The Man Who Prayed to Die

Q: What does the Bible say about being ready to die?

The Bible emphasizes that a person is not truly ready to die if they do not know the Lord and have not accepted Christ as their mediator. The readiness to die according to scripture is intricately linked to one's relationship with God. In the sermon, it is stated that a man is not ready to die if he does not know the Lord, or if the Lord does not know him. This is underscored by Christ’s words in Matthew 7:23, where he says, 'I never knew you; depart from me.' Therefore, readiness to meet God at death is based on the assurance of one’s salvation through Christ. Furthermore, acceptance of Christ as the sole mediator between humanity and God is essential for being prepared for death. As stated in 1 Timothy 2:5, 'For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' Such understanding reveals a foundational aspect of Sovereign Grace theology regarding salvation and eternal security.

Q: How do we know that Christ is the only way to salvation?

The Bible explicitly states that Christ is the only way to salvation, as declared in John 14:6 and Acts 4:12. Scripture clearly establishes Christ as the exclusive path to salvation. In John 14:6, Jesus proclaims, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.' This proclamation underscores the fact that there are no alternative routes to eternal life. Additionally, in Acts 4:12, it affirms, 'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' These passages form the basis of the historic Reformed understanding of Christ's singular role in salvation, echoing the tenets of Sovereign Grace theology where reliance solely on Christ for righteousness and rescue is paramount.

Q: Why is understanding the certainty of death important for Christians?

Understanding the certainty of death instills a sense of urgency in believers to be prepared and to share the gospel. The certainty of death is a sobering reality that Christians must confront to live with purpose and urgency. The sermon reflects on the prevalent human tendency to overlook the fragility of life and the inevitability of death, as captured in Hebrews 9:27, 'It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.' By acknowledging this truth, believers are propelled to evaluate their faith and the faith of others. This understanding fosters a greater appreciation for the gospel message and the need for repentance and faith in Christ. Furthermore, it shapes a life that is directed toward eternal values and the mission of proclaiming the hope found in Jesus, encouraging both personal readiness and witness to others.

Q: What does it mean to see Christ as our salvation?

Seeing Christ as our salvation means recognizing Him as the source and embodiment of eternal life and redemption. The concept of seeing Christ as our salvation is foundational to Christian faith and specifically pertains to recognizing His role as the Savior. In the sermon, Simeon’s declaration 'Mine eyes have seen thy salvation' (Luke 2:30) illustrates this profound truth. It is not merely about understanding a doctrine or having an experience; it is about knowing and embracing Jesus as the living bread and the light for the Gentiles as stated in Luke 2:32. This means identifying Christ as the fulfillment of God's promises and the only means through which one can attain eternal life. Through faith in Him, believers acknowledge that salvation is not achieved through works or self-righteousness but solely through acceptance of His grace and redemptive work on the cross, establishing a personal relationship with Him.

