And to Die is Gain

Introduction: Paul's Joy in His Circumstances and the Centrality of Christ

0:04 The following sermon was preached on the morning of December the 28th, 1980, while the Trinity Church was still meeting at the Grover Cleveland Junior High School in Caldwell, New Jersey. I would urge you to follow in your own Bibles as I read again this morning, as I did last Lord's Day morning, Philippians chapter 1, verses 12 through 26. Philippians chapter 1, commencing the reading with verse 12. Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel, so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to all the rest, and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to say, Speak the word of God without fear. Some, indeed, preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel, but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction to me in my bonds. What then?

1:29 Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and therein I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn out to my salvation through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if to live in the flesh, if this shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not, but I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is very far better. Yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, that your glorying may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

2:57 Now the words I have read in your hearing are, as Moses, most of you, I am sure, are aware, the words of the Apostle Paul written to the people of God at Philippi when he, the Apostle, was imprisoned at Rome. And he wrote these words, having expressed in verses 3 through 11 the substance of his thanksgiving for the Philippians and his gratitude to God for them and then his great desires for them in the petitions recorded, recorded in those verses, turning then in verse 12 to a description of his own present set of circumstances, he informs the Philippians that because everything that has happened to him has resulted in the progress of the gospel and that Christ is being abundantly preached, in this he finds himself full of joy. He is able to say, I am rejoicing. Then in the latter part of verse 18, he boldly affirms that he will continue to rejoice and then apprises us of the rational grounds of that boast. I shall rejoice for I know.

4:16 And that which he knows is that Christ will continue to be magnified in his body. Whether the result of his trial is that he continues to live or whether the result of his trial is that he is executed, he said, it makes no difference. I will continue to rejoice because my great concern in life and death shall be realized. Namely, Christ will be magnified.

4:46 And then in verse 21, this amazing text that we began to examine last Lord's Day morning, the apostle goes, as it were, to the heart of why he can have such a perspective, why he's able to rejoice in everything that has led up to the writing of this epistle, simply because Christ has been magnified, why he is able to rejoice even in the prospect of a cruel and an unjust death, simply because Christ will be magnified. And he tells us why it is that he has this perspective in the words of verse 21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Last Lord's Day morning, we looked at the first half of the verse, the apostle's statement concerning Christ as his life. And I suggested that the best way to understand it was simply to go to the writings and the biographical account of this man in order to unlock the mystery of what it means that for him to live was Christ. And we noted that for Paul to live was at least these four fundamental, fundamental, fundamental things. For him to live was faith in Christ.

The Amazing Statement: 'To Die is Gain' from a Human vs. Divine Perspective

6:06 For him to live was love to Christ. For him to live was communion with Christ. And for him to live was service for Christ. Now this morning, we come to the last part of the verse, and to me to die is gain.

6:25 Now we're again confronted with an amazing statement. Here he says, He says that death, that which Job describes as the king of terrors, that dread intruder who shatters those most intimate ties of family affection, who rips open sensitive hearts and tramples them underfoot with grief, that vicious thief who snatches babies from the arms of their mothers and plants them in the cold embrace of the earth, that vicious intruder, that king of terrors, Paul says, for him to do his work upon me, for me to die, is gain, is profit, is advantage. Now I say that's an amazing statement. And if we're to begin to understand it, let us first of all consider Paul's death from the perspective of his own death. From the perspective of his own death.

7:32 From the perspective of his own death. From the perspective of his own death. From the perspective of his own death. From the perspective of human observation and human relationships.

7:37 Paul's death from the perspective of human observation and human relationships. Should his trial at Rome result in the sentence of execution? And should the hour come when Paul would have to make that lonely walk to the executioner's block and there kneel and have his head severed from his chest and his neck? From a strictly human perspective, from the perspective of human observation and human relationships, the only phrase that could begin to describe what death would be to that man would be something that would include the words dreadful, irreversible, and tragic loss. Think of what death would mean from the human perspective. from the human perspective and in terms of human relationships to this great man. No more would the lips of this man speak of this great theme that caused rejoicing to his heart, namely Christ and Him crucified.

