody, listen, we're doing something right now that not everybody on earth is privileged to do. We're about to eat bread and drink juice that represents our oneness with the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, He says, "Don't do this lightly. Deserve what you're doing. Understand what you're doing. You are members of Christ. And if you've come in today and you've had your life sullied a bit this week, you feel a little dirty from living out there and having to live amongst those who have no hope in life. Maybe you've stumbled a little bit this week. We all do with your examine yourself, confess something that may be wrong in your life, and God will immediately forgive you, and then you can properly discern his body and partake of this wonderful meal." So here it is, and I close. I am glad today of this. This cup is a new covenant, new covenant, new, new, not with the blood of bulls and goats and calves and birds, but just by faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And as often as you do this, you show the Lord's death till he comes. Praise God. I think I'm going to do this a little more carefully today. As a member of the body of Christ, I don't know what part of the body, you know, Paul said, every part of a man's or a woman's body has a function, and it's precious to the body, and it's necessary to the body. I don't know what mine is, but I'm in the body.

And this represents the body. So Father, I thank you. Oh Jesus, thank you. That you've allowed us to be bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh. We eat this bread now to honor you, our Lord. Thank you, lovely Lord Jesus, for letting them cut you, bruise you, whip you, stick and stab you, crucify you. Every drop of blood was precious, and only one drop could have saved the whole world, but you were emptied of your blood, your body. So now Lord, with reverence, we drink this cup and thank you for washing away our sins. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And when you get settled, you can stand. Why don't we conclude this communion service today by singing as though this might be the last time we get to sing together on earth. Would you do that? How many will? Ready? Yes, all others, raise that rest to me. Folly, worthy is the best, good God for me. We don't know the number of people watching this service. It's tens of thousands all over the world. Some of you can't be here with us and it dawned on me. Some of you may be along in an apartment. You can't get out. Some of you may be in a bed in the hospital. You can't get up. Some of you may be in a small group in a secret Bible study somewhere in another continent. But you belong to Christ with us. We, brother, sister, we are the body of Christ. So wherever you are, if you're alone or with a small group, we're asking you to join us in this song. If you can stand up, you can raise your hands wherever you are. Join us as we sing to him. Who loved us and gave himself for us. Ready? [Music] Okay, I'm trying to quit. When I was a little boy, I used to hear the old time preachers say something like this, this is the quietest world you're ever going to be in. If you go to hell, there will be nothing but screaming, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. It will be ear piercing and unbearable. But if you go to heaven, there will be singing by millions and millions and crowds rolling down the aisle and people falling on the floor. Folks, this is the quietest world we're ever going to be in.

Why don't we practice for a moment about the one we're about to go to? Praise God! I praise you today Lord! I bless you today Lord! Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest! Amen. Go out with a smile, go out with victory, go out looking up because he could come today. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer, amen. We pray that today as you watch Pastor Livingston's message, you will be encouraged and ready to dig deeper into a life with Jesus. To help you on this journey, Central has two resources for you. First, you can sign up to receive Central's jail-and-prison correspondence course through the mail by writing to Central Church, Jail-and-prison Ministries Discipleship Center 5143 Sardis Road Charlotte, North Carolina 28270. Second, by using Central's app and clicking on the button below, you can read a short daily devotional that will encourage you to read and pray daily as you draw closer to Jesus. Thank you for watching. [MUSIC PLAYING]