"Your Dying Words"
This is based on a study that I am doing during the Season of Lent on the "Seven Last Sayings of Christ on the Cross." This is the Introduction.
One of my biggest fears when it comes to dying is feeling as though I have not said all that I would like to have said. I fear that I will not have told my wife, daughter and family how much I truly love them. I fear that I will not have expressed enough words of gratitude or generosity to those who I know and meet day in and day out. I fear that I will not have offered enough sympathetic words or preached enough sermons to the listening ear. There is no arguing the fact that words are powerful! The more we realize that, the more we think about the words we speak and we choose those words wisely and cautiously. How often do we take for granted the ability to express our thoughts and our emotions verbally?
I find it interesting that prior to an execution, the executioners will ask; "Do you have any last words?" Now, unless our death is set by the judicial system, very few of us know the exact moment of our death. Thus, no one is guaranteed that they will have the opportunity to express verbally any final words. And, what’s more, it is very unlikely that those words will be recorded.
I remember hearing a story of a conversation between two children. One of the kids was bragging to his friend that his father knew the exact day, hour and moment he was going to die. The other kid said; "Wow! Was your father a psychic?" "No," replied the kid, "the judge told him!"
I remember reading about the final days of Adrian Rogers life. So powerful were the sermons he delivered throughout the course of his ministry, that no less can be said of the message he delivered in the final days of his life. Prior to being placed on a ventilator, which would prevent him from speaking, he told his family and friends; "I am at perfect peace." His last days spent in the hospital were marked by an unusual sense of spiritual strength and serenity. Although, unable to communicate verbally, he wrote a note containing the words "I love you," and the names of his four children and their spouses, his nine grandchildren, and his first great-grandchild. A second note expressed his love for his wife, Joyce, who later commented: "In all our life together, there was never a day that passed that he did not say ‘I love you.’" He was "at perfect peace."
It is said that the most frequently recorded last word of pilots about to crash is, sadly, is the "S" word. Pretend for just a moment that you’re given such an opportunity, what would be your final word or words? What things would you say to your family, to your friends, to complete strangers, to God? Williams Shakespeare once said; "When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain." Isaac Asimov, once wrote; "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I’d type a little faster."
Words are not only powerful, but influential. In fact, all of us think that what we have to say is of great importance. My wife claims that I enjoy listening to myself talk too much. But, the truth be known, we all enjoy listening to ourselves talk. Because we think what we have to say is vital.
The writer of Proverbs wrote; "The tongue has the power of life and death..." (Proverbs 18:21). The Apostle James reminds us of the tongues importance. He writes; "the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts... with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing" (James 3:5, 9 and 10).
Someone once defined "words" as "verbal expressions of our inner thoughts." No wonder Jesus said, "it is not what goes into a person’s mouth that makes them unclean, but what comes out," for what comes out reflects the soul and true character of a person.
Probably, no words of Jesus’ are more dramatic, profound and mysterious than the seven last words or sayings he uttered from the cross. So powerful are these seven sayings that they have been studied, preached on, and meditated upon for centuries. They have become the source of devotions for the season of Lent, Holy Week and especially Good Friday. These words sum up the message of Christ’s ministry. They are, in many ways, the greatest sermon he preached.
The very fact that there are seven, I believe, is not coincidental or ironic. Numbers play an important role in the Bible. Not only are they to be understood literally, but also metaphorically or spiritually. To the ancient Hebrews, as well as to many other ancient cultures, the number seven was considered sacred and holy. Oftentimes referred to as "God’s number." It symbolized ultimate perfection, completion, fullness, rest and abundance.
Thus, these seven last sayings of Christ on the cross offer a complete or perfect message for us. They are filled with instruction and inspiration. They are words that should be studied and meditated upon by all Christians for they teach us powerful lessons of forgiveness, acceptance, love, care, need, service and trust.
These seven sayings are a collection from the four canonized gospels of Jesus’ last words on the cross. His seven last sayings teach us so much and become a model on how we should live our lives so that, when we die, we will be "at perfect peace."
