Worry - Part 3
Death
Matthew 6v27
28th July 2012
Jesus asked His disciples this rhetorical question:
Matthew 6v27
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
(some translations render this verse very differently, but I will not be addressing that variation here)
Of course, the answer to Jesus's question is "no-one", although there's plenty of evidence to suggest that we can easily make our lives shorter by worrying. It should be obvious that stress is bad for you but trusting God is good for you. And, anyway, for a Christian, death is not something to worry about.
Is there anything that marks the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian so clearly as this? A Christian is not afraid of death. In fact, a Christian is looking forward to death! as Paul wrote:
Phillippians 1v21-24
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not
know!
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Paul knew that he would be better off after death than he was in this life. But he also knew that the church would benefit from his continued presence on earth for a while longer.
This is the heart of the true Christian. In our hearts, we long to depart and go to live in the immediate presence of our Lord in glory. While we remain on earth, we dedicate our life to the service of His church.
Paul had a total assurance that life after death would be wonderful:
1 Corinthians 2v9
... as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those
who love him"
2 Corinthians 4v17-5v1
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in
heaven, not built by human hands.
So did John:
1 John 2v17, 24-25, 3v1-2
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever.
...
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son
and in the Father.
And this is what he promised us - even eternal life.
...
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is
what we are!
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
And every Christian can have this assurance, if we will only believe our Bibles and trust our Saviour. Jesus promised us:
John 14v1-3
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
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.
If we're glad to embrace death, then we won't worry about extending our life. As Christians, we're happy to serve our Lord on this earth and will be even happier to serve Him in the next.
And even if we did worry, it would do no good.