To Die Is Gain

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(No Transcript)
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"To Die Is Gain"
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Texts

• Philip. 121
• For to me to live is Christ, and to die is
  gain.
• Amplified Bible
• For me to live is Christ His life in me, and
  to die is gain the gain of the glory of
  eternity.

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• I Cor. 1519
• If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we
  are of all men most miserable.

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Introduction

• In the opening slide, we saw a door that opened
  into clouds.
• This depicts, in my mind, death as being the
  doorway to heaven for those who die in Christ.
• In this lesson, I want to talk about that blessed
  hope that all Christians share

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• Namely, that when we die, we go immediately to be
  with the Lord and all those who have died before
  us, who now rest in Gods loving care and in
  blessed fellowship with each other.
• This is the hope of the Christian.
• This is the life eternal that God has promised.

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Life Is For All Eternity

• When God gives life (when a child is conceived),
  that life is eternal.
• That earthly life will be lived for whatever term
  of moments or years or life span that God so
  designates.

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• Whether the child is miscarried, aborted, or
  lives a while or a beyond one hundred years of
  age, the earthly life is the smallest part of our
  life.
• We live our appointed earthly life span, and then
  comes the afterlife, which goes on for all
  eternity.

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• Those who are saved by grace, through faith, go
  immediately to be with Jesus and all those saved
  who preceded them in death.
• (This number also includes all infants and
  children, who have not reached an age of
  accountability, as well as mentally incapable
  people).

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• Life is forever. And I do mean forever !
• When we die, we either go to be with the Lord, or
  we go to hell.
• These are the only two possibilities according to
  the Scriptures.
• We determine where we will spend eternity during
  this life.

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• Where we spend eternity is determined by our
  belief or denial in the Lord Jesus Christ
  according to John 317-19 (NKJV)
• For God did not send His Son into the world to
  condemn the world, but that the world through Him
  might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is
  not condemned but he who does not believe is
  condemned already, . . .

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• . . . because he has not believed in the name
  of the only begotten Son of God i.e., Jesus. 19
  And this is the condemnation, that the light has
  come into the world, and men loved darkness
  rather than light, because their deeds were
  evil.
• Ultimately, it is the sin of unbelief in Jesus
  Christ that condemns.

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• So, again, many people (especially people without
  the hope of the resurrection) think of life
  only in its present form.
• Many think that death is the end of existence,
  the cessation of being.
• This triggers the desire to live life to the
  fullest, without regard to right or wrong.

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• Disbelief in life after this life helps create
  the fear of death.
• A great many people refuse to think or talk about
  death.
• Death has become a most taboo subject.
• Because people are afraid of death, they try to
  ignore it.
• But it is a reality, except one goes by way of
  the Rapture.

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• Christians, however, understand that the Bible is
  very clear that life continues after this life.
• In fact, it is the hope of heaven that comforts
  and motivates us.
• In I Thess. 417-18, Paul wrote
• Then we which are alive and remain shall be
  caught up together with them in the clouds, to
  meet the Lord in the air . . .

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• . . . and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
  18Wherefore comfort one another with these
  words.
• We live in a fleshly body that has a strong
  desire to stay alive.
• This desire is often seen in the case of our
  elders who are ready to go be with the Lord, but
  still have to contend with an earthly body that
  doesnt want to die.

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• In the long-run, the Christian does not fear
  death, but the process of dying, and the
  (temporary) separation from loved ones.
• It is understandable to be anxious about the
  process of dying (i.e., the sickness and struggle
  to live that may be part of the process), but
  Christians should not fear death itself.

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• This is because we have eternal life in heaven.
• Life here even at its best is a paltry and
  woefully poor substitute for what life in Glory
  will be like.
• Paul told the Philippians
• For to me to live is Christ, and to die is
  gain.
• For Christians, death is gain, not loss.

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Death Enemy or Benefactor?

• The unsaved fear death as an enemy, but
  Christians see it as a benefactor.
• Sir Francis Bacon said Men fear death as
  children fear the dark.
• And Lord Byron wrote Oh, God, it is a fearful
  thing to see the human soul take wing.

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• These statements reflect the views of people who
  are not believers.
• Even in the church, the Biblical teaching on
  death has often been displaced by a pagan view of
  death.
• How we view death determines how happy we are in
  this life.

