Laborers' Podcast- God's Grace in Death

So, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts into wisdom,

Psalm 90 verse 12. Welcome to the Laborer's Podcast. We are thankful and grateful that you are with us.

Tonight we're going to be talking about a difficult, sensitive subject, God's graces during death.

We hope you will stick with us. Welcome to the Laborer's Podcast, which is a part of the

Truth in Love Network. Join us as together we strive to grow up together in all things into Christ.

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Now, let's join our laborers for tonight's broadcast. Again, welcome to the

Laborer's Podcast. I'm Rob. I have with me Tyler tonight, Jay, Big John, and Claude.

Guys, how are you doing? Good. Good. Hope you are. I'm doing good.

Tyler, Jay? About as good as we're going to be talking about death. I hope

I didn't mess up something on the stream, Rob. I see that there's an X. I was throwing my stream up here and something kicked out.

Yeah. I got the same one. Apparently, I don't have Twitter premium, so. Yeah. Did Twitter do something to us?

Is it called Twitter still? I call it Twitter because deep down, I'm a grumpy fundie.

Twitter X is what I say. Twitter X. By the way, Rob, that was a good new version of the intro.

That group picture there, just since April, look how Jay's beard has developed and become so full and nice.

The word is distinguished. Look at that thing. Is there a permit necessary in Florida to be wearing that thing?

I just, you know, I think I'm just at the point where, like, who cares, you know? Look at this.

There will be heat no matter what, so. Exactly. I'm talking about the multicolored brandishing across your glove.

That is just my wisdom, man. I feel it. I'm wise beyond the years.

That was nice. I felt that. Well, just to remind everybody, the comment line is open.

We would love to hear from you. Give us a critique, a prayer request, a question, whatever it is, we'd love to hear from you as we dive into this topic.

So the way I wanted to start and kind of go through the beginning of this conversation is take a look at some verses, and let's discuss these verses as it applies to God's grace when

He calls us, when it's our time in His timetable throughout history, when our time on earth is finished.

So the first one that we want to look at is 2 Corinthians 12 9 -10.

God's word says, Therefore, I delight in weaknesses, in insults and distresses, in persecutions and difficulties in behalf of Christ.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. How would you apply those verses to our topic tonight?

Well, you know, speaking from experience, I know that the times that I depend on God the most is where I'm forced to depend on God the most.

And so in my moments of greatest weakness, in the moments where I am, where the fullness of my weakness is exposed, that's when

I cry out to the Lord the most. And in those moments, that's where I sometimes feel the greatest peace and the greatest joy, even though from a human natural perspective, it should be quite the opposite, right?

Like, you're going through this tough thing, dude. How can you be joyful? I'm not always joyful,

I'll be honest with you. Not always joyful in those moments, because, you know, we are battling against the flesh, right?

And so we're called to walk according to the spirit, not according to the flesh. But in those moments of clarity, where I know the flesh is of no use, right?

I need to depend on the spirit. That's where I can feel the joy of the Lord and the peace of the

Lord, in spite of whatever external circumstances are going on. And I think that's ultimately what this text is talking about, right?

Because His grace is shown to be sufficient, right?

His power is perfected in our weaknesses. It's when it just radiates the most.

So that's how I would take that passage, man. Like, I think of this passage often when

I'm going through struggle. Praise the Lord. I actually haven't had too many struggles lately. I mean, you know, you have your everyday things.

But at the same time, ironically enough, even though I can say praise the

Lord for that, at the same time, I'm like, Lord, I miss those times when I feel closest to you.

When I'm going through struggle, you know what I mean? One of the things that I think about is when you read scriptures like this, obviously

Paul's dealing with something. And it is recognizable by him that it was his own thing that he did.

That's the first thing you notice about him. Paul had a lot of reasons that he wanted to be arrogant, but he chose not to be arrogant in the first place.

Had to be arrogant in like his lineage or his knowledge base or this matter.

And in fact, God used him in an area where all of his strengths weren't going to help him a bit.

And I think about that a lot because like you, Brother J., I think of the scripture all the time.

I am a terrible reader and I don't do good all that much speaking in public.

I still don't like it. If I were to take one of my strengths and use it for the kingdom of God, I can imagine

I'm a whole lot more mechanically minded than I am anything else. And surely there was somewhere that I should be used in that capacity.

But it seems as if God's chosen the areas that I'm my weakest in to choose to allow me to minister.

And in that, I need him because I can't. I just can't do it.

So in my weakness, I feel that God's strength is perfected in that area, if that makes any sense at all.

Amen. There is a monastery in Eastern Europe on Mount Athos.

I have no idea where that is. And above the door is a phrase carved into the wall.

It's probably in Latin because they're really smart over there. It says, if you die before you die, you won't die when you die.

Essentially, if you grapple with the fact that you will die before you get there and die to yourself, then you won't truly die when your body takes its last breath.

Centro Sante. Translation? That's Anderson.

Oh. I thought that was obvious. I wasn't going to... Nick John is connecting with his

Puerto Rican roots. Is that right? That's about as much as I've got, brother.

Kind of related to what you guys were talking about, what Tyler just mentioned. I got this booklet,

A Believer's Last Day, His Best Day, by Thomas Brooks.

You can get it at Chapel Hill Library. All their stuff is...

