Are You Ready To Die ?

Reading: Isaiah 38: 1-22 ARE YOU READY TO DIE ?

HERE IS : -

(1) A REALITY WE CANNOT DENY "Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live." Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Eccl 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

1 Tim 6:17 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

(a) THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH: ( 38:1 ) " for Thou shalt die."

a rough estimate of the annual deaths in the world. Sixty million or about two every second.

Think of it: 120 die every minute: 7,200 die every hour: 172,800 die every day.

"One out of one people die." Did you get that ? Death is a REALITY !

(b) THE CRUELTY OF DEATH: " Set thine house in order for thou shalt die."

Now Hezekiah was a GODLY King.

Of him it was said, there " was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him." ( 2 Kings 18:5 ) He instituted sweeping reforms throughout the land of Judah.

Hezekiah was a YOUNG King. He came to the throne when he was 25 years of age and he reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem. ( 2 Kings 18:2 )

He passed through this time of serious illness when he was 39 years of age and he died when he was 54. Death is no respector of PERSONS: Rich and poor: Prince and pauper: Learned and illiterate death comes to all.

of POSITIONS: He was the King

of POSSESSIONS: Luke 16 v 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

of POWERS: Hezekiah was 39 " For THOU shalt die and not live."

(c) THE CALAMITY OF DEATH: " For thou shalt DIE and not live." ( 32:1 )

The Bible speaks of three kinds of death.

(a) of SPIRITUAL DEATH: thats the seperation of the soul from God: ( Eph 2:1 ) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

(b) of PHYSICAL DEATH: thats the seperation of the soul from the body: ( Gen 3:19 ) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

(c) of ETERNAL DEATH: thats the seperation of the soul and body from God in hell forever. ( Rev 21:8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Now listen: as death leaves men so judgement will find them.

There is no chance of being saved after death for there is a permanence of destiny beyond the grave. ( Lk 16:26 ) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

( Jn 8:21 ) Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

(2) A REACTION WE CANNOT DISMISS v 4 " And Hezekiah wept sore."

Was the King afraid to die ? One thing is certain he clung tenaciously to life.

Satan in the Book of Job describes man's clinging to life, ( Job 2:4 ) " Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."

(a) FEAR IS OFTEN PRESENT IN GOOD MEN:

And Hezekiah was a good man. Note : -

(a) His Faith in God: ( 2 Kings 18:5 ) He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

(b) His Walk with God: ( 18:3 ) And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.