The Cure for Death

(NLT)

Mark 16:14–20 ESV

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

(NLT)

I. The Diagnosis.

(NLT)

“[God] calls them to their station and situation in life, so that things like marriage or singleness, location, and vocation are no longer seen as incidental or random, but as holy callings from God ()… Every believer is called simultaneously to salvation, to holiness, to freedom, to station and situation in life, to suffering, and to service in the church and to the world… Every believer, without exception, has been called to all the things listed above. The question, then, is not whether someone has been called to fulfill the Great Commission, but rather how and where they have been called to do so. ” (excerpt from How Do I Know I’m Called to Missions With the IMB?)

What: Go/Proclaim the Gospel

Every believer is called simultaneously to salvation, to holiness, to freedom, to station and situation in life, to suffering, and to service in the church and to the world. ” (excerpt from How Do I Know I’m Called to Missions With the IMB?)

When: Now

We’ve been given a terminal diagnosis. God’s Word tells us that “sin came into the world through [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (). We all have this condition. We all share the same fate. Death.

12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Where: All the world

He calls them to their station and situation in life, so that things like marriage or singleness, location, and vocation are no longer seen as incidental or random, but as holy callings from God ().

12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

Who: [You]

18Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

The answer is yes. Some of us will be called to go here, some to go there. But we are all called to consciously be on mission.

18Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by rebelling against God’s command, he doomed all of mankind. Every one of us, no matter how dark or light our skin, no matter what kind of accent we speak with, share a common trait we inherited from Adam: sinfulness.

Why:

To Whom: The Whole Creation

Why:

20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

David, the King of Israel, wrote this: “I was born a sinner… from the moment my mother conceived me” (). You’re not a sinner because you sin; you sin because you’re a sinner.

The “as you go” understanding of the Great Commission can be a double-edged sword. When rightly understood, it serves as a great encouragement for us to be aware that everywhere we are, we’re on God’s Mission. When understood incorrectly, it can be used as an excuse to refrain from sharing the good news.

20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Cure for Death

II. The Prognosis.

The Cure for Death

I. The Diagnosis.

Scripture also tells us what our prognosis is: “the time is coming,” says Jesus, “when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” ().

I. The Diagnosis.

We’ve been given a terminal diagnosis. God’s Word tells us that “sin came into the world through [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (). We all have this condition. We all share the same fate. Death.

1 Corinthians 9:19 ESV

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

We’ve been given a terminal diagnosis. God’s Word tells us that “sin came into the world through [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (). We all have this condition. We all share the same fate. Death.

I think most of us can basically discern the meaning of the phrase “continue in evil,” but what about this phrase: “those who have done good”? If you’ve been around here for any amount of time you probably know that we not only don’t teach salvation by works, but we go so far as to say that a works-based salvation is a false gospel. So what does that mean: “those who have done good”? You can’t do good enough or do enough good to save yourself.

We’ll get into that in a bit more detail later, but for the time being, I want us to consider this universal diagnosis (death), and our prognosis, or the result of either receiving the prescribed treatment or neglecting to do so.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by rebelling against God’s command, he doomed all of mankind. Every one of us, no matter how dark or light our skin, no matter what kind of accent we speak with, share a common trait we inherited from Adam: sinfulness.

Not Evangelizing Is a Sin (The Great Omission)

David, the King of Israel, wrote this: “I was born a sinner… from the moment my mother conceived me” (). You’re not a sinner because you sin; you sin because you’re a sinner.

But in order to do so, we’re going to need to talk about the treatment; the medicine; the cure. I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this point. The cure for death is the gospel—the good news of what Jesus Christ has done. He came into the world to save sinners, and I’m worse than you! Look at the person next to you and say, “I’m worse than you.” “But Jesus cured me.”

What - Telling About What Jesus Has Done

David, the King of Israel, wrote this: “I was born a sinner… from the moment my mother conceived me” (). You’re not a sinner because you sin; you sin because you’re a sinner.

