seat, find a seat, grab a hymnal, turn if you would to our first song, number 210, Wonderful
Grace of Jesus, number 210, 210, Wonderful Grace of Jesus, 210, sing it out there, starting
on the f***ing grace of Jesus, grace, grace of Jesus, heavenly father, we thank you again
for another opportunity to gather together this evening, Lord we just thank you for your
hand of protection, I know we pray a lot for you to deliver us, for you to guide us in
the right way, and Lord I just pray, or thank you, I want to thank you rather, for delivering
us this afternoon from those that would have the gospel be stopped, I know we ask a lot
for things that we want and sometimes we forget to thank you, so I just want to thank you
Lord for that, I want to thank you for our church and for all the salvations that we've
had this weekend and just for the opportunity to serve you, just thank you for our church,
the ability to come together to sing praises and to hear from your word that we wouldn't
just take that for granted, Lord I pray that you'd be with us for the service that everything's
done decently and in order, and these things we pray in Jesus name, amen.
For our next hymn, number 227, Saved by the Blood, 227-227, Saved by the Blood, 227 there
on the 1st, SAVED BY THE BLOOD.
The week there, 2nd Timothy chapter 1c, our service times listed there, Sunday morning
at 1030, Sunday evening at 430, and our Wednesday Bible study through Ecclesiastes at 7 o'clock.
We do have guys holding up a hand over here for a bulletin, Theodore, if you could bring
that over, thank you.
Then we have our soul winning times listed below there, and man, we need like a sign
that says zero days since police called.
It's just like reset that sucker every Sunday.
I don't know what it is about apartment complex managers, hell hath no fury like an apartment
manager Karen scorned.
But I personally thrive off those phone calls, it just tells us we're doing the right thing.
So I'll never be mad at soul winners that are going out and preaching the gospel, as
long as they're going out and preaching the truth, doing what's right.
I'll always have your back on that.
We do have our salvations and baptisms listed there for the year, 326 for the US, 580 for
the Philippines, 913 for the year.
There's also some online like Omi TV soul winning that isn't reflected there, but that's
included in the grand total.
We do have our visitor card and online giving information there as well as our prayer list.
Make sure you please keep those requests in prayer throughout the week and if you have
any additions make sure to email the church.
On the back we have our upcoming events, this upcoming Saturday is the ladies tea here at
the church.
I think it's at 1pm.
All the information is on the sign up sheet in the back.
Make sure you sign up for that and participate.
May 17th is the men's preaching night for the evening service followed by a potluck
and just fellowship game night afterward.
Please join us for that.
May 20th through the 24th anti-Israel conference at Steadfast Baptist Church.
Really looking forward to that conference and it just seems like our country is really
hungry for the truth on this issue unlike any time I've ever seen before.
And so I'm really thankful that we're living in the times that we do and we got to just
keep preaching the truth and reaching more people.
June 14th, Brother Ben Naim will be coming up preaching both services for us on that
Sunday and then June 17th to the 20th, I'll be in Germany in Frankfurt and also be with
Pastor Shelley that whole week as well.
Me and him are both preaching at that conference.
So I'm looking forward to it for multiple reasons.
I love Germany.
I love the German language, German food, the conference, the soul winning and also just
getting to hang out with my old pastor is going to be great.
So keep us in prayer for that week, if you would, and that's going to be it for announcements
this evening.
We'll go ahead and go to our third song together.
All right, for our third song this evening, number 248, turn if you would to 248, hymn
number 248, "Belong to Jesus," 248, 248 there on the first.
This time, as the plates are being passed, turn if you would to Exodus 20, Exodus chapter
20.
Exodus chapter number 20, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy
God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me; thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God.
In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant,
nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honor thy
father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal,
thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant,
nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. In all the people saw
the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking;
and when the people saw it, they were moved and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses,
Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And
Moses said unto the people, Fear not, for God has come to prove you, and that his fear
may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew
near unto the thick darkness where God was. And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt
say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven; ye
shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall you make unto you gods of gold. An altar
of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and
thy peace offerings, and thy sheep, and thy noxen. In all places where I record my name,
I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone,
thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast
polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not
discovered thereon. Let's bow our head for a word of prayer.
[Praying in the background]
Man Exodus chapter 20, let's read in verse number 13, Exodus 20 verse 13, the Bible says,
"Thou shalt not kill." And the title of my sermon is "Medically Assisted Suicide." Medically
Assisted Suicide. Who's heard of this? Medically Assisted Suicide. This is becoming more and
more of a prominent thing in the United States and Canada and Western nations. So I think
we need some biblical preaching on this topic so we don't develop the mindset that the world
has on this because I want to read a couple articles to you before we get started on this
so you can kind of get an idea of where our world is at mentally when it comes to this
idea of medically assisted suicide. If you don't know what that is, medically assisted
suicide is basically a doctor writes a prescription to a patient for a poison, hands them a poison,
the patient goes home, takes the poison and kills themself. That is what medically assisted
suicide is. And so it's very similar to euthanasia except euthanasia, the doctor is just literally
killing you himself. And you know, the world will call this healthcare, the world will
call this dying with dignity, the Bible calls it killing. Okay, it's murder and it's suicide
and it's a wicked thing. But this is what a Gallup poll article found. It says this
is in 2024. Americans current views on the legality of euthanasia, a procedure in which
a physician intentionally acts to end the life of a patient are similar to what they
have been during the past decade. Just over seven in 10 Americans, 71% believe that doctors
should be allowed by law to end the patient's life by some painless means. If the patient
and his or her family request it. Before reading this, I would not have guessed that to be
the case. That 71% of Americans think that it's totally fine that if patient and family
agrees, "Hey doc, will you just kill me," that that should be legal in America for the
doctor to say, "Yep, let's just kill this person." You know, it's funny how we have
such a hard time in America killing pedophiles, putting adulterers to death, putting rapists
to death, but 71 percent of Americans think that if a patient says, "Doc, kill me," legally
you should be able to be killed by the doctor. I couldn't believe that. Yeah, that's the
reality. At the same time, doctor-assisted suicide, a term used to describe patients
ending their own life with the aid of a physician, garners slightly less, but still majority
support. Sixty-six percent of Americans believe doctors should be allowed by law to assist
the patient to commit suicide for terminal patients living in severe pain who requested.
I don't understand how there's any discrepancy between these two. It seems like if you're
for euthanasia, logically being consistent, wouldn't you also be for medically-assisted
suicide? But I would submit to you that these are both wrong. These are both unchristian.
