00:00 Introduction and Greetings

00:21 Discussing Recent Elections

00:58 Christian Perspective on Political Changes

01:16 Upcoming Sermon and Comforting Thoughts

04:41 Pastor's Personal Update and Travel Plans

05:31 Memorials, Funerals, and Cremation

11:01 Biblical Teachings on End Times

17:45 Closing Remarks and Prayer

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another edition

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

3

Bless you, pastor Rod.

4

He was about to sneeze.

5

He's here though.

6

He is here, and I think I just took

his sneeze from him by blessing him

7

before his sneeze, which I don't

know if the blessing counts now.

8

It probably doesn't, so I take it back.

9

Thank you.

10

I take it back, I think.

11

Yeah.

12

Thanks for not blessing me.

13

Yeah, you're welcome man.

14

Hey, hey.

15

So there were elections this past week.

16

There were, and some of

them were pretty troubling.

17

In fact, I guess we would say

that the results of the majority

18

of them were disconcerting maybe.

19

And this guy that's in New

York City, democratic Socialist

20

that's this mayor there up.

21

In New York City.

22

Any thoughts for us as Christians?

23

It seems separate from us.

24

It seems like there's a lot of people

that wanna make it a really big deal, and

25

yet it's really easy for us to live here

where we are and not have it impact us.

26

And in reality, the mayor of New

York City doesn't really impact us.

27

But, Moeller and others have

said that this is foreboding.

28

It's a sign of what's to come,

especially on the Democratic party.

29

That side of things.

30

And I think it relates a little bit

to what we're talking about in our

31

text today that there can be a lot of

things when we look at the signs of the

32

times and everything else like that.

33

And then we look at what's going on in

our nation that can lead to anxiety.

34

So Pastor had some comforting thoughts

for people that might be a little.

35

Frustrated by what's going

on right now, or anxious even

36

about what's going on right now.

37

I would say you should be

at this Sunday's sermon.

38

Okay.

39

Because.

40

One of the maybe biggest misconceptions

about being a Christian is that

41

life is meant to be hunky dory.

42

And I guess in some sense you could

say Jesus came to give life and that

43

to the abundant, to the fullest.

44

So there is joy in the Christian

life that is bigger and better

45

than what life has to offer.

46

However, that doesn't mean that you're

gonna be without suffering and difficulty.

47

And the suffering and difficulty

for Christians in New York

48

now is gonna be, you have.

49

A Muslim democratic socialist mayor

that I'm sure will make things

50

more challenging for them as they

make headway in the culture, in

51

the coming weeks and years ahead.

52

So, I would say that the most

comforting thing is to remember

53

that this world is not our home.

54

We're gonna fight for what's

good and right and true.

55

We're gonna vote for people that are

gonna help us further the cause of Christ.

56

But the winds are not always

gonna blow in our favor.

57

In fact, we're told by Jesus to expect

the opposite, and that doesn't change the

58

fact that he's still in control and that

he's still doing what's right and good.

59

And our job is to do what's right and

good regardless of what the cost is.

60

This is interesting given your

most recent sermon about submitting

61

to the leadership of the day.

62

I think there's a lot of

questions for Christians who

63

are saying, what do I do now?

64

Mm-hmm.

65

I've got this Muslim mayor and he's going

to tell us to do this, that, and the

66

other thing, and it's against Christian

principles and Christian virtues.

67

That's gonna be an interesting

conversation and if you have any

68

ideas about that or thoughts on that,

I'd love to hear what you would say.

69

But I would say, by and large,

this doesn't change a lot for us.

70

But it does have implications for us.

71

A few weeks ago, the guys talked

about in the men's Bible study,

72

something called the Overton Window.

73

There was a political economic.

74

Commentator, Joseph Overton, he

talks about how the Overton window

75

describes the public discourse that

is acceptable and able to be talked

76

about and understood as normal.

77

But the Overton window can be shifted.

78

It can be moved to left or right depending

on what's happening in the culture.