8:49 No more could he say as he did to the Corinthians, my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of men's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. No more would those lips, those lips speak of Christ and speak of Him with such convincing power that multitudes scattered throughout the Roman Empire counted Him their spiritual Father. No more would that tongue frame earnest supplications. No more would it be active in fervent prayer that under the blessing of God had brought down such blessing upon the head of so many people in so many places.

9:33 No more would those feet which are described in the book of Romans quoting from Isaiah as beautiful gospel feet. No more would they traverse the Roman Empire to bring this herald of the message of God's saving grace. No more would those hands which he describes in Acts 20 as hands that labored not only to provide his own necessities, but the necessities of others. No more would those hands, be stretched out in acts of benevolence and kindness.

10:06 No more would those eyes, as we read the description of their function in Acts 17, look out upon idolatry and cause the stirring of his holy soul and in turn give birth to eloquent and burning speech that became a mighty battering ram to attack the very bastions of hell. All of that would cease. Now, such a train of thought could obviously be extended greatly, but suffice it to say that from that perspective, the standpoint of mere human observation and human relationships and activities, for Paul to die, for remember this is the context, he's not giving an abstract statement about the nature of death. He's talking about his own experience for to me to live is Christ, to me to die, to me to die is gain. From the perspective of human observation and human relationships, the death of this mighty man of God would be nothing less than a dreadful, irreversible, and a tragic loss. And he was somewhat conscious of this.

11:21 He intimates the same right here in the context. In verse 24 he says, to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake. You Philippians will suffer loss if I die. So the key then to understanding the statement is to understand that Paul is speaking of his death not from the perspective of human observation and human relationships, but he's speaking of his death from the perspective of his own personal well-being.

11:58 And that's the second head of our study, this morning, that will form the basis of our unfolding of the text. Paul's death from the perspective of his own personal well-being. The text begins with the words for to me, and it surely is the words to me to live is Christ, our personal commentary upon his own experience in life. So the words to die is gain, are words conditioned by the introductory words for to me, Paul, in my present situation, to me to die is gain. And the apostle speaks these words not as a matter of speculation but as an expression of deep and burning conviction. He was so convinced that death was gain that in the following context he speaks of his longing to die. He speaks very calmly of his death in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

13:12 So this was no passing thought. This was no temporal conviction or temporal or slight perspective that just happened to dash across his mind in a moment of unusual spiritual ecstasy. It was the settled conviction of his heart that to die was gain. Now in what sense then would death be gain to Paul?

How Paul Knew Death Would Be Gain: Divine Revelation

13:38 How could he come to such a conviction? On what did it rest? Well as we seek to pry open the meaning of the text we are going to use three pry bars this morning in the form of three simple questions. First of all, how did he know that his death would be gain?

13:57 The second question, in what sense would his death be gain? And thirdly, on what basis could he have such a confidence? First of all then, how did Paul know that his death would be gain to him? This of course relates to the source of his information about death and in particular what death would be to him as one for whom life was Christ.

14:30 Well did he simply express his own personal opinion? Was it mere wishful thinking, clever or fanciful speculation? Well the answer is obvious. Paul knew what he knew about death to regard it as gain to himself only by divine revelation.

14:54 The doors of death swing only one way. They swing outward but not inward. So any convictions about death cannot come by experimentation or by observation. They must come by divine revelation.

15:18 And it was because the apostle was a recipient of that revelation as it existed in the Old Testament scriptures, as it existed in the person of the Lord Jesus, as he received it in his peculiar position and function as an apostle, that he was confident that to him death would be gain. He was utterly dependent upon God to reveal to him the nature of death for him as a believer if he was to say with any conviction to me to die is gain. And what was true for Paul is true for all of us. We can know nothing for certain about death unless God has certainly revealed something concerning death. And how futile and flimsy is human opinion when touching the great mystery of death. How uncertain is the fanciful speculation of those who supposedly have died and come back again to tell us what death is all about.

16:35 My friends, they have not died. For the scripture says, is it appointed unto men once to die, not twice. So when they speak of warm, beautiful white lights and beautiful personages as receiving them, they have not died. It is appointed unto men once to die.

16:59 The only deaths that were true deaths that were not permanent are those recorded in the Bible in which God raised someone from the dead as our Lord did in the case of Lazarus. Paul knew because God had revealed to him the nature of death for the believer and you and I can know only on the same basis. Well then, let's take our second cry bar. Having asked the question, how did Paul know that death would be gain?

