Our hope for the future in times of bereavement

Bible message

1   A God we can depend upon- in good times and difficult

2    A future secure – a better land beyond, where Jesus is.

Let us read from the words of the Lord Himself

John 14.1

"Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions, If it were not so I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and  prepare a place for you , I will come again and receive you unto  Myself:

That where I am, there you may be also.

And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Thomas said unto Him ' Lord we know not......'

Jesus answered "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me."

Troubles – yes Let the LORD God handle our troubles – HE IS ABLE.

God is Almighty, He is Holy, He is the LORD our Saviour, our Shepherd  and we can leave our troubles with Him.

Peter was in trouble – he had just promised the Lord that he would follow  Jesus no matter what – even death. And he failed. The grace of the forgiveness Jesus is recorded in John 21.

God revealed in Jesus Christ likewise filled with Grace and truth.

    -----   He is one in whom we can trust

The Lord Jesus gave directions about the present – He had just said "Love one another as I have loved you".

Now He is concerned about the future and He says  "I go to prepare a place for you"

Jesus had tasted the disappointments of earth, and wanted something better, much better for those who loved Him.  A special place in the Fathers house.

It seems as though something extra needed to be done to accommodate humans in heaven. Angels fitted into the spiritual character of heaven – they are spirit beings. But to have a special place for humans – well the Lord made the promise to go and prepare the place. Then He promised to come again  for the distinct purpose of taking his own, 

His sheep to the Father's house.

Then someone interrupted ' but how do we get there?

Jesus replied " I am the way there!"

The Lord Jesus  is the only way to heaven, He told the truth about the future and He gives new life, eternal life to all who trust Him

The Lord Jesus  Christ was going to the Father house by way of the cross, His resurrection and His ascension.

For us death has become a doorway to heaven. Death should have been the wages of our sin. 'But Jesus died for me'.

For us in Christ, resurrection is a happy prospect.

For us to be caught up into the Fathers house is our sure hope – accepted there because of the Sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Another Bible verse:

1 John 3:2

"Beloved  now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when HE shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Today we say an eternal farewell to our friend in Adam.

Tomorrow we will greet him as in Christ.

When we meet in heaven, all  the old agitating habits, the impatience etc will be gone. We will be changed to be like HIM, the Man in the glory. Well might John the apostle write:   'there is so much we don't know, but this we do know – we shall be like HIM'

We will see the face of our Beloved Lord and each one will reflect the glory of HIS radiant face.

Face to face with Christ my Saviour

Face to face what will it be

When with rapture I behold Him

Jesus Christ who died for me

Only faintly now I see Him

With the darkling veil between

But the blessed day is coming

When His glory shall be seen.

What rejoicing in His presence

When are banished grief and pain

When the crooked ways are straightened

And the dark things shall be plain

Face to face  O blissful moment

Face to face to see and know

Face to face with my Redeemer

Jesus Christ who loves me so

Face to face I shall behold Him

Far beyond the starry sky

Face to face in all His glory

I shall see Him bye and bye

And then?

This morning, a very close friend of mine passed away – yes died. We feel the loss.

It seems to be something that all of us must face sooner or later. Life is rather short and eternity after this life so long.

We can react to the fact of death differently:

1    Fatalistically – everybody dies, so , make the most of life.

2    Biblically  - It is appointed unto all to die and after death the judgement, so . prepare to meet God.

The first response links to the theory that we are nothing more than highly evolved animals.

The second, interacts with a much bigger picture – A creator God who has made humans as body, soul and spirit. His design is for us to enjoy this life, but He also has something better when this life is finished.

My friend has gone. His eyes see no more, I cannot hear him speak, his fingers no longer play heavenly tunes on the piano and he cannot hear.  But where is he? Somewhere!

We have hope beyond death by believing the Bible:

1    After death to be with the Lord   (Philippians 1:23)

2     By the resurrection to be vibrantly praising God (Revelation 19)

3      After the Judgement of God, to be used by God in the service of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4)

So much more could be written about the next life!

Just now I ask:

' Do you have the assurance that all is well for you for eternity?'

Or

'If you died tonight, where would you be in eternity?'

Can we be sure ???  Yes – as sure as the promises of God. (see previos message on Eternity)

John McKee

The present influence of the great tomorrow

A common thread

Moses, Jesus and Paul – the teachings of these three historical persons has left immense change on the world. An overview of their lives and teachings point to this common thread. The reference point is God in heaven and the ultimate focus is life beyond death.

The teachings through Moses are still with us today (howbeit, being rejected by many). For him to communicate the word of the Lord was not easy nor rewarding at the time, but one wrote of him:

“He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward God would give him.................." Hebrews 11.26

The Lord Jesus began His teaching ministry with a call to “repent for the kingdom of heaven was near”. His teaching related to living and dying in the light of the ‘judgement of the last day’. He seemed to be counter cultural with His call to ‘store your treasures in heaven’. His prayer that  ‘God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ showed that the reference point of His teachings was heaven, not earth. He ended His ministry with this prayer “Father I want these whom you have given  to be with me , so they can see my glory......” John 17

Paul likewise lived in the light of the day when we all stand before Christ to be judged. Paul’s teachings were very relevant to the world conditions then and now. As history records, his teachings were culture transforming. Yet the motive and focus of his life was to know Christ, to be like Him in His death and resurrection. The final hope was to be with Christ which he described as “ far better”.Philippians 1

In a time of short sighted humanism, may God give us an eternal perspective on all we do.

