How to Face Death

“How to Face Death”

-“When the time drew near that Israel must die”

That is a very sobering phrase isn’t it? Jacob’s long and eventful life is coming to an end; he is facing death. It’s a sobering phrase, because it reminds us that there is coming a day when our life will be over; and we must die. Whether it is sudden, or due to a prolonged illness, there is a day coming that we must die.

This awful truth; it is an inevitable fact!

Despite what you have been told, the subject people avoid the most is not religion or politics, it is death.

The one event that all of us must be prepared for; is the one event that no one wants to talk about.

If you hang around hospital like I do, you know this is true. Families bravely push own, refusing to talk about death to a love one, who is dying.

Many doctors cannot bring himself to tell their patient, that death is near. Our society seems to think that we will wake up one day to read in News week, “Cure for Death found”! But the statistics are in, and will not change; the death rate is 100%!

-“It is appointed under man once to die”.

Death is the great leveler; it doesn’t matter how athletic a person may have been, or how successful, rich, handsome, or beautiful. No matter what the characteristics of our life may have been; there is one event that levels us all out immediately and completely, and that one event is death.

The great question of life, is not “how will I live”? The great question of life is “how will I die”?

And where will I spend eternity?

We don’t prepare for dying while were dying! We must prepare for dying while were living! Death is not something to be feared, shunned, or avoided. It is to something be prepared for, talked about, and entered into with confidence.

Children who were five and six and seven were asked what they thought about death; here’s what they said:

· Everybody has to die sometime, even if you don’t want to.

· When you die, God takes care of you like your mother did, only God doesn’t yell at you all the time.

· God doesn’t tell you when you’re going to die, because he wants it to be a big surprise.

· When you die, you don’t have to do homework in heaven, unless your teacher is there too.

In the book of Genesis we have seen Abraham die, and Isaac die, this morning we have come to the death of Jacob.

Jacob serves as a wonderful illustration, of how to face death. The time had come for Jacob to die, and as we observe him facing death we learn what’s important when you face death.

When the time draws near for you to die:

1. Be Certain that You are Saved.

Jacob knew that the time of his death was near. He knew that he would not live forever on this earth, in his human body. Jacob had been living in Egypt

17 years and he had felt his strength slipping away and knew that he was dying. As you read through , you see several signs that Jacob was growing feeble and headed toward the grave.

Joseph is told in -“your father is sick”…

And Joseph knows this is not your father has a cold, the flu; he knows this means his dad is dying.

He knows his dad is so sick he shouldn’t be buying green bananas. That his expiration date was coming up awful fast. Jacob knew that his time to die was drawing near; how did he know that?

· He was old.

-“He was 147 years old…

Jacob knew he was beyond the ninth ending; he was more like in the 11th or 12th ending. By virtue of his age he knew he was soon to die. Don’t allow the “youth cult” of our culture to tell you that getting old is something negative! God has a great purpose in our aging. It ought to break us from self-worship and call us to mature in love for others. Growing old is intended to make us more gentle, more thoughtful, more sympathetic, and less childish. God help us to grow old with grace.

· He was growing weaker.

In , Jacob is in the bed, he is weak and apparently bedridden. Were told in that he worshiped leaning on his staff, he did that because he was physically weak.

His eyesight was gone, -“The eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see”

I can relate to this, up until about a year ago I could see perfectly; but now I’m wearing reading glasses.

And we are growing older; and we will one day walk like a grass hopper.

· His memory is fading.

Jacob was not with it all the time; , he knows Joseph’s two sons and speaks about the inheritance that he has for them. Then in , he asked Joseph when he saw his two sons who are these? And if you’ve been around older people you know that sometimes their minds are crystal-clear, and sometimes they’re a little foggy.

They can tell you about a birthday party in 1950; but they can’t remember the names of their grandchildren. That seems to be what’s happening to Jacob; Joseph has to tell him these are your grandchildren dad. Now some of you are getting a little concerned right now; because this actually happened to you last week and you’re just 45.

But the one thing that Jacob is absolutely certain about is the time and place he met the Lord!

-“And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and bless me”.

The first thing and the most important thing that Jacob said to Joseph and his grandsons was let me tell you about the time I met the Lord! And he shares his personal testimony; he shares with them when he was saved, because that was the most important thing in his life!

Jacob had been a big sinner before he met the Lord; the name Jacob means trickster, cheat, and crook. He spent his early years conning and stealing the birthright and blessings from his brother Esau. But then there was that day he met God Almighty;

V:3-“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz…

Boys let me tell you about when I met the Lord; and he saved me, forgave me, and made me his own!

Luz is another name for Bethel; on the night he left home running from his brother Esau, God appeared to him.

Bethel means, the house of God; God showed Jacob a ladder that reached from Earth to heaven, and he saw angels going up and down the ladder.

We call it Jacob’s ladder, but it was actually God’s ladder; and according to , that latter was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. This morning Jesus Christ is the ladder to heaven; Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes the father but by me. Jesus said in -“I am the door into the sheepfold, he that climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber”.

Jesus is the ladder, he is the way to heaven! Jacob met the Lord that night at Bethel and he was born again! He knew his sins were forgiven; he was certain that he was saved! He had been to Bethel, the house of God, he had met God, and was saved.

What are you basing your hope of eternity on?

At 147 years old the thing that meant the most to him was the night he met the Lord!

The thing that God chose to highlight about Jacob’s faith was his death.

-“By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff”.

Jacob faced death worshiping the Lord, leaning on his staff. The thing that was on the tip of his tongue was God Almighty!

Your death can be an act of worship! If you want to die worshiping the Lord; you better live worshiping the Lord!

If you are not certain that you are saved; you are not ready to die!

You don’t have to face death with fear and uncertainty; you can faced death with assurance, because you know you’re saved.

-“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Jesus became a man, and died on the cross, and rose from the grave! Jesus took the gloom out of the grave, and the sting out of death. And because we know Jesus Christ the resurrection and the life we don’t have to fear death any longer!

Have you been forgiven, saved, and delivered from the penalty of sin; which is death and separation from God?

Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and save your soul? Has the debt of your sin, and the fear of death been removed from your life?

I was thinking about a song that we used to sing in a country church I pastored.

There was a time on Earth, when in the books of Heaven an old account was standing, for sins yet unforgiven my name was at the top, and many things below but I went unto the keeper, and settled it long ago. Long ago, Long ago, yes the old account was settled long ago! And the records clear today, Cause He washed my sins away, and the old account was settled long ago. Jacob could look back and tell his sons and grandsons about the time he met the Lord at Bethel, and how he was saved. He tells them how God had made him fruitful, and had promised him the land of Canaan, a great nation, and the Messiah.

He talked about the angel of the Lord that wrestled with him, ; and about how God would keep his word to their family! Let’s live in such a way that on our deathbed we can look back and say I’ve been forgiven, faithful and fruitful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When the time draws near for you to die:

2. Be Concerned about Family Matters.

Jacob knowing that he was dying gathered his family around him and make plans for his death. On his mind was his salvation, and his family.

He begins to make arrangements for his funeral; -“And the time drew near that Israel must die… And he says to Joseph swear to me that you will not bury me in Egypt. But carry me out of Egypt and bury me in the grave with our family in Canaan”.

This wasn’t just about geography; this was about theology. Because God had promised Jacob’s family the land of Canaan, a nation, and the coming of the Savior. Jacob believed God’s promise and wanted his body buried in the land of Canaan, the land God had promised his family.

He wanted Joseph and his grandsons to know that, Jehovah God, was their God; not the gods of the Egyptians.

He is concerned about his family knowing the promises and place that God had for them; that God had a spiritual plan for their family; ultimately the coming of the Savior into the world. Jacob was more concerned about spiritual things, than physical or monetary things for his family.

Though he couldn’t see physically; he could see what was important, and that was spiritual things!

Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph; and placed the younger above the older, because that was God’s plan. He said that God is going to make Ephraim, the younger greater that Manasseh the older.

Manasseh means-forgetful and Ephraim means -fruitful; my mom called them amnesia and ambrosia.

And this grandfather wanted these boys to know that God was going to make them fruitful and bless their family and bring them out of Egypt!

-“Jacob called his sons and said, gather around that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come”. And he tells each son what God had planned for him. Each thing he told those 12 boys were spiritual, and important.

-“these are the 12 tribes of Israel, this is what their father said to them, and bless them; everyone according to his blessing”.

Yes we should have a will, and it should be up-to-date, we should have a place to be buried. It would be nice if we knew what hymns you want to sing and what scripture you want to read at your funeral. Your family would appreciate all of those things; and they’re all good and necessary things.

And if you’re not on speaking terms with your family you need to all that you can to correct that.

There’s nothing worse than attending a funeral of a person who is unknown, un-mourned and an unloved. But as important as all those details are there just cotton candy, fluff, the real concern must be about the spiritual condition of your family. And the dreams, hopes and desires for your family to carry on a spiritual legacy, to be faithful to church, to obey the bible, to be people of pray, to be witness, and care aobut missions!

-“I will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession”.

