Then Why Must I Die?

We turn now to God's Word and ask you to turn to Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9, that's toward the end of the New Testament. James, Peter, and John follow it. Hebrews chapter 9. In just the last two verses of that chapter, just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ also was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to all those who are waiting for him. That's the gospel message tonight. So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and he will appear a second time to bear sin, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. I was always tempted to put in the bulletin this for the morning, you know, where they have the theme for the evening service, TBA, which means children to be announced. Because I thought, you know, if I put the title of the sermon in, it's really an encouragement meant to stay home I think. Maybe you look at it and you say my oh my last week he talked about sorrow and suffering and this week he's going to talk about death. How old is this minister getting to be? And if you haven't looked at the title of the sermon yet of course it is then why must I die? Then why must I die? When you think about that that's a pretty simple question, isn't it? I mean, you could almost say it's a really dumb question. You children can answer that question. We must die because everyone dies. That's the way it is, isn't it? I mean, we talk about death and taxes being sure, but death is more sure than taxes. We, the Bible says, are destined to die once. And it's strange, isn't it, that we know this for sure, and yet we don't seem to pay much attention to it. We know it for sure. We think about a child that is born, and a child's life can go in a hundred different ways. A child can be athletic or not, it can be intelligent or not, it can be clever or not, it can be artistic or not, in lots of other directions, and it can get older or not. But at the end, everyone dies. And we don't seem to take that too seriously, do we? I mean to say, I'm not going to ask for hands tonight, but how many of you do not have a will? Or how many wills are not up to date? And we make plans for everything. We make plans for marriage, we make plans for college, hopefully in the other direction. First college, then marriage. We make plans for retirement. We make plans for buying a house. We make plans for all of these things, but not for death. And we know for sure it is absolutely coming. So why must I die? Because death is appointed for everyone. And you know, if that were all, I mean, if it was just a matter that everyone must die, you know, we would probably not take it so hard. But why do we dig in our heels? Why do we refuse to acknowledge it? Why do we find that even the most impaired life, the most pathetic life, is better than dying? The answer is pretty simple, isn't it? Because we know that there is a fearful reality attached to death. There's a fearful reality attached to death. Because as the scripture testifies, the scripture that I read this evening, it has to do with God's judgment. We are destined to die once, verse 27 says, and then the judgment. And we know that, don't we? It's what makes death fearful. That's the fearful part of it. It's not just part of life. Sometimes we think of death, well, it's just part of life. It's not just part of life. If you have ever been at the deathbed of a loved one, there is something mysterious there. There's something awesome. There's something religious going on. And we know it, and everyone knows it. We may resist death for one reason, because there is often pain associated with it, but there is a far deeper understanding, there is a far deeper fear, and that is because we die once, and then the judgment. And even the most blatant unbeliever knows that. I mean, he may boast, and he may use the word hell as if it doesn't exist, But when they die, they all like to have a chaplain around and bagpipes to play Amazing Grace. That's the way it is. Even the mafia, a mafia member wants to be buried like a Catholic. In death, you see, we are waiting for that awesome call of God that God directed to Adam once. Adam, where are you? Why are you hiding? Have you done that which I have commanded you not to do? Eve, where are you? Have you done that which I have commanded you not to do? John, Philip, Amy, Mary, where are you? Have you done that which I have commanded you not to do? And you see, that's the fearful element. We are destined to die once and then the judgment. No, once, no second chances. Once, no, once and then the judgment, no reincarnations. no second life to make it better, no purgatory to take care of what you didn't take care of when you were living. Once and then the judgment. No hung juries. No evidence withheld. No witnesses unaccounted for. No excuses accepted. Once and then the judgment. what a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God a holy God what an awesome thing that is and if you are living in sin tonight if you are a teenager if you are 20 something and you have not committed your life to Jesus Christ, if he is not your Lord and Savior, if you are drifting, if you are deciding to make Christianity your own idea of what ought to be, if you are waiting in the wings, if you are enjoying life, then it is my duty to warn you in the words of Jesus tonight and that the judgment that awaits you will be tougher than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because, you see, you tasted the good things of God. You have heard them. You've grown up, some of you, in Christian homes. You've heard the gospel. You are hearing it tonight. And the soul that sins shall die. And you are selling your birthright, just as Esau sold his stones for nothing. And you must be clear about this, that the soul that sins shall die. That's God's word. And don't think in your heart of hearts, but God is going to understand. You have to understand that God is holy, holy, holy, holy. And the soul that sins shall die, and after that the judgment. We must understand that God is a holy God, and he hates sin. About 20 or 25 years