Text: Hebrews 2:14-18
Theme: Free from fear of Death
Introduction: By the grace of God, we had meditations on the freedom concept. Freedom from sin, freedom from slavery, stress, and now we have come to freedom from fear of death. The word death is familiar to all faiths and religions.
Illustration:
Denounce Him, Now
A notorious man was lying on his deathbed, relatives called the pastor to administer the last communion.
The Pastor commanded the man:
“Denounce the devil! You must let him know that you are opposed to his evil ways.”
He was simply lying on his bed, staring into space, and said nothing.
The priest repeated: “Denounce the devil now!
Once again, the man didn’t react.
The priest, now puzzled by the man’s complete silence and asked him: “Why do you refuse to denounce the devil and his evil?”
The dying man replied: “To be honest, after the life I’ve led, I’m not really sure where I’m going to be. ‘With that in mind, I don’t think I ought to be aggravating anybody, should I?”(adopted)
Power of Death
Man is a tripartite as body soul and spirit. Soul and spirit indwell in body and body dwell on the earth. Soul and spirit are eternal and never die. But the body dies. Decomposes, and disappears. But the body determines the future of the soul and spirit. Soul and spirit are interdependent upon the body. The holiness of the soul is related to the holiness of the body.
Satan, the devil is described by Paul as a person with the power of death. His kingdom is the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of death, and the kingdom full of woes and cries. There is a gnashing of teeth and weeping.
How Satan gained the power of death. What is death theologically? It’s separation. A separation from life on the earth, separation from relatives, friends, and all. Above all a separation from the living God forever. The scene in Garden of Eden reveals only that theology and nothing else. Therefore, those who die in Christ are blessed because they are separated from their earthly relatives and responsibilities but not from God.
Death has power over the sinners and not over the Saints (Romans 5:12). Satan got power over sinful humanity but not over Christ. Then how Christ has died. Jesus did not die because of Satan’s power of death but he had laid down his life voluntarily (John 10:17-18), allowing the murderer to see him through death (Genesis 3:15).
In the phrase “power of death,” the devil tempts people to sin and then accuses them of rebelling against God (Genesis 3, Job 1). By inducing to do sin, Satan delivers people over to death, the due penalty for their sin (Romans 5:12). The final authority of death is in the hands of our God (Deuteronomy 32:39; Matthew 10:28; Revelation 1:18). Satan can do only that which is permitted by God (Job 1:12; 2:6). But because Satan is the author of sin (John 8:44), and sin brings death (Romans 6:23), in this sense, Satan exercises power in the realm of death. Jesus called him a murderer (John 8:44).
“Neither the Deity nor the Humanity of Jesus is negotiable. If we diminish either then He is unable to save us. Jesus knew the temptations of power and the temptations of pain. He knew the temptations of riches and the temptations of poverty. He knew the temptations of popularity and the temptations of rejection. He knew the temptations of the boy and the temptations of the man. He knew temptation from His friends and temptation from His enemies. He knew temptation from His family and temptation from strangers. We have two advantages – knowing the example of Jesus in temptation but also having His active assistance from heaven, providing strength and a way of escape. With these, we can find victory in the midst of temptation and come out better from being tempted.” (Enduring Word).
“This is the most powerful preservative against despair, and the firmest ground of hope and comfort, that ever believing, penitent sinners could desire or have.” (Poole) “though the rest of the Scripture is silent on this subject, this verse might be an ample support for every tempted soul.” (Clarke)
Fear of Death
God created a world with joy, love, grace, and kindness. He created a universe with light, life, beauty, and compassion. He created a world with fellowship, and co-existence of the species. There was a world of care for one another. He created humanity without disease, without tears, without enmity, and without death. Sin came, and the separation came. The Separation is accompanied by fear as a sister concern, the sin brought death and left the fear of death in the minds of the human beings.
The fear of death rules as a tyrant over humanity. But Christians have no fear of death though perhaps a fear of dying would be there. Death is a defeated enemy by Jesus but it has to be subdued as the last enemy in the world.
Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon to gain control over the lives of people. His kingdom is one of darkness and death (Colossians 1:13). The devil uses the “fear of death” (Hebrews 2:15) to enslave us. Through His death (Hebrews 2:14) the Son eliminated such fear and broke the bondage of sin and death.
Free of Death
Humanity looks for a world of joy, a utopian kingdom without enmity, separation, fear, and disease. The original state of humanity. World of appreciation, the world of confidence, the world without jealousy, without a fret, without confusion, the world of transparency, and the world of unity.
Jesus was presented as an incarnated divine being, highly exalted and a personality above Angels, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua. But suddenly, here he is presented as mere flesh sharing the suffering and finally meted out with death. Then the author clarifies that Jesus has been crowned with divine glory and honor precisely because he suffered death. This gives a place for all of us to trust in him and wait to share in divine glory.
Jesus as our Elder brother and friend has become the Founder of our salvation. His resurrection broke the slavery we experienced over the fear of death. His incarnation was similar to entering the prison as a captive but with purity and power to release the bonds of his fellow beings.
“His humanity enabled Him to disarm Satan and deliver us from death (Hebrews 2:14–16). He came to save humans, through His death he defeated Satan. The word “destroy” does not mean “annihilate,” for it is obvious that Satan is still alive and busy. The word means “render inoperative, make of no effect.” Satan is not destroyed, but he is disarmed.” (ref: Seeking our God)
We who trust in Jesus Christ have once and for all been delivered from Satan’s authority and from the terrible fear of death. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ have given us victory! (1 Corinthians 15:55–58). The devil is still active today (1 Peter 5:8), but his power over death has been taken away from him. Christ’s death fulfilled the penalty for sin. Thus, by placing our trust in Christ, we can be free from Satan’s evil grasp (Luke 10:18; 2 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 1:18). The judgment of Satan was rendered by the Cross, but the execution lies in the future (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Revelation 20:10).
