Offering Ps.27:1,6 Prayer of thanksgiving Ps.116:5,7,8,9 Divine blessing

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1 Liturgy for Sunday, PM Confession of Dependence and Divine Greeting Ps.116:1,2,3,4 Profession of faith Hy.1 Prayer for illumination and blessing Ministry of the Word Reading: Psalm 116; Romans 6:1-14 Hy.25:1,4,6 Text: LD16 Christ suffered and died in order to give us life. We ll consider: 1. The reason for Christ s death. 2. The benefits of Christ s death. 3. The comfort from Christ s death. Hy.30:1,2,3 Offering Ps.27:1,6 Prayer of thanksgiving Ps.116:5,7,8,9 Divine blessing Songs for worship taken from the 2014 version of the Book of Praise In worship we use the English Standard Version (ESV) Rev. Joe Poppe 1

2 Singing: Ps.116:1,2,3,4; Hy.1; Hy.25:1,4,6; Hy.30:1,2,3; Ps.27:1,6; Ps.116:5,7,8,9 Reading: Psalm 116; Romans 6:1-14 Text: LD16 Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, Some day each one of us will have to die. If the Lord Jesus does not return before then, we will face the end common to all. It is as the Preacher says in Ecclesiastes 3, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die. Psalm 90 tells us that our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures. Some live even a little longer than that. But death is a reality in the sinful world in which we live. It is one of the ultimate consequences of our fall into sin. Death is something that makes many people really uncomfortable. There is a real avoidance of death in our society. It is something that doesn t get openly spoken about, and something that we try to stay as far away from as possible. We talk about how people have passed away. Insurance companies sell life insurance rather than death insurance, though that it what it really is. Doctors will often try to shield their patients from the news that they are terminally ill. Funeral directors embalm and dress up the dead so that they look like they are taking a nap. We are a society that fears death, and avoids it as much as we can. Yet death is inevitable for each one of us. When we are young, we may be shielded from that reality. Many young people think that they are invincible; that nothing bad could ever happen to them. Yet as we go through life we are confronted by the deaths of friends and loved ones. We begin to realize that one day we too will be faced with death. That message is brought home when we see others around us die in car accidents, or being diagnosed with a terminal illness, or experiencing the effects of old age. Eventually, we will all die. Does that depress you? It does most people. Death dashes our dreams, crushes our hopes. It ends a love relationship with a spouse or family member, or a friendship with someone we may have known for many years. Death is an enemy. It causes deep grief and sorrow. Death leaves behind an empty place. A vacant chair or bed in our homes; a hole in our hearts! Although death truly is the last enemy, and causes us much sorrow and grief, it does not need to leave us hopeless and in despair. There is a reason why we as Christians can find comfort and hold fast hope, even when confronted by death. It is because of Jesus Christ and what he came to do in this world. Christ came to suffer and die for our sins. He was willing to give up his life to redeem our lives. Christ died to give us new life in him. That is the good news that I may proclaim to you this afternoon. I preach to you the Word of God under the following theme: Christ suffered and died in order to give us life. We ll consider: 1. The reason for Christ s death. 2. The benefits of Christ s death. 3. The comfort from Christ s death. We read together this afternoon from Psalm 116. This is a well-known song; our children often learn it at a young age. It is a song that expresses strong emotions of the heart. The psalmist begins with a confession of love. He says, I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. (Psa.116:1). What is often overlooked in this psalm is the reason why the psalmist s heart overflows with love and thanksgiving to God. It is because of the LORD s wondrous works of deliverance. You see, beloved, the psalmist was in real trouble. We see him express the sorrows of his heart in verse 3. He says, The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. (Psa.116:3). Something happened in his life that brought him close to the point of death. We don t know precisely what this was. It may have been illness, or some nearly fatal accident. Perhaps he was wounded in battle. It could be that his foes plotted Rev. Joe Poppe 2