II. The Prognosis.

I’d like to make a recommendation that when you would normally use the term “saved,” try replacing it with “cured.” Sometimes a change in the language we use causes people to stop and listen. And would you believe there are those who when they hear us say we’re “saved” stop listening?

II. The Prognosis.

When -

Scripture also tells us what our prognosis is: “the time is coming,” says Jesus, “when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” ().

Where - Here, There, and Everywhere

I also want to let you know today that if you’ve received the treatment, if you’ve been given the cure for death, you’ve also been recruited into Medical School. Now you’re not the doctor, I’m not the doctor—Jesus is the doctor. But everyone here who’s been given the cure for death is at the very least called by God to administer the medicine.

Scripture also tells us what our prognosis is: “the time is coming,” says Jesus, “when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” ().

So let’s talk for a minute about the medicine so we’re clear about what it is exactly we’re gonna be administering.

Why -

I think most of us can basically discern the meaning of the phrase “continue in evil,” but what about this phrase: “those who have done good”? If you’ve been around here for any amount of time you probably know that we not only don’t teach salvation by works, but we go so far as to say that a works-based salvation is a false gospel. So what does that mean: “those who have done good”? You can’t do good enough or do enough good to save yourself.

We’ll get into that in a bit more detail later, but for the time being, I want us to consider this universal diagnosis (death), and our prognosis, or the result of either receiving the prescribed treatment or neglecting to do so.

III. The Medicine. ()

But in order to do so, we’re going to need to talk about the treatment; the medicine; the cure. I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this point. The cure for death is the gospel—the good news of what Jesus Christ has done. He came into the world to save sinners, and I’m worse than you! Look at the person next to you and say, “I’m worse than you.” “But Jesus cured me.”

Eugene Peterson, a wonderful pastor who passed away this past week, paraphrased like this: “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.”

I’d like to make a recommendation that when you would normally use the term “saved,” try replacing it with “cured.” Sometimes a change in the language we use causes people to stop and listen. And would you believe there are those who when they hear us say we’re “saved” stop listening?

Do you see this? Jesus is the remedy. Jesus is the medicine. Jesus is the cure. Paul doesn’t say, “Adam mucked it up pretty bad, but if you can just muster up enough good thoughts and be nice to enough people, you can undo it!” NO! Paul gives us one hope: Jesus.

I also want to let you know today that if you’ve received the treatment, if you’ve been given the cure for death, you’ve also been recruited into Medical School. Now you’re not the doctor, I’m not the doctor—Jesus is the doctor. But everyone here who’s been given the cure for death is at the very least called by God to administer the medicine.

You’re either in Adam, or in Christ. Everyone who is born is descended from Adam. If something doesn’t change, we will eventually die. Are you sensing the gravity of this? And we’re not given several options to choose from here.

So let’s talk for a minute about the medicine so we’re clear about what it is exactly we’re gonna be administering.

Sometimes when we’re diagnosed with something physically, we’re given a couple of options. The doctor might say something like, “We’ve discussed your diagnosis. We’ve got a couple of choices for treatment. You can take this pill, you can undergo radiation, or we can try to address the problem surgically.” But with the spiritual condition we’re talking about, you don’t get to choose Jesus or something else and live. If you wanna live, it’s Jesus or nothing!

So let’s talk for a minute about the medicine so we’re clear about what it is exactly we’re gonna be administering.

III. The Medicine. ()

We’re inclined though to think we can work our way to God. There’s a word for that. It’s called “legalism.” And not only will it not save you. It will push you further and further away from God’s goodness and his kindness because it tries to stand in the place where only Christ’s righteousness can stand. You know what God says about your so-called “good” works in place of Christ’s? Filthy rags.

III. The Medicine. ()

III. The Medicine.

III. The Medicine. ()

Eugene Peterson paraphrased like this: “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.”

Eugene Peterson, a wonderful pastor who passed away this past week, paraphrased like this: “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.”

However… this is not an excuse to just do whatever you wanna do. I love the quote, and I know many of you will have heard it before. Dallas Willard says, “The Gospel is not opposed to effort, but to earning.” We can’t earn God’s love by trying hard enough, but if we’re not making an effort to show thankfulness for his grace, there’s a good chance we haven’t been cured. There’s a chance we haven’t been brought from death to life like talks about.

