All Things Through Christ
8^th in the Series

Between Two Worlds

Philippians 1:21-26

If there is a topic that most people do not like to discuss, it is death. Death is not very popular. For instance, if I were to ask you to volunteer to die today, I am almost certain that there would be no volunteers.

Funerals are not very popular either. I don’t know very many people who like to attend them. I suppose that they are not popular because they remind us of our own mortality. That’s probably one of the reasons we do not like to talk about death. We don’t like to be reminded that one day we will die. Death can be a very foreboding and frightening thing. Woody Allen once said, "I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens." Most of us feel that way.

One of the reasons why death can be so frightening is that most people really don’t know for sure what will happen when they die. Even though there have been many books written about "so-called" death experiences, we don’t really know whether these accounts are in any way accurate. What will really happen?

I am told that an Indiana cemetery has a tombstone (more than a hundred years old), which bears the following epitaph:

Pause, Stranger, when you pass me by,
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you will be,
So prepare for death and follow me.

An unknown passerby read those words and underneath scratched this reply:

To follow you I’m not content,
Until I know which way you went.

That is an important question to ask. And there are many people who just do not have the answer. So they try to avoid the issue. But death is unavoidable. We have all heard that there are two things that are unavoidable in this life–– death and taxes. Someone once said that it is too bad that they don’t come in this order–– death then taxes. Actually the correct order in our tax happy society is taxes, death, and more taxes. That’s right, they tax the stuff you leave behind when you die. It’s true that you don’t have to pay it, those who inherit it do. Small death benefit.

But death is unavoidable. Oscar Wilde once said, "One can survive anything nowadays except death." Now this is true, but only partially. It is true that death is unavoidable. Everyone dies. But it is not true that we do not survive death. We do. Human beings are made to live forever. The only question is where that forever will be lived. This is the issue that needs to be settled. And when this issue is settled, death will cease to be our enemy.

It is understandable that you would view death as an enemy if you think death ends your existence. If death means that I cease to exist, then death is my enemy. But if death brings me into a better existence, then I no longer need to fear it.

As a matter of fact, I believe that resolving the issue of death is essential to life. In other words, I believe that only when you are ready to die are you ready to live.

Paul deals with life and death in this passage before us. He talks about how he is in a conflict between two worlds. On the one hand, he is looking forward to the day when he will be with Christ. On the other hand, he sees the needs and opportunities in the lives of others and what he can do to help if he continues to live. There is no doubt that Paul is ready to die. And because of this he is ready to live.

In order to be ready to die we must understand the true nature of death. The first thing we must see is that death is a transition–– into eternity. In other words, death is not final. It is not the end. While our bodies might die, our spirits live on.

D. L. Moody, the great evangelist of the latter part of the 19th-century once said, "Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. At that moment I shall be more alive than now." And that is true. Death is the transferal of life from one plane of existence to another. John Donne, the famous poet, wrote these words: "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die."

God has created the human spirit to be eternal. What we call death is not ultimate death. It is merely the death of our physical bodies. The human body is not designed to live forever. It is not immortal, so it must die. When it does, the immaterial part of us steps into eternity.

Of course, the question then becomes one of final destination. What kind of eternity are we stepping into? Is it heaven or hell? Is it eternal joy or eternal suffering? The answer to that question depends on your relationship to Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that those who know Christ will go to heaven, while those who do not know Christ will go to hell. That’s the truth, plain and simple.

It is also the truth that God does not want anyone to go to hell. In fact, he has taken incredible measures to see that that doesn’t happen. He sent Jesus to die on the Cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Now he calls us to give our lives to Jesus. If anyone goes to hell, it will be because he refused to come to Jesus.

As Christians, we will step into the eternity called heaven. We will be more alive then than we have ever been.

Another truth we need to understand about death is that death brings us into the presence of Christ. The Bible teaches that the moment we step out of these bodies we step into the presence of God. Paul said, "I desire to depart and be with Christ."

The truth we see in this passage indicates that there is no such thing as soul-sleep. We do not enter a state of suspended animation when we die. We are transported directly into the presence of Christ. I personally believe that when we close our eyes in death we open them in eternity, and there we will behold the face of our Lord who loves us so. We closed our eyes in death only to have our heavenly Father carry us in his big strong arms into the presence of Jesus.

You can only ponder what it will be like to be in the presence of Jesus. You will be in the presence of the one who loved you so dearly that he gave his very life for you. He loved you then and he loves you still. You will be home.

One more thing we need to see about death. Death brings us eternal rewards. We don’t know exactly what heaven is like. But the Bible clearly reveals that it is a place beyond comprehension. It is a place of reward for those who love Christ.

Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." What do those words mean for you, for us? They are words of encouragement. They teach us that for those of us who know Christ as our life, to die is to gain.

