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.  If you are a new listener, a special welcome to you, you are in for a growing experience.  If you are a long time listener, then you know that you will be feed some meat from the word of God.  I encourage all of you to get out your Bible and check out what is said.  The reason false teachers are so successful and the reason so many are deceived is because they do not check out the teaching that they hear by the word of God.  In Acts 17:11 the Bereans were called noble-minded because they checked Paul’s teaching out with the Scriptures.  Be noble-minded today.  As we begin, let’s go to God in prayer.

Almighty God in heaven, Creator of all things, and Lover of men’s souls, we thank You for this day.  Lord as we are surrounded by the green of new growth and the blossoms of fruitfulness, may we too grow in our knowledge of Your will and be fruitful in Your service.  As we study Your word today, may we open our hearts and our minds — as we see the truth in Your will, help us to put off the false beliefs we may hold and replace them with that truth.  Thank You again for Jesus and it is in His name we offer this prayer,  AMEN!!

     Death!  What do you think of when I say the word “death?”  Some people fear it — others simply ignore it — still others long for it.  In the Bible, the idea of death refers to a separation.  James speaks of a dead faith as being a faith that does not obey the will of God in James 2:26

   26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James also mentions here what physical death is – when the spirit leaves the body.  The Bible also at times refers to spiritual death.  This is when we are separated from God because of our sins.  Today we are going to look at some things concerning physical death.  The Hebrews writer referred to this in Hebrews 9:27

   27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

There is no way to miss or avoid this appointment, so we need to prepare for it because after we die there will be a judgment.  To prepare for the judgment you must hear the gospel — that is that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised again.  When you hear the gospel, you need to believe it and have faith.  Then based on your faith you need to repent of your sins, confess Jesus and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins.   After this being born again process then you live faithfully to God each day.  These steps of obedience to the will of God make you a Christian and then you walk the Christian life.  As a person lives faithfully there is no need to fear death and that is what we are going to see in today’s lesson.  If you have not done these things, and continue to refuse to do them, or you have done them but then turned away from the Lord, then you do have reason to fear death.

Let’s look now at some things about death.  First, the Scriptures speak of death as going to sleep.  Consider for a few moments the events of John 11:11-14

   11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
   12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
   13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
   14 Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”

Paul also looked forward to the resurrection and spoke of those who asleep but they will be raised.  1 Corinthians 15:20

   20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

Paul also spoke of the comfort we are to give one another in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

   13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.
   14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
   15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
   16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
   17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
   18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

I want to remind you that we are dealing with someone who is faithful to the Lord.  Listen to these word of the Lord in Psalm 116:15

   15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.

     Second, the Scriptures refer of death as taking a trip or journey.  Notice Paul’s words recorded in Philippians 1:23

   23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;

Also as Paul speaks in 2 Timothy 4:6

   6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

Did you notice the word Paul used to refer to his death?  A departure!  When we depart on a trip, we do not cease to exist.  We simply go from one place to another!  Likewise, when we die, we do not cease to exist.  We do not lose our identity.  We go from one place to another!

     Imagine if you will a ship departing out of the harbor.  As it leaves and gets farther and farther away, it gets smaller and smaller, until finally it is gone.  Now continue to imagine with me that on some distant unseen shore there was someone watching.  They saw the ship get bigger and bigger until it finally docked on their shore.  We would say it is gone, but they would say its here.  Death is that final journey we make to God, if we live faithful to God we will one day make that journey.

     Third, the Scriptures speak of death as a change of residence.  Imagine going to an old friend’s house and knocking on the door.  When no one answers, a neighbor notices and says, “Are you looking for your friend who used to live there?”  “Well, yes”, you reply, “but what do you mean, used to live here?”  The neighbor informs you that your friend doesn’t live there anymore.  Your friend has moved to a bigger and better place.

As Christians, we desire a better country, a better place of residence.  Listen to the words of the writer of the book of Hebrews: Hebrews 11:8-10

   8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance;  and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
   9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
   10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Keep reading as the Hebrews writer goes on in Hebrews 11:13-16

   13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
   14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
   15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
   16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;  for He has prepared a city for them.

Currently, we live in a temporary, physical body.  But we will one day have a permanent, incorruptible body.  In 2 Corinthians 5:1, Paul wrote,

   1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Notice how Paul describes the physical body in which we now live as a tent.  Obviously a very temporary place.  But notice the word Paul uses to describe the incorruptible bodies we will one day have – a “building,” indicating a sense of permanence.  Paul goes on here in 2 Corinthians 5:2-10

   2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven;
   3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked.
   4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
   5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
   6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord —
   7 for we walk by faith, not by sight —
   8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
   9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
   10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

   Death is nothing to fear if you are right with God. We at the Lord’s church want to help you to prepare for that appointment that you have with death.