79

And this is one of those moments

that can shift the window.

80

And you have a Democratic

socialist, so let's.

81

In the office that moves the

window leftward and it creates

82

a more left-leaning political

discourse that we're not used to.

83

And this is exactly how

you got gay marriage.

84

This is how you have transgender

rights because the window is

85

shifting if you just move back.

86

20 years ago, none of this

was on the radar because it

87

didn't fit the Overton window.

88

We were talking about different issues.

89

We were having a political discourse that

was more favorable to the things that

90

we would be more inclined to talk about.

91

But that's changed.

92

So I would say this is gonna affect us.

93

Maybe not immediately, but certainly

downstream, we're gonna have to

94

deal with some of these issues

that this election brings about.

95

Yeah, a hundred percent.

96

I agree with you.

97

Yeah, I think those are

comforting words for us.

98

And a good reminder, I

was thinking about it.

99

We have been writing a year of feeling

pretty good about things after the

100

election of Trump and the Republicans

taking both houses in Congress.

101

And granted we're in the midst of this

government shutdown and feeling some pains

102

there, but this is kind of that first.

103

Reminder to us that hey this

is not our victory party.

104

That there's still a battle out there.

105

And not to overly politicize our

faith, but there's certainly we were

106

talking about just this, just the

other day as we were talking about this

107

as shepherds just Republican versus

Democrats and is there a Christian party?

108

And while at the end of the day we would

say, no, there's no Christian party.

109

Mm-hmm.

110

There's certainly.

111

One party that seems to favor the biblical

principles and things that we would stand

112

on as Christians more than the other.

113

So, it is a reminder to us that there is

a world out there that is in opposition

114

to what we believe and what we stand for.

115

Not just politically, but

also as Christians and in.

116

Your words about this weekend

are well taken as well.

117

I'll be there on Sunday.

118

So will you be there?

119

I'll be there.

120

Well, I won't be.

121

That's true.

122

You won't be.

123

I will not be there.

124

In fact, if you're looking for

me on Sunday, I will be gone.

125

Pastor PJ's letting me leave the

office for a few hours to go to

126

California and be with my family

as we mourn my brother's law.

127

So my brother's memorials on Saturday.

128

Yeah, we'll leave Saturday morning,

Kristen and I, and then we will

129

be back Sunday evening, I think

after the time difference where

130

it's just before eight o'clock.

131

I just got an email today from.

132

American Airlines saying that the FAA

is having them cut their flights by 10%.

133

Yeah.

134

So I anticipate leaving on Saturday.

135

I think I'll be back on Sunday.

136

Yeah.

137

God willing, that will take place.

138

But I won't know until it happens.

139

But you can pray for me that I

would be helpful to my family,

140

that I would take opportunities to.

141

Leverage that situation

for gospel conversations.

142

We'd really like that.

143

That's my heart, that's my desire.

144

I wanna serve my family well, and that's

one way that I think I can do that.

145

So if you think about us while we're gone,

we'd appreciate your prayers about that.

146

Yeah, please do be praying for them

and you heard Pastor Rod mention

147

a memorial and sometimes we throw

out memorial and funeral and we

148

use those terms interchangeably,

but they are two different things.

149

They are a memorial is the service that's.

150

That is carried out without the

presence of the body being there.

151

And a funeral has the body there,

whether it's an open or closed casket

152

is gonna change from time to time.

153

But those are the two differences there.

154

In Memorial, the body's not there.

155

Funeral, the body is there.

156

Yeah.

157

So technically it is a memorial.

158

There is a viewing that if we get

there at our anticipated time,

159

we'll be able to make the viewing

and then go to the memorial.

160

So it will be a memorial, but the

body will be available to be viewed.

161

Yeah.

162

Which I guess let's talk again, we

haven't talked about this recently.

163

Yeah.

164

Talk about.

165

Cremation Yeah.

166

Versus a burial.

167

Yeah.

168

I we want to honor the body.

169

The body is created in the image of God.

170

We believe there's a future for the body.

