2019 4/21 Easter The Death of Death

The Death of Death (I Cor 15:20-28) April 21, 2019 Read I Cor 15:20-28 – I Cor 15 – the great resurrection chapter. Last year we saw the awful implications if resurrection’s not true in vv. 12-19. Today, we’ll see the sweeping implications of the fact that it is true! When asked what epitaph he wanted on his tombstone, Dustin Hoffman, said, “I knew this was going to happen.” Clever – but true. Death is the one certainty that awaits all us. And we’re powerless to stop it. So how could Jesus say, Jn 11:26: “And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die”? Radical, yes. But also just plain stupid. We’re all going to die and that’s that. But before we write Jesus off, we might consider He often knew more than the average person. Perhaps He was coming at it from a different angle. You see, all human attempts to deal with death make this assumption. They assume that death is a purely physical issue; thus, while it may be delayed, the normal decay and degeneration that is part of the human experience will inevitably catch up with us like it has all who have gone before, and we will die. But what if death is not merely a physical issue? What if it is also a spiritual issue? Might a different perspective help? Famous experiment. A Swarthmore prof asked his students to get a ping-pong ball from the bottom of an upright rusty pipe. They had hammer, pliers, rulers, soda straw, pins and a bucket of dirty water to work with. Eventually a few saw the solution – pour the water in and let it float to the top. A repeat that replaced the dirty water with a pitcher of ice water surrounded by goblets – not one student solved. Everyone knows ice water if for drinking. And everyone knows death is a physical necessity. But Jesus was it differently. To understand His comment, we have to start at the very beginning where we will find a different perspective on the cause of death, and therefore insight into its solution. God’s fascinating view of history. I. Paradise Lost (The Origin of Death) Naturalism assumes that death just is – always has been, always will be. The Bible tells a different story. 21) “For as by a man came death.” What man was that? 22 For as in Adam all die.” To explain Jesus’ resurrection, Paul starts at the very beginning where the only one who was actually there – God – tells us man was not the result of evolutionary processes, but was, rather, a direct creation – made special by the fact that he was made in the image of God. Further, we find mankind did not stumble into intelligent existence out of a brutal dog-eat-dog world, but was originally placed by his Creator in a Garden of perfection. Everything he needed, including food of every kind, satisfying work to do and a companion suitable to him, and he to her, was provided. They were in the lap of luxury and satisfaction. Paradise. But to show their love for God, and to move from innocence to perfection, they were given a test, a little one. Hardly worthy of the name. But they were warned the consequences of failure would be devastating. Gen 2:16b-17: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die [dying you shall die].” And that’s just what happened. Now, was it spiritual death or physical death that was the penalty? Answer – both. They immediately suffered spiritual death -- separation from God. Gen 3: 8) “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Sweet fellowship with God turned into hiding from God – separation – spiritual death. But they also died physically – not by just keeling over. But the moment their heart went after the forbidden fruit, physical decay set in. The first cell in their body began the disintegration process. They began to age. The death forces of nature were set in motion. There was no going back. Physical death was inevitable. Augustine said, “Before the fall, Adam was able to sin or not to sin; after the fall, he was not able not to sin.” If you think sin is a small thing, you’ve only to look to Adam and Eve. Sin violates an infinite Creator. And not only did they die, their descendants died as well. As our head, Adam’s failure was our failure. 22 For as in Adam all die.” The Bible says in Rom 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Sin, death, the loss of paradise –all part of the same devastating package. Every physical, emotional and spiritual disability traces back to the fall of Adam. The decaying Adam could only pass on decaying flesh to all his descendants. Thus every newborn begins to die the moment it is born. The sinful Adam could only pass on the sin nature that was now at the core of his being. So David says in Psa 51:5: “In sin did my mother conceive me.” Physical and spiritual death is our heritage from Father Adam, the result of original sin. Now, sin is a forbidden word these days – often, even in churches. But our whole experience begs that question. Otto Rank says, “The neurotic type suffers from a consciousness of sin just as much as did his religious ancestor, without believing in the conception of sin. This is precisely what makes him “neurotic”; he feels a sinner without the religious belief in sin.” G. K. Chesterton nailed it: “Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Xn theology which can really be proved.” Exactly! Sin is real; death is the proof. Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. II. Paradise Regained (The Death of Death) Naturalism sees death purely in physical terms. It just is – always has been, always will be. But God says differently. It is not purely physical; it is the result of spiritual failure. Death isn’t just is – it is a consequence. So can it be reversed by some spiritual means? Great question – and the Bible says, “Yes!” At that original sin, God was immediately on the scene. He pronounced judgment on all the participants. But in the middle of those judgments was unbelievable hope. In judging the serpent – Satan who according to Rev 20:2 was that “ancient serpent”, God says in Gen 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Just at the time of the first deadly sin, there is the promise of a redeemer – one who will injured by Satan, but who will ultimately destroy him. And we know who that seed is! Gal 4:4: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman.” Jesus promised in Gen 3:15; delivered at Jesus’ birth! As the 2nd Adam, he sets out to reverse all the first Adam messed up. Heb 2:14: “Since therefore the children (mankind) share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] himself partook of the same things (flesh and blood), that thru death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” A masterplan of astounding beauty. To Eve He promises a seed who will undo the sin and evil brought on by the fall. His heel will be bruised; but he will bruise the head of the enemy. Just exactly what happened at the cross. In plotting Jesus’ death there, Satan killed himself. For