This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:1-13.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is almost always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! To know the measure of Love you must know how much Love gives. Just think of this Love: God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Live, His Blood, to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (Romans 14:1-13)

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2).  We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise. Not to look down on the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. Any form of division and segregation based on your Bible knowledge is wrong. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

SOME LESSONS ON HOW TO RELATE TO OTHERS CONCERNING MATTERS OF INDIFFERENCE

*The command to receive a weak brother applies only to the church setup. God gives His grace to welcome the weak in the faith only to the Body of the local church. This command does not apply to all other religious organizations, traditional gatherings, or family meetings.

*This command works only when applying the power of agape love. The power of the flesh and human sympathy will fail in this regard.

*The matters of loving indifference apply to both the weak and the strong’. Both despising and judging are wrong!

*As we welcome a brother who is weak in the faith does not mean that automatically, the weak one becomes a leader in the church.

*All of us are sinners saved by grace. The same Blood of Jesus saved us all. Even the ones who are strong in the faith are not yet perfect. We all make mistakes. Stay humble and be quick to repent when we fail the law of Love and pay the price to grow in the faith.

*Never allow your Bible knowledge to build pride in you! Each one is responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Body. The strong is not to ‘to despise the weak’ and the weak should not judge the strong. A Christian should never quarrel. The world loves to argue, debate and quarrel. Any Christian who cannot control his emotions or his words, should not give his opinions in public about anything. Speaking in anger does great damage to your testimony and hurts others!

*Learn the difference between a dialogue and a debate. A dialogue brings two willing parties together. Love is the key. They both want to come to a common understanding of the problem and finding a common ground is the goal. Debate is oppositional. Hatred and anger are there. The two parties oppose one another, each trying to prove that the other one is wrong. In debate, wining is the goal. Debate does not care about other’s feelings, love, or the future of the relationship. Christians should engage in dialogue and never in debate! This law applies to the marriage set up and to the church fellowship. If you cannot behave as Christians with others, better keep quiet!

*Apply the rules of teaching in your relationships with people, especially with those weak in the faith. Teaching is a science and an art. These are some guidelines: First, a good teacher is a patient person. He is also humble and wise. He knows his subject, but he also knows and loves his students! He must be ready to face many challenges. He must learn to gain the trust of his students. He teaches especially by being a living example. These rules about being a good teacher apply to parents, pastors, and leaders in the church.

*In all relationships, thru words and actions, be conscious of the glory of God. We are vessels of honor pleasing to our Master.

WE LIVE OR DIE TO THE LORD

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord, he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:5-8).  All this time, Apostle Paul was talking about application of doctrine. Suddenly, he proclaims one of the greatest doctrines about the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Henow connects these matters of indifference with our relationship to the Lord. This is a greater revelation of who our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing Him means Loving Him and others. This is the highest motive of why we love one another, why we receive the weak in the faith. Basically, the Christian lives and dies in God’s presence. He wants to make Christ happy. It is for Christ’s sake why he chooses to love others, why he does good deeds, why he does not quarrel, why he tolerates others who are different than him. Because Christ is the Head of the Church, the Christian behaves in such a way as to honor the Head.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved” (1Cor 10:31-33). Here Apostle Paul explains that the Christian does everything to the glory of God. He does not ‘give offence’, he does not put a stumbling block in any man’s way so that all may see he is a child of God. It is only a Christian that can love and live like this. An unbeliever is basically selfish and does not care about God’s approval or His glory. He does not care if others are offended or not at his words and actions. The unbeliever says: ‘I don’t care what men say about me’. He is always selfish, seeking his own pleasure, trying to fulfill his ambitions by oppressing others. He lives in this world only for his own pleasure.

But the Christian is loving and kind, because ‘love does not seek its own’, and is never selfish (1Cor 13:5).  For all the days of his life the believer lives for the pleasure and glory of God. That includes his last breath, his death. For a believer, the idea of suicide is totally forbidden. A Christian does not say: ‘I wish I was dead’ or ‘I don die finish’ (Naija). He trusts God every moment of his life including the time and manner of his death. Lesson: we should not be anxious about our life or our death. We must always trust God, every moment, including the last second on earth. Our death is God’s decision, not ours. Jesus controls our life and our death. He promised to be with us to the end of this life and forever! This is the faith of a true Child of God.

Read what the resurrected Christ tells Peter: “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” 20. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” 23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true” (Jn 21:18-24). In this passage, our Lord reveals Himself as the Lord of life and death. He just got reconciled with Peter and He tells Peter the way he will die in the future. Peter will die as an old man, and in a painful manner. When Jesus was arrested, because of his fear of death, Peter betrayed his Lord. But when Peter dies, he will remain faithful to the end. This prophetic word came to pass. According to church tradition, Peter died as a martyr. He was crucified as an old man. He told his executioners to crucify him upside down, for he was not worthy to be killed like his master, Jesus. On that Cross, Peter continued to praise God until his last breath. Seeing that Jesus knows the future, Peter became curious about the way John will die. But Jesus gently rebukes Peter, telling him it is not his ‘business’. Out of the original apostles, John is the only one who died as an old man, in a peaceful manner. Lesson: how we die, or how others die, is not our ‘business’. Reject the fear of death! Trust God!

