Do You Fear Death? | Hebrews 2:14-15 | Pastor Mark Griffin

Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I invite you this afternoon to turn in your bibles to Hebrews chapter two. When was the last time you thought about death? I mean, really deeply pondered the end of your life, taking your last breath, closing your eyes, and then eternity. For some, the thought of dying causes your heart to start beating faster.

Fear rises, anxiety increases, and you're scared. If you are honest, the thought of death makes you afraid. For others, death and dying are the furthest things from your mind. This life, this existence on earth consumes your total attention. All your effort is spent living in the present, satisfying your wants and desires and looking to be entertained.

Many people fall somewhere in between these two points. Not afraid of death. They don't ignore it or pretend it's not coming. But to them, death is not something to be feared, but merely exists to usher us into eternity with the Lord. To them, death is not so much inevitable as it is a means or a tool in the hands of God that he uses to change us from one degree of glory to another.

That he uses to demonstrate his never ending all sufficient redemptive love for those who call him father, for those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. The purpose of this message this afternoon is to awaken your hearts. Awaken your hearts to the extraordinary reality that for Christians, you do not need to fear death. Unless Christ returns soon, every man, woman, and child on the face of this earth, everyone in this room will die. My aim today is to show you through the word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that Christians and only Christians have the right and the ability and the confidence to say, oh death, where is your victory?

Oh death, where is your sting? Not a confidence arising from emotional excitement or blind faith or personal courage, but a confidence that is surely and solidly planted on the finished and all sufficient work of Jesus Christ. So So let's read from Hebrews chapter two. We'll start at verse nine. Hebrews two starting at verse nine and we'll go down to verse 15.

The writer says, but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies, and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell of your name to my brothers.

In the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children God has given me. And here's our verses for this afternoon. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Heavenly father, we thank you. Oh, lord. We thank you for the time that you've allotted to us. We thank you for your word. The words of eternal life.

Help us now, lord. Help us now through the preaching of your word, the proclamation of your word to change heart. By the power of your spirit, Lord, may you bring clarity and conviction. Father, may the preacher may I decrease and may you increase exponentially in the hearts and in the minds and the attention of all those with a sound within the sound of my voice. And may you be glorified this afternoon.

And your people, may we be filled with unending, invincible joy. In Jesus name, amen. Power of God's redemptive plan for humanity through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Throughout the book, Christ is shown as superior to all aspects of the old covenant. He is superior to angels.

He is superior to Moses, to the Aaronic priesthood. He is superior to the old sacrifices and the old covenant because they are because they all represent a shadow of the reality that is ushered in through the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Hebrews two fourteen and fifteen encapsulates the drama and the power and the goodness of God's sovereign plan to save people from sin and death. As we look at these verses today, I want you to see and rejoice in how God, all powerful, all knowing, holy, just, righteous, loving, gracious and merciful, how God rescues the lost, brings the dead to life and frees those enslaved to sin. In these verses, we will look at the glories of the incarnation, the destruction of the devil, and the deliverance of the enslaved.

The glories of the incarnation, the destruction of the devil and the deliverance of the enslaved. God is good. Let's feast on the word of the Lord. Hebrews two fourteen. Since therefore, the children share in flesh and blood.

The first glorious truth we see here is the high value God places on humanity. Men and women are the pinnacle of God's creation. After he created everything else in the universe, stars and galaxies, billions of planets spread across an immeasurable expanse. All of the animals and fish and birds, the oceans and the mountains, trees and rainforests. After all of this, he created man in his image and after his likeness.

That should amaze us. Human beings. Now, we have a really high view of ourselves, but think about it. Think about how minuscule we really are. Stand on top of a mountain and look out and you realize that you are so small.

Look up at the stars at night and realize that these fiery balls of nuclear explosions are happening billions of miles away. And here you are, one tiny speck of organic material on a tiny planet. We are flesh and blood. We wear out. We get sick.

