Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3
When we commit our lives to Christ and commit to follow him, we are born into a new world spiritually. The Kingdom of God becomes an internal womb around our spirit. It dwells within us and around us. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. The Kingdom of God nourishes us as a mother nourishes her unborn child. The child begins to grow unseen by the eyes of the world developing eyes that see and ears that hear the Word of God. This world would abort this child, but God protects it.
In our temporary dark environment, our eyes of faith struggle to see the light of heaven, our ears struggle to hear the voice of our father whose words nourish us. We outgrow this world, as a baby outgrows its womb which is but a temporary barrier between us and true life.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psa 116:15)
In his sermon, The Death of The Christian, Charles Spurgeon uses Job 5:26 to illustrate how the death of a Christian is always timely. We die when we have come to full age, not necessarily old age but full age. Full age is whenever God likes to take His children home. Some fruits ripen take longer to perfect and ripen enduring many afflictions and ripen only late in season, others are immediately ready for the table. Full age is determined by God and not by us.
“They are at a “full age” when God chooses to them home. They are at “full age” if they die at twenty-one.” – Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon tells a parable in this sermon of how two men respond to death when death comes. It is the difference of one who fights to avoid death and one who knows that death is but a servant chariot sent to carry him home:
Behold two men sat together in the same house: when Death came to each of them. He said to one, “You will die.” The man looked at him—tears suffused his eyes, and tremblingly he said, “O Death, I cannot, I will not die.” He sought out a physician, and said to him, “I am sick, for Death has looked upon me. His eyes have paled my cheeks, and I fear I must depart. Physician, here is my wealth, give me health and let me live.” The physician took his wealth but gave him not his health with all his skill. The man changed his physician and tried another and thought that perhaps he might spin out the thread of life a little longer. But, alas! Death came and said, “I have given you time to try your varied excuses, come with me; you will die.” And he bound him hand and foot, and made him go to that dark land of shades. As the man went, he clutched at every side post by the way; but Death, with iron hands, still pulled him on. There was not a tree that grew along the way but he tried to grasp it, but Death said, “Come on! You are my captive, and you will die.” And unwillingly as the laggard schoolboy, who goes slowly to school, so did he trace the road with Death. He did not come to his grave, but Death fetched him to it—the grave came to him.
But Death said to the other man, “I am come for you.” He smilingly replied, “Ah, Death! I know you servant; you have come to fetch me home. Go, tell my Master I am ready; whenever he pleases, Death, I am ready to go with you.” And together they went along the road and held sweet company. Death said to him, “I have worn these skeleton bones to frighten wicked men; but I am not frightful. I will let you see myself. The hand that wrote upon Belshazzar’s wall was terrible because no man saw anything but the hand; but,” said Death. “I will show you my whole body. Men have only seen my bony hand and have been terrified.” And as they went along, Death ungirded himself to let the Christian see his body and he smiled, for it was the body of an angel. He had wings of cherubs, and a body glorious as Gabriel. The Christian said to him, “You are not what I thought you was: I will cheerfully go with you.” At last Death touched the believer with his hand—it was even as when the mother does in sport smite her child a moment. The child loves that loving pinch upon the arm, for it is a proof of affection. So did Death put his finger on the man’s pulse, and stopped it for a moment, and the Christian found himself by Death’s kind finger changed into a spirit; yes, found himself brother to the angels; his body had been etherealized, his soul purified, and he himself was in heaven.
Our faith in God, will diminish our fear of death or our fear of death will diminish our faith in God. If we are born again, this fear of death begins to diminish the more our faith in God is nurtured and grows.
Christian, the wrath of God has been satisfied by the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf. We do grieve our temporary separations, to our finite hearts separation does feel eternal, but our hope and our peace is found in placing our faith in the finished work of Christ and his promise that because he lives, we and those we love who also trust in him will and are alive with him still. Believe and be delivered from your fear of death and inconsolable grief.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Cor 15:55-57
