This morning I want to read to you just one verse of scripture….a verse in which Job posed a question that all people struggle with….it’s printed on the cover of your bulletins:
14 – “If a man dies, will he live again? (JOB 14:14 )”
A couple years ago Sue and I took the kids and we flew to California for the greatest vacation we have ever had. We spent a few wonderful days in San Diego with some friends and former Redlanders, the Ebbelings, and then we rented a car and drove up the coast to Fairfield to visit Sue’s family.
Well we wanted to enjoy all of our vacation so, to make the long drive north part of the fun, we decided to avoid the interstates and drive up scenic Highway #1 which goes right along the shore line. And if you are ever in California, I encourage you to do the same….because it was a fun drive! We saw some magnificent views of the pacific coastline. I would however advise you to drive from the south to the north because it is a treacherous mountainous road in places and I derived some comfort from being able to hug the mountain!
One of the things we enjoyed on our drive were the beautiful estates we saw lined up along the beach. And one such estate was the Hearst Castle in San Luis Obispo. It’s not on the beach but I am sure they can see the ocean from its towers. It is an unbelievably beautiful mansion with immaculate grounds. We didn’t have time to stop and take a tour but I did do some reading about it. And, if it is half as spectacular as the photos I looked at — it must be truly amazing….something to even rival the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina. In my reading about the Hearst Castle, I discovered an interesting bit of trivia. When Hearst was alive, guests who visited the castle were given one very strict rule. They were absolutely forbidden to break this rule and if they did they were immediately asked to leave the castle. And they were never again allowed entrance to the grounds. The rule was that no one should, in Mr. Hearst’s presence, utter the word “DEATH”. Hearst was apparently terrified of death and did everything he could to ignore it…to exclude it from his thinking…..even to the point of making and enforcing this rule. But as always happens to all men-rich and poor alike — death caught up with Mr. Hearst one day. When he died, his precious castle passed into the hands of the state of California.
You know, like Mr. Hearst, we too are uncomfortable dealing with the subject of death. At some time in our lives all of us go through a thing called “mortality shock”….we get to a point that we realize that we are not going to live forever….that our death is approaching and that is a troubling, uncomfortable thought. And….this is one thing that is unique about human beings. Unlike animals, we know death is coming. We are conscious of our mortality. Arnold Toynbee, the philosopher and historian, once insightfully wrote: “Man alone….has the foreknowledge of his coming death…and, possessing this foreknowledge, has a chance, if he chooses to take it, of pondering over the strangeness of his destiny….” Well, when we take Toynbee’s advice and ponder our unavoidable destiny with death, two things happen….we experience fear and a sort of curiosity.
We can relate to the little boy who once wrote:
“Dear God,
What is it like when a person dies? Nobody will tell me. I just want to know, I don’t want to DO it.
YOUR FRIEND, MIKE”
You know today, the whole question of death is being pondered and discussed more ardently than at any other time in recent history. A relatively new discipline called “THANATOLOGY” has entered our language and classrooms. “Thanatos” is a Greek word meaning “DEATH”and Thanatology is the study of, or science of death. Edwin Shneidman is a Thanatologist and he found that the first time he taught a course on death at Harvard, two hundred undergraduates showed up in a classroom that could seat only twenty. Since then, colleges everywhere have been offering courses, seminars, and dialogues on death and dying. Topics like grief, immortality, suicide, euthanasia, and out-of-body experiences are extremely popular on both high school and university campuses.
So you see, lot’s of people are asking Job’s question, “If a man dies, will he live again?” Well perhaps we should think of our time together this morning as a mini-course in THANATOLOGY because, armed with the Word of God, I want us to face this issue head on.
So, what does happen when we die? As Peggy Lee asked in her popular song, “Is LIFE all there is?”
