The Lord Over Death

When I was a teenager, I enjoyed watching the weekly TV program, “You Are There.” However, there was always one part of the program that I dreaded. Every one of the great men portrayed in history all died at the end of the program. There was always the view of the funeral procession. That view always brought fear and dread to my heart because I knew that one-day all die, including me.

However, Christianity gives me a totally different perspective of death. For me it is no longer a thing to be dreaded, but a marvelous moment of triumph. My physical death will be only a door that leads into life’s fullness in Christ.

Instead of something to fear as a horrible end to existence, the Christian looks to it as a door opening into a greater presence of the Lord God. It is only the continuity of life that began in time when I put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

At the death of my father I felt orphaned, even as an adult man serving Christ. The Holy Spirit focused my mind and heart on 1 Corinthians 15. As I studied that great chapter verse-by-verse, sentence-by-sentence, phrase-by-phrase and cross-referenced each statement in the Bible the Holy Spirit applied to my heart the wondrous triumph of Jesus Christ over death and the grave. God gave me a tremendous sense of peace that Christ is the Lord over death.

For the believer in Christ, death is not the end of life; it is only the beginning of a deeper, richer life in Christ. Death is not the end of our personhood. This perishable body as an empty shell is left behind, but in His triumph over the grave Jesus gives us another body that is made for heaven and eternity (1 Cor. 15:35-38; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Jesus Christ is Lord over death and the grave. Death is swallowed up in His victory. Therefore, my death is also swallowed up in victory at death because Jesus Christ is Lord over death. That is not just a play on words. It is a statement of fact. Because Jesus Christ is Lord over death, my life does not end at death; it continues as long as Jesus lives and He is eternal. Death is no match for the triumphant resurrection power of God.

Why am I so confident of these truths? First, because of the historical evidence that Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead. History is full of evidence of His resurrection from the dead.

The second reason is because I have already died. I was crucified with Christ and I rose to the newness of life with Jesus Christ. This is the most important thing that has ever taken place in my life. Because Jesus is alive, I am now alive. Everything in my life now moves toward His return. Life for the believer in Christ begins in personal faith and acceptance of Him as Savior and Lord. That life never ends, but continues unbroken into eternity, at our physical death. Our old life was terminated when we were born spiritually and the new life in Christ continues without interruption through eternity. This is God’s kind of life.

Therefore, why should you fear death? For the non-Christian, the thought is horrible because it is not only physical death, but eternal separation from the LORD God. The person who rejects Christ moves from death to a greater death. I would fear that, too.

But Christ has conquered death. He is Lord. Death holds no fear for the believer.

The triumphant death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) is a blessed reminder that death is dead. It has no power over God’s people. If you died once in Christ, you do not die twice, but if you die only once, you will die twice. If you have died with Christ at the new birth, you can face death and anything else Satan hurls at you in this life. Jesus Christ is alive and He is Lord over all.

Selah!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006