Turn with me tonight to Psalm 116.
Psalm 116, very easy to find just open your Bible and you'll
come to Psalms Psalm 116 and we're going to take the trouble
tonight to read the entirety of the psalm. 19 verses.
Let's hear the word of God, of course.
It's never a trouble or a bother to hear the word of God.
Psalm 116 will read from verse 1.
Let's hear the Lord. What Lords words.
I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my
supplication because he hath inclined his ear unto me.
Therefore, will I call upon him as long as I live?
The Sorrows of death compassed me.
The paeans of Hale got hold upon me.
I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of
the Lord. Oh, Lord, I beseech thee.
Deliver. My soul.
Gracious is the Lord and righteousness.
Yay. Power.
God is merciful. The Lord.
Preserve with the simple. I was brought low and he helped
me return on to thy rest O, my soul for the Lord has dealt
bountifully with thee. For thy was delivered, my soul
from Death. Mine eyes from tears and my feet
from falling. I will walk before the Lord in
the land. If the lever I believed
therefore, have I spoken, I was greatly Afflicted.
I said in my he hissed. All men are liars.
What shall I Render unto the Lord for all?
His benefits toward me. I will take the cup of Salvation
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows on to the Lord.
Now, in the presence of all his people precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of his seat.
Sense. Lord truly I am thy servant.
I am that. I serve and the son of thine
hand me the highest list my bones.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of Thanksgiving and
we'll call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows on to the Lord.
Now in the presence of all his people in the courts of the
Lord's House and the midst of thee.
O Jerusalem, praise. Ye the Lord.
Amen, we trust and pray God and Stompers one approval and
blessing this reading of the Holy scriptures.
Now, my text tonight is taken from Psalm 116.
And the verse 15 and it reads as follows precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of his sins.
And my theme. This evening is the precious
death of the saints of God. Now, for a number of weeks
before Easter, we have been Thinking about the theme, the
precious things of God and the Bible.
And previously, I told you there were 72 references in the Bible.
Hey lighting, the things that are most precious to the Lord.
A lot of references are, I know the word.
Precious means, highly valued something to be greatly
esteemed. Something to be mostly
treasured. And many weeks ago.
I preached in the first message. The precious thoughts of God.
Psalm 139 verse has 23 24. And what a lovely thought that
is that God, Almighty is thinking of you.
And me tonight, that we are in the thoughts of God, and then,
we looked at the precious word of God for Samuel, free and one
and the word of the Lord was precious in those days.
And what a treasure, the word of God is a word in our own mother
tongue, a word that we can read and recite and public and then
private. Without fear or favor, we can
say, like, a hood. I have a message from God for
you. Remember the word of God is
quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.
The third servant had to do with the precious blood of Christ
first, Peter, 1:18 and 19 of. We told you then we repeat
again, the doctrine of the blood lies at the very heart of the
Gospel. The dr.
P is Lee used to always say to us your students, to make much
of the blood. That he was quoting another
Scottish Divine called, Alexander white.
And of course, we in the Free Church, make much of the blood
and are preaching in her praying and also in our previous.
And then we thought for flip out the preciousness of Faith,
second Peter 2 and one. True faith is a gift.
It's obtained. The object of faith.
Of course is God and Christ. I'm true.
Faith operates are works by the principle of love.
The first message had to do with the precious Promises of God.
Second, Peter, 1 and 4. And I told you there's something
like 7300, very great and precious promises in the book.
And every one of them is. Yeah.
And a man to those who are in Christ Jesus, every promise is
like a blank check signed by Christ, and you can bring it to
the bank of Heaven. You can cash it and you can say
to God do this in Jesus name. Then we thought about the
preciousness of redemption, a few weeks ago, from sound, 49
verses here tonight. Then we thought about the
precious sons of Zion Lamentations 4 and 2.
A few weeks ago we consider what I perceived to be the most
precious thing of all in the eyes of God.
That's the preciousness of Christ first Peter 1:2 and seven
unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious.
And I told you them out of the 72 references in the Bible, to
the precious things of God, seven times and Peter's letters.
The word precious is used. Chapter 1 6 & 7 chapter 119,
chapter 2 verse 4. Chapter 2 Verse 6, chapter 2
verse 7, second Peter 1, verse 1 and second Peter, chapter 1,
verse 4. V reference.
It involves God's dear son. Jesus Christ.
Five remember in the Bible, as the number of Grace of what a
gracious Revelation, Jesus Christ, is to the soul in the
fullness of his personal work. No.
