Preparing for Death Without Fear
Scripture References:
“For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s." Romans 14:8
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26
“Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
Years ago I read somewhere that, during the Victorian era, people talked often about death, and sex was the taboo subject. In our day and age, we’ve flipped that. We talk freely about sex, and death is the taboo subject. To me, what’s odd is this: even Christians shy away from talking about death. For crying out loud, we’re going to heaven! Why should we fear anything? Our Lord died and rose again — for us.
Death is the great equalizer; No matter who you are, no matter your status in life, you have a date with destiny. A good majority of people on this planet fear death and they have good reason to. I’m speaking of those who are separated from God in this life, and will soon find themselves facing the great white throne, where they will face eternity apart from God.
Is there any other question of consequence? Where will your soul spend eternity? Every saved person can claim the blood of Christ and with the greatest confidence can boldly cry out that death has been defeated, and we will live whatever time we have left on this earth knowing that the greatest moment of our life will be the day we breathe our last breath.
Just a month ago, on Sept 13, Cynthia's younger brother Pete had a final conversation with Cynthia, knowing that very soon, his earthly pilgrimage would be over, and he told Cynthia with joy in his voice that he was ready. A day later, Peter was safe and secure in the arms of the Lord Jesus. The stage was set for his final act in life, and he performed it well, – with “dying grace,”
Yes, the blunt truth can seem intimidating. Here it is: We don’t need to go looking for it. Sooner or later, something bad will come find us and take us out. But why not accept that, and prepare for it, and rejoice our way through it? Thanks to the risen Jesus, death is no longer a crisis.
It is now our release. So, Death, you sorry loser, we will outlive you by an eternity. We will even dance on your grave, when “death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4).
But for now, among the many ways to prepare for death — like buying life insurance, making a proper will, and so forth — here are two truths that can help you prevail when your moment comes. Both insights come from an obscure passage near the end of Deuteronomy.
Your Final Act – Obedience
First, your death will be your final act of obedience in this world below. Near the end of his earthly life, Moses received a surprising command from God:
Go up this mountain . . . and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up . . . (Deuteronomy 32:49–50)
Moses obeyed the command, by God’s grace. His death, therefore, was not his pathetic, crushing defeat; it was his final, climactic act of obedience. As you can see in the verse, it was even what we call a mountaintop experience.
“Your death will be your final act of obedience in this world below.”
Sadly, our deaths are usually painful and humiliating. But that’s obvious. Down beneath the surface appearances, the profound reality is this: your death too will be an act of obedience, for you too are God’s servant, like Moses.
The Bible says about us all, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). He will not throw you away like a crumpled-up piece of trash. He will receive you as his treasured friend. Your death might be messy here on earth, but it will not be disgusting to God above.
It will be, to Him, “precious” — that is, valued and honored. It will be you obeying the One who said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). You followed him with a first step, and you will follow him with a last step. And when you’re thinking about it, don’t worry about failing him at that final moment. He who commands you will also carry you.
Given the grandeur of a Christian’s death, I have to admit that I have never seen a Christian funeral do justice to the magnitude of the moment. We try, but our services fall short. Only by faith, looking beyond our poor efforts at doing honor, can we truly savor the wonder of a Christian’s crowning glory. Even still, let’s make every Christian funeral as meaningful as it can be by believing and declaring the truth.
A blood-bought sinner has just stepped on Satan’s neck and leapt up into eternal happiness, by God’s grace and for his glory. The day of your funeral, this uncomprehending world will stumble along in its oblivious way. But your believing family and friends will understand what’s really going on. And they will rejoice.
This being so, why not look forward to dying? Paul was so eager for his day of release, he honestly couldn’t decide whether he’d rather keep serving Jesus here or die and go be with Jesus there: “What shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two” (Philippians 1:22–23 NIV). When our work here is finally complete, why stay one moment longer?
Of course, just as God decides our birthday (which we do know), so God also decides our day of death (which we do not know). Let’s bow to His schedule. But right now, by faith, let’s also start sitting on the edge of our seats in eager anticipation.
And when He does give the command, “Die,” we then can say, “Yes, Lord! At long last!” And we will die. He will help us obey him even then — especially then.
Your Happiness is waiting
Second, your death will be your happy meeting with the saints in that world above. Not only did God command Moses to die, but he also deepened and enriched Moses’s expectations of his death:
Die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. (Deuteronomy 32:50)
To be with our Lord in heaven above is the ultimate human experience. But He himself includes in that sacred privilege “the communion of saints,” to quote the Apostles’ Creed. When you die, like Moses, you will be gathered to your people — all the believers in Jesus who have gone before you into the presence of God. I love that phrase, “you will be gathered to your people.”