This is an important question for as I Corinthians 15:19 puts it, “If only in this life we have hope, then we are of all people to be pitied.” And it is vital for us to note that we cannot begin to understand the riddle of death without the guiding knowledge of the Word of God. Outside of the Bible, death will forever remain an unknown phantom, stalking helpless human victims. But in the Bible, God has given us a wealth of information about death…within its pages we can find the answers to our questions about death. In fact there is a very detailed record of an Individual’s actual encounter with death and resurrection. By studying the experiences of this Individual, we can discover what happens when a Christian dies. The Individual I am referring to is Jesus Christ. Jesus died and rose again.
So He proved that if a man dies he WILL live again. In I Corinthians 15 verse 20, Paul writes, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” “First fruit” means the first example of that which is to come. In other words, if you want to know what it’s like to die and live again, look at the experience of Jesus. Let’s do that this morning and see what we can learn about death. The first thing that Jesus’ experience with death shows us is that…
1. when a person dies the spirit separates from the body.
The Bible tells us that this is the definition of death. We read in James 2:26 “…the body without the spirit is dead.” And Jesus experienced this separation. Do you remember the last words our Lord uttered before He died? He said, “Father into you hands I commend My spirit.” Jesus’ died then — when His spirit left His body. You know, as a minister, I have seen several people die….and each time, there was an instant when I could almost sense the person’s spirit leaving his or her body. From then on it was obvious to me that the body was just a shell…an empty, non-functional container. You see we are more than just animated pieces of flesh. Humans are made up of a spirit dwelling in a body. Once a little girl crawled into bed with her father one morning.
The father played “possum” and kept his eyes shut — and as children will, his daughter tried to wake him up by poking and punching him and trying to get her daddy to open his eyes. Finally she crawled up and sat right on his chest and reaching down, she pried open an eyelid. Then she leaned over and said, “Are you in there daddy?” This little girl points out an important truth as we deal with the subject of death. Humans are made up of a body that contains a spirit and at death they separate. Just as it’s the hand that animates a glove, so the spirit energizes a body. And when the spirit departs, the body — like a lifeless glove — is put aside.
2. Another thing we see in Jesus’ experience is this: Christians go directly to be with God when they die.
II Corinthians 5:8 says, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” One of the first to experience the fulfillment of this promise was that repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus. Remember, Jesus told him, “This day-TODAY — you’re going to be WITH Me in paradise.”
Now be sure to note something else here…..these scriptures teach that when we die, there is a continuity of life. In other words, we don’t stop living when we die…..I believe that when our eyes close in death at the same instant our eyes open in eternity. There is no halfway place …no intermediate state…no period of soul sleep…no purgatory. Remember, the heavens opened and received the martyr Stephen the moment he cried out, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit!” And “RECEIVE” is in the PRESENT tense.”
So, the Bible does clearly teach that there is a continuity of life….when we die we don’t cease existing-even for a moment. And this makes sense to me. I have come to realize that there is a difference between me, Mark Adams, and this body….this earth suit…that I wear. This body of mine has begun to change….it doesn’t work as well as it used to….it’s got less hair and more wrinkles…..IT has changed….much as a suit of clothes changes the more you wear it. But me — MARK ADAMS — I have not changed or weakened. I am the same basic person I was as a teen…..hopefully a little wiser…but the same. I can deduce from this that one day my body will cease to function…but I will continue to exist. Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist believed this too. He said, “Surely I haven’t suffered through this life that I may simply manure the soil of the future….” He knew there must be something more….he must continue in some way.
And scripture teaches that our spirits are eternal…..God made them that way.
So by looking at Jesus’ experience with death, Christians can know that when they die, their spirits-their personalities-the very essence of who they are — separates from their bodies and instantly go to be with God.
3. And then another thing that we can learn from Jesus’ death is that eventually there is a resurrection of the body.
Jesus came back into that tomb to resurrect His body on the third day after His death. Remember, the grave clothes were left behind? Jesus rose bodily from the grave. And, Jesus’ resurrected body was at the same time similar and different than it was prior to His death. He looked the same. He showed the disciples the nail scars in his hands and feet. And he was touchable….solid.
