But so also shall we go out of this world. In the last moment, we shall not be able to propel ourselves across the threshold of time into eternity. We shall not be able to hold up the moment of death. We shall not be able to determine where we go, that is determined by the Lord, in the light of our spiritual state or condition. If we have despised the Lord all our lives, we shall not be able to somehow redirect our souls away from hell, and into heaven. No matter how strong we may have been and powerful and rich and influential, when the stroke of death comes, we are as powerless to govern our exit from this world as we were powerless to govern our entry into the world. So it reminds us of these things. When we come into the world, we are carried about. When we go out of the world, we are carried by the force and the power of death, or if we are saved we are carried by the angels of God into the presence of the living God. You cannot argue with God: ‘Oh, but I shouldn't be going in this direction. I should be going in that direction.’ No, that is impossible. But whichever happens to us, we must be carried. When we come into this world, we are out of our depth. We do not know what is happening to us. We cannot appreciate what is happening to us. The baby coming out of the mother's womb doesn't say to itself, this is an interesting journey; the baby is bemused; intellect hasn't formed yet. When we go out of this world, we shall be out equally of our depth. Things will be happening to us which we do not understand. Of course, if we are Christian believers and we love the Lord, we shall have some insight into the wonderful things that will happen to us in the hereafter, but only some. Even believers will be out of their depth. The half hasn't been told us and we shall see and grasp and understand things we never dreamed of. All the tiny baby can do is cry out in pain or out of hunger; the tiny babe cannot reason.
And when you go out of the world, you will take nothing with you. When you came into the world, you didn't bring riches with you. You didn't bring with you fame. You came as zero, as nothing. Your whole life was in front of you. You had to make your way. You had to be brought up and then schooled and trained perhaps to make your way in business, or in academic life, whatever it was. You had to make your mark or your impression. You started with zero and when you go into the next life, you will be stripped back to zero again. As far as earthly things are concerned, only spiritual things will go with you if you have it. Spiritual life will go with you, so you better have that. Spiritual values and appreciations and experiences will go with you, so you better have that. Your spiritual fruits will go with you, maybe not at the same time, but it will follow you – those you have brought to the Lord, and those you have been a blessing to and all those gains. Your spiritual fruits will one day be seen in heaven, but nothing earthly will go with you. You will leave your body mouldering in the grave. You will leave your wealth, your substance, your so-called reputation. That doesn't mean a thing to God. ‘Oh Lord, do I not deserve a place in heaven? I was managing director of the company.’ That means nothing. You are stripped down to nothing. ‘Oh, but I was a major general in the armed forces.’ You have no rank in heaven. You have no baronets, knighthoods. You have no worth, nothing except your standing, if you have it, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That's all you take with you. How small we are! How dependent upon the kindness of God, upon the glorious work of our Saviour.
What do earthly things matter? At the beginning of this present life they count for nothing. Neither are they the things that will stand for all eternity. Let's have spiritual priorities. Let's keep earthly things, physical things, in proportion. Always say of your possessions, ‘These things will go.’ Always say of your career, ‘This will go.’ Always say of your home, all material things, ‘These things will vanish away.’ What matters is spiritual fruit, spiritual life and experience. These are the only things that we take with us.