Our text, this morning, is going to be a genealogy – you know, a part of the Bible that most of us find, let us say, less than exciting. Somehow reading ‘Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim’, etc., etc., does not thrill our souls. But these genealogies are still the Word of God, and the Spirit does use them. In this morning’s sermon I won’t be focusing on who was the father of whom. Rather, I’ll be considering a unique element of the particular genealogy that is our text.
If you’ve read the title of the sermon in the bulletin you already know what element of this genealogy I’m going to focus on: ‘… and he died’. There are quite a few genealogies in the Bible, but this is the only one that includes that phrase. And you’ll notice that it uses it over and over and over. And so, the obvious question. Why is it here? One of the qualities of good literature is that whatever is on the page is there for a reason. There is no filler. If that is true of the writings of mere mortals, how much more is it true of the Bible? There are no throwaway words, especially if they are repeated like this. So, this phrase is here not just to report some fact. It’s here to make a point. God’s curse uttered in the Garden is real. When He said, ‘In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’, He meant it. While this death is about much more than just biology, than whether your heart is still beating, it is certainly not about less than that. The curse of God results in death and that includes the death of the body. So, here, in our text, is a list of some of the first people to exist on this globe. And they all died. The original plan was for all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to live forever. But that’s not how it turned out. And as a result we have, ‘When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.’ And on and on. One day people will be talking about you, recounting some salient points of your life. And then they will conclude it all with, ‘And he died’ or ‘And she died’. Our text is simply a reminder of what is a basic fact. One of these days you are going to die.
Now, folk these days don’t like to talk about such things. But I need to talk about it with you. I was urged to do this because of something I recently heard in a lecture. It went something like this. ‘The work of a pastor is to prepare his people to die.’ Most of the people you know are not prepared to die. And that becomes abundantly clear when death begins to look their way. I don’t want that to be true of any of you. There is too much at stake. My goal this morning is simple. I want to help you to prepare to die.
So, how are you to do that? I have four areas that I want to deal with in response to that question.
The first area has to do with the problem of guilt. The God who owns this universe is a just God. He deals with people according to what they deserve. A quote from Paul fits here. ‘[God] will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, … but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good.’ God deals with people appropriately. He is a just God. He gives to each one what he deserves. I think that it’s pretty clear which of Paul’s two categories we fit in. If evaluated according to the things that we do, we are all guilty. We deserve hell. And that makes death scary. There is, at least in most people, this awareness that something is wrong, that we are not nearly as good as we would like to think. Conscience. And so, it’s scary to think about facing a just God after death.
Now, you know the solution to this problem. Again, from Paul. ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ Jesus has dealt with our guilt. He does this by suffering the hell we deserve and by giving us His holy goodness. We are no longer guilty before God. Jesus has dealt with that. We will not have to face hell forever. We, rather, look forward to heaven. All of this is ours by faith in Jesus.
Every Christian knows this. It’s the Gospel. If that’s true, then why is it that there are so many Christians who still find death scary and who are concerned about the reception that awaits them? Their consciences are not quiet. They are unsure and shaky. So, as death approaches, they have questions, doubts, concerns. And that makes death scary. But why? The reason is clear. They do not know their God very well. You see, God is either a person’s just Judge or his loving Father. There is no third option. Ask any Christian whether God is His Father, and he will quickly answer, ‘Of course’. And yet, there often remains in so many that sense that He is still something of a judge, their judge, a judge who still notices the guilt of their sins, a judge who just might inflict justice. And so, facing Him is scary.
If you would be ready for death, you will need to be assured that your guilt is taken away, that your God is not your judge, not even a little. You will need to be assured that He is your Father and that His only response to you is love. Your God knows all about your sin, but He is, in no way, your judge. He sent Jesus to take care of all of that. If you would be ready for death you will need to be convinced that God’s heart is filled with deep affection for you, and only deep affection. Many Christians (and maybe some of you?) struggle here. They are not convinced of these things, not really. And the reason is clear. It’s because they have not gotten to know their God as their Father.
This world is filled with distractions. The most effective are things that are actually quite good: being a careful student in the classroom, a diligent worker on the job, a hard-working manager of the home. None of these things is bad – unless they keep you from investing what it takes to get to know your Father. What good is it to have achieved your goals for school, job and home but to fail to have a conscience quieted by the love of God for you? If you would be ready for your death, you will take the time and energy to get to know your Father well by listening to what He has to say in the Scriptures and responding to Him with your prayers. These are the tools the Spirit uses so that you can be completely assured of the Father’s love for you.
The next area has to do with how you will die. What will it be like? Will it hurt? Will I die from some terrible disease like cancer? Will I linger a long time on the edge of death? What is going to happen? It’s these kinds of questions that cause some to be afraid of their death. But, as I’ve told you before, there is nothing that you need to fear. Nothing. And that includes how you will die.
Let me give you two reasons why you don’t have to be afraid. First, Jesus promises to be right there with you, helping you deal with it all. Immanuel. From Isaiah: ‘But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. … Fear not, for I am with you…”’ Jesus promises to be with you.
