Physical Death

Good evening. We are starting a new unit tonight. This is unit 10. We started our theology series three years ago and we'll finish at the end of this year in December. So it'll be about three and a half years. So for the next five months we are going to be in eschatology. We'll have 20 lessons altogether and eschatology is a study of the last things. In other words, things that are not yet. For example, the return of Christ, right? The judgment, the new heavens and the new earth. If you look on the back of your sheet, the first seven lessons that we will be covering are things that are actually contained in our church confession, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith. These are the basics such as physical death and the intermediate state, the fate of the righteous, the fate of the wicked, the judgment day, all those things. However, beyond that, when we get to lesson number eight and going past that, we're digging even deeper. We'll be getting into some hermeneutics. We'll be getting into interpreting passages that relate to the last things and how various people interpret them differently, right? So it'll be a very fruitful study and starting tonight we're going to be looking at physical death. Physical death is something that we don't always think about with eschatology. Sometimes we see it in hamartiology, which we did back in, I guess it was October of 2024. It's been a while. Hamartiology is a study of sin. And when we studied sin, we had a whole lesson, I believe it was lesson number seven, on penalty, right? Penalty is what we deserve because of sin. And the penalty of sin is death. Right? So that's something that we covered then in germ form, if you will. We're going to be covering much in depth tonight going beyond that. The first three points will be similar to what we studied then, but in expanded form. And then the last five or six points are going to be going even beyond that and discussing death.

Death is something that is future for us. Everyone living here, we have a certain date that is coming, right? We are going to die. Every single one of us, it's appointed for a man to die once. And after this, the judgment. And it is so helpful as Christians to have a sound theology of death, to know what the Bible says about it, because it's something that impacts every one of our lives. Every one of us has probably already lost loved ones, right? I've lost my parents, lost my grandparents, lost uncles, lost friends. No one gets out unscathed, untouched by death, right? And the suffering that we go through in this life is the first fruits of that death. It's a manifestation of that death. So knowing what Scripture says about death and the hope that we have as Christians helps us to face it bravely, right? When we think about this Saturday, when we're going to have a celebration of life with Don Peche, you know, the angels are going to be in heaven worshiping. Don is going to be in heaven worshiping. Well, we're worshiping down here. And what a glorious sight that is, that we grieve, but not as those who have no hope, right? We grieve with hope. And that all starts with having a sound theology of death.

So let's begin with Bible point number one. Death results from the penalty of sin. In hamartiology, we learned that penalty is a necessary reaction of the holiness of God against sin. When we studied the nature and attributes of God three years ago, we looked at the fundamental attribute of God — His holiness, right?

To be holy means that God must punish sin and He must reward righteousness. He cannot not punish sin. That would violate His character. We talked then about a judge and we would say a judge is a horrible judge if he did not punish those who rape, those who pillage, those who stole, those who murdered, right? We wouldn't say, "Oh, he should be easy on them." No, a good judge must punish iniquity. And that's what penalty is. It's the necessary action of a holy God against sin.

Penalty is the vindication of the character of a lawgiver. In other words, because God is perfect purity and God is always true, He must punish lying, right? Because God is the author of life, He must punish the murderer, right? It's a vindication. It's not a vindictive God who's just out for retribution. It's vindicated. It's upholding His character because He is the highest good and He must uphold what is right. He must uphold His own character. The penalty of sin is death. That's the first blank. The penalty of sin is death. Death is described as punishment. It's the second blank. You'll find these references in Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12 and 17, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 15, and James 1:15. In fact, flip it on the back and let's look at those verses.

In Genesis 2:15 and 17, it says, "Then the Lord God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat it you shall surely die." Genesis 3:19, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for dust you are and to the dust you shall return." This is after the fall, right? And God's pronouncing His curse on mankind. He says, "You're dust and you're going to return to the dust because you have sinned. You've broken My covenant."

