II Timothy 1:10

"Christ Jesus ... has destroyed death,
and has  brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
II Timothy 1:10b

Of all the fears that grip the hearts of modern men and women,
no fear is greater than the fear of death.

On this Easter Sunday we have lived
through the bloodiest century in human history.
Today, a general can push a button in a remote location,
and a Cruise missile can find its target thousands of miles away.

Killing is easier now because we have weapons of mass destruction.
We can take out whole buildings and entire city blocks
or even a whole city.

We know how to kill,
but we don't know how to die.

When we face the prospect of our own death, we don't know what  to do.

No one can avoid death or put it off.
When your time is up, your time is up.

This is a subject many do not wish to talk about.

The message of this day is thrilling.
Jesus overcame death,
and came back to tell us about it.
Death could  not hold him.

Our text declares that Jesus has destroyed death.

Older versions of this verse state that He has "abolished" death.
You might be thinking, if that is true why are people still dying.
It does not appear that death has  abolished.

People still die every day.
The cemeteries fill up and new ones  open.

We still have funeral homes, and saddened families.
And there is cancer, strokes, heart attacks,
accidents, and unexplained tragedies.

Read the obituary section of the newspaper of any city,
and see  that death is happening to people of all ages.

Death is all around us.
We are faced with death every  day.
So, where is the resurrection?
How can we say that death has been abolished?
All of us are going to  die.
That is certain!

So, if death has been abolished, why do we still die?

The Bible says that we die because of sin.
Romans 5:12  tells us that death came into the world
because of Adam's sin.
Romans 6:23 declares: "The wages of sin is death..."

Sin always leads to death,
and as long as there is  sin,
there will be death.

Death reigns in our  city.
Our death is certain?

The life insurance industry is sure that we are going to die.
We buy life insurance because we are going to die.
We know that we are going to die,
but we don't know the  time of our death.
So, we pay the premiums in order to receive the benefits.
But to receive the benefits, we have to die.

And when we die, someone else gets the money.
Life insurance is based on a theological truth:
Death reigns!

When you die, the coroner will fill out a death certificate for you.
There's a question on that certificate that asks for the "Cause of Death."
The answer on every death certificate should be: "Sin."
It is not sickness, nor diseases, nor accidents, and it is not old age.
Those are merely the symptoms .
The cause of death is sin.

So, how did Christ destroy death?
In II Timothy 1:10 the word, "destroyed,"
means "to render powerless".

When Jesus rose from the dead,
he destroyed the  power of death.

Jesus said, "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:26)
Death for the Christian is the passing from this world
to our home in heaven.
Paul declared that to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.  (Philippians 1:21)
Jesus died!
He was buried!

So, where is our hope?
Our hope is realized in what  happened early
on Sunday morning.
There was good news from the graveyard that Easter morning.
There's an empty tomb!
It's the tomb of Jesus Christ.

He died on Friday afternoon.
He was buried Friday evening,
and, on Sunday morning, His tomb was empty.

God's good news is that death could not hold Him.
The  grave could not keep Him.
Jesus is the Lord of life!

How did He destroy death?

He died like we die.
He was really dead.
He was completely dead.
He wasn't partly dead or mostly dead.
He was as dead!

God raised Him back to life.
He broke death's power!
Jesus was  victorious over death!

T. DeWitt Talmage, a great preacher of the past
illustrated our coming resurrection
by referring to a new invention called a phonograph.

He told how a person's voice could be recorded
and preserved on a cylinder, and then could be played back.
It could even be played after the person had died.

Then, he asked this question,
"If man can do that, cannot God,
bring back the voice of your departed?"

And he went on to say that if God can bring back the voice,
then why not the face and the body?

He concludes by saying:
"If man can do the phonograph, God can  do the resurrection."

That was 100 years ago.
Today we can send live pictures zipping around  the globe in seconds.
Now, your DNA can identify you in a crowd of 6 billion people.

If man can do that, there is no question that God can raise the dead.
Four thousand years ago Job asked this question,
"If a man dies, will  he live again?" (Job 14:14a)
That is the greatest of all the questions,

Easter morning that question was answered forever!

The Bible says that the sting of death is sin. (1 Corinthians 15:56)

Think about that.
How do you take the sting out of a bee?

When I was a child, one of my older friends caught a bee.
He showed me the  stinger of the bee.
Then, he did something amazing.
He removed the stinger.
Then he said, "Now the bee cannot hurt you. Its stinger is gone!"
(Don't try that at home.)

Christ took the venom of death.
Death stung Him and killed Him.
But death could not keep him.
He took away the sting of death,
so we no longer have to fear death.

That is the good news from the graveyard.

If a man die, will he live again? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Here is the answer to the greatest question,
the deepest question, and final question.

All of us will face death someday.
But for those who know Jesus, death  holds no fear.
We're not afraid of the darkness for Jesus is the Light of the world.
We won't remain in the valley of the shadow of death
for Jesus will be our guide.
We may die, but we won't stay dead.
We will leave here, and immediately be with Christ.

Are you trusting in Jesus who rose from the dead?
Jesus is alive and standing with open arms inviting you
to receive eternal life.
The door to  Heaven is wide open.

Every one of us has an appointment with death sooner or later.
But that is a cause for rejoicing - not for fear,
provided we have put our trust in the One
Who holds the keys of life and death.
People of God, rejoice.
Death has been defeated,

Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White
Email Dr. White at hleewhite@aol.com