1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,560 Well, as we’ve launched into our series in this new year, about your future life, 2 00:00:05,040 –> 00:00:14,320 we have been looking at the ultimate reality that whenever and however a person’s death occurs, 3 00:00:15,200 –> 00:00:20,480 every person ultimately dies in one of two ways. Either you die in your sins or you die in the 4 00:00:20,480 –> 00:00:24,799 Lord, and as we’ve thought about what these two things mean, we’ve seen that there is an 5 00:00:25,120 –> 00:00:31,680 calculable difference between them, and therefore we have seen how much Jesus Christ is for us and 6 00:00:31,680 –> 00:00:38,240 to us and how critical it is that we are indeed in him. Now, today we’re taking the next step 7 00:00:38,240 –> 00:00:43,360 forward in our series about future life and we’re going to ask three questions. The first is we 8 00:00:43,360 –> 00:00:48,480 really need to get a little clearer about what actually is death. We’ve talked about how a person 9 00:00:48,480 –> 00:00:53,599 dies in one of two ways. What is death and what’s actually happening there? It’s an important 10 00:00:53,599 –> 00:01:01,520 question. The second question of great interest to us all is what happens to a believer immediately 11 00:01:01,520 –> 00:01:07,680 after death? We talked about what it will be to go through it in one of these two ways. May it be 12 00:01:07,680 –> 00:01:13,599 for you and the Lord but what lies immediately after death for a Christian believer? All of us 13 00:01:13,599 –> 00:01:19,919 have loved ones who have gone through death and as we think about them in Christ, we say now what is 14 00:01:19,919 –> 00:01:26,000 their life now? We know that there’s the resurrection still to come but what is it like for 15 00:01:26,000 –> 00:01:33,680 them now? And what will it be like for me that moment after I close my eyes in death? And then 16 00:01:33,680 –> 00:01:39,599 we’re going to ask a third question more briefly at the end, which is this how can I as a Christian 17 00:01:39,599 –> 00:01:44,480 face death with confidence? We all have our fears in life and we’re all going to have to face our 18 00:01:44,480 –> 00:01:52,400 fears in death. How can I as a Christian face death with confidence? So these are the three 19 00:01:52,400 –> 00:01:57,199 questions that frame what we’re learning from the scriptures today. I invite you to turn to 20 00:01:57,199 –> 00:02:03,760 second Corinthians in chapter five which will be our main passage that we will refer to several 21 00:02:03,760 –> 00:02:10,320 others, second Corinthians in chapter five. And let’s begin here then with this plain question 22 00:02:10,320 –> 00:02:17,360 what is death and I want to offer this answer to you that death is a temporary separating 23 00:02:17,360 –> 00:02:25,119 of the soul from the body. That’s what death is, it is a temporary separating of the soul 24 00:02:25,119 –> 00:02:32,639 from the body. Soul and body that’s what you are remember in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 25 00:02:32,639 –> 00:02:40,240 God made a corpse from the dust of the ground, a body, and then he breathed the breath of 26 00:02:40,240 –> 00:02:48,399 life into that corpse and Adam became a living being. That’s Genesis and chapter 2 and verse 7 27 00:02:49,039 –> 00:02:56,080 and that act of creation by God is really defining for who we are. Who are you? Well, God has created 28 00:02:56,080 –> 00:03:03,440 a unique body and God has created a unique soul and the union of these two is you. Every one of 29 00:03:03,440 –> 00:03:10,320 us, a unique soul, a unique body created by God in this holy union in which we have life. 30 00:03:11,759 –> 00:03:16,800 You are a body, soul union. Now, what is death? Death is the separating of what God has joined 31 00:03:16,800 –> 00:03:21,520 together and that is why death is such a fearful thing, why we shrink from it. 32 00:03:22,399 –> 00:03:29,759 It is the undoing of our nature. It is the dismantling of who we are, a body, soul union 33 00:03:30,720 –> 00:03:34,000 the tearing apart of what has been joined together by God. 34 00:03:35,679 –> 00:03:41,279 That is why of course the bible refers to death as an enemy. That is why Jesus 35 00:03:41,279 –> 00:03:47,119 wept when he looked at its effect. That is why he was outraged at this enemy and said that 36 00:03:47,119 –> 00:03:53,279 He came into the world to destroy it and you know from the bible that death is the last 37 00:03:53,279 –> 00:04:01,600 enemy to be destroyed and until Christ returns all of us go through it. Death is the last effect 38 00:04:01,600 –> 00:04:12,960 of sin and it is the surest evidence that that deadly disease is in us all. Nothing shows more 39 00:04:12,960 –> 00:04:21,200 clearly that all of us are sinners than the fact that all of us die and nothing shows more clearly 40 00:04:21,200 –> 00:04:29,600 that all of us need a savior than the fact that all of us die. So if you should be here 41 00:04:29,600 –> 00:04:35,519 and be on an occasion where you would be coming to a visitation and there’s my body that’s lying 42 00:04:35,519 –> 00:04:40,880 there and people have gathered to have a service you would walk past that casket and you could say 43 00:04:40,880 –> 00:04:46,079 well there you go our pastor really was a sinner and there’s the surest evidence of it as if you 44 00:04:46,160 –> 00:04:53,440 didn’t know that already. And I hope you would also say thank God he was in Christ. 