Romans 5:12 and 17. "Therefore, just as through one man," that's Adam, "sin entered the world and death through sin." See how death results from sin? Right? It's never... You can't understand death apart from sin, right? It makes no sense, except that it's the penalty of sin. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned." Adam was a federal head of humanity. So we're all born in Adam. He's our representative. We inherit our depraved, sinful tendencies from Adam, right? Because we're man and he's man.

"For if by one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ." Jesus is the second Adam, right? He perfectly obeyed. He never disobeyed God. And in Him, we have imputed righteousness. Just as in Adam we have imputed guilt, right? So just as sin entered the world through Adam, in Christ comes life, right? In grace. Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Then 1 Corinthians 15:21. "For since by man came death," by Man, capital M, meaning Christ, "by man also comes a resurrection of the dead," right? Christ is the firstborn from the dead. And if we are united to Him through faith, we receive His resurrection, right? We receive His righteousness, His defeat over death. And last, James 1:15. "Then when desire has been conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death." Again, death makes no sense apart from sin. We have to have it in connection with sin.

Death is described — let's go back to number one — death is described as an expression of divine anger and wrath. Wrath is the third blank. You'll find that in Psalm 90, the Psalm of Moses. Death is described as judgment. Judgment is the fourth blank, Romans 1:32.

I'll let you look at those on your own time, just because of time's sake tonight. Death is described as condemnation. This is the fifth blank, Romans 5:16.

Death is described as a curse. This is the sixth blank, Galatians 3:13. So death is always related to sin. It's described as punishment, judgment, curse, right? It's described as wrath and anger from God, because it's the reaction of a holy God against sin. Look at Ezekiel 18:20.

"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself. But the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." No innocent person has ever died except who? Christ. He laid down His life, right? And He took it again because He was innocent, because He was God of God. We all die because we're all sinners, and we all deserve that penalty, right?

Application. Should death be considered a natural part of life? Natural is a blank. You hear people sometimes say, "Oh, death is natural. It's part of the circle of life." Right? No, that's not exactly right. God intended Adam and Eve to thrive in the garden, right? He created them to have eternity there, created all things good, right? But then sin entered, right? And God had warned them. He says, "In the day you eat it, you shall surely die." Right? It's not a good thing. It's not natural. It is an enemy of us.

Yes, the question is, did Adam and Eve know what death is when He said, "You shall surely die," because man had not died before. Could they know this? You have to realize that man was created in the image of God. That includes his intelligence, being able to understand concepts, right? He could probably look, and there was death in vegetation in the garden, right? The seed, everything brings after its own kind, right? So that would be a parallel for them to understand that, because a seed doesn't give birth unless it goes down into the ground, right? So we have to trust that God created them in His image, and He would have given them understanding. It's not like He was speaking to people who didn't understand that concept, even though they had never seen human death, because they were the only two humans, right?

But point number two, death is both physical and spiritual. When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought forth both spiritual and physical death on themselves. In sin, man is corrupted both body and soul. Remember when we studied anthropology, we said that man is made with a dual nature, right? He is a body and a soul. He's made both a material part and an immaterial part. We can't see the soul, and those are meant to be in organic unity, right? Those two things come together. The body is not meant to be without the soul. That would be a zombie, right? And the soul is not meant to be without the body. That would be a ghost like you see in silly movies. Their body and soul were put together. God took the clay, the dust formed it, and then He breathed life into it. He breathed the soul into man. In sin, man is corrupted both body and soul. When Adam and Eve rebelled, they first died spiritually. Spiritually is the first blank. They hid themselves from God, Genesis 3:8. In spiritual death, they suffered the separation of their soul from God. God is the second blank. Spiritual death is a separation of the soul from God. And as soon as they sinned, they had that separation, right? They had to hide themselves because of their shame. They realized they were naked, right? And God comes to them. He says, "Where are you?"

He's not ignorant to their physical location. He's saying, "Where are you in relation to Me?" You've become estranged from Me. We're no longer in unity here. Sin has entered. You've become evil. You've become wicked, and I am holy, right? So spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God. They became separated from the true life of the soul, the very presence and favor of God. God cannot condone sin. He cannot look upon it with favor. He cannot bless it or else He would not be holy. This death includes all that pain of conscience, loss of peace, sorrow of spirit, which results from disturbing the normal relation between the soul and God. Do you know someone who isn't a Christian? We all do, right? Do they have peace with God? Do they have internal peace? No. You can't have peace with God except you'd be born again.

