Let's read verse 57 again. 1
Corinthians 15. Let's read verses 55 through
57 again. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is law. The thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Victory. That's the title and subject. Victory. Now, we'll be going
back and forth from here to the Revelation, Chapter 21. Those
are the only two places we'll be looking, other than one place
in the Gospel of John. We've been looking recently at
some words in Colossians. Colossians 1. The saints of God
live by faith. A just shall live by faith. The
saints of God, brethren, live by faith in God, in God's Son. And they live in hope of eternal
life. As Paul wrote to Titus, God who
cannot lie promised us this before the world began, eternal life. We live in hope of eternal life. We long for it. Remember, hope
is a desire with an expectation of receiving that desire. We
long, we look forward to what God has promised, this thing
of eternal life. And for the believer, death is
not death. I've noticed so many times in
scripture how that God does not call death to the believer, death,
but rather sleep. Death is not death to the believer,
but is a passing from this body of death. Paul said, who shall
deliver us or me from this body of death? But this is a passing
from this body of death to life as you would fall asleep in your
bed and awaken to a new day. There's nothing to be feared
or dreaded. For the true believer, there's
everything to look forward to with great anticipation. There's
absolutely nothing to fear or dread. Now the reason, again,
the reason there's nothing to fear is because God hath written
these things down. God hath given us this record. And we believe God. Our faith
is in God's Word. I promise you. And because of
God's Son who died and came back from the dead to tell us about
it so that there's nothing to fear. God's Son lived, died,
and rose again and told us all things. Now turn with me to John
11. This is, as I said, the only
other place we'll look. John 11. John chapter 11. Our Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ,
went to the grave and came back and told us about it. Now, if
I told you of a place that you had never been to, never seen
before, but I had been there and I came
back and I told you about it, you would believe me, wouldn't
you? As much as you trust this man, you would still believe
me if I told you about it. How much more? The Lord Jesus
Christ. And he said in John 11, look
at verses 23 through 27. The Lord said to Martha, thy
brother shall rise again. This was at Lazarus' sleeping. Remember, our Lord didn't say
he died, but he Sleeper. And Martha said unto him, verse
24, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection. And the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me, Shall never die, believest thou this? And Martha uttered those words
of every believer's heart. She said unto him, Yea, Lord,
yes, I do, I believe. Yes, Lord, I believe that thou
art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. Our Lord said over in John 14
to his disciples who were fearful and afraid when he said he was
leaving them he said to them let not your heart be troubled
you believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house are
many mansions or dwelling places reservation if it were not so. I would have told. I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you I will come again. and receive you unto myself that
where I am there he may be also. Now he's been there and returned
and told us about it. So there's nothing to fear. And
this is victory. That's why I'm entitled to victory. This thing of death passing from
this life, this place is victory. It is final passing from sin,
a final victory from sin, over sin. Pain. No more pain. No more fear. Certainly no more
fear of death. And this is a passing from this
place into holiness. If you would ask me to best describe
eternal life, I would say this. It's holiness. The life of God. And all that
that means. Passing from this place of sin,
pain, and fear, and death into unspeakable joy. That's what
the Scriptures calls it. Joy. Unspeakable. Life. Our Lord called it life more
abundant. life more abundant, that is joy,
as we said, unspeakable happiness without cessation, without end,
unbridled laughter, unbroken fellowship. You folks who love
this gospel hang around and talk to one another about it. You
rehearse these things after it's over. Someday you won't have
to leave. It will be unbroken fellowship,
perfect love, perfect purity, perfect worship, eternal life. And that's about all I can say
about it, because I hadn't seen and ear hadn't heard. Neither
have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared
for them that love him. Turn with me to Revelation 21,
the Revelation chapter 21. Now, let's see who is going to
have this eternal life. And who is not? This victory. Let's see who it is. Revelation
21. And I just reread a great deal
of this book, and it was such a blessing to me. There's nothing
fearful in this book. This is all great promises to
God's people. Revelation 21, verse 1, I saw
a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And
I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Talking
about the marriage supper of the Lamb. That's one marriage
that I will enjoy attending. And it will never end, this marriage
supper, adorned for her husband, this bride. And I heard a great
voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God, the dwelling
place of God, is with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people. And God himself shall be with
them, and be their God. Read on. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto
me, Write. These words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. When he said this, it was a prophecy. And yet he said, It's done. Dictum, factum. Remember that
little Latin lesson? Said, done. What God has said,
it's as good as done. I am, verse 6, alpha and omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
So who is it that will have this eternal life? He said I will
give unto him that is a first you remember our text said thanks
be to God which giveth us the victory I will give unto him
that is a first. Salvation is a gift. Salvation
is by grace. Salvation is of the Lord, and
he is the one that gives it. He is the one who decides who
gets it, and he bestows it upon his elect. I give unto him that
is a thirst. Now, this thing of being thirsty
means to be dry and parched and have a want and a need for water. You ever been thirsty? Sure you
have. Everyone in here has been thirsty,
greatly thirsty at one time. What about spiritually thirsty?