These are both non-biblical attitudes. Now, here's another article from the National
Institute of Health. It says, "An estimated 74 million people in the United States live
in a jurisdiction that currently allows medical aid in dying." 74 million Americans. It's
called MADE. Medical Aid in Dying. And another 87 million reside in 14 states where MADE
is on the legislative agenda. That was as of 2022. "Most research on patients pursuing
MADE in the United States has focused exclusively on data from the Pacific Northwest because
it was first legalized in America in Oregon and Washington." Of course, these, you know,
that liberal satanic hellholes are the first people to embrace this wonderful new liberal
loving ideology of medically assisted suicide. And of course, it says they're not representative
of the entire United States. Yeah, we know that. "Over 23 years, 5,329 patients died
by MADE, while 8,451 received a prescription." So notice, a lot of people are going to a
doctor asking for the death pill, getting home, and what? Regretting it, and deciding
not to follow through on it. People getting the euthanasia method don't get that second
chance. They're just being put down like a dog. Here's some more statistics. "More men
than women died by MADE, and non-Hispanic white individuals died by MADE more than other
racial and ethnic groups. The median age of MADE deaths was 74. Most had at least some
college education and most had a cancer diagnosis." That's for the U.S. Let's talk about Canada.
Here is an article from Dort University in Iowa, and this article is called "The Cautionary
Tale of Euthanasia in Canada." Let's read some of this for you. "The Canadian approach
to euthanasia and assisted suicide, euphemistically known as MADE, has expanded in recent years
and has sparked significant debate about its ethical and societal implications. Euthanasia
was first intended only for those nearing the end of their lives. Now Canada has one
of the most permissive euthanasia policies in the world, revealing a rapidly increasing
culture of not just accepting death, but actively promoting it." Pay attention to this. "Veterans
have called the Ministry of Veteran Affairs in Canada, looking for help, and have been
offered euthanasia instead." Think about that. You got combat veterans that are messed up,
or lost limbs, or they're just mentally messed up from combat, and it's like, "Hey, doctor,
I've got depression. I've got PTSD." And in Canada, oh, the so enlightened country. They're
way beyond barbaric Christianity, right? So enlightened, they say, "Oh, you've got PTSD.
Have you considered euthanasia? Have you considered a doctor putting you down like an animal?"
Think about it. These are real human beings that are being told this. Don't come at me
about love, okay? You know what? The Bible is loving. This is wicked. Those with suicidal
ideation have gone to the hospital for help only to be encouraged to consider euthanasia.
One woman was even asked if she was aware of the option of euthanasia before going into
cancer removing surgery. "Hey, I need a cancer surgery. Have you thought about death instead?
I mean, why would we sit here and do surgery on you? We could just put you down. We could
just kill you." This is legal in places in America and all over Canada. It says Canada
is increasingly standing as a warning to other countries about the consequences of legalizing
euthanasia and assisted suicide. The slippery slope made was first legalized in 2016 for
Canadians, listen to this, whose death was reasonably foreseeable. So at first in 2016,
it was only legal saying, "Hey, I think your death is reasonably foreseeable," whatever
that means. At the time, a person had to have a grievous and irremediable medical condition
which caused enduring physical or psychological suffering to qualify for euthanasia. Let me
help you. There's literally people in this room that could qualify for this. There's
literally people in this room that could qualify for legal euthanasia in Canada because they
have some sort of, you know, impeding lifelong issue. How insane. So this would be like people
with cancer or other things. Okay. In 2021, just five years after legalization, Maid was
expanded to include those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable. With this expansion,
people with disabilities or non-terminal illnesses could choose to have a doctor end their lives.
This is like someone who's in a wheelchair. So think about it. You can just have someone
with a physical disability, some sort of maiming, depression, anxiety, something that's
just detrimental to your life, but it doesn't have to be, "Hey, you're about to die. Your
death is foreseeable." That is now legal in Canada saying, "Oh, depression, have you thought
about letting us just kill you? Oh, you're in a wheelchair now after this car accident?
Well, have you thought about letting us kill you? Oh, you know, your child has Down syndrome.
Have you thought about letting us just kill your child?" This is happening in the so-called
Western enlightened societies today. Okay, it makes me think of this. The Bible says
in Proverbs 836, "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate
me love death." What kind of society is this where we're going to say it's legal to just
kill people just because they have a disease, just because they have an illness, just because
they have a physical ailment. It's a society that hates God. And you look at Canada today
and it's a country that hates God. It's a wicked country. You know, it's so funny these
Canadians, you know, want to talk crap on America. Look, Canada sucks. Let's just be honest.
Canada sucks. And you know what? The Pacific Northwest is a super wicked area of our country
and it's no mistake that you find places that are super atheist, super God-hating, super
leftist, and they also love death. Let's keep reading. The next expansion has already been
passed into law, but implementation has been delayed until 2027. So this is law. It's passed,
but it's not going to be implemented until 2027. This would allow Canadians suffering
solely from a mental illness to be eligible for euthanasia, which what does the world
define mental illness? I mean, the world defines ADHD as a mental illness. So we're going to
put people with ADHD down, depression, anxiety. They'll be eligible legally for medically
assisted suicide or euthanasia in Canada. Folks, this is so wicked. Since legalization,
the number of euthanasia deaths in Canada has steadily grown every year and showed little
sign of slowing down. So remember in the U.S. it's been about like 5,000. Between 2016 and
2025 in Canada, over 70,000 Canadians have been euthanized. 70,000. Euthanasia now accounts
for 4.7% of all deaths in Canada, a rate second only to the Netherlands. Euthanasia
is now the fifth most common cause of death in Canada. Compare these numbers with Oregon,
the first American state to legalize assisted suicide in 1997. I didn't know that a long
time ago. In 2023, 367 people died by assisted suicide in Oregon, or just 0.8% of all deaths
in the state. So 0.8% deaths in Oregon, 4.7% in Canada. It's just like a huge deal that's
happening over there. You're there in Exodus chapter number 20. Obviously, you know, when
I heard about this and started doing some research, I just thought like, wow, things
are getting crazy in this world. We probably need a biblical perspective on this topic
because it's kind of a shame. It's definitely a shame that over 70% of Americans read this
and say, I agree, that should be legal. That should be good. Look, that's a scary society
to live in where 71% of people think, hey, you should be able to put down people with
depression and wheelchair-bound people or people whose death is not foreseeable or even
people whose death is foreseeable. All of that is wicked, okay? So I want to give you
seven reasons why we should be against this as Christians. Number one, suicide of any
kind is a sin. Suicide of any kind is a sin. Why is that? Look at Exodus 20, verse 13.
The Bible says, thou shalt not kill. Okay? Very clear. Killing is a sin in the sight
of God. It's one of the Ten Commandments, but here's what people will do. To get your
support for this idea of medically assisted suicide, they're going to try to play on your
emotions. And what they're going to do is they're going to show you an example of one
of the most horrific, extreme cases you could possibly imagine to try to get you to say,
like, oh, well then we should be in support of this. You know, it's kind of like when
it comes to abortion. It's like, well, what if the mom was raped by her brother and her
life was at risk? It's like, let me tell you, this situation just doesn't exist. Let's
be, let's be real. Women aborting their babies. You know what happened is that usually they're
out being whores, they're out being harlots, they're being fornicators and they regret
it and want to murder their baby. Or they're out being adulterers cheating on their husband
and they want to, they regret it and want to murder their baby. They want to show you
this weird exception. It's like, let me show you this combat veteran who's a quadriplegic.
