Well, I can't remember when I've
had three more delightful days in a row than the three days
God's given us this week. Shelby and I had the delightful
privilege of worshiping with you here this past Lord's Day. God gave us good services and
then went down last night to Chattanooga to be in the funeral
home. And I'd rather been there last
night than any place on this earth. We had a good visit. And
then the funeral this morning, I had the privilege of preaching
the funeral again this morning of one of God's dear saints,
Charlotte Lawson. She was 83 years old. She and
her husband, Ed, had been here many, many times, been dear friends
for a long time. When her son, Eddie, called me
the other night, told me that his mom had died, My first words
spoken to him, I can't tell you how happy I am for her. Happy. Happy for someone to die. God's elect never die. He that liveth and believeth
on me, the son of God said, shall never die. Use the word death and our Lord
used the word death just to accommodate our understanding of things.
These bodies die, but God's elect shall never die. Shall never
die. We only increase in life. Happy for happy for imagine what it will be like
for the first time. to behold the Savior in His glory with understanding. We grope about in the dark down
here with understanding of the wonders of His grace and His
providence, which shall enthrall our souls forever. Let us never,
never, never speak of the dying bodies of God's saints in any
way that indicates any sense of anything else. We sorrow,
yes. We sorrow for the absence of
one we love. We sorrow for their missed company. We sorrow for their influence
will be lost for a while. Yes, we sorrow. It's not an easy
thing to give up somebody you love, but not as those who have
no hope. Oh, no. Oh, no. Our sorrow is
mixed with joy that makes the tears tears of laughter for the
benefit and the blessing upon that one who's entered into glory. Now, I know I've been promising
you for three weeks, I'll be preaching to you on Tuesday night
from first John three to and I've got the message, but I can't
preach that tonight after I started studying last night, preparing
for today's message. I just knew I had to come back
to this subject of the death of God's saints. Turn with me
to Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14. I've been thinking about this
statement since I got that call from Eddie the other night. Verse
12. Here is the patience of the saints. The patience of the saints. The patience of the saints, the
same thing is said over in verse 10 of chapter 13, then the last
sentence here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
So that the object of their patience and the object of their faith
is the same. The end of their patience and
the end of their faith is the same. Here is the patience of
the saints. What have you been waiting for
all these years? What have you been waiting for
you ever? Just anticipate something in
one disappointment after another, and finally, that's what I've
been waiting for. What have you been waiting for?
This is what we've been waiting for. patiently waiting for the
end of all things, patiently waiting for the consummation
of God's purpose, specifically of God's purpose for ourselves.
Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, right, blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the spirit that they
may rest from their labors and their works do follow them. How often we've gone to the graveside
and bidden goodbye to one that we love dearly and walked away
with our hearts aching because now we must go on in life without
that one so dear to us. I do not suggest that that can
be handled easily. I don't suggest that at all.
We hurt for the husband or the wife, the parents, the children,
and others who will miss the love and companionship aid and
influence of those faithful ones who have passed out of this world.
And yet, as we watch our friends leave this world of sin and sorrow,
knowing that they are entering into heaven's everlasting glory,
knowing that they are falling asleep in the arms of their savior,
knowing that now They shall be satisfied for they awake in his
likeness. We must write as John did. We must say, as John did, blessed,
blessed, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. I noticed
this at the outset. The word of God does not say
blessed are the dead. That's not the case. We were
in a National Cemetery this morning, the largest one I've ever been
outside of Washington, D.C. Huge, huge thing. And I looked
around those white stones and the names are forgotten of most,
I'm certain. But what thousands there lay
in the grave, their bodies turned to dust again. who shall be raised
in the resurrection of damnation to everlasting judgment. Oh,
but blessed, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. God
says that those who die in the Lord. And that's another thing. When John heard these words,
right, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. He did not have
a picture of blessedness before him. You read the context and
John has before his eyes what he's immediately seen is a picture
of men and women who have been tortured and persecuted and oppressed
and put to death because they would not receive the mark of
the beast in their forehead nor in their hands. They would not
bow to Antichrist. They would not give up their
faith in Christ Jesus. They would not depart from the
gospel. And so for their faith, for their
faith in Christ, for their faith in Christ, only that, only because
they believe the Son of God, multitudes have been tortured
to death at the right, burned to death at the stake, handed
to death by men who oppose God. And yet, when John saw this,