I think now there's a $20 limit each month. You can get a $20 worth of free material each month from these guys, and it's great stuff.

But one of the things that he talks about here is kind of what you were talking about, Tyler, preparedness. If you prepare for that day, then you will be ready for that day.

And I see this in this verse, but it's calling for us to do something that's very difficult.

And I'd like to hear you guys' insights on it, where it says, Therefore, I delight in weakness and insults and distress and persecutions and difficulties.

Kind of flesh that out. Well, in the greater scope of the passage here, we're talking about suffering.

Interesting enough is the section before this, we're talking a little bit about paradise.

We're talking about heaven, and he goes straight from that to not boasting in his strength because he has weaknesses.

Therefore, I will take joy in this. And I think those two are put together for a very specific reason.

That we go from the heights to the depths, and the God who is there in both of them. And Paul says that he was given a thorn in his flesh, or a couple varying ideas as to what that was.

But essentially, it's something that kept him humble. Something that reminded him of how weak he was.

Something that reminded him just how dependent he was on God's provision. That ever -famous sermon of Christ, Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Blessed are those who realize just how weak they are. How bankrupt they are.

There is a blessing in recognizing what we do not have. And so when we talk about weakness, when we talk about taking joy in weakness, that's really what it shapes up into, is that we don't have strength of our own.

And this is just a reminder that teaches us to trust Christ more. Amen.

And through all of that, the Apostle Paul, this was not a rare statement.

This passage is not a rare statement. Paul talks about this continually throughout the epistles.

But again, in 2 Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 16.

So Paul says, I say again, let no man think me a fool if otherwise. Yet as a fool receive me, that I might boast myself a little.

He said, that which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly.

In this confidence boast thou. So he says that, but he says this, seeing that many glory after the flesh.

Because he's addressing the super apostles that were coming in and trying to make themselves to be something that they weren't.

And again, it comes down to what God makes a man. And he says this, you suffer fools gladly, seeing yourselves as wise.

Let me switch to ESV real quick. Sorry about that.

Or he said, for you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves. For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.

He said, to my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that. So he goes right into his weakness again.

He says, whatever anyone else dares to boast of. And he says, he qualifies it.

He said, I'm speaking as a fool, I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am

I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am

I. Then he says this, are they servants of Jesus Christ? I am a better one.

I'm talking like a madman with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

He said, five times I received at the hands of the Jews, forty lashes less one. Three times

I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day

I was adrift at sea. On frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, danger from the

Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at the sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food and coal and exposure.

And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Who is weak? And I am not weak. Who is made to fall? And I am not indignant.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things, Paul said, that show my weakness.

That's me. The God and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever, knows that I'm not lying.

At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped, right?

I escaped his hands, but Paul makes this statement continuously, that if you're going to boast in anything, boast in your weakness, boast in the fact that you are not strong, that you are, again, going back to 1

Corinthians 1, it's not the wise, God has not chosen the wise of this world, right?

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. That's right. And the weak things of the world to confound the strong, and he goes into that, and it's like he's laying, well, he is, it's not like, he is laying the groundwork and the foundation of both of his letters to the

Corinthians that the central focus is not to be on the wisdom of yourself, but on the wisdom and the righteousness and the sanctification and the redemption that is found in Jesus Christ and him alone.

That's right. And the same goes leading into death, right? Because death is the most feared thing of all.

So, and again, if you go to Hebrews, Hebrews 9, 27, any of y 'all know what that says right off the top of your head?

It is appointed unto all men to die once, and then comes judgment. Right. Death, death is real.

Death is, right, the American saying is this, there are two sure things in life, death and taxes, right?

But more sure than taxes because taxes can be evaded, but you cannot, nor will you ever evade death.

And so this leads back into, again, going backwards now in Hebrews, to Hebrews chapter 2.

This is the gospel because death is what, death is the most feared thing in life, right?

I mean, I'm afraid of dogs, but guess what? I fear dogs more than I fear death since I got saved.

But in Hebrews chapter 2, and I'll hush after this, guys,

I'm sorry. Keep it up. This is so pertinent to what we're talking about tonight.

So if you go to Hebrews chapter 2, beginning in verse 10, it says,

For it was fitting that he for whom and by whom all things exist, of course he's speaking about Christ, in bringing many souls and bringing many sons to glory, that he should make the founder of their salvation perfect through what?

It's just what Jay talked about, suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.

Amen. That's Jesus. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation.

I will sing your praise. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold,

I and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death.

There it is. Through death that he might destroy the one who has the power of death.

That is the devil. And, but wait, there's more, right? And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

The slavery of being in bondage to the fear of death.

And don't get me wrong. I know we don't go, you know, we don't go running around daring to die.

But as Christians, God has put his spirit in us that, that causes us to understand and to know that there's, that there's more to life, right?

That, that death or the believer is not the end. Death is not something to be feared, right?

But death is our entrance into glory. That's right. Again, Paul said it to be absent from the body is to be present with the

Lord. I'm sorry, guys. Thank you. You're going to apologize for me. That was, that was good stuff.

While you were talking, I was thinking about how I'm sure Paul knew this.

Like the back of his hand, all the things he's talking about, reminding me of, huh?

What's that? The humble Baptist just said, amen. Oh, the, uh, was

Jeremiah nine 23. Don't let the wise man boasts his wisdom. Let's rich man boasts and riches.

