hebrews chapter 2
and read verses 14 and 15
for as much then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood
he also himself likewise
took part of the same that through
death he might destroy him that had the
power of death
that is the devil and deliver them
who through fear of death
where all their lifetime subject
to bondage
the fear of death
there are many experiences
which only some people go through
but is there a person in the whole world
who has never had this experience
even if only for a moment or two
the fear of death
i've seen a number of interviews
recently with
people who are facing death or
life-threatening operations
the common phrase that you hear now is
i'm not afraid to die
hardly anybody admits
to fear of death today
and yet does the denial not say
he thinks thou dost protest too much
does the denial not suggest
a very real fear
that underlies the bravery
i'm sure of every one of us here we're
really honest with ourselves
from the youngest to the oldest
we all have had our moments and maybe
there are some here
who are in those very moments
just now the fear of death
well the bible has a wonderful message
for those who are terrified of dying
i would like to look at that message
this morning
the message of course is centered around
jesus christ
we're told three things about him
in these verses first of all
we're told he came to die
he came to this world to die
we feel that we are here to live
we feel that our purpose is to live
but his purpose in coming was to die
we read in verse 14 for as much then as
the children
are partakers of flesh
and blood he also himself likewise
took part of the same that through
death he might destroy him that had the
power of death that
is the devil he took flesh and blood
that through death he took flesh and
blood
to die he came
to die notice first of all this phrase
the children are partakers
of flesh and blood
this is a description of the natural
condition of his people his
children they are partakers of
flesh and blood which here is
a phrase to describe humanity
in its weakness humanity as
frail humanity as dependent
humanity as limited and ignorant
here we're told this is the children's
experience
and who of us can deny it
we do not feel that we soar through this
life
as some kind of supernatural super
spiritual beings
we're conscious deeply often
of our flesh and blood existence
of the great limitations and the great
weakness the great ignorance
the great frailty of human flesh and
blood
that's our lot in life that's our
portion
we have no choice in the matter
and this is where jesus christ differs
so much
not in his experience of flesh and blood
but in that he chose
freely to take this
experience into his own
life it was a free choice he was under
no compulsion or coercion or force
it was an informed choice
he knew what he was doing he did not go
into this
without full knowledge of all that lay
ahead of him
and all that he was to pass through he
knew
that he was going to take flesh and
blood with all that that entailed
weakness frailty
dependence yes and even
ignorance and how strange an experience
how alien an experience that must have
been for him
if you think even of ourselves
we we cannot go through life
independently
we are always dependent on others
however
we like to think of ourselves as
independent and you see it in children
as soon as they are growing up there's
this great desire and determination
to be independent to be feeding
themselves to be clothing themselves to
be looking after themselves
and as we grow older there is this
increasingly
sometimes ferocious desire to live
independently of others as an island as
it were
without any links to others and as we
get older and older
and we see increasingly our need
of depending on others our own aging and
our frailty
bringing into our experience the fact
that we must rely on others
that we are waiting on others to help us
how painful an experience
that is how it's fought how it's
resisted
how people tenaciously hold on
to as independent a life as they can
and how painful it is for those who have
led independent lives
to end their days almost and sometimes
totally dependent on others
this is a painful human experience
how much more for jesus christ
he who not only
felt independent but
in his pre-incarnate existence was
totally
independent of all human beings
and yet came into this world knowing
that he was from his earliest moments
going to be a dependent creature
he was going to need human beings
he was going to have to rely from birth
onwards
on other human beings
how strange an experience
for one who was indeed
the independent being to become
holy and entirely dependent
on others and even ignorance
you think of that he who knew everything
he who was omniscient came
and took into his experience flesh and
blood
and therefore ignorance
at times and often times
aware in this human nature of not
knowing things
of lacking knowledge
you know what it's like for ourselves
maybe as we get older
we've maybe had a good mind and a good
memory and then we get older
and we begin to lose our abilities and
again what a painful experience it is to
be to be conscious that
that mind that was once so filled with
knowledge suddenly is becoming empty
the things we used to know we no longer
know the memory we used to have we no
longer have
and how painful it can be
to recognize that and pass through the
deterioration as it were of the mind
and yet jesus christ chose
to take into his experience ignorant
humanity a humanity that was
limited in its knowledge
a mind that was not full
of all the facts that there are
in the world for as much as the
children are partakers of flesh and
blood
he also himself likewise took
part he took a share
in the same in the same
this wasn't just a seeming humanity
this was the same humanity
except without sin he didn't stop being
god
but he took humanity into his experience
why he assumed
human nature in order to
suffer and die he assumed human nature
in order that he could actually suffer
and die
in that human nature and no other nature
would have done
nothing higher would have done as an
