The Painful, Hope-Filled Reality of Death
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Introduction
Introduction
In a day such as today, and in a time such as the Breytenbach family, and we as a church family are facing right now in this day, we are confronted with the reality of death. Very often, we as people seek to remove from our minds any thoughts of death. We long for it to somehow evade us, and evade those who we love. But death is the very sad, and the very painful reality of this world in which we live.
Romans 5:12 reminds us that death entered into this world at a particular time, and in a particular manner. It entered into this world through one man - the man Adam. And it entered into the world as a consequence of sin.
And in each every day that we live in this world, we most certainly are reminded through life of the effects of that sin that entered into the world. But this is particularly so, and all the more true for us as we experience this great and final consequence of sin, the loss of someone very dear to us.
There is deep pain that the reality of death leaves for the family and friends of the one who has been overtaken by it. And we grieve - and this is fitting. But as Christians, we also grieve as those with hope, rather than as those who have no hope.
As we gather this morning, we are deeply grieved that a beloved wife, mother, sister, sister in the faith - has fallen asleep, and will no longer be with us. But we also rejoice in knowing that she is finally at rest, no longer able to be afflicted in the body by the pains and effects of a sin-cursed world. We rejoice that she is with Christ.
As we consider the passing of our sister Margaret, these are the realities that shine through in these two brief verses that we’ve just read, and I’d like to just briefly consider them.
As we do that, firstly we can see...
1. The Power of Death Over All
1. The Power of Death Over All
The certainty of death is outlined for each person in Hebrews 9:27. It is written there that “...man is destined to die once...”
Every man and every woman, irrespective of who they are, is destined by God to die.
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 8:8 that “No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death.” The power of death is great and extensive over all mankind. And as much as man may try to evade death, or even just to prolong life, we find that we are entirely powerless in this regard.
This reality of the power of death over our physical, frail bodies is in the forefront of our minds as we grieve over the loss of our sister Margaret.
For Harry and for Margaret (and for the family) it was long and difficult road, as they witnessed and struggled for many years against the effects of frailty of the body, particularly as Margaret battled against cancer. And certainly our Lord was gracious to allow them this period together, but that does little, if anything, to numb the pain that is felt.
But we must consider further...
2. The Purpose of Death for All
2. The Purpose of Death for All
We also see from verse 27 that all of those who die will be judged.
There is no person that will not face this judgment. Every person, whether or not they have acknowledged Christ as Lord, will be brought before His judgment seat and judged appropriately, by the all-righteous judge.
Let me say that for the unbeliever, this should be a most frightening reality. Given that sin has affected all men, and that all stand before God as those who are unrighteous in and of themselves, deserving of God’s wrath, the unbeliever ought to tremble. One day, if they fail to turn to Christ, they will indeed tremble before this judgment seat.
But for the believer, even for our beloved sister Margaret, what a glorious reality it is that this judgment is not to bring condemnation to them, but instead to be a celebration that they will be judged to be perfect and righteous because of the righteousness of Christ.
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
And this, dear brothers and sisters, is what we know to be true of Margaret. And this is what brings us a sense of hope and relief in the midst of the pain.
This leads us to consider...
3. The Peace in Death for the Believer
3. The Peace in Death for the Believer
Verse 28 of Hebrews 9 says...
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
We see firstly from verse 28 that Christ was sacrificed.
Jesus Christ entered into this world that was filled with sin, and He Himself became subject to the greatest consequence of sin - that is death. Even though His life was one of perfect holiness and righteousness, a life that we could never live ourselves, He subjected Himself to the ultimate consequence of sin. He subjected Himself for our sake, even to death.
Isaiah 53:7 tells us that...
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
We see further from Hebrews 9:28 that the purpose of Christ being sacrificed was in order “...to take away the sins of many people...”
Christ Himself suffered at the hands of men, and He died in order that the sins of many people might atoned for before our Holy God.
Paul, in speaking about this great truth, that has the most profound benefits for us as sinful people, said in...
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As Christ hung on the cross, he subjected Himself to the punishment due us, and the God-man succumbed to death. The giver and sustainer of life had His own physical life snuffed out, put to an end. All of this in order that he might pay the price that we ought to have paid.
But the truth and the reality moves beyond that point. We must be reminded that Christ overcame death. Having been buried in the tomb, Christ rose from the dead and gained victory over death.
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
It is precisely these glorious truths that lead the one who is a believer to have hope in the face of death.