3 against him, and that he narrowly escaped death at their hands. What is clear is that death was knocking at his door. It surrounded him on every side. He thought he was a goner. The result is that he suffered much distress and anguish. Consider that, beloved. Being in a situation where you think that you are going to die. Trying to come to terms with the fact that you are leaving behind your life s partner, children, parents, or other loved ones. Wondering how they will fare in life when you are no longer there. Worrying about the fact that you will not be there to care for them. Seeing all the hopes and dreams you had for this life coming to an end. Recognizing that you won t be able to do some of the things you had planned. Death is a cruel enemy. In brings much distress and anguish into the hearts of all who are touched by it. When we are confronted with death, we often begin to ask some of the bigger questions of life. Where did I come from? What s life really all about? Why am I here on earth? What s the purpose of my existence? If I die, where am I going? Is death just the end of life? Or will we experience life after death? Yet besides these obvious questions, we also struggle with why death is necessary. We were created for life, not death! So why are we confronted with this mortal enemy? Death is a consequence of sin. In paradise God warned Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The LORD said, For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Gen.2:17). Man s rebellion against the Lord s command was sin, and brought death into this world. God s curse on man was that he would return to the ground, for out of it we were taken. He said, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. In Romans 5:12 Paul explains the connection between sin and death. He says that sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 6:23 confirms this by stating that the wages of sin is death. What the Bible makes clear, beloved is that death is our own fault. It is a consequence of our sins and our rebellion against God. So what do we do when we are confronted with death? When death has come near and threatens to take our life, or the life of a loved one? Is there anyone who can save us from death, and all its effects? Yes, there is! The LORD can. And so like the psalmist in Psalm 116 we cry out to God for deliverance. When the snares of death encompassed him and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of him, he called on the name of the LORD. He said, O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul! (Psa.116:4). Deliverance can take different forms. At times God can and does spare our lives when death threatened to take us. The psalmist experienced this. He says, The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. (Psa.116:6). He speaks of how the LORD has dealt bountifully with him. He confesses, For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. (Psa.116:8). There are also times in our lives when the LORD spares us serious harm when we were sure we d be badly hurt in an accident. There are times when the LORD miraculously blesses medical treatment, and graciously provides restoration of health and strength to those we thought would die. Yet that is not the only way in which God delivers us from the curse of sin and death. It is not even the main way in which the LORD provides deliverance for his people. For although there are times when the LORD intervenes and grants an extension to our time on earth, the day will come when each of us will still have to face death. We know that death is the result of God s curse on our sin. And so the bigger question is: can God save us from death and all its effects? In answering this question it is important to know that Psalm 116 is one of the Hallel songs. Psalms were recited by God s people on joyous occasions, including the three pilgrim feasts. Psalms 113 and 114 were read before the celebration of the Passover meal, and Psalms after the meal. Thus the Lord Jesus would have sung this Psalm together with his disciples before his passion and death. Consider this psalm as sung by the Lord Jesus. If anyone truly loved the LORD, he did. If anyone trusted in the LORD to hear his prayers, it was our Saviour Jesus Christ. Just consider the Rev. Joe Poppe 3

4 earnestness and persistence of his prayers to his heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus truly experienced the snares of death encompassing him and the pangs of Sheol laying hold of him. He suffered distress and anguish that went far beyond what any other human being has ever undergone. Jesus came into this world with the express purpose of offering up his life for ours. He told his disciples, the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mar.10:45). When celebrating the Passover with his disciples, Jesus instituted the Lord s Supper. He broke bread and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luk.22:19-20). Jesus came to offer his body and blood as a sacrifice to God, to make payment for our sins. Thus we see that Jesus Christ has come into this world with the express purpose of dealing with sin and all its effects. He came to take the curse, which lay on us, so that God might fill us with his blessings. Our catechism makes the point that Christ s death was absolutely necessary. There was a reason why Jesus had to humble himself even unto death. Because of the justice and truth of God, satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way that by the death of the Son of God. Christ s death is the turning point of all of human history. He died; he gave up his life so that we would not have to experience eternal condemnation. 