“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:23-26). Martha believed that Jesus is the Christ and He will rise her brother Lazarus from the dead in the future, at the last day. Jesus corrects her error. Jesus says that He is the Source of both Resurrection and Eternal Life. In other words, there is no Resurrection without Jesus and no Eternal Life without Jesus. He not only gives Life, but He is Life! Martha saw time and death as insurmountable obstacles. Martha thought: ‘It is too late to save my brother. He has already died, and his body is smelling. We now must wait until the last day to see Lazarus. But for Jesus, both time and death are not obstacles. Martha thought of resurrection as an event in the future. Jesus tells her that Resurrection is a present Person, Himself. Glory to God!

“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” (Rev 14:13). The Holy Spirit confirms that those who are born again, when they die, they go to heaven and their good deeds will ‘follow’ them. These will not be lost but will accompany them to heaven to receive their reward. “Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8). In life and in death, we belong to Jesus! Glory!

DOCTRINE: JESUS CHRIST BECAME THE LORD OF ALL BECAUSE HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN

“For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Rom 14:9).

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:5-11). Apostle Paul prays that we may know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:19-23). “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev1:17,18). “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18). Halleluiah!

From all these scriptures we see that Christ’ death and His resurrection are the reasons for His promotion as Lord over all, dead or alive!!! It follows that if Christ did not become a Man to be able to die, He could not have become the Lord of all. From eternity, Christ was co-equal with God the Father. Both are Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. But with all this eternal power Christ could not make Himself the Lord over death except when He died as a Man on the Cross. When He was living as a Man on earth, He was the Lord of the living but not the Lord of the dead. At the Cross, the sinless Christ willingly humbled Himself to become sin, so that God’s wrath will fall on Him, and die. He died on our behalf. If He did not die, He could not have become our Savior. He saved us not thru His teachings or His miracles, but thru His very death on the Cross. Now, thru His death and resurrection from the dead, Christ became the Lord of both the living and the dead. When Christ rose from the dead, He defeated the grave, death itself and the devil, who had the power of death. Death is an enemy to man. “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1Cor 15:26). This is the power of the Gospel: Christ has conquered the last enemy. The Christian can now look at death face to face and say: ‘O death, where is your boast? “So, when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:54-57).

Death came thru sin, and sin came thru Adam’s disobedience. “Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12). Because of sin, there was no man or woman who could avoid or defeat death. Jesus died for sinful men. After three days in the grave, Jesus rose from the dead. It is the power of resurrection, that is the basis for Christ’ authority over all the living and the dead. Peter said:  “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Ac 2:22-24). The word ‘held’ means to have power to seize and retain. Death failed to seize and retain the Lord Jesus in the grave! Halleluiah! His victory is ours!

Jesus became our Eternal High Priest not because as a Man He was born in a Levitical family. He became the High Priest thru the power of resurrection, the power of endless life: “For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 7:14-17). This eternal appointment was not made on earth, but in heaven. Glory!

Before Jesus died and rose from the grave, death was totally barren. Death could not produce any fruit to give glory to God. But now, everything has changed. Praise the Lord! Christ is called ‘The First fruits from the dead’! “Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Ac 26:23). “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1Cor 15:20-23). “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Rev 1:5).  Men like Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven, but they did not pass thru death. Lazarus was called back from the dead by the Lord Jesus, but he did not resurrect. He came back to continue to live his life on earth and he later died like any mortal man. Jesus Christ is the First Fruit that rose from the dead! That is why He is the Lord of all!

Here we see the need for the incarnation of the Son of God. He has always been God but now, He needed to be a true Man, so that He can die. If Jesus is not Man like us, then He cannot be our Savior. This is the Gospel of salvation. Jesus rose from the dead for His own glorious testimony and on our behalf. He is the first fruits from the dead. The believers in Christ are His harvest. He has conquered the grave, death, and the devil, on our behalf.  “Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14,15; AMP). It is the will of God the Father, that salvation for us should be won by His Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation was won by the Son for the other sons. This salvation, this victory from sin, bondage, and fear, could only be won by the means of death. And only Jesus could have done it! Glory!

The devil ‘had (or has) the power of death’. What does that mean? It does not mean that the devil decides when we die. That is the domain of God alone. For example, when Satan asked God for the permission to attack Job, God allowed him but set boundaries. Satan could make Job sick but could not kill him. “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life” (Job 2:6). The devil does not have the power, or the authority to decide when we die. Selah! So, how does the devil have (or had) the power of death over men? Because he is the author of death thru sin. In the Garden of Eden, he convinced Adam and deceived Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit. God has already said that disobedience will bring death. Adam sinned and God’s word came to pass. Death entered humanity thru sin. Jesus said that the devil “was a murderer from the beginning” (Jn 8:44). The devil introduced death thru sin. He introduced the sting or death that hurts us and makes us afraid of death. The devil is called ‘the god of this age’ (2Cor 4:4). The whole world is in bondage to the devil. “We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts]” (1Jn 5:19; AMP). In Christ we are free from the grip, from the control of the devil. But the world around us is still under his control. Each unbeliever you meet, ignorantly or not, is a victim and an agent of the devil. That is why we cannot make friends with the world. The unbelievers fear death because they see hell in the future. Unbelievers do not have the hope of glory, like us, to go to heaven.

