Our Sermons

Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  April 17, 2022

Back in 1943, Norman Rockwell did a painting that was published in the Saturday Evening Post. The painting shows a father and mother tucking their two children in at bedtime. The children’s mother carefully places their covers just right to keep them warm. She is careful not to wake them. The father, with a concerned yet caring look on his face, holds a newspaper and his reading glasses in one hand. The headline of the newspaper the father is holding reads “Bombings K…” Horror Hit…” The painting was published during the time that London was being bombed by Nazi Germany in World War II. No doubt, the father is relieved that his family is not living in war-torn Europe. All the fathers in America were similarly relieved. Rockwell’s painting was entitled, “Freedom from Fear.” It was the last of a series of four “Freedom Paintings,” on values that were considered to be uniquely American, four freedoms that every American was entitled to enjoy: Freedom to worship, Freedom from want, Freedom of speech, and Freedom from fear.

The paintings themselves are interesting enough. Yet, what I find most fascinating is the concept behind the paintings–especially the last one. I never knew that freedom from fear was considered a right of being an American. Apparently, I’m not the only one. The famous advice columnist, Ann Landers, who once received an average of 10,000 letters a month from people burdened with problems, was once asked if there was any one of those problems that stood out. Her reply–fear. Gas prices, inflation, war in Ukraine all give people reason to be afraid today. But for argument’s sake, let’s imagine that life in these United States was as good as it can be. Your job was secure, your health was good, gas prices were low, the economy was booming. Even on the horizon there was nothing bad happening. Would there be anything left to fear?

For the overwhelming majority of people, even if life were seemingly perfect, they would still fear one thing–death.

Sigmund Freud wrote, “There is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be.” People fear death with a double fear. Physical death has destroyed the mightiest kings and emperors. Death is a thief. It has broken into every home and has taken its toll on every human family. It has robbed every one of its victims of all their earthly possessions. It has filled this world with futile tears and helpless groans. It has snatched away for all eternity the hour of repentance that could have saved the godless, and it has inflicted pain on even the greatest of God’s saints. Except for Enoch and Elijah, death has won every contest with life. There is no masking its ugliness or wishing away its awesome power. And despite all man’s little victories over disease and mortal injury, man still has no sword to slay and no shield to ward off this cruel and hungry monster.

That’s enough to cause anyone to be afraid! But there’s also a spiritual fear of death. “The sting of death is sin.” Our Lutheran Confessions talk about “terrors that smite our consciences.” Shakespeare famously wrote through the mouth of Hamlet: “Conscience makes cowards of us all.” Epicurious was thought to have said: “What we fear is not that death is annihilation, but that it is not.” The sinner dreads death because deep down, he knows that on the other side of death, he must meet God, against whom he has sinned. One time, many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, “I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God.” But the prince only laughed at him. This didn’t help the king at all. He had gotten a glimpse of his own guilt because of the way he had been living and he seriously wanted help. In those days it was customary if the executioner sounded a trumpet before a man’s door at any hour; it was the signal that he was to be led to his execution. The king sent the executioner in the dead of night to sound the fateful blast at his brother’s door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner, and dragged pale and trembling into the king’s presence. In an agony of terror he fell on his knees before his brother and begged to know how he had offended him. “My brother,” answered the king, “if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?”

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” The deadly sting of death is sin. It is sin that caused eternal, spiritual death to come into the world. Sin has made death the king of terrors. “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” When someone sins, they bring death on themselves. And still, people foolishly try to play with sin and hope to avoid its sting. But that’s impossible. Play with a scorpion and you’re bound to get stung. Play with sin and the stinger is a lot bigger than a scorpion’s. Death hits hard–eternally hard. Death is chasing us all, eager to devour us and swallow us whole. Sin finds its power in the law, for the law sets the mark. Our problem is that though we see the mark, the bulls-eye we’re aiming for, we miss the mark. In fact, we miss the target all together. That’s what sin is. By causing people to miss the mark, sin shows its power. And for one failure to keep God’s law, for one sin no matter how small it may seem, we have earned death’s double curse–both physical and spiritual. 

