Death - Part I --
I apologize for the lack of posting here. Had a few problems logging in. Anyway, let us continue in our series on God's Providence.
In this post we will deal with the difficult and painful topic of death.
The last few posts found us examining God’s providence and the purpose, place and probability of suffering in the lives of God’s children. These are not simple topics and I pray that God’s Word has comforted you as you have studied these subjects. We are on the third installment of this series, and the post that may well be the most difficult:
This addresses death and dying from a Christian perspective.
In this post I will begin the examination of the reality of death and dying in the life of the Christian, and non-Christian.
A subject, which we, especially in the USA, hate to even contemplate. We are inundated with a slew of death-defying products, promising eternally youthful looks, or the sex life of a 21-year-old, and people are in a mad scramble to avoid pain, death or even the slightest hint of dying.
However, the truth is that death is 100% terminal – everyone gets it, and succumbs to its inexorable pull. From the rich and powerful, to the poorest of us, we all will come face to face with death if the Lord tarries.
So, let us look at this uncomfortable subject from the perspective of the Bible. Let us see what comfort the Word of God brings to this subject.
DEATH AS A STATE
When most people define death, they think of it as an event – i.e. “Death is the ceasing of life's functions”, or “Death is when the brain stops responding”, “Jane Doe died at 5:47pm”.
We have a tendency to define death as an event, when in reality, as we will examine in this post – death is not an event – it is a state of being we all live in, until and unless Jesus Christ draws us to Himself and we turn to Him in repentance and faith.
So let me propose this as a working definition of death for our purposes:
Death is the state that we find ourselves in due to Adam’s sin. While physical death may occur at some specific date and time, we have all been born into, and live in a body of death until, in Christ, we are redeemed into eternal life.
We simply cannot understand eternal life, death, dying or suffering without having a Biblical understanding of these terms. So, we have looked at providence, we have looked at suffering, now let us examine death from a Biblical vantage point.
Where does a Christian derive their thought about death being a state of existence?
Ephesians 2:1 – 7 -- And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2:13 – 15 -- And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Notice that Paul did not say anything about an event – no, he is pointing out that the STATE of a person outside of Christ is death. We have it all wrong, we are afraid of death the event, but what we should be concerned with is death as a state of being. If we understand that all who are outside of Christ are walking dead men, and all of those who are in Christ are ALREADY living eternal lives, it will change our perspective on the event of death and dying.
We have ALREADY died – and we have been raised with Christ! We may depart from this place upon our physical death, but we will be with the Lord, waiting that glorious day when all are resurrected and will stand before him. We can truly look at death and say, “Where is your sting?” Yes, we will still experience a physical event, but to quote Thomas Boston; “I feel a sting, may the dying saint say– yet it is but a bee sting, slinging only through the skin– but, O death, where is your sting, your old sting, the serpent's sting, that stings to the heart and soul? The sting of death is sin – but that is taken away.”
I will close this post with that thought, and conclude with the next post.
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Tuesday, November 3 2009
Providence Part II --
In the last post on this subject, I developed a working definition of God’s providence; in this post I would like to examine why we can be confidant in His providential care.
What does the Bible say about God’s providential care of all creation? Listen to Elihu describe God’s providence in Job 37:1 – 13 - "At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth,' likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it. Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen…”
Listen to the Psalmist as he speaks of God’s providential care in Psalm 104 -- Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!
Remember the description of God’s providence; He is actively involved in sustaining and governing all of creation. Now, what about His children specifically; what of the redeemed? This same God whose providential care upholds the very universe itself, has promised His children that they would never be forsaken [Deuteronomy 31:6,8]; that He will be with them till the end of the age [Matthew 28:20] that their names are written on His palms [Isaiah 49:16]. This same God promised us salvation through His work poured out graciously on us, not through our own efforts and works [Isaiah 59:16; Ephesians 2:1 – 9]; Salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. This same God promised us that He was preparing a place for us in John 14. This same God has promised that He will return to bring His children with Him that where He is, we may be also.