Do you see this? Jesus is the remedy. Jesus is the medicine. Jesus is the cure. Paul doesn’t say, “Adam mucked it up pretty bad, but if you can just muster up enough good thoughts and be nice to enough people, you can undo it!” NO! Paul gives us one hope: Jesus.

Look at this with me. This is how the Apostle Paul speaks about what it looks like when someone has been given the cure for death: “8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” ().

Do you see this? Jesus is the remedy. Jesus is the medicine. Jesus is the cure. Paul doesn’t say, “Adam mucked it up pretty bad, but if you can just muster up enough good thoughts and be nice to enough people, you can undo it!” NO! Paul gives us one hope: Jesus.

You’re either in Adam, or in Christ. Everyone who is born is descended from Adam. If something doesn’t change, we will eventually die. Are you sensing the gravity of this? And we’re not given several options to choose from here.

We’re not saved by the good things we do. But those good things are the absolute guarantee of the good thing he’s done for us.

Sometimes when we’re diagnosed with something physically, we’re given a couple of options. The doctor might say something like, “We’ve discussed your diagnosis. We’ve got a couple of choices for treatment. You can take this pill, you can undergo radiation, or we can try to address the problem surgically.” But with the spiritual condition we’re talking about, you don’t get to choose Jesus or something else and live. If you wanna live, it’s Jesus or nothing!

We’re inclined though to think we can work our way to God. There’s a word for that. It’s called “legalism.” And not only will it not save you. It will push you further and further away from God’s goodness and his kindness because it tries to stand in the place where only Christ’s righteousness can stand. You know what God says about your so-called “good” works in place of Christ’s? Filthy rags.

1. Not legalism

We’re inclined though to think we can work our way to God. There’s a word for that. It’s called “legalism.” And not only will it not save you. It will push you further and further away from God’s goodness and his kindness because it tries to stand in the place where only Christ’s righteousness can stand. You know what God says about your so-called “good” works in place of Christ’s? Filthy rags.

However… this is not an excuse to just do whatever you wanna do. I love the quote, and I know many of you will have heard it before. Dallas Willard says, “The Gospel is not opposed to effort, but to earning.” We can’t earn God’s love by trying hard enough, but if we’re not making an effort to show thankfulness for his grace, there’s a good chance we haven’t been cured. There’s a chance we haven’t been brought from death to life like talks about.

a. Not saved by, but unto good works

However… this is not an excuse to just do whatever you wanna do. I love the quote, and I know many of you will have heard it before. Dallas Willard says, “The Gospel is not opposed to effort, but to earning.” We can’t earn God’s love by trying hard enough, but if we’re not making an effort to show thankfulness for his grace, there’s a good chance we haven’t been cured. There’s a chance we haven’t been brought from death to life like talks about.

Look at this with me. This is how the Apostle Paul speaks about what it looks like when someone has been given the cure for death: “8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” ().

i. Baptism

We’re not saved by the good things we do. But those good things are the absolute guarantee of the good thing he’s done for us.

ii. Prayer

We’re not saved by the good things we do. But those good things are the absolute guarantee of the good thing he’s done for us.

Are we cured by being baptized? No! But because Jesus tells us to be baptized, it’s necessary for obedience for us to be baptized. See the difference?

iii. Evangelism (more on this later)

Are we cured by prayer? This one might be a little tricky. Not intentionally. I want us to wrestle with questions like this. You might say, “Yeah, we have to pray for God to save us.” Do we? Or, like baptism, does prayer follow God’s work? Remember, Scripture describes us as “dead because of our disobedience and many sins.” I’ve asked before: what can a dead man do? Nothing! So if you’re asking in prayer for God to forgive you, you know what that means? That means you’ve, as Paul says in , been made “alive together with Christ!” This is important to understand. We respond to God when he gives gives us a heart transplant. It’s not the other way around!

b. Fight the urge to bind the conscience of others

And just as prayer and being baptized are the necessary result of being given the cure for death, so is telling others about the cure. Doing so doesn’t make God love us anymore, but not doing so says something about our standing with God. If God has in fact brought you out of darkness and into his marvelous light, you’re not gonna leave others in that darkness.