45 00:04:54,480 –> 00:05:03,440 He didn’t die in his sins he died in the Lord. And he has a savior because nothing is a surer 46 00:05:03,440 –> 00:05:10,079 evidence that sin inhabits us all than the fact that we all die. And nothing gives clearer 47 00:05:10,079 –> 00:05:18,399 evidence of our need of a savior than this reality that all of us die. Now the body soul union and 48 00:05:18,399 –> 00:05:24,480 death is the separating of what God has put together. The Bible uses many pictures to help 49 00:05:24,480 –> 00:05:30,320 us think about this one that I especially appreciate is in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 50 00:05:30,320 –> 00:05:38,640 and verse 6 where Solomon says, remember God before the silver cord is severed. 51 00:05:39,200 –> 00:05:43,040 That’s a beautiful picture. Solomon saying this, he’s speaking about death. And, 52 00:05:43,040 –> 00:05:47,920 and he’s saying now, think of it like this. It is as if there is a silver cord that ties 53 00:05:47,920 –> 00:05:53,440 your soul to your body, and you want to be very sure that you remember God before the 54 00:05:53,440 –> 00:05:57,359 day when the silver cord is severed because one day your soul’s going to leave your body 55 00:05:58,000 –> 00:06:01,600 and you have to think about that, and you have to think about what that will be 56 00:06:01,600 –> 00:06:08,720 like for you, and you should remember god before that day comes. And of course you 57 00:06:08,720 –> 00:06:14,640 know that when the life of the soul leaves the body, the body is left lifeless. 58 00:06:16,079 –> 00:06:21,760 Like a glove puppet when the hand is taken out and it lies there on the table. 59 00:06:23,279 –> 00:06:29,279 I was trying to think of an analogy for this and my mind went to Soldier Field here in Chicago. 60 00:06:30,239 –> 00:06:35,679 Go down there on game day and the place is pulsating with life. 61 00:06:36,959 –> 00:06:40,799 You go into Soldier Field on game day and the bears are on the field 62 00:06:41,519 –> 00:06:45,760 and the fans are packing the stands. The whole place is alive. 63 00:06:48,160 –> 00:06:50,399 You think Soldier Field was made for this. 64 00:06:52,399 –> 00:06:55,279 But suppose that you take a tour of Soldier Field 65 00:06:55,440 –> 00:07:01,600 during the week and you go out there and the stands are empty 66 00:07:03,119 –> 00:07:08,959 and nobody is on the field and there’s a strange quiet, a sort of echo, about the whole place. 67 00:07:10,079 –> 00:07:14,959 The only noise you hear is the cars in the city and the bustle, life going on outside. 68 00:07:16,480 –> 00:07:23,440 You walk around and you feel a kind of awe because this is the place where great 69 00:07:23,440 –> 00:07:27,920 things have happened in the past and great things will happen in the future. 70 00:07:30,640 –> 00:07:35,920 That was a statement of faith, right? I’m more sure about the resurrection than that, 71 00:07:35,920 –> 00:07:42,160 but this is an analogy, all right? But right now the place rests silent. 72 00:07:43,519 –> 00:07:51,040 The fans are the life of the stadium, and without that life you feel, now this is just an empty 73 00:07:51,040 –> 00:07:55,760 shell, you see, and you think, now there’s something abnormal about this, because the 74 00:07:55,760 –> 00:07:58,959 stadium was made for the fans and the fans should be in the stadium. 75 00:08:00,799 –> 00:08:15,600 And it’s a bit like that, you see with the body and the soul. 76 00:08:15,679 –> 00:08:25,040 And when a person dies and you go to the visitation, and you look there at that lifeless body, 77 00:08:27,040 –> 00:08:30,239 kind of looking at the stadium without the fans, the life has gone, 78 00:08:32,960 –> 00:08:38,239 the soul, the spirit is departed, yet you feel a sense of awe, 79 00:08:39,119 –> 00:08:42,239 because of the past and because of the future. 80 00:08:42,640 –> 00:08:42,640 81 00:08:44,000 –> 00:08:49,599 Now, just one more word about this definition of death. It’s important for us to know what 82 00:08:49,599 –> 00:08:54,280 death is and to have that clear in our mind. I said it is the temporary 83 00:08:54,960 –> 00:09:00,880 separating of the soul from the body. And that word temporary is very important for this reason, 84 00:09:01,440 –> 00:09:07,359 that the Bible teaches the resurrection of the body. Jesus rose and those who are in Christ 85 00:09:07,359 –> 00:09:10,799 will share in his resurrection, and we’re going to look at that marvelous truth, God willing, 86 00:09:10,799 –> 00:09:17,440 next week. But that will happen when Jesus Christ returns in power and in glory. On that day, 87 00:09:17,440 –> 00:09:22,719 and it will be marvelous. The scripture tells us the Christ will bring with him 88 00:09:22,719 –> 00:09:27,119 Christians who have already died. We will be caught up to meet him in the air, and on that day, 89 00:09:27,760 –> 00:09:32,080 in a moment, in a twinkle of an eye, we shall all be changed, and the resurrection body will 90 00:09:32,080 –> 00:09:38,640 be given to the whole family of God. God will then clothe your spirit with a body that is no longer 91 00:09:38,640 –> 00:09:45,119 subject to pain and sickness and disease and death. A body that is adapted to eternal life. 92 00:09:46,799 –> 00:09:53,760 So the great theologian A. A. Hodge says Death is precisely defined as a suspension 93 00:09:55,119 –> 00:10:00,640 of the personal union between the soul and the body. A suspension, not an ending. A suspension. 