We get hungry and tired and weak, yet the Bible says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Nothing else in all of creation can make that claim, only mankind. Now this is not a sermon about abortion, but these verses must frame our understanding of the audacious evil it is of destroying a child, flesh and blood. A child created in the image of God. A child that is fearfully and wonderfully made and being formed in secret by the hands of a loving creator.

And he says, what is man that you are mindful of him? Well, the son of man that you care for him. You made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Jesus was the forerunner in this. But this description and destiny are for the elect of God for a little while lower than the angels. But one day, we will be crowned with glory and honor with Christ. The simple truth is God cares for humans. All humans in the womb, outside of the womb.

Young and old, healthy and sick, rich and poor. All humans, God cares for them, and so must we. And the value of humanity is only reinforced when we look at the incarnation of God the Son. God becoming man. The Son of God being born in human form.

Man wasn't just valuable in his pre fall days, but even after mankind fell to sin, God demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus Christ as a man to die for us. We see this absolute incomparable humility of Christ here. Our verse, Hebrews two fourteen, since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things. Jesus willingly took on something that was not his by nature. Flesh and blood.

The weaknesses of the human body to live among us in the muck and the mire of our sin infested worlds. To experience pain and weakness. He reached out and took that upon himself. We see this in Philippians chapter two, a well known passage. One we read often around Easter time, the resurrection Sunday.

Philippians two five through eight. You don't have to turn there. Just listen. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Christ's humility is demonstrated in the incarnation. But then, go back to Hebrews chapter two, and I should say it's a good idea. Put your finger in Hebrews chapter two. We're going to be all over the Bible today. So just put a bookmark on your finger so we can easily go back and forth.

Hebrews two eleven magnifies this truth to an even greater degree. It says, that is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. Who are his brothers that he's talking about? The sons that the father brings to glory. The children that the father's saves that the father saves through the work of Jesus.

The church. The Bible says that Jesus is not ashamed to call you his brother or his sister if you have been saved in him. He partook of flesh and blood so that he could suffer and die in order to rescue you and to bring you to glory with him. How great and asthana is that Christ is not ashamed of you. It says it right there.

Christ is not ashamed of you. But you are ashamed of him. Are you ashamed to be associated with other Christians? Are you ashamed to let the world know that you are a Christian? Christ is the object of our faith.

And in this, he is the example of our faith as well. We must not be ashamed of Jesus because he is not ashamed of us. And there's a warning about this from Jesus himself. Turn to Mark chapter eight. Mark chapter eight verse 38.

JESUS says, for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels. If you are ashamed of Christ, then he will be ashamed of you. May that not be anyone among us. Flesh and blood like us? Hebrews two fourteen again.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise, partook of the same things that through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. In the incarnation, Christ took on human form so that he could be our representative in salvation. As God the Son, he could not represent us because he was not like us. Think of it this way. In Congress, you have legislative representatives.

Right? They act on your behalf. They represent you. Now this representative shares some common traits with you. He's a US citizen.

He is from Illinois, like you. He is from a specific voting district like you. In fact, if he didn't share these commonalities with you then he could not act as your representative. In a similar way, Jesus Christ partook of flesh and blood so that he could act as our representative before God. Romans five explains how spiritual representation affects us.

Let's turn there and and see the actual words of this this glorious reality. Romans chapter five starting at verse 12. The apostle Paul in Romans five verse 12 says, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. When Adam sinned in the beginning, he acted as a representative for the entire human race. Every man and woman born after him.

Therefore, his sin and the death that followed now apply to all of us. We are born sinful and we continue to sin. But through the incarnation, a new representative was brought forward, Jesus Christ. That's why he's called the last Adam. Scroll down to verse 17 of Romans five.

Paul says, for if because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, Much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous. Christ had to come in the flesh so that he could be the represent representative for those he came to save. So that he could be the last Adam, the better Adam.

