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The Final Enemy Part II – “Carpe Diem”. 1 Corinthians 15:25,26. "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death ". ‘A Christian’s Approach’.
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1 Corinthians 15:25,26 "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death"
‘A Christian’s Approach’ • Instead of being paralyzed and intimidated by the thought of death, faithful Christians can approach death with optimism and confidence. • “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” – 2 Cor. 5:1 • Philippians 1:21-23
‘A Christian’s Approach’ • We can also take death and use it as a powerful incentive for holy living . • “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;” - 1 Peter 1:17 • Hebrews 9:27
Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 "For whoever is joined with the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head…”
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to your under the sun; for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol where you are going"
“Human Tendency” • We tend to envy the wrong people. • Being alive, we have a more valuable possession than the wealthiest unbeliever who has just died. • What is the price tag on an extra ten years of "time" to become the person that God intended you to be? • "Time" to be the… • husband or wife that we always should have been? • dedicated Christian we should have been? • virtuous and holy person we should have been?
“Far from being depressed or discouraged, God exhorts us to "Go then", which is a summons to be upand going and is directed against the tendency to muse and to ponder over problems.”
“This Isn’t A Dress Rehearsal” • Too many people live their lives as if this was a dress rehearsal for another earthly life to come. • "Time" to be the… • husband or wife that we always should have been? • dedicated Christian we should have been? • virtuous and holy person we should have been?
Psalm 39:4 "Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the extent of my days, let me know how transient I am"
Psalm 39:11 “Surely every man is a mere breath"
Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might"
John 9:4 "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work"
“Carpe Diem” • God expects us to make the most of our earthly lives and righteous people should be seen as people who loveGod and who have a zestforliving. • There should be no such thing as a boring, lazy, apathetic, or unmotivated Christian. • Death will stop all earthly plans, goals, & projects.
Numbers 23:10 "Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!"
“The Death of the Righteous” • "He still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4) • A life that will exhort, encourage, & admonish once we are gone. • “Be strong & courageous” - Deut. 31:23 • 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
“The Death of the Righteous” • "Meaningful Possessions“ • “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Tim. 2:2
“The Death of the Righteous” • "Plan Your Own Funeral“ • “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” – Phil. 1:20 • We can honor God with a life & a remembrance of that life in which God is praised, Jesus is magnified, and Christianity is portrayed as having the answers for life and death.
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth; 2 Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Ask yourself… • Are we “up and going” or are we preoccupied pondering over our problems? • Are we using our "time" to become the person that God intends us to be? • Are we showing to the world a life in which God is being praised, Jesus is being magnified, & Christianity is being portrayed as having the answers for life and death!
