Death is Gain

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Fun, Parenting, and the Value of Leisure

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. Mike Abendroth here with my good friend, Pastor Steve Coulage. Buenos dias. It takes a Coulage to raise a child. Did you know that? Or a Village. Did you like that movie, The Village?

I�m trying to think if I saw it. I probably did. You know, it�s an M. Night Shyamalamalamalam. I saw it quite a while ago. I don�t really remember it. I mean, it was probably fine. I like that show, Signs, of his.

I saw the Signs. Yeah.

Maybe I didn�t see The Village. I was afraid that, you know, it was going to get all political.

I got a social media request the other day, �Where�s that show you talked about funerals And so I thought, well, they could go type it in, but I�ll do it for them. And so I went to our website, typed in �show search�, �funerals�, popped right up.

Wow. Well, that�s pretty cool. So the next time, if you want to know the M. Shyamala Night movie suggestions, you just type in M. Shyamala, and it�ll just pull that up with the shows we�ve done. Right on the no-co.

Right.

Wow. Every show where we�ve viewed his movies, yeah. So it�s probably, like, what, 20, 30 shows.

Yeah. The other thing is, I made the plea a couple weeks ago. Do we go to a couple shows per week, but just talk longer, or do we keep it five days a week? And most of the people who came back said five days a week for the 30 minutes.

So they go eight days a week. They did. The other day, I was sitting there with my daughter, and we were looking at probably an old Ronette�s video. Oh, and you know what would have happened? We were looking at that yodeling kid, and I said, �That�s not really yodeling.

He�s singing an old Hank Williams senior song. That�s what he�s doing. And then we clicked to the next thing, and it was the Ronettes, and then it was Petulia Clark, and it was this, that, and the other.

And we got to the Beatles on the rooftop in New York City. Oh, that�s so awesome. How did we get there?

Well, you know what? Because I watched that here not too long ago, and it�s interesting, because I watched a Ron Howard documentary about the Beatles eight days a week, and it just showed about how they got burned out and how they really came to hate sort of the business end of things and stopped touring because they couldn�t hear themselves anymore and all these things really kind of behind the scenes showing you what they were thinking and everything.

And then to see them up on the rooftop, and what I enjoy about that is they�re actually having fun, because they went like years of no fun, and then they were finally able to have some fun before they split up.

And that�s what life is about, fun. It�s really not, but I mean, as a Beatles fan, it was just kind of nice to see them do something that they actually enjoyed.

A stream of consciousness, fun, and parenting. Steve, lots of parents I know are strict taskmasters, and they don�t have much fun with their kids. Give me some wisdom on having discipline around the home and having kids that obey and do what they�re told, but in a complementary fashion, balancing that tough, regimented discipline lifestyle with some crazy fun.

You know, I think it�s, for me, it was always, I mean, this is going to seem funny, but it was kind of harder for, I think it�s harder for a lot of parents to be disciplinarians or to instill discipline than it is to have fun.

But some people, you�re right. Some people just think discipline is the end goal, right, kind of like they want to turn out Marines or something. I�m just like, it probably doesn�t work that way too much with kids.

So what�s the right balance? And to some extent, this is going to sound like a little bit of a cop-out, but each child has to be, you have to treat them all individually in terms of figuring out what sorts of discipline are going to help, especially as they get older, what sorts of things are going to help each one, you know, when they need the brick bed and when they just kind of need a little encouragement or whatever.

But you know, fun, I can just remember, you know, going to the mall with my kids and I�d be like singing or doing something and they�d go, �Dad, don�t do that, it�s embarrassing. Or you know, I�d be skipping or whatever.

They�d go, �Don�t do that, Dad, it�s embarrassing. And I�d be like, �Have a little fun, kids.

Lighten up. It�s interesting, Steve, with malls now kind of a thing of the past and there�s, you know, there�s still nice malls around, but there are some dilapidated malls. And Kim�s like, �Let�s not go to that mall to go X, Y, and Z.

And I said, �Well, it�s just close. I need to run in. And I said, �Let�s make it a sociology experiment. Same thing with going to some of these kind of discount grocery stores in town and people are just crazy and in line and pushing each other and trying to get the deals for the deviled eggs or whatever.

I asked you not to talk about that. I asked you. And I said, �Honey, let�s just make it sociology. Let�s just go watch people. I feel like I�m getting older. I watch birds out of the window, although that�s biblical.

Jesus talked about it. But I don�t think Jesus ever said in the Sermon on the Mount, �Go to malls and make it a sociology experiment.

