Tag Archives: death

The letter to Philadelphia: What key does Jesus have?

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lettersIn this sixth of the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus says that he is the holy one and the true one. He also mentions something that he is holding:

Jesus also identifies himself as the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. Again, those familiar with the Old Testament would recognize these words, this time a quote from the book of Isaiah: “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Isaiah 22:20-22) In the case of Eliakim, the key to the house of David would have been a large wooden key which would have been worn like a sash. It denoted authority, like carrying the signet ring of the king. The key would have been used to bar and unbar the palace doors, controlling who had access to the king and who could enter or leave the palace grounds.6 In the case of Jesus, we need to remember that each of the letters refers to chapter 1 of Revelation. In the vision that John had of Jesus, Jesus had keys in his hand, the keys to death and Hades. It seems likely that Jesus is referring to the same keys here; the reference to the key of David is made to emphasize the permanence of Jesus’ actions regarding death and Hades. Now that he has opened that door, no one can shut it again, until Jesus himself decides to do so. Christians can face death without fear, for their Lord holds the key to let them out of the realm of death. Their stay in Hades will be but a temporary one, for they know the One who holds the key. When he opens the door, no one can shut it again. When Christ spoke with Peter about having the keys of the kingdom, he also spoke about the gates of Hades, saying that they would never be able to prevail against his church. Jesus opens the door to the place where the dead are, and once he has opened it, no one can shut it.

(Letters From The Lamb, pp. 135-36)

Jesus was calling his followers to be willing to be sacrificed. He reassures them that he has the key that will free them from death and grant them access to God. It’s a promise that was made to the whole church, that the gates of Hades would not prevail against it. Jesus holds the key. Any door that he opens will remain open. And he has thrown open the door to the realm of death. It cannot hold those that Jesus sets free. (And that’s great news!)

How to make death equal gain

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formula“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

I love that verse. Paul, a prisoner in a Roman prison, waiting to know if he would be executed or not, writes to encourage his brothers in Philippi. He tells them that he doesn’t know for sure what the verdict will be, but he wants them to know that it doesn’t matter. To him, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

We can think of it as an algebra expression:

If x = life,
then death = gain

What can we substitute for x to make the expression true? Money? Power? Pleasure? Family? Work? No, none of those things work. How can we make death equal gain? By centering our life on Christ. If we try to substitute in any of the things of this world, the formula fails.

If our lives our built around Christ, we need have no fear of death. It ends up being gain for us!

The gates of Hades

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Jesus“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, KJV)

This passage is one of those that a poor word choice by the translators of the King James has led to much confusion. The word for hell does not appear in this passage; the word in Greek is hades, which should be translated, well, Hades. Hades, for the Greeks, was the unknown, the place of the dead.

Some people get the image of Christ’s church weathering the assault by the forces of hell (although the word “gates” should clue them in that that interpretation is misguided). Others speak of the church assaulting the forces of evil and overcoming them. That’s a little better (it takes the word “gates” seriously), but the Bible never talks about the forces of evil as the “hosts of hell” or any such thing. This passage makes a lot more sense if we start with the correct translation: “the gates of Hades.”

Jesus says that his church will be able to overcome the entryway of the realm of the dead. In other words, we need not fear death. Yes, we may die, we may find ourselves in Hades, but our stay will only be temporary. The door can’t hold us; the gates aren’t strong enough to hold us in.

In Revelation chapter 1, the triumphant Jesus says, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18) He entered Hades and came out with the keys. We can enter death with confidence, knowing that our Lord has the power to free us from its power.

It’s a powerful message. Let’s not let it get lost in translation

Preaching your own funeral

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 viewThere were two brothers in a small town who were the richest men in town. They were also the meanest and most immoral men in town. When one of them died, the other went to the preacher of the local church and asked him to do the funeral. He said that he would give the church $25,000 if the preacher would say that his brother was a saint. “But I can’t do that!” said the preacher, “Everyone knows what kind of man your brother was.” But the more he thought about it, he realized that the church really needed that money. So the day of the funeral he got up and said, “This man was a lying, cheating, stealing, wicked old man. But next to his brother, he was a saint.”

Someday, when we’re gone, somebody is going to have to stand up and say a few words about us and about our lives. When they stand up to talk about us, will it be an easy task or a hard one? Will they struggle to find something good to say or will they struggle to choose between all of the uplifting stories told of your life?

I remember when I was a student at Abilene Christian University, there was a preacher who preached a funeral sermon that became famous. It was in all the papers across the nation. Jim Dotson was the preacher at Brookwood Way Church of Christ in Mansfield, Ohio. His sermon was videotaped and can still be viewed at the ACU library. Dotson’s sermon did not become famous because of its content nor because of the outstanding delivery (although, given the circumstances, the delivery was remarkable). Dotson’s funeral sermon became famous because he preached his own funeral. Dying of cancer, he videotaped the sermon that would be presented at his own funeral. He spoke about the Christian’s victory over death.

It’s a remarkable thing to preach your own funeral. Well, it is and it isn’t. It’s remarkable to videotape yourself speaking so that everyone hears the exact words that you wanted them to hear. But the fact is, we all preach our own funeral sermons. We preach them by the way we live. No matter what the preacher says at the service itself, our lives will leave behind their own testimony, for good or for bad.

So what does your sermon sound like so far? Is it full of jokes and stories, but little substance? Is it a shining example of what everyone would like their life to be? Or, to borrow a phrase from a calendar I saw, is the main purpose of your life to serve as a warning for others?

Make someone’s job a little easier. Don’t make then hunt and scrounge for something good to say when the end comes. Don’t make it hard for them to find words of comfort for those left behind. Live such a life that your funeral will be a celebration of triumph, a joyous remembrance of a life well lived.

 Start working on your sermon today…