O Death, Where Is Thy Sting

I’m writing this article on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016 and have just come home from church. I know that by the time you will be reading this article Easter will be long past but the message of the Resurrection is forever and I thought I would share some of the things that I thought about after today’s service.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1Cor. 15:55)

The minister was mentioning how we are being bombarded today with messages of death in all our media. We have just experienced more terrorist attacks in Belgium where more than thirty people have been killed and over a hundred injured and just today more than seventy Christians were killed in Pakistan. There is fear of more attacks elsewhere and who knows what may have happened by the time you receive this magazine. One of the highest rated shows on TV today is The Walking Dead and there are many more movies, TV shows, etc. portraying zombies and also vampires out there today. There is almost a fascination with death and evil. The minister was saying how this weapon of death is very powerful. For those who do not know Jesus Christ and His wonderful gift of eternal life death is a foreboding foe. One to fear, but for us who know Jesus Christ death does not have that hold over us. The enemy cannot hold this fear of death over us. “I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all, ‘Cause Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow”. (Lyrics from Jesus Paid It All by Kristian Stanfill). Jesus is our Saviour and Lord. He died that we may have eternal life.

The Resurrection of Jesus shows us we have no fear in death when we are in Him, as He is always with us and though we are filled with sorrow and sometimes fear when we see what is happening around us today, we know that Jesus is there and brings us life. The death and resurrection of Jesus is so powerful that I think we sometimes forget and do not completely understand how much Jesus did for us. John 11 verses 17-44 is the story of Lazarus’ death and how Jesus came and resurrected him.This resurrection was different than Jesus Resurrection as Lazarus would have to die again, but Jesus would not have to die again. Lazarus still had his grave clothes on but Jesus left His behind in the tomb, as He would not need them again. Although we may all die in this earthly body, we will be raised again in the coming Resurrection to eternal life if we are living in Christ Jesus.

Martha did not really understand the power of Jesus and who He was. She did not understand He was man and God. Martha did not understand what Jesus meant when He said, “Thy brother shall rise again.” She thought He meant in the last day. Jesus keeps saying things to Martha to bring out her faith and help her to see Him. Today, He is drawing us to Him to continually bring out our faith. He brings us life. The minister said that in verse 33 where it says, “he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” it actually was not strong enough and meant more that he was angry and full of revulsion against what had happened to Lazarus. He had come down earth to destroy the evil without destroying us. This may have been why it then said, “Jesus wept.” He saw the death of His friend.

It is interesting today how death is all around us. I’m sure Jesus is weeping for us in our current condition. I’m sure He is angry and full of revulsion for what has happened to our Israel nations and all Christians in the world. Our Israel people have lost their way and are starting to “stink”, they are sick to the gift of the life in Christ. Soon we will fully stink as we will be dead to Christ, just as Lazarus “stinketh” after being dead for four days. “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.” (John 11: 39) When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4). Jesus knows we are sick and starting to stink but He is waiting until we are dead when He can come and save us. He is angry and full of revulsion at what is happening to His Israel nations. We are dying and I’m sure this makes Him weep, but once we are dead and “stinketh” He is coming to save us and bring us life, not for our glory but “for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” This day is fast approaching! HALLELUJAH!