Tonight are those 72 references to the precious things of God in
the Bible, as one that I've given a very strange title.
The precious death of the saints of God.
The text says precious in the sight of the Lord is the death
of his sins. They have a question tonight.
How can death ever be turned precious?
Is there such a thing as a precious death?
Is there such a thing as i unpressurized f?
I believe the answer to those questions is.
Yes, there is think of the text Psalm 116 verse 15 precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of his sins.
Now, you three things I want to leave with you this evening.
I want you to think first of all, of the principle of death
that's mentioned. If you isolate the word, death
underline, it, let's learn this. The death is the universal
experience of all. They're all must needs die.
Every one of us will only ever escaped death by the second
Advent of Jesus Christ to this earth, those who are alive and
remain unto the coming of Christ.
When he returns will be caught up.
Meet them and the air. And they'll be given a new body
like Ananda has glorious body, but generally, the Kia says this
Hebrews 9:27 and as it is appointed unto man once to die.
And after death the Judgment death remember is By Appointment
death comes at the end of life. And we could talk tonight about
the universality of death death. Came about remember as a
consequence. All of the fall and of sin into
the world. And we think, again of what the
Apostle Paul stated, and Romans, chapter 5 and in the verse 12
wherefore as by one man, sin entered into the world and death
by sin and so death passed upon all men for that.
All have sinned and over there in the book of second, Samuel in
second Samuel chapter 14, and in the verse Retain it was Samuel.
The prophet who made this statement for we must needs die
and artist water spelt. And the drawing, which cannot be
gathered up again. Neither does God respect, and he
person yet, Dorothy devise means that his bank wished be not
expelled from him. Isn't it strange in Genesis,
chapter 5? For example, we read the words
aren't he died. Were given their a list of man
that enjoyed greed longevity. They lived for hundreds of
years. The oldest amongst them, was a
man called Methuselah Methuselah lived to 996.
Sorry 969 years. That was a long time.
That was a long life. Imagine living to your hunger.
But but that's mine was heading towards the Thousand Years 969
years, but, you know, worried off him and he died.
They're naturally. When it comes to the subject of
dear death, we hit it, we lose it.
We shun it. We don't want the fierce up to
it. We shy away from, but here's the
reality. One day, it's going to happen
one day. I'll die.
One day you'll die. It will happen.
Death has been called the king of Terrors.
Dr. Peaslee used to coined the phrase under Terror of Kings the
Apostle Paul called it The Last Enemy to be destroyed.
Some talk about the Grim Reaper. And of course the Grim Reaper is
not a friend. When the Grim Reaper comes we
could really say the Grim Reaper as a fool and over in the Book
of Job and Chapter 14 verse 10. We read But Mom and I, and we
wish to the way, ye man gives up The Ghost and where is he?
This is true. If all this is true of
Christians and non-christians, doesn't matter if you're rich or
/, does it matter if you're educated or uneducated?
It doesn't matter if you're a strong believer or a week
believer. And the reality is that when
death comes the death of a, loved one that brings grief into
the home, it fills us with a sense of sadness.
We shed tears. There's a sense of Pian and
Applause. The stress.
Many are filled with Gloom and fear at the thought and the
prospect of death and it's a very strange subject.
I a sad subject, a straw, a strong subject, but look at the
text. You see, death is not to be
totally considered. Are viewed as all Gloom as all
sadness, has all to do with tears and distress and peer.
The Bible tells us in Revelation 14 verse 13, blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord. The word blessed is one of the
Beatitudes and it means literally in colloquial terms
with the happiness or happy happiness.
They think about it. Happy happy are the dead which
die in the Lord. You see Watson view here in our
text. Is the death of a True Believer?
It's only their death that is precious in the sight of God.
The death of old man is not precious and is saying death.
Yes, is heartbreaking. Yes, Dad can be a sad event.
But listen to What God Says. In Ezekiel 33 and verse 1 verse
11. I have no pleasure.
In the death of the wicked. There's a big difference between
the death of one of the redeem children of God and the death of
someone who's a rebel to go. And the wonderful thing is this.
That is only the child of God, that's in view here.
And no matter who we are, we're all included some of his date at
the stake Fierce, the fire of persecution.
Maybe someone who's dated see and they never had a body.
Maybe someone who's died in the company of family and friends.
Somebody who's dead at home, or in a hospital or died in the
Battle because it doesn't matter who they are or where they're
date, or the way that they'd if they're a child of God, if the
redeemed and washed in the precious blood of Christ and
blessed, are the dead, which die in the Lord.
