The Death Of The Righteous
Text: Isaiah 57:1, 2
1 The righteous perish, and no man takes it to heart; And pious men are taken away, and no one has understanding; For the righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil.
2 He enters into peace; They rest upon their beds; Everyone who walked in his upright path.
Sermon:
“Where does the sun go down? Where do babies come from? What makes it thunder?” These are the kinds of questions children ask. And the older they become, the more penetrating their questions. Why? Because we human beings are inquisitive; we want to understand this world in which we live.
At some time children want answers to these questions: Why do people die? What happens to people when they die? What is death like?
Parents used to ask me whether they should take their small children to a funeral. They wondered whether it was good for their children to see death. They wanted to know what to tell their children about death.
I have maintained that children need to learn about death because it is a part of life. We need to teach children about death in order to answer their questions and to prepare them for what they will see and experience in life. I am not saying we must be morbid about death. I am advising only that we need to inform the children death is an experience of life.
What might you as an adult say to a child about death? We adults might say something to the children like: “My dear child, people die because death is a punishment for sin. When the first human beings disobeyed God’s commandment, God told them they would die for the wrong they had done. Since then all people are sinners who have disobeyed God’s Commandments. Therefore, all people die. Death occurs when the soul is separated from the body; the person’s soul continues to live but the body no longer lives and breathes.”
“But dear child, because God loves us he has turned death for us Christians into a wonderful blessing. Through death God takes us out of this world of suffering to live with him in heaven, where there is no sin or death. There we live in happiness forever and ever with the Lord Jesus and with all who believed in him. When we die, we will enter into heaven, because Jesus suffered the punishment for our sins on the cross. Therefore, we have no reason to be afraid of death.”
I hope that brief explanation will give you an example of what you might say to answer some of the questions that children have. And now, listen to what this portion of God’s Word tells you about death. For it teaches you: “The death of the righteous: Is a blessing for them; But is not pondered by others.”
Fear of the unknown, fear of leaving behind this life that is known, fear of having to face God to give an account for past sins, fear of experiencing God’s wrath and punishment in hell—all contribute to the fear of death. But we Christians, who have been redeemed by the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus Christ, have no reason to be afraid of death. Because Jesus has saved us, death, when it comes, is actually a blessing for us.
As proof of that listen to what this text says: “The righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil. He enters into peace; They rest upon their beds; Everyone who walked in his upright path.”
The righteous are those who are declared righteous by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and who by faith then live righteously according to the word of God. The righteous in the context were the Old Testament Christians who believed God’s promises of grace in Christ and walked with God by faith during their life. What is said here about them is true of all Christians of every age.
This text teaches us that at death the Old Testament Christians were taken away. They were removed from life in this world. But let us note that their death had a good purpose—to spare them from evil. The day of God’s terrible punishment was coming on the wicked, unfaithful spiritual leaders of ancient Israel. To spare the Christians from that coming day of judgment and save them from suffering the evil God’s wrath would bring on their land, the righteous believers were taken away through death. God, then, turned their death into a blessing by saving them from the terrible things that were still to come.
But that was only part of the blessing God gave those Old Testament Christians through their deaths. For this verse gives us information that answers the question of what happens to the believers when they die. We are told they entered into peace and found rest as their body lay in the grave. Note that though they died, they are spoken of as still having lived: their soul entered into the peace and rest that God gave them in heaven.
I suppose that those of you who have lost a loved one in death in the last months or recent years may find these words about death pulling at your heart strings to make you feel sad. That is understandable. But let me direct you to the joy these words offer you about your Christian loved ones who have died. For what was true of those old testament Christians is true of all Christians who have died.
First, the death of those Christians whom you loved had the excellent, divine purpose of sparing them from the judgment of God still to come on the people of this world. Second, they have found by the grace of God in Christ peace and rest with God in heaven, while their bodies lie in the grave. Those are blessings to give thanks for in their behalf.