2. Not licentiousness

IV. The Obligation

IV. The Obligation.

Imagine you’re walking to your mailbox and you hear someone screaming for help. Not only is it pretty likely you’ll stop and look around to figure out who’s yelling and where they are, you’ll probably also do whatever you can to help them. This is basic human instinct. There’s something innate in us that empathizes with the person in need of help. Because we would want others to do the same for us if the roles were reversed.

A. Withholding physical medicine is unethical

Imagine you’re walking to your mailbox and you hear someone screaming for help. Not only is it pretty likely you’ll stop and look around to figure out who’s yelling and where they are, you’ll probably also do whatever you can to help them. This is basic human instinct. There’s something innate in us that empathizes with the person in need of help. Because we would want others to do the same for us if the roles were reversed.

Let me take this analogy a couple steps further. Imagine a few years ago, you were in a house fire. And that was you screaming for help. And someone came to your rescue. A firefighter, a passerby, someone heard you and helped you. Fast forward to today: how awful and inexcusable would it be for you to ignore the cries of someone else in need.

B. Withholding the gospel is a sin

Here’s the reality of the situation: we have friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, people around us all day everyday who are simply unaware they’re in a burning house. If you choose not to tell them because you’re afraid of what they might think of you, I’ve got some bad news for you: you don’t actually believe what Jesus has said.

1. “As you go”

Here’s the reality of the situation: we have friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, people around us all day everyday who are simply unaware they’re in a burning house. If you choose not to tell them because you’re afraid of what they might think of you, I’ve got some bad news for you: you don’t actually believe what Jesus has said.

Now listen, I’m not trying to be spiritually superior to you in this. I struggle with this. I don’t share the good news as often as God gives me opportunities. That’s something to repent of. That’s something for us to ask God together to help us grow in. God, make us a church that loves to tell people about you!

a. Double-edged sword

Now listen, I’m not trying to be spiritually superior to you in this. I struggle with this. I don’t share the good news as often as God gives me opportunities. That’s something to repent of. That’s something for us to ask God together to help us grow in. God, make us a church that loves to tell people about you!

I don’t want to just lay that on you and not offer something practical for us to work on together. So let’s take the last few minutes of this message to look at some ways we can tell others about the cure.

i. An excuse

After Jesus had been resurrected, he gave the disciples what we call “the Great Commission.” It’s familiar to many of us, but let’s hear it again to refresh our memories and maybe this is new to some of us: “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” ().

ii. An encouragement

After Jesus had been resurrected, he gave the disciples what we call “the Great Commission.” It’s familiar to many of us, but let’s hear it again to refresh our memories and maybe this is new to some of us: “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” ().

This passage is the foundation for what we call “evangelism.” The word evangelism comes from the Greek word for Good News. So, as those who have been given the cure for death, we’re tasked with taking that cure to anyone and everyone we cross paths with.

2. Administering the treatment

We’ve talked here before about that phrase, “Therefore, go…” For years I understood that to refer to going to other countries as a missionary. Makes sense kind of, doesn’t it? Because right after that Jesus says, “…and make disciples of all the nations.” The problem with that is that there are people right here in American who need the cure just as much as those in foreign lands. So I found it extremely helpful when in recent history, a pastor friend of mine showed me that the command to “go” can be understood as the command to share the good news “as you go,” wherever you go!

a. We’re not the doctor; Jesus is

We’ve talked here before about that phrase, “Therefore, go…” For years I understood that to refer to going to other countries as a missionary. Makes sense kind of, doesn’t it? Because right after that Jesus says, “…and make disciples of all the nations.” The problem with that is that there are people right here in American who need the cure just as much as those in foreign lands. So I found it extremely helpful when in recent history, a pastor friend of mine showed me that the command to “go” can be understood as the command to share the good news “as you go,” wherever you go!

