FACING YOUR GIANTS
“Facing our Greatest Fear”
1 Corinthians 15:35-36, 42, 50-58
The year was 1991 and it was at the height of operation Desert Storm. A woman named Ruth received the dreaded news from the Pentagon that her son, Clayton Carpenter, Pfc. had stepped on mine in Kuwait and was dead Ruth’s words sound like ours when we have lost someone so close to us... She said I cannot begin to describe my grief and shock. It was almost more than I could bear. For three days I did nothing but cry. For three days I expressed my anger. For three days people tried to comfort me but nothing helped because the loss was too great.
Three days later the telephone rang. And the voice on the other end said mom, it’s me. It’s Clayton. I’m alive. Ruth’s said she couldn’t believe it at first but she recognized his voice and realized he really was alive. A horrible mistake had been made on the part of the military but she didn’t care... The son she thought was gone was actually alive. She laughed, she cried... She said she actually felt like turning cartwheels.
This is the final message in our series of facing your Giants. We have talked about ridicule, depression, loneliness, forgiveness, anxiety, discouragement, grief, family dysfunction, facing debt, guilt and today on this Easter Sunday we’re looking at our fear of death. This woman named Ruth made this remark she said I don’t think anyone could possibly begin to understand how I felt during this time.
But some of the disciples actually might have understood. They spent three years under the teachings of Jesus, watching as he healed the sick, walked on water and one evening they watched as the soldiers came and got him and took him away to be crucified. They witnessed his pain firsthand and heard him as he cried out and said I thirst... As he said my God, why have you forsaken me? They listened and watched as he finally bowed his head and said the words, it is finished. Father into thy hands I commit my spirit. They watched as they took his body from the cross and buried him.
Finished. And all their hopes and dreams were buried with him. Every hope they had was gone. They were afraid. So they hid. The disciples gathered together in someone’s home and locked the door for fear that the authorities might come after them and they would experience the same terrible punishment and death as Jesus.
In the face of death, many of us make decisions that are radically different than we make on an everyday basis. In the face of impending death we often become very, very afraid. Let me give you some quick facts the Bible gives us regarding death.
(1) Death does not show favoritism. Every one of us will faced death. Is appointed that man will die. All of us have an appointment with death. It’s just not on our calendar. We haven’t written it on our “to do” list. Because we don’t look forward to it.
(2) None of us know when that day will be. We know that our life expectancy in the United States is 79 years of age for a man and 81 years of age or a woman. My father was 64. My mother was 91 that is an average of 77. But God knows. He knows the day and the our. And because he knows he alone can prepare us.
(3) Most people, at some point in life are very afraid of death. Hebrews 2:15 CEB
In one study-and there are many of these are the top eight things people are afraid of:
1. Public speaking
2. Heights
3. insects/bugs
4. money problems
5. Deepwater
6. Sickness
7. Death
8. Flying
As Jay Leno/Jerry Seinfeld put it, many of us would rather be in the casket than to be the one delivering the funeral sermon.
One of the reasons we become afraid is our lack of knowledge about the subject. While snakes are not on this list they could be under number three. I do know many people who are afraid of them and if you ask them the question they will usually give you the same answer. Have you ever held one question of course not. Didn’t you hear me? I’m afraid of them. My sister is afraid of flying. If I were to ask her have you ever tried it a response would be didn’t you hear me I’m afraid of flying. Many people are afraid of public speaking so if I ask if they have ever done it for the most part they would say of course not. I’m afraid of it. But regarding snakes for instance people would typically say (1) I have never held a snake; don’t plan to (2) of never flown and (3) never spoken to a group in public. So if we look at the facts here we must realize that we are paralyzed with fear over something we have never experienced/tried. It is the fear of the unknown. There is an acronym for FEAR... Here it is: false evidence appearing real. And we’ll see this so-called evidence as false-we think it’s real-but there is no evidence-only opinions. Opinions from well-meaning friends, parents, coworkers-people whose opinion we respect for one reason or another. But listen carefully to what the apostle Paul said about death....
