Lessons from the Dungeon (Part 3 of 4)

Music playing We can't live peacefully until we can trust in God's promises for our future. Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explains why we need a biblical view of death and dying as he continues a message titled Lessons from the Dungeon.

We pick up today in Genesis chapter 40. The doctrine of providence clearly states that God, by his divine energy, preserves all his creatures, is operative in all that comes to pass, and directs everything in the world to their appointed end. The ultimate end of God's providence is that his name would be glorified and that he deals in this way in the lives of men and women for his glory and for our good. And so, in the life of Joseph, we are being encouraged to consider the implications of the well-worn New Testament, verse Romans 8 and 28, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purposes. All the forces that are ranged today in opposition to God—sin and evil, corruption and injustice, greed and exploitation—are held in check by God's providential rule. And as Christians, we have no place for pessimism, we have no place for anxiety, we have no place for pride, and we have no place for defeat.

For in the amazing understanding of who God is and what he is doing, we find that we are humbled, recognizing that we are not the masters of our own destiny, that we are secure, realizing that even our failures and our sins are under his control, and that we are ultimately victorious, recognizing that God is able to take even the most heinous rebellion of man and work it for his good. Now, when you back the video up a long way—a few thousand years—and you reverse right into the story of Genesis, and you find yourself focusing on this individual Joseph, then we have in Joseph a foreshadowing of all that is to reach its fullness in the person of Christ. And at this point in the story, we have discovered that Joseph is once again on the receiving end of discomfort.

He has been falsely accused by his boss's wife of an interest in her which was wrong, which was a totally false accusation. And as a result of that, he has found himself in a dungeon. And in this dungeon, he is both learning and teaching lessons. And we said last time that there were some lessons to be learned from the dungeon. We noted the first of these to be living life with a God-centered focus, and the second, a preparedness to declare the truth without ambiguity—Joseph doing both, in the news that he brings to the cupbearer of the fact that he is going to be lifted up and restored to usefulness, and then the news that he brings to this baker that, in point of fact, he is in deep trouble.

Joseph declares the truth without ambiguity. We then began to look at the third lesson from the dungeon—namely, a lesson in preparing for death. And we noted last time that the individual from whom we learned this was given a clear opportunity to make adequate preparation, because they were told directly by the Word of God that they had now some seventy-two hours left to live. And we began last time to consider the implications insofar as none of us knows what a day brings, and that it would be a special providence to be given in categorical terms the exact span of our lives.

None of us are. And so we all live with a measure of uncertainty in relationship to this whole prospect of our own death. Now, one of the dilemmas which inevitably faces us as men and women in relation to this subject is not simply in being trained ourselves to make adequate preparation for that day, but is in learning to know how to deal in a biblical and meaningful and realistic way with those who are within the sphere of our reference, who by dint of a serious onslaught of illness have at least from a human perspective drawn closer to the prospect of their own demise than is apparent to some of the rest.

And so for physicians and for any who are involved in what is referred to as terminal care, there is a need for clear instruction. And the Bible needs to help us in this respect. The individual who is facing death must learn to balance hope with reality, must learn to hope for the best, and yet at the same time to prepare for the worst. If we are not prepared for any event that may come our way—and we include in that the event of death itself—if we are living life unprepared for the prospect of death, paying only lip service to it as a notion, and we recognize that we are living in a fallen world and the sting of sin is death, then we're living building castles in the air. We are building our house on sand, and we are not on the bedrock, the solid instruction, which Jesus provided on the occasion of the death of Lazarus to the ladies around him who were so concerned about what had happened to their brother. Turn to one of the best and most glorious verses on the subject in John chapter 11 and verse 25, and you'll see it there.

This is a definite underlining verse, if you've never underlined it before. Jesus declares that Lazarus is going to rise again. Martha is clear enough on the subject to say she knows there's going to be a resurrection at the last day.

Jesus advances the information in a significant way as he declares, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, even though he dies, will live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this? Now, this is the absolute, solid bedrock of the issue of both life and death. And any consideration of death and dying, which does not pay careful attention to the words of Jesus, especially in this respect, is going to be deficient in its approach.

This must be the place of beginning. If anyone has conquered death, I want to know them. If they have conquered death and made a way for me to conquer death, I want to meet them. And if they have conquered death and made a way for me to conquer death, then I want to learn how it is that I may conquer death. So although I pass through the experience of the demise of my physical frame, believing in Jesus, it will simply be a transition.