1 John 2:2 say, He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Peter writes, For Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. (1Pet.3:18). Note those last words. Christ suffered and died once for sins to bring us to God. To get rid of the chasm between God and us, resulting from our sins. It is through Jesus Christ, and only through him, that our sins are forgiven, and we are restored to righteousness and life. If that is the case, why do we still have to die? Why do we still have to suffer the distress and anguish that come with death? Why are we left with an empty place in our homes, and a hole in our hearts? Christ has suffered and died for us. That s the good news of the gospel! To save us from our sins, and to deliver us from the power of the devil. So why do we still have to die? Our catechism makes it clear that our death is not a payment for sins. As sinful people, we could never atone for our own sins, or for the sins of anyone else. There are other reasons why we still need to undergo death. The first is that our death finally puts an end to our sins. Even if we love the LORD and are committed to his service, we still sin so much. Our thoughts and attitudes are often self-focussed. In our words and deeds so often we don t glorify God, or show forth love to our neighbour. We have sinful hearts, and so we do sinful things. We are factories that just keep producing more and more sin. It goes on our whole life. But at death, we stop sinning. Think about that, beloved. Finally, after doing so many things that grieve the Lord, that hurt him deeply, our sinful life comes to an end. But that s not all. Our death not only puts an end to our sin; it s also an entrance into eternal life! Death brings our life on this earth to an end. But it is not the end of our being. While our body is laid to rest in the grave, the soul of everyone who believed in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is allowed to go home to be with God. Before Jesus left his disciples on earth he told them that he was going to his Father s house to prepare a place for them, and that he would take them to himself (Joh.14:1-3). When Paul writes to the Philippians about how the end of his life was approaching, he was not sure if the Lord would still allow him fruitful service among them, or take him home. Yet Paul confessed, My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (Phi.1:23). So we see, beloved, that Jesus Christ came into this world to conquer sin and death. Death remains the last enemy. God created us for life, not death. Death stings, it hurts us deeply. It brings Rev. Joe Poppe 4

5 much anguish and distress. But by his death and resurrection Jesus grants us a living hope. As Christians we know that death is not the end of life, but an entrance into eternal life. Those who die in the Lord are allowed to go home to be with him. To share in the joy of our Lord, and to be in his presence forevermore. That is what provides us with so much comfort when faced with death. We know that Jesus suffered and die to give us life! This brings us to our second point. In it we ll consider the benefits of Christ s death. We ve already spoken about some of the benefits of Christ s death. That Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and thereby restored us in our relationship with God. That in Christ death is not the end of our existence, but that we have the promise of living with him eternally. Yet our catechism asks, What further benefit do we receive from Christ s sacrifice and death on the cross? It says, Through Christ s death our old nature is crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer reign in us, but that we may offer ourselves to him as a sacrifice of thankfulness. What our catechism teaches is that Christ s death has an impact on us already here and now. Paul writes about this in Romans 6. He uses the image of our baptism to explain how we are washed in Christ. Paul writes, Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Rom.6:3-4). Being baptized in Christ is pictured in Romans 6 as a complete identification with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When people are baptized by immersion, they go under the water and come back up from out of the water. The going down is compared to dying with Christ; the coming up to rising with Christ. Not physically; but spiritually. Paul speaks about how our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin (Rom.6:6). Paul speaks about how we have been granted a new life with Christ. Thus we should count ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom.6:11). Paul draws consequences from this for our daily lives. He says, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Rom.6:12-13). You see, beloved, Christ has brought about a wondrous redemption for us. It involves not just our justification (receiving the forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ). It also involves our sanctification (being renewed by the Spirit to walk in newness of life). In our fallen condition we were slaves to sin and Satan. But Christ has delivered us from that. He has set us free from all the power of the devil. In our