Why are Christians afraid to die???

Tim Keller in his sermon "The Cosmic King" says God is the "Beginning and the end in everything." So the question is how do we face death as Christians?? To answer this question we must look at the beginning and what should be the ONLY purpose of our lives. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." God existed before all else and He was our Creator and our only worth. He brought mankind into the world and the whole of the Old Testament leads up to that climatic moment in history, the birth and death of His Son Jesus! Keller says that everything is created for God and that "the future is rushing into His lap." The future rushes onward yet God has forseen it all and is ever present in all.

With this in mind, how should we, as believers, view death? The apostle Paul writes in 2Timothy 4: 6-8, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." Knowing that his death was at hand, Paul portrayed the attitude towards death we, as believers, should live for!! Death is not something to be feared!! It is the final frontier and the LAST journey we take in our earthly existence. It is that ultimate and final step in our re-unification with God!!

The world we live in constantly talks about death in a negative fashion and makes every effort to stave off the inevitability of the finality of one's existence. We can be comforted to know that Jesus and God are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end!! The goal of our lives is to glorify God in all that we do, there is no room for error. It is both frightening and calming!!

Too often, we view God as the Answerer of our prayers. We go through life asking God to give us good jobs, a relationship, etc. In all of this, we lose sight of the fact that God is the beginning, the end, and the center of our universe!! While God does answer our prayers, if that is the way we view Him, we are failing! HE is EVERYTHING!! When others look at us, they should not see our individualality but the light of God's grace!!!!

So what will it be?? Are you afraid of death?? This is our time to glorify our God and whether its by our life or death, if God is the center of our universe, He will be glorified!!!