I have another friend in glory
tonight. Most of you know that for 23
years or better, I went down to Wichita Falls, Texas about
every six weeks, preached to a small group there. They still
meet and watch our videos. I haven't been down there now
in about four years, I think, but I quit going after Brother
Dorothy moved closer to the area. But Joanne Goodson was a part
of that congregation, a dear, dear lady. Wednesday morning,
the Lord called her home. She'd been sick for a long, long
time. I couldn't be there to preach
a funeral, but I was asked to write out a message for one of
the men, whether it be in Kirkland, to read at her graveside service
on Friday. So I spent Thursday writing out
that message and got it down there for them. Where is she now? What's Joanne Goodson doing now?
I've thought about that a good bit these past few days, and
that's what I'm going to preach to you about tonight, if God
will enable me. The title of my message is Between Death and
the Resurrection. Between Death and the Resurrection. Few subjects arouse more interest
than the state of those who have departed from this world. It's
a subject we're all interested in because we are all personally
soon to depart from this world. It's a subject we're interested
in because we all have friends, family, and loved ones whose
bodies lie beneath the sod in decay in the earth. But where
are they? Where are those who sleep in
Jesus before the resurrection? What's the condition of the redeemed
soul when it leaves the body? Those are questions about which
we just can't be indifferent. I've searched the scriptures
and I found some answers for you. Let's begin tonight in Ecclesiastes
chapter 4. Ecclesiastes chapter 4. Now remember
we're reading here The words of the wise man Solomon, a man
made wise by God above all who lived around him. A man made
wise not only in carnal earthly things, but a man made wise in
spiritual things. And when you read the book of
Ecclesiastes, you're not reading the statements of a frustrated
man, a man who's disappointed with life, a man who just can't
stand living here. It's not the frustration coming
out in a man's life, not at all. Solomon writes by divine inspiration,
and he writes that which is absolutely true. He's considered everything
under the sun before him, and he says it's all vanity, just
vanity, just vanity. Just vanity. Just vanity. Everything that exists only for
a temporary state like this is vanity. Everything that men and
women live for in this world is just vanity. All those things
that excite and disappoint. All those things that cause us
to have great joy and those things that break our hearts. Solomon
says it's all just vanity, just vanity. Now watch what he says
after he considers these things. Ecclesiastes chapter four, verse
one. So I returned and considered
all the oppressions that are done under the sun and behold
the tears of such as were oppressed and they had no comforter And
on the side of their oppressors, there was power, but they had
no comforter. Wherefore, in the light of this
consideration, I praised the dead, which are already dead,
more than the living, which are yet alive." He says, I extol,
I praise, I I looked upon and gave thanks for the dead, which
are already dead, more than for those who are living, those who
are yet alive. This wise man Solomon, after
considering all the oppressions that are done under the sun,
all that oppresses people, all that oppresses people, inward
and outward, domestic and public, all that oppresses people, pain,
sickness, difficulty, turmoil, heartache, all that oppresses. I consider all the oppressions
that are done under the sun, the tears of those who are oppressed
in this world, the power of those who oppress, and the fact that
there's no comfort. There's no comfort. No comfort
for God's saints to be found anywhere in this world. No comfort for God's saints to
be found anywhere in this world. The comfort of the child that
you bounce on your knee and throw in the air and laugh with as
a baby will soon bring you pain. The comfort of marriage and a
happy home will soon bring you pain. There's no lasting, real,
substantial comfort of any kind anywhere in this world. None
at all. Solomon says, in consideration
of this, I praise the dead, which are already dead, more than the
living, which are yet alive. There's a similar statement in
Revelation 14 13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
Now in the light of those statements Solomon says I praise the dead
that are already dead More than the living that are yet alive
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord in the light of those
statements We go to the gravesite Go to the funeral home to bid
a loved one Goodbye. And we are too much filled with
sorrow and weeping. We are too much overwhelmed with
sorrow and weeping when we go to bury our loved ones. Why is
that so? Well, for one thing, if the one
taken by God is an unbeliever, the sorrow is most understandable. Those who die without God in
unbelief die to die forever under the wrath of God in hell. That's just almost too much to
bear thinking about, but that's fact. That's fact. If our sorrow
is the sorrow of parting friends. That's reasonable. That's certainly
going to happen. We do sorrow. Don't ever imagine
that it's wrong for folks to sorrow over things that give
them pain. I don't even like to say goodbye
to folks. It's painful to part with friends, let alone to say
goodbye at the graveside for what may be many, many years. None of us likes to part with
someone we love. None of us likes to part with
someone we cherish. So it's understandable to witness
that kind of sorrow and to experience it. But if the sorrow is the
sorrow of those who have no hope, you go to bury one of God's saints,
