pilgrim in progress

Powlison pointed out that of all the issues of the Christian life the Scripture is particularly clear on the issue of death.

Death is the only absolutely predictable thing about a person’s life is death. You will die. The question is how we will face our death. Powlison pointed out the following:

I.    Face your own inevitable death and the many small dying

1. It is worthwhile to face the simple fact of our death.
2. Ask yourself “What lasts?” Get shaken up to look at what doesn’t last. 
3. Face the many small dyings. Psalm 23 talks about the “shadow of death.” There is a sense in which every aspect of our life is a shadow of the fact that everything is breaking down in life. “I will fear no evil.” We must realize that there are many evils we will face. It is here that we must also face the question of whether we really believe that Jesus is bigger than all death.
4. There is a particular way that we are supposed to face death and dyings. The Bible’s purpose is not to calm you down and chill you out. When we look at the death of Jesus he is not calm, cool, and collected.
1.     We see Psalm 31. Loud cries and groaning. Honest wrestling.
2.     Trust is involved - we are called to 1 Pet 4:19, “entrust yourself” just as Christ entrusted himself to God.
3.     The Psalms portray an honest sorrow.
5. Ask yourself when you go to heaven who are you most looking forward to meeting? See Psalm 17.
6. The means to dying well is learning to die well to the daily sins the beset us. The most profound cancer is not the one that is killing you physically but the cancer of your sinful self. When we are dealing with the moral cancer daily it changes the scale of value of your physical dying. Death means the deliverance from difficult and arduous spiritual warfare.
7. Really ask yourself the question what lasts? Everything fell away but love for God and love for people. I will wake up after this surgery. I will either wake up with no pain and see the face of my savior. Or I will wake up in a ton of pain and see the face of my wife. An experience of fierce joy going into it. What lasts? We last and will come out. Love for God and others lasts.
8. Be a life learner about death and dying.

II.    Help others face death
The purpose of dealing with your own death and dying will enable you to be a comfort to others facing death (See 2 Cor 1).

1. Do not underestimate the “fear of death” (Heb 2:15) – The biggest evidence that the fear of death is ruling someone’s life is an inability to face it’s fact. Our culture looks down on the Victorians for their prudence in sexuality where they would look down on our prudence towards death. Our culture does not talk about death.
2. How can you show love? Be present. The human touch is powerful. Tangible acts of love. Making your own experience accessible to others.
3. What do you need to know?
1. Culture obsessed with what the medical problem is
2. You need to know the person who has the medical condition
3. Look for what they put their greatest hope in – it will either be in Christ or in something that may be good, but not good enough and will perish with them.
4. What do you say?
1. Don’t pretend or give false hopes
2. Don’t try to keep it light or ignore the reality
3. You will bring different things to different people – to the believer you bring the Lord they love
4. What have you hoped in?
5. What can you help them do?
1. Help them find hope and comfort through your presence in the presence of God.