171

We believe that on that the last day

when the trumpet sounds, that the bodies

172

that are buried will be resurrected.

173

And so, I think it was our sending

pastor once said, if you're standing

174

in a graveyard, you're gonna see all

these bodies that are gonna leave the

175

graves and they're gonna go to meet their

souls that are in heaven at the time.

176

And that's when we receive

our glorified bodies.

177

It's kind of a crazy thing

that the body stays, but there

178

is still a future for it and.

179

People will often say, well,

does that mean somebody that's

180

cremated can't be resurrected?

181

The answer is no, of course not.

182

That person's gonna be resurrected.

183

Right.

184

Just like somebody that dies in a fiery

explosion or anything else like that,

185

that body is gonna be resurrected.

186

That's right.

187

But as Christians, we want to honor

the body because we do believe

188

that there is a future for it.

189

It's the first Corinthians 15 idea

of sowing that which is perishable.

190

To be raised imperishable.

191

Mm-hmm.

192

And so that's why we would advise you.

193

We're not gonna argue you're in sin

if somebody's cremated, but we would

194

advise you and we would counsel you.

195

It's an honorable thing

to bury somebody now.

196

As your pastors, we wanna walk through

that process with you because you may

197

sit there and think Yeah but cremation

is far cheaper and a lot of times it is.

198

But there's a lot of times where you

can be shrewd about your engagement with

199

the funeral homes and things like that.

200

They're gonna try to upsell you on

everything and we, as your pastors would

201

be happy to help you walk through that

in a biblical way, in a god honoring

202

way, if that's a concern for you.

203

Yeah, that's been.

204

One of the most common conversations

that I've had with people that are

205

looking at how to care for the body

after the memorial or the funeral and

206

cremation ends up being one of the most

obvious answers for people For that very

207

reason, it's much more affordable and.

208

You can do certain things with

those ashes that you can't do

209

when you're burying somebody.

210

But burial is an act of faith.

211

Yeah, it's it's one way that our faith is

expressed not only in life, but in death.

212

It's similar to a wedding ring.

213

The wedding ring doesn't make you married,

but it shows that you are and being.

214

Buried doesn't make you a

Christian, but it shows that you

215

are, it's not all that it shows.

216

Obviously lots of people get buried

and not only Christians, but it's

217

one way for us to say that we

believe in the future hope of the

218

resurrection, that because Christ went

first, we also will be resurrected.

219

And so we plant our bodies in

the ground with the expectation

220

that we're gonna be raised again.

221

And so again, it's not sin to cremate a

loved one, but in so far as you're able

222

to think about it beforehand and you

should, we would strongly encourage you.

223

If your faith is in Christ, that

this is a way for you to show your

224

faith in Christ by burying that

person, burying that body with the

225

expectation, it'll be raised again.

226

Yeah.

227

There's also, you know,

there's practical factors too.

228

Being able to visit

someone's graveside is a.

229

Beautiful thing.

230

Yeah.

231

And I appreciated being able to do that.

232

When we were back in California,

we had some people that were

233

buried not too far from us, and

we'd go and visit their grave.

234

That was great.

235

Mm-hmm.

236

So there's a practical element to that,

but there's also, again the best and most

237

helpful framing of this is that it's a.

238

Matter of your faith, it's a

practice that showcases your faith.

239

Mm-hmm.

240

It is a few thousand dollars more.

241

Yeah.

242

So you should, as much as you're

able to take this burden off of your

243

relative shoulders and prepare for that.

244

Yeah.

245

If you can buy your plot before you

need it, that would be a good thing.

246

Yeah.

247

Um, you would save your family

the heartache and the headache

248

of having to plan all this while

they're mourning your loss.

249

And that's a really hard place to be.

250

I haven't done this yet.

251

Yeah.

252

But I have every intention of doing

this for myself and for Kristen.

253

So that our family can just say, all

right let's just be sad that they're gone.

254

They've taken care of all those things.

255

The burial plot is there.

