Death and Taxes are inevitable – wrong!
I believe it was Ben Franklin who said that death and taxes were inevitable. Well, he was wrong! Only Taxes are inevitable!
Good News
Death has been defeated –
finally, thoroughly, irrevocably, and perpetually.
This is the good new about Jesus!
Good News: Jesus was Resurrected from the Dead
Jesus has defeated the most terrifying of all our enemies – death
Death has been defeated through his resurrection from the grave. Jesus died because of our sins. He paid the natural consequences of our rebellion against God and was buried on Friday. It was sealed that evening. It was quietly guarded all day Saturday and into the night. The Roman soldiers built a fire and kept watch all the early hours of Sunday morning. But at dawn, on Sunday morning, as the first rays of the sun touched the place where the grave was the stone was rolled away by the angels of Heaven and Jesus walked out. Death had been thoroughly, finally, completely, irrevocably, and perpetually defeated.
This is the heart of Christianity
It is of first importance. Nothing comes close to it and this simple truth sets Jesus apart from all other prophets, philosophers, teachers, leaders, great men, and noble women. You can visit the tomb of Abraham, Moses, Budda, Confucius, and Mohammed – but you will not find the tomb of Jesus because it is empty.
I know this to be true because the Bible tells about all of the witnesses who saw him
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
“3 I passed on to you what I received, of which this was most important: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; 4 that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say; 5 and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
6 After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all he was seen by me…”
Peter and the 12 saw him. 500 saw him at one time. Even James (Jesus brother and leader of the church in Jerusalem) the other apostles and Paul saw Jesus.
The Fate of the Apostles
SIMON PETER - A FISHERMAN was crucified, head-down, at his own request.
ANDREW, BROTHER OF SIMON PETER - A FISHERMAN was crucified at Patras in Achaia. A later tradition describes him as being crucified in a spread-eagled position - hence the St. Andrew’s cross of Scotland.
JAMES, SON OF ZEBEDEE - A FISHERMAN was beheaded - ’put to the sword’ (Acts 12:1-2 following) by King Herod.
JOHN, BROTHER OF JAMES and SON OF ZEBEDEE - A FISHERMAN was banished to the island of Patmos, now one of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. He was subsequently freed and died a natural death at Ephesus c AD100.
PHILIP was martyred at Hieropolis.
BARTHOLOMEW, also NATHANAEL was skinned alive, and then beheaded.
THOMAS DIDYMUS - ’DOUBTING THOMAS’ was speared to death near Madras on the east coast of India.
MATTHEW, also LEVI - TAX-COLLECTOR/PUBLICAN was martyred in Ethiopia.
JAMES, SON OF ALPHAEUS was martyred in Egypt.
JUDE, also THADDAEUS was killed with him in Persia.
SIMON THE ZEALOT or PATRIOT was either crucified or hacked to death in Persia
MATTHIAS was martyred in Ethiopia.
PAUL OR SAUL OF TARSUS was beheaded in Rome.
Scandal cannot be kept secret
Watergate is a good example from the 70’s. In our time it was Enron and WorldCom. A lie becomes known eventually. A scandal cannot be kept secret. Perhaps one or two would die for a lie but not many and not all. The apostles lived and died for Jesus with one exception – Judas, and he died before the resurrection proclaiming Jesus innocence.
Jesus defeated death – ONE Time and for ALL peoples.
Really Good News: We will be raised like Jesus
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
“20 But Christ has truly been raised from the dead—the first one and proof that those who sleep in death will also be raised. 21 Death has come because of what one man did, but the rising from death also comes because of one man. 22 In Adam all of us die. In the same way, in Christ all of us will be made alive again.”
This is the whole point of Christianity
There are a lot of churches that have missed the point completely.
It is not about good works. It is not about being moral people
It is quite simply the fact that we live! We win! We will not die! Death is a vanquished enemy not a feared inevitability.
The resurrection of Jesus is the keystone of our faith
Without the resurrection the whole of faith comes crashing down as just so much do-goodism. In fact, Paul says that without the resurrection (vs 23) we might as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Our bodies will be food for worms and fertilizer for grass.
Don’t be fooled… God has not left us without hope.
As individuals we have been put in a room with two doors. One door we are told has access to all the good and Godly things in the entire universe. The other door is closed tightly.
We are told that there is only darkness and destruction here. It is a place of loneliness and emptiness. Our God says simply, “don’t go there.” But we did. Eve did. Adam did. Cain did. Able did. Methuselah did. Noah did, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau did. Joseph and his 12 sons did. The people of Israel through the centuries did. The gentile peoples through the millenniums did. I did. You did. We all walked through the door we were told to leave alone.
What kind of parent would put a child into such a room where there was such a risk? One door that leads to life and one door that leads to death.
A parent that loves you and will pay the price
You don’t know if you have love until it is tested. You cannot say there is love until there is a choice. God gave the choice but then he did something miraculous.
He provided a way back from the door of death to the door of life. God himself in the flesh of man – Jesus, opened a secret passage. He has made the way available to all who will simply follow him.
At the bandshell we had to pay $2.00 or $4.00 for every car that came in to park. One couple came without one of the invitation passes that we had printed up and distributed to the community. They drove up to the booth and were asked by the attendant a question, “How can I help you?” They answered, that they had come to join the celebration of the people called followers of Jesus. They were told the cost and were about to pay the price when one of our greeters stepped up and said, “I can pay that price for you.”
At the doors of heaven we will be asked that same question but with a critical difference. The price will be beyond what you can pay. Only Jesus can pay – and has paid – the price so you can join the party in heaven!
Heaven will be Wonderful
But how? What will it be like? We have been given some glimpses into our future with God
Our resurrection will be like…A seed
More Good News
1 Corinthians 15:37-41
“37 And when you sow it, it does not have the same “body” it will have later. What you sow is only a bare seed, maybe wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body that he has planned for it, and God gives each kind of seed its own body.
Our resurrection will be like…Flesh and blood
39 All things made of flesh are not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have another.
Our resurrection will be like……Heavenly and earthly bodies
1 Corinthians 15:37-41
40 Also there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the beauty of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the beauty of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of beauty, the moon has another beauty, and the stars have another. And each star is different in its beauty.”
Our resurrection will change us from…
…decadence to indestructibility
…indignity to splendor
…frailty to supremacy
…bone and blood to spiritual beings
Jesus led the way through death to life
He was the second Adam. The first Adam was the first perfect man who came from the dust of the earth. We follow in his genus.
The second Adam was the second perfect man. He came from the presence of God. We follow in his genus and become spiritual – not physical beings.
The Victory Prayer is the prayer of all believers
1 Corinthians 15:55
55 “Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your pain?”
It can be your prayer
You must put on Jesus. He has shown the way. Follow him!
I invite you this morning to make the decision. Step out and follow Jesus into eternal life… Today is the day of salvation.
