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What Do You Know About Death

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This is a picture of my dad and me.  I love it.  I keep it on my desk.  It makes me smile.  In fact, when I think about the circumstances surrounding the moment of this shot, it encourages me and gives me hope.

This picture was taken at the hospital three days before my dad died. 

How could a picture of my dad on his deathbed be something that encourages me or gives me hope?  It has to do with what I know about death; with what my dad spent his life making sure I knew.

Before I go any further let me ask you, what do you know about death? That’s an important question because death is real and it’s inevitable.  Do you know what will happen when you die, or when someone you love dies?

For Christians, Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  We believe it happened. We know it’s important.  And we trust that we too will be raised from the dead.  Yet for many Christians, death is still an uncertain subject.  And as a result, a lackluster sets into our faith that makes our message, and even more our lives, pretty unappealing.

But the Bible tells us…


For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:5)

What if it’s true that Christ rose from the dead; that he will never die again and death has no power over him; that by faith we are joined together with him in his death and will rise from the dead to live with him forever? What if it is true—not just ideas out there somewhere—but confident facts from God himself? 

For a person who does know Jesus, the thoughts I’m sharing would at best seem to be part of an interesting religion, or maybe some stimulating concepts.  But the power to look death in the face and feel hope as deep as deep goes only comes through Jesus Christ.

What I know about death is not based on feelings, or wishful thinking.  I stand on the bedrock of God’s word.  I have hope that goes beyond the grave.  I have confidence that death is not final.  I can smile when I look into my dad’s eyes in this picture, because I know that I will look into them again for real.

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The Oilman’s Soul

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There was a man named George W. Truett who pastored the same congregation in Dallas, Texas for 47 years.  His humble, spiritually-simple style had earned him the reputation of being a man after God’s own heart.  

Pastor Truett was invited over for dinner to the home of a very wealthy man. After the meal, the host led him to a place where they could get a good view of the surrounding area.  Pointing to the dozens of oil wells punctuating the landscape, the rich host boasted, “Twenty-five years ago I had nothing.  But now, as far as you can see, it’s all mine.”  Looking in the opposite direction at his sprawling fields of grain, he said, “That’s all mine.” Turning east toward huge herds of cattle, he bragged, “They’re all mine.”  Then pointing to the west at some beautiful commercial structures, he exclaimed, “That too is all mine.”

The rich man paused, expecting Pastor Truett to compliment him on his great success. The pastor put his hand on the man’s shoulder, smiled and said, “That’s truly impressive.”  But then with his other hand he pointed upwards and asked, “How much do you have in that direction?” The man hung his head and confessed, “Preacher, I’ve been so busy, I haven’t given that much thought.”

Jesus said,

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

We all need to make adjustments in our priorities at times.  Sometimes we feel like that rich man, and have to confess we haven’t thought much in heaven’s direction.  But there are also adjustments needed where we’re thinking about heaven so much, that we forget to think about earth, and the souls living here.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that some Christians are “so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good.”  Notwithstanding this truth, I believe it is not possible to be truly heavenly minded and not be of any earthly good. Actually it’s when we adjust our thoughts on the things above, that rather than becoming more disconnected and aloof from the world around us, we become even more aware and engaged.

C.S. Lewis states this so well…


If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

There are people all around you who are gaining the world at the expense of their souls. They are completely dominated with earthly goals and pressures.  And they love it when someone is impressed with their successes and accomplishments.  But here lies a great opportunity, and nobody could help you better with it than the old preacher from Texas.  Pastor Truett would say,

Go ahead, put you hand on their shoulder.  Give these folks a compliment or two.  But then point up in the sky with your other hand, and ask them how much they have in that direction.

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Halfway House

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Halfway houses are places that allow people who are coming out of incarceration, or addicts seeking sobriety, a safe place that provides monitoring and support.  They are dramatically better than a jail cell or a drug house, but no one would want to live permanently in a halfway house.  They serve as a stepping-stone to what everyone desires: a place they can call home.