before and shook hands with me. And I moved toward the other
door with her and laid my arm across her shoulder and was holding
her hand and we talked a while. And she assured me of her joy
at being here and the blessings that the message has always meant
to her. And four days later, she died. This past Thursday morning, they
found her sitting in her chair, peacefully asleep, and gone to be with God. This
Sunday afternoon, this afternoon at 3 o'clock, I'll preach her
funeral. Last Sunday morning, I preached
the gospel to her. and talked with her and fellowshiped
with her this Sunday afternoon. I'll stand over her lifeless
body and say a few words to the family. Now this has happened
before here. It's happened again and again
and again. It's happened many, many times. And it'll happen again many times. Somebody's going to sit here
on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, They're going
to leave, and we're going to exchange greetings, handshake,
and then I'm going to be called by the family and notified of
their death. It's happened many times, and
it'll happen again. But every time it does, I am
deeply, deeply affected. And I ask myself many questions. I don't ask myself if I preached
the gospel to them. I did. I do. I never preach here
without preaching the gospel. But here's what I ask myself.
I ask myself this. If all of us here on these occasions,
if all of us are as aware as we should be, if I am, if you
are, of the uncertainty of this life, Are we aware of the uncertainty
of this life? Are we aware of the certainty
of death? It is appointed unto men once
to die. And we can quote that, and we
say that, boasts not thyself of tomorrow, thou knowest not
what a day shall bring forth. I ask myself, are we really,
are we really, all of us, as aware as we ought to be of the
uncertainty of life, of the certainty of death, and are we truly prepared
for this experience? Are you, am I, truly prepared,
as the prophet said in Amos, to meet God? Are you ready to die? Now this is a comment I hear
often, and I know too often it's not true of whom it's said. I know this, you do too. I hear
this, well he was ready to go. He was ready to go. I hear them say he was ready to
meet his maker. God help us. It makes cold chills
when I think ready to meet God. I hear others say, well, I'm
not afraid to die, I'm ready to die. I wonder, and when I
hear this, I wonder, are these just idle words spoken to sort
of give us courage for this fearful moment? Is that the reason we
say things like that? You know, I'm ready to kind of buoy up
your spirits in your feet, or maybe they're just idle words
we say to give our relatives and friends a little comfort
standing about us, you know, and let them know that they don't
have to worry about us. Don't worry about me. Don't worry
about me. I tell you, there's only one
who could say that and really mean it, don't worry about me.
That was our Lord Jesus Christ said, weep not for me, weep for
yourselves. If you can weep, weep for me.
It'll be alright. If you're concerned for me, I
rejoice. That's no burden for me to bear.
Or maybe they're just idle words without any biblical foundation. Is this my opinion or is this
the promise of God? I'm ready to die now. Is that
my opinion or his? There's a difference. Does God
say I'm ready or am I saying I'm ready? You see, I do know
this. My friends, I know this. Will
you listen to this? I know this. Beyond a shadow
of a doubt, a man is not ready to die. He's not ready to die
if the Lord doesn't know him and he doesn't know the Lord. You say, I've heard people often
say a man's not ready to die if he doesn't know the Lord,
but what's this if the Lord doesn't know him? Yeah, if the Lord doesn't
know him. Christ said to those of the judgment,
I never knew you. They claimed to know him. They
claimed to have known him. They said, Lord, we preached
in your name and cast out devils in your name and did many wonderful
works. He said, I never knew you. So a man's not ready to
die if God doesn't know him. Christ said, I know my sheep.
I know my sheep, and I give them eternal life. And our Lord said,
this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true
God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Secondly, a man's
not ready to die if he has no accepted mediator. I didn't say
if he has no mediator. I said, if he has no accepted
Mediator. There are a lot of folks who
claim to have a Mediator with God. But the only accepted Mediator
is Christ. There is one God and one Mediator
between God and man. Isn't that what the Word says?
There's one God and one Mediator. And there are a lot of folks
who claim to have a Mediator, seeing we have that one great
high priest, then let us come boldly into the presence of God. Man's not ready to die if God
doesn't know him and he doesn't know God, if he doesn't have
that accepted, appointed mediator. Verily a man's not ready to die
if he's not been born again. Christ said, except you be born
again, you shall not enter the kingdom of God. If he hasn't been regenerated,
he's not ready to die. If he has not repented, Christ
said, except you repent, you'll perish. If he's not been converted,
except you be converted and become as a little child, you shall
not enter the kingdom of God. If he does not have a righteousness,
Our Lord said, except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom
of God. You've got to have a righteousness. And Paul said, my heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.
They have a righteousness. It's one they have established.
But Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes it. I'm not being difficult. I'm
not being narrow-minded, although the way is narrow, he said. I'm
not seeking to rob anybody of a hope for heaven. I'm not seeking,
