Title: Faith and Dying

Date: Jun 26, 2009
Topic(s): Faith/Trust
Scripture: John 16:33, John 14:27, John 11:25-27

Is the name Jean-Francois Gravelet familiar to you? Better known as The Great Blondin, he was the first man to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, an event he repeated many times. The story is told that once he pushed a wheelbarrow across the Falls and then returned with the wheelbarrow loaded with a 100-lb sack of flour. He subsequently asked the crowd if they thought he could push a man across.

When they shouted, "yes," he asked for a volunteer. Silence.

Faith is more than just assent. When you face death, you do not want to guess, hope or speculate. You want to know. And that's where Jesus comes in.

What Does God Say?

"Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?" (John 11:25-26, NLT).

Martha's brother had just died. Jesus was asking Martha if she believed that He could raise her brother from the dead.

* Why would Jesus ask Martha that question?
* How do you think Martha responded?

"Yes, Lord," she told Him, 'I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God'" (John 11:27, NIV).
My Thoughts

Do you think that Jesus was teaching not only Martha but also us through His question?

Did Martha really believe in her heart that Jesus could and would raise her brother from the dead?

What about you? When it comes to death and dying, where is your faith? Notice that Jesus does not say that everyone has the hope of never perishing, but only those who believe in Him--those who have taken Jesus to be their Savior, taken God to be their Heavenly Father and have taken the Holy Spirit to be their guide. To those people, Jesus promises eternal life and declares that death is only a brief doorway to resurrection and the beginning of eternity with Him.

My Part

Watching someone cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope would be scary. Riding in a wheelbarrow while someone pushed it over a tightrope strung across the Falls would be terrifying. But facing death and having no assurance would be even more dreadful. In fact, dreadful beyond words. That's why the truth Jesus teaches here is so significant and can affect our lives for eternity.

"Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?'"? (John 11:25-26, NLT).

Do you believe? Do you trust Jesus with all your heart; do you have the assurance that He will keep His Word? Then you can face death and dying knowing that you will live eternally with your Savior.
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NLT). "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid" (John 14:27, NLT).

Take a moment to thank Jesus that you can have such an assurance.