May 15, 2001
Sweaty palms, short breaths, knocking knees. For most of us, if we must stand up and talk to a crowd, the thought of dying comes to mind, or at least the wish to be someplace else. No matter how often I do it, forget the butterflies — my stomach feels as if an entire herd of bison is thundering through. I am convinced the statistic is correct — the main fear in North America is not death but public speaking.
Maybe we are so afraid of it because we can imagine ourselves flubbing up in front of a crowd. We can hear the hoots and cat calls and feel ourselves tripping over our own tongues. These images are far more vivid than imagining ourselves dead. Death is an unknown. Oh, we’ve read about people seeing a bright light or feeling themselves float to the ceiling. I suppose we can imagine that, or at least that we have moved somewhere else, yet being dead is a foreign experience.
The Bible agrees that a person does not know much about it. The apostle Paul explained in his New Testament letter to the Corinthians: “As it is written, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Who has departed from this world and came back with an eye-witness account? Who has seen the angels or heard them sing? Who can fathomed a city with streets of gold, glowing in the light of God Himself?
We can read the words and study the biblical descriptions, but we find it more difficult to put ourselves in that entire scenario. Those near-death stories of being with Jesus, of walking toward a bright light and seeing relatives who have died before us are only a taste.
Notice that Paul’s quote ends with “... for those who love him.” What about those who deny God or hate Him? A doctor wrote a book from his experience of being with people who were resuscitated. Some saw that heavenly light but others saw flames and torment. They were terrified as they related those images to him, but without exception, anyone who had them soon forgot what they saw. Perhaps that is the biggest reason most people fear death. While the uncertainty of what waits on the other side is a perplexity, those who reject God and refuse His light do fear another reality, that judgment is coming. Where will they spend eternity?
The above quote from Paul adds another phrase. While we cannot see, hear, or imagine our eternal dwelling place, it concludes with “. . . but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”
In other words, our unaided imagination cannot know about death and the afterlife but by revelation from the Holy Spirit, God’s people are not in the dark about their future. We can know where we are going. He gives us an understanding of a heavenly place that is beyond a mere glimpse. We know with certainty that we will be with Jesus. Wherever and whatever else that means, His presence will guarantee perfection.
The Bible ends with a description of our eternal dwelling. It says, “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 . . . nothing impure... nor shameful or deceitful... no more curse . . . no more night.”
Even though that is hard to imagine, the Holy Spirit and the fact that God promises it, gives me a certainty that all this wondrous perfection will be mine. Now I just wish it was that simple when it comes to the delivery of my next speech!
Showing posts with label fear of death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear of death. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2018
Monday, April 17, 2017
Aging well ................ Parables 576
December 2, 1997
My dad had a sign in his workshop that read, “Never take life too seriously. . . you’ll never get out of it alive.”
As certain as death is, life expectancy is at an all-time high: 75.8 years in the U.S. and it could be a little higher in Canada. Fear of dying plus this expectancy contributes to a common practice of joking about death rather than seriously discussing this universal certainty.
My dad, now eighty-eight years old, used to be one of those who never talked about death. Whenever anyone he knew died, his bulging temples gave away the fact that he was troubled and grinding his teeth, but he never said anything.
Increasing frailty and aching bones have made his life less enjoyable yet like most seniors, he realizes more than we do, how precious life is and that both life and death should be taken seriously. Life is a gift from God and we are responsible for what we do with that gift. Further, death is not the end because the Bible says that all die but all will also be resurrected. It clearly points out that what we do with this life will have a bearing on the quality of the next.
Author Eugene Peterson says that to live well and in harmony with God is the best way to spend our years on earth. He says obedience to God is not difficult but sin is difficult. Sin throws us out of kilter with the intention of our Creator. We were not made to sin and it harms our quality of life in every way.
For example, using addictive drugs destroys a person’s health, warps their thinking and ruins their usefulness. Adultery weighs down the mind with guilt, ruins intimacy with one’s spouse and raises havoc with families, sometimes splitting them and leaving hearts in pieces. This is not how God intended we use our years.
Someone once asked me what I wanted to be “when I grew up” and I replied, “I want to be a sweet little old lady” yet aging well is a challenge. According to the Bible, grey hair can be a crown of splendor, but only if it is attained by a righteous life.
We never start out righteous but if somewhere along the time line, we acknowledge our sin and failure to God, and receive the righteousness of Christ, we can begin to age well through taking the lessons of life seriously. When God uses them to shape our faith and give us godly character, we can not only finish well but with joy and courage.
The Old Testament cites Moses as one example. He “was a hundred and twenty when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.” Caleb was another. At eighty-five, he could say, “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out (forty years prior); I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.”
Aging well means being able to approach death without fear. The Bible says that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” and that Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” By sharing in our humanity and dying for our sins, He “destroyed the one who holds the power of death—the devil—and set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
In the seniors’ lodge where my parents live, some residents are cheerful and enjoying their remaining years. Thankfully, Mom and Dad are among that group. Dad has changed; he talks about death and even expresses his hope that the Lord will soon come and take him home.
Others in the lodge happily speak about their faith in the Lord. The God of peace is helping them to age gracefully and with joy. From them, I clearly see that if I am to be a sweet little old lady someday, faith in Christ and walking alongside God will take me there.
My dad had a sign in his workshop that read, “Never take life too seriously. . . you’ll never get out of it alive.”
As certain as death is, life expectancy is at an all-time high: 75.8 years in the U.S. and it could be a little higher in Canada. Fear of dying plus this expectancy contributes to a common practice of joking about death rather than seriously discussing this universal certainty.
My dad, now eighty-eight years old, used to be one of those who never talked about death. Whenever anyone he knew died, his bulging temples gave away the fact that he was troubled and grinding his teeth, but he never said anything.
Increasing frailty and aching bones have made his life less enjoyable yet like most seniors, he realizes more than we do, how precious life is and that both life and death should be taken seriously. Life is a gift from God and we are responsible for what we do with that gift. Further, death is not the end because the Bible says that all die but all will also be resurrected. It clearly points out that what we do with this life will have a bearing on the quality of the next.
Author Eugene Peterson says that to live well and in harmony with God is the best way to spend our years on earth. He says obedience to God is not difficult but sin is difficult. Sin throws us out of kilter with the intention of our Creator. We were not made to sin and it harms our quality of life in every way.
For example, using addictive drugs destroys a person’s health, warps their thinking and ruins their usefulness. Adultery weighs down the mind with guilt, ruins intimacy with one’s spouse and raises havoc with families, sometimes splitting them and leaving hearts in pieces. This is not how God intended we use our years.
Someone once asked me what I wanted to be “when I grew up” and I replied, “I want to be a sweet little old lady” yet aging well is a challenge. According to the Bible, grey hair can be a crown of splendor, but only if it is attained by a righteous life.