But he also had to still be God because only God could satisfy the legal demands that God's justice required. The wages of sin is death because sin is an affront, a rebellion against an blood of bulls and goats is not enough to atone for the sins of humanity. The sacrificial death of a mere imperfect sinful human being is not enough to atone for the sins of humanity. No. God's justice could only be satisfied by someone taking the full force of his wrath against sin unto death.

And salvation is only possible by that same someone rising from the dead having conquered death itself. There is only one who could do that. The God man Jesus Christ. Truly God and truly man. The eternal son of God coming as the Daniel seven son of man.

In John chapter 10, as our lovely pastor read earlier, John chapter 10, You don't have to turn there. Verses seventeen and eighteen. This is how you know that we share the same spirit. We didn't talk beforehand. I I love how God works in this.

We didn't talk beforehand, but this is our passage today. John ten seventeen through 18. Jesus says, for this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again.

This charge I have received from my father. Only Christ only Christ possessed this ability and power. Christ was born so that he could die, so that he could rise from the dead as our representative in salvation. In the incarnation, Christ is not only our representative, but he also took on flesh and blood so that he could act as our redeemer. The old testament gives examples of the kinsman redeemer, a relative that has the right to redeem, to restore, or preserve the rights of disadvantaged family members.

The most notable example of this is Boaz in the book of Ruth, who is a foreshadowing of the greater kinsman redeemer of Jesus. Could be related to those he came to save. Remember Hebrews two eleven. We already read it. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Being born as a man, Christ now has the rights of a relative to the children of God. He is our kinsmen if we have put our faith in him. Romans eight eight sixteen and seventeen says, the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. As our kinsmen, redeemer.

Let's look at this in a little bit more detail. Turn to Leviticus 25 to see another foreshadowing of Christ as our kinsmen redeemer. Leviticus 25 starting at verse 47. The Bible says in Leviticus twenty five forty seven, if a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger's clan, then after he is sold, he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him.

The kinsman redeemer is able to rescue his brother from slavery, Even slavery that his brother voluntarily sold himself to. Christ, our kinsman redeemer, did that very thing for us. The incarnation of Christ is filled with glorious realities. The value of humanity, the humility of Christ, Christ as our representative, and Christ as our redeemers. Things we can and should celebrate throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

Now having seen the glories of the incarnation, let's turn to see the incarnate son of God as our mighty champion bring destruction to the devil and deliverance to the enslaved. Back to our verses. Hebrews two fourteen. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death that is the devil. There are at least two questions here that come to mind.

How does the devil has the have the power of death? And how did Christ, through death, destroy the devil? First, what does this verse mean when it says the devil has the power of death? We need to understand that this is not referring simply to physical death. All men will physically die.

Christ's work on the cross did not alter that. Here, the focus is on spiritual death. What happens after you physically die? But still, the devil is not the one with the power to consign humans to eternal death in hell if they do not receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. The devil is not the judge of mankind.

Turn to Revelation 20 chapter or chapter 20 verse 10 to see this. Never take my word or anybody's word from this pulpit unless we can show you through the word of God that what we are saying to you is God's truth. Revelation 20, chapter 10. Revelation 20 verse 10. At the end of the millennial reign of Christ's, the animal At the end of the millennial reign, the revelation, the vision of John says this, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were.

And they were tormented day and night forever and ever. And then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the great, the the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what had they had done. God will judge you either to eternal life or to eternal damnation. The devil does not have that power. But that does not mean that the devil is powerless. We see this from creation.

The devil appearing as a serpent in the garden of Eden tempted and deceived and distorted and blinded. He called God a liar. He distorted the way Adam and Eve saw the world, how they saw God's command. He stoked the pride within them to rebel against the Lord. And through those efforts, mankind, all of mankind, began a trajectory to both physical and spiritual death.

The devil has wielded this tremendous influence and temptation and enticement against men and women from the beginning and since. He has constantly used this power to attack and destroy. Now we see examples of this throughout the scripture. And this power that the devil has, it's not small or insignificant or light. No.

