WHEN DEATH BECOMES GAIN

Introduction:
I will be considering when death becomes gain in this sermon. Let me quickly
try to define the word “death”. One of the church fathers, Tertullian, defined
death as the disunion of the soul and the body. This separation is total and
permanent and it occurs when the body ceases to have motion and feelings due
to its destruction. At this point the body becomes useless to the soul, which
leaves such body and get ready to account for how it has fared while in the
body.
Let us consider these four basic facts about death:
1. Death is but once (Hebrews 9:27) "And as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment” KJV
2. Death is certain (Job 14: 1-2) “Man born of woman is of few days and
full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a
fleeting shadow, he does not endure” NIV
3. Time of death uncertain (Prov 27:1) “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for
thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” KJV
4. Death is to all men (Gen 3:19) “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” KJV
If then, death is to all men, why do we fear death? The fear of death is a source
of anxiety and alarm to many. All men want to go to heaven and yet nobody
wants to die. Man is so engrossed with living that he dreads the thought of
dying. Even when there is nothing for a man to cheer about in life, he still
doesn’t want to die. He continues to nurse the hope of a better tomorrow and
will see death as an unnecessary part of growth. Sometimes, when death comes
to a person, those left behind may begin to question God and may in fact regard
Him as wicked. If suddenly, the sound of a gun shot is heard in this sanctuary, I
wonder how many people will be found on their seats a minute after the sound
is heard.
However, the fear of death is for the wicked, and to a man with guilty
conscience the thought of death may indeed be terrible. But to a good man the
thought of death is gain by the consideration that death is the termination of
every trouble; that it puts him beyond the reach of sin and temptation.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul stated in Chapter 1, verse 21 “For to me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain”. KJV Paul wrote this letter from prison in
Rome and was facing a charge that carries a death sentence. Though he
nurtured the hope of being released from prison, yet when he considered both
living and dying, he desired to die and be united with Christ. He regarded it
better than to live.
If Paul sees it that way, then why are we not seeing death as a gain? If truly
death is a termination of every trouble, why do we not desire it? After all, who
wants trouble? If death puts us beyond sin and temptation, why are we afraid of
dying?
One of the benefits of the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the taking
away of the sting of death. In 1 Cor. 15: 54 – 55, we are told that death is
swallowed up in victory and its sting taken away.
In the 4th verse of the hymn, Abide with me; fast falls the eventide (CH 44), we
are informed that one shall triumph over death if God abide with a person. God
can only abide with a man that abides in Him. Abiding in God is the hallmark of
a Christian as his life is lived for God, in God, and with God. A Christian who
abides in God will bear much fruit according to John 15: 4 – 5.
Therefore for a Christian, death is not a thing to be sad about. When a Christian
dies, the soul goes to sleep waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. At the
coming of Christ, the dead in Christ will rise even before those that are alive,
and meet Jesus in the air and be with him forever.
However, if you are not in Christ, i.e. you are not born again then you need to
be afraid of death because death can never be a gain for you. Instead, it becomes
a terrible experience for such person. Hear what is said in 2 Cor 5:10 “For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad”. KJV
Those that have done bad and have not lived their life for Christ, will be
doomed and sent to the pit of Hell fire burning with sulphur, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. You must not die in your present state of
ungodliness. You must hear the gospel of salvation and accept Jesus Christ as
your personal Lord and Saviour.
If you have not heard the gospel of salvation before now or it is confusing to
you, then hear the gospel of salvation:
And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is One Who has come
down from heaven — the Son of Man [Jesus Christ], who (dwells) in heaven.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], [so it is
necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], In order that
everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on
Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever! For God
so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only
begotten ( unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies
on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, or be lost) but have eternal
(everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge
(to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might
find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. He who believes in
Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in
Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no
condemnation — he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (does
not cleave to, does not rely on, does not trust in Him) is judged already [he has
already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has
not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is
condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.] The [basis of the]
judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the
sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved
the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were
evil. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come
out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his
conduct) be exposed and reproved. But he who practices truth [who does what
is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be
what they are — wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help,
in dependence upon Him]. (John 3: 13 – 21 AMP)
Dear brethren, what are you waiting for, why not bow your head and confess
your sins. Ask God to forgive you for those sins. Commit your life to Christ.
Ask him to come into your life. Pray for the Spirit of God to guide you how to
live your life for God. Thank Him for accepting you.
My life time, I will give God my life time; 2ce
When I give God my lifetime, He will take care of me;
He will never ever let me down; I will give God my lifetime.