We never start out righteous but if somewhere along the time line, we acknowledge our sin and failure to God, and receive the righteousness of Christ, we can begin to age well through taking the lessons of life seriously. When God uses them to shape our faith and give us godly character, we can not only finish well but with joy and courage.
The Old Testament cites Moses as one example. He “was a hundred and twenty when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.” Caleb was another. At eighty-five, he could say, “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out (forty years prior); I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.”
Aging well means being able to approach death without fear. The Bible says that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” and that Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” By sharing in our humanity and dying for our sins, He “destroyed the one who holds the power of death—the devil—and set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
In the seniors’ lodge where my parents live, some residents are cheerful and enjoying their remaining years. Thankfully, Mom and Dad are among that group. Dad has changed; he talks about death and even expresses his hope that the Lord will soon come and take him home.
Others in the lodge happily speak about their faith in the Lord. The God of peace is helping them to age gracefully and with joy. From them, I clearly see that if I am to be a sweet little old lady someday, faith in Christ and walking alongside God will take me there.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
What does it mean to fear God? .......... Parables 532
November 5, 1996
With it, Halloween brings scary stories, reruns of Friday the 13th movies and unusual store windows dressed in black and orange, or even bones and dripping green goo.
Part of the popularity of this holiday is that people like to be frightened, at least just a little. A high from pumping adrenalin is one thing but excessive, mind-numbing fear is not so welcome. It is too hard on the body, never mind the emotions.
Yet fear is important. It keeps us out of lions’ cages and from walking in front of buses. It is also necessary before we can know God. Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Does this Bible verse mean we are supposed to be afraid of God? Some think not. They say this fear is more like “reverence” or “awe.” In other words, we are to have a similar feeling for God as we would have for a beautiful sunset or a giant tree.
A closer look at this word in its original language and in the context in which the Bible uses it, agrees that most times, fear means reverence. However, it sometimes means fear is just that: being afraid of God. For instance, Jesus offers this warning in Luke 12: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”
Jesus is giving a warning. Anyone who is afraid of people who can kill them ought to realize that what people can do is really not the most important issue. Death eventually comes to everyone anyway, but what happens after death is more serious. Are we going to fear people (who may want to destroy us) or God, who has far more power?
Some people take God lightly. They are more afraid of what people think of them than God’s opinion. As Paul says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3). The Bible is not critical of people who want to please people, but it does condemn fearing what others can do to us to the point that this fear controls how we live. This is the wrong kind of fear.
Other fears can control us too. The book of Hebrews says Jesus died for our sin to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Fear of death enslaves people in many ways but even death is no longer an enemy to those who believe in Christ. He conquers this fear because He conquered death.
Rather than fear anything besides God, we can “call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially.” What He thinks about us is far more important than the opinions of people.
We can also “live our lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” The word “strangers” refers to the fact that God makes those who trust Christ citizens of heaven. We no longer feel completely at home here, but when we have an attitude of reverence toward God, wrong kinds of fear do not govern our lives. We are at peace, frightened by no one.
Halloween is a reminder to me that everything in life that looks scary or frightens me is not what it first appears. All I need to do is shine the light of God’s truth on it and remember the genuineness of His love and power. Then I can easily see the scarey thing is really only a charade, just another mask attempting to hide His reality.
With it, Halloween brings scary stories, reruns of Friday the 13th movies and unusual store windows dressed in black and orange, or even bones and dripping green goo.
Part of the popularity of this holiday is that people like to be frightened, at least just a little. A high from pumping adrenalin is one thing but excessive, mind-numbing fear is not so welcome. It is too hard on the body, never mind the emotions.
Yet fear is important. It keeps us out of lions’ cages and from walking in front of buses. It is also necessary before we can know God. Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Does this Bible verse mean we are supposed to be afraid of God? Some think not. They say this fear is more like “reverence” or “awe.” In other words, we are to have a similar feeling for God as we would have for a beautiful sunset or a giant tree.
A closer look at this word in its original language and in the context in which the Bible uses it, agrees that most times, fear means reverence. However, it sometimes means fear is just that: being afraid of God. For instance, Jesus offers this warning in Luke 12: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”
Jesus is giving a warning. Anyone who is afraid of people who can kill them ought to realize that what people can do is really not the most important issue. Death eventually comes to everyone anyway, but what happens after death is more serious. Are we going to fear people (who may want to destroy us) or God, who has far more power?
Some people take God lightly. They are more afraid of what people think of them than God’s opinion. As Paul says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3). The Bible is not critical of people who want to please people, but it does condemn fearing what others can do to us to the point that this fear controls how we live. This is the wrong kind of fear.
Other fears can control us too. The book of Hebrews says Jesus died for our sin to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Fear of death enslaves people in many ways but even death is no longer an enemy to those who believe in Christ. He conquers this fear because He conquered death.
Rather than fear anything besides God, we can “call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially.” What He thinks about us is far more important than the opinions of people.
We can also “live our lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” The word “strangers” refers to the fact that God makes those who trust Christ citizens of heaven. We no longer feel completely at home here, but when we have an attitude of reverence toward God, wrong kinds of fear do not govern our lives. We are at peace, frightened by no one.
Halloween is a reminder to me that everything in life that looks scary or frightens me is not what it first appears. All I need to do is shine the light of God’s truth on it and remember the genuineness of His love and power. Then I can easily see the scarey thing is really only a charade, just another mask attempting to hide His reality.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Five things all people have in common. . . .......... Parables 524
August 20, 1996
Television, books, the Internet, multi-cultural events, travel, immigration, and even radio have made us more aware of the differences in world cultures. Languages and dialects number in the thousands. So do food preferences, modes of transportation and ways to make a living. World views vary as much as genetic makeup and cultural background. We are neighbors, yet so dissimilar. Is there anything that we all have in common?
Billy Graham says all people share five distinctive problems, no matter their culture or where they live. He says everyone struggles with emptiness, loneliness, guilt, a need to believe in something meaningful and fear of death.
Dr. Graham addresses those needs and fears with the timeless message of the Gospel. God’s good news transcends cultures, languages, lifestyles and world views because it is a message from Him to all people of all time.
EMPTINESS is a sense of feeling incomplete, even insignificant and valueless. The things of this world lure us but none of them satisfy us for very long. The Gospel fills that void. In believing, we receive Jesus — who is more than enough to satisfy all our longings. The message itself tells us the value we have in the sight of God; to Him, we are worth the price of His Son. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
LONELINESS is the deep desire for intimacy that even our closest relationships fail to satisfy. As Graham says, we have a God-shaped void in our heart. People may seem to fill it for a while but in the long term, only God fits perfectly. To those who believe, Christ becomes a constant companion, One who knows us intimately and allows us to know Him the same way. Further, He promises, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you...”
