Today I desperately need a word of comfort and encouragement. How about you? Together we are mourning the death last week of Gail D., our beloved sister in the Lord, who was a member of this local church while she lived. May the Holy Spirit apply our sermon text like a balm to the soul and may He strengthen us to keep believing and living as Christians. Please consider the words of Revelation 14.13,<\/p>\n And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.<\/strong><\/p>\n The main point of this verse can be stated very simply: A Certain Promise<\/strong><\/p>\n Many people have strange ideas about the afterlife that are based on wishful thinking. Here we have the truth about it based on divine revelation. God gave the apostle John the prophetic visions of the book of Revelation, and the Holy Spirit prompted John to record them, with supernatural guidance, in words that are infallible and absolutely trustworthy.<\/p>\n In this verse we have a promise that is most certain, because it comes from the Almighty. John wrote, \u201cI heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write.\u201d The owner of this particular voice is not identified, but one thing is for sure: he spoke the truth from heaven, which is to say, as the representative of the God who cannot lie (Tit 1.2).<\/p>\n And we know that John did write, because we have the written record of what he heard on that day of divine revelation. In this, John served the whole Church of Christ as a writing prophet of the Lord.<\/p>\n If you are a shrewd person, you are not gullible, but you require verification for the more important messages which might be brought to you. To get along in this world, you need a healthy skepticism. Now and then I find in my mailbox offers I consider too good to be true, like a free two week Alaskan cruise for my wife and me. Do I jump up and down with joy when I open the envelope and read this? No, because it almost certainly has strings attached, and someone is trying to take advantage of me.<\/p>\n But my friends, there is nothing more certain than God\u2019s speech, and that this Bible we revere is indeed God speaking. Two things we know for sure, and they are the foundation of all true knowledge\u2014the God of the Bible actually exists, and the Bible is His Word.<\/p>\n Now we cannot digress to present a formal course on apologetics or to defend these things at length in a sermon like this. That would get complicated in a hurry, but let me say this much about it. Without these two presuppositions, there is no reasonable hope of a rational and beneficial worldview. Some of the most brilliant philosophers for many centuries have tried to come to firm conclusions about the meaning of life, ethics, and other matters that I call the \u201cbig-little questions,\u201d and God keeps frustrating their efforts and mocking the unaided \u201cwisdom of man.\u201d But those who accept the two pillars of God\u2019s existence and Scripture\u2019s authority can answer the greatest questions that have stumped the worldly philosophers.<\/p>\n On the other hand, there are many and powerful evidences that God is and that the Bible is His Word, evidences which are found compelling to those who consider them honestly. The problem is that considering them honestly<\/em> is something that sinners will never do unless and until the Holy Spirit changes our hearts and makes us believers.<\/p>\n In the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q\/A #4), the Puritans offered a classic summary of how we know that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are God\u2019s Word:<\/p>\n The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very word of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In other words, the Bible is majestic like no other supposedly holy book, and it is peerlessly pure in morals and ethics. Sinners could not<\/em> author it if they would, it is so perfect, and they would not<\/em> write it if they could, since it would condemn them. It had to come from the infinitely wise and holy God. No other source is even remotely plausible. The Bible is internally consistent without any demonstrable contradictions. It has reams of predictive prophecy, and much verified history proving that the predictions came true, to the letter, centuries later. Its miracles alone can account for the existence of Jews in the Old Testament (e.g., the exodus from Egypt), and Christians in the New Testament. What but the actual resurrection of Jesus could have so transformed His disciples proclaiming it to die for this testimony?<\/p>\n The Bible\u2019s message spans eternity, beginning with creation and ending with the final judgment and beyond. It humbles the pride of man and gives all glory to God alone. No book like this Book enlightens the judgment and convicts us of our sins, or turns us from our idols to serve the living and true God. No book like this Book deeply comforts the souls of believers, and edifies us spiritually, conforming us more and more to our uniquely praiseworthy Lord, Jesus Christ. And when find that we have become real Christians, we have a confidence within us surpassing all human explanation that this Holy Bible is God\u2019s Word!<\/p>\n That being the case, we Christians know for sure that what we read here in Revelation 14.13 is a certain promise of eternal blessedness. Let us \u201cventure wholly\u201d upon it, staking our entire well-being, both for this life and the life to come. Only then can you possibly experience its deep consolation and hope for the future.