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Sermon #2476 — Miscellaneous Sermons

 

Title:                                                                           ÒBlessed Are

The Dead Which die in the Lord!Ó

 

Text:                            Revelation 14:12-13

Subject:                     The Blessedness of GodÕs Saints in Glory

Date:                          Tuesday Evening — May 28, 2019

                                                David ColemanÕs Funeral

Reading:       Revelation 7:9-17

Introduction:

 

Illustration: Be sure they put my fork in my hand.

 

I am reading from the Book of Revelation, the 14th chapter, verses 12 and 13 — Revelation 14:12-13.

 

(Revelation 14:12-13) ÒHere is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (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.Ó

 

As soon as DaveÕs daughter, Amy, called me Saturday morning to tell me that her Dad was with Christ in Heaven, this passage of Holy Scripture came to my mind and I said to Amy, ÒI canÕt tell you how happy I am for him.Ó And IÕve had this thought in my heart and on my mind since then. — ÒBlessed Are The Dead Which die in the Lord!Ó — As God the Holy Ghost will enable me, I want to tell you what he has revealed to us in this blessed Book about this. — ÒBlessed Are The Dead Which die in the Lord!Ó

 

(Revelation 14:12-13) ÒHere is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (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.Ó

 

How often we have stood by the bed of a dying friend or relative. Our hearts ache to lose any who are dear to us. We hurt for the husband or wife, parents, children, and others who will miss the love, companionship and aide of the faithful one who is passing out of this world. Yet, as we watch our friends leave this world of sin and sorrow, knowing that they are entering into heavenÕs everlasting glory, knowing that they are falling asleep in the arms of their Savior, we say with John, ÒBlessed are the dead, which die in the Lord.Ó

 

á      Notice this at the outset. — The Word of God does not say, ÒBlessed are the dead.Ó That is not true. Many who are dead are forever cursed and damned, suffering the torments of God everlasting wrath in hell.

 

á      What the Word of God does say is this. ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord!Ó That is another thing altogether. That is precious!

 

Precious Deaths

 

(Psalms 116:15) ÒPrecious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.Ó

 

Yes, the Psalmist sang, ÒPrecious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.Ó Those who die in the Lord have entered into a state of eternal blessedness. The death of a believer is precious to God and blessed to him. It does not matter when a believer dies, where he dies, by what means he dies, or under what conditions he dies. The blessedness of the believerÕs death is that he dies in the Lord.

 

Very, very soon, we must leave this world.ÒIs there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hireling?Ó We would be wise to take our minds off the cares and troubles, as well as the joys and riches of this world, and look across the brief sea of time to eternity, to that future world so surely, perhaps nearly, awaiting us. Looking at things from the believerÕs perspective, we say with John, ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord.Ó

 

Proposition: All those who die in the Lord are henceforth and forever blessed of God. They experience nothing but ever-increasing, joyous blessedness forever.

 

Of Whom?

 

1stWho are these blessed ones? Of whom are these words spoken? The voice which John heard from heaven declared, ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.Ó That is to say, those who die in the Lord are blessed, from the moment of their death, eternally.

 

I want to know who those people are who die in the Lord. Who are those who are blessed forever? I want to be one of them. Who are they? Verse 12 tells us. — ÒHere is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.Ó

 

Saints — Those who are blessed of God in death are the saints of God on earth. Heaven is the land of saints. None but saints can enter therein. Since death does nothing to change a personÕs character, if we would be numbered among the saints in heaven we must be made saints on earth. Yet, by nature we are all sinners. How can sinners be made saints? Only a work of GodÕs almighty grace can make a sinner a saint.

 

A saint is one who is holy. Nothing short of a work of GodÕs own hand can transform an unholy man into a holy man. Nothing but grace can make a sinner a saint. That work of grace which makes hell bent sinners to be the saints of God is threefold.

 

1.    Predestination and Election GodÕs saints are people chosen of God in eternal election and predestinated to sainthood before the world began. Saints are made by GodÕs sovereign election. Those who enjoy the blessedness of heaven forever were blessed of God with that blessedness before the world was made (Ephesus 1:3-12; 2 Timothy 1:9-10).

