A Sermon for Dying Believers

Q: What does the Bible say about dying believers?

The Bible assures dying believers of their eternal hope in Christ, highlighting that death is not the end but a transition to eternal life. The Bible speaks extensively about dying believers, reassuring them of their hope in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:1, Paul emphasizes that while our earthly bodies may perish, we have a building from God, eternal in the heavens. This promise is central to the comfort provided to believers facing death, showcasing that their life, though frail and temporary, is preserved in the eternal plans of God. The assurance is that when a believer dies, they are not facing oblivion but an immediate presence with the Lord, as Paul states, 'We are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord' (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Q: How do we know that God has a plan for our death?

God has a sovereign plan for every believer's life and death, ensuring that nothing happens outside of His decree. The certainty of God's plan concerning death is rooted in His sovereignty and providence. As Henry Mahan notes in this sermon, believers can trust that their lives and deaths are entirely in God's hands. Scriptures affirm this belief, particularly in passages such as Job 14:5, where it indicates that the days of a man are determined by the Lord. This means that not only is our physical death predetermined, but the very manner of our passing and its timing are orchestrated by God to fulfill His purposes. Such knowledge provides a profound comfort and assurance for believers, knowing their times are secure in the hands of a loving and sovereign God.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand the temporary nature of life?

Understanding the transient nature of life helps Christians focus on eternal truths and cultivate faith amidst trials. For Christians, recognizing the temporary nature of life deepens their understanding of their eternal destination and encourages a perspective focused on spiritual realities. Paul instructs believers in 2 Corinthians 4:18 to look not at the things which are seen, but at those which are not seen, emphasizing that the temporal sufferings of this life are working toward an eternal glory. This perspective shifts the focus from the immediate afflictions to the irrevocable promises of God that await believers. As life's circumstances unfold, varying from trial to trial, embracing the truth of life’s temporality helps believers prioritize their relationship with Christ and the hope of eternal joy over earthly struggles.

Q: What are the age-old questions that dying believers must confront?

Dying believers must confront fundamental questions about life, death, and their relationship with God and Christ. In the sermon, several age-old questions are addressed that dying believers must confront: What is your life? If a man dies, will he live again? Where is he after death? How can a sinful man stand before a holy God? How are the dead raised? These critical inquiries point to the essence of salvation and the believer's hope in Christ. Job, amidst his suffering, posed similar questions, ultimately recognizing his assurance in the Redeemer (Job 19:25). The answers to these questions lie solely in the person of Jesus Christ, who assures believers of resurrection and eternal life, thus offering them significant comfort in the face of death.

Q: How does the hope of resurrection comfort dying believers?

The hope of resurrection assures dying believers of a future glorious existence with Christ, alleviating fears around death. For dying believers, the hope of resurrection serves as a foundational comfort that alleviates the fear surrounding death. Paul articulates this hope in Romans 8:11, assuring believers that the Spirit of God will raise them from the dead. This doctrine emphasizes that death is not the end but a gateway into a glorious eternal existence with Christ. This belief stands in stark contrast with those who do not possess such hope, leaving them without assurance in facing death. Thus, the resurrection becomes the linchpin of Christian faith, reinforcing a promise of victory over death and an everlasting relationship with God, motivating believers to endure trials with confidence.

