You have heard me talk about living well. That is what we
are called to as disciples of Jesus. You may have noticed that I have added a
related thought to that one: dying well. I've told you that the early British
Methodists were commended by those around them. They were known as people who
died well. Being a faithful disciple can be summed up as living well and dying
well. And it's those ideas that I want to talk about this morning.
Let's start with living well. In the days of my youth there
was a kind of Christianity that believed that being a good Christian was about
living in a way that made clear to those around you that you were a fine,
upstanding person. There were no scandals going on, no secret sins. You were a
quality individual, and your life showed it. That's what living well was about.
I can appreciate what they were aiming at, but that's not what they got. What
they got was Christians living behind masks. There may not have been scandals,
but there were plenty of sins. Christians still sin, after all. But these sins
could not be known by others. If they were, it would be clear, according to the
thinking of the day, that such a person was not 'a good Christian'. He was not
living well. That had terrible effects when it came to the church being a community
or the witness of Christians before the world, or even when it came to how
Christians understood the Gospel. It's important to avoid any of that when we
talk about living well.
So, let's not define living well in terms of the presence or
absence of certain behaviors. Let's define it in terms of something different.
Let's define living well in terms of a developing friendship with Jesus. That
means that when there are problems in the friendship they are acknowledged and
dealt with by repentance and faith. And when good things happening in the
friendship they are celebrated with expressions of gratitude and rejoicing. So,
living well is about a developing friendship with Jesus.
One question that might be asked at this point is 'How?' How
does someone develop this friendship with Jesus? This is where something that I
told you last week fits. Jesus spoke to His apostles about the mission of the
Spirit in convicting the world. He listed three things that the Spirit would
do.
… he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
I spent some time with those three, applying them to you and
to the role that you have to play in the Spirit's mission. I could go back and
use those three again to answer this question of 'How?' But let me limit myself
to just one.
… he will convict the world …
concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
I told you that there has been a change in management. Satan
used to be the ruler of this world, but he is that no longer. Now, Jesus is
Lord. Living well, developing your friendship with Jesus, is about Jesus'
lordship. It’s helpful to understand this in terms of a covenant. Seeing His lordship
over you as a covenantal relationship answers lots of questions. So, for
example, this covenantal relationship is a two-way street.
Let's take a look at that. If you are in covenant with Jesus
as Lord then you are obligated to Him. He is your Lord. He calls the shots. He
tells you what He wants you to do. And you do it. This is not blind and thoughtless
obedience. There are reasons why you do what He tells you. For one thing, you
trust Him. He knows what He is doing even when you don't. And you love Him. You
do the hard things He tells you to do because of your affection for Him. It's
things like trust and love that motivate a Christian to fulfill his obligations
to Jesus as Lord.
Here's the other side of this covenantal relationship with
Jesus as Lord. He is obligated to you. Remember what happens when a covenant is
made. Both sides make promises. Just as you have promised yourself to Jesus, He
has promised Himself to you. He has accepted the responsibility to take care of
you, to provide for you, to protect you, to direct you. So, as you work to keep
your promise to Him, you can expect Him to keep His promise to you. Whatever
your situation, you are to depend on Him. And you are to do that because you
can.
As you live in this covenantal relationship with Jesus as
your Lord, working at keeping your promise and depending on Him to keep His promise,
you are living well. That’s what living well is about.
Now, let's look at dying well. The fact of the matter is
that we will all die. We don't know when it will happen. Some will be warned
about its coming as their bodies slowly succumb to some disease. Others will be
taken quite suddenly. Either way, we will all die.
So, what does it mean to die well? It means facing death,
whether you know when it will happen or not, without giving in to fear. You
will be tempted to be afraid when it comes to death. I'm guessing that that is
normal procedure for Satan, at least for people like us. Dying well means that
you will experience that temptation, consider it, but not give in to it. You
face death without fear. That's what those British Methodists did and were
known for. ‘These people die well.’
Again, we have that 'How?' question. How do you do that? How
can you face death, even up to the last moment, without fear? Well, this is
where living well comes into play. Listen to something from a familiar psalm.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.
There is a difference between death and the shadow of death.
Death is the monster at the end of the valley. And he is so big that he casts a
shadow that covers the whole valley. So, even when he is still quite a ways
off, you can feel his presence. At every step through the valley you are
covered by his shadow. To a culture that refuses to face death, that will seem
like an overly dark picture, too depressing. But it is an accurate picture.
Remember that death is not merely about your heart no longer beating. Death is
about marriages that aren't working as well as intended, kids that wander off
to who knows where, bosses who don't care, loneliness in a crowd, bodies that
are failing, dreams that never come true. Death is everywhere. We are all
walking through the valley of the shadow of death. We can understand why people
give in to fear. But you don't have to. And why is that? It's because you are
living well. You don't have to because of the Lordship of Jesus.
Let me read again from that familiar psalm.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.
And who is this 'Thou'? It's Jesus, your Lord. You learn to
die well by living out this covenant relationship with Jesus. He guides you
through the valley. There are times when He calls you to taste a bit of death.
Being obligated to Him, you obey His call, trusting Him that He knows what He
is doing with your life. This is where you remember that He is obligated to
you. So, you cry out to Him to help you to deal with that horrible taste of
death. And you find that He keeps His promise. He gives you all that you need
to deal with it. And as this happens in different situations and at different
times, you learn how to deal with the shadow of death without giving in to
fear. You learn because of how Jesus led you through the valley. As a result,
when you actually have to face the monster, death itself, you are ready. The
temptation to give in to fear is there. Satan whispers his lies in your ear.
But you can ignore him. You know that just as Jesus walked with you through the
valley of the shadow of death, caring for you every step of the way, He will
walk with you when you face more than just the shadow.
So, here's the point: you learn how to die well by learning
how to live well. Jesus guides you into and helps you deal with the tastes of
death that come at you day by day. As you listen to Him and respond in trust
and love, you are being prepared for the day when you will face death at its
worst. You are being prepared to face it without fear. You learn how to die
well by learning how to live well.
Why is this important? Well, there is the obvious. This has
to do with your own well-being. It has something to say about how you deal with
everyday life in the valley and under the shadow. It has something to say about
how you think about what will happen at the end of the valley. And it speaks to
that moment when you will arrive at that end, face to face with the monster.
Learning to die well by living well is the difference between a deep and
satisfying peace - now and later - and something much less than that.
But then there is another reason why this is important: the
honor of God. How do we make Him look good if we collapse in fear when faced
with death, either the monster or even just his shadow? Talk is cheap. People
aren't interested in hearing about the Gospel. They need to see it. How many
dishonor the God whom they have professed by the ways in which they have dealt
with death. So, for the honor of your God, learn how to die well by learning
how to live well.
Last thought. Living well in order to die well is not
something you can do by trying harder. Satan is too strong. Your fears are too
strong. The only way this will happen to you is if it is accomplished by the
Father's kindness - His grace. So, if you would learn how to live well you will
need to pray. Consider your failures in this, and pray for the grace to learn
from them. Consider what success will look like in this, and pray for the grace
that will make that happen. Pray and listen and then act. There is much at stake.