GUILT is every person’s condition under the high standards of God. While guilt can sometimes be a sense of failing to measure up to our own expectations, that universal guilt that everyone feels at some point in their lives is being guilty before God. When we feel it, no amount of good we can do will counterbalance the deep conviction of doing wrong, even of being wrong. The Gospel is the only lasting remedy for this guilt. Because Jesus died for sinners, God can forgive us — totally. Jesus bore our guilt “that we might become the righteousness of God.”
MEANINGFUL BELIEF. People also want to believe in something meaningful. What could be more significant than faith in God and His Good News? He promises an eternal future and a present “abundant life” to those who do believe and follow His Son.
FEAR OF DEATH is probably the greatest common bond. It is evidenced in the money spent to find cures for diseases, even cosmetics to cover aging, death’s precursor. Some cultures seem to treat “life as cheap” but that is true only in those who take it from someone else. Each person enjoying life wants to remain that way. However, death is one certainty no one can avoid, at least it used to be. Two thousand years ago, Christ died too, but He conquered that great enemy. The Bible says “by His death, He destroyed him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and sets free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
For those who believe in Jesus, fear is replaced with deep assurance. Though we must go through that dark valley of physically dying, because Jesus walks with us, we know that is not the end but merely a transition to endless life.
Because of these five elements we have in common, Christ is for everyone and the Good News applies to all — all who believe in and follow Him.
Television, books, the Internet, multi-cultural events, travel, immigration, and even radio have made us more aware of the differences in world cultures. Languages and dialects number in the thousands. So do food preferences, modes of transportation and ways to make a living. World views vary as much as genetic makeup and cultural background. We are neighbors, yet so dissimilar. Is there anything that we all have in common?
Billy Graham says all people share five distinctive problems, no matter their culture or where they live. He says everyone struggles with emptiness, loneliness, guilt, a need to believe in something meaningful and fear of death.
Dr. Graham addresses those needs and fears with the timeless message of the Gospel. God’s good news transcends cultures, languages, lifestyles and world views because it is a message from Him to all people of all time.
EMPTINESS is a sense of feeling incomplete, even insignificant and valueless. The things of this world lure us but none of them satisfy us for very long. The Gospel fills that void. In believing, we receive Jesus — who is more than enough to satisfy all our longings. The message itself tells us the value we have in the sight of God; to Him, we are worth the price of His Son. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
LONELINESS is the deep desire for intimacy that even our closest relationships fail to satisfy. As Graham says, we have a God-shaped void in our heart. People may seem to fill it for a while but in the long term, only God fits perfectly. To those who believe, Christ becomes a constant companion, One who knows us intimately and allows us to know Him the same way. Further, He promises, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you...”
GUILT is every person’s condition under the high standards of God. While guilt can sometimes be a sense of failing to measure up to our own expectations, that universal guilt that everyone feels at some point in their lives is being guilty before God. When we feel it, no amount of good we can do will counterbalance the deep conviction of doing wrong, even of being wrong. The Gospel is the only lasting remedy for this guilt. Because Jesus died for sinners, God can forgive us — totally. Jesus bore our guilt “that we might become the righteousness of God.”
MEANINGFUL BELIEF. People also want to believe in something meaningful. What could be more significant than faith in God and His Good News? He promises an eternal future and a present “abundant life” to those who do believe and follow His Son.
FEAR OF DEATH is probably the greatest common bond. It is evidenced in the money spent to find cures for diseases, even cosmetics to cover aging, death’s precursor. Some cultures seem to treat “life as cheap” but that is true only in those who take it from someone else. Each person enjoying life wants to remain that way. However, death is one certainty no one can avoid, at least it used to be. Two thousand years ago, Christ died too, but He conquered that great enemy. The Bible says “by His death, He destroyed him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and sets free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
For those who believe in Jesus, fear is replaced with deep assurance. Though we must go through that dark valley of physically dying, because Jesus walks with us, we know that is not the end but merely a transition to endless life.
Because of these five elements we have in common, Christ is for everyone and the Good News applies to all — all who believe in and follow Him.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Conquering Death .......... Parables 470
May 2, 1995
Daniel Webster, an orator and statesman who lived from 1782 to 1852, is not to be confused with author Noah Webster who compiled words into dictionaries. Daniel was just as well known for his skill with many words but he ended his life with just one.
It happened in Marshfield, October 24, 1852. Webster’s doctor, a sensitive man named Jeffries, gave him as much medicine as practically possible. Knowing death was near, he chose to be a friend rather than a physician. He picked up an old, well-worn hymn book and began reading one of Webster’s favorite hymns: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
Jeffries read every stanza. When he got to the last, Webster’s lips were moving too, but no sound came. The doctor read the concluding line: “When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing thy power to save. I’ll sing thy power to save, I’ll sing thy power to save.”
Their eyes met and Webster uttered his final words: “Amen, Amen, Amen!”
This true story reminds me of books: “Foxes’ Book of Martyrs” and a more recent work called “Voices from the Edge of Eternity.” The first describes the heroic deaths of those persecuted for their faith in Christ. Some of them signaled without words to onlookers that their great God was not allowing them to feel pain during the torture they were receiving. For others, their last words were descriptions of their first glimpses of heaven.
The second book is by a modern doctor. During his career, some of his patients lost their vital signs yet were revived. Many of them described similar “near-death” visions of a tunnel of light and family and friends welcoming them into a beautiful place.
He also tells of others in the same situation but with a far different story. When they slipped toward death, they screamed in fear and horror at what they saw. Descriptions included flames, darkness and horrible creatures.
The doctor noted that the group who claimed to see wonderful things remembered what they saw and could tell others about it. Their experience also eased their fear of death. However, those who were terrified by a vision of darkness and fire quickly forgot what they saw and were quite unable to repeat it to anyone.
The validity of such stories is debatable. Were these “visions” the result of preconditioning? Did these people in fact die? Rather than form an understanding of what happens when we die from them, better information comes from the one person who truly did die, was buried, and then came back to life.
Hundreds of years before His death, a psalmist wrote: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
The psalmist did die but the New Testament explains: “He was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”
Near-death visions strengthen those who have them, but the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection gives a greater victory to all who believe in Him. Because He died and rose, we too can conquer death and, without fear of flames or torment, look forward to glory.
Daniel Webster, an orator and statesman who lived from 1782 to 1852, is not to be confused with author Noah Webster who compiled words into dictionaries. Daniel was just as well known for his skill with many words but he ended his life with just one.
