"He Came…to Destroy The Works Of The Devil”

Death has way of gripping us with fear. It shocks us, scares us, sobers us up.

When death comes, family and community traditions differ. In the Midwest where I grew up at the funeral home and at the church there was almost always an open casket. A public viewing. You could not miss the reality of death. Cemeteries aren’t much better. Something about those fresh mounds of dirt makes us shudder. Something makes us drive faster past a cemetery late at night lest we accidentally shine our lights on a tombstone. Death makes us realize our mortality, our weakness. Death frightens us because we instinctively know that someday we too shall die.

Most of all, death makes us think. It makes us think about our own lives, about our priorities, about our goals, about ourselves.

There are so many fears related to the fear of death:

• People fear dying alone.

• People fear dying a painful death.

• Some people fear what may happen after we die.

• People fear leaving our loved ones behind.

• People fear the unknown and death is the ultimate unknown, unless you know Jesus.

• People fear death because of our sins.

• People fear standing before God after we die.

Martin Luther said we should live with the day of our death constantly before our eyes. That way we won’t be surprised when the day finally comes.

Death is not something I look forward to. I think about it, way too much. Oh, I still make notes on my Ancestry.com site…filling in details of family history, important life events, birth and death dates. I’d prefer to live a while longer if the Lord allows it. And if I’ve got to go, I’d just as soon it be in my sleep peacefully. But there are no guarantees, I drive Hwy 99 much to often.

If I show up at the gates of heaven talking about how good I’ve been, I’m in real trouble. First of all, I haven’t been all that good. Too many sins come crowding into my memory, and those are only the ones I can remember. I testify that I have too many broken commandments in my past and present life…even sins of omission that I may not be aware of so, left to myself, I don’t have a chance of going to heaven.

But I know for sure…that I will see the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will welcome me into heaven. I do not believe I “deserve” to go to heaven or that I could ever “earn” eternal life. What an empty pipe dream that is. When I reach the gates of heaven, it will be because Jesus takes me there. And if he takes me there, it will be because His blood has covered all my sins, and He has given me His own perfect righteousness.

What does God have to say about death in our world. One word!

Easter. He is Risen!

When the women came to the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning, they were greeted by an angel who said: “I know you are looking for Jesus. He is no longer here, He has risen from the dead, just as He said He would. Now go tell His disciples.” God’s answer is wrapped up in a man who came back from the dead.

The title of the Sermon states that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

The word “destroy” means to “render powerless.” When Jesus died on the cross, he “pulled the plug” on Satan. Jesus broke the bondage of death by delivering us from the fear of death, when He shattered the stone grave with a burst of brilliant light, that caused the soldiers guarding the tomb to faint in fear, He proved God's promise of eternal life to be true.