This is what he's talking about. Blessed are they that do hunger
and thirst after righteousness. Does sin leave you dry and parched? Not only the sin without, but
your sin within. Does it leave you dry and parched? Does this sinful world This vile
place called planet Earth, does it make you thirst for the living
God? That's what David wrote in Isaiah
42, didn't he? I thirst. As a heart panteth
after the water brooks, so thirsteth my soul left to be the living
God. That's what it means to thirst.
It's the thirst for God. Do you want, do you need, do
you long to win Christ and be found in him? That's what it means to thirst
after righteousness, for he is our righteousness. It's not a
thing, it's not a doctrine, it's a person. Thirst after him. Do you long to win Christ and
be found in him? Do you long to someday be found
with him, in him, beside him? That's what it means to thirst.
As someone who's in a hot and dry and thirsty land longs for
a pool of water to dive into, Christ said, I am the living
water. Most folks don't thirst for God. Most folks don't thirst for Christ. Most folks don't thirst for holiness. Most folks merely want an end
to their problems and end to their suffering. And most folks would be content
to stay right here if they could be free from these things. They
would be happy to stay right here if they were pain free in
this earth. But God's children thirst for
God. They thirst for God. Christ's disciples long for him. It's him they long for. That's
what David said in Psalm 65. Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there's none on earth I desire a thirst for beside me." That's
what Paul was writing there in Philippians when he said, I am
small, but I might win pride. He found in him. Christ's disciples
longed for him. Sinners thirst for holding him.
Sinners thirst for holding him. So to him that is a thirst. Our
Lord said, I will give unto him. I will give it by my grace. this
fountain of the water of life freely. What is it? Not a what? It's a who. The Lord Jesus Christ. That woman at the well said,
Sir, give me this water that I may drink and never thirst
again. I that speak unto thee am. I
know my brother will live again in the resurrection. I am the
resurrection. I want to have eternal life. To know Him is to have life.
To be with Him is heaven. Scriptures say a lot about sin.
Scriptures say a lot about sin. We preach a lot about it, don't
we? Someone was ridiculing one of our ladies one time along
this line, telling her that you all make too much of sin. Well,
I say that the world does not make enough of sin. As a matter
of fact, the world, especially the religious world, doesn't
even know what sin really is. Sin is the issue. That's what
salvation is from. That's what this thing of salvation
is all about. He shall save his people from
what? See, pain and suffering and sorrow
and sickness and all of that is a result of sin. Sin is the
cause. And eternal life is to be sinless. It's to be in a place wherein
dwelleth righteousness and nothing that maketh a lie. Sin is the issue. The believer
is conscious of it all the time. The believer hates it. The believer
wants free from it. The believer strives to be rid
of it. Strive as they may, they can't.
This is what drags us down, doesn't it? It's what makes the believer
want to leave this world. Sin. As I quoted the apostle,
this body of death, this sinful thing called me. Oh, wretched
man that I am. The world doesn't think about
sin, the world lavishes itself in it. The world
rejoices in it. The world loves sin. The religious
world doesn't think it has any. The irreligious world loves it.
The religious world doesn't think to have any. But the believer, this is the
struggle, this is the battle, is it not? This is the battle. Look at our text in first Corinthians
fifteen we're talking about victory here. We're talking about victory. Stay with me. I've already lost
several of you. First Corinthians fifteen. Verse
fifty six says that the sting of death is sin. What makes death
fearful and painful and dreaded to human beings is sin. Guilt. All have a certain degree
of it. Because sin is against God and
whether men and women either acknowledge God or not, God is. And he said there will be no
peace to the wicked. And though they pretend to have
no fear of death, yet they are subject to it because they're
sinners and God is God. And their conscience, as Paul
wrote about this, he said, even the Gentiles who don't have the
law have the law written on their heart. And this sting of death is sin. Eternal pain and misery, the
sting of death. The final staying will be eternal. Where the worm dies not. Why?
