Speaking this morning from the
Book of Psalms, Chapter 116, Psalm 116. Wednesday night, a week ago,
I preached in Ball, Louisiana,
Kitchens Creek Baptist Church. We had our opening service Wednesday
night of a planned five-day meeting. Brother Marvin Stoniker and his
wife Linda were there to sing and lead the singing, and I was
to provide the preaching. Well, I preached the gospel as
clearly as I am able to preach it. using the first chapter of
Ephesians, talking about the mighty, gracious work of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the redemption of sinners,
and emphasized in closing the message the importance of trusting
Christ, the importance of hearing the gospel, in whom you trusted
after you heard the word of truth, in whom you believed after you
were sealed of the Holy Spirit of promise. Well, there was a
young man there, a member of the congregation. His mother
and father are members of the church there, very dear friends
of mine. They've been here to the conference
several times. Roy, the father, always brings
us a box of tomatoes. The ladies will remember him.
He always brought a box of Louisiana tomatoes. for us to use in the
conference. That's the day. Tim was the son. He was 30 years
old. He's always in the services.
He comes every service. A good friend of the pastor,
a friend of the gospel. Well, Tim worshiped with us that
night, and then after the service was over, I was standing down
by the first to second pew on the right, and I looked around
and Tim came by. He was a tall, handsome young
man, red hair and a red beard, and he didn't say anything. He
wasn't a talkative person, but he reached out and slapped me
on the shoulder and grinned, and I watched him go up the aisle.
But none of us realized that that was the last time we'd ever
see that young man in this world. He went out the door and got
in his car and went to his house and spent the night. Early the
next morning he was going to another city to pick up his wife.
They were going to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.
She was visiting her mother and father. He had two children,
ages seven and nine. But on the way to get his wife
before daybreak on Thursday morning, nine hours after he patted me
on the shoulder, he was dead. killed instantly in a most unexplainable,
freakish automobile accident. Well, no words can express our
shock and grief and sorrow. Both of the mother and the father,
that's one of the difficulties of this business of being a pastor. When they call and say, go over
to the house, the state police are there. and they're telling
the mother and father their son's dead, and you're to go over and
say a few words. A wife and two children, brothers,
a twin brother. Well, the family's a family of
faith and a family of grace, and they know God, and they'll
survive. And they'll survive by his grace.
But on Saturday afternoon, The Father asked me if I would preach
Tim's funeral. On Saturday afternoon, we gathered
in a large chapel, almost as large as this church auditorium,
in Pineville, Louisiana, for what we call the memorial service.
And I chose to preach from Psalm 116. That was my scripture, that was
the text that I chose to use for that service. Everybody was
there, all of the relatives and friends and acquaintances and
citizens of Ball, Louisiana, not a large village or town. But I made some comments regarding
what we call funeral services. Now, that service, that Saturday
afternoon, and the services that we try to have here when God
is pleased to call away some of our people, but that service
was a tribute to a young man. Yes, it is. You gather at that
time to honor a beloved son. and a fine father and a beloved
husband and a dear brother and a dear friend. And you come because
you want to pay tribute. You want to pay your respects.
You want to remember his brief life. That's why you come. That's
why we gather together. I'm not for doing away with funeral
services. I'm for changing them. I'm growing more weary of our
traditional funeral customs. I don't know what to do about
it, if I'm able to do anything about it. But there's some paganism,
and some ritualism, and some ceremonialism, and some phoniness
and hypocrisy about the way we go about this business of death.
