A Message of Death (Good Friday)

Introduction

Tomorrow I will be ministering at the funeral of my own grandfather. He was a strong and vigorous man, but this did not keep him from the sad day of his death. (My Grandfather’s Clock??)

The same thing was experienced by Prophet King David, and by everyone else who is not now living. He prophesied about his body, though he was not talking about his own body, not seeing decay. Alas, this great man, a man so close in his walk with God that he is called a man after God’s own heart in the Scriptures, did himself succumb to the bitter end of death.

Today is a day we remember another death, the death of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In a few days we will have a message on his resurrection life, but today we look at the grim reality of death and the hope that was made possible by his death.

A Biblical View of Death

David: Death with Promise

In our text, Peter is preaching the Gospel for the first time after Christ’s ascension into heaven before all Jerusalem. In this sermon he is showing the Jews and Proselytes (converts to Judaism) that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was in fulfillment of the Scriptures, as was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which took the form of tongues of fire and gave the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost.

As Peter expounded the Scriptures, he mentions David’s prophetic words found in Psalm 16. Here, Peter interprets David prophesying not about himself personally, but prophesying as the King whose line would reign forever. In a word, he was talking about Jesus, the Son of David.

Peter’s point is that the words cannot describe David since he has died and indeed his tomb was still there among them. Anyone could go see the tomb where his bones lay as a testimony. One of the greatest proofs of the resurrection, however, is that the same could not be said about Jesus. His tomb could be found, but it was empty.

David was a man like any man. A human who still had sin, was still a covenant breaker like you and me, and who had original sin that caused him to die. Yes, even the greatest human King who ever lived, a ruler who could not be rivaled in his leadership or godly use of power, succumbed to sin and also died. His throne would be passed down to lesser men and all that he had accomplished in his godly reign would end. Consider even great godly men and how their legacy would eventually fade and die as they do. Wesley’s Methodism would crumble into liberal theology, as would Lutheranism. Many Calvinist churches have lost the spiritual fervor of Calvin and he is not here to correct them, for he died. The same holds true for religious leaders of other faiths. Mohommed died, Buddah died, Krishna and Joseph Smith and Confusious all met with that final reminder of our departure from God; death. As long as death remains, the effects of sin remain. Death is not only a seperation from the body, but a seperation from God. To be with God is to be alive, there is no death with God. None of God’s angels die, and no one that is fully reconciled with him dies Consider Enoch who walked with God and as a result did not die, for God took him. His walk with God was so close that even death was overcome by that deep connection with his God. But when we see religious leaders die, even the great teachers of our day like R C Sproul, we are reminded that our relationship with God is still cloudy, distant, or rather, unformed. Death still exists in this sinful, mortal realm and ultimately we must rely on the one whom David prophecies about to fix that gap and return us to the Tree of Life, the source of God’s life for us.

David speaks of a King who will overcome death at the side of God, the Holy Author of life. This is the hope that Peter preaches to us who are still plagued with this curse.

The Human Problem of Death

The Lesser, Mortal Death

It is important that, on this day of death as we remember the death of Christ, we understand the Biblical view of it.

First, we must understand that death is not natural. Human beings were originally put into the Garden of Eden, where the tree of life bloomed in fruit that secured an eternal life with God. We were created his image-bearers, and not ones that he would cycle through in the process of death, but ones that were his treasured possessions. We had free, eternal fellowship with him in this state of blissful work which yielded fruitful rewards. We had no shame, no enmity or hostility, no slavery to sin, and no death.

Second, we must come to the realization that death is a result of sin.

Genesis 3:22–24 ESV

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

As a result of our sin, our desire to control ourselves and be our own gods, we were cut off from the tree of life. The effects of it didn’t wear off right away, but it’s regenerating power would eventually leave Adam and Eve without its vitality and they would die, though nearly 1000 years old. Since then, our access to the tree of life has been cut off and we are unable to keep life going as we were meant to. In cutting us off from the tree of life, God was showing the result of our sin in that it had cut us off from the Author and Source of life.

What is Death?

Death is the end of experience in the mortal body.

Death is the destruction of the body our souls were meant to inhabit.

Death is the end of all joy and misery in this world, and without Christ the beginning of misery and fearful expectation of judgement.

Death brings meaninglessness to everything our hands do. It is the ultimate anti-climax of existence, and makes our tiny attempts to overtake God pointless.