In the rebellion, they also brought physical death into the world. This included all that they began to suffer — the curse of pain and toil, Genesis 3:16 through 19. This included all those temporal evils and physical sufferings which result from disturbing the original harmony between body and soul, which is the working of death in us. When we get sick, that's the working of death in us, right? When people are born with disabilities, whether they be mental or physical disabilities, that traces all the way back to sin in the garden, right? Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and from the tree of life, Genesis 3:22 through 24. Man, created in the image of God, had immortality of soul, right? That's the way God created them. Now, lest he eat of it, he had immortality of body — he's expelled from the tree of life. We'll read that in just a second. Physical death now fell upon humanity as a penalty of sin. All people now experience physical — physical is the third blank — physical death. Every one of us experiences physical death.

Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Body is the fourth blank. So just as spiritual death is a separation of the soul from God, physical death is a separation of the soul from the body, right? The body goes into the ground, the soul lives, right? Flip over on the back.

Reference number two in the upper right-hand corner, Genesis 3:22 through 24. "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, man has become like one of us to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also the tree of life and eat and live forever, therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.'" The idea that's being proposed here is that man in a sinful condition — his sinful state, because sin affected not just his body but his soul, it twisted him — that if he were to reach out and eat of that tree of life, he'd be forever damned, right? He'd live forever in a state of exile from God, a soul being separated from God. So it's a merciful thing that God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden and in doing so placed His cherubim to protect them, right? Because He loved them and was going to redeem them through the Redeemer.

Flip back over. Actually, let's look at Acts here on the back, Acts 7:59 through 60.

This speaks of both body and soul with Stephen the martyr. "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God, saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' And he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." Fell asleep, of course, is the euphemism for dying. His body died, but to whom did he commit his spirit? Where did the spirit go? To heaven, exactly right. So physical death, separation of the soul from the body. Flip back over on the front. Look at Ecclesiastes 12:7. "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." Right? So sin brings about death, and death is not just spiritual, but it's physical, right? Spiritual death is a separation of the soul from God. Physical death is a separation of the soul from the body.

Application for number two, what is worse than physical death?

Spiritual death, exactly right. Who can quicken your soul? Who can make you alive spiritually? Who alone can do that? Amen. Christ Jesus, the Spirit of Christ quickens us, right? Through our faith in Christ Jesus.

By point number three, just as physical death is distinct from spiritual death, so too physical death is also distinct from the second — S-E-C-O-N-D, second, like first and then second — from the second, that's the first blank, second death, or eternal — eternal is the second blank — death. Sometimes the second death is also called everlasting death or eternal death. It's the same concept. The second death is eternal separation from God's favor and loving kindness. I have a four-year-old granddaughter. She is precious. My daughter and son-in-law are trying to teach her the things about the Lord, right? Just recently, they were telling her about heaven and hell, and it's hard to conceptualize for a four-year-old what hell is. And so they told her that hell is a very bad place away from the favor of God,

which is a good definition, right? It's bringing it down to a four-year-old's point of view. Well, the following week, she was watching the Lion King. And in the Lion King, there's a bad lion who gets thrown off the cliff, right? Well, my daughter got up in front of the TV and turned around to her family and said, "He is going to hell, a very bad place away from the favor of God."

It's great when a four-year-old starts to grasp and understand the things of the Bible, right? The second death is eternal separation from God's favor and loving kindness, right? You're in the full wrath of God, an eternal torment. Death begins here in this earth, but culminates hereafter for the wicked. Again, death begins here. It begins here through suffering, right? Through pain,

through our physical death, right? But it culminates in the second death. In the resurrection, body and soul are reunited for all men. Every single human being who dies, there will be a resurrection of their body and their soul will be united together with their body.