it's as though the angel of the Lord says to him, don't misunderstand,
John. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord no matter when they die or where they die or how
they die. I had my notions about how I'd
like to die. I'd like to finish preaching here one Sunday morning
or one Sunday night or Tuesday night and sit down there and
go home. That's my notions. But I might die on the way somewhere
else. And I may die in a hospital bed
after a long illness. I wouldn't choose that. That's
not what I would choose. But God knows infinitely better than
I. And we'll leave that to him gladly so. Oh, but however a
man or woman dies who dies in the Lord, blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord. Spurgeon put it this way. Wheresoever
on this earth whether among the snows of Piedmont's valleys or
in the fair fields of France. Saints have died by the sword
or famine or fire or massacre for the testimony of Jesus, because
they would not bear the mark of the beast. Their voice is
heard sounding out in the third heaven. Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord. David put it this way. He said,
precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. I told you some time back, a
story, a true story, Brother Mahan and I were traveling somewhere
just the night before he went out in the auditorium with one
of the older men in the congregation, a man in his mid 80s, I'm going
to guess almost as old as Klaus or Bob, and sitting there by
himself. Widower, he'd been a member of
the church for many years and he sat down asked me how he's
doing and uh He knew the man had been sick and wasn't feeling
well And this is what the fellow said He said pastor. I'd lots rather be going out
of this world than coming in We've got things backwards We
rejoice at the birth of a child And weep at the death of an old
man We ought to weep when a child is born into this world and rejoice
at the death of an old man if he dies in Christ. How happy
I am for my friends who are with the Lord. How happy, how thankful
for God's goodness upon them. Very, very soon we must leave
this world, you and me. Is there not an appointed time
to man upon the earth? Are not his days also like the
days of an hireling? You hire a man to do a job for
a specified period of time. When the time's up, he's gone.
That's what he's saying. There is an appointed day, appointed
by God before the world began, when I shall breathe my last
breath in this body of flesh. Nothing is going to hasten that
nothing's going to prolong that Nothing's going to change that
God has appointed a day when you and I shall leave this world
and at that day at Precisely the right time in precisely the
right Circumstances as is best for us and for our brethren and
for God's glory at that time We shall leave this world taken
to glory in the arms of Christ. We would be wise to take our
minds off the cares and troubles, as well as the joys and riches
of this world, and look across the sea of time to eternity,
ever fixing our hearts upon the future world of eternity, that
which so surely, perhaps so nearly, awaits us. Looking at these things
from the believer's perspective, we say with John, blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord. Of whom does the apostle speak
these words? The voice that John heard from
heaven speaking these words declares that those who die in the Lord
are blessed from henceforth. Look at it. Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth, that is to say, No matter what
has been these past 62 years, or 50 years, or 20 years, or
these past 80 years, or 90 years, from this time henceforth and
forever, blessed are the dead which died the Lord. This is
the beginning of uninterrupted, perpetual, everlasting blessedness. I want to know who those people
are. I want to be numbered among them. Look at verse 12. Here
they are. Here is the patience of the saints. These who die in the Lord are
saints, saints, holy ones, sanctified ones. Death doesn't change anything. Death doesn't change anything. You listen to preachers. Especially
at funerals and you'd think that suddenly death has done something
marvelous and changed a fella to take the Worst of robes and
the preacher is going to tell folks that now he's with the
Lord. He's better off Death doesn't
change anything if you shall be numbered among the Saints
in glory You must be numbered among the Saints here made holy
here Only the holy shall enter into this blessedness. Only the
holy shall enter into heaven's glory. There shall enter into
heaven nothing that defiles, nothing that defiles, only the
holy. And yet, God's saints are not
born that way. We're born sinners like all of
the men. We're born children of wrath
like all of the men. We're born in depravity like
all of the people. But now, here we are, saints. Saints. What does it take to
do that? Our sins must be put away. Saints are people washed in the
blood of Christ. Saints are men and women who
are redeemed by Christ's precious blood. Saints are folks whose
record of iniquity is expunged by God himself by the blotting
out of Christ's blood, washing away our sins. Saints. People made righteous by God
in Christ He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him and just as fully
as He was made sin and Rewarded rightly because he was made sin
when he died at Calvary So fully Bobby you have been made the
righteousness of God in him Righteousness. Righteousness. Holy. Sanctified. And shall be justly rewarded
with glory because of that righteousness which is His that He's given
to us by His grace. Made righteous at the record
of heaven, yes. Made righteous in the court of
heaven, yes. Made righteous by the blood of
Christ, yes. And made righteous by the new
birth. Made partakers of his nature.