There's some things that need to be changed. But I do like,
I'm not particularly fond of this visitation thing where you
put the family through four hours of misery trying to talk to everybody
in town that comes by. Nobody knows what to say. Nobody
knows what to do. But these services, I'm highly
in favor of these memorial services. I think there's a time for us
to gather together. to pay our respects and our tribute
and honor to a person whom we love, who shared our lives, who
meant so much to us. But more than that, a service
of that nature is also a public acknowledgment of the hand of
God in all our ways. And that's what it ought to be
for. Our conduct in time of trial, our conduct in our conversation
and our behavior in time of sorrow and trial is important for the
glory of God. We acknowledge. That's why we're
here today. That's why we've come together
this morning. We gather here together not as a ritual, not
not to fulfill a duty, not to go through a ceremony. We're
here this morning to acknowledge something and someone. We're here to acknowledge the
wisdom and power of God. We're here to acknowledge the
person and purpose of our God. We're here to acknowledge the
providence of God in all things, in all our ways, in all our ways. The songwriter says, my times
are in his hand. My God, I want them there. I
don't want them anywhere else. I acknowledge the providence
of God. When this young man was driving down a four-lane highway
early in the morning, very few cars on the road, but on the
other side, coming this way, was a pickup truck pulling a
boat. And when the boat got almost
to him, the chain broke, or whatever the latch broke on that ball
that holds it. And that boat left the truck
and plunged down through the medium and sailed up into the
air and came through the windshield and like a spear went clear through
him. Explain that. One second this way, it missed
him. One second that way, it never
hit him. The only way you can explain
these things is one word, God. It's either all faith or all
God now. It's either all chance or all
God. Which is it? Well, for me it's all God. And
that boy's life and death and the timing of his death, during
that meeting, at that time, for that Saturday afternoon service,
his dad said, Brother Mahan, you preach today to everybody
I know. My family, my friends, my relatives,
my neighbors, and you preach Christ to them, and most of them
never heard it before. And Tim's death was the occasion
of that gathering. And Samson slew more Philistines
in his death than he ever did in his life. So a memorial service
is to acknowledge God, God's hand and God's purpose and God's
wisdom and God's providence in all things. Those who believe God call on
God at all times. Those who believe God do what
they do as unto the Lord. Those who believe God do what
they do as before the Lord, because he's the first cause of all things. Listen to this scripture. 2 Samuel 2, just listen to it.
Verse 6 and 7, the Lord killeth, the Lord maketh alive, me and may chafe against that and wince
and grit their teeth, but it's so. Somebody kills. Somebody makes a life. This universe is ruled by someone. The Lord bringeth down to the
grave. The Lord bringeth up. The Lord
maketh poor. The Lord maketh rich. The Lord
bringeth low, the Lord lifteth up, the Lord giveth, the Lord
taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord." My friends, we've
got to have that or nothing. Would you live by chance? Would
you live by blind faith? Would you go out this morning
and face a world over which God has no control, in which God
has no say-so? How can all things work together
for good to them who love God if God's not in control of all
things? God works them together. God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps on the
sea. He rides upon the storm. The
purposes of God will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud
may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Ye
fearful saints, fresh courage, take the clouds you so much dread,
are filled with mercy and will break with blessings on your
head. Some of you have experienced this. You've been in valleys
so dark and so lonely. And you felt like that you're
just going to die. But that very experience has
brought to pass some of your greatest joys in a few years. That's right. I wish we could
learn that down here, because every one of us can recite it
up here. Oh, that we may witness a good
confession when a good confession is needed. Or that we may witness
a good confession when it's needed. Not only in joy, but in sorrow.
Not only in prosperity, but adversity. Not only in sickness, but in
health. Not only in life, but in death. And David does in this
psalm, listen to him. Verse 1, Psalm 116, I love the
Lord. I love the Lord because he has
heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his
ear unto me, therefore will I call on him as long as I live. The
sorrows of death compassed me. The pains of hell got hold upon
me. I found trouble and sorrow."
I tell you, it's so difficult to come into a home. There are the state police cars
out there, and the state police are standing. You come in, they'll
sit the mob. whose beloved son was there just
nine hours ago. And there's a dad standing there,
you know, and he lives right there and the boy lives here,
and they all had a farm together, and they lived together and worked
together and fellowshiped together and worshiped together. And their hearts are devastated, just devastated. The sorrows
of death encompassed me, I found trouble and sorrow. Then called
I upon the name of the Lord, O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul." Where is the place to turn whenever you need help? To Him. To Him. Gracious is the Lord and righteous,
yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple.
