What Is Your Response To Tragedy? - [Luke 13:1-9]

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Sometime back. I was reading Reuters newest service and in South Korea.
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They have something that's interesting and they have funerals Free funerals offered, but those funerals aren't for dead people
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They're for living people more than 25 ,000 people have participated in mass living
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Funeral services and what happens is they have a funeral for themselves because they want to learn how to live better 75 year old man there said once you become conscious of death and experience it you undertake a new approach to life and so you can go to South Korea and have a funeral for yourself while you're alive and Sometimes it's teenagers.
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Sometimes it's retirees But they don shrouds take funeral portraits
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Pen their last testaments and often lie in a closed coffin for about 10 minutes.
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I Don't know if I would like that last one very well and based on the five people who are sitting here.
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They don't like it either one professor in South Korea said it's important to learn and prepare for death even at a young age and That part is right, especially when you look at South Korea and all the suicide rates.
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They're trying to figure out. How can we? Understand the importance of life knowing that one day will die
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One writer said in South Korea, we don't have forever. That's why I think this experience is so important We can apologize and reconcile sooner and live the rest of our lives happily
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Now with the news today that we're dealing with in March 2020 Most people are thinking about life.
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Most people are thinking about sickness. Most people are thinking about Death I think people are actually thinking now
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Instead of the diversions that are okay, of course with sports and entertainment and going out to eat
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I think maybe a byproduct of what's going on with this virus is that people are thinking and today
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I want people to think about their own mortality and What the
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Lord Jesus says about it? Most people don't want to think about death
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They can't even say the word dead most people can't go to a funeral of somebody else because they don't want to think about death and Really?
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I don't blame people because death is ugly and painful. It's grim and it is the enemy
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Paul calls it the last enemy in 1st Corinthians chapter 15
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As Lewis Johnson called it the king of terrors and I think both of those men are right and here's the thing a 150 ,000 people die across the world every single day 150 ,000 people this day will stop breathing
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And they will go through what we don't want to talk about very often They will go through palor mortis and their body will become pale after about 15 minutes
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They will go through liver mortis that is livor and the blood begins to settle in the lower parts of the body
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They will go through algor mortis the temperature of their bodies will become
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Matching the ambient room temperature and then they will go through rigor mortis and their bodies will become
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Stiff and whether it is from heart disease or cancer or respiratory diseases or suicide everyone is going to die not just those 150 ,000 people today, but you will die and I will die and the ultimate cause is we know
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Sin the wages of sin is death But today I want to talk about something that the
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Lord Jesus discussed in Luke 12 and Luke 13 There's something worse than death. There's something worse than all the mortises that I described
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And that is standing before God without your sins Forgiven John Owen said
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Satan's greatest success is in making people think they have plenty of time before they die to consider their eternal welfare
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So today I'd like you to take your Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 13 I had Hebrews 11 ready, but I've been thinking a lot about Luke 12 and 13 and I want to preach
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Something that Jesus said because I think it's going to make us think rightly Now if you're from Bethlehem Bible Church, or you're a
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Christian you're watching I want you to watch this passage and watch how Jesus deals with people and I think it'll help you
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Evangelize your friends as you meet unbelievers and deal with people I just got an email from Evan Burns and he was talking to a lady in Taiwan or someplace overseas in Thailand and She's afraid of death people are talking about life and death and she was afraid of death.
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How do we as a church? How do we individually as Christians? Evangelize you're gonna get great insight here from the
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Lord Jesus when there's a catastrophe. How do we respond? Is it politically is it socially is it economically?
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I mean those all have their places But what do you the church do when there's this big? dramatic
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Catastrophe where the world is on hold as it seems so if you're a
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Christian, this is good evangelism Strategy and you say well, I can't go around people to evangelize them
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Well, I still see people taking walks and I still see people in grocery stores and other places
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Walking around Lowe's and other places like that. So you have opportunities and even with Skype and other things
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If you're not a Christian and you're watching Then this is going to be very poignant because you are going to die one day and stand before God and I want you to Be like Jim Elliott that great missionary martyr to the
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Akka Indians He said when it's time to die Make sure the only thing you have left to do is to die
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That is make sure you're at peace with God and you're reconciled to God and that you're forgiven
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Everybody's going to die and the thing about it is you can't have somebody die for you I mean we have health care proxies, but you can't have a proxy for your own death
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Your parents can't die for you. Your friends can't die for you You have to die and then stand before God and then what and so Luke 13 is a great passage that helps us
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See Jesus deal with the crisis and then what's the response? Everybody wants to say why is this happening?
