Well, friends, this morning I'd like to look at a subject, the two types of death, or two ways of dying. And we had that referred to in the New Testament readings. And the first one, isn't it, for the believer in Revelation 14, when it says, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. And then the other way that people die is mentioned three times, isn't it, in John's gospel. Chapter 8, when the Lord Jesus said that, ye shall die in your sins. People die in different ways, don't they? People die when they're old or young, middle age, no age is immune. People may die suddenly of an accident, a tragic accident, unexpectedly, a heart attack, or die in their sleep, or people may die of a slow illness. But at the end of the day, there are only two ways that people die. That is, we either die in the Lord as a forgiven sinner, or we die and our sins and condemned. And we have this two ways of death. It is shown to us in Proverbs, Proverbs 14, 32, where the writer says, the wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous have hope in his death. What a difference. If you look at it, we see this division, don't we, too, elsewhere. And you know the Lord Jesus, he mentions, doesn't he, how we're all on that journey in life, and there's two ways in life, aren't there? In Matthew 7, 13 and 14, he says, doesn't he, enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat, because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. And we're either on that broad road to destruction or on a narrow road to life. There's no middle road, there's no in-between, just one of two ways. But while we have breath, if we're on the wrong road, then we can change, can't we? The law can change us, can't we? And we can be put on that narrow road which leads to life. And then, there are only two types of people, aren't there? A lot about diversity today, don't we? People are obsessed about it. But you know, there's only two types of people in this world. We're all sinners, the Bible says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's none who doeth good, no, not one. But you know, we're either a forgiven sinner or an unforgiven sinner. We're either condemned or we're uncondemned. The Lord Jesus said in John 3, 18, he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed. in the name of the only begotten Son of God. So if we know Christ as our Saviour and Lord, then we're not condemned, there's no longer any condemnation for us. If we don't know Christ as our Saviour, then we're abiding under the wrath of God, we're condemned. I want to look specifically at the two ways that people die, the two types of death. But before that, certain general things that apply about death, that apply to every one of us, And the first thing is, it is the certainty of it, isn't it? It is an absolute certainty. There's one thing that we cannot avoid. We can try and put things off, can't we? Perhaps to the dentist. We know we need to go to the dentist and we try and put it off and perhaps eventually it gets too bad and we need to go, don't we? And we can try and avoid some things, but we cannot avoid death. You know it's a well-known saying of some former American president. There are two certainties in life, death and taxes. Sometimes taxes can be avoided, but they're very difficult. But we cannot avoid death. You know, the psalmist says, doesn't he? Psalm 89, 48. What man can live and not see death? The answer is no one, is it? It doesn't matter how rich a person may be, how much money they may have in the bank. It doesn't matter how fit they may be today. It doesn't matter how intellectual they may be, no one can escape death, can they? It's a great leveler, isn't it? Ecclesiastes tells us, doesn't he? Ecclesiastes 3.2, there's a time to be born and there's a time to die. Someone said, why didn't it say about time to live? But life is so short, isn't it? Life passes so quickly. A time to be born and a time to die. So it is an absolute certainty. It is unavoidable. Of course, the one thing that is uncertain to us is when it will happen. The second general thing about death, it is determined, it is fixed. It is in God's divine calendar. There are some things that we can grow. Some people can increase their investments. It's not so easy in the present economy. Things are very shaky with the economy. Farmers grow crops. We may have a collection that we can add to our collection. There are many things that we can grow. and increase. But there's something that we cannot increase. We cannot increase the length of our days. Doesn't matter how often we may go to the gym, doesn't matter how often we may take the pills or put the anti-aging cream on or whatever. We cannot alter the time that God has decreed in his calendar when you and I will take our leave of this world, when you and I will take our last breath, when our heart will beat for the last time. I had an aunt and it was just a year ago, May the 19th last year, and she was 85. She died of cancer, and she'd struggled with cancer for some years. And she used to say to people that her mother and her grandmother, they both went into their 90s. And she said, I've got my mother and my grandmother's genes, so I'm going to live to at least 95 or 93. Time came when she couldn't. And God took her. And she passed away. You see, we