The Lord’s Message:  How Can I Face Death?

The Lord’s Message:  How Can I Face Death?
Date:  May 18, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  1 Corinthians 15:47-56

            We are continuing to learn more about the pinnacle of the Christian faith, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We found proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, even though it occurred 2000 years ago.  The proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is that the Pharisees did not produce a body.  Instead, they made up a lie that the disciples stole the body, and the sad part is that this lie is still believed today.  The proof is found in the disciples.  They were willing to die instead of recanting that Jesus rose from the grave.  We have over 500 eyewitnesses that saw Jesus is His resurrected body.  This is also confirmed by historians at the time. 

            By having all of this proof that Jesus was resurrected from the grave, we are assured that when we die, we will also be resurrected from the dead.  We also know what kind of body we are going to raise up in, a transcendent, imperishable, glorious, and spiritual body.  A body that will last for all eternity. 

            Now they are many people today that do not have the Christian belief in what is going to happen to them when they die.   We are going to look at other beliefs and we are going to answer the question, “How Can I Face Death?

            Let us pray. 

            The sign on the billboard read:  After you die, you will face God.  A sobering thought.  One that for many brings fear and trepidation.  Death is still a mystery for believers in Jesus.  The loss of a loved one is not one that we should take lightly.  That is why we grieve the loss.  Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-14.  So, “How Can I Face Death? 

            In Paul’s day, there were three concepts of death which try to answer this question:  Greek, Hebrew, and Christian. 

            The ancient Greeks viewed the mystery of death as the soul escaping the evil entrapment of the natural body.  The ancients Greeks decided that humans are akin to gods.  Therefore, every person has a spark of divinity and is, by nature, immortal.  This spark of divinity is the immortal soul of a person.  This immortal soul is trapped in a decaying and dying body. At death, there is a liberation.  The immortal soul is released from the body and returns to the deity from which it had come.  This deity would, in essence, absorb the soul like drops of water returning to the ocean by evaporation.  The ancient Greeks had no concept of resurrection.  They did not believe in a bodily resurrection.  That would have been a contradiction in terms because they viewed the body as evil.  They also had no concept of personal survival or personal identity after death. 

            The Hebrew concept of death was very different from the Greeks.  They believed in a place of existence after death that they called “Sheol.”  The earth was where animals and humans lived.  The heaven was where God and His angels lived.  They had no concept of humans going to heaven to be with God.  However, they also knew that humans did not remain on the earth.  They concluded that there must be another place that humans go to when they die.  That place, they named, “Sheol.”  Sheol is called the place of the shades.  It is not a place where God rewards or punishes a person.  It is a dark, gloomy, and dusty place.  In this place, there is no personal identity.  People are nonpersons in this place.  David describes this place in Psalm 6:5. If we look at Psalm 23, we find that David did not believe in this Hebrew concept of death.  He says in verses 4-6.  The Hebrews did not believe in a resurrection of the body, but David did.    

            The Christian concept of death has similarities and great differences from the Greeks and Hebrews.  The similarity to the Greeks is that Christians believe that everyone has an eternal soul.  In Ecclesiastes 12:7, Solmon tells us that when we die our soul goes to be with God.  Paul confirms this 2 Corinthians 5:8.   The soul is our identity.  It is who we are.   The soul is eternal.  It will never die.   Where we spend eternity is decided by us.   For those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, we will spend eternity in the heaven and earth, John 3:16-17.  Two Sundays ago, we learned that we will spend eternity in our new bodies, 1 Corinthians 15:50-52.  This is the second coming of Jesus.  This is the assurance of our resurrection. 

Remember I told you there were two eternities.  This is the second eternity.  For those that refuse to accept the invitation that God offers through His Son, Jesus this is the outcome that awaits them, Revelation 20:11-15.  The lake of fire is Hell.  It is somewhat like “sheol,” but this is the place where people will face the wrath of God for eternity. 

            The Christian concept of death has been transformed, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We have proof that Jesus was resurrected from the grave.  We have eyewitnesses that saw the risen Christ.  We do not have to guess any longer about life after death.  We have been given an accurate picture of glory.  The Apostle John was given this picture of glory, and he tried his best to describe it in Revelation 7:9-12. 

            Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, said that “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”  Death can be tragic and upsetting, but death is not the worst phenomenon in this world.  The prospect of dying can be very bleak, but we have no reason to fear it.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, death has died.  Paul correctly stated this in 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55. 

            So, let us lift up our hearts!  Christ died in order that you and I could live forever.  He paid the penalty that you and I should have paid for our sins.  God raised Jesus from the dead.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Christ is risen from the dead.  Every person that places their faith in Jesus will rise and be clothed with immortality.  They will live forever with God. 

Poet Esther Kerr Rusthoi wrote this poem, which I would like to read for you, concerning what is going to happen after our death and our resurrection. 

“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

Life’s trials will seem small when we see Christ.

Our glimpse of His dear face,

All sorrow will erase,

So, bravely run the race, till we see Christ.”

Can you now answer the question, “How Can I Face Death?”  The answer is for those of us who have faith in Jesus, we can face death with confidence knowing that we will be Him face to face, forever. For those of us who have not put our faith in Jesus, we can do that right here and now.  I invite you to turn from sin and self-righteousness and receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  I tell you that if you will do that, God’s Holy Spirit will do great miracles in your life.  You will have the confidence to face death and say to death, the Victory is the Lord’s.  Amen.