Death Abolished, Life Brought to Light

All right, we are on lesson four. mouse up here uh... uh... lesson four second timothy uh... verses uh... ten to twelve i'm gonna since we only got through one i'm gonna go ahead and read the uh... uh... second timothy eight through uh... twelve just for the context and kind of put it all together sometimes we chop it up so much so we lose kind of the whole perspective of what paul was uh... getting at in uh... in his letter there was an epistle so second timothy one beginning in verse eight Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us for the holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which he granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I am believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

So we got through question one last week, so now question two. Explain the term abolished death. So that was in verse 10, but now having been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. So when was death abolished? Yesterday? Today? At the resurrection?

During his first advent. He paid for all of it. I think it's really at the Pentecost when the church was started. I think that's when death was abolished. Maybe Mike has a different thought. But it's during his first advent. What are your thoughts? You know, it's like, was the prisoner or the thief on the cross, was he placed into Christ by his belief? No. No. So I don't know if death was abolished at that point. What are your thoughts, Mike? Mike, what is your thought on that? I say it's when Pentecost happened in the church.

I think you've got to look at death as a separation. And if God is the source of life, then what death means is you've been separated from him, who is the source of life. Now you may, as a human being, have human physical life, but you don't have spiritual life. And so when the Lord was made sin for us, obviously he was separated.

But then he rose again, and when he rose, I like the resurrection idea because then death doesn't have dominion over you anymore for those who believe. Well, did it? You know, that's what I'm saying. The thief on the cross didn't have that same. So that's why I was thinking more it's at Pentecost because that's when life was then able to be imparted into all of us and we're placed into Christ. So I mean, it's kind of a ticky tacky thing, but you know. Yeah, Wayne.

I think you could say death was abolished when the new creation came on, because the old creation was the death, but there's no death in the new creation. So, but the new creation started at Pentecost. Yeah. So that's where I think it abolished death. Ron? Are we talking human death? Spiritual death, because we still all die. I mean, we still have physical death. This is spiritual death. And so I think it's abolished when the new creation was started.

And that's at Pentecost. That's when the church started. That's when life was imparted to believers and being placed into Christ at that point. Again, I keep bringing it up, the thief on the cross, even though he, I'll see you in paradise, he was not in the same condition as what we have in Christ. That only happened after Pentecost.

So, you know, I say, well... Of course, that was sealed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Right. So, I don't know, it's just a thought there. Well, yeah, and that's, again, sealing at that point, there is, you're sealed. You don't have spiritual, you have new spiritual life. Your old spiritual life was then crucified, judicially. Well, actually, your spiritual life was taken care of at the cross. uh... so the other the other is uh... which is it abolished was abolished me Easy words. Done away with. Done away with. Gone. Gone. So, again, from Webster's, to end the observance or effect of something such as law, to completely do away with something, a null. So this was completely taken care of.

Death, spiritual death, was completely done away with at, I believe, at Pentecost. completely done away with now. So when you receive Christ, death is, you're separated from spiritual death from that point on. Now on the other hand, we're in time, God isn't. So we're placing it in a time frame where God would It was an act. Well, the plan was from the eternal covenant. So the plan was there, but it was abolished, I believe. I think it was abolished at Pentecost.

I tied it to Romans 6.6. Yeah, which I'm getting to. OK. Well, now you took my question away. What are some other passages of scripture that tell us of the abolishing or doing away with death?

Romans 6.6 Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. And the word in the Greek word is kardigeo that means to render idle, unemployed, inactive, inoperative, to bring to naught, make of none effect. So our body, see, this is our body was done away with. The old self was crucified with him.

The body of sin might be done away with, with Cartagena, may be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. But that's only, I think, at the acceptance of Christ that you receive that. The believer, the way he's constituted, his spirit is indwelled by the Holy Spirit and his soul is being conformed to the image of Christ. Nothing spiritual is happening to his body.

Right. The body is, yeah. So the body is going to physically die. Right. The issue here is Until the work of Christ, death was a dominating factor. And that domination is what has been broken. That it doesn't rule anymore. Well, I think the thing is that the fear of death is gone now. And that's with Philippians, to die is gain. Death doesn't, we don't have fear of death, you know, because we step into eternity without the flesh.

