Romans 14v7f: We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
In a survey conducted by Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW, more than 70 per cent of participants said they were not inclined to plan ahead for their last days!.
Charles Brown and Snoopy are sitting together looking at the sunset. You only live once. No, you only die once, you live every day.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
I have repeated this verse so many time as part of the funeral liturgy and in that setting it is a verse of great comfort for it gives hope, the hope that the Lord has all the bases covered. Whether those who mourn hear that message is a different story and a funeral is not the place to try to explain it. But today we are not at a funeral and so I want to have a crack at thinking through this verse. Paul did not write this passage with the intent of a funeral prayer, on the contrary it was written about God, as this great theological epistle is drawing to an end .
Life is only possible in relationship with God. Why, Because God is the great creator and gives life to all the living.O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth. Psalm 104:24-30
So we live our lives under God: Under both his judgement as well as his promises. You can’t get away from God. “A prospective groom once said to me, I don’t believe in God! To which I responded, God is not going to worry about that but He’s still there and one day you will have to reckon with Him.” (I did not conduct the wedding much to the brides disappointment !)
One day we will all have to reckon with Him. Reality is we will all have to come to terms with God. Why! Because life will end and as Snoopy said, you only die once. However in Jesus Christ that fact is qualified with the hope of eternal life. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Jesus Christ will be given new life. 1 Corinthians 15:22 Now isn’t that interesting.” If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. When you are the Lord’s he takes care of everything.
So in this life we live trusting in Jesus, He gives us hope and strength, joy and peace, he gives us the confidence to face life, life can be tough, you need a foundation to rest on. This is what Jesus provides in life. But also this is what Jesus provides for us in death.
A Sunday school class were learning about Enoch who walked with God: .” And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:24 (KJV) Enoch a friend of God’s and one day Enoch just wasn’t there any more. The SS trying with with some difficulty to explain that phenomenon. Anyhow one bright little lass said. I know! As they walked one day God said. “Enoch, today why don’t we go and play at my place today and they liked it so much Enoch stayed there with God.
And one day God will call, but in Jesus Christ we have a place to go. Because you see, whether we live or we die we are the Lord’s. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:1-2 (NRSV)
These verses in Romans are placed in the centre of an instruction to live at ease with fellow believers. In other words it is our own relationship with God which is of concern. We have no need and certainly no right to reframe another believer’s relationship with God. Each of us will have to stand before God and answer for our life. Truly trusting in what Jesus has done leaves no room to judge how another believer chooses to live. That does not mean we stand idly by while a brother or sister goes off the rails.My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2 (NRSV)
In this verse is a sense of love and concern not an opportunity to take charge of another person’s life so as to presume to tell them how to live. To do that is to place yourself above another. At every point we are to trust in what Jesus has done.
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NRSV) The scripture gives plenty of advise about future outcomes. And this psalm in particular reminds us that we need to place our trust in God, not in anything else. Yet our verse today reminds us that when we place our trust in God that we can have perfect confidence for whether we live or die we are the Lord’s.
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