Furthermore, consider what we know about them from the rest of the Scriptures: Through their death they have left their sinful nature behind forever; they are now holy and perfect in eternity like the Angels. That is a great blessing. Through their death they have been delivered from all evil; they no longer suffer the hurtful things people do and say to one another in this world; they no longer are subject to the devil’s temptations and schemes to ensnare them in unbelief, sin and hell; they no longer have to suffer the sickness, sadness and misery so commonplace in this world. These too are great blessings. Through their death they have entered into life in heaven; they are forever safe from hell and eternal punishment; they forever have the peace and rest that God gives to his believers. That also is a great blessing. Their death is only a sleep for them until the time when the Lord Jesus utters their wake up call to rise again in the physical resurrection to life everlasting. That is another great blessing. So those of us who have lost Christian loved ones through death, those of us who will yet lose Christian loved ones through death—let us rejoice for them. For the Lord has, and will, turn their death into a great blessing.
Sometimes when a Christian suddenly dies in an accident or is killed through some act of violence, the question is asked, “Why does God cause such good people to die and yet allows such scum as we see in this world to live?” In this text we see the wisdom and goodness of God in the death of his Christian people—he is sparing them from what is yet to come and giving them peace and rest. But the scum of the earth are still here to face the evil days of God’s wrath that are coming. That knowledge answers the question of why the righteous die while the wicked live.
Instead of mourning over those who have died in Christ, let us rejoice for them and then be concerned for ourselves. For we are still here, and the day of God’s wrath is coming. We too are sinners who deserve to die for our sins, not only the physical death but the eternal death of damnation in hell. For God has told us the wages of sin is death.
But God holds out to each of us his promise of forgiveness, his promise of salvation from hell, his promise of life everlasting in heaven through faith in his Son, Jesus, who redeemed us all. May the power of God’s Word and Spirit lead us to repent of our sins and to believe in Jesus, so we may be saved and die the death of the blessed.
Let us remember that the Scriptures tell us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” And, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
But do we ponder the meaning of the death of Christians who die in the Lord? Do we learn a valuable lesson from seeing the death of the righteous in Christ who walked with the Lord? According to this text those in ancient Israel did not: The text says, “The righteous perish, and no man takes it to heart; And pious men are taken away, and no one has understanding; For the righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil.”
In the context the false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders of ancient Israel preoccupied themselves with their greedy desires and carousing. As the righteous believers of the Lord suddenly died, often prematurely by a violent death or accident, they paid no attention to what the deaths of the righteous meant. They never considered the deaths of the righteous believers were caused by the hand of God to deliver those believers from the horrors still to come. The false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders never considered those believers were entering into God’s peace and rest while they themselves were left behind to face the judgment of God. The deaths of the righteous believers never caused them to stop and think about what was going to happen to themselves if they did not repent of their sinful ways and believe God’s promises of grace through Christ.
What was true about those ancient false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders of Israel is true of people even today. The death of Christians does not lead people to ponder the peace and rest of the Christians who are then safe from God’s judgment on the world, or to reflect on what their own end will be after their death.
What about us? We hear about Christian funerals being conducted in our church. We have probably attended the Christian funeral of someone we knew or loved. Do we ponder what the Lord has done for those Christians? Do we understand the meaning of their death? Do we ponder what our own end will be when we die?
I fear that too many church members live like there will be no end to their life. I fear that they live without concern for the day they must give an account for what they have done. Why do I have such fears for some church members? Because of the experiences I had while in the active ministry. Members were unwilling to repent of their sinful ways to walk with the Lord. While I was a pastor, the elders and I used to warn such members God was not pleased that they did not worship him and make him the first priority in their lives. We used to warn parents about God’s displeasure with their not bringing their children to church and Sunday school every week, and setting a good example for their children by being in worship services and Bible studies themselves. But those members continued skipping church services like they had done before to do other things, without any apparent concern for putting the Lord first in their lives. The warnings, the fact of death, the meaning of death, the coming of God’s judgment—none of those things woke them up to change their ways.
May the death of Christians lead us to ponder death’s meaning, its final end, and where we are headed. May the following words of Psalm 90 cause us to ponder what is our great need: “Teach us to number our days well, And present us a heart of wisdom.” May God teach us to number our days, for we will die someday. May God teach us to apply his wisdom for salvation to ourselves. May God teach us that each day of the time we have left we need to turn from our sinful ways and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. For all who believe in him will be saved.
Have we applied our hearts to that wisdom of God for our salvation? If not, by the power of God’s word Will we do so now?
Amen.
1 The righteous perish, and no man takes it to heart; And pious men are taken away, and no one has understanding; For the righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil.
