Prepare to Meet Thy God

We Must Prepare for the Day of Death

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.?

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.?

Introduction:

With the exception of two men, Enoch and Elijah, all men have died since the creation of the first man. The Bible clearly teaches that all have sinned, and that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 3:23 & 6:23) We have all earned the death penalty and will face our creator after death. That meeting will confirm our eternal destination; thus, we should prepare now.

The potential for the present:?

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say. I have no pleasure in them.?The past is past. We can learn from the past, but not change it. The future is still future. We can plan for the future, but we cannot do anything yet. What we have is the present, and we need to take advantage of the time which we have now. Too often we live today regretting the past and longing for the future instead of grasping today and enjoying it.?Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (what we need for today) shall be added unto you. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought of itself.??Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The passing of years:

God gives a graphic poetic description of aging in Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 Verse 3:?In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4. And the doors shall be shut in the streets, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; 5. Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and the fears shall be in the way and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: and the mourners go about in the streets.

Modern medicine has made great advances. However, the aging of the body is inevitable, and we shall not avoid the deterioration of the body and our eventual death. One day even the healthiest and wealthiest will die and face God in judgment.

Prepare for eternity:

The most important preparation for eternity is accepting the salvation that God offers. We should remember:

1.?????God loves us – He loves all mankind.

2.?????We have all sinned.

3.?????Sin must be paid for – the wage of sin is death.

4.?????Jesus died on the cross to pay the death-penalty for our sins

5.?????We must receive His payment to go to heaven.?Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.

Solomon, the wisest man in the world, unfortunately did not live out his life according to the wisdom God gave him. Solomon began well. He loved God and worshipped Him. He asked for wisdom to rule Israel rather than riches or the death of his enemies. God gave him wisdom, and riches as well. God commanded that the king must avoid piling up riches for himself, or depending on the power of horses and chariots from Egypt, and avoiding foreign heathen wives. Solomon ignored all three commands. These decisions were his destruction in later years. They set the stage for the country dividing into two. He concluded his advice as follows:?Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.?

Solomon is a warning not to place our own wisdom above obeying God. Solomon did not really prepare for his death. It is worth noting that God promised Solomon a long life contingent on his obedience. In latter years, he disobeyed, and died at about age 58. Let us follow God’s advice given by Solomon rather than his poor example. Let us place God’s desires ahead of our own and prepare for an abundant entrance into God’s eternal kingdom.