Being made new creatures in Jesus Christ the Lord. Regenerated,
born again by God the Holy Spirit. By the mighty work of his grace.
Turn back to Titus chapter 3, let me show you. Titus chapter
3. Look at verse 4. After that, the kindness and
love of God our Savior toward man appeared. How did it appear
to us? Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us. According to His mercy, not according
to our merit, not according to our works. According to His mercy,
He saved us. How? By the washing of regeneration. and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost. He sprinkles our hearts with
the blood of Christ and cleanses us and makes us new creatures
in Christ Jesus, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ, our Lord, that being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. If we would
enter into heaven We must be made partakers of Christ holiness,
being sanctified by the grace of God. Believing sinners are
made to be the sons of God in the sweet experience of his grace
and made to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Oh, can you imagine the blessedness that belongs to our Savior? Can
you imagine the joy that he possesses in his glory? So is the blessedness
of those saints who died the Lord Those blessed ones are described
here as being patient This is the patience of the Saints the
patience of the Saints and the faith of the Saints Believers
are men and women of patience Patience. What do you mean by that? Some
of us still have a bit of a problem with temper, don't we? Yeah. Some of us, our first reaction
to almost everything is discontent. Sadly, that's so. But believers
are patient. The word means endurance. The patience of the saints is
the endurance of the saints. They endure the troubles of life. They endure the temptations of
Satan. They endure the trials of faith. They endure the hardships of
providence. They endure these things in faith. Those who are crowned in heaven
Endure crosses on the earth Many who would be saints when they're
faced with opposition and trial and difficulty when they're faced
with that son of opposition that rises it withers The seed that's
been sold the plant that appears to have life and they perish
God's Saints patiently run the race in faithfulness they patiently
Endure adversity our Lord said in Luke chapter 21 in your patience
Possess you your souls in your endurance possess you your souls
believers patiently wait for Christ in faithfulness looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life and
the basis of that patience is is the scripture, the word of
God. Children of God, make yourselves familiar with
this book. Make yourselves familiar with
everything in this book. Let me show you a text, Romans
chapter 15, Romans chapter 15. Look at verse four. Whatsoever things were written
aforetime Paul writes by divine inspiration
and he says now everything that's been written in the book of God
in the past He's referring specifically to Genesis through Malachi That's
all the scriptures that had been recorded up to this time Paul
says whatsoever things were written aforetime and All the law, all
the history, all the Psalms, all the events, everything described
in the Old Testament were written for our learning. Now watch this,
that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have hope. Those who are blessed in their
death are those who are saints. Patient men, patient women who
endure adversity, who endure trial, who continue in the faith. They cannot be turned away from
Christ. Though they themselves would
fall a thousand times a day, the Lord upholds them by His
grace and they cannot be turned away from Him. And those who
are blessed in death are those who keep the commandments of
God in life. Look what it says. they who keep
the commandments. John is not telling us that obedience
to the law is a condition of salvation. You know better. By
the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in God's
sight. Salvation is by grace alone. Legal works have nothing to do
with it. John is not suggesting that believers
are to put themselves back under the yoke of bondage, under the
yoke of Mosaic law, because he are not under the law, but under
grace. What John is telling us is this,
that the believer, the child of God, the saint of God, is
one whose life is governed entirely by God's word. Govern not by
10 commandments governed by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God look in first John chapter 5 first John chapter 5 Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God and Everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him By this, we
love. We know that we love the children
of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is
the love of God, that we keep his commandments and his commandments
and not grievous for whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the
world. And this is the victory that
overcometh the world. Even our faith, the believer,
the child of God, is one who lives by the rule of God's word,
keeping the commandments of the gospel, obeying God, not from
a legal principle, obeying God, not for reward, obeying God because
of deep gratitude, because of a deep sense of indebtedness
to His grace, because of a deep love for Him, obeying Him because
that's what we desire. The believer To the believer,
nothing, nothing revealed in this book, nothing written in
this book is insignificant. Every word proceeds from the
mouth of God. See to it you familiarize yourself
with it and walk accordingly. And they keep the faith. These
who are blessed in their death are they that keep the faith
of Jesus. God promises salvation. eternal
life, everlasting heavenly blessedness to those who persevere in the
faith. They guard the faith, they cherish
the faith, they keep the faith themselves, constantly looking
away to Christ. Those who fall back, those who
draw back, he has no pleasure in. But we are not of them which
draw back unto perdition. All true believers Persevere
in the doctrine of faith the gospel and persevere in the grace
of faith believe in Christ This is called the faith of Jesus
Because it is the face that he gives it is the faith of which
he is the object It is the faith that looks continually to him.