94 00:10:01,840 –> 00:10:07,760 Until the day of the resurrection which is the great hope of every believer when Jesus Christ 95 00:10:07,760 –> 00:10:19,599 comes again in power and in glory. But until that day when a believer dies the soul is separated 96 00:10:19,599 –> 00:10:27,520 from the body and so that leads to the very important second question which is what happens 97 00:10:27,520 –> 00:10:37,599 then to a believer after death, immediately after death. What happens a nanosecond after 98 00:10:37,599 –> 00:10:44,200 you close your eyes in death if you are in Jesus Christ. Now it seems to me to be a question 99 00:10:44,200 –> 00:10:48,280 of huge importance for all of us and many of us think about these things in relation 100 00:10:48,280 –> 00:10:54,500 to our loved ones as well as ourselves. I want to offer three answers to that question. 101 00:10:54,500 –> 00:11:01,799 What happens immediately after death for a believer? Answer number one, after death, 102 00:11:01,799 –> 00:11:08,919 believers are at home with the Lord. I hope you have your Bible open in 2 Corinthians 103 00:11:08,919 –> 00:11:17,799 five, let’s begin at verse one. He says, we know that if the tent which is our earthly 104 00:11:18,440 –> 00:11:25,440 home is destroyed, we have a building from God, it’s a house not made with hands, eternal 105 00:11:25,880 –> 00:11:32,520 in the heavens. Now remember Paul was a tentmaker. And so 106 00:11:32,520 –> 00:11:37,320 it’s rather fascinating that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this is the picture that 107 00:11:37,320 –> 00:11:43,599 he uses as an analogy for the body, being like a kind of tent in which you live your 108 00:11:43,640 –> 00:11:49,640 life. And it’s a very apt picture because, of course, a tent is a flimsy structure. It 109 00:11:49,640 –> 00:11:56,640 does not last forever. And think of this, one day the ropes around your tent will be 110 00:11:58,080 –> 00:12:05,080 slackened, and the pegs that hold your tent in place will be pulled, and the canvas, as 111 00:12:05,419 –> 00:12:09,840 it were, of this tent is going to be rolled up. 112 00:12:10,239 –> 00:12:12,340 what? 113 00:12:12,340 –> 00:12:17,059 Now, what happens then? What happens then? Now look at what he says, we know that if this 114 00:12:17,059 –> 00:12:24,059 tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house, not 115 00:12:25,020 –> 00:12:32,020 made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Now you see what he’s saying? I live in this tent, 116 00:12:32,979 –> 00:12:39,400 and I know that it won’t last forever. This tent is my home for now, but when the tent 117 00:12:39,400 –> 00:12:46,400 is destroyed, I am not going to become homeless. There is a place to which I will go, there 118 00:12:46,419 –> 00:12:53,419 is a home. Now some people think that Paul is speaking here about the Resurrection body, 119 00:12:53,719 –> 00:12:57,020 and that he’s saying, you know, when my body dies there will be a new body that I will 120 00:12:57,020 –> 00:13:01,460 be given in the Resurrection. That, of course, is wonderfully true. We’ll look at that truth 121 00:13:01,500 –> 00:13:06,080 next week, but I don’t think that’s what Paul is referring to here, because this whole passage 122 00:13:06,099 –> 00:13:11,299 is about what happens immediately after death. If he was referring to the Resurrection body, 123 00:13:11,299 –> 00:13:15,880 he would say I will have a body in the long term future, but he says no, at the moment 124 00:13:15,880 –> 00:13:22,880 I die, I have a home, I have a home. He’s talking about that which is immediate. And, 125 00:13:23,700 –> 00:13:30,700 you know, when I think about death, my first concern is not what will happen at the Resurrection 126 00:13:31,580 –> 00:13:37,340 but what will happen to me immediately after my eyes have closed. And this is of course 127 00:13:37,340 –> 00:13:43,760 what concerns us first about those who we love, who have died in the Lord. Pastor, where 128 00:13:43,760 –> 00:13:50,760 is she now? What is it like for her now? And it’s the question that Paul is dealing with 129 00:13:52,580 –> 00:13:57,960 quite clearly here. So I’m suggesting to you that the home you 130 00:13:58,700 –> 00:14:03,179 move into, the home that Paul is referring to here, is not the resurrection body, which 131 00:14:03,179 –> 00:14:07,760 will be the gift of God to you when Christ returns. The home you move into the moment 132 00:14:07,760 –> 00:14:12,580 after death is Heaven itself. That’s what he’s talking about here. Heaven will be the 133 00:14:12,580 –> 00:14:19,580 immediate, conscious, joyful experience of every believer at the point of death. And 134 00:14:19,599 –> 00:14:25,739 so, here’s what Paul is saying very simply, in 2 Corinthians 5, When my tent is destroyed, 135 00:14:25,739 –> 00:14:32,739 when this body lies in the grave, my life does not end. When I move out of this tent, 136 00:14:35,539 –> 00:14:42,539 I’m going to move right into my home which is in Heaven. So, this is a wonderful picture, 137 00:14:42,900 –> 00:14:48,780 folks. Death for a Christian is like moving house and into downgrade. No downsizing. I 138 00:14:48,780 –> 00:14:55,780 mean, we’re talking about moving from a tent to a house. That is a big upgrade. You see 139 00:15:03,679 –> 00:15:10,039 what he’s saying? Here I am living in this flimsy tent and I know that it cannot last. 140 00:15:10,760 –> 00:15:17,099 2. He underlines the point. He says, in this tent we groan. Living in this tent, I 141 00:15:17,099 –> 00:15:24,099 got to deal with all this stuff of sin, temptation, sickness, and suffering. What else do you 142 00:15:24,460 –> 00:15:29,619 deal with in the body? Depression and fear, and all the struggles of life. I deal with 143 00:15:29,619 –> 00:15:35,400 all this in the tent. But one day all this will be gone. I’m 144 00:15:35,400 –> 00:15:41,059 going to move out of the tent, and I’m going to move into the home, which is eternal! Life 145 00:15:41,059 –> 00:15:47,840 in the house is going to be far better than life in the tent. That’s what he’s saying. 