Dying in the Lord | Revelation 14:13 | Sermon by Colin Smith |Christian Death

before we get into the message today I want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your kindness for your generous giving especially over this last month of December many of you have asked where we are relative to our budget and so here is a quick update the combined giving in December to the general fund and to Double Impact was nearly 1.4 million dollars the highest giving in any month in the entire history of our church this has been an amazing outpouring of kindness thank you to all of you who have been part of this our current status as of the end of the year is that we are two hundred and seventy seven thousand dollars behind budget and but our expenses have been less to this point in the year and so our giving was eighty eight thousand dollars behind budget please remember that our budget this year includes five hundred thousand dollars for principal and interest payments which I think shows in the overall picture just how strong the giving has been we need their first strong and faithful giving especially in this month of January and in the remaining months that follow sometime over the next couple of weeks you will be receiving by mail a letter from the church chairman and from myself with these details and some further details and with that letter you will find inside that there is a card for you to consider as you think about your giving and your ongoing commitment that we share together to ministry in 2012 last year we launched what we called 10g which was an invitation to give 10% of gross income to the Lord for ministry through the orchard think of it this way you say 10 percent of my gross income listen all of us would given at least 10% if we have lived under the law how many of us would prefer to live under the law rather than under grace I say grace is better than law is that an Amen for that and so it would seem therefore that this is an appropriate place to begin our thinking about where we should give say okay well maybe I could buy that but but to the local church well let me say this the local church as we reflected at length last year is central to the purpose of God in the world other ministries do excellent work and are worthy of our support but Christ stated purpose is I will build my church fulfilling the ministry that God is giving to us an expanding ministry in these days will depend on the widest possible involvement in giving at all levels and it will involve a robust and growing core of members of the orchard who are committed to giving at the 10g level many of you made that commitment last year and that was a critical part of God's provision through that commitment last year the current will be an opportunity for all of us who made that commitment to renew the commitment for 2012 and if you were not part of 10g in 2012 or if you had not yet begun giving I hope that you'll consider the level at which you should begin giving and perhaps consider joining us in this commitment to 10g during 2012 December has been a simply remarkable month of giving thank you for all that you have done for all that you continue to do and to God's name be all the praise and the glory and to that all the people of God said amen will you pray with me father we are so thankful that you are the God who provides you are the God who provides for each of us individually and you're the God who provides for us together and we rejoice in that and lift our thank hearts in Thanksgiving to you we thank you that all that relates to our life in this world will one day be passed and we lift our eyes to heaven today and it makes us the more urgent with regards how we should live on earth and so as we open the Bible we pray that your Holy Spirit will teach us and open our minds and our hearts as to how today we must live and how this year we must serve for your praise and glory and honor and we ask these things in Jesus name Amen please open your Bible then at the book of Revelation and chapter 14 and verse 13 the last verse of that I'm sorry not the last verse verse 13 is in the middle of the chapter and we're going to read there one of the most remarkable statements in all of the Bible I draw your attention to it verse 13 I heard a voice John says from heaven saying write this blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on blessed indeed says the spirit so here is the Holy Spirit affirming the word from heaven that they may rest from their labors he says for their deeds follow them one day soon all of us will be in another world and our purpose in this new year series is that we should learn everything that we can about it and do everything we can to prepare ourselves for it last week we began our journey by noting that people died in many different ways some through accident some through an illness some through old age people died at different times the timing and the circumstances vary these are important but we saw last time that they are not the things of ultimate importance what really matters is this ultimately at some point ever one of us will die and every person who has ever lived dies in one of two ways according to the Bible we looked last time at John and chapter 8 and verse 24 where Jesus defines one of them he said to people unless you believe that I am see unless you believe that I am the Christ you will die in your sins so that's one way in which people die you can die in your sins and today in Revelation in chapter 14 we're going to look at the other way in which a person can die we've read these wonderful words blessed are the dead who die in the Lord so when you leave this world you will leave this world as everyone else leaves this world in