Sorry, I was rolling my eyes because we had a robin trying to break into our house here last week. And so I was like looking on the Internet trying to stop this because he just kept running into this back into our sliding window.

I mean like 20, 30, 40 times in a row and I�m like, �How do we stop this?

It�s getting pretty annoying. There�s rock and robin and now there�s robin robin.

So you have to put like paper on your window to discourage, I think it�s the reflection or whatever that makes, it was annoying. Sorry. Sorry.

That�s all right. Well, Steve, today I want to talk a little bit about Philippians chapter 1 verse 21. Paul writes, he�s in jail and says, �For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if we read that, and I just did, �to die is gain�, that just sounds weird if you�re not thinking biblically.

That sounds odd. To die is gain. And if you just have a little say-la moment, stop and let that sink in, if in fact that�s what it means, death is gain. Now, if you�re not a believer, then death isn�t gain in any way, shape, or form.

Everything is lost and then now eternal misery is about ready to start. If you thought things were difficult on earth, then how much worse will it be when you have to pay for your own sins against God?

So how does it work, Steve? For the Christian, unlike the unbeliever, while we have all these great things in life, how can death be gain?

Well, it�s gain in every way, right? I mean, the first thing is, you know, the things that we believe by faith we�ll now see by sight. So we pray, we reflect on the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don�t see Him.

You know, we have no physical sense of Him, you know, not in a real sense. And then all of a sudden we�re in His presence, you know, forever and ever and ever. And you know, so that is gain. It is gain in the sense that the corruption of this world, the sinfulness of this world, we�re transported out of it, you know, no longer do we not only sin or stop sinning, but everything around us that�s sinful and discouraging and oppressive is gone.

Disease, suffering, all these things gone. So I mean, in every sense, gain.

I like food like everybody likes food, right? It�s part of just how God has made us. Think about how wonderful food tastes now when food has been affected by the fall, right? Animals and plants have been, and our taste buds have been.

I wonder what taste buds pre-fall would have been like. And that gives me like a little foretaste, if you will. But that�s pretty, I mean, you think about the best that life has to offer, and you think about music, and you know, there�s Minor Keys there and laments, and you think about beauty and Grand Canyons basically, you know, based on a flood, you know, erosion.

Niagara Falls and just the spectacular things and the joys of, and I don�t know this yet, but I will one day, Lord willing, the joys of being a grandfather, the joys of being a husband and a dad and all these things.

And the Bible says death is gain, it�s gain. The greatest moments in your life that you�ve ever had, gain. So the only way that could be true, as wonderful as it is to be married and to have children and grandkids and have taste buds and have a great, you know, fellowship and everything else, including physical intimacy, as great as all that could be and is, Jesus has to be so much greater for it to be gain, and in fact, He is.

How could we even, just that first second, you know, those first five seconds from probably, you know, the morphine drip and the deathbed, and then all of a sudden glory, man, that has got to be the biggest, you know, 180 in the world.

And to think that it never stops, you know, your sense of wonder and awe and just amazement.

Never lessens. Steve, that is so cool to think about because if we consider awe moments in our life, okay, what's an awe moment? I mean, I know when I saw my four kids being born, I was in awe. I mean, it was just like, wow.

Wow, Kim. I know. That's crazy. Good job. Yeah. And you think, okay, awe moments, okay, maybe it's Niagara Falls, maybe it's, I don't know, you know, one of your children becomes a Christian and make a testimony and get baptized.

Those kind of awe moments where you're just like, wow. But the awe moments never end in heaven. They're just there, and you don't get tired of it.

And you'll never be like, oh, yeah, I knew that, or, oh, yeah, sure. Got this down. Yeah. Yeah, this is kind of old hat, yawn, you know.

So death is gain for the Christian because of who Christ is. And while I don't want to think a lot about death, I think we kind of, you know, our flesh doesn't want to, I'm quite certain that our thinking of death is inadequate as Christians.

I don't mean the act of dying. Nobody wants to think about that. But what death entails and how Jesus has made us not have to taste the second death.

Well, I think for a while I've sort of, you know, been in my mind anyway. I mean, we'll see when the moment comes, but in my mind I've been like, well, you know, there's no reason, I don't have to stay on earth for anything, right?

I mean, I can go anytime. I'm sure they need a new associate here. So, I mean, I really feel like, you know, whenever, I mean, would I like to stay around? Yes. But if I don't, it's fine. But I mean, to even think, it's not just enough to be satisfied with my life, right?

