Returning to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, our short reading today, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, make your way to the end of the chapter. We'll be reading from the verse number 51. And so it's 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and the verse number one. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and the verse number 51. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. But we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grief, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, He's steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Amen. What an encouragement even that verse has been to my own heart even over the last week. May the Lord continue to be with us. Let's seek the Lord in prayer, and let's pray for his blessing upon the preached word. Our loving Father, we come again to the central act of worship. the preaching and the hearing of thy word. We pray that thou wilt save us from being indifferent to the scriptures today. We pray, O God, for minds to be alert, bodies, O God, to have been refreshed by night's sleep. Help us, O Father, to be fully alert and engaged in all that will be said today. And bless our waiting hearts, we pray. Help us, Father, to be confronted with the great matters of eternity, we pray. Grant, O God, as a result of that, that our lives will be put in order, our houses set in order, O God, for the coming day when we shall leave this world behind and we'll go out into God's vast and great eternity. Come, dear God, to our hearts and minister to them. Fill me with Thy Spirit, I pray. Give us, O God, power. Grant, O God, clarity of thoughts and mind. We pray these, our prayers, in and through Jesus' precious name. Amen and amen. Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay. The worst is death. and death will have his day." Those words are not found in some theological or Christian book, but rather they're found in Acts 3, scene 2 of William Shakespeare's play, Richard II. They are words that remind us that no matter how long we live in this world, no matter how good our health has been through life's journey, that death will have its day, save the Lord's return. We've been considering over the last number of weeks now various issues that a pastor experiences, comes up against, is confronted with in his pastoral duties. We've thought about loneliness. We've thought about depression and insomnia. We've thought about fear. We've thought about anxiety and worry. And last week we thought about the great life issue of sickness. Now while God in His mercy and in His grace may raise us from a bed of sickness, He may also sovereignly choose not to do so, but instead take us into death's chilling embrace. Today I want us to think and consider together about the natural end of all sickness, and speak about the great life issue of death. It is the seventh of the life issues that a minister is confronted with. And in the will of God, we'll bring it to a conclusion, this little series next Lord's Day, by bringing a concluding message. But today we're looking at this great subject of death, death. First thing that we want to consider about death is the certainty of it. Death is unavoidable. We know that to be true. Death is an established fact by God's unbreakable decree. In the paradise of God, mankind had the opportunity to live forever. We're told by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 in the verse number 10 that the commandment was ordained to life. The commandment was ordained to life. What the Apostle Paul was simply meaning by that was that if Adam had obeyed that commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, If he had adhered to that single command, then he would have secured for himself and for his posterity everlasting eternal life, for the commandment was ordained to life. We all know and understand that Adam failed in adhering to that single commandment of God, and thus he inflicted upon himself and upon each succeeding generation that followed him the penalty of breaking God's law, that of death. Genesis chapter 2 verse 17, God warned Adam, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die, and die he did. He would die spiritually, immediately, separation from God, as it were, for a time until he was reconciled to God by means of blood sacrifice, but also the dying process commenced physically within his body, and we have considered that over the last number of weeks. In that moment of human history, until this present day, death has been humanity's greatest enemy, apart from Elijah and Enoch, every human being has been brought into the valley of death and has crossed death's river and has went into God's great and unending eternity. Now there are many verses that I could point you to that speaks of the certainty of death. 2 Samuel 14, verse 14, for we must, needs die. There's water spilt in the ground which cannot be gathered up again. That verse simply puts to bed the false doctrine of incarnation. Water that's spilt in the ground can never be gathered up again as a result of being spilt. There is no probability of that water ever being gathered into a container again. And so it is, whenever our life ends here on earth, there is no prospect of us ever coming into this world again. We have only but one run in life, and one run to prepare for eternity. Job 30 verse 23 we read, For I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living. God brings us to death. We are reluctant at times to go from this world, to leave this world, family and friends, homes and our care, and just to love off this world, where the times cause our hearts to desire to stay in this world. But God eventually brings all men to death. And to the house appointed for all, for all living. Psalm 89 verse 48, what man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. Ecclesiastes chapter three, the verse 19 and 20, maybe not a familiar text with respect to death. Let me read it for you. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts. Even everything befalleth them, as the one dieth, so dieth the other. Yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast. For all is vanity, all go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. We read in Romans 5 verse 12, that great text, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death has passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And then that text in Hebrews 9, 27, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Scripture affirms it to be so, that death is life's certainty. We don't even have to open the Word of God to appreciate the certainty of death, for it's something that stares us in the face every day. The aging process within our own bodies point to the fact that we are dying. No matter how much medicine has advanced down through the centuries, doctors and clinicians have not been able to stem the gradual tide or the gradual stream towards that great end of life, death itself. They cannot reverse the aging process. And it really stares us in the face as we look into the mirror every day, those gray hairs that have been appearing, those kinks in the face that have now turned to wrinkles, that failing eyesight of yours, that inability to pick up what others are telling you, that new set of dentures that you got last week, that walking aid that you require now all point to the fact that Life for us all is ebbing away and death is coming for us all. And then every funeral cortege and every fresh dug grave. And every death notice in a newspaper again speaks to us of death certainty. William Shakespeare incorporated the following words into Act 1, Scene 2 of his play Hamlet that points to death certainty. Thou knowest tis common, all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity. That was the great Bard himself, Mr. Shakespeare. "'Tis knowest, thou knowest, "'tis common, all that lives must die, "'passing through nature to eternity." And it matters not what spiritual state that you're found in today, whether you be saved, whether you be unsaved, whether you be backslidden, whatever state you're found in today spiritually, the certainty of death, is for us all to heed, that we're all going to die. We're all going to leave this world behind. And too often we focus on life and we need to live, yes, and we need to prepare for our families and we need to care for our families. But if you look at life compared to the eons of God's great eternity, I believe that sometimes we place the emphasis where it should not be placed. We should place the emphasis on living for eternity. Living for that day that will leave this world behind. Time for us will be no more. The place that we once occupied will know us no more and we'll be out into God's eternity. And really only what we have done for God will ever find rewards beyond the grave. So what have you done for God this week? Have you lived for him? Have you witnessed for him? Have you lived out the gospel in your home and in your family? Have you done all that you can to propagate the gospel and to be a witness for the gospel? May the certainty of death lay hold on each and every one of us in such a way, brethren and sisters, that we amend our ways and we amend our priorities in light of the day of our death. I say to you, sinner, you're most certainly not ready for the day of your death. You've chosen to live simply for self and for sin, but death is coming. Death is coming to convey you into God's great eternity. But what will it be for you to die unregenerate? What will it be for you to be taken out of time and into eternity with an unsaved soul residing within that very body of yours? What will it be to die and to lift your eyes in hell? Oh, that you would prepare to meet God and that your day of death would be brought to the very forefront of your mind today. I'm going to die and I'm in an unprepared state. Oh, but backslider, surely your state that you're in is not a state that you would want to meet your Lord with, is it? To meet your God? To meet the one who bled and suffered and died for you? To meet in such a state that you're cold and backslidden and away from God? Surely you don't want to meet the Lord in that state. So it may be best for you to return to God and get started. to truly live for Him today, to live for God. And Christian, what Christian really, what Christian is really in a ready state to meet the Lord if death was to take them? If we were honest with ourselves, is there any believer that's ready? to meet the Lord? Have we lived for God as we ought to have lived? Have we seized hold of the opportunities that God gave us to live for God? Or maybe there's an individual here today and there's some unconfessed sin that still needs to be confessed and repented of. Maybe there's a believer here today and there's some bitterness in your heart towards another believer and that has not yet been settled or maybe you have an issue with another brother or sister or maybe some task God asked you to do and that has been put to the side and really it remains undone. Yet