<\/p>\n And what is the substance of the promise? It is absolutely the best thing there is or possibly could be. A shorthand biblical term for this is \u201cblessedness.\u201d It designates someone who has the gracious favor of God and therefore is destined for eternal salvation and bliss in His gracious presence, with all the righteous saints and ages in the coming age. A detailed dictionary of Greek words in the New Testament say \u201cit refers overwhelmingly to the distinctive religious joy which accrues to man from his share in the salvation of the kingdom of God\u201d (TDNT, \u03bc\u03b1\u03ba\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2). Some have translated it \u201chappy,\u201d but that would be like saying a nuclear bomb blast is \u201cnoisy,\u201d or that the hottest star in the universe is \u201cwarm.\u201d<\/p>\n A Spiritual Qualification<\/strong><\/p>\n This statement in Revelation 14 is a \u201cbenediction,\u201d the second of seven in this last book of the Bible. A benediction is in Scripture is a pronouncement of blessedness upon people God especially loves and is committed to save from all misery forever and ever. Therefore, it is not<\/em> intended for absolutely everyone. The Lord repeatedly announces throughout the Bible the fearful truth that many human beings will perish in conscious, eternal torment for their sins. God\u2019s curse<\/em> is theirs, not His benediction.<\/p>\n We do not need to wonder or guess about who gets this benediction because they are described right in the text. It says, \u201cBlessed are<\/em> the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.\u201d Now this should not be taken to deny that those who are living can legitimately be pronounced blessed. Indeed, there are many examples of this throughout the Bible, but here, certain people who have died are the focus, and they are held up as eminent examples of those who are supremely blessed. How admirable their condition! We should look on them with a kind of holy jealousy, thinking, \u201cO, that I might become as they are!\u201d<\/p>\n For some people, death has lost already its sting, and the grave, its victory. The apostle Paul celebrates this in the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. For a certain class of people now living in this world, death will prove to be only a transition to a better place, a better state of mind, and a better condition than they have ever known before. After death they will be better off than the healthiest, wealthiest, and happiest people still living in this world. A woman with this spiritual qualification will experience the enviable blessings of poet\u2019s pen:<\/p>\n Now the Christian\u2019s course is run, But what is the spiritual qualification for this? Who are enrolled among the blest after death? The answer is, \u201cThose who die in the Lord<\/em>,\u201d that is, in the Lord Jesus. \u201cIn the Lord\u201d describes a relationship of spiritual union with Christ. Believers are made one with Him, and so are \u201cin Christ.\u201d This little phrase is packed with significance, as even a cursory Bible study will show. Let it be enough right now to say it designates a real Christian\u2014one of God\u2019s elect, for whom Christ died on the cross, and regenerated or made new by the Holy Spirit. \u201cTherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new\u201d (2 Cor 5.17).<\/p>\n The context of Revelation 14.13 makes the identity of those \u201cin the Lord\u201d even clearer. Look at verse 12. The same people are there called \u201csaints,\u201d and \u201cthey who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus\u201d [or, their faith in Jesus<\/em>, ESV]. The label \u201csaints\u201d means that God has graciously set them apart for Himself from among the mass of this world\u2019s sinners. As a result of this sanctifying grace, their disposition and habit is obedience to His commandments. This distinguishes them from all others whose lives are characterized by lawlessness and sin\u2014who, for all practical purposes, show they really do not care what God says in Scripture. True saints do care<\/em>. Furthermore, they are people who \u201ckeep their faith in Jesus,\u201d that is, they are persistently trusting Him as their Savior and following Him daily as their Lord and Master. These and no others are the ones who really are \u201cin the Lord,\u201d and upon whom God\u2019s benediction rests.<\/p>\n As most of you well know, for a long time now in my public and private ministry of the Word, I have been using the phrase, \u201creal Christians.\u201d That is because not all who claim to be Christians are devoted followers of Christ; that is what the word \u201cChristian\u201d means. Acts 11.26 says, \u201cAnd the disciples [here, believers and close followers of Jesus] were called Christians<\/em> first in Antioch.\u201d Jesus Himself, in His own teaching, used something close to this phrase of \u201creal Christians\u201d: \u201cThen said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed\u201d (John 8.31), or, \u201cIf you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples\u201d (GNB).<\/p>\n I must stress this because the text sets forth the truth that<\/p>\n Real Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.<\/em><\/p>\n Real Christians, and real Christians only\u2014they are the people receiving God\u2019s benediction.