So believers look to Christ and they go on looking to Christ
and they finish looking to Christ and This thing called salvation
in the experience of it begins in a look. Look unto me all ye
ends of the earth and be ye safe for I am God and there is none
else. And we look to the Savior. And. We run with patience the
race that set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. And. when we shall see him, we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. So salvation
begins in a look. It continues in a look. We live
in this world looking to our Redeemer and it's consummated
looking on him. Those who are upon their death
forever blessed of God are men and women who are in the Lord. Blessed are the dead that die
In the Lord. In the Lord. What a place to
be. In him, by God's sovereign election. In him, by an eternal union that
only God himself can understand. One of the old writers, Thomas
Dudley, who was the first president of Georgetown College over here
in Georgetown, he said, How long has this life that I have been
in existence? He said it must have been in
existence for as long as Christ stood before God as my surety. This union we have with Christ,
an eternal union. God joined us to his son from
everlasting and looks on us in his son only in a son from everlasting
so that we are accepted of God in his son from everlasting.
This thing of salvation and life and grace in Christ did not begin
yesterday. It began in eternity. Indeed,
has no beginning. It's an eternal union. It's a
union that's experienced in the new birth. It is a vital union
of faith, a union on which life depends. Now, when I say something
that is vital, I try to be very careful what words I choose to
use standing in this pulpit, particularly. If I say something's
vital, I don't mean it's important. Well, if it's vital, that means
life depends on it. Life depends on it. This union
of faith is a union upon which hinges all life with God our
Savior. You take a branch, cut off one
of those trees out there and just lay it down and watch it. It dies. Its leaves wither and
soon all the sap of life is gone because the branch draws the
sap of life from the tree to which it attaches out of which
it grows. The scriptures speak of us being
grafted into Christ, grafted into Christ. I'm not a I'm not
an agriculturalist. I don't pretend to be. But I
know this. If you're going to graft one
tree into another. Two cuts have to be made. A cut
must be made in the original stock. And a cut must be made
into the branch that's grafted into the stalk. And the two are
bound together, packed together, wound tightly, so that now the
branch grows into the stalk tree and soon is one with the stalk
tree. It draws life out of the stalk
tree. So it is with those who are trees of righteousness of
God's planted. Christ is that tree planted by
the rivers of living water, that tree of life. And he was cut
in his death with a sword of justice cut to death. And the believer had been cut
in his heart by the convicting work of God, the Holy Spirit,
and bound to the redeemer by his grace. And we draw life from
him perpetually we are one with Christ one with him as the husband
and wife are one one with him as the sinner is in the hands
of the surety one with him as sheep in the hands of the shepherd
one with him as he is one with the father Really one with him as he is
one with the father so that there is no Possibility of the union
ever being dissolved. We are in the Lord once in Christ
in Christ forever None from him our souls can sever while his
power and grace endure all who trust him are secure Of whom
were these words spoken? Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord. They're spoken of God's saints
to those who live in patience, to those who keep the commandments
of God, to those who keep the faith of Christ, to those who
are one with Christ. But what is the blessedness?
Obviously. I can't begin to describe that
which I have not seen nor heard. which is never entered into the
heart of man. That blessedness defies imagination. It defies
imagination. But there are some things that
are revealed. Some things we know that are
revealed concerning that blessedness. The believer is blessed of God
in his dying. I was talking to Pam Woods, brother,
going down the road yesterday, the Ron Rumberg. And he was telling
me about a old preacher friend he'd seen a couple of years ago
who was in his 90s and a young preacher at one of the fellowships
asking how he was doing. And he said, he said, I'm on
the exit ramp on my way home. That's that's it. Believers are
blessed in their dying as I said no matter where No matter how
no matter when Believers are blessed Job spoke of it this
way. I know that my Redeemer liveth
and That he shall stand at the latter end upon the earth and
though after my skin worms destroy this body Yet in my flesh shall
I see God whom I shall see for myself Paul said, I know whom
I believe. And I know that he's able to
keep what I've committed to him against that day. Turn over to
second Timothy chapter four, second Timothy four. And remember who's writing and
in what circumstances he's writing. This is the last chapter of the
last epistle of Paul's inspired writings. He's about to leave
this world and he knows it. He said my time's up. My time's
up. Now watch how he speaks of it.
