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Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ that Jesus Christ is God. See that's what Jesus Christ is done, the Prince of death has been defeated using the power of death, the skin he took on himself joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana doing pastoral Gebhart now again he shows us how God's word is our second point is the power of death has been destroyed told me now to first Corinthians chapter 15 the apostle Paul devoted this whole chapter to the resurrection. This whole chapter is about death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how significant it is and he says all kinds of interesting things he says in verse 26 the last enemy that will be abolished is death, but I want to pick it up when he is speaking over in verse 54 in verse 54. Paul says this but when this perishable IBS will have put on the imperishable.
That's what we have when were born again into the family of God, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory over death.
He says, where is your victory over death, where is your sting. The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was saying that the power of death is been destroyed. Notice he uses a picture sting. Oh death where is your victory over death, where is your sting. I can tell you where it is death left it sting in Christ. That's the sting of death. Jesus bore Lenski the great Greek commentator says this death is not merely destroyed so that it cannot do further harm. While all of the harm which it has wrought on God's children remains. He said the tornado was not merely checked so that no additional homes are wrecked while those that are wrecked still lie in ruin death and all its apparent victories are undone for God's children. What looks like a victory for death and like a defeat for us when our bodies die and decay shall be utterly reversed so that death dies in absolute defeat and our bodies live again in absolute victory. What a great thing that he's insight that he has, by the way it's it's consistent throughout Scripture in Revelation 21. There will no longer be any death in the new heaven and the new earth. In Romans eight 3839 Paul said that even death cannot separate us from the love of Christ.
It cannot separate us from the love of Christ. Even in the Old Testament was know what Isaiah right 700 years before Christ, he will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces the rebuke of his people.
He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. Isaac Hosea contemporary of Isaiah said this. Oh death, I will be your plagues Ò I will be your destruction.
I will ransom them from the power of the grave and I will redeem them from death.
The power of death is been destroyed, the Prince of death is been defeated in the process of death has been described turns me on John 14 gospel John chapter 14 very famous passage by the way, the context of this is simple. Jesus knows two things. The one thing he knows that he knows he's going to die physically tomorrow. The other thing he knows his disciples are also going so he wants to comfort them right before he dies.
Right before they go into that grieving process so notice what he says in verse one. Do not let your heart be troubled, he knows it will be. Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God believe also in me. He's is in my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so I would've told you, for I go and I prepare a place for you and if I don't prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
And you know the way where I am going remember Thomas struggled with this Lord. I don't know the way but notice what Jesus said the process of death is being described. It's right there. He says if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself is what Jesus said, often, and I gotta be honest three years in my own ministry where I interpreted this and said Jesus talking about the second coming, and he does talk about the second coming on occasions but I don't believe that's what he's talking about here. I don't think that would make any sense of the site was in this context, the you here is not just for all universal believers at the second coming, the US, particularly for the disciples and then for us when we die. I believe that he is saying this I go and prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. I believe that's the description of what happens when we die. Jesus comes and receives the storms off. In other words, and will talk about this in just a moment will bit more but you never die alone. Jesus receive you to himself, this fear that we have what's going to happen you know when I have no more awareness of what's going to happen, I don't think that's fear. I believe that he will speak to our spirit, we will be absent in the body and present with the board just like Paul said he receives us to himself. That's the description of the process of dying.
Even in Luke, remember when it talked about Lazarus, the poor beggar even when he guided said that he was carried away by the Angels and Abraham's bosom. He didn't say he went into some horrible state. By the way, I have to make a remark about it. I'm not meaning to offend, but many say this categorically as I can. There is no such thing as purgatory. Please understand that that does not come from the word of God at all. You see, that's not death.
Death is Jesus receiving you and undo himself for reasons the Prince of death has been defeated. The power of death has been destroyed.
The process of debt as been described in the picture of death has been developed. One that turned are really familiar passage and look at it that way. Let's go to Psalm 23 the 23rd Psalm notes all often read at funerals, but I don't know if it's ever really in any sense explained to get the comfort it should at funerals. This is an amazing piece of work Megan out starts the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures and eat. He leads me beside the quieter the still waters. He restores my soul he guides me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake and then right in the middle of the hymns of this old song. This verse, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for you are with me.
This is the picture of death. It's amazing the first thing it tells me is this death is a journey it's not a destination.
Understand this death is a journey it's not a destination notice even though I walk through the valley. That's amazing. He's saying look I walking through the valley. It's the shadow of death, but I'm walking through the valley. In other words, I'm going in a place pastor Bob Morgan and a great book he wrote on the 23rd Psalm says this he says that's the thing about valleys. They may have shadows and sorrows, but they are places that you walk through. He says, Psalm 23, four does not speak of a cave or a dead-end trail. It's a valley, which means it has an opening on each side is of the same God who led you win will lead you out. David did not use the phrase, though I walk in the valley. The emphasis is on. He says which indicates a temporary state. He said a transition. He said a bright path ahead. A hopeful future for Christians. He said problems are always temporary and blessings are always eternal, as opposed to non-Christians whose blessings are always temporal whose problems are always eternal. He said valleys don't go on forever and the road ahead is always bright for the child of God as bright as his promises. There are no cul-de-sacs on his maps no blind alleys in his will and no dead ends and his guidance. See its journey.
It's a process.
Sometimes we say it this way I could be in a very difficult state I could find myself laying in a bed, maybe not very responsive. We use the term coma state something like that and often what someone will say is he's lying at the store. None not I'm lying and Heaven's Gate you see that's were online. I'm making the journey. I'm ready to walk in you see death is not destination. Death is a journey that's what he is talking about. That's why Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Notice there's no place in between. When I am absent from the body. I am present with the Lord.
