I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE (7 OF 9)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: John 11:24-27
This content is part of a series.
I Am The Resurrection and The Life (7 of 9)
Series: The Great I Am
Jeff Strite
John 11:24-27
OPEN: A fellow preacher told me about a funeral that he once conducted. He said that ''Doug'' was 18-year-old biker who'd rode with a rough crowd. In fact the T-shirt they buried him in said it all: ''Ride hard - Die hard''.
The funeral home was filled with bikers, the speakers boomed out hard rock music, and the Casket held items that were important to Doug. There was a bottle of Jack Daniel's, and an abundance of Drug Paraphernalia.
The viewing lasted 2 1/2 hours. The mourners filled the room with their crying and sadness and several literally lifted the body half out of the casket as they hugged their dead friend. The bikers couldn't get over the fact that Doug was dead.
(PAUSE) They were filled with despair and hopelessness because they'd come to see their friend, and it obvious... he wasn't ever coming back.
Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus became a mortal, He put on flesh and became just like us... ''so that through (His) 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.''
That was what was happening at the funeral of this dead biker. These people literally FEARED death because it had taken their friend. And the fear of death has plagued man ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.
One man put it this way: ''The Fear of Death makes us act foolishly, committing ourselves to self-destructive habits, and enslaving ourselves because we see our bodies deteriorating. We anaesthetize ourselves with drugs and alcohol. We try to act younger than we are and make fools of ourselves, sometimes even destroying our families in the process, by trying to reverse the irreversible process of aging.''
There's no fountain of youth. There's no way for our mortal bodies to live forever. Science might prolong our lives, but it can't do anything about dyin ...
Series: The Great I Am
Jeff Strite
John 11:24-27
OPEN: A fellow preacher told me about a funeral that he once conducted. He said that ''Doug'' was 18-year-old biker who'd rode with a rough crowd. In fact the T-shirt they buried him in said it all: ''Ride hard - Die hard''.
The funeral home was filled with bikers, the speakers boomed out hard rock music, and the Casket held items that were important to Doug. There was a bottle of Jack Daniel's, and an abundance of Drug Paraphernalia.
The viewing lasted 2 1/2 hours. The mourners filled the room with their crying and sadness and several literally lifted the body half out of the casket as they hugged their dead friend. The bikers couldn't get over the fact that Doug was dead.
(PAUSE) They were filled with despair and hopelessness because they'd come to see their friend, and it obvious... he wasn't ever coming back.
Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus became a mortal, He put on flesh and became just like us... ''so that through (His) 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.''
That was what was happening at the funeral of this dead biker. These people literally FEARED death because it had taken their friend. And the fear of death has plagued man ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.
One man put it this way: ''The Fear of Death makes us act foolishly, committing ourselves to self-destructive habits, and enslaving ourselves because we see our bodies deteriorating. We anaesthetize ourselves with drugs and alcohol. We try to act younger than we are and make fools of ourselves, sometimes even destroying our families in the process, by trying to reverse the irreversible process of aging.''
There's no fountain of youth. There's no way for our mortal bodies to live forever. Science might prolong our lives, but it can't do anything about dyin ...
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