-“And Israel said unto Joseph, behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again under the land of your fathers”.

Jacob is leaving his family something more than financial things, he’s leaving his family spiritual and eternal blessings; he shares with them the Word of God!

He had prayed for his boys, witness to his boys, rebuked, corrected, and carried his boys to Bethel more than one time to get right with God!

Jacob died giving his boys a clear-cut testimony of his salvation, and God’s plan for them and their family! He was teaching spiritual truth and the promises of God as he died!

Jacob was preparing his sons to walk the road of Faith after him!

An old man traveling a long highway came at evening cold and gray to chasm deep and wide. The old man passed in the twilight dim for the swollen stream held no fears for him. But he turned when he reached the other side and built a bridge to stand the tide. Old man," cried a fellow pilgrim near, "You're wasting your time while building here! Your journey will end at close of day, and you'll never again pass this way. You crossed the chasm deep and wide. Why build this bridge at evening tide?" The builder lifted his old grey head, "Good friend, on the path I've come, there followed after me today a youth whose feet must pass this way. This stream, which has been nothing to me may a pitfall to that fair-haired boy be. You see, he too must cross in the twilight dim. Good friend, I'm building this bridge for him.

Jacob died giving his family his testimony of when he met the Lord; and the promises of God from the word of God for each one of them.

As you leave instructions to your family about your funeral, your will, real-state, tax issues; don’t forget to leave them a message about what you desire for them to do for God. Share with them spiritual things!

When the time draws near for you to die:

3. Be Confident Heaven is Your Home.

-“And he charged them, and said under them, I am to be gathered under my people…

Jacob is looking past his funeral and where he would be buried to his reunion with his grandfather Abraham, and his father Isaac and his wife Rachel and the other saints of God.

Jacob didn’t say I might be gathered to my people, I hope I’ll be gathered to my people; Jacob said I am to be gathered under my people! Jacob was 100% confident that heaven was his home! Jacob had a no so salvation. You don’t have to wait until you die to know that you’re going to heaven; you can know that you’re going to heaven this morning!

-“These things have I written under you that believe on the name of the son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the son of God”.

Jacob knew that when he closed his eyes in death he would open his eyes in heaven and see Abraham and Isaac. And that’s exactly what happened when he died; -“And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered under his people”.

Do you see it? Jacob knew where he was going before he died!

The thing that God chose to highlight about Jacob’s life of faith was his death.

-“By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff”.

Jacob could die worshiping God, with hope and confidence in his heart; because he knew heaven was his final destination.

But not only did Jacob know he would be gathered to Abraham and Isaac, he knew that one day all God’s people would be gathered to Jesus Christ in heaven. There is an amazing prophecy that God gives Jacob as he tells Judah about his future, and that his family would be the family of the Kings.

-“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be”.

God gave Jacob a revelation of the coming Messiah. One of the names for the Messiah is Shiloh; Shiloh comes from the same root word as shalom – peace. And Jesus Christ is our peace, he is the Prince of peace. And though Jacob didn’t completely understand what God was showing him he saw down through the corridors of time the coming of the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ. A good way to die is to know that Jesus Christ is coming again.

And though you put my body in this grave, Jesus Christ is coming, and will resurrected me from this grave!

-“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”.

Shiloh is COMING and His people will be gather to HIM!!

What a great way to die knowing that your body is going be resurrected from the grave when Jesus comes! Jacob died and was gathered to his people, with the coming of the Lord Jesus on his mind!

You say I sure would love to have a chance to sit around and visit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Well I’ve got good news for you; you’re going to one day.

-“And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”.

Heaven will be a place where we enjoy the fellowship with the saints of God and our loved ones.

And when it comes time for us to die we can die with confidence that Heaven is our Home!

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, and the morning breaks eternal bright and fair, when the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore and the roll is called up yonder”…will you be there”

There is a roll, it’s called the Lamb’s book of life; either your name is in it, or your name is not in it. And your name doesn’t get called unless it is in the book. Are you absolutely certain your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, and that heaven is your home?

Were told the Egyptians embalmed Jacob’s body, . The Egyptians had become experts in dealing with the body, but they knew nothing about the soul. Don’t neglect your soul today!

When the time draws near for you to die:

1. Be certain that you are saved.

2. Be concerned about the spiritual condition of your family.

3. Be confident heaven is your home.

-“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved’.

Saved from what:

· From Sin.

· From the judgment that will fall on sin.

· Saved from the fear of death and hell.

· Saved spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.

Are you saved? If not why not today! Come to Jesus and ask him to save you, and forgive you of your sins! And he will!