Living
With An Attitude of Gratitude
Life
After Death
Antioch Church, December
12, 2015
Text
Philippians
1:20–28 (NIV) — 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be
ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be
exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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; 24
but it is more necessary for you
that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will
remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the
faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in
Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 27 Whatever happens, conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about
you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving
together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened
in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you
will be saved—and that by God.
2 Corinthians
4:7–5:10 (NIV) — 7 But we have this treasure
in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and
not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck
down, but not destroyed…16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light
and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a
building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2
Meanwhile we groan, longing to be
clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are
clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we
groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be
clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be
swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very
purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is
to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we
are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8
We are confident, I say, and would prefer
to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him,
whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we
must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the
things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
REVIEW
Thankful for God’s people who bring
great blessing into our lives. Thank God for them and pray for His blessings to
return upon them!
Thankful for God’s promise in suffering,
that as we follow Jesus, our suffering will never be in vain. He will help us through
it and He will use it to point others to Him!
Thankful for the Gospel
·
The Gospel of Jesus is powerful. (Rom.
1:15-17)
·
The Gospel of Jesus is powerful when it is proclaimed.
(Rom. 10:8-15)
·
The Gospel of Jesus is most powerful when it is
both proclaimed and lived. (Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:25-29; Gal. 2:20)
The Gospel is powerful, no matter where,
when, how, or even why we proclaim it. We should celebrate it, live it, and
spread it!
The BIG Idea
As I follow Jesus unto death, He will receive me into His presence &
life filled with community, glory, & destiny will have only just begun!
Grateful to God for the promise of life
after death…!
Amidst all the revelation the Bible gives us about the life to
come, there are aspects that are stilled wrapped in mystery.
1 Corinthians 2:6–14 (NIV) —6 We do, however,
speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or
of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery
that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen, what no ear
has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared
for those who love him— 10 these are the things God has revealed
to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of
God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within
them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of
God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in
words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught
words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot
understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
The most important thing to know is this:
John 14:1–4 (NIV) — 1 “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house
has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going
there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you to
be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way
to the place where I am going.”
John 14:3 (KJV 1900) — 3
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.
For the Christian, death is only a doorway into the presence of Jesus…!
For the Christian, stepping into the
presence of Jesus means…
1.
Life with Jesus after death means continuity.
(1 Cor. 15:1-57)
When we enter the presence of Jesus, we will be the same person, with the same, yet different,
body, i.e., a “glorified” body.
So, whether we live or die, we are blessed!
1 Corinthians 15
(NIV) — 1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I
preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on
to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then
to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of
the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all
the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one
abnormally born... 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is
useless and so is your faith…17 And if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have
fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people
most to be pitied. 20 But Christ
has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection
of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in
Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the
firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the
end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has
destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until
he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be
destroyed is death…35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what
kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does
not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant
the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something
else….42 So will it be with
the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is
sown in dishonor, it is
raised in glory; it is sown
in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…50 I
declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable
must clothe itself with the imperishable,
and the mortal with immortality.
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the
mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your
victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death
is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The resurrection body of Jesus shows what our body will be like…
Although He ate food, He could appear inside rooms without walking through
a door, etc
Luke 24:36–43 (NIV) — 36 While they were still
talking about this, Jesus himself
stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They
were startled and frightened, thinking
they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is
I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost
does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he
had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they
still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled
fish, 43 and he took it and ate
it in their presence.
Notice the contrasts the Apostle Paul points out between what our bodies are
and what the will be:
·
Perishable vs. imperishable
·
Dishonor vs. glory
·
Weakness vs. power
·
Natural vs. spiritual
·
Mortal vs. immortal
As we follow Jesus, when we receive our glorified” body, it will be a body
that enables us to experience eternal life instead of eternal death…
Revelation 20:11–15 (NIV) — 11 Then I saw a
great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled
from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the
book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as
recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and
death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged
according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire
is the second death. 15 Anyone
whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake
of fire.
2.
Life with Jesus after death means community.
(Heb. 12:1-2)
We gain glimpses of this in the Old Testament…
In the words of Job…
Job 19:25–27 (NIV) — 25 I know that my redeemer
lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in
my flesh I will see God; 27 I
myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart
yearns within me!
In the words of King David, regarding his baby son who died…
2 Samuel 12:22–23 (NIV) — 22 He answered, “While
the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the
child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can
I bring him back again? I will go to
him, but he will not return to me.”
