The Inevitability of Death! Psalm 49:9-20

Text: “For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.”

Psalm 49:10.

Good morning, mortal Christian!  The Lord God has opened your eyes and mine early, to realise that our time on earth is a limited time, and what we do with the time we are granted by God must be put to good use.  However, our focus has been Divinely shifted from things that are merely temporal, things that must soon pass away, and centred squarely on things Eternal, things that will determine exactly where our immortal, God-given, souls will spend that everlasting age of timelessness: Heaven or Hell.  Death for each of us is inevitable (if the Lord Jesus delays His return), but, praise God, we can be sure of our immortal soul’s Eternal destination, by trusting in our Saviour, the Living Lord Jesus Christ.  Hallelujah!

“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Verse 9.  “No price could secure for any man That he should still live forever, and not see corruption (death). Mad are men now after gold; what would they be if it could buy the elixir of immortality?  Gold is lavished out of the bag to cheat the worm of the poor body by embalming it, or enshrining it in a coffin of lead, but it is a miserable business, a very burlesque and comedy.  As for the soul, it is too subtle a thing to be detained when it hears the Divine command to soar through tracks unknown.  Never, therefore, will we fear those base nibblers at our heels, whose boasted treasure prove to be so powerless to save.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 228)

“Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.” (Martin Luther 1483-1546)

Some famous person once said that there are two things that are certain in this life: death and taxes.  There is much wisdom in this witty saying, especially in referring to the absolute certainty of death.  We mortals must all come to the place of death.  Death is no respecter of persons, fact!

Verse 10. “Likewise the fool and the brutish person perish. Folly has no immunity from death.  Off goes the jester’s cap, as well as the student’s gown.  Jollity cannot laugh off the dying hour; Death, who visits the university, does not spare the tavern.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 228)

Death comes to mankind because of SIN: Adam’s original sin, and the sins each individual person commits throughout his/her life. 

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely DIE.”  (Genesis 2:16-17)

“Behold (look, and fully understand) all souls are Mine (God’s); as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  (Ezekiel 18:4)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (i.e. Christ’s pure righteousness).”  (Romans 3:23)

If death, therefore, is so an inevitable outcome for mankind, what follows must be fully acknowledged as another inevitability – God’s judgement on the souls of those that die in sin.

“...It is appointed unto men (and women, of course) once to die, but after this the judgement.”  (Hebrews 9:27)

God’s righteous judgement (condemnation) is as equally inevitable as death, if the person dying dies without being justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His full pardoning Atonement made to redeem sinners, at Calvary’s Cross.  That Christ-rejecting soul must look forward in death to the fearful judgement of a Creator Lord God Who detests all sin and must punish the guilty, if He is to remain an impeccably HOLY Lord God Almighty.

If the Lord God were to condone, allow, or by-pass just one sin – His Divine credentials, as it were, would be infinitely reduced to a sub-standard imperfection in true Holiness!  No sin, therefore, can ever be permitted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Natural birth only directs the soul to Hell – Spiritual Regeneration, the new birth, is absolutely necessary for any soul’s entrance into God’s Holy Heaven.

“Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus), Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.”  (John 3:3)

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water AND of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”  (John 3:5)

Spiritual Regeneration (Born Again) takes us out of the natural state of sinfulness, covers us with the redeeming Blood of God’s Lamb, Christ Jesus, and grants us, by faith, Christ’s own level of true righteousness to permit us free access into the Holy Kingdom of Heaven.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold (look and understand), all things are become new.  And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation...”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

Verse 15. “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. Forth from that temporary resting-place we shall come in due time, quickened by Divine energy.  Like our risen Head, we cannot be holden by the bands of the grave; redemption has emancipated us from the slavery of death.  No redemption could man find in riches, but God has found it in the Blood of His dear Son.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 229)

Thus we see afresh that life, death, judgement, and one’s destination for Eternity, are all clearly laid out for us to learn and understand in our Bibles.  Praise God for faith to believe!

Thought: “So ends the minstrel’s lay.  Comforting as the theme is to the righteous, it is full of warning to the worldly.  Hear ye it, O ye rich and poor.  Give ear to it, ye nations of the earth.”  (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 230)

Christ Alone Can Redeem! Psalm 49:5-8

Text: “None of them (rich, powerful, people) can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.”

Psalm 49:7.

          “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy Blood out of every kindred, and tongue (language), and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 5:9-10.

