For our Scripture reading this morning, turn with me to Romans 5. We read a few verses from that chapter and then a few verses from Romans chapter 6. Romans 5, beginning at verse 6, reading through 11, in the first 14 verses of chapter 6. Hear now the Word of God, verse 6 of Romans 5. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him? For if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life? Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The beginning of verse 1 of chapter 6, what shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means. We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? 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. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 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. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. And turn with me also to our confessional reference, Lord's Day 16 of the Heidelberg Catechism, page 23 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Page 23, questions and answers 40 through 44. We find there on page 23, as we continue our consideration of the Word of God as summarized in the Apostles' Creed. Lord's Day 16, as we recite together the answers. Question 40 asks, why did Christ have to go all the way to death? Because God's justice and truth demand it. Only the death of God's Son could pay for our sins. Why was He buried? His burial testifies that He really died. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die? Our death does not pay the debt of our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life. What further advantage do we receive from Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross? Through Christ's death, our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with Him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead we may dedicate ourselves as an offering of gratitude to Him. And why does the creed add, He descended into hell? To assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation, that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross, but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, this morning we consider the last steps on our Savior's path of humiliation as we list them in the Apostles' Creed. And we confess that along with His being crucified, as we considered last week, that Jesus died, was buried, He descended into hell. These steps, then, along with His crucifixion, point to the deepest humiliation and most severe torment that our Savior suffered. Yet at the same time, that which was the worst for Him, indeed, points to that which is the best for us as believers. Now it's true, we are familiar with death and the grave and those places which we call the cemetery. In fact, that's something that all people have in common, isn't it? Believers and unbelievers alike, those things. Death is when the soul leaves the body and that which once was filled with life is now lifeless. To be buried is to bid final farewell to the one who has died. And of course, we know that descending to hell marks that separation of man from God when God's blessing and favor are forever removed from man. Sadness and grief are natural companions to death and the grave for all men. Yet, congregation, for the child of God, for believers, there's something so different, so precious when a child of God dies to this life and goes to be with the Lord. And that's exactly it, isn't it? We say in confidence that the child of God goes to be with the Lord. Beloved, as we consider the worst of Christ's humiliation, we are to be comforted. The catechism reflecting the teaching of Scripture works to brand that comfort into our very being, to make it an inseparable part of our beings. Notice how personal the catechism makes this. Christ's payment is for our sins. Our death is not a payment for our sins. In fact, our death only is a dying to sins and an entering into eternal life. We receive benefits from the sacrifice and death of Christ. And especially notice how personal answer 44 is to the question, why does the creed add he descended into hell to assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation that Christ, my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross, but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell. Beloved, the catechism can be personal because the very Word of God is personal. Notice chapter 5 of Romans, the beginning of verse 6 again. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. And again, verses 8 through 11, But God demonstrates His own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him? For if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life? Not only is His soul, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. And then, of course, verse 8 of chapter 6. Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. The Word of God is deeply personal. Our comfort congregation is that the great and final enemy is no longer a threat for those who are in Christ Jesus. His lowest humiliation led to our highest exaltation. And therefore, I ask you at the very beginning this morning, is this your comfort? Can you claim this as your very own, that you own this very comfort? With the Savior's path of humiliation, the Word of God teaches us this morning of the final torment securing the believer's eternal freedom. And that final torment of Christ, first of all, satisfies God's honor. Secondly, it removes sin's power. And in the third place, it delivers from hell's agony. Jesus Christ was obedient even unto death. Scripture testifies that His death was indeed a fact. Now, last week in connection with Lord's Day 15, we considered why death by crucifixion was necessary. It had to be by Him suffering death on the cross. It couldn't be in any other way. Death by crucifixion was a sign of the curse of God and thereby demonstrates to you and me that Jesus Christ took our curse, the curse that was upon us for our sin, He took it upon Himself. But now question 40 here in Lord's Day 16 deals with death itself and not the manner of death in particular. And very wisely, the question does not ask, did Christ have to go all the way to death? Or as the older version of the catechism says, was it necessary for Him to die? Instead it says, why did He have to go all the way to death? Why did Jesus have to die? Why was that necessary? Wasn't the lifelong suffering and the beatings and the crown of thorns and His being nailed to the cross and as well suffering hell on the cross as we'll talk about in a few moments, wasn't all of that enough? Why did he have to die at the end of all of that suffering? Well, the answer, answer 40, points us to the very