Now, Jesus isn’t just standing there watching as you suffer through the process of death. Let me remind you of that image from Psalm 73 where the Psalmist says, ‘I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.’ Put yourself in the picture. You are the little child. Right there with you is your father holding your right hand quite securely as you toddle down the street. You will not face death alone. Jesus will hold your hand and make sure that you get to the other side safe and sound. There is nothing to fear. You will not be alone. That’s the first reason you don’t have to be afraid.
The other reason comes from 1 Corinthians. ‘No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.’ This promise includes dealing with death. The temptation will be to give in to doubt and fear. But your Father promises that your death will not be too hard for you. He will make sure that you have the ability to deal with it well. He will make sure you can handle it. So, you see, there is no reason to be afraid – not even of death.
But this is just theory that will do you little good at the time of your death, unless you put it into practice now. So, what else are you afraid of? What makes you anxious? Gives you knots in your stomach? Keeps you awake at night? It’s in those situations that you need to take the theory and make it your practice. I’ve just given you two reasons why you don’t have to be afraid. You need to find refuge in them when you find yourself afraid in these other situations. And this is how you do that. You pray. ‘Lord Jesus, You have promised that Your gentle hand will hold me, safe and secure. You’ve told me that nothing in this life will ever be too hard for me to deal with faithfully. Right now, I’m not believing You. Right now, I’m afraid. Please forgive me for that. And please give me the ability to believe You so that Your Spirit will bless me with fearlessness.’ Spend the rest of your life learning how not to be afraid because of Jesus and you will not fear your death. The theory will have become deep-seated practice.
Next area. I’ve included this area because it explains why all that I’m saying is important. I think that it’s fair to say that when most people are asked, ‘How would you like to die?’, they will say something like, ‘In my sleep’. But for a Christian that’s the wrong answer. Here’s the right answer. ‘I want to die in a way that will make Jesus look as good as He really is.’ That’s the answer of a disciple. And it makes sense because that’s how a disciple strives to live every area of his life, including his death. Some might respond, ‘But it might hurt a lot.’ That, of course, is true. And it leads to this question. Are you willing to suffer for Jesus?
Paul was on his way to Jerusalem when a prophet warned him about what awaited him. Listen to how Luke reported the situation. ‘While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”’ Paul’s attitude is clear: ‘My life is all about Jesus. If that includes suffering for Him, that’s fine with me.’ And his life showed that he meant it. This gets to one of my key concerns for this sermon. Your being ready to die is not primarily about you. It’s about Jesus. It’s about making Him look good.
John Wesley was a leader of the Evangelical Revival of the mid-1700’s. Many people were converted through his preaching, and they became people full of devotion to Jesus. And that showed in how they died. It was said of them, ‘These people die well.’ What a testimony to Jesus and His Gospel. That speaks to people when nothing else will. And that’s why you need to be ready to die. Your death can be an opportunity to make Jesus look good in a way that nothing else can. If you are devoted to Jesus and His mission of rescuing people, then you won’t be stopped by the thought that your death may be painful. Because of your love for Him, your desire is that your death as well as your life will make Jesus look good.
And that gets us back, again, to the issue of making the theory something you practice. You will not be able to learn to suffer for Jesus’ sake once you are on your deathbed. You learn that now. You learn that by working on this thought: ‘I want my life to make Jesus look as good as He is. And if suffering is part of that (and it will be) that’s fine with me.’ What helps here is knowing that you never suffer alone. Jesus is always with you, holding your hand and making sure it never gets too hard. So, along with praying for the faith to believe those promises, you pray that the Spirit will give you a deep love for Jesus so that you will love Him more than anything or anyone, that you will love Him enough to suffer for Him.
Now for my last area. In a recent sermon I referred to Jesus’ dealings with the rich, young ruler. Jesus required something huge of this young man. ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor … and come, follow me.’ That is an incredible demand. How could Jesus expect anyone be able to do such a thing? Part of the answer is in what else Jesus said to him. Did you notice that I left something out? Listen to all of Jesus’ words. ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Too many think of heaven as something to consider later, when we get there. Nothing can be further from the truth. The hope of heaven is intended to encourage us as we follow Jesus now. That’s why Jesus offers riches in heaven to that young man. Whatever treasures you give away now (and that includes much more than just money) will be more than made up for in heaven. ‘Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.’
So many Christians struggle with the thought of their death because they view being here of greater enjoyment than being there. They think that they will miss out if they leave here too soon. Sad to say, Satan has won that battle with his lies. Jesus said, ‘I go to prepare a place for you.’ Do you think that He’s done a good job of it? Is it really better to be here? Death is simply the doorway to heaven. And that’s why Paul writes, ‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ Small thoughts of heaven weaken Christian living here.
Let me close with this thought. You will never be able to live well until you are ready to die well. And being ready to die well is all about believing the Gospel of Jesus and learning how to enjoy its benefits. Being ready to die well is all about making Jesus look as good as He is to a world that currently isn’t very interested in Him. So, here’s the question for you to ponder this week. Are you ready to die?
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