Death

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

I want us to look at one aspect of death we have for the most part neglected; preparedness.

When we read the Bible, there is one thing you will realise with people who were close to God. You will see them very ready for it, as if they were keeping an appointment.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. (Genesis 49:33)

That is exceptional when looked at using the lens of our times.

Yet it is not exceptional when looked at from a purely Biblical context.

The common thing you read is that someone set his house in order and then died.

As I have severally said, Hezekiah messed because he refused to agree with God that he had completed his assignment and sought an extension of the same, bitterly.

No wonder that extension brought about Manasseh!

Another thing that I will say paints our times in very bad light is the kind of revelation we enjoy.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (John 16:13)

How can it be called all truth if it does not include death?

What am I driving at?

God seeks to closely walk with us ALL THE TIME, not only when we are doing spiritual things.

But I think it is important to say one thing.

There must be a reason why we are unable to accurately know when our time has come.

It is because we do not know when our assignment is complete.

And do you know why that is so?

We actually do not know our assignment.

You see, I can only complete an assignment that I have been given.

And it is important to get our facts right.

Paul knew that his time had come because his assignment was complete.

And that was not because of threats of death or even being in prison because that was his constant diet over his ministry years. And a few verses of that reality are in order.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; (Philippians 1:25)

But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. (Philemon 1:22)

You may remember that in Acts 16 he refused to get out of prison because his rights had been breached. Yet he had not protested for his rights when he was beaten and sent to that prison.

This means that his assignment was more important than his rights. But they became important after the assignment was completed because it opened doors to a different kind of assignment.

You remember that even when he was stoned to death that he went on without a care after being prayed back to life?

Is it therefore possible to guess the point at which his assignment ended?

And we see the same with Peter.

He is asleep when awaiting death from Herod because his assignment was way from over.

Simply because he knew that nothing could block God from His purposes.

Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. (2Peter 1:14)

That assignment is what gave him sleep when everybody knew he was on his way to the gallows.

Its completion was the reason he knew that it was a matter of time before he rejoined Christ.

The assignment was the reason Stephen could stare his stoners and boldly and clearly share the Gospel.

It was the reason he was triumphant when he was being stoned.

And it was the reason he prayed for forgiveness for his killers; because he knew that his assignment required that stoning.

Even death from illness does not diminish that as we see with Elisha.

He closes his books before dying by delivering instructions to concerned people.

I know I am scaring people.

But my intent is different.

I want to challenge you to realise that God has an assignment for you and that connecting to that assignment should be the prime object of your existence.

And it is only when you are in your assignment that you can know when it is completed.

Ministers employ bodyguards, carry guns and live in the most secure environments because they are completely in the dark about their assignments.

Even the kinds of cars we drive will many times loudly speak about our preparedness for death.

Many will not even take a cup of water from an uncertified source because they must keep their health free from any sort of infection.

I am not saying that we become careless with our lives since they are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

But you see, it is impossible to serve God right if we are more concerned about our security than we are about our ministry.

A minister is required to eat whatever is offered without asking questions, not because he is careless, but because he is serving God, the same God who created all those microbes and viruses and therefore can direct them however He wants.

We do not trample on serpents and scorpions because we are looking for them.

We do it as we are busy on the assignment God has for us.

Poison does not become harmless to us because we are immune to it.

It is made powerless because we are on assignment.

It is essential therefore to ascertain whether we are on our assignment or not.

And that is the point of this message.

Do you know your assignment?

Is it not therefore of utmost importance that you seek to know it so that you can start walking in it?

Then death will be welcome because you will know when that assignment is completed.