Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201224
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00:02 >>Bill: In a hi-tech society like ours, we often need instructions
00:04 for using new products. 00:06 But who writes these instructions? 00:10 On a package of airline peanuts: "Open packet and eat contents." 00:16 Good advice! 00:24 On a chain saw: "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands." 00:27 And finally, on a steering-wheel lock : "Warning--remove lock 00:31 before driving." 00:34 Unless, of course, you plan on making only right turns. 00:49 ANNOUNCER: It has stood the test of time. 00:52 God's book: the Bible, 00:56 still relevant in today's complex world. 01:00 It Is Written, 01:03 sharing the messages of hope around the world. 01:30 I love reading about these silly instructions - there are some really great ones 01:33 . "Do not use as ear plugs." 01:38 -- On a package of silly putty. 01:40 "May be harmful if swallowed." 01:41 -- On a shipment of hammers. 01:44 "Warning: May contain nuts." 01:47 -- On a package of peanuts. 01:50 "Do not eat toner." 01:53 -- On a toner cartridge for a laser printer. 01:55 "Warning: May contain small parts." 01:59 -- On a frisbee. 02:03 Much of the book of I Thessalonians is concerned with giving instructions. 02:08 The Christian believers in the city of Thessalonica faced persecution from the 02:13 outset. 02:16 In spite of this, the Thessalonian church appeared to be a faithful 02:18 community of believers. 02:21 The apostle Paul, author of I and II Thessalonians, often praises them for 02:26 their faithfulness, holy living, and generosity. 02:31 Yet he also wants to make sure that they are thoroughly instructed in 02:37 the issues of the faith, because he knows they will come under great pressure 02:41 from the surrounding society. 02:44 Keep away from promiscuity, he says to them, follow Christ's 02:49 example of holiness, work hard to support yourself, live at peace with your 02:52 neighbors. 02:55 The first half of I Thessalonians, chapter 4, teaches the believers in 03:00 Thessalonica how to LIVE as Christians. 03:05 The second half of this chapter teaches them how to DIE in the same manner. 03:14 And here is where Paul's attitude is so much healthier than our own. 03:19 We all crave instructions on how to live better, but rarely do we give much 03:24 thought to the question of how to die better. 03:27 In fact, we would rather avoid the subject altogether. 03:32 Paul writes: 03:51 Dying is an important part of living, so let's spend a few moments thinking 03:57 about this unique event in human experience. 04:05 There is a healthy and an unhealthy way to grieve. 04:07 When someone we love dies, it hurts. 04:11 Sometimes the hurt is overwhelming. 04:14 We call the process of dealing with that hurt, grief. 04:20 According to the Canadian Mental Health Association . 05:07 Paul does not tell us not to grieve. 05:12 What he says is, do not grieve as those who have no hope. 05:18 Grief is a natural part of losing a loved one to death. 05:24 A healthy person must grieve. 05:28 The question is, what is different about how a Christian grieves? 05:35 Joining me on today's program is Dr. Leader from Toronto's York University. 05:41 She is considered by many to be a grief expert. 05:46 Dr. Leader, I'd like to ask you today, how should a Christian grieve? 05:52 >>Dr. 05:54 Leader: Thank you Bill. 05:56 Grief is the normal reaction to loss of any kind. 05:58 We often associate grief with the death of a loved one. 06:01 However, grief normally occurs in the face of loss: loss of a 06:05 relationship including death; conflict or divorce and separation; death of a 06:11 pet; loss of health; loss of one's station in life, etc. Some Christians and 06:18 others believe that grieving is a sin, that is, it is wrong to grieve. 06:23 As a result of this view of grief, many Christians unnecessarily suffer in 06:27 silence, leading to complicated grief. 06:31 That is not what the Bible teaches. 06:34 Jesus grieved over the spiritual condition of the people at the time of 06:38 Lazarus' death. 06:41 John 11:35 stated: "Jesus wept. 06:44 " That was grief. 06:46 Grief touches all humanity, Christian or not. 06:51 Those who see loss as a natural part of our existence understand the 06:55 need to allow oneself to grieve, instead of bottling it all up. 07:00 Those who have the courage to actually grieve, tend to have a smoother passage 07:05 through the grief process than those who for one reason or another believe 07:11 they should hide their grief, show a stiff upper lip, and be strong for 07:15 everyone around them. 07:18 Grief is a painful process, but the process and duration are different 07:22 for each person. 07:25 Many prefer to avoid the pain of loss, grief and separation, yet grieving 07:30 is important. 07:34 It helps us mark the connection we once had with the person or 07:36 situation no longer there. 07:41 Though being a Christian does not take away the pain, grief does not have 07:46 to feel like a hopeless end. 07:49 Knowing God brings solace. 07:53 God Himself understands our pain and grief, and knows how to get us 07:58 through it. 08:00 He lost His only Son. 08:03 When our grief involves the death of a loved one, knowing that there's a 08:08 resurrection gives us confidence in Him who is the resurrection and the 08:13 life (John 11:25). 08:16 Here are some passages from God's word that address the theme of 08:22 grief: The Gospel Prophet in Isa 53:3 tells us that He, Jesus is acquainted 08:27 with grief. 08:32 In Isa. 08:34 61:1, Jesus comes to heal the "brokenhearted". 08:36 In vs. 08:38 2b, He comforts those who mourn and, In vs. 08:43 3, He is there to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for 08:49 ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the 08:55 spirit of heaviness. 08:57 In 1 Thess. 09:02 4:13, Paul encourages the brethren to have hope that just as Jesus was raised 09:04 from the dead, then they should have hope about their loved ones who 09:08 "sleep in Jesus". 09:11 He is here speaking about losing loved ones. 09:15 The book of Lamentations written by the prophet Ezekiel is of full of just 09:20 that. 09:23 Read chapter 3 when you have the opportunity. 09:27 Our favourite song "Great is thy faithfulness" is based on verse 22, 23 09:30 which says... 09:49 Let's console each other and support one another through grief. 09:52 God knows what we go through, and he has made provision in His word for 09:58 us to find comfort, but He placed us in one another's lives to minister that 10:02 comfort. 10:05 We serve a great God, don't we? 10:08 Back to you Bill. 10:12 >>Bill: Thank you Dr. Leader. 10:14 How do we help others who are going through the grieving process. 10:19 The apostle Paul says near the end of this passage, "Therefore comfort one 10:23 another with these words." 10:26 Comfort each other by talking about death? 10:31 Yes! 10:32 That's exactly what he means. 10:33 Talk about it. 10:34 Vent your emotions. 10:36 Express your fears. 10:37 Ponder the mysteries. 10:39 But emphasize the hope! 10:45 Let's return to our Bible passage: 11:11 This is the reality of death for followers of Jesus Christ: death hurts. 11:15 It hurts bad, but it is not the end. 11:18 We will be raised up to eternal life, and we will be with the Lord forever! 11:25 John 11 tells us the story of Lazarus' illness and death. 11:32 Among the most steadfast of Christ's disciples was Lazarus of Bethany. 11:39 From their first meeting his faith in Christ had been strong; his love for 11:44 Him was deep, and he was greatly beloved by the Saviour. 11:50 It was for Lazarus that the greatest of Christ's miracles was performed. 11:58 Jesus would often come to Lazarus' home to rest. 12:02 Jesus did not have his own home; He was dependent on the hospitality of His 12:07 friends and disciples, and on many occasions, He would escape to this 12:11 peaceful household, away from the suspicion and jealousy of the angry 12:16 Pharisees. 12:19 Here He could speak with simplicity and perfect freedom, knowing that His 12:23 words would be understood and treasured. 12:27 One day Jesus got word that Lazarus was not well. 12:34 John 11: 3 12:45 They believed that Jesus would sympathize with them in their distress; they 12:50 thought that He would respond immediately and would come right away. 12:54 Anxiously they waited for Jesus to come or at least for a word from Jesus. 12:59 As long as Lazarus was alive they prayed and watched for Jesus to come. 13:04 But the messenger returned without Him. 13:08 When Lazarus died, they were bitterly disappointed; but they 13:12 refrained from placing any blame on Jesus. 