 

(Ephesians 1:3-12) ÒBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.Ó

 

Salvation is an eternal work. It begins with election and predestination.

 

(2 Timothy 1:9-10) ÒWho hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.Ó

 

2.    Redemption But election and predestination is not enough. We must also be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Our sins have to be put away. We must be justified, made righteous. We must be made the very righteousness of God in him (Romans 3:21-24).

 

(Romans 3:21-26) ÒBut now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.Ó

 

Christ has done that for all who trust him (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13-14; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 1:3; 9:26).

 

(2 Corinthians 5:21) ÒFor he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.Ó

 

(Galatians 3:13-14) ÒChrist hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.Ó

 

(Titus 2:14) He Ògave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.Ó

 

(Hebrews 1:1-3) ÒGod, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;Ó

 

(Hebrews 9:26) ÒFor then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.Ó

 

3.    Regeneration We must be regenerated, set apart, sanctified, born again, and given a new nature by the Spirit of God (Ephesians. 2:1-9; Titus 3:4-7). We must be resurrected from the dead and created new by GodÕs almighty grace (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

(Ephesians 2:1-9) ÒAnd you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (7) That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.Ó

 

(Titus 3:4-7) ÒBut after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Ó

 

(2 Corinthians 5:17) ÒTherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.:

 

If we would enter into heaven, we must be made possessors of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14), sanctified by the grace of God, made partakers of the divine nature. — A new man must be created in you in righteousness and true holiness. And that new man is ÒChrist in you, the hope of glory.Ó — ÒYe must be born again!Ó

 

Patient — Those who are blessed in death are those who live in the patience of faith. — ÒHere is the patience of the saints.Ó Believers are men and women of patience. They endure the troubles of life, the temptations of Satan, and the trials of faith with the patience of faith.

 

The word ÒpatienceÓ here means Òendurance.Ó Those who are crowned in heaven endure their great tribulation on earth on earth with patience. — ÒTribulation worketh patience,Ó endurance.

  • They patiently run their race in faithfulness (Hebrews 12:1). — ÒLooking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.Ó
  • They patiently endure adversity in faithfulness (Luke 21:19). — In patience they possess their souls.
  • They patiently wait for Christ in faithfulness (Romans 8:25; Hebrews 10:36). — ÒLooking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life!Ó
  • The basis of this patience is the Word of God (Romans 15:4).

 

(Romans 15:4) ÒFor whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.Ó

 

Keep the Commandments — That person is blessed in death who keeps the commandments of God in life. We know that John is not saying, ÒObedience to the law is a condition for salvation.Ó We read in GodÕs book, ÒBy the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sightÓ (Romans 3:20). Salvation is by grace alone. Legal works have nothing to do with it (Romans 11:5-6; Galatians 5:1-4). John is not suggesting that believers are to put themselves back under the yoke of the Mosaic law, Òbecause we are not under law but under graceÓ (Romans 6:15).

 

What John is telling us is that the believer, the child of God, the saint of God, is one who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. — We keep the commandments of the law when we keep the commandment of the gospel (1 John 3:23).

 

(1 John 3:23) ÒAnd this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.Ó

 

Keep the Faith — Those men and women who are blessed in death are, ÒThey that keep the faith of Jesus.Ó God promises salvation, eternal life, everlasting, heavenly blessedness to those who persevere in faith (Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 3:6, 14; 10:38).

 

(1 John 3:23-24) ÒAnd this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. (24) And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.Ó

 

(Colossians 1:21-23) ÒAnd you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (22) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (23) If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.Ó

 

(Hebrews 3:6) ÒBut Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.Ó

 

(Hebrews 3:14) ÒFor we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.Ó

 

(Hebrews 10:38) ÒNow the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.Ó

 

All true believers persevere in the doctrine of faith (The Gospel) and in the grace of faith (Matthew 10:22). This faith is called, ÒThe faith of Jesus,Ó because it is the faith which Christ gives and the faith of which he is the object.