Good morning, redeemed Christian!  You and I were once blind, now we can see!  We were Eternally lost, now we are found!  We were drowning in our sin and iniquities, now we are safe, and spotlessly clean!  We were on our way to a Christ-rejecter’s Hell, but now, through the shed and sinless Blood of Christ the Lamb, are Spiritually regenerated (born again) and secure for a place in Heaven forever!  How can we not shout, ‘Hallelujah!  All praise to the Lamb Who is worthy!  We worship and adore you, King Jesus Christ!’

“...Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing...Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him (Christ Jesus) that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:12-13)

Verse 5. “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? The man of God looks calmly forward to dark times when those evils which have dogged his heels shall gain a temporary advantage over him.  Iniquitous men, here called in the abstract iniquity, lie in wait for the righteous, as serpents that aim at the heels of travellers.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 227)

Iniquitous men and women have, from time immemorial, sought to hinder true Christians, while at the same time use their financial wealth, status in society, political position in Governments; and worldly family name - to make themselves accepted in God’s Holy eyes.   All to no avail.  They find, eventually, that sinners can never pay for their sins with carnal currency.  Only the precious Blood of Christ, shed for ‘His people’, will ever redeem a soul from sin.

“For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed (bought back from sin, Spiritually ransomed) with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (entire lifestyle) received by tradition from your fathers: but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish or spot: who verily (truly) was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times.”  (1 Peter 1:18-20)

Verse 7. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother. With all their riches, the whole of them put together could not rescue a comrade from the chill grasp of death.  They boast of what they will do with us, let them see to themselves.  Let them weigh their gold in the scales of death, and see how much they can buy therewith from the worm and the grave.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 227)

“What can wash away my sin?  NOTHING but the Blood of Jesus...” (Hymn: ‘What can wash away my sin’, by Robert Lowry 1876)

Verse 8. “For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever. In this judgement, tears will not prevail, prayers will not be heard, promises will not be admitted, repentance will be too late, and for riches, honourable titles, sceptres, and diadems, these will profit much less.”  (Thomas Tymme 1634)

“Definition of the term: Redemption.  To be redeemed is to be delivered from some great penalty by the paying of a fee.  Thus, prisoners of war are sometimes released on payment by their Government of a price which is called the ransom price (i.e. the price paid to obtain release of a prisoner; kidnap victim; captured goods; etc).; to release from captivity to a cruel taskmaster; price paid to set slaves and captives FREE).  (John 8:32) (Isaiah 61:1-2) (Luke 4:18) (Revelation 5:9)

For example: pawned possessions are REDEEMED by their owners when the financial loan is repaid at a pawnshop!

Question:  What then does mankind need to be set free from, Spiritually speaking?  (Romans 7:14-24)  Answer: Sin!  We are born sinners, and sin naturally from our birth.

Mankind are born as: Slaves under sin: (Psalm 51:5)

Adam was CREATED perfect, in God’s own Triune image.  (Genesis 1:26)  He then fell from grace (i.e. sinned!) when he and Eve disobeyed God.  Adam thus became a slave to Satan through his sin, and then BEGAT mankind in his own sinful image. (Genesis 5:3)

Therefore, all Creation including mankind, became prisoners of God’s Curse; and NATURAL SINNERS by birth. (Genesis 3:17-19) (Job 14:4)

God Redeemed (i.e. bought back) Adam and Eve by the shedding of the innocent blood of animals, to clothe; or cover, the sins of the pair.  In this manner, God made a blood sacrifice for their sins; their sins were ‘...covered...’ by the blood sacrifice.  (Genesis 3:20-21) (Psalm 32:1-2)

Of course, this sacrifice revealed God’s chosen way of Atonement ( i.e. at-one-ment!), sinful man to a thrice Holy God of wrath against sin; and looked forward in faith to the ‘...once for all time...’ Atonement (or Redemption) Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, at the Cross of Calvary.  (John 1:29)

This Cross-work of Christ is called EXPIATION: the suffering undergone by an innocent substitute to expiate (i.e. make amends for; pay the penalty of) the sins of the guilty parties.  (Hebrews 10:10) It follows, therefore, that, “...without shedding of blood is no remission of sins...”. (Hebrews 9:22-28)  Christ’s Blood was shed for our Redemption.