angelic nature
nothing more would have done the whole
old testament is testimony to that
the blood of bulls and goats could never
take away sin
nothing higher nothing lower but
sameness was required part of the same
was required
a share in the same flesh and blood
experience was required
and it's interesting isn't it when you
read the gospels
you see that maybe about half of them
are devoted to christ's life on earth
and about half are devoted to his last
week or so on earth
leading up to his death this is why he
came
this is why he took human nature to die
to die think of it
the infinite became finite
the all-knowing one became ignorant
they ever blessed one became cursed
the all-powerful became weak
the eternal the infinite became
finite the eternal
died
why here we're told
for the children for the children
for as much then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood
he also himself likewise
took part of the same if the children
wherever to be like him he must
become like them
he came and he came to die
but then secondly notice he came to
destroy
he also himself likewise took part of
the same
that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death
that is the devil he came to die
in order to destroy
a strange paradox isn't it his
destruction as it were destroyed
his death caused the death of
death his death killed death there's an
interesting phrase here isn't there
that he might destroy him that had
the power of death
that is the devil how does the devil
have the power of death does that mean
that the devil
determines when we shall die
where we shall die and how we shall die
of course not we know from the bible
that
our times are holy
in god's hands he determines
where when how
who jesus christ says in revelation
i have the keys to hell
and death he's the one who opens the
door of death
he's the one who determines who will go
through it
he's the one who determines when we will
go through it
and how we will go through it he has the
keys to death
our times are in his hands the devil
as we read in job is subservient to god
the devil is only allowed to do what god
permits him to do does that mean the
devil has no involvement in death
of course not god may permit
the devil to have a significant role
in people's deaths all we think of
violent days we think of
murders who's responsible for that but
the devil
but only in so far as he is permitted
by god to act
and so when it says here that the devil
has the power of death it does not mean
that he decides that where the when the
how the line the who
what does it mean then well first of all
it means that as the devil is the
author of sin he is the author of death
the cause of all death is sin
and the cause of all sin is the devil
and insofar as he is the author of sin
he is the author of death
he is described by jesus christ and
donate as
a murderer from the beginning
he murdered using the instrument of sin
and so in this sense he rules
in this sense he has power
in the realm of death
he has the power to tempt us into sin
and lead us into sin whose wages
are death but also this
he has the power of death secondly
insofar as he is able
to terrify people with it
and i'm sure we've seen these situations
or at least heard of them
of people facing death
dying being terrorized
and terrified
by death what is it and who is it that's
behind
it it's the devil bringing
to their minds often the fact
of their own sins which have caused
their death
the fact that sin must be judged
and that sin must be punished and here
we see the great
malice and cruelty of the devil in that
not only does he lead people into
sin which causes death but when they
come to die
he raises up the sins that they've
committed
to terrify them and terrorize them
and cause them to tremble
and be so afraid of what lies ahead
and so we see that the devil has great
power
in the moment of death and in the times
leading up to it
and also this thirdly he has the power
of death in that
he is the one
who executes
the sentence of eternal
death on those who go
to hell what is hell
but the place where we will be
tormented by the devil
and his angels what is hell but a place
where the angel of death
attacks and assails and assaults
forever and forever what is hell but the
place
of never-ending death ongoing
unceasing continuous death
at the hands at least in part of the
angel of death himself
the devil and so in these areas the
devil
has a great power
in death he's the author of it
he terrifies with it and he eternally
torments
with the second and eternal
death so the devil has the power of
death
but we're told here there is one who has
come
to destroy him that had the power of
death
he took part of the same that through
death he might destroy
him that had the power of death
that is the devil
now he doesn't he did not
annihilate the devil
cause him to cease to exist and he never
will
no spirit can ever
cease to exist that god has made
so the devil's destruction does not mean
his annihilation
neither does it mean that the devil
now is powerless
we know that by our own experience
and by the word of god it's important to
notice here
the word for destroy does not mean
annihilate
and it does not mean to remove
all power from it's the word used for
disarming
disarming a a an armed
warrior
taking away from them much if not all of
their weaponry
that does not of course mean their
extinction
neither does it mean that they are
unable to
do any harm whatsoever
i'm sure many of the children here have
been aware of the
great controversy in the world in the
last year
regarding the disarming of saddam
hussein
and we saw how when the armies
of america and britain went into iraq
and they couldn't find saddam hussein
yet
though he still existed they were able
to take away much if not
almost all of his power he had no access
to his weapons
he had no access to instruments of
violence and cruelty
and so although they couldn't find him
yet he was disarmed
and largely weakened he wasn't destroyed
people were still able to do evil things
people were still who were supportive of
him able to attack and kill
but he himself was largely
