THERE IS HOPE

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THERE IS HOPETHERE IS HOPE

This sermon is about one of the greatest uncertainties and fears over all the ages even today. The fear of death and what happens after death. Who has the power over death? How long has death control over mankind? In this message you will find hope and rest in knowing what death is and how to overcome death.

BONDAGE AND THE ORIGIN OF DEATH

In Hebrews 2:14-15, ” forasmuch 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 WERE ALL THEIR LIFETIME SUBJECT TO BONDAGE.” This is hope but there is need to understand how this fear of death and bondage started. In Genesis God started creating and all he made was good. Now read Revelations 4:11, “thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” This includes man on earth.

HOW DEATH STARTED

In Genesis 2:15-17, God put the man he had created into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely DIE. This is exactly how the word and the sentence of death, was given as a warning. Adam and Eve lived peacefully in the garden with all the other creatures of God and there was no death. God came around in the cool of the day to visit with Adam and Eve. But one day the most subtil beast of the field; that had the ability to talk and reason (the serpent or devil) persuaded Eve in the absence of Adam in a discussion against the commandment of God. Genesis 3:1-7. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you allow yourself to enter into a discussion with the devil over God’s instruction you will end up as Adam and Eve. So Adam and Eve sinned against God and God’s word came to pass; death occurred. THE SOUL THAT SINNETH, IT SHALL DIE. (Ezekiel 18:20). This was how man sinned against God, died spiritually and was driven out of Eden. The death of Abel opened the eyes of the rest of humanity that death was not only spiritual death but also physical death. Since then the fear of death has held men in bondage.

St. Luke 19:5

THE PROPHETIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

In Genesis 3:15, the first announcement came forth about the cross, which is the hope of mankind; “her seed (JESUS CHRIST) shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.” At the cross the devil bruised the heel of Jesus, through the suffering he went through BUT Jesus bruised the devils head as he overcame death, the devil and paid for sin. In Abraham’s seed shall the gentiles trust, Matthew 12:21. Read Galatians 3:16, “now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one. And to thy SEED, which is CHRIST.” The coming of Jesus Christ was the only hope of humanity, because the devil had the power of death and nobody was able to solve the problem, no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth or in hell.

POWER OVER DEATH

Everyone from Adam till now could experience death, spiritually, physically or both. Death is a separation from God which is spiritual. This is caused by sin and sinful living. If you know and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you have overcome spiritual death. This is the ONLY way to overcome spiritual death and this is HOPE. Then the most logical question to ask is, have you overcome spiritual death? You may be driving a car, going to school or work, eating and drinking, playing sports but you are spiritually dead. Life without Christ is death.

Physical death is when you are no more functional, abandoned six feet underneath the surface of the soil, with flowers, or grass, or weeds covering the spot or worse. Some fear the thought of such abandonment, others fear the unknown. Death without FAITH is a terrible thing. Fear destroys faith, but faith with an ANCHOR destroys fear and that anchor is JESUS CHRIST.

THE ANCHOR HOLDS

Jesus Christ is the anchor of HOPE because his has all power. Read Matthew 28:18, Jesus said “ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH.” This was after the RESURRECTION. No man who has ever died rose again, except Jesus the Christ and that is the reason he is the ONLY anchor. Secondly, read Revelations 1:18,“I AM HE THAT LIVETH, AND WAS DEAD; AND BEHOLD I AM ALIVE FOR EVERMORE, AMEN: AND HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”

St. John 3:18.

hell; this is wonderful to know. If this is the case, the devil and death is but a bluff, because someone has the key over them, Amen.

Hebrews 2:14-15 reads, “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.” What a precious promise of deliverance.

NOW HOPE

John 11:25-26, will help all of mankind to make a choice between death and life. It reads, “I AM THE RESSURECTION AND THE LIFE: HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE: AND WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE. BELIEVEST THOU THIS?” This scripture is connected to 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; read it, for it shows the perfect and mass destruction of the power of death in the TRANSLATION. Surely the Lord is the creator and master over death.

THE MYSTERY

1st Corinthians 15:51-58 behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.—— 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 to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 20:14, death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Read Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

There is a spiritual and a physical death, sin is the path, the devil is the cause; the cross of Jesus Christ and the resurrection is the solution. Repentance and conversion is the first step to destroying the fear of death. Paul said in Philippians 1:21-23, “to die is Christ to live is gain.” To die, for a Christian is to be with Jesus Christ and there is no fear in being with Christ, if there is no sin.

By Douglas Amobi