256

They've paid for the cardboard box.

257

They're gonna be buried in, right?

258

They're gonna save money somewhere.

259

Um, Costco sells them.

260

If you're looking, if you have a

Costco membership, they sell the, uh,

261

casket caskets that you can purchase.

262

And there's different kinds, different,

I mean, you don't need anything

263

fancy, obviously it doesn't need

Bluetooth and wifi connectivity.

264

Nope.

265

Not gonna use it.

266

Nope.

267

So as much as you're able to plan ahead.

268

Do the things for your family, that would

be one good way you could serve them.

269

And again, get buried if at all possible.

270

One more thing I wanna address

real quick here is you mentioned

271

there's gonna be a viewing.

272

Some people may say, why as Christians,

we would say the soul's gone.

273

Yeah, they're not there.

274

So what's the significance?

275

Why is a viewing so helpful

and important for us?

276

His widow and I talked

before this took place.

277

And she said, Hey, what do you recommend?

278

And I said, if at all possible, I

would love for his body to be present.

279

And I, I think that for several

reasons, but I'll just stick with one.

280

One important reason is I want

people to reckon with death.

281

Yeah.

282

I want them to see the body.

283

I.

284

And to recognize that

death is a serious foe.

285

It's an enemy.

286

It's the last enemy to be defeated,

according to one Corinthians

287

chapter 15, and I want that

weight to be upon their shoulders.

288

In fact, as a pastor, when I preach

a memorial, ideally a funeral,

289

I have someone right in front

of me that is making my sermon

290

point for me, death is real.

291

It's evil.

292

It's sad.

293

And boy, you ought make sure that

your death is being considered.

294

This is Ecclesiastes chapter seven, yet

again, I quoted it a few days ago, but

295

this is hopefully a way for the living

to take it to heart, so when the body's

296

there, it reminds people, death is real.

297

It's imminent.

298

We don't know when it's coming.

299

It's a pop quiz for most of us,

and so we ought to be ready.

300

Yeah.

301

Yeah, I mean, absolutely.

302

We are in Matthew chapter 24 today, just

one chapter, and that allowed us a little

303

bit extra time to talk through some pretty

important things on the front end here.

304

So hopefully that was a benefit to you.

305

Matthew 24 we've covered

quite a bit of this material.

306

This is the signs of the

times we've talked about the

307

abomination of desolation, I

believe in yesterday's episode.

308

We talked about the antichrist,

the three and a half years.

309

That is gonna be the breaking.

310

Of the peace treaty that

he's gonna make with Israel.

311

The suffering, the torment

that's gonna happen there.

312

Then the second coming, what the second

coming is gonna be like that we're gonna

313

see him riding on the clouds with power.

314

We didn't mention this, I don't

think, but that's an illusion

315

back to Daniel chapter seven.

316

So Jesus is basically saying,

Hey, I'm gonna be the fulfillment

317

of Daniel chapter seven.

318

Again, another, testimony to his deity

there as he is talking about these things.

319

But one thing that's interesting that

I noted in at least Matthew 24, I don't

320

know if it's in the other ones here.

321

The disciples say, tell us when these

things will be, and what will be the sign

322

of your coming in the end of the age?

323

At this time, they're still

expecting the kingdom.

324

They're expecting him to go in.

325

So I found myself wondering where

were they expecting him to go?

326

They're asking him, what's gonna

be the sign of your coming?

327

What were they thinking?

328

Because they.

329

They clearly didn't have a, an expectation

that he was gonna leave because Luke

330

24 is two of them, not of the 12

necessarily but two of his disciples just

331

crushed because of the death of Christ.

332

So it's just interesting to me

to know, okay, what prompted this

333

question that they would think that

he's leaving and going somewhere?

334

He said he was.

335

But what was their understanding of that?

336

Yeah, that's a great question.

337

And that would be one of those

questions I'm not sure we can answer

338

super well because there's so many

complexities about human interactions

339

and there's only so much that we

can derive from the text itself.