one of two ways either you will die in your sins or you will die in the Lord and whatever the circumstances or whatever the timing of your death that is the thing that ultimately matters folks has I've been thinking about this more and more during this last week my mind is just over awed by the incalculable difference between these two to die in your sins we thought about what that means to carry your sins into your death with you to go out of this world to go into death and to go through it and then to stand in the presence of Almighty God and there you are with your sins still attached to you and you're in them to die in your sins could there be anything more tragic anything more awful than this no today we're going to look at the other way in which a person can die blessed are the dead who die in the Lord and we saw last time that the Lord Jesus on the cross he took sins into his death so that you would not need to take your sins into yours to die in the Lord separated from your sins because he carried them far away from you could there be anything more glorious than this could there be anything more different than these two extremities well this is what we're going to be looking at together in the Bible today now I do hope you have this first open in front of you I want you to see immediately that this is a promise that belongs to every Christian blessed are the dead who die in the Lord but it is significantly given especially to people who died the most difficult of deaths look at what it says here blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on now what's that reference from now on well if you glance back to chapter 13 you will see what is happening in that chapter is that the world now the Great Beast has arisen the the world is going after the Antichrist and the Antichrist verse 7 of chapter 13 is making war on the Saints bringing all kinds of trouble to Christians and all kinds of persecution to them as so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have died deaths that have been under persecution and in verse 10 of chapter 13 it says if anyone has taken captive to captivity he goes if anyone is slain by the sword with the sword he must be slain here is a call for endurance and faith from the Saints so you see in the context here are believers who are paying the ultimate price for following Jesus Christ some of them are going to die horrible deaths and John says I heard a voice from heaven saying and remember he was on the Isle of Patmos imprisoned himself when he heard this I heard a voice from heaven saying blessed are the dead who die in the Lord the friends think about this if that is true for martyrs who died the most horrible of deaths that they're blessed to die in the Lord how much more true is it for you and for me as we consider our deaths in a very different situation from there's why are we blessed if we die in the Lord some of you have bitten a heart wrenching farewell to loved ones in these last weeks and they're in Christ and this verse is saying to you God is seeing to you now be at peace they're blessed and I want you to see why they are blessed notice what it says they are blessed first because they arrest from their labors blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on blessed indeed says the spirit that they may rest from their labors let's focus in on that for a few moments three observations here's the first hard work is the distinguishing mark of people who are in Christ that's one of the ways you know you're a Christian by the way it's a distinguishing mark of a Christian hard work is a distinguishing mark of people who are in Christ they rest from their labors now think about this I've banged in a few nails and cut a few boards in the course of my life but if I said that I was a carpenter any of you guys who are carpenters would write late laughs because banging in a few nails does not make a guy a carpenter right a carpenter is someone who gives his life to this important work now think about this then what is a Christian a Christian is not simply a person who says a prayer now and again or turns up a church once in a while no a Christian is a person who gives himself or gives herself to a life of following Jesus Christ saying you're a Christian doesn't make you a Christian any more than me saying I'm a carpenter makes me a carpenter the evidence that you are in Jesus Christ is that the goal of your life is to serve Him now is that true of you well it's easier to say that you're a Christian than to be one how are you doing this how is your life marked by labor for the Lord what are you doing in terms of what we thought about a couple of weeks ago extending yourself in order to live in the light of the upward call the one day lies ahead of us that's the first observation that those who are blessed when they die are marked by the fact that their rest from their labors they they give themselves to serve in Christ it's what it is to be a Christian here's the here's the second observation serving Christ is not easy I say this by way of encouragement the word labor makes this very clear the word labor means hard work work that would make you sweat and that's the word that that is used in the description of those who are pressing hard after Jesus Christ it's it's hard work to go on serving him if you give your life to following Jesus Christ let me tell you honestly you will experience what every other Christian is experienced you'll face difficulties you'll face discouragements you will come to a point in the road where you face big disappointments labor not easy but in heaven it will be very different Oh in heaven in heaven we will serve Christ we'll look at that later in the series and think about how