‘And Their Works Follow Them’

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 14:13

Works done for Christ are never a waste of time, nor are they fruitless.  As we have considered the blessedness of those ‘who die in the Lord,’ we considered the works of Christ’s people.  Yesterday we thought upon the fact that, ‘they…rest from their labors.’  Today we dwell upon the fact that ‘their works follow them.’  In what sense can we say that this is true?  How was it true for Christ our Head?  Christ came for others, lived for others, died for others, intercedes for others, and is returning for others.  The Holy Spirit is renewing, all whom He has redeemed, in the whole of their persons after the Image of Christ.  Christ invested deeply in people.  Because of His work, there are many who are entering into glory.  As Christ makes use on earth of His Body, that is, His people, they are doing His work.  His work has become their work.  They invest in people.  As Christ’s works follow Him, in the persons of those in whom He invested, so the works of His people follow them, in the persons of those in whom they have invested as members of the Body of Christ.  This makes them blessed as they ‘die in the Lord.’  Christ’s people have made investments which will yield fruit that lasts for eternity.  They have labored for that which will never die.

Our Good and Wise God,
we rejoice that Your Holy Spirit teaches us the ways of Christ,
We praise You that seeing Him, we can imitate Him, 
and learn to do as He did.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

‘That They May Rest From Their Labors’

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:  Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 14:13

As we dwell a little longer on this text we began yesterday, we continue to consider the blessedness which those ‘who die in the Lord’ enjoy.  One of the enjoyments of their blessedness is that, ‘they…rest from their labors.’  What are these ‘labors’ from which they rest? The people whom Christ has transformed have become His imitators.  He ‘went about doing good’ and so have they.  At work or at home, in prosperity or in poverty, in their own nation or abroad, they have done good unto all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.  Because Christ has transformed them, they have followed His example.  They have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and imprisoned.  They have done these things unto the least of Christ’s brethren.  According to His estimation, they have done these things unto Him.  They have roamed tirelessly over the whole earth in every generation to proclaim the gospel of Christ by life and lip.  Now having come to the end of their earthly journey, ‘they…rest from their labors.’  This is a blessed rest in the Presence of Christ.  This is a painless rest, a perfect rest, a permanent rest, and a peaceful rest.  Here is the rest which Christ has reserved for those who die in Him.

O God of peace and rest,
we rejoice that You have given unto us much to accomplish,
to advance Your Kingdom.
We praise You that the day of rest is coming,
and we look forward, with all our hearts, unto that blessed day.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

‘Who Die In The Lord’

And I hear a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 14:13

We have before us a text from the Revelation of Jesus Christ.  Within this book are many things which are hard to interpret for even the most diligent of Biblical scholars.  There are also many statements here which delight and uplift us for the comfort and encouragement they offer.  We have such a text before us.  Here we find, ‘And I hear a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.’  Taken within the strict context, this text refers to those who will die in Christ towards the end of the age.  Taken in the broadest context, we see statements which gladden the hearts of the people of God in any age.  For the moment, let us consider, ‘Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.’  How is this so?  We see death as that which brings what we know and enjoy to an end.  We see the termination of all our earthly expectations.  We will produce no more and no more enjoy the fruit of our labor in this scene of time.   Yet to die ‘in the Lord’ is a blessed thing.  We die according to His appointed time for us.  We have evidently accomplished what He intended for us to do.  We die in Christ with our sins forgiven for His Sake.  We die secure, because His deeds are as good as His word.  We die with pain and suffering bodies behind us, and glorified bodies awaiting us.  We die so as to be absent from  the body and present with the Lord.  We are blessed indeed.

Our Great and Merciful God,
we praise You that You have placed us in Christ by free and sovereign grace.
We rejoice that in Christ we are blessed indeed
for time and for eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning