The Final Enemy and the Place of Hope

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms:

Death and the Christian

Howdy!

A pressing issue which is on the heart of all men, regardless of time, place, or circumstance is death. Of the things that separate us from the animals there is nothing more central to our identity than that we are aware of death in a way cats and dogs are not. We are haunted by it. There is some irony to that fact that even in our modern technological culture where life is so antiseptic, where the difficulties previous generations faced are not immediately present the way it may have been for them, we are without doubt even more afraid of death than they were.

We see it in how our media in its content and marketing is consumed with figuring out what to do about it, how to delay it, or how to prevent it altogether. However, the truth of the matter is barring the imminent return of Christ (Matt. 24:36-44) we will all die. The grave will be our home at some point in the future. Yet for believers, if we are being honest, something that must gnaw on us at some degree is spoken to by the content of the second catechism question we’ll be looking at this morning. If we are saved from the penalty of the law, which is death, why is it that we must still face the way of all men? Why do we not receive the blessing of Enoch or Elijah? What place does death have for the Christian?

They are good questions, ones that have been asked for ages.

I think that we will find our forefathers struggled with these as well and grant us a good reply.

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