"For what is your life ? It is but a vapour that appears for a little time and the vanishes away."

Are you ready for the day of resurection, when all will be raised to face the verdict of the Son of God, Jesus Christ the Lord?

John McKee

The great tomorrow

How seldom do you hear people talk about the “hereafter.” How rare is a  sermon on the subject of “Eternity”.

The greatest teacher on the subject of ‘after death’ was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He made it very clear that we are more than body, having soul and spirit.

In this blog, I would like to refer to the Bible teaching about the resurrection. It is referred to in the Old Testament on many occasions, but for brevity I shall concentrate on the New Testament teaching.

It was Jesus, who in the sermon on the mount insisted that heaven was a real, remote place  beyond death. (Matthew 5:12, 6:19)  When confronted by the Sadducees about the resurrection, He made it clear that resurrection was for real, and then He spoke of the mode of existence of resurrected people (Matthew 22:23). The Lord taught that in the resurrection there will be rewards [ Luke 14.14].

In John 5:25-29, the Son of God draws back the curtain concerning the day of resurrection. He Himself will call people out of the graves. He Himself will be the final judge. The will be two resurrections – the first to life, the second to judgement. The involvement of people in these moments of accountability is qualified by verse 24:

“Truly, truly  I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” For those who thus receive Jesus as God’s sent Son, the resurrection is unto life. For those who chose evil, the resurrection is unto judgement and eternal damnation.

Again I listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus – “I am the resurrection and the life” [John 11.25]

These outstanding claims by Jesus are significant, but more so when we discover that He Himself has been resurrected from among the dead ones.

He being the first fruits from the dead, assures us of the validity of His claims and the implications for our resurrection.

Perhaps I should interrupt and say – this is not reincarnation. In the resurrection it is the same conscious person, able to recall with vivid memory the detail of the life lived.  [1Corinthians 4, Revelation 20]

Paul , by the Holy Spirit gives details of how the resurrection will be [1Corinthians 15]. The present body is natural,  the resurrected body will be real, but spiritual ( spirit dominated as was the risen Lord Jesus ). The laws of nature will be subject to the power of the spirit. Just as the seed dies in the ground, and a new plant springs up with new life (yet bearing the character of the original), so is the resurrection.

“Our heavenly bodies will be just like Christ’s”  [ 1Corinthians 15.48 ]

This is the note of victory for all believers:

“Death is swallowed up in victory”    [ 1Corithians 15.54 ]

“The Lord Himself shall descend  from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first . The we which are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” [1 Thessalonians 4:16 ]

What a thrilling hope- we do well to say “ Even so come Lord Jesus”

Peter the apostle, looked beyond this present day of suffering, to the future day when all believers will share in HIS glory, when it is displayed to all the world. [1 Peter 4.13]

What of those who do not believe in the Son of God?  - the Lord Jesus called it a resurrection to damnation. He said that only God could destroy body and soul in hell [Matthew 10.28]. Would a loving God do that?   If God is just and true to His word, then He must.

“Their judgement is based on this fact, the light of heaven came into the world, but they loved darkness more than light , for their actions were evil” [John 3:19].

“For God has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed , and He has proved it to everyone who this is , by raising  Him from the dead.” [Acts17.31]

This is serious truth – let us ponder it often

Let me close on this joyful note

“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection”

                          [Revelation 20.6]

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Until He comes again   -  John McKee

Evidence, wittnesses

The Bible is an amazing book. As a whole it is the most sensible account of human history. It’s depiction of a perfect beginning, then degenerating with time into the present chaos of our sick world, is rather accurate. It’s honest reporting of the failures of leading personalities verifies that it is not fictionalised to promote any particular hero. The only one who stands without fault is Jesus, and the Bible relates His story from at least four different sources.

It is a book that must be read as an ongoing story and very much relates to the events and culture of the times in which it was written. However, it has in each context, sentences (verses) that have in themselves life changing power. The promises given, have done and still do bring hope to millions of believers. I am constantly amazed at how the Bible can verify itself in the face of criticism. One example in relation to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus comes to mind.

The resurrection of the Lord has been disputed since the day He rose from among the dead. The writing of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, is more significant than I had previously thought:

The good news about Christ dying for our sins, and then rising the third day, had been received by Paul from the Lord and was confirmed with the apostles who had travelled with Jesus of Nazareth.

Then he give a list of the witnesses who had seen the Lord Jesus, as physically alive from the dead.- Peter, twelve apostles, more than 500. The he adds “most of whom are still alive”. This short statement give the approximate date of writing (1^st generation Christians), but more importantly, Paul is inviting the critics of the resurrection, to go and ask the witnesses. Most were still alive as witnesses of having heard and seen the risen Lord. This was not a myth or legend produced over time.