In What Sense Death Would Be Gain: Knowledge

17:33 Our second question is, in what sense would death be gain to Paul? And this obviously has to do with the question of the substance of his gain. And here I suggest that death would be gain to Paul at least, at least, and this is the minimum, at least in four basic areas and here I suggest I'm greatly indebted for these thoughts to Robert Johnstone in his commentary on Philippians. First of all, death would be gain to Paul as to knowledge.

18:12 Death would be gain as to knowledge. According to our Lord in John 17, 3, the essence of eternal life is the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. This is life eternal that they should know Thee, the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst send, even Jesus Christ. This is life eternal.

18:44 The essence of eternal life is the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. And as surely as the essence of eternal life is that knowledge, the growth and enjoyment of that life is bound up in the growth and knowledge of God and of His Son Jesus Christ. Hence Peter can say in 2 Peter 3, 18, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And again and again in Paul's letters when he records his prayers, you will remember how his prayers focused upon God.

19:28 His prayers focused upon the matter of the believer's growth in knowledge. For instance, in Ephesians he said, I bow my knees to the Father that He would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself, that ye may know. And on into chapter 3, that ye may know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. Colossians 1 and here in Philippians 1, again and again this matter of pleading with God for increased knowledge to be given to the people of God in various places forms the central burden of the apostle's prayer.

20:05 Why? Because the essence of that life which is eternal life is the knowledge of God and its growth and development can only be realized in the increasing knowledge of God as He is revealed in the Lord Jesus. And what we now possess in the way of knowledge is true knowledge. But the scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13 we see through a glass darkly and there is some debate as to the precise significance of the imagery whether they're speaking of an ancient window through which one would look, a window made of mica and could not see clearly or the ancient mirror which was not like our polished glass mirror giving a very accurate reflection. But in either case, whether it's one imagery or the other, this point is clear. Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 13 the knowledge we now possess is dim and indistinct though real and saving compared with the knowledge that we shall possess. We see through a glass darkly but then face to face we shall know even as we are known.

21:19 And when the apostle writes to the Philippians and says if you hear that the sentence went forth that I should be executed and if someone brings you the sad story of the details of my going to the executioner's block don't feel sad for Paul. For me to die is gain and it will be gain first of all as to my knowledge of God and of his Son. For the scriptures seem not only to suggest but in such passages as 1 Corinthians 13 to affirm that the moment the spirit or the soul of a believer is taken from his body in death there is a burst of knowledge that makes all that he knew here not invalid but pale by comparison. There's a wonderful illustration of this in the gospel records. In Luke chapter 9 Luke's account of the transfiguration you remember that our Lord has begun to make very plain to the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die and be raised again from the third day if he is to secure the salvation of his people. But his own disciples who've been with him all of this time

22:47 they can't understand what he's saying. They oppose him. And Peter says far be it from you Lord. That's not the way to come to your messianic reign by way of rejection and death.

23:00 But in that very setting two men from the relatively shadowy period of the old covenant Moses and Elijah are standing on the mountain conversing with the Lord Jesus about what subject. We read in Luke chapter 9 verses 30 and 31 and behold there talked with him two men who were Moses and Elijah who appeared in glory and spake of his decease or his exodus which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now where in the world did Moses and Elijah get such knowledge of this that at that very time was a mystery to living disciples. I think it's a beautiful suggestion of this very point that we're making. That with their passing into the immediate presence of God there came this intensification of the knowledge of God so that they were able to converse intelligently and freely concerning mysteries that were yet hidden from the eyes of these disciples who heard much with the outer ear but who were viewing these realities through a glass darkly. John Stone in speaking of this very issue says with an eloquence

24:27 that I could never match then dear friends shall we have then dear friends shall we have knowledge to a degree and in modes of which we cannot even now form any conception. Being then perfectly pure in heart we shall see God not no longer darkly as by a mirror but face to face. Our spirits will apprehend his excellence not slowly indirectly and by inference as now but by a direct intuition far more certain and distinct and satisfying than is now the action of the eye or any bodily sense. We shall no longer have to content ourselves with gathering pebbles on the shore of the great ocean of truth but we shall soar over its waters with bold untiring wing or fearlessly plunge into their depths and with unfailing success explore their wonders. We shall know then even as we are known. Say brethren for those who through grace are enabled to cherish such hopes is not to die gain.