Abraham is called the father of faith.  And in the book of Hebrews we are told that while he was on earth he and his family were…


…dwelling in tents

It’s not that Abraham as unable to purchase an estate, or build an elaborate mansion, or settle down in some attractive spot. Genesis 13:2 says that he “was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.”  But Abraham was content to dwell in tents because he realized that there was something greater and eternal beyond his earthly existence. 


For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)

Being renewed by the hope of heaven will cause us to have a loose grip on earthly stuff.  Abraham knew that his most valuable possessions were not on earth, but in Heaven. This is what made him content to dwell in a tent. The first verse of the same chapter gives us insight…


Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

The place where God brought Abraham was called “the land of promise,” not the “the promised land,” as sometimes referred.  It was also called, “a strange country.”  He did not act like he was the possessor of the land, but as a foreigner and pilgrim in it. He took no part in its politics, had nothing to do with its religion, had very little social interactions with its people, but lived by faith and found his joy trusting in the promises of God.  

Because Abraham’s heart was focused, he was not occupied with the Canaanites who were then in the land, but with the invisible God who had pledged it unto him. 

If you’re coming out of rough season in your life, or maybe you’re still in one, there’s a safe shelter under God’s care.  He’ll restore your strength and hope.  He’ll monitor your progress and provide support.  But no matter how bad things were or how good things get, you’re not going to be here permanently.  This earth is just a halfway house to heaven, a place you’ll forever call home.

Blah Blah Blah

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When I was in Bible college, one of my fellow students, who had a real heart for elderly people, regularly visited a local nursing home.  He had made friends with several of the people living there, and as a result he was invited to come lead a chapel service.

He took this very seriously.  He was honored by the chance to minister the word to these people for whom the Lord had given him so much love.  
He studied.  He prayed.  He wrote notes and thoughts down.  He filled a wastebasket with rejected ideas. Finally he emerged from his preparation time with a powerful message on salvation through faith.

He watched as the people assembled in room where he would be speaking.  Some were using walkers.  Some were wheeled in.  A few had I.V. needles in their arms. There were also nurses gathered in the back to attend the service.
He cleared his throat and thanked them for the invitation, and then prayed.  He had written the prayer down with every word carefully and prayerfully considered.  Upon saying amen, he announced,


Today I have felt led to speak on the topic of salvation by faith.  Let us look to God’s word, Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9…

He read from his bible and began to describe the very important doctrines of salvation, faith, and grace.  His exegesis and doctrinal treatise was perfect.  His confidence was gaining until a woman began muttering,


Blah, blah, blah.  Blah, blah, blah.

She continued saying this as she rolled her squeaky wheelchair out of the room.  My friend tried to regain his focus after this, but never did.  Finally he closed in prayer and went out to his car.  

He was confused, discouraged, frustrated and even angry.

Every preacher at times has had these feelings in common.  We study. Pray. Write. Pray more. But then it seems our words fall on deaf ears.

But every preacher who has been effective also has something in common: keeping Jesus the main focus.  Aimee Semple McPherson, the founder of the Foursquare Church had John 12:21 engraved on the pulpit of Angelus Temple…


We would see Jesus

This is not at the expense of sound doctrine, nor is it dumbed down emotionalism. It is not simplistic, but it is simple, and it’s powerful.  When we turn our attentions on Jesus we are opening the reservoirs of God’s power, healing, and love so strong that it demands attention.  It’s then that the Holy Spirit can etch the words spoken so that they adjust to every listening ear.  

Preaching Jesus may not keep every one from walking out, or wheeling out, but it will cause many to come to Him.

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Stolen Goods

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Having something stolen is so infuriating!  Especially if there was a break-in.  You feel violated.  You also feel paranoid that it could happen again.  

But some rip offs go unnoticed.

