I've had the great privilege in almost 40 years of pastoral ministry to preside at hundreds of funerals. I've officiated the funerals for Christians and Buddhists and atheists. I've officiated for close friends and family members. I've preached at funerals where there were two people there and others where there were several hundred in attendance. I've conducted funerals for infants and for people past the age of 100 and everything in between. And I've conducted funerals for white people, black people, Asians, Latinos, American Indians, preached funerals for the extremely poor who couldn't afford even a pine box and were placed in a shallow, unmarked grave, and preached the funeral for a multimillionaire. I've preached funerals that last five minutes and ceremonies that lasted over two hours. And God willing, one of us, Pastor Dodds, Pastor Anderson, Pastor King, or myself, will have the pastoral honor of preaching your funeral or gravesite. I say this for context because our text tonight, and I hope you're looking at 1 Kings chapter 11, our text, our context is about the death and the burial of Solomon after 40 years on Israel's throne. And we have carefully explained preached, expounded every bit of Solomon's life, and so we're not going to stop now. We'll complete the task. As you see, that is written in verse 43. We have a clear discussion of what happened to Solomon at the end of his life. Now, given everything else about the life of Solomon, we're certain that the funeral arrangements were lavish and big. You know what a grand funeral for a national ruler looks like. The one that caught the attention of our nation the most was in 2004. President Ronald Reagan took place, his funerals plural, over seven days in six locations. Location number one was at his Bel Air, California home. Location number two was at the funeral home in Santa Monica, California. Location number three, he was transported to the Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Location number four, President Reagan was flown to Washington, D.C. for tributes at the U.S. Capitol. Location number five was a state funeral service conducted at the Washington National Cathedral. And then finally, his internment, his graveside was at the Presidential Library overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Whether your death is mourned by millions or with multiple viewings or your death is almost completely unknown, you and I must answer the questions of death and the state of existence afterward. And our text is a perfect springboard into that. Let's seek the Lord's help now. Ever-blessed Lord, we will remain in our ignorance unless you enlighten us. Having heard the truth, we'll remain immobile unless you empower us to be more than just hearers of the word, but doers also. And so we ask that you would take away all distractions, all those things that would take our mind away from this weighty subject. You would take hold of our minds and instruct us, take hold of our feet and move us into joyful, even obedient living. We pray through Jesus, our Savior. Amen. Look carefully at 1 Kings 11 verse 43. And I want to answer the question, why are we talking about this subject of death? Well, first of all, because it's in the text. And our habit is to never avoid or skip anything when we say we engage in consecutive exposition. We mean everything in the text. But we're talking about this because there's more disinformation on this subject than almost any other. Whether it's Elizabeth Kubler-Ross or Deepak Chopra or on and on, it seems everyone who shouldn't be is talking about the death and the afterlife. And it seems the only people not talking about death and eternity are evangelicals. Well, we're also talking about this because the Bible says so much about this subject. Of all the issues that Jesus touched upon, money and hell and eternity were the most discussed by Jesus. But not only did the Lord Jesus frequently discuss these issues, the apostolic writers, Paul and Peter, the Old Testament wisdom, literature, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Psalms frequently teach on these matters. They're biblical. And the most interesting thing that has to be added as a footnote is the person who seems to write the most about death in all the scripture is Solomon, whose death we are considering. Solomon understood death and in fact he shapes the Christian view of death more than anyone. And again, as we saw this morning, there are always those who say, Carl, we want upbeat, positive themes. Well, this subject tonight will prove to be upbeat and positive and comforting to you if You know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. If you're here tonight and are an enemy of Christ, I know what you'll be feeling as we open the word of God. But for those who cling in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, these subjects hold only comfort. So to speak about death, let's answer some simple questions. Is death the last thing? No, it's actually the first of four things. A moment ago, when you used the larger catechism to convince our faith, you walked through a litany of four things that will happen to every person who's ever lived. For the believer, it looks like this. Death, which is the separation of the body from the soul. The intermediate state, which is where your grandmother and mine are right now. Their soul is with Christ. Their body is in the ground decay. Third, the resurrection of the body on the last day when Christ will raise up their body and join it together with their soul, fit for eternity. And fourth, heaven, the eternal enjoyment of God in a glorified body and a glorified soul. And then for the lost person, this four-step process looks remarkably similar. Listen carefully. Death, separation of the body from the soul. The intermediate state, soul is under punishment already, body in the ground. The resurrection of the body and eternity in hell. Well, when we speak about death, the thing that has to be stated is death is inevitable for everyone in this room. I've known people under my pastoral care when this issue will come up and they'll say, I don't