Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Blessed are The Dead in The Lord | Revelation 14:12-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series)

Transcript

Blessed are The Dead in The Lord | Revelation 14:12-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

• 0:01
  I gladly invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to the Book
• 0:05
  of Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14.
• 0:12
  Many of you know this by way of experience, but the Christian
• 0:18
  life is like a marathon. And like any actual physical
• 0:23
  race, in order for there to be any hope to completing it well,
• 0:29
  there must be a preparedness of mind and awareness that such a
• 0:34
  race will be demanding at times. In fact, if we're honest, it can
• 0:40
  become so demanding that we might even feel the temptation
• 0:43
  to quit. To quit on growing unholiness,
• 0:49
  to quit on sacrificial love, to quit on our pursuit of knowing
• 0:53
  the Lord. To quit on the local church, to
• 0:58
  quit on our ministries, and to even quit on our unashamed
• 1:02
  witness for Christ and the Lord is so tender.
• 1:07
  He's so kind. He's fully aware of our
• 1:10
  tendencies to dial down our convictions and our callings.
• 1:13
  And so He provides us fuel for our faith.
• 1:19
  He has granted us means to no fresh oxygen to our souls,
• 1:26
  enthusiasm in our endurance, strength for every stride.
• 1:32
  He has not abandoned us should those moments of weaknesses
• 1:37
  visit us. And that is what we are prepared
• 1:41
  to see here. Because one of the ways that God
• 1:45
  does in fact provide energy to us, hydration to our souls, is
• 1:51
  by reminding us just how blessed we are in Christ.
• 1:58
  And what we're going to see with John in these two verses in
• 2:02
  Revelation 14 is just how rich and how great the scope of our
• 2:07
  treasures are in Jesus. And so vast are such blessings
• 2:13
  that John wants to focus on how we are even blessed in death,
• 2:19
  that in Christ even death becomes a blessing.
• 2:25
  And my prayer is that by looking at these Scriptures, each of us
• 2:29
  will know heavenly enthusiasm poured into our hearts afresh.
• 2:35
  And so let's turn here to verse 12 and verse 13 and ask the Lord
• 2:39
  after we read it, for this to be our portion today.
• 2:44
  Here is a call for the endurance of the Saints, those who keep
• 2:49
  the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
• 2:53
  And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, Blessed are
• 2:58
  the dead who die in the Lord from now on.
• 3:02
  Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their
• 3:06
  laborers for their deeds. Follow them.
• 3:10
  Father, we ask, oh, you've heard our prayers since the beginning
• 3:16
  of this service, but we come yet again as we open your word and
• 3:19
  we pray. How?
• 3:21
  We pray for the Holy Spirit's help to understand your mind and
• 3:25
  your heart in these scriptures. May they be delivered in power,
• 3:30
  may they be received in humility, and may you receive
• 3:33
  glory through it. We thank you and we trust that
• 3:36
  you will indeed speak to us today.
• 3:39
  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
• 3:45
  Question #1 You've been falling with us, hopefully through the
• 3:48
  series in Revelation, Carefully, patiently.
• 3:51
  And what I want to know, reading these two verses, is why is John
• 3:56
  commanded to write about this now?
• 4:00
  It seems a little bit out of place because John just finished
• 4:03
  describing a very vivid picture of the eternal torment that
• 4:06
  awaits those who deny Christ and worship the Antichrist.
• 4:11
  But that is precisely the point. Right after describing the
• 4:15
  horrors and the torment and the holy wrath of God that will be
• 4:19
  poured out on those who deny His grace, we have this strong
• 4:23
  contrast between two different types of worshippers.
• 4:28
  We have here first the distinction between those who
• 4:32
  worship the beast and those who serve Jesus Christ.
• 4:36
  And there are many, many differences between the eternal
• 4:40
  fates of such worshippers. But the one thing that the Holy
• 4:43
  Spirit wants to emphasize is that of rest.
• 4:50
  Scroll back to verse 11. Let's remind ourselves what was
• 4:53
  said last week, John writes. And the smoke of their torment
• 4:58
  goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or
• 5:02
  night, these worshippers of the beast and its image and whoever
• 5:06
  receives the mark of its name. And in comparison, as what we
• 5:09
  just read in verse 13, those who die in the Lord will have rest
• 5:14
  from their laborers. So you notice what's being
• 5:17
  highlighted here, that there is a rest that is eternal and
• 5:21
  unending for those who worship Christ, and there is no rest for
• 5:24
  those who reject Christ. Now this message was primarily
• 5:29
  given for those who would be believers during the Tribulation
• 5:33
  era, more specifically the Great Tribulation.
• 5:35
  And it makes sense, doesn't it, that they would have to undergo
• 5:39
  such torment and sorrow and difficulties as they are living
• 5:46
  under the tyrannical reign of a man who demands the devotion of
• 5:50
  the masses. And so contextually, what's
• 5:53
  happening here is that the Holy Spirit wants to provide fuel to
• 5:57
  those who have to face such oppression and he grants them
• 6:00
  the fuel to remain faithful, even if it means martyrdom, even
• 6:04
  if it means believing in Jesus will cost me my life.
• 6:07
  But listen, this promise here, this blessing in verse 13 is not
• 6:12
  reserved for a single future generation will have to undergo
• 6:15
  end times persecution. It's also for you and me.