2 He enters into peace; They rest upon their beds; Everyone who walked in his upright path.
Sermon:
“Where does the sun go down? Where do babies come from? What makes it thunder?” These are the kinds of questions children ask. And the older they become, the more penetrating their questions. Why? Because we human beings are inquisitive; we want to understand this world in which we live.
At some time children want answers to these questions: Why do people die? What happens to people when they die? What is death like?
Parents used to ask me whether they should take their small children to a funeral. They wondered whether it was good for their children to see death. They wanted to know what to tell their children about death.
I have maintained that children need to learn about death because it is a part of life. We need to teach children about death in order to answer their questions and to prepare them for what they will see and experience in life. I am not saying we must be morbid about death. I am advising only that we need to inform the children death is an experience of life.
What might you as an adult say to a child about death? We adults might say something to the children like: “My dear child, people die because death is a punishment for sin. When the first human beings disobeyed God’s commandment, God told them they would die for the wrong they had done. Since then all people are sinners who have disobeyed God’s Commandments. Therefore, all people die. Death occurs when the soul is separated from the body; the person’s soul continues to live but the body no longer lives and breathes.”
“But dear child, because God loves us he has turned death for us Christians into a wonderful blessing. Through death God takes us out of this world of suffering to live with him in heaven, where there is no sin or death. There we live in happiness forever and ever with the Lord Jesus and with all who believed in him. When we die, we will enter into heaven, because Jesus suffered the punishment for our sins on the cross. Therefore, we have no reason to be afraid of death.”
I hope that brief explanation will give you an example of what you might say to answer some of the questions that children have. And now, listen to what this portion of God’s Word tells you about death. For it teaches you: “The death of the righteous: Is a blessing for them; But is not pondered by others.”
Fear of the unknown, fear of leaving behind this life that is known, fear of having to face God to give an account for past sins, fear of experiencing God’s wrath and punishment in hell—all contribute to the fear of death. But we Christians, who have been redeemed by the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus Christ, have no reason to be afraid of death. Because Jesus has saved us, death, when it comes, is actually a blessing for us.
As proof of that listen to what this text says: “The righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil. He enters into peace; They rest upon their beds; Everyone who walked in his upright path.”
The righteous are those who are declared righteous by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and who by faith then live righteously according to the word of God. The righteous in the context were the Old Testament Christians who believed God’s promises of grace in Christ and walked with God by faith during their life. What is said here about them is true of all Christians of every age.
This text teaches us that at death the Old Testament Christians were taken away. They were removed from life in this world. But let us note that their death had a good purpose—to spare them from evil. The day of God’s terrible punishment was coming on the wicked, unfaithful spiritual leaders of ancient Israel. To spare the Christians from that coming day of judgment and save them from suffering the evil God’s wrath would bring on their land, the righteous believers were taken away through death. God, then, turned their death into a blessing by saving them from the terrible things that were still to come.
But that was only part of the blessing God gave those Old Testament Christians through their deaths. For this verse gives us information that answers the question of what happens to the believers when they die. We are told they entered into peace and found rest as their body lay in the grave. Note that though they died, they are spoken of as still having lived: their soul entered into the peace and rest that God gave them in heaven.
I suppose that those of you who have lost a loved one in death in the last months or recent years may find these words about death pulling at your heart strings to make you feel sad. That is understandable. But let me direct you to the joy these words offer you about your Christian loved ones who have died. For what was true of those old testament Christians is true of all Christians who have died.
First, the death of those Christians whom you loved had the excellent, divine purpose of sparing them from the judgment of God still to come on the people of this world. Second, they have found by the grace of God in Christ peace and rest with God in heaven, while their bodies lie in the grave. Those are blessings to give thanks for in their behalf.
Furthermore, consider what we know about them from the rest of the Scriptures: Through their death they have left their sinful nature behind forever; they are now holy and perfect in eternity like the Angels. That is a great blessing. Through their death they have been delivered from all evil; they no longer suffer the hurtful things people do and say to one another in this world; they no longer are subject to the devil’s temptations and schemes to ensnare them in unbelief, sin and hell; they no longer have to suffer the sickness, sadness and misery so commonplace in this world. These too are great blessings. Through their death they have entered into life in heaven; they are forever safe from hell and eternal punishment; they forever have the peace and rest that God gives to his believers. That also is a great blessing. Their death is only a sleep for them until the time when the Lord Jesus utters their wake up call to rise again in the physical resurrection to life everlasting. That is another great blessing. So those of us who have lost Christian loved ones through death, those of us who will yet lose Christian loved ones through death—let us rejoice for them. For the Lord has, and will, turn their death into a great blessing.