Temptation and influence by the devil is such that without the power of God in you, you would succumb to it every single time, and it will kill you. First Peter five eight says, beam sober minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And here's the connection.

If you give in to those temptations, if you disobey the Lord, continue in your rebellion against God, because of your pride, you reject salvation, you reject Christ, then you will die. Romans eight thirteen. You don't have to turn there. Just listen. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The Bible even says that the devil is the deceiver of the whole world. He has the power to blind minds, to not see the beauty of Christ. Two examples here. Second Corinthians four four.

Their case, the god of this world has blinded their the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Unbelievers. And Matthew thirteen nineteen, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. Now the devil also has power because he knows that because of our sin and our rejection of God, the just punishment for that rebellion is death.

Romans six twenty three, for the wages of sin is death. The devil the devil uses that knowledge as a weapon against us. He will keep men occupied with lesser things, distract them throughout their entire life, blind them to the gospel, and then they die with no more opportunities to receive salvation. Also, Satan stands before God and in his hatred of humanity, he uses God's righteous decree to accuse men and women. He accuses us before God.

This person deserves your wrath. Look at their sin. Look at their pride. Look at their anger and lust. Look at them.

They reject you and spit on you and disobey you constantly and they deserve to die. Zechariah three is a is a vision of Satan doing just this. For Joshua, the high priest. Satan acting as the prosecuting attorney. This man deserves death for what he did.

Zechariah three one. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. Right hand to accuse him. Also, in Revelation twelve ten, we see this again. And I know I'm going fast, folks.

So don't don't turn there. Just listen. Revelation twelve ten. We see this. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ has come.

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. So here's the thing. Satan is right about what our sin deserves. And when he accuses those before God who are not redeemed through the work of Christ, then his accusations will result in a sentence of death. Folks, this is as serious as it gets.

We are talking about life and death. Don't neglect this. Don't forget the power of Satan because he truly does have the power of death. He is the deceiver. He is the accuser.

He is a murderer and a liar and he wants to kill you. Now, if that were the end, all of us would be doomed. But thank God there's more. Hebrews two fourteen. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil.

How did Christ, through death, destroy the devil? The devil still exists. The devil is still working and deceiving. So in this verse, like in other areas, we have this idea of the already and the not yet. Right now, the devil is disarmed.

The Greek word here for destroy in some places means total eradication or annihilation. But typically and usually the word is used to convey nullifying something or neutralizing something or depriving something or someone of power. Because of Christ's death, the devil's accusations are neutralized against believers. His power to deceive is counteracted through the power of God within us. Because of Jesus, the devil is not our master any longer.

That's the already. The not part yet. The not yet part comes at the end of the age. Then God will throw the devil into the lake of fire forever. But how did Christ's death accomplish that?

Follow his example. That belief totally robs the cross of its power and we must reject it because the bible rejects that pathetic reason for the crucifixion. Others others might say that Jesus died on the cross as payment to Satan for the souls of men. Jesus's life was a ransom given to Satan for the release of those held in bondage to the devil. We must reject that idea as well.

Our debt is not owed to Satan, but to God. We don't owe Satan anything. No. Christ's death is so much more spectacular and powerful than being a a part of some cosmic negotiation between God and the devil. Remember, God and Satan are not equals.

Not even close. So he is not bargaining with the devil. No. When Christ died on the cross, he was our representative and our kinsman redeemer. Remember.

And through that, he deprives the devil of his power over us. Turn to Romans chapter three. I want you to see this. Romans chapter three twenty one through 26. One of the most glorious passages in the entire Bible.

Romans three twenty one through 26. Most people know one verse out of this passage, passage, but let's read all five. But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, who God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sin. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. There are some words that we don't use often and that we might be tempted to simplify. Propitiation is one of those words.