• 6:20
  And the reason why we know that is because of the wider
• 6:23
  testimony of Scripture concerning the believer and his
• 6:27
  or hers experience of death. It all is confirmed here.
• 6:31
  This confirms what we see in the wider testimony of the Word of
• 6:35
  God. And I believe the best way,
• 6:38
  though there are many ways to approach this one verse, verse
• 6:40
  13 is what we're going to be spending time on, is to consider
• 6:44
  at least three reasons why the Christian can no blessing in
• 6:49
  death. Job tells us that death is the
• 6:52
  king of terrors, but because of our faith in Christ, because of
• 6:55
  what Christ had accomplished on the cross, death is different
• 7:00
  now. And I want us to focus on these
• 7:03
  three things that we find in this one verse.
• 7:06
  The first thing that we have to consider is the reassurance of
• 7:08
  death, the reassurance about death.
• 7:12
  This can be so easily overlooked, but you and I can't
• 7:16
  skip over the reliable testimony of this blessing that's being
• 7:19
  pronounced. Notice what John says.
• 7:22
  He tells us that he sees as he's experiencing this vision, a
• 7:26
  hearing of a voice. He hears a voice from heaven
• 7:30
  saying, but the Bible doesn't tell us whose voice this is
• 7:35
  exactly, but knowing where it came from is enough for us to
• 7:38
  comfort us. It came from heaven, heaven.
• 7:46
  Why is that important? Well, for one, we know that
• 7:48
  heaven is a place of perfect holiness.
• 7:52
  There are no liars in heaven. There are no manipulators in
• 7:57
  heaven. There is no exaggeration in
• 8:00
  heaven, which tells me that if there's any representative from
• 8:03
  heaven, it is going to be dependable.
• 8:06
  It's going to be true, it's going to be right, it's going to
• 8:09
  be trustworthy. But secondly, heaven is around
• 8:13
  beyond this world. And what that tells us is that
• 8:18
  death ushers us into heaven if we are in Christ, which means
• 8:22
  that this announcement is coming from someone who is on the other
• 8:25
  side, someone who is witnessing and Speaking of what awaits the
• 8:30
  Saints when they die in the Lord.
• 8:35
  Do you remember what the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus when he
• 8:39
  wanted to provide credibility to his teaching?
• 8:42
  When he wanted to explain why his teaching is more
• 8:46
  authoritative than any other kind of teaching?
• 8:48
  Well, let me remind you in John chapter 3, let's turn there.
• 8:51
  Notice what Christ says to Nicodemus as he explains to him
• 8:55
  of spiritual things. He pauses to inform him why he
• 8:59
  is more credible than any other voice.
• 9:04
  John chapter 3, Look at verse 11 and read the blessed words of
• 9:08
  our Lord. John 311 reads Truly, truly.
• 9:15
  I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what
• 9:20
  we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
• 9:24
  If I've told you earthly things and you do not believe, how Can
• 9:27
  you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
• 9:30
  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from
• 9:34
  heaven, the Son of Man. You see the case that Christ is
• 9:38
  making here, especially in verse 13.
• 9:42
  Nicodemus, I can tell you about heavenly things because I
• 9:45
  descended from heaven. I have experiential knowledge of
• 9:49
  heaven. Therefore I am the most
• 9:50
  qualified to speak about heavenly things.
• 9:54
  I have the greatest rabbinic credentials because heaven has
• 9:59
  been my home from eternity past. Therefore I alone have first
• 10:03
  hand experience of spiritual things and spiritual dimensions.
• 10:09
  I come from heaven. So listen to me.
• 10:12
  And in like manner, when we consider this voice in
• 10:15
  Revelation 14, verse 13, the fact that it is speaking about
• 10:18
  the blessedness of dying from heaven gives the testimony more
• 10:23
  weight. It's the difference between
• 10:27
  someone suggesting something without experience of it and
• 10:32
  someone who has tasted it for themselves.
• 10:36
  That is not to say that the voice that is speaking to John
• 10:39
  is someone who died, but what it does mean is that this is
• 10:43
  something and someone coming from the place that death leads
• 10:47
  to. You know, if that wasn't enough,
• 10:52
  amazingly we have a second glorious testimony to this
• 10:55
  blessedness. Go back to verse 13.
• 10:57
  What does it say? And I heard a voice from heaven
• 10:58
  saying, write this. Blessed are the dead who die in
• 11:00
  the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit.
• 11:06
  Now the Holy Spirit interjects and he confirms this blessing.
• 11:11
  And here's what's so fascinating about this.
• 11:13
  The Holy Spirit's speech is not frequently quoted directly in
• 11:19
  the New Testament especially. There are times in the New
• 11:24
  Testament where we read that the Spirit says, the Holy Spirit
• 11:27
  says, but to have his words actually recorded rarely occurs.
• 11:31
  In fact, the two books that have the most of the Holy Spirit's
• 11:34
  direct speech is the Book of Acts and the Book of Revelation.
• 11:40
  And if you don't consider the seven letters to the churches we
• 11:44
  read at the end of every letter. He who hasn't here, let him hear
• 11:47
  what the Spirit says to the churches.
• 11:49
  You only have two recorded places in the Book of Revelation
• 11:52
  where the Holy Spirit is quoted directly.
• 11:56
  What we find here and what we find at the end of the book when
• 11:59
  we read that, the Spirit and the Bride say, come.
• 12:01
  They make that invitation for those who are thirsty and desire
• 12:05
  to take the water of life without price.
• 12:09
  So consider this for a moment. We know that all of the word of
• 12:13
  God is breathed out by God. We know that the Holy Spirit is
• 12:15
  the author of this book. But for him to speak out, for
• 12:20
  him to almost interrupt and to say something at a particular
• 12:25
  point says something. And for him to say something at
• 12:30
  a point where a promise is being made to the Saints in order to
• 12:35
  encourage them in facing death says something about his
• 12:40
  eagerness, does it not? The Spirit himself speaks up.
• 12:45
  So here's the author who's inspiring John to write it.
• 12:48
  And he takes the time now to actually interject and make his
• 12:51
  own personal pledge in order to offer even more guarantee, a
• 12:57
  double guarantee to this single blessing.
• 13:01
  Now, if you doubt that this is the interpretation of this,
• 13:04
  consider another interesting detail in that verse alone, did
• 13:08
  you notice that this voice from heaven tells John, write this,
• 13:14
  look again, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this.
• 13:20
  You would think that's obvious. Why would you think that's
• 13:23
  obvious? Because the last time that John
• 13:27
  was commanded this clearly and specifically to write something
• 13:32
  again if you don't include what is said in the churches is back
• 13:35
  in Revelation 1. Let's remind ourselves, go back
• 13:38
  to the beginning of the book. This is John's initial
• 13:41
  Commission by Jesus Christ that he faithfully honored Revelation
• 13:48
  One, verse 11 saying write what you see in a book and send it to
• 13:58
  the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum,
• 14:01
  and to Thyatira, and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
• 14:04
  Laodicea. Look at verse 19 right there for
• 14:08
  the things that you have seen, those that are and those that
• 14:12
  are to take place after this. Write it.
• 14:14
  John. He's told at the start, and we
• 14:18
  know that he honored this command because he completed the
• 14:20
  book. We even see a glimpse of John's
• 14:23
  faithfulness in chapter 10 where we read that he's about to write
• 14:27
  what he saw and the Lord says, OK, this you don't write about.
• 14:30
  So he had this constant posture of obedience.
• 14:34
  And so it seems strange to be redundant here.
• 14:38
  It makes us wonder, why are you telling someone who is
• 14:40
  faithfully doing what he was called to do from the beginning
• 14:43
  to do it here? Unless, of course, it's meant to
• 14:46
  convey the absolute importance of what's about to be said.
• 14:51
  As though this voice is saying, John, don't miss this.
• 14:56
  You've been writing. But I want to ensure that you
• 15:00
  document this blessing for my people, especially my people who
• 15:04
  are enduring great pressure for their faith in Christ.
• 15:10
  And So what I want you and I to see is the reassurance about
• 15:12
  death. You have this voice from heaven,
• 15:14
  a voice from another realm, a voice in which death will usher
• 15:17
  us into. You have the voice of the Holy
• 15:21
  Spirit. You have this eagerness, this
• 15:23
  keenness in order for us to be assured.
• 15:26
  Consider the source of this promise.
• 15:29
  God Himself wants you to know that there is blessing that
• 15:34
  awaits death, that death in Christ becomes a portal into
• 15:38
  glory. The second reason why death is a
• 15:43
  blessing for the believer is because of the rest that follows
• 15:46
  death. Isn't that what's being
• 15:48
  underscored here? The Spirit says blessed indeed,
• 15:51
  says the Spirit, that they may wrest from their laborers.
• 15:56
  Heaven is a domain of uninterrupted, unending,
• 16:02
  marvelous, blissful rest. And the question I have is, what
• 16:10
  kind of rest are we talking about?
• 16:11
  Rest. From what we don't have to
• 16:13
  guess, he tells us rest from their laborers.
• 16:16
  So hold on, is heaven going to be this eternal slumber?
• 16:23
  Is it going to be this unending, idle way of life strolling
• 16:29
  around glory, doing nothing? Very unlikely.
• 16:35
  You know this very well, that work was a part of the world
• 16:37
  before it was fractured by sin. I believe that many of us are
• 16:40
  going to be very busy in heaven, but there will be no toil.
• 16:44
  There will be no sweat on our brow.
• 16:45
  There's going to be a lot more to do in heaven than you think.
• 16:50
  So then when he says rest from our laborers, what is he
• 16:53
  implying? Well, here's where word studies
• 16:56
  help a little bit. Labor can be more than just hard
• 16:59
  work. It can actually communicate
• 17:02
  trouble, a labor that comes through sorrow and grief.
• 17:08
  Now that makes more sense according to this context
• 17:11
  because again, the primary audience are those who will be
• 17:14
  alive during this great tribulation era, who are trying
• 17:17
  to survive under a Christ hating regime.
• 17:21
  And so yes, they're maintaining their faith.
• 17:23
  They're trying to survive physically and spiritually all
• 17:26
  the horrors that will be imposed, all the threats, all
• 17:29
  the dangers, all the loss, all the layers of problems that they
• 17:35
  will have to face. And the Holy Spirit wants to let
• 17:38
  that audience know. Primarily, listen, in Christ,
• 17:43
  death will be the greatest relief you will ever know.