Aren't you glad? I was brought low, and he helped
me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt
bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul
from death, mine eyes from tears, my feet from falling. I will
walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I will. I believe God, therefore have
I spoken." You know anybody else that used that? Paul used it. I believe, therefore I'm speaking.
I believe. I was greatly afflicted, and
I said in my haste, Oh, men of Lyra, I tell you, sometimes when the
flood tides and the clouds come upon us, we get angry. We fight
back. All men are liars, which is an
established truth. But that's not the point. God
is merciful. All men have not faith, but God
is faithful. We're not looking to the arm
of flesh anyway. Verse 12, What shall I render
unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? Well, I will take
the cup of salvation. What is that? Christ said, This
cup is the cup of mine. blood of the new covenant given
for the remission of your sin. I'll take it. I'll take the blood
of Christ. I'll take the body of Christ.
I'll take the sacrifice of my Lord. I'll take it, and I'll
call upon the name of the Lord. I'll pay my vows unto the Lord
now in the presence of all his people." That's not talking about
cash. Not talking about the time. That's not talking about guilt.
That's talking about praise. Talking about thanksgiving. That's
talking about sacrifices of prayer and praise. I'm going to, in
the presence of all the people, I'm going to acknowledge that
God is my God. That worthy is his name. He's
worthy to be praised. That's what I'm going to do.
Those are my vows, and I'm going to pay them in the midst and
presence of all the people. See, I'm not talking about offerings,
because you don't do that in the presence of all the people.
You do it right hand knowing not what the left hand does.
You do it quietly and silently. without fanfare or trumpet, but
not what God Almighty is worthy of. We pay that in the presence
of everybody. Let it be known that God is God, and where you
stand, let it be known. Verse 15, "...precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of his Satan." Now, I know, my friends, that
the But the promises of God are precious, because I read in the
Bible, it says, Oh, the exceeding great and precious promises of
God. I know his promises are precious.
And I know that faith indeed is precious. It's the gift of
God. It's called like precious faith. It's mighty precious. If you
have it, you certainly are grateful for it. It's precious to God, too. I
know the blood of Christ is precious. It's said in 1 Peter, we are
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. And I know that to those who
believe, Christ is precious. He is precious. I have that sign
in my study, one of my sons gave me. And to you that believe,
he's precious. Samuel said in those days the word of God was
precious. But it says here, precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Death. In other words, if one of you,
before you leave this service this morning, die, we're not
able to revive you, we're not able to help you, you die. And we call an ambulance and
they drive you away. We're supposed to say precious.
precious in the sight of the Lord, the death of his son. Well,
let's see, how do you handle that preacher? How did you handle
it down in Louisiana? Well, let me ask you a question
or two. Number one, what is death? What
is death? The doctor doesn't know a whole
lot about it. To the undertaker, it's a business. But if you'll turn to Romans
5, verse 12, Romans 5.12, I'll tell you what death is. One thing,
Romans 5.12, one thing, let this be established. Death, first of all, is the result
of sin. That's where it all came from.
S-I-N-C. It says here in Romans 5.12, By one man, sin entered this
world, and death by sin, or because of sin, death by sin. So death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned. That's where it came from. Before
Adam's sin, there was no death in this world, none at all. There was no physical death.
