Death, the Christian's best friend!

Charles Spurgeon, et al.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."

To the unsaved man, death is a dreaded enemy--a final and bitter end to a worthless life.

But to the true Christian, death is not a calamity, but a coronation!
It is not the ruin of life, but the very door to everlasting joy.

Why does Scripture call the death of God's saints, precious? Because to God, nothing is more valuable than the bringing home of those whom He has redeemed with the precious blood of His Son. And to the believer, death is the last step in the journey toward full and eternal communion with Jesus.

1. Death delivers us from all sin
One of the chief blessings death brings to the believer, is deliverance from the presence and power of sin. Though justified and sanctified in Jesus, every Christian still laments with Paul, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) In this life, sin clings to us, wars against us, and hinders every holy pursuit. But death severs that final tie. No more wandering affections. No more inward corruption. The soul is made perfect in holiness and enters immediately into the presence of the Lord! (Hebrews 12:23)

2. Death ends all of our suffering
This poor world is a valley of tears. The believer is not spared from trial and sorrow--often, his path is harder because of his following of Jesus. But death silences every groan, and dries every tear. The Lord will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain! (Revelation 21:4) In the moment of death, all affliction ceases.
  No more physical pain,
  no more emotional anguish,
  no more persecution,
  no more battle with the flesh.
The weary believer is finally at rest.

3. Death brings us to the immediate presence of Jesus
To depart this life is, for the believer, to be "at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" (Philippians 1:23) What makes Heaven, Heaven, is not the streets of gold--but the presence of our Redeemer. To see Him face to face, to be forever with the Lord Jesus--that is the Christian's greatest desire and hope.

4. Death brings the fulfillment of all of God's promises
The believer dies, not into emptiness--but into a priceless inheritance. "Now we see but a poor reflection... then we shall see face to face!" (1 Corinthians 13:12) Faith will give way to sight. Hope will be swallowed up in joy. The promise of eternal life will be fully realized. The resurrection will come in God's time, but the soul of the believer immediately enters into the blessings of paradise. Death opens the gate to the everlasting kingdom prepared for His redeemed people before the foundation of the world.

5. Death unites the believer with the redeemed
All the saints who have gone before us are gathered into the presence of Jesus, rejoicing in His glory. Death for the Christian is not isolation, but a glorious reunion. The believer enters "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" where the saints and angels dwell. (Hebrews 12:22-23) There we shall sit with the redeemed of all ages, and together sing the song of the Lamb.

Christian, do not fear death. Jesus has taken the sting from it. And for you, death is no longer a curse--but a chariot of grace, carrying you into eternal glory! It is precious to the Lord, because He is gathering His beloved ones to Himself. And it is precious to saints, for it brings them the greatest gain--to be with Jesus, which is far better!

"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." (Revelation 14:13)

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