redeemed state we still face many temptations. But Christ is our Lord and Master; he lives in us by his Holy Spirit. By his power and might we are enabled to say no to the sinful desires of the flesh and the temptations of the evil one. Because in Christ we are a new creation! Thus we see how Christ s death enables us to live holy lives in God s service. Not perfect lives. Yet we are able by Christ s power to show forth our love for God and our neighbour. God helps us to live in accordance with his commandments. We are enabled to live our lives in the joy of faith. Through the struggles and temptations we face God helps us to look to Christ in times of need. He enables us to live our lives to his glory. This brings us to our final point. In it we ll see our comfort from Christ death. Our catechism has worked its way through the stages of Christ s suffering. He suffered under Pointius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. Our Lord s Day lists a final aspect of Christ s suffering to show how brutal it was. It says that he descened into hell. Some people think that these items in Rev. Joe Poppe 5

6 the Apostles Creed are listed in chronological order. As a result they think that Christ s descent into hell happened after his death and burial. This is a wrong understanding of the Creed. We know from Scripture that after his death Jesus soul went up into heaven to be with his Father. This is clear from some of the words Jesus spoke while hanging on the cross. To the criminal hanging beside him Jesus said, Today you will be with me in Paradise. (Luk.23:43). When Jesus had suffered on the cross and his life was coming to an end he said, It is finished. (Joh.19:30). He would not have said that if he still had to go to suffer for our sins in hell after his death. As he was dying Jesus said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit! (Luk.23:46). Thus we see that our Creed s statement that Christ descended into hell is meant as a summary of the terrible suffering he underwent on our behalf. You see, beloved, on account of our sins we deserved to sufferunder God s eternal condemnation. We deserved to be utterly forsaken by God. We deserved to suffer the everlasting punishment of body and soul. Yet Christ has also redeemed us from this. He bore this curse of God for us. During the three hours of darkness on the cross, Christ was forsaken by God. Life and light departed from him. He was handed over to Satan and his evil spirits to suffer the torments of hell. The Father in heaven left him completely alone. Beloved, we cannot imagine what that would be like. People can end up in pretty miserable circumstances on this earth. They can suffer a horrible death. Yet our lives are lived and we die under the providential care of our God. He has not yet completely withdrawn his favour from mankind. Yet that is what happened with Christ on the cross. God completely withdrew himself from his Son. He abandoned him; he left him all alone. God poured out on him his wrath against the sins of the world. Our Lord suffered the anguish and torment of hell. Christ has taken our curse upon himself, that he might fill us with his blessing. In the midst of our greatest sorrows and temptations we may be assured of the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us. In Christ, God has promised that he would never do that. When God s people were about to enter the Promised Land Moes gave them this promise: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deu.31:6). In the same way we do not need to live in fear or dread of any of our mortal enemies. For God has promised to walk with us through this life. Before he ascended into heaven Jesus told his disciples, And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mat.28:20). Jesus made it clear to them that although physically he was departing from them, spiritually he would always be with them. He said, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (Joh.14:18). Christ fulfilled this promise when he poured out his Spirit on his church. Thus we may know that God won t leave us or forsake us; he truly is always with us! Also through the troubles and sorrows we face in this life. We began this sermon by speaking about death. About how we all will be faced with death, and about the sorrow and anguish it brings. Yet Psalm 116 tells us, Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psa.116:15). God knows that death is the final enemy, and is sensitive to the anguish and sorrow that death causes. That is why he sent his Son into this world. To redeem us from death and all its effects! To grant us comfort and strength in Jesus Christ. Beloved, despite the pain and sorrow death brings, we do not need to grieve as those who have no hope. For we have a living hope in Jesus Christ, our living Redeemer. When faced with the death of his dear friend Lazarus Jesus comforted his sister with these words, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (Joh.11:25-26). We have a Saviour who suffered and died to give us life, now and eternally. May we put our hope in him, and praise him for all his wondrous works. Amen. Rev. Joe Poppe 6