God would have you to do it all that we would live our lives in light of the coming of death. Death's coming for us all. Are we ready? The certainty of it? But as we consider this matter of death, I want you to think about the sorrow that is associated with it. The sorrow that is associated with it. Now thank God heaven is a place where there shall be no more death. We're told in the book of the Revelation that there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crime. And yet, folks, because we live in this sinful world and because death is part of living in this world, this world knows much of those heart-rending emotions. This world knows much about the sorrow and the tears and the heartache that is associated with man's last enemy, death. Whenever death crosses the threshold of a home, sorrow enters it alongside it. Death robs a family of its mother, father, its son, robs a family of its joy and its happiness. And once, where there was the sound of laughter and the sound of joy that reigned, death comes, mourning and lamentation now fills the corridors and the bedrooms of that particular home. Across the province today, that has happened. Death has come. I tell you, they're not, as it were, having a party today. Bitter tears are being shed. Sorrow has entered the hearts. How quickly it happens, just a phone call, just a message. Death has come. Now the Bible points us to many a bereaved home, many a home where death has entered. And as death enters, it speaks of the sorrow that the family endured as a result of death coming. It always speaks of the sorrow. It never chides the sorrow. Sorrow is but the natural part of grief and the grieving process. The Savior himself would say in his great sermon on the mount, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. He does not chide mourning or sorrowing over the loss of a loved one. Consider the holy dignity of the father of the faith, Abraham. His wife dies and we read in Genesis 23 in the verse number two, he comes to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. He comes to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her, the father of the faithful. Think of the sorrow that enters the heart of Jacob on the supposed death of his dear beloved son, Joseph. We read of his reaction over there as he looks at the torn and bloodied coat of Joseph in Genesis 37, verse 34 and 35. And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all of his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, for I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. It was but the natural emotion. and the thought that his son was dead. We read within the sacred volume, we put our ear towards it and we hear that great lamenting cry of David as he hears the news that his son Absalom has been killed in battle. 2 Samuel 18 verse 33, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son. A man after God's own heart, mourning and sorrowing over the loss of a loved one. And even the man of sorrows himself, the blessed Jesus, knew what it was to sorrow when death came. We find him standing in John 11 at the grave of his own friend, Lazarus. And what does he do? He stands there weeping. He is at where he joins his tears with the tears of Bethany's sad sisters as they think about the death of Lazarus. And so the godly know what it is to sorrow and death, the ungodly know what it is to sorrow and death. I think of that great event there and down in Egypt, the death angel comes into the land God has said that every mark or every house unmarked by blood is going to be affected by death. The firstborn is going to be taken. And sure to his word and sure to his promise, the death angel comes that first Passover night and takes from every Egyptian home and family the firstborn of the family. What is their response? Exodus 12 verse 20, and Pharaoh rose up in the night and all his servants. and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. A great cry, the ungodly mourning and sorrowing over the loss of a loved one. Death is accompanied with sorrow and heartache. And yet while sorrow is the natural emotion that we ought to feel when death comes, We must not murmur at God's wise dealings with us when it comes to this matter of death. John Angle James said the following, and I want you to notice and I want you to note that he said this on the death of his wife. This is what he said. but not with the passionate and uncontrolled grief of the heathen who have no hope. He said, our sorrow must flow deep as we like, but noiseless and still in the channels of submission. Our sorrow must flow deep as we like, but noiseless and still in the channels of submission. We submit to God. When death comes, we submit to his sovereignty. He went on to speak of the sorrow that the Christian should possess. It is a little lengthy, the quote, but I believe it will be beneficial. He said, it must be a sorrow, speaking of the Christian sorrow, it must be a sorrow so quiet as to hear all the words of consolation which our heavenly Father utters amidst the gentle strokes of his rod. It must be a sorrow so reverential as to adore Him for the exercise of His prerogative in taking away what and whom He pleases. It must be a sorrow so composed as to prepare us for doing His will as well as bearing it. It must be a sorrow so meek and gentle as to justify Him in His dispensations. It must be a sorrow so confiding as to assure that there is as much love in taking the mercy away as there was in bestowing it. It must be a sorrow so grateful as to be thankful for