Look Upon Death
Thomas Brooks' sermon encourages believers to view death as a positive transition to eternal rest and freedom from sin and suffering.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the perspective of viewing death as a blessing rather than a fear, asserting that a believer's dying day is the best day, marking the transition to eternal glory. He illustrates that death serves as a remedy, curing both physical ailments and spiritual sins, thus liberating the believer from all forms of suffering. Brooks encourages Christians to embrace death as a rest from the trials of life, highlighting that it leads to a state of eternal peace and joy in the presence of Christ. He reminds the faithful that death is not an end, but a beginning of a glorious existence free from sin and suffering.
Text
Look upon death as that which is best.
"Better is the day of death, than the day of one's
birth." Ecclesiastes 7:1
"I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is
better by far." Philippians 1:23
The Greek is very significant--"far, far the better!"
A saint's dying day is the daybreak of eternal glory!
In respect of pleasure, peace, safety, company and
glory--a believer's dying day is his best day.
Look upon death as a remedy, as a cure. Death
will perfectly cure you of all bodily and spiritual diseases
at once: the infirm body and the defiled soul, the aching
head and the unbelieving heart. Death will cure you of
all your ailments, aches, diseases, and distempers.
In Queen Mary's days, there was a lame Christian,
and a blind Christian--both burned at one stake.
The lame man, after he was chained, casting away
his crutch, bade the blind man to be of good cheer;
"For death," says he, "will cure us both; you of
your blindness, and me of my lameness!"
As death will cure all your bodily diseases, so it will
cure all your soul distempers also. Death is not the
death of the man--but the death of his sin! Death
will at once free you fully, perfectly, and perpetually
from all sin; yes, from all possibility of ever sinning!
Sin was the midwife which brought death into the
world--and death shall be the grave to bury sin.
Why, then, should a Christian be afraid to die,
unwilling to die--seeing death gives him an
eternal separation . . .
from infirmities and weaknesses,
from all aches and pains,
from griefs and gripings,
from distempers and diseases,
both of body and soul?
When Samson died, the Philistines died together with
him. Just so, when a saint dies, his sins die with him.
Death came in by sin, and sin goes out by death!
Death kills sin which bred it.
Look upon death as a rest, a full rest.
A believer's dying day is his resting day . . .
from sin,
from sorrow,
from afflictions,
from temptations,
from desertions,
from dissensions,
from vexations,
from oppositions,
from persecutions.
This world was never made to be the saints' rest.
Arise and depart, for this is not your resting place,
because it is polluted! (Micah 2:10)
Death brings the saints . . .
to a full rest,
to a pleasant rest,
to a matchless rest,
to an eternal rest!
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Death as the best day for a believer - Scriptural references to the value of death - Comparison of death and birth
- II points: - Death as a remedy for bodily and spiritual ailments - Illustration of the lame and blind Christians - Death cures all diseases and sins
- III points: - The fear of death among Christians - Eternal separation from infirmities and sins - Death as the end of sin
- IV points: - Death as a rest for believers - What believers rest from - The world is not the saints' resting place
- V points: - Death leads to eternal rest - The nature of the rest provided by death - Encouragement to view death positively
Key Quotes
“Better is the day of death, than the day of one's birth.” — Thomas Brooks
“I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” — Thomas Brooks
“Death is not the death of the man--but the death of his sin!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Reflect on the positive aspects of death to alleviate fear and anxiety.
- Embrace the idea that death brings complete healing from both physical and spiritual ailments.
- Consider life as a journey towards eternal rest, rather than a final destination.