Jump Start # 701

Revelation 14:13 “And I heard  a voice from Heaven, saying, ‘Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Death is sad. The death of a dear friend, the death of a family member, the death of a righteous person. Death is different for a righteous person. The Christian views death differently. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, death is not the last word. Death doesn’t win. The journey doesn’t end at the cemetery. Hope belongs to those who love and walk with the Lord. Jesus was the first  to be raised to never die again. Everyone who was raised before that, the widow’s son, Jarius’ daughter, Lazarus—all of them died again. I can’t imagine  what that would be like. I’ve often wondered if Lazarus told Mary and Martha, why did you carry on so? Why was I brought back? I had made it. I was safe. But he was raised for the glory of God, only to die again.

Our passage reminds us several great truths concerning the death of the righteous.

First, Heaven considers the death of God’s people as “blessed.” It is a blessing. We often don’t see it that way. We may feel like we were cheated or robbed because their presence is missing. We need them and we want them, but they are gone. God sees it differently. Blessings are good things. Blessings are right. Changing our thinking about death helps us. Paul longed to be with the Lord. No more temptations. No more persecutions. Worries, fears, troubles, aches and pains all gone. No more crime to fear. No more doors to lock. No more medicine to take. No more bad news. No more belly aches, head aches or heart aches. What a blessing to be with the Lord.

Second, death from Heaven’s perspective is just the opposite of birth.  Birth brings us from the unseen world into this world and death takes us from this world to the unseen world. In many ways death and birth are very similar. We don’t spend the rest of our lives focused upon our birth. We live life. Death is just a doorway. I wonder if we spend too much time focused upon it, fearing it, dreading it, when all it is is a door that takes us to the next room in God’s house. It’s a room that we want to be in. We just have to go through the door to get there.

Third, there is a rest for the righteous. They are resting from their labors. What did they labor? Not secular work, but the spiritual work. That’s what God is concerned with. The work of saving souls. The work of building churches. The work of growing the kingdom. The work of teaching and standing for God’s word. This  is the labors that the rest comes from. Busy souls doing the work  of God will rest from their labors.

Fourth, the good deeds of the righteous  will follow them. What they did wasn’t in vain. What they did continued on after them. What they did continued to do good after they were gone. The example of godly people. The words of the righteous, written, recorded or just remembered, continue to impact another generation. Like planting a small tree, years later others benefit from that tree. The good you do makes a difference, first in your family and then beyond.

I stood the other day at the graves of several preachers. These were good men that did a ton of good in their days. I have read from their writings. I have books that they wrote. The good that they did continues. It was to me like the Hollywood walk of stars or Baseball’s Coopertown. There was the grave of John Smith, better known as “Raccoon” John Smith—a pioneer preacher who helped bridge two groups into one. Then there was the grave of J.W. McGarvey—scholar, professor, writer, college president, preacher. He tried to stop the tidal wave of progression in his day. His commentaries are still studied today. There was John T. Johnson—writer, preacher. Each good men. Each did what they could. Each planted a giant spiritual tree which is still blooming today.

Throughout this land are the graves of righteous people  – some famous, most unknown and forgotten to this generation. Today, we sing the songs that they wrote. We worship  in congregations that they established and held together. Today we enjoy the benefits of their hard work. Now it’s our time to plant spiritual trees. There those coming behind us that need what we can do. We may never know those who are  following, but they are coming. They need us to hold fast the faithful word. They need us to build powerful leaderships in congregations. They need us to develop men to preach. They need us to write, record and leave footprints that they can follow in.

Our work continues on. It is not time to rest, not yet. I am thankful to those before me who left a path so easily to follow. They have pointed the way to Jesus so clearly. I hope I can only do the same for those who follow.

Roger

Jump Start # 494 

Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” 

  I read this verse yesterday in a funeral service of a very dear man who walked with the Lord and served the people of God most of his life. His life leaves many incredible footprints to follow in faithfulness, compassion and devotion, to God and family.

  This passage in Revelation is interesting for a couple of reasons.

  First, the way it starts. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Few understand that and fewer still would ever confess to that. We often do not view death as a blessing. We see it as it was given in Genesis as a curse. We dread it. We don’t like to talk about it. We do all we can to put it off and when it happens, our common words are, “it is a loss,” or, “they are gone,” or, “it’s a tragedy.” Less common expressions are, “kicking the bucket” or, “bought the farm.”

  That’s not how God sees it. From Heaven’s perspective, death is a blessing, that is, if one is righteous and walking with the Lord. Their journey has ended, not at the cemetery but in the arms of God who will take them home. Never again will they have to “fight the fight of faith,” or, “resist temptation,” or, struggle in this world. Those things are finished. It is a joy and accomplishment when one finally finishes college with their degree. They worked and worked for that. Many tests, papers, classes and quizzes. The goal was the degree. They stayed with it and finished it. The walk of a Christian takes us to Heaven. That’s the goal. That’s where we want to be. There are many things here that are part of getting there. We have responsibilities, we have worship, we have shinning our light, we have standing for good. Like quizzes, tests, and papers, these things are not our focus, our focus is completing and getting to Heaven. Blessed are those who die in the Lord.

  The second principle we find here is that those who die in the Lord “rest from their labors.” The labor is not going to work every day. It’s not rest from house work or cooking, or cleaning garages. The rest is connected to the Lord. These are those who labored for the Lord. They lived for Jesus. They taught when they could. They encouraged when they could. They put others first. They tried to help others see Jesus. They worked and worked and molded their family, helped the congregation and influenced their world. They never quit. They used their talents for the Lord. They made a difference in the lives of so many. Their impact is seen even after death. The passage says, “for their deeds follow them.” The good that they done live on even though they don’t. Another generation taught. Another person influenced. Commitment to the Lord, love for good, faithfulness to the word are qualities that shape families for generations, influence congregations for decades and whose memory live on in the hearts of God’s people.

  Jesus said we must work for the night is coming, and so it is. We labor for the Lord. We go out to visit someone when we are tired and don’t feel like it. We help someone when we’d like to stay home and watch TV. We teach yet another class. We preach yet another sermon. We invite yet another person. The righteous are busy doing these things all the time. They don’t even remember all the things they have done, and they wouldn’t want to, because they remember what the Lord has done for them.

  What waits these righteous at death is rest. Rest from their labors. Their weary hands, tired hearts finally get to stop as they are embraced by their Lord and they get sweet Heavenly rest.  Some would like that now. But now is not the time. It comes after death. Now, we must be busy. Now is the time for work. Now is when the Lord needs us and is counting upon us. Lift those weary hands and help yet another. Raise that tired voice and yet teach another. Soon the Lord will tap us on the shoulder and tell us we can rest but not now.

  I am thankful that my path crossed with such a laborer in the Lord. Dear Dauphus, enjoy the sweet rest in the Lord that God has promised to you. You only did what you were supposed to, but you did it well and you never quit, and it made a difference. You are among the BLESSED. Now it is up to us to pick up the spiritual tools and carry on.

  Thank you, my friend.

  Roger