Our text is found in the book of Proverbs chapter 14, if you'd like to turn there. Proverbs chapter 14. Every time that we gather together to hear the good news of the gospel, how God saved his people from their sin, how God saved his elect. Every time we get together to hear about that, it's life and death. It's life and death. The reason why is that there's nothing but the blood of Christ that gives us hope in death. And that's what I've titled this message tonight, hope in death.

Let's read our text. Proverbs chapter 14, verse 26 to 35 says,

in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. In the multitude of people is the king's honor, but in the wall of people is the destruction of the prince. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. Sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his maker, but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death. Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding, but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. Righteousness is exalted, a nation. Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. The king's favor is toward a wise servant, but his wrath is against him that causes shame.

Here we have several contrasts again, but tonight I want to draw our attention to this verse, verse 32. And look at this. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness. but the righteous hath hope in his death. The righteous hath hope in his death.

Scripture tells us, it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. Do you know death is mentioned 346 times in the scripture? The Lord's mentioned it many times, it's a very serious matter because everyone's going to die sooner or later. If the Lord tarries, if he doesn't tarry, then we'll go as we read in 1 Corinthians 15, we'll go by the way of the sky, that'd be okay too, wouldn't it? But if the Lord tarries and then time continues on, because he tarries, our bodies will wither, they will decay, and they will go back to the dust from which they came. That's what the Lord told Adam in the garden in Eve, Genesis chapter three, from dust thou art and dust thou shall return. We're frail creatures of dust, that's all we are. And it's appointed that every man will die.

Why? Scripture's clear on that. The wages of sin is death and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We're sinners by nature, we're sinners by practice, we're sinners by choice. That's what we are.

So how can I have hope in death? How can I have hope in death? He said the righteous hath hope in his death. How can I have hope in death? What would be the cause of me having peace instead of dread when I lay my head on my pillow tonight? What would be the cause of me having peace?

You ever worried about death before? I certainly have. Thought about it. It's the unknown. It's inevitable, but it's also a mystery. What happens? Well, we know what the scripture says is gonna happen, but actually experiencing it's a very frightening thing.

So how can I have hope? How can I have hope in death? How can that which is born of a woman have peace with God? Peace with God? See, we're born enmity against God. We don't have peace with God. We're born declaring war on God. Did you know that? That's what the word enmity means. It means to, I forget the exact word, but we stand with our fist shaking to God. That's what we're doing. We're saying we are God. He's not God. That's what we're saying.

So how can that which is born of a woman have peace with God? How can I have hope in death? The only way that we can have any hope in death is in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his finished work, in his blood alone. Because that's the only thing whereby the Lord has said, when I see the blood, I will pass by you. The only way that we can have hope is if we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have been washed in his blood.

Have you ever witnessed death before? And I'm not going to be morbid tonight. I'm not trying to sound morbid, but have you ever witnessed death before? I have. It's, well, it's cold and it's dark and it's ugly. You know why? Because it's the result of our sin. It's the finality of the sin that we are. It's our final product that we produce. The end of all of our sin equals death. The end of all of it equals death. So how can I have hope? in death. This is life and death subject tonight, isn't it? It's a very weighty subject. And I hope by the time we get finished, I hope the Lord has comforted our hearts and we have hope in death. When we go home tonight, that we're able to lay our head on our pillow and rest in Christ alone. That's my hope.

How do we know we have hope in death? We can ask three questions. Have you seen yourself as but grass? Have you ever seen yourself as grass? Does that sound like a silly question? Maybe, to some, unless you knew the verse and chapter it come from and what the meaning of it is. Of course, people know what that means, don't we? Isaiah was told, well, turn with me there, Isaiah 40, we'll read it together. Have you seen yourself as grass? Look at verse one through eight, verse chapter 40 of Isaiah.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. Say your God speak comfortably to Israel and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received the Lord's hand double for her sin. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. And the voice said, cry. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodness, the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

How is it that the Lord says, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, tell them their grass? Does that make any sense to our physical brain whatsoever? Absolutely not. Why would it? Why would it? But why is it comforting to be reminded that your grass, well, grass doesn't boast in itself. Grass has no confidence in itself. Grass doesn't look to itself. Grass is dying. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that I am dying, that I am withering, that this life, what he said in James 4, 14, whereas you don't know what shall be on the morrow, but what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and vanisheth away. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that I'm a vapor. that this world's not my home, but that I'm a sinner that needs a savior. That's what the Lord's saying.

