If by the by, you are reading this and you are one that does not hold the belief that The Bible is God’s Word, I hope that the Lord uses me to convince you otherwise. The Bible says a few things about the subject of death. Here are just a few snippets of truth.
Hebrews 9:27
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment
Dying is easy. Facing judgment from a holy, mighty, and just God, well, good luck with that if you are not covered by the blood of Christ.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I once heard a pastor use this scripture at a funeral. It offended a lot of people because while yes, this scripture is true, it was used in an inappropriate manner. It sounded as though the deceased only died because of a sin. Sin brings forth death. That came about from Adam and Eve’s first transgression, sin in Eden. That is why we are all failed flesh destined to die at least once. The second death is a message and a half in itself.
As humans we are I suppose it can be argued the only ones who are aware of death. If domesticated pets knew of death, they would flee from the road. Cattle and other livestock would not blindly graze away only to be slaughtered. As humans we justify our behavior and desires by saying, “You only live once.” Fine. That’s true. We do only live once and that is the big issue! More people use that as a reason to sin, sin, sin, and push Christ away because, “You only live once! Enjoy yourself!”
Christian people truly devoted to Christ and the life will be happy, joyful, and full of hope without having to get hammered, hooked up, or high! The main part of this message today now that we looked briefly at death is one scripture over life.
James 4:14
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.“I just talked to mom, yesterday.”
“I was supposed to go visit, Grandma on Saturday.”
“Jim can’t be dead. Why, I saw him last week.”
We are one phone call away from hearing the news about the death of a loved one. By the time this is read if ever, I may already be dead. We get too comfortable in life until death calls and wakes us! How many times do you think someone will say the words I typed today? Kids and teenagers may get a pass on this, the little ones more than the teens because they don’t think like adults. Truth is most of us don’t think about death until we have to go to the funeral home as a bereaved member or guest of honor. If we are the guest, it’s too late. We are either with Christ in Heaven or we are burning and living on in hell.
We are here. Then we aren’t. That is it. Christian people, do not treat Jesus Christ, His love, Grace, and mercy like the last slice of pizza. Share Jesus with those who are dying.
John 11:25-28
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
How reassuring is that, brothers and sisters? He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. We have the promise of eternity from the Lord Himself! Christ finished with the question, Do you believe this? No matter who you are, Jesus is here asking you through His people and the Word, Do you believe this?
We do live to die. The birth and death dates tell how long we hung out. but it is the middle dash on the tombstone that holds the untold story of how we lived for Christ or how we rejected Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment