We confess that "the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell." All of the aspects of the state of our Lord's humiliation are treated by our Heidelberg Catechism in Lord's Day 14-16. Most recently, in Lord's Day 15, we were led to the scriptural truth of Christ's unique suffering, a suffering that He sustained all the time that He lived on earth. His was a suffering for our sakes, you recall, a suffering for the elect given Him by God, "that so by his passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the favor of God, righteousness and eternal life." His was a suffering that led to the cross on Calvary's hill, to a death that was accursed of God.
Now, Lord's Day 16 concludes the discussion of Christ's humiliation. And in doing so, the instructor causes us to confront head on the whole idea of death. Death is a subject we find easy to avoid. It is not a pleasant topic for us to deal with, and even more unpleasant for us to face in reality among our loved ones and for ourselves. But it is inevitable that we face death. And we must do so then with a proper perspective, in order that we may confess that also in death we belong to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Death is not something that can be taken lightly. There is something very horrible about death, and yet very beautiful too. And that it is so is seen in the truth that Jesus Christ Himself humbled Himself even unto death, to bear rich fruits in your salvation and mine. That we might receive comfort from the Word of God and by the application of the Holy Spirit, I call your attention this morning to the truth of Scripture as set forth in Lord's Day 16, under the theme:
DEATH AND THE SON OF GOD
I. THE HORRORS OF HELL
II. THE FINALITY OF DEATH
III. THE TASTE OF VICTORY
I. THE REALITY OF DEATH BRINGS BEFORE US THE INESCAPABLE HORRORS OF HELL.
THE 44TH QUESTION AND ANSWER DOES NOT FOLLOW CHRIST'S DEATH AND BURIAL IN THE ORDER OF TIME.
Perhaps you have wondered about the confession "He was crucified, dead and buried, He descended into hell." There are those, especially the Roman Catholics and Lutherans, who teach that after His death, Christ went into the place called hell. That is a misinterpretation of one passage, I Peter 3, the last verses of that chapter. That is not so, because Jesus Himself told the penitent sinner who hung on a cross next to Him, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." But the confession of Christ's descension into hell follows the others as somewhat of a summary and conclusion of all Christ's humiliation. Herein is the deepest expression of Christ's humility. In all His sufferings, but especially on the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ was plunged into inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies.
You sense in these words the horrors of hell, don't you. Is not that one of the reasons which causes us to shrink back from death? There are other fears common to man when facing death. There are those unanswered questions: How much pain will I have to suffer? How will my loved ones get along without me? But the question which gnaws at every man or woman who faces death is that of the horrors of God's wrath. Man's fear is not because of purgatory--There is no such place or idea, not in all of Scripture. Man's fear is not of sleeping for a while. If all death amounts to is a state of sleep, there is nothing to fear. Everyone enjoys sleep. But God's wrath lies at the basis of death, you know. And the consequence of death is judgment and everlasting hell. That is exactly why death is such a feared event. And that is why so many put away all thoughts of death and reject the very idea of the consequences. That is why too, I think, as I look back upon the very first death I had to face, it was such a difficult experience. I am sure I have told you about that before. He was a man I worked with, who was very ungodly, and who would become very angry when I would talk with him about religion and about death. "When I die," he said, "I go into a hole in the ground and that is it." When he died of a heart attack on the job and I found his body, I was faced concretely with the horror of hell.
WE WHO BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD TAKE HELL SERIOUSLY.
Hell is not a word to take on one's lips as a curse. We know from Scripture that hell is a place of conscious torment. That is obviously the picture Jesus paints in Luke 16 in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angel's into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:22-24). Now, that is a parable, it is true. Hell will not be exactly as in the parable. But a parable expresses the truth in earthly terms. And this is not the only place where Christ speaks of hell as a place of torment. Besides Jesus' words in the last part of Mark 9 and parallel accounts, we are also shown in the Revelation to John, chapter 20:10, that the devil "was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." And in the following chapter we are told that all ungodly men and women shall be cast into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
And as children of God, we know that we deserve that hell. As we stand in ourselves before the righteous judgment seat of God, He would be perfectly just if He were to cast us into that place of everlasting torment. That is true for the sins we have committed against Him just this morning, let alone all this past week. That is true because you and I are guilty. Moreover, hell is horrible because God is there. When one goes to hell, he meets God there. That is God's wrath and God's judgment. And because you and I are conscious of that horror, we naturally fear death. Death brings before us the consciousness of God, of our guilt, of judgment.
