A Dignified Death

Lately it seems there has been an uptick in talk over assisted suicide, deemed by some as "death with dignity."  To me, there is nothing "dignified" about death, nor is there dignity in the foreknowledge of it.  Whether someone dies of old age, in an accident, by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, or through drugs ingested or injected, the spectre of death remains hideous.  The Bible teaches death entered the world through sin.  The fact our bodies die shows we are indeed infected with sin in a fallen world.  The soul that sins shall surely die and face eternal torment and separation from the God who loves all.  God will someday kill Death forever by casting it into a lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

"Dignity" is defined in The American Heritage Dictionary as, "1) The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect; 2) to raise the status of something unworthy or lowly, make honourable."  Planning your death secretly or publicly does nothing to make death itself more worthy, nor does a lack of physical pain afford person honour.  Many honourable men and women have died, and in many cases the circumstances of their deaths are noteworthy as they provided proof of their character, love, and sacrifice for others.  Years ago I learned the story of Ordinary Seaman Edward Sheean.  His extraordinary valour, bravery, and sacrifice deserves remembrance.  At the cost of his own life, he fought to his end to save his fellow soldiers.  When our lives are used to the end for the glory of God and the good of others, it is a dignified expense.  Yet our greatest sacrifices are a mere shadow of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us sinners. 

Romans 5:6-8 says, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Jesus died on the cross in a dignified manner because He sacrificed Himself for the salvation of others.  His entire life was and continues to be a testimony of everlasting love, compassion, mercy, and grace.  Jesus died the most humiliating, excruciating, and horrific death imaginable for the sake of sinners - most of whom have mocked and slandered Him to this day.  He did not avoid pain or suffering, but embraced it so He might redeem us, become one with us, and hold us in His arms in heaven.  He paid a price no one could ever pay for themselves, and He rejoiced to do it.

No one dies on their own terms.  They die because they must, even if they willingly choose to expedite the process.  The immortal, righteous God laid down His life so all who repent and trust in Him can live.  He defeated death, rose from the grave, and bids all to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  Apart from Christ all face the second death, far more sinister than our minds can fathom - unspeakable pain, suffering, and torment forever without intermission.  But Jesus has made a way to overcome the power of sin and death through faith in Him.  John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  Our answer to this question will be revealed not by words alone, but by our lives.

I do not know the day, means, or circumstances of my future death (I am a sinner and deserving of death) - but I know the One who kills and makes alive.  He has given all the opportunity to live a worthy, honourable, dignified life every day for His glory and in service to others.  The death of my body will be a fleeting moment in eternity, and it is not my focal point to "die well."  In Christ we are called to die daily as a sacrifice for others, and in this God is glorified.  There is nothing more honourable than honouring the worthy God and bowing our hearts before our exalted Saviour.  That is a truly diginfied death.

Hold Your Peace

At Bible study last night we read Proverbs 17:28 which says, "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive."  As we discussed the meaning and personal application, it dawned on me yet again the common tendency to make Christianity more about behaviour than the condition of our hearts.  A superficial application of this passage would be, "I want to be wise, or at least appear wise to others.  Speaking less is the key to other perceiving me as wise!"

The meaning of the phrase "holds his peace" basically means to remain silent.  But there is a deeper meaning revealed in scripture.  Ephesians 2:13-14 says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation..."  Understanding that Jesus IS our peace puts a completely different spin on this verse.  Because Jesus is our peace, "holding our peace" is more than the discipline of keeping our mouths closed.  Having been born again through faith in Him, the Holy Spirit has provided self-control we rejoice to walk in.  Holding Jesus as our dearest treasure, clinging to His promises, even in silence Christians can take a conscious step of faith.

What do you treasure most in life?  What do you hold dear?  Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and when we hold Him close we can hear clearly the small, still voice of the Spirit.  Whether we speak or are silent, we can faithfully do so for God's glory.  Forever we are to hold our Peace, the One who upholds us and with a word calms the storms we face.  Our tongues ought to confess Jesus as LORD, and even our silence can proclaim the same!  No matter what occurs, let us hold our Peace!

God Has Already Revealed Himself

"Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."

Proverbs 17:24

The book of Proverbs is packed with verses which compare and contrast wise and foolish.  Jesus said a wise man hears His words and puts them into practice, but the foolish man hears His words and ignores them.  A fool says in his heart, "There is not God" and lives accordingly - as if he is god.  According to the biblical description, a wise man is one who has humbled himself before God and has chosen to adopt His ways.  He is circumspect, conscious of God's sovereignty, provision, and love.  He seeks, heeds, and obeys God's guidance.  A fool may be wise in the wisdom of the world, but it is foundation of shifting sand.  Jesus said those who build upon man's "wisdom" embrace certain destruction.

Once a person is born again through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside them.  An inner transformation takes place which opens up man's understanding to receive and apply spiritual truth.  God's wisdom is revealed in everything He has made.  The Bible is a treasury of God's wisdom.  Those who are in Christ have had the bonds of sin and unbelief broken, the fog cleared from their minds, and their eyes opened to the reality of God and eternity.  Those of understanding do not know everything, but they are convinced God has spoken, is speaking, and is the true source of all wisdom.  Our identity as a new creation is in Christ, for the old has passed away and all has become new.

