What Happens after you Die?

What happens to us after we die – the Christian and the unbeliever? This question might not be on top of most of our minds, but I find myself thinking of it more often now than I did when I was 20. Or 30. Or even 60. Truth is – and I don’t mean to be morbid –statistically speaking, in the next ten years most of us will be gone from this life and will have entered the next.

 

That’s why today I want to focus our attention on what God has told us about the so-called ‘hereafter.’ I felt impelled to this subject because there is no more important question for the Christian and for the non-Christian than what happens to us when we die. And while people will come up with all kinds of answers to that question, only the CORRECT answer leads to everlasting life. The wrong answer leads to everlasting agony. ‘Everlasting’ means just what it sounds like: Forever. No end point. Eternal.

 

So, may God teach us to number our days so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

At the outset of today’s message, let me be clear: The correct answer to that all-important question is found only in what God tells us is the correct answer. And that answer is forever linked with His words found only in the book we call the Holy Bible. I understand that most of humanity, and even a large portion of those who attend church each week – a large majority of men and women do not believe the Bible we have in our hands is the actual inerrant and infallible word of the Almighty God to us. But that should not surprise anyone because God requires a lot from all of us – things like personal holiness and obedience to His commandments. And because of our inherited sin nature our flesh rebels against His commandments, we’d rather ignore them or dilute them to fit our preferred lifestyles.

 

Nevertheless, God implores us through Moses: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

 

It is beyond the scope of today’s message to review the many evidences that prove the inerrancy, infallibility, and full inspiration of the Bible. Some of us examined those evidences several months ago when we studied how we got our Bibles. So, for the sake of time, let it simply suffice to say that it is irrational to think that the One who simply spoke into existence the entire universe and everything in it – it is irrational to think this same omnipotent Creator cannot ensure that what He spoke through His prophets and apostles is not the same message we have today in our Bibles.

 

There is, however, one more piece of evidence that proves the Bible’s full trustworthiness that we didn’t discuss during our study. We need to consider it now, because the resurrection of Jesus Christ places God’s final and definitive seal on the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy and infallibility. How so? One reason is because the incarnate God – Jesus – fulfilled HUNDREDS of Old Testament Messianic prophecies, thereby proving Scripture’s supernatural accuracy.

 

Mathematician Peter Stoner examined only eight of the specific Messianic prophecies and estimated the probability that one person could fulfill all eight by chance to be one in 10 followed by 17 zeros.

 

Christ’s resurrection proves He is God incarnate (see for example Romans 1:4). And as God incarnate, He repeatedly told His listeners that the Old Testament was God’s fully authoritative word. For example, He said: “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35); “[God’s] word is truth” (John 17:17); “Not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18); And after His resurrection, He explained to His disciples how the Old Testament Scriptures testified about Him (Luke 24:27, 44–45).

 

Furthermore, because God incarnate authorized the apostles to bear witness of Him and His words, their words are just as authoritative as the Old Testament writers and prophets. For example, Jesus told His apostles: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26); And “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:13.

 

So, that’s why Christ’s resurrection is so vital to the question of what happens to us after we die because if Jesus did not rise from the grave, then Christianity’s claim of its uniqueness among all other faiths and non-faiths collapses like a house of cards. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then we have absolutely no assurance that God’s answer to the question about what happens to us when we die is the only correct answer.

 

So, back to our original question about our eternal destinies. Let me first quickly say what Scripture tells us does NOT happen when we die. First, we do not cease to exist at death. Neither do our bodies simply decay to dust and our consciousness dissolves into nothingness. Neither is our consciousness absorbed into the universe. I’ve spoken to people – even recently – who believe such lies, and I reference now only a few Biblical texts that prove them to be lies. You can examine them later for yourselves: Genesis 5:24, 15:15, 35:29; Job 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 26:19.