Thought: Redemption was made by the shedding of Christ’s SINLESS BLOOD.  Thus, there is no Redemption without the precious Blood of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) (1 Peter 1:18-19)  Thank you, Lord Jesus!”  (The Doctrine of Redemption, Dr C.K. McClinton, www.ulsterchristians.org )

The Gospel of Christ Jesus: A Universal Call! Psalm 49: 1-4

Text: “Hear this (the Gospel), all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: both low and high, rich and poor, together.”

Psalm 49:1-2.

          “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

Romans 10:17.

Good morning, Gospel-sharing Christian!  Why would you desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ: God’s message of Eternal Salvation through faith in His Son?  This Jesus, Who was sent down from Heaven, incarnated (God in bodily form) as man; lived a life of sinless Holiness for over thirty-three years among men; performed many Divine miracles; then went to a cruel Roman Cross to hang there and suffer and bleed, and die to bear away the sins of ‘His people’ that would believe and receive Him as Saviour and Lord; then rise again from the dead, to justify all those that God the Father had given Him, in Eternity, to save?  Why would you want to share such a Gospel message?

Fully believing this glorious Gospel message of Eternal Salvation in Christ – how could you and I ever cease from seeking to share such an Eternally vital message with other precious souls?

This is that very same vital message of Eternal Salvation that the prophets of old cried out to all that would hear their urgent cry:  “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that that no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”  (Isaiah 55:1)

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”  (Revelation 2:29)

What a vital Gospel message is to be proclaimed by you and I, when the Lord God grants us a passion for the perishing souls all around us?  There is, basically, only ONE message to give:

“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Romans 10:13)

“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby ye must be SAVED.”  (Acts 4:12)

This Gospel is a universal call to Salvation – but only God’s elect will ever respond in faith; for faith is ‘...the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“All that the Father hath given Me (Jesus Christ) shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”  (John 6:37)

As in Christ’s parable of the sower in Luke’s Gospel, the seed was sown universally, in all the farmer’s land, yet only that which was sown ‘...on good ground...’, ‘...sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.’  (Read again Luke 8:5-15)  Likewise, the Gospel of Salvation in Christ Jesus and through faith in His Sacrifice at Calvary’s Cross, is shared with all that will hear.  However, only the Lord Himself chooses whom to grant faith to, that they might indeed believe (trust) in Jesus and be saved.

“For unto us (the elect believers of God) was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them (those that would not believe): but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2)  Such an important verse of Scripture, it deals with two distinct human souls, the THEM and the US!  Check it out!

However, it is not for you and I, born again believers, to know, or try to discern, exactly who will believe, and who will not believe – it is only our duty to proclaim the Gospel message, - God ALONE chooses which hearer to grant His vital gift of saving faith! ‘Salvation is of the Lord!’  (Jonah 2:9)

Verse 2. “Both low and high, rich and poor, together.  Our preaching ought to have a voice for all classes, and all should have an ear for it.  To suit our word to the rich alone is wicked sycophancy, and to aim only at pleasing the poor is to act the part of a demagogue...”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 227)

It is our bounden duty to preach/teach the glorious Gospel of Christ, and Him Crucified for to save sinners, for this is the means God has provided for us to spread out the ‘...good seed...’ of His Word.  You and I cannot discern the elect ‘...good ground...’ that will successfully receive God’s message of Salvation, for that is the choice of a Sovereign Lord God Who will save just whomsoever He has determined to save from ‘...before the foundation of the world...’.  Therefore, you and I must spread the Word, and leave the outcome of our sowing in the Divine hands of Him who saves precious souls.

“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent?  As it is written, How beautiful the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace (between sinful man and a thrice Holy Lord God), and bring glad tidings of good things!”  (Romans 10-15)

When the universal call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached: those whom God has determined to save, will hear the Gospel, receive faith from God to believe (trust), and be soundly and Eternally saved.  Those that merely hear with their ears and not their hearts, will not receive God’s gift of faith to believe and receive Salvation – they will be Eternally lost.

“What then?  Israel (National Israel) hath not obtained that which he seeketh for (Eternal Salvation); but the election (all God has preordained to be saved) hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” (Romans 11:7-8)

The universal call of the Gospel is ineffectual in ‘quickening’ the dead spirits of the natural man/woman; for that universal call is foolishness in their eyes and minds – since the Lord God has not seen fit to grant them His gift of faith to believe it.  (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

Thought: The universal call of the Gospel will only grant faith to those whom God Himself has chosen to save.  “Of His Own will begat He us with the Word of truth...” (James 1:18) (1 Peter 23)