Don't let those strong man boasts his mind, but let him who boasts boasts in this that he knows me.

And in order to, in order to really know the Lord is to know him in your weakness.

As well as in your strength, whenever you come to the Lord, you come to the Lord with everything that you are.

And so often we, uh, I don't know.

So often I think that as, as, as me and we would like to take God, the things we know immediately that we can't, we can't repair the sin that, uh, is our death sentence or, or the sin that's going to cause us to go to hell.

The things that we can't atone for. We want to bring to the Lord. Then it seems like the things that we won't, or the things that we feel like we can handle, we want to take care of on our own.

At least that seems like what I've dealt with my entire life. So it's, it's interesting that Paul's talking about an area of his life where God's strength is made.

Perfect is in his weakness. And that's, uh, everything, everything for the clogs.

What is the first verse 10 brother, uh, brother, Brad, what's that?

When you get into, uh, that chapter 12, get down there to,

I think it's verse 10. Therefore, that's something

I've taught my kids and I've taught my church. When I see a, therefore I ask myself one question, what's it there for?

All right. The fact of the matter is when

Paul wrote this, he wouldn't have been writing this broke down in verse and chapter. This would have been a continuous thought.

This is a letter just like any letter you've ever written. Everything that, that brother Claude said and everything that he starts this chapter at about him boasting in the, in the revelation is, is pivots on this word.

Yeah. You cannot move forward with the next however many verses until you take the therefore and accept everything before that is fact.

Everything before that has to be, has to be consolidated as a known statement or a known quantity.

Then you can take the things that proceed the therefore, and you can apply the things that come after the therefore.

So all of that argument Paul was laying out, he's laying that out so that when he makes the next statement, it has sure footing to be built on.

And what follows that you read it a while ago. Therefore I'm well content with my weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake.

For when I am weak, then I'm strong. That's right. I have become foolish, but yourselves compelled me.

Actually, I should have been commended by you. But if for no respect was

I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even those that I am, nobody, the signs of the true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance by signs and wonders and miracles for in that, our friend, what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches?

Except that I myself did not become a burden to you. Forgive me this wrong.

Here is the third time and he carries on. You can't, you can't walk in strength and you can't have your weakness be made your strength.

If you refuse to accept the fact that everything prior to the, therefore is solidly found foundational to everything after it.

And that's not just in this particular chapter. That's everywhere in scripture. When you see if I could tag tag on to tag along with what both of you guys are saying, you know, in in all of life, our goal, everything that we want to be about and do is to exalt

Christ, to put him on display, to display his, his glory. And as second

Corinthians 12 says here to, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me so that we can display the power of Christ.

So if that's our goal and we're talking about preparedness and as Paul was, was showing us this time of death is our, our greatest fear.

And it's our greatest point of weakness. In our life. So if we are preparing in all these different ways, the insults, distress, weakness, persecution, difficulties in all those areas, all throughout our lives.

If, if we are practicing and preparing to delight in those weaknesses, why?

So that we can show off the power of Christ. And he is preparing us for that time of greatest weakness that in our death.

So that we can like, similar to the verse that you quoted, where we can bring, bring many sons.

We can, we can be, we can display Christ's power and, and be a witness of his power so that others will find his power and, and what he's doing in our lives attractive and, and say,

I want that Jesus. I want him because he's so precious to this.

This man is dying well, and, and he is displaying the power of Christ in him.

And I think preparing throughout our lives in all these different areas is, is crucial for that time of greatest weakness.

If I could say one quick thing, I was thinking about this, this woman that I will, will remain nameless, but she passed away already.

She was in her forties. And she was Christian.

And one of the last things that she said was, I don't want to die. And that sticks with me because it would be great to think, yeah, we as Christians, we do this perfectly and we die well.

you know, and some might say, well, she didn't die so well, right? Like she was scared.

And I think it's okay to recognize that even as a Christian, even as a

Christian with many years of walking with the Lord, there will be even, even in your last moments, there might be moments of weakness, right?

And that kind of leads me to, to really the next few texts that we were going to discuss, which is

Romans 8, 28, John 16, John 16, 33, first Corinthians 15.

I think it was 55 to 57. You have to wonder, right?

Like, why does the Bible repeat these kinds of things over and over? Right? Like, why does Jesus say, you know, in this world, you will have tribulation, but take, take courage or take heart.

I have overcome the world. Why does Paul say in Romans 8, 28, and we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him to those who are called according to his purpose, or, you know, where death is, your victory, where death is, your sting, the sting of death is sin.

And the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, uh,

Jesus Christ. I think that finish that verse, finish that chapter.

And I think it helps answer the question. Well, let me pull it up then. Cause I was just reading what, what, um, he says, be steadfast.

Therefore. Yeah. Okay. There you go. Therefore steadfast and unafraid, knowing that your labor of the

Lord is not in vain. There you go. Yeah, exactly. And so the

Bible recognizes, Hey, you're still in the flesh. You're still weak.

You are going to have moments of weakness, right? Like anybody out there that's listening to this, that was hoping maybe

I can get the secret to how to die. Well, well, the secret is just remember scripture and believe it, right?

Born again. Exactly. Now, again, we have to fight against our flesh, even to our dying breath, because until we die, we have not yet been glorified.

And so that there will be aspects of the flesh that will give you fear, that will give you doubts. Those, those things will happen.

Now you are not, your salvation is not dependent on how well you die. Don't make that mistake.

Because a lot of people might think that, well, if I don't die, well, what will that mean for me? Well, it'll mean you didn't die well, but your salvation is up to the

Lord. It's not up to you. Right. And so you have to keep that in mind. However, it is a comfort to know that we can die well and that we don't have to die in fear, which is why the

Bible is over and over and over reminding us of all these great truths, because we're kind of dumb, right?

Like we're, we're kind of dumb and we are quick to forget. Um, you know, I love to think of myself as the foolish

Galatian, right? Um, that I am. Exactly.

Right. Who, that I am so quick to try to perfect by the flesh, what God started perfecting by the spirit.

And, um, you know, it's just, it's just one of those things where you have to constantly look back on what

Christ has promised, what he has done and know that it's going to be a certainty for you as well.

It's just a matter of, are you remembering, are you, you know, are you reflecting on that?

I think of, for example, my, um, my grandfather, who was a faithful, faithful man, charismatic, by the way, big

John. Um, so, uh, when he was passing away, you know, he had like dementia and Alzheimer's disease and all kinds of things.

But the one thing that he didn't forget was scripture because he had, he had just ingrained it into his brain so deeply that like, no matter what his brain was going through, it was like in the head and right into the heart.

You know what I'm saying? And so like, do you want to die? Well, well prepare by, by knowing the scripture while you still have time and you want to, you want to see miracles.

You, you want to see miracles. I'm saying this as a cessation is, by the way, you want to see miracles, live out your faith, preach the gospel, live like you believe it and actually believe it.

You will see miracles. You know, Jay, that lady that you quoted said something very interesting and it, it just hit me how interesting that statement was when she says,

I don't want to die. And it made me think about, I look at, look at the shirt that you're wearing and you know,

I think about how spirit field believers want to, wanted to abolish slavery.

Spirit field believers want to abolish abortion. Why? Because life is precious.

Sure. And God, God has put in us to honor life and to love life because he created it and he created us in his image.

So I think there's a balance to that statement where it's maybe it's not a complete sign of weakness where you say,

I don't want to die because God has put in us to appreciate and love the life that he has created.

He caught, he caught him. It wasn't, it was God's desire for us to live. Yeah, exactly.

So, I mean, notice that he didn't take us up to heaven the moment we were saved. That's right.

One of the things that she was talking about, brother Jay, that this, this lady and I, I suppose

I'm sympathetic. To it because first of all,

Jesus says, don't fear him who had the power to kill the body. And after the, after that can do no more. He has to rectify what he's fixing to say.

Don't be afraid of the ones who can kill your body and do no more. That's a pretty bold statement because if somebody pulled a gun on you tonight, wherever you're at, that would, that would strike terror into the heart of the most of manliest of men.

I would think, right. He says, rather fear him who has power to destroy the body.

And so inhale, that's the one you're to fear. So he's, he's constantly trying to make sure that we can quantify what and when and whom we should fear.

And I think it was Herschel Walker. Thank you. It was, I'm not really a sports nut, but I was listening to one of the men who helped found a foundation where they help all these charitable cases or whatever.

And when he was laying on his death bed, one of his guys that he mentored said, are you afraid?

He said, of course I'm afraid. I ain't never died before. And I was thinking whenever she said that,

I thought, you know, this is something you don't get to do, but one time. So if you want to do it and everything else in your life, just about, you get to practice so that you know, you do it.

Well, you get to study for tests. You get to, to go to band practices before events, you get to practice your sermon in front of the mirror before Sunday morning.

But, but kicking the bucket, that's kind of a one and done sort of thing, you know? And, uh, so I'm, I'm sympathetic to her because undoubtedly throughout man's past,

Christ has comforted us with words over and over again, through scripture, assuring us that once we stop breathing here, that's not the end.

And then, uh, thank you. Was in world war two. I don't recall. Now I was watching a movie one time and I don't know if it's real or it's not, it's make believe, but, uh, it was told to be the truth to me that one of the guys on Normandy was, was hunkered down.

And, uh, his sergeant or CO come over to him and said, come on, we've got to take this beach.

And he said, I can't, he said, I am. I'm too scared to move. I'm scared. I'm going to die. And he was, he was paralyzed with fear.

He said, there's your first problem. You're dead already. He said, if you just, if you realize you're already dead, now you can do some damage to the enemy.

That's band of brothers. Might be band of brothers. I do. I know what scene you're talking about.

That's, that's an amazing scene. So it's one of those things where you can't really be productive for the

Lord. If you're petrified of the thing that he said, he put under his feet.

If you're paralyzed with fear of death, that is the last enemy that the Lord destroyed was death.

Right? Right. So, uh, is it scary?

Yeah, it's scary. Uh, what is the definition of courage though? Moving and doing what, you know, to do in spite of the fear that you have from something.

So, uh, don't let's not dismiss that lady that said she was afraid to die.

Cause that's normal. Yeah. Right. Right. But she proceeded on into death anyway. I assume. Yeah.

She, she passed away. So, but you know, all, what I was trying to get at is you will have, you know, like you will have those moments of weakness, even in the end they can happen.

You know, some people die really well. Some people die, like, you know, like it's just taking a stroll, you know, it's just another day for them.

Some people do die while taking a stroll. So they wouldn't, they didn't have time to prepare for it.