It will simply be a passing from one realm into another. And in light of that, it is imperative that we counsel people accordingly—that we do not announce to those who are facing the prospect of death that in some abrupt and unfeeling fashion they just simply are going to have to face up to it, that the issues of honesty have to be matched by both wisdom and with grace. And it would seem to me that we probably do best for our friends and for our family who are facing particular illness by reminding them, first of all, of the uncertainty of their condition. That is simply an acknowledgment of the facts of life, because life by its very nature is uncertain. And when we put ourselves or find ourselves within the framework of peculiar illness, that sense of uncertainty merely increases. We need to help our loved ones to recognize the possibility, even the probability, that as a result of the advice they have received, they may not recover in the way in which and in the timeframe that they hope.

In other words, that we are sincere, that we are genuine, that we are true to life, and that we are true to the Bible. What are the alternatives? Well, one of the alternatives that is often seized upon—and it is absolutely wrong—is to sit in a chair beside somebody who has had a significant diagnosis of the onset of an illness that would be described by the medical world as terminal, to sit in the chair beside a person like that or to sit at their bedside and simply offer to them a bunch of platitudes—to throw out every kind of hopeful verse we might think of, to say things to them that help to ease our discomfort. Oh, well, don't worry, I'm sure we'll be back on the golf course before long. And inside ourselves, when we get in our cars to drive away, we're saying, She'll never be on a golf course again. So what we did eased our sense of discomfort and contributed nothing except perhaps failure to the individual that we left behind. I have found that in dealing with individuals like this, the human frame is increasingly alert to its own demise—that individuals have an internal mechanism which indicates to them, at a deep level of their being, that despite what others may say, despite the deepest hopes they have, despite the earnestness of the prayers of others, it is appearing increasingly likely that their life force is ebbing from them. And it is in that context that we need to learn to help one another to face the prospect gradually.

And it is actually a unique blessing to be able to do so. For not all will have the privilege of such a transition. Few will get the three-day warning. Many of us will go in an instant without any opportunity for plan or for care in this way. We mustn't wait out of fear or discomfort until the pain medication takes our loved one into the realm of oblivion, where it is now clear to all except the sufferer that it is now impossible to communicate both to speak and to hear and to do anything that is worthwhile. So, between those two extremes—silly platitudes on the one hand, and oblivion induced by pain medication on the other—we have an opportunity to both think and speak biblically, and on the basis of the bedrock of the words of Jesus, I am the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me, even though he dies, yet he will live, and whosoever lives and believes in me will never die. And then the question, Do you believe this? And you see, the answer to that question is the key to the way in which we're able to face people, face ourselves, and deal with our own eventuality. And what of ourselves for a moment? Have you prepared to die? Have you made plans? I'm not asking you if you have a plot. But have you wrestled with John 11.25?

Have you dealt with this issue of belief in relationship to Jesus? Most people who talk to you about these things don't talk to you about these things, and if you'll pardon me, insurance agents are expert at this. Isn't it interesting that people who spend their time and make their money selling life insurance or life assurance manage to sell these multi-dollar policies without ever using the D word?

Have you noticed that? I'm just here to talk to you today in just case something should happen to you. What do you mean? Something happens to me every day, all the time things are happening to me.

You got something particular in mind? Well, you know, if something, you know, in the unlikely event of—is it starting to sound like United Airlines? In the unlikely event? In the unlikely event of a water landing.

That's an unlikely event flying over Texas, but not flying across the Atlantic Ocean. It is in the likely event, in the inevitable event. But then they try and back you off it a little bit by saying, now, how old did you say you were? I see you're forty-four on your next birthday. Well, really, we're doing this just in case of your premature death. Premature death. There cannot be a premature death. I will not die prematurely, and neither will you. I won't die one second before the time that is entered in the book for me to go. I am immortal until that day, and so are you. I'm not gonna die prematurely. I may die tonight, but it won't be premature. It'll be the right, exact moment when I die. Because I can't have a doctrine of providence where God cares for the sparrows and knows when they fall to the ground and then sits in heaven and goes, goodness gracious, did you see that Alistair Begg just died? Wow!