you go to bury one of the redeemed, one who's loved of God, chosen
of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, saved by his
free grace, and you are overwhelmed with uncontrollable sorrow. That's
inexcusable. That ought not be. We who are
God's children ought to recognize, understand, and rejoice in God's
goodness. Such sorrow reveals both an ignorance
of the Word of God and the blessed state of God's saints in heaven
and unbelief on our part. Not believing the promises of
God plainly set before us in scripture, not believing, trusting
the finished work of Christ, not trusting the wisdom and goodness
of God. That's inexcusable. It ought
not be so with any of us. I want tonight to show you from
the scriptures that God's saints in heaven, our departed friends,
our brothers and sisters, are alive and well beyond imagination. Alive and well beyond imagination. Their bodies lay in the earth. There their bodies decay and
return to the dust, as they should. But they are alive, more alive
than they have ever been. Happy, more full of happiness
than we can imagine. Now, let me just make some plain,
clear statements, and I will say no more than the scriptures
say, and I hope as much as the scriptures say concerning this.
First, understand this. Let's look in the word of God,
turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 3, or chapter 4 rather,
and let me show you from the word of God that the souls of
the redeemed immediately after death enter into a state of eternal
happiness with Christ in glory. Now, as we think about the wonders
of immortality, our only source of information I want your attention as we think
about immortality. Our only source of information
is the written word of God. There is no other source of information
about life after death. You would be wise. You would
be wise. Just whenever somebody's going
to talk to you about a after death experience, just to flip
the channel and go watch cartoons or something. There's no source
of information about immortality except what's written here in
the Word of God. Only here. We are creatures of
God made with immortal undying souls. These bodies die and there
they are laid in the earth and the body must decay returning
to the earth. But as soon as you die, your
soul enters a state of endless happiness or endless misery. People talk about soul sleep,
and I guess they take some comfort from it. People have the idea
that man dies like a dog. But when you die, you don't die
like a dog. When your dog dies, that's all
there is to it. That's all there is to it. I know folks have pet cemeteries
and Talk about treating dogs like it's their own, like it's
their children, that's because they never had any. No, no, the dog's just
a dog. The cat's just a cat. And if
you stick them in the ground out here, that's all there is
to it. There's no more existence for them. Not for you. Not for
you. You and I, immediately upon the
death of this body, enter into a state of endless happiness
and bliss. in everlasting glory with Christ,
or of endless torment and misery in the pit of darkness among
the damned. Your soul lives on, not in a
state of sleep and insensitivity and inactivity, but for the believer
in a state of life, fullness of life, fullness of consciousness,
such as we cannot begin to grasp here. The souls of believers,
redeemed sinners, many women who've been made righteous before
God in Christ, the souls of God's saints return to Christ as soon
as they leave this body. Look in first Thessalonians chapter
four. I would not have you ignorant
brethren concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not
even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent, shall not go before
them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, And the dead in Christ, those sleeping in
Jesus, those who have already departed from this world, the
dead in Christ shall rise first. The dead in Christ shall rise
first. People talk a lot about, I want
to live until the Lord comes again. It'd be better to live
when the Lord comes again. Paul says otherwise. He says
otherwise. He says it's better if there's
only one place in the entire Bible where one group of believers
is given preference above another. This is it. The only place in
the Bible where he says it's better to die because you're
going to rise first. The dead in Christ shall rise
first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort
one another with these words. I'll say little about the horrible
state and condition of the wicked in unbelieving in hell, only
to repeat what I've said before to warn you. To warn you of the
wrath to come. If you're yet without life and
faith in Christ, you are without hope. Without hope. There's no hope for your soul. No hope. No hope. There's nothing you can cling
to. Nothing you can hold to. There's no hope. If you leave
this world without Christ, without a living union of faith in the
Son of God, you will perish forever under the wrath of God. Immediately,
in hell. But for the believer, as soon
as he dies, he's alive forever. His soul goes immediately home
to God in heaven. The word of God when speaking
about the death of a believer always represents it as an immediate
entrance into blessedness and glory. Actually, For the believer,
I keep saying this because I want to believe it. Mark, I want to
really believe this. I want it to be fixed in my heart
and I want you to. For the believer, there's no
such thing as death. For the believer, there's no
such thing as death. Our Lord Jesus said, he that
believeth on me shall never die. Now he uses the word death and
it's used throughout the scriptures and we use the word speak of
death, but we're just talking about the death of this body.
