In the book titled, On the Anvil, Max Lucado wrote about Billie Sicard, a well-to do woman. She lived on the exclusive Sunset Island in Miami since 1937. She died in 1979, but her spirit had died in 1954. On the evening in 1954, her only reason to live left her; her twelve-year-old son, George, died of a brain tumor. After her husband left, her little George was her life. When he died in 1954, she resigned from life.
Until shed died in 1979, she left George’s toys, his room, his stuffs untouched for 25 years. When the house was sold after her death, little George’s Cub Scout uniform was still hanging in the downstairs coat closet. On the wall was a child’s sketch of a choo-choo train drawn in red crayon. She had never washed it off. His Mickey Mouse slippers sat in the corner of his bedroom. When her son died, Billie resigned from life and became a social recluse. She no longer cared any more. Her neglected, uncared house with the overgrown weeds and trees became the source of the ghost stories in town. She died in 1979, but she gave up living in 1954.
Lucado wrote, “Man must have something larger than death… or death takes man.” This is exactly what happened to Billie. The sorrow over her son’s death sunk her to the bottom where she saw no hope.
Compare this to last Monday night!
I rode with Pastor Hong, his wife and Adelaide and Eddie’s dad to be with Paul and Julie’s grandfather. He had been in coma for a while. With the doctor’s recommendation, the family made the difficult decision to discontinue the breathing machine to allow Mr. Kwan to die naturally. I arrived at the hospital around 10:45 pm. He was surrounded by his family members and the church members. For the next hour and half, we filled the room with God’s words, prayers and hymns. I remember well what Paul and Julie’s mom said to her dad before he took his last breath. “Dad, I am so proud of you.” When he took the last breath, there were heartfelt sorrows and cries in the room. But, they were not the kinds that paralyze you into the abyss of despair, hopeless, darkness as it did for Billie.
Listen to what John Piper wrote about his father’s own death on March 6, 2007.
I had slept a little since his last morphine shot at ten. One ear sleeping, one on the breathing. At 11:45, I awoke. The breaths were coming more frequently and were very shallow. I will not sleep again, I thought. For ten minutes, I prayed aloud into his left ear with Bible texts and pleadings to Jesus to come and take him. I had made this case before, and this time felt an unusual sense of partnership with Daddy as I pressed on the Lord to relieve this warrior of his burden.
I finished and lay down. Good. Thank you, Lord. It will not be long. And, grace upon grace, hundreds of prayers are being answered: He is not choking.
The gurgling that threatened to spill over and drown him in the afternoon had sunk deep, and now there was simple clear air, shorter and shorter. I listened from where I lay next to him on a foldout chair.
That’s it. I rose and waited. Will he breathe again? Nothing. Fifteen or twenty seconds, and then a gasp. I was told to expect these false endings. But it was not false. The gasp was the first of two. But no more breaths. I waited, watching. No facial expressions. His face had frozen in place hours before. One more jerk. That was all. Perhaps an eyebrow twitch a moment later. Nothing more.
I stroked his forehead and sang,
My gracious Master and My God
Assist me to proclaim
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of thy name.
Daddy, how many thousands awaited you because of your proclamation of the great gospel. You were faithful. You kept the faith, finished the race, fought the fight…
...I combed his hair. He always wore a tie. The indignities of death are many, but we tried to minimize them. Keep the covers straight. Pull the gown up around his neck so it looks like a sharp turtleneck. Tuck the gappy shoulder slits down behind so they don’t show. Use a wet washcloth to keep the secretions from crusting in the eyelashes. And by all means, keep his hair combed. So now I straightened his bedding and combed his hair and wiped his eyes and put the mouth moisturizer on his lips and tried to close his mouth. His mouth would not stay closed. It had been set in that position from hours and hours of strained breathing. But he was neat. A strong, dignified face.”
I am all the more convinced today that there is something beautiful, assuring, dignifying, and hopeful about the death of Christians. I couldn’t help but imagine the kind of death I will encounter. Will I be surrounded by my beloved families, friends who will be sad to see me leave, who will be proud of me, and who will rejoice and celebrate my eternal life in Jesus Christ? Will I hear God speak to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” More I think about death, my heart yearns for the dignified, holy and warm last moments.
1. What makes a death of a Christian beautiful, assuring, dignified, and hopeful?
Apostle Paul says without Christ’s resurrection, our faith is futile and that those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost and that we are to be pitted more than all men in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19. If death has the final say, then all is vain, all is without hope, nor meaning. But, the final say for Christian life is not death, but the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The final say over our lives is the creed, the rock solid confession of our faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to the one abnormally born.
Just as Christ is raised from the dead, the Scripture teaches us that we too will be resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 speaks of this truth:
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If you were there at Paul and Julie’s grandfather’s wake service, you will agree with me that it was as though Mr. Kwan was in deep sleep; he looked as though he was going to wake up in any moment. This is really the reality for Christians; the death doesn’t have the final say over Christians, the resurrection of Jesus does.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58 says:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 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.
The reason the death of Christians is beautiful, assuring, dignified and hopeful is because the death doesn’t have the final say, but the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the difference between the death of Billie and the death of Paul and Julie’s grandfather and John Piper’s father.
The resurrection makes Christian death beautiful, assuring, dignified and hopeful. But, does it make any real impact on our daily living?