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Why is the crisis going on? Why World War one World War two the virus all these other things and I think the question really is so what?
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Not why but so what how do we respond to this crisis? So we come to Luke chapter 13 this great passage
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From the physician Luke He was the human author and imagine physician
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Luke would put things in a very orderly fashion So that you might believe and he says that in chapter 1 of Luke and we come here to chapter 13
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About Jesus and I think you're gonna have lots of questions answered people say well Why would a loving
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God allow this tragedy to happen? Why would an all -powerful good God allow tragedy and viruses?
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I think those why questions about suffering are going to turn into what's the point?
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God is trying to get people's attention. What's the point not? Why does God allow suffering in this world?
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Now two weeks ago we looked at give us this day our daily bread last week The Lord is my shepherd and now how does
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Jesus deal with tragedies in? this world there were
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Some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices
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Luke 13 verse 1 so you can tell right away Can't you congregation that there's a tie -in there were some present at that very time who told them?
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so these people who had heard Luke 12 and Prior to that have some questions for Jesus now remember in Luke 12, and I just read it verse 4
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I tell you friends do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do
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But I will warn you whom to fear fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell yes
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I tell you fear him remember Jesus. I just said that to the people that's the backdrop by the way
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There's this kind of theology that's going around the world now And it's kind of this Tim Keller CS Lewis theology where if you don't want
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God He'll let you not have him and that's what hell is hell's gates are locked on the inside But no no you see the language here while that might be true if you don't want
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God You're not going to get him, but here. This is throwing casting Tossing into hell you don't want to be tossed into hell
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So somebody who had heard this message from Jesus says well What about those Galileans whose blood
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Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices? And I think you're gonna see Jesus respond in such a way where you think there's nobody who preaches like him nobody who talks like him
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You will Marlboro you were easy for me to say you will marvel at his words
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There's gonna be a disaster and this author Luke ties in 12 to 13
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There were some present at that very time That there's a massacre now
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We don't know anything in the Bible about this massacre except What's here the Galileans whose blood
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Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices now? You can imagine the Roman people are occupying
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Jerusalem and Israel And there's a lot of bad things that happen. I've read in church history that Some Jews were massacred in connection with building of an aqueduct
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That's what Josephus the historian said some Samaritans were attacked at Mount Gerizim according to Josephus Archelaus slew 3 ,000
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Jews in 4 BC 6 ,000 Jews were murdered by Alexander Janius who had been pelted with citrons during the
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Feast of Tabernacles I don't know about you when I first hear citrons. I think of a car, but a citron is like a lemon with a thicker
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Rind on it What's my point? There's lots of activity between the
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Roman people and the Jewish people and the Romans have the swords the Romans have the armies the Roman has has the legions and they're doing bad things to the people and Now we have this case where some people
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Probably were going to the temple or who were in the temple and now you have the henchmen of Pilate who go in and kill the people who are
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Sacrificing animals most likely for Passover and then now the blood of the sacrificers is mixed with the blood of the sacrificers sacrifices
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And everything about this is awful because it's murder. It's a massacre. You've got the the henchmen
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Roman soldiers going into the temple precincts where no Gentiles allowed to go everything about this is awful and of course now it's going to be a perfect time for Jesus to talk about politics and oppression of the government and social issues and economic issues and and Why this is is happening?
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Of course Jesus isn't going to do that because something more important is going on here
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Not just for these listeners not just for any readers, but for us as well
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Watch Jesus's strategy It's not wrong to talk politics.
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It's not wrong to talk about social issues, but those aren't the issues Pilate so cruel
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No, that's not what Jesus says or does here when you watch him respond when you listen to him
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You'll think this is the priority of life Tragedies are supposed to show us that life is so fragile and it's a vapor and we're going to meet
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God one day That's the point verse 2 and He answered them
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Do you think? By the way, he wants you to think he wants you to ponder
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He wants you to not just just feel or emote or go with the flow or what do the polls say you what do you?
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particularly think that these Galileans Were worse sinners than all the other
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Galileans because they suffered in this way Hey, everybody's sinful, but these
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Galileans were more sinful By the way, how many sins does it take to damn anyone?