 

Most specifically, this phrase, Òthe faith of Jesus,Ó refers to the faithful obedience of Christ unto death in our place. We were justified and made righteous by Òthe faith of ChristÓ (Romans 3:22). And GodÕs saints, GodÕs elect, saved sinners, are people who cannot be moved from Christ alone as their hope before God (1 Corinthians 1:30).

á      He is my only righteousness.

á      He is my only sanctification,

á      He is my only redemption.

 

In the Lord — Those who are, upon their death, forever blessed of God are men and women who are Òin the Lord.Ó That is the great, essential, all-telling point. Those people could not have died in the Lord had they not lived in the Lord.

  • By Sovereign Election
  • By Eternal Union
  • By Divine Regeneration
  • By Vital Union of Faith

 

Settle this matter now. — Are you in Christ? Is he all your salvation and all your desire? Are you hanging upon him as a coat hangs upon a nail? Are you in the Beloved? Are you in Christ by the vital union of faith, as branches are in the vine? Blessed indeed is that man, that women who is in Christ! If you are in Christ, you are accepted of God; for we are Òaccepted in the Beloved.Ó If you are not in Christ, you cannot be accepted at all.

 

Grafted In

 

To be in Christ is to live upon him by faith, drawing life and grace from him. The Scriptures speak of us being grafted into Christ (Romans 9:24). Wherever a branch is grafted into a tree, two cuts must be made, one in the tree and one in the branch. So it is with those who are grafted into Christ. He was wounded to death as our Substitute, and every believer is cut in his heart in Holy Spirit conviction. The wounded sinner is bound to the wounded Savior by the Holy Spirit and draws life from him. To be in Christ by faith is to have evidence and proof that God has put you in Christ by grace (Hebrews 11:1).

 

(Hebrews 11:1) ÒNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Ó

 

Roll this thought over in your heart. If you trust Christ, God has put you in Christ. To be in Christ is to be in his heart as a bride is in the heart of her husband, in his hands as your Surety, in his loins as your Representative before God, in his fold as your Shepherd, and in his body as your Head. To be in Christ is to be saved forever and kept in absolute security.

 

Once in Christ, in Christ forever!

None from Him our souls can sever.

While His power and grace endure,

All who trust Him are secure.

 

Of whom are these words spoken? ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord.Ó They are spoken to GodÕs saints, to those who live in the patience of faith in Christ, to those who keep the commandments of God by faith in Christ, to those that keep the faith of Jesus, to those who are in the Lord.

 

What Blessedness?

 

2ndWhat is the blessedness of believers in death? Obviously, I cannot begin to tell that which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and the heart of man has not imagined, which God has prepared for them that love him. The blessedness of heavenly glory is infinitely greater than our feeble minds can imagine. But John does reveal, by divine inspiration, something of that blessedness awaiting every believer at death. — ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors.Ó

 

The believer is blessed in his dying, no matter how, when, or where he dies. We have abundant evidence of this fact in the Scriptures. Both Job and Paul were blessed in the prospect of death (Job 19:25-27; 2 Timothy 1:12; 4:6-8).

 

(Job 19:25-27) ÒFor I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (26) And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (27) Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.Ó

 

(2 Timothy 1:12) ÒFor the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.Ó

 

(2 Timothy 4:6-8) ÒFor I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.Ó

 

David and Stephen were blessed in the experience of it (2 Samuel 23:5; Acts 7:56-60).

 

(2 Samuel 23:5) ÒAlthough my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.Ó

 

(Acts 7:56-60) ÒAnd said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (57) Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (58) And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young manÕs feet, whose name was Saul. (59) And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.Ó

 

Indeed, every sinner saved by grace shall be blessed of God in the event of death. — ÒTo be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.Ó

 

GodÕs saints are forever blessed after they die. — ÒFrom henceforthÓ (2 Corinthians 5:1-9).

 

(2 Corinthians 5:1-9) ÒFor 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. (9) Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.Ó

 

Once with Christ in glory, GodÕs elect are beyond the gunshot of the enemy! — And ÒGod shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.Ó Once we have left this world, we shall have forever left behind us every remnant and evil consequence of sin. In the glory land, there shall be Òno more weeping, no more sorrow, and no more pain,Ó because there shall be no more sin.

 

Once we have dropped this robe of flesh, we shall rest from our labors. I do not to understand this to mean that the saints of God in heaven have no more service to render to Christ. Not at all. Heaven is a place of unending service. But there we shall rest from the labor service. In heavenÕs glory, there will beÉ

á      no ignorant ones to teach,

á      no erring ones to rebuke,

á      no despondency to comfort,

á      no weaknesses to strengthen,

á      no error to oppose,

á      no needy ones to help,

á      no enemies to engage,

á      no fences to mend,

á      no strife to heal,

á      no sick ones to visit,

á      no bereaved ones to console,

á      no straying ones to correct,

á      no sinners to convert,

á      and no tears to dry.

We shall rest from our labors!

 

The word translated ÒlaborsÓ has the idea of woe attached to it. It could be read, Òthey rest from the woe of their labors.Ó In this world, all that we do for Christ has a certain measure of woe connected with it. When John says, we shall rest from our labors, he means that we shall rest from all the toils, sorrows, faults, discouragements, and disappointments connected with our labor in this world. — ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.Ó

 

Works Do Follow

 

3rdWhat do the believerÕs works have to do with his eternal, heavenly blessedness?

  • We know that our inheritance in heaven is the free gift of GodÕs grace to which we have been predestinated, which Christ purchased for us with his own blood, and which Christ has claimed for us as our Representative (Ephesians 1:11, 14).
  • We who believe are Òheirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.Ó — All the glory and blessedness that Christ possesses in heaven today as the God-man our Mediator, as our Surety, shall be ours forever by grace (John 17:5, 22).

 

(John 17:5) ÒAnd now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.Ó

 

(John 17:22) ÒAnd the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:Ó

 

(John 17:24) ÒFather, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.Ó

 

Nothing in this heavenly blessedness is earned, or merited by, or given to us upon the basis of our works. It is all of grace. Yet, the text says, ÒAnd their works do follow them.Ó What does that mean? What do our works for Christ on earth have to do with our blessedness with Christ in heaven?

 

Our works do not go before us, as a forerunner, to prepare a place for us in heaven. Christ is our Forerunner. He went to prepare a place for us. Our works merit nothing from God, but wrath and death, because our best works are but sin.

 

Our works do not come beside us as a ground of confidence and acceptance with God. The wicked lean upon their works, boast of their works, and plead with God for acceptance upon the basis of their works (Matthew 7:22-23). The righteous are unaware of any good works performed by them (Matthew 25:34-40).

 

However the works of faithful men and women are not insignificant or unimportant, as many seem to think. — ÒTheir works do follow them.Ó That simply means that the fruits of their works follow them in the earth and follow them into heaven. What a blessed promise this is! Those who are the beneficiaries of the believerÕs works follow them to heaven.

  • Children follow their parents, who taught them the gospel, in the path of faith to heaven.
  • Hearers follow their pastors, who have faithfully preached Christ to them, both in the church below and into the Church of the above.
  • Multitudes who never met on earth will follow humble saints into heaven, who faithfully served Christ on earth, but never thought they did anything of any usefulness to anyone.

 

Blest are the dead that die in Christ,

For they are with Him now!

The glories they now have in heaven

No mortal here can know.

 

Soon as the ransomed soul is freed

From this poor, mortal frame,

Before we know itÕs gone, it is

With Christ, praising His name?

 

Faith tries, but here cannot quite see

The things God has prepared

For those He chose, redeemed, and called,

Who now in heaven appear.

 

WeÕll now rejoice this much to know —

They are completely blest!

Freed from all sorrow, pain, and sin,

With Jesus Christ they rest!

 

Our friends their Savior fully see

And all His glory share?

Let us be followers of the Lamb;

And we will join them there?

 

ÒBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord!ÓMay the God of all grace now give you life and faith in Christ, that you may be numbered among them!

 

(2 Corinthians 5:9-21) ÒWherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone 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. (12) For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. (13) For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. (14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (16) Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in ChristÕs stead, be ye reconciled to God. (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.Ó

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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