The inclusion of James is important , since prior to the resurrection, he did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. Now he is a believer having met the Lord, alive from the dead.

Verse 8 "He appeared to me also", could easily be missed as unimportant. But it is very important! Saul ( Paul )the persecutor, well respected in the Jewish religious circles, learning from an honourable Rabbi, is changed into a disciple of the one he once hated. For the rest of his life he was persecuted, ridiculed, poor and eventually executed for the sake of the Lord Jesus. Why the change? On the road to Damascus a voice was heard from heaven “I am Jesus”.  Saul knew it was a heavenly voice but how could it be Jesus, since he had been crucified years before? The only answer was that He had risen out from the grave and had truly gone into heaven from whence He could reach into the lives of people wherever they might be. Thus it is important to see that Saul’s interaction with the Lord in heaven years after the death of Jesus, was a powerful testimony to Jesus Christ being alive and Lord of all. How important is this sentence : “He appeared to me also”

Likewise John the apostle had a real encounter with the risen, exalted Christ:

“I saw one like the son of man..............................Who then said: “I was dead, and am alive forevermore”” (Revelation 1)

Other evidence today points to the same fact – He is risen Indeed!

‘If you will confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’  (Romans 10.9)

J. McKee

The Lord is risen

"He is risen indeed"

Try counting the number of people who saw Him after He rose out from death

Jesus lives!

Small incidentals in the Bible often have important significance. The example that I would like to write about is found in 1 Corinthians 15.8

Paul writes of himself “ last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” Paul is referring to the story of Acts 9, when two years after the death of the Lord Jesus, he was converted by the intervention of God.

We have many reasons to believe that Jesus is alive again, risen from the dead. The angels said it was so. The Lord Jesus foretold his resurrection before it happened.  Peter and the other disciples were prepared to die for their witness to having seen the risen Jesus Christ.

The witness of Paul is sometimes overlooked. A couple of years after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, the dust of excitement had settled, and the heel of persecution by Jewish leadership had tried to stamp out the rumour of Jesus being risen from the dead. Saul ( as Paul was once called) was breathing out threatening against the Christians and was authorized to cast them into prison. No doubt Saul had many arguments against the resurrection story. However God had other plans. As Saul journeyed to Damascus, about midday he was struck down by a blinding light from heaven. A voice then said “Saul , Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  Saul responds “who are you Lord?”   The answer is simple yet  sublime  -  “I am Jesus...”

Let us pause to ponder the implications of this answer.

1                  The voice is from heaven

2                  The voice is from a LIVING Jesus

3                  This voice is from an all powerful person

4                                   Saul is not challenged by some philosophical persuasion, but a living person.

Such  is the power of this intervention, Saul himself becomes a witness to the reality that Jesus once crucified, is now alive.  He  is changed from ‘hating’ (Titus3) to love, from persecuting Jesus to preaching Jesus as the Son of God. His bright career as an educated leader of the Jewish people had been  shattered and his life work is to involve  much suffering and rejection.

I trust some of you reading this, have picked up on the significance of this story  ie that after this space of time, this voice from heaven with it’s corresponding power to change, is a brilliant witness that Jesus lives.

Many signs and wonders were also done in the done in the Name of the Lord Jesus, verifying that Jesus was alive and ascended. John the apostle, many years later , also gave a written account of having seen the Lord Jesus in person. Revelation chapter 1 is not a description of the man of Galilee. It is a description of Jesus the Christ, in glory, who is able to say of Himself “I was dead, behold I am alive forever more”  (Revelation 1.17,18).

Many others have testified to the interruption of the Lord in their lives, all pointing to the truth that Jesus lives.

Saul/Paul wrote  in his last letter  ‘ at my first defence no one came to stand by me but all deserted me...but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me..”  (2 Timothy 4.16) He knew the continuing nearness of the risen Lord.

I trust that the Lord Jesus is real in your life, so that beyond all the historical evidence, you can say ‘ He lives within my heart’

John McKee    johnmckee@internode.on.net

Risen

Luke brings his record of Jesus to a beautiful conclusion:

If Jesus was truly risen from the dead, then the world would never be the same again - and so it was, and so it is!  His resurrection  vindicates His claim to be the Son of God.  Now by God, He is declared to be Lord and Christ (Messiah).  He is appointed to be the future judge of all. By Him alone is made available justification from guilt and condemnation.
       As He  came to those floundering disciples with His peace and blessing then, so today the living Lord Jesus comes to His own as the risen Shepherd and overseer of their souls.

         The implications for the future are enormous  --  He will gather His followers into the Fathers house, He will come as King of Kings, He will make all things new.....................etc

What should be our reaction?  The Bible as our compass takes us to one place  worship and obedience.
              Luke's record of Jesus concludes with Jesus blessing them as they worshiped Him.  So may we!

J. McKee