We’re coming to the end of our 12-part message series on what we as a church believe. When we get done, my hope is not that you now can explain God, mankind or the church to your friends. My hope is that your life, your relationship with God and your relationship with one another are healthier and strengthened.
The title for this morning has nothing to do with the fact that we are coming to the end of our message series. We are looking at eschatology, the study of end things or end times. This morning, we’ll look at personal end, or our death. Next week, we’ll look at the end of time and the universe as we know it.
When former Texas Governor, John Connally, was interviewed after being wounded by the assassin who took the life of President John F. Kennedy, Connally explained, "[That incident] inevitably brought into sharper focus what’s really important in life... [My wife and I] try not to participate in things that are shallow or in the long run meaningless."
Near death experiences have a way of focusing our lives to live with meaning and purpose. These experiences remind us that we won’t live forever. Yet, most people don’t want to think about or talk about death. Asians see talking about death as bad luck, as if by not talking about death, we can avoid death. Americans, on the other hand, talk about death as if death only happens to someone else, not to them.
This morning, I want to talk about death, so that we can learn to face our own death. What we believe about our death determines how we live our lives. We cannot live well unless we can die well. And one of my responsibilities as a pastor is to help people live well by preparing them to die well.
In 1980, as Jean-Paul Sartre, the famous French atheist philosopher, was sick and approaching death, he wrote, "Despair returns to tempt me. . . . The world seems ugly, bad, and without hope. There, that’s the cry of despair of an old man who will die in despair. But that’s exactly what I resist. I know I shall die in hope. But that hope needs a foundation."
He faced death, but he had no hope or way to win over death. When we get done this morning, will have learned to face death, and we will have learned to win over death. Our example and hope comes from Jesus Christ.
Our text for this morning is John 13:33-14:6. This is Jesus talking to his disciples about his own death and his preparation for their death, which would soon follow.
This passage in John will be the outline for our study, but I’ll be going to different parts of the Bible to answer some questions that we will have along the way. From Jesus’ conversation with his disciples we find two truths that encourage us face death and one truth that helps us win over death. Let’s look together.
The first truth is that death is not avoidable. John 13:33-37
Jesus was talking about his own death and his return to Heaven. Peter understood only the part that Jesus was going to die. He didn’t understand that Jesus was returning to Heaven. So, when Peter said he could follow Jesus, he was thinking of following Jesus in death only.
But when Jesus said, "... but you will follow later," Jesus was telling Peter that, "Yes, you will die, but to follow me into Heaven, you’ll have to wait." Meanwhile, follow my command to love one another.
When I was a new pastor in this church, I used to say, "You better be nice to me. I’m taking notes for your funeral." I did that for two reasons. First, I wanted you to be nice to me. Second, I wanted to remind you that death is not avoidable, not even as a Christian.
The funeral director who signed his letters, "Eventually yours," was saying the same thing. Death is not avoidable. Even if you don’t talk about it, you will die. It’s one out of one. Deal with it.
Don’t pretend that death only happens to someone else. Don’t try to repress the thought of death. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that exercise and healthy diet will stop death from happening to you.
Hebrews 9:27-28 tells us, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Unless Jesus Christ returns before you die, death is not avoidable.
To live knowing that death is not avoidable means that we live with the understanding that our days are numbered. That means we put down the Game Boy and turn off the television in order to pursue activities that are meaningful and lasting in positive impact.
The second truth is that death is not natural. John 13:37-38
Peter boasted of dying with or even in place of Jesus, but Jesus knew that Peter would rather deny he ever knew Jesus than to be martyred. It’s natural to want to boast and to want to rescue someone you love. But it’s unnatural to want to die, because death is not natural.
April 2, 1994, Our Daily Bread devotional, wrote, "Sarah Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, Sarah moved to San Jose, California.
"Because of her grief and her long time interest in spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her dead husband. The medium told her, ’As long as you keep building your home, you will never face death.’
"Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an unfinished 17-room mansion and started to expand it. The project continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day. The mansion had 150 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 windows. And Mrs. Winchester left enough materials so that they could have continued building for another 80 years.
"Today that house stands as more than a tourist attraction. It is a silent witness to the dread of death that holds millions of people in bondage."
Some people believe that death is as natural as birth. Some even say that death is God’s way of making room for the next generation. But the Bible tells us that, although death is common, death is not God’s intention. Death is the result of sin.
