Let this Mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: # 18 Calmness in Death

Q: What does the Bible say about calmness in death?

The Bible illustrates calmness in death through Christ's example in Luke 23:46, where He commends His spirit to the Father, displaying peace despite immense suffering. The concept of calmness in death is poignantly illustrated in the final moments of Christ's life as recorded in Luke 23:46. Here, Jesus, while hanging on the cross, cries out, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.' This act signifies not only His complete trust in the Father but also a profound calmness amidst extreme anguish and suffering. This calmness is rooted in His understanding of His mission and the victory that awaited Him in resurrection. For Christians, this peace is not just an abstract idea; it serves as a model for how believers can face death with confidence, knowing they too are secure in God's promises.

Q: How do we know Christ's victory over death is true?

Christ's victory over death is affirmed in scripture, particularly in 1 Corinthians 15, which assures believers that just as He was raised, they will be too. The resurrection of Christ stands as the cornerstone of Christian faith, substantiated by numerous scriptural accounts, including 1 Corinthians 15. Here, Paul emphasizes that Christ's resurrection paves the way for the resurrection of all believers, affirming both Jesus' victory over death and the hope it provides. The repeated emphases throughout the New Testament highlight that, because Christ has triumphed over death, believers can be assured of their own resurrection and eternal life. This assurance of victory encourages Christians to approach death with calmness, knowing they follow a Savior who has conquered the grave.

Q: Why is trusting in Jesus important for facing death?

Trusting in Jesus is vital for facing death because it provides believers with assurance, peace, and a promise of eternal life beyond the grave. Trusting in Jesus is crucial for believers when confronting death as it anchors their hope in the assurance of salvation and eternal life. The gospel proclaims that through faith in Christ's sacrifice, individuals are reconciled to God and can face death without fear. As the sermon speaks to, calmness in death stems from a heart that rests in the finished work of Christ, who bore the weight of our sins and secured our inheritance as God's children. By placing their trust in Him, believers can confidently face their final moments, echoing Christ's words as they commend their spirits into the hands of a loving Father who promises to receive them.

Turn with me to Luke 23. This will be the last message on the mind of Christ. I thought there was, but nope. Nope. They were, as David's pledger said, they were redundant, but he changed words. They were all good, but I thought this last one would be This is the last one.

There's number 18. So, and maybe I'm looking at the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you and then maybe starting next week, the words of Christ. You know, we looked at it in Acts. You have heard that the Lord Jesus said, and then just, and I don't know how many of those there is, but We may get lost in that, the words of Christ. But tonight we're going to look at lesson number 18, the mind of Christ, which is calmness in death. So well, I don't need it. Yeah, you need to hear this. Everybody needs to hear this. Well, I'll tell you, because these funerals these days, celebration of life, which I can't, I don't like that term. Matter of fact, I talked to a brother the other day, and his mom just passed.

She was 100 years old. She made it to 100, and she passed away shortly thereafter. But they celebrated her 100th birthday. They all got together, the family. And he said, that's when we celebrated, while she was alive. We celebrated life. And I said, I understand that. That's how I would view it. with the shenanigans that go on in these funerals, whatever they do to get your mind off of death. off of, you're going to meet God in judgment. You're going to be counted and weighed. Actions are going to be weighed. And don't think of Christ, just think of happy thoughts and this and that. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't remember the person, not at all. I'm just saying they appear to do, at least with my mom's funeral, the guy just He wasn't going to talk about death at all. She's gone. Never going to see her again.

That affects me occasionally when I think of her, think of the good times, but look at Christ. Let's look at Him in this Luke 23 in one verse, verse 46. He's hanging on the cross. He just told that thief that today you will be with me in glory, in paradise. In verse 44 of chapter 23, it was about the sixth hour and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, rent in the midst. In verse 46, and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

There's a calmness there, a peacefulness. Well, the tremendous weight, you think about it, that our Redeemer bore as he marched to his impending death on Calvary's tree. The pressing of all of God's elect's sins upon his person, the burden of the Father's wrath and anger was dialed upon his head." Look with me real quickly to referring to the Lord's death.