as one person said to me, don't shake my foundation. That's not
what I'm seeking to do. I'm endeavoring to set forth
here the one hope of grace, the one hope of life, the one hope
of salvation. the one hope of every person
who is ready to die. And the scripture plainly declares
that. Turn with me to 1 John chapter
5. 1 John the 5th chapter. Now this is as plain as words
can make it. 1 John 5 verse 11. Listen to it. 1 John 5 11. This is the record. This is it, that God hath given
to us eternal life, and this life in his Son. He that hath
the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life. Verse 20, And we know that the
Son of God is come, and he hath given us an understanding that
we may know him that is true, and we're in him that is true,
even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. Now, the Lord Jesus doesn't say
that he's a way to God. He doesn't say that at all. He said,
I am the way. I am the way, I am the truth
and the life. No man comes to the Father, he
said, but by me. I'm not a way, I'm the way. The name of Christ is not a name
whereby we're saved. There's none other name given
unto heaven among men whereby we must be saved. No other name.
At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, every tongue will confess
that he's Lord. The Lord Jesus is not a foundation. He says, other foundation can
no man lay than that which is laid, Christ Jesus. He's the
foundation. The Lord Jesus is not a hope.
Well, the Lord's my hope. He's the only hope. Christ in
you, that's the hope of glory. Not a hope, it's the hope. The
Lord Jesus is not a head of a church, a body. The scripture says, and
he is the head of the body, the church, that in all things he
might have the preeminence. That's what I'm saying. I want
you to turn to John 6. Now whatever this means, whatever
it means, I believe I know, I believe many of you know, but whatever
it means, now we need to find out. Whatever it means, if it
takes you a year to find out what this means, it'll be a year
well spent. It takes me a year, it'll be
a year well spent. John 6, 51. John 6, 51. I am the living bread
which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread,
he'll live forever. And the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The
Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give
us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Truly,
truly, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, hath eternal life. And I'll raise him up, that person
up, at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed, and he that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living
Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father's soul, he that
eateth me, even he shall live by me. Now this is that bread. which came down from heaven,
not as your fathers did eat, they had the religion, they had
the manor, they had the farm, they had the ceremony, they're
dead. Eateth of this bread, he'll live
forever. I preached down in Australia,
over at Tamworth Reformed Church, and they had a special evening
service on Sunday. in which they were going to have
a dinner. And the people were told to invite their neighbors
and friends and relatives, especially unsaved people, folks that worked
with them, anybody. It was going to be a free meal.
It was going to be a southern, finger-licking good dinner. That's
the way they advertised it in the bulletin. Just go out and
get people and bring them in. And I was going to preach to
them. a big crowd of people there. They had 40 visitors, 40 people
that hadn't been there before that were invited and brought
in, just people, eight. And then they all turned around
and I got up and preached. And God gave me some liberty
to preach the gospel of Christ Jesus, to shut me in up to Him,
to Christ alone. I preached almost an hour. And
one of the elders of the church had brought a couple with him,
a man and his wife in their early forties or mid-forties, neighbors. And they went home. They told
him the next day, and he told me about this, they went home
in silence. And they went in the living room
and sat down. And he looked across at her and he said, He said, are we going to take
this seriously or are we going to go on like we have been? And she replied, she told the
elder, I think we better take it seriously. And I think you
had. I think you had better take it
seriously. And I'm going to talk to you
a few minutes now about the man who prayed to die. Turn to Luke
2. Here's a man who prayed to die,
a man confident, assured, peaceful, and resting in his spirit at
the thought of dying, right there. He even asked God to let him
die, right there. In the stories in Luke chapter
2, beginning with verse 25, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem. That's the first thing I note
about him. He was a man. As James said, a man of like
passions, a son of Adam. There's no reason for me to look
on these men and women in scripture as being some supernatural super
person. They're just men. There's people
like you and me. There was a man, a human being,
in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. He was a man, he had
a name. His name was Simeon. One time he was born, his mother
and daddy said, well, we're going to name this child. Name him
Simeon. That's a good name. Yeah, that's a good name. We'll
name him Simeon. And Simeon grew up in the home, and he had to
have his diapers changed like you did, and he was fed like
you are, and he went to school like you did, and he played marbles
like you do, and he grew up, and now he's a man. His name
is Simeon, but it said the same man was just and devout. That doesn't mean he was justified
before God. That doesn't mean he was any