I want you to think not only of the principle of death is
mentioned, but I want you to think of the participants of
death that that's mentioned. If you look at the tax, very
carefully. It says precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of his sins.
Now, think of the words, the death of his sins.
That's a remarkable statement, doesn't it?
The sience, referred to the holy ones.
That is one who's in a saving relationship with him, his sins,
one that he has chose one that he is called one that he has
cared for one that he has cleansed one that he has
Commissioned. I want to make it clear tonight
that the word cience here has nothing to do with those who
have died under through the process of be efficacious as
Taught by the Church of Rome. Of course, the Church of Rome
teaches that after a period of time, someone who has died as a
faithful adherents to Roman Catholicism.
And when it's been discovered, that they did a few Miracles.
I think it has to be too, and that has to be Witnesses and
their phone usually happens over a period of hundreds of years
and then they're declared to be. I sinned and that's of course
the first step towards being a vacation and beatification is a
process. No.
Know this word cience here has nothing to do with those
so-called science, designated to be scenes by the Church of Rome.
They, the reference is to individuals who are since before
they died. Not after they died.
They were sience because they were part.
And parcel of the people of God, the holy ones of God who were
redeemed and washed in the precious blood of Christ.
Literally, it's a reference to two living sense.
If you turned over there to Ephesians chapter 1, for a
moment, Ephesians 1 and look with me at verse 1.
It says there, Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
God to this sience which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in
Christ Jesus. In other words.
It's living seems he, says the same thing in the book of
Philippians and for In chapter 1 and in the verse 1 again, we
have the same or similar information, Paul, and
timotheus. The Servants of Jesus Christ, to
all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi.
In other words. They're living and breathing
interventions. They're found in Christ.
They love for Christ and they live out their Christian Life,
Through the strength and power of Christ.
And one day. They've got the Assurance on the
anticipation that they're going to be with Christ.
In other words. They're saying they've been
legally declared righteous by the death and blood shedding of
Jesus Christ that they're not called since by virtue of their
own goodness or morality or uprightness.
You think of the Hem tonight. Only a sinner.
See of by Greece. And one of the greatest verses
in the Bible of second Corinthians, 5:21.
You've got the doctrine of double amputation there for he,
that is. God have made him not as Christ
to be sin for us, or a sin offering who knew no sin that we
might be me at the righteousness of God in him.
You see, on the cross when you think of Christ and the cross,
our sins with its guilt and Punishment was transferred to
the account of Christ. In other words, it was reckoned
to be his, he was treated as the biggest Sinner and criminal of
all. And the Bible says Christ died
for our sins, that that's what it means.
It means that that our guilt and Punishment Due to sin was
transferred to his, a kind Christ, bore our sins in his own
body on the tree. And then, because of the Perfect
righteousness that he earned by a sinless life and earned by his
atoning death, not perfect righteousness.
The moment. We put our trust in him as Lord
and Savior and his trance fair to put the are a kite and we're
designated legally righteous in a sabre counted among those who
are holy and pure since of God. See the sensor redeemed.
The Saints are alive. The Saints are already has
people. Now.
Let me ask you tonight. Are you see it?
Are you trusting in Christ as Jesus Christ, your lord and
savior. Remember what?
The Apostle Paul wrote when he was writing to Titus?
And he says this in chapter 3. He says not by works of
righteousness, which we have done.
But according to his mercy of sieved, us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ, Our Lord that being justified by
his grace. Should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. Now.
You are you one of the since tonight.
Are you redeemed? Have you ever testimony to the
ceiling and keeping part of? Jesus Christ?
They give the Hem. Have you been to Jesus for the
cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of
thought? That's a very important question
because the answer to that question then determines your
your legal status before God and how God designates you.
Yeah. The participants of death that's
mentioned. It's the death of his sins.
That's important. You know, you're a sinner
tonight, you know, you need to be sieved.
You know, you've got a soul that needs to be saved.
You know, you must be a child of God.
If you want to be in heaven and you you want to die in Christ,
then you've got to receive her but as many as received him to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name, and I press home that the question.
Are you among the people of God? The participants of death that's
mentioned at notice thirdly and quickly hear the perspectives of
death. That's mentioned because it says
in our text in the sight of the Lord you see we're getting here.
God's view of things. We could view death from a man
word point of view. Eunice.
It is painful. It is sad.
It does bring It grief into the heart.
We do shed tears. We mourn here on Earth.
But when we view death, but from a man word point of view, but
from a god word point of view, God's view of death.
It's completely different to our view of death because God's be
of death is about his people. Remember.