Zechariah 13, Zechariah 13. That's two books back in the Old Testament. from the end, Zechariah 13. Zechariah 13 and verse 7. But it shall be one day which shall be, I'm sorry, that was verse 14, or chapter 14, chapter 13, verse 7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." It's the Lord God the Father saying what He's going to do to His Son.

Now turn to Isaiah 53 to see a little more explicitly what the Father did to the Son. On our behalf, Isaiah 53, we'll start in verse 7 and go to the end of the chapter. I'm sorry, verse 4, and go to the end of the chapter. Isaiah 53, starting in verse 4.

This is what the Son endured as He hung on the tree. He knew what was happening. He knew what was going to happen. He had a baptism to be baptized with and He was straightened until He met that. He met that head on. Face to face, surely he hath borne our griefs, Christ, and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he, Christ, was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him, Christ, the iniquity of us all. Who's all? All the sheep, in context. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb. So he opened not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. And Christ made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence. Neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief.

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, and he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He hath poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

That's what our Lord endured. And I can read the words, but as far as to go in depth, I can do a little bit. But who knows the agony and the sorrow that he faced on the cross for our sins. And people say, well, I can save myself. If you could save yourself, if you have a free will and you think you could save yourself, why did he undergo such trauma? Why did Christ undergo such horror on the cross? Because we can't save ourselves.

We need a redeemer. We need Him as to be the Lord, our righteousness. The trees of the Lord were trees of righteousness. The planting, the converting, the saving of the Lord, it's not anything that we do. Well, let's look at Christ once again. Yet, His death as the Son of God, He was the Son of Man, He was the Son of God, was one of triumph. It was triumphant. Though fearful to us were to see Him hanging, and His visage, as we looked at last week, was marred more than any man, how horrible would that have been, and it would be to us. But death meant victory realized in resurrection glory for Him and for us. He must die, go to the tomb, three days, raise again, and we will, it's 1 Corinthians 15, what He raised from the dead, we'll raise with Him. We will raise with him.

So, it was traumatic and yet the calmness, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having thus said, he gave up the ghost. There's a calmness that was there, a calm of sweet and everlasting conquest can be seen in this verse, verse 43 of Luke 23. Why was he so calm?

The scripture says something about that too, John chapter 17. Why was Christ so calm, or so, I don't want to say confident, but calm in the middle of this horrible scene on Calvary's tree, spikes in his hands, spikes in his feet, crown of thorn on his head, whips, you know, lashes on his back. Well, here's why. Here's the key, John 17, verses one through eight. These words, Jesus spake and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come.

Glorify thy son, that thy son may also glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him, given me. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." These are the words of Christ.

I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which you gave me to do. There's calmness there. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifest thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee, for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me."

The work was finished. That's why he could be calm or confident or whatever word we're looking for. But seeing that we're talking about calmness in death, these are the things. Of course, he's the son of God and we're not, but we'll get to ourselves here in a little bit. But let us have the same mind. This is what the whole study has been about. Let us have the same mind of Christ. Let this mind be in us. May we arm ourselves with the same mind in our dying hour as we merely are going home to receive, be received by our Heavenly Father. We're going home. We're going home.

He's the Christ. He says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you've supported His Son, He will support His sons and daughters. He's our rock. He's our fortress. He's our exceeding great reward. He has triumphed over death, which is the last sting, sin. He's triumphed over sin. May we look to Him and be at peace. There's so much chaos in this world. We look to Him for peace and calmness. What about us?

Well, can we say, and I have to start back, I got to back up. Can we say with confidence, Father, into my hands, into your hands, commend I my spirit. Are we believers? If we're believers, there's calmness assured, there's peace assured in the hour of death or the hours of death. It may not be easy, it may not be simple, it may be traumatic, it may be hard, but can we say that? If we're believers, we can. If we're believers, we can.