kind of alter it. You know, the Book of Job says this in Job 14, verse 5. Since his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee. Thou has appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. The psalmist says in 139 verse 16, thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect. And in thy book, all my members, or all my days, were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there were none of them. God has our days numbered. He knows exactly the very The year, the very month, the very day, the very hour, the very minute, the very second when you and I will take our last breath. He can take it any time, doesn't he? He holds our breath in his hand, doesn't he? It's as in Daniel, doesn't he? People, they defy God, don't they? Sometimes they mock God, or God hasn't struck me down in the last thing. God can kill just like that, can't he? He's the one who gives life, and he can take our life just like that. It's a solemn thing. But then as well, the third general thing about death, Because death is not the end. Many people think that death is the end, don't they? And if death was just the end, what would we say? Make the most of life. Just eat, drink and be merry. Just have a good time, if that's all there is to this life. But death is not the end. You see, we have a soul, don't we? An eternal soul. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, 3.11, He has set the world in our heart. He has put eternity in our hearts. Consciousness, that there is something more than this life. We have an eternal, never-dying soul. And the writer to the Hebrews says, it is appointed unto man what's to die. And after this, the judgment. We read that, didn't we, at the end of that chapter, didn't we? Ecclesiastes, that God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. There is a day of judgment that is coming. Death is not the end. We have a never-dying soul, and that is a solemn thing. But I want to look now at those who die in the Lord, the first way that people die. And it tells us in Revelation 14, verse 13, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. And we know that word blessed, it's a very familiar word often used, isn't it? That word means happy. Happy are those who die in the Lord, happy are those who die saved, who die whose sins are forgiven. And that word blessed, it's mentioned seven times in the book of Revelation, and it's the second time that it's mentioned. when it comes to a blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. But you know, what a contrast to the world. The complete opposite, isn't it? If you said to the man on the street, blessed are you who die, is a blessed a happy thing to die in the Lord? What are you talking about? The world hates death, they may joke about it, Woody Allen said, I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens. Really, he is afraid, isn't he? And people, they don't want to, do they? If you say, for the Christian, the believer, that death is a blessed thing, they would say, they can't understand it, can they? They just live for this life, they just live for the here and now. They don't want to think about the grave, they don't want to think about death, do they? Aristotle, he wrote this, he said, death, it is to be most feared of all things, for it appears to be the end of everything. This is the attitude of the world, isn't it? An English professional golfer was asked at the end of one of his most profitable years on the European tour, is there anything that frightens you? And the reply he gave was death. I'm in a position where I can pretty much do as I want. Dying wouldn't be good right now. You know, H.G. Wells, who wrote science fiction, well, he wrote The War of the Worlds, didn't he? And he said this, as he considered death, he said, to me, the future is still black and blank. There's a vast ignorance. How sad. We're not ignorant. Oh, God's word tells us, doesn't it, what happens. You know, Robbie Williams, a singer, and he's a disc jockey, And he said this, I think it was last year or the year before last, following the death of his friend, Sean Warren, a cricketer, died at the age of 52 of a suspected heart attack. And his friend, Robbie Williams, said that, his passing has inspired me to think about life in a different way, and the fragility of life is terrifying. Yes, death is something, isn't it? It's feared, isn't it, by the world, isn't it? You know, the Bible says in Job, it refers to death as the king of terrors. It's referred to elsewhere as the last enemy. But yet here, it says, happy or blessed are those who die in the Lord. Why is it blessed for those who die in the Lord, those who die saved? Well, there's just a number of reasons why it is a blessed thing for the Christian when they come to die. You know, the first thing is this, that those who die in the Lord, we go to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, we go to be with him. What does the Apostle Paul say? In 2 Corinthians 5 they say, absent from the body, but present with the Lord. We go straight into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, the Apostle Paul, he had this great dilemma, didn't he, when he was writing to the Philippians. In Philippians 1, verse 23, he says this, for I'm in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Part of