November 6, 2009

“But IF the SPIRIT of Him who RAISED Jesus from the dead DWELLS in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE to your mortal bodies THROUGH His SPIRIT who DWELLS in you” (Romans 8:11).

A Walk of FAITH to LIFE

Though I recently gave a sermon on this subject, in view of recent developments, I feel it very appropriate to write about this subject in my Pastor’s Comments today.

During the past five years or so a few of our faithful members of this tiny flock have died including my wife of 61 years. During this week, two days apart, two more of our faithful members have died; both stricken by cancer.

It saddens us to lose these men and women and not be able to see their familiar faces among us as we have each Sabbath in past years or in our family.

These men and women have died leaving behind those who were very dear to each of us— husbands and wives, fathers, mothers, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, and neighbors.

During this time of grief and sorrow we often wonder why God permits His people to die of relatively younger ages.

At the same time we also know that Christ always knows what is best for each person. He well knows, as should we, tat this is NOT the end. He will be raising them up in the resurrection to come— coming back to life in the soon-coming resurrection.

God’s Promise of Healing Has Not Failed—

This we do know, though God promises to heal and raise up the sick, His promise has NOT failed as the apostle James was led to write by Jesus Christ:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the NAME of the Lord, and the prayer of FAITH will save the sick, and the Lord will ‘RAISE HIM UP’. . . . (James 5:14-15).

This Scripture has a two-fold meaning:

1) To be RAISED UP in this human life

2) To be RAISED UP in the resurrection.

At the same time God does give us an answer for those who die in the faith. An answer that is comforting though we yet are saddened by their temporary loss from being among us.

“The righteous perishes, and no one takes it to heart (to understand why); merciful men (and women) are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from the (margin: face of) evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one [Having] walked in his uprightness (Isaiah 57:1-3).

Knowing the power of the resurrection to come, the apostle Paul makes known we are to not grieve as do those who are now lacking in understanding:

“But I do NOT want you to be ignorant (lacking in understanding), brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, LEST you sorrow as others who have NO hope. For IF we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who SLEEP in Jesus . . . Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Considering the fact that the world is crashing around us we can understand that the end of the age is not all that far away. And when it does come to its end this will mean a new beginning for all of God’s true tried and faithful people.

It will also mean a renewed life relationship.

In the interim there will be many sore and trying problems that each one of us will have to endure just as did Jesus Christ in His sore trial that led to His death. Some of us will die in one way or another before Christ returns and will enter into our rest as have those before us.

During such times there will be the need of comforting one another when death does take away from us someone that has been a brother or sister in Christ or a loved one from a family.

Sometimes a hug without saying anything speaks volumes, or just squeezing the hand of one in grief can be very meaningful.

One well-known evangelist of his corporate Church of God died not long ago from having been stricken with cancer for a long time. While visiting with him, he said to me, “It would be nice just to go to sleep.”

He said this with the HOPE of the resurrection to life in his mind. This should be the driving HOPE within each of us while we yet live with the hope of being changed at Christ’s coming, or if we are yet alive at that time, to be raised from our graves. This should always be encouraging enough to keep us walking in the faith of God that will to LIFE.

Again, this is the life of FAITH that we have been called and selected to live, and IF we continue to live by it, and persevere it will lead us to meet Jesus Christ in the air when he returns to this earth. The definition of faith can be very meaningful to each of us.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now FAITH is the substance (realization) of things HOPED for, the EVIDENCE (confidence) of things NOT seen.”

And as God’s true people we are to embrace and live this life in hope of the better one to soon come:

“Now the JUST shall live by FAITH, but IF anyone DRAWS BACK My soul has NO pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).

Abraham did NOT live to see what he had come to believe from God; he was only told by the LORD God about the coming New Jerusalem – that is yet over 1100 years away), but he believed (Hebrews 11:8-10).

“But without FAITH it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God MUST BELIEVE that He is, and that He is A REWARDER of those of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Regardless of what we have to experience before our Savior returns we must realize the depth of what the apostle Paul wrote about this subject and believe it with our whole hearts:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present life are NOT worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).

That promised wonderful and awesome glory will one day soon be ours if we continue in the walk of faith to life—from mortal to immortal:

“. . . The body is sown in corruption, it is RAISED in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is RAISED in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is RAISED in power. It is sown a natural body, it is RAISED a spiritual body . . . As we have borne the IMAGE of the man of the dust, we SHALL also bear the IMAGE of the heavenly Man” (I Corinthians 15:35-49).

It is with this HOPE in mind, that we can fully agree with our whole hearts and beings, what he further wrote about this coming blessing to each of us.

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors THROUGH Him who who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels (demons) nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from THE LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

It is a continued walk of faith with living HOPE that will soon lead to real life – never to end – never to experience again the sorrow and pain of this life. And then Christ will wipe away the tears from our sufferings in this present life and bless us with the love and joy of real Spirit life.

Please remember those in prayer and with cards to those who are in sorrow at this time over the loss of their loved ones this week.

Your friend and servant in Christ,

Don Billingsley

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