Yes, the sun is a star and a big one it is. And, it is very old. Probably around 5 billion years old just like the Earth.

The sun is extremely hot and dense at its center and has to be to support its own weight. Gas at high temperatures can exert a very strong pressure, and its this that holds up the suns outer layers. Deep in the suns hot and dense core, hydrogen atoms are fused together into helium atoms. A helium atom has less mass then the hydrogen energy from which it was created and this missing mass turns into energy. A very small amount of hydrogen can produce immense amounts of energy, and thats why the sun can keep shining for billions of years. Scientists think that the sun not only has been brightening over time, but that will has about another five billion years of life left to you.
When the sun has burnt up all its gases, there are still reserves of hydrogen in the layers that surround the core, and that core will heat the shell of hydrogen. Eventually, the shell will get hot enough to fuse the hydrogen to the helium and there will be a release of energy. At that time, the source of energy will no longer be a massive core but a shell on the surface. While the end may be drawing near for the sun, it will arrange its internal structure once again, and will contract back and will give off ten times the the light and heat we know now. There wont be a dramatic explosion. The death will be subdued and it will be a big lump of dust and soot.

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