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
Every one of us have been through the significant loss of a loved one-every one of us and if you’re like me your answer to Paul’s question would sound like this… The sting is right here. It hurts, it’s powerful behind beyond words Paul and I’m having trouble moving forward. One of the local funeral homes called me this week because they had taken care of a service for a young man ten years ago. This week his mother called and said she is still struggling with his death. I am sure she could tell us where the sting is and how it much it continues to hurt.
The only conclusion I can draw here and this is where I want to focus the rest of my message today is that Paul knew some things you and I do not know. Why was Paul able to look death right in the face and say it doesn’t hurt? Why was Paul able to speak without any fear whatsoever? Because he knew some things some of us do not know.
(1) V. 35. We cannot truly live until our bodies die. We cannot enter the kingdom until this body is gone.
(2) V. 51. There will be some of us who will not die but we will still be changed. Paul seems to be speaking of the rapture here…that time when Jesus will step out on a cloud and call us home to be with him forever. When this happens it will happen very quickly. He says in the blink of an eye. He actually says “In the twinkling of an eye.”
(3) V. 52. At that moment we will all be changed. Our bodies will be changed into new bodies that will never die. When this transformation is made we will then be able to say these words.
But not until then. Paul wasn’t saying these words at the moment but he knew he would say them at the moment of his death. He says in v. 54, “then the saying that is written will come true.”
Paul knew this for one reason. He had been there. He had a powerful vision. No his first one by the way. Paul, as one of the apostles had experienced six other visions that are described in the book of Acts but certainly this would be the greatest of them all. In 2nd Corinthians 12: 2-4. Paul tells us that he had an experience with God where he was caught up into what he calls the third heaven. He tells us that things were so astounding that he cannot express them in words.
Paul could not find the words to talk about it. In fact we have to take notice here that this event took place 14 years before. 14 years had passed and Paul had not even mentioned it. They are things that no human is allowed to tell. He reminds us that it would even be worth him bragging about but he is not going to do it. So incredible, so far beyond words that Paul did not even attempt to talk about it. He said it consisted of inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. Even if he was allowed to talk about it, he would not be able to because he simply could not find the words. Similar to how we describe things at times when we say there is no way to adequately describe it…you just had to be there. And Paul was.
Paul met Jesus on the way to Damascus. Paul had just seen the stoning of a man named Stephen. Paul was still Saul. His name had not changed because he had not changed. But in the blink of an eye he did change. God spoke. Saul listened. And God changed him forever. He was forever changed because he experienced the greatest meeting anyone can experience…when we meet with the resurrected Christ.
A Muslim in Africa came to Christ and his friends ask him why would you do this…your family will now disown you… you could face death!!! He said well it is like this…suppose you were going down a road and suddenly the road forked in two directions… And you didn’t know which way to go. If you met two men at the fork- one dead and one alive- which one would you ask to show you the way? I will choose the one who is alive.
"Someday you will read in the papers, 'D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.' Don't you believe a word of it!
"At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher; that is all.
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin you have to know a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and the Servant and every Jewish boy knew the tradition. When the servant set the table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was set perfectly and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant dared not touch that table until the master was finished.
Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, clean his beard, wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. Because in those days, that napkin wadded up meant one thing…I’m done!
But if the master got up from the table and folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate the servant dare not touch the table because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”
Peter and John had walked with Christ for 3 years. They had watched as He opened blind eyes. They watched as He raised people from the dead. Then they watched Him die. And as they watched, all of their hopes and dreams were shattered. And so for 3 very long days they were in the depths of despair. The light had gone out of their lives. Peter even said I’m going fishing. In other words he was going back to what he used to do. But then after 3 days they saw a tomb and the tomb was empty. But not only did they see an empty tomb but they also saw a folded napkin in that tomb. And the message was clear. Jesus was saying, I’m not finished. I’m coming back.
And so the question for everyone here is this… do you know Jesus?