So I, you know, the other one was John 8, 51 and 52. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. The Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also. And you say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.

So, will we see death or taste death? We're going to die though, right? So what's this, I think, talking about? Spiritual or physical? Spiritual. It has to be, because we all die. So the I think Mike's notes. I have a question about this. This is one I had a question about in your notes. Abolished does not express the truth. Christians all taste of death, as their master did. John 8, 52. Hebrews 2, 9. Though they did not see it, and they are confident that they too will be saved out of death. Hebrews 5, 7. Death for them has lost its sting.

I didn't know what abolished does not express the truth. Actually, that's a word. The translation, and that's a new American standard, uses the word abolish. You could have used a lot of other words, like out of business, taken offline, of no effect, business closed, all those kinds of things. Abolish means to wipe out totally, which at a point in eternity that will be the case. But for the believer who Paul is writing to, he's saying to them that there's no way that you're going to be from now on associated with eternal death at all.

Yeah. Physically, yeah. Well, see, that's what I mean. The whole thing, the parsing is between physical death. We all will see physical death. Unless the rapture comes. Well, unless the rapture comes, yes. But you're right. So this has to mean about spiritual life or death. And spiritual, you know, it's life in Christ or without him. It's all going to be eternal. But you're going to be an eternity in Christ, or you're going to be an eternity separated from him?

Well, it's like, I think the first explanation, years and years ago a guy explained to me, he said, we look at death as inactivity. He said, go out on Koufax, you see death going up and down, and death driving cars, and that kind of thing. And death is separation from the person who is life, who is God himself.

It doesn't mean you're inactive. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's one, you know, and again, the death meaning separation, not death meaning annihilation. Annihilation, yes. So that's the real distinction, I think, too, is the separation versus, you know, and maybe that's when the thing you're saying, abolished, does not express the truth. It's not annihilation of it, so. So just to, you know, just the thinking on that, Death reigned, right? Yes. So everyone, until Christ came, was in death, was under death. So when he abolished death, that was an existing process, the existing state of things, right? All. Yeah.

And that's why, like I said, at least I try to bring up the distinction of the thief on the cross. He still experienced, I think, spiritual death. But he, it's just like the Jews, I think. The faith and the righteousness that they had. You know, Abraham is righteous and he was accounted, his faith was accounted as righteousness. And so, that's the distinction versus us who are in Christ.

And I think, so, up until that point, and again, I bring it to the Pentecost, because nobody experienced new life until Pentecost. Resurrected life. Resurrected life. And that's why I brought it to the Pentecost, because there was no new life until that point.

Well, and you realize that when a righteous Jewish man died, where did he go? He went to Sheol. But he wasn't in torment. An unrighteous Jewish man was in torment. Right. across the street. Some of those kind of things, like where are these places? And when he said, I'll meet you in paradise. And paradise is a place. where Abraham's bosom... Right, these are all... But what is that? It's distinctly different than us in Christ. And wherever that real estate is, it's different than us.

So that's why I say I think the thief on the cross is like a righteous Jew. He knew and had faith. Yeah, and he went to this place called Paradise. And the Lord said he would be there that day. Be there, right. But it's not the same as us. And that's why I say Pentecost was the change. That was when new life in Christ started. Well, like we're studying on Wednesday night that Jesus told the disciples he was going to the Father's house. What did that mean? He wasn't going to Paradise. He was going to be with the father where he was.

Right. And then he expands on that about he has many mansions and many rooms. But the point is, we all get taken there, not to paradise. Right. Right. And that's why I said it's a different, you know, where is paradise? And how does it last? You know, I think at the end of the millennium, I think everything is, you know, a new earth and a new heaven. Yeah. So yeah, that's. Hard to comprehend what happens at that point. So question three, moving on.

What did the appearing of Jesus cause to happen? So again, back to verse 10. But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. So what did he bring? I'll start at the back half of this verse. It says Christ by His appearing has brought to light these things we will discuss.

So what was brought to light? What was brought to light? Easy question. Well, what does brought to light mean? Made it obvious. Yeah. To become, yeah, from there, brought to life, photo zeal, so like photo, to cause something to exist, thus come to light and become clear to all. So what became clear to all through the appearing of Jesus? What was the first thing? Salvation. Yeah.