And it's one we need to cherish. Here's the idea behind it. Our sin deserves God's wrath and judgment. Now many today don't like the idea of a God who is wrathful or who judges people. But the Bible is crystal clear that if you die in your sin without Christ, then you will incur the wrath of God.

Propitiation means that while we deserve God's wrath, Christ stood in front of us and deflected that wrath through the removal of sin by his sacrificial death. So Christ is our representative because he stood for us. He bore the wrath of God in our place. He died on our behalf. Second Corinthians five fourteen and fifteen.

Just listen. For the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this, that one has died for all. Therefore, all have died. And He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was Scroll down a little bit more. Is put onto us.

Scroll down a little bit more. You're not there. So just listen. Second Corinthians five twenty one. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

So for Christians, when God looks at us, he sees not our sin, but the righteousness of Christ. Christ is also a redeemer because he paid the price that our sin demanded. God's justice said that sin cannot be overlooked. God would cease to be just and he would cease to be God if he ignored sin, if he did not punish and judge sinners. So Christ's death satisfies the legal demands of God's justice.

We've seen this. The wages of sin is death. Christ paid that price. And only the death of Christ could be sufficient payment as the Son of God and the Son of man. And we are the beneficiaries.

Now we also must not forget the triune nature of God. The Bible rings with a consistent and clear voice. God is one being, eternally existing in three separate persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And and this this is amazing because God is so loving, and so gracious, and so merciful.

He decreed the redemptive plan for humanity whereby he would be just meeting out the deserved punishment for sin and the justifier sending Christ as the propitiation for our sin. Of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. For the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. One pastor theologian said it this way about Jesus coming to earth. The Son of God expressing the love of God to save us from the wrath of God so we could enjoy the presence of God.

Church, that is what is so amazing about grace. Colossians two thirteen through 15 bring this all together for us. So why don't you turn there? Colossians two verses 13 through 15. The apostle says this, and you, who are dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

This he set aside nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. And because of all of this, through Christ's death, the devil does not have decisive power over you. Temptation does not control you. Fear does not define you, and wrath is not coming

for you. And guess what? Death has no claim over you. And guess what? Death has no claim over you.

And guess what? Death has no claim over you. And guess what? Death has no claim over you.

Death has no claim over you. And finally, our last point, the rescue. We've seen the glories of the incarnation, the destruction of the devil, and now the deliverance of the enslaved. Hebrews chapter two verse 14. That through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death.

That is the devil. And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Fear distorts your perception of reality. Fear causes you to think in ways you would otherwise never consider. Fear leads you to do things that are not only unreasonable but harmful and destructive.

The fear of death is so great that men and women are slaves to it for their entire life. So how does the fear of death make lifelong slaves? Well, we just have to look around and see how much of our world, our culture, and our lives are designed based on a fear of death. Here's a practical example. Just think about March 2020, and then for years afterwards.

People were so afraid at the prospect of dying, they voluntarily submitted to becoming in essence slaves. Don't go to work. Don't go to school. Don't leave your home. Don't go to church.

Don't have people in your home. Don't visit family and friends. Wear this. Inject that. Show proof of this.

Don't say that. Don't write that. You can't eat here. You can't travel there. Church, that kind of upheaval shows the great length people will go to because of the fear of death.

On the one hand, you have people so afraid of death that you see them constrained and timid and paranoid. Every aching pain needs a doctor's visit or medication. There's no such thing as too many locks on the doors or cameras around the house. These people are consumed with reading and studying and knowing everything they can about health and safety and security. They are willing to do anything so that they live longer.

They are willing to do anything so that they are safe and secure. They want to control every aspect of their life yet in reality their fear is controlling them. They don't have time or desire to read or study the bible or think about their eternal destiny destiny. Their only concern is the physical present, not their soul's future. Then on the other hand, there are people who are so afraid of death, they deny it's even coming.

They do anything in their power to fool themselves. That death is far away. They don't think about it. They don't prepare for it. Look around.