Heaven will not be solitary with Jesus alone. It will be you with countless others, surrounding his throne of grace, all of you glorifying and enjoying him together with explosive enthusiasm (Revelation 7:9–10). Right now, in this world, we are “the church militant,” to use the traditional wording. But even now, we are one with “the church triumphant” above. And when we die, we finally enter into the full experience of the blood-bought communion of saints.
Many of you reading this look forward to that day when you will be reunited with your loved ones or friends that are already with the Lord. Cynthia and I treasure the moment when we will be in the presence of our beloved Laura and James. I will rejoice in seeing my father, and Cynthia her parents. The greatest of blessings await us in Heaven!
Think about it. No church splits, or church discipline, no broken relationships, not even chilly aloofness. We all will be united before Christ in a celebration of his salvation too joyous for any petty smallness to sneak into our hearts.
You will like everyone there, and everyone there will like you too. You will be included. You will be understood. You will be safe. No one will kick you out, no one will bully you, no one will slander you — not in the presence of the King.
And you will never again, even once, even a little, disappoint anyone else or hurt their feelings or let them down. You will be magnificent, like everyone around you, for Jesus will put his glory upon us all.
Looking Death in the Face With Confidence
"Even now, by God’s grace, we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant." (Hebrews 12:22–24)
“Why should we, citizens of the heavenly city, ever fear anything about earthly death?”
They all are there, right at this very moment, in the invisible realm. It’s only an inch away. And the instant after your last breath in this dark world, you will awaken to that bright world above, where you will be welcomed in and rejoiced over. Saint Augustine might smile and nod with deep dignity.
Martin Luther might give you a warm bear hug. Elisabeth Elliot might gently shake your hand. And maybe for the first time ever, you’ll discover how good it feels to really belong.
Here’s my point. Why should we, citizens of the heavenly city, ever fear anything about earthly death? By faith in God’s promises in the gospel, let’s get ready now so that we face it then with calm confidence — and even with bold defiance.
I have more friends than I’d like to admit that are in prison serving a sentence of “life without parole.” I visit these men somewhat regularly and admit sometimes it’s more than a little sobering sitting across from a 30 or 40 year old, knowing that he will more than likely spend his last days behind bars.
Then I become encouraged as I see these men living a life of faith and a rare contentment in Christ. Men who know they will never see the light of day beyond prison walls, and who get up everyday asking God how He can use them to bring light into a dark place.
Final Thought: The Beloved Charles Spurgeon Dies Well
Charles Spurgeon died at 11:05 p.m. on January 31, 1892, in Menton, France. With Susannah by his side, the 57-year-old pastor succumbed to kidney failure and fell into a coma from which he did not recover.
Thanks to the newly-invented telegraph, word of Spurgeon’s death circled the globe. More than 100,000 people attended his funeral. Every store on the route of his funeral procession closed for the day out of respect.
B. H. Carroll, founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said, “If every crowned head in Europe had died that night, the event would not be so momentous as the death of this one man.”
But death didn’t catch Spurgeon off guard. He’d spent his whole life dying every day. For him, dying well required living well—living in the presence of Christ.
In one of Spurgeon’s books, I found 10 quotes for those who want to die well.
1. “To be prepared to die is to be prepared to live.”
2. “It is the very joy of this earthly life to think that it will come to an end.”
3. “The best moment of a Christian’s life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven.”
4. “The only people for whom I have felt any envy have been dying members of this very church.”
5. “If I do not think of death, yet death will think of me.”
6. “It is not a loss to die, it is a lasting, perpetual gain.”
7. “Let us learn to hold loosely our dearest friends. Let us love them, but let us always learn to love them as dying things.”
8. “It is a grand thing to see a man dying full of life.”
9. “He who learns to die daily while he lives will find it no difficulty to breathe out his soul for the last time.”
10. “All the glories of midday are eclipsed by the marvels of sunset.”
I’ve been to London several times, and regrettably never made it to Norwood Cemetery to visit Charles Spurgeon's tomb. Outside of his massive gravestone you’ll see a stone Bible cemented open to Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
How fitting! The same verse God used for Spurgeon’s second birth will witness his third birth, when “the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52).
“I would not mind if I were condemned to live fifty years more and never allowed to speak but these five words: 'Christ died for the ungodly.'”
May we, like Spurgeon, die while we live, knowing that through Christ we shall live after we die.
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith & Life Journal: by Gregg Harris
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