November 20. Five reasons death is gain. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain,

Philippians 121. How is it gain to die? One, our spirits will be made perfect. Hebrews 12, 22 to 23.

But you have come to Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,

and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all,

and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

There will be no more sin in us.

We will be done with the inner war and the heart-rending disappointments of offending

the Lord who loved us and gave himself for us. Two, we will be relieved of the pain of this world.

The joy of the resurrection will not yet be ours, but the joy of freedom from pain will be.

Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man to show the great reversal that is coming at death.

The rich man called out, Father Abraham,

have mercy on me,

and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water

and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

But Abraham said,

Child,

remember that you in your lifetime received your good things and Lazarus in like manner bad things.

But now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.

Three, we will be given profound rest in our souls.

Revelation 6, 9 to 11.

There will be a serenity beneath the eye and care of God

that surpasses anything we have known here on the softest summer evening by the most peaceful

...