"I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Cor 15:50
There was a clothing brand called "No Fear" that was big when I was growing up. I always wanted a t-shirt like the one above because they made you look so tough, cool and brave. I don't know about you, but there are times even now when I that I could use one of these shirts to pump me up because I don't feel very tough or brave. In life, I find myself often facing fears that not only scare me but dictate the way I live. Recently I've realized it doesn't have to be this way. The hope that we have for eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the one and only living God, has removed all fear from the thing we all fear most, death.
We hold on to our lives and living so tightly don't we? We don't like getting sick and especially hate getting diagnosed with things like diseases. As much as we cling to being alive and well, the reality is, we must give all this up if we wish to enter God's eternal kingdom one day. Can you imagine walking up to the gates of heaven holding the keys to your car and a box of pills to take every night before bed? Read the Bible's description of heaven and ask yourself what you're going to bring heaven's gates.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
No death , no mourning, no crying, no pain, everything will be made new. Verse 4 tells us that Jesus will wipe away all our tears and all our hurt, forever, once and for all. I don't know about you but I'm not bringing my keys or pillbox to a place like this. Things like these don't belong in God's perfect heaven.
What a wonderful place heaven will be. But in order for you and I to experience the peace and freedom from fear associated with death we must let go of the flesh and blood of this world. We must be willing to let our bodies decay and die on earth one day if we want to inherit the new body God will give us in heaven. We cannot hold tightly to the world we're in and still live for our heavenly home to come. Only when we let go of this earthly world and its possessions and embraced the perfect home God has prepared for for us all, will we find that our fear of dying is replaced by hope because we know that dying is not the end, but instead, the beginning. This perspective enabled the apostle Paul to say things like, "To live is Christ, but to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). There are not many times in life when you are fortunate enough to have a win, win situation on your hands, but we do because of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says that the "sting of death is sin" but Since Christ paid for the sins of us all, death has lost it's sting and is no longer something to fear. You and I both know that if we trust Christ's forgiveness alone as the only way to heaven we are guaranteed a place in his kingdom.
As long as you and I are alive, we get to experience the joy of spending our days following God and spreading the glory of his name and the goodness of his forgiveness on the earth. In dying, we get to at last leave our sinful, broken world, exchange this flesh and blood for a new body (1 Cor 15:35-49), and spend eternity in the presence of our mighty creator God.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. " (Revelation 21:1-7)No death , no mourning, no crying, no pain, everything will be made new. Verse 4 tells us that Jesus will wipe away all our tears and all our hurt, forever, once and for all. I don't know about you but I'm not bringing my keys or pillbox to a place like this. Things like these don't belong in God's perfect heaven.
What a wonderful place heaven will be. But in order for you and I to experience the peace and freedom from fear associated with death we must let go of the flesh and blood of this world. We must be willing to let our bodies decay and die on earth one day if we want to inherit the new body God will give us in heaven. We cannot hold tightly to the world we're in and still live for our heavenly home to come. Only when we let go of this earthly world and its possessions and embraced the perfect home God has prepared for for us all, will we find that our fear of dying is replaced by hope because we know that dying is not the end, but instead, the beginning. This perspective enabled the apostle Paul to say things like, "To live is Christ, but to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). There are not many times in life when you are fortunate enough to have a win, win situation on your hands, but we do because of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says that the "sting of death is sin" but Since Christ paid for the sins of us all, death has lost it's sting and is no longer something to fear. You and I both know that if we trust Christ's forgiveness alone as the only way to heaven we are guaranteed a place in his kingdom.
As long as you and I are alive, we get to experience the joy of spending our days following God and spreading the glory of his name and the goodness of his forgiveness on the earth. In dying, we get to at last leave our sinful, broken world, exchange this flesh and blood for a new body (1 Cor 15:35-49), and spend eternity in the presence of our mighty creator God.
Jonathan Edwards said in his "Resolutions" that he thought on his own death often because it reminded him to make the most of each day. Because of what Christ has done, should do the same. We shouldn't fear sickness, cancer, or the destruction of our earthly bodies. If anything, we should allow these potential fears to remind us that our time on earth is short, motivate us to make the most of each day, and excite us about the heavenly future that awaits.
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