Then the judgment takes place, right? So resurrection is for everybody. For the unbeliever, this is eternal punishment. In other words, the second death is — their body, their soul is resurrected — but not for eternal favor and fellowship with God.

But instead, it's for eternal torment. For the unbeliever, this is eternal punishment. "Their part is a lake that burns with fire and brimstone," which is the second death, Revelation 21:8. This is but a continuance of spiritual death for all eternity. So it's the spiritual death that began in this life, right? And continues for all eternity, but intensified. It is a final misery of the reunited soul and body of the wicked. Eternal death is thus regarded as a culmination and completion — completion is the third blank for number three — completion of physical and spiritual death, right? It's physical and spiritual death completed and culminated and intensified because the body and the soul are reunited together in conscious torment.

By God's grace, believers escape this. We escape the second death in union with Christ. The just will "not be hurt by the second death," Revelation 2:11. While the unjust face "wrath to come," Matthew 3:7. The thrice holy God, who is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come, is not the God of the dead, but of the living, right? The righteous will experience everlasting life, fellowship, and blessing in the Son. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says, "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." That is what we call the second death. Flip over on the back. The story of the resurrection of Lazarus is one of the greatest stories in all of Scripture, especially when we're facing

losing a loved one, as Joe has faced, and losing Don. It's a sweet consolation to know that Christ cares, that He has provided and He has emptied the grave, right? Let's look at this. John chapter 11, 20 through 26. This is after Lazarus has died. "Then Martha, as soon as she heard Jesus was coming, went out to meet Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.'" She was a woman of faith, right? She believed in the Messiah. "Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise in the resurrection at the last day.'" She was quite the theologian. She knew right, right? She knew what Scripture says. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.'" In other words, if you live and believe in Christ, this body or outer shell, it's going to die. Yeah, but your soul's not. Your soul's going to go straight to heaven, right? What a glorious day that'll be. "Today you will be with Me in paradise" is what the criminal on the cross was told, right? And one day the body will be resurrected and then we'll have total joy there. Verse 26, "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Exactly right. And what was her response? "I believe that You are the Lord, right? You are the Son of the living God." She had that great confession from Martha. It is through faith in Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, that we will have resurrection and life. It's the hope of every believer.

Look also at John chapter 5:28 through 29. These are Jesus' words. "Do not marvel at this. For the hour is coming in which all who are in the grave will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation," the second death, right? Flip back over on the front.

The application for number three. What is worse — worse is the blank for the application for number three. What is worse than both physical and spiritual death? It's the second death, right? It's the culmination and completion of both physical and spiritual death, right? It is eternal death. It is the second death. Jesus says in Matthew 10, "Fear not him who can destroy the body," right? "Fear him who can destroy both the body and soul in hell," right? Because that is the death of both body and soul being destroyed perpetually in hell.

But point number four. Physical death is certain — certain is a blank — for all men, as long as the Lord tarries, right? Unless He comes back, physical death is certain.

We all know Benjamin Franklin. He didn't originate it, but he quoted it famously. I think it was in a letter in 1789. He says, "There are but two certainties in life, death and taxes," right? Everyone knows you're going to have to pay the tax man, and everyone knows we're going to die.

"Death is appointed to all men as a precursor of judgment," Hebrews 9:27. It's appointed for man once to die, and after this, the judgment. So judgment is the second blank.

"Death is therefore described as an enemy," 1 Corinthians 15:26. Enemy is the third blank.

"Death is used by the devil to enslave unbelievers through their fear" — fear is the fourth blank — of it. "Those who do not have the peace and hope of Jesus Christ, they live in dreadful fear of death. They're enslaved by that according to the Scriptures." Flip over on the back. Let's look at these.

Psalm 89:48. "What man can live and not see death?" That's a rhetorical question. "Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?"

Selah, no. You've probably followed. There's an

influencer, I think about 40. He's a multimillionaire, and he claims he wants to be the first person to live to 150, and he gets transfusions of blood from his son, and he spends hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions of dollars a year, on this health regimen. He does all kinds of crazy stuff, and they said this week that he actually has a disease, an autoimmune disease, and it's killing him. So here's a man that's made his reputation and devoted his life to living perpetually, and now he's got something he can't beat, just coming a little bit sooner than what he thought, because death comes for us all.