It happened in Marshfield, October 24, 1852. Webster’s doctor, a sensitive man named Jeffries, gave him as much medicine as practically possible. Knowing death was near, he chose to be a friend rather than a physician. He picked up an old, well-worn hymn book and began reading one of Webster’s favorite hymns: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
Jeffries read every stanza. When he got to the last, Webster’s lips were moving too, but no sound came. The doctor read the concluding line: “When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing thy power to save. I’ll sing thy power to save, I’ll sing thy power to save.”
Their eyes met and Webster uttered his final words: “Amen, Amen, Amen!”
This true story reminds me of books: “Foxes’ Book of Martyrs” and a more recent work called “Voices from the Edge of Eternity.” The first describes the heroic deaths of those persecuted for their faith in Christ. Some of them signaled without words to onlookers that their great God was not allowing them to feel pain during the torture they were receiving. For others, their last words were descriptions of their first glimpses of heaven.
The second book is by a modern doctor. During his career, some of his patients lost their vital signs yet were revived. Many of them described similar “near-death” visions of a tunnel of light and family and friends welcoming them into a beautiful place.
He also tells of others in the same situation but with a far different story. When they slipped toward death, they screamed in fear and horror at what they saw. Descriptions included flames, darkness and horrible creatures.
The doctor noted that the group who claimed to see wonderful things remembered what they saw and could tell others about it. Their experience also eased their fear of death. However, those who were terrified by a vision of darkness and fire quickly forgot what they saw and were quite unable to repeat it to anyone.
The validity of such stories is debatable. Were these “visions” the result of preconditioning? Did these people in fact die? Rather than form an understanding of what happens when we die from them, better information comes from the one person who truly did die, was buried, and then came back to life.
Hundreds of years before His death, a psalmist wrote: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
The psalmist did die but the New Testament explains: “He was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”
Near-death visions strengthen those who have them, but the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection gives a greater victory to all who believe in Him. Because He died and rose, we too can conquer death and, without fear of flames or torment, look forward to glory.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Ready for Death? .......... Parables 466
May 9, 1995
There is nothing like being prepared. Before anyone else arrives at the office, my husband is often already working at responsibilities he organized the night before. Whenever anyone invites my parents for an outing, my father is standing at the door with his coat on about fifteen minutes before their ride is expected.
John Newton was another person who believed in being prepared. He had been a slave trader, but began preparing for eternity by giving his life to Christ. After preparing for the ministry, he became a preacher and helped others prepare to meet God.
Newton also wrote hymns, the most familiar being Amazing Grace. Notice the words of the fifth stanza, “And when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease; I shall possess within the veil a life of joy and peace.”
Newton’s lyrics were tested. Two years before he died, he was weak and had to be supported while he preached. When he was finally confined in bed and unable to move, he said, “I am like a person going on a journey in a stagecoach, who expects its arrival every hour and is frequently looking out of the window for it . . . I am packed and sealed, and ready for the post.”
Newton was prepared for death. In his life, he faithfully carried out the responsibilities God gave him. When the end came near, without dread or regret, he was ready to go.
How does one prepare for death? In a practical sense, financial affairs should be in order. When I die, I’d like my income clearly documented and any debts paid or at least current. All taxes should be paid and my family should know which banks have my money. My will already clearly states what I want done with my possessions.
Emotional preparation is not so straightforward. No one likes to think about dying. We often deny that it will ever happen to us or at least not this week or this year. Should illness or an accident bring it closer to reality, we strongly fight against the prospect. Such responses are not just instinctive. It is our way of protecting ourselves from emotional trauma.
Those who are stoic prepare with stern jaw and no emotions. Others weep or worry, feeling many emotions but unable to take action. True preparedness requires both feelings and a stern grip on ourselves. Refusing to think about it will not make reality disappear. The second verse of Newton’s great hymn says, “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved...”
Our lives will end someday. Crying and anxiety is normal but can hinder preparation. When anyone is prepared, as John Newton, by the grace of God through believing in and receiving Christ as Savior and Lord, thinking about death does not have to cause trauma. Instead read Jesus words, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Those words give comfort. The rest of Newton’s second verse reads, “. . . How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
Newton, along with other Christians, experienced freedom from what the Bible calls “the sting of death.” When we die, we go home to be with our Lord. Because of advance spiritual preparation, life is not over when physical breathing stops. Actually, because of God’s grace, that is when life truly begins.
There is nothing like being prepared. Before anyone else arrives at the office, my husband is often already working at responsibilities he organized the night before. Whenever anyone invites my parents for an outing, my father is standing at the door with his coat on about fifteen minutes before their ride is expected.
John Newton was another person who believed in being prepared. He had been a slave trader, but began preparing for eternity by giving his life to Christ. After preparing for the ministry, he became a preacher and helped others prepare to meet God.
Newton also wrote hymns, the most familiar being Amazing Grace. Notice the words of the fifth stanza, “And when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease; I shall possess within the veil a life of joy and peace.”
Newton’s lyrics were tested. Two years before he died, he was weak and had to be supported while he preached. When he was finally confined in bed and unable to move, he said, “I am like a person going on a journey in a stagecoach, who expects its arrival every hour and is frequently looking out of the window for it . . . I am packed and sealed, and ready for the post.”
Newton was prepared for death. In his life, he faithfully carried out the responsibilities God gave him. When the end came near, without dread or regret, he was ready to go.
How does one prepare for death? In a practical sense, financial affairs should be in order. When I die, I’d like my income clearly documented and any debts paid or at least current. All taxes should be paid and my family should know which banks have my money. My will already clearly states what I want done with my possessions.
Emotional preparation is not so straightforward. No one likes to think about dying. We often deny that it will ever happen to us or at least not this week or this year. Should illness or an accident bring it closer to reality, we strongly fight against the prospect. Such responses are not just instinctive. It is our way of protecting ourselves from emotional trauma.
Those who are stoic prepare with stern jaw and no emotions. Others weep or worry, feeling many emotions but unable to take action. True preparedness requires both feelings and a stern grip on ourselves. Refusing to think about it will not make reality disappear. The second verse of Newton’s great hymn says, “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved...”
Our lives will end someday. Crying and anxiety is normal but can hinder preparation. When anyone is prepared, as John Newton, by the grace of God through believing in and receiving Christ as Savior and Lord, thinking about death does not have to cause trauma. Instead read Jesus words, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Those words give comfort. The rest of Newton’s second verse reads, “. . . How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
Newton, along with other Christians, experienced freedom from what the Bible calls “the sting of death.” When we die, we go home to be with our Lord. Because of advance spiritual preparation, life is not over when physical breathing stops. Actually, because of God’s grace, that is when life truly begins.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Fear of death .......... Parables 465
March 28, 1995
“Doctor, I’m a Christian but I’m afraid to die. What happens in the hour of death?”