Now, I call this message tonight a sermon for dying believers. That means it's for every believer
who's here, young or old, because all are dying. You might pick out someone in
the congregation who is a great deal older than you, and think,
well, that person will die before I do. But that's been proven
wrong here lately, hasn't it? And then you just might pick
out someone in the congregation who is sicker than you are, much
more frail, and has been expected to die. And you say, well, that
one will die before I will too. But my, hasn't that been proved
wrong? Richard Baxter said it as well
as anyone has ever said it, and I've quoted this phrase, I suppose, as much as
any single phrase. I preach as one who may never
preach again. I preach as a dying man to dying
men. I thought when Brother John Flanagan
was standing here reading a few moments ago from 2 Corinthians
5, one day John will read here for
the last time. And this may be the reading,
John. And one day I'll preach for the
last time. And this just may be the message. But I thought before I came to
church this evening, I'm willing for this to be the message because
I'm going to speak concerning the things I really, truly, sincerely,
confidently believe about dying. And there's nothing wrong with
talking that way. Job said that. He said, when
a few years are come, or a few months or a few days, I shall
go. I shall go. The way from which
I shall not return, I shall go." Oh, that God would teach us,
David said, how frail we are. Oh, that I might know how frail
I am. Just a piece of food in the windpipe
can end your life. with just a breath away, just
a beat of the heart, how can a harp with so many strings stay
in tune as long as it does? That we may learn, David said
again, to number our days, that we may have less concern for
the mundane. Don't you wish we did? and apply our hearts to wisdom. But now I entitled the message,
A Sermon for Dying Believers, because I don't have any words
of comfort for an unbeliever. I don't profess to. I don't have
any words of support. I don't have any words of hope
for anybody here who does not Love, trust, believe and rest
in Jesus Christ. I don't have any hope for you,
any comfort, any support whatsoever. There is none. I was sitting in my study a few
months ago and someone called me. I can't tell you who it is
because I don't remember. But this person knew me and knew
that that my son Robbie was killed in Vietnam when he was 21 years
of age. And she evidently was impressed
by the fact that I preached his funeral and impressed by the
strength that Doris and other members of the family and this
congregation and I demonstrated in that most, most, most difficult
time. She was impressed, so she called
me. And she said this to me on the phone. She said, I know your
son was killed, and I was impressed with the way you were able to
handle it and to come out of it. Well, I have a sister who
has recently lost her 20-year-old son, and I want you to get in
touch with her. Maybe you can help her. Now what
do you do? I know immediately sentiment
takes hold of you and emotionalism. You say, Brother Man, run down
there and comfort her. Brother Mahan can't help her. Brother Mahan couldn't help Mother
Mahan. I can't help her, you can't.
Our help is in Christ, and if you don't have Christ, you don't
have any help. You see what I'm saying? This
is not mechanics. This is not a positive mental
attitude. This is not something you pass
on to someone else. This is not a recipe for rest. Rest is in a person and knowing
him. Rest and comfort and peace is
knowing who's in charge, isn't that right? Who's on the throne?
Who's running this outfit? Who's we are? Those who do not know Christ,
the Bible says they're without help, they're without hope, they're
without God, they're without Christ in this world. They're
without support, they're without foundation. This dear woman who
lost this dear boy without Christ, The bottom fell out. She's got
nowhere to land. She's got nowhere to stand. You
see what I'm saying? And for me to put a fleshly foundation
under there would do nothing but for five minutes give her
a temporary support, and then when I left I'd pull it out. You see, these five questions
that I asked at Miss Green's memorial service yesterday, And
when I walked out the door, our dear friend, the funeral director,
Mr. Miller, who does such a good
job, he stopped me out there and he said, those are the questions. Those are the questions. And
I said to him, yes, sir, Chip, they always have been and they
are now. What are those five questions? Five basic age-old
questions. What is your life? What is your
life? Well, it's nothing without Christ. If a man dies, shall he live
again? Yes, he'll live again, but without Christ, he'll live
in hell. A man dies, where is he? He's
standing before a holy God, that's where he is. The body returns
to the dust from which it came, and the soul to a holy God. Which
raises the fourth question, how can a sinful dying man stand
before a perfectly holy God? Without Christ he can't. He'd
be banished forever. He'd be burned to a cinder. And the fifth question, How are
the dead raised? They are raised by the power
of the Son of God who is able to raise my vile body and make
it like his own precious body. So see, without Christ you don't
have any answers. I mean, you don't have any answers
at all. Those, like Chip said, those are the questions. And
they are the questions. They are the age-old questions.
You see, Job asked those questions in Job's oldest book in the Bible.
The first man to ever do any talking in prayer was Job. And