A fool, having rejected the Word of God, is on a never-ending search for truth, purpose, and satisfaction.  The eyes of those who know not God look to the ends of the earth seeking greater understanding.  Some lift their eyes even higher and monitor sound in space, hoping to discover the secrets of our origins from unknown extra-terrestrial beings when the first sentence of the Bible expressly, objectively states the truth!  Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Those who reject that statement must keep looking for alternatives.  The unseeing eyes of unbelievers scan distant horizons when God has revealed Himself already!  For instance, the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) institute has been “listening,” scanning the far reaches of space for decades with telescopes and high-powered aerials, seeking to receive communication from extra-terrestrial aliens.  Foolish man scans the dark void of space hoping to discover intelligent beings out there, whilst the eternal God who created all things has given us His Word, became a man, and spoke to us as a man in Jesus Christ who walked among us.  Ironic, isn’t it?  The intelligence of God is revealed in the designs in creation right here on earth, even by DNA and complex processes within the cells of our human bodies - yet for most these days that is not admissible evidence of an intelligent Creator.  More time is spent by some theorising on how we will deal with aliens we might encounter than how to rightly relate  and respond to the God who created all things, loves us and has already revealed Himself to us.

I am in no way suggesting there is not value in scientific exploration, or that such efforts have not been worthwhile.  The fact is, men have been listening for "pings" in space since 1959 and have not perceived anything that qualifies as scientific proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial beings.  God has already provided us with more than faint unintelligible pings, hissing gibberish, or mechanical whirring.  God's Word says in Psalm 19:1-3, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. ² Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard."  Talk about seeing but not perceiving!  We can be looking and listening in a vacuum when God has already revealed Himself, has spoken, and is speaking.  Both simple folks and those with multiple doctorates marvel over the beauty and order in the cosmos.  The well-educated scientific researcher researches because he or she realises there is much still to be learned.  Instead of fields of research being exhausted, more and more potential areas of research could be pioneered with exciting new discoveries being made all the time.  The more we know the more we discover there is more to know than we ever imagined.  Scientific study and research teaches the believing more of the Creator and enlightens us to His phenomenal creativity, power, and beauty.

Jesus Christ has become for us wisdom, and those with eyes to see and ears to hear will believe and understand.  Through God common fishermen confounded the doctors of the Law of Moses, and the humble Son of a carpenter put to silence the questions of unbelieving lawyers.  Simple plants, animals, and insects defy any naturalistic explanation.  Single-celled organisms, more efficient than engines - which are actually crude in comparison even after decades of development by experts - continue to reproduce after their own kind.  As it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:  "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- ³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

Pour Out Complaints to God

As we trek along in our walk with Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit our eyes are opened to see aspects of our lives that are contrary to God's ways.  In our flesh dwells no good thing, and it is only natural to persist in fleshly attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds in varying degrees.  The fact it is natural does not mean it is beneficial or permissible.  In this body of flesh we need to be supernaturally transformed, and only through the Holy Spirit with our full cooperation is it possible.

I have been teaching through 1 Corinthians at Calvary Chapel Sydney, and much of the epistle addressed and sought to correct sin in the Corinthian church.  Paul affirmed the Law was written for our sakes as well as the Jews (1 Cor. 9:10).  He cited many examples of sinful behaviour in the children of Israel that lead to their destruction, despite being blessed and privileged by God.  One of the sins was particularly impressed upon my heart was that of complaining.  The million corpses which fell in the desert are absolute proof we ought not to lust sinfully, embrace idolatry, fornicate, tempt God, "...nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer."  I don't know about you, but complaining is a common part of life.  A definition of complain is, "to express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something."  Have you ever expressed dissatisfaction or annoyance about something?  This is common to humanity - fallen, self-focused, judgmental, foolish, and often deluded beings that we are.

Complaining reveals we are self-focused and not trusting in God's sovereignty, provision, or control.  Even as anger is not evil in itself, neither is complaining.  It is entirely biblical to pour out our complaints to the LORD in faith, believing He hears and will answer our prayers.  The psalmist wrote in Psalm 77:3, "I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah."  Paul wrote in Romans 14:23 that whatsoever is not of faith in God is sin.  We are exhorted in 1 Peter 5:6-7 to humble ourselves before God and be casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us.  Unless our complaints are yoked with trust in God and sincere humility, our complaints are sinful.  Habitual complaining is a window to pride-darkened spots in our hearts which only God can cleanse.  Thankfully, if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

We don't see complaining as a big deal, but the fallen corpses of God's people in the wilderness say otherwise.  I exhort all to examine yourselves in this matter:  what annoys you?  How do you express your feelings when annoyed?  Do you bring your complaints before the Father who can do something about them or do they spill out on others?  How desperate is our condition apart from God, unable to do good and persistent in evil, unbelief, and selfishness!  We cannot hardly begin to fathom how deep our need for deliverance and forgiveness goes.  When God opens your eyes through His Word to see the depth of your sin, immediately confess it and take practical steps to correct it.  As you fellowship with other believers, ask others to keep you accountable and pray for one another.  Encourage family members to do the same.  May our complaints be turned to trusting praise in the God who loves us and gave Himself for us.