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• Christians know that death means they will gain
  fellowship with God and all His saints for
  eternity.
• For the unbeliever, there is only hell to follow
  death.
• This produces awful anxiety and fear, and robs
  them of the great blessing of peace regarding
  their future in the after life.

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The Validity of Heaven

• Is a Christians joyous anticipation of heaven a
  valid thing?
• According to Pauls words in Philip. 121-23,
  dying is gain, and Being with Christ will be
  better by far than living here.
• For to me, to live is Christ and TO DIE IS GAIN.
  . .

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• 22. . . If I am to go on living in the body,
  this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what
  shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn
  between the two I desire TO DEPART AND BE WITH
  CHRIST, which IS BETTER BY FAR
• Paul unequivocally declares that death for the
  Christian is better by far.

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• There is every reason for the believer to look
  forward to the future with joyous anticipation.
• Our hope in the resurrection is not mere wishful
  thinking or escapism, but a well-founded
  confidence based in Gods Word.
• For all the joys of this life, a believers life
  in heaven will be, better by far.

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• Our eternal life in heaven will be far, far
  better than anything we can possibly conceive.
• I Cor. 29-10 (NIV) says
• But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
  heard, neither have entered into the heart of
  man, the things which God hath prepared for them
  that love Him . . .

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• . . . 10But God hath revealed them unto us by
  His Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things,
  yea, the deep things of God.
• The anticipation of life lived in the presence of
  Jesus brings hope, and it encourages us --
  especially when loved ones who die in the Lord
  leave us.

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• Whatever else may be said about the condition of
  the believer at death, it is certain he is not in
  a state of unconscious existence.
• So called soul sleep is not taught in the
  Bible.
• When Christians die, they enter into the presence
  of the Lord, as Paul said in II Cor. 56-8
  (NKJV).

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• So we are always confident, knowing that while
  we are at home in the body we are absent from the
  Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We
  are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be
  absent from the body and to be present with the
  Lord. (emphasis mine).
• Death is not a state of insensibility, it marks
  the beginning of life after this life.

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• Paul, writing to Timothy concerning his own
  approaching death employed a happy phrase. He
  called it ...the time of my departure (II Tim.
  46).
• The word departure is a nautical term referring
  to a ship getting ready to set sail casting off
  the shore lines, and putting out to sea.

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• Pauls idea of death was not a shipwreck, but a
  ship departure.
• Death for a child of God is the door that opens
  into peace, joy and safety forever.
• A place with out sin, pain, sickness or death.
• An eternal state of fellowship with God and all
  His children.

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So, What Happens When We Die?

• Physical Death.
• Dr. Henry Beecher of Harvard gives three medical
  definitions
• (1) The moment at which irreversible destruction
  of brain matter, with no possibility of regaining
  consciousness, is conclusively determined.

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• (2) The moment at which spontaneous heart beat
  cannot be restored.
• (3) Brain Death, established by the EEG
  (electroencephalogram).
• But in a practical sense, we all understand
  physical death.
• Theologically.
• In the theological sense, death is

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• the separation of the soul and spirit from the
  physical body.
• This process is briefly described in Eccl. 127,
  where we read, Then shall the dust return to the
  earth as it was and the spirit of man shall
  return unto God who gave it.
• Paul, describes the makeup of man in I Thess.
  523-24

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• And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly
  and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and
  BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of
  our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that
  calleth you, who also will do it. (emphasis
  mine),
• We are spiritual beings who have a soul (i.e.,
  mind, intellect, memory and emotions) contained
  in a body.

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• When a body dies, having served its purpose, it
  is separated from the soul and spirit.
• James 26 tells us that ...the body without the
  spirit is dead...
• Weary and worn out, or brought down by disease,
  or struck down by accident, the body dies and
  begins the process of decay.

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• The moment death occurs, disintegration begins
  and the soul and spirit the real us go to
  be with the Lord.
• Paul speaks to this in II Cor. 51 when he says
  For we know that if our earthly house, this
  tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God,
  a house not made with hands, eternal in the
  heavens..