want to think about this. This will never happen to me. And then I buried them. My friend, if there's anything that can be said about death and the Bible is clear of, it's inevitable and certain. Think of what you cannot do to avoid death. Solomon was the wisest man ever. He could not come up in all his wisdom with an escape from death. Solomon was the wealthiest man who ever lived. He couldn't buy a workaround for death. Solomon was the most important, powerful man on earth, but he could not issue an executive order telling death to go away and not return. The death of Solomon is a powerful lesson for us. If Solomon died with all his wisdom, wealth, and importance, you and I will die. In fact, Hebrews 9.27 says, it is appointed, or decreed, or ordained, it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, the judgment. Death will happen to everyone in this room. If you're ready or not, God has willed it to be so. Your parents, your children, your husband, your wife, your brothers, your sisters, your elders and deacons, it will happen. This is why Job cries out in Job chapter 30, I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all the living. There's only two historical objections or exceptions to this certainty. The first is Enoch. We read his saga in Genesis chapter five. He's mentioned in Hebrews 11. And the second is Elijah. His story is told in 2 Kings 2.11. Don't count on being an Enoch or Elijah. There is no cure for death. It is appointed, says the writer of Hebrews. David writes the rhetorical question in Psalm 89, what man can live and not see death? The answer doesn't even need to be said. It's so patently obvious. The real issue for you tonight is this. Since you will die, how do you prepare for it? There's only one way to prepare. So we saw this morning, we looked at half of the response to the gospel of repentance, the other half is faith. The only way to prepare for death is by repentance from sin and placing your whole trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as you prepare to face your last moment. You may think, Carl, I'm ready for death. I've bought a cemetery plot. I've bought a grave marker. I've picked out a casket. I've written my will. I have a trust. But my friend, if you've not prepared your soul for eternity, you're foolishly unprepared. Now this Solomon, whose death we are examining in verse 23, gives the clearest definition of what death is. If somebody were to say to you, remember ours is the generation that doesn't know how to answer simple questions like, what is a woman? But if someone were to ask you an even simpler question, what is death? Solomon gives us the answer in his writings. In Ecclesiastes 12, Solomon says this, the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God. That's what death is. It's the separation of the soul from the body. It's the termination of physical life by the separation of the soul from the body. The key idea in death is separation. the soul from the body. The body goes in the ground, the soul goes to be with God. You are, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, even if you view yourself as just a brute beast who's just a physical being, you are, not you have, you are a body and a soul. You have a material component, your body, and you have an immaterial component, your soul. So when the Bible speaks of death, it can be spoken of in three different ways. And I want you to notice which one of these Solomon is. The first is spiritual death. The scripture speaks repeatedly of spiritual death. This speaks of alienation of the soul from God. A great text that teaches us to think in this vein is Ephesians 2, where Ephesians 2, speaking of the lost man, says they are dead, dead in trespasses and sins. And so if you're here tonight and you're regenerate, you're converted, you've been dead before, dead in your sins. The second way that scripture teaches us to think about death or use death is physical death, which is what we're talking about here, the separation of the soul from the body. And then the third type of death is eternal death, spiritual death made permanent. Those who will experience eternal death will realize and know the full weight of the wrath of God. It's what Revelation 20 calls the second death. And what Solomon is experiencing in our text is the second of these, physical death, the separation of the body from the soul. Now a few things you have to know about death to have a biblical worldview. Because one of the things I've seen is so many confessing Christians are absolutely speculative. They hold all kinds of ideas and when you ask them, where did you get this? I like to think this instead of the Bible. And so instead of speculating, straying off into foolishness, let me remind you what the Bible says very clearly. First of all, the time of physical death is determined by God. No matter whatever the means, you'll hear people say, he died in a car accident, he died in this kind of accident. No accident. Not in a world controlled by a sovereign God. Look at Job chapter 14 and see what scripture teaches us about the timing of death, the timing of your death. As you're turning there, Pastor Dodds and I were speaking today about a man who is acquaintance and a friend of ours, faithful pastor who died a few weeks ago. He fell down a staircase. It sounds so odd. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen down a staircase, fell down a staircase and he's dead. Didn't plan on that, neither did his family. But God's sovereign plan certainly extends to the minute timing of the instant he calls us to glory. We speak of accidental or unexpected deaths. There's no such thing to a sovereign God who's firmly in control of our life and death. Look at Job 14 where Job writes about this very subject. Man who's born of woman is a few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away, flees like a shadow and doesn't continue. And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me to judgment with yourself? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one. Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with you. You have appointed his limits so that he cannot pass. The Lord knows your date. He has it planned. He has the method, the moment, everything about your home going already ordained from eternity past. Another important thing that the scripture is so clear about death is it happens only once. Remember the words of scripture from Hebrews 9, it is appointed for men to die once. This understanding is foundational when you hear the stories of people say, I died, went to heaven, came back. Whenever you hear that, hold on to your pocketbook because they're about to grab your wallet. This is why Paul firmly and resolutely states, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Not absent from the body, present with the Lord, absent from the body again, no. To die is to forever be with the Lord. Another thing that scripture teaches is physical death is transitional, not terminal. The 20th century atheist Bertrand Russell said, the only thing, and this is so typical of his arrogance, the only thing that will live on of me is my brilliance, my ideas as seen in my books. When I die, all there will be of me is dust. Bertrand Russell was sadly mistaken, tragically wrong. Our death is a gateway to an eternal existence. As we've already said, death is not an end, it's a beginning. That's why Paul says, I have the desire to depart and be with Christ. But I want to speak about physical death for a believer. And over the next few weeks, I'm going to be trying to make the case that Solomon, despite all his flaws, was a believer. So when we speak of physical death and when you look at 1 Kings, our text, verse 43, making the premise here that we're speaking of the home going of a believer. Five or six things the scripture teaches us about death for a believer. First of all, it is a home going. According to John chapter 14, the night before he goes to the cross, the Lord Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you. Hopefully you know what it's like to go to a home going. Sandy and I, for most of our adult married life, we've lived 1,000 miles away from family. Either 1,000 miles to the west in Las Vegas or 1,000 miles to the east in South Carolina. And when we had children at home, that drive was a long drive for Christmas. And so we would begin building the expectation. The kids knew that we were getting close when they saw the first Brahms ice cream store in Little Rock, Arkansas. And we would begin saying, it's not long now. One of our children, who's a little bit more like Eeyore, would say, oh, they're not going to wait up that late. By the time we get there, it'll be three o'clock in the morning. We would come through Shawnee, and I would say, we're almost there. And sure enough, even if it was three in the morning, when we pulled up to 2112 Linda Lane, people would pour out of the house, welcoming us home. That's what a homegoing is. Well, that's what scripture says the death for a believer is. It is a home going to a prepared home by the one who knows you best and loves you most. This is why Paul could say in second Corinthians five, we're of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and at home with the Lord. Another thing that can be said about physical death for a believer, it's a cleansing from all sin. Hebrews 12 speaks of heaven being where the spirits of justified men are made perfect. One of the most glorious aspects of heaven, after you heard a sermon like this morning, is No more repenting, no more sinning, no more agonizing over my own law breaking. Another thing that's said in the scripture about the death of a believer, it is, and it staggers me to say these words, it's a precious thing to God. Psalm 116, David records for us, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Another truth that scripture teaches, again, not dealing with speculation, just what the clear teaching of the Bible is, is death for a believer opens up the doorway to a new understanding. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul speaks of a time when we shall see face to face and not be marked by weak cognitive abilities, but Paul says, then we shall know as we are known. The believer will hold upon the moment of their death. They won't be omniscient. They won't know everything. But they'll hold no false propositions. Another truth about physical death for a believer. Do I need to say this? The believer will go to a better place. Paul is discussing in Philippians 1 which is better to live in this current veil of tears or to die and go be with Christ. He quickly concludes to be with Christ is far better. This is why John Calvin said, oh, what a sad sentence it would be if we were bound to dwell in this poor world forever. But one other truth that scripture repeatedly teaches us is death always shows that no one is irreplaceable. If you're an elder in the church, you think, you know, Woodruff Road, if something happens to me, they'll have to shut the doors. or my company, my business, or my family. Everybody will just fold up and die themselves if I'm taken. I want you to look at the haunting last words of our text. Look at 1 Kings 11, verse 43, after Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, his father, and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his place. The next day everyone got up, Rehoboam went to the palace, and the affairs of state carried on. Now don't think I'm just about done because I'm not, because there's something else I have to address in just a moment. But I want to make applications about the subject of death. What is the believer to do about death? So many people do the exact opposite thing that they should be doing. They think, oh, Carl, I was on a roll. I hadn't thought about death for months, maybe years, and you've ruined my streak. I don't want to think about that. In his Puritan classic, The Saints' Everlasting Rest, Richard Baxter said, the Christian must meditate often on the day of your own death and your entrance into the presence of Christ. This will be a great help to you in priority setting, budgeting, and more. And the peripheral will quickly fade away when you meditate upon the day of your own home going. And also, this helps us