He has no arms, no legs. He can't see. He can't smell. He can't hear. He's got this
horrible quality of life. Oh, don't you think we should, here's the thing. That example,
trying to override God's commandment of thou shalt not kill is not going to work on me.
We need to not look at things in this world through an emotional lens. We have to ask
ourselves, what does the Bible say? And if you tell me, well, because they're in a hardship,
it's okay to sin, then I ask you, where does that logic get to stop? Right? Now, go if
you would to Matthew chapter number 19, Matthew chapter number 19, because Jesus quotes Exodus
20. And he defines to us what he means by thou shall not kill, because the act of killing
in and of itself is not completely banned in the scripture. There is things like capital
punishment that God endorses. There is self-defense using lethal force that God endorses. What
does it mean here when it says thou shall not kill? It's talking about murder. Okay.
Notice how we know this. Matthew 19 verse 18. Notice this is the young rich man that
says this. He saith unto him, which Jesus said thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not
commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. So Jesus is
quoting the Ten Commandments here and when he gets to thou shalt not kill, he says thou
shalt do no murder. Why? Because that's what this commandment is talking about. It's not
saying you can never kill someone in self-defense. It's not saying you can never kill in a righteous
war or that you can never have capital punishment. But you know what? Murder is wrong. Murder
is a sin. And just because someone is suffering does not give you the right to murder that
person. And let me help you out. If a doctor is giving someone a pill that is intentionally
known this is going to kill you, that doctor is a murderer. There are two people sinning
in this situation. The person taking the pill and committing suicide. That is self-murder.
And the person giving that medication is also sinning by committing murder. It is different
than just normal suicide because no one else is involved. It is kind of similar to suicide
by cop. I wouldn't say that the cop is sinning in that situation. But sometimes people just
want to die and so they will pull out a gun on a police officer. They won't even shoot
the cop. They will just wait for the cop to kill them. You are literally going to a doctor
and committing suicide by doctor. You are saying hey doc kill me and the doc is killing
you or the doc is giving you some sort of pill. Now here is the thing. Would hardship
be an excuse for committing any other sin? People say hey this person is living a bad
life. This person has a low quality of life therefore they should be allowed to commit
the sin of self-murder. Or this person has a really bad quality of life therefore doctors
should be allowed to murder them. Where does that logic end? Do you want that logic to
exist in marriage? Where it's like hey my spouse is withholding the physical relationship
from me. I'm in a hardship. You don't understand. I have a hard situation therefore I'm justified
in committing adultery. That doesn't work. That does not work today. Or how about hey
I have a need. I need a bicycle. So I stole your bicycle. Boy oh boy that doesn't work
folks. That is not a legitimate excuse to sin. Just saying hey I have a hardship therefore
I get to sin. How about this? I was in a dangerous situation so I lied. Oh my life was at risk
therefore I lied. You are still wrong. It is still a sin. Oh I am in a bad situation
so I killed myself. Still a sin. Oh I am in a bad situation so I murdered. Still wrong.
Still a sin. Right? How about this? Oh well you don't understand I can't afford to take
care of this baby. My baby daddy left me so I am going to murder the child. Still a sin.
Still wicked. This is such a worldly philosophy to say because things are hard I get to sin.
That is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible demands holiness from us. The Bible demands
that we keep God's commandments in all cases whatsoever. You know what? You ought to just
when you sin you ought to just stop making excuses for it and just say like hey I suck.
I messed up. And stop constantly making excuses saying like well this situation it was justified.
It is never okay to sin. I can't believe I have to say such a simple statement in this
world but apparently 71% of Americans need to be realized thou shalt not kill. Still
applies here. It is wicked. Suicide of any kind is a sin. Go if you would to Hebrews
chapter number 11. Number 2. If someone is unsaved and does medically assisted suicide
they will go straight to hell. Folks heaven and hell are real. And just because someone
is suffering and in a bad situation and they kill themselves that does not mean that all
of a sudden they're going to get out of the pain that they're in. Because if they're unsaved
and they commit suicide they will wake up in hell and it'll be way worse than anything
they ever did. Now here's the thing I'm not saying that if someone commits suicide they
automatically will go to hell right because there are religions in this world like the
Catholic Church that teaches suicide is a deadly sin and anyone who commits suicide
will go to hell. The Bible describes a couple different situations of people who committed
suicide who are saved and in heaven today. But what I'm saying is that if someone is
unsaved and they commit suicide there's no redo. You're now going to hell and you'll
be there for all of eternity. All right you're going to Hebrews 11. Let me read for you in
Judges Chapter 16 verse 28 the Bible says "And Samson called unto the Lord and said
O Lord God remember me I pray thee and strengthen me I pray thee only this once O God that
I might be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes and Samson took hold of the two
middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was born up one of one with
his right hand and of the other with his left and Samson said let me die with the Philistines
and he bowed himself with all his might and the house fell upon the Lord's and upon the
people that were therein so the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which
he slew in his life so how did Samson end his life he committed suicide right he he
lost his strength but he asked God to strengthen him once more he had his hands tied to the
pillars you know the foundation and he does like a 9/11 he does like a controlled demolition
of the building falls on him and look you know obviously it's wrong that he committed
suicide suicide is a sin but I believe that Samson is in heaven right now Samson is safe
why do I say that you're there in Hebrews look at Hebrews 11 verse 1 it says now faith
is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen notice this for by it by
what faith the elders obtained a good report so he's saying hey all the people that I'm
about to list for you in Hebrews chapter 11 they were these they were these people that
had what faith and what does it mean when someone has faith it means that they're saved
right and by faith these elders obtained a good report notice what it says in verse 32
it says and what shall I say more for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of
Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah and of David also and Samuel and of the prophet so
notice that Samson is lifted that listed there in the hall of faith meaning what he was someone
that had faith that believed in God and was saved but he committed suicide of course the
other example is Saul King Saul committed suicide after being mortally wounded still wrong still a
sin but Samuel made it clear hey tomorrow you and your sons will be with me Samuel was already
dead he was already in heaven with God Saul is safe Samuel is safe but here's the situation
people that are not saved and commit suicide will be going to hell go to Mark chapter number nine
mark chapter number nine let me tell you there's no suffering that exists on this earth that every
single person in hell would not immediately want to trade for i mean the the person on this earth
who is the quadriplegic and can't see and can't hear and is just living a horrible human existence
has it so much better than any person in hell why because look at mark chapter nine verse 43
the bible says and if thy right hand or sorry and if thy hand offend thee cut it off it is better
for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell into the fire that
shall never be quenched imagine what it would take for you to pull out a knife to pull out a meat
cleaver to pull out a sword and put your hand down and cut it off folks that's that's unimaginable
like we have this mechanism inside of us to not harm ourselves right but here's the thing you
know if they if you could see a lake of fire and it's like cut off your hand or go to the lake of
of fire, go to hell, you know what?