Because of sin. Sin. And he goes on to say in
verse 56, the strength of sin is the law. As I said, the unbeliever,
his conscience, his or her conscience, bothers them to a little bit,
a little degree. And the law written on the heart.
But to the believer, as Paul said, when the law came, when
the commandment came, it slew me. I died. You see, by the law is the knowledge
of sin. We don't know we're sinners.
We don't know who God is. We don't know we're sinners against
God. We don't know the consequences of sin, the penalty of sin, the
final consequences of sin until God, through his word, reveals
it to us. And then the exceeding sinfulness
of sin is known a little bit by those who know something about
God's word. The strength of sin is the law. You know how that your flesh
wants to do what it's not supposed to do. That's what Paul wrote.
He said the things that I would do. That's not what I do with
the things I don't want to do. That's what I do. That's the
strength of sin. It's not the law, but it's the
flesh that rebels against it. And that's why Paul said, oh,
who shall deliver me? But he says here in verse 57,
the same thing he wrote there in Romans 7, thanks be to God. Which giveth us the victory,
giveth us. We didn't obtain this victory.
We don't obtain this victory. We don't do anything to obtain
this victory over sin, death and hell. But God gives it to
us, this victory. But somebody did obtain it. Somebody
did win this war against sin. Who was it? Through the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's the one. We sang that song,
conquering now and still to conquer, right at the king in his mind. Not to the strong is the battle,
not to the swift is the race, but to the true and faithful.
Well, who is the true and faithful? John said, We beheld his glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks
be unto God, which giveth us this victory over sin, death,
and hell through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ obtained the victory
over sin. As our righteous representative,
the Lord Jesus Christ stood before Satan, who tempted him in all
points like as we're tempted. Now, the first Adam was no match
for him, was it? And he failed. He failed. He lost. Satan approached him,
and Adam and Satan met head on, and Adam lost. And we lost everything
in Adam, didn't we? But the second Adam. This is
what Paul wrote about. The second Adam, who is the Lord
from glory. He came. And Satan, not really
knowing who he was, he didn't. No, he didn't. Satan is not a
mission. But Satan faced him thinking,
well, I can take this one, too. He's the second Adam, our representative.
And he stood before Satan. And Satan tempted him in all
points, like as we're tempted. And he won. He won that battle. The scripture,
our Lord said, Satan has come to me and he has nothing in me. He can't find anything in me. And that's our substitute. That's
our captain, the captain of our salvation. We're no match for
sin. He was. We're no match for the tempter.
He was. He's a greater than. And our
Lord won the war. That was a battle. that he won
over sin, but he won the final war and the victory on Calvary's
Drift. When Satan surely thought he
had him there, didn't he? When Satan thought, I've done
him in now. I've finished him now, not knowing
that Christ finished him. Not knowing that Christ just
crushed his head. The power of sin, hell and death.
which held God's people captive. Christ at Calvary won that victory through his own precious blood.
The soul that sinneth must surely die. Well, thou hast made his
soul an offering to sin. And then Christ won the victory
over death when three days later he walked out of that grave. First, he said, sin hath no power
over me. Satan hath nothing in me. He
won that battle. Then he said, no man taketh my
life from me. See, sin is the cause of death. There was no sin in Christ. He
did not, could not die of natural causes or whatever. He laid down
his life. He said, death hath no power
over me. But he laid down, voluntarily
laid down his life. Because we have to. Because he
must. As our substitute. And because
we have to go through it. Every one of us, unless the Lord
returns before we, these bodies, the life of these bodies end.
Unless the Lord returns, every one of us will face this thing
of death. So our Lord faced it. He went
through it. And for three days was in the
grave or somewhere. We don't know where he was, but
three days later, he came out of the grave and said, it's over. At the cross, he said, it's finished.
I put an end of sin and all that's required from other people. I
put an end of everything that's against them, the handwriting
of ordinance that blotted them out. I put an end of Transgressions
up. I paid their penalty, and then
when he walked out of that grave, he said, I put an end to death.
