What cause of death are you most afraid of? For me, it’s definitely getting eaten by a Great White shark. (Yeah, and all those episodes of Shark Week have not helped me overcome my greatest fear!) We can think of all kinds of terrifying ways to die, but the truth is, many people find death itself equally terrifying. This leads us to an interesting question: Should Christians be afraid of death?
According to Hebrews 2:14-15, Jesus came to earth for the very purpose of dying. You may be tempted to believe that, because Jesus died on the cross, He must have somehow failed His mission to earth. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished two momentous victories!
The first victory is the defeat of the devil (Hebrews 2:14). It’s true that the devil still exists and is active today, however, he is completely powerless over believers. There is nothing he can do to force you to obey him in any way. In fact, according to James 4:7, if you “resist the devil…he will flee from you.â€
The second victory is deliverance from the “fear of death†(Hebrews 2:15). One of the devil’s greatest weapons is his ability to enslave people to this fear. By dying on the cross, Jesus made this weapon powerless. How is this possible? Through His death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin that each of us owes. And through His resurrection, He beat the power of death.
If you have personally trusted in Jesus as your Savior from sin and death, you no longer need to fear facing God’s wrath when you die (John 3:36; Hebrews 9:27-28). Instead, your hope is in Jesus, the risen Savior, who promises that everyone who follows Him “will live, even though they die,†enjoying the presence of God forever (John 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 21:1-5). In Christ, you no longer need to be scared to death of death. • Jonathon Fuller
• Write down a couple of reasons why someone may be afraid of death.
• Reread 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 and Hebrews 2:14-15. Why would the previous reasons to be afraid of death no longer apply to a believer in Jesus?
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)
Read Verses:
Luke 5:1-11; John 6:1-14
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