recognize sickness, Affliction and pain for what they are. They are God's tools to wean us away from this world and to excite us concerning eternal life where there will be no sickness or sadness or affliction or pain or decay or death. And I would answer the question of the person who right now is shaking in their pew in fear and trepidation. And what I would ask about your fear, is it because you don't know what lays on the other side? My friend, you can know very simply. If you would look at our Trinity hymnal, the questions that we confessed a moment ago in questions 938, the state of men after death, it tells you exactly what the state of men after death is. Death doesn't have to be a mystery. For the purpose though, who's in fear because they say I'm not ready to die. I'm not ready to meet my maker. You can be. Tonight can be the night when you repent of your sin and cast yourself in faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will be ready at a moment's notice for eternity. I want you to notice one element that we haven't spoken to in the text. Look at our text. First Kings 11 verse 43. We read about Solomon, what we read about all believers in the scripture, Old and New Testament. It's universal for believers. Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried, burial in the tombs of his fathers. Burial arrangements matter to God's people. This is not some decaying flesh you can treat just any old way. This is Solomon. His soul is now in the presence of Christ, but his body is here, and that, too, is precious to the Lord. This example needs to be reconsidered in our day because this historic, biblically-rooted practice of the Christian church is rapidly under fire on a scale that's unprecedented in history. Cremation is coming to be accepted among Christians as proper, even preferable. We're told it's cheaper. It's not right to burden the bereaved with a large bill for burial. We've been told by the environmentalist movement that land for cemeteries can no longer be justified since we're too overcrowded and we must find a different way of treating the dead. I don't blame humble believers for this at all. I blame the ministry, the pulpit entirely. Pastors haven't taught their flocks. So let me remind you very briefly that this example is not just a historical detail in verse 43, but it's a pattern. It's a very consistent pattern in the scriptures for us to imitate. The first point I would make is the practice of burial has the support of scripture from beginning to end, but cremation does not. It's very striking since all throughout the history of the Bible, the people of God were surrounded by cultures, nations who practiced cremation. But the patriarchs in Israel and the church always were distinct. They always buried their dead. Every statement regarding the dead in the Bible assumes this practice. In fact, all I do need to do to convince you is this. Jesus was buried. And we were buried with him. Jesus said of this, of his return in John 5, all those who are in their graves will hear my voice and come forth. And some will say, well, Carl, cremation does occur in the Bible. Yes, it does. whose sin at Jericho brought Israel to ruin, was stoned to death, was burned as a sign of divine judgment. Same goes for Josiah's burning the bodies of the idolatrous priest in 2 Kings 23. Intentional creation is always a sign in scripture of God's wrath. A second line of evidence is the practice of burial to the Christian attests to the hope of the resurrection. that God will raise up this body. The New Testament repeatedly affirms it's the self-same body that will be raised on the day of resurrection. Evangelicals have lost touch with this hope. I've heard of them stand by the casket of a parent and say, well, this is no longer mom pointing to the body. She's with Jesus in heaven. Well, to be sure, if mom is converted, her soul is in heaven, but her body remains mom. And that body is who Christ will raise on the last day. Paul affirms this in 2 Corinthians 5 when he speaks of the soul of the believer groaning, longing to be clothed with their resurrection body. Those religions who practice cremation as an article of faith, such as Hinduism, do so because they believe the body doesn't matter and has no value. But Jesus values this body. He rose in a real body that his disciples could touch. And he will raise your body up on the last day. His salvation is a full and complete one, saving soul and body. Our creed states this in Shorter Catechism 37, our children are learning this. You might want to ask your nine-year-old, they might know better theology than you if they're with us on Wednesday nights for catechism. In Shorter Catechism 37, the question is asked, what do believers receive from Christ at their death? The answer comes back, the souls. of believers are at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory. And their bodies, still being united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection." It's a matter of our confessional doctrine that we believe in burial. Julian the Apostate, who sought to restore paganism to first place among the religions of the empire, thought that Christianity's triumph in the Roman empire was due to three things. Christian's benevolence to the poor, their honesty in business, and their treatment of their dead. They embodied to the world a new hope that the rest of mankind didn't have. Their practice was to carefully wash the body, wrap it in linen, then with pastors, family, and friends, commit the body to the grave with prayer, singing, and the reading of 1 Corinthians 15. It was a powerful testimony to their reverence for life and their hope of the resurrection. And for nearly 2,000 years, this has been the universal practice of the Christian church. Solomon died. So will you. Solomon was buried. So should you. Let's pray together. Our father, the psalmist taught us to pray, teach us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom. Lord, we pray for our reception of this word. They would help us to walk soberly and uprightly knowing that very soon our home going will occur and we will be with Christ.