Thoughts of a Ragamuffin Part 10

Thoughts of a Ragamuffin Part 10: Death, Unknown, Hope

Today we are going to wrap up our series Thoughts of a Ragamuffin.

Today’s message is about life after death.

We don’t like to talk about death because we tend to be afraid to die.

We hide ourselves from images of death, reminders of death.

We avoid hospitals and cemeteries because we get uncomfortable.

By the time we get to the end of this presentation I want you to realize that

death is no longer to be feared and

you leave here with the hope of a biblically based afterlife.

The Bible is not 100% clear on what life after death looks like.

One thing the Bible is clear on is that everyone dies.

Hebrews 9:27 (MSG)

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.

In Genesis we learned that part of the consequences for rebellion was a return to

the dust from which we came (Genesis 3:19).

The Apostle Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

“Rich Mullins spoke and sang a lot about death.

He said: ‘Sooner or later, we all die….

Never forget that someday you’ll be dead.’”

(Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 185)

OTTAWA, Illinois September 19, 1997 Rich Mullins and Mitch McVicker were riding in a Jeep Friday night on southbound Interstate 39 on their way to do a benefit concert when the driver lost control and the car flipped, throwing both men from the Jeep. Police were not sure which man was driving. Mullins died of injuries after being hit by a passing truck when he was thrown from his own vehicle. Rich was 42 years old.

Rich even wrote a song about his own death.

He entitled it Elijah.

The last thought in the song reads

“And when I look back on the stars,

it’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park and

it won’t break my heart to say goodbye.

(Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 185).

Darcy is going to sing that for us a little later.

Rich wasn’t morbid, he didn’t think about death from some depressed place.

As a boy Rich had a younger brother die.

Rich realized that death is part of the human experience.

Rich knew that as believers death is not an end but the beginning of a new

kind of life.

“Rich knew that God is good,

[that God is writing a good story]

he believed death might not be the terrible thing we fear so much.” (Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 185)

“According to the Christian faith, death is not the end but the beginning of life.” (Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 188)

Let’s look into the Word and get a Biblical picture of the afterlife.

Lazarus lay dead in the grave 4 days.

4 days dead is pretty dead.

Lazarus sister tells Jesus that if he would have got there in time, her

brother wouldn’t have died.

Jesus tells her something inconceivable. J

John 11:25-26 (MSG)

I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.

Believers die, this we are sure of.

Jesus tells us that the death of the body is not the death of the person.

The death of the body is the beginning of a new way of living.

Believers do not ultimately die at all.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 (MSG)

Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

Jesus then manifests the glory of God,

He backs up what He has told Martha by raising Lazarus from the grave.

I would have liked to have interviewed Lazarus;

Found out what his experience was like.

The body was dead but obviously Lazarus was not.

Where did he go? Was he a ghost? Was he spiritual energy?

But its not recorded in scripture.

We have a mystery.

In the story of a rich man and a poor man Jesus pictured the afterlife as divided

into two sections;

One of comfort and one of torment.

But the jury is still out if Jesus meant for us to understand something about

heaven and hell or rather about how to live an ethical life here on

earth.

Luke 16:22-24 (MSG)

"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. ²⁴ He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'

How far we can take this teaching of Jesus to understand the afterlife I don’t know.

I do know that Jesus speaks of Hell and it’s a bad place to be.

Mark 9:47-48 (NIV)

…be thrown into hell, where “'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

I do know that Jesus speaks of Heaven and it’s a good place

Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I think Heaven is going to be imaginably more than we can conceive of.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (MSG)

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him.

Jesus told us that He is preparing a place for us.

John 14:1-4 (NIV)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

To be with Jesus is a good place to be.

Death is not the end there is an afterlife.

The death of our physical body graduates us into a new way of living.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (MSG)

And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 (MSG)

But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. … On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. ⁵³ In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. ⁵⁴ Then the saying will come true:
Death swallowed by triumphant Life!

“While death is imminent and unavoidable, [there is continuing life].

…One of the best things about being a Christian is that we believe that

death is not the end,

death has lost its sting,

because Jesus has risen from the dead and we will rise with him.

… death becomes something not to fear but to embrace.”

(Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 190)

“Christians do not die.

They simply change their residence.” (Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 191)

We are not spirits, not ghosts, not unconscious packets of energy.

The afterlife eventually leads to an immortal body.

One like Jesus

Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT)

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (MSG)

... we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade —and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!

From this little survey we have the testimony of scripture that there is an afterlife.

That there is a hell and that there is a heaven.

Heaven is where Jesus is.

I would think Hell is where Jesus is not.

Believers, those who have established and are living a righteous relationship

with God, others, self and the earth in life are heirs to eternal life.

We don’t really know what or where Hell is.

But we know it’s not a place we want to be.

We don’t really know what or where Heaven is.

But we know it’s part of the love gift given to us in Jesus.

The physical death of a believer simply moves the believer from faith to sight.

“Thinking seriously about our death,

instead of being morbid and frightening,

should lead us into a greater freedom to live this life with abandon. (Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 191)

Our physical lives are short.