We see this fear of death through denial any everywhere. Do this or take that to make you look younger. Live in the moment with no thought for tomorrow. Hook up with anyone at any time. Deny, deny, deny.

And we also see this fear through distraction. We are a society and a people who are literally being entertained to death. Movies, sports, music, food, concerts, vacations. Satan is singing a lullaby through entertainment and people are falling asleep for decades. They get distracted and they end up wasting their entire life.

But the thing is, although you spend your lifetime trying to control your environment, your lifetime denying your mortality, or distracting yourself with everything the world has to offer, living in vanity fair, you indulge in every desire of the flesh or the eyes. You depend on your money, your prestige, your career, or your looks, or even your family and friend. You live in the pride of your life. Remember, there will come a day, maybe tomorrow, maybe in ninety years, but there will come a day when you die. You won't simply cease to exist.

You won't become part of the universe. You won't be reincarnated. No. You will stand before the holy and righteous God of creation and you will have to give an account to him. When was the last time that you thought about that coming day?

Now before Christ, every single one of us was held captive to this lifelong slavery. And we loved our slavery. We loved our shackles and held on to them with sincere devotion. But through his death on the cross, Christ delivered us from that slavery. Remember that passage from Leviticus?

We looked at it earlier. Let's go back there. Leviticus twenty five forty seven. Stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich and your brother besides him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger's clan. Then after he is sold, he may be redeemed.

One of his brothers may redeem him. You see this all coming together. We sold ourselves into slavery. We rejected God and said to the stranger, I want to be a part of your household. We chose sin over obedience and we chose our desires over delighting in God.

We were slaves. But God, being rich in mercy, sent God the man the the God man Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer, your older brother to rescue you out of slavery. Those who have faith in Jesus are no longer slaves because they have been set free by Christ. Four verses three through seven. If you'll turn there with me to see this yourself.

Old Testament, kinsman redeemer, New Testament, Galatians chapter four starting at verse three. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying, Abba Father. So you will know so you are no longer a slave but a son.

And if a son and an heir through God, it just keeps getting more glorious. God or Christ not only freed us, but now through his salvation, we have been adopted by God the father. That's incredible. Look, salvation isn't simply God holding our God not holding our sins against us. God forgiving us, that alone would be cause for unending celebration.

But God is so amazing. He says, I'm not only going to forgive you, but I'm gonna adopt you as my child. You were a slave and God made you his son. You were a slave and God made you his daughter. Let's look at this in Romans chapter eight again.

Romans eight verse 15. Because this is wonderful. Romans eight fifteen. And church, as you turn there, understand that the Bible is not a book filled with little gold nuggets that you pick up here and there. No.

The Bible, it's really a glorious and priceless chain. Truth after truth. Link after link connecting us to the wondrous glory and the majesty of who God is and how he works. Romans eight fifteen says, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba father. We were delivered from slavery.

We were adopted as children of God. And as sons and daughters of God, we have nothing to fear. Link after link after link. You do not fear trials or persecutions. You do not fear disease or danger.

You do not fear death. That means as Psalm 90 says, we truly number our days. And Ecclesiastes seven says, the days of our death, we lay it to heart. We are not afraid to think of our death because for Christians, death is simply a doorway we pass through into eternity with God. Means through which we enter life.

Only Christians, and only because of Christ can we hold fast to that and join the apostle Paul and say with confidence and joy and eager expectation for me to live as Christ and to die is gain. The first group of people are those here who are and the first group of people are those here who are and the first group of people are you're not a Christian. You have not submitted your life to Christ. So far, you have either not heard the gospel before or you have rejected it. If that is you today, I want to tell you lovingly and urgently, You should be terrified about death.

It should be on your mind keeping you from rest or sleep and you should be afraid. I'm not trying to be dramatic, not trying to be emotional, but I'm telling you the truth. If you die apart from knowing Christ, then the wrath of God will be upon you, and you will spend eternity. Billions and billions of years aren't even the beginning. You will spend eternity in hell.

