©2002 Thomas Miles

Part Two of Three:

In life we have but one moment, that moment should be dedicated to serving Christ with all our heart and soul!  We cannot add even a single minute to our life, but we can gain eternal life.  About death we should not worry if we know the Lord!  About life we should not worry if we know the Lord!

Matthew 6:26  "Look at the birds. They don't plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?
Matthew 6:27  "Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
Matthew 6:28  "And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes.
Matthew 6:29 But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers.
Matthew 6:30 that's the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it's alive, and tomorrow it's thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
Matthew 6:31  "Don't ever worry and say, what are we going to eat?' or what are we going to drink?' or what are we going to wear?'
Matthew 6:32 everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them.
Matthew 6:33 But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
Matthew 6:34  "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of. I will speak very boldly and honor Christ in my body, now as always, whether I live or die.
Philippians 1:21 Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I'll have even more.
Philippians 1:22 if I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don't know which I would prefer.
Philippians 1:23 I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That's by far the better choice.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

1. What is worry and what types of things do people worry about?

Worry is something or someone that causes anxiety.  Worry is a source of unhappiness.  Worry is a constant concern. Worry is a feeling of uneasiness.  Worry is mental anguish or anxiety that results from our distress over something that has happened or is going to happen.  Worry is fear of the unknown or known! Three of the biggest worries of man are money, family, and death.  Three of the biggest worries of children & teens are friends, grades, and appearance.  Other things that we worry about are jobs, recreation, and social activities.

2. Put Matthew 6:26-34 in your own words.

Here the writer is telling us that no matter how hard we try we can never add any years to our life.  We can take them away by things we do pertaining to our health, but we cannot add them.  The writer is also telling us that worry implies a lack of faith in God. When we worry we are not trusting in the things we know to be true--the things of God!  When we worry it does nothing for us but to bring about more worry and fears.  Worry never makes anything better.

3. What are some reasons why people might fear or worry about death?

People worry about death because they do not know what happens when they die!  Unless a person is born again truly believing that they have eternal life through Christ Jesus they have no clue as to what happens when they die.  And this lack of knowing causes anxiety, fear, and doubt.  Even believers though will have worries about death because many believers truly have not placed all their trust in God.  They want to believe that there is a heaven but since they cannot tangibly see or touch it they have trouble with it and thus have apprehension over death.  Another thing that causes people to worry over death is the actual process of dying.  Just the thought of aging and having your body slowly quit working is simply not a pretty thought.  Over the years we have seen or heard of many deaths and we have also seen and heard of many painful and slow agonizing deaths and as humans we also dread pain.  Now for most folks including many believers the biggest worry is who will watch over our loved ones when we are gone. We worry about their welfare.  We worry about their feelings.  We worry about the hurt and pain they will go through at our death.  And also not knowing how one will die causes perhaps as much worry as knowing one will die.

4. What brought about death?

Death is the end result of sin and a continuous reminder that without Christ there is no hope of anything.  With Christ though, we have the hope of eternal life.

5. Is death ever triumphal? If death is ever triumphal what is the triumph of death?

Yes, death can be triumphal.  The ultimate goal of death is to claim victory over man and GOD!  Death wants to see man bound for hell for all eternity.  With this God loses and Satan wins.

6. Is there anything to counteract the triumph of death?

Yes! God sent His Son, His only begotten Son came to defeat death, hell, and the grave.  Jesus claimed victory over Satan defeating him and giving us victory and the hope of eternal life.

7. How does the world look at death, how does a believer look at death, and how did Paul look at death?

Death in the eyes of non-believers is viewed with a feeling of helplessness.  The person facing the death of a loved one feels hopeless, helpless, and abandoned.  In the eyes of the world death is viewed as “ETERNAL SEPARATION.”  For the non-believer once a person dies they believe in their heart they will never see them again.  They are gone for all eternity.  Death is final with no hope for anything. The believer looks at death much the same as the world in that we mourn the passing of a loved one, but we mourn for a different reason.  We mourn the separation and knowing that our loved one has gone on to be with the Father and we have to wait.  As believers we look at death with the knowledge that we will see our loved one again because of Jesus Christ.  Although sin has brought to the world death, it is not something that the believer should fear or worry about.  Christ paid the ultimate cost so we could have the ultimate victory--everlasting life.  Victory is ours as a believer whether we die before Christ returns or if we are still here when He returns--we are children of God and will go home to be with Him in Heaven.

Paul knew that death for the believer meant going to be with Jesus forever.  Paul knew that nothing on earth could come close to the joy that would be found in living in heaven with Christ.  And because of this reasoning Paul longed for death so he could be with Jesus forever.  He had no fear of death, because he knew that sweet peace would be his.

This is part two of three. The next, part three, will soon follow.

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