being of God Himself as being the reason. Because God's justice and truth demand it. Only the death of God's Son could pay for our sins. Now again, the older version of the Catechism says only the death of God's Son could make satisfaction for our sins. God was dissatisfied with mankind because of sin. He had to be satisfied once again. Only Jesus Christ could do that. Christ's death satisfies God's honor. It satisfies who He is, His justice. He is a just God, but it also satisfies what He has said, His truth. Now God created man in His own image, in true righteousness and holiness. He created man for life, to live in harmony with Himself, the righteous and holy God. But sin is a deadly violation of that righteousness and holiness which transformed it in man into unrighteousness and unholiness which cannot have any communion with the righteousness and holiness of God. Sin separates man from God. And as Scripture says, the wages of sin is death. And therefore, the nature of death as a punishment for sin is death as separation. It's separation from God. God said to Adam in Genesis 2, verse 17, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. In other words, the moment Adam ate the fruit of that tree, there was separation from God. And that separation, that death, was threefold. There was spiritual death. Man was no longer truly righteous and holy and therefore he was estranged from God spiritually. And at that moment, the physical process of aging began leading to physical death in a way that it was not there before. Physical death, the separation of body and soul. And that's because the sinner has absolutely forfeited every right to his existence, to life in the world. And then upon physical death, the sinner was also sentenced to eternal death, which is eternal separation from God, which is also called hell. Death, then, is the separation of our whole being from the favor of God's presence. It is punishment and it is the expression of God's wrath upon the unbelieving sinner. Only the Son of God could suffer and endure that wrath and punishment and because God's holiness cannot let unholiness go unpunished because He is just. Jesus Christ was made to be sin for us and He had to die. Death with its decay is extreme destruction. Death is abnormal compared to life which God created to be normal. If sin had not been punished by our Savior's death, then the justice of God would have been violated and He wouldn't be God. the rest of all that Christ did on the cross would have been for nothing. And in His love for His elect congregation, knowing that we couldn't even begin to endure the wages of sin, as the Lord's Supper preparatory form beautifully says, rather than to leave it unpunished, He punished it in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with the bitter and shameful death of the cross. But our Savior's death also satisfied God's truth, His justice and His truth. The very word of God to Adam was, in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. What God says is true and must be realized. And of course, beloved, this is just as sure with His threats as with His promises. So often we like to claim His promises. We like those, but we kind of turn our ear off to His threats. We like to lock His threats in a closet. But His word is just as true with regard to His threats as His promises. And of course, Satan, the father of lies, true to his nature, called God's threat of death a lie. And the world has embraced that lie as Paul says in Romans 1, that they have exchanged the truth of God for the lie. But God's truth and justice has been made manifest in Jesus Christ. And since God in His marvelous love and grace had sent His only begotten Son to take our punishment, He must take it completely. Not just part of it. The whole thing. He must endure the full payment even unto death. Jesus Christ in His final torment left absolutely nothing undone. But the justice and truth of God also included that necessary consequence of death, the burial. Question and answer 41 again. Why was He buried? His burial testifies that He really died. Now, unfortunately, this question and answer to the catechism is probably the weakest one in the entire catechism. The catechism is very weak here in describing Christ's burial, the reason for His burial. Beloved, you see, the truth, the proof that Jesus was dead was already there. When the spear penetrated His side, the mixture of water and blood proved that His life was already gone. A couple of weeks ago I heard on a radio talk show, AM 740, a Christian talk show, that a gentleman called in and said that he just couldn't believe from Scripture that Jesus actually died. He said it's just not plausible from the information that the Word of God gives us. He said if other things would have taken place, if they would have put him through the normal embalming process, and 40 days later he came back to life, now that's plausible. or if he had been beheaded and his body burned and then he came back to life. That's plausible. But as it was, he does not see in Scripture that we have enough proof that Christ actually was dead. And therefore, what about his coming to life? It's no big deal. He said about a year ago there was a lady in another country. They thought she was dead. She woke up in the morgue. And to him, that's what happened to Christ. He wasn't really dead when they placed him in the tomb. And he woke up. But the Bible says that when the soldiers came to hasten his death, they found him already dead. Whose word is that? That's the Word of God. God says it Himself. What more proof do we need? The congregation burial points to the corruption that comes with death. as a result of sin. Burial is a mark of the lowest humiliation of man and a result of God's curse placed on the body when He said in Genesis 3, verse 19, In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken, for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. Burial is a visible demonstration that that life which was to be normal has been replaced by death, which is abnormal. And it is also a visible demonstration of man's dethronement. He was created to be the king over, to exercise dominion over the earth. But at death, He is laid into earth's bosom. The burial of our Lord congregation proves to us that He was our substitute to the full. He endured the lowest of humiliation for your sin and my sin. But it also points to the truth of God's Word. Isaiah 53, verse 9 says, And they made His grave with the wicked, but with the rich at His death. And Psalm 16 says, Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. Just as physical death as the