Sometimes when a Christian suddenly dies in an accident or is killed through some act of violence, the question is asked, “Why does God cause such good people to die and yet allows such scum as we see in this world to live?” In this text we see the wisdom and goodness of God in the death of his Christian people—he is sparing them from what is yet to come and giving them peace and rest. But the scum of the earth are still here to face the evil days of God’s wrath that are coming. That knowledge answers the question of why the righteous die while the wicked live.
Instead of mourning over those who have died in Christ, let us rejoice for them and then be concerned for ourselves. For we are still here, and the day of God’s wrath is coming. We too are sinners who deserve to die for our sins, not only the physical death but the eternal death of damnation in hell. For God has told us the wages of sin is death.
But God holds out to each of us his promise of forgiveness, his promise of salvation from hell, his promise of life everlasting in heaven through faith in his Son, Jesus, who redeemed us all. May the power of God’s Word and Spirit lead us to repent of our sins and to believe in Jesus, so we may be saved and die the death of the blessed.
Let us remember that the Scriptures tell us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” And, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
But do we ponder the meaning of the death of Christians who die in the Lord? Do we learn a valuable lesson from seeing the death of the righteous in Christ who walked with the Lord? According to this text those in ancient Israel did not: The text says, “The righteous perish, and no man takes it to heart; And pious men are taken away, and no one has understanding; For the righteous person is taken away from the presence of evil.”
In the context the false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders of ancient Israel preoccupied themselves with their greedy desires and carousing. As the righteous believers of the Lord suddenly died, often prematurely by a violent death or accident, they paid no attention to what the deaths of the righteous meant. They never considered the deaths of the righteous believers were caused by the hand of God to deliver those believers from the horrors still to come. The false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders never considered those believers were entering into God’s peace and rest while they themselves were left behind to face the judgment of God. The deaths of the righteous believers never caused them to stop and think about what was going to happen to themselves if they did not repent of their sinful ways and believe God’s promises of grace through Christ.
What was true about those ancient false prophets and unfaithful spiritual leaders of Israel is true of people even today. The death of Christians does not lead people to ponder the peace and rest of the Christians who are then safe from God’s judgment on the world, or to reflect on what their own end will be after their death.
What about us? We hear about Christian funerals being conducted in our church. We have probably attended the Christian funeral of someone we knew or loved. Do we ponder what the Lord has done for those Christians? Do we understand the meaning of their death? Do we ponder what our own end will be when we die?
I fear that too many church members live like there will be no end to their life. I fear that they live without concern for the day they must give an account for what they have done. Why do I have such fears for some church members? Because of the experiences I had while in the active ministry. Members were unwilling to repent of their sinful ways to walk with the Lord. While I was a pastor, the elders and I used to warn such members God was not pleased that they did not worship him and make him the first priority in their lives. We used to warn parents about God’s displeasure with their not bringing their children to church and Sunday school every week, and setting a good example for their children by being in worship services and Bible studies themselves. But those members continued skipping church services like they had done before to do other things, without any apparent concern for putting the Lord first in their lives. The warnings, the fact of death, the meaning of death, the coming of God’s judgment—none of those things woke them up to change their ways.
May the death of Christians lead us to ponder death’s meaning, its final end, and where we are headed. May the following words of Psalm 90 cause us to ponder what is our great need: “Teach us to number our days well, And present us a heart of wisdom.” May God teach us to number our days, for we will die someday. May God teach us to apply his wisdom for salvation to ourselves. May God teach us that each day of the time we have left we need to turn from our sinful ways and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. For all who believe in him will be saved.
Have we applied our hearts to that wisdom of God for our salvation? If not, by the power of God’s word Will we do so now?
Amen.
There are many kinds of Christians. Whichever kind you may be, you can never hear enough of the good news that God has for you in Christ or be reassured too often of your final destination and eternal dwelling place. With this book its author Rev. JC aims to do just that for you by means of the inspired words and message of God as written through his apostle John.
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