The assumption of this last sermon of the series is probably wrong for most people. I have entitled this sermon, “I Wonder about Life after Death,” but the truth of the matter is that most of us typically do not wonder about death. Most of us choose to ignore the subject altogether. It scares us too much.
When I bring up the subject of death to people, I often get the reply, “Why would I want to think about that?” or “I don’t want to think about that until I am old. I am young now, and I will have plenty of time to think about that much later.” I am impressed with the fact that people continue to think that they are invincible, that is, until they are confronted with their own mortality.
I recall going to a funeral home with a grieving family for a wake. One of the family members was a cancer doctor who faced death and dying quite a lot. However, he refused to be in the room with the open casket. When I caught up with him later and asked him where he had been, he replied angrily, “Life is for the living!” Even a cancer doctor could not deal with death.
Many people get very upset when the subject of death is mentioned. Some even get angry. In fact, some get so upset and angry about the subject that they virtually deny their own death. The denial of death is an interesting phenomenon in our culture. Many feel like Woody Allen when he said. “I don’t want to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
The Fear of Death
Why do we avoid the subject of death? Why do some people seem to be in denial about death? I believe our avoidance of the subject of death stems from the fact that death is a journey into the unknown. It is the ultimate mystery. We are afraid of those things that we don’t understand and can’t control.
To a degree it is healthy to be afraid of death. It keeps us alive, and we need to have a healthy sense of caution for what we don’t know. However, what is not healthy is to try to ignore the subject of our own death. All of us are going to die. There are no exceptions. As the old saying goes, “We don’t get out of this world alive.” We might as well face up to the fact that one day we will die. However, the fact we will die should not make us sad; it should make us grateful.
Many of us see death as the great taker of life when actually the opposite is true; death is the great giver of life. As we struggle with the mystery of our death, we discover the meaning of our lives. Albert Schweitzer put the proper perspective on death:
“We must all become familiar with the thought of death if we want to grow into really good people. We need not think of it every day or every hour. But when the path of life leads us to some vantage point where the scene around us fades away and we contemplate the distant view right to the end, let us not close our eyes. Let us pause for a moment, look at the distant view, and then carry on. Thinking about death in this way produces love for life. When we are familiar with death we accept each week, each day, as a gift. Only if we are able to accept life—bit by bit, does it become precious.”
Now, this is the right attitude about death! Death teaches us that life is a precious gift from God. If it wasn’t for the fleeting nature of life, we would not love and appreciate it like we do. When we realize the preciousness of our time, we will make full use of our time. We cannot live life with courage, joy, and confidence unless we face the reality of our own death. In fact, M. Scott Peck reminds us that we cannot live fully unless there is something we are willing to die for. This is why Don Juan, the great Indian guru, called death the great ally.
If we choose to see the great things that death can teach us, death can become a very powerful friend. The beautiful irony is that once we come to accept death and what it teaches us, we truly begin to live. Why is there a cross before Easter? Why is there the crucifixion before the resurrection? Many Christians do not like to focus on Good Friday. They want to skip over it and go straight to Easter, but there is no Easter without the cross. We must go through Good Friday to get to Easter. There is no life without death!
What’s On The Other Side?
Let us dive deeper into the great mystery of death and try to catch a glimpse of the other side. After all, the wonder of this sermon begs the question, “What happens to us when we die?” Well, our faith tells us a great deal about death.
This is when I hear atheists chime in and say that religion is a crutch for people who are scared of the mystery of death. I believe this is totally false. I don’t believe that faith is a crutch; it is the truth. More importantly, atheists are the ones who are really scared. Most atheists like to downplay death as if it is no big deal. They deny the importance of it. The reality is that they are terrified to go beyond the surface and see the truth behind death. And the truth is that behind the curtain of death for believers is a new dimension of life beyond our wildest dreams. What is beneath the mysterious surface of death is a loving, caring God with the answers to all of our questions, the fulfillment of all of our deepest longings, and the fruition of all God’s great promises.
What the Bible says about Life after Death
How do we know that life after death promises to be an overwhelming experience of joy for those who believe? The Bible tells us so. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about life after death.
Perhaps the most familiar passage of Scripture that promises the gift of life after death is found in John 14:1-3. Here we find Jesus in the upper room comforting his disciples before his own death:
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also (John 14:1-3).
These are beautiful words that should comfort believers who find themselves apprehensive about death. This passage also reveals interesting aspects about life after death. For example, the word “rooms” could also be interpreted as “rest areas.” In other words, these rooms are not permanent but provide respite. This implies that death is really a threshold to a whole new journey with God. On this journey we will be provided with comfort and rest along the way.
In addition to the passage in John, we find profound passages about life after death in the letters of Paul. If we had lived during the time of the apostle Paul and we asked him what he believed about life after death, I believe his answer would be what we find in 2nd Corinthians 5:1-2:
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.