 

Neither do we enter a cycle of reincarnation. Some scriptures that prove that to be a lie are Hebrews 9:27 and Daniel 12:2, among many others. Nor is it true that everyone is saved simply because God is a God of love and would never send anyone to an eternal hell. That heresy, called ‘Universalism’ or ‘Universal Salvation’ is also repudiated by God’s word, including the few I cited already in the last few moments.

 

Listen, please. Those who die believing any of those lies will discover to their unending horror that they have been beguiled by Satan even as Eve was beguiled in the Garden when he caused her to doubt God’s word. And we know the rest of that story, don’t we? We’re still LIVING with the rest of that story because humanity has been swallowing the Serpent’s lies ever since that moment. That’s why it’s impossible to understand world history or our own personal histories without understanding how Genesis 3 affects us to this very day.

 

So, what happens to us when we die? I will not speak much about the destiny of the lost, of those who knew of Jesus but rejected Jesus. I won’t speak much about their destiny except to say these few things:

 

God warns humanity in multiple places throughout His word that the unbelieving dead will be forever separated from God in a place of agony known as the Lake of Fire. The apostle John wrote about what he saw in his infallible vision: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life . . . then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15).

 

The story Jesus told of the Rich Man and Lazarus also serves to answer the question of what happens to the lost when they die. If you need to refresh your memory about that story, you’ll find it in Luke 16. That story teaches several important lessons, but for the sake of time, here are only a few: First, those in hell are in continual agony on flames. Continual. It never ends. Second, those in hell have full memory of what their lives were like before they died. Third, they are fully aware of where they are. And finally, in addition to his physical pain, the Rich Man suffered intense mental anguish, knowing there was no hope whatsoever that he could ever escape hell.

 

A few days ago, I spent several minutes perusing one of the old America’s Got Talent performances on YouTube. Within a few bars of the song the female contestant sang – and throughout the song – the entire audience (there must have been thousands of them) the entire audience was on its feet, clapping their hands in the air and their bodies bouncing with the music. And as the camera scanned the auditorium it seemed all of them – ALL of them – were singing along with the lyrics. Here is part of what they were singing:

I'm on the highway to hell/On the highway to hell/Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell/No stop signs, speed limit/Nobody's gonna slow me down/Like a wheel, gonna spin it/Nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey Satan, payin' my dues/Playing in a rocking band/Hey mama, look at me/I'm on the way to the promised land/Woo!

 

I listened only long enough to grasp what the woman and the audience were joyously singing. As I said, there must have been thousands in that audience, happily singing they’re on the highway to hell.

 

Listen, please. It is only God’s mercy that He makes the destiny of the unbeliever unmistakable. Jesus warned: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” John 5:24 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23; And “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment.” Hebrews 9:27;

 

It is His mercy that He makes it clear because He is not wishing for ANY to perish, but rather that they repent of their sins and turn to Christ for complete pardon and eternal forgiveness.

 

Now, before we turn attention to what happens when the Christian dies, let me first say this because I often speak with faithful Christians who are unsure of their ASSURED destiny with Christ. They are unsure because they believe their past sins have earned them God’s eternal disfavor.

 

But if that’s true, then God’s word is not inerrant and infallible, and it cannot be trusted to tell us the truth about anything. But thanks be to God, we CAN trust it to be 100% accurate in all that it says – including its warnings to the unbeliever and its promises to the believer.

 

The apostle Paul called himself the ‘foremost of sinners.’ Yet he is the same man who wrote: “For this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:16 It was the same ‘foremost of sinners’ who also wrote: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

 

Christian – enough doubting God’s promises to you. And so, what happens to the Christian after death?

 

According to God, we immediately enter His presence. There are no intermediate stops in a fictitious place called Purgatory or where we spend time in what is called ‘soul sleep.’ Listen to the apostle writing infallibly and inerrantly: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

 

The Lord’s promise to the repentant thief is even more direct: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

 

And just as there is consciousness in hell, there is consciousness in heaven. I think now of the great cloud of witnesses, those heroes of faith in heaven who surround us in this great amphitheater of life in which we run the race of faith. I think of the martyred saints under the altar in Revelation 6 who cry out to God to avenge their blood. I think of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration conversing with the Lord. Yes, Christians are fully aware of where they are when they die. And we will rejoice every moment throughout eternity.