ago, boys and girls, your parents were your age, some of them. And I told them the same thing. That hate is a strong, strong word. We come home and we say, Mama, I hate Anne. She did this, and your mother will say, you may not hate, it's wrong to hate. But I hate Billy because it's wrong to hate. But God hates sin. We must remember that. God hates sin. It's not just that he doesn't like it. It's not that he prefers that we not sin. He hates it. In Malachi chapter 2, he says, I hate violence. I hate it. You must think about that when you are enjoying something violent on television, in the sporting world. You may enjoy it, but God hates it, you see. It's not that he doesn't like it. He hates it. I hate divorce, he says in that same verse. In Isaiah 61, verse 8, he says, I love justice. I hate robbery and iniquity. In Zechariah 8, he says, Do not plot evil against your neighbors or swear falsely. Swear falsely. Lie. I hate all of this, he says. I hate the works of the Nicolaitans, Jesus says in the New Testament. We have to think about that. We cheat in school and say, well, everybody does it. But God hates it. God hates it. We read sinful books or watch sinful movies on our computers or in the movie theaters. and everybody is doing it, but God hates it. We use God's name in vain, which is so common. We even use it, even use the initials in our text messages. OMG, oh my God. God hates it. You must remember that. And we may say, well, God understands because everybody's doing it. You have to understand. I have to understand that God hates sin and he's going to punish it. That's what he warned Adam. The wages of sin is death. And God must punish sin. You notice in that question, the first question, question 40 of the Heidelberg Catechism there, it says, why did Christ have to go all the way to death? because God's justice and truth demands it. God would be a liar if he changed his mind. God would not be righteous if he changed his mind. God would be a liar because he said to Adam, the day you eat thereof, the day you disobey me, you shall surely die. Adam did die. I mean, in terms of his spiritual death that began already then, And his physical death began already then. God must judge sin because God is righteous. The word just and righteous kind of go together, really are the same. Children, if you came home one day and you were all out of breath and you said to your dad, Dad, you know that old neighbor lady three doors down, Some wicked boys knocked her over and kicked her in the stomach and took her purse and ran away laughing. And your dad says, oh, what else happened today? You say, Dad, you've got to do something. You can't just say, what else happened today? You've got to go after those boys or you've got to tell the police or you've got to do something. They've got to be punished. And if your dad didn't do that, he would be wicked. He would be evil not to do something. And it is the same way with God. What kind of God would we have if he would not punish the wicked? He is righteous. He is holy, holy, holy. For one sin, paradise was closed to Adam. For one sin, Achan and his family were swallowed up alive. For one sin, Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead at Peter's feet. That's the judgment of God's beginning. But his judgment continues to hell. Jesus described it in such horrible words about eternal darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth that where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, and eternal darkness and separation from God. And that's why Jesus feared death. Isn't that amazing when you think about that, that Jesus feared death. Paul didn't fear death. Stephen didn't fear death, but Jesus feared death. You think about the fear of Jesus when it comes to death in the garden, when the terror of death squeezed from him, as it were, great drops of blood, a sweat. When he agonized with God and he prayed, Father, over and over again, if this cup, take this cup from me, if it would be your will, if it would be possible, if it would be possible, take this cup from me. Jesus feared death not because of the cross, not because of the pain of the cross, but he feared death because of what the cross signified. Because the cross signified the very hell that he had to endure. That's why he could not be killed in any other way. That's why he had to be crucified, because the cross was a picture of the terrible reality that he was enduring. It was a shadow of what was really happening. And what was really happening on the cross was the awful judgment of God, the judgment of hell upon Jesus. That's why he feared it. You know, in the Old Testament, they never hung people to kill them. But after they had been executed, stoned for some blasphemy, then they would take the body and hang it up on a tree for a day. Because it was a picture to the people that that person is such a vile sinner that he is undergoing the curse and the judgment of God. And that's why Jesus had to be hung on the cross. To tell the world that on that cross, his suffering was because of the judgment of God, and the judgment of God was real. For Jesus, hell was being experienced during those three hours of darkness. The darkness talks about hell. The cry of Jesus, why have you forsaken me, speaks about hell. If you think about that, not once in all of his brutal treatment did Jesus ever cry out. Not with the whipping, the vicious beating that the soldiers gave him in Pontius Pilate's court. Not when the thorns were placed upon his head. Not when the nails were put to his hands. Not once did he utter a cry of pain that we hear in the Scriptures. But it was only in those three hours of darkness when he was experiencing the curse of the punishment of God for sin that he cries out, My God, why have you forsaken me? That's why he feared death. Verse 28, we are told, He offered himself, he was sacrificed, to take away the sins of many people. How terrible hell must be. Nobody talked about it more than Jesus. Nobody feared it more than Jesus because no one knew what it was all about like Jesus did. He was sacrificed for the sins of many