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James chapter 1 James chapter 2 says whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of what?
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all Galatians chapter 3 Quoting Deuteronomy cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and to perform them.
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I Read this last week that because of the virus they're not making certain things They're redirecting energies and resources and I heard they're not making any
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Marshmallow peeps this year for Easter. I don't know if that's true or not But I think that's a very sad thing not because I like peeps
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I would not eat a peep maybe if I was a grandpa, I would be forced to do it But I like the word peep because it's a good acronym when
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I think about how do I meet God? And so how do I meet God? I've got two ways to meet
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God without going to hell Option one is and I think of that acronym peep that I need to obey
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God Perfectly Entirely exactly and perpetually
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P -e -e -p perfectly entirely exactly and perpetually I have to always obey
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I'm looking at the faces in the congregation. That's all right And so how can
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I do that? I mean it's impossibility because Adam sin was credited in my account He was a federal head.
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Yes, and consequently I'm sinful but that that can't even work I know I've sinned and if I've sinned even one time
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I could never do that How could I perfectly entirely exactly perpetually personally obey
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I could never do that. It's what we call the covenant of works It's it's a covenant that says you know what if you want to obey me
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I mean you must obey me because I'm your creator and you're the creature R .c.
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Sproul said man's relationship to God in creation was based on works What Adam failed to achieve?
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Christ the second Adam succeeded in achieving Ultimately the only way one can be justified is by works
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So God the Creator creates us and we are to obey him But we of course can't obey him and we've sinned so now we need the last
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Adam the Lord Jesus to obey in our place Now what's going on here in this particular case in Luke?
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It's kind of like the Job's friends deal Hey Everybody sins, but these people sin more
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Job you've sinned more and God's displeased with their sin and it's gonna punish you It's kind of like evangelical karma
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Where you know what these Galileans? Yeah, we're all sinful, but they were worse sinners
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And so therefore God is going to use pilot like he used Nebuchadnezzar our Belshazzar our
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Cyrus And he's gonna use these unbelieving people as an instrument of his own vengeance and take it out on these people who were worse sinners
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Is that what's happening? How can you read Providence? How can you understand what God's doing if you don't have revelation?
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Job 4 Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said Remember who was that who was innocent that ever perished or were the upright cut off?
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Hey, they got what was coming to them. It was kind of like that attitude in John chapter 9 with a man born blind his disciples asked him rabbi who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind
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Jesus answered it was not that this man sinned or his parents But that the works of God may be displayed in him
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All this kind of thought about how sinful they were and what they did and the ranking of sin were they were sinners
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Jesus won't allow that because what's the point the point isn't them and their sin the point is you
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We're talking about you when there's a national tragedy. Let's talk about you put your own house in order
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You say well sometimes though in the Bible specific sins were judged by God Sodom and Gomorrah judgment of God Herod who said you know
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I'm a god and everybody's worshiping me and they're singing to me and praising me and God killed him and gave him worms
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Yes, those are true But that's not what's going on here. What does
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Jesus say verse 3? No, I tell you. I mean can you imagine just no that's emphatic by the way in the original and I wish
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I could see the faces of these people They thought they had all their theology figured out but it was wrong theology.
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I mean, everybody's a theologian, but they were aberrant theologians They wanted to hear
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Jesus say yes, and Jesus says the exact opposite No, I tell you
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But unless you repent you will all likewise perish
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I Mean you might not have been one of those people who were sacrificing around Passover and got killed by the henchmen of Pilate But you were gonna die as well.
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What's the lesson? The lesson is make sure you're ready What's the difference you die of a heart attack a plane crash a car wreck you choke on food old age a virus
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There's no difference because you have to all stand before God. So do I and of course, maybe
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Jesus was alluding to soon Titus from Rome would crush
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Jerusalem in 70 AD, but I think he's talking about the ultimate final judgment
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Jesus has said in Luke 9 Whoever shall save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it
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What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses our forfeits himself?
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Jesus has said in Luke 17 later on just as it was as in the days of Noah So will it be in the days of the
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Son of Man? There was eating and drinking and marrying and given in marriage Until the day when
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Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all Likewise just as it was in the days of Lot They're eating drinking buying selling planting building
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But on the day that when lot went out from Sodom fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all
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So Jesus said will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed?