• 17:47
  Now, most of us in here have lived long enough to know that
• 17:53
  the human experience has much trouble in it, never mind the
• 17:55
  tribulation period. And that's why this truth
• 17:59
  applies to you and I as well. That death, although it is a a
• 18:06
  great danger and threat to many, for the believer it has a
• 18:10
  different translation. All of Satan's harassments,
• 18:16
  every single allurement of the world, all the frustration that
• 18:19
  our flesh causes us, all the the sadness and the pain from
• 18:23
  disease and sickness and the evil that people inflict on one
• 18:27
  another will suddenly come to an end, will forever be put behind
• 18:33
  us, and death will be the instrument to bring it about.
• 18:39
  Someone said something so wise about death that because of sin,
• 18:46
  death is brought into the body before the redeemed.
• 18:51
  Death will cast sin out of the body.
• 18:54
  Isn't that true? There is a relief that awaits us
• 19:00
  through death. There is going to be a new
• 19:03
  dress, a new body, a new mind, a new heart, a new environment, a
• 19:07
  new world. And this is what's being offered
• 19:10
  to these believers and to us. Realize this, that you and I are
• 19:17
  being called into a reality that offers rest.
• 19:20
  Now some would take this verse and make crazy conclusions like
• 19:23
  ha see this shows that when you die, even if you're a Christian,
• 19:28
  that you remain unconscious. That rest is synonymous with you
• 19:31
  being dormant and you're actually going to come alive in
• 19:35
  eternity when that final day comes and Christ summons us in
• 19:38
  the resurrection. But that's not what the Bible
• 19:41
  teaches. For the Spirit to say that there
• 19:46
  is rest that are that awaits us assures us that we'll be fully
• 19:49
  alive the moment we die. In fact, you'll be more alive
• 19:53
  than ever. And that's supposed to comfort
• 19:57
  us and more than just comfort us in our own experience with that
• 20:01
  appointment, but also brings consolation concerning those
• 20:06
  whom we love that have gone before us to rest in the Lord
• 20:11
  forever. I want to take the time to
• 20:13
  actually address that. You know my prayer has been
• 20:18
  leading up to this message. Those who are still trying to
• 20:21
  manage the pain of losing a loved one with no relief from
• 20:27
  the truth that's about to be explained.
• 20:29
  There's so many places that we can go to bring us that kind of
• 20:32
  consolation. But let's turn to the book of
• 20:34
  Job to see it. Go to Job chapter one for a
• 20:37
  moment. Job, chapter one, verse one.
• 20:43
  I'll wait for you. I don't mind listening to the
• 20:46
  pages of our Bibles flipping over in this place.
• 20:48
  It's one of my favorite sounds on Sunday afternoon.
• 20:54
  Job one, verse one. There was a man in the land of
• 21:04
  Oz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright,
• 21:10
  one who feared God and turned away from evil.
• 21:14
  There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
• 21:16
  Remember that he possessed 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of
• 21:22
  oxen, and 500 female donkeys and very many servants, so that this
• 21:27
  man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
• 21:31
  So you're in Job one, right? Go to the very end of the book
• 21:34
  of Job. We know the story very well, and
• 21:38
  most of us are aware that after Job endured this trial and
• 21:43
  received the fresh revelation of God's sovereignty, God blesses
• 21:48
  Job. Very specifically, look at verse
• 21:51
  10 of Job 42. And the Lord restored the
• 21:56
  fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends.
• 22:00
  And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had had before, twice
• 22:06
  as much as what? As he had had before.
• 22:09
  What you just read in chapter 1. And we're told exactly that in
• 22:13
  verse 12 of 42. Look at it with me.
• 22:16
  And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his
• 22:19
  beginning, and he had 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 yoke of
• 22:27
  oxen, and 1000 female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three
• 22:33
  daughters. Wait a minute, hold on.
• 22:38
  There must be a miscalculation here.
• 22:41
  The Bible says that the Lord gave Job twice as much as he
• 22:44
  had. So based on what we read, he
• 22:47
  doubled the sheep. Yes, He multiplied the camels,
• 22:50
  absolutely. He doubled the yoke of oxen, and
• 22:53
  he did the same with the female donkeys.
• 22:55
  We would think then that when it came to his children that it
• 22:59
  would be consistent that the Lord will also give him what?
• 23:03
  Well, if he had seven sons and three daughters, it's basic
• 23:06
  math. Fourteen sons and six daughters.
• 23:10
  But that's not what we read verse 13.
• 23:13
  He also had seven sons and three daughters.
• 23:20
  Is this a mistake? Is this an error?
• 23:24
  Did he forget about the children?
• 23:27
  Not, not at all. This is intentional.
• 23:31
  And when you see something like this that seems to be a
• 23:33
  discrepancy, it invites you to lean in and ask the question
• 23:38
  why? And when you don't have a clear
• 23:41
  answer in the immediate text, you are invited.
• 23:44
  Because God's word is consistent because our God is consistent,
• 23:47
  he doesn't contradict himself to see how other truths in the
• 23:50
  Bible can inform what we find here.
• 23:53
  For example, if God said that he doubled the blessing that Job
• 23:58
  once had when but when it came to his children there was no
• 24:02
  double, then what could that mean?
• 24:06
  The best explanation for this apparent contradiction is that
• 24:09
  although Job's children tragically and suddenly died,
• 24:14
  they did not cease to live. What does the Bible teach about
• 24:20
  the death of the righteous? It does not mean the cessation
• 24:23
  of life. It may mean the cessation of
• 24:25
  life in this world, but we go on living, do we not?
• 24:31
  So what do we find here? Here's what we find.
• 24:34
  Job is told that he would be blessed.
• 24:38
  Job receives double blessing when it came to his children.
• 24:41
  It's the same number. Why?
• 24:43
  Because he's going to be reunited with the first sons and
• 24:46
  daughters that he lost in chapter 1.
• 24:49
  If you count them seven sons and three daughters, and here he has
• 24:53
  seven sons and three daughters. That is double the number.
• 24:57
  And that teaches us a glorious truth of what happens to those
• 25:00
  who pass on from this life to the next.
• 25:04
  Jesus said that those who believe in Him, that believe He
• 25:06
  is the resurrection of the life, they will not die.
• 25:11
  Well, weren't Job's children sinners?
• 25:13
  Read your Bible carefully. When Job woke up every day to
• 25:16
  intercede for his children that visited each other on feast
• 25:19
  days, he said it may be that they have sinned in their
• 25:23
  hearts. People have this understanding
• 25:27
  that the Job's children went on partying every single day and
• 25:29
  Job interceded for them. Job said it may be that they it
• 25:32
  didn't say that they're guilty of sin.
• 25:36
  And here's God who pronounces his blessing over this man of
• 25:39
  God and he indirectly communicates to them.
• 25:42
  I'll give you double of the camels.
• 25:43
  I'll give you double of the donkeys.
• 25:44
  I'll give you double of this and a double of that.
• 25:46
  But I don't need to double your children because your children
• 25:48
  are going to be reunited with you one day.
• 25:53
  So what about your loved one in the Lord?
• 25:57
  They are more alive than you can imagine.
• 26:00
  They are more at rest than you can fathom, and there is an
• 26:06
  appropriate time for grief. Even Jesus, knowing that he was
• 26:09
  going to raise his friend from the dead, wept.
• 26:11
  There was somebody who didn't need to cry about someone's
• 26:14
  death. It was him.
• 26:14
  And yet he still showed emotion. Because Christ hates death.
• 26:20
  Thank God. Through His sacrifice, He
• 26:21
  changes our experience of it, but he still hates it.
• 26:24
  He will conquer that final enemy.
• 26:28
  But listen, brother and sister, if it's been three years and you
• 26:32
  can't still get out of bed, you can't go on your normal life.
• 26:39
  May God give you a revelation of the rest that your loved one is
• 26:42
  enjoying now. May you be comforted in knowing
• 26:46
  that there is a time coming where you will be greeted by
• 26:50
  them and they will embrace you. And I'm sure whatever they are
• 26:57
  experiencing now, they wouldn't want you to waste a moment of
• 26:59
  grief because of the glory that they are basking in.
• 27:05
  Listen very carefully. You're joining them one day.
• 27:09
  This is just a temporary separation, and they're waiting
• 27:13
  for you on the shores of eternity.
• 27:16
  And that reunion, though the greatest union, will be between
• 27:19
  US and Christ. There is layers of blessing to
• 27:22
  this place that death will usher us into.
• 27:24
  And one of the treasures that are there is that we will see
• 27:27
  our loved ones face to face again.
• 27:31
  And Job is just one illustration of that truth, where he receives
• 27:36
  children, but not in a way that replaces the ones that passed on
• 27:42
  because they are alive. To this day I've not been able
• 27:49
  to find any theologian or minister who is able to speak
• 27:55
  about death like the Puritans. And I want to read to you a
• 28:01
  quote from a Puritan, from the book The Fading of the Flesh and
• 28:04
  the Flourishing of Faith. Just lean in and listen to these
• 28:08
  words. What wise man will grieve at his
• 28:14
  friends gain? In the ceremonial law there was
• 28:18
  a year of Jubilee in which every man who had lost or sold his
• 28:22
  land gained it back. The day of death for your
• 28:26
  believing Friend is his day of Jubilee, in which he is restored
• 28:30
  to the possession of his eternal and estimable portion, who
• 28:34
  complaints about receiving his inheritance once he comes of
• 28:38
  age. Their death is not penal, but
• 28:41
  remedial. It is not destructive, but
• 28:44
  perfective to their souls. It does for them what none of
• 28:47
  the Ordinances of God, the Providence's of God, or Graces
• 28:51
  of the Spirit, ever did for them.
• 28:53
  It sends the weary soul to its sweet and eternal rest.
• 29:01
  This serpent is turned into a rod like an Exodus 4, with which
• 29:08
  God works wonders for their good.
• 29:11
  Do you see the argument being made here?
• 29:14
  Who grieves at the gain that their friend experiences?
• 29:20
  If death is gain for us, then how can we sorrow over the loss
• 29:24
  of those who have gone on before us?
• 29:28
  This thing called death? And this is the analogy that's
• 29:30
  being used. It's like a serpent, but because
• 29:31
  of God's power, it's turned into a rod, and then that rod is used
• 29:36
  for our good. Brothers and sisters, you and I
• 29:42
  need to constantly remind ourselves that Christ changes
• 29:45
  everything, including death. And that's true for you, and
• 29:49
  that is true for those who die in the Lord that you love.
• 29:53
  The second reason why we can rejoice even in the face of this
• 29:57
  terror, it's because there is arrest that follows it.