Touring Venice, Italy, with a group of people was a memorable experience.  The canals, the Piazza San Marco, and the food was amazing.  But the most outstanding memory I have happened as we were getting ready to pay for our food in little restaurant.

“My wallet! My wallet! It’s gone!”

My friend shouted as he frantically searched through all his pockets, looked around the table, and under his chair.  The waiter came to assist.  “Signore, preggo.  I’m afraid-a you been a-pickpocketed.”  

As we retraced our steps, my friend remembered being surrounded earlier that day by a group of people.  Several of them bumped into him.  No doubt they were the ones who got his wallet.  But it wasn’t until he needed his wallet many hours later that he noticed it was gone.

This is how Satan perpetrates his thievery. Secretive. Stealthy. And unnoticed often until it’s too late.

David and his men were pursuing what seemed to be a noble thing.  They were offering military assistance to another king.  But they had left their families in a place called Ziklag. They king turned down their offer and they began to head back home.

As they returned, they saw smoke off in the distance in the direction of their camp.  They began to run.  Soon it was clear that Ziklag had been attacked.  Everything was burned, all the livestock was gone, and worse—all their families had been taken.

These men of war began to cry like babies.  As their minds raced with what could be happening to their wives and children, they turned their anger on David.  This is where we are told the famous line, “And David encouraged himself in the Lord.”

But that’s not the most important thing David did.

David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And the LORD answered him, 

Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all. (1 Samuel 30:8)

With that, David and his men found the enemy’s location, attacked them, and recovered everyone and everything that had been stolen.

Even though Satan is good at attacking us when we are not expecting it, or when we have our guards down, rather than giving up in defeat, we can seek the Lord’s assistance. 

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
(Hebrews 7:25)

As it becomes clear to you that enemy has ripped you off, and you began to realize that you might have been asleep at the switch, rather than mourn the loss, or sink into depression and self-loathing, turn to Lord for help.  Ask him to restore what’s been taken.  

If it’s your wallet, you may still have to pay for lunch.

Sheep Dung and Holy Ground

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Have you heard someone say, “They’ve been happily married for 60 years.”  
Or, “Over all these years, I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every moment.”
Or maybe, “I’ve never had a second of doubt.”

Bologna!

I love Ruth Graham’s answer when she was asked if she ever thought about divorcing Billy, “No, I’ve never thought of divorce in all these years of marriage, but,” she said, “I did think of murder a few times.“

The truth is that smooth sailing in life isn’t what makes us better, or stronger, or happier.  We gain the most valuable things for living in the less glamorous times and experiences of our lives.

Moses was watching his father-in-law’s sheep in desolate place.  It was rough. Hot. Dry. But Jethro had taught him where to find water; which plants had berries that could be eaten; and which of the plants were safe for the sheep to eat.  

It was a pretty boring, mundane existence compared to the courts of Pharaoh, but Moses carried on.  However, there had to be moments of shear frustration.

He was a Hebrew…but not accepted by them.
He had been treated like royalty…now he was in total obscurity.
He is living in a foreign place…that he can’t relate to and doesn’t quite fit in.

One day as Moses and the sheep were wandering up into the hills, a bush caught on fire and began to speak to him, 

“Moses, take your sandals off because the place you are standing is holy ground.”

Moses hesitated for a moment.  “Holy ground?” he thought. “This place?  I’ve been up here a million times. It’s covered in sheep dung.”  Then God spoke to him and gave him the instructions for getting His people out of Egypt.

It wasn’t long after this that Moses stood confidently before Pharaoh.  He knew the drill.  He knew who to talk to, who to salute, who to bow before, and how to talk to a Pharaoh because he used to live in that palace.  

It wasn’t long after this that he smiled when Pharaoh’s sorcerers turned their rods into snakes.  He thought how these snakes were nothing compared to the ones he had killed in Median.  Then he watched the snake his rod had become eat the others.