You see, when Adam sinned, and we're talking about two forms
of death here. We're talking about physical
death and spiritual death. God created man to live forever. God made man to live forever,
but man sinned, and the result was twofold death, spiritual
death and physical death. You see, when Adam was created
and placed in the garden, according to the Bible, in the image of
God, he was without sin. And he would have never died,
never gotten sick, he'd have never wept, he'd have never known
sorrow. Adam was a genius, perfect. But when Adam took that fruit,
God said he died. Now he didn't die physically,
because he lived 800 years, but he finally died. He finally died. But something immediately, right
then, happened to Adam, spiritually. because he walked with God prior
to this experience. After it, he hid from God. Prior
to this experience, he loved God. After this experience, he
feared God and hated Him. Prior to this experience, he
was naked and didn't even pay attention to it. After this experience,
he was shamed and tried to cover himself. Prior to this experience,
he loved Eve. After this experience, he's willing
for God to judge her and leave him alone. Prior to this experience, he
was a genius, having named all the animals. After this experience,
he was a fumbling, bumbling, fearful creature trying to hide
from a living God in a clump of bushes. Something happened. You explain it. But he died spiritually. But he also began to die physically. You see, death is not only because
of sin, but secondly, turn to Genesis 3.19, death is the end
of life on this earth. It is, it's the end of life on
this earth. You need not think of reincarnation,
there's no such thing, there's no truth. Paul said to die is
to be absent from the body. David said concerning his son
that died, he said he cannot come back to me. Job said regarding
death, I shall go the way from whence I shall not come back.
And God says of the life, it's the flower, the shadow, and so
forth, and when it dies, the place thereof shall know it no
more. It's over. Never more on this
earth. But here in Genesis 3, 19, it
says, God said to Adam, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread. till thou return to the ground,
for out of it wast thou taken, dust thou art, and in the dust
shalt thou return." Now, that's death. Death is the end of life
on this earth. And death is to enter into the
presence of God. That's right, into the presence
of God. Christ said to the thief on the cross, I'm not teaching,
and the Bible doesn't teach either, soul sleep. The body sleeps,
but the body returns to the dust from which it came and sleeps
in death. We lowered Tim's body in a hole
in the ground, and there was just a pine box down there to
receive a wooden coffin. How long do you think that's
going to last when the dirt's piled on it?
Four years, go back to the dust. The body returns to the dust
from which it came, the soul to God who gave it. You see,
I'm not a body. I have a body. I am a soul. People
say, I don't believe man has a soul. No, I don't either. I
believe he is a soul. I believe man has a body. That's
a dwelling place. I live in this house, and if
I drop dead right now of a heart attack, I don't have the same
eyes and ears and heart and liver and lungs and everything that
were here ten minutes ago. But I'm gone. Do you understand
that? I'm gone. So what makes these
eyes to see is me. What makes these ears to hear
is the person that dwells in the body, that gives life Everybody got upset over them
implanting an artificial heart. Don't get upset over that, ain't
no problem. The Bible just uses the heart
symbolically. This heart over here is no different
from a liver or a lung. They could invent an artificial
liver, fine with me. Artificial kidney, that's fine.
It may work, it may not work, but when I'm gone, I'm gone. The heart, when the Bible talks
about the heart, it's not talking about this organ here. We're
talking about the individual. God says your soul returns to
God. Christ said to the thief on the
cross, he said, today thou shalt be with me. You shall, not your
body, but you shall. And if our earthly house of this
tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building made of God, not made
with hands. Paul said, I desire to depart
and be with Christ. To be absent from the bodies,
to be present with the Lord. And then what is death? Well,
death, turn to Philippians 1. Death for the believer. Now listen
to me. And this is so difficult for
us to understand. Philippians 1. It's normal to
fear what you've never seen. It's normal to dread what you
do not fully understand. That's normal. I understand that.
I have many apprehensions and doubts. and fears regarding the
future. But if we can believe God, and
that's where it all rests, if we can believe him and we receive
the witness of men, well, the witness of God is greater. If
we can believe God, we can find rest. Death is gain. Paul said
here, listen, Philippians 1, 21, to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain. It's game. Think about it. In
this world you shall have tribulation, but to die is to have no more
tribulation. In this world you shall have
sin and sorrow, but to die is to have no more sin and sorrow.
