BOOK: Exhortations

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Volume 12 ... #21

The world teaches us to mourn and many other pagan traditions not in Bible

In the Old Testament the people mourned for Moses 40-days.  In John 11, Lazarus had died and the Jews mourned and wailed and visited his tomb.

But what did they do after the resurrection of Jesus?

The resurrection and the hope of the resurrection changed everything concerning death.

The apostle Paul instructed us as follows:

I Thessalonians 4:13-18     But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (dead).

For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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*   concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Before they died, my father and my mother were both born again.  When my dad died, I said, "Good" when they told me he died.   Now he was free from his physical body and the partially debilitating stroke which had kept him in a type of physical prison.

When my mother died, I felt happy for her.  She was 97, could no longer speak, could no longer feed herself, had to just lie in bed all day.  Death freed her.

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But I am a Christian and believe the things of the Bible concerning death and resurrection.

I spoke by phone with my favorite aunt before she died.  She was in hospital in another city from where I lived.  She asked me, "What do you think happens to us when we die?"  I replied, "We fall asleep."  She said, "That is what I believe."

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Concerning death and what death means and what happens in death, we have the example of Lazarus.

John 11:1-14    Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

Therefore his sisters sent unto HIM, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

When Jesus heard that, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

When HE (Jesus) had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where HE was.

Then after that saith HE to His disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee; and goest Thou thither again?

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

These things said HE: and after that HE saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Jesus explained that to die is to fall asleep.  

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My cousin's husband died.  She told me this:  "Thurman reached over and patted my hand and then fell asleep."

That is what death is:  falling asleep

I told my cousin what Bible says about death.

She then replied, "Then it really doesn't matter where we are buried."

I said, "That's right."

At one point, she spoke of going to decorate Thurman's grave.  I said, "Why, who are you trying to impress.  Thurman is asleep and doesn't know you are there decorating his grave.  So who is it you are trying to impress?"

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There is a worldly saying of having a voice that wakes the dead.

Jesus has that voice that wakes the dead.  When Jesus comes "with a shout" the dead in Christ will awaken and rise from their sleep!  I Thessalonians 4

We see this pattern in Lazarus also. 

When Jesus knew of Lazarus' illness, Jesus remained where HE was for two days while Lazarus died.

Then Jesus went to the place where Lazarus lived with his two sister, Martha and Mary.

John 11:21-28     Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.

Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

Martha saith unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.

Believest thou this?

She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

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Lazarus was dead.  Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and told them to take away the stone at the grave. 

John 11:39-40    Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

And when HE thus had spoken, HE cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.  John 11:43-44

Jesus was showing the people how the resurrection of the dead was through HIM, through Jesus.

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But when the dead are raised, they will not have these fleshly bodies.  I Corinthians 15

The problem of this current life is the body, the flesh that we have, which is subject to disease and pain and death. 

The body given us by God after the resurrection of the dead will be a different form from these current bodies.  I Corinthians 15

That resurrected body will not be subject to pain nor disease nor decay nor change nor corruption of flesh for it will not be flesh as we now have.  I Corinthians 15

We will then be like the angels, says Jesus.  (Matthew 22:30)

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The world teaches you to mourn for the dead person.  Paul says, "Sorrow not."

When a person sorrows over the dead person, he sorrows for himself not for the dead person.

For the dead person has no problem.  The dead person is simply asleep.

Therefore your sorrow is for yourself.  We escape that worldly sorrow by believing various parts of what Bible says and by making ourselves focus on Bible and depending on God to lead us forth and to fill our lives daily.

The truth is, you are afraid for yourself and not for the one who dies, when you mourn.  You are trying to keep that person alive by your mourning so you will have him in your life.  But which is better?  This life or that which is to come?  The dead person has taken a step toward the life that is to come!  How can you sorrow for him when you understand these Biblical truth?

You are entering into a temporary new life on this earth.  To look back and wish for the life you once had with the person who is now dead is like Lot's wife looking back.  To look back is your own death.

Instead go forward in Christ, calling on God in time of need, depending on God, overcoming through that which God gives you.

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The world teaches many pagan things concerning death.  They dress in black.  (not in Bible)  They visit graves and take flowers to graves.  They focus on death, not on truths from Bible about death.

We who are Christians should not be this way.  We should not participate in worldly, pagan rituals concerning death.  We focus on the resurrection.  We speak Bible truths and fight down these worldly teachings.

And we go forward living in Bible truths because we believe in the resurrection.  This changes everything for us.

And by this, we recover.

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Sometimes humans will have a funeral and will say, "We are celebrating life."  Meaning celebrating the life of the one who died.

But we, who are Christians, celebrate Jesus Christ's life who gave the dead life.

To celebrate the fleshly works of the human is death.

Jesus is life.  Focus on HIM and what HE did.

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Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Romans 12

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Some people want to cling to the dead.  Some want to try to keep the dead alive by remembering them.  Multiple times, I have heard women say they want to live where they lived with their husband for they feel closer to him there.

It is hard to keep the past alive.  Sometimes our flesh desires to return to a certain time of life.

Paul urges us to go another way:

Philippians 3:13-15    Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

As those who belong to God, we go forward in hope, knowing there is a resurrection, thus rejoicing in the resurrection, continually depending on God to fill our remaining days on this earth as HE wills, calling on God for HIS help in time of need.

God will raise you up.

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