Surely we cannot if sin still lies at our heart's door. If we still are clinging on to sin, if we're still clinging on to self-righteousness, if we're still clinging on to anything we think we have to do to gain salvation, there's no peace in that, and there's no calmness in death.

Now, I've seen dead people die who I really wondered whether they knew the truth, and they were kind of calm, maybe wore out, Maybe wore out, but sin, the heart is desperately wicked. It's deceitful above all things. Who can know it? We can't even know our own heart. That's why the gospel's foolishness to the truth of Christ and him crucified, satisfying God's requirements on our behalf, and we cannot do so, suffer, bleeding, and dying. That's why it's to those who don't believe it's foolishness.

And then when they come to the hour of death, and I've heard Henry say it numerous times, call the preacher, call the preacher in, give me some words of comfort. Why wait? We don't wait to the last hour. I don't want to wait to the last hour. I want to know whom I have believed. And I want to be persuaded that which I've committed unto Him, He's able to keep that. That's what I want, I'm interested in.

So the question is, can you say, Father, into your hands I command my spirit, if we were to leave and never come back to this place again, are we forgiven? Are we daily trusting in the Savior's blood for complete righteousness, justification, and a hopeful reunion in glory? We can, yes, we can, no. We can know. And there and only there, peace being forgiven, peace and communion and calmness as we go over Jordan.

That's kind of the terminology of scripture. Going over Jordan. There's a bunch of hymns that we sing. So, I close to be something to think about. The river, Jordan, our death, it may be wide, difficult, it may be tempestuous, but fear not, Jesus has went before you.

He's gone over first. So he knows, you know, he's like a person, like the Corps of Discovery, they sent them out, They mapped everything. And so when people came behind him, they went that way. They went the way they did. So there were no Indians and this and that dangers that our Lord. He's our counselor. He's our guide, and we follow his footsteps. He's gone through it first.

Our Savior has vanquished death. you're gonna receive your birthright, your inheritance, and your kinsman redeemer. It's not about the crown, it's not about the mansions, it's about Christ Jesus the Lord. And we will not be able to exhaust the times of worship, true, unhindered, by the flesh, by sleep, by anger, by things outside the world, by inside, outside us, won't be hindered. Because we'll be with our Redeemer.

And close, I want you to look at this. I've never seen this before. Songs of Solomon. I love Songs of Solomon. Chapter 2. This is Christ talking to his people, to the church. Songs of Solomon. I hope I can read this. This is just so good. When we enter into glory, behind our Savior's worth and work and accomplishments, then you and I will see Christ as he is, for we shall be just like him. But look at what he says in Song of Solomon chapter two and verse 10.

The church says, my beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. My beloved spake, is he speaking through the Holy Spirit? Has he spoken to you? Do you know who you have believed? Not some Jesus with a small G, a J, small G, a God with a small G. My beloved spake, and he said to me, it's personal, rise up, my love, my fair one, only made fair by the blood of Christ, and come away, come away.

Now, another writer uses this for salvation. It's the eloping, he's calling you away to elope, to come unto him. And we may look at that Sunday. We looked at it now as our last final before we close our eyes and see Him in glory. Such a sweet come away. But it also could be looked at as an espousal. What a thought. What a closing verse. which has many applications, but they all point to Christ. And I'm so thankful that the scriptures are, as they say, crystal centric, because they are. Nathan, would you close us please?

Let this Mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: # 18 Calmness in Death

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about calmness in death?

How do we know Christ's victory over death is true?

Why is trusting in Jesus important for facing death?

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Let this Mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: # 18 Calmness in Death

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about calmness in death?

How do we know Christ's victory over death is true?

Why is trusting in Jesus important for facing death?

Sermon Transcript

About Drew Dietz

Comments

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