Look in Hebrews 9:27 through 28. "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, for those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation." Just as it's appointed for us to die once, Christ in identifying with us, He died. He had an appointment with death, but His death was not for Him. His death was for us, right, to pay our price. So when He comes a second time, that's the hope of the church. We'll be studying that in a few weeks. When Christ returns, He's going to translate us. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye — what a glorious day that will be. 1 Corinthians 15:26, "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." Death is an enemy, and it will be destroyed because of Christ.

Hebrews 2:14 through 15, "And as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself," Christ, "likewise shared in the same," He suffered and died in our stead, "that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death," that is, the devil, "and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage." Right? He's translated us out of the domain of darkness, from the domain of death into the domain of life because of His death for us, right? Flip back over on the front.

Application for number four, can man escape physical death? No. Can man escape judgment? No. Cannot escape physical death? Cannot escape judgment.

But point number five, God graciously rescues His people from the grave. Grave is the first blank.

There was an old song in the 80s, an early Christian song by a band named Petra called "The Grave Robber." And talking about Christ as the Grave Robber, right? He does away with the power of death and destroys the power of Sheol or the grave and death. "Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the last enemy is defeated." Defeated is the second blank. 1 Corinthians 15:55 through 56. "The devil and death are destroyed." Destroyed is the third blank. So the first blank is grave. Second blank is defeated. Third blank is destroyed. And we find death and devil being thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20:10 and 14. "And the tombs are emptied." Emptied is the fourth blank. We find — we just read in John chapter 5 — that the voice of God calls everyone forth out of the grave, right? The wicked to the condemnation of judgment, the righteous to everlasting life. Yes, we have first blank is grave. Second blank is defeated. Third blank is destroyed. The devil and death are destroyed. And the tombs are emptied. Let's look at those verses on the back. Flip over on the back.

1 Corinthians 15:54 through 56. "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your sting? Oh Hades,'" which means grave, "'where is your victory? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'" Christ perfectly kept the law, therefore He paid the penalty for our sin and He's robbed the grave, right? And death has no victory over us. Look at Romans 14:8 through 9. "For if we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we're the Lord's. For to this end, Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be the Lord both of the dead and the living." He's the Lord of us. We're living right now and He's the Lord of all those who have died because they're living in heaven, right? All those who are in Christ.

Look at Revelation 1:17 through 18. Now this is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. This is a picture of the exalted Christ in heaven. His hair is white, His eyes are fire, there's a sword coming out of His mouth — not Jesus gentle and lowly, it's Jesus as He would be in His return. It says, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead, but He laid His right hand on me saying, 'Do not be afraid, for I am the First and the Last.'" He's the Alpha and the Omega, He's the firstborn from the dead,

"and I am He who lives, who was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, amen, and I have the keys of Hades and of death." He has the keys of the grave, He has the keys of death in His hands. In other words, the devil doesn't control hell, the devil doesn't control the grave — it's in the very hand of Christ because He has life eternal, He gives to whomever He wishes. He is the one who holds those keys and no one can pry us out of His hands. Flip back to the front.

John 11:43. "Now when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.'" Lazarus say, "I know, maybe tomorrow." No, he came up out of the grave, right? And what Jesus said to Lazarus, one day He'll do to all of our bodies, right? What a glorious resurrection that will be.

Application. "Who has all authority" — authority is a blank — "over death and the grave?" Jesus, right? That's what Revelation 1 is all about. He has the keys over death and the grave. He has all authority. Upon His great commission, He says, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. Go make disciples of all nations."

By point number six, for all who are in Christ, physical death loses its penal — P-E-N-A-L, penal — its penalty, its penal aspect. If you commit a crime, you go into the penal system, right? It's the system of penalty. Loses its penal aspect and becomes entrance — entrance, as in entrance and an exit — becomes entrance into life eternal with God.