 

My time has run out, but I don’t want to close this message without speaking at least briefly about the rewards Christians will receive in our next life. God speaks often of them, and one of the many clear references is this one in 1 Corinthians. The context is the work we do for Christ in this life: (1 Corinthians 3:5-15)

 

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor . . . like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

 

An entire sermon series can be built around this text, but for the sake of time, I want us to see at least these three points: First, the one who tells others the gospel and the one who later nurtures what was told are BOTH necessary to the fruit God Himself brings forth. Without planting there’d be no need for watering. Without watering, the planting would be useless.

 

Second, God doesn’t only use preachers, authors, teachers, or missionaries to build His Kingdom. The housewife and the blue-collar worker who are faithful to Christ and examples to their neighbors are just as useful to God as the preacher or choir director.

 

Finally for our purpose, unless our work is founded and centered on Christ alone, we will not share in any rewards. That’s the whole point of building His Kingdom with the right materials. At the Judgement Seat of Christ, when Jesus examines our work as to how and why we did what we did – our motives, how diligently we worked for Him, if our walk contradicted our words, and so forth – when the Lord Jesus examines our works with His eyes of flame – what was done with wrong motives and not fully for Him will be burned away. (See Revelation 2:18-19).

 

This Corinthian text has nothing at all to do with salvation or, as some claim, Purgatory. Jesus secured our salvation and our full cleansing of sin on Calvary’s cross. This text has everything to do with the level of rewards we will receive for our work for Christ.

 

I will close with this summary of what happens when we die: The one who rejects Christ will himself be rejected by Christ and will immediately upon death enter hell – and ultimately the Lake of Fire – where there will be a conscious and eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

But the one who receives Christ by faith and lives according to His commandments will immediately upon death enter heaven where he will live eternally, in conscious peace and joy with the Lord. And this is what every Christian can expect about our new home:

 

Isaiah 25:6-8 “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples . . . And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. ⁸ He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth . . . And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

 

Maranatha, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

To Rid My Soul of One Dark Blot

We are continuing our series in Psalm 19. For those of you who may have missed last week’s message, let me remind us that many conservative theologians divide this psalm into three sections. The first section –verses 1-6 – speak of God’s general revelation of Himself to humanity through creation itself. His existence is unmistakable to all who choose truth over lies. That is why all who reject the obvious will be without excuse for their atheism at the Judgment of Christ.

 

The second section we looked – verses 7-11 – speak of the Bible as God’s special revelation through which He communicates with humanity about sin, its eternal judgement, and of eternal life God offers to everyone who comes to Him for forgiveness through obedient faith in Jesus Christ alone. 

 

Today we will begin our look at the third section – verses 12-14 – which speaks to what the godly and proper response ought to be to God’s general and special revelations.

 

Before we go any further, I want to again remind us of the inevitable COSTS of refusing to hear what God says to us through His general and special revelations. I want to remind us of them because they’re of the utmost importance to anyone who wants a useful and rewarding life.

 

One cost is that our refusal cuts into God’s heart even while He is lavishing His love on those who reject His love. Listen, please, God created us to love us, just as – in a manner of speaking – godly parents ‘create’ children to love them. And just as it breaks the hearts of loving parents when their child turns away from them, it breaks the Father’s heart when His children turn from Him.

 

That’s one cost of rejecting Him. But there is yet another cost as we inevitably harden our own hearts until spiritual blindness becomes permanent and we are completely incapable of hearing God’s voice call us to Himself. He warns us of that catastrophic truth throughout Scripture. A few examples can be found in Exodus 4:21; 7:3–4; 9:12; Proverbs 1:20-33; Jeremiah 6:16-19; Matthew 13:14-16; Romans 1:18-32.

