Sermon #1529 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: The Death of the Righteous
Text: Isaiah
571-2
Subject: The
Grace of God Displayed in Taking His Own to Glory
Date: A Funeral Message for Pastor James Watson
Saturday
Afternoon—
Tape # X-52a
Introduction:
In the past few days the
Lord our God has been pleased to take three of my friends
home.
·
Harold Allen
·
Jim Sligh
·
Bro. James Watson
Needless to say, my mind has
been occupied with thoughts about death, specifically with thoughts about the
death of God’s saints, even more specifically, thoughts about my own death.
Many, many passages of Scripture have come to my mind. I keep rolling them over
in my heart.
(Jeremiah 12:5) "If thou hast run with the
footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land
of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do
in the swelling of
(John 11:25-26) "Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?"
(John 11:40) "Jesus saith unto her, Said I not
unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of
God?"
(2 Corinthians 5:1-8) "For we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
[2] For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our
house which is from heaven: [3] If so
be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. [4] For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. [5] Now
he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. [6] Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord: [7] (For
we walk by faith, not by sight:) [8] We are confident, I say,
and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the
Lord."
(Psalms 116:15) "Precious in the sight of the
LORD is the death of his
saints."
(Revelation 7:9-17) "After this I beheld, and,
lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands;
[10] And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
[11] And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts,
and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, [12] Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. [13] And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in
white robes? and whence came they? [14] And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [15] Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth
on the throne shall dwell among them.
[16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the
sun light on them, nor any heat. [17] For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes."
(Revelation 14:13) "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow
them."
(Revelation 20:6) "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
(Revelation 21:4) "And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away."
(Revelation 22:1-5) "And he showed me a pure
river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb. [2] In the midst of
the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [3] And there shall be no more curse: but
the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve
him: [4] And they shall see his face;
and his name shall be in their
foreheads. [5] And there shall be no
night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord
God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
(Psalms 84:11) "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will
he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
These and many, many other
passages of Holy Scripture have been on my heart. But Isaiah 57:1-2 has been
predominant in my mind, as I thought preaching to you today.
(Isaiah
57:1-2) "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart:
and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is
taken away from the evil to come. (2) He shall enter into peace: they
shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his
uprightness."
I want to talk to you about death, particularly,
about The Death of The Righteous.
Balaam cried, “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last
end be like his!” (Num. 23:10).
Just hold your Bibles open here for a few minutes,
while I talk plainly to you about death. Then we will look at the message
contained in these two verses.
Proposition: Forever blessed are those
men and women who live and die in righteousness!
1. You and I are dying! We are all eternity bound
sinners with immortal souls’ and we are dying.
·
“Dying thou shalt die!”
·
“The wages of sin is death.”
2. For you who are without
Christ, death is the beginning of infinite, indescribable, eternal woe!
(2
Corinthians 5:10-11) "For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad. (11) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made
manifest in your consciences."
·
Judgment! (2 Cor. 5:10)
·
Hell!
·
The Torments of the Damned!
·
Everlasting Wrath!
3. But for the believer things are different
– For the believer death is not something to be dreaded with fear, but
anticipated with hope.
·
A Welcome Relief!
·
An Answer to Prayer!
·
The Beginning of Life!
For the believer death might be compared to a
friendly visit from the Lord. As a man walks in his garden and picks a
beautiful flower in full bloom to stick it in his lapel, so the Lord God comes
into his garden, gathers his lilies with delightful smile and carries them in
his bosom up to glory.
The believer lives in faith, hope, righteousness, and peace And believers die like they live. Indeed, we all will die as we have lived.
“O what a burst of joy, what a scene of glory opens to the ravished view, and beams on the triumphant soul of a saint in the moment of departure! The deathbed of a Christian is the anti-chamber of heaven, and the very suburbs of the New Jerusalem.”
Augustus Toplady
Pause for a moment and try to imagine what it will
be like to enter heaven1 (1 Cor. 2:9).
(1
Corinthians 2:9-10) "But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (10) But
God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God."
·
Christ in His Glorious Fulness!
·
The Angels of God in Their Splendorous Happiness!
·
The
·
Your Soul in The Consummation of Grace!
·
Redemption in its Fulness with Clarity!
Divisions:
Now, let’s look at Isaiah 57:1-2. I want to show you four things in these two
verses.
1. The Character of God’s
Saints.
2. The
3. The Foolishness of Those Who
Disregard the Deaths of Others.
4. The Blessedness of The Righteous when They Die.
I. The
Character of God’s Saints – “Righteous” and “Merciful”
are the words that are used here to describe believers.
(Isaiah
57:1-2) "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart:
and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is
taken away from the evil to come. (2) He shall enter into peace: they
shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his
uprightness."