It's so much better to just cut off your hand, right?
And what's the truth that's being illustrated here?
Hey, anything is better than going to hell.
Anything is better than going to hell.
Hell is the worst possible thing.
It's the worst physical torment.
It's the worst mental torment.
Oh, you know, you think you have mental problems?
You think you have anxiety?
You think you have depression?
You think things are dark in your world?
How about being in everlasting darkness,
listening to people scream in agony and torment
for all of eternity?
Boy, talk about mental anguish.
I mean, that's horrific.
It's hell, folks.
It's the worst thing that could possibly exist.
Look at verse 44.
"Where there worm, dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
You know what that means?
You never cease to exist in hell.
You never burn up.
You will be alive.
You will have conscious torment in hell forever.
And the fire will never be quenched.
Now, it's hard for us as human beings
living in a finite world to truly understand eternal torment.
You know, 'cause we've been in pain before, right?
Varying different degrees in here if we've been in pain.
But you know what?
Imagine just the worst pain,
worse than you could even experience,
worse than anything you've ever had,
but then it goes on forever and ever and ever,
and you have no rest day nor night.
Verse 45, "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off.
"It is better for thee to enter halt into life
"than having two feet to be cast into hell,
"into the fire that never shall be quenched,
"where there worm dieth not, and the fire's not quenched.
"And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out,
"for it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God
"with one eye than having two eyes to be cast
"into hell fire, where there worm dieth not,
"and the fire is not quenched."
Look, here's the thing.
Oh, but you understand, this guy's a poor war veteran,
and he may be a poor war veteran.
Hey, he's got his legs blown off.
He's got his hands blown off.
Hey, his eyes have been gouged out by an IED.
Let me tell you what.
If that person is unsaved, the state he's in right there
is the best it's ever going to get if he went to hell, right?
And it's like, oh, man, I'm in so much pain and anguish.
But here's the thing.
What you're experiencing now on Earth
is definitely better than going to hell.
I'm not saying that they're experiencing a good life.
I'm not saying that they're having a fun time.
But here's the thing.
If someone is unsaved, the need for that person
is to get them saved, not to kill them.
Oh, let's just put them out of their misery.
But if they're not saved, you're not putting them
out of their misery.
You're taking them from one horrible, heartbreaking,
terrible situation to an even more horrible, heartbreaking,
terrible situation.
But at least here on this earth, if someone's
suffering physically, they could believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and then someday in heaven,
have their legs again, have their hands again,
have their eyesight, have eternal joy and peace,
no more pain, no more tears, no more crying.
I mean, they get to be fed by Jesus Christ,
have eternal fellowship with God.
That's one hope for their future.
What's the other possibility?
Oh, let's put them out of their misery.
Let's kill them.
Let's euthanize them.
And then in hell, in torments,
they lift up their eyes in hell,
burning for all of eternity
with no hope of escape ever again.
That is not compassion, folks.
That is not loving.
That is the most hateful thing you could possibly do.
For someone who's not saved to kill them,
here's the thing, if I was killed right now,
you didn't do anything to me
'cause I'm going straight to heaven.
Like, hey, you can't do anything to me
because I'm saved and no matter what happens to this body,
hey, I'm getting a new one someday
and I'm going straight to heaven
and no matter how I die on this earth,
no matter how bad my life gets in the future,
there is a hope for better days for me because I am saved.
But if you're not saved and you commit suicide,
you go from the darkness that you're in mentally
to literal darkness in hell for all of eternity.
And so that is the worst thing that could possibly happen.
Go to 1 Corinthians 6.
Number three, why we should be against
medically assisted suicide is because our bodies belong to God.
Our bodies are not our own,
and we do not get to choose what we do with our bodies.
Our bodies belong to God.
Look at 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19.
What?
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost,
which is in you, which ye have of God?
Notice, and ye are not your own,
for ye are bought with a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit,
which are God's.
You know, we often focus on glorifying God in our spirit
and connecting to God on a spiritual level.
But you know, God also wants us to honor him
with our bodies.
And people who are biblically illiterate
don't realize this, but the Bible has a lot to say
about how we should treat our bodies
and things that we should do with our bodies
and things that we should not do with our bodies.
Why is it that I should think that God cares about,
for example, us drinking alcohol,
Bible says be not drunk with wine.
You know, God cares for us to not be drunk.
He doesn't want us to do that with our body.
The Bible says thou shalt not print any marks upon you.
God cares about our body.
He doesn't want us printing tattoos on our body.
The Bible says men are supposed to have short hair
and women are supposed to have long hair.
God cares about what we do with our bodies.
I'm supposed to believe that God cares
about what we do in this life with our bodies,
but he's supposed to not care
when it comes to us just dying however we want,
dying whenever way we want, dying whatever way we want.
No, no, no, our bodies are God's in life and in death.
And you know, just how he cares about what we,
how we use our bodies in life,
I think God also cares about death as well.
Why do I say that?
Well, go to Romans chapter number 14.
Romans chapter number 14.
I mean, there's a lot God cares about with our bodies, right?
He cares about, you know, being holy,
not being a fornicator, not committing adultery.
How about this?
He cares about women dressing like women,
men not putting on that which pertains to a woman.
Okay, look at Romans chapter 14, verse seven.
The Bible says this, "For none of us liveth to himself."
Now, we just talked about that, right?
Our bodies are not our own.
God tells us how to live.
But notice this, "And no man dieth to himself."
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord.
And whether we die, we die unto the Lord.
Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's.
You know what, just like you don't have a right
to live however you want in your body,
you don't have a right over your death either.
And people say, oh, my body, my choice.
No, no, no, no, no, God's body.
Your body is bought with a price.
And you know what, whether we live,
we should live unto God and honor God with our life.
And if we die, we should honor God with our death
and trust God with our death and not just take things
into our own hands and say, I'm done.
I'm just going to kill myself.
I'm just going to get medically assisted suicide.
I'm just going to do euthanasia.
You don't have that right.
Go to Job 14 while you're turning there, Deuteronomy 32.
Verse 39 says, "See now that I, even I am He,
and there is no God with me."
Listen to this.
"I kill and I make alive.
I kill and I make alive.
I wound and I heal.
Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand."
What does God say?
You know what?
Life, it's His responsibility.
You want to know why you're alive today
is because God created you.
The Bible says that God is one that opens the womb.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
We are not evolved apes right here.
All of us are created by God.
That's amazing to think about.
But you know what?
God gives life, but the Bible says that God kills as well.
It's God's responsibility to administer death.
Look at Job chapter 14, verse one.
The Bible says, "Man that is born of a woman
is a few days and full of trouble.
He cometh forth like a flower and is cut down.
He fleeeth also as a shadow and continueth not.