A grass can do nothing. If we're grass, we can do nothing to obtain salvation, can we? He's trying to show us how insignificant we are in and of ourself without Him doing something. He's saying, tell them they're grass, that they're withering, that they're dying, that they're incapable, and that they're unable to do anything to please me. I'm gonna have to do everything for them. Tell them that. Tell him that. But before you tell him that, tell him the first part, their warfare's been accomplished and I've given them double for their sins. Tell him that. That's what he's saying.

Have you seen yourself as grass? Because if you have, he also says your warfare's been accomplished and that he's given to you grace and mercy upon grace and mercy. Thank you, Lord, for reminding us that we are powerless, that we're born dying, completely dependent upon God.

He said, tell them they're vapors also. That's what James said. Life's a vapor. Life's just a vapor. You ever watch Boiling Water? Of course you have. I was fascinated with it as a kid. I don't know why, but it just would be there a second and go on the next. Where'd it go? And it's not as fascinating whenever you actually find out it just goes back into the atmosphere. We're vapors, we're vapors, we're fading.

I got flowers recently for my girls and they're fading. The day I brought them home was the prettiest they're ever gonna get. They started fading the next day, started fading the day after that, started fading more and more. Matter of fact, they're gonna fade away to dust eventually. And there's nothing I can do to stop that. Somebody said, well, you could do this or this, maybe freeze it or something. I don't know. Not to keep it alive. I couldn't do anything to keep it alive. If I do anything to it that's going to preserve it in that sense, it's going to be dead.

We're just grass brethren. Completely helpless and hopeless to change our sin before God. How can this be comforting to God's elect? How can it be comforting to hear that we're but grass, that we're as the flower of the field fading, that we're a vapor vanishing, and that we're dead dog sinners, and there's nothing we can do to change it. We're hopeless and helpless in and of ourselves because of this verse right here.

God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, while we were yet grass, Christ died for us. That's how you can have hope in death. That's how you can have hope in death. Scripture says this is a worthy, this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, to save sinners. Matter of fact, Matthew chapter one tells us, angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. He shall, he will try, he's going to save his people from their sin.

Tell them their grass, give them no hope in self, shut them up to God. Tell them their grass, show them what, tell them what they are. They have no hope in their self and shut them up to God.

Have you been made completely dependent upon God to save you? Have you been made completely dependent upon God to save you? Are you begging him alone for his righteousness, for his mercy, for his grace? Has he made all your hope in God's sovereignty? in God's choice in salvation. As you made all your hope God's isness in salvation.

Which brings us to our second question. Have you seen God as absolutely sovereign in salvation? First one was, you've seen yourself as grass. Second one is, have you seen God as absolutely sovereign? Now I'm not talking about he has the ability to be sovereign, but that he is sovereign. I'm not talking that he has the ability to have power. I'm saying he has all power. All power, all authority is given to him both in heaven and to earth and under the earth.

Have you seen the Lord's sovereignty and salvation that if he doesn't elect me, I won't be saved? If he doesn't save me, I won't be saved. If he doesn't call me, I'll never come to him, and if he doesn't keep me, I'll leave him. You seen that before?

All humans by nature can neither see themselves truly as they are or see God as he truly is. All human beings by nature cannot see themselves as they truly are, In their nature, they can't. Nor can they see God as He truly is. It takes the divine work of the eternal God by His grace alone to wake up a sinner to see God as sovereign and to see themselves the chief sinners. This is what draws the confession, have mercy on me, the sinner. Otherwise, we would never pray that.

Men cannot see that He's not just God, He's King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's Alpha and Omega in salvation. He's the first and the last. He's the beginning and the end of all things. By Him, all things were created, and without Him, there's nothing that is made. We can't see that by nature. We can't see the fact that He never changes. Scripture says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Can't see that in myself with these eyes. Can't see it. Can't see that he's the author and finisher of faith. But he said, I alone am God, and besides me there are none other. There is none other. He's the one that chooses who lives and who dies. He's the one that chooses unto eternal life, or leaves the rest to themselves. He's God. He's God. He has all power, both in heaven and earth.

And what did he tell Moses? He said, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and whom I will, I will harden. I'm God. That's what he's saying. He's not, you know, the mythical gods they have. Greek, I don't know if they still worship that stuff or not. I think most of them are Catholic now. But anyways. the mythical gods, and I'm not naming any of them because they're not gods, but they all had different powers and different abilities, but they were all still vulnerable. They all could still die. Our God cannot die. He's eternal from everlasting to everlasting. He never had a beginning and he's never going to have an end. And we can't believe that. That's unbelievable. Not unless God gives us faith, the gift of grace, to believe that.

Have we seen that God is absolutely sovereign? Absolutely sovereign. He purposes all things and they come to pass. Don't you love that? None can stay his hand and say unto him, what doest thou? He cannot be constrained or restrained, yet by his grace, he chose to elect a people unto eternal life. Creatures of dust, and to exalt them with the same glory that's in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does the scripture say? The sufferings of this present life is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in you. What glory is that? I and my father are one. I and you, you and me, I and my father are one. That's the glory. That's the glory.

He became a man to save those people that he elected. He came to die for those whom he loved, and he still loves. What a mystery. What a mystery.

To redeem him back to God. His infinite wisdom purposed him to save his people from their sin, caused it to come to pass. And in the fullness of time, that's exactly what happened. It came to pass. It came to pass.

How'd he do it? Well, by the sacrifice of himself on Calvary's tree. He was offered up as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. His very soul was made an offering for sin.

And God in the flesh, our precious Lord Jesus Christ, hung there naked before the world, before his father. And the father blacked out the universe so nobody could see what was going on. God was pouring out his eternal wrath upon his son when he had made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

He put away our sin, the sin of the elect, once and for all, having satisfied all God's demands. And when it was finished, we were justified. When we were justified, he said it is finished and bowed his head and gave up the ghost. He took our sin, put them away once and for all, never to be remembered again. Never ever to be remembered again.

We're no longer grass in his eyes. We're the very righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're no longer sinners in his eyes. were perfect and clean and holy and good.

In the flesh, no, not the flesh. The flesh still hates God, but the new man created in righteousness with a new nature that looks to God in all things, never taking his eyes off of God, this flesh can't do that. That's a new nature. By faith, that's what the gift is, by faith.

Brethren, now, the scripture says, are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be made like him, for we shall see him as he is.

We're the sons of God right now. We've been redeemed. We've been bought. We've been given faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been given repentance to see God is sovereign. over salvation and everything else.

We've been made to see God is, and we are not, that we are but grass, that we are but sinners, that we are vile, wretched creatures. We've been made to see that by repentance and faith. I am but grass, and you are the absolute sovereign and successful savior of your people.

That's what the confession is, it draws. This is our hope in death, that Christ died in our place, that Christ died in our place, making us the righteousness of God in him. What's your hope in death? Christ died in my place.

That he satisfied the law's demands, that he satisfied God's justice, that he satisfied everything required for me to be saved by grace alone. Christ accomplished it on the cross. That's my hope in death. That's my hope in death.

Which brings us to our final question. Has God shut you up to Christ? Has God shut you up to Christ? I don't mean has he showed you the stories in the Bible about Jesus.

A lot of people, if it's December, you know what that means. People get religious, everybody got their nativity sits. You gotta do God a favor, get your nativity set out. Those are graven images, by the way. Just thought I would throw that out there.

But here's the thing, brethren. Has God shut you up to Christ, to the Lord Jesus Christ? Has he stripped you of everything that you are in righteousness, everything that you've ever done, your good deeds and your bad deeds alike, and have you brought them to his feet by grace, by him giving you the ability, and said, Lord, nothing is good in me, nothing, it's all but dung, and cast them at his feet? I've got to have Christ. Has the Lord shut you up? to Jesus Christ. Has he made him the one thing needful?

I used to think people that came to service were busy, that didn't come to service were busy. They would come every once in a while. And over time, the Lord taught me, they just don't have the need that I have. I've got to be here. I've got to hear about the man that told me all things I ever did. Is that this not Christ? That's what the woman at the well said. Come see a man. This is where we drink. This is where we eat.