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The ends coming for all of us short of the Lord's return and wouldn't that be wonderful but short of that we're all going to die and What does
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Jesus say there? No, I tell you unless you what? repent Jesus has said in Luke 5.
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I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to what? repentance He said in Luke 15
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So I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance
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He in Luke 24 with the Great Commission said that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that Repentance and forgiveness of sins sins should be proclaimed in his name
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So you think okay, there's a national disaster. There's a worldwide disaster What do I do? The answer is make sure you're ready.
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Make sure you've repented Every sinner faces the same fate How you die in one sense is irrelevant
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This is kind of a good thing for me because we all live our lives and all of a sudden There's like the speed bump.
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I don't know if you've ever I mean, I think I do it all too often I'm driving and that probably says speed bump or school zone or something and then the next thing, you know, it's this massive bump
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I'm going way too fast and it gets your attention. Maybe you're driving down the freeway and You kind of veer off a little bit and there's those little
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Divots that make those sounds to kind of make you wake up to say. Oh, yeah, that's right I am
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NOT going to live forever I will stand before God one day disaster is going to strike me one way shape or form whether I die in my bed or I Am killed in a massacre
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Well, what about this though verse 4 or those 18 in whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them
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Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? Yeah, they had it coming too
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I mean those other people were sinful, but these people were really sinful the tower in Siloam I mean one was a massacre and this is just kind of an accident
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And by the way, both places were in a place of safety Don't you think you'd be safe in the temple and the temple precincts and don't you think you'd be safe by a tower?
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By definition a tower a fortress where you've got guards. These are two places that are very very protected
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I mean if you're gonna be safe someplace wouldn't it be in those places now when
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I think of tower I think of what Tower of Babel Tower of London Tower of Pisa Radio show
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I did yesterday on the Tower of Pisa. It's a it's a fascinating place I've been there one time.
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I remember I was a Pass in like I don't know 1991 or something and layover in Pisa and I said to the taxi driver how much
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Time does it take to get to Pisa and back because I think I had a 45 -minute layover And he said well probably 48 minutes
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I said there's extra money for you If you can get me there and back and I catch the train got there took a picture got back in made the train
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But the tower itself, what does that have to do with anything? It has nothing to do with anything just tower language tower is supposed to be strong Supposed to be fortified and all of a sudden instead of having people just go kill and massacre
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These people are just minding their own business and was like this an accident this tower falls down What's Jesus response?
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It's the same thing No You want me to say yes, but no
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I tell you and by the way He's not quoting the Old Testament although he could and has done it Jesus with the authority the eternal
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Son of God I tell you But unless you repent you will all likewise perish
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He does it two times. Everybody should be getting the point of repetition and the emphasis here two times
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Everyone here should ask themselves the question Everyone listening should ask this themselves the question am
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I converted am I a Christian? Because if I'm not and I die in a state of unbelief I will perish
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You ought to be careful. You ought to watch out. You need to make sure you're forgiven and trusting in the
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Lord Jesus you need to make sure you're trusting in this God who freely grants repentance and faith in the beloved
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Lord Jesus who's victorious over the grave Both these groups died
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You're gonna die I'm gonna die both these groups died quickly I could die quickly so could you both these groups died tragically your death will be tragic so will mine
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Both these groups thought everything's fine. I'm safe. I'm doing religious things.
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I'm in a safe place But what they viewed as their salvation deafened boss says was their
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Destruction and the Lord Jesus calls people today, and if you're a
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Christian, and you're meeting certain people that are afraid This is what you call them to repentance
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Repentance this is a bad word today in our circles the n -word is tolerance, but the biblical word is repentance
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Did you know I studied this week a man in France? Southern France a minister of reformed
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Church and one time he preached 50 sermons in a row on the one -text repent one of these sermons
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Allegedly lasted four and one half hours I guess we could do that with this live stream because then you could get up and have a snack or have a soda or Whatever you want to go do
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People don't want to talk about repentance today, but what does Jesus do there's a national tragedy, and what's his response his response is?