Just the death of this body, not the death of the person.
If you go home tonight and lightning strikes your house and it burns
down. That's a big loss. That's a big loss. You lose lots
of memorabilia. You lose lots of things that
cause you pain. But that's not death. That's not death. You just lost the house. That's
all. So it is with the believer. We
abide in this temporary house of clay for our appointed existence
on this earth. And when this house of clay dissolves,
we go right on living. Living better than we've ever
lived before God's elect never die. Look at Isaiah chapter 57
Isaiah 57 The death of the body is the
liberty of our souls Look at this Isaiah 57. I want you to
turn then look at it verse 1 Isaiah 57 verse 1 The righteous perisheth, and
no man layeth it to heart. Nobody pays any attention. And
merciful men are taken away. Nobody pays any attention. Now
watch this. None considering that the righteous is taken away
from the evil to come. When the righteous die, there's
no more evil. When the righteous die, there's
no more difficulty. When the righteous die, there's
no more pain. When the righteous die, there's no more heartache.
When the righteous die, no more sorrow. He's taken away from the evil that is to come.
He shall enter into peace. They shall rest in their beds,
each one walking in his uprightness. The believer, when he leaves
this world, enters into everlasting rest. His body rests in the grave. His soul in the arms of the Savior. And he enters into that rest
described in Hebrews chapter 4. But notice what the scripture
says. Each one walking in his uprightness. God Almighty reckons
the righteousness of Christ imputed to us in justification and imparted
to us in sanctification to be our righteousness, and he makes
it ours perfectly, experimentally, when we enter into heaven, so
that we walk in our righteousness before God forever. Each one
walking in his uprightness, so that as soon as the believer
dies, he's carried by the angels of God into Abraham's bosom. Read about it in Luke 16, our
Lord's parable of the rich man in Lazarus. Abraham's bosom has
been a subject of a lot of speculation by people. Let me tell you what
Abraham's bosom is. The term Abraham's bosom was
a Jewish expression referring to the place of heavenly happiness
prepared for God's saints between death and the resurrection. It
was a purely Jewish expression, and our Lord Jesus uses it in
the parable. He says, when Lazarus died, the
angels of God came down from heaven and carried him away into
Abraham's bosom, into the place prepared for the redeemed, awaiting
the resurrection of the body. Every believing sinner, as soon
as he dies, is taken to be with Christ in paradise. Paradise
is heaven, the garden of God. It's the third heaven into which
Paul was raptured for a brief visit during his pilgrimage here
on this earth. Paradise is the place of divine
majesty, the place of happiness, pleasure, and endless delight.
