FROM THE SOVEREIGN LORD COMES ESCAPE FROM DEATH

Proclamation:

“Praise be to The Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.  Our God is a God who saves; from The Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”  Psalm 68:19-20 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Exactly what David was dealing with when he wrote this psalm is not clear.  This is a song which addresses many issues.  Here he notes that believers should praise The Lord for it is He who daily bears our burdens.  He also states that our God is The God of salvation.  He himself has conquered death and He will deliver us from it.

Application:

He bore all of our griefs and sorrows, and He was wounded and bruised for our sins. (Isaiah 53:4-5)  For all that The Lord God has done for us and all that He does for us daily, (Psalm 68:19) we ought to praise Him daily and continually. (Psalm 34:1)  God gave His only begotten Son so that we would have a chance at salvation and eternal life. (John 3:16)  Jesus, The Christ, said that all power in heaven and earth was given to Him. (Matthew 28:18)  He also has the power over death. (1 Corinthians 15:52-57 and Revelation 1:18)  He has defeated death and those of us who believe in Him will be delivered from death. (John 5:24 and 6:40) 

OUR DEEDS WILL FOLLOW US EVEN AFTER DEATH

Proclamation:

“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in The Lord from now on.’  Yes, says The Spirit, ‘They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’” Revelation 14:13 (NIV)

Explanation:

The apostle John, who referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, recounted an out of body experience that he had in which things beyond earth were revealed to him.  He was told by angels and by The Holy Spirit of God to write what he saw and heard.  He was told that those who die believing in Jesus, The Christ, will be blessed.  They will be given rest from their earthly labor, and they will be rewarded for their works which were obedient to God’s Word.

Application:

The good and the bad that we do will live on after we die.  There is a record being kept in heaven of all that we think, say and do in this life. (1 John 5:7)  Both the saved saints and unsaved sinners will be judged after death but they will be judged differently.  The unsaved sinner’s life will be recounted to show that they had the opportunity to accept Christ but refused.  Then they will be condemned to spend eternity in hell and damnation. (Revelation 20:15)  The saved saint’s life will be recounted to give an account of their stewardship. (Romans 14:12)   Jesus, The Christ, will judge (John 5:22) each of our thoughts (Romans 2:16 and Hebrews 4:12) words (Matthew 12:36) and actions. (Revelations 20:12-13)  We will be given a reward for all that gives God glory and that passes through the test of fire. (1 Corinthians 3:13-14)  The rewards which we will receive in heaven will be based upon what we did in life to give God glory.  All who believe and love Him will receive a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) but everyone in heaven will not have the same rewards. (Matthew 10:41-42)  Some will have great rewards in heaven. (Matthew 5:11-12)  There will be many mansions in heaven but they may not all be equal. (John 14:2)  Let us do more for the glory of God, for in the end that is all that will matter.

Blessed Are Those Who Die In Christ

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in The Lord from now on.'  'Yes,' says The Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.' "  Revelation 14:13 (NIV)

These are the divinely inspired words from The Holy Spirit of God as revealed to, and recorded by, the Apostle John which was written to all believers.  He was told to write that believers who die from that point in time forward, would be blessed.  They will make the transition from earthly labor, to rest and heavenly reward.  Their works will follow them as a testimony and evidence that they lived a Christ-like life, and were obedient to The Word of God.

For the believer, death is not the end of life, it is the beginning of eternal life.  The death of a believer is precious in the sight of The Lord. (Psalms 116:15)  The battle with sin, temptation, sorrow, persecution, illnesses, trials, and tribulations is finished. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)  The death of the physical body just liberates the spiritual soul, which then returns to The Lord God to whom it belongs. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)  The dead in Christ shall rise and meet The Lord first. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)  On judgement day, the rewards and crowns which we receive will depend upon the works that we did to give God glory. (Psalms 62:12, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 25:21-22, Jeremiah 17:10, Matthew 5:11-12, Matthew 10:41, Ephesians 6:8, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, Revelation 2:10, and Revelation 22:12)  Believers are blessed during this life, and will be blessed throughout eternity.  Loved ones who die are not lost, we know where they are, they are in heaven with The Lord.

Death Is A Temporary Process Life Is Eternal

"So then, death is at work in us, but ... because we know that The One who raised The Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus ... Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day ... For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:12-18 (NIV)

This message was written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in The Church in Corinth to encourage them to keep the faith and not be led astray by false prophets. (2 Corinthians 4:13)  He told them that although they were dying a little each day, and would eventually see physical death, their spirit was being renewed each day, and it is eternal.

From the day that we are born we began to die.  It is just that, while we are young, we were growing at a faster rate than we were dying, so the net result was that we grew.  However, at some point in our life the rate at which we were dying exceeded the rate of growth and we began to notice that we were aging, decaying, wasting away, and slowing dying.  As Paul put it, "...death is at work in us..." from the very beginning.  But when the process is complete and death overtakes us, as believers we know that The God who raised up our Lord and Savior Jesus, The Christ, will also raise us up from the dead.  Christ said that, "he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25)  We know that when the body dies physically, the spirit returns to God, for when we are absent from the body, we are present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)  We know that the dead in Christ shall rise, and they will meet The Lord God first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  Our spiritual selves will live throughout eternity. (Matthew 25:46, John 3:15, Romans 6:23, and 1 John 5:11)  Death and dying is a temporary process, but spiritual life is eternal.  In this we can find comfort at the death of a loved one.