But this is a bit of a double-edged sword. I’ve done this and I’ve seen others do it as well. We take that interpretation of the command to go and un-thoughtfully turn it into an excuse to refrain from actually using our words to tell the gospel. We can’t do that! That turns the Great Commission on its head and completely ignores what Jesus is commanding here! He doesn’t say just show, but, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

b. Blessed to be a blessing

(NLT)

It would frankly be a little weird if I just got on this platform this morning and pantomimed for 30 or 40 minutes, wouldn’t it? To teach, we do what God has done… we speak.

So no, we’re not all going to serve as missionaries overseas. No, we’re not all called to be pastors (though some of you may be). But we are all called share the cure with others who need it. Who else needs it? Everybody you cross paths with. The cashier and the grocery store. Grandma. The bus-boy at the restaurant. Frank. Your Über driver. Your boss.

12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

We’ve been blessed to be a blessing. We’ve been given the cure for death

18Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

We’ve been blessed to be a blessing. We’ve been given the cure for death. But sometimes I think we sense that we might have an opportunity to share the good news, but we feel ill-equipped to even try. So I want to pass along a couple helpful tools.

Spiritual Chumming

20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

#1 - Greg Laurie, a pastor in southern California, in his book Tell Someone gives a helpful idea he calls “spiritual chumming.” This idea comes from the world of fishing. Any fishermen here ever gone “chumming”? Basically it’s just throwing something into the water to attract the fish. So applying this to the concept of what Jesus calls being “fishers of men,” Greg says to “Make a spiritual point and see if they respond.” He says to try “[mentioning] that God answered a prayer for you or blessed you, or say something like, ‘Has anyone ever told you that there is a God in heaven who loves you?’” This approach is intended simply to open a dialog. If they respond by asking what you mean or even by challenging you on it, this is an open door to hear their story and express the love of Christ to them where they are.

The Cure for Death

I. The Diagnosis.

3 Circles

We’ve been given a terminal diagnosis. God’s Word tells us that “sin came into the world through [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (). We all have this condition. We all share the same fate. Death.

Now maybe you’re at that point, but you’re not entirely sure how to express the gospel clearly. This is where an approach called “3 Circles” may be helpful. I borrow this from the North American Mission Board.

Circle #1 - Begin with “God’s Design.” God has a design for our lives, and this design covers every area of life—family, marriage, sex, work, money. But as I said a few moments ago, as children of Adam, we naturally want to rebel against God’s Design.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by rebelling against God’s command, he doomed all of mankind. Every one of us, no matter how dark or light our skin, no matter what kind of accent we speak with, share a common trait we inherited from Adam: sinfulness.

David, the King of Israel, wrote this: “I was born a sinner… from the moment my mother conceived me” (). You’re not a sinner because you sin; you sin because you’re a sinner.

Circle #2 - The word for this rebellion is “sin” and this sin leads us away from God’s Design into a place of “Brokenness.” This brokenness is real, it hurts, it’s awful, and it’s our connection point to everyone we meet and our in-road to share the cure for brokenness. And look, brokenness isn’t just due to our own actions, but also the actions of others—starting with Adam right up until this very moment. We find ourselves in this place and it might look like depression, or addiction to drugs or pornography, it may be a fractured relationship. And very naturally, we want so badly to find a way out of our brokenness. But we end up just circling within our brokenness when the way we try to get out is through more and more sin.

II. The Prognosis.

Circle #3 - Rather than just sinning more, which leads to being even more broken, the Bible gives us the way back to God, and that is, as we’ve discussed today, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And the means he uses to bring us back is through what the Bible calls “repentance,” or “change.” Something changes in us, and we turn and run away from the sin that we embraced in our brokenness. And this is where you can share what Jesus has done—“The Good News/The Gospel/The Cure.” Why repent? Because God loves sinners like this: we hated and rebelled against God. And because of that, we deserved death. But in his kindness, he sent his only son to live a completely sinless life. We could never do that, because we’re born sinners. And then he was murdered in the most painful and humiliating way, by being beaten, stripped, and nailed to a wooden cross. That’s what we deserved. But he did it in our place. And if you will come to him in faith, his sinlessness is credited to your account, and your sinfulness is placed upon him. And three days after he was murdered, he was resurrected—he was raised to life again. That’s good news for us. That is the cure! Because by being raised from the dead, Jesus proved that he could do what he said he could do—and that includes forgiving us of our sin. And he proved he was who he said he was—God with us.