holier than any other man. He was a man who feared God. That's what the Scripture said,
a man who feared God and a man who was serious and sincere about
the things of God. He wasn't playing a game. This
man was a man who was third God and a man who was sincere and
serious about the things of God and the relationship that he
has with God. And most of you are too. I am. And look at the next line. And
he was waiting for something. He was waiting for the consolation
of Israel. What is that? He was waiting
for the Messiah. See, he lived before Calvary. He lived before
Christ was born into this world. He lived when the only scriptures
he had was the Old Testament, and the only preachers he had
was those priests and Pharisees and folks around the temple.
Somebody said he was a priest himself. I don't know. Maybe
he was. But he was waiting for the Messiah. This man believed
the Old Testament. He believed the scriptures. He
believed the promises and prophecies and pictures. He believed that
the Messiah was coming, that God was going to send a Savior,
a substitute. And the Holy Spirit was upon
him, that's how come he believed it. The Spirit of God taught
him those things. No man knows the things of God
except the Spirit revealed them to him. And verse 26 says, God
had also revealed to him by the Holy Ghost that he would not
die until he had seen, what's this, the Lord's Christ. That's
the one for whom he was looking, the Christ, the Messiah, the
expected one. And the Lord revealed to him
that he would not die till he had seen the Lord's Christ. And
such is the case of all whom God's purpose is to save. They're
not going to die till they see the Lord's Christ. He is elect. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. They've got to come to Christ.
They've got to see Christ. They've got to. That's true of
all. The Lord's Christ. Peter said
at Pentecost, this one whom you crucified, God hath raised from
the dead and made him Lord and Christ. John 20 says this, these things
are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. You see, Simeon had all the holy
days, if that could help a fellow. He had all the ceremonies. He
kept the Sabbath diligently, devoutly. He had the law. He had the rules
and regulations. He had the Passover. He had the
ordinances. He had the temple. He had the
tradition. But one thing he lacked. One thing was needful. One thing. He had to see the Messiah. You'll
not see death till you see Him. And when you see Him, you don't
mind seeing death. That's right. You're going to
see the Messiah. You're going to see the one of
whom John the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God. And verse 27, now watch this.
Here we see the Lord crossed his path. Now listen to it. And
he came by the Spirit into the temple. There was a certain day,
a certain time, he came into the temple. And also at the same
time, the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him
after the custom of the law. You can read in Leviticus what
had to be done at certain times. A Jewish child had to be circumcised
at eight days, and weaned from his mother at a certain time,
and weaned from his governess at a certain time, and tutor,
and then a certain day he was to be brought to the temple again.
But anyway, this was the infant, the purification. Back here in
verse 23, look back up here, verse 22 of Luke 2. When the
days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, was accomplished,
they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. This
is a child Jesus. As it is written in the law,
it says in Exodus, every male that openeth a womb shall be
called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according
to that which is said in the law of God, a pair of turtledoves
or two young pigeons. Mary had come to the temple,
not to see Simeon. She'd come to bring Christ, Jesus,
her son. for this purification ceremony.
That's why she came. But God brought him to the temple
at the same time. See, I'm not going to dwell on
the purpose of God in this, nor the providence of God in the
life of this man, except to say, all whom God is pleased to save,
he will in some way reveal Christ to them. They're going to cross
the path of the Son of God. Got to. The gospel, the pure
gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. And so Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus, the Christ, to the temple and God's Spirit brought
Simeon. I believe it's a fulfillment
of... Turn with me to Malachi a moment. I want to show you
something here. Malachi. Malachi chapter 3. That's the last book
in the Old Testament. Let me show you something here.
Malachi chapter 3. Malachi 3.1. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way
before me, and the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come
to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom you delight
in. Behold, he'll come, saith the
Lord of hosts." Here he is. He's come to his temple. And I believe, let me read you
this, don't look it up. Simeon might have thought of
this scripture, Isaiah 25, and it shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him. We have waited
for him. I don't know how old Simeon was,
but he'd waited for the Messiah. He waited for him and he'll save
us. This is the Lord, we've waited
for him. We'll be glad and rejoice in
his salvation. Make the application, all right?
For whatever purpose, you have come to this place. Call it the
temple. I don't know when we started
calling buildings churches. This, we got 13th Street Baptist
Church out there on the, this is not the 13th Street Baptist
Church. The 13th Street Baptist Church are people. People, the
body of Christ. This is a temple. That's right,
this is a tabernacle, this is a temple. This is not a church,