This same God who has promised us salvation is the same one described in Colossians 1:15 – 17 -- He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
We do not simply rest in God’s promises, but we actually rest in God himself. His promises are true and trustworthy because of who He is! Our comfort is not primarily found in the idea of a predetermined path, but trust in a loving Lord. We trust the one who is trustworthy, and carries out His purposes in a most holy, wise and powerful way. Even though we cannot always understand all the things that befall us, we can CONFIDENTLY say that we know that our God watches over His children, and nothing can separate them from His love! Which is not based upon our worthiness, but based upon His Son.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
First, imagine if we were at the whim of ‘fate’ – what type of comfort can we take in knowing that nothing more than impersonal, unfeeling fate has directed our path? We have no comfort in that, do we? Now, contrast that with knowing that a loving, caring Father is watching over our every breath, our very hairs are numbered by Him! That brings comfort in a fallen world that is ofttimes chaotic and confusing.
It is also important because we know at the end of the day that nothing will separate us from the love of God. When we get a diagnosis that tells us all is lost, we know that all is not lost – that our loving Savior, in His providential care, will watch over and guide us – whether or not He heals us in this life does not change our eternity!
We also know that, because we are His, God will guide us in our decisions. Even when these decisions turn out in a way that seems counter intuitive to our plan, we can rest in the fact that our great Shepherd leads and guides us, even when the path grows exceedingly dark and narrow. If we are truly the sheep of His flock we can trust, even when things seem to be going badly, that He is watching over us.
We know that because of God’s providential care, we may undergo trials and testing, but it is for His glory and purpose. We can look at trials as James does in James 1:2 – 4 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Or as Peter says in 1st Peter – that the trials we go through test our faith, refining it like hold, to the praise, glory and honor of Jesus Christ.
It is important when we face tragedy in life. We all will, at some point, be faced with tragedy. But, if we can say with confidence that God is in control, we can trust that somehow, some way, His perfect, holy plan is being executed. As I wrote in the last post, the life of Joseph was marked with what seemed to him, I am sure, like tragedy; yet he ended up saving the lives of not only the people of Egypt, but his own family – the very people who had sold him into slavery.
And there are other examples found within Scripture; what of the tragedy of Lazarus’ death [John 11]? Through his death, God’s plan was executed in that, through his being raised from the dead, many people believed, and God was given glory.
And what of the most horrific tragedy in history? The death of Jesus Christ; what did this make possible? Well, only the salvation of an entire people for all eternity. All of this was according to the purposes of our glorious triune God!
When we live our lives in light of the providence of God, with a full confidence in that providential care, we will encounter the same trials, testing and tragedies that all others face. The difference is that we will not mourn as those who have no hope. Instead, we, like Job will say, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” – Job 19:25 – 27 –
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Friday, May 22 2009
The Providence of God --
Over the next few posts I want to examine God’s providence in four, (hopefully), progressive stages. This post will examine God’s providence from a high-level. I want to look at, and hopefully answer the question:
How do we define God’s providence?
What spurred these posts was a series of difficult events that have affected our church. I felt that this study would be helpful to those going through difficult times.
DEFINITION
So what do we mean by ‘God’s Providence’? The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines providence in the answer to Question 11: “God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.”
Notice what the Catechism says: we often think of God’s providence in a static sense – not in the sense of actively preserving and governing all things. We (most of us) believe that, while God controls the events in the world, he does so in a reactive way – responding to situations as they crop up, as opposed to the Biblical perspective that states that God is actively involved in a second-by-second upholding, and governing all things.
Then, we must ask, what exactly does He control? Many would say that God only does the good things, but has no control over the bad ones. While I would agree that God is not the first cause of evil, He uses the evil works of fallen man and Satan to fulfill His purposes. To paraphrase J.I. Packer “The nature of God's "concurrent" or "confluent" involvement in all that occurs in his world, as - without violating the nature of things, the ongoing causal processes, or human free agency - he makes his will of events come to pass, is mystery to us, but the consistent biblical teaching about God's involvement is overwhelming…”
While it is unbiblical to state that God is not in control of all things, it is equally unbiblical to state that God is the root cause of evil – rather He uses the evil that exists in this fallen world to make His perfect will come to pass.