wonderful it is we will serve Christ but we will not labor Spurgeon says we're going to quote him a number of times today very beautifully whatever the Saints do in heaven will yield them refreshment and will never cause them weariness and I love this piece when I read it this week it brought such strength to my own heart I hope it does to yours he says there in heaven no cold-hearted Brethren will damp our enthusiasm or accuse us of evil motives no desponding brethren will warn us that we are rash when our faith is strong and obstinate when our confidence is firm none will pluck us by the sleeve and hold us back when we would run the race with all of our might and none will tell foretell disaster and defeat when we confidently know that God will give us the victory it's hard work serving Jesus Christ but the day is coming when you're going to serve Him and it will no longer be labor they let they rest from their labors and now serve Him in all of the joys and delights of heaven and itself there's a third observation there are works for Christ that can only be done here now this follows very obviously from the fact that those who are with Christ us every Christian one day will be the arrest from their Labour's so there is work that you and I can do for Christ here and now that we cannot do when we are in his presence for then we rest from these particular Labor's by the way pastors will be the first to be out of a job in heaven they don't think of how wonderful this is why would you need a preacher to speak to you about the greatness of Jesus Christ when you can directly see his glories for yourself marvelous why would you need counseling why would you need pastoral care when all your wounds are healed and when Jesus Christ has wiped every tear from your eyes oh and think about this whatever your work is the work that you do that may bring you many frustrations it will no longer be needed in a new creation a new heaven and a new earth all of us will be serving Christ we will be doing it with a new energy we will be doing it with a new creativity and you fulfilment and then you joy and we will be doing it in ways that are adapted to the whole new creation that are beyond what can enter into our minds and into our hearts but no more labor by the way that gives great significance to your work whatever it is this coming week because you won't be doing it in heaven and the only chance you have to honor Christ in doing it is here on earth let that lift your perspective on your daily work but then think about this think about some of the other things that we won't be doing in heaven we we work at them now but but we won't be doing them then the only prayers you will offer are the prayers you offer while you're here the only evangelism folks that we will ever do is the evangelism that we are committed to doing here in this world not there here the only victories over sin and over temptation you will ever have are the victories in your struggle here and now you will be made perfect there the struggle will be no more the fight is now this is when you glorify Christ in the battle of the Christian life listen Sunday school teacher the only children you will ever teach are the children that you teach here so invest yourself in it it is of eternal significance you won't be doing it then you're given the chance to do it now the only giving you ever release is going to be the giving you release here the only stand you ever take for what its true and for what is right is the stand you take for what is true and what is right here so here's the challenge and please think about this with me we have all eternity to rejoice in our victories in Jesus Christ but we only have a very short time to win them a very short time to win them long time to enjoy them short time to win them that's the urgency of the Christian life that's the urgency of the mission of the gospel they rest from their labors and there are so many things that Christ has given us to do here and know that we can only do here and now and will not be doing that they're blessed those who die in the Lord why because they arrest from their labors here's a second reason why you're blessed if you die in the Lord only two ways to die die in your sins or die in the Lord terrible unimaginably terrible thing to die in your sins glorious wonderful thing to die in the Lord why because number two their deeds follow them do you see what it says blessed are the dead who die in the Lord blessed indeed says the spirit for their deeds follow them this is a wonderful statement and so full of significance when Christians enter Heaven their works are behind them not in front of them that's very important when Christians enter Heaven their deeds their works all the fruit of their Christian life is behind them it is not in front of them in other words the Christian does not enter heaven because of his or her good works it's very clear here their deeds follow them remember Jesus said now I go to prepare a place for you Jesus is the pioneer of our faith he is the one who enters heaven on our behalf and opens the door and those who follow enter because of him and their good works follow after them not in front of them that is very important to grasp good works never lead the way it's a very simple way to grasp this point good works never lead the way not open the door into heaven Spurgeon makes this point our good deeds do not even walk beside us into that is very important let me quote what Spurgeon says do they march at our right hand or on our left as the subjects of cheering contemplation in other words when you are passing through death into heaven is the thing to think about the works that you've done are they going to be your companions