It is no surprise that the Bible identifies death as our enemy. No matter who faces this opponent, in the end death defeats everyone. Fear of death is also an enemy. Scripture says this fear can hold people in slavery all their lives. It extends to fear of growing old and even of becoming gravely ill. Also, many will not speak directly about death. Instead, they use euphemisms like “passed away” or even a flippant “kicked the bucket” to soften fear’s stranglehold.
If death was a friend, vitamins and health food companies and a host of other industries and services would not exist. Medical science dedicates itself to free people from these fears. Cosmetic companies flourish because people do not want to lose their youth and strength.
What are people afraid of? Is death feared because of subconscious warnings of an unpleasant judgment? Maybe. Hebrews 9:27 says, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
After death, judgment is certain. It is based on what people do when alive. Sin has an eternal consequence, as Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death . . . “ However, the rest of the verse gives hope. It says “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Certainly the Christian who made the above statement believed both the first and second half of that verse. No doubt he once feared judgment, but as a follower of Christ, judgment was no longer a fearful thing for him. He knew he was “justified by Christ’s blood” and “saved from God’s wrath through Him.” He also knew, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Through Christ, the law of the Spirit of life sets people free from the law of sin and death.
Having confessed and received forgiveness, if a Christian still fears death, the fear is not about judgment but the actual process of dying. Will it be painful? Difficult? As the man asked his doctor, what does the hour of death hold?
The doctor was also a believer but could not think of a comforting answer. When he turned to leave, he was sad that words had failed him. Just then he heard scratching and whining outside the door. He remembered leaving his car window open. His dog must have jumped out. He opened the door and the little dog bounced inside, excited that he had found his master. The doctor playfully cuddled his pet.
At that moment, he thought of a way to express the truth his patient longed to hear. Turning to the sick man, he said, “Did you see how my dog acted? He has never been in this room before. He had no idea what was inside. Yet when I opened the door, he sprang in without fear. He knew his master was here and that was enough!”
Christians do not know the glories that await us on the other side of death. The Bible says our minds cannot grasp the wonders God has for us. However, one thing is sufficient. We do know our Master waits there. Jesus said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Jesus is in heaven waiting for His followers to walk through death’s door. Our delight in seeing Him will combine with His delight in welcoming us and all our fears will be removed — forever.
“Doctor, I’m a Christian but I’m afraid to die. What happens in the hour of death?”
It is no surprise that the Bible identifies death as our enemy. No matter who faces this opponent, in the end death defeats everyone. Fear of death is also an enemy. Scripture says this fear can hold people in slavery all their lives. It extends to fear of growing old and even of becoming gravely ill. Also, many will not speak directly about death. Instead, they use euphemisms like “passed away” or even a flippant “kicked the bucket” to soften fear’s stranglehold.
If death was a friend, vitamins and health food companies and a host of other industries and services would not exist. Medical science dedicates itself to free people from these fears. Cosmetic companies flourish because people do not want to lose their youth and strength.
What are people afraid of? Is death feared because of subconscious warnings of an unpleasant judgment? Maybe. Hebrews 9:27 says, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
After death, judgment is certain. It is based on what people do when alive. Sin has an eternal consequence, as Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death . . . “ However, the rest of the verse gives hope. It says “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Certainly the Christian who made the above statement believed both the first and second half of that verse. No doubt he once feared judgment, but as a follower of Christ, judgment was no longer a fearful thing for him. He knew he was “justified by Christ’s blood” and “saved from God’s wrath through Him.” He also knew, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Through Christ, the law of the Spirit of life sets people free from the law of sin and death.
Having confessed and received forgiveness, if a Christian still fears death, the fear is not about judgment but the actual process of dying. Will it be painful? Difficult? As the man asked his doctor, what does the hour of death hold?
The doctor was also a believer but could not think of a comforting answer. When he turned to leave, he was sad that words had failed him. Just then he heard scratching and whining outside the door. He remembered leaving his car window open. His dog must have jumped out. He opened the door and the little dog bounced inside, excited that he had found his master. The doctor playfully cuddled his pet.
At that moment, he thought of a way to express the truth his patient longed to hear. Turning to the sick man, he said, “Did you see how my dog acted? He has never been in this room before. He had no idea what was inside. Yet when I opened the door, he sprang in without fear. He knew his master was here and that was enough!”
Christians do not know the glories that await us on the other side of death. The Bible says our minds cannot grasp the wonders God has for us. However, one thing is sufficient. We do know our Master waits there. Jesus said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Jesus is in heaven waiting for His followers to walk through death’s door. Our delight in seeing Him will combine with His delight in welcoming us and all our fears will be removed — forever.
Monday, December 28, 2015
The reality of death ............. Parables 371
May 25, 1993
A few weeks ago a young man was shot and killed in an Edmonton restaurant.
Try visualizing the scene. Do you see a movie or television story with shabby café in the rough end of town, narrow, dark alleys and garbage littering the curbside? Do waiters look like gangsters? Are the patrons tough and rough when masked gunmen burst in demanding the cash register contents?
Or do you see a classy uptown establishment with patrons dripping in diamonds and thieves wearing professional black suits with nylons over their faces and non-glare lampblack rubbed on their gun barrels?
The Edmonton restaurant doesn’t fit either picture. Paneled in dark oak with nautical decor, it is neither shabby or outstandingly classy. The waiters are friendly, ordinary people. The food is wonderful. As for patrons, my husband and I had ate dinner there, a few hours before the crime. We are neither tough nor dripping in diamonds.
We don’t know for sure, but the pleasant young man who waited on our table may have been the victim. If so, had we eaten a few hours later we would have experienced the real horror of seeing him die. Being that close (in time) to a murder is somewhat unsettling. It doesn’t seem real. Movie and television scenes keep jumping into mind but none fit the place where we ate that day. We are unnerved that life can end so quickly yet it seems so unreal.
Realism is a big issue in today’s entertainment. Viewers are no longer content with fairy tales or implausible yarns with “happy ever after” endings. These, so some say, are not true to life, not authentic enough. Perhaps this is why there are so many “based on a true story” scripts appearing before our eyes, scripts with twists in the plot and shocking endings.
While credibility is important, I don’t think “reality” in the movies will ever match genuine reality. It can look real but genuine experiences do something inside us that the most vivid portrayal can never do.
For example, houses burn down on Hollywood sets yet none horrify us like watching the Branch Davidian cult headquarters destroyed by fire, live on television. The video of a real jet crashing at a genuine air show does something inside us no staged airplane or automobile disaster ever does. Reality carries a pathos not aroused by even the greatest stage direction.
