Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

 

The Bible speaks of another kind of sleeping. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 tells us “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who are asleep in Jesus.

 

Here, Paul describes those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. This is a sleep all will experience, whether good or evil (Daniel 2:12). Strangely, people have all sorts of strange ideas about death. Some think death will change them. It is almost as if death will have some sort of magical power to alter a person’s character. So some think they can live selfishly and proudly in this life, then awaken to face God in humility. Some think they can live sinfully, then awaken to meet God without shame. Others think they can live anyway they like, then God will save them at the resurrection. But death holds no such magical power. There are certain things you can expect, and things you should not expect when you die.

 

Don’t expect to die lost and arise saved!

 

Many think they can neglect God in this life and then awaken to know Him and the power of His grace. It is impossible to be saved after death if we have chosen to ignore salvation in this life. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

 

A person cannot expect to stay outside of Jesus Christ in this life and then expect to die and be saved by Jesus Christ. To get into Christ, every person must believe in Him as God’s Son, and then be immersed in water to “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). If you want to be raised from the dead and be found in Christ, you must be willing to be found in Him in this life! Don’t expect to die lost and arise saved! You can’t hate worship now and love it later!

 

It was a strong characteristic of the early church that they regularly, even daily, worshipped the Lord together. (Acts 2:46). The historical record of their actions show that the early church loved to worship together. Today, the call to worship is not daily, but often only two or three times each week. Yet some Christians resist even that much time for worship. They don’t like some of the people they assemble with or they dislike the singing, the preacher, or the message. Some claim that they just don’t get much out of worship. The tragedy is to think that you can live without enjoying worship, and then after death, awaken to love it.

 

Heaven is a place of constant praises and worship (Revelation 4:8)

 

Do you suppose people will shy away from worship up there as well? This praise of the heavenly host goes on day and night without ceasing! When we awaken from death, we will enter into that host and will join them in singing and praising God and His Son throughout eternity! Heaven will, in one sense, be one long worship assembly.

 

For people who hate to worship now, heaven could be eternal misery! They key is to learn now to enjoy the praise of God. Whether in a worship assembly with other believers or in simple prayer and study, let each of us cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving and joy. Let each of us learn to praise God in song from the heart, regardless of the quality of the song leader. Let each of us go into God’s presence in prayer, no matter who leads that prayer. Let each of us study with interest and honesty, regardless of who is teaching or how well the lesson is presented. Let us learn to love entering into God’s presence with praise in this life. Then heaven will not seem so strange!

 

Don’t expect to die impure and arise pure!

 

Over and over in scripture, we are told to clean up our hearts. Jesus tells us that all impurity comes from within, from the heart of man (Matthew 15:19-20). The heart is the breeding ground for the seed of God’s Word (Matthew 13:1-9).

 

The heart can be a breeding ground for weeds or worldliness. It can be rocky and so hard that the Word cannot penetrate it. But understand that the heart you cultivate now will be the same heart with which you face God. If your heart is too full from the world to have room for God now, it will be too worldly after death as well. If your heart is too hard to be shaped by God’s will now, it will be far too late after death to change. If your heart is unprepared to produce the fruits of righteousness in this life, your death will not change your heart. And if you live with an impure heart now, you will arise with an impure heart at judgment.

 

That challenges each one of us to look beyond our actions and to look inside our hearts. Are we serving as we should? Are our priorities the same as God’s? Do our values reflect His holiness? Do our actions reflect submission to His will? Are we suffering as Christ suffered? Each of us can work now to develop a heart that is soft and willing to be shaped by God. As we soften our hearts and respond to God in this life, we can face death trusting that out hearts will be prepared to come face to face with God in the next life.

 

You can expect to rest from your work!

 

One thing you can expect to happen after your death in Christ is to rest (Revelation 14:13). Life can be painful and harsh. The struggle to serve God and resist Satan can wear out even the most diligent servant of God. Once death has come, the dead will rest from their labors. This cessation from work is a state of blessing (Hebrews 4:9).

 

As the people of Israel were to rest each seventh day, so will the people of God rest when they have reached their destination following death. You can expect death to bring you release from your struggles, and you will find rest.

 

Expect your work here on earth to follow you!

 

“Blessed are the dead in the Lord, for their deeds follow with them.” (Revelation 14:13). Following this life, you can know for certain that the actions you have taken in this life will accompany you to the next life. For those who serve God faithfully in this life, this prospect holds no fear. To be like Paul or Peter by dedicating one’s life to God’s service means that much good will accompany us into the next life. John is trying to reassure us that, even though

dead, the good we have done now will go on having a meaning in God’s eyes. Just because you die won’t mean that your life is over or has stopped having effect. The good you do will continue to have impact, like Abel’s. “Though he is dead, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). Christ has been dead for thousands of years! No man on the face of this earth has affected the life of man quite the way Jesus has! How much can you accomplish?

 

For those outside of Christ this still holds true! Just as death won’t change your heart or life, death cannot alter the deeds that you did while you were alive. The righteous have no fear of this since they are blessed. But the unrighteous will also be raised. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs

shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did good deeds, to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds, to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:29-30).

 

Jesus warns both good and evil that the actions they take in this life will be the factor that determines the quality of the next life. Those who die in Christ will arise to a blessed existence of rest. For those who have lived to themselves, there will be a terrible existence of punishment. This judgment will be based on our actions in this life.

 

Expect to be judged!

 

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

 

Each of us can expect to face a moment of judgment. All people, whether good or evil, will be there on that day. Each of us will face the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded according to our lives.

 

Death will not change your status. You will be judged by your heart and by your actions. Death is not some mystical event that will transport you beyond this life into some heavenly realm of bliss. Death is merely a step that takes what you have prepared into the presence of God. If you have lived outside of Christ, you will die outside of Christ and arise outside of Christ. If you hate worship now, you will hate it even more then.

 

If you have been saved, the prospect of the final judgment should not be frightening. If you have lived in sin, your sin will accompany you. The only way to avoid the terror of judgment is to come to Christ today! Don’t wait for death to change you.