walking by your side into heaven Spurgeon says no no we dare not take them as companions to comfort us they follow us and our hue they keep behind us out of sight and we ourselves in our desires after holiness always out March them in other words if you're truly a Christian your desire to do more for Christ is always greater than what you've already done the good works follow they're never ahead they're never besides they're always behind that's the first thing to to notice here but thank God that the good deeds of a Christian do follow and for this reason there will be great reward it is something that again I have found quite staggering as I've just tried to meditate on it these last days how can it be that all my sins which are many are erased from the mind and the heart of God when they're placed under the blood of Jesus Christ and God says I will remember them no more and at the same time my deeds that are too feeble and they are too few they somehow live in the memory and mind of God for ever and forever and forever so that he says even a cup of cold water that is given in the name of Jesus Christ will certainly not go without its reward and every tear that's ever been shed in prayer and in repentance is stored up in the heart of God the Sun says he stores these tears as in a bottle and they are treasured by God forever and forever and by His grace bring their own reward blessed blessed why are those who die in the Lord blessed they're blessed because they rest from their labors and they're blessed because their deeds follow them let's not skip over this for third thing which is the most obvious and the most central they are blessed because they die in the Lord blessed are the dead who die in the Lord now see this is very important not all of the dead are blessed some die in their sins and as we saw last time nothing in the world could be more tragic than that but heaven declares to every Christian believer to every follower after Jesus Christ whenever you die however it happens where it's suddenly unexpected in an accident whether it's years and years from now you are blessed if you die in the Lord isn't that a great assurance to live with you say what does it mean to die in the Lord what would it be like for me at that moment let me offer to you just three very simple words that I think encapsulate what's at the heart of this wonderful wonderful reality the Dyanne the Lord means first to be to be released to be released if you think of these martyrs and John's on the Isle of Patmos here and and there are going to be many many more who are going to suffer very very greatly down through the Christian centuries here is a believer and he's imprisoned and he's been tortured and his body has become weakened surrounded by cursing and he's in some dark and awful hole and he's surrounded by hatred and he's in in pain and then in a moment he closes his eyes and he awakens in the pure light and joy of the presence of Jesus and he's released to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord pulses here's another Christian not suffering persecution someone more like us she is enduring though the trial of a severe cancer the treatments have become hard to bear the energy is sapped the scope of her life has become terribly terribly limited she she closes her eyes in that bed or in that hospice and opens them in the brilliant light of the everlasting joy and presence of Jesus released life to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord and the Apostle Paul says that is better by far however good your life is here you cannot live a life that is so good it gets close to the joy of what will be yours in the presence of Jesus it means to be released second word it means to be carried carried Jesus told a story about two men who died one was a rich man who died in his sins lived for himself and was characterized by greed and indifference the other was a poor man called Lazarus who died in the Lord and listen to how Jesus describes the deaths of these two men this is in Luke in chapter 16 and verse 22 jesus said the rich man died and was buried period the rich man died and was buried so you can say really it went into it and he went through it completely and utterly alone he lived for himself he died to himself then Jesus said the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom remember jesus said that jesus said that that's what it is to die in the lord he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom he died in your sins and you go into death alone you live for yourself you die to yourself die in the Lord you are carried by the Angels into the presence of the Son of God himself in heaven if you die in the Lord you can say this the Lord is my shepherd and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for your rod and your staff they comfort me he's gonna walk with you he's gonna carry you through this valley it's a place he's already being as we'll see again next week third word released carried welcomed welcome that's what it is to die in the Lord it is to be welcomed into the immediate presence of Jesus who said I go to prepare a place for you the first Christian martyr was a man by the name of Stephen it was a deacon of the church lay person boldly confessed his faith in Jesus Christ and you can read the story in acts in chapter 7 Stephen confessed Christ and when those who heard his testimony listened they became absolutely furious and and when the by the Bible tells us when they heard these things they became enraged and they ground their teeth at him and then I quote from Acts in Chapter 7 verse 55 but Stephen full of the holy spirit gazed into heaven and he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and he said behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man is standing at the right hand of God now those of you who know your Bibles well know that after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ he is most often spoken of in the Bible as sitting at the right hand of the Father speaking of the completion of his work and Stephen in the moment of his death says I saw heaven open and I saw that Jesus was right there standing why was he standing you know why he's ready to welcome Stephen home and that's how it's going to be for you if you die in the Lord released carried welcomed and once in the few minutes that remain just to make two kinds of applications very briefly and very simply there are two ways in which this needs to be applied the first is that there are obvious applications to those who are dying that is not most of us here right now will be all of us one day and for all of us it will be someone else that you know we spoke last week about what you might say to help someone who is not a Christian who comes to this moment of death I'm asking the question today what would you say to a loved one whose bedside you might be who is at risk what sort of things would you say to help them to encourage them let me just give you some notes or some headlines that might be useful to you in ministering to others here's the first forget what you have done or failed to do for Jesus Christ I'm thinking now about whenever that moment will come for me this is what I need to do I need to get my eyes off my ministry I need to get my eyes off everything I've tried to do for Christ and everything that I've not done for Christ that I wished I had done for Christ when the moment of death comes I've got to get my eyes off that remember the good you have done should be behind you not in front of you don't look there don't look at the life you have lived for Christ look at the life that Christ has lived for you forget your ministry forget your triumph forget your failures look to Jesus and Luke to what he has accomplished on the cross for you you may be with someone who says I wish I had lived a better life and if they're a Christian this is how you will minister to them there is no basis for of confidence whatsoever in what I have done for Jesus Christ but every base of confidence in in the face of death in what Jesus Christ has done for me think of it this way our work for Christ is like gold that is mixed with dross and the New Testament says it needs to be refined so you you can't ever count on this gold that's mixed with dross what you need to count on is the pure gold of what Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is and what he has accomplished for you and for me on the cross of Calvary Calvary is pure gold and the devil can have a field day and often does with dying believers pointing out this weakness and that weakness and this failure and that inadequacy don't look at what you have done or what you have failed to do look at Christ your entrance into heaven does not rest on what you have done for him but on what he has done for you that is the good news of the gospel and you need it in living and you're gonna need it in dying too therefore flipside of that fully embrace what God has done for you in Christ it's good thing to have scripture and to have lines that run in your mind that remind you of this there's a little poem that goes back to my Scottish heritage raesha Spooner put it this way I've never heard outside of scripture the gospel expressed more clearly than this upon a life I did not live upon a death I did not die another's life another's death I stake my whole eternity that's the Christians position I'm not sticking anything on me I'm staking everything on Christ as I die in the Lord third when you come to that moment when you are helping a friend who is coming near to it rest on the unshakable promises of God you've read the pilgrims progress you made were that when the Christian comes to the moment of death bunion pictures it very powerfully as crossing a river and Christian and hopeful go into this river together and at one point Christian feels that he's going to be completely overwhelmed and hopeful says to him this marvelous line in the pilgrims progress he says be of good cheer because I feel the bottom and it is good and that solid foundation that you can walk through even in death so that this river will not overwhelm you which is the promise of Scripture that foundation is the very promises of God in which you can rest Christ knows his sheep and not one of them will perish he has said whoever comes to me I will never know not ever turn away you can rest your life you can rest your death you can rest your eternity on the unbreakable promises of God in Jesus Christ so that's why it's good to store some Scripture in your mind the great promises and to live in them so you can die with them when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death Christ will be with you and His grace will be sufficient for you and here's the fourth count on the grace and the presence of Jesus you may find that you're with someone who says you know they become very fearful as they're getting near to death and they wonder how am I going to do here never been this way before may have thought that sometimes yourself there's a wonderful story that Corrie ten Boom told when she was just a young child she had become very very fearful about death and her father came into her bedroom one night and found that she was crying and she explained that this was why and her father very wisely said this to her Corey when we go to Amsterdam on the train when do I give you the ticket I'm Corrie ten Boom said your father will you give me the ticket just before