Remember Mary held on to Him in the garden so tightly that Jesus had to comfort her and in essence say, “You can let go of me Mary-I have not YET ascended to My Father!” The resurrected Jesus ate food….remember the fish He requested? He was recognizable…Jesus was identified some 11 times after His death.
So His new body was similar to the old one. But at the same time His body was different….He could travel great distances instantly….walk through walls….He didn’t seem to tire. Jesus’ resurrected body then is a preview of what our bodies will be like when we rise from the dead at the 2nd coming. Paul describes these bodies in I Corinthians 15:42-44, “In the same way, our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live again they will be full of strength.” You know, later in his book, Job answered his own question. “If a man dies will he live again?” In Job 19:25-27 he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth…and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.”
So Job believed in the resurrection….he knew that he would rise from the dead and be with God.
4. Another thing we should note is that Jesus’ spirit….His personality didn’t change when He died.
Remember what those two disciples on the road to Emmaus said after they realized Jesus was their traveling companion. They said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?” In other words, they said, “He thought and spoke just like Jesus….how could we have not recognized Him?!” This tells us that when we die we are the same people — minus our sinful flaws. There is a permanence of personality.
So we will know each other there. When someone asked the great preacher D. L. Moody if we could know each other in heaven, he replied simply, “Don’t you think we will have as much sense in heaven as we have here?” Of course we will. There is remarkable evidence in the Bible of this permanence of personality: Moses and Elijah were recognized by Peter, James, and John on the Mt. of Transfiguration and they had never seen these two before and they still called them by name. Remember, the Apostle Paul put it this way, “Now I know in part, but then (when I die) I shall know even as also I am now known.”
5. Then, Jesus’ experience with death teaches us that Christians will spend eternity in a special place.
Jesus promised, “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” This “place” Jesus is referring to is of course HEAVEN….Have you ever wondered what Heaven is really like?
Once a little girl was walking with her father in the countryside at night. There were no lights other than the stars…no neon signs, no automobile headlights or street lamps…only the bright stars set in a deep blue velvet sky. As she looked up into the heavens at the spectacular night sky she said, “Daddy if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what do you think the right side will be like?” What will it be like? Well….the beauty of heaven is beyond our ability to even imagine. Paul said as much in I Corinthians 2:9 … “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” I think that the most beautiful things here on earth are a mere shadow of the beauty of heaven. There will be colors and tastes we can’t even imagine. The Hearst Mansion will seem like the poorest shack in Matamoros, Mexico in comparison to our homes in heaven. I think you will be able to eat as many CINNABONS as you want to without gaining weight in heaven…..the most beautiful music here will sound like a tin drum in comparison to the music in heaven. Robert Russel, Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville says that he thinks Jesus’ reference to “many rooms” means just that. He writes, “I picture one room of just WORSHIP. We go there to hear Jesus teach and listen to Paul and Peter and others. And even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket here you’ll be able to there. I also picture an INSTANT-REPLAY ROOM where you can go and relive any moment in history exactly like it transpired. There won’t be any revisionist history. We’ll be able to see exactly what happened. I also picture A QUESTION-ANSWER room where we can hear the Lord answer the tough questions that we’ve never been able to answer here. I also picture an INSTRUCTIONAL ROOM where you can learn how to do things you didn’t have time to do on earth….and listen, if Jesus fished after He arose from the dead, I’ll be able to play golf!”
Russell had fun imagining what WILL be in heaven much like we did last summer when Bill Wehunt led us through the study of Joni Erricson’s book: Heaven, Your Real Home. And it is good to imagine what will be in heaven….But we should also ponder what will NOT be there and here we don’t have to guess. Scripture tells us exactly what will NOT be in heaven. There will be no tears. In Revelation 21:4 it says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.” There will be no depression or sorrow in heaven. There will also be no partings. You will never be separated from your loved ones again….in fact in heaven we will be able to get to know relatives…who lived before we did. And…..we’ll be reunited with those who have been separated from us by death. There will be certain things you never say in heaven. You’ll never say “goodbye” or “I hurt” or “I’m tired”. In heaven there will be no fear.
