Articles
Sweet Sorrow
Within the well-known Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet, there is one particular scene where Romeo is about to leave Juliet at her balcony, and Romeo tells her, “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” [Act 2, Scene 2] I think many of us can relate to the feeling of Romeo, loving someone so much that we do not want to part or, as is too often the case, a loved one to depart from us in death. ‘Sweet sorrow,’ indeed.
But as is the reality of life, death is a part of that. As the psalmist asked, “What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?” (Psa. 89:48). The questions are rhetorical, for the writer of Hebrews tells us plainly, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). We are told this life is limited in time (Psa. 90:10) and no man knows when his day will come (Eccl. 9:11, 12), so if we would be wise, we would prepare now for that inevitable day. It will come.
Right now, this congregation is grieving the loss of yet another member who has passed from this life. This dear brother in Christ was a servant and leader of this congregation for many years, and likely influenced everyone who was a member here, and many who were not. He led by example, and he led by looking to God’s word for guidance as he watched for the souls of the flock he oversaw with others.
As a preacher who has worked here a little over eight years, I can tell you I never wondered where Les stood on any issue. He never hesitated to back me up if I was taking a stand for the truth or merely what was the right thing to do, and he would let me know if I wasn’t, too. I can only speak from my limited experience and time with Les, but I can testify to the commitment and dedication to the Lord he had and was not afraid to acknowledge. Others here knew him for far longer than I and can speak of his example and work better, so I am one of the least qualified to speak the best words about him and what he has done, but I cannot state how much I appreciated him as a brother in Christ and leader of this congregation. I have been places where I got little support or had to wonder where leaders stood, but Les took seriously his role and he fulfilled it to the best of his ability, and many — self included — will be eternally grateful.
Right now, many here are grieving and we are in sorrow, but it is a sweet sorrow. It is only a temporary separation! As is promised in God’s word, the day will come when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:13-17).
Paul concluded this admonition by telling the brethren, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (v. 17); the reality of our reunion should be a source of comfort — quite the contrast to those outside of Christ and still lost in their sins. Before revealing the events of the end, Paul admonished them, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13); Paul wanted them to know that for the one in Christ, the sorrow in departing this world is not the same as the sorrow for the loss of those who are not in Christ. For the one outside of Christ, they have no hope of meeting again and certainly no hope of being with Christ in heaven for all eternity; for the faithful disciples, the parting is sweet, and only temporary, for we shall meet our loved ones in Christ again and in heaven “thus we shall always be with the Lord”!
Having recently lost my father to cancer and my father-in-law a couple of years before that due to various health issues, I can tell you there will be days when their loss is felt more than others, and some days there will be little things that remind you of them that makes you stop and just take a deep breath or have a good cry. But those moments, too, are overcome and overshadowed by the thoughts of God’s promises to the faithful. The memories I dwell on are the good ones, and in all cases with faithful disciples who have gone on — whether well-known preachers, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, or just everyday Christians who have been a part of my life — I can quickly get past that momentary sorrow by remembering what lies ahead.
Do you have that hope? And what about your loved ones? If you should die tonight, will they, too, “sorrow as others who have no hope,” or will they look for the day when you will meet again “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”? If your loved ones should pass, will you be the one who will “sorrow as others who have no hope,” or do you have the confident expectation that you will meet again? This is not just wishful thinking and this is not just a psychological or mental diversion to keep us from dwelling on the loss of our loved ones; this is a hope based on God’s revealed word — from the God “who cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).
And let’s not fool ourselves and fall for the popular idea that “everyone is going to heaven” because “we’re all God’s children.” Don’t fall for the lie that “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere.” Those things may certainly sound good, but they have no Biblical basis; they are lies told by your spiritual adversary to keep you from heeding the truth God revealed. The devil wants you to believe “God is so loving He would never send anyone to hell,” even as he has known all along that hell is a place “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:46). He will tell man anything he has to in order to keep him out of heaven and be with him in eternal misery.
For those who know what God’s word says, or who have access but don’t want to know what it says lest they be accountable [Fact: We are all accountable, and willful ignorance will not excuse us from the final judgment], there is no hope of God simply excusing our disobedience and patting us on the back as He begrudgingly welcomes us into eternal life in heaven. While it seems that every public funeral of some celebrity makes it seem like even the most worldly person will be in heaven, we need to know the truth as Jesus said it: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
And even many sincerely religious people will be disappointed, too, when they stand before the Lord and give account. As Jesus noted, it will be then that some will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” (Matt. 7:22), but He will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23) because they had not, in fact, done the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21). How about you? Are you certain that what you are doing and what you believe is the will of the Father? Or is it merely a family tradition? A religious institution’s tradition? Your feelings or opinion about what is true and right?
My sincere desire for you, whoever you are, is that you find the truth and follow it. Look into the word of God, and be faithful until death. — Steven Harper
