How Can I Face Death Confidently?
JOHN 11:1 -44
INTRODUCTION:
DRAMA: “Mr. Peepers Goes to Sleep.”
It can be hard to talk about death, even if it is “just a bird.” In talking to my father, who is 78, about this message, he told me that when he was growing up death was not mentioned in polite circles, it was a taboo subject. Maybe that’s why William Randolf Hearst, the late, famous newspaper editor in California, never allowed the words "death" or "dying" to be mentioned in his presence. But now we have almost gone to the opposite extreme. Books about life after life & out of the body experiences are best sellers. Films like “Ghost,” “Meet Joe Black” and “Six Sense” try to explain what happens after we die and the “Weekend at Bernies”satires just flat out make fun of death. Some are obsessed with dying and look to such things as cloning, cryonics (body freezing) or genetic engineering to defeat death.
But both extremes: nervous silence and constant obsession, are indications of the uncomfortableness that death holds for us. No matter how strong your faith, death is still "the great unknown" and facing it is one of the few human dilemma’s that cannot be solved through technology. Well, here in John 11 is the story of one of Jesus’ closest friends who dies. The passing and raising of Lazarus as well as the questions of Martha may not explain death but it does gives us some lessons on how we can face it with confidence. Let’s look at 3 principles from this text that will help us do that.
I. BE REALISTIC: Admit our own mortality
First, we need to be realistic about our present existence. Our present existence is not meant to last. The Bible says in Heb. 9:27 that death is an appointment for every person. It says: “Everyone has to die once...”(MSG) It makes no difference who you are, how much status you have or even how close you are to the Lord. In fact, this passage teaches us very clearly that death is inevitable for even those who are the Son of God’s closest friends.
Jesus loved the family of Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. And in vs:3 we see that the two girls send a message to Jesus saying, "Lord, the one you love is very sick." This family was so close to Jesus that when Lazarus grew gravely ill the sisters wanted Jesus to know because they knew He would respond to the news. Kind of like when someone tells you that a close friend is sick and they say, "I knew you would want to know." The relationship between this family and Jesus apparently was that close.
Now, knowing that makes Jn. 11:6 very interesting. 11:4 says about Lazarus being sick, "...when Jesus heard about it..." and you expect to read, "He went immediately." But that’s not what it says. Even though Jesus loved this family, even though he knew a member of the family was seriously ill, vs:6 says, “..he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them.” Did He stay away on purpose? He certainly didn’t hurry! Why did Jesus do that? I think there are 3 reasons why He may have delayed.
(1) We learn later that Lazarus was probably already dead by the time Jesus got the message of his illness. When Jesus arrives, notice that vs:17 says that Jesus was told that, “Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.” When you do the math you that the messenger 1 day to find Jesus, Jesus stayed 2 days and then traveled another day to Bethany. That’s four days. The only explanation is that Lazarus died right after the messenger left to get Jesus and so he was already in the grave when Jesus got the message. I believe our Lord, with His divine knowledge, knew that Lazarus was already dead and there was nothing He could do to prevent the death or to prevent Mary and Martha from grieving, so He did not hurry.
(2) Jesus’ timing of His own last days on this earth was important. Had Jesus gone to Bethany, which vs:18 tells us is just outside Jerusalem, immediately, He may have been arrested before the Passover which was God’s timing for His Son’s sacrifice. By waiting for two days Jesus came to Jerusalem under the protection of the large crowd of tourists that had come for the feast days.
(3) But most significantly, by waiting for 2 days Jesus demonstrated His absolute power over death. By allowing the body of Lazarus to decompose there would be no doubt as to His domination over death. The Jews had a theory that when a person died their spirit hovered over the body for 3 days but on the fourth day because of decay the spirit departed. And so when Jesus raises this man who had been dead 4 days it was undeniable proof that a miracle of astonishing degree had happened. That’s why in vs:4 Jesus says, “Lazarus’ sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this.” It’s going to include death but it won’t end there. You see, Jesus by delaying, was not showing unconcern but was demonstrating that He was the Son of God.
Now, the important principle that we need to learn from all this is that physical death is inevitable. We may act like we are going to live forever but the plain, blunt truth is that we are not. And it is interesting that the older we get the more we realize just how true this fact is. My wife, Deb and I, several years back, while at conference we went to a reception for our college alma mater. Any of you that have gone to a college or high school reunion know that these get-together can remind you of how quickly time passes. Friends that we had gone to school with and hadn’t seen for years.. looked old! It was hard to believe but some of my former classmates had greying hair or worse, no hair! (Of course on our staff no hair doesn’t mean you are the oldest) Most had put on some pounds and showed wrinkles. And it reminded me - guess what? I’m older too - It’s been 30 years since I’ve graduated from college! Where does the time go? I don’t feel that different. Time goes by so fast! But the Bible has always told us that. James 4:14 - "What is your life? It is but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."(NIV) And you certainly don’t have to be old to die. All of us are shocked when a young athlete has a heart attack and dies, or a child is stricken with leukemia & passes away. But it just reminds us of the frailty of life. That means that the burning issue is not how long can I put off death? But.... Am I prepared for it?.
