Encouragements for our troubled times No. 54
COVID-19 Series | Date: 01 April 2021
The Elders and Deacons want to encourage the members and those who regularly meet with us through this weekly letter. If you have news which you would be happy to share with the fellowship or request for prayer, then please let us know.
A message from our Pastor
** John 11:25-261**
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
I thought this text would be suitable for our prayer letter this week as Easter Sunday has just passed, and today we heard of the death of our sister in the Lord, Pauline Knight.
Jesus makes the two wonderful promises to Martha when Lazarus had died. They were promises that only He could make because they were promises that only He could keep for He is the resurrection and the life. He is Almighty God and He has all power and authority over life and death. With Him nothing is impossible and He can raise the dead to new life if He pleases; nothing can stop Him, not even His own death could stop Him raising His body to life.
The first of His promises is “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” Unless the Lord comes again in our lifetime, we, like Pauline, shall one day die and return to the dust from whence we came. Now for the unbeliever this a frightening prospect as it means to them the end of all that they have lived for and the end of life itself with no hope of anything better. But for the believer, this is a wonderful prospect as it means the end of this life of suffering and the beginning of life eternal with our glorious Saviour. It’s a comforting thing to know for sure that our brothers and sisters who have gone before us live again in the glories of Heaven. And when we die, we also shall live again with them and with our resurrected Saviour. He has promised that where He is now, we shall be with Him also.
The second of His promises is “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” How can this be if we shall die? The first death is the separation of our bodies from our souls. Our bodies, which bind us to this world, do die and return to the dust from which they came. But our souls are eternal and do not die but live on, they are merely freed to live on with our risen Saviour and await the resurrection of our bodies at His coming. Therefore, if we are born again and believe with all our heart in the Saviour we shall never die. Not even the second death shall have any claim on us. We shall always be with the Lord. Our souls shall never be separated from our God.
The Saviour poses a question for us, “Do you believe this?” We have no reason to doubt it. It is our risen Lord and Saviour who makes these promises to us; and as He rose again as the first fruit of many brethren, so we, His brethren, shall rise to life everlasting in Him.