And once you die, there will be no more chances. No more opportunities to receive salvation. That's the bad news. But here's the good news. You are alive right now.

You are breathing and thinking and hearing. Come to Christ. Receive Christ. This entire message has been to explain the gospel to you. Don't make it complicated in your head.

You are a sinner and you deserve God's wrath. The wages of sin is death, but God, because of his love, sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay the penalty for sin. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. And one day soon, he will come again to earth in power and glory and judgment. All you need to do is to believe that in your heart.

Repent of your sins. Turn from following your own desires and place your trust in Jesus as your savior and your Lord. Your good works won't save you. Your respectable and well mannered life won't save you. Your donations to charity won't save you.

Faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to salvation. Repent and believe today. Don't wait. Don't harden your hearts. Repent and believe and receive eternal life.

Now the next group I want to address are those who claim to be Christians but are not. You profess you're a Christian but you have not truly surrendered your life to Christ. You have not truly repented of your sins. You're relying on being baptized as a baby or being born into a Christian family or being part of a historically Christian people group. You might have said a prayer or two and attended church your whole life, but you aren't interested in Jesus.

To hoard more and more money, or collect more and more things, or to experience more and more pleasures. You've sinned and you don't care. You act like your unbelieving friends, or maybe you act worse. I know who you are because I was one just like you. And here's the thing.

Take it from me. Take it from experience. You are deceiving yourself. You think you're free? You're still a slave.

To you, I say, don't rely on false confidence or false assurance or false faith because they will not support you on the day of your death. You will hear Christ say to you, I never knew you. Depart from me, you worker of lawlessness. Examine your hearts today. Have you really and truly surrendered your life to Christ?

It is imperative. It is deadly serious that you settle this in your heart once and for all. If you are a Christian in name only, forsake that pathetic fence sitting and become a Christian in reality. Repent and believe and receive eternal life. The third group I want to talk to are the distracted Christians.

You are truly a believer and follower of Christ, but you're distracted today. The things and pleasures and novelties of this world are dividing your attention from the things above, eternal matters. You spend more time and energy focused on making money or being entertained or occupying yourself with lesser things, momentary things of life that are not lasting. You spend more time on these trivialities than you do on communing with God. Reading his word, fellowshipping with, edifying and encouraging other believers and the seeking after the kingdom of God.

More and more, the things of Christ are becoming an afterthought to you. Look, Christ died to set you free from your lifelong slavery and he did indeed set you free. He bought you at a price. Why would you want to go back to your old master? I say to you, don't waste your life.

Don't limp into heaven having spent your years on this planet pursuing chaff that the wind drives away. At the end of the age, your money will burn up. Your house will burn up. Your things and possessions will burn up. The temporal will give way to the eternal.

Your life is precious. Your time on earth as flesh and blood is precious. Use it for the glory of God. And lastly, to you brother, to you sister, you see death approaching. Your years behind you are far greater than your years ahead or you're sick with some grave illness, or simply you realize your own mortality and that each breath is a gift from the Lord.

Be encouraged today. Christ has saved you from the curse of death. He has saved you from your sin, and he has saved you from the wrath of God. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And if there is no condemnation from God on you, there is nothing to be afraid of.

So to you I say, do not fear death. One day, when you close your eyes to death in this world, you will open them in glory more alive than you have ever been. Heavenly father, we thank you for this day. Lord, we thank you for the glorious truth that we see in your word. May you be magnified because of it.

May all glory go to you because of it. And father, may you give us hearts that love this, that cherish it, that thank you, that are hearts that are overflowing in thankfulness to you. Father, I pray that you work on the hearts of everybody here. Well, for the unbelievers, that you will save souls. For the backslidden that you will save souls, for the backslidden that you will Christians, Lord, may we have this confidence and hope and faith.

And may we not fear death because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Your precious holy name of the great son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen. Church, will you please stand and continue your worship through singing?