 

The third cost is this: Persistent rejection of God’s offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with Him will result in his or her eternity in agone in the Lake of Fire.

 

And so, today we move into the last section of Psalm 19 which speaks to what ought to be our response to God’s multiple revelations of Himself to humanity in general and to you and me in particular: “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

 

As I prepared this message I wondered when David composed this psalm. Did he write it before or after his vile adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband? I thought it was – and is – an important question and so I pursued that train of thought because there’s a sobering lesson here for all of us, regardless of the timeline of this psalm’s composition.

 

The short answer is that we don’t know when David wrote Psalm 19. Many theologians believe he wrote it before the Bathsheba incident. They suggest the earlier date because the overall tenor of the psalm is positive. David exults in God’s general and special revelations – as we have seen in verses 1-11. David also doesn’t mention any grievous sin he’d committed, such as that which characterizes Psalms 32 and 51. If it has been a while since you’re read those two psalms, I recommend them to you.

 

On the other hand, there are commentators who point out that while Psalm 19 is general in its nature, David’s prayer for cleansing from ‘hidden faults’ and protection from presumptuous sins is appropriate at any stage of the believer’s life. These theologians argue that David could have written it after Bathsheba as a mature reflection on the importance of God’s Word in guarding a person from sin. In other words, David could have been asking God to keep him from the kind of presumptuous sins into which he fell.

 

If you remember Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes, he did something similar. The first eleven chapters record his great regret and disappointment with his life, despite his vast wealth and power. All of it, he repeatedly admitted, was worthless vanity. And I’m sure he could never forget how his foreign wives led him away from God and into unspeakable idolatry.

 

No wonder, then, that at the end of his life he wrote these words of counsel and warning to those who would come after him: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them” . . .  The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12)

 

So yes, it is reasonable to think that David could have written this 19th psalm as a mature man, having learned the hard lesson, as Jeremiah would later write: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

 

But whether David wrote this psalm before or after his horrible moral failure with Bathsheba, the psalm holds an important lesson we all must learn:

 

If it was written BEFORE Bathsheba and Uriah, then Christian – beware. Don’t think for a moment you could not fall into sin – even terrible sin – as David fell. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) “Evil people are proud and arrogant, but sin is the only crop they produce.” (Proverbs 21:4, Contemporary English Version)

 

It is worth noting at this point what St Paul wrote about the disciple named Demas. The man started well. He even joined Paul in some of his evangelistic ministries. But something happened to Demas along the way, and he turned from Christ. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:10 “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”

 

We can also learn the lesson about starting well but finishing poorly from the Christians in Laodicea. At one time they were a vibrant community for Christ, but something obviously went wrong with them which called for a stinging rebuke from the Lord Jesus: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:15-17)

 

We should make the same cautionary warning about starting well but finishing poorly as we look at the Christians in Ephesus and in the other churches listed in those first two chapters of the book of Revelation.

 

David asked an honest question, “Who can discern his [own] errors?” He knew his heart better than most people, including those in church pews, know their own hearts. David knew – as we ALL must know if we are to ever mature in our faith – he knew how adept he was at hiding his sins from himself. No wonder he prayed: Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me.”

 

Part of the lyrics of the hymn ‘Come Thou Font of Every Blessing” speaks volumes of warning to my heart, and I hope it will speak volumes to yours as well: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”

 

If nothing else, that confession acknowledges how easy it is for anyone – even the ‘Davids’ of the Church – how easy it is to drift from the path God set us on when He transferred us from the domain of Satan and into the kingdom of Christ when we were born again. And unless you and I admit to God our spiritual weaknesses, we will always be at risk of moral failure. As the apostle Paul warns us: 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” 

 

Why are we so able to hide our sins from ourselves? And why do we so often choose to minimize our sins – the so-called big sins and little (venial) sins – any of which and all of which sent Jesus to that cross to atone for what we’ve done?

 

Why? In a word, ‘Pride.’ Either we’re embarrassed by what we did, or we convince ourselves the sin is not really that bad.’ Or we simply don’t want to change.

