The finality of death need not be the end. Join us for Bible Study and learn ofthe life giving hope of God. Email us at MyWestEndChurch@gmail.com

Death is powerful. In the hands of terrorists, it scatters fear and destroys peace. Threatening others with death steals, exploits, impoverishes, enslaves, and gives near complete dominion over anyone. The mere threat of death creates a slave willing to do anything to live.

The extremes of crime and punishment are equal: the taking of life and the sentence of death. The most heinous crime you can commit is murder and paradoxically the most severe punishment for a crime you can receive is the death penalty. The power of each is in their finality, the finality of death.

For an army, death at once destroys the enemy and also demonstrates a powerful enough threat to defend a nation’s interests. We understand that the nation with the greatest ability to kill its enemies is the most powerful nation. Death to your enemy is victory on the battlefield.

But death is more than just the threat of the oppressor, or the tool of a powerful nation. It is the destiny of us all. We are all corruptible flesh. The strongest among us is made weak by the certainty of death. The words “You shall surely die” ring as loud and true now as they did for Adam & Eve when they were cursed to return to dust,in death, as a consequence of their sin. 1

Death was not God’s plan. Creation and mankind alike were not meant for death. Death was never meant to be part of some cycle of life or natural course of events. It was through our sin that death entered the world and through our sin that all became corruptible to decay, even the natural world around us. In fact, creation itself groans with the curse of death much like we do. By man’s decision to defy God, death reigned, spread, and consumed the earth we live in. When we sin, we further empower death in this world. We give death its power. 2

And that ’s the world we live in: a world full of sin, death, and suf fering as a result of it. Our world is a constant state of rebellion and would remain that way if God hadn’t mercifully set about a plan to redeem it. God sent Jesus, His only son, in the same flesh we bear to endure the same temptations and same corrupt world that we do, so that He might overcome. 3

Jesus came in complete obedience to God. Having this determination to never sin against God, His message was not that of certain death. “You shall surely die” was the promise to Adam & Eve and the experience of everyone from that moment forward.

But Jesus had a dif ferent promise: a promise that ultimately changed everything, a promise that has reshaped the world and given hope where there was none. Jesus came with the promise of eternal life … fulfilling all that was before and pointing toward all that will be. 4

This message of life was so radical and dif ferent from what anyone expected or wanted to believe that they crucified him, they put him to death, for it. They wielded the power of death over the life giving messenger, Jesus. And Death, it seemed, was still victorious. Jesus was dead.5

But the battle between death and life was not over. After three days, Jesus’ friends went to the tomb and discovered it was empty. Jesus, who was completely dead and buried, was indeed found alive. God had raised him up in resurrection. Jesus’ message was confirmed and his authority as the son of God was established forever. Jesus’ kingdom had come on earth as it had always been in Heaven. Death no longer has dominion, authority, and power. Death was utterly defeated and the promise of eternal life became our living hope. 6

This is precisely the “Good News” preached by Paul and the other Apostles in the first century. Christianity was not established with a new philosophy or a new religious idea: it was established as the “Good News” that Jesus is risen: that death is defeated: that the kingdom has come on earth as it is in Heaven: and that the King is enthroned immortally. All this through the resurrection of the Son of God; through His conquering of death. 7

Death can be a powerful force but it has not enslaved the people of God. Death has no victory over us. We freely serve the God that defeated death with his own son so that we might have the promise of eternal life. The only victory is in the Lord and through an abundance of His grace and the free gif t of righteousness … we too will reign with him forever. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus is our victory. 8

Where Is Your Victory?

300 Blue Level Road • Bowling Green, Ky • WestEndChurch.comWest End Church of Christ

Article 25 - October 2015

by Stephen Ogden

1 Heb 9:27, Gen 22 Rom 5:12, 8:19-233 John 1:14, Titus 2:11-144 Matt 5:17,28:19-20, John 3:16,11:25-27,14:31, 1 John 2:255 Matt 27:316 Matt 6:10,28:18, Eph 1:15-23, 2 Tim 1:10, 1 Pet 1:37 Luke 1:31-33, Acts 13:32-378 John 10:10, Rom 5:17, 1 Cor 15:54-57, Eph 2:4-10