Christians don't die because of penalty anymore. Okay? Now, we just said that death makes no sense apart from penalty. Death came into the world because of the penalty of sin, right? But Christ paid all penalty for us, right? We don't have to say, "Well, we have to die because

Christ's death doesn't cover that." No. Christ's death removed all penalty from us. What does Romans 8 say? "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Okay? So for the Christian, the penal aspect of death is removed, and it becomes entrance into life eternal with God. It's actually something that the Christian — even though death is an enemy — God uses the enemy, right? It's just like in the Old Testament when Joseph confronts his brothers, "Brothers, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to bring about salvation," right?

Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." It's precious in His sight, right? He's not "Oh, I'm getting them. I'm punishing them." No, the death of the saints is precious in God's eyes. Because of our union with Christ, we will share — share is the third blank — share in His resurrection. In this hope — hope is the fourth blank — in this hope, Paul triumphantly wrote, "Oh, death, where's your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting?" And 2 Timothy 1:10, Paul exalts our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death. He kicked it out. He destroyed it. He abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, right? The gospel promises eternal life to all who trust in Christ the Savior. If you put your trust in Christ the Savior, you have been spiritually united to the one who has the keys to death and Hades in His hand, who is the principle of all life in and of Himself. The life of God dwells within Christ. He's firstborn from the dead, firstborn of the resurrection, right? Christ's eternal — eternal is the fifth blank for number six — Christ's eternal life carries with it all who are united to Him. His life is so powerful that because He's infinite in all He does, He can pour out His eternal life on every single believer and He still has more to go around, right? 2 Corinthians 5:8 says, "To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." Yes, we're going to die. This physical body is going to die, but we will not die. Our soul will go to be with the Lord immediately. Flip back over on the back.

This hope led Paul to say the most amazing thing here in Philippians, where this is his prison epistle. He thinks he could be executed at any time. And look what he says, "According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Whether I live or whether I'm executed later today, Christ is going to be magnified," Paul says. Verse 21, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." See, the worst thing they can do is they can chop my head off, right? I get a fresh ticket to heaven. I'm going to be in glory praising God.

Verse 22, "For if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit for my labor. Yet what I shall choose I cannot tell, for I am hard pressed between the two. Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful to you." He realizes God still has a purpose for him here in this life. But he says on the flip side, "If God wants to bring me home, I ain't arguing with God," right? I've told Toby before, "I love my family. I love my church. But if I ever see the chariot coming down, I'm taking off running," right? Because this is not our home, is it, right? We look for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, right? That's the hope of every Christian. Flip back over on the front.

Application for number six. How is death truly a homegoing — homegoing is the application for number six — homegoing for the believer. How's it a homegoing for the believer? Amen. We go to be with Him. I'm not a big fan of hardly any politician, but there is a politician who is a retired senator. His name is Ben Sasse. Have you ever seen anything on him recently?

I encourage you to Google him. In fact, Sola Media, which is a reformed outlet online — Ligonier, it's White Horse Inn, put out by Michael Horton, Westminster Seminary — they interviewed him today. Ben Sasse is a born again believer who back on December 18th was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer that had metastasized. They gave him 90 days. So far, he's made it more than 90 days. And from his lips, he is a man who's dying well. You look at him and he looks like he's got one foot in the grave already. But he is giving glory to God. In his interview today, he said, just as R.C. Sproul said, "I don't believe that there are any maverick molecules." He says, "I believe there's a purpose for this." This is a man who has three children. Two of them are 20-year-old daughters and one's a 14-year-old boy. He says, "I hope to live so I can continue to be a father to my youngest son and be able to smack him upside the head when he needs me." He says, "On the flip side, I know that my citizenship is in heaven." Testimony. To be able to die well, to die in hope, to show the world the hope of every Christian. Death for the Christian is homegoing.