The Lord Jesus went to paradise when he died. And he said to
that dying thief who died at his side, today shalt thou be
with me in paradise. Where did he go? He went to glory. With his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for
us And the savior said to that dying thief today as soon as
you close your eyes in death Shout thou most assuredly be
with me in my full presence and company forever in paradise in
heaven Now turn to philippians chapter 1 philippians chapter
1 As soon as the believer dies,
he enters into the immediate presence of God with Christ in
heaven. And that, for the believer, is
immeasurable gain. Immeasurable gain. Philippians
chapter 1, verse 21. Paul writes and says, for to
me, to live is Christ. And to die is something better. What I live, I live in Christ,
with Christ, and Christ lives in me. But to die, to die is
gain. But if I live in the flesh, this
is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I want
not. I don't know whether it's best
for me to live another day or two or to die. For I'm in a strait
betwixt the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is far, far, far, better. Paul was confident that as soon
as he departed from this world, he would immediately be with
Christ in blessed communion. Believing the word of God, he
looked upon death as a desirable thing. Not a thing to be dreaded or
feared or sorrowed over, but a desirable thing. What's the
state of God's saints in heavenly glory? Again, I'll say no more
than the scripture says. This I know. This I know. They
are assembled, according to Hebrews chapter 12, as a glorified church. The old writers used to speak
of God's church as both militant and triumphant. They spoke of
the church on earth as militant, a church as Christ's army marching
through this hostile enemy territory against the gates of hell, seeking
conquest for Christ Jesus, that is, seeking the souls of God's
elect, the church militant. And then they spoke of the church
triumphant. The church triumphant referring to those who are already
with the Lord in glory, those who have entered into their victory,
the church triumphant. Well, when God's saints leave
this world, they are assembled as the church triumphant in glory. He speaks of it as the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, the heavenly Jerusalem. The church
where God sits as judge over all. And Jesus Christ is our
mediator and our savior. And the spirits of just men made
perfect, gathered with the angels of God. And those saints in heaven,
I repeat this to you often, exist in a recognizable form. I have
no question about that. Just no question about that.
Moses and Elijah, when they stood on the Mount of Transfiguration,
were immediately known by Peter, James, and John. They were immediately
known by them. They had never seen them. They
had never seen a picture of them. They had never even read a description
of them. Nobody has any idea what Moses and Elijah looked
like. Nobody has any idea what they looked like. We're not given
any hint of what they looked like. But immediately, But Peter,
James, and John saw them on the Mount of Transfiguration when
the Lord Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. They said,
that's Moses, that's brother Elijah. And recognized them immediately. God's saints in heaven shall
forever exist in the knowledge of one another, each knowing
the other. Folks sometimes ask, well, what
about our souls? Do we have a body between death
and the resurrection? Let's look at a text in 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. We'll begin, like I always do
when I read this chapter, in verse 17 of chapter 4. Do God's
saints have a body as soon as they die? Do they have to wait
until the resurrection day for a body? Do they have a physical
body as we shall have in the resurrection? No, no, not physical
body, a spiritual body, a heavenly form, a house for their souls. There's absolutely no question. The scriptures tell us, yes,
the key in second Corinthians four, verse 17, for our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But we look not at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things
which are not seen are eternal. For we know, we know, that if
our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, watch this, we
have, immediately, we have a building of God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in the heaven. The Holy Spirit here tells us
that God's people, as soon as they leave this body of flesh,
as soon as this earthly tabernacle is dissolved, enter into a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens,
a house specifically prepared for that blessed estate. Now,
every word here shows a distinct contrast between the new house
and the old one. This old house is a tent, a tabernacle. The new one's a building. This
old house, though not made with hands, was made what it is, a
house of death, defiled and very defective because of sin, the
sin and fall of our father Adam. The new house is God's work and
God's gift. This old house is temporary and
perishing. As soon as that baby of yours
came into this world, it started to die. This house is designed to die. This house is designed to fall. The new house, that's eternal. This house we have, Paul says,
in the heavens. He's not talking about heaven
itself. He's talking about a house we possess in the heavens. This
house is a new body replacing and surpassing this old body.