• 30:01
  There is a life that awaits. Lastly, there is a reward that
• 30:05
  awaits us after death. Look again at verse 13.
• 30:12
  He says at the end here the final words of the Spirit.
• 30:15
  For their deeds follow them. For their deeds follow them.
• 30:19
  You know, one of the difficulties of facing death is
• 30:22
  that it calls for separation from what we've always known.
• 30:28
  And that separation may include permanent severance, right?
• 30:32
  Like from your possessions and your positions in this life.
• 30:37
  Or that separation might be temporal, like from our
• 30:39
  believing loved ones. But the Bible reminds us in this
• 30:43
  one verse that there is something that will immediately
• 30:47
  follow us when we are summoned into that new world, our deeds,
• 30:54
  what you and I have done with the name and the will and the
• 30:59
  message of Jesus Christ that comes with you and I right away.
• 31:06
  And that message again is primarily to comfort the
• 31:09
  Christian. Remember who John is writing to.
• 31:13
  Primarily look at verse 12. Here is a call for the endurance
• 31:16
  of the Saints, those who keep the commandments of God and
• 31:19
  their faith in Jesus. So this is meant to stimulate
• 31:23
  the faithful, the selfless, the sacrificial, those who are again
• 31:27
  paying a price to serve the Lord.
• 31:29
  And what John is saying here is also for you and I.
• 31:33
  The Lord will not forget a single deed, a single act that
• 31:38
  you've done for him, not one. And even if your faithfulness to
• 31:44
  Christ will cost you your life, all that you did for the Lord
• 31:48
  will be accounted for. Every single thing will be
• 31:51
  rewarded. Every single minute that was
• 31:55
  spent, every single dollar that was donated, every single mile
• 31:59
  that was driven, every single visit that you made, every soul
• 32:03
  that you served, whether small or great, will be remembered and
• 32:07
  recompensed by our God. Remind yourself of that.
• 32:13
  Remind and exhort others about that truth, because this is a
• 32:16
  truth that echoes throughout the Bible.
• 32:18
  That our God, because of His nature, because of His grace,
• 32:22
  will reward us for what we did in His name.
• 32:26
  We will celebrate for what He's done for us.
• 32:28
  None of our deeds will guarantee or even give us a chance of
• 32:32
  eternal life. It's His deeds, His words.
• 32:34
  We know this. Nevertheless, it's possible that
• 32:39
  we would grow weary and miss out on even greater experiences in
• 32:43
  the world to come because we don't consider how seriously God
• 32:47
  takes our deeds. Turn with me to the book of
• 32:50
  Hebrews for a moment in chapter 6.
• 32:58
  Hebrews 6, and look at verse 10. Here you have another group of
• 33:05
  Christians who are very weary. They're battered, they're
• 33:10
  bruised, they're ready to quit, they're ready to just assimilate
• 33:14
  with their Jewish culture again. If that means denying the
• 33:16
  Messiah, at least I get to go to the temple.
• 33:18
  At least I get to be visited by my Jewish neighbors.
• 33:22
  At least I get to be integrated back into society.
• 33:25
  And the author by the Holy Spirit wants to encourage
• 33:27
  faithfulness until the end. Notice what he says here in
• 33:29
  verse 10 of Hebrews 6. For God is not unjust so as to
• 33:33
  overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name
• 33:37
  in serving the Saints as you still do.
• 33:41
  Most of us know this verse, but I don't think many connected to
• 33:43
  the next part, verse 11. And we desire each of you to
• 33:47
  show the same earnestness, to have the full assurance of hope
• 33:52
  until the end. Many people start with
• 33:56
  enthusiasm and excitement, and they lose it over time.
• 34:00
  And one of the reasons is not because of temptation, but
• 34:02
  because of pressure, persecution, and problems that
• 34:05
  arise because of your faith. So let me just tone it down a
• 34:09
  bit. Let me not be so public with my
• 34:12
  faith. Let me not be so sacrificial in
• 34:15
  my service to Christ. And the author says, by the
• 34:16
  Spirit, don't you dare. It's possible to maintain that
• 34:22
  same earnestness until the end. And that's the will of God.
• 34:26
  The nature of your service and mine might change over the
• 34:28
  years, but the conviction and the passion for it shouldn't.
• 34:36
  And that should encourage us to keep going.
• 34:42
  By the way, notice the greatest motivation in serving the
• 34:44
  Saints. One of the reasons why I believe
• 34:47
  the author is saying this is because as we go on serving the
• 34:51
  Lord, we tend to lose the encouragement for it because we
• 34:54
  feel overlooked. And even Christians can overlook
• 34:57
  us, right? Especially for those who are
• 34:59
  working in the background, who keep things running.
• 35:02
  But nobody sees it because most people see what's happening here
• 35:05
  and most people applaud what's happening here.
• 35:10
  And the author wants to say, hey, listen, people may overlook
• 35:13
  you. Even Christians may overlook
• 35:14
  you. Elders may overlook you.
• 35:15
  God does not overlook you. His character is at stake.
• 35:20
  His nature is at stake. He is just.
• 35:22
  And if he were to forget, he would be unjust.
• 35:26
  And he will never be unjust. But notice there's, there's the
• 35:31
  greatest motivation intertwined in this promise.
• 35:35
  What does He say here? Look at the language carefully.