And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one
and bringest me into judgment with thee?"
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
Not one.
Notice this.
"Seeing his days are determined.
The number of his months are with thee.
Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass."
Look, I believe that God has an appointed day for my death.
I believe that.
Now here's the thing.
I believe that through our own free will,
we could be stupid and thwart that day.
I believe that God has a date for my death in the future,
but if I put a gun to my head and shoot myself,
I could thwart that date, couldn't I?
Or if I take a poison pill designed to kill me,
I can thwart that date.
If someone is being foolish and tempting God
and doing all sorts of idiotic things,
people will do all these just super dangerous,
ridiculous things.
Look, you're tempting God at that point,
but I do believe outside of you tempting God,
thwarting his plans,
that there is a date in the future
that is God's will for you and I to die.
That's what I believe.
You know, Ecclesiastes three,
there's a time to be born.
That's a different time for all of us.
There's a time to die.
That's a different time for all of us.
I love this quote.
There's this quote from General Stonewall Jackson.
He was a Confederate Civil War veteran.
And he said this,
'cause his nickname is Stonewall, right?
How did he get this nickname of being Stonewall?
Because he was just kind of like a wall in battle.
Like he wouldn't like shirk the battle
or get scared or run away.
Bullets are flying,
and he's just like standing up like a stone wall.
He didn't flinch, he wasn't scared.
But someone asked him about why he's like that, okay?
And I like his response.
He says, "Captain, my religious belief teaches me
"to feel as safe in battle as in bed.
"God has fixed the time for my death.
"I do not concern myself about that,
"but to be always ready no matter when it may overtake me.
"Captain, that is the way all men should live
"and then all would be equally brave."
I like that quote right there.
He's saying, "Hey, why am I not scared in battle?
"Why am I not scared in the fight?
"'Cause I believe God has an appointed date for my death
"and that's up to him.
"He's decided that and you know what?
"I'm gonna sleep easy and I'm gonna be in war easy
"'cause I trust in the Lord.
"Trust the Lord with all thine heart
"and lean not unto thine own understanding."
That's what the Bible teaches
and that makes sense with what Job is saying
'cause Job said, "Seeing his days are determined.
"The number of his months are with thee."
Just a quick sidebar,
when you're interpreting the book of Job,
make sure the things that are being said are said by Job
'cause if they're said by Job, then it's right.
It's good doctrine.
If it's said by his friends, it's a bunch of idiots, right?
Who said this thing right here?
Job did.
And God said, "Hey, everything Job said was right."
So Job was saying that God has a fixed day for our death.
I believe that to be the case.
Could you ruin that by committing suicide?
Yes.
But you know what, you shouldn't.
Why?
Because no man liveth unto himself,
no man dieth unto himself.
Whether we live, whether we die,
hey, we should be honoring God.
We should be trusting God.
And I want to die right when God wants me to die.
I don't want to die a day before God wants me to die.
I trust him for that.
We should have that attitude.
Go to James chapter number one.
Number five, why we should reject this idea
of medically assisted suicide.
Number five, suicide can cause you to miss
some opportunities to earn rewards in heaven.
I don't believe anyone could lose rewards
that they have already earned.
But I do believe if you commit suicide
and cut your life short,
shorter than what God's plan for you was,
you could miss out on opportunities to earn rewards
in heaven.
And look, our time spent on earth is so short
compared to eternity in heaven.
You know, it's best to try to get as many days as you can
serving God, praising God, honoring God with your life
to have as many rewards in heaven as possible.
James 1 verse 12.
Notice what it says.
Blessed is the man that what?
Endureth temptation.
For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Who gets this crown?
Who gets this reward?
Those who endure temptation, right?
Read that again.
The man that endureth temptation.
For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.
Now how could you possibly say
that someone committing suicide has endured temptation?
That's not true.
Now you could say they were tempted,
but they didn't endure it, they failed, right?
And look, we could feel sympathy for them and I do.
And it's hard, it's horrible.
I'm sad people are in bad situations,
but let's just be frank for a moment.
Someone who commits suicide,
regardless of the reason why, has not endured temptation.
Let's just be real.
They did not have faith to the end.
They did not, and of course I mean like trusting God
with their life in that situation.
They did not endure it to the end.
They failed in that temptation
and I don't think they're gonna have as many rewards
as someone who endured that temptation all the way
to the end.
Okay, go to 2 Corinthians 4.
While you're turning there, 2 Timothy 2.5 says this,
and if a man also strive for masteries,
yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
Right, so you gotta play the game of life
according to the rules.
And what are one of the rules?
Thou shalt not kill.
That is one of the rules.
And you know what, if you try to get out of the trials
and tribulations that God has given you in your life
to test you, to try you, and you just say,
you know what, exit game, commit suicide, I'm out.
Well, you do not get the reward
because you did not strive lawfully.
Not saying you lost your salvation
because you can never lose your salvation.
If you're saved and you commit suicide,
you'll go straight to heaven,
but I believe you've now missed out
on some opportunities to be rewarded
for enduring that temptation all the way to the end,
for dying well.
You know, we shouldn't just want to live well,
we should want to die well.
It's better to finish.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.
Ecclesiastes chapter number seven teaches us.
Second Corinthians four verse 16.
It says, "For which cause we faint not,
"but though our outward man perish,"
you know what that means?
"Yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
Let me tell you something.
It does not matter what is happening to your outward man.
You could be having cancer.
You could lose your limbs.
You could be a burn victim.
Here's the truth about someone if they are saved.
Though their outward man perish,
the inward man is renewed day by day.
And no matter how much pain you are in,
no matter how bad your cancer is,
you still have the spirit of God inside of you.
You still have the new man inside of you.
You know, no matter what your external appearance looks like,
you could still pray to God and thank him
and give him glory and give him honor.
You can still listen to the word of God
being read to you, hopefully.
You can still use Braille or something.
You can still read the Bible
and let the spirit of God speak to you.
And guess what?
That new man can still earn rewards.
That new man can still be renewed and be close to God.
And no matter what's happening to the old man,
you know, or to that outward man,
let that new man be renewed every single day
until the day you die.
Keep trusting him all the way to the end.
Why?
Verse 17, it says this,
"For our light affliction, for our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Here's the thing, I'm not discounting
some of the horrific situations
that people are in in this world.
People often tell me, "Oh, we're in hell right now."
You want to know why people say that
is because life is hard
and they don't know the Bible,
but they know life is hard
and so they say, "Oh, we must be in hell right now."
Obviously that's stupid, we're not in hell right now.
But the reason they're saying that is because life is hard
and life is harder for some more than others, okay?
Life is harder for the parents
who have a child dying of cancer
than for dad who has a cold, all right?
Life is harder for people going through a miscarriage
than your kid broke their foot or something like that.
Life is harder for someone who's dying of cancer
than someone who just lost their job.
We have different varying degrees of hardness in this life.