those are the things he asked. And the answer was found when
he contemplating dying himself, he said, I know that my Redeemer
liveth. This is back before Moses ever
wrote. I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that he'll stand on this earth. And though after my skin,
worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh, I'm going to see
my God, my Redeemer. You see, there's help and hope
for a believer. I don't have anything. Somebody
says we have something for everybody. I don't. I've got something for those
that believe this book. I've got some rich, measureless,
unspeakable, unsearchable treasures for those that believe God. or
some words of comfort and hope for the believer. So let's open
our Bibles to 2 Corinthians 5, the scripture that Brother John
read. And you know, as we often do, and as we have to do to get
the true meaning of the text, we have to go back to the preceding
chapter. Back to chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians. Chapter 4, and
verse 17 and 18. It tells us that two things,
now if you get this, try to get a hold of this, whatever tomorrow
holds. I don't know what tomorrow holds,
but get these two things, I know who holds tomorrow. If you want
any help, if the believer, and the believer is a child, it has
to be taught, The Lord said he gave us prophets
and apostles and pastors and teachers and missionaries to
teach us that we might not be carried about with every wind
of doctrine, shifting around here and there by every voice
that comes our way. So believers have to be taught,
but whatever tomorrow holds, learn these two things. Number
one, verse 17, for our life affliction, you pointed this out yesterday.
How in the world can you call what I'm going through, preacher,
light? I know some of you are going, I tell you, the weight,
the burden is so heavy, you just sometimes feel like it's too
heavy, don't you? And here Paul calls it light,
light affliction. Well, compared to Christ's suffering
for us, it's very light. Compared to what He, suffered
to redeem us, it's insignificant. Isn't that true? It's a light
affliction compared to what he bore for us. We've never resisted
under blood. Nobody here has ever shed a drop
of blood in defense of the gospel. We've never spent a night in
jail in defense of the gospel. Most of us have never missed
a meal. That's obvious. That's right,
we haven't suffered, no. It's a light affliction compared
to what he suffered for. And then it's a light affliction
compared to the glory that's going to be revealed in us. Isn't
that what he said in Romans 8? You ain't seen nothing yet. The
glory that God is going to bestow upon us, the unspeakable glory
of God, I tell you, when you walk into His presence and behold
His glory and participate in His splendor, you're not even
going to remember or think about what you had to go through down
here. It won't be a thing. Alright,
watch this. For our life affliction is but for a moment. And it's
working, working, working. This life affliction, these troubles
and trials are working. They're working. Who are they
working on? They're working on us. They worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." In other words, all
these things work together for our good. That's right. When Joseph's brethren, when
his brethren stood in front of him, and those fellows had put
him through the mill, my, they were responsible for, they were
responsible for so much suffering on the part of Joseph. How he
suffered. slavery, scandal, everything. And when they stood before him,
this is the way he summed up all that had happened to him
because of their wickedness. He said, you meant it for evil,
but God meant it for good. And knowing, Joseph, that all
of these things are but second causes and God is the first cause
to give him the strength and joy even to forgive them. He
said it's alright. So that's what he's saying here.
Our life affliction, our troubles and trials and burdens and sicknesses
and death and all these things are working together for our
eternal glory. And God's the author of them.
God's the first cause of all things. Nothing absolutely. good
or bad, great or small, good or evil, nothing happens in the
life of a believer that's not ordered in the directive or permissive
will of the Heavenly Father. That's exactly right. And then
the second thing to remember is this, while, verse 18, we
look not at the things which are seen, quit looking at those
things. Quit dwelling upon those things.
Those things are all temporary. They're temporal. Everything
we touch and see is temporary. These things are temporary. That's
right. That's what Mrs. Bonar wrote in this song. Let
me read a few verses of it to you here. Mrs. Bonar, the wife
of the great preacher. He was dying. Mr. Bonar was in
the room dying. Her dear beloved, dearly beloved
husband with whom she had lived these years. God was taking him
away. He was dying and she was sitting
in the parlor writing a song. And she wrote, Fade, fade, each
earthly joy. That's what was happening, wasn't
it? He was her joy. He was her joy,
he was her comfort, he was her support, he was her help, physically,
materially. Fade, fade each earthly joy,
Jesus is mine. Break every tender tie of what
is happening, Jesus is mine. Dark is the wilderness, earth
has no resting place. Jesus alone can bless me, and
Jesus is mine. Farewell, ye dreams of night,
Jesus is mine. Lost in this dawning bright,
Jesus is mine. All that my soul has tried, and
how many things we've tried, left but a dismal void. But Jesus
has satisfied, and Jesus is mine. That's reality, you see. And
that's what Paul is saying here. Don't look at these things which