Perhaps this is why we make up plays and write stories; the endings can be controlled and even if they are unpleasant, the actors are not really dead because they never really lived. None actually set themselves on fire or are cut down by stray bullets. In the movies, the good guys win and the bad guys lose if the script says so.
But real life is not always that fair. Good guys sometimes die young and bad guys grow old, rich, even dirty, picking up whatever they can grab, no matter who it rightfully belongs to. Perverted demigods care nothing for children and burn them. Thieves care nothing for young men who try to hide from their guns.
While we also personally try to control life much like writing scripts or giving stage direction, none can get around the fact life will end someday. God says, “It is appointed unto man once to die....” We cannot control that.
The best we can do is choose our eternal destiny while we are alive and choosing, trusting Christ even if there is a final unexpected twist in the plot. Furthermore, the reality we experience after this one does have a certainty about it: it never ends.
A few weeks ago a young man was shot and killed in an Edmonton restaurant.
Try visualizing the scene. Do you see a movie or television story with shabby café in the rough end of town, narrow, dark alleys and garbage littering the curbside? Do waiters look like gangsters? Are the patrons tough and rough when masked gunmen burst in demanding the cash register contents?
Or do you see a classy uptown establishment with patrons dripping in diamonds and thieves wearing professional black suits with nylons over their faces and non-glare lampblack rubbed on their gun barrels?
The Edmonton restaurant doesn’t fit either picture. Paneled in dark oak with nautical decor, it is neither shabby or outstandingly classy. The waiters are friendly, ordinary people. The food is wonderful. As for patrons, my husband and I had ate dinner there, a few hours before the crime. We are neither tough nor dripping in diamonds.
We don’t know for sure, but the pleasant young man who waited on our table may have been the victim. If so, had we eaten a few hours later we would have experienced the real horror of seeing him die. Being that close (in time) to a murder is somewhat unsettling. It doesn’t seem real. Movie and television scenes keep jumping into mind but none fit the place where we ate that day. We are unnerved that life can end so quickly yet it seems so unreal.
Realism is a big issue in today’s entertainment. Viewers are no longer content with fairy tales or implausible yarns with “happy ever after” endings. These, so some say, are not true to life, not authentic enough. Perhaps this is why there are so many “based on a true story” scripts appearing before our eyes, scripts with twists in the plot and shocking endings.
While credibility is important, I don’t think “reality” in the movies will ever match genuine reality. It can look real but genuine experiences do something inside us that the most vivid portrayal can never do.
For example, houses burn down on Hollywood sets yet none horrify us like watching the Branch Davidian cult headquarters destroyed by fire, live on television. The video of a real jet crashing at a genuine air show does something inside us no staged airplane or automobile disaster ever does. Reality carries a pathos not aroused by even the greatest stage direction.
Perhaps this is why we make up plays and write stories; the endings can be controlled and even if they are unpleasant, the actors are not really dead because they never really lived. None actually set themselves on fire or are cut down by stray bullets. In the movies, the good guys win and the bad guys lose if the script says so.
But real life is not always that fair. Good guys sometimes die young and bad guys grow old, rich, even dirty, picking up whatever they can grab, no matter who it rightfully belongs to. Perverted demigods care nothing for children and burn them. Thieves care nothing for young men who try to hide from their guns.
While we also personally try to control life much like writing scripts or giving stage direction, none can get around the fact life will end someday. God says, “It is appointed unto man once to die....” We cannot control that.
The best we can do is choose our eternal destiny while we are alive and choosing, trusting Christ even if there is a final unexpected twist in the plot. Furthermore, the reality we experience after this one does have a certainty about it: it never ends.
Monday, November 30, 2015
I am not invincible! ............. Parables 359
March 2, 1993
The “high point” of our vacation was Mount Hafelekarspitze in the Alps! I am terrified of heights — so what was I doing 2334 meters, or nearly 8000 feet, up? Well, my husband wanted me to go. He’s a skier, we were in Austria and who could visit Innsbruck, home of the Winter Olympics, without checking out the slopes?
I argued. Most average ski slopes contradict my desire for stability. Some of those runs are far from average. The sign said they angled at 70o. So much for the idea that those wild ski films are done with the camera tilted. There even were people defying the warnings about alpine risks and actually skiing down them! Besides, the cable car was far above the tree tops and the ski lodge at the top looked like it was much too close to the edge.
This was one of those situations when any acrophobic like me gives some thought to why people would want to defy gravity and put themselves in danger. Even Bob admitted one slip and a skier would not stop rolling for hundreds of feet. Perhaps they do it because they are somehow convinced of being invincible, or maybe they cannot imagine our own death?
Whatever the reasons, the reality about our lives is not invincibility. We all know that Hebrews 9:27 is true: every one of us is “destined to die once.” Yet to me, risk-taking is a serious business. For one thing, destiny (some call it fate) does not mean it is safe to take foolish chances. No one knows for sure when their time is up so why push it? Besides, taking risks may not mean we will die but it could result in a painful and crippling injury. That, I can imagine.
Maybe the notion of being invincible actually disguises a fear of dying; a reluctance to face the issue. We knew a man who would take risks but refused to use the word death. When his parents were killed in an automobile accident, he never talked about it at all.
Hebrews 9:27 applies to that fear too. The entire verse says “Man is destined to die once, and after that faces judgment.” Perhaps risk-taking, defying death, fear of dying and a desire to be invincible, are all somehow connected to a stubborn hope that judgment can be bypassed, that it does not apply to me, that it will not really happen.
No wonder the Bible says the fear of death holds us in bondage, even robs us of the enjoyment of living. It was that thought that coaxed me up Mount Hafelekarspitze. I decided whether or not God choose this as my time to die, I did not need to fear death because Jesus died for me on another mountain nearly 2000 years ago. Furthermore, He conquered death three days later and invited all to participate in that same overcoming power.
This is simply power to beat odds, odds that seem unbeatable: billions to 1. Yet anyone can conquer death by receiving His gift of eternal life through forgiveness and justification by faith. That means God looks at us just as if we have never sinned, and in His eyes we are clean as the snow on alpine peaks.
Because of Jesus, the view at the top was awesome. We gazed at miles of valleys below and over 400 other mountain tops. He not only created all of it but, through faith, gave us a deep sense of His power to overcome fear (even acrophobia) and replace it with appreciation and worship.
No wonder the psalmist says of God, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.”
The “high point” of our vacation was Mount Hafelekarspitze in the Alps! I am terrified of heights — so what was I doing 2334 meters, or nearly 8000 feet, up? Well, my husband wanted me to go. He’s a skier, we were in Austria and who could visit Innsbruck, home of the Winter Olympics, without checking out the slopes?
