The Christian And Death
by W.A Bradfield
Fort Worth Christian College Lectures, 1968
Introduction
I. There are 5 grim facts all must face.
A. These are unconditional , inevitable musts which we will look at in the course of this lesson.
1. But first, there are those who know what to do...but have not obeyed the gospel.
2. And there are those who have obeyed…but do not continue to "walk in the light".
B. We realize these are conditional musts – these include the questions:
1. What must a man do to be saved?
2. What must a Christian do to keep saved?
a. Of course we know one does not have to be saved.
b. One …does not have to keep saved.
c. One can be eternally lost.
d. But I'm thinking about some unconditional musts, some things
a man must do and he has no choice about whether to do them or not.
II. Let us look at them briefly:
A. First, we must live.
1. We here – God brought us here.
2. We did not ask to be born.
a. Paul said, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself" (Rom. 14:7)
b. Since we must live and one cannot live alone; and we must live with
people, it behooves each of us to live the very best we possibly can.
B. Second we must die.
1. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment;" (Heb. 9:27)
2. Of course, this is the subject of my discussion; however, I want to point
out in passing that this is one of the unconditional musts.
C. Third, we must be raised from the dead.
1. "Marvel not at this for the hour is coming, in the which all shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (Jn. 5:28-29)
2. Many will want to escape the resurrection and the things that follow it, but
they cannot.
3. We must answer the call of the resurrection.
D. Fourth, we must also stand in judgment.
1. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ: that everyone
may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10)
2. Whether one is a poor factory worker or president of the country, 20 years
old or a hundred years old, all must stand in judgment.
E. Finally, we must be in eternity somewhere.
1. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but he righteous
into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46)
2. We cannot escape the judgment bar of God.
3. We will stand either on the right hand side as one of the sheep, or on
the left hand side as one of the goats.
a. That will determine our destiny.
b. Those on the left side shall go away into everlasting punishment, but
the righteous into eternal life.
c. The kind of life that we life here will determine where we shall stand
in the judgment day.
4. So then, we should recognize that there are these inevitable facts
that confront mankind and we must face them with faith and courage
in order to be prepared when our time shall come to receive our eternal reward.
III. Death is both Certain and Uncertain.
A. It is certain in that we cannot possibly escape it.
1. We started to die the day we were born.
2. Actually, the countdown started on our birthday.
B. The fact of death is unavoidable, but it is very uncertain as to when and
how it will take place.
Body
I. There are many passages in the Bible that point out the brevity of life
on this earth:
A. Life is referred to as a few days.
"Man that is born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. He
cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow,
and continueth not" (Job 14:1-2)
B. Life is pictured as sleep.
" Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are [as] a sleep: in the
morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth,
and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth (Ps. 90:5-6)
C. Life is like a flower of the field.
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame, he rembereth that wer are dust. As for man, his
days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind
passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place there of shall know it no more"
(Ps. 103:13-16)
D. Life is as grass.
1. "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh [is] grass,
and all the goodliness thereof [is] as the flower of the field: The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon
it: surely the people [is] grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but
the word of our God shall stand for ever" (Isa. 40:6-8)
2. Life at its best is brief upon this earth.
a. When you think about living even a hundred years here that is as
nothing compared with the length of eternity for which we are
preparing while we live whatever time God gives us upon this earth.
II. [Let us Talk about] Why men die? (There are two main reasons why all must die)
A. In the first place, death was brought upon man as a consequence of sin.
1. Rom. 5:12-14 – "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed
when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come."
2. When mother Eve heard, believed, and obeyed the lie preached by
Satan, when he said, "Ye shall not surely die", terrible and awful
consequences followed:
a. The serpent was compelled to go on his belly;
b. Woman was made to suffer in child bearing;
c. Man was required to make his living by the sweat of his brow;
d. And all of us must pass through the dark valley of he shadow of death.
3. Yes, as a consequence of sin in the garden of Eden, we have cemeteries
in which to bury the dead in every community throughout the face of the
earth.