In St. Nicholas’ Church in Kent, England, there is a painting that depicts a game of chess. In the picture, the mythical figure, Faust, is engaged in a competitive game of chess against the Devil. And at first glance, it appears Faust is losing. Satan sits there, grinning smugly. He thinks he has the victory in hand. He looks at the chessboard with an evil leer and he’s gloating. You can almost hear him thinking: “Checkmate! Game over! I win!” By nature we have every reason to be afraid of death. And the world does too! When we Christians die, it must seem to the world that our end is no different theirs. Our death seems to give the message, “Christians defeated.” It often looks like Satan wins. When we look at the cross on Good Friday, it looks, at first glance, as if evil has won. It looks like the defeat of righteousness. It looks like goodness is dead and buried. It looks like Jesus has been silenced and conquered. However, if you take a closer look at that painting, a person with a keen eye, someone who knows chess well, will see that the match is not over at all. Faust has one move and only one move that will give him the victory! Easter reveals God’s greatest “checkmate” move of all time! Christ comes out of the grave and into our lives victorious! Easter changed everything. Easter Means Victory Over Death!

“But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory.” When Jesus went to the cross, he took every one of your sins on himself. He swallowed them whole. For us, he endured hell itself on the cross to pay for our sins. He took every one of those sins away. They are forgiven and covered. Not one of them will be counted against you. Death’s sting is sin. That’s what makes death hurt! That’s what gives death its power! That’s what makes death scary! But if you take sin away, death is powerless! It’s harmless!

One day, there were two boys walking in a field with their father. The boys stumbled across a beehive and one of the bees made a beeline for the oldest boy and stung him just above the eye. He quickly brushed it away and threw himself in the grass, kicking and screaming for help. Then the bee went straight for the younger boy and began buzzing around his head. He too, dove in the grass, yelling at the top of his lungs. But his father picked him up and told him to stop crying. “That bee is harmless,” he assured him. “It can’t hurt you. It has lost its sting.” And he took the frightened boy over to his brother and showed him the little black stinger in his brow and said, “The bee can still scare you, but it’s powerless to hurt you. Your brother took the sting away by being stung.” Death’s sting was spent on Jesus. Now death can buzz and annoy, but it can’t really hurt us. The stinger’s gone. Jesus had to die to take away our fear of death. But he didn’t stay dead! Jesus rose from the dead on Easter. Easter means Victory Over Death. In fact, Easter even gives us the confidence to taunt death!

“Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?” Nowhere! Is the only answer death can give! The prophet Hosea foresaw this victory when he said, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave! I will redeem them from death! Death, where are your plagues? Grave, where is your destruction?” When the angel announced, “He is not here. He is risen!” it proved that Christ’s sacrifice for sins had been accepted, that death had lost its sting. It proved that the victory death declared over Christ had been premature! Victory was snatched from the jaws of death forever! And Death can protest and challenge the results; he can go back and count and recount, but this is so true that even Satan cannot deny it. Christ’s resurrection is Victory over death. 

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Just let that soak in! You and I can boast just as Paul did. We are Victorious! We are the champions! How many Milwaukee Bucks fans talked about how “we are the champions” last summer even though they didn’t play a single game or score a single point! And yet, the Bucks victory was their victory. The same is true with Christ’s resurrection! His death is our death and his resurrection is our resurrection. Yes, physical death will still come, but it won’t destroy us. Death is but a sleep! Death is the doorway to everlasting life! Just as Jesus’ tomb was empty on Easter, one day, when Christ comes again, our tombs will be empty too!

Easter Means Victory Over Death. You don’t have to be afraid anymore! Hear and believe that you have a living Savior and Lord who offers prayers and petitions before the Father’s throne on your behalf!  Hear and believe that you have the full and free forgiveness of sins that removes the barrier from between you and your Heavenly Father.  Hear and believe that you will one day follow Jesus with your own resurrection from the grave to take your place in heaven. Hear and believe that your Risen Lord offers you that assurance and strength through the very body and blood that was offered for your sins on the cross. Hear and believe that you now have both the mission and the motive from your Risen Savior to carry on the work of spreading Good News to a world that has precious little of it.

He lives to silence all my fears,

He lives to wipe away my tears,

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

Easter means no Fear!  AMEN