This is the “chief of sinners,” Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, with the Gospel Light Minute X Podcast #395 titled, “How to Face the Inevitable –Your Death” I’m here to remind you of what the Bible says, that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” like you and me.
I have found that one can tell how a person values life by his estimation of death. I once talked with a man who had never given serious thought to death until it was discovered that he had cancer. “Immediately my entire world changed,” he said. “The things I valued most became worthless, and the things that I thought were of little value are now the most important things in the world to me.”
GETTING READY FOR ETERNITY
Physical life is a possession that we all cling to, and yet we know we must all sooner or later bow to death. It enters the home of the rich as boldly as it enters the apartment in the projects. It brings down the final curtain as swiftly on the famous as it does on the unknown. Before this year ends, many people listening to this podcast will keep their appointment with death.
There are many who say, “I believe in life after death, but I’m not concerned about crossing that bridge until I get to it.” How strange that people should spend years preparing for retirement and not take so much as five minutes to prepare to meet God
ANOTHER ATTITUDE TOWARD DEATH IS THIS: “I STAND WITH CHRIST, THE LORD OF LIFE AND DEATH, AND REST MY CASE IN HIS HANDS.”
King David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…”.
The apostle Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Both men were looking ahead to death with calm assurance. They knew that this life is only a dressing room for eternity.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”. Death need not be a bitter end—it can be a bright dawning.
ASSURANCE IN LIFE— AND IN DEATH
Christ is alive! And because he is alive, that makes all the difference in the world. In his resurrection, evil has been defeated, love has conquered hate, death has lost its sting, and Satan has been defeated. In his death on the cross, Christ declared that the full penalty for sin has been paid. And one day all of creation will burst forth into a new song.
Christ is alive! The early Christians proclaimed that truth. They believed that the same power that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will work in and through us to rescue us from our doubts, our darkness, our failure, and even our death.
As we look at the world today we cannot help but be disturbed by what is happening. But the resurrection of Christ tells us, as his followers, that we need not press the panic button. It is true that we are concerned and burdened, and it is certain that we are going to die, but we do not cry in terror as others do.
The day before John Hus, a fifteenth-century martyr condemned for his faith in Christ, was to be burned at the stake, he wrote, “I write this in prison and in chains, expecting tomorrow to receive the sentence of death—full of hope in God that I shall not swerve from the truth.”
Is this hope, peace, and joy yours? Can you face death with a smile, with full confidence that you are going into the presence of Christ? You can have this hope if you are willing to turn from sin and trust Christ.
The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died in your place and rose again from the dead and you are willing to trust Jesus Christ with all of your heart so you can go to Heaven, please pray with me what is called the sinner’s prayer: Holy Father God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I admit that I have sinned against You and that I have broken Your Ten Commandments. I have lied before. I have stolen things before. I have lusted after people and things before. I have dishonored and disobeyed my parents. I have taken Your holy Name in vain. For Jesus Christ’s sake, please have mercy and grace upon my soul and forgive me of all of my sins, my failures, and my faults. As I now believe in Your Holy Son the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that He suffered, bled, and died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins past. Help me to turn from my old, evil life and follow You in the new life. For it is in Your Name I pray. Amen.
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Thank you for listening to this Gospel presentation. If you have decided to trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour after listening to this podcast, please email us at gls@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. To find out more about what you need to do after trusting Christ as Savior, visit GospelLightSociety.com and read “What to Do After You Enter Through the Door”.
The tract this podcast is based on is written by Billy Graham and published by Crossway, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to spread God’s Word to the world through the printed page and other media. You can order copies of this tract online at Crossway.org.
The Gospel Light Minute X 