After the Flood man’s lifespan was restricted to 120 years max.

How many 120 year olds do you know?

What’s death like?

I’m not sure.

I could be like birth.

“It is like when we were born,

We came from nothing and suddenly existed;

in death we are here and then suddenly gone.

Death is really like another birth.

Imagine telling a baby in the womb, attached to an umbilical cord,

‘Hey, guess what?

You are about to enter into a brighter new world with sound

and light and air and brilliant colors.

You will be able to see and smell and taste for the first time.

There are mountains and sunflowers and sandy beaches and …

a lot of beautiful things out here.

You’re gonna have to let go of the at umbilical cord.

In fact, we’re gonna snip it.

Don’t worry.

You’ll be fine after a few moments of

crying.’

Rich Mullins thought our death is something like that.

It is actually a birth into a new brighter,

more aromatic more delicious,

more beautiful world than the one we know.”

(Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 200)

1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

Maybe in death we become more alive than ever before.

In the great cosmic turn arounds death is one more thing God

turns upside down.

The dead in Christ are more alive than even those who are

alive in Christ,

and the alive in Christ are more alive than those

who are not living their lives to the full.

Maybe that’s why the scripture says that those believers who die are blessed.

Revelation 14:13 (NIV)

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

Fear of death is because what comes after is such an unknown.

All we know is this life and we cling, desperately cling to it.

Its familiar, we know what to expect.

Maybe since we come crying into this life,

we go laughing into the next.

Faith informs us that there is life in Christ after death.

What exactly this life eternal is like,

Well, we are not given specifics in scripture.

But we can be assured that life eternal is better than the life we are living now.

The Apostle Paul tells us:

Philippians 1:22-23 (NIV)

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…

Life eternal is better by far and therefore death is to be embraced when it comes,

Not to be feared.

God has already judged sin on the cross.

He receives you as his beloved child.

Recall Hebrews 9:27

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.

What if you have been a pretty lousy disciple?

What if you didn’t really mature in your faith?

What if you messed up more often than got it right?

What’s the consequences?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (MSG)

Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. ¹² Take particular care in picking out your building materials. ¹³ Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. ¹⁴ If your work passes inspection, fine; ¹⁵ if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely.

Because you have put your faith in Christ,

The foundation of salvation has been laid.

How you lived your life, the choices you have made,

Paul likens to building material that you used to build your life

upon that foundation.

As a believer your work will be inspected,

It may not pass muster.

You may have built like a weekend warrior instead of a skilled

craftsman.

You may have just slapped things up.

That’s all going to torn down.

But since you built on the foundation laid by Jesus,

You will not be lost.

If we have built with good material, if we have laid up treasures in heaven,

these will be the gifts we lay at the feet of Jesus,

our offering of thanks for what He has done for us.

Here’s what we have.

There is life after death.

There are two orders of life after death,

One is without God in torment,

one is with God in paradise.

When you accept the fact that you need a savior.

When you believe that the savior you need is Jesus.

When you make a commitment to be a follower of Jesus,

When you ask God to accept your faith,

You’ve opened the door for God to work in your Life.

Partner with God in that work and death is not to be feared but embraced.

Its OK to die when you are rooted in eternal life.

Rich would tell you:

“Live like you’ll die tomorrow;

die knowing you’ll live forever, live right.

Love like you’ll leave tomorrow;

believing love lasts forever, live right.”

(Smith, Arrow Pointing to Heaven, p. 194-95)

Thoughts of a Ragamuffin Part 10: Death, Unknown, Hope

Hebrews 9:27 (MSG)

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.

According to the Christian faith, death is not the end but the beginning of life.

John 11:25-26 (MSG)

I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.

Jesus tells us that the death of the body is not the death of the person.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 (MSG)

Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

In the story of a rich man and a poor man Jesus pictured the afterlife as divided into two sections; one of comfort and one of torment.

Luke 16:22-24 (MSG)

Jesus speaks of Hell and it’s a bad place to be.

Mark 9:47-48 (NIV)

…be thrown into hell, where “'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

Jesus speaks of Heaven and it’s a good place

Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I think Heaven is going to be imaginably more than we can conceive of.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (MSG)

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him.

Jesus told us that He is preparing a place for us.

John 14:1-4 (NIV)

The death of our physical body is not the end.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (MSG)

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 (MSG)

Christians do not die. They simply change their residence.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT)

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (MSG)

Believers, those who have established and are living a righteous relationship with God, others, self and the earth in life are heirs to eternal life.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

Maybe in death we become more alive than ever before.

Revelation 14:13 (NIV)

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

Faith informs us that there is life in Christ after death.

Philippians 1:22-23 (NIV)

What if you have been a pretty lousy disciple? What if you didn’t really mature in your faith? What if you messed up more often than got it right? What’s the consequences?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (MSG)

“Live like you’ll die tomorrow; die knowing you’ll live forever, live right. Love like you’ll leave tomorrow; believing love lasts forever, live right.”

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