But here's what I know, is that when you compare heaven
and the rewards that you earn in heaven,
no matter what the hardness is that you endured on earth,
no matter how bad your physical situation was,
it's gonna be like light affliction in comparison.
So think about this, for us, all we've ever experienced
is this earth, right?
So my life, hey, I have good health.
If I compare myself to a burn victim,
it's like we're just way different planes
'cause they're suffering so much more than me
'cause I'm living a healthy life.
But here's the thing, once we're in heaven,
that person who's the burn victim,
when they have rewards in heaven,
they're walking streets of gold, they've got a new body,
you know what, they're gonna look back at that
and say that was light affliction.
That was but for a moment.
And you think about when you're going through illness
or injuries, it feels like forever.
And here's the thing, I only know that from my experience
from very light affliction, but here's what I know,
even people in their end of their life dying of cancer,
dying of bad diseases, that's gonna feel like forever
for them, but here's what I know, when they cross
to the other side and they're in heaven,
they're gonna say, wow, that was but for a moment.
And you know what's before them?
Eternity, eternity.
Notice what it says there, a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.
Your eternity is gonna last way longer than your time
on earth, so what you should do is try to earn
as many rewards as possible and be faithful until the end
and endure temptation and get that crown of life
by being faithful.
Verse 18, while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen,
for the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Look, I cannot blame someone who is in a horrible
physical state to desire life to be over.
I can only imagine what that would be like.
And the Apostle Paul talked about,
Hey, we were pressed beyond measure.
We were despairing even of life.
There's people that feel that way.
But what those people need to hear today is,
hey, be thou faithful unto death.
Keep going, endure temptation.
God loves you.
That new man inside of you is still there.
That inner man is still there being renewed day by day.
And you know what?
You make it to the finish line.
Being faithful to God, don't give up.
Die well, right?
Live well, die well, don't commit suicide.
Don't commit suicide.
Don't commit medically assisted suicide.
Don't get euthanized like some sort of dog.
No, continue.
Be faithful.
Go if you would to James chapter number five.
Number six, reason why we should be against this
is assisted suicide negates God's ability
to perform miracles.
Assisted suicide negates God's ability
to perform miracles.
Look, I'm not telling you
that by you not committing suicide,
God is for sure gonna heal all your diseases.
I'm not saying that.
But here's what I'm saying.
If you commit suicide, you make it impossible
for God to perform a miracle.
And especially in Canada,
where it's not just people dying of terminal cancer.
I mean, some of these people have depression,
have PTSD, and it's like, look,
have some faith in God that God can heal you.
You know, stop trusting in the doctors
to fix all your problems.
And why don't you go to the great physician?
Why don't you pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to heal you?
He can do so.
As you're turning there, let me read a couple of verses.
Jeremiah 32 verse 27.
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.
Is there anything too hard for me?
Right, so here's the thing.
It doesn't even matter what the diagnosis is.
It doesn't matter if the doctor says, this will kill you.
You will be dead in this amount of time.
If God wanted to heal you, he certainly could.
And nothing is too hard for God.
You know what?
God has performed miracles.
God does perform miracles.
And I'm not guaranteeing you that by staying alive,
that God for sure will for you.
But I'm saying he can.
He might.
Why don't we have hope that that's a possibility?
And it's like, how many people would God have healed
if they had been faithful?
It's kind of like that verse we read this morning.
Hey, don't be weary in well-doing,
for we shall reap if we faint not.
And it's like, maybe you were right at that point
that God was going to heal you, that God was going to use you
in some way to be a great testimony for him.
But it's like, but you cut your life short.
But you committed suicide, and he could not help you.
So many times in the Bible, people
are brought right to the brink, right
to the end of themselves, right to the end of everything
they could do in their own power.
And that's when God literally parted the Red Sea, right?
I mean, the children of Israel being led out
of the wilderness, they get to the Red Sea.
Pharaoh and his armies are chasing after them.
There's nothing left they could do in the flesh.
Physically speaking, you look at their situation and say,
this is a military impossibility.
They are cooked, chat.
They're done, all right?
But then God opens up the Red Sea and performs a miracle.
And it's like, look, some people,
they are at the end of their life from a medical perspective,
where the doctors say, hey, you're done.
You're going to die.
It's over.
It's hopeless.
But hello, there's this thing called God.
Is there anything too hard for the Lord?
Absolutely not.
So we should have faith that God could perform a miracle.
I'll read another one, Psalm 103, verse 2.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgiveth all thine iniquity,
who healeth all thy diseases."
James 5, you're there in verse 13.
James chapter 5, "Is any among you afflicted?
Let him pray."
Notice it doesn't say, are any of you afflicted?
Let him kill himself.
Are any of you afflicted?
Let him get the death pill.
Are any of you afflicted?
Let him get euthanized.
Are any of you afflicted?
Let him pray.
Let's keep reading.
Is any merry?
Let him sing Psalms.
Whoops, wrong verse here.
It says, "Is any sick among you?
Let him call for the elders of the church,
and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
It's like, hey, you're afflicted, you're sick,
here's what you need.
Prayer, here's what you need.
Other people involved praying for you.
Hey, sometimes you may need the elder of the church
to anoint you with oil and pray for you
in the name of the Lord.
Here's what you don't need.
The death pill, the death panel, the euthanization.
That's not what we need.
We need prayer.
Go to Revelation chapter number two.
Revelation chapter number two.
Look, here's the thing.
God can perform miracles.
I'm not saying he for sure will for your situation,
but here's what I do believe.
Even if God does not perform a miracle to heal you,
I also believe that if you're faithful to him
and you're determined to trust God
all the way to the day of your death,
that God could just give you the grace that you need
to endure your suffering at the end of your life, right?
Because maybe he doesn't give you a full miracle
and just reverse your illness and save you physically,
but I believe that God could give you that grace
that you need to endure that suffering.
Number seven, why should we should be against this?
We need to endure hardship even unto death.
Revelation two, verse 10, notice this.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.
Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison
that you may be tried,
and ye shall have tribulation 10 days.
Notice this.
Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.
Look, go out of your life
being faithful to God and His commandments.
And if that means being faithful unto death,
well, then you just be faithful unto death.
But don't try to make death come early
to try to avoid your suffering.
Say, God, I trust you.
Whatever it is you want me to go through,
God, I pray that you'd heal me.
I pray that you'd perform a miracle.
If not, Lord, please at least give me the grace
and strength I need to make it.
But God, I want to be faithful unto death
and not just go out committing suicide,
giving up in life.
Go to Psalm 116.
You know, I think that God cares about how His saints die.
Why is that?
Psalm 116, look at verse number 15, it says this.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints.
Look, we know that God loves us so much.
He gave His son to die on the cross for us, right?
I mean, God has saved us.
He's given us eternal life.
And the Bible does not act like,
oh, God just discards us as His little beings
that He created and we're just ants to Him.
You know, you squish an ant, you don't care, right?