In the New Testament, we are specifically told that we are surrounded by a
great cloud of witnesses. I believe that is a reference to those who have died
in the Lord and gone on before…
Hebrews 12:1–2 (NIV) — 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the
sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of
faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Though Moses and Elijah had preceded Jesus in death, they knew what was transpiring
on earth, and appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, in order to talk with
the Lord about what was about to happen as the Lord went to the cross,
Luke 9:28–31 (NIV) — 28 About eight days after
Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a
mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face
changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30
Two men, Moses and Elijah,
appeared in glorious splendor,
talking with Jesus. 31 They
spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at
Jerusalem.
Even the rich man in hell had some measure of consciousness regarding what
was happening on earth regarding his brothers,
Luke 16:27–31 (NIV) — 27 “He answered, ‘Then I
beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers.
Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to
them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to
Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from
the dead.’ ”
In any case, we know from all that the Bible teaches us about angels, that
although they already live in the spirit realm, they are completely aware of
what is going on here on earth.
Jesus certainly knows what is going on here on earth:
·
He ever lives to make intercession for us before
the Father.
Hebrews 7:23–25 (NIV) — 23
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from
continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a
permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those
who come to God through him, because he
always lives to intercede for them.
·
Jesus to Saul on road to Damascus – “Why are you
persecuting me?”
Acts 22:6–10 (NIV) — 6
“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven
flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,
‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8 “ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I
asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who
was speaking to me. 10 “ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told
all that you have been assigned to do.’
·
He appeared to more than 500 people at one time.
1 Corinthians 15:6–8 (NIV)
— 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and
sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have
fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8
and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Interestingly enough, every credible testimony I have heard of a Christian “near-death”
experience includes references to believers who have gone before forming a sort
of “welcoming committee” to greet the person who is entering into glory…
3.
Life with Jesus after death means destiny.
(Rev. 14:13; 3:21)
On the one hand, Scripture is clear that those who die in the Lord have
ceased from their earthly labors (although the spiritual “momentum” from the Kingdom
seeds they sowed in this life produce an ongoing harvest, i.e., “their works do
follow after them…
Revelation 14:13 (NIV) — 13 Then I heard a voice
from heaven say, “Write this: 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.”
But, the Scriptures also declared that we will “rule” and “reign”
on the throne with Jesus in the life to come. Both of these words imply activity,
productivity, and responsibility.
Revelation 3:21 (NIV) — 21 To the one who is
victorious, I will give the right to
sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my
Father on his throne.
2 Timothy 2:11–14 (NIV) — 11 Here is a
trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12
if we endure, we will also reign
with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are
faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 14 Keep
reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling
about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
Revelation 20:6 (NIV) — 6 Blessed and holy are
those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over
them, but they will be priests of God
and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
In the life to come, the curse will be lifted and we will know life as it
was meant to be lived (cf. earn your bread by the sweat of your face vs. no
sorrow or crying or death, etc.)
Genesis 3:19 (NIV) — 19 By the sweat of your
brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you
were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Revelation 21:3–4 (NIV) — 3 And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the
people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from
their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the
old order of things has passed away.”
Sometimes we see believers die at what to us appear to be unexpected times,
with their work unfinished, but God sees things from a different perspective.
Isaiah 57:1–2 (NIV) — 1 The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one
understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
4.
Life with Jesus after death means glory. (John
16:33-7:24; Col 1:27)
The glory that awaits us is centered around Jesus and is only found in
Jesus!
John 16:33–17:5, 22-24 (NIV) — 33 “I have
told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 1 After Jesus said this, he looked
toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that
your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all
people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by
finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in
your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began…22 I
have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—23
I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the
world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and
to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the
creation of the world.
It is Christ in us that is our only hope of glory!
Colossians 1:27 (NIV) — 27 To them God has
chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.
Acts 6:15, 7:54-8:2 (NIV) — 15 All who were
sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel…54
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed
their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up
to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and,
yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged
him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their
coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning
him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on
his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had
said this, he fell asleep. 1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On
that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all
except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned
deeply for him.
Conclusion
For those who know Jesus and who follow Him, His return will be a wonderful
day of mercy, but for those who do not know and follow Him, His return
will be an awful day of judgment.
2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 (NIV) — 6 God is just: He
will f trouble to those who
trouble you 7 and give relief
to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord
Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9
They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from
the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among
all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
DON”T LET THE “DOOR OF MERCY” CLOSE ON YOU…!
2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2 (NIV) — 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God. 1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to
receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I
heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the
time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
