HoHum:
Garrison Keillor told the story of he time his mother and father took him to the city to visit an aunt who was lonely and alone after the death of her husband of 55 years. He describes how she looked to him at 10 years of age. Her dress was stained with food spots, her makeup was heavy on one side, her lipstick was crooked, her fake pearls did not go with her dress. She sat at the table as they ate together. The aunt began to cry. “I have nothing left to live for. I might as well die.” She kept on crying as she chewed her food. “I’ll bet that if I died tomorrow, no one would come to my funeral, not even you folks.” Garrison, seeking to be helpful at 10 years of age, said, “Oh, I’d come. I’d be glad to come to your funeral.” Reflecting on her outburst, Keillor concludes as he thinks back on that aunt: “Every tear that poor woman cried, we will cry also before we leave this world and give in to the one death we owe.”
WBTU:
Background of Hosea 13:14-
In the midst of all of these prophecies about the destruction of the Israelites, we have this ray of sunlight through the dark clouds. God had promised that through Israel "all the familes of the earth" should be blessed, and Hosea had been charged with the task of revealing God's purpose of destruction of the very Israel through whom the blessing of all men was promised to be brought! Did that mean that the hope of human salvation was lost? No! The ultimate victory of God over the consequences of sin would be achieved. God was not being defeated in the apostasy of Israel; it was Israel that was being defeated. God would yet achieve his purpose through the righteous remnant which would remain. Death will be defeated.
This promise is made more sure by the last phrase. NIV says compassion but this Hebrew word can also be translated as repentance. KJV- repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. God will not repent of his this promise. God will do what he said! God is not going to change his purpose of redeeming a portion of humanity from sin and from the power of the grave.
Thesis: Let talk about the agony of death, the valley of death, the pit of death, and the conquest of death
For instances:
The agony of death (Acts 2:24)
“To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.” Genesis 3:16, NIV. This terminology is often used when talking about the pains of death. We also see something like this in Hosea 13:13.
Woody Allen said, "I'm not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens."
Most people would probably prefer to die painlessly in their sleep. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Many great Christians have died very cruel and painful deaths.
As a Christian draws closer to a possible painful death, he often wonders how he will respond to the pain and agony. He wonders if he will be able to endure the pain. He wonders if he will ruin his Christian testimony and betray his Lord by the way he responds to his pain and misery.
God promises to be with us even in our darkest hour. He doesn’t promise to eliminate the pain and misery, but He promises to be there with us and help us get through. It’s important to remember that God does not usually provide us this strength, courage, and grace until we actually need it.
“You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.”” Lamentations 3:56, NIV.
The valley of death
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” Psalms 23:4
Death is the greatest unknown of all; nothing else even comes close. Although the Bible has given us a partial description of what lies beyond the vale of death, we have never personally seen or experienced it. None of our acquaintances have ever died and come back to tell us about it. It is very easy to dread death and be apprehensive about it.
The thing that compounds this fear is the fact we have to face it alone. It doesn’t matter how many friends we have or how many people are with us when we die, we must still pass though the vale of death by ourselves. This can be very disturbing. We are social creatures and we don’t like to face intense adversities by ourselves.
Notice that David talks about death as a valley. Think of a mountain scene. The valley is peaceful, tranquil. There is peace in the valley.
Not just valley of death, but the valley of the shadow of death. People talk about passing away, or the chambers of death or the gates of death. David calles it a shadow. A shadow is harmless. A shadow only exists as long as there is light to cast it. My children when they discovered their shadow. Death is only a brief shadow.
A walk through the valley. A great comfort to know that we are not alone in this walk. “You are with me.” As Christians we have a great friend, a Great Shepherd, along with us to guide and direct. Yes, we go through the valley alone but we really are not alone.
““But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” John 16:32, NIV. (On the cross the Father was not with him because of Jesus' statement of "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me" but the rest of the time the Father was. Cannot comprehend being separated from God and because of what Jesus did and our acceptance of Him we never will be separated from Christ not even in death)
The pit of death
One time there was a man who was scared of nothing. One man asked him, “Aren’t you scared of death?” The tough man said, “No, I ain’t scared of death, but maybe I am scared of this, ‘What comes after death?’”
Most cannot accept that there is nothing after death. But what does happen?
The OT word for death is Sheol, sometimes translated as the pit. See “grave” in Hosea 13:14 it is tranliterated as Sheol, the place of the dead.
From the NT, Luke 16 the rich man and Lazarus, we see that Sheol is divided into two sections, paradise (Abraham’s side) and tartarus (torment, agony).
Don’t want to talk about hell much but in the way of a pit we have this from Revelation. “And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit...” Revelation 9:2, NASB.
Some say that this is talking about the place of Satan’s kingdom and this is not talking about hell. We see glimpses of hell throughout the Scriptures and I doubt this is the final place of the condemned but it gives us insight into hell.
Bottomless pit or the abyss is talking about forever falling deeper and deeper into outer darkness
“who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,” Psalms 103:4
Conclusion and invitation:
The conquest of death
Hosea 13:14 says that God will redeem us from death. To redeem something or someone means to buy them back. Here it means that we are bought with a price by God from death.
What death? Eternal death. The second death. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”” Revelation 21:8, NIV.
By God, more specifically by Jesus Christ. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”” Galatians 3:13, NIV.
Bought with a price? What price? “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19, NIV.
Paul quotes from Hosea 13:14 in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (This is where he quotes from Hosea 13:14 it’s a different translation but still just as true) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, 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.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-26. One day death will be no more
“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Isaiah 38:17, NIV.
How can I have all my sins put behind God’s back? Plan of salvation.
