Why We Should Meditate on Death

why we should meditate on death. teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. psalm 90, verse 12. death is the great certainty that every person spends a lifetime trying to forget. we insure against it, delay it, disguise it, and distract ourselves from it. modern culture speaks endlessly about living well, but very little about dying well. yet scripture consistently calls gods people to live with the end in view. the wisest saints throughout history have not ignored death. they have meditated upon it.

They understood that a right view of death, is one of God's greatest instruments for producing a right view of life. Far from being morbid, meditating on death is profoundly life-giving. It strips away illusion, exposes misplaced priorities, humbles our pride, and compels us to cling more closely to Jesus. The believer who thinks often of death, is not consumed by fear, but instructed by wisdom. Death is the great teacher of wisdom.

One of the greatest deceptions of youth, and often of old age, is the assumption that there will always be more time. More time to repent. More time to be reconciled to God. more time to pray, more time to serve the Lord Jesus. Death exposes the lie that tomorrow is guaranteed. Every funeral sermon preaches a message that the living desperately need to hear, your life is not your own, your days are numbered, and your opportunities are finite. Few realities clarify life as quickly as remembering that it will end.

The Christian who regularly meditates on death, begins asking different questions. Will this matter in eternity? Am I investing in treasures that will last? If today were my final day, would I be found faithful? Death has a remarkable way of reducing life's countless distractions to their proper size. Death exposes the vanity of this world. Our hearts are naturally drawn toward what is temporary. We labor for possessions that decay, pursue recognition that fades, and worry over circumstances that will soon be forgotten. Death reminds us that our every earthly possession eventually belongs to someone else. Every career ends. Every title is surrendered. Every earthly accomplishment is left behind. Everybody returns to the dust.

The world's promises lose much of their attraction, when viewed from the edge of eternity. Meditating on death, teaches us to hold earthly blessings with gratitude and with open hands. We enjoy God's gifts, without making them our gods. The Christian is not called to despise this life but to refuse to mistake it for the next. Death humbles our pride.

Nothing destroys human arrogance quite like the grave. Death is the great equalizer. Kings and beggars, scholars and laborers, the famous and the forgotten, the wealthy and the poor. Every one of us will stand where countless billions have already stood. No amount of intelligence can outwit death. No health or wealth can purchase one additional heartbeat beyond God's appointed time. No earthly influence can postpone the moment our Creator calls us to our long home. Meditating on death reminds us that we are, creatures, not sovereigns, dependent, not self-sufficient.

Dust sustained every moment by the mercy of God. This humility is not crushing, it is liberating. Pride always demands more. Humility rests contentedly under God's gracious rule. Death makes Jesus more precious. The believer does not meditate on death because death in itself is beautiful.

Death is an enemy, our last enemy. It entered the world because of sin. It separates loved ones. It brings grief. It reminds us that all creation is fallen. Yet death also magnifies the glory of Jesus. Our Lord did not remain distant from our mortality. He entered it. He took on flesh, suffered, died, and rose again in victory. By His resurrection, He transformed the believer's greatest enemy into a defeated foe. Death still comes. But for those who belong to Jesus, death no longer has the final word. it is no longer the doorway to condemnation, but the entrance into the presence of the Saviour.

Every meditation on death, should therefore become a meditation on future eternal glory. He who thinks often of death, is more likely to live well. There is an old wisdom that has echoed through generations of faithful believers. He who learns to die well, will live well. Those who refuse to think about death, often waste life. Those who remember death, frequently tend to value each day as a stewardship from God.

When we remember that our time is short, we become less willing to waste it on trivial pursuits, selfish ambition, or endless distraction. we become more faithful in prayer, more generous with our resources, more diligent in living for Jesus. Death teaches us how to live, because it continually reminds us that life is a sacred trust, not an endless possession. Death deepens our gratitude for every ordinary day. We often imagine that gratitude grows from receiving extraordinary blessings. in reality, meditation on death teaches us to treasure ordinary mercies. a sunrise. a meal shared with family. a conversation with a friend. the privilege of gathering with gods people. the opportunity to open his word. another day to repent. another day to live for jesus. When life is viewed as temporary, then every ordinary blessing becomes extraordinary. The person who remembers death, rarely takes life for granted, death fuels holiness, one day, every believer will finish the race. The opportunities to obey, serve, sacrifice, and grow in holiness, belong to this life alone. There will come a final sermon heard. A final prayer offered. A final deed done for Jesus. A final temptation resisted. A final opportunity to share the gospel.

Meditating on death, fills the Christian with a holy urgency. Not frantic activity. not anxious striving. but joyful diligence. we desire to be found faithful, because we know that our earthly pilgrimage has an appointed end. death produces compassion for the lost. every obituary reminds us that eternity is not merely a theological concept. people are dying every moment. death removes every illusion that there will always be another opportunity. the christian who remembers death, cannot remain indifferent toward those who do not know jesus. urgency in evangelism is not driven by panic, but by love. love warns. love pleads. Love points sinners to the only Savior who has conquered death. Death makes heaven more sweet. Ironically, the more biblically we meditate on death, the more joyfully we anticipate heaven. We are reminded that this present world is not our final home. The Christian is a pilgrim. Every sorrow endured. Every disease suffered. Every farewell spoken. Every tear shed.

All remind us that we were created for something greater than this fallen world. Death is not the believers destination. Jesus is, our hope is not merely life after death. Our hope is life with Jesus forever. That hope transforms, fear into anticipation, grief into hope, and endurance into joyful perseverance.

A FINAL EXHORTATION Meditate on death, because it is a dire reality. Meditate on death, until your priorities become eternal. Meditate on death, until your love for this passing world loosens its grip. Meditate on death, until every ordinary mercy becomes precious. Meditate on death, until your gratitude for Jesus deepens, and your holiness becomes more earnest. Above all, let every meditation on death lead you to the Risen Saviour.

Death is not the ultimate reality, Jesus is. The grave is not the end of the story, the resurrection is. Because Jesus has conquered death, the believer need not fear its sting or despair at its approach. Instead, we may face it with humble confidence, knowing that our lives are hidden with Jesus, and that when our earthly pilgrimage is complete, we will pass not into darkness but into the glorious presence of the One who loved us, and gave Himself for us. The one who remembers death rightly, will learn to number their days, redeem their time, and live each moment for the glory of God. Such meditation does not diminish life, it gives it its proper weight, its true purpose, and its eternal perspective.

Sermon Transcript

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Why We Should Meditate on Death

Sermon Transcript

Comments

More from Various

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book