I'm hoping that it isn't news, but you're going to die.
There's going to be that day which will be your last. You are going to go
through the process of ending life here. It's not something that most people
think about these days, but we all really should. One reason why people don't
think about it is that death is something that our culture hates. So, most folk
avoid the topic. Others try to redefine it. They talk about death as a friend,
as a part of the natural way of things or something like that - all of which is
a lie. Death is no friend. It is an enemy. It's the last enemy that Jesus will
destroy. But until He does that, it is something that you all will have to
face. So, it seems wise to prepare for that.
Over the last few weeks I've spoken from John's Gospel about
how Jesus approached His death on the Cross. I've used Him as an example for
you to imitate. I've shown you how He died well. And that, remember, is an
important goal, dying well. You don't know how you will die. It may happen
quietly in your sleep or rather quickly like a massive heart attack. Or it just
may be a process that lingers and drags on for what will seem like forever. You
don't know how. But what you do know is that you are to follow Him. That means
that you are to live as He lived and to die as He died.
What I'd like to do is to highlight some things from what
we've seen in John's Gospel over the last few weeks as Jesus went to His death.
The goal is to help you to prepare for what inevitably will happen. The goal is
to help you to prepare for your death.
Let's start with this. Don't fight the fact that you're
going to die. Don't even try to hide from it. It's going to happen. It's part
of the Father's plan for you. He has already decided when it's going to happen
as well as how.
Submit to the Father in this. Jesus didn't fight it. And He
certainly didn't try to hide from it. No, He submitted. And that's why He could
say,
And what
shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come
to this hour. Father, glorify your name.
Jesus submitted Himself to the one who sent Him to die.
To be sure, Jesus wrestled with this part of the Father's
plan when He was praying in Gethsemane. And that makes sense. Submission isn't
about blind obedience as if you were a slave. Submission can include lots of
questions and lots of discussion. It's just that once the decision is made,
once the conclusion has been reached, the questions end and discussion comes to
a close. Jesus discusses His death with the Father. But when the answer was
clear He submitted. So, throughout this section of John's Gospel you see no
complaining, no grumbling, no hesitation. Jesus went to His death willingly.
So, if it appears to be the time for you to die, discuss it
fully with the Father. Raise all of your questions. But when it's clear that
you are called to die, don't fight it. Accept it as the Father's will and go to
your death willingly.
Now, also bear in mind that Jesus understood that the Father
didn't just decide when He would die but also how. Jesus could have died
peacefully, as an old man, full of years, in His sleep, after a life full of
ministry. But that's not what happened. The agony of the Cross was part of the
plan. Jesus knew that and accepted it. That's why He could say,
For I have come down from heaven,
not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Likewise, in your case, the when and the how have already
been decided by the Father. So, you also might die peacefully in your sleep
after a long and satisfying life. Or you might die a painful death that lingers
long. It's the Father's choice. Will you also submit to the Father's will?
Being confronted with the possibility of a slow, lingering
death raises some important questions. Here's one that's kind of critical. Do
you trust Him? That is, do you believe that the sovereign God, who decides
things like the time and manner of your death, loves you and intends, by your
death, good for you and through you for others? It's one thing to trust God
when you have a bill to pay and a little short of cash. It's another thing when
the diagnosis is cancer. That's when a question about trust becomes more
pointed.
Then, there is this other question. It has to do with this
saying of Jesus.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless
a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it
dies, it bears much fruit.
Do you remember how I applied that to you? I talked about
being willing to set aside what seem to be good desires just because you've
been called to do that. So, are you
willing to die like that grain of wheat? Are you willing to set aside the
desire to avoid pain if that's what the Father calls you to? Avoiding pain
seems to make so much sense. But it may be that you will have to hurt in your
dying. Are you prepared to do that? Bear in mind that, just as with Jesus, the
manner of your dying has a purpose in the Father's plan. It is a way for you ‘to
bear much fruit’. So, are you willing to set aside your desires and accept
whatever kind of death you are called to because you trust the Father?
John records something else that Jesus said as He was about
to die.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all
was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
Physically speaking, it would make sense for Jesus to be
thirsty. But John tells us why Jesus said those words. It wasn't because He was
thirsty. It was to fulfill Scripture. Jesus had a little more to do even as He
was on the brink of death. So, He did it. You may have things to do, callings
to complete, even as you are dying. Jesus was able to complete His life's work
because He didn't turn inward when it came time to die. Again, no complaining
or any of that. He wasn't thinking about Himself.
And that becomes ever so clear as you consider Jesus concern
for His mother.
When Jesus saw his mother and the
disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold,
your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that
hour the disciple took her to his own home.
There are many powerful words that can be spoken from a
deathbed. Words of forgiveness and reconciliation. Words that will challenge
someone to live well or maybe to die well. Words that express a deep love, something
that will be so helpful for those left behind. That won't happen if someone is
complaining with, 'Why is this happening to me?' or something like that.
Along with having the right attitude, there is a physical
reason why Jesus was able to say those words from the Cross. Matthew tells us,
They offered him wine to drink,
mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
More than likely, the wine with gall was intended to dull
the pain by drugging Him. He didn't take it. He wanted to be able to do those
things and say those words that I have been talking about. He could not do that
half drugged.
It may be that you will be offered some medication that will
dull your pain as you await death. And it may be that you should take it.
However, it may be that you shouldn't. You can't speak powerful words from your
deathbed if you are drugged to semi-consciousness. The intention in the offer
of these medications is kind-hearted. But it is based on the assumption that
avoiding pain is the most important desire. It isn't. My point is not that you
should always avoid such medications. My point is that you should think about
it and make a wise choice.
So, how do you do all of this? How can you imitate Jesus in
His dying? The answer is not complicated. How you live will determine how you
die.
So, consider submission to the Father's will. It's as you
learn how to do that when it comes to some relatively small bump in the road
that you will be able to do that when it comes to your death.
It's as you learn that life is not about you and your
happiness that you are able to die to some good desires so that you can make
Jesus look good.
It's as you learn how to live for the glory of God that you
will be able to die for His glory.
There are things you need to learn now. And the Spirit is
ready to teach you.
How you live will determine how you die.
I've told you before about the early followers of John
Wesley during the Evangelical Revival in the mid 1700's. People said of them,
'These people die well'. People today don't. You can have a tremendous impact
on them by how you approach your death. You can make Jesus look really good by
not being afraid of what so many are afraid of. And when it comes time for you
to die, you can speak words that will be powerfully used by the Spirit. Learn
to live well so that you can die well - for the glory of God.