What's it say? I mean, in here, what does it say? What's the word for it? life first thing was life so it's a and the word the greek word is the way which is life zoology that's where we get our word zoology from so first jesus abolished death and then he brought us life so first he abolished the death and then he brought us life so his life what's that? his life yeah his life spiritual life in him So again, we abolished death, this spiritual death part.

We now can have life, spiritual life, in him. That's what he brought. He abolished the death, and now he brought life. So again, he first caused death to be rendered idle, unemployed, inactive, inoperative, to bring naught to none effect. But then he brought us life. So that was the first thing. What was the second thing he brought to us? Life was the first, war was the second.

Life. No. Immortality. Immortality. Immortality. So what is, can you even comprehend what immortality is? I keep thinking even unbelievers are going to live forever. Right. Not in heaven with God, but doesn't everybody have immortality? I brought that up, too. That was one of the things. It's just that everybody has immortality. But he's saying, for those believers who get abolished to death, we get immortality in him, life in him. But I brought up the same thing I thought of. Everybody is immortal now.

But it's, what is it? Where's the place you're going to end up? in the lake of fire forever, separated from God, or in Him, in the mansions that we have, and resident with God the Father and God the Son. Forever living or forever dying. Forever being tormented or forever enjoying life in Christ.

And I said, just ponder that. Jesus came in His first advent and brought us life that is unending. Can you even comprehend that? I mean, we have life unending, which, again, if you don't have them, it's going to be an unending life of torment. But we have life that, you know, and where is he seated right now? At the right hand of God. And we'll be right there.

I can't grasp, I try and grasp it with my little engineering brain, and it doesn't work. It's still just beyond my comprehension. that we are going to be in the father and the son's presence. That's an unending. I can't even. I'm trying to figure out unending. That was the other thing. I was like, immortality. That's what I was asking the question. Can you even wrap your hand around what immortality means? We're like, if we make it to 100, we're great. What's endless mean? I just, I can't comprehend that.

You know, but we're going to spend unending time with God the Father, the creator of all things. We're going to be in his presence with the Lord. That, that to me is just, yeah, you know, these are little things that come in the scripture and you just kind of may breeze by them, but he's given us life and immortality. by his coming. And again, it's through faith. We've been saved by grace through faith. Simple trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and we get life eternal.

Amazing. So question four. Did you have something else? I was going to say that to faith, you can understand eternal life, but you can't by experience. Because you don't have the capacity, but you're spiritually alive now and dwelt by the Holy Spirit, and he will make that kind of information. You'll be persuaded it's true. You don't need to really know the particulars of it other than the fact that it's all resident in the person of Christ.

Yeah, I mean, I guess I believe it. I totally believe it. It's just I don't understand it. Or not understand, I can't comprehend it. With your brain. With my brain as is. It's too much for me to comprehend. It's great. It's awesome. You know, for me to die is gain. Because I step into eternity at that point. I mean, in eternity. have eternal life now, but I step into that without this dying shell. Totally different. Now the next one. Question four.

What is a preacher? So, but now it's been revealed a period where Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death brought life and immortality to life through the gospel for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. So, preacher. Well, he's an ambassador and a herald or proclaimer of the divine word.

Yep, that's good. That's exactly it. And he used the word that when you look at the definition, herald, you're a heralder of. It's more than a teacher. You're this heralder of the word. So a teacher teaches, but a heralder is one that is the man who's out front. shouting this, or not shouting it, but proclaiming it, heralding it.

And so, of course, I have to go to Webster again for a preacher. And I chastise Webster for Webster's Dictionary for a preacher, one who preaches. Don't they know that's wrong? You can't use the word in the definition. Because if you don't know what the first word is, by the definition of using the same word.

So one who preaches such as a person who delivers a sermon publicly, one whose function is to preach sermons, pastor, minister, one who inculcates or exalts something earnestly and officiously. That one sounded probably the best, actually. One who inculcates, anybody know what inculcates? and exhorts something earnestly and viciously. So this is somebody, again, the herald. The Greek word for it, preacher, is kairoux, and a herald, a herald, i.e., of divine truth, especially of the gospel. So it's a heralder. This is the one who, you know, heralds something, who brings the news, shouts it out. He's the one who is the one who's going to proclaim this. Not like a teacher, it's going to be a little bit different. So I kind of ask that. What's the difference between a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher? So a preacher is a herald. So what's an apostle? What's an apostle? We say apostle. An ambassador. An ambassador. Of Christ. An ambassador of Christ.