2 Timothy 4 verse 6. I am now ready to be offered
and the time of my departure is at hand. I'll get done writing
this by the time the inks dry, Timothy, I'll be gone. Now listen
to how he speaks. He's looking eternity in the
face. There he's looking God in his
holiness in the face. This is what he says, I fought
a good fight. I fought a good fight. I finished
my course. Well, man, that sounds arrogant,
doesn't it? Who would ever say such a thing? The fellow who
can say this, I've kept the faith. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord. This is the patience of the saint. These have kept
the faith. Paul says, I've kept the faith.
I've kept the faith. I'm leaving here like I began
many years ago on the Damascus Road, believing the Son of God. I fought a good fight. I finished
my course. I've kept the faith. Henceforth,
henceforth, there is laid up for me A crown of righteousness. Oh, let's talk about those crowns.
Let's talk about those crowns. Everybody wants to talk about
what they what crowns they're going to have in heaven. Oh,
we're going to we're going to strut in heaven with our crowns
because we've done so good on this earth. Oh, oh, what blasphemy. Oh, no. Watch what it says. Henceforth,
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge. A crown of righteousness which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. But that's not all he says. Read
the next line. And not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearance. Crown of righteousness. He's
laid up for me. It's a crown of righteousness that shall be
given to me righteously by the Lord himself, because I fought
a good fight. I finished my course. Yes, I've
kept the faith. I've kept the faith. Oh, what
a blessed way to die. And this crown of righteousness,
he shall give to every one of you who kept the faith. I said,
Susan, Shelby, and Denise, and I've never heard, well, I've
heard Shelby preach a few times, but the rest of them, I've never
heard preached to. Well, surely, surely that aged
missionary coming home from the field down there in New Guinea
next year, Brother Heller, oh, what crowns he's going to have.
Same one she'll have. Same one she'll have. Same one
she'll have. How come? The Lord, the righteous
judge, gives it to all to whom he gives faith. David and Stephen
were blessed in the experience of death. David said, although
my house be not so with God. Back in the office, we had a
good time of worship before we came out here for the wrecks.
Prayed as only a father can for sons and daughters, and we weep
for them. We weep for them. Weep for them. I weep for yours. They're my children, too, you
know. But when it comes time to leave,
we'll leave this world with satisfaction. Although my house be not so with
God, yet the Lord hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered
in all things and sure. And that's all I want. This is all my salvation, all
my desire. I only want what God's ordained
in reality. I only want what God has purposed. In reality, Stephen, when he
was stoned to death, said, I see the Son of Man standing at the
right hand of God. And he kneeled down and said,
Lord, receive my spirit. Indeed, every sinner saved by
grace shall be blessed of God in the event of death. For to
be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and
God's saints. are forever blessed after they
die from henceforth. From henceforth, we know that
if earth and the house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we
have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. Once we've left this world, We
will leave forever behind us every remnant and every evil
consequence of sin. I said to the folks this morning.
Charlotte Lawson. Is now forever. Without seeing. Without sorrow. Without weeping. without regret. Now, that's the one that's hard
for us. No regrets. Imagine that. David Burge, I
can't think of a hour without regrets. And I look back over my life,
oh, my soul, what regrets I have. How I wish I had done things
different. how I wish I hadn't done this or said that or been
there or done that. But soon, for the cost to be
no regrets of any kind, then we shall understand our infinitely
wise God in his infinite goodness and grace has arranged all our
regrets. All that breaks our hearts here,
by which he continually drives us to his son, he's arranged
it all to bring us at last an everlasting union with his son
in the sweet enjoyment of blessedness. As I told you Sunday, Shelby
and I knew Charlotte, her husband, Ed, for a long time. I've known
him 34, 35 years. Met him just a little while before
I came down here. They had a great life, had a
great life together. She was a consummate lady. I
remember once we called him on the spur of the moment. Shelby
and I were talking about it just a few minutes ago. And we're getting close to Chattanooga,
and I didn't know whether I'd have time to stop or not. And
I said, we can go out for supper. So we called and said, yeah,
we can meet you in 15 minutes. So they came down the mountain
and met us. We had supper together. She was
talking to Charlotte and said, how did you get dressed so quick?