By point number seven, for all who are in Christ, the fear of physical death is abolished. The fear of physical death is abolished because, again, to die is to be absent from the body but to be present with the Lord. So it's hopeful. Yet the suffering — which is the second blank —

and dreaded — dreaded is the third blank — the suffering and dreaded process of dying remains. I remember when R.C. Sproul was dying. Remember, you could see his health getting worse over the years. And he said, "I don't fear death. This is why I do fear dying." What he meant by that is that physical suffering can be excruciating. It can be difficult, right? He knew that death was entrance into life eternal. So he didn't fear that. But he did fear and dread the process of dying. And that's okay. For those who are in Christ, a fear of physical death is abolished because we know that we're going to be with God. Yet the suffering and dreaded process of dying remains. Believers look to Christ in the midst of their sufferings. For He Himself endured — endured is the fourth blank. First blank is abolished. Second blank is suffering. Third blank is dreaded. For Christ Himself endured the most horrific death possible.

That agony He experienced on the cross, there's no comparison, right? He experienced the full wrath and displeasure of God that we deserve. He experienced it on Him. And He now lives to make intercession — intercession is the fifth blank — for us. So in the midst of our suffering, in the midst of this deadly process of dying, which we're all dying right now, many of you have ailments that you may not talk about much, but they hurt, right? It could be physical. They could be mental. They could be things you can't see, right? That you're dealing with. In the midst of your suffering, in the midst of this outworking of physical death in your life, you look to Jesus because Jesus endured that for what? For the joy that was set before Him. That joy includes you. He died on the cross for you so that you could be with Him eternally, right? That we could share in the glory of the triune God in and through our participation in the Son, right? So we look to Christ who endured and now sits at the right hand of God who's making intercession for us. God knows every pain imaginable because of Jesus Christ, right? So whatever pain that you're going through, it is real and it is severe. And to you it may seem insurmountable, but know that Christ knows more and He's interceding for you on your behalf. He knows everything about you and He's able to make all grace abound towards you. Flip over on the back.

Hebrews 12:2 says, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." The application for number seven. Let's actually, before we do that, let's look at 2 Corinthians 12:9 on the front. What did Paul say when he had been inflicted by God with a thorn in his flesh and he prayed three times for it to be removed? God didn't remove it, but what did Christ say to him? "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness." Right? So when we go through suffering, we look to Christ who is our strength, to have His strength manifested in us. We trust that His grace is sufficient to carry us through.

Application for number seven. Praise God for upholding — upholding, upholding — us in life. He's the one who makes our heart beat, right? He's the one who gives us, energizes us to live. Also, suffering. He upholds us in suffering. Who could bear the suffering? Think about what Ms. Don has gone through the past couple of years. She was slowly dying through that process and in pain. When we would see her, she would come and she'd be wincing in pain. But God was upholding her. God upholds us in death. Christ came to Ms. Don and He carried her home, right?

That's the beauty of being in Christ. We're never separated from Him, even in death. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Right?

By point number eight. For all who are in Christ, there is therefore no condemnation. So why then must we suffer — suffer is the first blank — physical death? Why must we suffer physical death? If there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, if all penal satisfaction has been made by Christ, why must we suffer physical death? Why doesn't God translate — translate is the second blank — or you could say transport us into heaven. Why doesn't He just take us into heaven right now, right? All judicial satisfaction has been made by Christ. So why should we suffer death? Why doesn't He just take us to glory right now so we don't have to suffer?

For those united to Christ, physical death is the culmination of suffering ordained — ordained is the third blank — by God, for our sanctification. Sanctification is the fourth blank. Ordained means planned. It means appointed, right? God ordains all things that come to pass, right? He permits it to come to pass. It's part of His will. And He's ordained physical death for us as part of our sanctification. What is sanctification? It's being progressively conformed to the perfect image of Christ. And in death, that sanctification moves to glorification, right? Because then our sanctification is complete. Then we're perfectly conformed to the very image of God as sanctifying work is done. While death is indeed an enemy, it is made subservient to God's redemptive — redemptive is the fifth blank for number eight — redemptive purposes for His people. So death is an enemy, but it's made subservient to God's redemptive purposes for His people.

God uses the anticipation of death, the suffering of death, and the bereavement of death to show us our sinful state. To remind us of our dependence on God. To humble us when we are proud. It's easy to be proud when you're in good health, right? And all is going well. Then what happens when you're down like Job, right? All of a sudden that goes.