But, beloved, please note this: Why do we confess 'He descended into hell?' That in my greatest temptations, I may be assured, and wholly comfort myself in this, that my Lord Jesus Christ by his inexpressible anguish, pains, terrors, and hellish agonies—do you see how the instructor struggles for words to describe it?—in which he was plunged during all his sufferings, but especially on the cross, hath delivered me from the anguish and torments of hell." We spoke about this in connection with Lord's Day 15, i.e., Jesus in all His life faced the horrors of hell. That is what He saw in the shadows of the cross which loomed over Him. And in those shadows He prayed "Thy will be done," in order that hell would come to Calvary. Christ took hell upon Himself for me.
When we see the hell that we deserved, then how sweet is the gospel, that I am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only One Who could sustain the wrath of God for my sins. Through those horrible agonies and torments of hell, Christ was triumphant. And the proof was revealed to all those on Calvary, when He said, "It is finished," and the darkness was lifted. We who are in Christ no longer need to fear the horrors of hell. We stand in awe of them, yes. We do not treat hell lightly as a laughing matter. But we don't fear the horrors of hell any longer. Christ has given us the victory.
II. AND YET, WE STILL FACE DEATH IN ALL ITS FINALITY.
WHAT IS DEATH?
The answer to that question is at least twofold.
I dare say that the first thing you think about when you face death is the complete loss. Death is loss, final and absolute loss of all things physical and earthly. In I Timothy 6:7, Paul wrote his spiritual son Timothy these words: "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." So writes the preacher in Ecclesiastes 5:15,16, "As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?" Death is complete loss of all earthly things. The earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, Paul writes in the first verse of II Corinthians 5. When you die, you lose your place on this earth. When you die, you lose your home, all your possessions, all your money, all your friends, and all your earthly relationships. And that death is final. Time as an ever-rolling stream covers up your place in this life. That loss in death is no respecter of persons. You may have all kinds of riches, but you cannot buy the opportunity to keep them. You may have a very prominent place in the church or in society. God will cover it up completely in death. Death removes those whom we consider to be absolutely indispensable-- husbands, wives, fathers and mothers, close friends, preachers, leaders. Death takes all without exception. And when God takes such a person from your life, He tells you that you will do without. That person may have seemed indispensable, and God was pleased to use him or her for your sake for a definite period of time, maybe a long time. But now God's grace will show you that He will supply your needs. Oh, death is not a loss for the one who dies in Christ. I will call your attention to that presently. But as far as we can see with our earthly eyes and as far as all things earthly are concerned, yes, death is total loss.
Secondly, when we face the question about what death is, we cannot escape the truth that death is the judgment of God. It is the sign of God's curse. God said to Adam, When it comes to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof dying thou shalt die. When a person dies, the medical examiner or the funeral director records the cause of death. You often times hear of death coming from quote-unquote "natural causes;" and you know, of course, what is meant by that. But what we must remember is that death is not a natural event, a natural process. It is process. You are dying right now; I am. And when we speak of the natural process of death, we are speaking about God Who through all things is directly executing you and me. That is why when we speak from the viewpoint of our natures and from the viewpoint of our sinful flesh, death is an enemy. Christians could easily suffer death, if they did not know that God's wrath is connected with it. It is that aspect of death which fills every man with fear. Death is the judgment of God.
Jesus Christ faced that death. Let me repeat that. Don't let your minds be fixed now on your death or the death of a loved one. Jesus Christ faced that death. The emphasis in this Lord's Day is that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ was a real physical death and burial. Christ tasted the horror of death in a way that you and I cannot experience. He knew and experienced the reality of it. It is no wonder that the fear overwhelmed His soul. "Now is my soul troubled: and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour" (John 12:27). Yet, in all His fear He never wavered from the obedience unto which God had called Him. And in the consciousness of His perfect obedience and the righteousness of God, Christ trusted that God would not leave His soul in hell, nor suffer His holy one to see corruption. And He was assured of the victory. He had power to lay down His life, and He had power to take it up again. His death was an act.
