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2 Corinthians 5:1,10 -The Martyrs Hope- Pastor Rick Beaudry 2025-02-23
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Second Corinthians chapter five verses one through 10. Second Corinthians chapter five verses one through 10. Would you please stand with me as we read God's holy word together? For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that has wrought us for the self same thing as God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the spirit. Therefore, we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent the body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For he must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that which he has done whether it be good or bad. Father, we thank you for your holy word, and Lord, all of us face face, death. It's appointed that all men wants to die and then the judgment. And Lord, for the Christian, to be asked in the bodies to be present with the Lord. For the Christian, Lord, it's a day that we move out of this old body that's wearing out, that's painful, that suffers, and Lord, get our new glorified body where there's no more sorrow, no more pain, no more sickness. And Lord, as we lose a loved one, somebody that goes before us, Lord, we sorrow, it grieves us, it hurts us, we're not with them anymore, but Lord, we know as believers that we sorrow, but not as those who have no hope. We have the hope of the resurrection. And Jesus being the first fruits of that resurrection, Lord, as Paul here is describing this new glorified body that awaits us, Lord, this house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Lord, we yearn, we yearn with him. It's it's like it might be better for me to be here a period of time longer to minister, but Lord, if you decide to take us home, that's better. And heaven is much much better. So Lord, I pray that we would view it that way, that we wouldn't be stalling and being so in love with this world that that we say, Lord, don't come back. Not yet. Not yet. Let us have a healthy view, a healthy understanding, Lord, of the times in which we're living, and Lord we're gonna all die right on time, the time that you've appointed. And I pray that our life means something, that our lives would bear much fruit for your kingdom and your glory, Lord. That we'd hear you say, well done, thou good and faithful servants. You've been faithful over a few things. I'm gonna make you ruler over much. That's the desire of our heart, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Would you please be seated? This past week, I don't know if you heard, but there were seventy Christians beheaded in The Congo. And, simply for being Christians, they were surrounded. They got 20 of them, then they came back, surrounded the village, the area, grabbed another 50 of them, took them to a church, and, these guys, beheaded them. They're a derivative of the terrorist group, ISIS. Now with USAID, with the help of Elon Musk, one of the things we learned recently is that USAID, which is USAID for Islamic Development, one of the acronyms for that. And we found out that ISIS, Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda were all funded by USA. Did you know that? The Obama administration, when you saw these nut jobs in white tennis shoes, white Toyota pickup trucks, and they're all cruising down the road like they're an indigenous group of terrorists, you know, gonna go after. Where'd they go? His Arab Spring. He designed the Arab Spring for these Islamic terrorists funded by The US to wipe out Syrian Christians, Egyptian, and all those in Iraq and that whole general area, their churches and everything. The Boko Haram was primarily in the area of Africa and, Al Qaeda also, and so, in these areas. Funded funded by your tax dollars. A Christian nation funding terrorist groups to destabilize regions for what purpose? What purpose? What purpose could there be to destabilize these regions? Maybe it's the minerals. Right? Maybe it's the natural resources. We don't know, but it seems the globalists really want all the natural resources they can get their hands on. Two hundred were martyred in Africa, in this general region, The Congo in this past year, 355 last year, and, two years ago, they had 261. So, I hope president Trump, you know, does something to actually defund them, but also to stop this from happening. You don't hear of Christian groups, churches going into these regions slaughtering people that believe in Islam. You you never hear that, you know? Shouldn't happen, doesn't happen. The martyr's hope, in addition to the apostle Paul, 11 of the 12 apostles died violent deaths of martyrdom. John the beloved, they tried to boil him in oil, and he died on the island of Patmos of old age, where he wrote the apocalypse. He wrote the gospel of John, he wrote first, second, and third epistle of John, and he wrote the apocalypse, the book of revelation, the revealing of Jesus Christ on the island of Patmos. And, he died at close to a 100 years of age is what happened. You can check this out in Fox's book of martyrs, records the deaths of the 11 along with Paul who was eventually executed by Nero. Paul knew in second Corinthians chapter four the time of his departure, which means of breaking down a tent. His body was a temporary body. The time of his departure was at hand. He was he was gonna die the death of martyrdom, and everyone forsook him, know. Only Luke was with me, but the Lord stood with me. And, the Lord Jesus there just as he was at crunch time for Stephen. And, and so Paul has perspective that suffering in in relationship to eternity. He described it last week as this light affliction, which is but for a moment. It's working a far more eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So Paul can see in the spiritual realm that it's better, much much better for him to die and go be with Jesus than it is to remain being beat up. But he says it's more profitable for you that I remain to the church of Philippi because I can continue to, minister, you know, unto you. So the inevitability of death was absolute apart from the rapture. His condition was terminal just as ours, and, we're all gonna die, but we're not gonna die hopeless. What are you willing to risk for the kingdom of God? Jesus said, you're gonna be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world. That