I argued. Most average ski slopes contradict my desire for stability. Some of those runs are far from average. The sign said they angled at 70o. So much for the idea that those wild ski films are done with the camera tilted. There even were people defying the warnings about alpine risks and actually skiing down them! Besides, the cable car was far above the tree tops and the ski lodge at the top looked like it was much too close to the edge.
This was one of those situations when any acrophobic like me gives some thought to why people would want to defy gravity and put themselves in danger. Even Bob admitted one slip and a skier would not stop rolling for hundreds of feet. Perhaps they do it because they are somehow convinced of being invincible, or maybe they cannot imagine our own death?
Whatever the reasons, the reality about our lives is not invincibility. We all know that Hebrews 9:27 is true: every one of us is “destined to die once.” Yet to me, risk-taking is a serious business. For one thing, destiny (some call it fate) does not mean it is safe to take foolish chances. No one knows for sure when their time is up so why push it? Besides, taking risks may not mean we will die but it could result in a painful and crippling injury. That, I can imagine.
Maybe the notion of being invincible actually disguises a fear of dying; a reluctance to face the issue. We knew a man who would take risks but refused to use the word death. When his parents were killed in an automobile accident, he never talked about it at all.
Hebrews 9:27 applies to that fear too. The entire verse says “Man is destined to die once, and after that faces judgment.” Perhaps risk-taking, defying death, fear of dying and a desire to be invincible, are all somehow connected to a stubborn hope that judgment can be bypassed, that it does not apply to me, that it will not really happen.
No wonder the Bible says the fear of death holds us in bondage, even robs us of the enjoyment of living. It was that thought that coaxed me up Mount Hafelekarspitze. I decided whether or not God choose this as my time to die, I did not need to fear death because Jesus died for me on another mountain nearly 2000 years ago. Furthermore, He conquered death three days later and invited all to participate in that same overcoming power.
This is simply power to beat odds, odds that seem unbeatable: billions to 1. Yet anyone can conquer death by receiving His gift of eternal life through forgiveness and justification by faith. That means God looks at us just as if we have never sinned, and in His eyes we are clean as the snow on alpine peaks.
Because of Jesus, the view at the top was awesome. We gazed at miles of valleys below and over 400 other mountain tops. He not only created all of it but, through faith, gave us a deep sense of His power to overcome fear (even acrophobia) and replace it with appreciation and worship.
No wonder the psalmist says of God, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.”
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Death’s Web ................ Parables 321
June 9, 1992
The sunlight catches the silken strands of a spider’s weaving. It was not there last week but sometime during the nights and days since I last looked in my garden, a small brown creature created a beautiful design — beautiful but a trap for the unwary. Once entangled in the web, other insects cannot escape the spider’s sting of death. Their lot is cast.
Spider’s webs are a wonderful metaphor. From the philosophy of Charlotte’s Web, to poems of conversations between spiders and flies, we have a greater perception of certain slices of life.
The Bible, rich in imagery and figures of speech, also uses this metaphor — but only part of it — the relationship to life found in the sting of death. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, Greece. He tells them how vital the truth of Christ’s resurrection is to living the Christian life. For one thing, it removes the threat of dying. Verse 55 of chapter 15 asks the rhetorical question: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades (grave), where is your victory?”
With that, Paul triumphantly proclaims the grave can only claim its victims for a short while — Christ rose from the dead, proving there is life after death — so death has lost its sting.
Death’s sting, at least on this side of dying, is fear. Most of us, most of the time, do not want to die. Fear of death is expressed in many ways, from re-labeling it with euphemisms to spending millions of dollars in life-prolonging research. We fear partly because we like life and do not want it to end, partly because of the process of dying, and certainly because of the uncertainty of what will happen after death. Is there a judgment? Or nothing?
The good news is that God the Son participated in human life — and in death — that “... through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Death is like that spider’s web — - and it catches all of us. Paul explains that “... the sting of death is sin...” Put another way, death is the result of sin and since all sin (Romans 3:23), no one can avoid its web. So sin (falling short of the righteousness of God) strikes the killing blow.
The Bible does not liken Satan to the spider but he could fit that role because he held “the power of death” however, notice that Christ has “destroyed him who had the power of death... the devil.”
When Jesus came, He could have decreed death out of the picture but He did not choose to circumvent dying. Instead, He destroyed its control over us by robbing the spider, the web, and the sting of their power. This He did by surrendering to the web, just as we eventually must, but with one big difference: since death’s sting is sin, that sting could not touch Him — He was sinless so the only way He could die was by willingly allowing our sin to be put on Him (2 Cor.5:21). That was all the spider was waiting for.
But death could not hold Jesus; it had no power over Him personally. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He conquered the web and the sting, broke the dominion of Satan, and walked out of the tomb.
Because of what Jesus did, sin and death cannot hold those who trust Him. The pain of death is overcome — it is the Christian’s transition to heaven, not to be feared. Furthermore, the present pain and sorrow of sin is forgiven, even conquered in Christ — it’s domination is broken. Both still seek to frighten the unwary into bondage and fear of dying, but Christ has put both sin and death under His feet. Death is no longer our biggest enemy.
Perhaps the real enemy now is unwary unbelief.
The sunlight catches the silken strands of a spider’s weaving. It was not there last week but sometime during the nights and days since I last looked in my garden, a small brown creature created a beautiful design — beautiful but a trap for the unwary. Once entangled in the web, other insects cannot escape the spider’s sting of death. Their lot is cast.
Spider’s webs are a wonderful metaphor. From the philosophy of Charlotte’s Web, to poems of conversations between spiders and flies, we have a greater perception of certain slices of life.
The Bible, rich in imagery and figures of speech, also uses this metaphor — but only part of it — the relationship to life found in the sting of death. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, Greece. He tells them how vital the truth of Christ’s resurrection is to living the Christian life. For one thing, it removes the threat of dying. Verse 55 of chapter 15 asks the rhetorical question: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades (grave), where is your victory?”
With that, Paul triumphantly proclaims the grave can only claim its victims for a short while — Christ rose from the dead, proving there is life after death — so death has lost its sting.
Death’s sting, at least on this side of dying, is fear. Most of us, most of the time, do not want to die. Fear of death is expressed in many ways, from re-labeling it with euphemisms to spending millions of dollars in life-prolonging research. We fear partly because we like life and do not want it to end, partly because of the process of dying, and certainly because of the uncertainty of what will happen after death. Is there a judgment? Or nothing?
The good news is that God the Son participated in human life — and in death — that “... through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Death is like that spider’s web — - and it catches all of us. Paul explains that “... the sting of death is sin...” Put another way, death is the result of sin and since all sin (Romans 3:23), no one can avoid its web. So sin (falling short of the righteousness of God) strikes the killing blow.
The Bible does not liken Satan to the spider but he could fit that role because he held “the power of death” however, notice that Christ has “destroyed him who had the power of death... the devil.”