• 35:36
  For God is not unjust for us to overlook your work and the love
• 35:40
  that you have shown for His name, the love that you have
• 35:43
  shown for His name in serving the Saints.
• 35:49
  You want to know how to continue serving the Saints because the
• 35:51
  Saints alone will give you a lot of reasons not to continue to
• 35:53
  serve them. It's love for His name.
• 35:59
  Your love for His name will help you love others even when they
• 36:03
  are unlovable at times. So you see what God is saying
• 36:09
  here. There's this, there's this push
• 36:11
  and there's this drive, love for his name.
• 36:15
  And, and God so loves you that you will have a conversation one
• 36:19
  day with him about what you did for him.
• 36:22
  And he has blessings awaiting. He has treasures in mind.
• 36:29
  And so the Spirit of God in Revelation 1413 says there is a
• 36:33
  reward that awaits, and death is the means by which we get to
• 36:39
  inherit them. And no one will take them away
• 36:42
  from us. They will never rot.
• 36:44
  They can never be stolen. They'll be yours.
• 36:50
  Let's end them with one final verse.
• 36:51
  Do you remember the prophet Balaam?
• 36:54
  He wasn't a good prophet. He was a false prophet.
• 36:57
  He said something amazing in his first Oracle when he was hired
• 37:01
  by Bailek to pronounce curses toward the people of Israel
• 37:05
  while they were wandering through the wilderness.
• 37:09
  And God and his sovereignty turns those curses into
• 37:12
  blessings. But from time to time, Balaam
• 37:15
  also received revelation of Christ and those who belong to
• 37:20
  Christ. And here's one instance of that.
• 37:22
  Turn to Numbers 23 and look here at one single verse, verse 10.
• 37:37
  Balaam. The New Testament doesn't speak
• 37:41
  very kindly of Balaam. Balaam is a picture of a false
• 37:47
  teacher, of a wicked man, of a covetous man, and he's a real
• 37:51
  man. Notice what he says here in
• 37:53
  Numbers 23, verse 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob,
• 37:57
  or number the 4th part of Israel?
• 38:00
  Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like
• 38:05
  his. Do you see that?
• 38:10
  Balaam, as he is giving these oracles, as he is receiving
• 38:14
  downloads from God, catches a glimpse of the death of the
• 38:19
  upright, and he sees something about the end of those who are
• 38:24
  righteous. And he can't help but exclaim,
• 38:26
  oh, that my end might be like his, that I might share in that
• 38:32
  same fate. Makes you wonder that Balaam
• 38:34
  have a revelation of the reassurance of death and about
• 38:37
  death, the rest that follows death, the rewards that await us
• 38:41
  after death. But you know, what shocks me the
• 38:44
  most about Balaam's experience here is not that he got a
• 38:48
  revelation of it. It's that he desired it.
• 38:52
  This is an evil man. This is a sorcerer.
• 38:57
  And yet he can't help but say, I want that.
• 39:01
  But he never realized it, because when you continue in
• 39:04
  numbers, especially in chapter 31, Balaam will be killed.
• 39:10
  Balaam will be killed because of God's judgment.
• 39:14
  Balaam never experienced the death of the upright, and he
• 39:19
  desired it. Desires are tricky things.
• 39:25
  People can desire righteousness and holiness and they can even
• 39:28
  desire Christ and never own it, never possess it, in fact die
• 39:36
  without it. And it's possible for you and I
• 39:39
  to listen to a message like we just heard in the last 40
• 39:41
  minutes or so and be moved by these truths and these insights.
• 39:46
  Job and the eagerness and the keenness of the Spirit and
• 39:50
  heaven comforting Christians. It's I, I want that and never
• 39:56
  realize it. Do you know why?
• 40:01
  Balaam never realized it even though he desired it, because he
• 40:06
  longed for the death of the upright, but he didn't want to
• 40:08
  live the life of the upright. Do you know why Balaam never got
• 40:17
  the chance to even live the life of the upright?
• 40:21
  Because he loved money. That's why money was his God.
• 40:28
  He obeyed money instead of Yahweh, instead of God.
• 40:32
  He submitted to the impulses and the inspirations of money
• 40:39
  instead of the will of God. You want to die the death of
• 40:46
  the. Righteous #1 You have to
• 40:49
  surrender your life to the righteous 1.
• 40:54
  Living the life of the upright doesn't mean that you.
• 40:57
  Pull your bootstraps and become more moral and become more clean
• 41:03
  in your living and integral at your workplace and pure in your
• 41:07
  sexuality. That's pride to think.
• 41:12
  That you can attain your own righteousness.
• 41:15
  It primarily means that you surrender to an alien
• 41:17
  righteousness and a righteousness outside of
• 41:19
  yourself. Where you surrender.
• 41:24
  Your garments and you say clothe me in the righteousness of
• 41:28
  Christ. Let him be my canopy and be my
• 41:32
  banner. I want to live under his grace
• 41:33
  and mercy. I receive his gift of salvation
• 41:37
  and then. From there, the righteousness.
• 41:39
  That's imputed unto you, inspires you to now live
• 41:43
  righteous for Him. This is Christian righteousness.
• 41:49
  Not that we reach. Out to try.
• 41:51
  To please God, but that we bend the knee and surrender to what
• 41:55
  God had done in Christ on our behalf.
• 41:57
  And then from there you live from out of the place of
• 41:59
  gratitude and grace. Big difference.