That's reassuring. Hopefully you will drive fear from us.
The picture of death has been developed. Death is a journey not a destination. Secondly, death is a shadow it's not reality. What he says even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death is just a shadow on seem so real next I was going to happen is my soul and spirit will be separate of my body, but I'll be absent from my body and I will be present with the Lord. The best thing I've ever heard. When explaining what that means is that it's a shadow comes from my Donald Ray Barnhouse who was the great pastor of the 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and Barnhouse buried his first wife.
They had a few children. She contracted a disease and she died.
His children of course were just overwhelmed by the loss of their mother and so Barnhouse picks up the story in his writing, and says this I was driving with my children from my wife's funeral right just preached a sermon amazing.
He said as we came into one small time. He said there strode down in front of us are truck that came to a stop before red light.
It was the biggest truck I'd ever seen in my life and the sun was shining on just the right angle that it took it shadow and sprinted across the snow on the field beside it. He said in the shadow covered the field and I said to the children look children look at that truck look at it shadow if you had to be run over.
Which would you rather be run over by which you rather be run over by the truck run over by the shadow. He said my youngest child, said the shadow could hurt anybody. That's right.
I continued, and death is a truck but the shadow is all that ever touched your mom. The truck ran over the Lord Jesus only. The shadow ran over your mother appointed see how pointed death is a shadow not a reality, and death is a journey not a destination, and death is lonely, but you're never alone.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil me number to challenge your observation skills. The something profound about this and we don't notice things.
That's the greatness of the word of God to me. Let me redo beginning again. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters he restores my soul he guides me in paths of righteousness for his namesake and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil and notice what he doesn't say, for he is with me. He does not say that what you say you are with me, he changes the pronoun for you are with me. He stops talking about the shepherd starts talking to the shepherd death will do that. You see death will do that in Jesus said on the relieving of her sick you see death may seem lonely, but you never alone. So if you think about a death is a journey not a destination.
Just as a shadow, not a reality, and death is may seem lonely but you're never alone. So why do we fear it.
There's no reason to fear death the Prince of death is been defeated.
The power of death is been destroyed. The process of death is been described in the picture of death has been developed. We don't have to fear you know how much I love CS Lewis, the Chronicles of Narnia must read and by the way, if you have children act as though they have to read for their sake, and then read it for yours. The whole idea is that the children keep exploring this other world. This world of Narnia and this world is ruled by Aslan, the great lion who is a type of Jesus Christ and Aslan is kind of overwhelming. And what happens is is that after each adventure in each book. Aslan sends the children back to England and then the next book they come back to Narnia, but in the last book you can tell that the children are now seeing Narnia in a way they've never seen it before their seeing it for all of its splendor and they realize and want to go back. They just don't want to go back and Aslan then surprises them. You see, Aslan says on that. This time he said there's been a railway accident that brought them the Narnia that they had by earthly terms died and left her world behind.
He says to them. The school term is over the holidays have begun the dream is ended.
This is morning. He then transforms himself into such an awesome wonderful being for who he truly is the Lewis says I can even write about him thinking that I can even write words about him now.
This is Aslan. This is our Lord Jesus Christ all their adventures in Narnia. So far was just the title page. Now they're going to write the book. That's us everything that you've done from your birth until you physically guys just the title page is.
That's all it is and now you're going to have a whole book to write. Listen to what Aston says. He says it is a story that no one on earth has read which goes on forever in which every chapter is better than the one before it. Just imagine it.
That's a picture of your life, your physical life is a title page may be a preface and then you write real life. Every single chapter better than the chapter before and it goes on forever. See that's what Jesus Christ is done. You see, that's what Jesus Christ has done the Prince of death has been defeated using the power of death.
The sting he took on himself and then he describes it where I am, there you will be also.
And I will come and receive you to myself and then David says that that death is a picture that it's a not a destination that it's simply a journey that it's not a reality it's only a shadow, and may seem lonely, but you're never alone. Death something almost always fear that the only way you would ever forget that the only reason. If you don't know Christ.
You should fear death.
You need to be born twice so that you die only once, but if you know Jesus Christ don't fear death. And if you do fear death, your believing a lie. Spring father. Whenever we come to the word of God. I often have the thought this how does this passage are these truths apply over a cross-section of all of our people will with the subject father. It's pretty clear. Death is a reality for every single one of us. Father I pray that if people in here this very morning.
Have a fear of death that these truths from your word will catch that figure out by their taking their faith and applying it to the truth and the promises of the word of God that they will be able to push fear out of their life. Father I pray that if there were someone here that doesn't know you at all. I pray that they understand how high the stakes are that they put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross because he is there sin bearer. He took the sting of death for them and that they have the assurance that when they are born again into your family. They will never be separated from you again that they way physically die but they will spiritually never die. Father, I think you I thank you for Jesus Christ.
Death would be such an overwhelming and final thing. If it wasn't for him. I think you father that he came to this earth lived a perfect life without sin went to the cross of Calvary and board the sins of this world. I think you father the Jesus Christ satisfied the perfection of your own holiness and I know that because you raised him from the dead. He has ascended into heaven.
Father, I thank you the Jesus Christ is one day going to come in to receive us to himself and one days coming to this earth and receive the church to itself. I thank you father that Jesus Christ is done again for us what we could never do for ourselves. Father I pray for each and every one of us who know Jesus Christ, we come to the realization of just pray this is an preferable giver you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just think of a smoother message one more time. Remember that you can do a great website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word.
We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA..org our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon on listening and remembering all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order