More than a Panacea, and More than Pie in the Sky

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:19–26 ESV

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

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. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 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.

Imagine, if you will, that last Saturday evening, you heard the following story on the news:

Imagine, if you will, that last Saturday evening, you heard the following story on the news:

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Resurrection, Christ’s

Dateline Jerusalem—On the eve of the annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the 1 million inhabitants of this city were shocked by the announcement that a body, identified as that of Jesus, was found in a long-neglected tomb just outside the boundary of the city. Rumors had been circulating the last week that a very important discovery was about to be announced. The news, however, far outstrips all of our wildest guesses. The initial reaction of Christians here and around the world has been one of astonishment, bewilderment, and defensive disbelief. We will have to wait and see just what effect this discovery will have on the 2,000-year-old religion. To the mind of this unbelieving writer, it appears that Christianity will have to take its place on the same level with the other religions of the world. No longer can its followers claim that, unlike other religions, the tomb of its founder is empty. Evidently a 2,000-year-old lie has come to an end.

There are two realities concerning death. The first is that “it is appointed for man to die once...” - so says the Bible in . The second is that most of us will go to great lengths to avoid it. Some will spend their entire fortunes to try to cheat death, but will fail, while others will try to ignore it’s claim upon them by surrounding themselves with the distractions of life, only to have to deal with that claim regardless.

The Bible tells us that, basically, there has been only one person who did not deserve to die, one person who did not receive death as “the wages of sin” - at least, not that of his own. We are all equal in one respect, regardless of our age, race, religion, gender or economic status, we will come to the moment when we will recognize that our bodies will no longer perform as if we are eternal.

The one thing that prevents death from having the last word concerning us is the fact that the above story has never actually come to pass. After 2000 years and much effort, no one has successfully refuted the claims of the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or the argument of Paul. The Christian salute, “Christ is risen - He is risen indeed, Hallelujah,” is still the final statement on the subject.

It is therefore, both sad and disrespectful to the witness of both history and the faith of those who came before us, to limit the blessings of the Gospel to this life, to personal “health, wealth, and prosperity” on the one hand, or to “social justice warfare” on the other. The Gospel is about sin - the fact that we sin, the fact that God hates sin, the biblical claim that God loves us and the biblical claim that sin separates us from God. How are these claims to be reconciled?

The Law of God does not help us with this - it shows us that the problem exists, but it does not show us, in itself, the solution. Moses presented the stark choice to the children of Israel as they stood on the verge of receiving God’s promise of “the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

English Standard Version Chapter 30

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Deuteronomy 30:15–20 ESV

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Regarding God’s dealings with Israel, the New Testament clearly states that we are shown this history for a spiritual and eschatological purpose:

1 Corinthians 10:6–11 ESV

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

They were people, just like you - people with hopes and dreams with passions and desires, with fears and foibles. They were given an opportunity to enjoy the blessing of being God’s chosen people, and the responsibilities of not wasting that blessing. You are no different, today.

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Sometimes, “the way of escape” seems awfully hard to discern. We live in a world in which evil is artfully camouflaged. We have become so accepting of it that “choosing the lesser of two evils” is celebrated rather than tolerated, while ignoring the truth that, in doing so, one still chooses evil. We don’t listen to the Biblical counsel that is presented in

Psalm 146:3 ESV

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

There is a better choice. The songwriter who penned the words I just quoted wrote, just a little further in the psalm,

Psalm 146:5–7 ESV

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;

In Christ, the LORD who dealt with Israel through the cloud and fire, the God who could only be approached through the carefully prescribed rituals of sacrifice and priesthood, not only gave us a “new and living way” to approach Him, He came to us. He suffered, bless, and died for us, and then, three days later, as Luke records in :

Acts 1:3 ESV

He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Alma Knowles heard that Gospel, believed it and was baptized. As a baptized child of God, she taught it to her children, so that they could teach it to her children’s children, of which you are all witnesses. She understood and trusted in God’s promise, as stated by Paul in ,

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Just as certain as God’s declaration concerning sin and death, so certain is His promise concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ and life. The former are connected to our pain and sorrow, but the latter to our joy and hope. We can know the peace of God that passes all understanding. Alma was special, but she wasn’’t unique. What she grasped by the grace of God is just as accessible today as it was in her lifetime. God’s Word of promise is as much to you, her family and friends, as it is to her and her children. It isn’t just for this life only, but for life everlasting, reserved in heaven for you, and revealed in the present time, to the praise of His glorious grace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.