She said, oh, honey, I get up in the morning and get dressed
like this every day. You never know when somebody's going to
come. You never know when you have to go out. I do this every
day. And that's how she lived. I don't recall until after Ed's
death ever seeing one without the other. Always together. Always
together. But now they love each other like they never imagined loving
each other. Not as husband and wife. No,
that relationship doesn't matter anymore. Doesn't matter anymore. Love each other perfectly. as
they love the Redeemer and all the redeemed perfectly being
wed to him. Once we drop this robe of flesh,
we shall rest from our labors. They shall rest from their labors.
What does that mean? It doesn't mean that we won't
serve God in eternity. I'm just guessing about this.
You can take it for what it's worth. It's just my guess. When
God makes all things new and this world has been created new,
I suspect we will spend eternity much like we spend time on this
earth right now, only without sin. Serving our God, but serving
him perfectly, perfectly. and without labor, without toil. I can't express adequately what
joy it gives me to preach the gospel of God's grace. I travel as far as I can possibly
travel. I will do with as little sleep
as I can. I'll make whatever sacrifices necessary, preach
the gospel wherever God gives an opportunity. I count it a
joy, but it's labor and I'm tired. I'm tired. I get done on Sunday
night, I'm exhausted. I'm flat exhausted. I tell some of the men back in
the office, the night before I preach, I don't sleep, I go
over my message a thousand times, wake up every few minutes, gotta
add this or take that away or change that to labor. But then in the service of heaven's
glory, no toil, no labor, no strain. There'll be no ignorant
ones to teach, no erring ones to rebuke, no despondency to
comfort, no weakness to strengthen. No error to oppose. No needy
ones to help. No enemies to engage. No fences
to mend. No strife to heal. No sick ones
to visit. No bereaved ones to console.
No straying ones to correct. No sinners to convert. No tears
to dry. They shall rest from their labors. They shall rest from their labors,
but their works do follow them. Their works do follow them. What? Not their works go before them
to prepare a place for them. Not they carry their works with
them. The wicked will. When they leave
this world, they say, Lord, Lord, have we not? Lord, look at all
we've done for you. Oh, how we've served Jesus all
our life. Read Matthew 25. Not to say,
when did we do that? What did we ever do for you?
When did we see you naked and clothe you or hungry and feed
you or weary and comfort you or give you anything? When did we do anything for you? What have you done for Christ?
What have you done for it? No. We know our righteousnesses and
our best deeds are filthy rags. Every believer understands that.
But Brother John, if that's the case, there are not many believers
in this world. There are not many believers in this world.
Believers understand we've earned nothing from God. Nothing. Nothing. But their works follow them.
Their works follow them for the everlasting praise of God, so
that when the believer enters into glory, that which is the
fruit of their lives on this earth follows them to glory. Whatever God's pleased to do
for those sons and daughters for whom you pray, as God's pleased
to have mercy on them, You've pleaded with them and prayed
for them and taught them. And now God takes them to glory
behind you. Their works follow them. Pastor's
life is spent toiling in the gospel, and God uses them according
to his purpose for the gathering of his people, for the consolation
of his people, and their works follow them. I couldn't help but to think
last night and today listening to people describe this woman's
influence on them. Their works follow them. Their
works follow them. Follow them to glory for the
praise of Christ and His glory. Our works follow us to glory
for God's praise. Multitudes who never were allowed
to meet face-to-face on this earth, will follow humble saints
into heaven who faithfully serve Christ, spreading his gospel,
but never thought they did anything of usefulness to anyone. Now you take that disc and give
somebody a, take that and listen to it. You mail a bulletin article
to somebody, Here's something that might help you. And you
never hear from them. You never hear from them. I met
a lady today. She said we met. I don't remember.
In fact, years ago, Grace for Today was first published. Charlotte
gave her a copy of it. And she ordered one for each
of her children. And she took me by the hand today when I got
in the truck. She said, I want you to know I read your Grace
for Today every day of my life. How come? Because somebody thought
to give it to her. I thought to give it to him. Reckon what
we will see in glory of what God has been pleased
to do with such worthless vessels as me and you. Blessed are the dead that die
in Christ, for they are with him now. The glories, they now
in heaven, no mortal here can know. Soon as the ransomed soul
is freed from this poor mortal frame, before we know its goal,
it is with Christ praising his name. Faith tries, but here cannot
quite see the things God has prepared for those he chose,
redeemed, and called. who now in heaven appear. We'll
now rejoice, this much to know. They are completely blessed,
freed from all sorrow, pain, and sin. With Jesus Christ they
rest. Our friends, their Savior fully
see, and all his glory share. Let us be followers of the Lamb,
and soon we'll join them there. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord. Amen.