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Make sure you're ready. It's like a speed bump make sure you're ready and Jesus doesn't come along and make up a word as Ezekiel preached repentance
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John the Baptist preached repentance Jesus had Paul preached repentance Peter preached repentance
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What is repentance and repentance is simple it means to change your mind the way you think about sin the way you think about Who you're sinning against you change your mind and of course that will lead to fruits of repentance and a life that's changed
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There are deeds in keeping with repentance certainly acts 26 Westminster Confession says what's the definition of repentance quote a sinner out of the sight and sense not only of danger but also the filthiness and odiousness of his sin as Contrary to the holy nature and of the righteous law of God and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ Jesus to such as are
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Penitent so grieves for and hates his sin as to turn from them all unto
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God Purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all ways of his commandments
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Repentance basically says the way I think about sin was wrong and now I have to think about it rightly
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Now if you say repentance means stop sinning so you can come to Christ, that's not repentance
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Repentance is I know I can't save myself I know I can't come to Christ on my own, and I know
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I can't deliver myself, but for the grace of God And I'm thinking differently. That's what repentance is now.
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You say well. What's the difference between faith and repentance? Why didn't Jesus say here believe? Why didn't he say repent and believe?
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sometimes in the Bible People say believe and that's all they say right rich the
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Jailer in Philippi believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved is that okay to say of course
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It's okay to say sometimes like Jesus. He just says repent. He doesn't say believe Sometimes in the
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Bible both are talked about Acts chapter 20 Repentance toward God and faith in our
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Lord Jesus Christ Is there a contradiction if you hear people preach, and they never say repent or they don't say believe
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Sometimes Peter preaches in Acts 2 he doesn't say repent or believe and they say what do we do?
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Sometimes in Acts chapter 17 he preaches Paul preaches repentance and the Bible says they believed.
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What are we to make of this? Well if you think of a coin on one side of the coin is faith and another side of the coin is repentance
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I think that's fair enough faith and repentance are joined can somebody have a
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Repentant unbelief or an unbelieving repentance of course not
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Chronologically they happen at the same time God grants repentance and faith It's a simultaneous thing, but some have asked the question and I think
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Sinclair Ferguson in his marrow controversy book The whole Christ which one comes first logically
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Now you could say they're simultaneous logically you could say repentance comes first you could say
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Faith comes first or you could say like John Murray. It doesn't matter quit arguing about these things
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The condition for salvation is clear sola fide The ground is the work of Christ Jesus and the instrument is faith
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But they go together I don't know if you like kind of strange grammar words, but there's a word called synecdoche and Synecdoche just means if you say a part of something you mean the whole
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It's a synecdoche SYN, and that's what Sinclair Ferguson says when you say repent or you say
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Believe, but you don't say repent and believe you're just giving a part when you say repent You're meaning think differently about your sins so that you'll think rightly about Jesus Faith has to do with who
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Jesus is and who God is repentant has to do with sin And so if I say repent yes think rightly about your sin
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So you can believe rightly about who Jesus is or if I say believe only on the Lord Jesus Christ Think about him rightly and of course you then will see your sins rightly
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My whole point is when Jesus says repent think rightly about your sins So that you'll think believingly about the
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Lord Jesus Christ why because judgment is near verse 6 Why should we repent?
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Why should we think rightly about our sins? Why should we trust believingly in the Lord Jesus? because judgment is near do you see the first word in verse 6 and He told this parable a
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Man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard And he came seeking fruit on it and found none and you should probably be thinking the vineyard analogies and allegories in Isaiah 5 about Israel is the vineyard and And he said to the vine dresser look for three years now
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I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none cut it down Why should it use up the ground and he answered him sir let it alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure
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Then if it should bear fruit next year well and good, but if not you can cut it down What's the point?
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Well, Jesus has just said repent repent two times now. Here's what he's saying God is gracious, but don't presume on his graciousness
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God is patient, but don't put off repenting Judgment is nearer than you think you say well
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I know people that they didn't believe until they're 85 years old, and I'm only 20 now And so I'll put it off.
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That's not the point at all Jesus is trying to saying be converted now You don't don't stop don't pass go be converted now now back to the death idea and Fearing death
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I actually think in one sense. It's right for the unbeliever to fear death Because they know something else is coming
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I mean does not Romans chapter 1 say that unbelievers know there's a God does not their conscience bear witness to their actions
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I read this week that There's something called death anxiety, and it's called
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Thanatophobia death Thanatophobia Fear and it is quote the morbid abnormal or persistent fear of one's own death feeling the dread apprehension or Solicitude anxiety when one thinks of the process of dying
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And of course how do we describe this Freud would say well? You've got deeper issues that are gonna have to come out in counseling.