<\/p>\n Now there are two serious mistakes people make about this. Number one, and the most dangerous, is to take God\u2019s benediction to yourself before you are a real Christian, before grace sets you spiritually apart from the unbelievers, before you begin practicing sincere, deliberate, and habitual obedience to God\u2019s commandments in Scripture, and before you have a gospel faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord. The second serious mistake is the opposite of this, when real Christians doubt that the benediction is theirs in particular. Many sincere Christians do not enjoy much assurance of their salvation, and as a result, they go limping along as they journey toward eternal glory. They finally make it, praise God, but their experience would have been so much happier if they had given more diligence to make their calling and election sure. As the Puritan Thomas Brooks explained,<\/p>\n The being in a state of grace makes a man\u2019s condition happy, safe, and sure; but the seeing, the knowing of himself to be in such a state, is that which renders his life sweet and comfortable. The being in a state of grace will yield a man a heaven hereafter, but the seeing of himself in this state will yield him both a heaven here and a heaven hereafter; it will render him doubly blest, blest in heaven, and blest in his own conscience (Heaven on Earth<\/em>, \u201cThe Preface\u201d).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While part of my responsibility as a biblical preacher is to warn unbelievers against thinking that things are well with their soul and in their relationship with God, another part is to press those of you who are real Christians to realize that great promises like this one in Revelation 14.13 are yours in Christ. You saints of the Lord are predestined to inherit every blessing of the super-abounding grace of God in glory! The sooner you know this for sure and the more you meditate on it, the better.<\/p>\n First John was written to promote assurance of salvation in real Christians. Toward that end, the epistle cycles through three kinds of spiritual tests which have been called the doctrinal test, the moral test, and the social test (e.g., 1-3 John commentary by James Montgomery Boice). You might be able to remember them better by these three words: truth, righteousness, and love.<\/p>\n Do you believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ? John says, \u201cWhosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God\u201d (1 John 5.1). Do you keep God\u2019s commandments from the heart, sincerely and habitually? John says, \u201cAnd hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments\u201d (1 John 2.3). Do you love your Christian brothers and sisters, not just in word but in deed and in truth? John says, \u201cWe know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren\u201d (1 John 3.14). Put them all together and you have a three-fold cord of assurance that is not quickly broken (Eccl 4.12).<\/p>\n John regarded his readers as real Christians, and he wanted them to enjoy the exhilaration of knowing for certain that they were securely in a state of grace. So he draws his letter to a close expressing this encouraging purpose: \u201cThese things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God\u201d (1 John 5.13). Do you know<\/em> that you have eternal life? If you believe the truth about Jesus, and you put God\u2019s commandments into practice, and you love other Christians just because they are Christians<\/em>, then you can and should be assured of your final salvation. These spiritual tests were not given to raise doubts in your mind about your spiritual state\u2014just the opposite. They bring clarity to confusion and resolve the mystery. If you fail the tests, at least you can finally know that you are not a real Christian. Diagnosis precedes cure. And if you pass the tests, then you have every right to full assurance, just as much as any other Christian.<\/p>\n And when it comes to Revelation 14.13, you meet the spiritual qualification for this certain promise of blessedness. Now that\u2019s<\/em> encouragement!<\/p>\n Let us consider the third and last part of the verse, the part that characterizes the reward that the righteous dead enjoy by the grace of God.<\/p>\n A Gracious Reward<\/strong><\/p>\n It says of them, \u201cYea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.\u201d Here we have a confirmation, a rest, and a reward.<\/p>\n The confirmation is in the phrase, \u201cYea, saith the Spirit.\u201d This is without question a reference to the Holy Spirit, referred to repeatedly in the messages to the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, \u201cHe that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.\u201d There is no greater confirmation of truth than the verbal affirmation of the Holy Spirit, as here. \u201cYea\u201d or \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cindeed\u201d or \u201ctruly\u201d all translate a little Greek word that is like the word \u201camen.\u201d<\/p>\n Further, it says, \u201cthat they may rest from their labors.\u201d The word \u201cthat\u201d expresses purpose and is linked with what comes before, \u201cin order<\/em> that they may rest from their labors\u201d (LEB, emphasis mine<\/em>). The thought seems to be that they die in the Lord for the purpose of resting from their labors, or, \u201cto the end that they may rest from their labors,\u201d as Wuest put it. The word translated \u201clabors\u201d literally means hard work. In this context, it has a connection with the suffering Christians endure in this world while being oppressed by unbelievers. Martyrdom is an extreme case of that oppression, but \u201call that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution\u201d (2 Tim 3.12) in one form or another, to one degree or another.