Sermon Series: “Questioning the Faith”
Sermon #3 “Questioning Death”
Text: 1 Peter 3:15
OPENING JOKE: “He Wouldn’t Eat the Mushrooms” Mrs. Mohler was on trial for the murder of her third husband. As the court proceedings transpired, Mohler was called to the witness stand. The prosecuting attorney asked, “What happened to your first husband?” She answered, “He died of mushroom poisoning.” The prosecutor then asked about her second husband. She told the courtroom that he also died from mushroom poisoning. The attorney then queried, “And what happened to your third husband?” Mohler replied, “He died of a brain concussion.” The lawyer asked, “And how did that happen?” The widow confessed, “I hit him with an iron skillet because he wouldn’t eat the mushrooms.”
INTRODUCTION: Tonight we are continuing our series of sermons on ‘Questioning the faith’
If you remember last week we talked about the importance of asking questions and how I believe questions will inspire us to want to study and learn and know more.
Please remember to write your questions on the sheets provided and turn them in as soon as possible.
This series will go on as long as I have questions to answer, so please know that even if it takes a few weeks, I should get around to your questions.
This week we are going to talk about the subject of death
Death is a process that never ceases to function, yet we seldom believe it will happen to us.
Listen to some of these odd stories of unexpected death…
Illustration(s)
“Death by Soda Machine” Lance Foster certainly wasn’t thinking about it when he broke from his dormitory desk to get a soft drink in March of 1988. The twenty-three-year-old student at the University of Kansas encountered a vending machine that took his money but didn’t deliver his drink. Foster aggressively shook the machine and it ended up tipping over on top of him. He died of internal injuries shortly thereafter.
“Shot by Snake” Ali-Asghar Ahani never dreamed he would die by a gun-firing snake, but that’s exactly how he met death in 1989. When he came across a snake in Iran, he attempted to capture it rather than shoot it. He pressed the butt of his shotgun behind the snake’s head. The snake immediately coiled around the gun and its tail activated the trigger. Ahani died of a single shot to the head.
“Stress of Winning the Lottery” William Curry believed life was just beginning in 1990 when he won $3.6 million in the lottery. But just two weeks after striking it rich, the thirty-seven-year-old Curry died of a heart attack. His sister-in-law told reporters the stress of winning is what killed him.
Death is the ultimate statistic - 10 out of 10 die!
And so many of us have questions about what will happen ‘on the other side’
Illustration: “Crossing Over” The show ‘Crossing Over’ is about a psychic that speaks to the dead relatives of those in his studio audience. While I believe this is the epitome of phony, it does show one amazing truth: ‘People want to know what happens when you die’.
Even Christians are sometimes confused on the subject.
Quote: We, who are supposed to be the ‘bearers of light’ concerning the after-life, are just as often in error about what we believe about death as unsaved people.
So tonight I want to answer a question concerning death.
Question: Does the spirit leave the body and go to heaven to be with God upon death? Matthew 27:52-52 do not seem to imply this.
Let’s first look to this scripture. This is an event that takes place right after Jesus’ death on the cross…
Matthew 27:52, 52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
Here we have bodies of saints that were dead, raised to life and appearing to many people.
To really get a good idea about what has happened in this case; let’s first look to other Scriptures that tell us about the condition of the departed spirit.
I. The Case of Lazarus and the Rich Man
a. Everyone look with me at Luke 16: 20-31
b. There are some points we should see in this story…
i. This is an actual event
1. Jesus used many stories to explain Heavenly truths called parables
2. This is the only case where He actually named a character in His story, showing that this was an actual event, not just a parable
3. v. 20 says, “But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus”
ii. Their spirits were taken immediately
1. v.22, 23 says “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
2. It appears that Lazarus was comforted by angels through his journey to be with His ancestor Abraham in Paradise, but the rich man simply closed his eyes at death and opened them in Hades.
3. Both cases being immediate
iii. They were there while others were alive
1. v. 27, 28 “Then he said, ’I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ’for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”
2. Those who argue that this event happened at the ‘end of time’ cannot be correct because the father and brothers would not still be able to repent.
3. This verse indicates that they were in the places of rest and torment immediately after death.
iv. Abraham referred to ‘leaving paradise’ as ‘rising form the dead’
1. v. 31 “But he said to him, ’If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”
2. This is a key point to answer what happened to those saints who rose on the day Christ was born.
3. Their spirits were in Paradise, but called back into their bodies from paradise for the occasion of the perfect atonement having come through Christ
v. This is also the same in the case of Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son at Nain, Lazarus at Bethany and all other people who were raised from the dead in Scripture
1. Their Spirit was not asleep inside their dead bodies (which some teach)
2. Their spirit, which had departed the body was allowed to leave Paradise and reenter their body for a purpose God had for them at that time
As I have said many times, we should never interpret the Scripture, or base doctrines around one verse or story, so let’s continue to other verses that strengthen this stance…
II. The Case of the Robber on the Cross
a. Everyone look with me to Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
b. Jesus spoke with a man who had just been born again through faith
i. He said emphatically, “today you will be…in Paradise”
ii. Now either Jesus is lying, or He’s not (and we all know He is incapable of lying)
c. Here we have another strong case from the words of Jesus that the spirit immediately leaves and goes to a place of rest or torment
III. The Case made by Paul
a. Go with me to II Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
b. If this were the only verse on this subject, I would agree that it might not stand scrutiny concerning the immediate departure of the spirit
i. But because we have these other lessons from Christ Himself, we can interpret this verse as it is stated
ii. And it helps us understand the dual nature of the body and spirit
iii. The body cannot function without the soul, but the soul can live without the body
CONCLUSION: Questions concerning death have been on the hearts of people since we were created.
It just doesn’t seem natural that we cease to exist – and this is because we don’t
Inherent in our design we have the thought of eternal existence
And we will exist forever, either in Heaven or Hell
So does the spirit leave the body after death? The Scriptures say ‘yes’
Can a departed spirit return under God’s command? The Scriptures also say ‘yes’
Illustration: “The Mount of Transfiguration” On the mount of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared in spirit form to talk to Christ without their bodies. We know that Abraham is in Paradise because it is referred to as Abraham’s bosom in Luke 16. This is a good indicator that his spirit was able to come back at the will of God, but that it was indeed resting in Paradise.
Now there is the question as to whether Paradise and our final resting place after Christ’s return are the same place, but trust me, that is a sermon for another time!
Just know tonight, that if your spirit leaves this body you will immediate be conscious somewhere
Either eternal rest or eternal torment
And only faith in Christ is the way to eternal rest
Illustration “I knew it would happen” Dustin Hoffman is the Academy award-winning actor who has amazed audiences with some incredible characters. In a recent interview, Hoffman revealed his plans for the epitaph on his tombstone. He says it will simply read, “I knew this was going to happen.”
Death is something we all know is going to happen, the question is, what have you done to prepare for it?
(Let us pray)