it's a temple. So you've come to the temple,
and I've come here with Christ. Christ in His Word. You've been
brought this way, and we preach Christ Jesus, from the Old Testament
and from the New. And I tell you this, those who
really have waited for Him will recognize Him. Simeon did. Simeon
recognized it. But so in the next verse, verse
28, listen. He took him up in his arms. You
know, I don't know what the custom was regarding the law at that
time. Mary brought this child to the
temple. He was just an infant. This son of God, this incarnate
God, this one who would grow up and walk this earth in perfection. God in human flesh and down a
cross and be buried and rise again and go back to glory. God
in human flesh. I don't know what the custom
was when a mother brought a new infant to the temple for this
purification and so forth, but I know Simeon saw him and the
response in his heart made him reach and take him out of the
arms of Mary. He, this man, took him out of
her arms into his own. He received Christ. He literally
took him out of her arms and embraced him in faith, in hope,
in love. And I stand here this morning
and I preach Christ. He's all and in all. I bring
him and his word into your presence. Here he is, the Son of God. Will you respond like Simeon and take him out of my hand and
out of my lips and out of my mouth and out of my message and
receive him into your heart? I don't mean just the facts about
him, I mean him. Like Simeon did. Simeon, when
she walked in with that child, he just reached out and took
him in his arms. As if there wasn't another person
there in that place, not Mary and Joseph. I tell you this,
he didn't, look at the next line, he said he blessed God. He didn't
bless Mary. He did not bless Mary. He didn't
bless Joseph. He blessed the fountain of all
mercies and the fountain of all grace, he blessed God. I think the old man forgot Mary
and Joseph were even there, or anybody else. He blessed God
for his covenant mercies. He blessed God for his grace
to him. He blessed God for the gift of
his son. He blessed God for fulfilled
promises. I'm really not worried about
God's sheep following a man. They know who's to be blessed.
They know who's to be praised. They know who's to be glorified.
And that man walks in with Christ, preaching Christ. They forget
he's even there. They just reach and take that
glorious good news from him and embrace it themselves. He's my
Lord. He's my shepherd. He's my Redeemer. I bless God for revealing him
to my heart. I bless God. And then watch this. And then he said, Lord, Lord
of heaven and earth, Lord with all authority over all flesh
in heaven and earth, Lord, now let thy servant die. Let me depart. Let me die. God controls life and death.
God controls breath. God controls all these things. It's in the hands of God. He
has permission to die, he prays to die, Lord let me depart, let
me depart now, I can die in peace now. I can really die in peace. Why? Mine eyes have seen thy
salvation. I've seen thy salvation. You
can't overemphasize that statement. Whom had he seen? What had he
seen? Not a doctrine. Not an emotional experience.
He'd seen a person. He'd seen the Christ. He didn't
see him on the cross. He didn't see him going about
healing people. He saw him as an infant. And
yet he saw in that infant all the promise God said, Behold,
a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son. He called his name
Immanuel. Unto us a child is born. Unto
us a son is given. His government shall be on his
shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. And old Simeon said,
That's all I need to say. This is all I need to say, a
person. I see it. What's this? Verse 31, which you prepared. You prepared him. A body has
now prepared me, Christ said. You prepared him right before
the face of all the people, openly, publicly. God's made him known.
There's plenty of evidence if you want evidence. Most people
don't want evidence. You want evidence of his office,
of his person, of his work? Are you really interested? Simeon
believed God. He believed God. Lord, now let
me die in peace. It's the only way to die in peace,
according to your word. You said, I wouldn't die until
I'd seen him. I've seen him. I've seen him. He didn't have to add anything,
he didn't have to run knock on some doors and witness, he didn't
have to run do anything see-saw, he had seen the Christ. I've seen him and I believe him.
I believe him. Now I'll die. Because he, verse
32, is the light. The light to lighten the Gentiles
and the glory of thy people. Nothing needs to be added. That's when a man, woman, boy
or girl is ready to die. They've seen the Lord. You think of anything to add
to that? I can't think of anything to
add. An experience or a time or a place or anything. And I've preached Christ to you
this morning. I've preached Christ to you through
the years. That's our hope, Lord. Now let
me die in peace according to your word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. I believe, I believe that Jesus
died for me and with his blood, his precious blood, I shall from
sin be free.

The Man Who Prayed to Die

What does the Bible say about being ready to die?

How do we know that Christ is the only way to salvation?

Why is understanding the certainty of death important for Christians?

What does it mean to see Christ as our salvation?

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The Man Who Prayed to Die

What does the Bible say about being ready to die?

How do we know that Christ is the only way to salvation?

Why is understanding the certainty of death important for Christians?

What does it mean to see Christ as our salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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