Let us consider an example found in Genesis 50:15 – 20 -- When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him." So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died, 'Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
In the Scripture cited, Joseph’s brothers had committed an evil act, they admitted it; they had thrown their brother into a well, and then sold him to traders who took him into Egypt to be auctioned off as a slave. We can only imagine Joseph’s mindset initially; this young man who had had such grandiose dreams about people bowing down to him etc. He must have been traumatized, hurt and bewildered. Yet, God had a plan – and as Joseph rises in importance in the house of Potiphar, it seems that God HAS taken care of him, but wait! Potiphar’s wife trumps up a charge of attempted rape against Joseph and he is sent into prison… Where is God in all of this? Another evil deed – the lie of Potiphar’s wife has tossed our hero into the jailhouse! But wait, maybe the baker or the cupbearer will speak well of Joseph when they get before the Pharaoh? Nope, they forget about him! Does it seem like God has been involved in this at all? Does there seem to be a plan? No, at least not a good one!
And yet… Eventually Joseph does climb the rungs of power ending up as the second most powerful man in Egypt. And in this role he not only saves the lives of many Egyptians, but also the embryonic tribe of Israel! And in Genesis 50, we find Joseph explaining God’s providence to his frightened brothers. What THEY meant as evil, God meant for good. Their evil plan was driven by their jealousy of Joseph, the first cause of the evil was in their own hearts – yet, God used the evil deeds of the brothers to save the nation of Israel!
God is no absent watchmaker! Hence, the definition, again from the Westminster Catechism, which fits very nicely is “God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.”
More on this in my next post....
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Tuesday, May 19 2009
Current Sermon Series --
I have begun preaching through a four week series on God's Providence. I normally preach through a book, (currently Matthew), in an expository manner, but our church has gone through some tremendously difficult times in recent weeks. Because of this, I felt that a study of God's Providence would be of benefit to the congregation.
The four sermons are tentatively entitled:
1. God's Providence; what is it? Why can we be confident in it? What does it mean for the redeemed?
2. The Suffering of the Saints; What can we know about this?
3. Death and Dying in the Providence of God.
4. The Eschatological Hope of the Redeemed.
I hope to post my thoughts on each of these as I finish the sermon...
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Thursday, April 23 2009
A Couple of Reading Lists --
So, you say you have PLENTY of time? :-)
Here are two reading lists that will provide a book per month for your reading pleasure. The first comes from the pen of Pastor Ligon Duncan at First Presbyterian in Jackson, Mississippi:
1. John Stott, Basic Christianity (IVP).
2. R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God (Tyndale House).
3. John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Crossway).
4. Don Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Baker).
5. J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Evangelical Press).
6. J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (Eerdmans).
7. J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness (Crossway Books).
8. John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans).
9. David F. Wells, No Place for Truth (Eerdmans).
10. John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway).
11. J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Eerdmans).
12. Westminster Confession of Faith (Free Presbyterian Publications).
Maybe you would prefer more Puritan reading? Here is a list from Timmy Brister -- He is calling it the Puritan Challenge 2008
January: The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (128 pp)
February: The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (221 pp)
March: The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson (252 pp)
April: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks (253 pp)
May: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan (225 pp)
June: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (130 pp)
July: A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge (287 pp)
August: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (228 pp)
September: The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton (224 pp)
October: The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie (207 pp)
November: The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (256 pp)
December: A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine (148 pp)
Good reading!