Scripture also tells us what our prognosis is: “the time is coming,” says Jesus, “when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” ().

And what’s amazing is that a transformation happens in our life when we repent and believe this good news. God gives us a new desire and an ability to “recover and pursue” God’s design. And part of that design is to send us back out into a broken world to share the cure with the lost and dying all around us.

Invite Nonbelievers to Church

I think most of us can basically discern the meaning of the phrase “continue in evil,” but what about this phrase: “those who have done good”? If you’ve been around here for any amount of time you probably know that we not only don’t teach salvation by works, but we go so far as to say that a works-based salvation is a false gospel. So what does that mean: “those who have done good”? You can’t do good enough or do enough good to save yourself.

A last, and pretty low-pressure tool I want to equip you with is simply to invite nonbelievers to attend church with you. The Barna Research Group shows that nearly half of the unchurched in America would attend a worship service if they were simply invited by a friend. So let’s be inviters.

We’ll get into that in a bit more detail later, but for the time being, I want us to consider this universal diagnosis (death), and our prognosis, or the result of either receiving the prescribed treatment or neglecting to do so.

We have the cure for death. It would be selfish and frankly hateful for us to keep it to ourselves.

But in order to do so, we’re going to need to talk about the treatment; the medicine; the cure. I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this point. The cure for death is the gospel—the good news of what Jesus Christ has done. He came into the world to save sinners, and I’m worse than you! Look at the person next to you and say, “I’m worse than you.” “But Jesus cured me.”

I’d like to make a recommendation that when you would normally use the term “saved,” try replacing it with “cured.” Sometimes a change in the language we use causes people to stop and listen. And would you believe there are those who when they hear us say we’re “saved” stop listening?

I also want to let you know today that if you’ve received the treatment, if you’ve been given the cure for death, you’ve also been recruited into Medical School. Now you’re not the doctor, I’m not the doctor—Jesus is the doctor. But everyone here who’s been given the cure for death is at the very least called by God to administer the medicine.

So let’s talk for a minute about the medicine so we’re clear about what it is exactly we’re gonna be administering.

III. The Medicine. ()

Eugene Peterson, a wonderful pastor who passed away this past week, paraphrased like this: “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.”

Do you see this? Jesus is the remedy. Jesus is the medicine. Jesus is the cure. Paul doesn’t say, “Adam mucked it up pretty bad, but if you can just muster up enough good thoughts and be nice to enough people, you can undo it!” NO! Paul gives us one hope: Jesus.

You’re either in Adam, or in Christ. Everyone who is born is descended from Adam. If something doesn’t change, we will eventually die. Are you sensing the gravity of this? And we’re not given several options to choose from here.

Sometimes when we’re diagnosed with something physically, we’re given a couple of options. The doctor might say something like, “We’ve discussed your diagnosis. We’ve got a couple of choices for treatment. You can take this pill, you can undergo radiation, or we can try to address the problem surgically.” But with the spiritual condition we’re talking about, you don’t get to choose Jesus or something else and live. If you wanna live, it’s Jesus or nothing!

1. Not legalism

a. Not saved by, but unto good works

i. Baptism

ii. Prayer

iii. Evangelism (more on this later)

b. Fight the urge to bind the conscience of others

2. Not licentiousness

IV. The Obligation

A. Withholding physical medicine is unethical

B. Withholding the gospel is a sin

1. “As you go”

a. Double-edged sword

i. An excuse

ii. An encouragement

2. Administering the treatment

a. We’re not the doctor; Jesus is

b. Blessed to be a blessing

The Cure for Death

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

The Cure (The Gospel)

The Cure for Death

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“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

The Cure (The Gospel)