Deathly Afraid

Intro

It is so good to be back with you, my church family!

*Give brief holiday recap*

Part of my excitement is to be abel to preach again

Thanks to Emery and Earl for looking after the pulpit

What do I get to preach about this week… death?!

Wow… who put together this sermon series anyway?

Death is rarely anyone’s favourite subject, but it would be impossible to preach on fear without talking about the fear of death

Pray

Facts of life -> Facts of death

Face Death… Don’t Avoid It

Fact of Death #1: You are going to die

Unless you are Enoch or Elijah, everyone dies

It’s a fact of life… or death

Cf. Isaiah 40:6-8.

We need to face the fact of death, even though it is terribly uncomfortable

Not be obsessed with death; but accept its reality in your life

Avoiding the acceptance of death has negative consequences:

Hypocondria, avoiding important conversations with friends a family, not having your affairs in order, inability to deal with death when it shows up around you

Denial is not an option here!

Our culture has a weird and unhealthy relationship with death

Avoid/hide death

*Refer to conversation with David*

Celebrate/portray death

When is the last time you watched a movie where nobody died? Or played a video game? Or read a book?

If we soak up what the world teaches about death, we hide it from sight until we caricturize it in other stories at arms lenght

This is NOT helpful; it leads to our fears of death (multiple)

Fears of Death

Fear of the way you might die

Connected to many of your other fears (heights, water, flying, etc.)

Triggered by stories and experiences of those around you

*Briefly mention Derek Reimer*

Remember what we have learned: There is grace for tomorrow, manna when you need it

No one knows the manner of their death, but you can be certain that God will give you what you need through it all

Fear of hardship for loved ones

What will happen to those I love when I am gone?

*Share story of my Mom’s family after her birth mother died*

God showed His control in the midst of tragedy

Don’t let this fear overwhelm you, but let it help you prepare

Make a will (a legit will; with a lawyer!)

Consider purchasing life insurance

Live a healthy lifestyle… do your part!

Fear of the unknown

Nobody knows for certain what happens after you die. It is the greatest unknown, and that is certainly frightening

What if?… it’s all over?… it’s different than I believed?… it’s not as good as I thought… What if?

The only thing that can combat fear of the unkown is faith

We don’t know, but we believe

This is fighting fear with fear; that God truly is eternal and will hold us in His hands when we breathe our last

Fear of judgement

Many believers still deal with a fear of judgement after death

Yes, God is real; Yes, He is to be feared… but I am sinful and imperfect

True, the Bible warns of judgement for everyone

Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

Faith in Christ does not mean we escape judgement

Which is scary for an imperfect person to consider!

In Christ, we experience our judgement based on His merit and not our own

Romans 5:18-21.

Read Welch, p. 221 (real vs. counterfeit courtrooms)

Fear of eternity

Don’t mock or laugh! This is one of my greatest struggles and fears

*Talk about running into parents’ bed for comfort; still kept up at night*

God’s word of truth to me: “Don’t fear the hope you have”

That is a tactic of the deceiver, looking for me to dread the one thing I should be anticipating the most

This is the only time denial is the right answer to overcoming a fear

Eternity is not a reality an human mind can fully understand… so stop trying

Instead of understanding, the call is to trust

Eternity will be good, because God is good. Whatever it will be like, it will be more than I could hope to imagine

As you can see, faith in Jesus Christ is ultimately the key to dealing with any and all fears of death

*Invite up Kris to share his perspective of faith and the fear of death*

To Live is Christ, and to Die is Gain

Fact of Death #2: You are already dead

Cf. Romans 6:3-4a; 6-7.

You have been crucified with Christ (expound baptism symbolism)

Died to self

“New creation” in 2 Cor. 5:17.

Died to sin

Exactly what Paul is talking about in Romans 6: We were once slaves to sin, but now that mastery has been put to death in our life

Therefore, we should live differently as “slaves of righteousness” (v. 18)

Died to death

Death is the natural consequence of sin, so dying to sin also means overcoming death

THIS is how you manage the fear of death in your life; you recognize that you are already dead

The most significant display of kingdom allegiance

Fact of Death #3: You will never die

Cf. Romans 6:8-11.

This is good news! It is THE good news! In Christ, death has lost it’s grip, it’s power, it’s dominion and it’s sting

Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:53-56.

Yes, you will physically die (the mortal body)

But you have already died with Christ (victory through our Lord Jesus Christ)

Therefore you will not die (put on immortality)

All of these facts of death are true; ONLY in Jesus Christ

Without Jesus, fear of death is inevitable

All you have is this life, which is precarious

All you have to defend yourself is your own actions, which are not enough

Who would not be afraid?

But our faith and trust in Jesus, death becomes the last hurdle to overcome, the last enemy to be slain… with true life ahead

Cf. Revelation 21:1-4.

This is our hope! This is our joy! Let us sing a hymn of heaven as we celebrate what Jesus has done to deliver us from the bondage and fear of death itself

Pray