The Day Death Died–Part 2 of 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. When we die as believers, we do so within God's loving providence, His loving purpose, and His mighty power. In our series on the vanishing power of death, we're reliving the day death died. The sting of death has been absorbed by the sacrifice of Jesus.

Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, some who listen may wonder how they can know for sure that their sting of death has been taken care of.

David, it really comes down to this. Where is your faith? If you believe that somehow you have contributed to your salvation because you are good, I don't think that you are ready to die. But Jesus says, He who believes on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. It all has to do with whether or not Jesus Christ is standing in for you, whether or not he is your mediator, whether or not he is your Redeemer. And while I'm on the subject, there are many people who are listening to me right now who perhaps have never savingly believed on Jesus, though intellectually they think they have. Now, is it possible to have doubts and yet be genuinely saved?

Yes. And at the end of this message, I'm going to be reading the story of a man who struggled with his faith. But honest doubts are welcome.

Dishonest doubts, not so much. Now let's go to the pulpit of Moody Church. But what the sisters are saying is, Master, you love us, and yet you did not intervene. If you had come earlier, you could have spoken the word, and our brother had not died. Where were you when we really needed you? Oh, Lord, if only you had been here. And so they begin to think of those if onlys, and there is not a funeral that takes place, but that with that funeral, there are some if onlys. If only we had gotten him to the doctor sooner, if only the doctors had not operated, if only the doctors had operated, if only there had not been ice on that pavement, the accident would not have happened.

Oh, God, where are you? If only you had arranged circumstances differently, this would not have happened. But as I've said to you many times, what you need to do is to write down on the sheet of paper all of the contingencies, all of the if onlys, and then understand that God's providential guidance encircles the entire sheet of paper, because my dear friend today, even the if onlys of life are firmly held in his loving hand. It's not just that God determined the time that Lazarus would die. It is also that he determined the means. We don't know what the disease was that Lazarus had, but whatever it was, it was the means that God used to usher in the death of Lazarus.

And even that means was under God's providential care. Some of you have babies that are in heaven and you say, why did God even give them to us? You know, sometimes when a shepherd wants to take the sheep through a dark valley to get them to the grazing lands on the other side, he can't get them to go.

They're too short. So what he does is he reaches down and he picks up one of the little lambs and puts that lamb on his shoulder. And then he begins to trek through that dark deep valley and the mother of the lamb begins to follow him.

And the other sheep began to see that she is going and soon another one goes and the whole flock of sheep goes to the other side. And that's the way it is sometimes when God's people die young. It makes us homesick for heaven.

It is God's way of getting us to remember that we are all going to the other side. Every believer dies within the context of Christ's love, his loving care, but also his loving providence. Third, we die within the context of his loving purpose, his loving purpose.

Now, why is it that Jesus didn't hurry back? Well, we know that the Martha and Mary wanted a healed Lazarus. Jesus wanted a resurrected Lazarus. Jesus, when he was told about this death said, this death is for the glory of God. And if your Bible is open, notice what he says in verse 40 when he comes to the tomb. Did I not say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? How is God glorified in the death of a believer? First of all, God is glorified in our faith.

He's glorified in our faith. By the way, did you get the juxtaposition of events there in verse 40? We always say, you know, seeing is believing. The skeptic says, you show me and I will believe. Isn't it interesting that here at least Jesus reverses the order and he says, did I not say to you that if you believe, you believe, then you shall see. Sometimes we have to see before we believe, but oftentimes we have to believe in order to see. And Jesus standing there at the tomb of Lazarus says, if you believe, you will see the glory of God. God is glorified by the faith of his people.

And you know the way in which we accept death, no matter how fearful it may be, but the bottom line still is being able to die with a sense of confidence. It brings glory to almighty God. During the days immediately after the reformation, there were Huguenots in France, and these dear Christians were marched to the stake and they were burned because they were outside of the official church Christendom. And as they were marching to the stake, they sang hymns so loudly that the authorities were so embarrassed that they had a band there playing to drown out the beautiful hymns of the Christians marching to their death. It is said by the pagans of the early believers who were mercilessly martyred in Rome and in the Roman provinces, the pagans said of them that the Christians carried their dead as if in triumph. And finally Tertullian says that the pagans cried out, how long must we put up with this third race? What they said was that the Christians are different because they die differently and God is glorified because of their faith.

God is also glorified I may say because death is his way of getting his people home. You know as Christians we are sometimes so contradictory. On the one hand we sing about the glories of heaven and the wonders of the pearly gates and then we spend all of our money and all of our effort hanging around here. I don't want to be critical of that. I'd like to live a while longer.

