Sermon Tone Analysis

I Corinthians 15:55-58

Paul Picks a Fight with Death

Christ Temple

11~/3~/2007

 

The 55th verse of this awesome text is startling to say the least.

Paul here appears to have slipped off into insanity; temporarily lost his mind; in need of psychiatric attention.

For it is in this verse that he gets into a confrontation with the killer of killers; he confronts death and says “O death where is thy sting, and O grave where is thy victory.”

It is in verse 55 alone that he stand in a confrontation with death, he stands toe-to-toe; eye-to-eye.

He stands in front of death and says as though he’s laughing at death he says “see there, you ain’t that bad.”

He laughs at its decline, he makes mockery of the fact that death has become like a toothless lion; like a dog without a bark and a snake without venom.

He says “O death” and can’t you just hear him laughing?

He points his finger at death and says to death “you really don’t have any authority.”

He insults death, he jeers at its lack of a sting, and he sneers at its insignificance and inability to keep mankind down.

He displays (if you please) a cynical attitude, almost humorous when he says “see there, you’re not that bad.

You’ve been around here fronting off, you’re been making man miserable, you’ve painted a picture of yourself as some bad one, you get on man’s trail when he’s born and when he breathes that last breath you step in as though you’re the one that did it; you’re not that bad.”

Where is your sting?

Tell the truth you’ve actually become like a bumblebee without a stinger.

Really what and obstinate and arrogant attitude to stand face to face with death, to stand toe to toe, to stand eye to eye looking at death without blinking and saying “see there, you ain’t that bad, O death where is thy sting?”

Knowing that death don’t play and it’s not something that you ought to play with.

We’re talking about the grim reaper that has robbed cradles of babies, slowed the pace of teenagers and young people, and robbed elderly people of life – we’re talking about death.

And Paul gets in his face and it’s as though he laughing he says “ha ha, where is your sting?

You don’t have it do you?”

Children over in Pioneer Park would say “na na!”

And that’s what Paul does with death here in the text, he tells death “Get in your place!

You’ve falsified your record, you’ve lied about your power, you’ve perpetrated your authority, you’ve made untrue declarations about your might, you’ve misrepresented your potency, tell men and women of God the truth: you’re really not that bad.

In reality all you’ve been reduced to is a powerless entity, all you really are is a divine transport vehicle to get man out of the world and off into eternity, to put corruption out of business.

For everybody knows that we have to put off mortality and put on immortality.

We have got to put off corruption and put on incorruption, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God and so Paul says all death is is a pick-up service.

That’s all you are in fact death, I’ve heard about you.

I’ve heard about you from a fella by the name of David and in fact he said that you have been reduced to a shadow.

You recall he said that you are just the shadow of death.

And all of us here right now know the shadow of a gun can’t shoot you.

The shadow of a car can’t hit you.

The shadow of a dog can’t bite you.

The shadow of a fist can’t knock you down.

He says to death you are half the man that you used to be.

You have been reduced to just a shadow.

You can’t eat off the shadow of a plate.

You can’t sit on the shadow of a pew.

You can’t grasp the shadow of a cup.

You can’t climb the shadow of a ladder.

And in order to have a shadow there must be some light somewhere.

Tell the truth death you ain’t so bad, where is your sting?

Tell the truth death; all you are is a pick-up and delivery service used by God to bring man to His home.

So Paul says here with clarity and assurance, I know you death.

You’ve lost your edge.

You may hiss but you can’t hurt.

Here Paul is picking a fight with death and you just don’t do that – if you’re sane.

Death is too real, it’s too risky, it’s too resolute to play with but Paul had something on his side.

You see Paul had the assurance of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

It is in the verses that precede this passage that he says to them there in Corinth it is because Jesus got up and became the 1st fruits of them that sleep – one morning I’ll get up too.

He says because Jesus died and was buried and early Sunday morning got up with all power in heaven and in earth.

