Monday's Message: The Sting of Death

I don’t know about you, but personally, I hate anything that flies and stings!   

Wasps, bees, hornets, etc…

There was an elderly man with his grandson, doing a little work around the gentleman’s storage shed. A wasp flew off of a nest in the corner of the eve, and stung the man.  Of course, it startled him and hurt just a bit, but he shooed it off as best he could and went on with his work.  The young boy was upset for his grandpa, but more than that, he was afraid as the wasp was still flying around over their heads.  The boy would not take his eyes off of the wasp, and his grandpa noticed how afraid he was.  Finally, the man said, “Son, you have nothing to worry about with this wasp.  He has no more sting!”  He then showed him with is fingers, that when the wasp stung him, he left his stinger.  “He still looks the same, but he’s harmless.”  

 An amazing passage of scripture is I Corinthians 15: 55 – 57:  

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again from the grave; He literally conquered death, hell, and the grave!

When we do the wisest thing, and most important thing, for our souls, and trust in Jesus as our personal Saviour; for the born again Believer, death is just like that wasp, flying around the little boy.  It still looks fierce and scary, but it’s harmless.  For the Believer, death has no more sting at all.  Death is simply the vehicle to the place of our eternal home.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 ¶  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,

The victory is ours, and that same conquering Saviour, in winning the victory over sin and death, offers us the abundant life of victory over sin, self, and the world. 

What a great reason to keep going on for God.  Being steadfast, and unmovable in our Christian walk.

There’s victory in Jesus; both yesterday, today, and forever!