And we need to recognize that the first step in facing death with confidence is to admit our own mortality. So many people try to ignore that reality. As if it will go away if we just don’t think about it or talk about it. I think that’s one of reasons for the big problem of mid-life crisis. It is not so much that our bodies slow down or that we see that we are not going to reach some of our goals in life. I think the major problem of the mid-life crisis is that "Hey, we are approaching the end." After all, if there is a middle there has to be an end. Have you ever thought about the fact that if you live to be 100 and you’re 50, that if somebody says to you one morning, "Buddy, you look half dead today." That they are right? George Bernard Shaw once said, "The statistics on death are very impressive, 1 Out of every 1 person dies."
Death is inevitable and since that is true there are several things that we can do to openly confront it. (1) I do think we need to occasionally talk it over very frankly with people that are close to us. Sometimes people try to talk “around it.” They can’t say, "I’m going to die." So, they say, "You know I’m not always going to be around." -or- "If you get back and I’m not here." You feel like saying, "You taking a trip or something? What do you mean if your not here?" Jesus talked frankly of it, He told others of His impending death and said plainly, "Lazarus is dead." And on occasion we need to frankly say to those who are close to us, "When I die, here’s some things you should be aware of, or here’s how I want things handled." (2) And if you have a loved one facing death please allow them to talk to you about it. I’ve been in hospital rooms where a person is obviously dying and you’ll hear somebody say when they try to talk about it, "Oh, mother don’t talk about dying why your going to live to be 100," when everyone knows that’s not the case. Don’t deprive your loved one of the privilege of saying what needs to be said.
Now, be careful not to go to the other extreme and obsess over it. (3) Once you’ve faced it, forget it. Some people become so tormented with the thoughts of dying they can’t enjoy life. They are totally paralyzed by their fear of death. But, if we have faced it and we have a relationship with the Lord we ought to live life joyously and fully. Paul said, "Whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord’s."(Rom. 14:8 - NIV) Let’s be realistic and admit our own mortality. When we do we will concentrate more on preparation than on prevention.
II. BE HOPEFUL: Eagerly anticipate eternal life
The 2nd principle I want you to notice from this incident is that we should be hopeful by eagerly anticipating eternal life. Notice that in Jesus’ encounter with Martha that she understood and anticipated eternity. Martha starts maybe with a little self-pity in vs:21- "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." but ends with a profession of trust.. "But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Then look at the discussion between them starting in vs:23- “Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ ‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘when everyone else rises, on resurrection day.’ Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him. ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.’” What faith! Martha not only knew who Jesus was but that one day there would be an everlasting life that follows life. Now, granted she didn’t expect it to happen right then! But she was confident that one day her brother would live again .
The longer we life this life, the more we ought to anticipate heaven. Let me ask you. Is eternal life is something to eagerly anticipate?
There are four 4 scriptural "P" words that ought to make us anxious to be there. (1) Permanence. There will be no hurry there. The apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 5:1 compares this life to life eternal by saying, living life here is like living in a tent. A tent is not very secure, not permanent. But living eternally he says, is like living in a permanent dwelling. (2) Perfection. This dwelling place will be without any stain. Have you ever thought about the fact that God created this world in 6 days? Pretty beautiful place huh? Well, think about the fact that Jesus said in John 14, "I am going to prepare a place for you.. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." Jesus left this earth about 2000 years ago to prepare that place. If God created this earth in 6 days think of the place that waits for us in heaven when He’s been working on it for 2000 years! Comparatively this place will look like a garbage can! “..there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”(Rev. 21:4-LB) (3) Heaven is going to be a place full of People. There will be no alienation, it will be a place of reunion. Just think! We are going to be able to sit down with Abraham, Moses, Daniel, with David, Peter, Paul. Scripture says there is going to be so many people that we won’t be able to count them.
I will always remember my ten day mission trip to Haiti. But one of my clearest memories is also arriving home after ten days without my family, I was so eager to see them. And I remember stepping off that jetway and seeing three kids yelling “Daddy,” and my wife waving. All of them smiling & running toward me, my daughter clapping her hands as she ran, what a great homecoming. But you know what time I anticipate even more? I can’t wait for that first day in Heaven. It’ll be exciting watching some of you. When you embrace mates and parents and grandparents and children and close friends that you haven’t seen for so long. And I want to run to some people too! But I also visualize in the back that the One who gave everything to make sure I made it there will take out his nail pierced hands and clap.. So glad that I am there!
Hey! I’ve got an idea! Let’s plan to have a Discovery Church service in Heaven. I’ll get word to you. Be on time because there’s only going to be one service. We’ll have Steven put it together. We’ll have Scott do the announcements, Bob Simmons can greet everyone. We’ll have our praise team lead worship and we’ll ask the Lord Jesus to preach. You do not want to miss that celebration. And that’s the last “P” word, (4) Praise. The Bible tells us that we’ll gather around the throne. Imagine how it will be to lift up our voices with the countless others and sing "Shout to the King"or “My Redeemer Lives” with Him standing right there?