It's only the sense of God, that's clearly in view.
God sees things differently from us.
His thoughts are not our thoughts.
His ways are not our thoughts. when Naaman, the leper came to
be cleansed, he came to the door of Elisha, and he said, I
thought Even was wrong. A natural Mounds View of death
is not the same as gods. He death is not something
precious to mankind. Death, Grieves death brings a
sense of loss and be in and heartache and tears.
I was thinking of the seasons of the Year thinking about tax them
is a 64. It says we all do Fiat has a
leaf and you think of the leaves and the tree in the Autumn, Tay
heard you turn color. How does it begin to weather?
But yet even as they turn color on begin to whether there's a
beautifulness of like that saying and of course, many
people go to the lack of Philadelphia or the go over to
New England and you can see some of the most spectacular
beautiful scenery in the Autumn time.
And in the States of America all to do with the changing of the
color of the leaves. Why?
Here's the answer. They're dying.
And the leaves will fall and they'll be born away with the
one. And it's a picture of men.
We all do feared as a leaf. And yet, I think of those that
are carried away and time through the portal of death.
I often think of fellows and Hartford Arnold's book at some
party in heaven, all about their two boys.
Disabled boys, who died 10 days apart Thomason and Ians lie, and
you see some party in heaven as from God's Viewpoint because
there is Jubilation and celebration.
From God's Viewpoint, because God thinks about the death of
his sins. It's in his sight.
And it's only at always, in his say, in light of the death, of
one of the sea. There's Haley precious greatly
prized in the sight of god. Notice.
Lastly. The prospect of death is
mentioned and you've got the word here, precious in the sight
of the Lord. Now why it?
Let me close with this thought. Dance is a deliverance from Pain
and sorrow life. We know it as a battle.
We know that death as The ultimate penalty for sin, the
wages of sin is death. The Bible tells us the soul that
sinneth it shall die. Send when it brings sin when it
is finished, bringeth forth death, and you see, sin, brought
death into the world. That's why there is such a thing
as the universality of death. Because there's the universality
of sin and death. Not only are said, not only
brought death, but bro, sickness and brought sadness.
I'm brought suffering and heartache.
I'm peeing, I'm problems. And that's why we have Or and
I'm the manifestation of evil all around us.
Where did it come from? It can be traced back to eaten.
It can be traced back to the fall.
It could be traced back to selling an atom.
Remember job said, you'll 14 verse one, man.
That is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble as the
Sparks Fly upward. Suffering is our common lat.
But, you know, the death. Of every believer, as a
deliverance, from that pain, and suffering you think tonight of
someone taking their last breath.
Their eyes closed, their heart stops.
Their physical life is over. Jobe.
Ask the question. Where is He?
Man dire, and we are still the way.
Ye give up the ghost. Where is he?
Well, we can say, well, he's delivered from peeing and
sorrow. Doesn't the Bible, say in
Revelation, 21, and for, and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes. The Bible talks about No, More
Death. Neither peeing, their sorrow,
the former things are passed away.
You see? I say that for this reason, we
hear regularly of people who died.
Death brings pee in a loss and grief into hearts and families
and we hear this expression their suffering is over.
I would say tonight. The suffering is over, only if
they have died in Christ. If not, and I say this.
With profound sadness in my heart.
The suffering really has only begun but about suffering the
paeans and torments of hell for all eternity.
Doesn't the Bible, tellers there.
And John chapter 3 and verse 16, and it was the Lord Jesus in the
conversation to Nicodemus that emphasized, the point he that
believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth
not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name
of the only begotten son gone. And it says in John 3 verse 36,
he that believeth on the son, hath everlasting life.
And he that believeth not the son shall not see life.
But the wrath of God abideth on him.
The Bible tells us the wicked shall be turned into hell and
All Nations. That forget God.
Death, as a deliverance, from Pain and sorrow for the
believer. I want to tell you something
else. Death is the door to heaven for
the believer. Someone has said that, when the
season takes his last breath. He gets his first taste of
Heaven. Remember in second Corinthians
chapter 5 verse 8. You make one to turn to that
portion of scripture, second Corinthians, chapter 5 and verse
e. And I would encourage you to
ponder the truth of the words. There.
Paul has a lovely thought he says, in verse 6.
Therefore, we are always confident knowing that whilst we
are at home in the body. And that word at home means
present in the body. We are absent from the Lord.
For we walk by faith, not They say no.
Listen to Percy. We are confident.
