Jump Start # 314 

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”

  A friend of mine passed away today. She was an older lady and a wonderful, wonderful  Christian. She and her husband have been delightful encouragers to me for a long time. Her death came as a shock.

  Death is ugly. Modern times have tried to make death seem fascinating and cool. In video games, the bad guys are blown to pieces. In movies, death is more common than kissing. Many TV shows are based upon investigators figuring out why someone died. Actors, pretending to be cops, discuss things over a dead body on a morgue stretcher. Doesn’t seem so bad—but it’s all pretend.

  This all changes, when someone you’ve known and loved passes away. All of a sudden death is not so fascinating any more. Death isn’t so cool. Death is a thief that robs and death is so final. A person doesn’t die on the weekend and then they are back to work on Monday. That doesn’t happen.

  Our passage today reveals two principles about death. They both start with the letter “A.” First, there is an appointed time. God sets that time, not us. We don’t know when it will be. Some die very young. Some die very old. We can explore many reasons why things are like that, such as lifestyle, genetics, habits and so forth, but I think the bottom line is they had a appointment with God. This is one appointment you will not forget to keep. This is one appointment that you cannot escape. I recently heard of a man who died while vacationing in Hawaii. He was 93 years old. He was a Christian. He left one paradise for the eternal paradise. You have an appointment coming. It doesn’t wait for you. It doesn’t allow you to get ready. When it comes, it comes.  That is what our passage is telling us.

  The second thought here, is that there comes something after death. The passage says, “after this comes the judgment.” After this…Death is not the end of the journey. Death does end it. There is an “after this” that follows death. The after this is what ought to concern us. Some focus on living and dying and not what happens afterwards. There is an old joke about the funeral of an atheist. A friend commented that he was all dressed up but had no where to go. Actually, he did. There is something after death.

  Death is not a place that we go to, it is a process. Death is a doorway that takes us from one place to another place, or more accurately, from one room to another room, all in God’s house. Birth is a doorway that brings us into this room. And death is a doorway that takes us into the next room.

  Because there is an “after this” that follows death, suicide is never a good option. Suicide doesn’t end the misery, the pain as some believe. It throws all the burdens upon someone else and the person fails to realize that with death comes the “after this.”

  After this, we will be judged. After this everything changes. After this we stand before God. After this we will be sent to Heaven or cast into Hell forever. That takes place after this, but it is all based upon what we do in this life. Some have the notion that God owes us Heaven. They think that if you have had a miserable life here, then you deserve Heaven. No. No one deserves Heaven. Others got the notion that if you have sacrificed your life and gave your life to save others, such as a fire fighter or someone in the military then that guarantees you a spot in Heaven. No, it doesn’t. Heaven is for those who have walked with Jesus in this life. They have made the Lord their Lord and have obeyed Him, worshipped Him as He wants to be worshipped and put Christ first in their life. Heaven is for those who have chosen Heaven in this life. Those that are just too busy right now, those who have other obligations, those who have put God on the back burner, need to realize that there is an appointment coming and there is something after that. Now is the time. Now is your opportunity. Death knocks and then everything changes. God doesn’t owe us anything, especially Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.

  I will miss my friend who passed away. She always came to a ladies Bible class that I taught. She wore a smile with every outfit. She was generous, kind, godly and thoughtful. Her life included difficulties and tragedies as most of our lives do. But a long time ago she accepted Christ and was baptized. She began a journey with Him and never looked back. She taught, she influenced, and she illustrated with her life the hope that is in Jesus Christ. Her death won’t stop the press. There will be no TV trucks parked at her service. She lived a simple, godly life and touched many people for good. She has left her mark and now her journey is finished. What awaits her is the “after this” part. She believed in a coming resurrection, Heaven and forgiveness from God. She had talked to me about Heaven when I preached her son’s funeral a few years ago. She was a good one and I wish the world had more of her kind.

  I am thankful that there is an “after this” that follows death. How sad death would be if that was the end of the road. It’s not. The faithful have the hope of being with each other and seeing each other again. We long for that time when we gather around God’s throne, singing praises to God, joined with the angels in sweet, sweet worship of our Lord.

  Thank you, Lord, for allowing our lives to intersect. That you, JoAnn, you were and remain a dear soul! 

  Now, for the rest of us, there is that “after this.” Each day builds upon that “after this.” Don’t get so caught up in bills, and shopping, and ballgames and stuff that we forget the “after this.”   The death of God’s children reminds us of what is important.

Roger