WE GAIN A BETTER BODY. It will be a glorified, immortal, resurrection body. In this life we experience aging, pain, sickness, and ultimately death. Those are the things that accompany this house of dust. But as we pass through death into glory, we gain a body that does not grow old, know disease, suffer pain, and can never die.

WE GAIN A BETTER HOME. Whatever we may have in this life cannot compare with the home that Jesus is preparing for us. He said He was going to prepare a place for us so that we could be with Him. We can’t even imagine the glorious home that awaits us. As I said last week, we get a mansion without a mortgage.

WE GAIN A BETTER INHERITANCE. Our final reward is not here, in this life, but is in heaven. All that we amass here on earth will pass away. We can take any of it with us. Our true reward is to one day hear our Lord say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of thy Lord."

WE GAIN A BETTER FELLOWSHIP. In this world we live in a dissolving family circle. Husband is gone, or wife is gone, or Father, or Mother is gone, or Grandparents, or friend. But in heaven we will enjoy a reunion with those who wait to greet us there.

You see, death is not death if you know the Lord. It is merely a change of place, a change of state, and a transferal from one realm of existence into another.

Death is not death, if it kills no part of us, except that which hindered us from perfect life.

Death is not death, if it raises us in a moment from darkness into light, from weakness into strength, from sinfulness into holiness.

Death is not death, if it perfects our faith by sight, and lets us behold Him in whom we have believed.

Death is not death, if it rids us of doubt and fear, of sickness and disease, of sorrow and sadness.

Death is not death, if it gives us to those whom we have loved and lost, for whom we have lived, for whom we long to live again.

Death is not death, for Christ has conquered death, for Himself, and for those who trust in Him.

As Christians, we can be ready to die because we know the true nature of death. Are you ready to die? If you are then you are ready to live.

When we settle the issue of our eternal destiny we are set free to live life to the full. Only when we are ready to die are we ready to truly live. Only then do we understand the real meaning of life. Only then do we understand why we are here. Are you ready to live? If you are, you need to know a couple of things.

You are here for a reason. God has a purpose for your life. So many people throughout history have struggled with this question. Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?

Of course, the answers will differ depending on who you are talking to and on what is their perspective. If you are talking to a humanist, you will get a far different answer than if you are talking to a Christian. As Christians, we know that the greatest singular purpose our lives can have is to glorify God.

This was Paul’s desire. We have already seen, earlier in Philippians, that Paul’s desire was to glorify God whether in life or in death. Indeed, that is the highest calling for any Christian. We read in 1 Corinthians 10:29: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. In all things our lives should glorify God.

This is not just for the religious things we do. This is for everything. This doesn’t mean that we are to glorify God only on Sundays in the services of the church. We are also glorify God every day of the week in everything we do. We are to glorify God in our jobs. We are to glorify God in our families. We are to glorify God by what we say and by what we do not say. We are to glorify God by what we allow our minds to dwell upon. In all of our attitudes and actions, we are to glorify God.

How do we do this? Remember that we are called to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That is the goal for our lives. That is the work that God is doing in each of us. We glorify God when we reflect the life of Christ through our lives.

We have all seen people wearing these bracelets that have the letters W.W.J.D. inscribed upon them. The letters stand for "What would Jesus do?" It serves as a reminder that we, as Christians, need to constantly ask ourselves that question. In every situation that we face, we need to ask ourselves would Jesus would do, or more specifically, what Jesus would have us do.

This is really the essence of following Jesus–– not wearing the bracelet but doing what it says. As we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, our lives will glorify God.

The next thing you need to realize about why you are here is that you are here for others. This knowledge was what caused Paul his internal dilemma. While he desired to depart and be with Christ, he knew there were lots of people he loved that needed him. Listen to what he says:

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. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. (Philippians 1:23b-26 niv)

While Paul knew that he would personally benefit more by going to be with Christ, he also knew that living his life was not simply about what was best for him. Paul knew that his life was about more than simply trying to please himself. He was here for others. Indeed, that is why Christ came and Paul was just following the example of his Lord.

We are here for others. Our lives can make a difference in the lives of others. This is what the church should be about–– people caring for one another, people helping one another, people encouraging one another, people ministering to one another.

The older I get the more clearly I see this truth. True success in life should be judged, not by how much money you have made, or by the highest educational degree you have attained, or by the highest position to which you have been promoted, but by whether your life has touched and blessed the lives of others. True success is helping people find God. True success is pointing people to Jesus and helping them get there. True success is being an encouragement to people when they are down. True success is sharing the love of Jesus in practical ways.

Because Jesus has saved us and secured for us a home in heaven when we die, we are free to spend our lives living for him. Because we are ready to die, we can truly live.

Copyright © 2001 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.

This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing and e-mailed to J. David Hoke, at David@JDavidHoke.com.

Return to Sermon Page

Return to Homepage