Note that Jesus did not ‘destroy’ the devil. He did not annihilate the devil. By His death, Christ made the devil powerless over God’s children. Like a cobra that kills with its poisonous bite, Christ has removed the teeth and the poison of the cobra, for us. This victory over death and the devil applies only to the Christians. “We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1Jn 5:18; AMP). Jesus totally protects us from the devil. The word ‘protect’ means to watch over, to keep safe, to guard, to keep in custody, to retain (in His hand). The devil cannot ‘touch’ the believer. The word ‘touch’ means to lay hold of, to attach itself to another, or to intimately connect with another. The devil cannot ‘rape’ or possess a believer. The devil roars like a lion, but it cannot touch or kill the believers. Selah!

How did Christ save us from the fear of death? By dying for us, by becoming a curse on our behalf. Christ has delivered us from the curse of the Law. If God’s Law is broken, or obeyed partially, the penalty for that is death. If a man obeys all the laws, but breaks one law, he enters under the curse of the Law. He must be punished with death. “Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS [crucified] ON A TREE (cross)” (Gal 3:13; AMP). As sinners, the Law was our unmerciful Master. We all failed to obey God’s Laws. But now, Christ is our Master.

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]” (1Cor 15:56-58; AMP).

By His death on the Cross, Christ has satisfied God’s Law. He has finished obeying the Law and fulfilled all its demands. Christ is the only Man who fully obeyed God’s Law. He did that on our behalf. We are now free from the bondage and the curse of the Law. The Law is not our Master again. We have a new Master, Jesus Christ, who reigns thru Grace. Because of His victory, death has no terror to a Christian. Listen to the promise of Jesus: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if anyone keeps My word [by living in accordance with My message] he will indeed never, ever see and experience death” (Jn 8:51; AMP). The Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected has brought eternal life to us who believe. This is the work of King Grace. “But now [that extraordinary purpose and grace] has been fully disclosed and realized by us through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who [through His incarnation and earthly ministry] abolished death [making it null and void] and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2Tim 1:10. AMP). The revelation of grace and glory in Christ is available only to the believers in Christ. The unbelievers do not have this hope, or this power. The pagans do not believe in a heaven. They fear life and they fear death. Making friends with unbelievers will add fear and anxiety to you. Be careful!

The final proof that the believers have conquered death and its fears, is that now, in Christ, death is our property and our servant. Read this: “Therefore, let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1Cor 3:21-23). The unbelievers boast in men. We boast in God. Death does not hold us. We hold death! Death must say ‘yes, sir’ to us! Death is the servant that opens the door for the believer to go to heaven. Only Christ could have done such a miracle! Glory to God!

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev1:17, 18)

What Jesus meant was, ‘Don’t be afraid of Me’. He said that because John was afraid. Seeing the Lord Jesus risen and glorified was a frightening sight. All the prophets and saints who have seen God in glory have always fallen down in fear and trembling before him. But Jesus reassures John, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid’. By this He means that God is our friend, not our enemy; He is for us, not against us. Apostle Paul says, If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31). “Be content with such things as ye have: for he has said, I will never ever, never ever leave thee nor forsake thee. (Heb13:5 KJV). Now that is the great promise which Jesus makes here to John.

Jesus then says, I am the first and the last. I am the living one. That means that He is at the beginning and at the end of everything in everybody’s life. He is the living one, all the way from conception, thru death, to heaven. He is always with us. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the A and the Z of life’. The present tense is used all the way through. Jesus is the One who goes with us through everything. Many saints have been helped during trials by remembering that the Lord was with them! These reassuring words are intended to comfort those who feel alone, and who want somebody to stand with them through difficult times. We look to each other for that, but oftentimes human beings fail. But Jesus will not fail. This is His word to us: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One!’ Amen!

Finally, let us declare: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39). Glory!

THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM

Question: What is your only comfort in life and death?

Answer: “That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life 9 and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him’.

PRACTICAL LESSONS FOR US:

1-The highest motive why we love the brethren is loving, knowing, and submitting to Christ, who is the Head of the Church.

2-In Christ, we live and die in God’s presence!

3-For the believer, the idea of suicide is totally forbidden.

4-Because Jesus promised to be with us forever, we should never be anxious about our lives or deaths, including the lives and deaths of others. How and when we die is not our ‘business’. It is the Lord’s ‘business’.

5-Because Jesus died and rose again, He is the Lord over the Living and the dead. He has totally defeated on our behalf the grave, death itself and the devil! We are free from the sting (the hurt) of death! We totally reject the fear of death!

6-Jesus totally protects us from the devil!

7- Death was our enemy. Now, in Christ, death has been defeated and has become our property and servant. Death says to you: ‘yes, sir’! Death opens the door to heaven for you! Halleluiah! Worship the Lord!