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You've got daddy wounds. You've got unresolved childhood conflicts people in psychological research have something called terror management and It's how do you get over the anxiety of death?
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Knowing that it invented in inevitably will come There are tests for this there's the
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DASC the death anxiety scale for children There's the fear survey schedule for children
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I thought it was interesting One of the things they are trying to do now with children four years old or so when they're going to try to give them this fear of death questionnaire and Anxiety scale they call it the koala fear questionnaire
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And so they they have pictures of koalas and all this stuff back and forth the KFQ Koala fear questionnaire, sorry
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I can't read KFQ without thinking about KFC But I think they're closed Never had a
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Popeye's There's all this fear of death how can this be is it right is it good
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So here's what I think if you're an unbeliever you should fear death you should be afraid of death
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You should run from death under the Lord Jesus. I mean here's what typically happens He'll here's
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Bill Maher's quotes on HBO show Several years ago if you believe in Judgment Day I have to seriously question your judgment if you believe you're in a long -term relationship with an all -powerful
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Space daddy who after you die will party with your ghost forever There is an electrical fire going on in your head at the end of the day is
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Magic underwear really that much crazier than giant arcs virgin births are talking bushes
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You're either a rationalist or you're not Their Margo's on and the good news is a recent poll found 20 % of adults under 30
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Say they are rationalist and have figured out that Santa Claus and Jesus are really the same guy
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Now 20 % is hardly a majority But it's a bigger minority than blacks Jews homosexuals
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NRA members teachers or seniors and it's certainly enough to stop being shy about expressing the opinion that we're not the crazy ones and Then what do we hear in the last week you've got a bunch of movie stars singing
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Imagine on some kind of what is it called tik -tok? Something like that some kind of video.
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I even heard Joe Rogan say What are we doing having a bunch of unbelievers whose grandmothers are dying talking about we're sure glad there's no heaven
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He said what kind of message does that teach? So if you are an unbeliever Jesus said you should fear
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So you think rightly about your sins and repent and then trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and confess with your mouth
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Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead and guess what friends you'll be saved and then
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You with other Christians don't have to fear death If you aren't a Christian fear death if you are a
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Christian friends beloved ones, you don't have to be afraid at all Because you're not approaching
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God on your own merits, you're not approaching God with their sins The Lord Jesus has been given to you because the father loved sinners and he sent his son
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Listen to Titus 2 who gave himself this is about Jesus he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and Purify for himself a people for his own possession
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Zealous for good deeds You don't have to worry all the vials of judgment and wrath have been poured out on Jesus in your place and you can stand forgiven.
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You do stand forgiven I can't be sinless of my own self
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But I can stand in the one and be united in Christ with the sinless one no wonder
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Hebrews 10 says we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus What did
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Martha Martin Luther say? Why should you fear? Why should you be afraid? Do you not know that the prince of this world has been judged.
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He is no Lord. No Prince anymore You have a different Lord a stronger
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Lord Christ who has overcome and bound him Therefore let the prince and God of this world look sour bear his teeth make a great noise
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Threaten and act in an unmannerly way He Satan can do no more than a bad dog on a chain
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Which may bark run here and there and tear at the chain But because it is tied and you avoid it it cannot bite you so the devil acts toward every
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Christian Therefore everything depends on this that we do not feel secure but continue in the fear of God and in prayer
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Then the chain dog cannot harm us But this chain dog may at least frighten him who would be secure and go on without caution
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Although he may not come close enough to be bitten Christian you have an elder brother
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Christ Jesus and Hebrews 2 says Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood he
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Jesus likewise partook of the same things that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death
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That is the devil and deliver all those through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery
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Hey, that is great news The Lord Jesus didn't say I'll take on angel flesh or angel nature or angel something to die for angels but he dies for people like us like you like me and He destroys what
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Satan has his only weapon death And it's as if Satan could go to God and say you know what these people sin
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Therefore the wages of sin is death. You're holy. You're righteous. You're just therefore judge them But since we've already been judged because we're in Christ, there's no double jeopardy
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Satan has no more weapon against us One writer said the only way to destroy
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Satan was to rob him of his weapon death Physical death spiritual death and eternal death
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Satan knew that God required death for us because of sin But with Jesus he destroyed death the resurrection of Jesus provides the believer with eternal life
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Satan can't demand our spiritual death anymore our eternal death because Jesus has paid for it if your sins are forgiven
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No wrath for you well, what about This idea of fear of death for the
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Christian. I don't want you to fear death. I Don't want you to say to yourself You know what
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I'm going to be eternally separated from God because I didn't live a perfect life this week No you stand in the stead of the
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Lord Jesus Listen to what Paul says and it's almost like a victory song
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I don't know if you've listened to very many victory sounds and kind of fight songs I would hate to tell you the
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University of Nebraska's fight song because while I love the tune the words are pretty lame
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You'll have to look them up on your own You know I always wanted to have some kind of like Michigan fight song or Notre Dame or something you know tough
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Here's Paul's victory fight song and the enemy's death first Corinthians 15 when the perishable puts on Imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality then shall come to pass the same that is written and here's his exclamation
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It's fight song for every Christian death is swallowed up in victory Death is done the death of death in the death of Christ as John Owen would say
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Christians don't need to fear death Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15. Oh death. Where's your victory you ever see people taunt one another?
