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Robbing the Reaper The Penalty is Paid

(April 19,2019 1 Corinthians 15:50-57)

There seems to be something of a phobia epidemic going on. Almost every week I read about some new phobia. A couple of the more modern phobias that caught my attention are these: Pognophobia – a fear of facial hair – on some level I can understand this fear and if you have it – then it will rule you out from attending more hipster churches. Aviatophobia – a fear of entering a metal cage weighing close to half a million kilograms and seeing it rise high in the sky. This is fear of flying. Nomophobia – I thought it might be a fear of numbers – but that is Numerophobia. No this is the very modern fear of being disconnected from the Internet. Clearly a first world tragedy. But an old phobia that is still an incredibly pervasive phobia is: Thanatophobia. Despite some smart suggestions to the contrary – this is not a fear of Thanos – the supervillain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No – Thanatophobia is a fear of death. And almost every culture has personalised death in some form.

The Penalty Is Paid1 Corinthians 15:50-57

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In the first century perhaps the most common personification of death was the Greek god Thanatos. He was a bearded, winged god – and not connected to the Internet – so he personified many phobias. But in our Western culture – the most common picture of death is the Grim Reaper. The picture arose from the time of the Black Death in 14th century Europe when death harvested people at will. We fear death. Hebrews 2:15 says we are held in slavery by the fear of death. But why do we fear death? There are two things about death that people fear. For most of us – what we actually fear is – the end of life. Death’s victory is our earthly grave Ask most men and women what they fear about death – what the great power of death is and they will admit it is that life ends. Everything we love, everyone we love – death ends them all. Throughout history – philosophers, poets, princes and peasants have all lamented the power of death. The famous philosopher Rousseau made this statement:

He who pretends to look on death without fear lies. All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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He who pretends to look on death without fear lies. All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed.

One of Rousseau’s contemporaries the philosopher Voltaire was certainly afraid to die. When his doctor pronounced that he would soon be dead, Voltaire gripped him and begged, “I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six-months life!” When King Hezekiah was dying He cried out to God:

In the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years.

He begged God for more years of life. Shakespeare’s Macbeth grieves that we are nothing more than a candle lit for a brief time – full of sound and fury – on the dusty road to death – of no significance – and when our hour on the stage of life is done – nothing. For most people – this life is all there is and the prospect of death is near unbearable. Is that you? Perhaps it depends on how old you are. Many young people never think about death – even though in reality it might only be one car ride away. However, most older people think about it – a lot. Some of us have been forced to think about it. I had a fairly serious melanoma removed when I was 23 – that sure makes you think about death. I have sat with many people – both as a doctor and pastor – as they died – that sure makes death a reality. I have had to deal with serious health issues in myself, my family and my friends. I know that the only certainty is – one day death comes for every one of us. But, I have found that among those who do think about death – it is really only one of the powers of death they think about – and that is that death ends our earthy life. But, this morning – Good Friday – it is timely for us to remember that the Bible tells us that the grave is not the only power death wields.

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There is another more far, far more fearsome power in death – something we should truly fear. While – Death’s victory might be our earthly grave Death’s sting is our final judgement The Bible tells us very clearly that despite what many think or believe – the grave is not the end. Every one of us – every man, woman and child – will live again – but while that might initially sound good – the issue is that this when death’s great sting is found. If we die in our sins – we have to face a holy God who will judge us for the conduct of our lives. Hebrews 9:27 says:

It is appointed for people to die once—and after this … judgement. And no one ever born has a life anywhere near good enough to escape this judgement unscathed. Romans 3:23:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The coming judgement is the true power of the reaper. This is the great sting of death. And that is fearful news. But here is why Easter weekend is such a time of joy. I love this weekend. It is the highlight of the year for me. A way has been provided whereby every power of the reaper – every power of death – can be defeated and destroyed. So – my point this morning is simple:

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Easter celebrates Christ’s victory for us over every power of death. Easter celebrates Christ’s victory for us over every power of death – both the earthly grave and the final judgement. This is why this is such a time of rejoicing. Here is what we will see today. The victory of death (our earthly grave) is defeated by the resurrection 50-55a The sting of death (our final judgement) is defanged by the cross 55b-57 The cross and the resurrection are joined at the hip – you cannot have one without the other. Remove either one and the other is destroyed. Every Easter – there are a few passages that just sing the gospel to us – and one of the loudest is 1 Corinthians 15. This chapter is usually preached on Resurrection Sunday – because for most of its 58 verses Paul is dealing with the resurrection. But at the start of the passage and end of the passage – Paul looks to the cross – because a cross-less resurrection is a tragedy. We are raised only to face judgement. Here is what he says at the start of the passage. 1 Corinthians 15:3–4:

Easter celebrates Christ’s victory for us over every power of death

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For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Paul knows that without the cross the resurrection is in vain. Unless the penalty is paid – death will not be defeated and defanged. But Paul also knows that without the resurrection – the glory of the cross is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:13–14:

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

Then right at the end of this wonderful passage on the resurrection, Paul returns once more to this truth – that the true glory of Easter needs both the resurrection and the cross. And that is the passage I want to briefly look at this morning. So if you have your Bibles please turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:50. While I don’t want to steal any thunder from resurrection Sunday – Paul wants us to know that the only reason there can be a resurrection Sunday is because of Good Friday. The victory of death (our earthly grave) is defeated by the resurrection – verses 50-55.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory?

I have often wondered what Good Friday looked like to Satan. I wonder if perhaps it seemed to him an unexpected victory. I suspect that when Jesus was born Satan was shaking in his boots. He had tried for generations to destroy the line that led to Jesus – and failed.

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But Satan was not done. He tried to have Him killed as an infant – and failed. He tried to bribe Him with the world before He started His ministry – and failed. He tried to derail His ministry countless times – and failed. He had one last throw of the dice – it involved Judas and a conspiracy with the Roman and Jewish leaders. I think Satan fully expected it to fail. But – Jesus – the innocent one was convicted – He was hanged on the cross – and no angel appeared to rescue Jesus from the cross. After six hours – Jesus cried – it is finished and breathed His last – He died. And I suspect Satan was wondering – Wow! – did I really just defeat the Son of God? How could I? But I have? I believe there was great rejoicing in hell when Jesus breathed His last. The hero from heaven was defeated. Satan understood that without the power of Jesus – every man and woman ever born was without hope. Satan knew that a holy God could not just forgive sin. And after the fall – after Adam sinned – all of us are corrupt people – sinful flesh and blood. 1 Corinthians 15:21:

Death came through a man – Adam. Because we are sinful we cannot even look upon a holy God let alone live with Him in heaven. So Satan and death won … or did they? God used Satan and the most evil act in history to work the greatest good in history. We know how this one ends. Satan did not win. The death of Jesus was in fact the greatest victory imaginable. Three days later – Satan watched on helplessly as the power of God returned Jesus to life. Breath entered His lungs – His eyes opened and death was defeated.

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But more than that – Paul has just spent all of chapter 15 arguing that the resurrection of Jesus means that – Christians – those united to Him in His death – will also rise. But rising is not enough because our corrupt old flesh and blood are not fit for heaven. However, because of the cross to wash away our sins – the power of God will transform us in the twinkling of an eye into perfect flesh and blood – fit to live with a holy God. And it is not just the dead – Christians living on that day – those living when the last trump sounds will not be left out – they too will be transformed into new perfect bodies and rise to meet Jesus in the air. Death is swallowed up in the victory of Christ and His resurrection. A billion empty graves will declare that death has not won. But here is the issue. Do you believe death is the end? You close your eyes and that is it – forever? Ask most people what they believe and they will tell you death is the end. I thought that for years. I was a medical student – and I knew the power of medicine can do many things but it was nowhere near capable of giving life to the dead. And once a body has been in the grave a year – it is dust. Last year my wife Dena and I visited the famous above ground cemeteries in New Orleans: When someone dies, their body is put inside one of these crypts for a year and a day. After that time all that is left is handful of dust. They then bury the dust under the tomb and in this way up to 200 family members can be buried in each tomb. If medicine can’t do anything with a dead body – surely a handful of dust marks the end! That is how I viewed death – perhaps that is how you view death. Death is often seen as the end. We are far from happy that we grow old and die – but when we have lived our days – death merely ends our life. If we are old and in pain – death ends the pain. Not everyone believes that. There are some people who believe that death is not the end – but only for some.