Romans 5:12 tells us, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." Death was not a part of God’s plan for creation.
When my parents die, even though they are Christians and will be going to Heaven, I will cry, because death is not natural. If my wife should die before me, even though she is a Christian and will be going to Heaven, I will cry, because death is not natural. When Clifford dies, even though he is a Christian and will be going to Heaven, I will cry, because death is not natural. But I’ll also rent those white doves or homing pigeons for Clifford’s funeral service, because I took note on Clifford, and he said he would like that.
The third truth is that death is not final. John 14:1-6
Many people believe that death is not final. Some people believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the Hindu belief that a person after dying, can return as another person, as a cow, as a fly or as any other living thing. So you’re very careful not to swat the fly on your window, because it may be your uncle or grandpa reincarnated.
Many Americans, who believe in reincarnation, believe that you will always reincarnate into another person. If this were true, everyone alive would have many previous lives, and the population would stay the same. But a ridiculously few have memories of past lives, and the population of the world continues to grow.
Other people believe that a person after dying will go to heaven, or at least those who do more good than bad will go to heaven. Still others believe that after dying, they evolve into gods. Mormons and many New Agers believe this. Yet, there is absolutely no evidence of this.
Many Asians believe that the soul of a person after dying will go to hell. And if the person is your parent or relative, the honorable thing to do is to take care of them. So those living burn paper money, paper houses and paper cars in order to send money, house and car for their dead ancestor’s use. For many, this act is motivated by loyalty to the ancestors. For others, this act can earn blessings and prevent misfortune.
So what does the Bible teach about life after death, and how does it compare with these other beliefs? Jesus tells his disciples not to be anxious or worried. Instead, we are to trust God and to trust Jesus for providing what we need in terms of an eternal home.
Religion is mankind’s effort to have hope in the face of death. Christianity is God’s provision of hope through Jesus Christ’s death. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us, "Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
What do you think caused Peter to deny Jesus? Peter’s fear of death. What do you think caused Jesus’ disciples to hide when Jesus was crucified? Their fear of death.
But what do you think caused Peter and the other disciples to boldly tell others that Jesus rose from the dead, and that we could also? The disciples were no longer afraid to die for associating with Jesus. It couldn’t have been the emotion of the moment. This happened forty days after Jesus’ death. The only explanation was that they had seen a dead man, Jesus, come back to life.
Of the original 12 disciples, only one died of old age, and he was exiled to Patmos, a terrible island. And you know that Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, committed suicide. The other ten disciples died as martyrs with the testimony on their lips that they had been with Jesus after he died.
We know death is not final not only because those who were afraid were no longer afraid. We know death is not final because the One who said he would prepare a place for us has gone ahead of us. And he promised to come back to take us to be with him.
Revelation 21:1-8 describes the eternal home of those who trust God and Jesus Christ and the eternal home of those who do not: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ’Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.’"
"He who was seated on the throne said, ’I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ’Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’"
"He said to me: ’It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.’"
Life after death for those who trust God and Jesus Christ is an eternal home prepared for us. Life after death for those who do not trust God and Jesus Christ is the fiery lake of burning sulfur, which many call hell.
I wish this weren’t true. But it’s not up to me. God says that each one of us must choose to trust God and the One He sent, Jesus Christ. We can either believe the teachings of men or the Word of God.
A couple of years back, I was in Doug and Ruth’s home for a meeting. I went to use their bathroom, and I saw a large towel hanging on their shower curtain rod. The towel had letters on it, and it was folded in such a way where I could read "H. something, L. something Y." for the first word and "Something, N. N." for the second word.
Immediately, I put the letters together, "Holiday Inn." I thought to myself, "These people took this towel from Holiday Inn!" So I decided to ask Ruth in a round about way, "Ruth, I notice the nice towel in your bathroom with letters."
And Ruth replied, "Oh yes, so-and-so made these towels with our children’s names on it."
Then I remembered that Doug and Ruth’s daughter’s name is "Hilary Ann."
When we see only some parts of the whole picture, we often make wrong conclusions, whether about letters on a towel or about life after death. None of us know exactly what is beyond the grave. Only the one, Jesus, who has gone ahead of us and has come back, has the whole picture. We can trust Him and God to help us face death and win.