146 00:15:47,840 –> 00:15:51,880 So to use another picture that we use in a different context, death for the Christian 147 00:15:51,880 –> 00:15:58,880 will be a homecoming. That’s what it will be. It will be your arrival in the place 148 00:15:59,859 –> 00:16:06,859 to which you truly belong. For already in Christ you are a citizen of heaven. That is 149 00:16:07,739 –> 00:16:13,780 why, so beautifully, in verse 6 and 8 of this chapter, Paul says, while we are at home in 150 00:16:13,780 –> 00:16:20,780 the body, we are away from the Lord. But verse 8, we would rather be away from the body and 151 00:16:20,820 –> 00:16:27,820 at home with the Lord. That’s what it is for your loved ones who have died in Christ. At 152 00:16:31,000 –> 00:16:38,000 home with the Lord. And that is what it will be for you a nanosecond after you close your 153 00:16:41,859 –> 00:16:48,859 eyes in death. Now that’s the first answer. After death, what? Believers are at home with 154 00:16:49,080 –> 00:16:53,440 the Lord. Believers are at home with the Lord. Here’s the second answer because there’s more 155 00:16:53,440 –> 00:16:58,520 to be said and it’s very wonderful. After death, believers 156 00:16:58,520 –> 00:17:05,520 consciously enjoy the life of Heaven. Second answer, after death, immediately after death, 157 00:17:08,719 –> 00:17:15,719 believers consciously enjoy the life of Heaven. Now, there are two words here that I want 158 00:17:16,599 –> 00:17:23,599 to especially underline. The first is consciously and the second is enjoy. Consciously. You 159 00:17:23,880 –> 00:17:30,520 know that the Bible several times refers to death as falling asleep. You find that 160 00:17:30,520 –> 00:17:36,199 many places in the Bible. Paul says, we do not want you to be uninformed about those 161 00:17:36,199 –> 00:17:43,199 who have fallen asleep. Jesus said when Lazarus died, he said, our friend Lazarus has fallen 162 00:17:44,199 –> 00:17:51,199 asleep. And it’s a very, very wonderful description in the Bible to speak of death. Now, for this 163 00:17:54,920 –> 00:18:01,920 reason, some Christians have suggested that when the body dies, they have suggested, could 164 00:18:02,420 –> 00:18:09,420 it not be then that the soul of a believer also kind of goes into hibernation. Goes to 165 00:18:09,680 –> 00:18:14,459 sleep? So that the next conscious moment for a believer who dies will be the moment of 166 00:18:14,459 –> 00:18:21,459 Christ’s return in power and in glory. That view is often referred to as soul sleep. You 167 00:18:22,140 –> 00:18:29,040 may have heard it before, and I want you to understand clearly why it is not what the 168 00:18:29,040 –> 00:18:36,040 Bible means when it refers to the sleep of death. I have to tell you that I cannot square 169 00:18:37,040 –> 00:18:43,459 a soul sleep with the teaching of the Bible in any way shape or form. And I want you to 170 00:18:43,459 –> 00:18:50,459 have this clear in your mind, that the soul of a believer, consciously enjoys the presence 171 00:18:51,760 –> 00:18:58,760 of Jesus after death. To be away from the body is not to slide into a soul sleep, it 172 00:18:58,760 –> 00:19:05,760 is to be at home with the Lord. And Paul says in Philippians chapter one in verse twenty-three 173 00:19:06,880 –> 00:19:13,880 that that it’s far better. Now, just think with me for a moment. Do you really think 174 00:19:15,599 –> 00:19:22,599 that the apostle Paul was the kind of guy who would think that going into hibernation 175 00:19:22,839 –> 00:19:28,839 for 2000 years was far better than all the adventures of life in this world? I don’t 176 00:19:28,839 –> 00:19:35,839 think so. What is it that’s far better than all that we can experience in Jesus Christ 177 00:19:36,599 –> 00:19:43,599 in this world? Not unconsciousness. The immediate conscious presence of our Lord and savior 178 00:19:43,719 –> 00:19:50,719 conscious presence of our Lord in savior Jesus Christ. When the Bible refers to Christians 179 00:19:53,479 –> 00:20:00,479 who have died being asleep. The references to the body, not to the soul. Calvin says 180 00:20:00,500 –> 00:20:06,859 this especially clearly. The reference is not to the soul but to the body. For the dead 181 00:20:07,400 –> 00:20:11,979 rests in the tomb as on a bed until God raises the person up. Perhaps the clearest 182 00:20:18,079 –> 00:20:23,079 demonstration of this truth is that we consciously enjoy the presence of Jesus immediately after 183 00:20:24,520 –> 00:20:29,400 death is written in verse 5 of the passage that’s open before us in the second part. It 184 00:20:29,619 –> 00:20:34,280 remains forever a part. You read their that the one who has prepared us for this very 185 00:20:34,280 –> 00:20:39,280 thing is God who has given us the spirit as a guarantee. Now you think about this. When 186 00:20:42,920 –> 00:20:47,359 you become a Christian, the Holy spirit of God comes to you. He is with you and in you, 187 00:20:47,359 –> 00:20:52,359 Jesus says. The Holy Spirit gives life to your spirit and the life that he gives to 188 00:20:53,099 –> 00:20:58,099 your spirit is eternal life. When you die, your spirit leaves your body. But the Holy 189 00:21:02,859 –> 00:21:08,859 spirit does not leave you and he does not take the children of God into unconsciousness 190 