we get on the train and her dad said well our why is Heavenly Father knows just what we need at exactly the time that we need it and when the time comes where some of us have to die you will look into your heart and you will find that he gives to you the strength you need just in time when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me you are with me and your grace will be sufficient for me well now you may well have opportunities to apply these things and to be useful to someone you really love either soon or at some time in the foreseeable future but let me make a second application now just before we close there's an application for the dying there's obviously an application for the living because the key to dying well is obviously to live well the hole of our life the hole of your life is really a preparation for dying the way to die in the Lord is to live in the Lord so let me give these very brief applications and then we're through number one live then with a clear conscience ask yourself honestly ask yourself right now is there anything in my life now that I would be ashamed of if I were to die and stand in the presence of Jesus Christ tonight ask yourself that question ask it often seek to live with a clear conscience and if there is something that would make you ashamed in the presence of Jesus Christ write that right now be done with it don't hold on to anything today that you would let go off if you knew that you were to go into the presence of Jesus today that's hard to live well in order that you may die well ii forgive people who have hurt you i say this because it is a wonderful thing that we can do while we're living and it is precisely what the lord jesus did you remember Father forgive them they do not know what they are doing you say you have no idea how much I've been hurt well how much idea do you have of how much that cross hurt him father forgiveness and what's so very significant as you read through the New Testament is that Stephen the first Christian martyr took the cue from Jesus as it were and did exactly the same thing he said Lord as they were throwing stones at him he said Lord do not let this sin be held against them Bible says as far as it is possible as far as it depends on you seek to live a peace with all men let go of bitterness there's none of it where you're going so seek to be free from it as far as you possibly can now and set your mind on the things that are above where Christ is seated third practice dying every day you say what in the world do you mean by that well I mean exactly what Jesus meant you remember what he said Luke chapter 9 and verse 23 if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me in other words Jesus is making it very clear that the Christian life involves a kind of dying every day every day there are thoughts that will come into my mind about me and how I want my life to be in it has to be this net has to be that I have to die to myself in order to live for Christ I have to say no to myself and no to the flesh in order to live for the glory of God everyday you are dying to yourself if you are a Christian this is what it's like in order to live for Christ and let me give you just this one more quote from Spurgeon I think it's marvelous he says no man would find it difficult to die who had died every day he would have practiced it so often that he would only have to die but once more it would be rather he says like a singer who has gone through the rehearsals and has but to put forth the notes just once and then to have it done now win your heart from the things of this world live in the Lord die in the world and here's a very last thing anticipate your future home set your minds on things above Paul says to Christians where Christ is seated place your treasure there place your heart there when our family moved here from Britain 15 years ago or boys just ten and eight years old we committed to buying a home that my wife had never seen how many guys have done this it's a high-risk strategy but I had come across on a visit on my own just a few months before the family was due to come and we had found this house two photographs it just seemed like a most marvelous place and I said to Karen well here's the choice we got you know we if you feel good about committing to this we can do it now and and if not then we can get some temporary housing and then we can look for something together and and it'll be a kind of two stage move she said go for it go for it and so when we arrived she had her mind full of pictures little videos that she had seen of this house where she had never been and you know what when we walked in she said I feel like I know this place already immediately at home so that's how it's going to be for you when you enter into the presence of Jesus if you set your mind and your heart on things above is that how you're living or is it all about this world the way to die in the Lord is to live in the Lord blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on blessed indeed says the holy spirit that they may rest from their labors and that their deeds may follow them father may every person within the sound of this message through faith in Jesus Christ live in the Lord and die in the Lord for Christ's sake amen you

Channel: Unlocking the Bible

Views: 23,513

Rating: 4.7515526 out of 5

Keywords: unlocking the bible, Colin Smith, preaching, sermon, Bible, Jesus, Christ, charles spurgeon, corrie ten boom, John Bunyan, walk, through, valley, shadow, death, dying, Christian, outline, illustration, funeral, Revelation, 14, heaven, sin, blessed, rest, clear, conscience

Id: 5pt-AasoOBo

Length: 46min 25sec (2785 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 02 2012