But it is a strange contradiction. If heaven is so glorious, why is it that we're hanging on to this world with such tenacity? Well I want to tell you something about death. Death is God's way of releasing his people into heaven forever.

It is God's final victory for us because it is God's ability to prove that the sheep that have been entrusted to him have been finally brought safely home. Never to wander again. Never to sin again.

Never to backslide again. Finally they are there forever. And that's why death is a triumph to Christ and glorifies him. It is proof that the Savior has the ability to bring his people home.

We die my friend within the context of Christ's loving care, within the context of his loving providence, the context of his loving purpose, and the context of course of his loving power. His loving power because he's at the tomb of Lazarus. And I love this prayer of Jesus.

You know before Jesus came out of heaven to earth it was as if he and God the Father arranged what he was going to do. And therefore Jesus goes to prayer and he almost says, Father you know we've talked about this before so I wouldn't have to say anything. But the text says that as he was at the tomb of Lazarus he said, Father I thank thee that thou hearest me always and I knew that thou hast heard me but because of the people which stand by I have said it. And then the Bible says he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. Someone has suggested very accurately that it's a good thing he named Lazarus. If he had just said come forth the whole cemetery would have appeared before him.

After all he is king of kings and lord of lords. And so he had to specify just Lazarus this time, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes.

His face was bound about with a napkin. And Jesus said I've done the impossible now you do what is possible. And that is you unwrap him.

And so they unwrapped him. You know when we do what is possible it is up to God to do the impossible. Now when Lazarus was raised he evidently was raised with an earthly body. Do you realize that he had to die again? Can you imagine Lazarus as he gets sick at some later point and saying my word all this again.

But he dies again. But do you know that when we are going to be raised when the trumpet is going to sound and when Jesus is going to return we are not going to be raised with these earthly bodies that we brought with us. With all of their aches and pains and the disintegration that even those of us who are very young still feel. We will be raised with brand new bodies. The Bible says we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. An indestructible eternal sinless body. Yes it will be based on the body that we have here.

There is continuity between the two. But it is going to be so transformed that we will be exempt from all the aches and the pains and the bruises of this existence. And once we are on the other side we will wonder why we were so attached to this very sinful hurtful world. I want to say to those of you who have loved ones in heaven and that applies to all of us that there is not a single one in heaven today who would ever come back to earth if he was given the opportunity to do so. They are secure in the fold of the shepherd because they die within the context of the Father's purpose and power. And then finally I want us to notice that true believers die within the context of the Father's beautiful promise. The words really of Jesus here in this text of scripture when he says in verse 25, one of the most famous verses of all the Bible, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even if he dies.

We can understand that quite well can't we? Of course we know that we are going to live even if we die. And all of us will die unless we are living at the return of Christ. But then Jesus with a play on words and using the word death in two different meanings continues in verse 26 and says and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. What he is saying is is that if you are alive and and you believe in Christ spiritually you have life and spiritually you will never die. Physically you will die but spiritually with the very life of God within you you will go on living. He is the resurrection and the life. Do you understand now why it is that Jesus Christ came to take away death's sting? We die within his loving care, his loving providence, his purpose, his power and with all the promises of God which are yea and amen in Jesus Christ.

However much agony we will go through on that death bread we die with a savior who has gone before us and has said follow me, follow me. When I was perhaps six years old my father decided to buy some bees. It was a mistake but nevertheless he did so. And I remember how he went out and he built this beehive. I guess the Lutzer's were going to get into the honey business and then he bought a box of bees and he brought them into the house and somehow somehow I do not know how many of them got loose in our kitchen. And I'll never forget going to bed that night and as I was going up the stairs my hand I was crawling up the stairs my hand went right onto one of those bees and I was fiercely stung crying like any six year old boy would cry. Now you know it's interesting that afterwards that bee, I don't know what happened to it, it got away and joined the crowd I guess.

But do you know something? That particular bee that stung me with such enthusiasm by the way, that particular bee could not sting anyone else again. He could buzz. He could make lots of noise. He could intimidate. He could frustrate. But the sting had been absorbed.

He could not sting someone else again. Oh I'll tell you death has an ugly face. It intimidates. It threatens. It is fearsome.

But all that it can do is have threats. It cannot make good on its threats because Paul says oh death where is thy sting? Oh grave where is thy victory? Jesus won that victory and he absorbed its sting for those that believe on him. Death and the curse were in our cup. Oh Christ was full for thee but thou has drained the last dark drop.