I say and willing rather, to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord, and the word present, there is to see
him word in the Greek at home. And president at home is used
interchangeably and present, in the body means were absent from
the Lord. But of our Hobson from the body,
that means we're present with the Lord.
You see, death is the gateway to Eternal joy and Bliss and
happiness. Death Spurgeon said is the
vegetable to eternal glory and the death of every believer.
Brings glory to Christ someone who's lived in Christ and love
for Christ. And that's through the strength
of Christ. One day.
They're going to be with Christ Which is far better.
And the death of every True Believer.
Glorifies Christ, you see the death of a Believer is not a
Palin day. It's a privilege.
It's a precious blessing in the coven of degrees Christ by his
death and the cross defeated death.
He took a sting and Terror of death away.
Death holds, no fear for the child of God.
The psalmist said, yea though, I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death. I will fear no evil for thou
art, with me. It was all semyon that said,
whenever he saw the Lord's Christ and he was an old man.
Nah, I let us thy servant depart in Pace for mine.
Eyes have seen the king. It seemed the cake.
He knew he was going to die, and he was looking forward to
departing and to going home to heaven.
It's a blessing and a privilege to live for Christ.
But it's also a blessing and a privilege to die for Christ.
Paul could say, for me to live is Christ and to die is key in
word. Guillen means it's to my
advantage. I'm on death, comes it's the
doorway to heaven. Of course, it's an answer to the
prayer of Christ. Look with me at John 17, and
verse 24, John 17, and verse 24. And here's the Savior, and his
high Priestly prayer. And this is what he says.
In verse 24, father. I will that they also have no
has given me be with me where I am that.
They may behold my glory which thou has given me for thou
lovest me before the foundation of the world where I am.
There, they will be also his people with him or Sheridan to
his immediate presence. I was thinking. astounding, a
platform of a tree and station. You're saying goodbye to a loved
one. You've got tears in your eyes.
You say to the loved one. I'll see you soon.
And off they go. But for the Christian, if you
think about that, if you think about is a picture of death for
every Christian, the other tree, another tree and is coming, and
we're going to the Sea and dear destination, and it's all in
God's time and God's timetable. Someone's house will be no one
another in heaven, and I believe that we will.
I believe there's loads of evidence in the Bible to support
that Peter and you, Moses and Elias and the Mount of
transfiguration. How did he know them?
It was divinely. Revealed Matthew here, that 11
talks about sitting down with the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Many Gentiles coming to sit down with that family, a father, a
son, a grandson. How could they sit down if they
didn't know who they were? Wheeling for them welcoming
there. With Christ far better.
Let me close with a thought. Death is different for the sins.
There's two ways to die. Not all death is equally
precious in the sight of God. You can die without Christ.
Jesus said in John 8, 22, 24, three times.
If you die in your sins, where I am there, you cannot be dying
out of Christ at home. Allier willing to die out of
Christ. Remember BLM, let me die, the
death of the righteous. Let my ladder and because bilaam
was at the director Bill and wasn't prepared to live, right?
In order to die. Great.
You've got to live, right? You've got to leaven Christ and
I'm dying out of Crisis. A fearful thing dying Under The
Curse Of God dying with the full palantir.
The law of God down upon, you dying facing the king of Terrors
unrepentant. Unconverted dying with the wrath
of God hanging over your hand. Or you can die in Christ.
It was the old Methodist that used to talk about dying.
Well, in fact, John and Charles were visiting a woman one time
and she was in her deathbed and she passed away into the Lord's
presence. John looked at charged in the
way home. And this is what he said, charge
our people die. Well, what did he mean?
They were ready for death. There were redeemed.
They died in Christ. They died depending on the
blood. Let me ask you this question.
Are you ready for death tonight? Death will come soon for all of
us. Do you know, death could come
tonight? Boast?
Not thyself of tomorrow for no man knoweth.
What a day we bring forth. The call will come.
The pointment is already need and you'll not miss it.
Are you ready? Are you depending on the blood
of Christ? Are you a saint of God?
Here's the precious death of the sense of God, get.
The principle of death in your mind.
It's a reality think of this. Amaya participant in this text
of scripture or not. If I get this perspective and
view God's view. And if I get this Prospect, I'll
be delivered from Pia and sorrow, my death will be booked
the vegetable to Glory. My death will be an answer to
Christ's prayer in my death. On Mega a, my death will be
different because I'm dying in Christ, Which is far better.
Now, the Lord, take these few remarks and bless them to you
this evening. Thank you for coming.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for your prayers and
for the help, given in the preaching of the word of God
tonight.