Hope Beyond the Shadow of Death (feat. Sean Demars):

Life has a funny way of confronting us with questions we would rather avoid. Few are as sobering as the reality of our own mortality. It’s an undeniable fact of life: we are all going to die one day. Yet, in the perfect wisdom of Scripture, we are invited to face this reality not with fear, but with hope and purpose.

I have asked Sean Demars, pastor of Sixth Avenue Community Church in Decatur, AL, to share a reflection on this truth and the hope we can find in Christ in the midst of it. So, without further ado, I’ll let Sean take it away!

“I’m thirty-eight years old, and I am soon to die. You are, too.

“For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14.

Nobody wants to die. Even the apostle Paul had good reasons for remaining in the flesh. And yet, die we must. The option before us is a simple one: Will we look death in the face before the evil day meets us, or will we look away? The psalmist seems to think that we should consider death.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Considering our own mortality is no easy feat, which is why the psalmist must ask God for help in doing so. “Teach me, Lord,” he cries. “Help me to do that which I’d rather not do. Help me to consider my own mortality.” Why? To what end? The psalmist answers, “So that I may live wisely until the day of my departure.”

There is something about considering our own mortality that builds in us a heart of wisdom. Which means, also, that if we look away from death, folly will follow us all the days of our lives. And so, look we must. We must lock eyes with our mortal enemy and never flinch, never blink.

How can we do this? The answer, of course, is found only in Jesus. In Christ, all who die will live again. This is our only hope of having the courage to number our days. In light of the gospel, we can look death in the face and say, “You will wound me, but I will overcome you in Jesus.”

So fear not, friend. Look that hideous creature in the face and study his features. Consider his ways. Interpret his mannerisms. Live your life in the light of his dark shadow. Let his victory empower you to engage your enemy with the confidence that can only come from the gospel of Christ’s finished work on the cross.”

By fixing our eyes on Christ, we can walk boldly in the light of HIS victory, knowing death does not have the final word.