Foreword
Foreword
Hebrews 9:27 states, “…It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” People know that they will die, but they do not realize that judgment follows. Death is the final doorway that humans must pass through. We must pass it to stand before God. That is why Jesus died for mankind, in my place, to let us experience it. Without tasting death, no one can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-2 says, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain”
The phrase “clouds return after the rain” symbolizes death. To “remember the Creator” means to acknowledge that the Creator will one day reclaim our lives at the appointed time.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” How can suffering ever be “enough”? Only when we prepare, anticipate, and give thanks can we truly be satisfied. Without that, life is filled with complaining. Death is “the retrieval of life, darkness, the end, and the grave.” Jesus called the rich man who failed to prepare for death a “fool” (Luke 12:19-21).
Apostle Paul did not see death as a distant future event but believed it should be dealt with daily in his life. He brought death from the distant future into his daily walk of faith, embracing the end and living in preparation for it. That is why he confessed in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die daily.” May we also live such a life. Knowing Jesus’ Cross Through Death Luke 9:18-25, 1 Corinthians 15:31
March 18, 2007 | Green Hill Presbyterian Church (Orlando, FL. USA)
From Rev. Abraham Park’s sermon
- 25년 3월호