How Are the Dead Blessed?
Revelation 14:13
“And I heard a voice from heaven say: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. From now on they shall have rest from their labors, and their works shall follow them.”
Today we are confronted here by the death of someone we have loved. This confrontation raises questions in us as to what life is all about and how does the reality of death affect how we see life. In seeing our loved one in the coffin, it reminds us that we too will someday be in a coffin or urn. We who came from the dust will return to the dust. Is that all?
If we were to follow this train of thought, that death is the ultimate reality, what is life about anyway? One way to look at it is if we come from nothing and return to nothing, does it really matter how high we rise in this life or to what depths we plunge if in the end we all return to the same nothing? It would be hard to find much comfort in such a view. The best we can say about our loved one here who struggled with cancer is “Thank God she is not suffering any more!” We would read this verse this morning “Blessed are the dead” and stop there. What a depressing view of life that kills people while they are yet alive! It says ultimately that life does not really matter. Even those who are for all appearances practical atheists still say “Thank God, she is not suffering.” This view of life is unlivable when death seems to be the ultimate blessing.
So to avoid the trap of nihilism, mankind tries to substitute an alternate message. There are those who say like the Grass Roots, “Na, na, na, na, live for today, and don’t worry about tomorrow.” This is called by the philosophers “existentialism.” Basically it is an attempt to dodge the pangs of death by concentrating on making the best of life. When one is youthful and optimistic, that sounds promising. But how well does that work in the end. I see many of you who are elderly here today with aches and pains, just like I am suffering from the ravages of age. There may be some here who are suffering even in their youth, if not from physical suffering, are suffering inside. Life has been hard for you. Outside you make the best face on life, but you are all tears on the inside. And whether you like it or not, you are staring death in the face. How hard we try to put death beyond arm’s length! But all the face lifts and cosmetics cannot cover the truth that it is appointed for all men to die. There is all the uproar of how youthful Christy Brinkley looks at 63, but the fact is she is still 63. I am not 63 quite yet, but I have a pretty good idea of how 63 really feels on the inside.
There are alternate explanations that try to keep us from the door, some more positive than others. But time does not permit me to go into depth this afternoon. All of the alternatives die out in despair too. For a while you can deceive yourself. You can put on spiritual mascara. But you can’t hide, and you cannot escape the “chilling hand of death.”
But I am not here today to fill you with despair, but with hope. The Scripture alone has the answer to death. It does not stop with “Blessed are the dead.” Read on! It says: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” The Scripture des not affirm that physical death is the end at all. It is rather the beginning of eternal life or the beginning of eternal death. The blessing is only pronounced on those “who are in the Lord.” Before I go further, I need to tell you that the departed here confessed Christ as her Lord and Savior.” She believed in the Lord. So for her, the blessing is not that she died and was released from her suffering, although that is true. The truth is that she is blessed because she is with the Lord. The Scripture says: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” How can this be unless this death is but a doorway to now life. Death itself is not precious. It was never meant to be. It came as the result of the rebellion of the entire human race in Adam and Eve. They rejected the Lord who created them from the dust of the earth and pronounced their lives to be “very good.” This act of sin plunged the human race into darkness. We who were made living and purposeful creatures would some day be rendered back into the dust from which we came.
But God gave a promise even as the curse of death was pronounced. They were told that a descendant of Eve after having his heel bruised by the serpent would bruise the serpent (Satan) who caused this catastrophe. This promise was fulfilled when God’s Son Jesus Christ came to earth in human flesh. He was not only a man, but God the Son. He was tempted to the nth degree and remained obedient to the will of the Father. This Jesus was crucified on a cross for our sin and rose from the dead on the third day. On the 40th day he ascended to the Father to make intercession for our infirmities. He also promised to return and receive us unto Himself into an everlasting kingdom. So because of Jesus we can sing the hymn of triumph with these words: “Death of death and Hell’s destruction.”
This hope makes the pain of death which we see so graphically portrayed before us a little less sharp. The ultimate sting of death has been removed. We have a promise which transcends dying and death itself. That is, if we too are in the Lord and believe what God has promised us in Scripture and the testimony of the Holy Spirit which confirms this truth. I don’t say you should not cry this day. I know you loved her. The Bible does not say we should not weep, but rather not to weep like those who have no hope. When the Scripture says here that their works do follow them, it is saying more than we have memories of the departed, that these memories will live in us and at least give some comfort. These works are remembered before God as well. It is true that we shall cherish her memory down here. We shall erect a stone in the cemetery as a reminder. But some day, all the memories of her will die when we die. Later generations will see her memory as only a curiosity. This person was born on such and such a date and died on such and such a date. Even written memories crumble into obscurity. But her works are remembered by the One who inhabits eternity. Not only this, but she is remembered before God as being in the Book of Life.
Death and dying can be scary. It is a trip into the unknown. Perhaps I can paint a picture here. We once lived a life before we came into the world. This world, even though it was dark, was a safe place. All we needed physically as far as nourishment and oxygen were provided for us. We could hear the excitement of voices from a distance. But one day, we felt the water rush about our head and the cold steel of forceps grabbing at our head. Our perfect little world was being disrupted. We felt pain as we are pulled out into blinding light and given a spanking. O what a disruptive way to come into this world from the world of our mother’s womb! Yet other than in a moment of despair perhaps would anyone want to go back to that life for the new world. Thankfully, we can’t remember the experience, although our mothers might tell us what she went through having us.
So when it comes time to leave this world for the next, it is perfectly human to have trepidations and angst. This world and the life we lived was far from perfect, but it is still the only life we have known. What comes next. The pains of cancer or a heart attack might announce the pains of change for us as cancer did for the departed. She suffered from cancer’s cold forceps tugging at her. She fought a hard battle, and you who cared for her did all you can do. But she passed from the matrix of death unto life, to a land of even brighter light. She is with Jesus who says in Scripture who shall wipe away every tear.
So I want you all to take comfort in this day of sorrow with these few words I have spoken. But we must again remember that these promises only make hope for those who are in the Lord Jesus. I would encourage you if you have not gripped this truth to make her hope in Jesus your hope as well. Life finds its true meaning not in death but in the Lord of life.
Today we will lay our loved one to rest. But she is observing a far better rest than a hole in the ground. Some day the Lord will return, and the seed planted in this coffin shall arise with a new body free from the corruptions which cause aging, suffering, and death. God has promised this. Do I understand this? Well, there is a lot I don’t understand about the heavenly country, but I understand enough because I believe in god’s promise. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of the living and not of the dead.
I hope these few words will give you some comfort. It is Ok for you all to grieve today. It is the testimony of a life that was worth living. No greater curse could there be than that of Eleanor Rigby of Beatle’s fame who died alone with only Father McKenzie at her lonesome funeral. Please do weep. It says her life was important. On the other hand, there will be time of fond memories which shall brighten your heart and even make you laugh. This too is a testimony of a life worth living. Don’t feel guilty in times of laughter nor feel overly despondent when you cry. You will have your ups and downs, but keep your eyes upon Jesus who plants the seed of faith in us and brings it to perfection in His time. Amen.