In the sense that I'm ready to go. But it's to think, okay, it is gain. However I feel about my life right now and how the Lord has blessed me in so many ways and I still am amazed by that. It's infinitely more, right?

I still, you know, there's a part of me that wants to think that when I get to heaven I'll just be kind of looking around like, I can't believe I'm here. And you know what? If it was up to me, I wouldn't be there, right?

If I had to earn my way there, if it was based on, you know, these TV shows or movies or whatever, that basically by being a good person, even as, you know, Barbara Bush just died here yesterday and people are, all these wonderful testimonies about her and everything else.

And I'm like, I don't care how good she was. The question was, or is, did she believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Because if she didn't, she could be the best mom, the best grandmother, the best everything in the world, and she's still going to hell.

My wife always wanted to meet Barbara Bush, and so she was sad that she didn't get to meet her. And she's like, I sure hope I get to see her in heaven, right? In other words, I hope she was a believer in Christ Jesus, and then I'll be able to see her.

Paul says in Philippians 1, if I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again.

In other words, God's sovereign over everything, and I'd like to go be with Jesus, but I know there'll be fruit with you and joy for you and joy for me as there's fruit, and so I'll stay here for the time being.

I mean, in a sense, I mean, wouldn't it be wonderful to have that kind of knowledge, to know, you know, man, I'm not going to die, you know, kind of the Holy Spirit's made it plain to me that I'm going to be around for a while, right?

Yeah, I don't have that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit. I know. You're not an apostle?

No, I'm not. What did Charles Hodge say that the reason—we know there's no apostolic succession because it's patently obvious in history or something like that? Well, I mean, yeah. Somebody on social media said, how can you say that?

I thought, I'm not going to answer. Social media for me is, it's a one-way conversation. I inform, you take it or leave it.

And I mean, people want to challenge you or, you know, and I don't have any time for that. I mean, I've blocked, I think I've blocked more, you know how much time I spend on Twitter? Very little. And I've blocked more people on Twitter than I think I have on Facebook.

Steve, I've got this new thing with Twitter. You can usually tell when I'm on the bicycle or at the gym, because that's when the Twitter flurries happen. Like crazy. It's like a blizzard. And somebody said, if you begin to block all the promoted ads, because that's how they make their money, right?

If you block them, then weird ads start popping up. So I've been blocking Wall Street Journal, Amex, CNN, you know, all the big companies. And now the weirdest companies are popping up. And this is a kind of a fun social experiment.

So just start blocking the promoted ads and watch the weirdness happen. Well, like, can you think of one? I can't. Okay. But so here's what we'll do in this little social experiment. We'll just pull one up.

Uh huh. So here comes Twitter and let's just see.

And to gain me, and no more ads in your Twitter feed.

Here's the bad news. The first one I pulled up was Intel. That's pretty mainstream, right? That is so funny. Anyway, talking about death and living in light of eternity, Steve, doesn't that affect the way we think of, well, how do we spend our time?

What about our resources? Was not Gershner the one who said, be spiritual capitalists because you can't lay up for treasures in heaven once you're in heaven. So there's something you can do on earth besides sin that you can't do in heaven.

And that is lay up spiritual rewards.

That's right. I do think though, you know, somebody, and this kind of gets back to this whole thing that we've been talking about for months now. There is a line though, you know, there are some people who say you can't have any fun.

Don't spend a lot of... It was you who posted that thing about Finney talking about don't go on these vacations, you know, and stuff like that. I'm like, okay, so life then is to be drudgery so that you can look forward to heaven, right?

All your money should be focused on gospel ministry. You should never do anything fun. And I think, okay, now is this biblical wisdom or is it legalism? What do you think?

I think that when you look at Ecclesiastes, even though things are hard and life is difficult and fleeting, you can enjoy your life because it's a gift from God. Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh. But, you know, I do know people who just look at everything, everything that is not Bible-centered, gospel-focused, and, you know, it's got, well, therefore, it's sin.

What's that going to do to all my dancing classes with Kim, with ballroom dancing?

I don't know. I think it gets back to, you know, what are you going to do with your kids? Well, they can't do anything if it's not written in Scripture or, you know, I'm not going to permit it. Okay. All right, Mr. Legalist, we'll see how that turns out.

Kim and I went on Saturday to a dance class for beginners, and it was Beginners Charleston and Beginners Lindy Hop. Were you teaching? I wasn't teaching. I was teaching. Yeah. Students are, like, their master in all things.