A bug dies, you don't care.
You see the spider carcass in the side of the room,
you don't care.
That's not how God is for human beings.
The Bible says that precious in the side of the Lord
are the death of His saints.
If you're saved, look, God cares about your death.
It's something that's precious, that's special to Him.
Why would that be?
Well, 'cause that's your homecoming.
That's the first time in all of eternity
where you're gonna get to meet your Lord.
That's amazing.
And look, the world is scared of death.
The Bible says that in all their life,
they're subject to bondage of the fear of death.
But you know what, we should not be afraid of death
because to die is gain.
That's why I said, there's nothing you can do to me,
'cause I'm saved.
And it's like, yeah, do I wanna stay on this earth?
Yeah, is it needful for me to stay?
Yeah, I wanna see my kids grow up.
I wanna be a husband to my wife.
Hey, I wanna enjoy this life.
But here's the thing, if you kill me,
I get to meet Jesus Christ.
Praise God.
I get to see God.
I get to walk the streets of gold.
I get to meet the saints of times past.
Hey, I'm excited about heaven.
I'm looking forward to it.
And you know what, precious in the sight of the Lord
of the death of his saints, why?
Because that is the first time we get to meet our God.
That's amazing.
Let me read Revelation 14, 13.
I'll read this for you.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
right, blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth.
Yea, sayeth the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labors and their works do follow them.
Hey, pretty soon it's like if you're at the end of your life
and you're suffering, hey, I know you're suffering,
I know it's hard, but pretty soon you're gonna have rest.
Hey, pretty soon your works are going to follow you
and the Bible says blessed are the dead
that die in the Lord from henceforth.
Boy, is that contrary to the way this world thinks.
This world is so scared of death
and you know what, you should be buddy if you're not saved.
You better be terrified to die
and woe unto the idiot that doesn't care.
Woe unto the idiot where we ask them,
hey, if you were to die today,
are you 100% sure you're going to heaven?
No, I'm not sure.
Can I show you?
Ugh, I don't care.
You should be terrified.
You should be shaking every time you get in the car.
You should be terrified of death
because you know what, your death is not blessed.
The Bible says blessed are those that die in the Lord.
Why?
Because heaven awaits us.
But if you're not saved, no, no, no,
your death is not a blessing.
You're going to hell for all of eternity.
Go to Acts chapter number seven.
Look, I think that we obviously want to use our lives
as a good witness of Jesus Christ, right?
Hey, we want to use our lives to serve God.
We want to use our lives to preach the gospel.
We want to be using our lives to be a testimony
of Jesus Christ.
But I think people often underestimate the power
that saints have of the testimony of their death, right?
Hey, our life could have a lot of power
going out and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ,
being faithful, trusting God in a hard situation.
And people could see that and say, wow,
look at the power of God.
Wow, look at the glory of God.
But people could also see a Christian die well
and say, there's something different about that.
I mean, my grandmother works in hospice.
And she's told me in the stories how some Christians dying
is way different than the world dying.
And again, example with Stonewall Jackson.
I read a book about him a few years ago.
And multiple people who witnessed his death
said that he kind of had a smile on his face.
And he said, hey, let us cross over the river
under the mulberry trees.
He said something like that.
He said, hey, let's cross the river.
And he died with a smile on his face.
That's not how a lot of people are dying in this world.
How could someone die with such peace?
Because, blessed are those that die in the Lord.
Hey, I'm going to go meet Jesus.
I'm going to heaven.
I'm saved.
We can have that peace when we die.
And you know what, when we die well,
that could be a testimony to those that were left behind.
It could be a witness to God.
Why I bring this up is because I believe
that one of the things that moved the Apostle Paul,
let me remind you, one of the greatest Christians
who's ever lived, the greatest evangelist who's ever lived,
I believe one of the things that moved him the most
was the witness of Stephen's death.
You're going to Acts chapter seven.
Let me read for you, Acts 22 verse 20.
The Bible says, "And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen
was shed, I," the Apostle Paul, "I also was standing by
and consenting unto his death and kept the raiment
of them that slew him."
So notice, the Apostle Paul, years later,
What does he bring up as a significant moment of his life when thy faithful martyr Stephen died?
He was like I was there. I was consenting unto his death
You know what what Paul got to see was the faithful witness of Stephen?
He got to see a man be faithful unto death and I think that had an effect on the Apostle Paul and here's the thing
You never know who your death could affect seeing you be faithful into the end seeing you
Yeah, though you have cancer though. You're in pain though. You have mental anguish though
You're you're struggling with these things, but when you're faithful unto death, and when you say you know what God is still good
I still trust him blessed be the name of the Lord the Lord has given the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of
Lord when people see that they're gonna say hey, that's there's something different right there. That's that's impressive
What tell me more about that look at Acts chapter number seven? What did Paul see verse 51 well?
He got to see Stephen's last sermon. It says in verse 51. He's preaching at the anti-israel conference
He's preaching against the Jews, and he says he stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears boy
I hope I don't get killed at the anti-israel conference
Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do ye
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?
And they have slain them which showed before the coming of the just one of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it. So hey, he goes out preaching hard
He goes out being faithful to the Bible. He goes out calling out the Jews to the very end boy
What a way to die, you know, I love about Stephen at the end of his life
He doesn't go soft at the end of his life
You know what you see a lot of times Baptist go soft at the end of their life. They get quiet
They get scared. They don't want to fight battles. They don't want to preach against the Jews
They want to bring him into the church. They want to have the Israel flag up, you know, Stephen right to the very end
He's preaching against the synagogue of Satan. What to God I could die like that. That's great
Notice it says when they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth
But he being full of the Holy Ghost
Looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus
Standing on the right hand of God remember when I said that God will give you grace to die
Well, boy, this is giving you grace right here when hey, you're at the very end
You're about to have to endure a painful death, but heaven opens up and you see God you see Jesus at his right hand
You see the glory of God. Hey, that's the grace you need to die
well verse 56 and said behold I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing on the right hand of God
then they cried out with a loud voice and
Stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord and they cast him out of the city notice and stoned him and the witnesses
Laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul
I don't think that's a coincidence that that detail is brought in your Bible right there that when Stephen dies
Hey the clothes of those that that stone Stephen
I don't know why they're bringing him their clothes
But for whatever reason they're bringing that to who the feet of Saul who later becomes the Apostle Paul
Saul got to see Stephen preaching hard being faithful to his God being faithful to the Bible looking up to heaven
Saying hey, I see the glory of God. I see the Son of Man at his right hand and then getting stoned like a man
And just taking it and it says this in verse 60 and he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice
Lord lay not this sin to their charge boy talk about dying
Well, he's getting stoned and he's thinking about others. Hey Lord lay not this sin to their charge
You see if any of us saw someone do that think you might be moved
Oh, yeah
You think you think if someone was unsaved and they saw that you think they might be
Interested in getting saved. Oh, yeah. And so what I'm saying is hey, I don't know how you're gonna die
I don't know when you're gonna die. I don't know if it's gonna be something quick
I don't know if it's gonna be something long and painful. I wish I could tell you oh, you know, we're Christians
We're saved so we would never have to go through anything hard. No, no, here's the thing
I I hate to say this but some of us may die painful long horrible disease death
That's just the reality of life. But here's the thing if that happens
I want to be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ all the way to the end
I don't want to kill myself. Don't give me that pill doctor. Let me endure this temptation
Let me endure this suffering as a testimony to the power of God
Why because I have an eternal weight of glory waiting for me and the things that are gonna be revealed in me can't even be compared
To the struggles and trials and tribulations of this life even the cancer even being stoned
It's nothing compared to the glory that's gonna be revealed in us someday
So you might as well just take it you might as well say Lord. I don't want something horrible
Lord, please perform a miracle Lord. Please give me grace, but just like what Jesus said
Hey, if there's any other way Lord if this cup could pass from me. Nevertheless, I will be done
That's the attitude that we should have and you know if you do that and if you pray to God and say God this sucks
I don't like this. This is horrible. But God can you at least use my death to be a witness for you?