25:53 Spurgeon in his own quaint way said that the least saint in heaven knows more than the greatest saint on earth. Now with a certain conviction that the moment the executioner's sword had done its work there would burst upon his renewed soul and mind a knowledge of God and of Christ hitherto all of his reception of direct revelation all of his being caught up into the third heaven and hearing things unlawful to utter all of his holy and sanctified reflections and meditations had never attained. Can you not see why he says for me to die is gain? For one to whom the knowledge of God in Christ was a burning passion that I may know him to think that in a moment of time when the executioner's sword had done its work he would enter in upon that dimension of knowledge that was impossible while he was yet in the flesh. No wonder he says to me Paul to die is gain. It will be gain first of all as to my knowledge but then secondly it would be gain as to holiness.

In What Sense Death Would Be Gain: Holiness

27:15 It would be gain as to holiness. If the essence of eternal life is the knowledge of God in Christ then surely the goal of that life is the restoration of the image of God in man through Christ. Romans 8 29 whom he did foreknow he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. He chose us in him in order that we should be holy and without blemish.

27:46 Before him. And then in Ephesians 4 24 Paul describes the conversion of the Ephesians as a mighty work of God in them in which they put off the old man and put on the new which after God is renewed in righteousness and holiness of truth or in true righteousness and holiness. Now in Paul as in every true Christian the dominion of sin had been broken. Its power weakened and many of the positive graces of likeness to Christ had been implanted and in the case of this man wonderfully developed far beyond perhaps any other Christians ever lived. We don't know that for sure but it's most likely that that is so. And yet for Paul it was as true as for you and me the flesh lusted against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And these two were contrary the one to the other.

28:55 And I cannot find convincing the exegesis that wants to relegate Romans 7 14 to 25 to some either pre-Christian or uninstructed Christian period in Paul's life. He is too concerned with the use of his tenses so to make a mislead us. He does not say I found then a law in my numbers. He says I find present tense that to me who would do good evil is present with me wretched man not that I was but that I am and I've tried to read the exegesis and I do not find it convincing and I find Paul not only more convincing from an exegetical standpoint but from an experimental standpoint as well. The apostle was no stranger to the struggle of remaining sin but he knew by divine revelation that the moment the executioner's sword did its work that soul that spirit in which the work of salvation had begun in which sin had been dethroned in which particular sins

30:23 had been overcome and positive graces implanted he knew that the moment that soul departed that body there would be an exertion of divine power that would make that soul fit for the immediate presence of the world. The apostle was not a man but a man who was a man who was a man who was a man who was a man who was a man who was firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. To the spirits of just men made perfect. Now that does not mean we look to the spirits to pray for us when we are brought into union with him. We are brought into

31:52 that mystical union of the one church of Christ part of which is already in his immediate presence. And in his immediate presence what is their condition? It is the spirits of just men made perfect. Now Paul did not know the resurrection of the work of sanctification in his soul.

32:23 He knew that that work must extend to the body and would not be complete until the resurrection and that was a far more desirable and in a real sense that is the Christian's hope but in this day and age. The power that he dethroned sin and weakened corruption and implanted grace would fully conform that soul to the moral likeness of God in Christ. No more would there have to be the pain of repentance the blush of shame when coming into the presence of God that sense of grace and of grâce is the result of God's mercy. In the Bible we read that he was the Lord and the Lord was the King and the King was the King and the King was the companions. With his large heart, Paul was able to take in all of the saints of God scattered

In What Sense Death Would Be Gain: Companions

33:52 across the face of the earth. I never cease to marvel when I read his epistles, but without any stretching of the truth, and sometimes even calls God to witness, he can write letters to all these churches and these individuals and say, remembering you unceasingly in my prayers, what a heart that loved the people of God, loved all who loved the Savior in sincerity and in truth. But there was a greater company of the saints than was to be found on the earth in Paul's day. It was that company described in the Hebrews passage that I read a few moments ago as the general assembly and church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven. The greater part of God was the people of God. God's people at the time Paul wrote to the Philippians were not there on the earth. They were in the presence of Christ. And because his heart was a heart that stretched out and