340

And even though it's a great question,

I don't know that we can really

341

do justice to the answer, right?

342

They must have thought something

like, oh, maybe he's going on a trip.

343

He's coming back to receive the kingdom.

344

He did talk about the parable of the man

who goes away, he entrusted his disciples.

345

Yeah.

346

With responsibility.

347

This is not the parable of the

talents in the next chapter.

348

This is the, that's a similar

parable, similar account.

349

So maybe they're thinking he's gonna

go receive the kingdom and come back.

350

Who knows what they're thinking.

351

But I found, and I always find

it interesting in verse 12,

352

because of lawlessness, because

lawlessness will be increased.

353

The love of many will grow cold.

354

Now this is a fascinating

thought because you might not

355

intuitively put this together

where you think coldness of heart.

356

Comes from, lawlessness, or

lawless disobedience from God.

357

What's the connection there?

358

How do we put those two pieces together?

359

But this this is what Jesus says.

360

What's the connection?

361

Help us figure this out.

362

Yeah.

363

The idea there of do you love the

world more or do you love Jesus more?

364

I think is gonna be the litmus

test for a lot of people.

365

And so as lawlessness is increased as

immorality increases, I think it's going

366

to have a purging effect on the church.

367

We've talked about this as it

becomes harder to be a Christian,

368

you're gonna see those that are

truly believers in those that aren't.

369

And so I think there's

gonna be those that.

370

Would appear to have a love for

Christ that would profess a love for

371

Christ, that when the godlessness

of the world increases, I mean that,

372

that devotion that they have, this is

kinda the parable of the sower, right?

373

It's that soil that initially is like,

yes, I love Jesus, but then the cares of

374

the world pull them away or tribulation

pulls them away and they end up falling

375

away because they didn't really, truly

have the love for Christ to begin with.

376

Yeah.

377

Amen to that.

378

I think, so verse 10 here

it says They'll fall away.

379

Many will fall away and

betray one another, and.

380

Hate one another.

381

So I think it's a love for God.

382

A love for man, that when you

sin, you are hardening your heart

383

against God and your fellow man.

384

Yeah.

385

In such a way that it compounds

and callouses your heart.

386

You might not ever think that, but

God is saying here, Jesus is saying

387

God in the flesh that you sin can.

388

Callous your heart against having

genuine love flowing from it.

389

Which again, I don't know that I'd

ever think about it that way, but I

390

love how Jesus simplifies this idea.

391

Yeah.

392

One way for you to keep your love

burning hot for the Lord is to obey him.

393

And when you do that, you love him

and you love others in the process.

394

That's how you guard your heart.

395

You do what's right in his sight.

396

Yeah.

397

Yeah.

398

In Matthew 24, verse 34, and Jesus

says, truly, I say to you, this

399

generation will not pass away

until all these things take place.

400

That's an important verse for us

to probably clarify, and I think

401

we've done this in the past, but

just to remind us it's helpful.

402

The generation that he's talking

about is the generation that begins

403

to witness these end time signs.

404

And he's saying, this is not gonna

be dragged out for eons and centuries.

405

This is going to take place within the

span of a generation and the generation

406

that begins to see these things happen.

407

The abomination of desolation, all

these other things, it's not gonna

408

pass away before all of these things

come to fulfillment and fruition.

409

So he's talking about the timing that's

yet future, at that time, he's not.

410

Speaking to the disciples themselves

saying, you're not gonna pass away

411

until these things take place.

412

Okay, now I heard recently that someone

predicted the return of Christ again.

413

Can you use Matthew 24 at all to help

speak to that prediction that Jesus is

414

coming back on this date and this time?

415

Aside from his statement

that no one knows the hour.

416

You talking about beyond that?

417

Yeah.

418

I mean again, yeah, he says

nobody knows, not even the sun.

419

And that one's one of those where I

think that's in the Kenosha state,

420

the self emptying state that we

talked about a couple episodes ago.

421

But yeah.