I mean, there was a guy I knew when I was a youth pastor that, uh, he had dementia and he was, there was some other things going on.

He took a turn and, uh, on his deathbed, his family circled around him and saying, it is well.

And then he sat up and he smiled and I said, okay, I'm going to go meet Jesus. And then he just passed like that.

Wow. And then there are other people that it's, it's violent. Uh, my grandfather's last words were, it's hot.

I don't want to go. Yeah. It's, we don't have a whole lot of daddy here on what it's, what it's like to die at all.

The people that know aren't coming back to tell us. Right. So there, there is an uncertainty there.

There is some of this that's, that's, that's justified. That's validated because I've never died before.

As John, so eloquently put it that there is an unknown, but we're also as believers going somewhere that Christ is

Christ has gone before us that just as God went before the

Israelites with a pillar of fire and led them to the land that he would show them.

So Christ beckons us into the gates of heaven, into the gates of paradise, as someone who has gone into the grave, somebody who has died and who has come out of the grave victorious.

And that is where we follow our glories. Captain. Hmm. Well, I don't think that we have time to review all these other, other verses.

So let, let me just read these other three and then we'll look at these questions. Romans eight 28.

And we know that God calls us all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

John 16, 33, these things I have spoken to you so that in me, you may have peace in the world.

You have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. First Corinthians 15.

55 through 57, where old death is your victory. Where old death is your sting.

The sting of death is sin. The power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ. So. I think all of you have basically touched at some point on question number one, but specifically to, to encourage us to those who may be listening.

Does the Bible help us conquer the fear of death? Yes. No.

Yes. I'm kidding. Yes. Anybody want to elaborate on.

I feel like I've talked enough. Keep going. If you have something you want to say, the only thing

I'll say is it's, it's what I already said. You know, the more that, you know, scripture, the more that you are prepared for that moment.

And kind of, I know I'm cheating here, Rob, but if you would allow me, does it, you know, your, your second question is, does living a certain way allow us to be more receptive to God's graces?

I would say so. You know, because. We're all supposed to be growing right.

In sanctification, but some of us will grow more than others.

Right. And some of us will kind of struggle. And I think that the less that we walk, according to what we have been.

Commanded to, to walk in the more that we're going to struggle ultimately. Right.

I do believe in a thing. Called. Well, we perform type people would call it the means of grace.

Right. I don't believe that works do anything to save us, but just like God says, ordinarily,

I save people through the preaching of the gospel. It's not the work in itself, but it's what God does through those things.

Right. To increase faith, to bring people to salvation, et cetera. That, that lead to growth, that lead to spiritual awakening.

You know, whatever you want to, you know, we have different denominations here. and I'm not just talking about you, big

John, by the way, I know you're the only one here, but, but I mean, in the labors podcast as a whole,

I think we use different terminology to ultimately describe many of the same things. And so.

God commands us to do certain things, not because that will save us. Right. We believe that salvation is by race alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but that God does work through those works that he has given us to do.

And so as we honor God and obey him, right. That leads him to working in our lives, even more so.

And so. There's a reason why, for example, my grandfather died. Well, well, because he knew his scripture.

Well, right. And he had a love for God because he knew his scripture. Well, and that it was, it was so indelt in him.

It was so indwelt in him, excuse me, that, that it was just, you know, the, the, the dementia and the

Alzheimer's could have get them, get to him, right? Like they couldn't take it away. Because the more that, that we walk with the

Lord, the more secure that we ultimately are going to be as well, not, not secure as in dependent on how much he, he secures us.

No, we are fully secure in him, but the more assured that we are going to be right. When I sin, think about when you sin, when you sin, especially when you do a big sin, right?

What, what, where does your mind go? Maybe I'm not saved. Right. You ever feel that way?

I know I felt that way a couple of times and I've had to learn to deal with that. but you, your, your feelings and your emotions don't determine what is true, but they can make you question what is true, right?

Your salvation is not dependent on your works, but the less good works that you're doing, the more evil that you're committing, the more that you doubt the truth.

It's the same thing with, with facing our final day on earth, right?

The more that you have worked, walked with the Lord, the more that you will be assured of his grace.

And the more that you will be assured that you know where you're going, and there's nothing to fear.

Let me quote the, uh, one of the good Christian hymns affirms exactly what you just said.

I hope you sing what I was fixing to. When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way.

He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey, trust and obey.

Yeah, you got, right. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but his smile quickly drives it away.

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sour tear can abide while we trust and obey.

Yeah. Amen. In the church of God, we've got a song says he gets sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by.

Yes. The longer I trust him, the more that I serve him. Yes.

And get sweeter and sweeter and sweeter. That's exactly right.

We, we call that the right, that's what Troy, the church calls the razzle dazzle him. Yeah. And that church of God, Kia F.

But that's the truth. That's right. The thing that kept Alzheimer's from defeating, uh, your grandpa was the fact that the longer he walked with God, the more like God he'd become.

The longer he walked with the Lord, the more the Lord changed him. And that change is not a superficial change that you can will up on your own in the moment because you're around the right crowd of folks or whatever, uh, to be changed authentically is to be changed all the way through the

Mara of who you are. I've heard of more than one, uh, brother and sister and Christ who got dementia.

Uh, I can recall my grandpa with dementia who couldn't remember who anybody was, but he could quote scripture.

