There may be an outdated African American religious whose concluding verse repeats,
Oh, once I come to die,
Oh, once I come to die,
Oh, once I come to die,
Give me Jesus.
Demise will not be a subject most individuals are looking for out alternatives to debate. On a protracted, lazy summer time afternoon, there are lots of extra interesting topics for dialog. However demise is the inevitable vacation spot of life whereas the Lord tarries, and sensible women and men should think about to how they may put together for it.
Within the Bible, Joseph offers us a profound instance of what it means to look ahead to demise with knowledge and hope. Joseph was a believer. He knew that God made guarantees to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knew that God doesn’t renege on His guarantees. He knew that God would take the Israelites out of Egypt. And so the phrases of his will had been, in truth, singular: “Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will certainly go to you, and also you shall carry up my bones from right here’” (Gen. 50:25). His phrases present that he believed the guarantees of God had been true—and he was selecting to participate in them.
Although he couldn’t have stated it in these phrases, Joseph is an instance of somebody who lived with this aim in thoughts: “After I come to die, give me Jesus.”
Extraordinary Ordinariness
Joseph lived a rare life. God introduced him from sheep herding in Canaan to ruling over Egypt, by many ups and downs alongside the way in which. Comparatively, the account of his demise in Genesis 50 appears a considerably strange account of a person’s remaining phrases and requests.
After all, it was something however strange. By way of all his trials, Joseph had by no means overpassed who he was and of the place he was heading, and no much less so on his deathbed. He reveals us that no day is unimportant. No determination is irrelevant. No relationship is of passing fancy. Joseph lived his life resting in God’s functions by the great, the unhealthy, and the ugly, and he was able to do the identical on the day of his demise. Within the phrases of Hebrews 11, he was “nonetheless dwelling by religion” when he died (11:13 NIV).
Joseph was not involved, on the day of his demise, together with his high-powered job and the privileges it introduced him. As a substitute, he appeared to God’s promise.
Will you and I be dwelling by religion once we die? Will we proceed to the tip and be lastly saved from sin’s presence? By way of life’s bewilderments, surprises, and privileges, will we nonetheless learn our Bibles? Will we nonetheless love God? Will we nonetheless inform others about Him? Will we nonetheless attend worship? Will we nonetheless be engaged all the way in which to the very finish? Will we are saying with mouth and deed, “After I come to die, simply give me Jesus; He’s all I want”? That form of religion will make the day of our demise a rare event.
A Life Wanting Ahead
Joseph lived his life wanting ahead. Youngsters with braces know what this implies. Most are counting the times until they’ll be eliminated: “Simply two extra years.” “Simply six extra months.” “Solely two weeks left.” They perceive that their discomfort now has a objective and an finish date, they usually lengthy for it to come back.
You possibly can inform quite a bit about folks by what they’re . “Let the pessimist look down, and the fearful go searching,” writes G. T. Manley, “however let the Christian carry up his head and search for.” Joseph had proven himself at all times to be a person who appeared up, and that trait remained because the day of his demise approached. In reality, Hebrews 11:22 identifies his remaining request as a profound act of religion: “By religion Joseph, on the finish of his life, made point out of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions regarding his bones.”
Nothing brings readability to the problems of life fairly like demise. Its strategy modifications all the things. It causes us to reevaluate the importance of our financial institution stability, our work portfolio, our groups, our toys. Joseph was not involved, on the day of his demise, together with his high-powered job and the privileges it introduced him. As a substitute, he appeared to God’s promise.
It might be centuries earlier than the oath was fulfilled—however Joseph was wanting ahead to the day. Generations of Hebrew dad and mom advised of the oath to Joseph, and generations of Hebrew youngsters acquired the testimony of his religion. The best legacy he left was not cash, homes, or stuff however the instance of trusting God’s guarantees, dwelling within the rules of God’s Phrase, and relying solely on God’s grace.
A Actuality We Can’t Ignore
Woody Allen captured a lot of the world’s perspective towards demise with the quip “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I simply don’t wish to be there when it occurs.” Folks worry demise, however they deny that they worry it. As a substitute, they keep away from it.
In contrast, the Bible confronts the issue of demise head on. It says that “the wages of sin is demise” (Rom. 6:23)—that demise got here into the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:12), and it’s the appointed finish of each man and girl in our damaged world (Heb. 9:27).
The satan doesn’t need us to consider dying, as a result of he is aware of that after we die, we face the judgment of God. He doesn’t need us to contemplate what the sum of our life shall be in God’s accounting, nor does he need us to take the measures which may save us.
Within the judgment, God will ask, successfully, “What did you do with My Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I supplied to you to save lots of you from sin and demise?” Have we embraced this nice salvation that God has supplied, or have we ignored it? This judgment day is fastened, will probably be honest, and will probably be completely remaining. We’re silly if we don’t put together ourselves for it.
The satan doesn’t need us to consider dying, as a result of he is aware of that after we die, we face the judgment of God.
The promise of God to Joseph was that God would come and rescue the Israelites from Egypt. In case you learn your Bible backwards, it’s not tough to see that that image is lastly fulfilled within the individual of the Lord Jesus: “That is the need of my Father, that everybody who seems on the Son and believes in him ought to have everlasting life, and I’ll increase him up on the final day” (John 6:40). The promise Joseph appeared ahead to in varieties and shadows we look ahead to with all of the readability of the revelation of Jesus Christ: God in Christ will go to us once more, and He’ll increase up our dry bones (Ezek. 37:4–6).
Reader, as you look ahead to the day of your demise, imitate Joseph, and take into account the testimony that your life and legacy make to your religion in our Lord’s guarantees.
This text was tailored from the sermon “And After I Come to Die…” by Alistair Begg.