00:21:08,859 –> 00:21:13,859 but fulfills the purpose of God in bringing them into glory. When you are dead in Christ, 191 00:21:16,000 –> 00:21:21,739 you will be more alive than ever before. You will feel it seems like all my life I have 192 00:21:21,819 –> 00:21:29,819 been living in a days. And now I am here. I am here. Writing about death in his helpful 193 00:21:30,819 –> 00:21:37,020 book Brian Stiller says this, the single most important indicator that we continue to live 194 00:21:37,020 –> 00:21:40,699 with consciousness during the transition period that is between death and the 195 00:21:40,699 –> 00:21:48,699 resurrection is the indwelling life of the spirit. Be clear about this, please. Richard 196 00:21:48,780 –> 00:21:56,060 Baxter quotes the dying words of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, remember? Stephen said, 197 00:21:56,060 –> 00:22:06,859 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Baxter says this, if the Lord Jesus receive his spirit, 198 00:22:06,939 –> 00:22:18,459 It is neither asleep nor dead nor annihilated, but it is where Christ is and beholds his glory. 199 00:22:19,180 –> 00:22:25,500 Now worth an amen? Amen. That’s what’s going to happen. Conscious. Conscious. The other 200 00:22:25,500 –> 00:22:33,020 word I want to emphasize here is the word enjoy. After death, believers consciously enjoy 201 00:22:33,420 –> 00:22:39,339 the life of heaven. Now, let me say this as plainly as I possibly can, and for some among 202 00:22:39,339 –> 00:22:49,979 us this is very important to grasp. Christian, there is nothing anywhere to be found in any 203 00:22:49,979 –> 00:22:59,180 place in all of the Bible that ever suggests that your soul will endure a long process of 204 00:22:59,180 –> 00:23:08,040 suffering after death. I want you to be absolutely clear. You search your Bible. There is nothing 205 00:23:08,040 –> 00:23:14,219 that you will find in your Bible to indicate anywhere that a Christian believer will endure 206 00:23:14,219 –> 00:23:19,439 a long process of suffering after … It’s just not in the Bible. That is good news to 207 00:23:19,439 –> 00:23:26,959 you. It may come as a huge relief to you. Why? For this reason, and here’s another 208 00:23:27,040 –> 00:23:33,199 amen, moment coming up, folks. All the preparation that was ever needed for you 209 00:23:33,199 –> 00:23:40,099 to enter into heaven was made by Jesus Christ on the cross, isn’t that right? That’s right. 210 00:23:40,099 –> 00:23:44,300 And anything that implies that you still have to be prepared after this life before you 211 00:23:44,300 –> 00:23:49,260 get into heaven, it’s taking away from what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. So, you 212 00:23:49,260 –> 00:23:55,140 need to see this clearly. To be away from the body, in the verse that we have read, 213 00:23:55,140 –> 00:24:03,040 is not to begin a long process of rehabilitation, it is to be what? At home with the Lord. 214 00:24:03,040 –> 00:24:10,140 And your loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ have a richer, fuller, closer experience 215 00:24:10,140 –> 00:24:17,560 of Jesus than any of us can enjoy at our Christian life in its best in this world. I let that 216 00:24:17,560 –> 00:24:18,800 be an assurance to you. 217 00:24:18,800 –> 00:24:24,280 So we’ve given two answers so far, we’ve said, what happens immediately after death, you’re 218 00:24:24,280 –> 00:24:32,119 at home with the Lord and consciously enjoying the life of Heaven. These are the important 219 00:24:32,119 –> 00:24:34,520 things to grasp. 220 00:24:34,520 –> 00:24:41,479 Now, let’s pause for a moment and face an honest question that all of us, I think, must 221 00:24:41,479 –> 00:24:50,040 have struggled with, certainly I have. You may say, Colin all this sounds very wonderful 222 00:24:50,040 –> 00:25:00,280 and I’m glad to be reminded of these scriptures. But honestly, I find it very difficult to 223 00:25:00,280 –> 00:25:07,359 imagine a life without a body. I won’t ask for a hands up everyone who’s thought that 224 00:25:07,359 –> 00:25:15,699 because all of us. Right? You think of everything that you enjoy in this life, make a list. 225 00:25:16,520 –> 00:25:21,380 I like walking, and running, and cycling, and reading, and gardening, and traveling, 226 00:25:21,380 –> 00:25:27,500 and listening to music on my ipod, and seeing new places, and eating, and building, and 227 00:25:27,500 –> 00:25:34,160 playing sports. You make the list. And all of them are experienced by the body. And you 228 00:25:34,160 –> 00:25:37,260 say how can I do any of these things without the body? And here you are standing there 229 00:25:37,260 –> 00:25:42,400 telling me that my life is going to be richer and fuller and more wonderful, but it will 230 00:25:42,459 –> 00:25:47,359 not be an embodied life until Christ returns, and I try to get my mind around that, and 231 00:25:47,359 –> 00:25:52,719 I just can’t. That’s a very, very real question, and you need to know you’re certainly not 232 00:25:52,719 –> 00:25:56,920 the only one to have wondered and to have puzzled about that. 233 00:25:56,920 –> 00:26:01,760 Well, here is one thing that might help. It won’t give you all these answers because these 234 00:26:01,760 –> 00:26:10,119 are great questions, but it might just give you something to think about. Angels are souls 235 00:26:10,119 –> 00:26:18,839 or spirits without bodies. And yet, we know from Scripture that they, the angels, live 236 00:26:18,839 –> 00:26:26,780 a full and conscious and joyful life in the presence of Jesus. Angels