Good morning and welcome to the Berean Break.  My name is George Sinkie and I am so glad that you have joined us this morning.  I hope you have the time to sit down for the next 15 minutes, open your Bible, and check out the truth of this lesson.  Quite often the question is asked, “Is there really life after death?”  Most religions teach that there is some kind of afterlife.  The pyramids were not just built as a grave for the pharoahs, they contained hundreds, even thousands of supplies for the afterlife.  Other cultures had the “Happy Hunting Ground.”  The Muslims teach that Paradise awaits, with virgins to satisfy a man’s desires.  And the list could go on and on.  But what these man-made religions teach really proves nothing.  What matters is that the word of God teaches that there is life after death – for the righteous and the wicked.  Let’s go to God in prayer, now as we begin our study this morning.

Dear Lord, We thank You for this day in our lives.  We also thank You for the moisture that we have received.  As that rain helps the crops to grow, we pray that we will grow by getting the food and water from Your word.  Help us to know and understand how to have the life after death that you teach in Your word.  We humble ourselves before You this morning in the name of Jesus.  AMEN !!

     Most definitely, friends, there is life after death.  A person’s physical death does not mark the end of his existence.  When the judgment day comes, most will continue to exist in eternal death, or separation from God.  The few, who lived according to God’s will, will be blessed with eternal life and be joined with God forever.
     Whenever we think of life after death we need to remember that, in regards to eternal life, there must be death before life.  Consider Jesus’ words from Luke 9:23-26

   23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
   24 “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
   25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?
   26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

     In order to understand Jesus’ words, we must understand the purpose of the cross.  In Jesus’ day, the cross was intended to put men to death.  It was on a cross that men died through painful crucifixion.  Next, consider whose cross we are to take up or carry … our own!  You can’t take up my cross for me and I can’t take up your cross for you.  Next, how often did Jesus say we are to take up our cross?  Daily!  Putting all of this together, we are able to understand Jesus to say that anyone who follows him must die daily.

     First, in order to follow Jesus, a person must die to self.  As Christians, our old man of sin is put to death.  In Galatians 2:20, Paul wrote,

   20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

     As Christians, we are to submit to the authority of Christ. Jesus said, He had all authority in Matthew 28:18

   18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

     This is a figurative death, not an actual taking of our life. Paul also speaks of it as a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1

   1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

     Some people would be willing to die for Jesus, but they will not live for Him.  As Christians, we are to put God’s will ahead of our will.  We are to put Christ’s desire for us ahead of our own desires.  Consider the following words from 2 Corinthians 5:15

   15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

     We need to die to ourselves.

     Second, in order to follow Christ, a person must die to security.  That is, he must die to the type of security that this world has to offer.  Many people seek out security in the things they own.  “Oh, if I can ever get enough money in my retirement account, then I will be secure.”  “If I can ever have enough money to buy the house I want, drive the car I want, and wear the clothes I want, then I will feel secure.”  But friends, a person with such an attitude is looking for security in places where it simply cannot be found.  Jesus said, in Matthew 6:19-21

   19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
   20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
   21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

     The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Consider the following words from Paul, written to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:6-11

   6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
   7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
   8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
   9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
   10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
   11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

     As Christians, we are to be content with what we have. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, (Hebrews 13:5)

   5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

     As Christians, we are to realize that material goods are temporary in nature and simply will not last. Consider what James wrote in James 5:1-3

   1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
   2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.
   3 Your gold and your silver have rusted;  and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.  It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

     Christian need to place their treasure in heaven because all earthly security will one day perish.

     Third, in order to follow Christ a person must die to shame.  That is, a person who is following Christ is not ashamed to do so.  He is not ashamed of Christ.  In Luke 9:26 Jesus said,

   26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

A person who is following Christ is no longer ashamed to tell others about Christ.  In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus said,

   32 “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
   33 “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Paul wrote to the Romans and said, (Romans 1:16)

   16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

     We should not be ashamed of the gospel, nor to teach that people need to obey the gospel in order to be saved.  In the day of judgment there will be many that will be ashamed because they did not accurately handle God’s word.  Paul wrote Timothy, (2 Timothy 2:15)

   15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

     Fourth, in order to follow Christ, a person must die to sin.  Friends, just as death always involves a separation, death to sin requires that we separate ourselves from the practice of sin.  Consider these words, written by Paul to the church at Rome, (Romans 6:1-2)

   1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
   2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Now I wish we had the time right now to read on through Romans 6, I encourage you to do that following this program.  But let’s take the time to read the next two verses. (Romans 6:3-4)

   3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
   4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

     If your faith in God has not caused you to be immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins, then you are still in your sins.  In reality it is in obedience to the Lord’s will concerning baptism that we die to self and look to God.  In immersion, we die to earthly security and receive heavenly security.  We die to being ashamed of God and His will, and stand up for God and His will.  And we die to sin and become alive to God.
     Friends, is there really life after death?  Oh yes, there most certainly is!  But remember, there must also be death before life.  In order for a person to experience eternal life, he must die to self, die to the security of the world, die to shame, and die to the practice of sin.