As God shut you up, as he shut me up to Christ alone, as all my wisdom, as all my righteousness, as all my salvation, as all my redemption, It's all my justification. It's all my sanctification. We can't get any of it wrong. Has he shut me up completely, left me completely empty, and filled me with his son? Has he made us see that only Christ can satisfy God? Has he made you desperate? A desperate, mercy-begging sinner?

Everyone that came to Christ that was a mercy-beggar Christ and no wise cast out, he said that, come unto me, all you that are labored and heavy laden, I will give you rest. So if you come to him, he'll know I just cast you out. You've made a mercy beggar, begging for his grace, his mercy, his salvation. Have you been made to know that the finished work of Christ and his precious blood is the only thing that will keep you from hearing these words, depart from me, I never knew you. Have you been made to believe that? It's his blood or it's gonna be depart from me. It's not his blood plus our good works. It's not his blood plus our lifestyle. It's not his blood plus water we do or don't do. It's his blood alone that's gonna keep us from hearing the words depart from me, I never knew you. That'll be the only thing. Nothing else will matter. Because he said, when I see the blood, I'll pass by you. Has he made you desperately need the blood? Desperately need the blood.

If God has indeed shuts us up to Christ, we can say with Paul of confidence, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? We have hope in death. Now I wanna turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that we read for our call to worship. In light of that, and then I wanna close by reading our text and elaborating on that.

1 Corinthians 15. Verse 50 through 58.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This is our hope in death right here. This is it. This is it. For this corruptible must put on incorruption. This mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." What does he mean right there? He's saying that there's no more sin, so there's no more death. The law has nothing to say against the elect of God. The sin's been taken away, that's what he's saying. Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Be steadfast, we're steadfast what We have it. We have the song we sing solid rock standing on the I can't remember where the name of it now but David said it like this, he's pulled me out of the mire, he's put my feet upon a rock, and he's established my going. He told Moses, I'm gonna put you on a rock and put you in the cleft of the rock. This is how the Lord causes us to be steadfast. We find ourselves standing on him by faith. That's what he's saying here. There's no more sin, therefore there's no more death. We're upon the solid rock.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. That's the song I was trying to think of.

Scripture says this, there is therefore now, and I like stopping every time I say that word now because I like it's right now. And it just ticked again, it's right now. And it ticked again, it's gonna be now forever and ever. There is right now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. If I'm in Christ, I have no condemnation. There's no sin to those that are in Christ.

Now go back and let's just close with Proverbs here. Proverbs chapter 14. And rather than reading all of these different verses, let's just read the one in closing. Verse 32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death.

How do I know if I have hope in death? How do I know if I have hope? Because there's somebody that's gonna listen to this and they've struggled with dying, they're afraid of it. How do I have hope? How can I have absolute peace? By looking to Christ, that's how. Don't look to yourself. Don't fear the unknown, look to Him. Look to Him.

Has God made us to see that we're grass, that we're a dying sinner, cannot do anything about it? Has he revealed by repentance that God is absolutely sovereign and demands justice, will not acquit the guilty? That he must choose to save or we won't be saved. And the last question was, and has he shut you up to Christ as your only hope for salvation? Has he shut you up to Christ? In order for you to be shut up to Christ, you have to be completely emptied. Do we see that? Completely made nothing, nothing in my hand, nothing about me good, completely emptied. It's literally agreeing with God against yourself. It's saying, no, I'm the enemy. And coming to Christ alone.

Has he shut you up to Christ, giving you faith to believe him, has made Christ unto you all your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? Has he made you plead for the blood alone, plead for his righteousness, plead for his life, his death, his burial, his resurrection, as your only hope of righteousness before the throne?

And brethren, I have good news. When you lay your head on your pillow tonight, You have hope in death. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave so that it cannot touch you. It cannot touch you. He said, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I'll go with you all the way even to the end. And to be absent from the body is to be present. with the Lord.

Brethren, we have hope in death, and that hope is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Father, if we do not hope in you alone, may this be the hour you cause us to hope and rest in you alone. Bless this to our understanding for your glory in Christ's name. Amen.