He could sing hymns, pray everything he needed for life and godliness abided in him.

Still, the things that make his life easier, he didn't have, but the things where he was weakness, he was in his strength.

You, you couldn't take away the joy he had in the Lord, not Alzheimer's, not the rest home, not frailty of his body, not the age of his, of his bones.

I think about, uh, oh gosh, I say his name was brother, uh, brother Leonard.

I didn't know the man had dementia. I just knew he didn't talk that much.

I mean, but I mean, he just didn't say a whole lot. And every time I met him, he said, young man or brother and sugar says, cause he didn't know who

I was every time I met him. But he had such peace and he was such a nice man.

All the way. He was just a kind man. And one day I was, I was near the front of the church playing guitar and a young lady came up to pray and he came up and he prayed with her.

And, uh, and I was standing there when he was praying and y 'all, it's like the

Lord showed up when that man started praying. I said, my goodness, to be able to pray like that, to be, you know, and it's not because he can recall what he ate for breakfast.

He couldn't drive his own truck. He had to be carried wherever he went, but he walked with the

Lord and you can't fake it. You just, you just can't fake it.

They know faking it till you make it when it comes to walking with the Lord. Yes, that's very, very important.

Um, it's totally not related to this topic, although it might be, but I, I, I think that before I got saved,

I think it was that I was just trying to fake it till I made it. And, uh, man, what a weight that was.

So he's the Lord, but when it, when you are saved, when you actually, when you understand that gospel, you know what

I mean? And the more that you understand, cause you know, even, even after I got saved, there were,

I don't think I felt the full significance of the gospel, even after I got saved, like as I learned more, right.

It just became more and more and more beautiful. Right. but John might hate me for this.

Not really, but after I became a Calvinist and I saw another aspect of like, wow, it really was not even me like 0 .01%.

You know what I mean? Sorry, sorry, big John, but you know, it is, it is, it's just the truth, man.

It's just, but, uh, but no, but in all seriousness, you know, as you progress and you learn the scriptures more, you start to see the beauty of the gospel even more and more and more.

And it's like, man, what have I done? You know, who am I? You know, am

I that you are mindful of me? There you go. Son of man. That you care for him.

This is a love that baffles the angels. When one angel testifies to another angel and eventually a brave one would say to the

Lord, who is man, that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him.

This is a gospel that the angels don't understand. That's right. They desire to look into it.

You cannot comprehend it. Amen. That's right. And you know, as you guys were talking earlier about how when we, when we, when we're finally there, we'll experience and know everything in full.

Um, and, and this booklet talks about that too. How, um, that day, all those, all it's, it's

Christ payday, you know, all prayers will be answered, um, in, in full and there'll be no more.

Sorry, no more tears and everything. Um, so we'll experience all those things in full, but it's amazing what scripture says and the things that Christ says about us when, when he prays and he says,

I, I asked that they be one as we are one. And he also says and tells us to, to love each other and to love one another.

And, and with his spirit living in each, each one of us, we get it.

We get a taste. Yeah, I was just thinking about the fellowship that we have and how we, um, as we are walking with him, we are walking with him and he has designed it where we were walking with him.

And we do that together. And then the, the love that we share with, with each other is, is a taste of what will no one pull.

And that's, it's such an encouragement of how, how good that love is that we have for one another.

It's going to be so much greater when it's experienced in full, when we're seeing him face to face and where we're there with him in, in eternity.

But the thing that's been song in corruption is raised in corruption.

When the thing that has been song and immortality and mortality is raised up and immortality, that thing we can't love the way that God would have us to love until we are shed this mortal coat that still has selfish desires, even though we try to quell them with scripture, but he does get sweeter, sweeter, sweet.

Let me quote another song. This role, I'll drop and rise, seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air.

Farewell. Farewell. We now are a prayer. Yes. Oh, since we're quoting songs, you know, it's a cheesy one and it's more of a contemporary one, but,

I can only imagine you guys know that one, you know, surrounded by your glory. How will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in all of you be still, I reflect on that song a lot, man.

Cause it's like, I really don't know what I'm going to do. You know what

I mean? Like it is going to be glorious, but I have no idea what I'm going to do. Whenever she was dying from ALS, she loved that song, especially whenever she got to the point where she couldn't walk anymore.

She could barely breathe on her own. She was a small, short woman who was physically, even in her prime was, was small and not strong compared to like her husband.

But when she left this world, I stood by her side with her, with the rest of her family.

And there was a smile on her face. And she had told me before she was paralyzed to the point where she couldn't talk anymore, that she really believed one night

God would give her peace. That through praying and, and just spending time with him.

She had a piece that really did go past understanding. And she said, I am ready to go. And I've never met a soul in my life who ministered to me all the way up till she took her last breath.

And it was the fact that I never saw an ounce. I never saw an ounce of fear in her eyes.

And, and she taught me a lesson all the way up to the very end. And a thousand years,

I couldn't repay her for what she taught me. And, and what courage really looks like is not always a big, hairy, burly man.

Sometimes it is a little frail woman who will hold her husband by the hand and say, it's going to be okay.

The Lord's got all this in control and I'm ready to see him. And I'll see you when you get there and close her eyes and go into the arms of the

Lord. Yes, sir. I hope I can be that brave.