422

Anytime you hear somebody say it's gonna

be June 14th, then you can, maybe it

423

will be, but not because that person is

predicting that it's gonna be June 14th.

424

Yeah.

425

Someone's gonna get it

right accidentally, right?

426

Yeah.

427

Or you know what?

428

I wonder?

429

I wonder if God would

be like, you know what?

430

I'm not gonna do it on

that day just because.

431

Just because I don't want you to think you

were right, so I was gonna scoot it over.

432

Yeah.

433

He might even just super intend

the whole world to make it so

434

that no one guesses that one day.

435

And then he comes.

436

He's like, that's true.

437

I told you, I told you.

438

Yeah.

439

I find it fascinating that he says here,

verse 38, for as in those days before

440

the flood, they were eating, drinking,

marry, and giving into marriage until

441

the day when Noah entered the ark.

442

So he is trying to make the

point here that for everybody

443

who's going to be

subjected to his judgment?

444

They're not gonna have any clue.

445

No, they're just gonna be

living their best life now.

446

Sun's gonna be shining, doing all

the things that they normally do,

447

enjoying the common grace of God.

448

And then he brings judgment, which tells

us that we need to be careful not to be

449

lulled into inactivity, which is why he

says in verse 42, stay awake for you.

450

Do not know on what day the

Lord, uh your Lord is coming.

451

And that's really true for us.

452

As dispensational.

453

We believe that the rapture is the next

event on the eschatological calendar.

454

And so we need to be ready all the time.

455

I tell my kids all the time,

we don't know when our time is.

456

We just have to be ready.

457

We always have to be ready.

458

You're not guaranteed.

459

Another day, we just heard about

a news report of a young man, 24

460

a, a well-known man making tons

of money whose life is over and.

461

No one expected it.

462

No one knew it was coming.

463

Maybe he did, I suppose.

464

But this is how frail

and fleeting life is.

465

Our job is not to count the number of

our days, but to make our days count

466

and to do so in honor of the Lord Jesus.

467

To be prepared for his return and

pray that he would come quickly.

468

Yeah.

469

Yeah.

470

Sometimes there's those Twitter

accounts like, is this happening today?

471

And like there's a.

472

Player for the Mavericks who

always gets elbowed in the face.

473

And so there's a whole Twitter

account that's just, did Dwight

474

Powell get hit in the face today?

475

And And they'll say yes.

476

And so I wonder if somebody's

got a Twitter account.

477

Is Jesus coming back today?

478

Maybe.

479

Yeah.

480

And that's the whole thing

over and over and over again.

481

That's funny.

482

Yeah.

483

Well, hey, let's pray and then

we'll be done with this episode.

484

God, we do want to be those that are

ready, that are prepared, that are

485

waiting for the return of Christ.

486

And so help us to live that way

and to hold this world loosely.

487

It's so easy, like Pastor Rod was just

saying for us to be caught up in the

488

sports that are happening today and the

fact that there's this game scheduled

489

for next week or there's elections coming

up, or I've got this on my calendar and

490

we just assume that it's gonna happen

because there's no foreboding signs and

491

the earthquakes aren't happening in our

backyard and everything else like that.

492

And yet we know what's true is

that you will come back at a

493

time that we're not expecting.

494

And so help us to live ready for it,

that we might not shrink in shame at

495

your coming, but that'd we would be

ready to receive the commendation of

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well done good and faithful servants.

497

So we pray that we live

that life in Jesus name.

498

Amen.

499

Amen.

500

Keep reading the Bibles tune

again tomorrow for another edition

501

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

502

See you folks.

503

Bye.

504

Bernard: Well, thank you for

listening to another episode of

505

the Daily Bible Podcast, folks!

506

We're honored to have you join us.

507

This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

508

You can find out more information

about our Church at compassntx.org.

509

We would love for you to leave a

review, to rate, or to share this

510

podcast on whatever platform you're

listening on, and we hope to see

511

you again tomorrow for another

episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.

512

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

513

PJ: Yeah.

514

I would agree with

everything that you said