him, he realized that he was needed down there to evangelize. and to help build up the Christian believers and to serve the church. But the other part of him longed to be with Christ. He was in that straight, wasn't he? And he realized that being with Christ is far better. You know, there was a little girl once who was dying, and she was a Christian, a believer, and her mother said to her that she was dying, she said, just think that when you get to heaven, all those relatives who you knew the Lord Jesus Christ, that you will see them. But then the little girl said to her mother, but she said, no mummy, The best thing is that Lord Jesus, He'll be there. I'll see Him, and that is the best thing, isn't it? Yes, it'd be wonderful to have that reunion with our loved ones who've gone on before us. But surely the greatest thing will be to see the Saviour, the One who loved us and gave Himself for us, the One who bled for us, to see Him face to face. How wonderful that will be. But then it is also blessed as well because it is to experience perfect bliss and joy. Yes? In heaven there will be absolute perfect bliss and joy. The psalmist says in Psalm 16, verse 11, in thy presence is fullness of joy. Not just joy, but fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. The pleasures of this world are only temporary, aren't they? The pleasures of sin, they're just for a season, aren't they? But the joy and the pleasure of heaven, there'll never be any end for how wonderful that will be. What a contrast to the world. The world, it seeks its pleasures here, It leaves an empty, doesn't it? Dissatisfied. Now, Elvis Presley, famous rock singer, he was interviewed fairly early on in life, fairly early on in his career by a journalist, asked him what his ambitions were, and he said his ambitions were to be rich, famous and happy. Towards the end of his life, the same journalist came to Elvis Presley and reminded of him, and he said that when you started out, you had the ambition to be rich, famous and happy. Well, he certainly became rich, and he certainly became famous. But, you know, as he asked, he said, Elvis, did you achieve those things? And he said, no, I'm not happy. I'm lonely as hell. You know, Marilyn Monroe, who tragically took her life, she said, this fame will go by. I've always known it was fickle. Yes, the pleasure of this world, they will never, ever give lasting satisfaction, will they? They will leave us empty, isn't it? Because we know the joy in the Lord as Christians down here, is it? There's no joy like knowing that your sins are forgiven, that knowing that you're right with God. But when we get to heaven, this world is often, it's a valley of tears, isn't it? But when we get to heaven, be joy and bliss forevermore. It is also blessed for the believer who goes to heaven, because it is to enter into peace. Enter into peace. There's not much peace in this world, is there, when you look around at the world situation. But you know, everlasting peace, isn't it, for the Christian? In Isaiah 57, Verses one and two. It says, the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart. And merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace. That's wonderful, isn't it, that we enter into peace, isn't it? We're taken out of the trouble of this world, the sorrow of this world. And then it is a blessed thing for the believer as well because it is rest from their labors. Rest from their labors, isn't it? I read in verse 13 of Revelation 14, wasn't it? Yea, save the spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them. Often we can get weary in life, can't we? But you know, there will be perfect rest there in heaven, won't we? Wonderful, won't it? We won't suffer from insomnia, will we? We won't need, you know, perfect rest, won't we? Wonderful. It's a lovely old song, isn't it? It goes, Beyond the sunset, Earth's toiling hands, O glorious morning, beyond the sunset, when day is done. And we look to, don't we? We look beyond the sunset, we look to that, the beulah land, don't we? We look to glory, we look to heaven. But then as well, there will be no pain or sorrow, isn't it? And that's another blessed reason, isn't it? Why it's blessed and happy for the person who dies in the Lord. You know, sometimes people say, will often say that someone died and they're longer in suffering, are they? Out of their suffering. But that's only true, isn't it, for the believer, the person who is right with God, who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. But they truly are out of their suffering, because you go to that place where there is no pain, where there's no sorrow, where there is no tears. As Revelation 21, verse 4 says, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death. Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away." How wonderful. All our tears will be wiped away. There won't be any pain or sorrow. We won't have aches on our bodies. There won't be any depression, any mental health problems. There won't be any illness or disease. There won't be any sadness. Nothing that causes tears will be there. There won't be any sin there, will there? How wonderful. But you know also as well we can truly say that for the Christian, for the believer when they come to die, we can truly say that death is gain. So the Apostle Paul could say, doesn't he, in Philippians 1.21, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Of course death would be gain, wouldn't it? He lived for Christ. Christ was everything. He was going to be with Christ, which is far better. And for the Christian we can say it's gain. We leave everything behind, don't we? But it is gain. But for the one who doesn't know Christ, it's not gain, is it? It is loss of everything. The loss of a never dying soul. Spend a lost eternity, how awful. And so it is truly a blessed thing, isn't it, to die in the Lord. You know, it's a real hymn and just says about the wonders of heaven. It's called No Burdens Yonder. And it goes like this. It says, no burdens yonder, not a single care. When home is entered, not a load to bear. No burdens yonder, all will be laid down before we share his glory and his throne. No burdens yonder, all sorrow past. No burdens yonder, home at last. No trials yonder, all the testing done. The school days are over and the prizes won. No much tried faith like gold in furnace heat, the purifying will be all complete. No toiling yonder, and no weariness, no disappointments, and no more distress. The future bright, the past all understood, we'll see that all the way he led was good. No parting yonder, and no sad goodbyes, no pain, no sickness, and no weeping eyes. But best of all, my savior, I shall see no cloud will come, between my Lord and me." How wonderful it is. What a blessed thing it is for the Lord's people, isn't it? What a blessed thing it is to die in the Lord. And we can say the Lord's people have proved it. The Lord's people have proved it time and again, haven't they? That it is a blessed thing that when you come to die, to know that you're right with God, to know that your sins are forgiven, to know that the Lord Jesus Christ is your saving Lord. You know, there was a doctor who treated several Methodists and he made a claim to Charles Wesley. He said, most people die for fear of dying, but I never met with such people as yours. They are none of them afraid of death, but are calm and patient and resign to the last. You know, John Wesley, he famously said, our people, they die well. Instead of one, one of these early Methodists, he died as he lived in a full assurance of faith, praising God with his latest breath. You know, once some years ago, we were on holiday, we were down near St. Ives, and there was a beach mission, and on the beach mission, there was a Polish doctor who was playing the accordion, he was part of the beach team, and he had a very interesting story, a lovely testimony, and he was Polish, but his surname was sort of German, and he was a child in Poland, and when the Russians came into Poland, because his name sounded sort of German, His family knew that he needed to be got out otherwise the Russians would have him. And so he was taken as a child to England and in this country he then trained and he qualified as a GP, as a doctor. And he often saw people dying. But one day he was visiting a house of a couple where the husband was dying and the wife, she was singing hymns and they were both believers, this couple. But the wife was singing hymns and he said to the wife, he said, look, you shouldn't be singing hymns, this isn't appropriate, your husband is dying. And the wife assured, shared with him the hope that they had, you know, and the husband that he knew the Lord and going to heaven. And you know, that spoke to that man. And that man, as he thought about that, that man was wonderfully saved. That man's wife, his wife, she had cancer some years after and his wife was subsequently saved. And that man, he became a Christian, he was on the beach mission team playing the accordion. It's just for that patient that spoke to him. He realized there was something different, isn't it? How different it is, isn't it, for the Christian when they come to die, the world. You know, Top Lady, written many hymns, didn't he? His last words were, light, light, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. You know, Henry Light, Henry Francis Light, he wrote that well-known hymn, didn't he, that often sung at funerals, Abide With Me, written I think less than a year before he died. And his last words were, peace, joy. Oh yes, you know, the Lord's people have proved it, haven't they? It's a wonderful thing, isn't it, to die knowing that you're right with God. And so that is the first way that people die, isn't it? To die in the Lord, know that they're forgiven, know that they're right with God. And of course it's not true of everyone, because it is qualified, isn't it? It said, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, isn't it? In the Lord, that is the key. Not everyone is blessed. And the Lord Jesus, he spoke about the other way, isn't it? Three times he mentions it, doesn't he, in that chapter. He said, you shall die in your sins. What an awful thing it is for a person to die in their sins, to die not right with God. What is it for a person to die in their sins? Well, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, to quote him, he said this, to die in sin is to die as you are. To die in your sin is to die alone with no hope and no person near you. To die in sin is to die knowing what is happening to you. To die in sin is to know that what you live for