It's easy. It's easy to say sitting in my, in my kitchen family around me a cup of coffee right here.

Good friends in front of me on this computer screen. Right. Right.

I can, you know, I think about like the early church and honestly, most of the church throughout church history, like we live in such comfort that like the most minute inconvenience really upsets us.

So in some sense, modern modernity, excuse me, I can't talk, uh, has been a blessing, but in another sense, it's really, really just underprepared us for what's coming.

Ultimately, you know, and, um, what do you mean? You're at a creamer at Starbucks.

Say that again. I'm sorry. What do you mean? Starbucks is at a creamer. Oh yeah, exactly, man. Yeah, absolutely.

You know, they're still trying to work out which gender cow to milk. That should say, well, see, okay, let me, let me say something about that actually, because it relates to this.

That's how stupid and, and comfortable we've become that we can't, we can't even know like what is a gender, you know what

I'm saying? Like we are so bored out of our minds because everything is so easy that we have to invent new ways of doing evil.

Like it's, it's fan, it's, it's fantastic, but not in a good way. It's just like absolutely amazing how bad we've become.

And so, you know, I look at like those people, for example, that, that are doing all these kinds of wicked, vile things.

And I'm like, how are they going to die? You know, because you can pretend like it's not coming all you want, but it is coming.

You know, I'm like, how do you live like this? And it's not like you don't know everybody dies, but how can you live like this?

Knowing that that's what's coming. You know what I mean? Like that, that's why to me, like if, if you're, for us to be

Christian, like part of being a Christian is constantly being sober minded, right?

But that's, that's why we're told not to get drunk. But I think that there is a sobriety, not just in, in clear headedness, but in clear headedness to seeing the big picture, right?

Sometimes we, we get so, so focused on enjoying the moment and enjoying the things we have around us right now, as if that's going to be forever, right?

But we have to, we, you know, I tell my kids, for example, you know, thank the

Lord for your toys and thank the Lord for cartoons and, you know, praise God, right?

But if you make that your idol, well, guess what? That will pass away. There's no hope in that.

You know, your hope is in the Lord. Your hope. There's no Netflix in heaven. Well, that's debatable.

But it'll be, if, if we have some kind of TV screens in New York, I'm sure that it'll be far more wonderful that we can even begin to imagine, but in all seriousness, though, you know what, what

I'm, one of the things that I tell them is like, you know, praise the

Lord that he is making all things new. Amen. But he's making them new in a way that it's going to be beyond your imagination.

You know, we're going back to the garden, but we, we don't understand how wonderful that really is going to be.

So don't, don't set your tent, but don't, don't get too comfortable.

So I'm not sure how much you've been able to catch Josh, but what you've been able to catch, would you like to add, would you like to add anything?

Yeah. Which, which, which is there a specific question you guys are discussing right now?

Well, looking at our time, I was going to do one more. And the, the question number three, what was

Christ's example as we, as we set our eyes on him, what was, what was the example that he gave in it during his pending death on the cross?

Hmm. Well, my first thoughts on that were, you know what he, the

Lord Jesus had the cross in view from the minute he started his earthly ministry. So he, the way he's began working with his disciples, everything was, was very intentional, right?

And he's, he's fully man, but he's also fully God. And he knew exactly what was coming. He knew what, what time he had, he knew what he had to work on with his disciples.

So everything that he did was leading up to that. There, there wasn't anything that was flippant in that sense.

But when we get to, you know, leading up directly to the cross, you know, the, when he's in the garden,

I think of his high priestly prayer where he, he prays ardently for his disciples.

He says, I don't pray for the world, but I pray for the, for those who you've given me out of the world. He prays for them.

And he prays first and foremost, that, that God would be glorified. Glorify your name.

And we see this in the synoptics as well, where he says, Lord, if it's possible, let this cut past from me, nevertheless, not my will, but your will.

He submits fully that passive obedience of the Lord Jesus. He submits fully to the will of the father dutifully.

And he, he embraces the suffering that, that he was sent to earth to endure for the sake of, of the redemption of his people.

That embracing kind of makes me reflect back on this. The second printing, especially as that we talked about earlier, where it says delight, that, that word embrace is also another good word to ponder in that passage.

Yeah. I think it might be a greater testament to the, to the peace that God brings.

We can stare down something like death. As much as our culture tries to dress it up or tries to avoid the question and act like it's not there.

We have the opportunity to go into death with peace. We're not surprised.

Herman Melville once put it that no utter surprise can find him that reaches

Shakespeare's core that which we seek and shun is there man's final lore.

Essentially that we're not surprised by death at this point, that in Christ, knowing where we're going, we're not surprised.

There's a, there's a point to where we have that piece that it doesn't take us by surprise. We almost anticipate it.

We die daily as, as, as Paul said. And so it's just, we talked about how it's not something we know and we can't practice.

We kind of, kind of do, but kind of don't because we do die to self. We do die in a metaphorical way in preparation for the death.

We will one day die in the physical. And just as we died to self and are raised anew in Christ.

So we shall die in the body and be raised anew in Christ. Stuff. I'll say one thing about this.

Last question is what is Christ's example during his pending death on the cross? And, you know, we've been talking about like dying well, or, or sometimes having fear.

Well, Christ showed fear at one point, you know? And then we can, we can talk about whether it was doubt or whatever, but you know, he, he was setting, he was sweating drops of blood, right?

