DEATH A CHRISTIANS VIEW.
We build great monuments to the dead. The greatest and best know is the Tashmahal in India. Built by a loving husband to remember his wife. We here today will not have an Tashmahal built for us at best a granite head stone with a few words inscribed on it.
We in America look at death different than many do. We fight and battle to stay alive, we will spend our last dollar to gain one more day, and when the end comes as it will for us all. We mourn our dead with loud wails and tears, with great funerals, with beautiful flower and sweet sad songs. We do this because we see death as an end. Because we are a temporal people. Because we do not know what awaits us on the other side and because we do not have the faith to believe what we a told in the Bible. That if we have followed the plan of salvation we will be saved or because we are not sure there is really a heaven or hell.
But for the true Christian it is just the start of a great and glories time. A time when all the hurts and worries of the world are gone a time of rest in the loving care of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ.
We’ll first look at what death means to the unbelieving.
Job 18:5 18
5 "Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the flame of his fire gives no light.
6 "The light in his tent is darkened, And his lamp goes out above him.
7 "His vigorous stride is shortened, And his own scheme brings him down.
8 "For he is thrown into the net by his own feet, And he steps on the webbing.
9 "A snare seizes him by the heel, And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 "A noose for him is hidden in the ground, And a trap for him on the path.
11 "All around terrors frighten him, And harry him at every step.
12 "His strength is famished, And calamity is ready at his side.
13 "His skin is devoured by disease, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14 "He is torn from the security of his tent, And they march him before the king of terrors.
15 "There dwells in his tent nothing of his; Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.
16 "His roots are dried below, And his branch is cut off above.
17 "Memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name abroad.
18 "He is driven from light into darkness, And chased from the inhabited world.
The meaning of death to those who believe in Christ
JOHN 11:11
11 This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep."
ACTS 7:60
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep. (Stephen’s death)
1 CORINTHIANS 15:16 18
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
I
1 CORINTHIANS 15:51
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
1 THESSALONIANS 4:14
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Paul looks forward to death.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:2 8
2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.
4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
PHILLPPIANS 1:20 23
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23 But I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
The best story the Christ told about death is found in the gospel of Luke.
Luke 16:19 31
19 "Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
20 "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22 "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 "And he cried out and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25 "But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
26 "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
27 "And he said, "Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house
28 for I have five brothers in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 "But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30 "But he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31 "But he said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead."’
Now many say this is where we are going to wait until Christ returns and it seems this is the place that Christ told the thief he would go to. Luke 23:43 It is a place where we will rest until the return. I see it as like unto the Garden of Eden. With flowers and trees with cool breezes blowing. Trees laden with sweet juicy fruit, the sun is shining, the steams full of fish the woods full animals, gardens full of vegs. A place of udder and complete rest. Some say we will be asleep until the return I do not agree, but it make no difference how you believe we will be. It just matters that we believe we will be there.
Not all will be here many will be with the rich man in the not so good place and when the worlds ends and all a called home and the great judgment seat is in place and our Lord and Savior is seated and the book is opened and the names are read and those depart for heaven only the lost will remain to face their fate. So who will remain?
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9 11
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
REVELATION 21:8
8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that bums with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Where will we go?
REVELATION 21:1 7
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
So death for the true Christian is something to be looked forward to and not feared, something exciting not dreaded, something beautiful not ugly and frightening. We should not want to hang onto this life when our time comes, but let go and reach for the glory.
PLAN OF SALVATION
ROMANS 10: 17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
HEBREWS 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
ACTS 2:38
38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 10:9 10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
MARK 16:16
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
MATTHEW 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