is of no value. When you die in your sin, you die with a wasted life passing before you. When you die in your sin, you die with feelings of guilt and shame condemned in the sight of God and under God's wrath and judgment. When you die in sin, you're given a glimpse of glory and know that you're not fit for it. To die in sin is to die seeking God but never finding him. You die in sin and there is an awful silence and you die realizing that it is for all eternity. To die in our sin is to die unforgiven because, you see, we cannot go to heaven with our sin. You know, it's like, as it were, a no-entry sign over heaven. No admittance to unforgiven sinners. There's no sin in heaven, is there? If sin was there, it wouldn't be heaven, would it? And we cannot go to heaven with our sin, not one sin. We need to repent of our sin, don't we, and put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only possible to be forgiven, isn't it? In this life, isn't it? There's no forgiveness in the next life. Only Christ can forgive us, can't we? Well, we have breath, isn't he? Jesus said the need of the paralytic. The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, isn't it? Only on earth. To die, isn't it, in our sins is to go to a lost eternity, to that place called hell. It's to die, isn't it, without hope. You know, Paul talks about those without God and without hope in this world. To be hopelessly lost, an awful thing, isn't it? To have no hope. But that is the person, isn't it? You know, to enter eternity. There's no opportunity to get right again. It is too late. It is for all eternity to die. in our sins is to die in darkness, unchanged, never to be changed. You know, Job 18 verse 18 says this, he shall be driven from light into darkness and chased out of the world. How awful for the person who dies in their sin is that they're chased out of this world. They don't want to die, do they? They fight against it, but they cannot. Driven and chased out into darkness, isn't it? Into that place of outer darkness. So it's an awful thing, what a contrast, isn't it, for the person who dies in their sin. Reminds me of Joshua's blog down at Southampton, wasn't it? There was a person who was challenged by Christian things in the Gospels, but he said, the problem is, he said, I've got an illegal business. Don't know what the business was concerned, and you know that if I became a Christian, and you took John's Gospel of the New Testament, which you would read, but I'd have to give that up. And Josh said to him, so you'd rather have your money now and then go to hell. It's madness, isn't it? But it's an awful thing, isn't it, for a person to die, isn't it, in their sins? And so the most important question is this, how do we make sure that we die in the Lord? How do we make sure that when it comes to us, that we can say, blessed is our death because we died in the Lord? But there's two things we need to do, isn't there? We need to repent. We need to turn from our sin, don't we? As the Lord Jesus said in Mark 1 15, repent and believe the gospel. We have to turn from our sin. We can't do it on our own strength. But ask the Lord to change us. He's the one who can change us. Ask us to be made willing to change. And then we need to put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, what he's done upon that cross at Calvary. He took the punishment in the place of sinners so that any who prepare to cast themselves totally upon the Lord Jesus Christ and put their faith and trust in Him can be forgiven. But yes, we need to repent, don't we? There has to be that change in our life. The Apostle Paul says, doesn't he, if anyone be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things have passed away. Old things have become new. Has there been that change in our life? We don't become perfect, do we? We still struggle with sin. But do we seek to live for the Lord? We seek to please Him. Has the direction of our life been changed? You know, John Bunyan, when he was being challenged and convicted of sin, and one day he was convicted and convicted about the sin of keeping the Lord's Day, and the Spirit of God spoke to him, and the voice he heard said, will you leave your sin and go to heaven, or will you keep your sin, retain your sin, and go to hell? And that is a choice, isn't it? If we're going to die in the Lord, we have to be prepared to leave our sin, to turn away from it. We can't do it on our own strength, but ask the Lord to change us, And to make us winner, He can change us. But we have to be prepared to leave our sins. If we love our sin and want to hold on to it, then we come up to heaven. But then also to die in the Lord, it is to have the righteousness of God, isn't it? To have the righteousness of God. Our own righteousness will never ever get us to heaven. All our good works, our religion, our giving to charity will never ever make us fit for heaven. The Apostle Paul said, doesn't he, in Philippians 3 verse 9, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. You know, all our righteousnesses are just as filthy rags in the sight of a God who is totally holy. Romans 8.1 says, For those who have the righteousness of Christ, it says, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. And so for those who have come to Christ and put their trust in him and