weakened and disarmed and this is the
same word that's used here
the devil has been disarmed
he has been largely weakened
he no longer has access to many of the
weapons
that he used to terrify torment
and kill people
what is it about death that the devil
particularly uses
well it's described in corinthians as a
sting
the sting of death
the sting of death know how many have
felt
that bitter poisonous
odious painful sting
what is the sting of death what was his
great weapon that he used
paul tells us the sting of death
is sin
so for the christian death remains
but the sting has been removed
the sting has been removed by the death
of christ
because he took the sting
into his own soul
he in a sense on the cross was stung
by the sting of death
it was not only that men stung
him that devil stung him
but that god himself his
father himself brought the sting
the divine sting into his own soul
the wrath of god against sin
the sting of death is sin
this is what causes the pain the
bitterness
the agony the terrors of death the
existence of sin
the fact that we've committed sin the
fact that we know that sin must be
punished
and that death oh how many have begun to
feel that piercing sting
begin to enter their life even as they
breathe
their last in this world
and eternity for the unconverted for the
christless
is nothing but nothing less
than the continual pressure
of that sting in their soul
guilt and the punishment thereof
how many examples there are
maybe some of you will have learned in
school of
gandhi who's supposed to be the great
leader of peace
he wrote 15 years before his death
that he spoke of hinduism he said i know
it
it entirely satisfies my soul
fills my whole being that i miss even
the sermon
that i don't even miss the sermon on the
mount there he is
extolling the virtues of false religion
when living but what happened when he
died
just before his death he wrote my days
are numbered
i am not likely to live very long
perhaps a year or a little more
for the first time in fifty years i
find myself in the slow of despond
all about me as darkness i am
praying for light
charles the who ordered the massacre
of saint bartholomew's day when many of
god's people
were murdered said what blood this was
as he died his last words
what blood what murders i don't know
where i am
how will all this end what shall i do i
am lost forever
i know it
the great infidel and pagan altamonte
in his last words said my principles
have poisoned my friend my extravagance
has
beggared my boy my unkindness has
murdered my wife
and is there another hell oh yes
thou blasphemed yet most indulgent lord
god
hell is a refuge if it hides me from thy
frown
sir francis newport the infamous
head of an english pagan club said to
those gathered around his dying bed
you need not tell me there is no god
for i know there is one and that i am
in his angry presence you need not
tell me there is no hell for i already
feel my soul slipping into its fires
wretches cease your idol talk
about there being hope for me i know i
am lost
forever
here is the sting of death sin
guilt and certainty of punishment
here is the fear of death here is the
power of death
here is the devil wielding his great
and mighty weapon of mass destruction
but here we have a great deliverer
here is one who has come to destroy
him that had this power him who has this
weapon how did he do it
he didn't destroy death by power
he destroyed death by
death he destroyed death
by dying he
took the instrument of death this
weapon of death out of the devil's hands
by having it come into his own
soul feeling its pain
feeling its sting exhausting its power
and coming out triumphantly at the end
of it
intact
somebody's described it like this that
christ made himself a sort of
hook which
to pierce and destroy the devil
his humanity as it were was
to attract the devourer
and his deity was the piercing hook
that plunged itself into the devil to
destroy him
the apparent weakness of christ's
humanity the flesh and bloodness
attracted this destroyer
but behind the apparent weakness
was hidden power to destroy the works of
the devil
and this is the great hope of the
children spoken of here
that christ himself has been
stung in their place
that he has taken this weapon into his
own life
and so destroyed it utterly
so that there is not
not any pain spiritual pain
left in it that may be physical pain
which christ uses
to sanctify his people to mature them
and to ripen them for glory but no
spiritual pain need to be there
what's been brought before us here is
a motif a theme that we find
in the old testament it used to be
the old testament i'm sure you're aware
that when nations
went to war with one another that
armies of hundreds of thousands would
face armies of hundreds of thousands
and hundreds of thousands would be
killed
but eventually the leaders of these
nations began to realize
that this was a pointless loss of life
that it was denuding the countries of
the the prime of their youth
and so we find for example the time of
david
the idea of a champion from each side
being nominated and each side
agreeing that the winner of the duel of
champions would be the overall
winner and champion that one would
stand for the many and that all
who are associated with this champion
would themselves benefit
from his victory it's been called in
some of the systematic theology books
champion
theology it's what we have in david and
goliath
champion of god and the champion of the
philistines
being brought together and david slaying
goliath and all the israelites
benefiting
we have it in isaiah 2
in chapter 42 and verse 13
the lord shall go forth as a mighty man
he shall stir up jealousy like a man of
war
he shall cry yea roar
he shall prevail against his enemies
and again in the next chapter chapter 43
sorry chapter 49 it is and verse 25
but thus saith the lord even the
captives of the mighty shall be taken
away
and the prey of the terrible shall be
delivered
for i will contend with him that
contendeth with thee
and i will save thy children
and i will feed them that oppress thee
with their own flesh
and they shall be drunken with their own