13:16 After two days, Jesus said to the disciples, 13:26 This is the other side of faith. 13:29 We will not forever feel forsaken. 13:33 Christ may linger in another place for a long time, or so it seems. 13:37 But his absence is temporary. 13:43 He has not forgotten us. 13:45 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb 13:52 for four days. 13:54 There was no life left in him. 13:57 Martha rushed to meet Jesus, her heart troubled by conflicting emotions. 14:04 When she saw Jesus, the look on His face portrayed the tenderness and love 14:08 that had always been there. 14:11 Her confidence in Him was unbroken, but she thought of her brother, whom Jesus 14:15 also had loved. 14:19 With grief surging in her heart because Christ had not come before, yet with 14:24 hope that even now He would do something to comfort them, she said, 15:22 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary 15:24 aside. 15:27 "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you. 15:31 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his 15:34 feet and said the same thing Martha said, "Lord, if you had been here, my 15:38 brother would not have died. 15:44 " When Jesus saw her weeping, and those who had come along with her also 15:48 weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 15:52 "Where have you laid him? 15:54 " he asked. 15:55 "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 15:58 Jesus wept. 16:05 We love that verse, don't we? 16:11 It saved many of us when we were young and were asked to recite a Bible 16:16 verse. 16:17 "Jesus wept"--the shortest verse in the Bible. 16:22 But it is also one of the most powerful. 16:25 Jesus wept. 16:29 Real tears. 16:31 Just like we cry real tears when we are hurting. 16:35 To know that Jesus cares, that he enters into our pain and feels our 16:40 suffering is at the heart of our faith. 16:44 There's an important lesson here. 16:46 When people are in grief, they don't want theological 16:48 pronouncements. 16:50 They just want us to come and love them. 16:53 They just want us to come and cry with them. 16:57 Jesus wept with those He loved, and He still does. 17:02 He hurts with us. 17:04 He feels our pain. 17:08 We all face suffering some time and when it comes, one thing we can know is 17:14 that our Lord is hurting with us, and He will love us through it. 17:21 He will walk through the valley with us and in time He will bring us out of 17:26 the valley of sorrow to the mountaintop on the other side. 17:29 Jesus wept with those he loved and he still does. 17:37 Friends standing around said, "See how he loved him! 17:42 " But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man 17:49 have kept this man from dying? 17:51 " Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. 17:58 It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 18:02 "Take away the stone," he said. 18:06 "But, Lord," said Martha, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been 18:11 there four days. 18:12 " Then Jesus said, " 18:45 I have heard someone comment on this saying, "If Jesus hadn't limited 18:48 that command to Lazarus, every corpse in the graveyard would have come 18:51 forth! 18:53 " Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out! 18:59 " And the dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of 19:04 linen, and a cloth around his face. 19:07 Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go. 19:10 " What an amazing story. 19:14 After four days in the tomb, Jesus raised a dead man from the grave. 19:20 Resurrection is a present reality, not a wild futuristic fantasy. 19:29 The apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, says that this is the 19:33 central claim of Christianity, that Christ's own resurrection 19:39 and his power to raise others is absolutely critical for the Christian 19:44 faith. 19:46 Paul says )ú the resurrection is not true, then Christianity is 19:49 meaningless, and if it is true, only then do we have reason to hope for the 19:55 future. 19:58 But that hope is not born in times of celebration and rejoicing. 20:03 Hope is born of grief and sorrow, given birth by a man well acquainted with 20:10 grief and sorrow, who weeps with us. 20:15 Resurrection hope didn't come to a bunch of folks who were rejoicing and 20:20 triumphant. 