Tis empty now for me. How I wish I could stand before you today and say that everybody is going to be resurrected with Jesus. Everybody is going to be happy. Everybody is going to have this wonderful resurrection body and live eternally in bliss. Oh what a poor minister of the gospel I would be if I gave that impression.

I would be judged by God for my foolishness. Because if there's anything that is clear in the Bible it is that very few people participate in the benefits that I have just spoken about. The majority are going their own way.

Their own way. There are two ways. Remember that cemetery in Indiana with that tombstone and on it is written the poem pause stranger as you pass me by. As you are now so once was I. As I am now so you will be. So prepare for death and follow me.

But a passer by read the poem and scrawled on the bottom to follow you I'm not content until I know which way you went. In the fifth chapter of John Jesus gives two resurrections. He says that there is a resurrection unto life and there is also a resurrection unto damnation. Even in the Old Testament the book of Daniel says that those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and contempt. Two resurrections at two different periods of time. And you see the difference has to do with whether we have given up all attempts to impress God.

Whether or not we have repudiated all dependency upon the sacraments and upon the the various rituals and works that all of us as human beings like to do. And we cleave only to Christ who is the resurrection and the life and that all of our faith is put in him because Jesus said so clearly he that believeth on me is saved but he that believeth not the wrath of God abides on him. Yesterday I read the story of a king who when he died so hated the doctrine of resurrection that when he was put into the ground he asked that a granite slab be put over the grave and there be huge clamps that would be clamped onto some pillars that were put around him. And on the tombstone was written purchased for eternity but it was not to be moved.

But I'm told that within time there was a tree and that tree began to grow between one of the clamps and between that slab and began to push it apart. Listen to me carefully there is nothing that you can do absolutely nothing to prevent your resurrection you will be raised the question is at which resurrection will you appear and who with whom will you spend eternity. Do you remember Shakespeare to be or not to be that is the question. And the soliloquy goes on to say that if I commit suicide in that sleep of death what dreams may come when I have shuffled off this mortal coil. What Hamlet is actually saying is look whether I live or die I'm a loser. To live is misery to die means that in that sleep of death there may be more terror than I am even experiencing now. I want you to contrast that with the words of the Apostle Paul when he said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Hamlet said live or die I lose. Thanks to Christ Paul said live or die I win. And it is Jesus Christ who makes the difference. I need to ask you today those of you who are religious those of you who are here today have you fervently completely and only trusted the Savior who will raise you from the dead with him with all the loving compassion and concern that we have spoken about today. Christ is waiting for a response from you even today you're not here by accident you are here by divine appointment and if you agree let us pray. Her father how grateful we are that when we think of the terror of death Jesus has come and said it's okay it's okay I've been through it I know what's on the other side I'm gonna be there to meet you thank you and for those who may be here today who have never believed on him we pray that your Holy Spirit would do what no human words can show them their need of Christ the Savior at this moment.

If you're a believer pray for those who are around you and if you're unsure as to where you will spend eternity tell Jesus right now you receive him as your Savior forsaking dependence on everything else you put your faith in the only one qualified to save. Father hear the heart cry of everyone bowed before you in Jesus holy name amen. Well let me put it to you very clearly the stronger our faith in Jesus Christ the more courage we will have when it's time for us to die but as I mentioned at the beginning of this program there are those who have doubts. George Matheson was actually a pastor he was born in Scotland in the 1800s he was blind he went through a period of doubt and I want to read just a couple of lines about what he had to say. To all of us who struggle with doubt Lord there are times when my experience is the experience of Thomas there are days when I hear not the bells of Easter morning I tread the road of Emmaus and do not meet the risen Christ and on and on he goes but then at the end of this long quote he says this but then oh Lord God when you reveal yourself to me then shall my Easter morning shine again through the clouds of night then shall I know the meaning of the words blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed. Well that's a quote actually from my book entitled the vanishing power of death which we are making available to you and if you order it now you'll have it in time for Easter. Here's what you do go to rtwoffer.com that's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337 and let me thank you in advance for helping us as we continue this ministry we want to get the message of Jesus Christ around the world.

You can write to us at Running to Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. When the apostle Paul proclaimed Christ to philosophers in Athens he pointed to the central proof of his faith the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. On Mars Hill he spoke of a day when this resurrected Jesus would judge the entire world. Next time you'll get the whole story. Thanks for listening for Pastor Erwin Lutzer this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.