 

That’s the reason it took me as long as it did to come to faith. I didn’t want to change. Some of you might remember my story, but for the sake of those here who haven’t heard it, let me briefly retell it.

 

I was 20 years old and stopped at a traffic light in my hometown. While I waited for it to turn green, a thought dropped into my mind: What if there is a God? Surprised by the question, I considered the possibility for a few moments – but then suddenly realized that if God existed, I’d have to change my ‘sex-drugs-and rock and roll lifestyle.’ And I did not want to change. So as the light turned green, I told myself, “There is no God.”

 

Before you came to Christ, did you do something similar? Did you reject the idea of God’s existence seen so clearly in His general revelation of creation? Or did you reject the inerrancy, infallibility, and full divine inspiration of the Bible – God’s special revelation – so you could continue to live as you chose?

 

Yes, as David rightly asked, “Who can discern his errors” when we are so adept at self-deception?

 

So, it is reasonable to believe David wrote this psalm prior to his sin with Bathsheba. But on the other hand, it’s just as reasonable to believe David wrote this psalm after his moral failure because – and this is the other lesson for you and me – because he recognized that because of his sin nature, sin still lurked in his soul.

 

If you remember, the apostle Paul recognized that distressing reality within himself. Listen to what he wrote to the Christians in Rome: (Romans 7:19-25a) “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

 

If David wrote this psalm after his failure with Bathsheba, he did so because that awful moral failure reminded him that though he wants to follow God’s commandments, there still remains something sinister in his flesh, something evil that could nearly seamlessly overtake him again if he was not alert to that potential.

 

And Christian – there is something sinister in your flesh and in mine as well that can just as seamlessly overtake us if we do not remain alert to that potential. I often rebuke myself when I recognize how EASILY I can begin to drift from holy thoughts and words and yes, even acts.

 

May the Holy Spirit help us all to stay alert to ourselves! To stay alert to temptations that come to us through the eye-gate, the ear-gate, the flesh-gate. To stay alert and flee every temptation. To turn off the questionable television show; To not participate in gossip, however ‘juicy’ the gossip might be. To not let a spirit of unforgiveness rest in our heart.

 

For good reason Paul wrote: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:15-17)

 

Christian, please heed this warning: If we live in willful ignorance of the ever-present danger of drifting from God’s commandments, we are at great risk of falling hard and painfully. That’s why it is so very necessary and critical to our maturity in Christ to ask God to make us aware of our sins – the big, the small, the in-between. How else can we be rid of the sins which so easily entangle us? As the hymn writer prayed, so ought we often pray: “Just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

 

David prayed – as should every Christian – “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

 

He then closed his psalm with the same words I will now close this message, and may our God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit, make these words true for us as well:

 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

 

 

 

 

More Desirable than Gold

Sermon

Psalm 19 part 3

More Desirable than Gold

 

Today we continue with our series in Psalm 19. As a reminder, many conservative theologians divide this psalm into three sections. The first section –verses 1-6 – speak of God’s general revelation of Himself to humanity through creation itself. His existence is clearly evident to all who choose to not ignore it; Therefore, all who reject the obvious remain guilty before God and will be without excuse at the Judgment of Christ.

 

The second section – verses 7-11 – speak of God’s special revelation through which He communicates with humanity through the Bible about everything necessary to receive eternal life.  

 

The third section – verses 12-14 (which we will look at next week) – tell what the godly and appropriate response ought to be to His general and special revelations.

 

We’ve seen, though only briefly, what are the inevitable and tragic spiritual COSTS of refusing to hear what God says to us through His general and special revelations. One cost is that our refusal stabs at God’s heart, even as He lavishes His love on them. The other cost is that we harden our own hearts to the point of permanent spiritual blindness and we become incapable of ever hearing God’s voice calling us to Himself.

 

Today we move further into Psalm 19; But before we do that, let’s look once again at the entire psalm in context:  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament [e.g. the skies] shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

 

“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

 

Last week we looked at verse seven: The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  Today we turn to verses 8-11: “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

Reading quickly through verses 7-11, the psalmist seems to use synonyms for God’s Word: The LAW, the TESTIMONY, the PRECEPTS, the COMMANDMENT – all of which is a common literary device in Hebrew poetry. In the case of this psalm, each noun emphasizes a different aspect of Scripture’s character and purpose.

 

So, what’s the purpose of God’s law? James points us in the right direction: “In humility receive the word implanted [i.e. by God in your hearts], which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

 

The apostle Paul also answers the question: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29a)

 

Throughout the breadth and length of Scripture, God reveals His heart, His passion, and His delight for you and me for one purpose: To save us from the totality of the effects and the consequences of our sins by conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus.

 

That’s what God’s special revelation within Psalm 19 is all about – His law converts our soul, His testimony makes us wise, His precepts rejoice our heart, His commandments open our eyes to truth – ALL of which rejoices God’s heart for those who seek Him.  Listen to the prophet Zephaniah: The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory. He will create calm with his love; he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

 

Did you get that? Almighty God sings over you who seek Him! I do not doubt what He sings is a love song – a love song to you.

 

Which brings us now to verses 9-11 which are a culmination of sorts to His message in the preceding two verses about His law, testimony, commandments and so forth. “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

Let’s pause at the ‘fear of the Lord.”  The Hebrew word for ‘fear’ can be translated as fear, terror, dread, respect, or deep reverence. The same is true in the Greek – although, in fact, we get the word ‘phobia’ from the Greek ‘phobos. In any case, the context of the verse in which the Hebrew or Greek words appear dictate the correct meaning of the word.

 

I believe the correct meaning of the word in verse 9 of this psalm is ‘fear’ – as in, ‘be afraid.’ I believe this because of what David writes next in this verse which speaks of the judgments of the Lord – as in the decrees, or the verdicts of a Judge. And if THAT doesn’t strike fear or even terror into the hearts of the listeners, then nothing will.

 

There will be no appeals to a higher Authority at the Final Judgment Seat of Christ. There will be no excuses for those who will stand accused of their rebellions and their persistent rejection of God’s offer for forgiveness through Christ Jesus. There will be no acceptable justifications for their lives or lifestyles. The judgments of the Lord are forever true and righteous because His judgments are rooted in His Holy Character.

 

Yes, let every Christian warn others along with the Psalmist: “He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Psalm 96:13b; And again, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.” Psalm 89:14 

 

Fear – whether reverential fear or a terrified fear – fear of the Almighty holy God is a great reason to obey His laws because they trumpet His WARNING of great danger to those who refuse to listen to Him.

 

When Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, the Scripture tells us: “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance . . . Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” Exodus 20:18-20

 

The Lord Jesus did not soft-pedal this warning about fearing God. Listen to Him in Luke’s gospel: “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

 

Listen, please. This is important. God loves sinners. We have GOT to get that into our souls. God LOVES to forgive sinners. But He is not one to be mocked. Again, hear the Psalmist in the second psalm: “Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2:10-12)

 

Yes, how blessed are ALL who take refuge in Him. How blessed are all who find eternal safety from His wrath under the sacrificial blood of Calvary’s cross. No wonder, again, that the Holy Spirit moved the author of Hebrews to write: “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven . . . for our God is a consuming fire.”  Hebrews 12:25, 29

 

So, back to our text in this 19th psalm. David speaks of God’s Judgments, saying: “They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

It is by those judgments that everyone with ears to hear is MERCIFULLY WARNED of the terrible consequences of rebellion against God and His word.

 

What consequences are those? You don’t need a degree in theology or philosophy to recognize them. The consequences of rejecting God’s love result in broken lives, broken families, broken communities, and broken nations. Behind the smiles and the laughter there remains in those whose hearts are not yet hardened a sense of hopelessness that disturbs sleep and casts shadows on their day.