4. In addition, every tear of sorrow that man has ever shed, every heart that has
been broken was caused by sin.
B. In the second place, man must die because it is a divine appointment.
1. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the sprit shall
return unto God who gave it" (Ecc. 12:7)
2. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"
(Heb. 9:27)
3. We make appointments many times, with our fellow man, and sometimes
fail to keep them, but here is an appointment that man has with death
that he must keep.
a. It was made by God.
b. There is absolutely no possibility of escaping it.
III. What is death?
A. In the first place, it is a departure.
1. "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she
called his name Ben-oni: But his father called him Benjamin" (Gen. 35:18)
2. "For I am in a strait be twixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be
with Chrsit; which is far better: (Phi. 1:23)
3. "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand" (2 Tim. 4:6)
B. Death is a separation.
1. "But now he is dead, wherefore would I fast? Can I bring him back again?
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (II Sam. 12:23)
2. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead
also" (James 2:26)
C. Death is a rest.
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13)
D. Death is a sleep.
1. Job 7:21 – "And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take
away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek
me in the morning, but I [shall] not [be]."
2. John 11:11 – "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them,
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep."
E. Death is a going home, a stepping stone to heaven.
1. John 14:1 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so],
I would have old you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, [there] ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and
the way ye know."
2. Death stands between man and a home in heaven at last.
3. It is one of those things through which we must pass to something
far better on the other side.
IV. There are man figures used to describe death in the Bible.
A. Death is a grim reaper.
1. "In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut
down, and withereth" (Psa. 90:6)
B. It is a king of terrors.
"His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle; and it shall bring
him to the king of terrors" (Job. 18:14)
C. It is a thread cut by a weaver.
Isa 38:1 - "Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's
tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining
sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me."
D. Death is fleeing as a shadow.
"And why doest thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine
iniquity? For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the
morning, but I shall not be" (Job. 7:21)
E. It is sleeping in the dust.
Job 7:21 – "And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away
mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the
morning, but I [shall] not [be]."
F. It is the flower of the grass.
1 Pe 1:24 - "For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away;"
G. Death is described as a man on a pale horse.
Rev 6:8 – "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on
him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them
over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with
death, and with the beasts of the earth."
V. Why is death naturally fearful?
A. It is an adventure clothed in mystery.
B. It is an untried and lonely journey.,
1. Man has not experienced it before.
2. He has not previously traveled this road.
a. There is naturally a degree of anxiety, concern, and fear.
b. However, a child of God ought to look upon death as the Psalmist did:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; they rod and thy staff they comfort
me" (Ps 23:4)
C. Human beings become attached to people and things.
1. We become very much attached even to pets, as well as to lifeless
things, and even a great deal more to our families, our relatives, and
our loved ones.
2. And because of these attachments, death becomes naturally fearful
and dreadful.
D. Death is a sting caused by sin.
1. "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law (1 Cor. 15:56)
2. Death is a sting.
3. Naturally, human beings fear that kind of thing.
VI. Why should the Christian not fear death? [Bible gives man reasons]
A. "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the
day of one's birth" (Ecc. 7:1)
1. It is declared that better is the day of one's death than the day of one's birth.
a. That is a conditional statement, of course.
1) When one has lived his life in the service of God and man, if he
has fulfilled the objectives that God had for hi, then truly the day
of death is better than the day of birth.
2) When a person is born into this world, there are many
uncertainties and pitfalls along the way.
i. When he comes to the cemetery, if the life has been lived
well, then surely better is the day of death than the day of
one's birth.
B. Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phi. 1:21).
1. To die is "gain" to the Christian.
C. Because the Christian is blessed in death to "rest from their labours"Re 14:13 – "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed
[are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."
D. Because in the death of the righteous, there is hope.
I Thes. 4:13-18 - "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
1. These are indeed comforting words to the children of God.
a. There is hope beyond the cemetery.
b. There is hope in Christ Jesus beyond this life.
c. The Christian really should not consider death as a calamity, or
something to be feared in the light of these precious promises of God.
