DEALING WITH DEATH

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." - Psalm 116:15

This past week or so has been difficult.  A deacon from my church passed away, while, in another state, a second cousin passed away the same night.  Death is not an easy issue to deal with, but it is part of life.

I find that professing believers often have an inaccurate view of death.  For the Christian, our concept of death should be properly understood from our reading of the Bible.  Too many church members have allowed movies, television and sentimental music to influence their understanding of death.  Let's look at a few myths about death.

MYTH #1:  WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DIE, THEY BECOME ANGELS

I use the word, "good," loosely in this example.  The Bible says that there is none good.  From an earthly perspective, we tend to think of godly men & women as "good people."  Some believe that when "good people" die, they become angels. This myth is very popular.  The Bible does not teach that a Christian becomes an angel when he dies.  Furthermore, when an infant dies, he or she does not become an angel.  Angels are created beings.  I fear that many Americans have a fixation about angels.  The Bible teaches us that angels are ministering spirits.  Angels are not to be worshiped.  While it is true that angels have temporarily taken a human form at times, we find nothing in the Scripture that indicates that a human becomes an angel when he or she dies.

MYTH #2:  EVERYONE GOES TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE

Sadly, I've attended funerals where the minister seemed to go out of his way to indicate that the deceased was now in heaven.  Yet the deceased may have been notoriously evil and wicked, without any indication of repentance.  When I read obituaries, I am amazed at how many of the obituaries seem to almost deify the deceased.  Indirectly, a message is being sent:  everyone goes to heaven when they die.  When catastrophe occurs, like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, most tend to think that those who die in such catastrophes have gone to glory.  The Bible makes it very clear that there is only one way for a person to get to the Father, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ.  A person must be born again to see the Kingdom of God.  It is time for preachers to quit "preaching the deceased into heaven" at funerals.  I've conducted funerals for people who died leaving questions about their spiritual condition.  When this is the case, I NEVER state that the deceased is in heaven.  Instead, I simply preach a direct Gospel message to the family and friends.  In these situations, I leave the spiritual destiny of the deceased in the hands of God.

MYTH #3:  CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT GRIEVE

It is wrong to label a Christian as "unspiritual" because he or she grieves when a loved one dies.  I believe this myth comes from a misinterpretation of Paul's words to the Thessalonians.  Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13:  "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."  Paul was not saying that Christians should never sorrow, but rather, we would not sorrow, "... as others which have no hope."  For unbelievers, death is the most disastrous event possible, because they have no hope beyond the grave.  Paul wrote that, although we grieve upon the death of a saved loved one, our grief is not hopeless.  Christians should grieve when loved ones die.  Grief is a natural response to death.  However, Christians grieve with assurance that the saved loved one is not gone forever.  When a Christian dies, he or she goes to the paradise of God.

We've looked at some myths about death, now let's consider some simple facts about dealing with death:

1.  DEATH IS ALWAYS TOUGH TO DEAL WITH

Some families know for months that a loved one is dying.  Others have the trauma of getting unexpected bad news from a police officer.  Whether you have a long time to prepare or not, the death of a friend or family member is difficult to deal with.  When Jesus' friend, Lazarus, died, Jesus wept at his tomb.  Jesus did not condemn Mary or Martha for their grief.  He shared in their grief.

2.  GOD IS NEAR DURING OUR TIME OF GRIEF

Psalm 34:18 states, "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart."  God knows the depth of grief we encounter.  The Holy Spirit was sent to be a Comforter to us.  God gives us comfort and strength when we go through sorrow and grief.

3.  BE HONEST IN YOUR GRIEF

Some pretend to be strong during times of grief.  Such pretense is actually harmful for the grieving process.  There is a time to grieve.  There is no shame is shedding tears when you are grieving.

4.  LET OTHERS MINISTER TO YOU

People tend to be proud and refuse acts of kindness.  Yet during our times of grief, we need others.  Let your local church family and neighbors help you during this time. 

5.  PREPARE TO DIE YOURSELF

The death of a loved one should cause us to realize that we, too, are mortal.  Each one of us will face death some day.  Knowing this, we need to prepare for death.  You should have a last will and testament prepared.  Make sure you have adequate life insurance coverage to protect your family.  Let your final wishes be known in writing, along with a verbal declaration of those wishes.  Most of all, prepare to meet God.  If you are not a Christian, it is vital that you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.  All of us will die, but few will actually go to heaven.  Make sure you are one of them.

For the deacon of my church & the second cousin who passed away, both left a glorious testimony of faith in Jesus Christ.  While it hurts to realize that they are no longer with us here on earth, I am grateful that I will see them again.  Most of all, I am thankful for the grace of my Lord that has made this hope a certainty.