do not have bodies 237 00:26:26,780 –> 00:26:36,119 so they don’t have retinas, eyes as we do, and yet Jesus says that they always behold 238 00:26:36,180 –> 00:26:42,140 the face of their Father in heaven. Angels do not have bodies so that they do not have 239 00:26:42,140 –> 00:26:51,699 a larynx to vocalize as we do. And yet we read of how these spirits appear in the heavens 240 00:26:51,699 –> 00:26:59,500 and declare the glory of Christ at his birth at Christmas and communicate in language, 241 00:26:59,500 –> 00:27:07,640 from which we must conclude that there is a seeing that does not depend on eyes, there 242 00:27:07,640 –> 00:27:14,359 is a hearing that does not depend on ears, there is a singing that does not depend on 243 00:27:14,359 –> 00:27:22,339 vocal cords, there is a serving that does not depend on physical hands, there is a moving 244 00:27:22,339 –> 00:27:28,859 that does not depend on having legs or feet. Thinking about the angels and just trying 245 00:27:28,859 –> 00:27:36,479 to meditate on that a little has got me thinking about the wonderful experience of the redeemed 246 00:27:36,479 –> 00:27:40,699 who are already in the presence of Jesus. What do we know about angels? We know that 247 00:27:40,699 –> 00:27:47,540 they are looking into, with wonder and awe, the glories of Christ’s redeeming work. That 248 00:27:47,540 –> 00:27:55,660 is 1 Peter 1 and verse 12, and so your love ones, with actively engaged minds, stretched 249 00:27:55,979 –> 00:28:02,979 out in the sheer glories of God’s redeeming work for the world. Don’t we know that angels 250 00:28:03,239 –> 00:28:09,859 rejoice in heaven over one sinner who comes to repentance. Jesus said that. They celebrate 251 00:28:14,660 –> 00:28:21,660 the triumphs of God’s grace with great joy. From which I conclude this, if you are not 252 00:28:22,099 –> 00:28:28,660 not yet a Christian and you were to come to Jesus Christ today and you have a loved one 253 00:28:28,660 –> 00:28:34,880 who was praying for you until they died and now they are in heaven, I’ll tell you this, 254 00:28:34,880 –> 00:28:39,420 I have great confidence that God will make sure that they share in the news of the redeeming 255 00:28:39,420 –> 00:28:45,359 work of God in your life today. I don’t think for one moment that our loved 256 00:28:45,359 –> 00:28:50,260 ones up there are taken up with interest in all that is going on down here. They have 257 00:28:50,420 –> 00:28:57,260 better things to occupy their minds and their hearts. But here’s what I conclude, and I 258 00:28:57,260 –> 00:29:04,260 just give it to you to consider. When there’s good news of eternal consequence, that angels 259 00:29:06,520 –> 00:29:13,520 rejoice in the redeeming of one sinner, do you not think that our loving Heavenly Father 260 00:29:14,000 –> 00:29:20,099 would find a way of letting one who prayed for that outcome share the joy of knowing 261 00:29:20,099 –> 00:29:27,099 that it just happened? Think about the angels. And think about the fullness of their life. 262 00:29:30,239 –> 00:29:37,239 Think about their joy. Think about that activity. And anticipate what we cannot fully figure 263 00:29:37,880 –> 00:29:43,020 out right now, but what we know from the promise of Jesus will be wonderful above anything 264 00:29:43,099 –> 00:29:50,099 that we have experienced here in this life. After death, believers will consciously enjoy 265 00:29:50,300 –> 00:29:55,199 the life of heaven. Again, Richard Baxter has this wonderful comment about the souls 266 00:29:55,199 –> 00:30:00,920 of believers at death. I love this. The soul of a believer at the moment of death he says, 267 00:30:00,920 –> 00:30:07,920 angels will be their convoy. Christ will be their company. Heaven will be their home. 268 00:30:08,599 –> 00:30:14,640 And, God himself will be their happiness. That’s what you have to look forward to in 269 00:30:14,640 –> 00:30:21,640 Jesus Christ and it’s glorious. It’s glorious. Here’s a third answer to this important 270 00:30:23,079 –> 00:30:28,040 question. We’re asking a question, what happens after death for a believer? You’re going 271 00:30:28,040 –> 00:30:32,599 to be at home with the Lord. You’re going to consciously enjoy the presence of Jesus. 272 00:30:32,619 –> 00:30:39,239 There’s a third answer that’s very important and it’s this. After death, believers anticipate 273 00:30:39,239 –> 00:30:46,239 the resurrection. Believers anticipate the resurrection. Now, some years ago, Val Savage, 274 00:30:53,079 –> 00:30:59,420 who many of you will remember with great affection, received a diagnosis that she was suffering 275 00:30:59,439 –> 00:31:06,420 from a terminal cancer and she has been with the Lord now for some years. When she received 276 00:31:08,839 –> 00:31:15,839 the diagnosis, she wrote to a pastor, who Bev and I know also well. The pastor’s name 277 00:31:16,760 –> 00:31:23,500 was Steve Brady. The reason she wrote to Steve was that Steve, being a pastor and then a 278 00:31:23,719 –> 00:31:29,260 pastor, a Bible school principal in England, had done doctoral research on the whole subject 279 00:31:29,260 –> 00:31:34,459 of what happens in the Intermediate State and things that we’re looking at here. He’d 280 00:31:34,459 –> 00:31:39,099 given years to studying this in the Bible and, you know, I kind of love the practicality 281 00:31:39,099 –> 00:31:43,540 of this. Here’s this college principal who’s got a doctorate and studied all these things 282 00:31:43,540 –> 00:31:48,959 and here’s a lady who many of us love and remember and esteem so highly. She writes 283 00:31:49,000 –> 00:31:54,239 a letter and says, well, you’ve been studying these things all these years and here I am 284 00:31:54,239 –> 00:31:58,520 and I just been given this diagnosis and I’ve a short time to live. So, I’ve got some questions 285 00:31:58,520 –> 00:32:02,199 to ask you about what you’ve learned from the Bible, about what I’m gonna experience 286 00:32:02,199 –> 00:32:07,579 and she listed off her questions. It was a marvelous letter. And pastor Steve, a dear 287 00:32:07,579 –> 00:32:14,579 friend, wrote back a long and a very deeply moving letter from which I’ll quote to you, 288 00:32:15,180 –> 00:32:20,359 and, amongst other things, he drew her attention to revelation chapter six and verses nine 289 00:32:20,359 –> 00:32:26,380 and ten. Which he said is an often neglected but very instructive scripture in this regard. 290 00:32:26,380 –> 00:32:33,380 You might like to turn to it. Revelation chapter six and verses nine and ten. I’ll just read 291 00:32:34,380 –> 00:32:40,099 these verses and then his comments. John is looking into heaven and he says, I saw under 292 00:32:40,300 –> 00:32:46,420 the altar the souls. So, here’s now souls of those who had been slain for the word of 293 00:32:46,420 –> 00:32:53,420 God and the witness they had borne. Revelation six ten, they cried out with a loud voice, 294 00:32:54,260 –> 00:33:01,260 Oh sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood 295 00:33:03,260 –> 00:33:08,640 on those who dwell on the earth. The significance of this Scripture, you realize, is these are 296 00:33:09,260 –> 00:33:14,020 Christians who have died. They’re in the presence of Jesus and we’re told certain things about 297 00:33:14,020 –> 00:33:20,040 them. So, let me read what Pastor Steve wrote. He made these observations, your question 298 00:33:20,040 –> 00:33:27,040 what do the righteous do while they wait for the lord’s return. Three answers. One, they 299 00:33:30,359 –> 00:33:37,359 worship, for they are before God’s throne and so will you. Two, while they wait for 300 00:33:39,339 –> 00:33:46,339 him, they wonder. They do not have all their questions answered yet. They ask how long. 301 00:33:49,359 –> 00:33:55,400 Like us, they have to be patient for some things to become clear. So, he says don’t 302 00:33:55,400 –> 00:34:00,359 worry if you don’t get it all sorted out now. Isn’t that helpful by the way? That’s very 303 00:34:00,359 –> 00:34:06,359 helpful. They worship, they wonder and here’s this third thing, they wait. Although perfectly 304 00:34:07,000 –> 00:34:13,860 happy, the spirits in heaven are still waiting for that great reunion when in the resurrection 305 00:34:13,860 –> 00:34:20,860 glory, we shall all shine. Then he adds this comment that proposes some kind of time even 306 00:34:22,139 –> 00:34:29,139 in the intermediate state. Time without tyranny but time nonetheless. These spirits have a 307 00:34:29,340 –> 00:34:36,340 past that they remember a present that they enjoy and a future to which they hasten. In 308 00:34:39,620 –> 00:34:45,979 other words, he’s saying they’re looking forward to the moment of the coming of Jesus just 309 00:34:45,979 –> 00:34:52,979 as we are here. The experience of our loved ones and your experience if you die before 310 00:34:52,979 –> 00:34:59,979 you die before Christ returns is better by far than anything we can know here. So be 311 00:34:59,979 –> 00:35:06,979 sure and clear about that. But even better by far is not yet best. Best waits the return 312 00:35:09,399 –> 00:35:16,399 of our Lord Jesus Christ when they will no longer be redeemed souls or spirits, but given 313 00:35:17,020 –> 00:35:22,159 again the body soul union with a resurrection body that will be the completion of the redeeming 314 00:35:22,360 –> 00:35:26,879 work of Christ in which all of us will share in that great day together and God 315 00:35:27,040 –> 00:35:31,879 willing we’re going to look at that next week. In the very few moments that remain 316 00:35:31,879 –> 00:35:37,840 there’s one more question that’s very important and it’s really an application and it’s this. 317 00:35:37,840 –> 00:35:44,840 How can a believer face death with confidence? This is crucial. I know what death is, I have 318 00:35:45,719 –> 00:35:49,399 some picture now of what is beyond it, at least as far 319 00:35:49,399 –> 00:35:54,600 as we’re told these things. But how am I going to face it with confidence? That’s a 320 00:35:54,600 –> 00:35:59,520 real question and it will come home to all of us at some point. Notice what Paul says 321 00:35:59,520 –> 00:36:06,520 in verse six of second Corinthians chapter five. He says, We are always of good courage. 322 00:36:06,540 –> 00:36:13,219 He’s talking about facing death. You say, Lord, please. I want to be like that. I want 323 00:36:13,520 –> 00:36:19,320 to be true of me that when I come to that moment, I want to be of good courage, but 324 00:36:19,320 –> 00:36:24,479 we all have to face our fears. And the question is, how do you do that? How do you face your 325 00:36:24,479 –> 00:36:31,479 fears of death and in death with good courage? And well, he says it in verse six. So look 326 00:36:32,500 –> 00:36:38,879 at how he does it in verse five. It’s marvelous. And I’d never seen this before. Verse five, 327 00:36:39,399 –> 00:36:46,399 he who has prepared us for this very thing, is God. He who has prepared us for this very 328 00:36:53,159 –> 00:37:00,159 thing, going into death, the one who has prepared us for this very thing Paul says, is God. 329 00:37:00,719 –> 00:37:07,719 this very thing Paul says, is God. Do