34:53 longed for true and vital and living communion with all of the people of God, he could not help but say for me to die is gain. Gain not only with respect to knowledge and to holiness, but with respect to companions. I would immediately enter into the presence of Moses and Elijah and David and Jonathan and praying Hannah and Sarah and Abigail, all of the saints from the Old Testament, all of those who had gone before, many of whom are mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. And then in a way that is not possible now, he would enter. The direct communion and company of angels themselves, those spirit beings who have never been stained with sin, who are pictured not only in their place before the throne in worship and adoration as the veil is pulled back in the book of the revelation, but who in the language of scripture are sent to do service to the heirs of salvation, to enter into a conscious communion with angels that is impossible here. And into that delightful communion with the perfected spirits of those who had gone before. Do you see why he said for me to die is gain?

In What Sense Death Would Be Gain: Communion with Christ

36:20 Gain as to knowledge. Gain as to holiness. Gain as to companions. But above all, basic to all, throbbing through these is this fourth dimension of gain.

36:37 It would be gain as to communion. It would be gain as to communion with Christ. And surely this is the capstone as well as the foundation. It would be gain as to communion with Christ.

36:51 Look at verse 23. He said, I have a desire to depart, speaking of death, and to be with Christ. Oh, wait a minute, Paul. Aren't you with Christ now?

37:06 When you told us that for you to live was Christ? In your other epistles, it's evident that that meant for you to live was communion with Christ. You lived with Christ and in Christ. And Christ lived with you and in you.

37:22 And Paul says that's all true. The life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And by the Spirit, he is the very one who lives in me.

37:34 I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Yes. But there is another sense in which I am. I am not with him and he is not with me.

37:44 And it's only death that will usher me into that dimension of with-ness. And so he uses that very language. I desire to depart and to be with Christ. That is, in his immediate presence.

38:03 With no veil of flesh and sense between. Without the burden of this presence. In the present world order in its imperfection, groaning and travailing, waiting for the manifestations. A manifestation of the sons of God.

38:23 Dear brethren and sisters, this is a key concept in the word of God and don't let anyone rob you of it. There is no such thing as the sleep of the soul. For one who at the time he wrote this letter was enjoying communion with Christ. The thought that he would go off into a state of non-existence.

38:41 And the resurrection would not be gained. Far better to have an ounce of real communion with Christ in the flesh than none at all. But if it's the ounce of communion with Christ in the flesh and the pound of communion with Christ in his immediate presence, then death is gain. This is not the only passage that teaches it.

39:05 You'll remember the Lord's words to the dying thief today. Thou shall be with me. Not in hell. Our Lord didn't go into hell after he died upon the cross.

39:18 All the hell he experienced, he experienced upon the cross. But you remember he said, Father into thy hands I commit my spirit. And he says to the thief today, thou shall be with me in paradise. You remember the language of the apostle in 2 Corinthians 5?

39:37 He says to be absent from the body is to be present. Absent with the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight. And he said, we are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And so for one for whom life was faith in Christ, love to Christ, communion with Christ, the knowledge and the service of Christ, death could be nothing more than gain if it would enter, usher him in upon this life of life.

40:11 Love of more intimate communion with the Lord Jesus. And it's something of this reality that has been captured in some of our hymns. Oh Christ, he is the fountain, the deep sweet well of love. The streams on earth I've tasted.

40:32 The streams I've tasted. For me to live is Christ and what I've tasted is sweet. More deep I'll drink above. There to an ocean fullness.

40:45 You see the comparison? There to an ocean fullness. For the hymn writer who spoke of this thing when he said, heaven itself without thee dark as night would be. Why could Paul say for me to die?

41:06 If the executioner performs his task, it will be gain to me. Here is the grand reason above all others that in a sense incorporates all others into it. It will be gain as to communion with the Lord Jesus. Now we've used two of our pry bars.

On What Basis Death Is Gain: Christ's Work on the Cross

41:28 Question number one. Where did Paul get this information about death being gain? He got it by divine revelation. In what sense would death be gain to him?

41:40 It would be gain to him. As to knowledge, holiness, companions, and communion with Christ. Now our third and final pry bar is this. On what basis was all of this true for Paul?

42:00 How could he say with conviction that for him death was gain? Isn't this the man who wrote the wages of sin is death?

42:14 Is not death? Death, the monumental and inescapable fact that continually thunders to mankind. You are under the curse of a broken law.

42:31 Although it may sound very noble and admirable when grandpa in the old Waltons would gather the young'uns around and say, well, we just have to face the fact that death is a part of life. And part of learning to live is accepting death. That sounds all very noble. But death is not a part of life as God originally made life.

42:55 Death is an ugly intruder. It was the word of God to Adam. In the day you eat, you'll die. Had there been no disobedience, there would be no death.

43:08 And according to the apostle in Romans 5, it is the universal prevalence of death. That is the inescapable testimony to universal sinfulness. Well, if that's so, how could Paul say, for to me, to die is gain? If death is the monumental witness to man's being under the curse, how can it be gain?

43:36 Well, you see, the apostle understood the work of Christ in relationship to death, and that's the key. He could say as he did in Galatians, 3.13, Christ hath redeemed me from the curse of the law, being made a curse for me. And listen carefully, child of God.

43:55 Paul understood that Christ, by His work, has stripped death of all of its power and horror as the wages of sin. He stripped death of all of its power and its horror as the wages of sin. And in the language of Hebrews chapter 2, He partook of flesh and blood that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The apostle understood that death had now been transformed into a fatherly discipline by which he would be ushered into the immediate presence of Christ to change the imagery one writer has called, the dark archway through which we must pass into the immediate presence of our Savior. Well, it was the apostle's confidence of that, based upon his knowledge of the work of Christ, that caused him to say, for me to die is gain. You see, the man who can say to me to live is Christ, that is, to me to live is faith in Christ. A faith in Christ, the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

45:15 It is that man who can say to me to die is gain.

Application to Unbelievers: Face Death and Look to the Cross

45:22 Now then, in conclusion, may I press a question upon your conscience? Do you have this confidence of Philippians 1.21?

45:33 Young people, children, adults, old men and women, listen. Die, you must. Die, I must. And no amount of euphemism.

45:46 You know, those words we use by which we try to strip ugly things of their ugliness. We don't talk about people dying, we talk about them passing on. We don't talk about corpses, we talk about remains.

46:01 My friends, the Bible uses no euphemisms. It speaks of death. Behold, he stinketh. By now his body is decaying.

46:14 He has been in the grave four days. That's the language of Holy Scripture.

46:22 And Job descends to even more gross language. He says, though the worms consume this flesh. And they'll consume it.

46:31 My friend, in the light of the inevitability of your death, your burial, your body going back to dust. Can you say to die is gain? Can you say that?

46:48 Can you? Are you one of those discredited? Are you one of those described in Hebrews 2 who says even now, Look, I came here to get a chuck under the chin, to get a lift in life. And here you speak about something so heavy and morose and foreboding as death.

47:03 I don't want to think about it. My friend, you can't sink death away. You can't ignore it away.

47:14 It's appointed unto men once to die. You're going to die and I'm going to die. Are you one of those who through fear of death, is in a state of bondage? Oh, my friend, listen.

47:28 What you need to do is not to ignore death. Not dress it up in all kinds of euphemistic garb. To make it appear less stark and ugly than it is. You need to look death straight in the eye.

47:42 And then, looking the state of your own soul straight in the eye. Look away to the cross. And there behold him who grappled with death. On his own terms.

47:55 And pinned him, yea, nailed him to the cross. Took him into the tomb with him. And left him there. When he came out triumphant in resurrection life.

48:06 And in union with the Lord Jesus. Then you too will be able to say, for me to die is gain. That's why John says in Revelation 14, 13, Blessed are those who die in the Lord.

48:23 Blessed. Perfectly happy are those who die in union with the Lord. But cursed are those who die out of Christ. For it is appointed on the men once to die.

48:36 And after this cometh judgment. Read all the books on fanatology you want to read. Read all of the collection of the stories of people who with no faith in Christ, no admission of sinnerhood, no repentance, no union with Christ, say, that when they, quote, clinically died, they saw an attractive light and fell to warm glow. And now they no longer fear death.

49:04 Read it. Try to believe it if you can. But my friend, there's the annoying realization that that's not the full story.

49:15 You better not pin your hopes on such flimsy sham. And I believe, much of it's satanically deceptive experience. The door of death swings one way. If you go through it deceived and unprepared, there's no coming back to go through a second time.