result of sin pointed to eternal death with regard to the soul, burial pointed to the passage unto eternal death with regard to the body. It points to eternal decay. Jesus Christ suffered the full cup of humiliation, even death and burial for His people, for God's people, for those who would believe on His saving sacrifice by grace through faith. Beloved, through Him, God has been made satisfied. And He remains forever satisfied with us as believers, as our Savior, through His suffering and humiliation, secures the believer's eternal freedom. And as He also, in the second place, removes sin's power. Paul makes it clear in Romans 6 that because of Christ's saving sacrifice, believers died to sin. Now shackled in bondage to sin, death stings us. And the grave is still victorious physically, spiritually, and eternally. But the death of Christ, in a manner of speaking, put death to death physically, spiritually, and eternally for the believer. And the believer now enjoys a transformation in death and in this life. Question and answer 42 deals with that transformation in death. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die? Our death does not pay the debt of our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life. The truth is, we still sin. That saying that the only thing certain in this life is death and taxes is not far off. Because to be sure, except for Enoch and Elijah, until Christ comes again, what is the death ratio? It's one out of one. Of course, for those who are left behind, death and burial are painful and filled with earthly sorrow. But congregation, for the child of God who dies, the character of death and the character of the grave have been drastically changed. Whereas our Savior endured that physical, spiritual, and eternal separation as payment for sin for us, He has removed the curse of death from us. And therefore, that physical death which once ushered in eternal death and separation from God forever is now for the believer the gate, the doorway, the threshold to eternal life. And physical death, far from separating the believer from God forever, unites the believer with God forever by His grace. Beloved, that's an amazing transformation. And the grave is no longer the passageway to eternal destruction and decay, but the grave for you and me is simply the resting place of my body until our bodies are raised and believers are made like unto Christ's glorified body, as Paul says. And that's why we may have comfort when we stand at the graveside of a loved one, even as the casket, the coffin, is being put into that hole. Our comfort is that our Lord's tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away and it remains rolled away. Death, instead of leading us to the eternal misery of sin, is the door to the eternal death of sin. You see, sin is still a burden for God's people. We would all agree with that, I trust. And it becomes more of a burden the more we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as Satan turns up the heat. And the greatest curse for humanity would be to remain and always live in sin's clutches, which is the curse of hell. But God's greatest mercy for His children is that by death, He brings an end to our sin. At death, we shall be rid of all sin, freed from it, as Paul says in Romans 6, verse 7, when I die, my sin and my sinning dies permanently. And that's why Paul can confidently say in Philippians 1, verse 21, For to me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. A congregation, we do not pay for our sins by death. We don't satisfy God's wrath even in the least degree. Jesus paid it all. But that last enemy, death, becomes our servant, opening for us the door of the heavenly palace. It's not the end, but it's the eternal beginning for believers. This doesn't mean that we are to become weary of this life and that we are to long prematurely for death. We are to love life, physical life too, because it too is a gift of God. But the believer can be happy in death because it is an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life, as the catechism rightly says. Yet we are also given the greatest reason to rejoice in this life as well. Question and answer 43. What further advantage do we receive from Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross? Through Christ's death, our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with Him so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead we may dedicate ourselves as an offering of gratitude to Him. And notice also again, Romans 6, verses 3 through 6. 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. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with. That we should no longer be slaves to sin. You see, for the believer, Christ's sacrifice and death overcomes our spiritual death with spiritual life. We receive the beginning of the dying to sin through new birth, through regeneration. The old man, the one in bondage to sin, is put to death. And the new man is born. Of course, in this life, that may seem like more of a disadvantage at times because Christ promised, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3, yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. In this life there is blood and sacrifice and tears, but that's a part of that narrow path, that narrow way that leads to eternal life through Christ Jesus. Beloved, the old man is crucified, slain, and buried with Christ, but in this life that doesn't mean that he is completely conquered yet. Oh, he is at death. But we must confess that once in a while that old nature rears its ugly head and we still pamper the old man with sin and sinful desires and sinful deeds. Paul exhorts believers to fight the old man. It is to be a daily battle in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Again, as Romans 6, 12 and 13 tell us, 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. This is a daily battle with sin. If you're not fighting a battle with sin, then it's time for self-examination once again. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, Put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. The old man shall be put to death forever, but for now the goal of the believer is that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us. In Christ the old man no longer turns the steering wheel of my life. He no longer commands what I do and do not do, But Jesus Christ, my Savior, is the Lord and Ruler of my life, every aspect of my life. And therefore, our sinful desires are to be nailed to the cross. Our sinful thoughts are to be put to death and our sinful deeds are to be buried. And my life is to be offered a living sacrifice of thanksgiving, holy and acceptable to God. The joy of that eternal freedom, congregation, begins in this life for the believer. But then finally, and most important of all, we must also know from what Christ's final torment eternally frees us. It delivers from hell's agony. Question and answer 44 once again. Why does the creed add He descended into hell? To assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross, but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell. Now in our confession of Christ's humiliation, as we recite it in the Apostles' Creed, we place His descent into hell last. But that's not because that is how we believe the sequence of events took place. According to Scripture, Jesus did not spend three days in hell between His death and resurrection. He said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. He did not say, Father, I commit my hands into the bosom of hell. And even before he said that, he promised to be in paradise that very day with the criminal who hung beside him. When Jesus said, It is finished, he had the confidence that his work of atonement was finished, paradise was gained, regained. If he had not suffered hell, he could not have had that confidence. this article of the creed comes last because it represents the culmination, the severest degree of His suffering as Jesus not only wrestled with temporary death for us, but also eternal death. Beloved, hell is a word that is deeply rooted in the biblical view of sin and its consequences of God's judgment upon the sinner. That's the connection. And therefore, that's what makes the flippant and irresponsible use of this word in society such a sad thing. But the catechism reminds us here that hell is very real. It is the place where unbelievers will spend eternity. It is the place of God's eternal wrath and punishment against sin. And hell crawled up to the cross that day. And especially during the three hours of darkness, the light of God's favor and love was turned against Jesus. Hell is eternal separation from God's favor and instead it is the eternal presence of God's wrath. In all of His suffering, our Lord underwent the torment and penalty of God's forsakenness in the place of and on behalf of His people. And hell describes the fullness of His suffering. Why is it last in our confession? Because it is the heart of what He suffered. He was abandoned and forsaken by his Father. He suffered the outer darkness of the Father's disfavor and wrath upon the sinner in whose place he stood. The one who had always enjoyed and alone deserved the perfect love and fellowship of his Father was completely abandoned and cut off from that love and fellowship. And therefore he cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And beloved, that very declaration, My God, my God, That very declaration was a declaration of our Savior's eternal suffering for sin. But at the same time, it's a declaration of the believer's independence from eternal death by the grace of God. And also it points to our dependence upon Him. Jesus Christ entered death in the grave as the victor over hell's wrath. He was already victorious over that as the only one who could endure the unspeakable anguish, pain, terror of soul. By confessing, He descended into hell. We not only speak of the magnitude of sin's consequence, but we also speak of the great comfort of the child of God. And that comfort is that because He endured hell, I as a believer won't have to. He has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell, Beloved, I am delivered forever. By the grace of God, the believer has been given eternal freedom in Jesus Christ. In these articles of the faith, we are once again brought face to face with the estimate of sin. And that estimate is eternal death. Sin is ugly. And its consequences are more severe than we can ever even imagine. Boys and girls and young people, you must know this. God does not wink at sin, not even once. Not like some kind-hearted grandfather who might wink at the sin of a young child who doesn't know any better. To Him there is no distinction between what we classify as big and little sins. Yet our Savior paid every last bit of debt for those who believe on Him. And the benefit to you and me is that all of sin's curse is removed. And all of sin's death, spiritual, physical, and eternal, is conquered. And by the grace of God, we can testify that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But then it doesn't take a genius, does it, to realize that for those who are not in Christ Jesus, the power of sin and death weigh heavy upon them. Apart from Christ, death and the grave are the doorway to the outer darkness and eternal damnation. Apart from Christ, hell with its inexpressible anguish, pain, terror, and agony is very, very real. And those who reject Jesus Christ will enter the torments of hell and will never pass through those torments because those torments are eternal. And that's why the Gospel must be preached so urgently. The message must sound forth is this, whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And therefore, again, I ask you this morning, is this your comfort? I send you away with that question as you study the Word of God, as you meditate on the Word of God. Is this your comfort? Do you own it? Can you claim it as your own? Beloved, Christ conquered the depths that we might be lifted on high. He endured separation, complete separation from God that we might be completely reunited to God both today and forever so that we might confess with the psalmist nevertheless I am continually with you you hold me by my right hand you will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me the glory Amen shall we pray Father indeed as we consider this your word and we consider this contrast of what Jesus suffered in order to give to us the precious gift that we own, we stand amazed at what You have done for us. Father, may we never take this salvation for granted. May we never take the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ in our place for granted. May we never treat it as frivolous or something that wasn't important. But may we understand the magnitude of His work. And may we desire not to lock that message up in our hearts, but to share it with others, that we would indeed desire the salvation of those with whom we have contact. Father, we pray that You would continue to build Your church through the Gospel message. May your word continue to go forth and you continue to transform hearts and lives through the power of your Holy Spirit. We thank you for this blessed truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.