blood as with sweet wine
and all flesh shall know that i
the lord and thy savior and thy redeemer
the mighty one of jacob
here we have god prophesying that he's
sending forth
a champion to win
to obtain the victory on behalf of his
people
and this is what we have continued here
in hebrews
we have here a clash of the champion of
heaven
and the champion of hell and we're told
here of who has won the victory
and the children greatly benefiting
who are associated with this great
champion oh friends who
are you associated with is christ your
champion
has he won this great victory for you
has he destroyed the devil has he
destroyed him that has the power of
death over you
has he taken away from the devil this
power
that torments you now and again as you
live
and may torment you even worse as you
die
has he been disarmed he may shout
he may scream he
can do nothing to harm you
he came to die he came to destroy
and finally he came to deliver
and deliver them verse 15
who through fear of death with all their
lifetime
subject to bondage
here we have a people who fear death
many christians still do
through lack of knowledge
through lack of appreciation of
what christ has done for them through
some
fear perhaps that some
sin remains unpunished
that some sin still remains
in their life that has not been
put away by christ
some are fearful through lack of
knowledge
of what is ahead we all think of death
the moment of it
the aftermath of what lies ahead there's
the fear perhaps of the
unknown but again christ should take
that away
he's gone before us he's come back
we need not fear at all
some people try to get rid of their
fears by
joking about death some people try to
get rid of their fears by
ignoring it some people try to get rid
of their fears by
taking refuge and atheism
denying there is any god any afterlife
the british humanist association
is now conducting 7 thousand funerals a
year in our country
they've just published a book it's
called funerals
without god
well there are many funerals without god
even in churches nowadays
but there's no death without god is
there
well funerals are being conducted
without god
the person who's been buried or cremated
knows that there is no such thing as a
funeral without god
we can't deny it
how then can we be delivered from it
how can we be delivered from the fear of
death
by getting a solid sure grasp
of what christ has done for his children
on the cross by being holy
and totally and utterly convinced
that not one tiniest
prick of the sting remains
if you are the lords that your soul
far from experiencing any discomfort
any pain will immediately pass into
glory
so that what the devil designed in death
as the entrance to hell becomes the
doorway
into everlasting life
death for the christian is the end of
all pains
the end of all spiritual pains and
physical pains
for the christian death is the chariot
that takes the soul to glory
resurrection is the chariot that takes
the body to join it there
eventually what is that with fear and
death
he's taken out the sting he's taken out
the fear of the unknown
[Music]
it's not an appointment with a frowning
judge
but with a welcoming father
there was a trembling believer in andrew
boner's congregation
and he noticed that one day in this
conversation with her
her tremblings and fears seem to have
gone
and they asked her why and she said i
read the verse that says
where christ says i have the keys
to hell and death
and when i thought of that i realized
that christ has the key
to death his will be the first
face i see when he opens the door
here was a lady who all her lifetime
had been subject to bondage all her
lifetime had gone through
misery fears terrors
until the day that she realized
christ has the key to death
christ had taken the sting out of death
christ had taken the fear of the unknown
out of death
what she was focusing on was
what the bible revealed to her knowledge
certain and sure
john wesley was once asked if you knew
you would die
at 12 o'clock tomorrow night how would
you spend the intervening time
why just as i intend to spend it was the
answer
i would preach tonight at gloucester and
again tomorrow morning
and after that i would write at
chooksbury preach in the afternoon and
meet the society in the evening
i should then repair to friend martin's
house as he expects me
converse pray with the family
retire to my room at ten o'clock
commend myself to my heavenly father
lie down to sleep and wake up
in glory the el moody once said
one day my friend i'm going to die
and people will say the el moody is dead
don't you believe a word of it at that
moment i shall be more alive than i am
now
i shall have gone higher that is all
but of this old clay tenement
it will be turned into a house that is
immortal
a body that sin cannot touch that
sin cannot taint a body fashioned into
his glorious body
i was born in the flesh in 1837
i was born of the spirit in 1856
that which is born of the flesh may die
but that which is born of the spirit
will live
forever
apparently in africa and some of the
cultures there the christians when
somebody's died
don't speak in terms of so and so has
passed away
or so and so has departed
you know what they say they say
he's arrived they look at it from the
perspective of heaven
not from earth he's not departed
the christian doesn't depart he arrives
how are you going to face death
maybe you should have a fear of it
maybe the sting of death has not yet
been exhausted
for you maybe
you'll begin to feel it sting even as
you live
even as you slip out of this world oh
friends will you not now seek him
who is able to destroy him that is the
power of death
him who has taken the sting
and christian believer you who are
spoken of in this verse you who are the
children
why need you fear at all
this isn't speculation this is certainty
michael faraday the christian scientist
was asked in his death by journalists
what's your speculation about the life
you're after
speculation he said
i'm not speculating now
i'm relying on certainties
i know that my redeemer liveth
and because he lives i
shall live also
may god bless his fart let us