There is no death to my people. That's what he said to Martha,
didn't. He that liveth and believeth
in me shall never die, never, never die. May our dear brother
so and so die. No, he didn't. If he's a dear
brother, he didn't die. Our Lord, who cannot lie, said
he shall never die. You believe this? Never die. He obtained the victory, won
the victory over sin, hell, and death. Death, I love what one
old writer said, death stung itself to death when it stung
Christ. And you've heard this illustration
before, you know, an insect with a stinger, a bee
or a wasp. My daughter is terribly afraid
of, she's a little bit allergic to bee stings and terribly afraid
of them. Well, if you could see a bee, let me
talk to you, if you could see a wasp and know that there was
no stinger in it, would you still be afraid of it? No, surely, if you really knew
that the stinger was gone, because that's where the pain is, that's
where the poison is, that's where the venom is, that's where the
hurt is, that's where all the problems come from. No stinger. And if the stinger's
gone, that thing dies, doesn't it? And death, where is thy sting?
When death stung Christ, when death came upon Christ, it spent
itself on him. He removed the stinger and he
came back to tell us that you have nothing to fear. Death will
not be a painful event for his people. Now that passage which
says he giveth his beloved sleep means just that. It doesn't mean
like you're going to bed tonight. You may or may not get sleep.
You may have to take a pill depending on your age. But every one of
God's people have this promise. When you come to the grave, it
will not be walking a lonesome valley. It will not be going
through a cold river of death. Now, where do they get that?
That's not in Scripture. You give it this beloved sleep. Just like these babies. Just
like Abigail falling asleep in your arms, Melanie. That's the
most peaceful and restful thing of all in it. You love it. Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of the slave. Don't you? You really love seeing her go
to sleep, don't you? But yet, you do love to see her
in complete repose while asleep in your arms. It makes you feel
good. It always makes you feel good
to her. He giveth his beloved. It will
be a falling asleep to awake and newness of life. The twinkling
of an eye. At times when you get a really
restful sleep, those rare times, is it not like you didn't sleep
at all? I mean, it's just passes quickly, but it's so refreshing
and he giveth his beloved sleep, sleep. Death stung itself to
death when it stung Christ. He removed the sting. There's
nothing to fear. It will not be a fearful and dreaded thing,
and though you and I love that passage in Hebrews where he said
he removed this fear of death, which all our lifetimes we've
been subject to. The people of this world do not
want to die. They're doing everything they
can to sustain these bodies, but this corruption. Is going
to finally just corrupt into nothing. Dusk thou
art, and to dusk thou shalt return. But to the believer, it's just
the beginning. This corruption will put on incorruption. Did you enjoy reading that passage
in 1 Corinthians 15? Oh, my. He says here in our text,
go back there real quickly in verse 22. Look at it real quickly
with me. As in Adam, 1 Corinthians 15,
as in Adam, all die. And Adam all died, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. Now this is representation. This is two heads. of death for those in Adam and
a certainty of life for those in Christ, isn't it? In Adam,
all died. And when Adam sinned, all did
die. Die, and thou shalt die. And
the future looked bad, didn't it? And it did get bad for all
of Adam's race. It got bad. It's gotten worse,
hasn't it? And worse and worse and worse until finally the Lord's
going to put an end to this Adamic race. But in Christ it says all
will be made alive. I love these shalls. Did you
notice the shalls that we read? Shall. The trumpet shall sound. And the dead in Christ shall
rise. There's no ifs, ands, maybes,
or buts in God's Word. It says not one word of mine
shall pass away. Heaven and earth shall, but not
one word of mine shall pass away. In Christ shall all be made alive. In Christ, the future is bright. In Adam, we lost. Like I said,
we lost. We lost holiness. We lost life.
In Christ, we win. We win. Do you remember that old sports program on TV, The Wild
World of Sports? Do you remember that? Do you
remember how it started? It had one of the most Graphic display
that skier, you know, just just terrible fall. Remember that? Coming at the top and it just
came flying down, took this horrible fall. You don't know if he lived
through that or not. And it says the thrill of victory. But the agony of defeat and all
the agony that Adam's Defeat caused this. Do you remember
that article in our bulletin a couple of weeks ago and the
consequences of sin that have come upon this world and this?
All men and women have the consequent death, pain, suffering, sickness,
disease, all of this stuff is the consequences of sin, the
ravages of sin upon this world. Horrible. Men and women are blind
to it. They don't see it. You see it,
don't you? But the thrill of victory. Thanks be unto God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We win through
him. We win. Christ won, verse 25 says he
must reign, he must reign till he hath put all enemies under
his feet, and the last enemy, verse 26, that shall be destroyed
is dead. And back in turn quickly and
closing back to Revelation 21, and it says, In chapter 20 here,
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death. No more death. So I told you,
who is he that will have this life? It's he that is a thirst.
And here in our text, verse 7, it says, he that overcometh.