are seen. But look at the things which are not seen, verse 18.
For the things which are seen are temporal, they're temporary.
Fade, fade, each earthly joy. It's going to go. It's going
to go. but the things which are not
seen." What are the things that are not seen? What are they?
Justification, sanctification, redemption, righteousness, our
names in the book of life, our relationship with the Lord Jesus.
These are spiritual blessings which are not seen. Not seen
with the human eye, not seen with the naked eye, but they're
seen with the eyes of faith. So remember those two things,
and let this be established. Everything that comes my way,
my Father's in it. And it's working together for
my good, my eternal good, my eternal glory. Now remember that. And you'll be able to handle
it. I will too. I'll be able to handle it. And let's quit
dwelling so much on these things that are seen because they've
got to go. They've just got to go. I sit
in there in the study and I look around the room at empty chair here, or a chair
someone else is sitting there now. I look out here and I see
places where someone else is sitting, where a person's been,
and this is, it's just temporary. Even your family. But it's alright, we're going
to look at things which are unseen, and things which are eternal,
and that's our relationship with Christ. All right, now chapter
5. Here are about four things I
want you to look at. First of all, and Paul said,
for we know. He bases it on these two things.
Everything that comes in my life, God sends it for my good and
his glory. I'm not going to dwell on the
trials. I'm going to dwell on him who sends them, and remember
that they are only trials sent to prepare me for his glory,
and I'll look on things which are not seen. For we know, for
I know, what's this? I know this, I'm sure of this,
that it's my earthly house of this tabernacle." Earthly house?
What's Paul saying here? He's saying that this body is
not himself, that he dwells within a house. He lives in a house. He called this body a house in
which he lived. You know, I hear people say,
well, man's got a soul. No, he hasn't. No, he hasn't. Man doesn't have a soul. Man
is a soul. He has a body. The soul dwells
in this temporary dwelling place, in this house. This, we dwell,
this is an earthly house. He says, if our earthly house,
and he calls it an earthly house because that's where it came
from, it was made from the earth, and it's going back to the earth. There isn't anything in this
world that didn't come from the earth. Isn't that right? That automobile sitting out there
came from the earth. That's right. Everything in this
world came from the earth. Even you. Even this temporary
shack in which he lay came from the earth, and that's where she's
going back, every smidgen of it. Except one thing, the soul
that lived in it. You know what Paul's saying?
I know that it's this earthly house, and he calls it a tabernacle. He said, I know that it's this
earthly house of this tabernacle. You know the word tabernacle
is a tent. Actually, you know what he's
saying here? James says, what is your life? It's a vapor. What
is your life? It's a shadow, one of the prophets
said. Another said it's a flower, all
so temporary, so frail. And one of the prophets says
it's like a shepherd's tent. Tabernacles are tents. But our
lives are like a shepherd's tent. I've seen pictures of shepherd's
tents over in the Orient, over there in the Far Eastern countries.
They're not very stable. The shepherd out there on the
side of the hill where his sheep are grazing, he just puts up
a little old lean-to tent. Because he's not going to be
there long, he's moving out tomorrow. And he folds it up and moves
on. And that's the impression he's giving here. I know, I know,
Paul said, that this body is not myself, I'm temporarily living
in it, it's a tabernacle, a tent that will be dissolved, but I
know this, I have a building of God. Now here, watch this
comparison. I have a building, I don't have
another tent. I don't have another temporary
dwelling place, I've got a building. And that building being of God
is permanent, because what God does is forever. See, I have
a building. a building made by God, a permanent
dwelling place. Christ said, in my Father's house
are many mansions, dwelling places is what he's saying. The word
mansions is not a good word. Dwelling places, made by God. And I shall dwell, David said,
in the house of the Lord forever. Now watch this. He says it's
a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Let's
get what the Apostle is saying here. Paul said, not going back
to that other, you know what I said there, he said, I know.
I don't look on things which are seen, because this is all
temporary. I know that this tent, this frail
shepherd's tent, is going to be folded up, dissolved, and
put away. The soul returned to God. And
I'll have a building, not a temporary frail tent, but a building, a
building of God. Not made with hands, has nothing
to do with human genes and human planning and human doing, but
a building of God, eternal in the heaven. Now don't try to
figure out what sort of body we'll have prior to the resurrection. Because you can't do it. There's
literally, actually, I've searched, I've tread, I've tried, there's
no information. In other words, if I were to
die right now, just drop dead this moment as a believer, and
this body, it starts decaying the moment the soul leaves. There's
great changes take place the moment the soul leaves. This
body's gone. I'm no more affiliated with it, associated with it,
the soul's gone to God. Now what wrapping or what body
