Dealing With Death

Heb 2:15

15 And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives. AMP

A word of comfort for today; “Conquering Death”. A question maybe raised in the mind of some in attendance here today is; “how can one conquer death:?

The answer to that question is yes, death can be conquered. By conquering death do not by and stretch of imagination that we can stop death, but it can be conquered.

The answer is in the grace of God. Yes, Grace is the answer.

Grace is not something that we receive from one another. Let me say here, please do not misunderstand me in that I am saying in times like we have before us now, that friends and love one ought to stay away. No, by no  means I am I saying that. Of course at the same time there are some of us who make visits to those who are bereaved would do well if we stayed away. We say things we ought not say and ask questions we ought not ask.

By such we can  make the situation more grieving than it would ordinary be.

I have experience an occasion in my life when I did not know God, very devastating words came from someone in the lose of my three month old son of .

But my dearly beloved, we can “Conquer Death”.

Fear of death also causes some Christian people to have to endure many needless sorrows. They are ill, and likely to die, and, instead of being in a calm and serene state of mind, as they ought to be, they are greatly perturbed and distressed. Even while they are well, it sometimes happens that, sitting down, and thinking upon their last hours, they are burdened and depressed. Now this sorrow is a sorrow of the

flesh which ought to be avoided; we ought to seek for grace to conquer it so that we may not have the sorrow of the world which worketh death.

When death causes us fear it is dishonoring to God. It looks as if we can trust Him in fair weather, but when the storms of life growls our trust level diminishes; can we believe in Him while we are well and strong, but can not trust in Him when health and strength are failing or tragedy be-falls us? Let us if you please; Never forget what David said, " Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death”. NIV  Ps 68:20. We greatly glorify God when we can say as did Job, "Job 13:15 a & b Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; NIV;" but if we are afraid of death, it looks as if we have not a wholehearted trust in God, or that perfect love to Him which casteth out all fear.

And this fear of death also tends very much to dishonour our holy religion in the eyes of those who are not believers in Jesus. The calmness with which the Christian expects his end, or even the holy joy with which he anticipates it, is one of the things which ungodly men cannot comprehend; and even if they will not confess it, they are a good deal impressed by it, and often feel their hearts longing to know that blessed secret which can make Christians look forward to their last days on earth in such a cheery spirit.

I am amazed sometimes at what people say. If you are not falling all apart over the lost of a beloved love one , they say he or she is just in shock. Well I say to that, how long those it take for those who are grounded in Lord to realize that a love one life has gone. And on the other side if you fall all apart they will say, it those not take all of that.

The Christian who contemplates death with joy is a living sermon. This joy is not joy that the world can give to you. It is not a temporary joy that only last when there is an absent of conflict. But it is a joy that will hold you in the midst of a storm. I can understand that there is a storm right now, but the storm is passing over.

 Hence, dear friends, the Church of Christ loses it’s defence, and the  world loses this evidence, when we are troubled by the fear of death. This fear ought not to be found in Christians; and if it ever is, they ought to strive against it until they overcome it.

Conquering Death

Death to the believer is not an execution, it is his deliverance,

Christ has taken away the fear of death from those who truly know him by assuring us that our soul shall not die or become extinct. There is a vital principle within us, as Jesus said, "Because I Live, you shall live also." One of his last solemn declarations was, this was the Lord Jesus’s prayer  before He made His departure from this old world. In gospel of John chapter 17:24, he said.

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world". NIV

"  We sorrow not as without hope concerning those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, far we know that they are for ever with the Lord. "To be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" 2 Co 5:8, is the divine revelation concerning all who are in Christ Jesus by a living faith; because our souls shall never die, we are not afraid to venture into the world of spirits.

I hope no one is thinking that I am preaching an young beloved sister in to heaven,. No, I have no heaven, nor do I have a hell, but God the Righteous Judge makes all decisions on those matters. if that’s your thinking you have missed the point.

I speak to those of us who still as of this moment have blood running in your vane.

God’s grace will give you the joy you need,     God’s grace will give you the peace you need.    It was His grace that allowed His Son to take our place, so we could have what we need to over come death.

Ro 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.     NIV