the mercies left as well as afflicted for the mercies lost. It must be a sorrow so trustful as to look forward to the future with hope as well as back with the past with distress. It must be a sorrow so patient as to bear all the aggravations that accompany or follow the bereavement with unruffled submission. It must be a sorrow so holy as to lift the prayer of faith for divine grace to sanctify the stroke. There must be a sorrow so lasting as to preserve through all the coming years of life the benefit of that event, which in one solemn moment changed the whole aspect of our earthly existence. This is the sorrow, the child of God. There is nothing sinful about sorrow. Paul said to the sorrowing saints of God there in the city of Thessalonica, they were mourning the loss of their family members who had died in Christ, but he said this, that they were sorry not, even as others that have no hope. When Paul wrote those words to those saints, that would have been the very opportune time that Paul would have said, pull yourself together. Stop such mourning. Stop such sorrowing. It would have been the time that he could have rebuked the saints of God for their sorrowing, but he did not. But rather he showed them that in the midst of their sorrow, there was hope for those who die in Christ. Hope that they are not, as it were, lying in some coffin. Yes, their earthly remains are, but they have gone on to be with Christ. There is the hope of the believer. And though at times the heart reigns, we miss our loved ones. They're in the better land. They're in the heavenly Jerusalem. They've gone to be with Christ, the one that they loved and served here on earth. They've joined the ranks of the glorified, the spirits of just men made perfect. And they've entered their eternal reward. That's why we sorrow not as others. And yet I add this, although our sorrowing is not sinful, whenever grief and sorrow impairs your health, whenever grief and sorrow closes your ear to the words of consolation from others, whenever sorrow and grief paralyzes your energies with respect to to that personal and relative, domestic and social, civil and sacred duties, so that such things are neglected, the caring of family, the involvement in the work of God. When sorrow refuses to be comfort even with the consolations of the gospel, then such a sorrow is unworthy of the name that the Christian bears. It is unworthy of the name that the Christian bears. When death comes, let our sorrow be that which is befitting the one who has the God of all comfort as their comforter, and who has gospel comfort for those who have died in Christ. And if we have witnessed to those And they refused the gospel and died in their sin. You have discharged your duty. You've been the faithful watchman. You have warned them from him. And their blood will not be required at your hand. May God help us to rest on the God of all comfort. Very quickly, a brief comment on the sovereignty of God in it. Speaking of death, the sovereignty of God in it. The when, the where, the how of our death is sovereignly governed by the God who cannot die. However death, God sovereignly reigns. He determines the hour of death. He determines the instruments by which life for us shall be ended. He determines where in this world life's little day will be terminated. Many scriptures speak of God's sovereignty in death, scriptures such as Job 1 verse 21, and he said, Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return hither. The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 7 verse 1, is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hireling? Job 14 verse 5, seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee. That was appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. But I believe the greatest text is found in Psalm 68 verse 20. He that is our God is the God of salvation, and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. Unto the Lord, or God the Lord, belong the issues of death. Again, in Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 1 and 2, to every time there is a season, a time, and purpose under heaven, a time to be born, and a time, a set time, an appointed time to die. And again, Hebrews 9, 27, it is appointed unto men once to die. Who does the appointing? God. God is the appointer of the day of death. Now I admit that the death of any loved one is hard to deal with, difficult to recover from, but should we as finite creatures call into question God's sovereignty in this matter? Should we call into question the sovereignty of God when it comes to the timing, the how, the where, the when, of how they were brought out of time and into eternity? I tell you, grieving one, think of the death of your loved one as part of God's sovereign plan. Think of it as part of God's sovereign purpose for their lives. And rest your sorrowing head upon God's sovereignty, even in the matters of death. God is sovereign over all. Something else, the warning attached to this great issue of death, as we experience death all around us, it ought to remind us that we We must needs die. We must needs die. We're not to view death as something that happens to others. We might need to face up to the fact that we too must die. And there is the warning attached to the death of others within our family, our friends, within the community. There is always a warning that needs to be heard. And the warning is that we too need to prepare for our day of death. We need to prepare for it in a very simple way. Physically, we need to prepare for death. Let