word witness speaks of martyr. In the Greek, it's martyrs, a martyr. You're no longer living. Every man that seeks to save his life is gonna lose his life. And that's what the whole purpose driven thing is about, is about you. The easy believism, the name it and claim it, the blab it and grab it, your best life now is about you. But Jesus said, if except you lose your life, you're not gonna find your life. Your true life is life of the spirit. If you're obsessed with yourself, and that's what going to church is is to get a, you know, a therapeutic, you know, clap and and motivational speaking, it's just an appeal to your flesh, to your senses. You need to hear from the Lord. Paul Paul didn't need that kind of psychobabble and psychology to motivate him and keep him going. What kept him going was when the Lord apprehended him on the road to Damascus. He could never get that out of his heart and mind. Have you forgotten the day that you were saved? What are you willing to risk? What are you willing to invest in the kingdom of God? What the Lord wants from you is your heart. He just wants you. He wants your whole heart, not half heart. He just wants your whole heart. He wants you to live your life in such a way that you say, Lord, I want to please you. I want my life to be pleasing unto you. That's it. Have you come to that place? Are you living that life of taking your cross up daily and following him? If today was your last day upon the planet, you know, Chuck Messer used to say, it's much easier to die for the Lord than to live for the Lord, you know? Especially when you're under this kind of persecution. So what is the secret of the martyr's hope? Why no fear of death? They would threaten to beat him, kill him, incarcerate him, and the Lord would open the door for him and they'd go right back into the temple proclaiming the gospel. You can't stop those kind of people. They're turning the world upside down. They no longer fear death because Jesus spent forty days with them in his new glorified body. They saw him. They saw the scars in his in his hands and his feet and in the side, and he's alive and he's going through walls and stuff. They didn't fear death anymore. They didn't fear it. So no matter what kind of threats people could make, They didn't fear. They walked by faith. They didn't fear COVID. They weren't gonna let their whole life be shut down during a disease where ninety nine point nine percent of the people survive this flu. They had more faith than that. They would never shut their church down. We'll take our chances. Only one percent of the people are dying from this thing. Oh, you mean remdesivir? Oh, you mean ventilators? Oh, yeah. There you go. You mean the people that weren't vaccinated have a one percent chance to live, you know? The ones vaccinated far far greater genocide. Are you gonna be aware next time? Are you ready for the next one? Are you ready for the so called bird flu that jumps to cows, that jumps to all your food protein sources? Are you ready to give in and and eat crickets and bugs for Bill Gates? Not me. I'd rather die. No fear of death. Philippians one twenty three, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, is far better. Far better. Heaven is better. Joel Olsteen says, your best life now. No. This is the worst it's ever gonna be for you as a Christian. It's the best it's ever gonna be for the worldly person, the unbeliever. This is the best they'll ever get. It's their best life now. Who's he talking to when he says your best life now? Write these books and people love it. For you and I as a Christian, man, the best is yet to come. When we do a potluck, you're reminded of the lady that was told to hold on to her fork. And why should I hold on to my fork? Because you've just eaten all this food and they always say, hey, the best is yet to come. So this woman wanted to be buried in her coffin with a fork in her hand. The best is yet to come. So the martyr's hope is knowing eternity is better. Number one, three ways it's better. Eternity is better. A better residence. Do you like your body? Is your body like you? Is your body cooperating? How old are you? What ailments do you have? What things are going on? Don't tell me. We as old people, or you as old people, I'm not old yet, I'm in denial. One of the favorite topics is what pills you're taking, what procedures you just had, how many times you've been to the doctor, all those kind of things to pamper this body. No man yet ever hated his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it. That's why Paul in Ephesians five says, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Right? Love your wives as your own bodies, you guys, because when I get sick, the whole world's gotta hear about it. Right? Because I'm the center of the universe as a man. Women, they get sick and they just keep working, you know, sweating and fevers, the whole thing. They gotta take care of everybody. So this whole idea of low self esteem, no, that's the problem, is you're you're obsessed with self. Your problem is not a low self esteem, you're obsessed. Just get an owie and watch how obsessed you are trying to stop the bleeding, you know. And that's what Paul's saying, love your wives that way, guys. Love your wives in such a way. And but the psychology that's crept into the church because it's all man centered existential humanism, it's it's about me. Hey, guys, you want a wife that's submissive? Then love her like Christ loved the church. Lay down your life for her, you know, be dead, and allow Christ to live, you know, through you. So a better residence, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, so Paul's hope was based upon what he knew to be true. We know this, not speculation. We're not thinking that we can go to Neuralink and put a chip in our head and and, take some mRNA vaccine, change the DNA, and as Jared Kushner and Noah Yuval Harari have stated, have boasted, we're gonna live forever. We're gonna find out how to make these bodies as we merge with, you know, like, they like to use our terms. We talk about a transformation, body and soul, the body soul and spirit being born again. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. The old things have passed away. All things have become new. They take our terms transhumanism. Well, why don't we start with Elon first? Let's put something in your brain or Bill Gates' brain first. You know? Who wants to volunteer? I don't wanna volunteer. I don't trust these guys. I trust the Lord that he's gonna transform this old body into a new glorified body. I trust the Lord that he says it's appointed all men once to die, and then the judgment. He there's a they appointed. All these pretenders throughout history, whether it's Voltaire or any of them who were antagonistic toward God, they were tormented on the day of their death. Tormented by demons tormenting them and such, knowing they're gonna die. Some would try, while they're younger and healthy, try to say, oh no, we evolved. We evolved. There is no God, and I'm an atheist and all that. And even though there's no evidence thereof, it's a belief system, it's a religious system, they'll continue to run that way. Why? Because they have a conscience, and they know they're guilty, and they know there's a day of judgment, and they wanna try to set aside that day of a judgment with denial that, hey, you just ceased to exist. Well, how do you know? Destroy this temple in three days, I'll raise it up. That's what how Jesus proved that he's the way, the truth, and the life. You want somebody to follow you, Elon? Then you be crucified, buried, raise yourself from the dead three days later. And then maybe some people will follow you. The antichrist is gonna have a a display of lying signs and wonders that make people believe that he's dead, and he could raise himself from the dead during the tribulation period. I'm not gonna be there, you're not gonna be there. So Paul's confidence is in God keeping his word. He was willing to die for what he believed in. Are you willing to die for what you believe in? If you don't know God, your hope of eternity is at best wishful thinking. Do you know God, Christianity's relationship, ignorant speculation, unfounded dreams, and warm fuzzy feelings? You've been spending too much time on social media. You're delusional. You've been watching these guys on YouTube speculate, tear down systematic doctrine, systematic teaching, theology. Tear it down with speculative pie in the sky, I think so's. No scripture to back it up. No chain of scriptures. No hermeneutic. Nothing to back it up. Just simply their opinion. So many people in this time of deception fallen astray, and I just love that pastor Chuck, no matter what wind of doctrine would come through, he'd stay steady, Freddie, just right down the middle teaching the word of God. Any questions I would have, any kinda leanings, but we didn't have social media to mess us up back then either. You know? We had television and movies that could skew your the way that you think. But as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So the important thing is to get the word of God in your heart. Get to know God through the study of his word. That's the most important. The amount of time you spend on your phone, your screen time, what percentage of that time, if you were to compare, are you spending in God's word to get to know God? And listening to bible studies while you drive, and while you walk, and go to the gym, or cook, or whatever it may be? How much of the word of God are you getting into your life that you can refute, and the holy spirit can help and lead and guide you into all truth no matter what, what's being said? See, eternal destiny is not something to gamble with. God wants you to know, k n o w. Not just you know, cumulative knowledge. You say that there is one God, you do well. The demons also believe and tremble. That's an intellectual consent. The demons know their destiny. Jesus, we know who you are. Have you come to torment us before our time? What's your what's your knowledge? What kind of knowledge? You know, of God or do or do you know him intimately? If you know him, then you're gonna be able to die for him. It's real difficult to follow someone or die for someone that you don't know. You can't trust him. He wants to give you assurance, the confidence of eternal life with him. Now in John seventeen three, Jesus in his prayer, he said, this is eternal life that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. That that's that's eternal life that you would know God the father, God the son, God the holy spirit, the trinity. Do you know him? One God in three persons? Does he know you? Do you have hope? Or you're gonna hear one day, away from me I never knew you. You that practice iniquity in Matthew seven. For we know verse three, or excuse me, verse one. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we know that this earthly house, this tabernacle, this tent, this temporary residence, if it were dissolved, means to be taken down, destroyed, this body is only temporary. We have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We have an eternal residence awaits us in heaven. A new body, much better much much better if we think in terms of the body that Jesus raised himself, that he was in when he raised himself from the dead because he's the God man, he's fully God, fully man. He knows what it is to be a human being. And he knows what it is to be tempted in all points like we, and yet not sin. He knows what it is to not eat for forty days, and the devil to tempt him with food. Man, I very seldom can win that battle with food. I'll tell you, food's winning. It's hard. Chocolate, that kind of stuff, it's hard. And Jesus hadn't eaten in forty days. And the devil's tempting him, you know, hey, use the free exercise of your deity to turn these stones into bread. You have a right, man. God made you this way. You've been made this way. You got these instincts, you know. Give in to them. It is written, Jesus always went back to the word of God to counteract the lies of the wicked one. It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds in the mouth of God. And you and I, as we know God's word, we can refute, we can resist, we can win, we can not give the devil permission. The devil needs permission. And we just say no.
About This Podcast
Calvary Chapel Bremerton - Sunday Service
Listen to Rick Beaudry, Pastor of Calvary Chapel Bremerton, teach the Word of God cover to cover, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. Be edified and built up in your faith with solid Bible teaching. New episodes on Mondays in the Pacific Standard Timezone.
