Dying: Welcome Home

Intro:
The statistics on *death are pretty alarming, 1 in 1 die! There is no way around 1it. Even though we will die physically we do not need to die spiritually.

Someone once said, "If you are born once you will die twice." In other words, if you are born from your mom but are never "born from above" (John 3:3) your body will die some day and your spirit will die that day as well. You only have the short time in this life to be born again.

Someone also said, "If you are born twice you will only die once." That is the hope for Christians. We believe that Jesus Died for us and that he was raised to life again. We believe that his life will give us safe passage and landing in God's presence. We believe that to die physically is a new beginning.

Read: Romans 5:6-11
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Think:

God showed his great love for us in having Jesus Christ take our place. It was "great" because he loved us before we could clean ourselves up. Like the prodigal son, the Father runs to us and hugs us before we are told to take a shower. It is kind of like the love shown by enduring the breath of your kids in the morning without complaining! Only 10x more!

Jesus died so we would not have to. He paid the price and penalty for our missing the mark with God. When we were enemies and rebels HE died. That doesn't even make sense. He dies for me while I mock him and blow him off. That is amazing love.

Hidden in these verses is something very awesome. We've been looking at *death this week. Yesterday we looked at the hope we have and what lies beyond the door of *death. Here is Romans 5 we have the promise of God that he is ready to accept us.

Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for folks when they die. Paul says that since God accepted us while we were his enemies how much more will he not receive us and accept us when we die now that we are his friends? Think through that. If I show you love and kindness when you show me hatred. If I make you a friend when you are an enemy. If I will not reject you when you reject me then how much more can you be certain that I will show you love and kindness and not reject you now that we are friends?

That is more hope for us when we die. When we are born from above by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then we become his friends. As such he is ready to welcome us when we die.

Do:
For this weekend, take time to look back over the 4 devotions on dying. Reflect on the themes. Consider your life.

Listen to "Graverobber" and "Lord when Thou Ascended" in the DevoLink Worship Center. Listen to the words!

DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.