In this world you shall have disappointments, misunderstandings, all these
things, but to die is to have no more. That's game. All game. For it says, God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death." No more death. No more sorrow. I just relived my own experience
when Robbie was killed, when we came and told Roy his son
was dead. And I watched him walk out across
that field. And I told that state policeman,
the pastor, I said, that man hurts from the top of his head
to the bottom of his feet. It's a hurt nobody can explain
but those who know it. You like that stuff? I'd be glad
to be rid of it. No more sorrow. No more sorrow. No more crying. No more pain. You enjoy pain? Why do you hold
to this life so hard? Do you enjoy pain? Do you enjoy
distress? Do you enjoy sorrow? Do you enjoy
bad news? God says death is gain, for the
former things are passed away. And he said, Behold, I make all
things new. We say we believe God. I sometimes
think if we really did, We'd be more like the Apostle Paul
when he said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I believe we'd be more like David
when he said, I'll be satisfied when I awake with his likeness. I believe we'd be more like the
Apostle who said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is far better. We, I've thought about this often.
For the benefit of little children and maybe a mother or father,
we would consider bringing a believer back to this earth. He's dead,
well let's revive him, let's bring him back. But for his sake,
let him go. Let him go. Help him go! For his sake. Don't do that. There's nothing here. More pain,
more sorrow, more trouble. Well, let's look at our text
again. Precious in the sight of the Lord. Now, that's death.
We're talking about death. It's the death of his saints.
Well, who are his saints? Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints. Well, let me tell you something
about this word, saints. They're not made saints by men.
I've been reading where they're trying to make that That cardinal
up in New York, a saint, they're trying to find some miracles
that were done because of his life or something. That's not
the way people, that's not the saints here. We're not made saints
by men, canonized by men. We're not made saints because
of our works. We're not made saints because
we're in a higher order of Christianity. That's ignorance. What are saints? They're sanctified by God the
Father. That's what Jude 1 says, isn't
it Cecil? Sanctified by God the Father. Sanctified means made
saints. By God the Father. God has chosen
us from the foundation of the world that we should be holy
saints. Secondly, they're sanctified
in Christ Jesus. That's what 1 Corinthians 1,
2 says, we're sanctified in Christ Jesus. You see, the obedience
of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, the blood of Christ
on our behalf makes us justified and makes us saints, sanctified. By one offering, he has perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Thirdly, we're called to be saints. That's 1 Corinthians 1, 2, and
also Romans 1, 7. Paul's writing to the church
at Rome, those who are called to be saints. called by the Holy
Ghost. Saints is just another word for
sons. I've heard people say, well,
I'm Christian and I ain't no saint. You know what they mean by that,
don't you? Well, I'm a Christian, I'm a
saint, too. I may be the weakest Christian,
but I'm still a saint. I may be the frailest Christian
and believer, may be the weakest faith, but I'm still a saint.
This is no Masonic Lodge, we don't have degrees here. I ain't
no 32nd degree Christian, sitting by a bunch of 1 degree. That's right, we're all perfect
in Christ, sanctified in Christ from the least to the greatest.
And actually the order is reversed. He that would be greatest among
you, let him be your servant. Let him come down off his high
horse. Let him wait tables. Let him sweep the floor. You
want to be greatest? God's greatest gifts are not
on these shelves up here, they're down here. That's exactly right. Saints, another word for son.
Well, I'm going to wind this up. It says precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of his saints. Why is their death precious? Well, let's look at a couple
of scriptures, Ephesians 2. Why is their death precious? Well, number one is our death
and glorification is going to manifest and magnify the riches
of his grace. Moses says, Lord, show me your
glory. He said, my glory is my goodness.
My glory is my goodness. And we're going to be the ones
to show to the universe his goodness, the riches of his grace. Look
at Ephesians 1, 7. That in the ages to come he might
show, show whom? The whole universe, the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
God's going to show off his trophies, and we're his trophies, trophies
of his grace. He's going to show us off. The
trope is in Christ. He loved us in Christ, chose
us in Christ, redeemed us in Christ, accepted us in Christ,
Christ loved us and gave himself for us. We're seated in Christ,
and all of this, from his purpose in eternity to the fulfillment
of it in glory, is to show the exceeding riches of his grace
that we should be to the praise of his glory. I don't know where people get
the idea that there are going to be degrees of glory.
We're going to be up in heaven, you know, and Paul and John and
James are going to occupy a special pedestal, and there's going to
be over here a little cabin in the corner of glory, like one
fellow said, that's all you sent up here to build it with. The glory is going to be his.