In that Christ's death differs from yours and mine. Our life is taken from us. Jesus gave His life. The Judge of all the earth said to Him, "You must die. Satisfaction for the sins of these my people can be made no other way, than by your death. The sinner has forfeited every right to his existence in the world. And therefore also upon you as the guilty One my sentence is pronounced. You are unworthy to exist on the earth." And Jesus agreed. He was in complete harmony with the will of God. He gave His life a ransom for many, we read in Mark 10:45. Jesus said in John 10:17,18: "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." He gives up His entire earthly house, His body collapses. He gave up the ghost. No, we will never comprehend the wonder of it. And yet, even the centurion at the cross understood that Christ's death was an act of His will. The way He cried out with a loud voice...it was a voice of power, of triumph! Christ in giving up the ghost, conquered death!
And Christ was buried. The Catechism points out that He was buried thereby to prove that he was really dead. Now the only way to interpret that is to say that by His burial He completed the process of death. Certainly Jesus was not buried to show that He was dead. People are not buried to show that they are dead. People are buried because they are dead. What demonstrated Jesus' death was not His burial, but the spear thrust into His side. But He Who stands in the place of His elect must not only suffer and die, but He must enter the place of corruption. He must deliver His body to the humiliation of the earth, again in obedience to the sentence of God, "Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return."
And here also He gave His body to the grave as an act of the will. God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. That is the whole point of the chapter which we read this morning, Romans 6. For sin Christ came; for sin He suffered; for sin He died; for sin He was buried. Take that away, and the burial of Christ loses all significance. He took the grave upon Himself for sin; not for His own sin, but for ours. But He was not afraid of the grave either. For He had conquered death. God's Holy One would never see corruption. He accomplished all death and fulfilled all righteousness. And Paul writes in Romans 6 that we have been buried with Him. But we must see further, as we read in verse 9, that death hath no more dominion over us! For when we stand in Christ as members of Him by faith, then when we confess that death hath no more dominion over him, that is the same as to say that death hath no more dominion over us.
SINCE THEN CHRIST DIED FOR US, WHY MUST WE ALSO DIE?
Do not overlook the beauty of this answer, beloved: "Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into eternal life."
Not only do we die, but we must die. You see, we might think that if Jesus died and was buried for us, it would be wonderful if now we would not go through death and the grave. We might think that God ought just to take us to glory the way He did Enoch. But that cannot be. Such would not fit the eternal and all-wise counsel of God, nor would it be in our best interest. You see, if upon regeneration we would be delivered out of all death, then there would be no antithesis. There would be no battle of faith. If we were all spiritual and no flesh, so that we could immediately go to heaven, then also the world could never touch us. There would be no battle, no antithesis. And it was made clear even before the fall, that in this world there must be antithesis, that God may be all in all. There must be the "no" to sin that goes along with the "yes" to God.
Death is a necessity also in order that we might fully experience the glory of God's grace, and testify of it into all eternity. If you would not die, or if at regeneration you were delivered from all death, then you would never know consciously the power of sin. And as a consequence, you would not know the power of God's grace. If these little children of the covenant were delivered from all death and sin immediately upon regeneration—which regeneration generally occurs in infancy as Scripture reveals—then they would never know what the power of sin is. And although that may seem wonderful on the surface, neither would they experience the riches of God's grace. But that we must, in order that we might render Him thanks and praise forevermore.
But even though you and I must die, Christ has very really changed death for us. Oh, that we would only see that more and live in the consciousness of that. How often do not we fail to see our afflictions and death in the light of Christ's work and in the light of our salvation. Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, nor demanded of us because of any particular sins. Sometimes when afflicted it is our inclination to try to connect our sorrows with particular sins that we have committed. We have to be careful with that. It is true that we must constantly examine ourselves. It is true that there are sins that bring with them physical consequences. And even upon repentance, we may still suffer the results of that sin. If it is your consciousness of the seriousness of sin that causes you to examine your own life in times of affliction, it is well. But never does God afflict us or bring us down to death in order that we might satisfy His wrath. We sometimes say, "If God should enter with us into judgment, we could not stand before Him." That is true. But remember, God does not enter with us into judgment. You see? He did that once. He did that with our Lord, Who hung upon the cross of Calvary. Then He entered into judgment. But He did that once and for all.
Why then must you and I die? Our death is an abolishing of sin. That is clearly the teaching of Romans 6:7 too: "For he that is dead is freed from sin." Don't you look forward to that, beloved? No, it is not a natural function of a sinful creature such as I to long for death. But when I view death in this light, I can sense what Paul meant when he wrote to the Philippian Christians, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain....For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you" (Phil 1:21,23,24). When I die, I will be absolutely free as far as sin is concerned. Now, I have a daily battle to fight, a battle which becomes exceeding fierce often. Death will take me outside of the realm of sin, outside of the realm of temptation. There in the perfection of glory will be a freedom that I now know only in very, very small beginning.