It wasn’t long after this that he could sense the reluctance of the people about following him into the wilderness. “What are we going to eat?  What are we going to drink?” they cried.  He thought about how much they reminded him of Jethro’s sheep while watching water come from a rock and manna appear in the morning.

And it wasn’t too long after this that he pushed back some tears from his eyes as God told him there would be forty more years of wandering in the desert.  But he thought about how faithful God had been in the other wildernesses of his life. This one would be no different.

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope. (Romans 5:3–4, GNB)

It’s the things that are difficult, things that press on us and trouble us, that actually bring about God’s blessing and give rise to hope.  Not problem-free living.  Not living happily ever after.  

To those who think otherwise, I would say, "Bologna!”  Moses would probably say, “SHEEP DUNG!”

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We Could Hear Them Singing

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I love airplanes.  Always have.  I love to fly too.  So much so, that I got a Private Pilot’s license in 1988.  The freedom of flight, the process of planning a flight, the accumulation of understanding gained during a flight, and just watching things below go by are unlike anything else.

People have asked me if I ever get nervous or scared when I fly.  Honestly, I do not.  I’ve been in crazy weather, flown through severe turbulence, navigated narrow mountain passes, had near misses with other planes, but always felt confident and secure.

Except for one time when I was a passenger.

We were on our way to Israel.  The old TWA L-1011 lumbered off the runway at JFK and began its climb eastbound over the North Atlantic. As the flight attendants begin to prepare the serving carts, we all began to settle in for the ten-hour flight. I was in heaven analyzing the various aspects of this enormous aircraft, until a loud bang caught my and everyone else’s attention.  It wasn’t long after that noise that the pilot came on the intercom and said,


We have had a serious malfunction in the number one engine.  We’ve declared an emergency and are returning to JFK.  Flight attendants please prepare for emergency landing.

Within in minutes we were given instructions for the emergency landing procedures.  As it began to occur to me how serious this was, I could feel anxiety building inside me, and I wasn’t the only one.  I could hear people saying that they loved each other.  I could hear people crying, in fact one even of the flight attendants was crying.  I could hear people praying. It was getting tense…

…until I heard them singing.

There was a group of people from an African Methodist Episcopal church who all sitting together in the back of the plane.  They began singing.  I mean singing.  Giving God praise.  They sang,

I will bless the Lord, oh my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name;

For He has done great things, hallelujah,

He has done great things, hallelujah,

He has done great things, bless His holy name.

Almost everyone aboard began singing with them.  God is my witness, the entire plane was filled with a tangible sense of peace.  Even when the pilot announced for us to prepare for landing, that peace remained.

As the plane wobbled its way down onto the runway, we could see dozens of ambulances and fire trucks lining both sides of the runway.  The wheels touched down and it seemed we rolled forever because there was no reverse thrust. But finally that big old jumbo jet turned off the runway and began taxing to back to the gate.

Everyone onboard began to applaud.  But those precious AME folks who had been singing, erupted in praise and thanks to the Lord Jesus.  It wasn’t long that every Christian aboard that plane (and there were a lot of them on their way to Israel), were saying, “Amen! Amen!”  I even heard the flight attendant who had been crying say, “Amen.”  

We later found out that the plane had lost all its generators.  They flew back and landed on battery power alone.  But we also learned that the pilot’s could hear us singing.  One of them commented, “I feel like we had some help from above.”

Yes indeed, we had help from above…and also from the back of the plane.


You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

Eyes of Hope

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What he saw captivated his thoughts. It was lush. Fertile. Beautiful. And it was
all theirs! Moses said to the men around
him,


“Now I know what God meant when He said,

‘I’m bringing you into a land flowing with milk and honey.’”

He was getting older, but his strength got a second wind as
he thought about how God was fulfilling the promises made to him back in
Egypt. Hope surged in his heart even
though there appeared to be walled cities and some formidable opponents. Surely
these things could be no greater of a challenge than Pharaoh and his minions.
Moses could hardly wait for the men to get back whom he had sent into the land
for a firsthand look.