me just throw this in as a minister. You need to have, as it were, all issues tied up. Have all your issues tied up. There can be great problems within families when issues are not tied up and you have not set your house in order. Can I also say that you should at some stage sit down with your spouse and prepare for your funeral? Prepare for your funeral. Because it will save much trouble, argument within homes and families. That everything is put in place and you have prepared for it, setting your house in order. When Jacob came to die, Joseph brought his two sons and blessed them. He prepared for his day of death, where the blessing was going to go. And can I say that if you're written out of a will, don't you concern yourself about that? Because those people who have been written into the will will leave that behind them someday. So don't concern yourself about that. If you're a child of God, God will see to your care. And so can I encourage you, every person, to prepare for the day of death. Make your family aware of the arrangements. It will save much problems and difficulties whenever death comes. Where you're going to be buried. I could speak of an event about an individual who was dying And he never had even prepared for his funeral plot. He hadn't even bought his grave. And only for the sake of a son-in-law giving up his grave, he was able to be buried there. Have you prepared? Have you prepared? I have. I know where I'm going to be buried. Have you? All for these things to be put in place, but We can speak about, yes, the physical, but what about the spiritual? The warning attached to death, we're all going to die. Christian, there's a warning. As you turned on the radio, you heard about a death. It happened yesterday, tomorrow you'll pick up a newspaper and you'll read of deaths that have happened through the weekend. Christian, it's a warning for us all, death is coming. But folks, there's a judgment for the Christian. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And whether you want to believe it or not, brothers and sisters, God is expecting, He is expecting a return on the investment that He put into your life. Your gifts, your talents, God-given, He's expecting a return. And folks, we need to prepare for that day. It will not determine our destiny, the judgment, but it will determine our reward. How we as Christians, we need to heed the warning of death, that soon we will be brought to account for our stewardship and for our service. But sinner, the judgment awaits you after death as well. And if you die as you presently live, you'll stand in that judgment with no savior, no refuge, no plea, no advocate, no hope, no righteousness, no salvation. You need to heed the warning around you of others dying. And thank God that God didn't take you yesterday into death. Make spiritual preparation. Be saved, be ready, be reconciled to God. Quickly, the blessings that come by death. You heard me right, the blessings that come by death. Let me be very clear that these blessings only come to those who die in Christ. You know, I hear people saying many a foolish thing when I go into wakes. I hear them say, you know, it's better for them now. They're now at peace. All of their troubles are over. And the deceased that they're talking about never made a credible profession of faith. There's a lot of silly and foolish things said in wakes today. I tell you, they're not at peace. And they're not at rest. The Bible says that they rest not day or night, but that the smoke of their torment rises up forever and forever. No, the blessings are reserved for the child who dies in Christ. Very quickly, we've incorporated them under two groupings. The first blessing that death brings to the believing child of God is the blessings of what they leave behind at death. Thomas Watson said, though death is a bitter cup, There is sugar at the bottom. Though death is a bitter cup, there's sugar at the bottom. And there is sugar at the bottom. You think of a child of God. Think of the things that you're going to leave behind as death takes you out of time and into eternity. You're going to leave your sins behind. Those things that cause you much mourning here on earth, cause you much heartache. Those besetting sins, you're going to leave those sins behind. You're going to leave temptation behind. And we spoke about that on Wednesday night, about temptation. You're going to leave your fears and your worries and your tears and your troubles and your cares and your sickness behind. You're going to leave your natural imperfections behind. You're going to leave your spiritual imperfections behind. You're going to leave this weary, wandering and earthly pilgrimage behind, because death is the funeral of all of those evils. Your death will be the funeral of all of those evils. And so we must then see death for the child of God as being beneficial, for it puts to death and puts to end everything that distresses the Christian here on earth. What a blessing, those things that we leave behind. But the second blessing that death brings, the believing child of God, is the blessings of that which we will enter into at death. Having left this world of sin behind, the Christian at their death enters their eternal home. in which there are blessings that cannot be adequately understood on this side of eternity. Paul the Apostle, he said, absent from the body, present with the Lord, the dying thief. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. That's what God promised that repenting thief. What is the greatest blessing that we come to and come into at death? Well, the greatest blessing is that we're brought to God. were brought to God. Permit me to quote again Mr. Watson, he said, death is a believer's best friend, for it brings him to Christ, which is far better. It brings him to Christ, which is far better. You see, death, as we view it as human beings, what do we see death as? We see death as the great separator. It separates us from loved ones and friends and work colleagues. We see death as a great separator, but if we only looked at death biblically, we would not see death as a great separator, but rather death as a great uniter, because it unites us to God. It brings us into the full blessing of God and the full blessing of salvation. There is then the secondary blessings. Because of death we're brought to meet those who have gone on before, who have died in Christ. There is a place, the blessing of being in a place where there are no more tears. death, sorrow, crying, pain. There is the blessing of having a glorified body that sin cannot tempt, where sin cannot enter. There is the blessing of rest, eternal rest. There is the blessing of an eternal home, a mansion prepared. One writer put it like this, death, which was before the devil's sergeant to drag us to hell, has now become the Lord's gentle usher to conduct us to heaven. And yet though death takes us from such evil things and, can I say, brings us into such blessing, we are to wait the day of our death. It is not for us to bring ourselves to death. I deal here with suicide. I deal here with euthanasia. That is not in man's power to bring them to death. God will do that when he sees fit. And so we must live for God until he brings us to death. I know that troubles are great. I know that trials in life are hard to bear. But can I say, brethren and sisters, just because I've spoken of the blessings we leave, the blessings we enter, that does not give you or I permission to take our own lives. take us out into God's great eternity. Finally, very quickly, the triumph over death. 1 Corinthians 15.58, for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. It speaks of the resurrection day. The body, yes, will die, be placed into the grave. The soul will go to be with Christ, but at the general resurrection, the body and soul are reunited again, and the body then is changed. We shall all be changed. Speaking of the believers, we shall all be changed, given a body like unto his glorious body. And from that, we thank God that we can see that death has died. Death has died because death, man's last enemy, was conquered by our Lord and Savior on the cross of Calvary. Christ died. and by his death secured eternal life. And he confronted someone at the cross. He confronted the one who had the power of death, that is the devil. And what did he do to him? He destroyed him. That's what the scripture says. He destroyed him, Hebrews 2 verse 14, that had the power of death. And what do we find hanging on the girdle of the glorified Christ in the book of Revelation? the keys of death and hell. The cross, he took the keys because he's the resurrection and the life. He has triumphed over death and by his death and through his dying, thank God he has extracted the sting from death and he has robbed the grave of his victory. Death is swallowed up in victory for the child of God. And so for those who are united to Him who is the resurrection and the life, we are assured that we shall triumph over death. 2 Timothy 2 verse 11, it is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him. Are you dead in Christ? Have you been crucified with Christ? Has the body of sin been put to the tree, to the cross? Are you trusting in the Redeemer's blood? Well, thank God if you are, you shall be with Christ. There are two deaths. The first death, which we all will go through, see if Christ returned. There is the second death, speaking of the eternal separation of body and soul and spirit and everlasting punishment forever. We read of that in the book of the Revelation. We read that death and hell were cast into the lake of fire which is the second death. So let me ask you, as I close, will the second death, will it hold sway over you? Will the second death have power over you? And God, the Christian, will triumph over death They'll enter their eternal reward, and they shall not be hurt of the second death. William Shakespeare was just being honest. He was just being honest when he said that death will have his day. When it does, may everyone in this congregation be found in Christ, saved. and ready for heaven. May the day of our death cause our lives to be sobered, and may all of our decisions be based on that coming day. Let's bow our heads in prayer, please. Our Heavenly Father, we recognize, O God, that death is sure and certain for us all. None shall escape it. As we heard over the time of gospel mission that death is the most democratic thing in this world. One out of one die. Lord, see if I return, we shall all pass through the valley of the shadow of death. But Lord, we ask the question, will everyone in this house have a shepherd to guide them through? We fear that there are those among us who know not the great shepherd. We pray in the Savior's name that thou will bring them to such. Bring them to Christ and save them by thy grace. Answer prayer and cause our hearts to be solemnized as we have considered this great matter today. And may each of us set our houses in order. we pray these our prayers and in through Jesus name amen we're turning