Hope in the Face of Death
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
12/1/2019 PM
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Text:
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Psalm 16:9-11
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Psalters: |
262, 92, 198, 28 |
- The anticipated joy.
- In this life, it is certain that we all will die (“it is appointed unto men once to die,” Heb. 9:27).
- This is true though we do not know the day and hour God has appointed for that moment to come.
- What is death?
- Over against all this fear and sorrow, David speaks with great joy.
- David is filled with hope and even rejoices, expressing greatest confidence and assurance of triumphing over it.
- David speaks of his body resting, which with “hell” (our graves) refers to our bodies resting in our graves.
- Further, David declares that God will not allow His Holy One to see corruption.
- Our joy is also that during our lives here on this earth, we now have the experience of eternal life. Have to learn to think this way.
- With the life of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in us, we have the beginning of eternal joy.
- The resurrection is something that we experience now. It is the fullness of joy and life in the present.
- Now we know in part, so much so that we already have the privilege of sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).
- Unbelief cannot put death and joy together, so they speak of eating and drinking today, and tomorrow we will die.
- The foundation of the Christian’s hope and joy is Jesus and His resurrection.
- The Son of David conquered death and the grave by His commending His Spirit to God and by His bodily resurrection.
- Peter tells us in Acts 2:29-32 that these words are prophetic of Jesus’ resurrection.
- And thus these are David’s words, and ours.
- Jesus is risen as the first fruits. If Christ is not risen, then no one else can be raised and we are yet in our sins.
- Jesus and we conclude with the knowledge of triumphant victory in heaven.