A. Believers are people who have been made
righteous by God’s grace.
·
Imputed Righteousness in Justification – (2 Cor.
(2
Corinthians 5:21) "For he hath made
him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him."
·
Imparted Righteousness in Regeneration – (2 Pet. 1:4)
(2
Peter 1:4) "Whereby are given unto
us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust."
·
Pursued Righteousness in Conversation – (Rom.
(Romans
6:11-18) "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign
in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not
under the law, but under grace. (15) What then? shall
we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (16) Know
ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (18) Being
then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
(Hebrews
12:14) "Follow peace with all men,
and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
B. God’s saints in this world, having
experienced mercy, are merciful.
·
Kind and Good
·
Generous and Hospitable
·
Forgiving and Forbearing
·
Gracious and Loving (1 Cor. 13:1-8)
(1
Corinthians 13:1-8) "Though I speak
with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding
brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (2) And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (3) And
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body
to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (4) Charity
suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up, (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (6) Rejoiceth not
in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; (7) Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (8) Charity
never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there
be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
II. The
Providence of God in The Death of His Saints – “The
righteousness perisheth.”
·
Not eternally! He may, by reason of temptation and sin, fear that
he shall perish. He may sometimes say, “My strength and my hope have
perished before the Lord.” And his peace and comfort may perish for a
time. But the righteous cannot perish everlastingly! All who believe on
Christ, being washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness,
and sealed by his Spirit, have everlasting life and shall never perish!
Isaiah is here talking only about the death of the body.
This body of flesh must perish. But the righteous can never perish. And this
perishing of the righteous is an act of God’s wise and good providence (Eccles.
A. God has ordained the time of my death.
B. God has ordained the place of my death.
C. God has ordained the instrument of my
death.
And it really is of no concern to me when, where, or
how I die. That is entirely up to my Master. Righteousness delivers us from
the sting of death, but not from the stroke of death.
NOTE: In his providence, God often
removes the righteous and leaves the wicked. Fruitful trees are cut down in
death, but barren trees are left to cumber the ground. Merciful men are often
taken away by the hand of malicious men, who are left to work havoc in the
earth. (Illus: God took Abel by Cain’s hands and left Cain to live a
cursed life!)
III. The Foolishness of Those Who Disregard The Deaths of Others.
“No man
layeth it to heart…None considering!”
Very few value the lives of God’s saints. When they
are taken, few look upon it as a public loss, fewer
still take notice of it as a public warning.
A. Wise men look upon the death of another as a
reminder of the certainty of his own death.
·
Ecclesiastes 7:2-6
B. But when God’s saints are taken out of this
world, we are especially wise to lay that to heart.
·
Psalm 12:1
1. When the righteous perish, their influence also
perishes.
2. When the merciful are gone, only the malicious
are left.
3. If the righteous and the merciful die, so too
shall the unrighteous and the unmerciful!
IV. The Blessedness of The
Righteous When They Die (v. 2).
A. They
are taken away from the evil to come.
1. This is done in compassion to them.
·
That they might not see it (II Kings
·
That they might not be tempted by it.
·
That they might not be harmed by it.
NOTE: When
the flood was coming. God put his elect into the ark. When he rained fire on
2. This is an act of judgment upon the world.
When those who stand in the gap to hold back the
flood of God’s wrath are taken away, the flood will soon come. “It is a sign
that God intends war when he calls home his ambassadors.” (M. Henry).
B. “He shall enter into peace!”
We walk in peace now (Rom. 5:1; Phil.
1. Heaven is a world of peaceful associates.
·
The God of Peace.
·
The Spirit of Peace.
·
The Prince of Peace.
·
The Angels of Peace.
·
The Sons of Peace.
2. Heaven is a world where there is nothing
contrary to peace.
·
No Sin Within.
·
No Temptation Without.
·
No Sorrow, Sighing, Sickness, or Death!
·
No Strife!
3. Heaven is a world full of everything that is
conducive to peace.
·
Infinite Riches of Grace and Glory!
·
Honor, without Pride or Envy!
·
Satisfaction!
4. As soon as we step out of this world of strife
we will enter into Christ’s world of peace!
·
II Corinthians 5:1
C. Look at the next line – “They shall rest in
their beds.”
When our souls have entered into heaven’s world of
peace, these bodies of flesh shall rest in hope of the resurrection in the bed
of the earth, in the grave.
·
From toil and Labor!
·
From Disease and Pain!
·
Out of The Reach of Our Enemies.
·
But on The resurrection morning these bodies shall live again (John
D. “Each one walking in
his uprightness.”
·
Never to Sin Again!
·
In the Presence of Christ! – “Before Him!”
Application: Are You Prepared to Die?
Illus: The Robin’s Eggs