Fear Factor – Death
As Halloween approaches, death gets a bit more airplay. So let’s talk about it. It is a subject we don’t like to talk about. Especially, the Chinese who superstitiously avoid the number 4 because it sounds like the word for death! If anyone is jeopardy due to Chinese superstition it’ll be me because I live at this address 22240 Cochrane Drive here and when I was in Calgary 24 Bergen Crescent. (2 sounds like the Chinese word for “easy”). I am doomed to die easily, hah...ha
There is no doubt that death is fearful. If it is possible, people want to escape it. But no one escapes this. As George Bernard Shaw once said “The statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of one people die.” Or as Billy Graham puts it, “It (death) is the most democratic of all experiences.” It is a tragic and fearful thing to encounter death. One brave man wrote...
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me. ( Ps.55:4,5)
Do you know who wrote those words? It comes from the pen of the brave King David, a great hero, the one who starred down the giant Goliath in battle. And he fought many battles, with death all around him. In song he was celebrated as one who has slain tens of thousands (1 Sam.18). Yet he too, as we have read, was gripped by the fear and the horror of death.
If you were out fishing one day in a boat and you were caught in a perfect storm with howling winds, water threatening to capsize your boat, how would you feel? This was what occurred in the life of Jesus’ disciples, and some who were rugged outdoorsy fisherman. Their response - “Lord save us! We are going to drown!” (Matt.8:25). The fear of death... It is a purely normal human experience.
Jerry Watson, writing on the topic of death has noted that there are 3 general responses on how people respond to the fear of death.
1. Hedonism : indulging in selfish, often destructive pleasure seeking. The motto for such folks is “You only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can.” Their strategy lies in ignoring life death. Numbing themselves to the fear of death usually by using or rather abusing chemicals.
2. Pessimism: death is coming, nothing else matters and might as well get the dying over with. Hmmm... life of the party stuff. Rock band called Queen echo this sentiment
“Who wants to live forever,
There’s no chance for us,
It’s all decided for us, ...
How depressing!!
3. Denial: avoidance – spend much effort in seeking the elusive fountain of youth, seeking more health, strength, fame, fortune... they go around wearing masks, gloves, buying anti-bacterial solutions by the case load, some even die at the plastic surgeon’s table... Does it seem like very liberating or hopeful to you?
Does it seem to you that none of these 3 common responses is very helpful? So how can we live with certainty of death looming over us?
To an audience that is gripped by the reality and certainty of death due to severe persecution, the writer of the letter to Hebrews wrote this
9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Hebrews writer wants to remind his readers that that supreme God of the universe has never left them alone to die with no hope. He tells them God Himself, Jesus, took on human flesh and experienced real suffering and death to comfort and strengthen them. He is with us in this experience! The pain, the struggles, the emotional anguish, God Himself felt them! The word “author” – has the notion of the chief leader, the champion, the captain. Implication of Jesus battling death.
God lived in our shoes, battled death, He suffered death, tasted it, not with a heavenly ten foot pole or a remote control but in all it awful gory details. And became our champion, destroyed death with His crucifixion, rising from the dead. So we read in Heb.2
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Heb.2
The writer of Hebrews proclaims that Christ’s followers are no longer bound to the unknown terrors of death. Jesus was victorious and overcame death by His resurrection, and destroyed the one who held the power of death, the devil. So now we can be freed from the fear of death.
Illustration: Apparently this is a true story...The pastor received a telephone call from a lady named Martha who was not only one of the oldest members but also one of the most faithful. They set up a time and when the pastor arrived it did not take long to discover the reason for the visit.
Martha shared the news that her doctor had told her that because of a previously undiagnosed problem she probably had six months to live. The pastor expressed his sorrow at the news but Martha reassured him that she had lived long life and was ready to be with the Lord. Martha went on to say, "But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want."
The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about her favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the church.
When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, she paused, looked up at pastor with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, "One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other"
"A fork?" the pastor was sure he had heard right. "Why do you want to be buried with a fork?" "I have been thinking about all great dinners I have been to down through the years one thing sticks in my mind.”
"At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, the hostess would come by and take your plate. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, ’You can keep your fork.’ And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! "It didn’t mean a cup of Jell-O or some kind of pudding. You don’t need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!
"That’s exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice. "But when they walk by my casket and see the fork, I want them to turn to one another and say, ’Why the fork’? That’s when I want you to say, I want you to tell them, that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come!"
I trust that Martha’s confidence in the best is yet to come is yours too as you remember a God who loves you so much that He experienced death for you. You are no longer alone, you will have a God who’ll greet you on the other side, if you trust Him and make Him your one and only God. He destroyed death. He promised us immortality. 2 Tim 1:10 says
10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The best way to deal with the fear factor of death is to know what’s coming... Here is a sampling...
1. We will not be alone.
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Jn. 12:26
2. We will be comforted.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev.21:4
3. We will be rewarded.
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Eph.6:7,8
4. We will be in the biggest loudest party ever.
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready. Rev.19:6,7
5. We will be loved forever.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Rom 8:38 (NLT)
6. We will get whatever is God’s.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Rom 8:16,17 (ESV)
7. We will have life.
And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12
Yes, we will not be condemned to become zombies, spooks who roam aimlessly on the earth, blood-sucking vampires. For when you have the Son in your life, He will take away the fear of death? Not sure if you have the Son? Pray with me... If you have prayed would you let me know, or let someone know... We want you to grow in your faith. I trust that believers are reaffirmed in their faith, strengthened to share the good news, battle through the depressing times that surround an earthly existence by remembering the best is yet to come. And it’s all because of Jesus’ the author, the captain and champion of our salvation who won it for us! Victory!
