Death

"“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ―J.K. Rowling

I do understand.  This is a bit morbid for many of you, but with all the deaths in the news lately, I thought it might a good time to discuss this sometimes uncomfortable topic (If there is ever a good time). Strangely enough, death was one of the first topics Alice and I ever discussed in-depth.  We even planned our funerals before we ever planned our wedding. 

To begin, I should state that I’m not a doctor, nor am I a funeral director.  So, what makes me qualified to discuss death?  Good question. As a pastor, I conducted what I consider to be more than my share of funerals over the years.  My personal record is eight burials in six months.  And over the years I have buried my brother, mother, father, and grandmother.  Three of those within seven months of each other.  I have almost died a few times myself.  So, unfortunately, unlike many of you, I am intimately familiar with the process. 

Now, funerals tend to be sober reminders of our own mortality. They have a way of quietly bringing us face-to-face with the fact that one day we will all take that final step through the door into eternity. You’re not ready to go yet, you say?  Don’t worry, Death is a patient and perpetual enemy that reduces all our arguments about life down to one truth: one day, we will die. But, for the Christian, this death is simply a step to the fullness of life in the presence of the Lord Jesus in whom we have placed all of our hope. We know that death is not the end, and so at funerals, especially of believers, we have a future hope that we will see our loved ones again. We are comforted by this thought, and the pain is made more bearable.

But what about the non-Christian?  Right now, they are not aware that they are living under a false sense of security.  One day, death will come to claim them and when it does, they, too, will awaken to the harsh reality that there is a holy God who requires righteousness in His presence, a righteousness that they do not possess. 

For now, they have lost the fight against God by not submitting to Him.  They are fleeing the truth of God's love and God's Son.  But the sting of death will abruptly give them a new understanding.  And because they are not righteous, there will be a time of judgement under Almighty God.  Scripture tells us, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed…” (Ecclesiastes 3:7)  And a terrible judgement lies ahead for those who turn their backs on God.  “If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

Then they will finally understand the spiritual reality, and realize that they have lived a false dream without God, and not worrying about what the future will bring.  They will weep on that day when they no longer sleep.  Death is not the most pleasant subject.  But it is an important one because death is the result of sin in the world, and sin and death are all around us.  The scriptures tell us that death came into the world through sin. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” (1 Cor. 15:56). 

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ (God in flesh, John 1:1-2, 14), then you are dead in your sins.  “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” (Eph. 2:1). The only way to escape the righteous judgment of God upon you is to first repent of your sin.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness...” (1 John 1:9)  And then, you need only call on His name.  “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Rom. 10:9)  

If you are a believer, then you already know what it means to be forgiven and to have hope of a future resurrection in Christ.  We look forward, with joy, to that day when death will free us from our bonds of flesh so that we might forever dwell with the Lord.  We are not asleep.  We are alive in Christ! 

And when He returns, or our bodies fail us, we will live with Him forever and ever.

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