49:43 And if you're not in Christ, may you give yourself no rest until by faith you are. But now let me speak to you who do believe in the Lord Jesus. And you say, Oh, Pastor, I wish I could say with Paul, to me to die is gain. I wish I could have that confidence.

Application to Believers: Overcoming Fear of Death Through Knowledge and Faith

50:05 I wish I could say it with the certainty of conviction with which he obviously wrote it. My friend, if you can't, it's due to one of two things. It's either ignorance or unbelief.

50:19 Maybe you can't say to me to die is gain because you don't meditate upon what death will actually do in the case of a man. In the case of a believer, Paul could say to me to die is gain because he was confident that there will be that burst, that expansion of knowledge. And it was worth going through the dark shadow that he might awake in the full blazing light of the face of his Savior. He knew it would be gain as to knowledge, gain as to holiness, gain as to communion with the saints of God.

50:57 As to God and gain as to fellowship with Christ. It's natural to fear the experience of death. We've never died before. Most of us can remember the first time we flew in an airplane.

51:10 We were scared to death. We'd never been completely out of touch with the earth before. We may have been up in the Washington Monument, what is it, 500 feet? But we knew there was some brick and mortar and reinforced concrete between our feet and the terra firma.

51:24 But the first time, I can remember many, many years ago, the first time, I watched the earth go down like that while I was going up. It was a scary feeling. And I doubt there's anyone who's flown who would not say the first time you flew you were scared to death. Very apprehensive.

51:42 And when that thing came down the end of the runway and started to go up and you saw the earth receding like that, it was a weird feeling. Why? You've never done it before. Now, some of you, like myself, flown so many times, you hardly know when you've taken off and when you've landed.

51:56 Well, you see, with death, it's natural that we should fear the experience of dying. It's an experience we've never had before. And fear of the experience of dying is not sinful. It does not reflect willful ignorance or unbelief.

52:12 The knowledge that with most of us, if the Lord tarries, our death will come in terms of some kind of crippling disease. Very few people just die, quote, of old age. God sends a messenger. A heart that fails.

52:30 A malignant tumor. Some other kind of ugly disease that wastes the powers and brings pain. And anyone who sits here and says, oh, that's no concern to me, my friend. You're lying.

52:43 If you think about it, there is fear. And that apprehension and fear is not sinful. But what I'm speaking of, if you have a fear of death itself, not the experience of dying, but what lies beyond that experience, you're a believer in Christ. You fled for refuge to the Son of God.

53:03 And yet the subject of death and thought of death is abhorrent to you. My friend, it shouldn't be. Flood your mind with these passages we've considered this morning until you can say with the apostle in the intelligence of a well-instructed mind and heart, to me, to die is gain. And if the problem is not ignorance, then it's not.

53:27 It may be unbelief. It is simply a matter of not having confidence in the sufficiency of the work of your Savior. Did he cry, it is finished, or did he not? Did he conquer death, or did he not?

53:42 Well, if he did, then you see no little part of a Christian's great convincing testimony in a world where death is a mystery is to be able to face death calmly, as did the apostle Paul, and have a rational explanation for that calm and that assurance. The world does not have it. And no little part of the vibrance of Christian testimony through the centuries has been the way believers have been able to face death. Some of you have read in the history of the church of martyrs who went literally singing to the stake.

54:22 Literally went singing to the stake. Why? Because they were heartless, stoics? No.

54:30 It's because they knew that to die was gain, and their confidence was in their Savior. Oh, dear child of God, may that be your confidence. May that be mine, so that with Paul, if we can say to me to live is Christ, with him we may also say to me to die is gain. Let us pray.

54:56 Our Father, we are indeed grateful that you have not allowed this great mystery of death to come to us without answers, without the revelation of your own mind and purpose. And we bless you that we have in the scriptures a sure word of prophecy, and we pray that the Holy Spirit will take those words that have been expounded, preached, quoted this morning, make them effectual to the imparting of life to some who are yet dead in the death of their sins, and to the strengthening of the faith of your own people. Oh, Lord, write your word upon our hearts, and by the Spirit enable us to give a believing and an obedient, obedient response to that word. May the blessings of your grace attend us as we leave this place, and as we further sanctify this day to your praise, grant that it may also be to our profit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.