And our death is a passage into eternal life. Whereas death is by its very nature a curse of God, and the pronouncement of His wrath; death for the believer has been changed from a curse into a blessing. Apart from Christ there is only one door to the grave and hell. It is an entrance, and there is no exit. But Christ not only entered the grave for us, but He created another door by His wonder work of grace, the door which opens to heaven. So that true are the words of the writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 2:14,15, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of the 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 were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Oh, how wonderful for the child of God is the moment of death. No, we who remain do not appreciate that. But there, in the twinkling of an eye, with a last gasp, the life of a precious saint passes through the revolving door out of this valley of sin and misery, and into everlasting glory, never to struggle and only to rejoice. You don't understand it? Neither do I. But you believe, don't you.
III. GOD HAS GIVEN US A TASTE OF THAT VICTORY.
THAT VICTORY IS EXPERIENCED BY VIRTUE OF THE FURTHER BENEFIT WE RECEIVE FROM THE SACRIFICE AND DEATH OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS, NAMELY, "THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED, DEAD AND BURIED WITH HIM; THAT SO THE CORRUPT INCLINATIONS OF THE FLESH MAY NO MORE REIGN IN US; BUT THAT WE MAY OFFER OURSELVES UNTO HIM A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING."
Our old man is crucified by Christ entering into death and we in Him. We must remember our legal connection with Christ. He represents us in death and in life. That is the emphasis throughout Scripture and, if you recall, in the Catechism as well. My only comfort in life and death is that I belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. I belong to Him legally by the wonder of His headship and also by my adoption. As children of Adam we were under the dominion and rule of sin. But now sin shall not have dominion over you, we read in Romans 6:14. "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Sin has been denied its right to reign in me any more. And so has death and the grave.
Nor may the corrupt inclinations of the flesh reign in us. Again by this means we are given a small taste of the victory that is ours over death. Now, there are those who throw into the face of God's children that this doctrine makes men careless and profane. It was to the attacks of such men that Paul was speaking in Romans 6:1,2: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein." Christ died for us in order that the corrupt inclinations of the flesh may no longer reign in us. God forbid that you should continue impenitent in your sin. In such a way you could have no assurance that Christ died for you.
And positively, Christ gave Himself unto death and the grave, "that we may offer ourselves unto him a sacrifice of thanksgiving." We never pay Him back. We do not merely offer what we have, things. Christ suffered and died for us that we might offer ourselves. He died, that we might say forever from the depths of our hearts, "O God, how great is thy faithfulness; thy mercy endureth forever." He died that we might live, tasting the victory even now, in every calling and sphere of our existence here below.
DO YOU SEE NOW, WHY THE LANGUAGE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IS THAT THE BELIEVER "SLEEPS?"
The reference is not to soul sleep; but to the peace we have in Jesus and to the victory that is ours through death. So we read, e.g., in I Thessalonians 4:14: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."
Are you afraid of dying, or of what you may suffer in your last conflict which leads you through that door into heaven? Look to Jesus, my dear brother, sister. Cast yourself upon Christ. Cry mightily unto Him. For He hears. In Him you are safe. For the righteousness of Christ is law-proof and death-proof and judgment-proof. Are you fearful what may become of your family when God calls you home? I am too. Let's turn our families over to Him. Make the faithful Jehovah their Guardian. Remember His promise: "Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me" (Jer 49:11). For "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation" (Ps 68:5).
Do you dread the attacks of Satan, or fear lest your faith be weak should your final death come slowly? Remember the words of the Lord which promise that you shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Christ will be praying for you as He did for Peter, that your faith fail not.
Does the thought of leaving friends tear you up inside? The Lord understands. He gave you those friends in the communion of saints. But remember, as brothers and sisters in Christ we will soon be together once again in the beauty of holiness, experiencing fellowship in a way that now hardly reflects what shall be. And in the meantime, when the Lord takes you home, you will be with Christ which is far better.
What shall we say, beloved? Even though this body shall be dissolved, it shall be raised in perfection, a glorious body fit for the place and calling God has prepared in heaven. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor 15:55-57). Amen.
Preached:Randolph PRC 12/22/96 (am)
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