He that overcometh, that is the world. Who is he that overcometh
the world? What does John say? You know
the verse. That which is born of God to overcome the world,
who is he that overcome it? What's the next part? Faith. Faith is just looking to Christ
is all faith is. Looking to him, those who believe
in Christ overcome. He says he that overcometh shall
inherit all things. What things? Well, all things. I haven't been
there. Just you wait, and you'll have
to. Who is he that overcometh, and she shall inherit all things,
and I will be his God. That's enough, isn't it? I'll
be his God, and he shall be my son. But here's the ones who
will not. Verse 8, the fearful. Now, I've got to deal with this,
OK? In closing, I have to. The fearful. These are those who fear man
more than they do God. These are those who care more
for the approval of man than God. I'm more concerned about
what man thinks of them than God. Do you fear God or man? Fearful will be with God. God-fearing
people will be with God. The next thing are those who
are unbelieving. You know, most don't believe
God, they don't believe God. They don't believe God is God.
Do they? Most don't believe these words.
They say they do. They don't. Most say they do, but they don't.
They don't do what he says. Unbelieving. They sure, sure
don't believe Christ is salvation. He says the abominable. They
won't believe that. The abominable. That is outwardly
open sinners. And men and women are becoming
increasingly proud of it, aren't they? Romans 1 says that. The very last verse says they
take pleasure in unrighteousness. Take pleasure in it. Lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God. They won't be there. They
won't be there. Murderers. Murderers of bodies
and especially these murderers of men's souls. They won't be
there. Whoremongers. Actual, physical
prostitutes. Especially spiritual prostitutes. That's the worst kind of the
most widespread about spiritual prostitution. They won't be there,
sorcerers, sorcerers, all these cultists, all these religious
wizards and wizardesses that peep. Peeping wizards, that's
what the scriptures call them, peeping wizards. Sorcerers, sorceresses,
like that one on the radio before me. They won't be there, sorceresses. Remember that woman in Acts 16?
Idolaters, they won't be there. That is, those whose God is their
belly. They won't be there. Liars, liars won't be there. Those who tell lies, those who
love lies won't be there. They shall have their parts,
it says, in this lake of which burneth with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death. But I'm not going to stop there.
But he says, now let me tell you, let me show you the city
of God. Go on down to verse 23. He says, this city that cometh
down as a bride adorned for her bridegroom, this city had no
need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of
God did lighten it. For the glory of God did lighten,
and the Lamb is the light. He is the glory of God. He's
the light there. And the nations of them which
are saved shall walk in the light of it. What? The Lamb. And the
kings of the earth, they bring their glory and honor into it.
We're going to have rubbed shoulders with David, Solomon, Josiah,
Isaac, Eli. Kings of the earth. And the gates
of it shall not be shut at all by day, but there shall be no
night. It's open all day. How long is
that? Never not. coming in and out
and find passion. They shall bring the glory and
honor of the nations into every tribe, kindred nation. And here's
the amazing thing about God has a people out of every tribe,
kindred nation and tongue under heaven, all different, yet all
alike. When God made everything the
first time, he made everything after its kind, didn't he? He
made all the birds in a different species of bird. They're all
birds, but they all And somehow or another, we're all going to
retain our identity. We'll know this person was this,
this person is that. We'll know even as we've been
known. Yet we're all going to look alike. We're going to look
like Christ. We're going to bear his image.
Didn't that say that in 1 Corinthians 15? As is the heavenly, so are
they that are heavenly. We'll bear his image. And that's
going to be the amazing thing about a sea of people. And they'll
bring the glory and honor of the nations into it, and they
shall in no wise enter into it anything that defile it, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. But who's in
it? The chosen of God, the called,
the faithful, they which are written in the Lamb's book of
life. O death, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be unto God. Give
it us for victory. Through Him, we obtained it for.
Alright, stand with me. Our Father, thank You so much
for this gift of eternal life. And it is a gift. The wages we've
earned is death. But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you, O Lord God,
for choosing us, calling us, and revealing Christ in us. Thank you, Lord. And we do say
with the Apostle, death, where is thy victory?
O grave, where is thy victory? And we do look forward, as much
as life within us, we look forward to that day. And we say, with
the blessed of God, the elect of God, with the Amen, we say,
even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Remove from us this fear that
we're subject to by pointing us to He who obtained the victory. And it's in Christ's name we've
met here tonight. And we ask that you would retain these things
in our hearts and minds. Amen. You're dismissed.