The Wisdom of Death
Introduction
News headlines often linger on the lives of innovators and leaders.
After Steve Jobs’ passing, one line from his 2005 Stanford address
stood out: remembering that we will die clarifies what truly
matters. Scripture said it first. Solomon teaches that facing death
with wisdom reorders our days, our priorities, and our hopes
(Ecclesiastes 7:2–4). Tonight we will listen to the wise, learn to
number our days, and live this brief life in light of eternity.
Death Is a
Great Teacher
Solomon writes, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to
go to the house of feasting… the living will take it to heart”
(Ecclesiastes 7:2–4). Fun and laughter have their place, but the
house of mourning goes deeper. It sobers the mind, searches the
heart, and makes the soul wiser. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us why: “It is
appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Death
is universal and unavoidable; judgment is certain and personal.
Wisdom takes that to heart.
Numbering
Our Days—So We Don’t Waste Them
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
(Psalm 90:12). That prayer is not about counting candles; it is
about counting purpose. David pleads, “Lord, make me to know my end,
and what is the measure of my days… You have made my days as
handbreadths” (Psalm 39:4–5). God knows our frame; “we are dust”
(Psalm 103:14). Like grass, we flourish and fade; the wind passes
over and the place remembers us no more (Psalm 103:15–16). Wisdom
refuses to throw away what is precious. Each day is a gift with
eternal consequence.
What the
House of Mourning Teaches
At a funeral, God often has our undivided attention. We remember the
fall in Eden: sin brought death into the world and barred the way to
the tree of life (Genesis 3:17–24). We feel how brief life
is—sometimes very brief. James says life is “a vapor that appears
for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13–15). A funeral
also whispers a sober truth: how we live really matters. “We must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ… to receive the things
done in the body” (2 Corinthians 5:10). On every stone there is a
dash between two dates; eternity will weigh what we did with that
dash.
Redeeming
the Time
Because days are few, Scripture calls us to redeem the time—buy it
back for what matters most (cf. Ephesians 5:16). “We have spent
enough of our past lifetime” in the old ways (1 Peter 4:3). Others
may not understand the change (1 Peter 4:4), but “they will give an
account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1
Peter 4:5). Wisdom plans this life with the next life in view.
Why the
Death of a Saint Is Precious
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”
(Psalm 116:15). Why? Because the destination is glorious. Paul
testifies, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain… having
a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better”
(Philippians 1:21–23). Revelation adds heaven’s blessing: “Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord… that they may rest from their
labors, and their works follow them” (Revelation 14:13). For the
faithful, death is not loss; it is gain. Not an end; a departure.
Not darkness; arrival.
How Wisdom
Reorders Daily Life
Wisdom asks of every day: How will I use this gift for God’s glory
and others’ good? Wisdom trims distractions, resists sin’s wastes,
and invests in things that endure. Wisdom lives gratefully, serves
faithfully, loves generously, and repents quickly. Wisdom keeps
short accounts with God and people, knowing that “after this, the
judgment.”
Conclusion
Death teaches what feasting rarely can. It teaches us to number our
days, to prize the dash, to live this life in the light of the next.
It urges souls to be “in the Lord,” to remain faithful, and to die
in the Lord—where tears, pain, and death are no more. Make each day
count, because eternity will.
Exhaustive
Sermon Outline: The Wisdom of Death
Introduction
-
A clarifying
truth: remembering death reveals what matters
-
Text:
Ecclesiastes 7:2–4—house of mourning makes the heart wise
-
Aim: number
our days; live in light of eternity
I. Death Is a
Great Teacher
II. Numbering
Our Days
-
Psalm
90:12—gain a heart of wisdom
-
Psalm
39:4–5—know my end; life a handbreadth
-
Psalm
103:14–16—God remembers our frame; life like grass
III. Lessons
from the House of Mourning
-
Genesis
3:17–24—fall, loss of the tree of life
-
James
4:13–15—life is a vapor
-
2
Corinthians 5:10—judged by deeds “in the body”
-
The dash
between the dates matters
IV. Redeeming
the Time
-
Ephesians
5:16 (allusion)—redeem the time
-
1 Peter
4:3–5—leave the old life; give an account to the Judge
-
Live this
life with the next life in view
V. Precious in
the Lord’s Sight
-
Psalm
116:15—death of His saints is precious
-
Philippians
1:21–23—depart and be with Christ, far better
-
Revelation
14:13—blessed rest; works follow
Conclusion
-
Death as
mentor; days as stewardship; eternity as motive
-
Be in the
Lord, remain faithful, and die in the Lord
Call to
Action
Number your days before the Lord tonight. If you need to put on
Christ in baptism, do it while the day is here. If you have wasted
time or wandered, redeem the time—confess, return, and renew. Let
wisdom guide the dash between your dates, so your final passage is
precious in His sight.
Key
Takeaways
-
Death wisely
faced leads to a heart of wisdom (Ecclesiastes 7:2–4; Psalm
90:12).
-
Life is
brief; God calls us to purposeful days (Psalm 39:4–5; James
4:14).
-
Judgment
weighs what we did in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10).
-
Redeeming
time means living now with eternity in view (1 Peter 4:3–5).
-
The death of
the faithful is precious because it is gain and blessed rest
(Psalm 116:15; Philippians 1:21–23; Revelation 14:13).
Scripture
References
Ecclesiastes 7:2–4; Hebrews 9:27; Psalm 90:12; Psalm 39:4–5; Psalm
103:14–16; Genesis 3:17–24; James 4:13–15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1
Peter 4:3–5; Psalm 116:15; Philippians 1:21–23; Revelation 14:13.
Prepared by
Bobby Stafford of the church of Christ at Granby, MO |
The
church of Christ