you see how wonderful that is? All your life God has 330 00:37:11,540 –> 00:37:18,540 been preparng you for this very thing. He’s been working on you. That’s literally what 331 00:37:19,219 –> 00:37:25,979 the word is. He’s been working in you. And all that he’s been doing, has this moment 332 00:37:26,820 –> 00:37:30,419 It’s all leading up to this. 333 00:37:30,419 –> 00:37:33,479 Alec Mateer says in a wonderful phrase, he says, 334 00:37:33,479 –> 00:37:40,979 death is not something that happens to a Christian, it is something that God works for him. 335 00:37:40,979 –> 00:37:47,979 And think of how God has been preparing you for this very thing. You see, we talk about 336 00:37:48,979 –> 00:37:52,979 preparing for death and that’s important. But what’s much more important, Paul says, 337 00:37:52,979 –> 00:37:56,979 what gives me courage is not the preparations I’ve made for death but the preparations God 338 00:37:56,979 –> 00:38:00,979 has made for death. That’s the thing. I want to keep my eye there. 339 00:38:00,979 –> 00:38:05,979 And think of the preparations. Dear Christian friend, God began the preparation when he 340 00:38:05,979 –> 00:38:11,979 set his love on you before the creation of the world, that’s when the preparation started. 341 00:38:11,979 –> 00:38:14,979 When he sent his Son into the world to be born 342 00:38:14,979 –> 00:38:18,979 in that manger, it was to prepare you for this moment so that you wouldn’t be going 343 00:38:18,979 –> 00:38:22,979 into death in your sins, but you’d be coming to be home with the Lord. 344 00:38:22,979 –> 00:38:29,979 When Jesus hung on the cross, that was God preparing for this moment for you, 345 00:38:29,979 –> 00:38:33,979 so than taking your sins into his death, you would not take them into you. 346 00:38:33,979 –> 00:38:37,979 When Jesus rose on the third day as we celebrate at Easter from the dead 347 00:38:37,979 –> 00:38:39,979 and then ascended and was seated at the right hand, 348 00:38:39,979 –> 00:38:46,979 what’s all that about God preparing you for this. 349 00:38:46,979 –> 00:38:51,979 When the Holy Spirit began working in your life and making you aware that you are a sinner 350 00:38:51,979 –> 00:38:55,979 that you need faith in Jesus Christ, drawing you to Christ and changing your heart, 351 00:38:55,979 –> 00:38:59,979 what was God doing? He was preparing you for this and all the joys 352 00:38:59,979 –> 00:39:02,979 and all the sorrows of your life. What is it all about God and work, 353 00:39:02,979 –> 00:39:09,979 he is preparing you for this. The one who is preparing us for this very thing is God. 354 00:39:09,979 –> 00:39:11,979 Love that. 355 00:39:12,979 –> 00:39:17,979 And here is Paul living stretched out for Jesus Christ going at it with everything 356 00:39:17,979 –> 00:39:21,979 he’s got. But when he thinks about the moment of death, he says that’s not my source 357 00:39:21,979 –> 00:39:25,979 of confidence. I’m not gonna be looking at how well I prepared myself. 358 00:39:25,979 –> 00:39:30,979 Important though that is at the moment of death, my courage is going to come from this. 359 00:39:30,979 –> 00:39:35,979 The fact that he who has prepared me for this very thing is God. 360 00:39:35,979 –> 00:39:40,979 I am simply God and God leaves nothing to chance. 361 00:39:40,979 –> 00:39:47,979 And he says, that is why he says we are always of good courage. 362 00:39:47,979 –> 00:39:54,979 Let me end by reading the closing words of the letter I referred to earlier from a pastor 363 00:39:54,979 –> 00:39:58,979 to a dear friend of his and mine. 364 00:39:58,979 –> 00:40:06,979 All that said, I desire more than anything that you simply be assured that no one and nothing 365 00:40:06,979 –> 00:40:11,979 anywhere anytime will ever be able to separate you from the love of God 366 00:40:11,979 –> 00:40:14,979 that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 367 00:40:14,979 –> 00:40:19,979 He says in brackets, you know Romans 8 and then this. 368 00:40:19,979 –> 00:40:23,979 Catherine Booth, the wife of William Booth. 369 00:40:23,979 –> 00:40:27,979 The founder of the Salvation Army as she was dying age 60 370 00:40:27,979 –> 00:40:34,979 sent her final message to the army and this is what she said. 371 00:40:34,979 –> 00:40:37,979 The waters are rising. 372 00:40:37,979 –> 00:40:40,979 But so am I. 373 00:40:40,979 –> 00:40:42,979 I am not going under. 374 00:40:42,979 –> 00:40:46,979 I’m going over. 375 00:40:46,979 –> 00:40:49,979 You are not going under, but over. 376 00:40:50,979 –> 00:40:56,979 and by god’s grace we shall meet on the other side where all will be well for ever. 377 00:40:56,979 –> 00:41:05,979 With loads of love, my sympathy and prayers I commit you afresh to him who has the keys of death and hell. 378 00:41:05,979 –> 00:41:11,979 Accordingly, until he puts the key in the lock of the door of Your Testament, 379 00:41:11,979 –> 00:41:14,979 You will be here. 380 00:41:14,979 –> 00:41:18,979 And when he does open the door, 381 00:41:18,979 –> 00:41:26,979 He, the risen conquering Lord Jesus, your saviour, will be the first one you see. 382 00:41:27,979 –> 00:41:30,979 Let’s pray together. 383 00:41:30,979 –> 00:41:33,979 Forever with the Lord. 384 00:41:33,979 –> 00:41:38,979 Amen. So let it be. 385 00:41:39,979 –> 00:41:46,979 May every person under the sound of this message, here and beyond, 386 00:41:46,979 –> 00:41:50,979 die in the Lord, 387 00:41:50,979 –> 00:41:56,979 and enter into all that is ours in Christ, 388 00:41:56,979 –> 00:42:02,979 through Jesus, in whose name we pray, and everyone said, amen.