“There they are!” someone shouted as the twelve came up a
trail. They didn’t appear to be very
excited as Moses asked for a status report.


“We cannot go! The people are
too big! The cities are too strong. We
would be better off back in Egypt.”

All the people began to moan, but Moses noticed that
Jephunneh’s son and Nun’s son were shaking their heads. “Caleb and Joshua,”
Moses asked, “what did you boys see?”


“Let us go up at once and take possession, for we
are well able to overcome it…Do not fear the people, for the Lord is with us!”
(Numbers 13:30,
14:9)

That answer proved to be a very key moment in the history of
Israel, and in the lessons God deals with his people. It turns out that how we relate to circumstances
is based on how much we really believe God is with us, and that nothing is
impossible for Him. What Caleb and
Joshua saw and felt inwardly affected their hope, which in turn affected their
destiny. This is true today. Let us look
with eyes of faith-filled hope.

What Makes God Great…

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After church last Sunday a person was telling me how they had
been out working in their yard, not really thinking about a whole lot, when
something reminded them of a person they knew back in the day. They laughed as
they thought about some of stupid things they had done with this person. But
then their thoughts starting wandering back to things that weren’t so laughable.
The person looked at me and said,


“Most of the people I have had as friends are no longer in my life. I
feel like almost every relationship I’ve had has fallen apart. The truth is, I have made a lot of mistakes. I
know I’ve hurt people. But I’ve been
hurt too. Many of those people have done things to me that were wrong!”

I could see the hurt and brokenness in their face, and at
the same time sense anger and bitterness in their words. I paused for a minute, and then asked if they
had asked God to forgive them for things they had done wrong in those
relationships. They said they had. I asked if they had forgiven those who had
hurt them. Again, they said they
had. But something was missing.

This person, like so many of us, was not living with the
freedom of knowing that their sins were truly forgiven. The various mistakes and sins in the past, or
maybe something recently said or done, or a behavior indulged in repeatedly, makes
it difficult to believe that we can be truly forgiven. Paul evidently felt the same way,

“For the good that I will to
do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do
what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.
For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:19–24)

When theologians describe God’s greatness they use words
like omniscient or omnipotent. Those are
true descriptions, but Psalms describes God this way,


“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and
abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” (Ps 86:5)

“As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that’s why you’re worshiped.”

(Ps 130:4, The Message)

In other words, what makes God great to us who follow Him is
his willingness and power to forgive, no matter what we’ve done or how often
we’ve done it. When the memories come—of
past failures, of past sins, of the fractures we’ve caused, of things that have
been done to us, or even of where we are currently falling short—we can rest
fully in the greatness of our God, who is rich in mercy and always ready to forgive!

Remember this the next time you’re out doing yard work, and
you start reminiscing.

Pioneer Spirit

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350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. In the first year they were there they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.  In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness.

Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across the ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see five miles outside of town.

They had lost their pioneering vision.

With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. However without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.

It’s a sad day for any person or church when they become absolutely satisfied with the deeds they are doing, the thoughts they are thinking, the life they are living, until there ceases forever beating on the doors of their souls a desire to do something greater for God.

The truth is, time has a way of taking our passion away. Can you remember a time when your passion and your love for Jesus was more fervent than it is now? Can you remember when you were more interested in sharing your faith with others?  Can you remember a time when you wanted to do something big for God?

Nobody consciously chooses mediocrity.  All of us want to be a part of doing something great for God. But to do something great for God, to be part of something that is bigger than us, requires a fresh vision from God,  

The good news is that God wants to freshen our vision.  He wants to do great things through His people.  He does not want us to remain static, or grow stagnant.  His moving on the hearts of His people has always preceded a new breakthrough, and that’s available to us right now.


“Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, ‘Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.…If God is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land.’”
(Numbers 13)