the perfect lamb of God was paying sin’s penalty, thus removing the death sentence releasing from guilt all who believe. And the proof of all this? The resurrection. This is why the resurrection is so crucial. If He’s not alive, Satan did win. If He can’t defeat death Himself, how can He help anyone else? 20 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Sweet words? A man got us into this mess; a greater man got us out! The resurrection proves it! The grave is empty; the body is gone; life is restored – and that changes everything. His death is the death of death; it’s paradise regained. His resurrection proves it. And look! He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (20). Like the first onion or carrot out of the field promises more to come, so Jesus back from the dead promises more to come. All who have “fallen asleep”. That’s how the NT describes the dead in Christ. Xns who have died haven’t really died. II Cor 5:8: “Absent from the body; present with the Lord.” Jesus promised the thief in Lu 23:43: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This is the death of death. At the cross, God took death, turned it back on itself and destroyed it forever. Jesus’ words are true: Jn 11:26: “And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Paradise regained for believers. Death is dead bc He lives. In Westminster Abbey, you’d find buried many of England’s famous statesmen. William Wilberforce is one who spent his whole career fighting slavery in England – dying just three days after passage of the Slavery Abolition Acts 1833. He loved Jesus. His epitaph: “Tis death is dead, not he.” He got it right. Either Jesus is dead, or death is dead. Praise God, “Tis death is dead, not he.” The moment sin was paid for, death died. III. Paradise Restored (The Banishment of Death) So, if death is dead, why do people still die? Well, the last thing Jesus told His disciples astounding: Mt 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Just 3 years prior, He’d been a simple carpenter in a nowhere place, whom few had ever heard of. “Now,” He says, “I’ve got all power and all authority to do anything and to control anything whether its on earth or even in heaven.” That’s breathtaking! Mindboggling. But after His sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus’ mission to planet earth is nearly complete, and the Father has placed everything under his control. So why doesn’t it look like it? Why does it appear that He just fled the scene? Heb 2:8b answers: “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. [BUT] At present, we do not YET see everything in subjection to him.” He’s got all authority, but for His own greater purposes, He’s not showing His full hand. But the end hasn’t been written yet. The story is not complete. We need to know the rest of the story. We’re like a football game where the Broncos are ahead 56-0 with 2 minutes left. The game is decided. The victory’s won, but they have to play it out to the end. So what is the rest of the story? 24) “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” Paul’s saying the full benefits of His victory at the cross aren’t fully realized, until He delivers the fully formed kingdom to God the Father – after He “destroys every rule and every authority and power.” The word “destroy” (καταργέω) means “to invalidate, to render powerless, to abolish, wipe out.” Rule, authority and power refers to demonic powers in this context. I Jn 3:9 tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” He did that – by His death on the cross at His first coming. The victory was won there and then. So, why is there still physical death? Docs at Good Samaritan Med Center in Phoenix get several patients who are bitten by rattlesnakes who were dead. Sometimes they have been shot and their heads cut off, but the snake head retains a reflex action for up to 60 minutes after decapitation! That is just like Satan and his demons – defeated at the cross, no chance of ultimate survival – yet, in God’s providence and for His glory, they have striking power for a time. But the end is coming. 24 “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Death is the last enemy to go. When? 27 “For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘all things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that he [the Father] is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. [the Father is the only exception to things subject to Jesus] 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [the Father] who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” Jesus’ finest hour, when He has completed His mission of reversing completely the effects of the fall and establishing God’s rule over all who love Him; all else banished forever from His presence. Details of these future events are in Rev 19:11 thru chapter 20. Jesus comes again bringing judgment this time against all who reject Him: Rev 19:11: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” In Rev 20:2, Satan is “bound for 1,000 years” as Jesus rules in a millennial kingdom. Without Satan’s influence, conditions are dramatically improved, but not yet perfect. Isa 65:20: “No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.” In this kingdom, Jesus rules with a rod of iron – but there is still sin and still death, showing the depravity of the human heart. The Rev 20:7: “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.” He leads one more rebellion against God, but 9b) “fire came down from heaven and consumed them.” Shortest battle in history, after which Satan is banished forever into the lake of fire. The resurrection and judgment of unbelievers follows. Then 20:14: “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” Now death has not only died, but it is banished forever, along with the Devil who brought it in the first place. So Satan is no more; sin is no more; and death in any form is no more. A new heaven and new earth are created. The pristine, perfect conditions are described in Rev 21-22, and this is the kingdom that Jesus ultimate presents to the Father. This is the end of death; but this is just the beginning of eternal life for those who love God. What a future awaits us, Beloved. Are you in? I pray that you are. Conc – To lure customers, a new barber advertised a $2.99 special. Shortly the old barber put this sign in his window: “We fix $2.99 haircuts.” So, the world the flesh and the devil always promise fulfillment, happiness and peace they cannot deliver. The $2.99 special! Meanwhile, Jesus has bought, paid for and is even now “preparing a place for us” which will fix all the $2.99 failed promises. In the end, the curse of Eden will be reversed. Meantime, Phil 3:20-21: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the LJC, 21) who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” He is the firstfruits of all that are to come which is all who trust in Him. Let’s pray.