No one will suffer from anxiety attacks….we won’t need lock’s on the doors, bars at the windows or alarm systems. Everything that causes fear will be eliminated…. In heaven there will be no night…everything will be light.
You know darkness is so depressing. One thing I hate about winter is that the days are shorter…..it seems that the sun just gets going when it begins to set and another long winter night arrives. Night hides the joyous beauty of the sun but the nightless beauty of heaven will be illumined by the light of God, making the sun, moon, and stars a pale comparison to the authentic masterpiece. But you know, the greatest thing about heaven is that we will be with God…no separation…no barriers…we will be with God….forever. And this is what will make heaven-HEAVEN! Not the beauty of the city with streets made of gold or the gates made of giant pearls. Just being with our Heavenly Father.
Now,so far we have answered the question, “What happens when I die?” from the Christian perspective. And this sermon would not be complete without my mentioning the destiny of those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. Interestingly, there are some similarities. When non-Christians die they also experience a separation of the spirit from the body…they too will continue to exist as the same persons…their souls are eternal also. But Scripture warns that people who have rejected Christ will not spend eternity in heaven. Revelation 20:14 says, “Anyone’s name not found in the Lamb’s book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.” I read this week of an Indiana cemetery that has a tombstone that is over 100 years old which bears the following epitaph:
“Pause stranger, when you pass me by,
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you will be,
So prepare for death and follow me.
An unknown passerby apparently read those words and underneath scratched this reply:
To follow you, I’m not content
Until I know which way you went.”
What will it be like for those who do not go the way of Christ? Well, again scripture gives us a first hand account. In Luke 16 Jesus tells the story of the death of poor Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus went to heaven but the rich man to hell. The words Jesus used…indicate that this man was someone He knew or had firsthand knowledge of.
So He was not telling this story as merely an illustration. It really happened. And the rich man’s experience tell us much of what hell will be like. First of all, he was aware of his location and why he was there. He was fully rational and able to communicate. He was in physical pain, burned by an unbelievably hot fire and he discovered that there was a way to stay out of hell but not a way to get out of hell. He could not leave. It was a place so awful that this selfish man thought of others for once….he wanted to warn his family about it. Jesus had more to say about hell than heaven. He must have wanted us to know about it. The Bible describes hell as everything that heaven is not. It is a place of constant torment, a place of pain and fear, a place of loneliness. And the worse thing about hell is that it is a place without GOD’s loving presence. II Thessalonians 1:9 says, “They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of His power.” In Matthew 8:12 Jesus described it as a “place of outer darkness and of weeping and torment.”
So this fire must be unlike any fire we have on this side of eternity…a fire that produces blistering heat but no light. When Christ spoke of “outer darkness” He was referring to a place that is so far away from anything that is familiar to us that it is unimaginable. Just as believers will feel at home when they get to Heaven, so those who reject Christ will be thrown into a hostile, brutal, and savage environment. I imagine it will be the feeling we have of being lost magnified thousands and thousands of times. It will be a darkness unlike anything we have ever experienced…..a nightmare beyond imagining.
Like many of you we were without power this weekend and I was preparing this sermon, I thought how many parallels there were between our experience and hell. Our home was dark and cold. Because of our ice-covered streets, we were isolated from family and friends. We couldn’t leave. We were anxious. We wondered “When is this going to end?” We were frustrated because we had no control over our circumstances. And hell is all of this but it is infinitely worse. You could summarize all this by saying that: Hell is a place prepared for those who have rejected Christ. Heaven is a place prepared for those who have claimed Him.
Now, how does all this knowledge about death and the after-life impact our lives? This past year one of our members has dealt repeatedly with death in his family and I’ve asked him to answer this question.