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The sermon presents death as the consequence of sin and a domain in which Satan exercises accusatory and fearful influence. Christ conquers this enemy through His atoning death and resurrection, bearing believers’ sins and securing their justification, resurrection, and heavenly hope. Therefore Christians can resist temptation, endure death, and grieve with hope, while those outside Christ are warned of death and judgment. The proper response is faith in Jesus, public identification with Him, and obedience to the command to preach and disciple the nations.
Theological center: Through Christ’s substitutionary death and victorious resurrection, Satan’s power over death, condemnation, and believers’ final destiny has been decisively broken.
Applications: Do not fear death · Believe in Jesus Christ · Preach the gospel to everyone · Make disciples of all nations
Primary texts: Hebrews 2:14 · 1 Corinthians 15:56 · Mark 16:15-16
“That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 IN God’s original empire everything was happiness, and joy, and peace. If there be any evil, any suffering and pain, that is not God’s work. God may permit it, overrule it, and out of it educe much good, but the evil comes not of God. He Himself stands pure and perfect, the clean fountain out of which gushes forth evermore sweet and pure waters. The devil’s reign, on the contrary, contains nought of good. “The devil sins from the beginning,” and his dominion has been one uniform course of temptation to evil and infliction of misery. Death is a part of Satan’s dominion—he brought sin into the world when he tempted our mother Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, and with sin he brought also death into the world, with all its train of woes. There had been likely no death if there had been no devil. If Satan had not tempted, mayhap man had not revolted, and if he had not revolted, he would have lived forever without having to undergo the painful change which is caused by death. I think death is the devil’s masterpiece. With the solitary exception of hell, death is certainly the most Satanic mischief that sin has accomplished. Nothing ever delighted the heart of the devil so much as when he found that the threatening would be fulfilled, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” And never was his malicious heart so full of hellish joy as when he saw Abel stretched upon the earth, slain by the club of his brother. “Aha!” said Satan, “this is the first of all intelligent creatures that has died. Oh how I rejoice! This is the crowning hour of my dominion. It is true that I have marred the glory of this earth by my guileful temptation. It is true the whole creation groans and travails in pain by reason of the evil that I have brought into it, but this, this is my masterpiece. I have killed man. I have brought death into him and here lies the first—the first dead man.” Since that time Satan has ever gloated over the death of the human race, and he has had some cause of glory, for that death has been universal. All have died. Though they had been wise as Solomon, their wisdom could not spare their head. Though they had been virtuous as Moses, yet their virtue could not avert the axe. All have died. And therefore the devil has boasted in his triumph. But twice has he been defeated. But two have entered heaven without dying. But the mass of mankind have had to feel the scythe of death. And he has rejoiced because this, his mightiest work, has had fo…