It's in the heavens in the sense that it is God's gift, something
he has for us, where he is, something that we shall wear in heaven. We have it. It's ours. It's ours. Now let me read to you. something
john gill wrote in commenting on this passage of scripture
it's a little bit lengthy but listen he said in this in this house
in the heavens the saints have a present interest they have
it already built and prepared for them they have it have an
indubitable right and title to it through the righteousness
of christ they have it secured for them in christ their head
and representative they have the earnest of it the spirit
of god in their hearts of all which they have sure and certain
knowledge, for we know, we know, they're well assured of the truth
of this from the promise of God who cannot lie, from the declaration
of the gospel and the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the close
inseparable connection there is between the grace they have
already received and the glory they shall have hereafter. The
Lord will give grace, and he who gave grace will give us glory. If we had the wisdom of Solomon,
we too would praise the dead, which are already dead, more
than the living, which are yet alive. Now, understand this. When the believer at death leaves
this body, it's the freeing of his soul. It's relief. By living in this world, we seek
to be content with God's wise and good providence. I do and
you do. We want to glorify our God by
living here below for his praise, trusting him, resigning all things
to his will. Honestly, I wouldn't change my
lot in life with anybody. I wouldn't alter one thing I
have thus far experienced in this life. Not one thing. God
has done well. Sadly, before I go to bed tonight,
I may meet with something I try real hard to change. But life
in this world Is life ordered by our God in His providence
for our everlasting good? And we ought to look at it that
way. Our Heavenly Father knows and does. He always knows and
always does what's best. And yet life in this world, at its best, is a burden to the
heaven-born soul. In this tabernacle, Paul said,
we grow. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? Here we struggle
with sin. In heaven, we'll be free from
sin. In this body, we're tempted and often fall. When I leave
this body, I will never be tempted again, and I will never fall
again. In this body, I often Dishonor
my God When I leave this body, I will never again dishonor my
God neither in thought nor in word nor indeed in this body
We weep much in that body. We shall weep no more in this
body We long to be like Christ in heaven's glory. We shall be
like Christ in this body We long for his presence in this house
not made with hands eternal in the heavens. I We shall forever
be with Christ. We have many friends in heaven,
folks we dearly love, and we miss them. But we don't sorrow
for them. Oh, no, we envy them. As for
me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied
when I awake with thy likeness. But where is heaven? You know,
we're never told. Never given a hint, not a hint.
Heaven's a place somewhere outside this world, outside this state
of time existence. It's a place, a real place, but
heaven's a place where Christ is. Heaven is a place where God's
saints are, but where it is, we're not told. Heaven is the
place which our Lord God has promised into which he will bring
us. Our Savior said just before he
left here, let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions, many of these rich, well-built, spacious, comfortable
houses, abiding places for your soul. 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 you may be also. Heaven is a place where our departed
friends are right now. Look back at 2 Corinthians 5
again. Let's read beginning of verse 1 down to verse 8. We know,
we know. That if our earthly house of
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a
house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we
grow earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house,
which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed,
we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle
do groan, being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed.
Not because we're just fed up with life, oh no. Oh no, but
clothed upon. We're burdened that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for
the selfsame thing is God. Isn't that amazing, Lindsay? Look at the language. God wrought
you for this. He that hath wrought us for this
selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest, the
pledge, the promise of the Spirit. Therefore, we're always confident,
knowing that whilst we're at home in the body, we're absent
from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We're confident,
I say, and willing, rather, to be absent from the body and to
be present with the Lord. Death, then, is the dissolving
of this body. this body of the earth. It's
only suitable for the earth. It must return to the earth.
And the dissolution of this body is no reason for sorrow. I love
the way Richard Baxter expressed it. He said the death of this
body, it will be like taking off a shoe that hurts my foot. A welcome relief. I take it off
a shoe that hurts my foot. A welcome relief in heaven. we shall have another house for
our souls. In my father's house are many
mentions. And soon, as soon as this earthly
tabernacle is dissolved, we'll enter into that house Christ
has prepared for us in heaven. Where have God's people gone?
They've gone to heaven. They've gone home. They've gone
to be with Christ. Whoever thought about weeping
with sorrow because somebody went home. Whoever thought about mourning
because someone went home. Whoever thought about it being
a sad thing for someone to go home. Oh no, for the believer,
life begins with the dissolution of this body. What are God's
saints doing there? Turn over to the last book of
the Bible. I'll wrap this up here in just a minute. Revelation
chapter 5. What are God's saints doing now?