<\/p>\n We need to think of the death of a Christian in this way. It is entering into a state of rest from all the harassment and painful toil that comes with living the Christian life in this world.<\/p>\n There is a rich tradition of spiritual songs from plantations in the antebellum South where the daily life of African-American slaves was sometimes unbearable. Many of them heard the gospel and trusted in Christ, and their simple hope in going to heaven kept them from utter despair. They would sing while they were sweating in the cotton fields, during long hot days of oppression, looking forward to sundown or death, whichever came first. Here is an example of their Christian hope, looking forward to release from the trials of this world:<\/p>\n Free at last, free at last Way down yonder in the graveyard walk Some of these mornings, bright and fair The last part of Revelation 14.13 has to do with the Christian\u2019s reward. \u201cTheir works do follow them.\u201d What a wonderful way to teach us that what we do for the Lord in this life has happy consequences for the next! Right now really does count forever. This reward is not payment for services rendered. Nor is it earned, as if we have some inherent merit and God owes us anything. Rather, it is just the Lord\u2019s blessed way of showing us in the afterlife how pleased He is with our faith and good works in His name.<\/p>\n Real Christians, giving ourselves up to Christ in gratitude for His mercy, aim to please Him by carrying out His revealed will. Indeed, the church\u2019s mission toward those who have been baptized is to be \u201cteaching them to observe all things whatsoever [Jesus has] commanded [us]\u201d (Matt 28.20).<\/p>\n And when we die, it is like we get to leave the field and go into the great farmhouse with our Master, to sit and eat and drink with Him as His intimate friends. He did appoint hardship for us in this life, but it shall yield to glory! And those who have died in the Lord are already beginning to enjoy His commendation of their faith and life. They are beginning to appreciate, like never before, that their labors in the Lord were not in vain. Their eternal reward, a gracious reward, is already theirs in a great measure, awaiting Judgment Day when it will be even more fully realized.<\/p>\n This Christian hope is why we can celebrate with tears in our eyes for sisters like Gail, and this hope is a big part of what keeps us serving the Lord all our days.<\/p>\n Real Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.<\/em><\/p>\n In closing, let me share a poem that paraphrases and enlarges on our sermon text today.<\/p>\n Hark! A voice divides the sky, happy are the faithful dead! Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. http:\/\/www.negrospirituals.com\/news-song\/free_at_last_from.htm D. Scott Meadows Today I desperately need a word of comfort and encouragement. How about you? Together we are mourning the death last week of Gail D., our beloved sister in the Lord, who was a member of this local church while she lived. May the Holy Spirit apply our sermon text like a balm … Continue reading Eternal Blessedness ![\"Pastor-D-Scott-Meadows\"](\"http:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Pastor-D-Scott-Meadows-249x300.png\")
D. Scott Meadows<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nReal Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.<\/em>
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\nI would draw three important truths from the text in the order they appear: 1) a certain promise, 2) a spiritual qualification, and 3) a gracious reward.<\/p>\n
\nEnded is the glorious strife;
\nFought the fight, the work is done,
\nDeath is swallowed up of life.
\nBorne by angels on their wings,
\nFar from earth the spirit flies,
\nMeets her Lord, and soars and sings,
\nTriumphing in Paradise.
\n—Psalms and Hymns of Reformed Worship<\/em>, #610(2)<\/p>\n
\nI thank God I’m free at last
\nFree at last, free at last
\nI thank God I’m free at last<\/p>\n
\nI thank God I’m free at last
\nMe and my Jesus going to meet and talk
\nI thank God I’m free at last<\/p>\n
\nI thank God I’m free at last
\nGoin’ meet King Jesus in the air
\nI thank God I’m free at last1<\/SUP><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nIn the Lord who sweetly die, they from all their toils are freed;
\nThem the Spirit hath declared blessed, unutterably blessed;
\nJesus is their great reward, Jesus is their endless rest.
\nFollowed by their works, they go where their Head has gone before;
\nReconciled by grace below, grace has opened mercy\u2019s door;
\nJustified through faith alone, here they knew their sins forgiv\u2019n,
\nHere they laid their burden down, hallowed, and made fit for Heav\u2019n.
\nWho can now lament the lot of a saint in Christ deceased?
\nLet the world, who know us not, call us hopeless and unblessed:
\nWhen from flesh the spirit freed hastens homeward to return,
\nMortals cry, \u201cA woman is dead!\u201d Angels sing, \u201cA child is born!\u201d
\nBorn into the world above, they our happy sister greet,
\nBear her to the throne of love, place her at the Savior\u2019s feet;
\nJesus smiles, and says, \u201cWell done, good and faithful servant thou;
\nEnter, and receive thy crown, reign with Me triumphant now.\u201d2<\/SUP><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n2. http:\/\/www.hymntime.com\/tch\/htm\/h\/v\/o\/hvoicedi.htm<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Exposition of Revelation 14.13<\/span>