2. How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ make impact on your daily living?
Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:7, “You must be born again.” Why do we need to be born again? Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:1, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit of who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
Why do we need to be born again? It is because we were dead. Regardless of how active, vibrant, productive, seemingly full of life, fun, passionate a person may appear to be, without Christ, a person is dead.
Ephesians 2:3 says that this reality of death manifests itself in gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts all that are contrary to the ways of God. This happens because the spiritual death is the separation from God and the incapability to live in joyful submission to God’s reign.
Ephesians 2:4-6 says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
Mercy is I quote, “God’s compassion for the helpless, issuing in action for their relief.”[1] We were all powerless and incapable to surrender our lives to God’s reign. But, in mercy, instead of writing us off as helpless, powerless, useless object to be discarded, God gave us the new life in his grace. The new life in Christ is the direct effect of the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Another word, as Christians we live through the resurrection life of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in John 4:34, “My food… is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” And, he said in John 5:19-20, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” John 5:30, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 8:28, “When you have lifted the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” John 15:10, “…I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
This is the very essence of the resurrection life of Jesus as the Son of God. His work was to do will of the Father. He spoke and did everything to please the Father. His obedience to Father’s will and commands was his expression of his devotion, love and affection for the Father.
What makes the death of Christians particularly meaningful, dignifying, honoring, and worthy is that the life of Christians is lived out in loving relationship with the Father, doing his will as Jesus did.
So, when we think of resurrection life of our Lord Jesus Christ and our life, we need to think of them in terms of the resurrection life of Jesus Christ enabling us to live a life of loving obedience to the Father here and now and forever.
After Apostle Paul passionately spoke about the victory through our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ that takes out the sting of death, he said this in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
This is not an optional call to some saintly holy people. To stand firm, to let nothing move you, to give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord is not an optional outcome for you; this is your destiny as God’s child. Your destiny is to live victoriously; your resurrection DNA in Christ is designed to mature you into joyful and passionate submission and love for the Father and for his work!
We need to pray for this end. We need to set our hope and expectation high. The resurrection life of our Lord Jesus demands nothing but the miraculous outcome, complete transformation, kingdom growth! So, we ought to pray for this end!
Are you worried about your future? Who will I marry, where I will go for college, what will I study, what kinds of job will I have, will I make enough money, will I be recognized? Jesus says, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
Are you tired and burdened? Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
Are you searching for something will make your life worth living for or to die for? Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Jesus is saying to you, “Don’t waste your time; the true cause worth to live and to die for is not found any where else, but in God.” For Jesus, doing the will of Father was the cause worth to live and to die for. This is what we ought to aim for! (Matthew 13:44)
Church, are you discouraged because you are not growing, because you don’t see us growing as church? Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Thought it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
Church, we need to set our eyes on the kingdom growth. The kingdom growth is nothing but miraculous. If we look with the eyes of human, we see a small, insignificant gathering of people. But, when God sees us, you and I, our church, he sees a mustard seed with the exponential, nothing short of miraculous growth waiting to happen. That is our DNA; we are made for the kingdom growth! And, we need to alter, adjust our prayer life, actions accordingly. God’s will is to make us a large tree where people can come and experience the rest and the healing under the shade of God’s love, where people can be nourished and nurtured into maturity with the spiritual food and spiritual fellowship, where people can be equipped to minister for the kingdom cause to live and to die for. (Matthew 13:31-32)
Let me share with you what I have been praying for our church. I want our gathering to be where we experience joy, fun, excitement and passion. I want our time together to be so fun, meaningful, and exciting that no parties in this world can top our time together. I want our fellowship, our time together to be where we are strengthened with the joy of the LORD. I want our gathering to be truly a place where we meet God and enter into joyful fellowship with God and with each other. I want our time together to be when God shows up and do great things. I want our gathering, our church to be where we are quipped with passion and knowledge in order to go out and be effective and powerful witness to the resurrection life of Jesus. I want my life, your life to count every moment at school, at work, with families, with friends, alone or together. I want us to live intentionally and purposely. I want us to live for what really matters, what’s really important, what will last!
Is this too much to hope for and ask? If we take seriously the resurrection life of Jesus Christ demanding nothing short of miraculous transformation and growth for us, no!
Applications
I want to show you a clip that captures our Father’s heart so well. It is by the father and son team, Dick and Rick Hoyt. Rick was born in 1962 as a spastic quadriplegic, cerebral palsy, non-speaking person because the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. His parents, Dick and Judy were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development. When Rick was eight months old, they were told by the doctors they should put him away. But, they were determined to raise Rick as “normally” as possible and put him through public school.
Although Rick couldn’t communicate or move normally, his mind was sharp. With the help of Tufts University engineers, Rick was able to communicate with the computer. His first “spoken” words were “Go Bruins.” The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season; Rick has been following the hockey games along with everyone else. They learned that Rick loved sports then.
In 1975, Rick told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick pushed his son Rick in his wheelchair and finished next to last. That night, Dick remembers, “Rick told us he just don’t feel handicapped when we were competing.”
Together, they ran marathons; and soon they were in triathlon with a newly built bike to carry Rick in front and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam.
The video clip is from one of the triathlons they have finished with the back ground music titled, “Redeemer” by Nicole C. Mullen. The song goes like this:
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you can only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?
Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives
The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory
Now I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life wihtin me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives
To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave.
And I know my Redeemer, He lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives
What I want you to pay attention are the incredible bond between the father and his child and their joy together as they finish the race. It illustrates our relationship with heavenly Father made possible by the resurrection life of Jesus Christ.
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