To Die Is Gain

TO DIE IS GAIN

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: APPROPRIATE AMBITION

During a job interview at the 99 Cents store, my son was asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” My son’s reply: “At the Dollar Store.” He got the job. —A.K. via rd.com

B. TEXT

“21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain...” Phip. 1:21-25.

C. THESIS

1. To the people of this world, this Scripture may seem illogical and crazy. How can Paul say that “To die is gain?”

2. WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID TO DIE?

a. Fear the excruciating pain of death.

b. Fear of the unknown. We cling to what is known and are comfortable with.

c. Many believe there’s nothing after this life. So they are facing extinction.

d. They don’t want to leave their loved ones – separation.

3. They why did Paul say he desired to depart? We answer this question in this message, “To Die is Gain.”

I. THERE IS LIFE AFTER DEATH

People say, “Don’t we cease to exist when we die? Don’t we end all work, all relationships, and find ourselves consigned to a casket or an urn?

A. MEDICAL DOCTORS TELL OF AFTERLIFE

1. Raymond Moody, a medical doctor. Began collecting accounts of Near Death Experiences (NDE) and published his landmark book, Life After Life in 1975.

2. Later, Dr. Maurice Rawlings, a surgeon, recorded the experiences of people he resuscitated in the operating room in his book, Beyond Death’s Door.

3. Don Piper wrote, “90 Minutes in Heaven;” Bill Wiese wrote “23 Minutes in Hell;” Eben Alexander wrote, “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife.”

4. The fact that medical experts are saying there IS evidence of life after death should cause us to throw away our childish notions of only living for this life!

B. THE BIBLE & CHRIST CONFIRM THIS

1. The Bible does teach life after death. Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned” John 5:28-29.

2. Acts 24:15, “I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”

3. Jesus said, “Then they [wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” Matt. 25:46.

4. Both will be conscious after death (Heb. 12:1; Lk. 16:22-24; Rev. 6:9) and will continue living in their afterlife state permanently. For a Christian, this expectation is a sweet one.

5. At death the soul/spirit and body are separated. Our spirits are conducted by angels (Lk. 16:22) to paradise (2 Cor. 12:4; Lk. 23:43; Rev. 2:7) into the presence of Christ (2 Cor. 5:8). At the resurrection our bodies are raised, glorified, and reunited with our spirits (1 Cor. 15:42-54)

II. CHRISTIANS SHOULDN’T FEAR DEATH

A. CHRISTIANS RECEIVE A HIGHER FORM OF LIFE FROM JESUS CHRIST WHEN BORN AGAIN

1. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; behold, old things are passed away and behold, all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.

2. The Bible tells us of a higher form of LIFE, called the Life of God, or eternal life. It flows from the Being of God, through Jesus Christ to us. Just as machines are animated and ‘come to life’ by electricity, so God’s LIFE spiritually quickens those who come to Christ.

3. The Bible tells us the manner in which the LIFE of God is imparted to us: through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. The Resurrection power in Jesus gives you also the power over death!

4. Only if you are “living for Christ” will you be able to say that to “die is gain!”

B. WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO DIE?

1. A Christian who doesn’t want to die makes me think of a baby in its mother’s womb who is fighting to stay in there! It doesn’t realize that when it comes out it will really be entering life!

2. I heard a joke about a man who, at a very advanced age, finally died and entered Paradise. He experienced all the wonder and joy of it. When he saw his wife, he said, “Why were you always making me eat all that bran and fiber! I could have gotten here a lot sooner!”