I never expected that! You know, I've been sustaining all things by the word of my power. I brought him to existence, I kept him through his days, and doggone it, he went and died on me! We cannot, loved ones, live with comfort until we have faced with composure the sentence of death. In preparing our friends and loved ones, indeed, in preparing ourselves, we need to prepare one another to trust and to rest in the promises of God's Word. Well, if you don't think that we need a biblical view of death and dying, you don't think. And we'll come back to this another time.

Now, the fourth lesson that we learn from the dungeon is the other side of the coin. It lifts our spirits a little because we move away from preparing for death to celebrating life. Indeed, celebrating a birthday. Christians, of all people, ought to be able to have parties. Really, good parties. Not mediocre, boring parties. Fantastic parties! I mean, Christians should not be party animals, but they should be party somethings. And especially, birthday parties.

Let me explain to you. I've been thinking about this. Verse 20 of Genesis 40—now, the third day was Pharaoh's birthday. And he gave a feast or a party for all his officials. He was celebrating life. I just want to make the point in passing that birthdays provide us with a unique and an annual opportunity for thanksgiving. Now, every day of our lives provides the same, but in a special way, one day out of the year, we have the opportunity to pause for a moment and marvel at God's goodness and provision for us—to celebrate the gift of life itself, whatever it may bring and with whomsoever I spend it. I thank you. I thank you for my birthday. I thank you in the words of the psalmist that goodness and mercy has been following me all the days of my life. And I praise you on this anniversary day.

An opportunity at the same time to praise and magnify our parents. And thirdly, to celebrate my friends. And on your birthday, be thankful if you've got a friend. 1824 of Proverbs. A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 27 and verse 6.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. So then, on our birthday, we ought to celebrate the fact of our existence, our preservation, the difference that Jesus makes. God is the only source on which we can rely, a comforting reminder about his trustworthy promises from today's message titled Lessons from the Dungeon on Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. You know, God's Word is filled with promises he's made to his people. Each promise is like a check.

We receive it knowing we can take it to the bank. We can rely on the future fulfillment. That simple idea led 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon to write an inspiring devotional, drawing from God's promises. It's titled Checkbook of the Bank of Faith. This is a rich collection of reflections from Spurgeon on scripture passages that affirm God's promises. There are 365 brief yet profound entries making this an ideal devotional to kick off and carry you through the new year. This book is beautifully bound. It has a leather cover and its size, as you might guess by the title, is the size of a checkbook.

It fits easily in a purse or a pocket so you can take it with you wherever you go. And if you're looking for a Christmas gift idea, this makes an ideal stocking stuffer. Be sure to request Checkbook of the Bank of Faith with our thanks when you donate to Truth for Life today. Simply tap the image you see on the mobile app or visit truthforlife.org or if you prefer, call 888-588-7884. If you'd rather mail your donation and request the book, write to Truth for Life at post office box 398000 Cleveland, Ohio 44139.

Let me also remind you about an exclusive offer currently available from Truth for Life. Today you can order a double-featured DVD set containing two documentary films together titled American Gospel. These films are a striking exposé of Christian religion in America. They take a hard look at the state of Christianity in our nation and reveal how people are increasingly buying into a distorted version of Christianity that promises health and wealth and the American dream. These two films feature dozens of interviews with biblical scholars who compare popular faith movements to the truth of the Bible. Alistair is included in these documentaries. To order your copy of the American Gospel double DVD set, go to truthforlife.org-slash-store.

Let me mention there's also a link if you'd prefer to stream the videos. If you are a frequent listener to Truth for Life, you know we carefully select resources like the documentaries American Gospel because these resources complement our mission to teach the Bible in a way that's both clear and relevant. We know the lessons from Scripture are as applicable today as they were when they were written. We also believe that God's Word is unchanging.

It is without error and has the power to transform lives. That's why we teach the Bible every day and it's why we make Alistair's online library available free of charge so that cost is never a barrier to anyone who wants to learn more about Jesus. In fact, today if you'd like to learn more about the Gospel message, we want to invite you to visit truthforlife.org-slash-the-story. You'll find a short video presentation there.

I'm Bob Lapine. Hope you can join us tomorrow for the conclusion of our message, Lessons from the Dungeon. Alistair explains how to deal with disappointment without losing hope. He'll also teach us how we can rest confidently in God's unfailing goodness. It's all part of our series titled, My Times Are in Your Hands. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.