accepted the righteousness that he offers, They're clothed in His righteousness. When we receive Christ as our Saviour, then God no longer sees us in our sin, but He sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And because of that, we're not condemned, we're accepted by God, because Christ's righteousness, it covers us, covers all our sin. His blood is the only thing that can cleanse away our sin. And so, surely as we think about this subject of death, isn't it, for every one of us, whether we're believers or not, it's important to make sure that we prepare, don't we? To die well, we need to live well. We need to live for Christ. John Wesley said this, you have no time to lose. See that you redeem every moment that remains. A good death is a culmination of a life lived for the glory of God, no matter the length of their life. It's not the length of our life. It doesn't matter about our life being brief. Many Christians have brief lives. Robert McShane did, didn't he? He was 29. But do we make our lives count for eternity? Do we live for the Lord? Spurgeon said that he who does not prepare for death is a madman. Matthew Henry said this, it ought to be the business of everyone to prepare for our last day. Tragedy is that many people, they don't think about the hereafter, do they? They don't think about God, do they? They don't think about the judgment. They just think about this life. They write in Deuteronomy 32, 29, it says, oh, that they would be wise, that they would consider their latter end. It's someone who doesn't just think about the here and now. They don't just think about their plans, their pension plan or their holidays and nothing wrong with these things. But they think about their souls. They make sure that they're right with God. And that is the most important thing. They think about their latter end. I know that people do that. As the Lord Jesus said, what should a prophet of man if he should gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul? You know, so many make the mistake that they're a rich farmer. But the Lord Jesus, he spoke about You know, in the parable of the rich farmer, he'd done very well for himself. He'd had a good harvest, and he thought, what should I do? My barns aren't big enough. And then he thought he'd got a plan. I should pull down my barns and build bigger barns, and then store my goods up in those barns. And then he said, Saul, take my knees. I have many years. Eat, drink, and be merry. And isn't that the philosophy of many people in the world today? But that man was a fool, because we then read afterwards, isn't it, about fool. This night, by Saul, shall be required of thee. He lived life without any reference to God. God wasn't any of his thoughts or plans. Totally left out of his thinking, wasn't it? And he thought he had a long time to live. But God said, no, this night, my soul shall be required of thee. Oh, the wise person is the person who makes sure that they're prepared to meet God, to get right with God. We can say, in conclusion, for the Christian, the person who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, in whatever trials we may go through, and we will go through trials and sorrows, man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward, but whatever trials we may go through, they're just for a limited time. We can say that the best is yet to be. We have glory to look forward to. We look forward to heaven, and we can truly say that. How wonderful it is. I remember someone saying to me, oh, don't get old. At old age, it has its problems, undoubtedly, You know, for the person who is a Christian, believing as they get older, you can say, well, we're nearer to heaven. The best is yet to be still. And we can look beyond that and how wonderful that is. But for the person who doesn't know Christ, then we have to say that whatever trials or problems they may go through, however good life may be to them, the worst is always yet to come if they die in their sin. And what an awful thing that is. And as I draw to a conclusion, you know, the question we're asked, do we fear death? Even as Christians we can sometimes be afraid and going through the experience of death is not a nice thing. But you know, what is the answer to the fear of death? The answer is found, isn't it, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Him alone, he is the answer to our every fear. In Hebrews 2, verse 15, it says this, doesn't it? He came to deliver those and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to set us free from the fear of death. You know the psalmist, isn't it? Psalm 23. We know it so well. It's often sung and read at funerals. A beautiful psalm, isn't it? Written by David. And he says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And he goes on down for that psalm. And he goes, yea, if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because he'll bow up with me. And the key, isn't it? The key to him not fearing death, not fearing that valley, which we will all have to pass through unless the Lord comes back. when we're alive, and that is that the Lord is his shepherd. And if the Lord's our shepherd, if he's our shepherd and our saviour, then we don't need to be afraid of death. We don't need to be afraid of what may come. So I pray and hope that these thoughts