Like Him We Rise | Freedom's Gift

Have you ever wondered what happens after you die?
 Do you feel unsure about whether you will be okay in the end?
 Are you carrying grief or missing someone you love?
 What if there is more waiting for you than you can imagine?
 
 In Jesus, we are given more than answers. We are given life. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has already done what we could never do for ourselves. Through His death and resurrection, He offers forgiveness, freedom, and a future that does not end. This is not something you earn. It is a gift. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, a foundation that steadies our souls and gives us something solid to stand on even in the face of death.
 
 If you are wrestling with loss, longing for meaning, or wondering what comes next, this message meets you there. Jesus invites you into a life that begins now and continues forever, where joy is deeper, relationships are whole, and you are finally home with Him. You are not alone in your questions, and you are not without hope. In Christ, death does not have the final word. Love does. Life does. Jesus does.
 
 Scripture: Romans 6:23
 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
 
 Belong at First Pres by taking the first step: join us for worship on Sundays in person. https://firstprescos.org/belong

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the First Praise Sermon Podcast, where each week we dive into Scripture, wrestle with truth, and discover how faith intersects our lives. God's word meets us where we are, challenging, shaping, and calling us into something greater. No matter where you are on your journey, you belong here. And we're praying that this sermon might help you take a next step in faith towards Jesus. Hey, let's dive into today's message together.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Expect God to show Himself and to bring an answer. Friends, it's incredible that our God not only hears our prayers, he allows himself to become moved by them. And so we are leaning into that the next 40 days as a congregation, and we would love for each of you to be a part of that, not simply as participants, but as folks who are able to see what God does when a family of faith like this lifts our prayers collectively to Him. So please look at what's being offered and just find a way to be involved and let's see what God does during these days that are before us. Our current sermon series in Romans, like Him We Rise, is appropriate for today. Last Sunday we celebrated Jesus' resurrection, his conquering of death, and today we remember his promise of eternal life. We also celebrate those in our midst who have gone to be with Jesus since this last Easter. And so I invite you to turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 6. But before we look at the text, I want to share some personal words with you. During college, my goal was to become a school teacher like both my parents. But as my studies came near an end, as I began thinking about a job, I realized my heart really wasn't in it. And so while all of my friends were starting to live into what they had been trained for, I didn't have a clue what to do with my life. And what I remember more than anything about that season was a deep longing to experience meaning in whatever it is that I would do. And in the years that followed, two things happened that provided far greater meaning than I could have ever hoped for. The first was God's call to pastoral ministry, a role that I didn't see coming and didn't feel worthy of. And to this day I'm amazed and humbled that God would have entrusted such a significant role on his behalf to me. The second thing was God bringing us here to First Press. And when we moved here in early 1995, I could never have imagined the deep, deep meaning that I would experience serving as one of your pastors here. The richness of relationship that we've enjoyed. This is where our kids grew up. And this is where I grew through your love and your encouragement. I will always be grateful for God's life-changing call to be a pastor and for how He's provided for me all these years. And I will always be deeply grateful for these years that we have shared together and for how they have shaped me. You know, there's a lot about our facilities that have changed in the years that I've been here. But one thing hasn't changed. The character of this congregation in your love and your encouragement. You know, in my 31 years here, we've actually had three other pastors retire after more than 30 years of service here. John Stevens, Jim Smith, Jim DeJernette, another two staff more behind the scenes, Trish Bibler and John Dick, who are here for 40 years. Tim in another 20 years is going to be his 30 year as well. We're looking forward to that. But please hear that as a testimony to the health and the vitality of this congregation that you have had that many people serve that long in your midst. That doesn't just happen. That's a tribute to you all as well. This retirement thing's new for me, and when I thought about what the last weeks and months might be like, I pictured myself like a kid on the last day of school, eagerly watching the clock ticking down to summer vacation and freedom. And what I have found instead is a heart that is just grieving. The change, the loss of this ministry role with you all, because it has been so significant. I've spent almost three-quarters of my adult years after college serving as a pastor here at First Press. And that's not easily moved on from, nor should it be. And so I want to say this morning, I love you all, and I will miss you greatly. Thank you. And so today we're we're grieving, we're processing a goodbye that doesn't feel good to many of us. But that pales in comparison to the goodbye that we have to say to loved ones when death approaches. And so in today's passage, Paul reminds us that these goodbyes are not permanent. Now, I'm gonna warn you before we start reading our passage that I am going to be in the text today far less than we usually are. What are they gonna do? Fire me? But let's look at Romans chapter 6, beginning with verse 12. The Apostle Paul writes, Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? By no means. Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. But thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness, leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray to Him together. Oh Lord God, once again we come to your word, longing to hear from you, words that will deepen our commitment to and love for you, words that will carry us in faithfulness throughout this week ahead. And so, Lord God, we pray that you would once again give us eyes to see. We pray that you would give us ears to hear. We pray that you would give us minds to receive, and we pray that you would give us hearts to respond. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Throughout much of today's passage, Paul offers a contrast between where we've been and where we are today. He notes that we were once slaves to our sin inclination, living for ourselves. And he declares that once we devote our lives to serving Jesus, we experience life and freedom. And thus today's sermon theme, freedom's gift. This contrast between self-serving and serving Jesus reaches its climax in our final verse, when Paul writes, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. A wage is something we earn. If you have a job, you are paid wages every so often, and you deserve those wages. And Paul is saying here, if we live for ourselves, we'll get what we deserve. Not just a body running out of steam or breathing its last, but separation from God forever. In contrast to wages, a gift is never deserved, but is given freely out of love by the one who gives it. And so when we live for Jesus, Paul is saying, we won't get what we deserve, but we will receive so much more. Every once in a while, when I officiate a memorial service, I'll make the statement at some point in my message: none of us are good enough for heaven. And I'll let that sentence just linger for a few uncomfortable moments, knowing there's someone in the room who thinks that's how it works. But eternal life that Paul is writing about here, that is a gift to us, is never contingent upon being good enough. But in fact, upon acknowledging we are not good enough, that we regularly fall short not only of our own desires for ourselves, but we fall short of what God's desires for us are as well. And by admitting our need for what Jesus has done for us and receiving the gift of grace, there's another gift from God. Receiving the gift of grace that God longs to lavish upon us. And thus Paul's words here: the gift of God is eternal life. Would you say those words with me? The gift of God is eternal life. And I wonder, when you read those words, when you say them, when you think of them, what comes to mind when you think of eternal life? Are you able somehow to formulate some thought, something that might be put into words? Often we're not able to. And our understanding of what comes after death can remain elusive and undefined so much so that we will often view eternal life more as a consolation prize thrown in with death than something we will one day look forward to. If we're going to spend most of our lives with Jesus in eternity, wouldn't it be good to spend at least a little time talking about what that might be like, thinking about what we might look forward to that our loved ones are experiencing today? And so this morning I want to offer some thoughts on eternal life that I hope might encourage and reassure you in the days ahead, or about your loved ones as well. These are thoughts I've also shared with participants of our grief workshop. When Billy Graham was starting out in ministry, he was in a small town one day and he wanted to mail a letter. So he flagged down a young boy on a bike and he asked directions to the post office, and then he thanked him once he received them. And he said to the boy, he says, If you come to the Baptist church tonight, I'll be telling people how to get to heaven. And the boy responded, I don't think I'll be there. You don't even know how to get to the post office. And I like that story because it points to the daunting nature of talking about eternal life, trying to describe what may be on the other side of the curtain of death. After all, it was the Apostle Paul who wrote, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. Still, I believe the Bible gives us some clues about four things we can look forward to one day for ourselves, and that we can find rest in today for our loved ones. First, our experience will be better than we can even imagine. For some reason, we tend to fear that eternal life will be a step down from what we are used to here in this world. We imagine it can't possibly be as enjoyable as what we are experiencing, likely because this is all we know. Let me share some images just in the next couple moments? If God would place such beauty in a world that we are only in for a few years, do we really think he would scrimp when it comes to all of eternity and what we will one day experience there? Bob Benson, who died of cancer at the age of 55, wrote these words before his death. He said, I used to think loving life so greatly that to die would be like leaving the party before the end. But now I know that the party is really happening somewhere else. While we can't fully envision what eternal life will be like, we do know something of the one who has formed it who will reign there. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or even imagine. In other words, he's saying, if you had your best image of what eternal life might be like, God is going to blow you away with what he is actually doing in that experience. If you could think of the best day or the best experience you have ever had, it will pale in comparison to what God has in store for us. I think about the first time I ever saw the Grand Canyon. And in that moment, even though I'd read and heard so much about the beauty already, when I first saw it, my jaw dropped, and I instinctively said, Wow. Friends, that will be our response when we step into eternal life. We won't be disappointed, and we certainly won't be bored. Second, we will enjoy relationships more fully than we ever have. And isn't that one of our concerns about eternal life? How we will relate to those who are dear to us in this world, if something might be different during those times we spend there. And again, we have a hard time imagining that that element might be as good as what we experience here during these years. But let me challenge that thought. Think how often your love for someone