• 42:05
  And my question for you today. Is how confident are you for
• 42:10
  your appointment with death? Because no matter.
• 42:14
  How advanced we become. In the society and our cultures
• 42:16
  and our civilization, we still haven't figured out this death
• 42:19
  problem. Oh sure, you can take a little
• 42:22
  bit more vitamins and go to the gym and live a bit longer, but
• 42:24
  even guys who do that sometimes die tragically it.
• 42:29
  Doesn't matter what we invent. Or what we come up with, or what
• 42:32
  things we discover in science. We can't seem to break free from
• 42:37
  our individual appointment with death and with.
• 42:42
  All the studies that we're. Trying to come up with and all
• 42:45
  the ideas that philosophy have been able to conjure up.
• 42:48
  Only the Bible has the most articulate and accurate data
• 42:52
  concerning death. It's not going anywhere.
• 42:57
  It's not going. Anywhere because we brought.
• 42:59
  Death into this world through our sin and the only.
• 43:03
  Time death will be dealt. With is when Christ comes back
• 43:05
  and fixes everything. It's inescapable and.
• 43:11
  My. My wish.
• 43:12
  Really my? Prayer is that more churches
• 43:16
  would remind the people of God of death, not from a morbid
• 43:21
  place because the world. Is constantly telling.
• 43:25
  You and I of how to make the most of this life and how you
• 43:28
  can live forever and how you can enjoy this as though there's
• 43:31
  nothing else after this and it's God's house.
• 43:34
  That has to regularly. Remind us.
• 43:36
  Listen, this isn't it. You're.
• 43:39
  Going to leave behind everything.
• 43:42
  That house that you're building, that bank account that you're
• 43:45
  trying to stuff with more money, those relationships even.
• 43:49
  That you're building to a. Certain degree all of this is
• 43:52
  going to be left behind and the only thing that's.
• 43:56
  Going to matter with your. Final breath is did I put my
• 43:59
  faith and trust in Jesus? Did I walk?
• 44:03
  With him in this life. Am I going to stand before
• 44:05
  Christ as a stranger or as a familiar friend?
• 44:11
  Am I going to? Be ashamed at his appearing.
• 44:15
  What will I sing? And it's the preacher.
• 44:19
  'S duty to do exactly. What's taking place here to
• 44:22
  ensure not to just give you life hacks?
• 44:28
  Not to just make your family a little bit.
• 44:30
  More comfortable. How to overcome this and?
• 44:34
  There is a place for. That yes, but from time to time,
• 44:36
  oh, we need to remember about eternity.
• 44:42
  And not just the people of God, but people who stumble into.
• 44:44
  This place who don't know Christ and like Balaam, you like
• 44:47
  listening to sermons, but you don't know the one that we were
• 44:49
  speaking about you. Like the songs?
• 44:52
  They're nice. They have a nice tune.
• 44:54
  I like the lyrics, they make me feel a certain way.
• 44:56
  Who cares about the feelings? What's going on with your faith?
• 45:01
  Where's your? Confidence.
• 45:02
  Where's your conviction? Where's the assurance I come
• 45:07
  here? Because I know the one.
• 45:09
  That the preacher is talking about.
• 45:11
  I come here because I'm singing to the one that I have a living,
• 45:13
  vibrant relationship with. And so today can.
• 45:20
  Be the day where even your interests, your curiosity, your
• 45:25
  attraction to Christian realities can become true for
• 45:28
  you and. The only way that can happen is
• 45:32
  if you humble. Yourself in the presence of God
• 45:34
  and say, Oh God forgive me for my sins.
• 45:39
  I repent. I believe that what you did on
• 45:41
  the. Cross, you did for me.
• 45:42
  I believe that there's no other way that I can have heaven and
• 45:45
  the rest that it offers and the roars that await unless I put my
• 45:49
  complete trust and confidence in you.
• 45:52
  I believe that I will only have the chance to stand before you
• 45:56
  because of what Christ did for me and stood in the gap for me.
• 46:00
  Would you do that today? Would you go from desire?
• 46:06
  To devotion today Christ is waiting.
• 46:11
  Let's seek him. Here is a call for the
• 46:26
  endurance. Of those who obey the.
• 46:29
  Commandments of God. And have faith in Jesus.
• 46:33
  We pray, Lord, that you would give.
• 46:34
  US. More energy, more efficiency,
• 46:39
  more enthusiasm to serve you as we are reminded of death.
• 46:47
  Thank you that you reassure. Us that it is a blessing.
• 46:51
  Thank you that you promised us that there is a rest that we
• 46:55
  will enjoy forever. Thank you that though
• 46:58
  undeserving, there will be rewards for what we've done in
• 47:01
  your name. And Lord, if there's any Balaams
• 47:08
  listening. To this now we pray.
• 47:11
  That they would go beyond. Desire, but that by your spirit.
• 47:15
  You would draw them to. Yourself into saving faith, but
• 47:21
  we. Sing because you have.
• 47:24
  Informed us of the glories of the gospel that in Christ you
• 47:28
  not. Only change.
• 47:30
  Us now, but you change what we will experience at the end of
• 47:33
  our lives. For this we are thankful.
• 47:37
  We bless you and worship you now in Jesus name, Amen.
• 47:40
  Let's stand and let's worship the Lord for the gift that we
• 47:44
  have in Jesus.