That's exactly right.

I think I told you I have a friend who has his doctorate. In Lindy Hop? No, in dance history, though. He's a dance—you know, he's actually done choreography and stuff like that, and he posted this video the other day of, like, they've recreated this dance from, like, the 1800s or whatever, and it was a workout.

I mean, it was a workout. And it was a real—and I'm like, that is impressive.

The Lindy Hop was this, you know, Harlem kind of dance, and it was very energetic and very fast, and you would have a workout. And it's rock step, triple step, step step, triple step. And that's fast for dancers.

And then our instructor told us, and then Arthur Murray made a million dollars out of taking some of the steps out to make it easy for pretty much everybody. Rock step, triple step, rock step, triple step.

That's just easier. So he made millions making things easier. That's what we do on No Compromise Radio. We make it easier. We take the difficult theological concepts that are up on the top floor, and we bring it down to the basement level.

Nice. The bargain basement. So when Bob Marley said, famous last words, money can't buy life, what do you think of that?

I totally agree. I mean, I used to say to the guys all the time, you know, just fighting and scrapping for every shift of overtime, and I just look at them and I go, you know, do you really think on your deathbed as you're looking at your kids and your wife and your grandkids or whatever, you're going to think, kids, I wish I'd worked another shift of overtime.

I really doubt it. You know, what you're going to miss or what you're going to regret are the times that you didn't do things, the things that you missed out with your wife and your kids and your grandkids, and the times that, frankly, that you sinned against them.

Those are going to be your regrets as you... You're going to miss this.

You're going to miss this. You're going to want this back. You're going to wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. All right. Karl Marx said, last words are for fools who haven't said enough. His last words were that, but he just gave some last words.

So how does that work?

I don't know. But, you know, his words these days probably aren't too grand.

But they're alive and well in lots of evangelical circles. Hangover. Neo-Marxism.

You know, to a certain extent, and I'm not accusing anybody, I'm just saying, I think we really need to look back at Psalm 1 and just see, well, what are we doing? Are we mixing together, you know, the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God?

You know, are we sitting in the seat of scoffers? Right? I mean, when we take the wisdom of Karl Marx and try to apply it to the church, what are we doing? And I don't mean we, because we don't do that.

You chose poor... He chose poorly. Groucho Marx said on his deathbed, this is no way to live. And we'll be right back in a minute. Humphrey Bogart said, I should never have switched from scotch to martinis.

That's what he said. His last words. According to this... Independent .co .uk. Wow. Charles Darwin, I am not the least afraid to die. He was a believer, I guess, in his social evolutionary theory. Well, you know what?

He should have been afraid. Yeah, here's the thing. I know a lot of atheists who probably on their deathbed will say, I'm not afraid to die. Okay.

You're dumb, but okay. Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, said, last words, pardon me, I didn't do it on purpose. Excuse me, sorry about that. Now here's interesting part to this. According to independent .co .uk, she reportedly said this after accidentally stepping on her executioner's foot as she climbed the scaffold to the guillotine.

Wow. Still having manners to the end. If you could be saved by grace through good manners, she's in.

Well, I wish, you know, I wish good manners would kind of catch on a little bit. You know, like not speaking ill of the recently dead. I mean, people within 24 hours just blasting people on it. It's so awful.

It is terrible. It's awful. I don't care who dies.

Be nice. Okay, Nostradamus, you know, we regularly work our church calendar around some of his prognostications. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. That helps. Well, that's why we have a one on Wednesday night.

And VBS, I think, is just five days, because they used to be 10 days, I think, back in.

The Patriarchs. But he said, woe betide in the latter days.

The VBS that goes for 10 days. And Elyse has got his first name spelled correctly, which is my name. Oh, really? You know what? I never knew his first name. Yeah, M-I-C-H-E-L. He predicted some things positively.

He got some things right. You know, broken clock is right. One time on your deathbed. What? He said, you will not find me alive at sunrise. And it was true. Wow.

Famous last words. Dude. He predicted that correctly. He was a prophet in his own house, almost. All right. Well, time is fleeting.

One last one, Richard Feynman, theoretical physicist. I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring. And that makes me think about physical death and spiritual death. I think it'll be anything but boring.

It won't be boring at all. Listen, you want to go to heaven. You want to enjoy the glories of heaven forever. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It's his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

You need to trust in him, not in your own goodness.

And that is why to live as Christ and to die will be gain. Death is gain for the Christian. I think that's good news. That's good news you can use every day of the week.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.