And what was, in particular, what were, you know, like the 12 original apostles and then with Paul, what was the criteria for the apostles? They had to be with him. They had to see him. They had to be a part of an appointed one that had seen and been appointed by Christ. That's the official of an apostle. Now, we can be apostles, little a, of Christ, which is an ambassador of Christ. The original apostles were appointed by Christ and had to be with him. Paul got it because he was on the road to Emmaus and then also his time in Arabia. He spent personal time with Christ, so he gets the capital A, Apostle.

So again, what about a teacher? One who teaches. I think you have to look at the information that the herald brings. It's new information. I don't know if it's only new. It comes from God. Paul's doctrine is totally new. So he's the herald. He's the guy that brings it. and actually brings it to the other apostles, because he goes and checks them out. And then the apostles pick up on it, and they begin to be a herald for it, or a, what's the word I'm looking for, a preacher of it.

And then from there, it's taught. Well, yeah, but teachers are different. Teachers are the ones who basically are bringing God's truth to you. The preacher is the one out there proclaiming it to teachers and everybody. He's the heralder. The teacher is somebody who is sitting down and teaching you what the truth is.

He can explain it. He can explain it. That's a good way. He's the explainer. He's the explainer. pastor involved there because the pastor comes alongside and he's the same as a teacher would do. Yeah. He would take a person by the hand and lead them. Well, a pastor is even, I think, even a different one. A pastor is a teacher with a shepherd. You know, they're the ones who come beside. And a preacher is more one who's out there, you know, Here it is, a heralder of, I'm going to go out and I'm going to tell people all about this. And a pastor is one who comes beside, I think, which is even a different.

And this is Paul talking about it. How many times did he do that? The love that he had for the Philippians, for instance, and even the Thessalonians. And I was reading Colossians this morning, and he prayed for them all the time. I'm sorry, I was in Colossians 1 this morning. And it was like, I pray for you all the time. You know, he had a heart for him. That's the pastor side of him. The preacher side of him is, you know, in front of everybody.

We've got a lot of preachers out there, but we don't have a lot of pastors or teachers. Well, that's like, yeah, we have fathers. You know, when he talks about fathers and teachers, you know, we don't have many fathers. Because, like, ones who come beside, you know, and really are like a father to a son.

That's why, you know, when you see Paul's epistles to Timothy and Titus, my true child in the word. You know, you're my son. He was that intimate with these guys because they were heading up the church at Creighton and now Ephesus in Asia Minor. And so he was a father to them. That's kind of even a different than even a pastor. But right now he's proclaiming that he's a preacher, apostle, and a teacher.

All different aspects of what Paul was able to do. and accomplished so uh... five what is the reason paul gives for suffering so this is in verse eleven for which i was appointed teacher preacher an apostle and a pure preacher an apostle and a teacher for this reason i also suffered these things but i'm not ashamed for i know whom i believed and i'm convinced that he's able to guard what i have entrusted to him until that day so why is and has paul been subject to suffering Why has he been suffering?

Come on. Why do you think he was suffering? Gospel. Because of gospel. And what did he just say he was? He's a herald, an ambassador, and a teacher. He's out there. And they rejected Christ. They're rejecting him. He's suffering because of that. But he's a preacher, an ambassador, and a teacher. He's out there. And he's suffering these things because of what he did. preached. He's an ambassador. He's a teacher. And he was suffering those because the world rejected Christ. Now they're rejecting him.

So the words for which cause refer back to verse 11. The connection is, I suffer these things because I'm a herald, an ambassador, and a teacher, preacher of the gospel. That's why he suffers. So it wasn't a surprise. But that's why he was suffering. So question six, is Paul talking about faith or is he talking about hope here? So, for which I was appointed preacher and apostle and teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed. Read 12. Huh? And 12? Yeah. Yeah, I think I. I copied that, but I didn't get that. I put it in the wrong space.

