"Never Dies"

Good Morning Everyone,

Do you like "Blue Grass?" I do. I grew up on that kind of music. My heart is blessed when I hear a hymn or Gospel Song sung in that genre. I am not speaking about the "professionals" rendition of a hymn or Gospel Song, but when it is sung from someone whose heart has been effected by the Gospel it is a blessing and brings back memories.

Blue Grass is so strangely beautiful. When my Dad hears a song he will say, "My that's mournful, but don't turn it off, let me suffer!"

Well one such song was on my heart this morning. It is entitled "Where the Soul Never Dies." I suppose that thought has been on my heart lately for a few reasons. We have been faced with some health challenges in our family lately, but praise the Lord we received very good word yesterday. We have been concerned for a young lady in our church who is fighting breast cancer. Another of our dear senior Saints has a son, my age, with terminal cancer. And lastly I have been preaching on the "I Am" statements of the Lord Jesus, they are filled with hope and life!

This past Lord's Day morning was "I Am the Resurrection and the Life!"
In John 11:21-26 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Whoever lives and believes (salvation) shall never die! That is such a comforting statement especially when we are faced with such difficulties that health and mortality bring to us.

And elderly lady, in my first church, a dear saint in her 90's, used to describe death in such beautiful terms. She was homebound and we would visit in the living room of her Victorian home. There were French Doors that separated the living room from the parlor. She often spoke of going to be with the Lord and each time she would say, "Pastor, do you know what death seems to be like for me?" "Tell me, Bertha," I would say. "It is like going from this room into the Parlor through those French Doors, only, the Lord Jesus will be there to open the door and welcome me in."

Now let me tell you something about that Parlor. I was only taken in there 2 times in the years I was her pastor, and only by invitation. Those two days were for two special purposes. One was to show me all the beautiful, and I mean beautiful furnishing and decor. It was nothing short of beautiful. The second time came shortly before we left our church for my new assignment. She said to me, "Pastor I want to show you a picture of my husband. Come with me he is in here." We went through that beautiful portal into that gorgeous place where she picked up the photo with loving hands and said, "This is my husband."

As I remember, they had been married in their early 20's back in the late 1800's or early 1900's. He was killed tragically, again, as I remember, in a work accident. They had only been married for a few short years, and had no children. But my how she loved him. She spoke of him just like newly weds speak of one another. . . .

Well, let me get to our lesson for today. That room and my visits with Bertha were great examples to me of death and heaven. When we die it is like going from this room into the next, only the Lord Jesus will open the door and welcome us in! Isn't that great. I think of Paul's words: "O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory!" It is gone because Jesus meets us in death. He is our death and grave conquering Lord and Savior!

Inside the door are the beauties that await us; the crystal river, golden streets, 12 wall of precious jewels, no night, and on and on. Inside will be a reunion. Loved ones who have gone before will be there. “O won’t it be wonderful there!”

But I thought of another old Gospel Song, “I Long to See my Savior First of All, before on any other I will call. And then through countless days, on His dear face I’ll gaze, I long to see my Savior first of all!”

Or how about this one. “When my life’s work is ended and I cross the swelling tide, When the bright and glorious morning I shall see, I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side, and His smile shall be the first to welcome me.”

“Thru the gates to the city, in a robe of spotless white, He will lead me where no tears will ever fall; In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight, But I long to meet my Savior first of all.”

“I shall know Him. I shall know Him, when redeemed by His side I shall stand! I shall know Him! I shall know Him, by the print of the nails in His hands.”

But before we ever go to heaven we must deal with one thing, the question that Jesus asked Martha in our text. “Believest thou this?” On Sunday night we took up the next of Jesus’ “I Am” statements, “Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me!”

He is absolutely the ONLY way to the Father, the truth, He is truth personified, and the life, He is the source of eternal life for all who will believe.

If you have never trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior my friend He beckons to you, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

For the believer there is a great day awaiting us, where the soul never dies!

Have a wonderful day serving our Wonderful Lord by Grace Alone!