When Jesus came, He could have decreed death out of the picture but He did not choose to circumvent dying. Instead, He destroyed its control over us by robbing the spider, the web, and the sting of their power. This He did by surrendering to the web, just as we eventually must, but with one big difference: since death’s sting is sin, that sting could not touch Him — He was sinless so the only way He could die was by willingly allowing our sin to be put on Him (2 Cor.5:21). That was all the spider was waiting for.
But death could not hold Jesus; it had no power over Him personally. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He conquered the web and the sting, broke the dominion of Satan, and walked out of the tomb.
Because of what Jesus did, sin and death cannot hold those who trust Him. The pain of death is overcome — it is the Christian’s transition to heaven, not to be feared. Furthermore, the present pain and sorrow of sin is forgiven, even conquered in Christ — it’s domination is broken. Both still seek to frighten the unwary into bondage and fear of dying, but Christ has put both sin and death under His feet. Death is no longer our biggest enemy.
Perhaps the real enemy now is unwary unbelief.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Choosing reality, choosing Life ................. Parables 206
(February 28, 1990)
This uncontrollable swing of weather from balmy thaw to bitter below zero and back again is hard on the system. My old body doesn’t know what to expect next. It would be nice to promise it a vacation somewhere in the sunny south... such a pleasant thought! But keeping that promise is beyond my present capacity. So body, you just have to take what comes. Ah, but my soul... that is a different matter.
Some people say we don’t have a soul. They usually mean there is no part of us that lives on after our bodies die. I’m not too sure why anyone would deny the existence of their own soul, but fear might have something to do with it.
The Bible talks about people who are so afraid of death that their fear has them in bondage. Death is the great unknown, but besides that, it is not easy getting away from the suspicion there is more after this life, whether more is wanted or not. Thus death - the event, might not be dreaded as much as death - the repercussions. As with a lot of uncomfortable topics, this one, some will just push aside and leave alone.
When it is -40 outside, I can easily turn my mind to anything other than going outside. In fact, I’d rather sit in front of the fireplace and look at a picture book of Hawaii and pretend I’m on Kihei beach. It doesn’t get me there nor does it change the reality of the temperature outside, it’s just easier. Maybe that is why some people prefer to convince themselves “when you’re dead, you’re dead”. That’s easier to handle than a question mark, judgment, condemnation or whatever else might be feared.
Nevertheless, just saying a thing isn’t enough. Just saying it isn’t cold outside doesn’t change the weather. Just saying I’m going to Hawaii, won’t get me there. Just saying I’m going to heaven when I die won’t get me there... nor will just saying there is no life after death make that a reality. We don’t call things into existence. Whatever I vocalize, apart from what God says about it, is mere wishful thinking.
However, He doesn’t want to leave anyone without hope. The Bible offers this: even though the issue of death and life after death are beyond our choice, we can decide where we will spend eternity! “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life...” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Eternal life is a gift for those who choose to believe what God says. He tells us that if we want to spend eternity with Him, we need to believe in and receive His Son, not cling to our own ideas, however pleasant they may seem. God says, “He who has the Son has life...” and choosing to believe in and serve Jesus Christ NOW makes the difference in what happens to our soul LATER.
The Christian hope is not based on denying realities. We acknowledge we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We acknowledge we have a soul. We know we can’t handle the issue of death ourselves. We don’t make rash promises we can’t keep. (Such as, “Oh, you’re such a good guy, after you die, you’ll go to heaven.”) We admit it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...” (Titus 3:5) Such reality may not feed the ego but better that than feeding it a lie and being horribly shocked when reality must eventually be faced.
Our expectation is on the One who has the capacity to keep all His promises, the One who promised “...whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Instead of trying to escape God by denying our soul, we ought to deny any notions of trying to cross over death without Christ. He can change fearful uncertainty into confident expectation. But the choice needs to be made now, while we can choose.
Later, we have to take whatever we get.
This uncontrollable swing of weather from balmy thaw to bitter below zero and back again is hard on the system. My old body doesn’t know what to expect next. It would be nice to promise it a vacation somewhere in the sunny south... such a pleasant thought! But keeping that promise is beyond my present capacity. So body, you just have to take what comes. Ah, but my soul... that is a different matter.
Some people say we don’t have a soul. They usually mean there is no part of us that lives on after our bodies die. I’m not too sure why anyone would deny the existence of their own soul, but fear might have something to do with it.
The Bible talks about people who are so afraid of death that their fear has them in bondage. Death is the great unknown, but besides that, it is not easy getting away from the suspicion there is more after this life, whether more is wanted or not. Thus death - the event, might not be dreaded as much as death - the repercussions. As with a lot of uncomfortable topics, this one, some will just push aside and leave alone.
When it is -40 outside, I can easily turn my mind to anything other than going outside. In fact, I’d rather sit in front of the fireplace and look at a picture book of Hawaii and pretend I’m on Kihei beach. It doesn’t get me there nor does it change the reality of the temperature outside, it’s just easier. Maybe that is why some people prefer to convince themselves “when you’re dead, you’re dead”. That’s easier to handle than a question mark, judgment, condemnation or whatever else might be feared.
Nevertheless, just saying a thing isn’t enough. Just saying it isn’t cold outside doesn’t change the weather. Just saying I’m going to Hawaii, won’t get me there. Just saying I’m going to heaven when I die won’t get me there... nor will just saying there is no life after death make that a reality. We don’t call things into existence. Whatever I vocalize, apart from what God says about it, is mere wishful thinking.
However, He doesn’t want to leave anyone without hope. The Bible offers this: even though the issue of death and life after death are beyond our choice, we can decide where we will spend eternity! “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life...” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Eternal life is a gift for those who choose to believe what God says. He tells us that if we want to spend eternity with Him, we need to believe in and receive His Son, not cling to our own ideas, however pleasant they may seem. God says, “He who has the Son has life...” and choosing to believe in and serve Jesus Christ NOW makes the difference in what happens to our soul LATER.
The Christian hope is not based on denying realities. We acknowledge we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We acknowledge we have a soul. We know we can’t handle the issue of death ourselves. We don’t make rash promises we can’t keep. (Such as, “Oh, you’re such a good guy, after you die, you’ll go to heaven.”) We admit it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...” (Titus 3:5) Such reality may not feed the ego but better that than feeding it a lie and being horribly shocked when reality must eventually be faced.
Our expectation is on the One who has the capacity to keep all His promises, the One who promised “...whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Instead of trying to escape God by denying our soul, we ought to deny any notions of trying to cross over death without Christ. He can change fearful uncertainty into confident expectation. But the choice needs to be made now, while we can choose.
Later, we have to take whatever we get.
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