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Thursday, January 31 2008
Tool for Study --
Here are some tools that are useful in your Bible Study (Note: Check the legend at end):
1. Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences – Leland Ryken**
2. Bible (several Versions)
a. Literal – Word for Word
i. English Standard Version (ESV)*
ii. New American Standard Bible (NAS)**
iii. King James Version (KJV)*
iv. New King James Version (NKJV)**
b. Dynamic Equivalent
i. Revised Standard (RSV)***
ii. New Revised Standard (NRSV)***
iii. Amplified Bible+
iv. New American Bible (NAB)+
v. New International Version (NIV)*
c. Study Bible*
i. NIV Study Bible
ii. Reformation Study Bible
3. Bible Dictionary*
a. Easton’s
b. Holman
4. Bible Handbook*
a. Ryken’s
b. Holman
5. English Dictionary*
a. Webster’s
b. Oxford
6. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery – Leland Ryken+
7. Matthew Henry Commentary (public domain)*
8. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary (public domain)*
9. Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge (public domain)**
10. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (public domain)*
11. The Crossway Comprehensive Concordance of the Holy Bible, English Standard Version+
12. Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (public domain)***
13. Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps, and Reconstructions**
14. Foxe’s book of Martyrs (public domain)**
15. Kingdom of the Cults – Walter Martin**
16. Devotionals*
a. Morning and Evening – C. H. Spurgeon
b. My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers
c. All of Grace – C. H. Spurgeon
17. Systematic Theology***
a. Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion
b. Systematic Theology – Louis Berkof
c. Christian Theology – Millard J. Erickson
d. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine – Wayne Grudem
e. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith - Robert Reymand
18. Bible Doctrine – Wayne Grudem**
19. Hymnal*
a. Trinity Hymnal
b. Celebration Hymnal
20. Book-by-Book Commentary***
21. Introduction to the Old Testament – R.K. Harrison***
22. An Introduction to the New Testament – D.A. Carson & Douglas Moo***
23. Hard Sayings of the Bible – Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter Davids, Manfred Brauch**
24. Recommended Reading:
a. Puritan’s***
i. Body of Divinity – Thomas Watson
ii. Ten Commandments – Thomas Watson
iii. Lord’s Prayer – Thomas Watson
iv. Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
b. Knowing God – J.I. Packer*
c. The Christian Life – Sinclair Ferguson**
d. Essential Truth’s of the Christian Faith – R.C. Sproul**
e. Knowing Scripture – R.C. Sproul**
f. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth – Gordon Fee**
g. Biographies***
i. Memoir and Remains of the Reverend Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Minister of St. Peter’s Church, Dundee – Andrew Bonar
ii. The Life and Diary of David Brainerd – Jonathan Edwards
iii. Jonathan Edwards, A Life – George M. Marsden
h. Church History***
i. Baker History of the Church Series
1. Birth of the Church: From Jesus to Constantine, A.D. 30-312
2. Public Faith: From Constantine to the Medieval World, Ad 312-600
3. Reform and Conflict: From the Medieval World to the Wars of Religion, 1350-1648
4. The Age of Reason: From the Wars of Religion to the French Revolution, 1570-1789
ii. Church History in Plain Language – Bruce L. Shelley
Notes/Suggestions:
• Note the publishers that consistently put out good Christian literature, i.e.:
o P&R Books
o Crossway Books
o Banner of Truth Trust
•Look at Half-Price and on eBay, many books can be found there much less expensively.
•Check your local library, and our church library – if you find a book you wants to buy; test-drive it first.
•Read book reviews; ask for suggestions from pastors, teachers etc.
•Don’t try to get everything at once – prioritize: (My suggestion)
o #1 Bible(s)
o #2 Study Bible(s)
o #3 Hymnal
o #4 Handbook
o #5 Dictionary
o #6 Bible Dictionary
o #7 Concordance
o #8 Single Volume Commentary
o #9 History
o #10 Biography
o #11 Systematic Theology
o #12 Everything else (in whatever order you can afford, or deem necessary)
•Have a daily Bible Reading Plan – There are many to pick from:
o Straight Through
o Topical
o New Testament / Old Testament
o Chronological
o M’Cheyne reading Plan
o Bible Plan
•Web Sites with Tools that help
o Blue Letter Bible
o Bible Gateway
o Bible Tools
o Virtual Seminary
Legend:
* - Necessity
** - Highly Desirable
*** - For the more serious student
+ - Optional
Posted by Pastor_Ray_Harper
Friday, January 11 2008
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