Can you at least use my death to affect someone who's not saved right?
You know, we could all do that. Even if you've lost your voice you could still do that
And look, I'm no proponent of lifestyle evangelism, but here's one exception on your deathbed
You could have a little lifestyle evangelism here
You know what? I mean if your voice has stopped to work
But you've been faithful to God unto the end that speaks volumes not saying people don't also need a audible gospel
They do but you know what we could still be a witness in that way go to second Timothy chapter number four
Second Timothy chapter number four Bible says in verse 6. This is Paul at the end of his life and think about what he saw
With Stephen he says for I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departure is at hand
I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course
I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness
Which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me it that day and not to me only
But unto all them also that love his appearing
Hey when you're near when you are nearing the end of your life you are nearing the end of the race
Finish it finish your race. Hey, he's at the end. He says I'm ready to be offered
I fought a good fight, but man, there's this crown that's waiting for me finish and get that crown
Imagine running a long race and you're right at the end and you quit that makes no sense
It's like you see videos of these people they do long races look if they have to crawl
They're gonna crawl to get across that finish line
It's like look if you're at the end of your life if you have some bad diagnosis, you know what you finish well
Don't be a coward be not afraid the Bible says be strong in the Lord in the power of his might
Hey, God's not giving us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind
You know what a sound mind is is thinking about things according to God's Word
Not just your emotions and you know what God's Word has some things to say about our death and we should feel a certain way
About our death and we shouldn't just panic. Oh, we're gonna die. You know what? Hey, let's let's have some logic here
Hey, I know you're gonna die. Calm down. All right, calm down, right?
Hey, love God fear God to the end be faithful unto death. Don't give up finish
Well, go if you would to Proverbs chapter number 24 Proverbs chapter number 24
Last thing I want to say is just an application for us now because no one in here to my knowledge is at the end
All right. I hope not and Lord willing no one in here will die for a very very long time
I pray everyone in here lives a very very long healthy life. I pray that we all would die painless short deaths in our sleep
That's what we all want, right? But here's the thing. There's a very good chance
It's a very good possibility that someone in our family
Someone that we know someone that we love could be at the end of their life and need some care need some love
Be in some bad situation have a bad
Diagnosis and how should we respond to that? Obviously it's not with giving them a death pill
Obviously it's not with taking them to the doctor and saying go ahead and put mom down. That's wicked folks
What should we do Proverbs 24 verse 11? It says if thou
Forbear means to not do something you should if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death and those that are ready
To be slain if thou sayeth behold we knew it not
Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it and he that keepeth thy soul doth not he know it and shall not
He render to every man according to his works. That's scary
Hey, you know what those that are ready to be slain those that are drawn unto death
Don't don't forbear and helping them don't forbear in giving them assistance and care and don't come at God with oh
I didn't know no. No, you know cuz I'm preaching to you right now
You better love and care for your family members that get old and need help honor thy father and mother
Which is the first?
Commandment with promise and if your mom or dad or someone you're obliged to take care of in your family or even someone you
Can take care of in this world has cancer needs help at the end of their life. You better help them
You better love them. You better work hard and provide for them. You better bathe them
You better change their diapers you better spoon feed them
You better love them unto the very end because let's let me read this again
It says does not he that pondered the heart consider it
What does that mean when you forbear to deliver people that are drawn unto death God considers what you're doing?
He's saying oh, okay. I see you not care about your dying mother
Oh, I see you not care about your father with cancer and shall not he render to every man according to his works
You reap what you sow buddy, and you want to let people die alone
Hey, you want to put mom and dad in the nursing home because you just don't care about them
You want to you know put them aside. You don't want to love them boy. I pity your old age
Hey, God can give you grace to die
Well, God can give you the strength you need to make it through your last days
Or he could make your last days painful miserable living hell because you are a piece of crap
They didn't care about your mom and your dad and so hey there are two choices before you and it's like don't be the fool
That thinks that God doesn't see I'm constantly amazed
I just feel like one of the things we're lacking in this world is the fear of God God sees you God knows your thoughts
God knows what you're doing. He knows your motivations
You better fear him and you know what if mom or dad get old and they're on their deathbed
You better take care of them to the bitter end love them be faithful to your own death
You know, why don't you be faithful to your to your brothers and sisters in Christ's death as well
Hey, if someone in this church, you know had an end of life
Incident they're at the hospital they're dying
You know what care for that person love that person go and visit that person pray for them
Hey do the meal train do everything you can look if we serve God together long enough. These things will happen
We're all pretty much in here really young
But look there's coming a day where our friends that we love right now will die and and we've seen it before
Faithful word brother Kevin. You know what this stuff is gonna happen. This is like a pre
Premeditated sermon. What is the word? I'm looking for preventative. This is a preventative sermon, right?
We want these truths deep in our heart now so that when we face these things someday
We're ready to do the right thing take care of your loved ones
Love mom and dad honor them. And you know what when you find yourself in this situation be faithful unto death
Don't kill yourself for any reason don't kill yourself when you're young. Don't kill yourself when you're old
Don't do the medically assisted suicide. Don't be euthanized serve God to the very end. Let's pray Lord
Thank you for your word God
I pray that this country would just wake up to this evil that's being accepted of medically assisted suicide and euthanasia
God, I pray that we as soul winners would give people the end-of-care life that they need which is the gospel of Jesus Christ
I pray for those that are saved that they would be faithful to you to the end that you would just give them grace
To die well that you'd help us to continue to trust in you to the very end of our lives for those who are
Have family members in this situation. I pray that we would love them and take care of them and not be selfish and God
I pray that you'd all just give us grace to make it all the way to the day of our death serving you
In Jesus name, we pray. Amen last him this evening will be number
160 him number
160 160 round him with many crowns 160 singing there starting on the first