How does your family handle death? More importantly, do you remember when you first realized you were going to die? Today, I want to speak to you on this subject – Death: Life’s Sequel.
As I speak to you this morning, hundreds of millions of my cells will die. Over the course of this day, approximately 2,000 of my brain cells will die and never return. My dying has already begun. News media has featured the recent unusual death of North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un’s older brother by a VX nerve agent. I paused to see Norma McCorvey’s death this past week in Katy, TX. If you don’t recognize the name, you may know her as Jane Roe. The woman behind the infamous Roe vs. Wade case that legalized abortion, became an ardent pro-life proponent in her later years. Yet, it is none of these deaths that we turn to in order to learn something about living. Instead, we turn to the biblical Jacob of Genesis.
Today, we come to the seventh and last scene in Jacob’s life – his death. Jacob is around 147 years old and is nearing his end. He almost died when he learned that Joseph, his most loved son, was alive when Jacob thought he had been killed for many years. Now, there is slow death and sudden death. While neither is what you want, we witness some of the advantages to a “slow death” in Jacob’s life. Joseph had the advantage of seeing his death coming – it was a slow death. Sudden death is rare in our day with Americans living much longer than we did about 100 years ago. In fact, Jacob’s death is so slow, he has not one but two “deathbed” scenes – one before his son, Joseph in Genesis 48, and the second before all his sons in Genesis 49. Knowing he’s near the end, he has able to communicate some important items to his loved ones. One more time, let’s learn from Jacob.
1. Commit to Face Death Practically
1.1 The Problems of Masking Death
There’s at least three ways we attempt to mask death.
1.1.1 We Ignore Death
Many of us pretend death doesn’t exist. An acute care worker in the medical field conducted a survey among 4,500 people in nursing homes in Australia. Only 500 of the 4,500 people had a plan if they became seriously ill and only 100 had a plan about what to do if their hearts stopped beating. Here’s a really important question to ask the people of your family: “In the event that you became too sick to speak for yourself, who would you like to speak for you?” “Out of sight, out of my mind,” we say.
1.1.2 We Lie about Death
In Arizona, cryonics experts maintain more than 130 dead clients in a frozen state that’s another kind of limbo. Their hope is that sometime in the distant future, maybe centuries from now, these clients will be thawed and revived, technology having advanced to the point where they can be cured of whatever killed them. Among those frozen is the former Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams.
1.1.3 We’re Comforted by Myths
Essentially, there’s three ways to see life after death: some believe you go up, some believe you go down, while others think you come back around. Our Catholic friends tell us that us if we’re not good, we go down to Purgatory. Other well meaning friends tell us we go up where grandma watches over us from heaven. Eastern religions, popularized by new age in our country, we go back around. We’re told we can come back again as a cow or a human. It’s the never ending circle of life for “no one really dies.”
A fourth option is our friends who think we simply stay in the ground. Atheists tell us we stay in the ground. There’s nothing after our death. Death is just the last step in our evolutionary process. And when you’re dead you’re dead. These are not the first lies about death for Satan told the first lie about death telling Adam & Eve, “you will not surely die.”
1.2 Think of Your Family
Facing our death practically means thinking about those closest to us. One EMT talks about the patterns he sees when he’s with those who have been told they are about to die. Almost to a person, they say, “I wish I had spent more time with my children and grandchildren instead of being selfish with my time.” Knowing you’ll die has a way of focusing our thoughts on family. And this is exactly what Jacob did near the end
The end of Genesis tells us that Jacob adopts Joseph’s sons. This is truly incredible. Jacob is now in Egypt because of the incredible story of his son’s kidnapping. Jacob adopts Joseph’s oldest two boys as he is own: “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance” (Genesis 48:5–6). Just to highlight the importance of these sons, please remember, these are the twelve tribes of Israel. Plus, Jesus will have twelve disciples as a reminder of these twelve.
To really understand Jacob’s adoption of his grandsons, you need understand that they are becoming Jacob’s first and second sons. This deathbed blessing of his grandsons was both an honor to Joseph, a man of tremendous character, as well as caring for his family. Joseph’s two sons are about twenty years old at this time and they represent but two of Jacob’s fifty-three grandchildren (Genesis 46:7-27). The boys’ names are Ephraim and Manasseh and they replace Reuben and Simeon (see 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 for why). Jacob’s two oldest boys, Reuben and Simeon, had disqualified themselves from leading the family after Jacob (see Genesis 49:3-5). Many Bible scholars believe Genesis 48:8-13 share the specifics of a formal adoption process.
1.3 Blind yet Seeing
I want you to see something about old, dying Jacob for a moment. Jacob is nearly blind at this advanced stage of his life (Genesis 48:10). Yet, Jacob is seeing spiritually now in his advanced years that he did when his eyesight was excellent years before. Those of you who have followed along throughout this series can best appreciate Jacob’s growth. Jacob has grown tremendously in the grace of God. This means not only thinking about practical matters such as financial matters but intentional thought about family relationships after you’re gone. Jacob teaches us care for those closest to us even as we approach our end.