12. For this reason, I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed. For I know whom I am believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. So back to the question here. So is Paul talking about faith, or is he talking about hope here when he says, I'm not ashamed of these things?

Both? I think so. I think to some degree. I looked at it. it is well from my speaking it's part of the trip to these words i'm not ashamed i'm not disappointed in my hope that is a paul in spite of his sufferings incurred in his service for the lord has not put to shame he has not been put to shame has not been defeated has not had his hopes disappointed uh... so more more on the hope sides there are Well, as I said, I'm not disappointed in my hope. But it's also, I think, in the faith. He's not ashamed of his faith. At all. So, I think...

I guess me personally, I think it's more about the hope part he's talking about here than the faith part. Cuz he's not ashamed, he's a preacher, he's an ambassador, he's moving and talking about all this. So it's not about his faith, I think it's his hope.

He's not disappointed, he's not ashamed in what he's doing. I think that's more what he's speaking about because to me it's obvious he's not ashamed of his faith. But I think is he ashamed of being suffering for this and what he's doing? He's not ashamed of that. Even though he's suffering for it, he's being persecuted for it, he's not ashamed of it.

So I think it's more on the hope side. Because I think it's more evident that he's not ashamed of his faith, because he's been beaten, he's been, you know, imprisoned, he's done all that. Yeah. Romans 8.20 says that for the creation, was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Point being that there's going to be a rescue. Things are going to, at some point, change now. believers and the creation live in this hope that God has said, you're going to get released, but you're waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. So I think here, I think you're right. I think it's, what he's committing is the hope.

He knows that things, and we'll have a question down the road here about his faith, but I think And it's interesting, I'm not sure we grasp how important hope is for the Christian life. Like in 2 Thessalonians and other places where we talk about what's going to happen What's coming? Well, that's not a matter of faith. Okay, I agree it's coming, but I'm convinced about it, although it hasn't happened.

See, I think it's a combination of both, though, because faith, you have to have faith in what you believe to have hope. I mean, without the faith in what he said, what are you hoping in? Yeah. Well, faith is a belief in something that's already true of you. is something that will be true of you actually and experientially in the future. Will happen in the future. But 11-1, faith is the substance of things hoped for. Right. That's what I say.

That's why when you ask the question, I think it's both. I think he's not ashamed of the faith because he's obviously been beaten. But I think there's more. He's not ashamed. what he's proclaiming as a preacher. The hope, the future, what I'm telling you. I think that's a combination of both. Faith is obvious, I think. And the hope is, I'm preaching these things and teaching these things, and I know what's going to happen. I'm not ashamed of that.

Another reason why all the suffering, if you read Acts chapter 9, verse 15, the Lord said to Ananias, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and the kings, and the sons of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake." So the Lord's showing him. Yeah. Yeah. He will. That's why he's suffering. Yeah.

And again, I think, what is he, I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed of my faith, for sure, because he's totally believes, because he's been beaten in prison, shipwrecked for his faith. And so now, but I'm not ashamed of what's coming, the hope that's ahead of me. I'm not ashamed of that.

And does that ring true for us? It took a while for Paul to realize that, though. Yeah, I mean, I keep thinking about that, how many beatings, how many prisons, how many, you know, hanging down in a basket through a window over the wall, you know, Paul went through a whole lot of stuff here. So again, I think he's not ashamed of his faith, obviously. But he's not ashamed of the hope that he's proclaiming. We get a trial that comes along, and we think, oh, well, that's over with.

Yeah. Probably won't get another one. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, right. Uh-huh. Oh, this is what you were talking about. Yeah, this is it. Yeah. Got it. Got it. All right. Let's close. It's over time here Heavenly Father. We thank you and we thank you again just for your word and the comfort that we can get and let us as Paul said not be ashamed not be ashamed of our faith and and we are not ashamed of the hope that we have in the future we have in in Christ and throughout we're talking not only now but through eternity and what that means so father we just we thank you for all these truths that you have for us that comfort us and strengthen us as we go through day to day and father we just we love you and thank you for all that you have done for us each and every day and we just pray now again for the next meeting with Andrew just be with him as he speaks give us Our word truthfully, and just prepare our hearts to receive it. Father, we ask for all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.