people. And that's why we can talk about the forgiveness of sins. Why in the Apostles' Creed, after all of this, we could say, I believe in the forgiveness of sins. It is because we have already testified in the Creed that I believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, buried, descended into hell. What a stunning thing to confess. We confess it so easily here, but what a stunning thing to confess. Each one of those phrases brings us deeper and deeper and deeper into the suffering and saving work of Jesus Christ until we find him in hell itself. No wonder he feared it. And, my friends, if you, if Christ has not suffered, died, buried, descended into hell for you. And that is the suffering, the punishment for sin that awaits you. If Jesus has not done it for you, then you will do it yourself. But it will be eternity, not just for three hours. Jesus could do it in three hours because he was infinite. But you will spend an eternity in darkness. And once again, don't think God will understand that you have some special excuse. Your preacher was boring. Your high school teacher, Christian school teacher dissed you. Members of the church weren't very nice to you. God will understand. No, we must understand that the wages of sin is death. And if Christ has not taken that punishment, you will take it. If he has not taken it for me, I will take it. Because God is holy, holy, holy. He is just and righteous, a God of truth. Then why must I die? That's how we began, wasn't it? Then why must I die? If Christ has died for me, why must I die? And then question 42 of the Heidelberg Catechism gives us a partial answer. It doesn't say everything about that. But it says, since Christ had died for us, why do we still have to die? The answer is our death does not pay for the debt of our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life. It does not pay the debt of our sins. That's why Paul didn't fear death. That's why Polycarp didn't fear death. Polycarp was a martyr child, one of the first martyrs. And that's why Stephen didn't fear death. That's why the three men who were thrown in the fiery furnace didn't fear death. Because they already knew then that God had prepared a Savior for them. the writer to the Hebrews says that Christ offered himself in order that he would take away the sins of many. If you are familiar with the book of Hebrews, you know that the Hebrew author has all kinds of references to the Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies. He talks about the priests and the blood and the altar and all of these things. And now he talks about Christ being sacrificed and taking away our sins. he obviously at least in my mind has a great day of atonement in mind when the two goats are taken to the priests and one of them is slaughtered for a sacrifice but the other one he puts his hand on the goat's head and then he confesses all of the sins of Israel and then when he is done confessing sin and having his hands laid upon this goat then the goat is taken out into the outback into the desert. It's taken it back so far that it can never find its way back. God was telling the people in those days that when the Savior comes, he would take their sins so far away that they would never come back. That's what the writer here is telling us. Jesus took away the sins of many people so that they will never come back so that they wouldn't be remembered anymore now boys and girls you know that God knows everything don't you he does and God remembers everything doesn't he almost God doesn't remember sin when it's confessed and forgiven isn't that wonderful to know some of your parents have to know that some of your grandparents maybe have to know that because all of you don't believe that here tonight because you are still struggling with a life that you once lived or sins that you once committed. You are still struggling and going to God with those sins and he doesn't remember them anymore. Isn't that a wonderful thing? What are you talking about? He wants to know. They're gone. Jesus' death paid for our sins. We must understand that. There's nothing more wonderful, even when you get old, to remember that. I was making this sermon. I remembered one of my parishioners of another congregation said she had been sitting in the room where her father was dying. In the middle of the night, he said, Surely, surely, yes, Pop, Jesus paid it all. Isn't that wonderful? Jesus paid it all. Then why must I die? If we go further on that answer, it says death puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life. It puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life. It puts an end to our sinning. All of our life we struggle with sin. It never stops. And finally we say, when will it be that I will really have God first in my life? When will it be that I will worship Him in spirit and in truth? When will it be that I will love Him above all? When will it be that I will love my neighbor as of myself? When will it be that I will serve and love and worship God as He deserves? When I behold him. When I lay down my burden. When I close my eyes in death. When my heart has beat its last. When my soul enters into glory. Then there will be no more. No more sinning. Oh, that will be glory for me. when by his grace I shall look on his face. Oh, that will be glory for me. And if you are still left when Jesus comes, as it talks about in this text, if you are still left, you will finally know what you have been missing and what those who have gone before are enjoying. for that will be glory for me. When by his grace I shall look on his face, oh, that will be glory for me. I don't know if you know that chorus, but maybe you could sing that with me tonight. Oh, that will be glory for me. Glory for me, glory for me When by his grace I shall look on his face That will be glory, be glory for me Father, we thank you for your word and for your assurances and for the blessings of life and even the blessings of death for those who die in Jesus. Lord, give us that vision and that joy always that you might be glorified in life and in death. For Jesus' sake, amen.