What are they doing? For one thing, they're celebrating
perpetually. Adoring perpetually. the perfection of God. What's more delightful to your
soul than when God allows you the privilege of having some
glimpse of his perfection and glory in the work that he's done? in redemption, grace, and providence. Some glimpse of God's greatness
and God's glory, God's majesty will in heaven that forever behold
His face with unceasing astonishment, His holiness, power, wisdom,
goodness, grace, faithfulness, and love. Look at Revelation
5 verse 11. And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne, And the beast and
the elders and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000
and thousands of thousands John's talking about folks who are already
with Christ in glory Saying with a loud voice Worthy is the land
that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing look at chapter 7 verse 11 And all the angels stood round
about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying,
Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom,
and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto
our God forever and ever. Amen. And God's saints in glory
are engaged in beholding Christ's glory. as our God, man, mediator,
redeemer, and savior. You remember what he said in
his prayer in John 17? He said, Father, I will, this is my will,
that they also may be with me where I am, that they may behold
my glory. I want these whom you've given
me, these, my redeemed ones, to be with me where I am, that
they may behold my glory. Oh, my soul, what will it be
to behold the glory of Christ forever, constantly, with increasing
knowledge, to behold Him? Heaven is the garden of God.
where the rose of Sharon is in full bloom all the time, and
the fragrance of that rose fills the house. God's saints in heaven
are engaged constantly in the exercise of every grace perfectly. We sometimes say faith shall
turn to glad fruition, but there is a sense in which the saints
of God have now faith perfectly. they believe God. Oh, to hear, to read a word from
God and never have a thought of question, but to believe God. Hope those saints in heaven live
continually in patient waiting for the resurrection of these
bodies at the last day. And love, there, there, meaning women, really
love each other perfectly. Jonathan Edwards wrote his book
once called Heaven A world of love. Well stated, Mr. Edwards. God's saints in heaven
are employed in the unending service of Christ. I don't know
how. I won't pretend to know how.
We're not told how. But we read in Revelation 7,
14, and 15 that they serve Him before His throne. They serve
Him. They're engaged in prayer. And they sing songs of grace.
They constantly have uninterrupted fellowship with one another,
with the holy angels and with the Redeemer. A casual reading
of the book of Revelation conveys the idea that God's saints will
forever discuss with one another grace, salvation, redemption,
providence. How sad it is that sometimes
We prefer here to talk about other things, and to think about
other things, and to discuss other things. In heaven's glory,
the saints of God will forever discuss with one another what
God has done for us, his marvelous, wondrous works. Looking back
over time, and having brought to our memory things that we
do not know here, oh, what wonders God has done. All what wonders
God has done. How he has ruled and overruled
all things for the benefit of our souls. How he has ruled and
overruled all things for our everlasting salvation. Brother
Don, if that's how things are in heaven, if that's such a glorious
place, why are we still here? Why are we still here? I know
this, I know this, Bob Duff, if you're God's, you're as fit
for heaven as you're ever going to be. We're right now made meat
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life. Is that
right? Nothing more to be done. Christ
redeemed me. Christ put away my sin. Christ
has given me a holy nature. I've been made partaker of the
divine nature in the new birth. There's nothing more to be done
except dropping this flesh. Well, why am I still here? When I was preaching through
the book of Mark, back in Mark chapter 5, turn there if you
will, I'll wrap this up. The Lord gave me an answer. I didn't say the answer, but
he gave me an answer. Here's this Gadarene. When he was come to the ship,
he that had been possessed with the devil, verse 18, prayed the
Lord Jesus. that he might be with him. The
Lord Jesus is about to depart out of Gadara, and this demon-possessed
Gadarene, whom the Lord had saved miraculously by his grace, he
said, Lord, let me go with you. Let me go with you. That sounded
like a good thing. That sounded like a good thing.
Who wouldn't? Howbeit Jesus suffered him not,
but saith unto him, go home to thy friends, and tell them how
great things The Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion
on thee. And he departed and began to
publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him.
And all men did marvel. Why am I still here? Why are you still here? Why? Bob Ponce of my soul, why on
earth are you still here? I've expected you to die so many
times in the last four or five years, I can't count them. Why
on earth are you still here? Why? Why? I wouldn't have put you through
what you've gone through the last four or five years for anything
in the world, but he who loves you like I can't possibly love
you did it for a reason. and left you here for a little
while longer to publish to neighbors and friends what wonderful things
the Lord has done for you. Oh, what a privilege. God Almighty,
God Almighty condescends to use such things as we are to tell
other sinners what great things the Lord has done. for the salvation
of chosen sinners, for the praise of his glory. Amen.