Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting?

Yesterday, September 6, 2011, my brother Johnny went home to be with our Lord. Although I am grieving his departure from this life, I am celebrating his new life.

Johnny had Downs Syndrome. He never matured as most of us do but yet he matured much more so than so many. During the last weeks and months of his life, he kept saying he was tired and that he wanted to go home and he wanted to see Jesus. Johnny’s small body was gradually shutting down and he was in and out of the hospital. He couldn’t understand why he had to go through this, why he had to experience the pain; but he knew to cry out to the one who could heal him. He looked forward to being with Jesus and he knew Jesus alone could deliver him from his suffering. Well, yesterday Jesus did deliver him.

It’s hard to think I will never see Johnny again as he was; short, childlike, with the typical mongoloid features found in those who have Downs Syndrome, but the thought that keeps coming to my mind is Johnny saying “if you could only see me now!” Johnny has been resurrected in newness of life; A newness that will never ever again experience pain or suffering. For that I am most grateful. I believe that when I reach those pearly gates, my big brother will be there waiting for me.

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”   ⁵⁵ “ O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”  ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.                                    -Corinthians 15:50-58

¹ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. –Romans 6:1-14

Friend, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, why wait? Why take a chance? Please, I beg you; cry out to the one, the only one, who has power over sin and death.

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part VI

Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel Chapter 3-4)

 ¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

⁴ Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
⁷ So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. –Daniel 3:1,4-7

Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon. He had captured Israel and taken them to Babylon (see chapters 1-2 for more background). Although God used him to deal with rebellious Israel, this (idol) did not please God. As we read the whole account of Nebuchadnezzar, we see God’s hand on his life. God could have cast him off when His plan was finished, but God chose to spare, and bless this heathen King.   

 ²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
 ³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³² And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
 ³³ That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
 ³⁴ And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

      For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
      And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
       ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
      He does according to His will in the army of heaven
      And among the inhabitants of the earth.
      No one can restrain His hand
      Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
 ³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. –Daniel 4:28-36

I am saved by God’s grace and mercy, not because I am a good person.

I am what I am; and more importantly, God is who He is. I am a sinner worthy of death and damnation, but God is a God of love who reached out to me, just as He reaches out to all who will receive Him.

No man can convince me that God is not justified in what He does. I am the recipient of His great love. I had the same choice as everyone else. 

You my friend have to make a choice as well. What will you choose?  

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part V

Nineveh (Jonah 1-4)

¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. –Jonah 1:1-3

Nineveh was an un-Godly Assyrian city. These people were known for their brutality and they had oppressed Israel for years. So why did God want Jonah to go and preach to them?

Because as bad as they were, God loved them!

He loved them and He knew they would repent. He could have chosen to destroy them but in love, He sent a means of escape. Jonah did not want to go; he knew that if they repented, God would save them. He hated them but God chose to send him anyway.

⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

   Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. –Jonah 3:5-10

In chapter four we see how angry Jonah became over God sparing the city. We also see how the Lord sought to teach Jonah about His love. This book ends with verse 11.

And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” –Jonah 4:11

What does this say about God?

If you still see God as a mean, overbearing tyrant, you are either deceived or your heart is so hard you can’t see the truth. Over and over God has shown His great mercy, why would you not want to see Him as He really is?