is hindered by busyness or by distraction. And then think about how the self-focused nature of sin impacts the quality of love that you give to others and that you receive from them. And then throw in misunderstandings, insecurities, and conflict. All of those will be gone when we are with Jesus. And we will enjoy relationship even more fully than we are able to in this world. Now, perhaps there's concern that with eternal life we won't know those who are dear to us, that maybe there's not the same recognition. There's no suggestion in the Bible that that is the case. In fact, Jesus states just the opposite. In one of his parables, when he tells of a man named Lazarus in hell who looked into heaven and recognized a familiar beggar. Actually, the beggar was named Lazarus. The rich man was in hell and he recognized the beggar who was in heaven. The Bible from beginning to end reveals a relational God. And when you and I were created in God's image, we were given that same characteristic. And so again, do we really think God would give us that capacity for just a few years here on earth and then not provide relational opportunities just as meaningful for the rest of eternity? I think the third thing we can look forward to is it will feel like home. It will feel like home. Traveling can be fun and exhilarating. There's always something nice about returning to the familiarity of home. We read in Philippians that our citizenship isn't here on earth, but on heaven. That is our true home. And though our only point of reference thus far is our experience here on earth, and it's hard for us to imagine what eternal life will be like, home is not a place that takes some time to get used to. We have no reason to think it won't feel familiar when we arrive. One of the challenges of traveling is the luggage that we have to take with us. And during our years here on earth, we carry baggage that is less visible than. But certainly no less wearying. Characteristics about ourselves that we wish were different, habits or addictions that we can't shake, experiences of loss, loneliness, anxiety, sickness, or disappointment that can crush our spirits at times. When we stop traveling these earthly years and finally arrive home, we will be carrying none of these. And then finally, Jesus Christ will be front and center. And doesn't that make sense? After all, he's the one who's conquered death. He's the one who makes it possible for us to be with him. He's the one who promises in the Gospel of John that he will go ahead and prepare a place for us. And here's the good news eternal life enables us to experience life and relationship with our Creator the way we were initially created to experience. Let me say that again. Eternal life enables us to experience life and relationship with our Creator the way we were initially created to experience. We will be loved all the time. We will feel known all the time. There will be purpose and meaning to our existence all the time when it comes to eternal life. Our hope and our promise and God's promise of eternal life shapes our remembering today of First Pres members who have gone to be with Jesus. We miss them. We're grateful for what they added to our lives, for what they added to the life of this church. But we also rejoice in two ways. We rejoice in the life and the freedom that each of these dear folks are experiencing now with Jesus on the other side of death. Friends, if Christine Weems or Brian Frame or Rich Hughes or any of our loved ones were here right now, they would affirm that God's promises of what awaits us on the other side of death are all wonderfully true. We also rejoice, knowing that we will be reunited again one day with these and with others who have gone to be with Jesus when we one day enter into our own experience of eternal life. Paul writes, For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Today we celebrate dear ones who have taken God up on this offer. As we read their names in just a moment, there may be many that are unfamiliar to you. If that's the case, use this time to think of others who are no longer here, who had an impact upon your life, whom you miss, and give thanks for them in this moment. For all of us here. Our own time here on earth will one day come to an end. And what happens to us after we die is dependent upon what happens before we die. Do you confidently know that you will one day experience God's gift of eternal life? Are you experiencing today the life of freedom that comes from a relationship with Him? If so, find comfort in Paul's reassuring words, even as we acknowledge death's reality this day. If you haven't given your life to Jesus or begun to experience the life of freedom that He has to offer, can you identify what's holding you back from saying yes to all that Jesus wants to give you? And if you sense his gentle tug upon your heart this day, would you be responsive to it? Friends, we as servants of Jesus have been given an incredible gift, a gift that lasts forever. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. May we each find great comfort and encouragement in this gift. Let's pray together. Oh Lord God, thank you for loving us so much. You want us to be with you forever. And thank you for this promise today that we can lean into for our own lives and we can lean into as we remember loved ones who are no longer with us. Lord, please continue to teach us evermore about what life with you not only will be like one day, but what life with you can be today as we experience the wonderful freedom that comes from serving you, from living for you. Thank you, Lord, that you invite us into that life. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

Hearing God's word is just the beginning. What connected with you? What challenged you today? Maybe it's surrendering something, stepping into community, or simply trusting Him more deeply. Whatever it is, don't leave it for later. Act on it today. We're praying that this message moves you closer to Jesus. And we'd love to walk with you in that journey and answer any questions you've got. Connect with us by visiting firstprezcos.org. Hey, if today's message encouraged you, take a moment and subscribe so you never miss an episode and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Check in next week and we'll continue to grow in our faith together. See you next time.