2. Count on Encountering Death Spiritually
Ira Byock, professor of Family Medicine at Dartmouth, “You know, the best doctor in the world has never succeeded in making anyone immortal.” You are all of you, every single one of you, going to die (unless the Lord comes back in the Second Coming). To prepare well for your death, watch how Jacob dies.
2.1 Faith
Jacob was adamant about being buried back home in the land of Canaan. Joseph approaches his father’s bed carefully: “And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed” (Genesis 47:29–31). Was this just nostalgia or something more? Canaan was God’s land, and Jacob and his family were God’s people. “And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession’” (Genesis 48:3–4). This was a declaration of faith by dying Jacob. This was his flag of faith being planted firmly for all to know that he was God’s.
Many people, when they think of faith, think that it means choosing to believe when there is no good evidence. Mark Twain's definition of faith is “trying to believe what you know ain't so.”
Faith does not just generally believe in God. Faith is a God-given ability to see what few others see. Would this sermon elevate your faith to a whole new level! “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
2.2 The Dying Thief
It’s 9 a.m. on Friday morning and Jesus is being led to Golgotha, the site of His execution. Today, we refer to this as Calvary, which comes from the Latin word for “skull.” With no sleep and being bounced from trial to trial, Jesus must endure even more torture. Tucked away in the midst of the agonizing story of Jesus’ death is the famous story of the dying thief.
Stop and think about the dying thief with me for a moment. When everyone else was mocking and ridiculing Jesus, this dying thief was the only one to treat Jesus as a king: And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Jesus never looked less like a king than He did on the cross! He thought that there was a future for Jesus when no one else did. Did anyone else in the world think Jesus had a future at this point? The dying thief had the eyes of faith. Somehow he perceived that Jesus was the door to the kingdom of God.
Like the dying thief, Jacob also has the eyes of faith. He knows the future of God’s people isn’t in Egypt but in the Promised Land. Jacob insists on an oath from his Joseph to move his remains out of Egypt. Of all that happens in Jacob’s life, the New Testament chooses this one solitary act in Jacob’s life to comment on: “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21). Although he didn’t sing or preach, Jacob worshipped.
3. Choose to Experience Death Differently
Some would tell us death is nothing more than a natural progression, a stage of growth. Peter Kreeft is a philosophy professor at Boston College who wrote a very good book on death called Love is Stronger than Death. He tells a true story about a neighbor who didn’t believe in afterlife, and she had a little six-year-old boy. The little boy had a cousin about his age who had died. He came on in and said, “Mommy, where is my cousin now?” She had read the books on how to talk to children about death, and she also didn’t believe in an afterlife, so she said, “Now, dear. Listen. I want you to know death is natural. When we die our bodies become part of the ground, and when they go into the ground they feed the ground. The ground brings up new life. When you see the flowers coming up, you see that’s just the life and the energy of the people who have died going in. That’s the way nature works. There’s nothing unnatural about it.” His eyes got big, and he ran out of the room screaming, “No! No! I don’t want him to be fertilizer.” Peter Kreeft goes on and says to tell people death is just another stage of growth is like telling a quadriplegic that paralysis is another form of exercise. You see, we know we are not just recycled fertilizer.
Every religion has to answer two questions: What is life? and What is death? Religions answer those two questions very differently. Buddhism says, “To live is to achieve good Karma, and to die is to hope for a better reincarnation.” Islam teaches, “To live is to obey Allah, and if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, death is to achieve a personal paradise.” Nearby “Big D” (Dallas) answers that question this way: “To live is self, and to die is loss.” That’s what the average person in “Big D” believes. The Bible tells us that death is gain (Philippians 1:21). Death is not the end of life but it’s sequel.
Conclusion
I want to read you a letter from a young Lutheran German man named Hermann, he was put to death in a Nazi death camp. This letter was published after the war. This is what he wrote to his parents the day he died. Listen to this.
When this letter comes into your hands I shall no longer be among the living. The thing that has occupied our thoughts constantly for many months … is now about to happen. If you ask me what state I am in I can only answer: I am, first, in a joyous mood and, second, filled with a great anticipation. ‘God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ What consolation, what marvelous strength emanates from Christ. I am amazed. In Christ I have put my faith, and precisely today I have faith in him more firmly than ever.
My parents, look up the following passages: 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 14:8. Look anywhere you want in the Bible, and everywhere I find jubilation over the grace that makes us children of God. What can really happen to a child of God? Of what indeed should I be afraid? Everything that till now I have done, struggled for, and accomplished, has at bottom been directed to this one goal, whose barrier I shall penetrate today. “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him.”
For me, believing will become seeing; hope will become possession, and I shall forever share in Him who is love. Should I not, then, be filled with anticipation? What is it all going to be like? The things that up to this time I have been permitted to preach about, I shall now see. There will be no more secrets nor tormenting puzzles. Today is the great day … From the very beginning I have put everything into the hands of God, and now he demands this end of me. Good. His will be done. And so, until we meet again above, in the presence of the Father of light. Your joyful, Hermann.
Dwight Moody said, “The day you read I’m dead don’t you believe it. I’ll be more alive than I’ve ever been before.” Death is not the end of life but it’s sequel.
