The headlines of our local newspaper declared the grim facts:
“The death toll reaches 2 million.”
The article then began with these haunting words: “The global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 2 million on Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine launch so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope. of beating the outbreak, while in other less developed parts of the world, it seems like a distant dream. “
How do you react to news like that?
Did you ever think about death? It’s been in the news for the last year in a way I’ve never seen in my life. We listen to it constantly. The media keeps telling us, every day, how many people died the day before.
It is also one of the main themes of the Bible. “People are destined to die once, and then to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Jesus repeatedly spoke of death. “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am, you will certainly die in your sins” (John 8:24).
The purpose of this article is to ask you a simple question: Are you afraid of dying?
The fear of death is a common experience. It is part of the human condition. But thank God, Jesus came to save us both from death itself and from the fear of death.
“Since children are made of flesh and blood, he also participated in their humanity so that with his death he could break the power of the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and liberate those who all his life they were locked in bondage because of their fear of death “(Hebrews 2: 14-15).
According to the Scriptures, many people are slaves to the fear of death. Woof. That is a great statement. And the events of the past year bear witness to that reality, don’t they?
And you? Are you afraid of dying? I ask that question because I care about you and your eternal destiny.
The astonishing truth of the verses quoted above is as Jesus frees us from the fear of death. Did you notice the key phrase? “By his death.” It is through his own death that Jesus frees us from our fear of death. Because he died, we can live forever. And the hope of eternal life in Christ provides the transformative security we need to face death without fear. Amen?
In closing, here is Resolution # 9 from Jonathan Edwards’ famous list of 70 resolutions: “Resolved, think hard on all occasions about my own death and the common circumstances that accompany death.” Thinking a lot about death motivates me to think a lot about living each day as if it were your last. It may be.
