Getting Ready To Go!

Getting Ready to Go!

Letting death change the way you live!

Six frogs are on a lily-pad and four decide to jump off, how many are left?

There is a huge difference in knowing something and letting affect your actions.

According to a newspaper report a private school was have a unique problem. A number of girls were beginning to use lipstick. That wasn’t the problem, after they put it on they would press their lips to the bathroom mirror to spread it around. So every day there would be dozens of lip prints on the mirror. So every night the janitor would have to go in clean them off. Weeks went by and finally the janitor had it. So he went to the principle, who made a announcement telling the girls to stop this practice. Still day after day there were lip prints on the mirror. Finally the principle gathered the girls in the bathroom to explain the problem to them. Then she asked the janitor to display how hard it was to get the lip prints off the mirror. He took his squeegee dipped it in the toilet and wiped the mirror clean. Guess what? There was never a problem with lip prints on the mirror again.

Today we are going to talk about our concept of death.

There’s a real light subject, right?

A man went in for physical and got a call from the doctor a couple of days later. The Doctor said that he had bad and worse news. "Give me the bad" the man asked. "Your tests showed that you had 48 hours to live." replied the doctor. "That’s the bad news! That’s the worst thing I have ever heard! How can there be worse news that that?" The man asked. The doctor paused for a moment then replied, "Well, I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday

Even jokes like that cut too close for many people.

Ps. 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Christians should understand the reality of verses like these.

We’ve all heard them at funerals

But somehow we don’t let it affect the way we act!

Herein lies our problem.

We need to let what Christ has done with death really change the way we live!

We need to let the Christian concept of death change our life!

1. There is no intimidation in death.

In reality in any war intimidation is half the battle.

(We are learning that in Joshua on Sunday nights right now!)

What does you enemy think you can and will do?

Sports are a sort of battle.

And like-wise much of what goes on is an attempt to intimidate the other team.

Football player – spits on opposing players hand. Opposing player licks it off.

Football – kid with glass eye, that he could pop out. Would take his tackler out of game!

That’s intimidation!

Death has historically been used to intimidate.

-"Give me your money or I’ll shoot you."

-Hostages situations, etc.

The world tries to use death to push people around.

How would that fit with the Christian concept of Death?

Phil 1:21 – To die is to gain!

Is it possible that something that benefits us can be used to intimidate us?

Evidently…

I reality that’s as ridiculous as a mugger coming up to you and saying “give me your wallet or I’ll buy you dinner!”

Ooh scary! How about the dinner?

Evidently Dwight Moody was traveling by boat on one of the Great Lakes, and a really bad storm came up. The passengers cowered in fear starting an impromptu prayer meeting for deliverance, which Moody didn’t join. When asked why not he said, “I have a sister in Chicago and one in heaven and I don’t care which I see tonight.”

We discussed last week how Peter was snoring away the night before his death! ( Acts 12 )

Paul actually said back in Phil 1:23 that he had a desire to depart!

Heb. 11:35-38 – Of whom the world was not worthy.

Why wasn’t the world worthy of them?

They weren’t intimidated by death.

Satan should not be able to use death to intimidate the Christian, but too often he can.

Why? because of the next two things we’ll discuss.

2. There is no regret in death.

We’ve all done things we later wished we hadn’t.

Guys do things on dare they probably later regret.

Brother-in-law and friend ate live goldfish.

Another friend swallowing June-bugs, wouldn’t let go so he chewed him up, leg stuck in teeth.

Why do guys do things like that?

Maybe your regrets are more serious than that.

Maybe you regret the things said to your spouse.

Maybe you regret time not spent with children.

Maybe even there is some regret for not living a godly life.