VII. What is the Christian's Victory over Death?
A. Through Christ we conquer the fear of death.
1 Cor. 15:51-58 – "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So
when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed
up in victory. O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The sting of
death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
1. The Christian has the blessed hope of victory over death.
B. Since Christ arose we are assured of life beyond the grave.
1. "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the
graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation" (Jn. 5:28,29)
2. Paul said, (1Th 4:16-17) – "For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive
[and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
3. 1Co 15:1-4 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures;"
a. In this great resurrection ch. of the N.T., Paul emphasizes over and over
the fact that Christ arose from the dead.
b. He pointed out that if Christ had not been raised from the dead our preaching
would be in vain, our faith would be in vain, and we would be of all men
most miserable.
c. But since Christ was raised form the dead, we have the blessed assurance
that we too shall some day hear his voice, and come forth.
C. The hope of this victory through Christ should bring joy to the child of God.
1. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice" (Phi 4:4)
2. The Christian should be happy in the face of disease, sickness, pain,
and even death itself, because he has something to look forward to on
the other side of the valley, which is much greater and better than
anything that he could expect to experience upon this earth.
3. Let us then rejoice in the victory that Christ has given to us.
Conclusion
I. Death for the Christian should not be considered a calamity or something
To be feared.
A. There is something much better, further on, than the best there is in this life.
B. Those who realize this prepare for it.
1. Since we cannot escape death, the only thing to do is to prepare for it
and to stay prepared day by day.
2. The Lord said, "Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 25:13)
"TOMORROW"
He was going to be all that a mortal should be,
Tomorrow;
No one should be kinder or braver than he
Tomorrow:
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew
Who'd be glad of a life and who needed it, too;
On him he would call and see what he could do,
Tomorrow;
Each morning he stacked up the letters he'd write
Tomorrow;
And thought of the fold he would fill with delight
Tomorrow;
And all that he left here when living was through
Was a mountain of things he intended to do
Tomorrow.
(John Cox; "A word Fitly Spoken")
II. Let's look at some things that can help us make this important preperation:
A. One, the love of God.
1. "For God so loved the world…." (Jn. 3:16).
2. 2 Pe 3:9 – "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
B. Two, the gospel of Christ contains the power to save the souls of men
and women.
1. God has all power, but he uses only the power of the gospel to save the lost.
2. When a heart becomes so hardened that it cannot be melted by the
gospel of God's love, then there is nothing left except the fires of hell to
melt that heart.
3. Let us notice that the gospel of Christ contains facts to be believed:
a. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus;
b. Commands to be obeyed: faith, repentance, and baptism for the
remission of sins.
c. Promises to e enjoyed: rem. Of sins, prayer, and the hope of the
resurrection, and life in the world to come.
C. Three, living the Christian life.
1. Tit 2:11 - For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
2. In other words: In order to be faithful one must put God first in his life.
3. One who puts God first will:
a. Spend much time reading and studying the scriptures;
b. Pray often;
c. Attend when the congregation assembles;
d. Give liberally of time, talents, and means to the Lord's work.
III. Finally, what follows death to the faithful child of God?
A. We have already observed that in the scenes at the judgment depicted in
Matt. 25, the sheep will be on the right hand and the goats on the left hand.
1. To those on the left hand, He will say, "…Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
2. But to those on the right hand He will say, "…Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
B. Let's review briefly some of what we've studied:
1. First, we have life.
2. Second, because we have life we must die.
3. Third, we must be raised from the death.
4. Fourth, we must also stand in judgment.
5. And, finally, we must be somewhere in eternity.
C. In view of these solemn and grim facts how should we respond to grace
offered to us by God?
1. If we believe and accept His word there can be no answer but:
"I must and I will respond to his conditions for obtaining grace".
2. If you haven't why not now?
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