His! His glory! When Paul walks into
glory, everybody's not going to turn and say, hey, there's
Paul, get his autograph. I read about, you know, Paul,
no, sir, I'm sorry, no! When that old wretched sinner,
that blasphemer, that injurious, sorry Pharisee comes into heaven,
everybody's going to say, where is the lamb? He saved a wretch
like Paul. Where is the lamb? Where is the
land? We think like men. We think God
is altogether such a one as ourselves. Will there be any stars in my
crown? And the church across the street
was singing, No, not one. The second thing is this. Turn
to Romans 8. Romans chapter 8. Our glorification
was to show the riches of his grace. Do you know the expectation
of the new creation awaits your glorification, the resurrection
of his people? The new earth and new heaven
is waiting on the manifestation of God's sons. That's exactly
right. That's why it's precious in his
sight. When he takes the last one home,
I don't know who that's going to be, but there's going to be
a new heaven and new earth. Listen to Romans chapter 8. Verse
19, for the earnest expectation of the creature, now every junior
boy and girl here knows that's creation. The earnest expectation
of the creation waited for the manifestation of the sons of
God, waiting for our glorification. For the creation was made subject
to vanity, not willingly. but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption unto the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together unto now, and not only
they, but we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for what? Namely, the
redemption of our bodies. God's going to make new trees
that never die. He's going to make new men that
never die. He's going to make new mountains
that never erupt in volcanoes. He's going to make new streams
without pollution. He's going to make a new earth.
That's right, a new earth. New heavens and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness. Every fruit shall yield its tree,
shall yield its fruit in its season. That water shall be clear
as crystal, coming from the throne of God. We're going to walk on
a new earth. You say we're going to eat? The
Lord did after his resurrection. Yes, he did now, in his glorified
body. He told his disciples, he said,
touch me, handle me. A ghost doesn't have flesh and
bone. It may not have blood, says the
life of the flesh is in the blood, but the life of the new flesh
is in Christ. our life. But we have flesh and bone. Ain't
nothing wrong with this world if God takes sin out of it. But
he'd have to take us out of it too, wouldn't he? Ain't nothing
wrong with us if God takes sin out of us. That's right. We'd love each other like we
ought to, love God like we ought to, and live forever. Because
sin causes you to die. Death is the result of sin. So
the last enemy that shall be destroyed is what? Death. No more death. No more death. All right, here's the last thing
now. But why is the death of his saints
precious in his sight? Number one, our glorification
is going to show the riches of his grace. Secondly, the expectation
of the whole new creation is waiting on our death and glorification. It's all waiting on us. And thirdly,
the death and glorification of believers is the completion of
God's purpose. God chose us to be like Christ. So Almighty God's work in us
is not completed till we're like Christ, isn't that right? So
that's why it's precious. Our Lord Jesus said, I'll finish
the work you gave me to do. Now that's the precious hour
when it's all done. Some of you men have built houses,
you've built other things, you're working, laboring, finally you
finish it. or a cabinet you're building,
or a room you're redecorating, and you stand back and say, it's
finished. This is the glad hour. Well,
I'll tell you, it says in Philippians 3, or Philippians 1, 6, that
God will finish the work that he began. Being confident of
this one thing, that he who has begun a good work in you shall
finish it in the day of Christ Jesus. And that's why it's precious,
because that's when the work is finished. God's not through
with me yet. I hear everybody say, amen, thankful
for that. I'm thankful he ain't through
with you either. But he's going to make us like
Christ. You know that? And that's why our death is precious,
because that's when he's going to make us like Christ. We've
got to die. Got to die. The one verse, and
I'll quit. Turn to Jude 24. Jude 24. Now watch this. Jude 24, "...now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling, and to present you," that's why
it's precious, "...to present you faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy." Here he is. The Son says, here
he is, Father. You sent me after him. You sent
me to redeem him. You sent me to purchase him.
You sent me to save him. Here he is. I did it. To the only wise God, our Savior,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.