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• Note that he takes it for granted that the
  Corinthian believers knew this . . . for we
  KNOW,he said
• The Greek word kataluo (kat-al-OO-o) is
  translated dissolved in this verse and means
  to loosen down (disintegrate), dissolve, come
  down to nought.
• In other words, the body decays, but the spirit
  and soul live on.

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• As we have seen in II Cor. 56-8 we cease to
  occupy our earthly body and our soul and spirit
  are freed to be with Jesus.
• To leave the physical body at death is to
  immediately be in the presence of the Lord.
• The Moment the physical body dies, it begins its
  return to its chemical basics (i.e., dust to
  dust, and ashes to ashes).

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• When a loved one dies, the righteous also grieve
  over the earthly separation that the death of the
  body represents.
• However, we have a comfort that the unbeliever
  does not enjoy (cf John 1416).
• Paul in I Thess. 413 (NLT) taught that
  Christians do not sorrow like unbelievers

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• And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you
  to know what will happen to the believers who
  have died so you will not grieve like people who
  have no hope.
• Christians know that those who die in the Lord no
  longer have to endure sin, sickness, distress,
  despair, or any of the other evils of this world.

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• At death, believers are carried by angels to a
  place of eternal joy and peace, like Lazarus, in
  Luke 1622
• And it came to pass that the beggar Lazarus
  died, and was carried by the angels into
  Abrahams bosom . . .
• Those righteous who have suffered are immediately
  carried away to a place of comfort.

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• In the Old Testament, this would have been
  Abrahams bosom.
• When Jesus arose triumphant from the grave, he
  carried these O.T. saints with Him to heaven
  (i.e., the place we will all be until the New
  Heaven and the New Earth are instituted after we
  receive our eternal resurrected bodies.

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• So, what happens to the body at death and what
  happens to the soul and spirit are two different
  things entirely.
• The physical shell is buried or burned, while the
  soul and spirit are immediately in the presence
  of God.
• Quite simply, when we die, our body becomes
  uninhabited.

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• Our earth suit is separated from our soul and
  spirit.
• The body is discarded, with due reverence, but
  the glorious hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ
  is that the spirit and soul go instantly to be
  with God.
• Truly then, to live is Christ, and to die is
  gain.

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What Do We Gain by Dying?

• In the interest of time, allow me to point out
  only a few benefits.
• Of course, the greatest benefit is that we will
  be with Christ and all our saved loved ones and
  friends.
• Where Jesus is, it will be heaven.
• He is now preparing that place, and we will be
  with Him.

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• John 141-3 says
• Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in
  God, believe also in me. In my Fathers house
  are many mansions if it were not so, I would
  have told you. I go to prepare a PLACE for you.
  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
  come again, and receive you unto myself THAT
  WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO. (emphasis
  mine).

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• There will be no sin or evil present ever!
• Rev. 2127 says,
• And there shall in no wise enter into it any
  thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
  abomination, or maketh a lie but they which are
  written in the Lamb's book of life.

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• Heb. 1222 says
• But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city
  of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an
  innumerable company of ANGELS, 23 to the GENERAL
  ASSEMBLY and CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN who are
  registered in heaven, to GOD the Judge of all, to
  THE SPIRITS OF JUST MEN MADE PERFECT, (emphasis
  mine).

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• This means we will all have direct, face-to-face
  contact with the redeemed of all ages.
• We will know one another in heaven.
• In Matt. 811, Jesus, speaking of life after this
  life says
• And I say unto you, That many shall come from
  the east and west, . . .

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• . . . and shall sit down with Abraham, and
  Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
• The essential element of our individual
  personality (soul and spirit -- the inner man
  of the spirit) will persist after death.
• Angels in the Bible are a good example of how we
  will be in heaven.

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• Angels have distinct personalities, individually
  recognizable to each other and in encounters with
  men.
• The restoration of relationships is clearly
  pictured in I Thess. 417 (Speaking of raptured
  saints)
• Then we which are alive and remain shall be
  caught up together with them those who have
  died. . .

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• . . . In the clouds to meet the Lord in the
  air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

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Conclusion

• Death Is NOT to be feared.
• For the Christian, living is to be enjoyed, but
  death will be far more profitable (gain).
• Psa. 11615, summarizes Gods attitude about
  death
• Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death
  of his saints.

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End of Lesson