Every-time someone famous dies, or for that matter anyone; especially at a young age, the word unexpectedly is used to describe their untimely death. There was another mass shooting in Texas, and I don’t care about the politics side of things, but the deaths of all those involved were unexpected. I was sent some messages that Ray Liotta had passed away in his hotel room, unexpectedly. Later, the same day I heard that Andy Fletcher, one of the members of my favorite secular bands, Depeche Mode, also unexpectedly passed away. Mr. Liotta was Sixty Seven, and Mr. Fletcher was Sixty. The children killed were in elementary school. The word unexpectedly as Webster defines it says, “In a way that was not expected or regarded as likely.” The sad truth is that as humans; we believe that of every person that dies, when in reality we are all going to experience the same fate one day. It can be considered unexpected in the manner that people die, but in reality, should it be?
Jesus in Luke Thirteen reminds us of a few things. It says,
There were some present at that very time who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans WERE WORSE SINNERS THAN ALL OF THE OTHER Galileans, because they suffered in this way? NO, I tell you; BUT UNLESS YOU REPENT, you will ALL LIKEWISE PERISH. Or those eighteen on WHOM THE TOWER IN SILOAM FELL AND KILLED THEM: do you think that THEY WERE WORSE OFFENDERS THAN ALL THE OTHERS who lived in Jerusalem? NO, I tell you; BUT UNLESS YOU REPENT, you will all LIKEWISE PERISH.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Now most people will read this and claim heartless emotions of the “unexpected” or tragic deaths mentioned above, but if we PERISH without Jesus, then it’s a finality. There is no barometer to kinds of death, or different levels of what is considered normal and not normal death. The human mind likes to categorize the death or the people involved in the death, by how it happened or what kind of life one lived, but Jesus is telling us differently. What I mean by that, is that though death happens daily, there isn’t anything different from one person to another, only if you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We must repent as Jesus says, not just thinking that the things that happened are because of guns, disease, or evil people, but because we all are going to die in one form or another, and that should be expected.
Jesus says that the people weren’t more evil, so we can’t add to the statement to fit our belief or agenda, but again have we repented? Jesus said that because that tower fell; and we can add shootings, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, wars, disease, or other, that unless we have repented, we too will perish! There is a death that can happen before we die and that is being away from God. Remember what the serpent told Eve and by the way Adam was right there next to her, in Genesis three,
“but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, LEST YOU DIE.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE. For God knows that when you eat of it your EYES WILL BE OPENED, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (ESV) (Emphasis Added)
Adam and Eve didn’t physically die, but yet their fellowship with God was broken, they had to leave Eden, not because God was mean, but because they chose the lie of dying, for self gratification, and self away from God. Notice that the word says that Eve saw, after the serpents lies, but what she saw was what sin is, a delight for the eyes and desire to be wise in their own eyes and minds, and not what God instructed or wanted from them. God atoned for them by sacrificing an animal and covering them, and He can do the same for you and me, if we repent. Paul reminds us in Romans six,
“But what FRUIT were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the END OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become bond servants of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE FREE GIFT OF GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
We all are sinners whether you believe that or not, and the message of the gospel is simple and clear, repent and be forgiven, because without forgiveness, our deaths, expected or unexpectedly will happen. The fruit of sin only looks good and may feel good, but it leaves us shameful, broken, alone, and ultimately we will perish, apart from God without His free gift of love.
I loved Ray Liotta’s movies and thought he was a great actor, but that doesn’t matter without repentance. Andy Fletcher was on every Depeche Mode studio album and contributed to so many songs that I grew up listening to and still do today, but if he didn’t repent, it doesn’t matter.
Depeche Mode has a song called Blasphemous Rumors, where the chorus says, “I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumors but I think that God’s got a sick sense of humor and when I die, I expect to find him laughing.” That is the mindset of many who don’t believe in Jesus and His atoning death, that we will laugh at God or give Him our two cents. We think that He doesn’t exist, because what kind of God allows this, but those are just the lies of the “fruit” that leads to death. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in chapter nine,
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” (ESV)
We are appointed, not unexpectedly, because God knows every hair on your head, all your shortcomings and the words you speak as the Psalmist tells us in Psalm One Thirty Nine, and He knows our every breath. When you stand before Him, will He know you, because you repented it will you be cast away because of your unbelief? We will all meet our maker, but will we be ready? Have you repented, have you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, not with a little prayer at a conference or church, but truly in your heart, mind and soul, that was life changing? Remember Jesus reminds us in Mark eight,
“And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of Him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (ESV)
The world is full of hate and pain, sadness and bitterness, and death. What are you willing to lose your soul for? Don’t put your hope in anything or anyone, for they will all fail and fall, but only Jesus can save you! It’s coming, that appointed time when we will all leave this earth, but will you be ready? Tomorrow is not promised, today is the day of salvation, today is the day to come to Jesus!“
Jose Barajas