To remind us of our dependence on God. To humble us when we are proud. To help us abandon worldly trust. It's easy to trust in material riches and in health when all is well, right? And we forget about God. And to direct our gaze to eternal things. Let me reread that because it's worth reading again. God uses the anticipation of death, the suffering of death, the bereavement of death to show us our sinful state. To remind us of our dependence on God. To humble us when we are proud. To help us abandon worldly trust and to direct our gaze to eternal things. All part of our sanctification. We overcome death with Christ and are fit for inheriting all things. Revelation 21. Let me read that to you. Revelation 21.

Verse four. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things. I will be his God and he shall be My son.'" We overcome death in the person of Jesus Christ, in His death, burial and resurrection. And so when we overcome death in Christ, we inherit all things. We inherit God Himself. He is our God and we are His sons. We are His people. Flip over on the back.

Romans 8:11 through 13 says, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Our sanctification begins in this life,

and it's our yielding to the Holy Spirit, right? Trusting in the Holy Spirit, not in our body, because the body works death, but trusting the Spirit to work His life in us to mortify the deeds of the flesh to make us like Christ. Flip back over on the front.

Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." God uses His Spirit, His eternal life in us to sanctify us. That includes suffering. The application for number eight, commit yourself to being conformed — conformed is a blank — to Christ. Commit yourself to being conformed to Christ. Philippians 3:10 and 11. "That I may know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings. By any means, I may be made conformable into His death," right? Paul says, "Whatever it takes to be like Christ, to know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of the sufferings." You can't know resurrection unless you've died, right? Unless you've suffered, you don't know exaltation.

By point number nine, we rejoice — that's the first blank — that Christ is preparing — preparing is the second blank. Rejoice is the first blank, preparing is the second blank. We rejoice that Christ is preparing a place for us, John 14:1 through 4. We are confident — confident is the third blank — that Christ gives us eternal life through our union with Him, John 17:2 through 3. We are humbled — humbled is the fourth blank — that Christ shares His eternal glory with us, John 17:20 through 23.

And we reciprocate — it's a big word, reciprocate — that's the fifth blank. Reciprocate. Christ's desire for us to be with Him forever, and to behold His glory. That's what He says there. Back to John 17:20, "Father, 'I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, the same glory that You gave Me — I've shared with You from the very beginning — I'm giving to them,'" right? That's the glory that

we participate in. Flip over on the back. John 14:1 through 4 says, "Let not your heart be troubled."

Jesus says, "You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house, there are many mansions, many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." It's been over 2,000 years since He ascended, and He's still preparing that place. How grand that place is going to be, right? Eyes cannot imagine. Minds cannot grasp what God has prepared for His saints. Verse 3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself." He'll receive us in death, or He'll receive us at His return, right, when He returns. "That where I am, there you may be also." He desires to be with us. "And where I go, you know, and the way you know." Of course, Philip says, "I don't know." And Jesus says, "I am the way. I am the truth, and I am the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me."

Application for number 9. How can you save — save is a blank — how can you save another's soul from death? Do you know — you know that? Earlier I said, "Only God can save a soul." And that's true. But you can have a little part in that. Exactly right. I have James 5:19 through 20 as a reference, the great commission as giving the gospel, right? James 5:19, the last two verses of James, "Brethren, if anyone wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." How do you save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins? You point them to the cross, right? You say, "Look to Christ. He died for you. He died in our place and He's defeated death." Believe in Him and receive eternal life.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we praise You that Christ has defeated the devil. He's defeated death. Christ has defeated the grave — in His hands He has the very keys to death and Hades. One day that last enemy, death, will be defeated. We look forward to eternal life in heaven with You. We have eternal life now through the Holy Spirit who lives within us. We know You through the Son and by His Spirit in Your Word. But we look forward to that day when then we'll see face to face. Now we know in part, but then we'll know even as we are known. To God be the glory, even so come, Lord Jesus. Amen.