Because of the fact that Jesus Christ faced death, was buried in the ground, but then was raised to life again, the same will be true of all who believe in Him.
Christ made this truth clear when He was at the grave site of Lazarus.
Elaborate on Lazarus...
With Lazarus having been in the tomb for four days already, Christ called him out of the tomb, raised him to life, precisely in order to demonstrate that the believer may have eternal life. We read in John 11:25-26....
...to Martha...
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
While death is and will be the reality for all who live in this world prior to the return of Christ, death does not have the final word for the believer. Death has been conquered. In the words of Paul in...
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we confronted today with death of a loved one, let us remember also the death of one that loves us.
As we are confronted by the loss of life of a loved one, let us remember also the resurrection of the one that gives everlasting life.
Dear friends, while death is most certainly a time for us to weep and grieve, it is also a time that should fill our minds with a renewed perspective of hope. As those in Christ, we know and understand that death is ultimately our entrance into life.
Death for the Christian is ultimately an entrance into rest, glorification, and great joy.
While Margaret was with us, her body felt the painful effects of this sin-cursed world. She struggled long with those effects. But now, she has been ushered into the very presence of her Saviour!
The words of Paul in Philippians 1:21 have become a reality to her, where Paul wrote...
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For all believers, this is true. And in 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul wrote...
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
This is the glorious reality of the person that has been redeemed by the blood of Christ. No matter what the trials and challenges of this life, no matter how challenging the heart-aches and the frustrations, our bodies here are mere temporary dwellings, as we wait for our call home.
In Psalm 116, we read of the Psalmist who is faced with potential death. He is afraid, and He cries out to God for deliverance. And God indeed, delivered him. He speaks about the Lord’s goodness to him and his grace and kindness.
In the midst of this Psalm, having rejoiced over God’s saving work, and keeping this Psalmist from the chords of death, we read verse 15 which says...
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
The word precious there means “rare” or “costly”. It is not saying that God delights in the death of His loved ones, so much as God carefully weighs the death of His loved ones.
It is not the death of the righteous that is in itself precious; but rather, it is because their persons are precious to him.
Further it is precious, because their death brings conformity to their Covenant Head, Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, it is precious because it puts and end to their sorrows, and brings them to their eternal resting place with Him.
And so friends, even as we grieve today, we rejoice in the fact that one of our sisters has reached the finish line, and no longer faces the struggles of this life. She has remained precious in the sight of her Lord, and He has treated her as such, in accordance with his own Word.
But as we consider this wonderful truth, let us finally give thought...
4. The Preparation for death for Us
4. The Preparation for death for Us
This is an important consideration for all of us here. And as much as death is a painful reality, it remains nonetheless a reality. And we must consider ourselves at a time such as this. Are we prepared for the time of our own passing?
The universal problem of mankind is sin.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
All man has gone astray.
But God, in His grace and mercy has not left man without remedy. In fact, He has lavished His mercies and kindness upon us in great abundance.
The question we must ask is, are we prepared for this tragic consequence that will one day overtake each man according to God’s divine providence.
We have already considered that God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. He took our sin upon Him, so that we might receive His righteousness.
Friends the Gospel that we love is so intricately linked to death and to resurrection. Romans 6 speaks about these glorious links between the death of Christ, and our death to sin. It speaks also of Christ’s resurrection, and how that links to our resurrection to newness of life.
The Gospel truth is this...
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We long for and look forward to a day when we will be with Christ, if we have repented and believed in Him.
Let us then trust in the great redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us fix our eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let us rejoice that our God is the one who gives life, to all would believe Jesus Christ, and the work that took place in His death and resurrection.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we close this morning, to all gathered here, to all those listening, we will continue to feel the hurts and pains of losing a loved one. As we feel that pain, let us remember our Saviour, and the great Gospel truths in Christ. Let us consider that He died for us.
The words of a wonderful hymn are appropriate as we close:
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
We do grieve. But we do so remembering these great truths. We do feel the hurt and pain, but we do so, worshiping the Saviour, that suffered in order to bring us life.
And we celebrate that Christ’s perfect love has been perfected in taking Margaret from this sin-cursed world, into his glorious presence.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Merciful Father, hear our prayers and comfort us.
Renew our trust in your Son, who you raised from the dead. Strengthen our faith that all your people who have died in the love of Christ will share in his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you, now and forever.
Let us look with faith to the day when Jesus will return and we will enjoy the fullness of your promises for eternity.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Benediction
Benediction
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.