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Especially at football games remember football games people used to go these large stadiums sit next to each other and drink sodas and popcorn remember those days
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This is the fight song. This is the chant. This is the na -na -na -na -na. You know kind of thing.
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Oh death Where's your victory? Oh death? Where's your sting nobody should say that if they're not a
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Christian, but every Christian should say that The people are running around crazy today, they're not afraid of a virus friends
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They're afraid of death and death has a victory and death has a sting unless Jesus has been victorious over it
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Hebrews 13 says Hosea 13 says the same thing shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol shall redeem them from death?
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Oh death. Where are your plagues? Oh Sheol? Where's your sting? Rhetorical questions and you can look at death straight in the face
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Christian because Jesus has paid The penalty for you say well,
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I don't live up to my position in Christ. I know that but I'm sure you want to Death for the
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Christian even think of the language What are some of the words for death of a
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Christian? Here's one for you. That's not used. I don't believe of any unbeliever sleep
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Even the way the Bible uses language to take the edge off of death sleep the
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Christian Sleeps, that's amazing Sometimes the
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Bible talks about death as a departure Remember Paul talked about departure in 2nd
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Timothy chapter 4 like you're gonna leave But when you're departing you're gonna be coming back taking the edge off One reformed catechism says what benefits do believers received it from Christ at death?
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The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory and their bodies
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Being still united in Christ do rest in their graves till the resurrection
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I love the way the Bible talks about death for the Christian the edge is taken off because the victory of death is taken away the
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Sting of death is taken away and people sleep and people depart and here's another one
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It's like taking down a tent The Bible talks about death is taking down a tent 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dismantled are taking down a tent
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We have a building from God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens
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No wonder Paul says Oh death. Where is thy? sting You can tell when people die and they don't have this confidence in the
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Lord Jesus Queen Elizabeth not this Queen, but many years ago.
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Oh that I might not die. I would give millions that I might not die Hobbs the infidel said
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I'm taking a fearful leap into the dark Mirabu said give me more laudanum. I don't want to face the fact of my death
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Edward Gibbon all is dark and doubtful but we as Christians I Think of the book of Revelation chapter 14
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Blessed are they that die in the Lord? Isn't that good news blessed are they who die in?
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The Lord well, what's the point of the message today? Here's the point if you're not a
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Christian and you see the death rates of kovat 19 You're next maybe not of that but something else
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So today's a good day to trust in the Lord God is merciful and gracious. That's just who he is
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He loves sinners and so believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I guarantee you he who believes in the
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Lord Romans 10 says will Not be disappointed Repent of your sins trust in the
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Lord Jesus and for Christians, I guess the twofold message is When you can talk to people about what's going on in the world
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This would be a good way to talk like Jesus does to talk about eternal life and death.
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Are you afraid to die? That's a good question to ask and if they don't like it well
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Then you can social distance more than normal. The second lesson for the
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Christians is Don't look for the Christian is don't be worried. Oh death.
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Where is thy sting? Oh grave. Where is your victory? I Remember certain songs from funerals and I remember certain songs that we would sing at grandma
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Funeral and also driving in the car and then I also remember my mom's funeral and we sang a song called victory in Jesus Now, I don't know if all the lyrics are super, you know
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In line with the Belgic Confession, but it is a good idea victory in Jesus my