| Sermon 403 "Are You Ready to Die?"
"For whether we
live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." (Romans 14:8)
Are you ready to die?
What? Of course not which in human nature is the natural knee-jerk reaction. In our flesh
we do not want to die. We're afraid of the unknown in our flesh (bodies) we are afraid to
experience the event that will come.
Did you hear me say,
"might come"? No, I said, "will come." It will happen we don't wait
for it pacing back and forth wringing our hands worrying about it. Our Lord Jesus has
taken the sting out of death. You may feel pain upon the death of your body, but not the
eternal spiritual aspect of it. We can say this with all hope because we place our hope in
Jesus Christ. And everyone that that has this hope in Him purifies himself.
So, are you now anymore
ready to die than a moment ago? What is it that you hold so dear that keeps you bound and
ceasing from fear? Do you love your life, house, car, money, etc.? We're poor and naked
clothed only in the righteousness of Christ, and are rich in all the spiritual blessings
what else could we need?
What keeps you from
believing? Do you not know that our Lord is altogether other than you? He imparts His
spirit to those that are His children, and in doing so, our response should be that we
should not think like we are accustomed to. Do people think you're strange or foolish
because of your desire to be altogether other than the world? Pray God it would be so.
But desiring death? I did
not say "desiring death," I said "are you ready to die." Killing
another is morally and naturally wrong, so is suicide. We're not taking about that. The
Holy Scriptures continually admonish us to be prepared for that day--prepared in spirit
and physically. It's building a foundation.
"Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man,
which built his house upon a rock:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock." (Matthew 7:24,25)
The Holy Scriptures say, "we
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present
with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) Maybe you have no understanding of what will
happen to you when you die physically? Go to God's word and find out. Maybe you do not
know what will happen to you spiritually when you die? Go to God's word and find out.
Friends, it's glorious!
"Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans
8:37-39)
If we are born again from
above, and experienced that life changing power of God, and continue to trust in Him all
our days we will be with Him when we die we have His promise.
Are you more ready now
than you were a moment ago? What still stops you? Pain? The pain at death will not last
forever. If we endure we will ride the spiritual ocean to the eternal bliss with God. What
still stops you? Oh, you love your life? As a child of God you should not.
Do you still seek
pleasure from this world? The adversary of all true believers and the antichrist in the
spiritual realm tempted our Lord Jesus. When told that the entire world and the kingdoms
that go with it--riches beyond thinking--could be His our Lord refused. Dear one, if He
refused how can you accept?
Are we saying we should
sit naked on a street corner saying I have nothing not even clothes? No, not at all. But
our life should not be bound up in the things we possess so as to inhibit our preparation
for the great exit.
Are you ready more now
that a moment ago? Yes? Good, blessed are you.
Amen!
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