Death is unavoidable. Though scientists seek ways to bring about immortality through AI and bio-technology, their efforts are as futile as the Tower of Babel. No one can avoid the end of existence of the body and the judgement of the soul.

Death gives way to judgement.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

The Greater, Spiritual Death

But greater even than mortal death is spiritual death. You could say that death here is just a shadow or picture of true death, the death of the soul.

Remember that death is not an end in the Christian view, but a separation. Just as death separates us from our bodies, spiritual death separates us from God. Not to live apart from God’s omniscience, but to live apart from his glory, presence, and goodness. To be separate from God means to experience only his shunning, his wrath, his displeasure, the shame of nakedness before holy eyes, the fear of everlasting hatred of an all-powerful judge. Death means separation in a relational way. People don’t realize that to be physically alive means to continue to enjoy God’s kindness. Every breath, meal, pleasure, joy, peace, comfort, and wonder that is part of the experience of living is a good gift from God, who continues to love sinners for a time. But in death there is separation from God and all of God’s kindnesses.

Spiritual Death is the end for all sinners.

Revelation 21:8 ESV

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Hell is what is described in Revelation as the Lake of Fire. This is the place where all of God’s enemies, all sinners, all of us in our natural state, are destined. We are born enemies of God, we are born detestable because we follow our own ways rather than the ways of God. No matter what your sin is, no matter how much you think it doesn’t hurt anybody, this is your destination.

Romans 3:10–12 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

If you think that you are the exception, Scripture says you are wrong and self-deceived. Lying to yourself will not get you out of this. As sure as you will die a natural death, you will die a spiritual death as well. The same sin that bars you from the Tree of Life also bars you from eternal life with God.

Spiritual Death is deserved.

Is God unfair to condemn us all to spiritual death? Not at all. Think of the most convincing villains in any story. They do not think they are the villains most of the time. They think that they are in the right, that they are doing what is best, but their heart is set on evil and overcome with selfishness which makes them the villain when their evil heart comes out in evil actions. In the story of God’s grace, we are villains. Christ called those who did not believe in him children of the devil. This applies to all in their natural state.

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Original sin is not a specific act of sin. It is a condition of sin. Original sin refers to a sin nature out of which particular sinful acts flow.

R. C. Sproul

It is important that we recognize our Guilt that is inherent in our nature. You aren’t sinful because you sin, you sin because you are sinful. Jonathan Edwards likens us in our sinful nature to a detestable spider that one may throw into the fire in disgust. Until we see ourselves this way, until we grasp just how depraved and wicked and evil we are, both in our nature and our actions, we cannot come to know God.

We know that we are children of God when we are deeply aware of sin within. I emphasise that deliberately. It is only the children of God who realise that they have a sinful nature.

Children of God, 28

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

If we are to move onto the hope we have in the death of Christ, we must first come to realize how desperately in need we are of redemption, and that can only happen when we see the reality of Spiritual Death. As the Spirit separates from the body, the soul is separated from God in spiritual death.

Hope in a World of Death

Once we’ve recognized the reality of death, especially spiritual death, and once we’ve accepted our great need for help in our sinful condition, then we can move to the hope that is found in the death we are speaking of today.

If we would live aright it must be by the contemplation of Christ’s death.

Charles Spurgeon

Hope in Christ’s Death

David died and his tomb was among those Peter is speaking to in our text, and just so Jesus, the King whom David prophesied about, also died. In fact, he had died so publicly that it was beyond denial that he had died. Peter seems to indicate that the very Jews he is talking to were involved in this death. They were the ones who, urged on by the High Priests, yelled “crucify him!” Naked, bleeding, nailed to a cross, our Lord, the God of all the universe, was killed in the most despicable and painful way that the Romans and Jews could possibly think of. His breaths were laboured, his pain excruciating, and our sin was to blame. Your sin was to blame. We are all guilty of killing the Author of Life and were we there, we would have been among them. What Peter speaks to those Jews, he speaks to you. If it were not for your sin, he would not have suffered so.

Yet it was out of love that he did this. A legion of angels were waiting for his word, yet he opened not his mouth. In this bloody picture of our Saviour on a cross, a picture that to the world seems foolish and a failure, there is hope and victory over our old nature.

