February 13, 2020 – Click here to listen
A reader wrote recently that he had a deep fear of dying in spite of the fact that he’d accepted Christ as His Savior. I won’t bore you with the details, but I’ve had numerous near-death occasions in my life, and can unequivocally say that I do not fear death in the least, even when confronted with it. So, what is the difference between us? Since we are both followers of Christ, intellectually we should understand what happens to us when we take our last breath? Two verses should calm anyone’s fears about dying, John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life. 2 Cor. 5:8 – Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
The Bible presents death as separation: physical death is the separation of the soul/spirit from the body, and spiritual death is the separation of the soul/spirit from God. To be absent from the body for a believer is to be present with the Lord. Christians must walk by faith, not by sight. When a born-again believer dies, his soul goes immediately into the presence of the Lord. There, the soul consciously awaits the resurrection of the body but nonetheless we will be bathed in God’s glory until that blessed event. The apostle Paul wrote: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
If you’ve attended a funeral you have no doubt heard what King David wrote in Psalm 23:4, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me . . . It has always interested me to hear or read this passage. Words are important to God and He leaves nothing to chance. We must assume that his descriptors for death in this passage are deliberate and well thought out. In the first place He tells us that we “walk” through the valley which assures us that we aren’t asleep in some grave somewhere. Further we will not fear any evil because the Lord will be with us every step of the way. Finally, death is referred to as a “shadow.” Think about a shadow for a moment. It is completely harmless and when exposed to light runs from it and disappears. You aren’t afraid of your own shadow, are you? If so, just remember the Lord is light and all of heaven will be gloriously illuminated by Him and there will be no shadows.
I told my reader friend about this and assured him he had nothing to fear about departing this world and entering heaven. I told him remember this verse states: FOR THOU ART WITH ME; thy rod and staff they comfort me. And where are we walking? We are working towards heaven where there is no death, tears, grief, worry, anxiety, hate, bitterness, lies, and thieves; instead, our lives will be eternally filled with joy, peace, and love. I look forward to that day, but there is yet plenty of work to be done here and only a limited time to accomplish my part of it. And to be candid perhaps selfishly I have a keen interest in seeing what becomes of my grandchildren. Thus, I’m like Paul in that I look forward to being present with the Lord; however, I’m committed to fulfilling my purpose as best I can.
Finally, I told my friend that perhaps his fears would be removed if his faith was stronger. How do we enhance our faith.? The Bible states that it comes from hearing the Word of God. If you want to know God and grow closer to Him, take time, every day, to study His Word. Do not use this time as prayer time, getting into His Bible means setting aside time to exclusively study the Bible. Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted and turn off the cell phone. Before you can grow in Christ, you must understand His Word. Do not feel overwhelmed by its size or unfamiliarity, and do not race through it reading it like a novel either. Instead, read it, one passage at a time, until the message of each book penetrates your mind and heart. Always remember Almighty God Creator of everything seen and unseen talks directly to you personally via His Holy Bible. You gotta love it!
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.