It is said that John Wesley use to ask those he met, "How is it with your soul?" Certainly, that is a question that we must consider. "How is it with [my] soul?" Horatio Spafford penned the words to the infamous hymn; "It Is Well With My Soul," after several traumatic events in his life. The breaking point though, came in 1873 while all four of his daughters died in a collision with another ship while crossing the Atlantic. Spafford’s wife, Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the words of that powerful hymn which speaks of the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter the pain or grief they experience. By applying these seven lessons, taught to us by our Lord from the cross, we can proclaim; "It is well with my soul!"
I find it interesting that prior to an execution, the executioners will ask; "Do you have any last words?" Now, unless our death is set by the judicial system, very few of us know the exact moment of our death. Thus, no one is guaranteed that they will have the opportunity to express verbally any final words. And, what’s more, it is very unlikely that those words will be recorded.
I remember hearing a story of a conversation between two children. One of the kids was bragging to his friend that his father knew the exact day, hour and moment he was going to die. The other kid said; "Wow! Was your father a psychic?" "No," replied the kid, "the judge told him!"
I remember reading about the final days of Adrian Rogers life. So powerful were the sermons he delivered throughout the course of his ministry, that no less can be said of the message he delivered in the final days of his life. Prior to being placed on a ventilator, which would prevent him from speaking, he told his family and friends; "I am at perfect peace." His last days spent in the hospital were marked by an unusual sense of spiritual strength and serenity. Although, unable to communicate verbally, he wrote a note containing the words "I love you," and the names of his four children and their spouses, his nine grandchildren, and his first great-grandchild. A second note expressed his love for his wife, Joyce, who later commented: "In all our life together, there was never a day that passed that he did not say ‘I love you.’" He was "at perfect peace."
It is said that the most frequently recorded last word of pilots about to crash is, sadly, is the "S" word. Pretend for just a moment that you’re given such an opportunity, what would be your final word or words? What things would you say to your family, to your friends, to complete strangers, to God? Williams Shakespeare once said; "When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain." Isaac Asimov, once wrote; "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I’d type a little faster."
Words are not only powerful, but influential. In fact, all of us think that what we have to say is of great importance. My wife claims that I enjoy listening to myself talk too much. But, the truth be known, we all enjoy listening to ourselves talk. Because we think what we have to say is vital.
The writer of Proverbs wrote; "The tongue has the power of life and death..." (Proverbs 18:21). The Apostle James reminds us of the tongues importance. He writes; "the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts... with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing" (James 3:5, 9 and 10).
Someone once defined "words" as "verbal expressions of our inner thoughts." No wonder Jesus said, "it is not what goes into a person’s mouth that makes them unclean, but what comes out," for what comes out reflects the soul and true character of a person.
Probably, no words of Jesus’ are more dramatic, profound and mysterious than the seven last words or sayings he uttered from the cross. So powerful are these seven sayings that they have been studied, preached on, and meditated upon for centuries. They have become the source of devotions for the season of Lent, Holy Week and especially Good Friday. These words sum up the message of Christ’s ministry. They are, in many ways, the greatest sermon he preached.
The very fact that there are seven, I believe, is not coincidental or ironic. Numbers play an important role in the Bible. Not only are they to be understood literally, but also metaphorically or spiritually. To the ancient Hebrews, as well as to many other ancient cultures, the number seven was considered sacred and holy. Oftentimes referred to as "God’s number." It symbolized ultimate perfection, completion, fullness, rest and abundance.
Thus, these seven last sayings of Christ on the cross offer a complete or perfect message for us. They are filled with instruction and inspiration. They are words that should be studied and meditated upon by all Christians for they teach us powerful lessons of forgiveness, acceptance, love, care, need, service and trust.
These seven sayings are a collection from the four canonized gospels of Jesus’ last words on the cross. His seven last sayings teach us so much and become a model on how we should live our lives so that, when we die, we will be "at perfect peace."
It is said that John Wesley use to ask those he met, "How is it with your soul?" Certainly, that is a question that we must consider. "How is it with [my] soul?" Horatio Spafford penned the words to the infamous hymn; "It Is Well With My Soul," after several traumatic events in his life. The breaking point though, came in 1873 while all four of his daughters died in a collision with another ship while crossing the Atlantic. Spafford’s wife, Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the words of that powerful hymn which speaks of the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter the pain or grief they experience. By applying these seven lessons, taught to us by our Lord from the cross, we can proclaim; "It is well with my soul!"
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 3:02 AM
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