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Those who satisfy the demands of God are raised to enjoy heaven – the rest lie in an uncomprehending state of eternal non-existence. Perhaps some here this morning believe that. However – the Bible is clear – because God is holy and just – that means He cannot just forget our rebellion and sin against Him – there has to be a judgement. Hitler can’t kill 8,000,000 Jews and then drink poison in a bunker and escape judgement. Craig Lloyd can’t rebel against God and die of old age and escape judgement. And so every single one of us will rise – whether we believe it or not – it will happen. And on the face of it – this resurrection seems to be bad news – we are raised to face judgement. It seems we would have been eternally better off to die and have the grave as the end – except for one earth shattering event. The cross. The reason we are here this morning. The reason this day is celebrated in art and song and in every true church across the world today. For Christians, the cross destroys the other power of the death – the great power – the sting of judgement. The sting of death (our final judgement) is defanged by the cross 55b-57

Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Paul is taunting death. He likens death to a venomous snake who sinks its fangs into a victim and injects its poison. But because of the cross – when the death bites – it is defanged – there is no sting – no venom. Paul is crying out – is that all you have got? Death had not won. When Jesus breathed His last on the cross – death looked to have won. On February 5, 2017 the Atlanta Falcons were thrashing the New England Patriots 28-3 in the Superbowl. Not only were fans streaming out of the Superbowl believing the game was over – but Eugenie Bouchard the Canadian tennis star and model – took to Twitter to boast:

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I knew Atlanta would win btw. John Goehrke saw an opportunity – a longshot – but he took it and replied: If Patriots win we go on a date? Eugenie didn’t think there was a hope of that happening so she replied: Sure When the Patriots came back to win 34-28 in overtime – John had himself a date. Death was boasting at the cross. It looked all over. But the boast was premature. Three days later – the resurrection proved that death was not the end – the cross was not the end – it was just the beginning. Paul taunts death – where is your sting now? He can taunt death because – for the believer – its source and power are defanged. Notice Paul points out the source and power of death’s sting.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. We know that death occurs because we are sinful. Death entered the world because of sin – in Romans Paul says – the wages of sin is death. But it is more than physical death. Here in Corinthians he says – that death has a sting. Paul seems to have more in mind than merely ceasing to live. Yes, there is a sting in not being in this life – but Paul seems to be thinking of a far greater sting. When you read verses 17 and 18 of 1 Corinthians 15 – Paul’s point seems to be that dying as sinners and having to face the judgement of God is the real sting. And what gives sin its power to destroy us at the judgement is the Law. The Law is an expression of God’s holiness. When God said – don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t kill – this was an expression of God’s perfect standard. If we want to survive judgement and get to heaven – we have to meet that standard – and perfectly.

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The Bible is so clear that God is completely holy and only those who are holy can be in His presence. When I say – sinner – I’m not sure if something inside you says – I am a sinner – or if something in you says – OK I’m not perfect – but a sinner – not I’m not that bad? Psalm 14 says God looks down from heaven to see if there are any perfectly good people in the world and finds none – because that is God’s standard – perfection – never, ever messing up. We might think that is too high a standard – but we don’t set the standard – God does. The problem is that every one of us has sinned again and again. Sometimes big sins – every day little sins – white lies, some greed or envy or lust. And even the smallest sin – something you or I would never think twice about – that is enough to disqualify us from heaven forever. It doesn’t matter if we think that is too harsh or not – God is perfect and He says – to live with Him we have to be perfect. I can tell you – I fail dozens of times every day. My life means I have no hope of heaven. No one ever born goes close – not Moses or Abraham or David or Paul. Paul says he is the chief of sinners. No one can fulfil the demands of the Law – not me – not you. The Law gives sin its power. But, there is One. One who kept the Law – God’s perfect Son. Jesus came and lived a life without sin. Over 30 years and not one sin. I can’t comprehend that. Perfect as a child, a teenager as an adult. Perfect when He was condemned even though innocent. He can only do that because He is God. Then He died on the cross. And why the cross is a day we rejoice in is that on that cross a great transaction occurred. By faith any sinner can be united with Jesus.