Later on in verse five of the same chapter Paul reminds us that God, who has prepared our heavenly dwelling, has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our extraordinary life after death.
Maybe the most compelling of Paul’s words about life after death can be found in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians where Paul reminds us that “if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (verse 19). Paul’s argument is clear: If there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not been raised from the dead. If Christ has not been raised from the dead then our faith means nothing (1st Corinthians 15:12-13). Paul’s conviction leads us to the central promise our Lord gave us about life after death when he said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
We Are In Good Hands
As Christians we have nothing to fear from death. With Paul we know that “nothing can separate us from the love of God,” especially death! We are promised that death is simply a journey into a deeper intimacy with God.
Perhaps you are still asking, “Well, what is death going to be like?” All of our conjecture and speculation about it is limited and finite because we are dealing with a journey that is beyond our comprehension. However, from my experience as a pastor and Christian I will tell you what we, as Christians, can expect when we die.
First, hear a story from John Bailey about the old country doctor who made his rounds in his horse drawn carriage. He had his dog with him, and he stopped at one house to visit a man who was dying of cancer. He entered the man’s bedroom to check on him. The man asked the doctor, “How am I doing.” The doctor replied, “It doesn’t look good.” And they were both quiet for a few moments. Then the man asked, “Doctor, what is it like to die?” The doctor just sat there for a moment trying to think of something to say to the man. As the doctor was thinking, he heard his dog come up the stairs of the house, and because the bedroom door was shut, he could not get into the room. So, the dog started to scratch and whine at the door.
The doctor said to the man, “You hear my dog outside the door? He has never been in this house before. He has never been in this room before. He does not know what is on the other side. But he knows one thing: his master is in here. Because he knows that, he knows that everything is alright. Then the doctor said, “And that is what death is like. We have never been there. We don’t know what is on the others side. But one thing we do know: our master is there, and because of that everything is alright.”
Perhaps that is not good enough. Maybe you want me to be more specific. Well, the experience of death could be compared to something I experienced as a kid. In fact, most of you have experienced this. I would fall asleep in front of the TV or at an event. And my mother or dad would carry me to my bedroom, and put me to bed. When I awoke the next morning, the sun would be shining. I didn’t remember how I got there, but I knew my parents had something to do with it.
Death is like that. It is like we have fallen asleep and God has us in his hands. When we awake, the world will be changed, our bodies will be changed and God’s Kingdom will be established forever and ever. We don’t know how we got there, but we know God made it happen.
The most profound attempt at explaining what we can expect from the mystery of death came from my colleague and friend Ed Beck. When Ed was serving a church in Denver he had a seven year old member of his congregation named Ellen who was dying of an incurable disease. And each time he would visit her in the hospital she would take him by the hand and lead him to other rooms to meet her friends. She was a real precocious child. A month before Ellen died he was visiting her and she said, “Rev. Beck, my mother told me to talk to you about dying. I don’t want to die. Can you tell me what will happen when I die?”
Ed sat in a rocking chair and put Ellen on his lap and responded, “Ellen, before you were ever born you were in your mother’s tummy, tucked away very near your mommy’s loving heart. At that time, let’s suppose someone had said to you, ‘Ellen, you can no longer live in your mommy’s tummy. It is time for you to die out of your mommy’s tummy.’ Now, Ellen, let’s suppose you said, ‘I don’t want to leave my mommy’s tummy. I love it here. It is nice and comfortable, and I feel very much loved in my mommy’s tummy. I don’t want to die out of my mommy’s tummy. I don’t want to be born because that means I’d have to leave my mommy’s tummy.’” Ed continued and said, “But Ellen, you already know what happened. You did die out of your mommy’s tummy and look what you discovered. You discovered in this world loving arms to hold you, loving faces smiling at you and everyone wanting to meet your every need. And now for seven years you have discovered how wonderful it is to be out of your mommy’s tummy. In fact, it is so wonderful that you don’t want to die. You don’t want to leave here. You don’t want to leave here because you know you are loved by mommy and daddy, your grandmas, and your brother and so many, many others, including me.”
Ellen thought for a moment about the things Ed was saying to her. And then Ed said, “Ellen, there will soon come a time when you will die, and here is what is going to happen. The moment you die you will discover strong, loving arms holding you, loving faces smiling at you, and everyone will want to meet your every need. You will be surrounded by such love and beauty that soon, very soon you will say, ‘I love it here. I don’t want to leave here.’ And Ellen, you won’t leave. You will remain there and live with Jesus in heaven forever. Ellen, that is what is going to happen when you die.” Then Ed concluded, “Oh, and one last thing. When you welcome me into heaven, take my hand and lead me from room to room so I can meet all your friends. Promise. Promise me you will do that. Promise!”
Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
Series: The Seven Wonders of the Faith