Last week’s Friday Small Group Bible lesson was on the “fear of death” and the biblical lack thereof, because not everyone is vulnerable to this threat nor eventual reality. The only things guaranteed this side of heaven is death and taxes, but either exists in heaven. Death entered this through sin (doubting unbelief, believing Satan’s lie and disobeying God). Romans 5:12, 6:22-23 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our lesson asked: “What gave Christians the strength and courage to fearlessly die in faith and never deny Jesus Christ and His precepts (principles) of life? It starts with the Origin of Life: Genesis 2:7 “ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Secondly, by how God sent Jesus to redeem us, pay for our sins, rescuing us and restoring our broken relationship in righteousness with our Creator Father God: Hebrews 2:9, 14-15 “Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” And this is a gift from God to those who believe and repent; it is not earn, deserved nor can be bought on our own. This is God’s plan of Salvation.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 1 John 5:11-12 “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
It is not surprising that our Creator Father God made His Son the only way to salvation; it is surprising that God made any way at all, because He did not have to forgive sin, but chose to our of His pure love and mercy by the atoning death of Jesus Christ. The lesson asks: “If we are true believers in Jesus Christ, if we adore and reverently fear God (never wanting to displease you Father in heaven), what kind of kind of life do we have? Eternal life and we will never be separated from God and Jesus. Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Why? Because if we go down, then we go up!; meaning, that when we die, Believers go to heaven to live eternally with the Lord. This is the “eternal perspective”. 2 Corinthians 5:7-8 “For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” The reverential “fear of the Lord” is demonstrated by acknowledging the truth of God and living accordingly, aligned with His holy Word, Will and Way. How would this truth affect the way that you and I live and die? So, Child of God, how does it affect our life, our ministry of loving God and loving our neighbor, our gospel message and faithful witness to others for Christ the Savior of the world?
Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw Him (Jesus in heaven), I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’ Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:3-5, 7 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new. He that overcomes shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
The one who “overcomes” is a person who is born again, born of God, born anew – who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, Lord and Savior. Their faith is a victory that overcomes the sinful God-rejecting world system, whose eternal fate is described in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” My old Mentor Bill Stiles always said that you have to know what you have been saved “from”, before you can know and understand what you have been saved “to” in Jesus Christ. This is it! The gospel literally means “good news” – we are saved by faith through grace! Does it bring comfort and confidence to know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord? For Believers who live in the venerable “fear of the Lord”, embracing His holy Word of the Bible, trusting Him completely, and reverencing Him for who He is, the answer is a “yes” in the joy of their salvation. God is life; rejoice and live for Christ.
Brian
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