Return to Main Page What Happens When We Die? Hebrews 9:27-28 Scripture: ²⁷And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT) - ²⁷And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment, ²⁸so also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him. Introduction: A. Facing Death 1. Every day we see death all around us. 2. As a pastor, I face death and dying more often than I would like. a) Funerals, ministering to the sick who wonder if they are about to die, and helping families through their time of crisis. b) What surprises me is the lack of preparation most Christians make for dying. 3. How can we help people prepare to face death? a) We need to help them develop a biblical view of death. b) We get God’s perspective on death by studying the Scriptures. B. Basic Questions of Life 1. The basic questions of life - all people ask it at some point in their lives. a) “Is there a God?” – Yes! b) “Is the Bible reliable and true?” – Yes! c) “How did we get here?” – God put us here! d) “Why are we here?” – To glorify God! e) “What Happens When We Die?” – It depends (1)This is an important question because death is something we all eventually face. (2)The Statistics on death are appalling. (3)The numbers tell us that 100 out of 100 people will eventually die. (4)The Bible says it this way: “²⁷And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” 2. And death is no respecter of persons. a) It strikes (1)the old and the young (2)the sick and the healthy (3)the poor and the rich (4)the good and the bad b) I’m sure you’ve heard the old joke about two friends (we’ll call them Don and Fred) who wanted to know if they play baseball in Heaven. They decided that the first one to die would find out and come back and let the other one know. Don died first. And a few days after his death, he appeared to Fred in a dream. Fred asked “What did you find out? Do they play baseball in heaven?” Don replied, “I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is: they play baseball in Heaven. The bad news is: YOU’RE PITCHING TOMORROW NIGHT!” C. Only Two Things Are Certain 1. You’ve heard it said, “There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.” 2. Death is more certain than taxes! a) A clever man can find ways to evade taxes, but no one evades death! b) When your time is up, it’s up. c) Death can be postponed, but never eliminated. 3. The fact of the matter is, someday I will die, and those I love will die, and nothing can change this solemn fact. 4. We all have an appointment with death. 5. So what happens when we die? 6. Let’s begin by talking about what WILL NOT happen when we die. I. Some Misconceptions about Death A. Some people say that death is the end of existence 1. They say that when you die, you simply cease to exist. 2. But that isn’t true according to the Bible – the Bible says judgment comes after death. 3. The Bible says a) Abraham - ⁷Abraham lived for 175 years, ⁸and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death.. . . (Genesis 25:7-8). b) Rich man and Lazarus – Luke 16:23-26 c) John 14:1-3 – Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house! 4. There is an existence after death. 5. Death is NOT the end of existence. B. Some people say that when a person dies, they are “reincarnated” into something or someone else 1. There was a show on the Discovery Channel about a 16th Century English Prince who built a luxurious and expensive horse stable because he was convinced he would be reincarnated AS A HORSE! 2. Reincarnation is nothing more than a fairy tale. 3. The Bible says “²⁷And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27). C. Some people say that there is a “second chance” after death 1. They say that if a person says “No” to Jesus in this life, then they’ll be given another chance in the life to come. 2. But that’s nothing more than wishful thinking. 3. The Bible says, “²⁷And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). a) In other words, we get one run at life and then we face the judgement of God after we die. b) The only opportunity we will ever have to get right with God is the opportunity God gives us in this life. c) There is NO second chance after death. 4. We’ve cleared up a few misconceptions about death, now let’s talk about what WILL happen when we die. II. The Moment of Death A. Death is a part of life. 1. There is a sense in which all of us are slowly dying. 2. The moment we begin to live, we begin to die. 3. Francis Schaeffer - “Life is like a clock. But there are no hands showing on the face of the clock. You can hear the sound of ticking but you never know when it is going to strike midnight.” 4. 1 Peter 1:24 - “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall”. 5. Psalm 144:4 - “Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow”. B. Death is a separation. 1. When you die (I hope it will be MANY, MANY, years down the road), your body and soul will separate. 2. Your body will remain here on earth where you family and friends will bury it and “lay it to rest.” 3. But what about your soul? 4. Where your soul goes depends on whether you are saved or lost. C. At death a saved person’s soul go straight to heaven to be with Jesus - Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8 1. The Bible teaches that Christians will be with Jesus the instant they die. a) Acts 7:59 - As Stephen was being stoned he looked up and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. b) 1 Corinthians 5:8 - The Apostle Paul even longed for death because he knew it would usher Him into Jesus’ presence: “We . . . would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”. c) Luke 23:43 - Jesus promised the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise”. (1)Clarence McCartney, a late minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, once preached a sermon in which he held an interview with the thief who died alongside Jesus. (2)The last question he asked was, “And what is best of all there, Thief? Sum it all up for me, if you can, in a single word.” (3)The thief replied, “The best of all is Jesus. To be in Heaven is to be with Him. That is what He told me in that dark and fearful hour on the cross—‘Today you shall be with me in paradise.’ I can tell you nothing more wonderful about Heaven than that. You will be with Christ.” d) If you are saved, that is, you’ve accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord and have a personal relationship with God, then your soul will go straight to Heaven to be with Jesus. e) John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” 2. But that’s not the whole story. a) The souls of departed believers will wait in Heaven with Jesus until the Second Coming. b) 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16 - They will return with Jesus and be reunited with their resurrected bodies. c) 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 adds that our resurrected bodies will be “imperishable.” 3. They will be perfect in every way. a) They will never wear out b) They will never suffer injury c) They will never get sick d) They will never grow old e) They will never die. f) They will be imperishable. 4. For the believer, death is not the end but the beginning. a) Faith sees beyond death and grasps God’s promise of eternal life. b) John 6:47 - “I tell you the truth. He who believes has everlasting life” c) Death is necessary. It is a door to Heaven. d) Heaven is joy: (1)the joy of perfect holiness (2)the joy of perfected praise (3)the joy of reunion with loved ones who have gone on before us (4)the joy of new friendships (5)the joy of guiltlessness 5. This is what happens to a believer when he (or she) dies. a) But what about the unbeliever? b) What about those who haven’t experienced the love and forgiveness which God makes available through the cross? D. At death a lost person’s soul go straight to hell 1. Death is a part of life, but it is also an unnatural intrusion into life. a) Before the Fall, death did not exist. b) We were not created to die; we were created to live. c) Death is an interruption in the course of what we were originally intended to experience. 2. Death is a result of sin. a) Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death”. b) Romans 5:12 - “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”. c) We die because we are sinners. 3. If a person is lost a) That is, he (or she) hasn’t accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord b) He doesn’t have a personal relationship with God c) Then his soul will go straight to Hell where he will be separated from Jesus forever. d) 2 Thessalonians 1:9 – “⁹They will be punished with everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.” 4. There are three words in the original language of the NT translated “Hell” in our English Bibles. a) Tartarus - which is where the most vile and wicked demons are imprisoned (2 Peter 2:4). b) Hades- which is where a lost person’s soul is sent when they pass from this life (Luke 16:22-24) (1)Notice that the Rich Man was alert, in agony, and all alone. (2)Hades is like a temporary holding cell in which criminals are held until they are sentenced. (3)The Bible tells us that Hades will be emptied out just before the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:13). (4)The lost of the earth will be judged and sentenced to . . . c) Gehenna - this is the final place of punishment for those who never experienced the love and forgiveness of God made available through the cross. (1)Mark 9:43 - 48 ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—⁴⁸where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched. (2)It is a terrible, terrible, fate for sinners. (3)This is what happens to a lost person after they die. 5. Dear people, you and I will meet death, face to face, some day and we need to be ready. So let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about . . . III. The Best Way to Meet Death A. Give your heart and life to Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation 1. Jesus says in John 11:25-26, ²⁵Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. ²⁶They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?” 2. He promises victory over death to everyone who believes in Him - so give your heart and life to Jesus if you haven’t already - and your home in heaven will be secure. B. Get your affairs in order – 2 Kings 20:1 1. Isaiah told Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1 - ¹About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” 2. Get your affairs in order. a) Make your will if you haven’t already. b) Pay off your debts, or at least make arrangements to do so. c) Gather all your important papers, label them, and tell someone where they are. d) Your goal is that your loved ones will find your affairs in order should you pass on to the life to come. C. Live for Jesus - Philippians 2:21 1. Philippians 1:21 says . . . You can’t say “To die is gain” until you can say “To live is Christ.” 2. Jesus gives you and me every reason not to fear death, and He gives us every reason to embrace and enjoy life. 3. So live for Jesus every single day of your life. D. Don’t take one single day for granted – James 4:14-16 1. James reminds us ¹⁴How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. ¹⁵What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 2. Life is a precious, precious gift, so don’t waste one single day. a) If you’re holding any grudges, let them go. b) If you’re living in sin, stop doing what’s wrong and start doing what’s right. c) If you’re not as close to Jesus as you ought to be, then get as close to Him as you possibly can. 3. Life is too short to waste. a) Don’t waste it on foolishness, selfishness, or sinful living. b) Get as close as you can to Jesus and you will enjoy life and fulfill your purpose for being here. 4. Do these things and you will be ready when you meet death, face to face. 5. What about you? Are you ready? a) If you are, then I commend you and encourage you to stay as close as you can to Jesus. b) If you’re not, then trust Christ, set your affairs in order, live for Jesus, and don’t take one day for granted.

Return to Main Page Site Rules and Restrictions