Facing Death with Hope

This is an excerpt from Facing Death with Hope: Living for What Lasts, a booklet written by David Powlison to help those approaching the end of this life. You can go here to read an extended excerpt with these headings:

Death Is Not a Friend
Facing the Shadows of Death
The Cause of Death
Jesus Faced Death for You (see below)
How Can You Be Sure that
Eternal Life Is Yours?
Jesus Faces Death with You
Face Death Like Jesus Did
Jesus Is Waiting for You

Jesus Faced Death for You

But for those who know Jesus, death doesn’t have the last say, it has the next-to-last say. The last word for the Christian is the resurrection. The last word is life. The last word is mercy. The last word is that God will take us to be with him forever. God’s free gift of eternal life stands in stark contrast to “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Jesus stands in contrast to the killer, the murderer, the slayer. He, the only innocent person who ever lived, faced death, not for his own sins, but for the sins of his people (John 3:16). Jesus faced death for you.

On the cross he faced death in all of its dimensions. He was killed by asphyxiation and torture, but this was only the physical cause of his death. As he died he bore the wages of sin, suffered the malice of the evil one, and experienced the holy wrath of God. He, the innocent one, willingly died for the guilty. When he freely gave up his life, death was slain by God, and Jesus rose to new life. God’s grace destroyed the destroyer, and death was thrown into hell. Because of Jesus, life has the last say. Because of Jesus you don’t have to experience death as he did. He has already paid for your sins. You will die physically, but rise to life eternal (John 3:16).