20:22 It came to folks who were at the end of their rope, who were shaking their 20:26 heads and saying, "I don't know, Lord. 20:29 I just don't know." 20:32 Through tears and weariness, through fear and confusion, through the 20:36 disorientation of grief, through arms reaching out to feel their way in the 20:41 darkness, resurrection came. 20:45 It came because our God is a God who breathes new life even into dry, dead 20:49 bones. 20:51 It came because with God, all things are possible. 20:55 It came because God really is love. 21:02 Where is our hope in the face of death? 21:06 Jesus says, 21:10 That's where our hope is. 21:12 God can bring new life even in the midst of death. 21:16 God invites each of us, everyone, everywhere, to come to new life in Jesus 21:21 Christ. 21:23 Because, you see, God is not willing to let death have the last word. 21:27 But in order to be witnesses to the resurrection, we've got to 21:32 walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 21:35 Despite our questions, despite our doubts - we go on believing. 21:41 Death still stinks, but we struggle to roll away the tombstones, to help one 21:48 another remove the wrappings of death that bind us all in one way or 21:53 another. 21:55 And we, of all people should know that . "the Lord Himself will descend 22:03 from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the 22:07 trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 22:12 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the 22:17 clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 22:23 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 22:36 I'm only human; I'm just a woman 22:46 Help me be all I can be and all that I am 22:55 Show me the stairway 23:00 I have to climb 23:05 So for my sake 23:07 Teach me to take 23:09 One day at a time 23:15 One day at a time, sweet Jesus 23:21 That's all I'm asking from you 23:27 Help me today to do everything that I have to do 23:37 Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus 23:42 And tomorrow may never be mine 23:48 Help me today 23:51 Show me the way 23:53 One day at a time. 23:58 Do you remember 24:04 When you walked among men 24:08 Well Jesus, you know if you're looking below 24:13 It's worse now than then 24:17 Cheating and stealing, violence and crime 24:27 So for my sake 24:30 Teach me to take 24:32 One day at a time 24:37 One day at a time, sweet Jesus 24:42 That's all I'm asking from you 24:50 Help me today to do everything that I have to do 24:59 Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus 25:04 And tomorrow may never be mine 25:10 Help me today 25:13 Show me the way 25:15 One day at a time. 25:20 Help me today 25:23 Show me the way 25:25 One day at a time. 25:36 >>Bill: Let us pray. 25:39 Heavenly Father, at this moment in time, we think of those who are 25:43 travelling through the valley of the shadow of death. 25:47 In their grief and dispair they see no way out. 25:53 Father draw close to them right now. 25:57 And may they live with the assurance of the ressurection in Jesus 26:03 Christ, Amen. 26:22 >>Dave: God is great and beyond all human comprehension. 26:27 We are told that his eyes are even on the sparrow, therefore his eyes are on 26:31 us. 26:33 Pastor Bill has prepared a book that includes all of the messages in this 26:35 series. 26:37 The book is called "Fear not, for I am with you". 26:40 We would like to send it to you as our gift. 26:42 Here is the information you need to get your copy. 27:45 >>Bill: Well we have come to the end of another It Is Written program -- 27:47 incredible how quickly these 30 minuet's go by. 27:50 I'm so happy that you joined us and I hope and pray that you will join us 27:53 again next week. 27:57 Remember to visit our web site " I t IsWrittenCanada.ca". 28:00 There you can see all of the programs that have been archived, you can 28:05 send prayer requests, you can even make an online donation to this ministry 28:10 to help keep this program on the air. 28:15 Don't forget the youtube channel " y outube.com/IIWCanada" 28:20 and you can also follow us on twitter. 28:22 Well, let's make plans to be back together again next week and the good 28:25 Lord willing, that will be a reality. 28:28 Until then remember, it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by 28:34 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:41 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-02-06