“For the living know that they will die…” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).
The death of a loved one, a friend, or a relative ought to cause each of us to stop and reflect upon our own mortality. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The death of a fellow human being ought to cause each of us to cry out to God like the tax collector in the temple: “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 18:13). When we experience the death of a friend or family member it is not the time for the stiff upper lip. It’s not the time to be angry and lament, “Why did this happen?” It is not the time to bury your head in a bottle and try to forget all about the corpse in the coffin. It is not the time to screw up false courage and say, “I am not afraid to die!” When we attend the funeral of a loved one it is time to face our own mortality. It’s a time to reflect on the meaning of life. It’s a time to ask yourself the hard questions regarding your sin and guilt before a thrice holy God. It’s a time to be honest with yourself and confess that your conscience continually accuses you of breaking all of God’s commandments. What then will happen to you as a law breaker when you stand before the judgment seat of God? How will you escape the penalty that your lawless deeds have merited, which God says is eternal Hell?
For the living, the graveside of a loved one is a time of God’s longsuffering and patience toward you as you are forced to face the questions of mortality, eternity, sin, forgiveness, judgment, mercy, grace, repentance, and the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s a time to look into the face of Jesus and ask yourself what you have done with God’s Beloved Son, the Savior of sinners. Death is a time when self-deception is exposed and the mask of hypocrisy is ripped from your face and you are laid open and bare before the God of heaven and earth, who holds your very breath in His hands.
We all need God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) who have broken God’s Law and we all know we will soon die and face our Creator. “For the living know they will die…” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27). Denying these truths is simply an act of self-deception. As it is written: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18-19).
Did you notice the words in Hebrews 9:27, “…but after this the judgment”? How are you planning to escape the judgment of God against your sins? The Bible is clear regarding the forgiveness of sins … Jesus Christ is the ONLY way of forgiveness with God (John 14:6). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28), and all who trust in His perfect law-abiding life and sin-atoning death have the full forgiveness of sins and are reconciled to our Holy God through the perfect satisfaction, holiness, and righteousness of Christ. As it is written, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
Don’t be deceived … death and judgment are a breath away for all the living. Solomon, a man who was granted by God the greatest wisdom a sinful man has ever possessed, wrote the following words concerning death: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” … “Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 6-7). It’s for this very reason that the psalmist prayed in Psalm 90:10-12: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Therefore, dear ones, I “implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). Run to Jesus while there’s still time, while you still have breath and time to repent of your sins and cry out to the Lord for forgiveness. “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). Jesus said, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Apostle Paul declared, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31) Call out to Jesus for grace, mercy, and forgiveness for He has promised rest, righteousness, and forgiveness to all who come to Him by faith. As Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).