It is because of that that I can now stand face to face with death and tell death – “you ain’t that bad!”

He asked death “where is your sting?”

He has a blessed assurance that if Jesus the Christ had gotten up from the grave; if and when he died, if he was in Christ, he would get up from the grave and spend eternity with the Lord.

You know death was pretty mad for you have to admit that death hadn’t lost many battles.

In the old testament in Genesis 5:1-32 over and over again it records “and he died.”

Death was still mad because he had missed two in the Old Testament – you Enoch he just walked on away.

Elijah caught a chariot of fire back to heaven.

Death was still sulking over the three that he almost missed.

As a matter of fact God had to back up death off of Hezekiah and say get back, I have to give him a few more years; I’ll call you when I get ready.

I said that he was mad about the three that he almost missed in the New Testament.

It was Jairus’ daughter, you remember him don’t you?  Death stepped in but it was not until Jesus showed up that death could not even get that girl out of the house.

Death said alright if you let me get one out of the house I declare to you I’ll take care of him.

Jesus said I tell you what, you go on and take that widow the Nain’s son; and He allowed death to get him to the outskirts of the gate.

Jesus stopped by and said get back death – I’m not calling for you, I’m nmot ready for you so get on back!

Death said ok, you wouldn’t let me get one out of the house; you let me get one out the house; but if you let me get one in the grave, I can handle that one.

Jesus said well I’m gonna be on an evangelistic mission in a few days and I’m gonna wait around three days as a matter of fact so that everything that you need to do you can do.

Call your cousin the grave, you all get together.

I’ll be over here on this evangelistic mission and somebody said Lazarus died!  Jesus stayed where he was 3 long days and then got the fellas together and said let’s go take care of him.

Somebody said “he sleepeth, he sleepeth; he doeth well.”

Jesus said he’s actually dead!

And I am going that I might get him up and with one shout “Lazarus!”

Hallelujah.

“Come forth!”

And one rolled the stone away.

He put death in his place.

Death was temporarily put out of business but death wouldn’t give up, he simply chose another time and another place for all three.

For death is no respecter of persons, he does get young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong, good fellas and bad fellas.

That’s the story of the aged Scotsman who lay dying on his deathbed when asked what he thought about dying; he said “it doesn’t really make me any difference if I live or die; if I die I’ll go to be with Jesus and if I live Jesus will be with me.

And anyway it goes, it’s alright with me.”

Death will come right to your house and won’t even knock on your door and just walk right on in.

He’s big, he’s bad, but thank God he ain’t boss!

He even came after Jesus on a couple of times.

You remember when he was born?  …tried to work with Pilate in a scheme to stop Jesus but heaven got busy; told death to step aside for a while.

Jesus told death I’ll call you whenever I get ready.

That’s what He was talking about when he talked to Pilate that day John 19:10-11.

Pilate said unto Him you don’t even know who you talking to; knowest you not that I have the POWER to crucify Thee and I’ve got the power to release you.

Jesus said YOU can’t do anything, you don’t even have that kind of power except that which has been given to you by my Father.

John 10:17-18 Jesus says no man take my life, I just lay it down for my friends.

I got power to lay it down, I got power to pick it up again this commandment have I receive of my Father.

You see Jesus says to death, get back!

I’ve got history to right, I’ve got souls to save, hearts to mend, minds to regulate, lives to change, victories to win, sicknesses to heal, I’ve got mankind to redeem.

Thank God that power over death is in the hand of God.

Jesus tells death, I’ll call you when I get ready for you.

I just started 3 years of ministry and it’s really not time yet.

On another occasion the people in one city got mad at Jesus and they decided that they were going to throw him down a hill.

Jesus was not disturbed, He just walked through the crowd.

But it was on Friday that death was there waiting on Jesus.

Jesus said alright now, I told that I’d call you when I wanted you.

It was there on that cross that He spoke loud enough for mankind to hear, sinners and saved when he uttered it’s finished.