III. BE CONFIDENT: Your Salvation in Christ is Assured
That brings us to the last principle and that is we need to be confident of our salvation, that fact that we’re going to heaven because in Christ it’s been assured. Martha was confident, but then Jesus backs up His promise that if one believes in Him that they will live even though they die, with the greatest miracle that He ever performed. He actually raises a person from the dead. Now, Martha, though confident of the resurrection, never in her wildest dreams expected it to happen right then. Notice in vs:23 she told Jesus that she knew her brother would rise again, “when everyone else rises, on the resurrection day.” But then Jesus says to take away the stone, practical Martha says in vs:39, "Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days." But Jesus’ confidence never wavers. He says to Martha, “Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?” And then Jesus offers a prayer in vs:41 and after His prayer vs: 43 says that Jesus called out with a loud voice- "Lazarus -come out!" It’s been said that if He hadn’t said Lazarus that every dead person in the grave would of responded to that command. And Lazarus comes out still wrapped in his burial clothes and Jesus says, “Unwrap him and let him go.” Poor guy can’t keep hoppin’ around, somebody untie him!”
Now, if there is anything that this miracle should instill with in us it is confidence. The confidence that if you have a relationship with Jesus, you will live forever. But maybe there is someone here today that is not totally confident that when they die they will live eternally with Jesus. I don’t believe the Bible wants you to be uncertain. So, here’s two ways to face death confidently..
(1) Respond to God’s grace by faith, place your absolute trust in Him not your own goodness. Private James Ryan is able to go home from WWII due to the brave sacrifice of several fellow soldiers. Captain John Miller who led the mission dies but before he does he tells Ryan to “earn this” to live a life worthy of what he and others have given. Later as Private Ryan visits Captain Miller’s grave he has some doubts.
VIDEO CLIP - Private Ryan.
Is that how you feel about God? I mean it’s one thing to try to live up to man’s standard but can you live up to God’s? Do you hope that if you are a good enough man or woman that you’ll make it? Many people base their confidence on that. In a Gallop Poll some time ago 71% of people said they thought they would go to heaven because they had been “a good person.”
Let me say something that may surprise you if you would find yourself in that 71%. You can’t do it! You can never be good enough to earn your way to heaven. One time Jesus’ disciples asked “Who then can be saved?” and Jesus startles them when he said, “With man it is impossible...” Impossible. Not improbable, not tough - impossible. No chance. No way. No hope. Impossible. Why? Because God can only accept perfection and once you sin all hope of perfection is gone. So unless somebody does something, you and I don’t have a chance for heaven, let alone to be confident of death. That’s why Jesus came. He paid the penalty of our sin. Isaiah 53:6 - “God laid upon Him the guilt and sins of us all.” That happened on the cross and because it happened we don’t have to worry about being good enough.. He’s enough! You see you don’t need a system, you need a Savior. You don’t need a resume, you need a Redeemer, someone to pay for you and buy you back. Jesus doesn’t end his answer to the disciples buy just saying it’s impossible. He says, “With man it is impossible but what is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27 NIV) Don’t miss the thrust of that verse.. You cannot save yourself. Not through right rituals, not through right doctrine, not through right deeds. The right way is the Way the Truth and the Life.. It is Jesus. You by yourself can’t make it but with Jesus you can have all the confidence in the world!
How do you have this confidence? Let’s close by looking in the Bible and see what people were told to do when they asked the question, "What must I do to be saved?" The crowd in Acts 2 asked that question and Peter said, in Acts 2:38 - “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." There was a jailer in the town of Philippi that saw a miraculous earthquake and in Acts 16:29-33 it says: "Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’(NIV) Imagine yourself asking that question and watch what happens. “They replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household.’ Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized." If you believe that Jesus is God’s Son, then all you have to do is respond as these people did- place your trust in Him, admit your sin, & be baptized as a believer. When you do that you are saved. “No ifs, ands or buts.”
One of the most freeing realizations is to know that your debt to God has been paid by Jesus.. You are good because, like Private Ryan, you are grateful what Jesus has done but not because you are trying to earn heaven.
(2) Once you’ve done that then you need to Remember your salvation is secure. Sometimes people aren’t confident because although they have responded as those in the Bible they haven’t lived a perfect life since then. Now, we all have sinned since accepting Christ and being obedient to Him and certainly we need to repent and ask for forgiveness. But please understand that Jesus doesn’t want you living in “eternal jeopardy, wondering “Am I in or out? In or out?” No, Paul wrote in 1 John 5:13 - “My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life..”(MSG) Not wonder if you have it, not hope that you have it, know that you have eternal life. Do you think Martha ever again wondered about Jesus’ power or promise? Neither should we. Why? Not because of anything we do but because Jesus has done it all for us. You don’t have to be good enough because He’s enough!
Can you face death with confidence? You need to be realistic because we all will die, but you also can have hope and confidence in Jesus Christ for He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." And so this morning He asks of you what he did of Martha-"Do you believe this?" Do you?
{All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation unless otherwise noted}
(Drama: Mr. Peepers Goes to Sleep is available through Willow Creek Drama at www.willowdrama.com)