do they have? I can't say, but I can say this. Paul said he went to the third
heaven, and he said whether in the body or out of the body,
I don't know, but I was there. See what he said? In fact, what
he heard and what he experienced up there was so glorious, and
so godly, and so magnificent, he didn't even know whether he
had a body or not. He didn't even consider whether he had
a body or not. He doesn't even remember, he said. It was so,
this body was so insignificant. Time-wrapped, this so insignificant
affair, that he didn't even remember. But I do know this, I'll be road-dinging
clothed in the righteousness and glory of God. And look at
verse 3. If so be that being clothed,
I won't be found naked. I'll be in God's house. I'll
be in God's dwelling place, John. Now, I know this body's going
to be raised. I know it's going to be a new body. This martyr,
she'll put on immortality. This weakness, she'll put on
strength. This weak, strong, this sinful,
depraved body shall be like his body. But that's second blessing
compared to this blessing. Being in his presence, in his
house, in his holiness, in his glory, in his righteousness.
See what he said? Going to be with Christ. We'll
be in his house, we'll be clothed in his righteousness, his glory. Alright, let's look at verse
2. Now Paul's first statement, I know
this, that I live in a temporary arrangement. My lease might run
out any minute. God owns this building. It might
run out any moment. That's right. But I have a building.
I have a house reserved in heaven." That's his house, made by God. And in verse 2, for in this tent,
in this shepherd's lean-to, we groan, earnestly desiring to
be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. Paul wanted
to die. Did you know that? Yeah, he did. Paul wanted to die. Now I can understand why the
majority of you do not want to die. I can understand that. Turn
to Philippians 1 just a moment. I can understand that. I can
understand that. There are a lot of things involved.
There are a lot of things. You know we fear the unknown
no matter how strongly we may believe it. We have certain fears. But I think for the majority
of believers, the thing that holds them, us, is our relationship
with others. I think a lot in that direction,
though some of you do. Maybe we're not as important
as we think we are, but anyway, we feel like we are. We feel
like we have some duties and responsibilities. But Paul felt
that way. He said in Philippians 1.23,
I am in a strait betwixt the two. I've got two problems, two
desires. I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the
flesh is more needful for you. So if you're sitting there and
you say, well, brother, I don't want to die. I've got a wife
who I feel like needs me. I have children who need me.
responsibilities and so forth and people who need me, well
fine, that's what Paul said. You need me, that's what he said.
I'd like to go and be with Christ, but he said you need me. And
I know that. And for me to abide is more needful
for you. That's all right, don't feel
guilty about that. Don't feel guilty about that
at all. I tell you this, Paul writing here in 2 Corinthians
5, he's talking about perhaps, like some of us, the situation
we're in right now. This body's wearing out. The
trials are getting heavier. In this body, verse 2, look at
it again, we've grown. We've grown. This body gets old,
and this old house leaks. And it's, you know, I told her,
I said, you know a sign, a sure sign you're getting old? Here's
a sure sign. I went in the drugstore up here
at the corner to get some things. And I came out and got in the
car about half mad. She said, I said, you know something?
I said, I'm tired of walking up to the counter and those young
clerks, look at me and say, well, how are we today? I look around,
ain't but one of me. That's the way when you get old,
they talk to you. We want anything else? They do, believe me. When you
get old like you and gray-headed, they look at you and they talk,
we. It's always, how are we today?
Are we feeling good? And so forth. But this old body
groaning, and what Paul was looking forward to here was a new body.
Looking forward to a new body. He said for me to live is Christ
and to die is gain. When we die, we leave all pain,
all sickness, all death. We lay down every trial, every
burden. When we die, we leave all sin
and temptation. When we die, we go to be with
Him. Go to be with Him. And verse 4, listen to this.
For we that are in this tent do groan, being burdened. Now
it's not that we would be unclothed. We don't want to die for the
sake of dying. We don't want to just die to leave. We want
to die to gain. He said not that we would be
unclothed, that's not the object, but clothed upon that mortality
might be swathed up of life. Now watch this, let me move along.
Look at verse 5. Now, he that hath wrought us,
that word is prepared us. He that hath wrought us for the
selfsame thing is God. Paul knew thirdly that his life
and his death were in the hands of his Lord. Absolutely in the
hands of his Lord. He that hath prepared us. He
prepared us for this journey. He chose us. in Christ before the world began.
He gave us to Christ and sent our Lord to redeem us. He called
us like he did Abraham out of our idolatry and out of our darkness
by his spirit, the faith in him. He gave us his service to teach
us his word and to bring faith to our hearts. He opened our
eyes to the gospel and brought us to love him. He gave us a
hope of eternal life, and one day He's going to call us home,
and it'll be in His hands. The number of my months are with
the Lord. I believe that, my friends, I