There is no tribunal so magnificent, no throne so stately, no show of triumph so distinguished, no chariot so elevated, as is the gibbet on which Christ hath subdued death and the devil.

John Calvin

There is a reason that we sing such romantic songs about this device of torture and death on which Jesus died. “Jesus keep me near the cross”, “oh, the wonderful cross”, “Oh the glory of the cross”. These songs express the greatest of paradoxes: that on the cross victory was made out of apparent defeat, glory out of shame, forgiveness out of the greatest sin, salvation out of condemnation, life out of death.

As Peter points out in his sermon, his death was not permanent, his body would not see the corruption of decay. But we will wait until Sunday to explore that.

Hope for Human Death

So how can there be hope in the death of Christ on the cross? How can such a bloody picture of the death of he who was “true God of true God” be hopeful? Is it not a further reminder of the power of death? Let us look briefly at why the cross is our hope.

On the cross, the wrath of God was spent. If God’s wrath is spent on Christ, what wrath is left for you? If he was judged in your place and condemned to a cross for your sin, how can those whom Christ has taken to be his own stand accused? You have no need to fear the one you are in debt to if the balance has been paid, and so there is no fear of condemnation for those who are in Christ. The cross is a great reminder, the greatest reminder, of what we deserve for our sin. And yet, at the same time it is the assurance we have that no condemnation will ever touch those who have believed on him.

On the cross, victory was won over death and the devil.

Nothing provokes the devil like the cross.

Charles Spurgeon

The Devil was defeated as our accuser. He can no longer stand and accuse us of sin. He is like a prosecuting attourney who suddenly has no case against the accused.

He was defeated in his power. Having nations subjected to him under sin, the Kingdom of God now has the power to take his kingdom by force and establish the Kingdom of God on earth through the conversion of sinners. They are finally able to break the chains of the slavery to sin and death, and the devil has no power to stop it.

Death was defeated at the cross because there Christ took the death for all deaths.

Hebrews 2:9 ESV

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

He brought the death of death, an end to the separation of who we are and who we were meant to be. The separation from God which eternal death brings is also defeated there. While he cried “Lord why have you forsaken me?” We may be cry “Lord we are no longer forsaken.”

On the cross, God’s great love for sinners was demonstrated. We can look to the willing suffering of Christ and know that God loves us. The act of sacrifice is the greatest demonstration of Love, and Jesus sacrificed more than worlds upon worlds of wealth for us there. If you ever doubt that God loves you, look to the cross and know he does.

On the cross a New Covenant was cut. The relationship between man and God would never be the same. In the blood of Christ a new covenant was born, one in which Christ’s obedience is attributed to us and our sin was attributed to him. He clothed himself with our sin so that we can be clothed with his sinless righteousness. This righteousness makes us right before God despite the sin that we ought to die for. He who was our enemy is now the closest friend with a covenant so close, so deep, that it was carved in the flesh of God’s own Son. The relationship between the closest family member, friend, or lover could never compare to one formed in a covenant such as this.

The list can go on if we only had the time, but from these we can clearly see that the cross gives hope to those who live in the reality of death.

Why, then, does our body continue to decay, grow old and weary, and finally die? The separation from this old body of flesh is necessary, that we may, like Christ, take on a resurrected body in all newness of life. Though we will be separated from our body, we will live forever united with God. To be united to the flesh is earthly life, and to be united with God is Spiritual life. Though this body of flesh, in which sin still resides, will be destroyed our spirit will inhabit a body that will never weary or go to death, united at last with God flawlessly. All this because of a death, the death of all deaths, the death of Jesus.

Conclusion

This Good Friday, let us look upon this death carefully and thoughtfully. Let us consider carefully the weight of sin which led Christ to such a cross, the greater weight of love which caused him to willingly bear it, and the great hope there is in Christ.

But for this to be true of you, you must know Christ yourself. You must be in him, believe upon him, cast yourself humbly as a penitent sinner to his merciful feet. Have you done this? Are you continuing to do this? When was the last time you went to prayer and wondered in awe at the cross? When was the last time you looked death in the face, saw its terror and condemnation and say confidently, “I know I’m a sinner who deserves death and hell and every bad thing, but there is one who died in my place on the cross; Jesus Christ the Righteous Son of God. In him I have no condemnation. In him, death has lost its sting, in him I have life.