He was clearly nervous. He was clearly scared to some extent or another in his humanity.

Right. Although he was not corrupted like us. He still had that fear. He was tempted in every way we were incorrect, including fear.

Correct. And, and, you know, there's a point where he says, my God, my

God, why have you forsaken me? You know, he's, he's crushed. He, he, he, he, it shows that if Christ can have quote unquote struggles, even during death, that certainly we will go through struggles as well.

You know, but it, it's not a determinant of our position with God, regardless of, you know, how we may be feeling in those last moments, because our emotions, you know, they're part of, they're part of our fallenness.

Right. I'm not saying that emotions don't matter. I'm just saying that they're not always going to lead us to the truth.

Yeah. Yeah. I think that gives some credibility to the reason that those outside of Christ should fear death.

Christ is fixing to take on himself the wrath of God on this cross.

And that's, that's the only sensible thing that comes in like that is fear.

That's it. And that's, that's totally both biblical, sensible, rational, every other word that rhymes with our, uh, that you can choose to describe what he's fixing to go through.

Compare that with brother Stephen's death or Stephen sees the risen

Lord as he's passing away as almost to say,

Hey, this has already been over. This is overcome. We don't see Stephen cower with the thought of death.

Rather, he stayed about the mission all the way up to the very end. And in doing so proves that because Christ has overcome death, hell in the grave, we don't have anything to fear.

Now taking a very biblical, very factual, very relevant truth and all that and applying it.

That's where, that's where things get difficult because you're still in the flesh. You're still made of, of, of Mara and bone and cowardice is still something that we have to deal with.

And, uh, there's a whole range of intellect that God's given us that we want to take and use to try to dissect things that God has overcome.

And when you give her brother, Tyler says things like we die daily, those outside of the church, we hear that kind of language, but what's that even mean?

What does he even say it now? We know that what he's talking, we're still figuring that out. That is as hard for us to wrap our heads around as it is for some of you.

That may be true too. Yeah. This whole putting the, putting this old man to death thing.

Uh, cause I'm telling you sometimes you squeeze me the wrong way. You know what I'm saying? A little bit of big John to come out.

That's right. You know, well, some of the things you said made me think, uh, to encourage if you haven't watched the episode that Dan and I did with, uh, brother

John on time, I called it time travel. I would encourage you to go back and look at that because, uh, one of the things of course that we discovered that I wanted to reiterate that of course, all you guys already know, um, that we are already, even though it is not yet been accomplished, we are already seen as glorified because we've been found in him.

Our righteousness comes from Christ. And so therefore we are already seen as glorified.

It's already a short thing. So there's some encouragement and there's some, there's some foundation.

There's where we can rest and lay our head on. Uh, we can put our foot on it and stand on it.

But in this conversation, we can lay and rest our head on that pillow that our righteousness and our security with the father is a short thing because it's founded.

Right. Um, Paul, do you have any last words? Sir. All right.

Well, Tyler, would you mind to share the gospel and Josh, would you mind to close us in prayer when he finishes?

Absolutely. Be glad to. I think a good place to go.

Given what we've been talking about with death and suffering and peace, let's go to the words of Christ.

Matthew chapter five and seeing the multitudes, he went unto a mountain and when he was set, his disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Essentially that is, that is the meats of what we're getting at with. There is peace in Christ and we die that while we all recognize that we are sinners alienated from Christ, Christ did all the work that was necessary to bring us into himself to accomplish the redemption that was outside of our hands.

And so what's left in our hands is to come to Christ with open hands to recognize how much we don't have to be poor in spirit, to be to realize we are spiritually bankrupt, that nothing in my hand

I bring simply to that cross I clean. And there is a blessing in that there is a blessing from God in recognizing how weak we are, just how feeble we are, how much we need his grace.

And it says in theirs, these people, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who come to Christ with open hands and contrite hearts. And we're told in Isaiah that just as the

Lord dwells in a high and lofty place, so he also dwells with the lowly and the contrite drop.

And we, as the truth and love network implore you to go to Christ with open hands and contrite hearts, because those things he will not despise.

He will give you eternal life. He will make you his own. He will love you as his own.

He will love you freely for his anger has turned from your sins. Oh, we lost

Josh. We did. Oh, well,

I'll, I'll take his place. Father, we thank you so much. What a, what a beautiful gospel.

And, and every time that it was recited, Jesus, you are so beautiful all the more.

And we, we thank you father for your gift, your grace and your mercy upon us who are centers.

We thank you for the gift of your spirit who will be with us.

Even on that day, help us to trust in you. Always help us to embrace and to love.

The light in our infirmities and our weaknesses so that the power of your son may be displayed to all men and that you would receive the glory.

You would receive the praise and not us. We pray these things in Jesus name.

Amen. Thank you guys so much. And I want to leave you all. Thank you for watching. Let me leave you all with this quote from Thomas Brooks and this, this little booklet from Capitol library.

It is the greatest wisdom in the world to do every day. What a man will do on a dying day and to be afraid to live in such a state as a man would be afraid to die in.

Thank you so much. We appreciate you all. Hope you have a good evening and we hope to see you soon. Thank you for joining the laborers podcast.

Remember Jesus is King. Live in the victory of Christ. Speak with the authority of Christ.

And go share the gospel of Christ. Be sure to tune in next time for the laborers podcast.