believe so strongly, I don't even know how to say it, that
my bounds are set, the day of my death is determined even down
to the minute, the cause of it, the hour of it, by Almighty God's
eternal decree, and it cannot be changed. And you didn't talk
silly about me running in front of a truck or whatever. It's
decreed. Maybe that's the way I'm going
to die, running in front of a truck. But God has decreed it. He said,
which of you, by taking thought, can add one second to your life,
one year to your life? It's ordered of the Lord. Man's
days are determined. God said, I kill and I make alive.
and the instrument of death is already prepared. It's in his
hand. Now that doesn't frighten, that
encourages. In whose hand would you want
it to be? Your life and your death. Now
tell me, in whose hand? In his hand. You know one songwriter
said this, my times are in thy hands. And he's just not saying
that as a theological creed or belief. He says, my God, I want
them there. My time's in, I want them there. Now here's the fourth thing.
Now here, I want to get to this. Verse 8, we are confident. You know he uses that word twice?
Verse 6, look at verse 6. Therefore we are always confident. Confident. Knowing that while
we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord, for
we walk by faith, not by sight, we are confident. Now I'm going
to say some things here, and I'm not being cocky. I know we're to have a modesty
about us and a meekness and a humility. We better have. We better have. He said, sanctify
the Lord God in your heart and always be ready to give to every
man that asks you a reason for the hope that's in you with meekness
and fear. But my friends, I say with the
Apostle Paul, I am confident tonight. Confident. Not in myself. He wasn't confident
in himself. Not in my works. Not in my faithfulness. But I am confident in Christ.
I am confident in Christ. I know, I'm confident, I'm absolutely
confident that all spiritual blessings are in Jesus Christ.
I'm confident of that. I am confident that all spiritual
blessings are in Jesus Christ. I am confident that our hope
is in him only, and nowhere else. I am confident of that. I'm certain
of it, Mike, absolutely certain. Everything God has spiritually
for sinners is in his Son, Jesus Christ. I'm confident of that.
I'm confident that while we sojourn on this earth, in this body,
we are absent, Paul said, from the real redemptive glories and
inheritance in Jesus Christ. This is not it. That's it. As long as I'm in this flesh,
I'm absent from the real glory of Almighty God. And the only
way for me to get into that glory and participate in that glory
is to die. Isn't that right? That's what
he's saying. Read it again. Therefore, verse
6, we're confident always, knowing that while we're at home in this
body, we're absent from the glory of God. We're confident per se,
confident I say, and willing rather to be absent from, we're
confident of his promises and willing to be absent from this
body and to be present with the Lord. I'm confident that that's
what I believe, that's what I know, and that's where I want to be.
Confident. I'll put this gospel of God's
redeeming grace and the peace and joy that it gives to the
heart up against any so-called gospel or way that any man may
devise or present or come up with. I'm that confident in this
gospel. It's the gospel of peace. It's
the gospel of rest. It's the gospel of hope in Christ
Jesus. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed, and I'm persuaded he's able to keep that. I'm persuaded,
I'm confident that which I've committed to him. We're not just carrying on a religious show. We're not just trying to impress
someone else or impress God. But we're certainly confident
in Christ Jesus. Therefore, verse 9, here's the
life, wherefore, because of that, because of that desire and that
confidence in Christ, wherefore we endeavor that whether we're
present, whether we're in glory, or whether we're on this earth,
we endeavor to be accepted of him, in him, in him. to win Christ and be found in
Him. And notice this. The Apostle
Paul didn't say we labor to accept Him. We endeavor, and our one
desire is that we may be accepted of Him. Accepted in the Beloved. That's
where it is. It's in Christ. You can have
that confidence and rest and trust whether walking through this
earth under whatever struggles or burdens God might send your
way, that you can have a confidence and a good hope in Christ Jesus. I want Mike to sing a hymn. I
was going to read it, quote it, but I want him to sing it and
you to listen to the words while he sings it. And this will be
our benediction, our dismissal when Mike sings this. There is coming a day When no
heartache shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears
to dim the eye. All is peace forevermore.

A Sermon for Dying Believers

What does the Bible say about dying believers?

How do we know that God has a plan for our death?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the temporary nature of life?

What are the age-old questions that dying believers must confront?

How does the hope of resurrection comfort dying believers?

Sermon Transcript

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A Sermon for Dying Believers

What does the Bible say about dying believers?

How do we know that God has a plan for our death?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the temporary nature of life?

What are the age-old questions that dying believers must confront?

How does the hope of resurrection comfort dying believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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