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As the wrath of God fell on Jesus – our penalty – the penalty for every sin committed in the past, the present and yet to come is paid in full. Colossians 2:14 says this:

He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Every sin was removed. My lies – gone. My envy – gone. My deception – gone. When every sin is gone – I am declared holy – the Law is kept and sin has no power over me – which means I do not fear death. Because I am in Him – God looks at me and sees Jesus – the only one to ever keep every Law. Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is Christ in me that God sees. That is why we have verse 57:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Death is defeated by the cross and the resurrection. Having the penalty of sin paid – but never rising – that is no victory. Rising from the dead – without the penalty of sin being paid and facing a Holy God in our sin – that is absolutely no victory. But because of the work of Christ – on the cross and also rising again – we have a complete victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul says – death is swallowed up in victory – he is quoting an Old Testament passage – Isaiah 25:7–8 where Isaiah says this:

On this mountain he will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations; he will destroy death forever. The

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Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken.

He will destroy death forever. Jesus did that. Earlier in the sermon I put up a quote by the philosopher Rousseau:

He who pretends to look on death without fear lies. All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed.

Because of the cross – I can disagree with Rousseau. You can disagree with Rousseau. We can look on death without fear and not lie. We can say with sincerity – I am not afraid to die. Why? Because death is not the end. John Stott says this:

What, then, should be the Christian’s attitude to death? It is still an enemy, unnatural, unpleasant and undignified—in fact “the last enemy to be destroyed.” Yet, it is a defeated enemy. Because Christ has taken away our sins, death has lost its power to harm and therefore to terrify.1

Death has lost its power to harm and therefore to terrify. 1 Stott, J. R. W. (2006). The Cross of Christ (p. 239). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

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What, then, should be the Christian’s attitude to death? It is still an enemy, unnatural, unpleasant and undignified—in fact “the last enemy to be destroyed.” Yet, it is a defeated enemy. Because Christ has taken away our sins, death has lost its power to harm and therefore to terrify.

JOHN STOTT

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Easter celebrates Christ’s victory for us over every power of death. That is what we gather to remember this day. Every power of death has been swallowed up in victory of Christ. I don’t know how often you think about death – but when someone we know dies – when we look in the mirror and think – wow the years are flying by – we can’t help but realise the day we of death is coming. If your only hope is that death is the end – what we celebrate on Sunday proves that is a vain hope. Jesus rose from the dead. Over 500 saw Him – touched Him – walked with Him. Men who knew Him testified – Jesus rose from the dead. Death is not the end. If your hope is that God’s love will overlook your sin – it is a vain hope. God is holy so sin must be dealt with. But – if your hope is in Christ – that is a hope with a sure foundation. The cross and the resurrection prove that Jesus defeated death forever. Our lives have meaning – our deaths matter. If you are visiting with us this morning and you think all this talk of death is macabre – that celebrating an instrument of torture is strange – that speaking of life after death is hope without foundation – I encourage you to talk with us – or read the Bible. The crucifixion of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus are among the best attested events in history. Countless lives have trusted these events. The cross changed the course of world history and changes the course of eternal history. It is what enables us to make sense of this world. We know why there is evil and inhumanity and death. And more than that – we know these things will come to an end. And my prayer this morning is that on that final day – you will have trusted in something other than your works to defeat sin and death.

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My prayer is that you would find great joy in proclaiming your faith in the victory Jesus won over every power of death – forever.