It Is Not Death to Die

Today I preached the funeral for a man I first met about six years ago.  He lived a mile from our church and only visited 2 or 3 times.  We had developed a friendship.

A few weeks back I sat with a church member in a hospital room as their spouse passed from this life.  It had been a long and difficult road. 

A week ago tragedy struck our nation and many were injured and several lost their lives.

Week by week our prayer list is full of those who are grieving and suffering.  Death is all around us.

As the Apostle Paul sat in Roman custody he wrote, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."  The longer I walk this earthly road the more I feel and see the effects of sin and the fall.  That is why I am so thankful for the mercy and grace of God.

While I love my family and much about my life, I know that in entering glory and the presence of Christ there is so much to "gain."  That is why the words of this song are so poignant for the follower of Jesus.

It Is Not Death to Die (Henri Malan/Bob Kauflin)


It is not death to die
To leave this weary road
And join the saints who dwell on high
Who’ve found their home with God
It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears
And wake in joy before Your throne
Delivered from our fears

O Jesus, conquering the grave
Your precious blood has power to save
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die

It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust
And rise with strong and noble wing
To live among the just
It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore

© 2008 Integrity’s Praise! Music/Sovereign Grace Praise

The Good News for the World

The Great Commission (or Jesus' famous last words) gets a lot of press among evangelicals, and rightly so.  After all Jesus was giving his disciples and us marching orders.  Although opinions may vary on the primary aim of the local church, most agree that making disciples through the gospel is of utmost importance.  But what is "the gospel?"  [there is actually a nice little volume by the same title]

In case you are unfamiliar with it, let me give you a brief summary of the gospel:

The gospel is the good news that actually starts with some pretty bad news.  Mankind is completely ruined because of sin.  Because of our sin we all face the judgement and wrath of God, and rightly so.  There are no good deeds or religious acts that we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God.  However, God in His grace and mercy provided a way for our sin to be removed and His wrath to be appeased through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus lived a perfect life and died sacrificially on the cross in the place of sinners. In demonstration of victory and power, Jesus was raised from the dead.  His sacrifice for our sins was totally sufficient and accepted by God the Father.  Everyone recognizing their hopeless condition, their offense of sin against God, turning from their sinful/selfish life and believing in Jesus Christ - they will be "saved" and made right with God. Jesus takes our sin and we receive His perfect righteousness when we repent and believe.  Believing in Jesus is the expression of faith, resting one's entire life on what Jesus accomplished by His sinless life, purposeful death and victorious resurrection.  Having come to believe in Jesus, the "born again" Christian will remain a faithful follower of Jesus forever.  All of this is a gracious work of God.

Perhaps more could be said about the gospel and one can certainly elaborate some of the details.  But the heart of this truth is seen in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is the good news that we are commissioned to share, it is for the whole world.  I noticed that in addition to the US, there are individuals from many other countries who find there way to this blog.  While I suspect most visit here without genuine interest in my thoughts, I understand the power of the gospel and the reach of the Internet.  So I publish this post in an effort to reach the world with the good news.  My prayer is that someone will read this wonderful truth and embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord.  To the glory of God!

Happy Christmas

I usually say, "Merry Christmas." That is the way most of us in the US express our holiday greeting. The other day I was changing the marquee in front of our church. The display says, "A Merry Christmas starts with Christ." Someone mentioned to me that "merry" refers to drinking and parties and that the proper expression is "Happy Christmas." Of course that is primarily a British form of the holiday greeting. I suppose my friend may have a point. Nonetheless, I still say it the regular way.

But, the point of our church marquee is the same (rambling) point of this post. There will be no meaningful Christmas - happy, merry or otherwise - without Christ as the center of it all.

I hope you have a wonderful, Christ-centered, happy Christmas!

Quotable Spurgeon

I am so very thankful for the life and ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He was exceptional in many ways. Although he lived in a different generation, his words are timeless. The challenges that he faced were not so much different to what we are faced with some one hundred years later. Below is a brief quotation from his classic daily devotional work. I trust it will challenge your view of yourself and the Savior.

"The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part towards Him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of Him, that we may submit cheerfully to His authority."

Source: Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning & Evening available here.

We Have Power

I had to wait three days before I could write this post. On Tuesday night a strong storm passed through Louisville and we lost our power. Sixty-four hours later all has been restored. For three nights our family huddled in our little house in the pretty, but not so warm, glow of candlelight. Since our house is only about 150 feet from the church (and the church had partial electricity) we ran a very long extension cord to the house in order to have limited power. Actually we had to save the fish, priorities you know. So, we have been without electricity, hot water and heat for three days and it has been a challenge.

Spiritually speaking, as those who are in Christ, we have the ultimate power source. Scripture is clear that all power belongs to God. Those who are in a right relationship with Him, through Christ, are have His power.

We need not look to another source. Christ is all we need. The world, great books, friends, money, sex, career and on the list goes, will never be enough. Just like the extenstion cord we used recently provided us with some power, ultimately it was not sufficient for our needs.

Tonight our family will enjoy a comfortable evening in a cozy warm house, because we have power. Moreover, I am comforted to know that through faith in Christ I am plugged in to the primary power source. That truth is much more comforting.