 

I mentioned last time Mark Twain’s snide remark that it’s not what he didn't understand about the Bible that troubled him, but it’s what he DID understand about the Bible that troubled him.

 

But like so many people who have no use for Christ, Twain was not satisfied with his own rejection of God’s mercy and love, but through his never-ending criticism of Christianity, he destroyed the faith of his beloved wife, Olivia. Not long after their marriage she stopped attending church. Many years later, when their cherished 24-year-old daughter died of spinal meningitis, he tried to console her, saying: “If it comforts you to lean on your faith, do so.” But by then Twain’s cynicism had done its work. A despondent Olivia replied, “I cannot. I do not have any faith left.”

 

Several years later, after Olivia died, Twain sadly admitted: “I took Livy’s religion away from her and gave her nothing—worse than nothing—in return.”

 

Oh, if only Mark Twain had bowed his knee to God before he lost so much – and before he TOOK so much from the woman he loved. God’s word warns all who turn a stubborn shoulder to God – he warns them, He pleads with them – repent.

 

I must pause here for this important clarification: Scripture ASSURES us there is a divine, love-driven REASON God brings brokenness and hopelessness into a life. Listen to the Psalmist: (Psalm 119:67, 71, 75) “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word . . . It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes . . . I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”

 

And now Hebrews: (Hebrews 12:5-11) “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; ⁶ For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” ⁷ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons . . . but [God] disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

 

In whatever way we may choose to understand it, God brings sorrow and affliction  or He allows sorrow and affliction for only one purpose: To restore the lost into His Family. That’s the entire message of the gospels. It’s the entire message of those three parables in Luke chapter 15 – the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. If it’s been a while since you’ve read them, I hope you will do so before the day is over.

 

But it is not only the warnings that Psalm 19 alludes to. The psalmist ALSO speaks of God’s REWARDS to all who by faith keep His law, precepts, testimony, and commandments.

 

Those rewards? For one, there is the incomprehensible promise of eternal life to those who deserve nothing short of an eternity in hell. We do ourselves great disservice to gloss over that promise which is the summit of all promises. But there are rewards in this life as well.

 

For example – and I must be brief now for the sake of time – Because we are adopted children of God through our faith in Christ, we have God’s assurance that He hears our prayers. This does not necessarily mean, of course, that He always answers those prayers according to OUR desires; But the mature Christian knows God answers our prayers according to what He knows to be our NEEDS.

 

The faithful follower of Christ also has the assurance of eternal life, the reward of being able to face death without any fear. This also is not anything to gloss over. If you’ve sat with people on their deathbed, you know the peace that can settle over a believer as he or she faces eternity.

 

I’ll never forget what my friend and mentor, Dr Daniel Taub, told me as he lay in a hospital bed some 30 years ago. I asked him what it felt like to know he was dying. He said to me: “I go from life to life. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.”

 

The unbeliever cannot ever be assured that God even hears their prayers; And worse, the unbeliever has absolutely no assurance whatsoever of eternal life. Quite the opposite. The unbeliever is only assured of eternal agony in hell and the Lake of Fire.

 

I’ve shared the last words of some famous atheists before, and I do so again because of the point I hope it makes regarding the warnings inherent in Psalm 19:

 

Thomas Payne was a popular atheistic writer in the American colonies, prior to the Revolutionary War. As he lay on his deathbed, he cried to those around him: "Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone . . . I am on the edge of hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one."

 

Sir Francis Newport was the head of the English Atheist Club. As he lay on his deathbed, he said to those gathered around him: "You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one, and that I am in his presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell!”

 

I close with these words: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

The scriptures from Genesis through Revelation are God’s Special revelation to a world which He loves so deeply, so passionately, that He gave His only Son as an atoning sacrifice to pay for our sins. It really is the fool, the one who is to be most pitied, who scoffs at such love and mercy.

 

So, let us not stop praying for those who we know who are still looking for loopholes in God’s warning.