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.

Can
God change your life?

God
has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in
your own life.

Discover
how you can find peace with God.