Text: Job 19:23-27
In the name of Jesus: Amen.
Every single day over 55 million people die on the planet earth. That is over 38,000 deaths every minute and over 600 deaths every single second.
Of the 55 million deaths from today, the majority of them will eventually end up being buried in the ground, where they will be forgotten after several generations. Names will be forgotten, faces will fade from memories, the sound of their voices will turn to whispers, and tombstones will be covered with dirt. If these dead people are lucky, someone will mow the grass above their grave and maybe even visit them from time to time. However, for most of these people, they will be forgotten, and their tombstones will eventually crumble into small pieces, due to the wearing effects of the weather.
Dear friends, the world bleeds daily. Death knocks at the world’s door every day and sin pays out its wages. Death occurs every single second, every single hour, every single day – 365 days a year. There is no stopping it.
I do not have to tell you that this is most certainly depressing. Yes, it is indeed sad and enough to make you want to throw up your hands and say,
‘What’s the point?”
It is almost enough to make you kick the dust and say,
“Blech! Good grief! Who cares! Let’s just go home and go back to bed.”
But despite this depressing reality, you are all still here today. Yes, you are gathered here together into this church. And the reason why? You are here because of an event that changed everything. You are here because one man defied death. You are here because your Redeemer lives and overcame the grave. Yes, Jesus lives. And because He lives, He will stand upon your grave at the Last Day with compassion, glory, honor, and power. He will stand upon your grave because He will not forget you in death and because He intends to undo death and raise you to life once again.
So, while the world is bleeding around you and while the darkness of death hovers everywhere you look, you are here in this church service today because Jesus did the unthinkable and the impossible – He rose from the grave. In other words, if Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, were not alive, you would have no reason to be here. You would have no reason to care. You would have no reason for hope. If Jesus were still in the grave, you would still be in bed. However, because He lives, everything changes. Because He lives, you know that death does not have the final say. You know that the Last Day is not a day of dread, but a day of hope.
In our Old Testament reading from the book of Job, we hear that at the Last Day, Jesus will stand upon the grave of Job to raise Him up out of the grave to newness of life. Now, this is not some half-baked reincarnation, where Job’s soul will come back into an animal or Job’s soul will come back in a different body. No, this kind of stuff is complete nonsense, the sort of thing that makes up fairy tales and sci-fi fiction movies. We also do not hear from our reading in Job, that when we die that we become annihilated (that we will cease to exist), but instead, we hear that our soul lives on, to be reunited with our bodies at the resurrection of the dead. In other words, from our reading in Job, we hear that we can expect the Redeemer to raise our bodies to life once again.
Dear friends, what our Old Testament reading is are talking about is a full and complete and whole resurrection of the body. The resurrection of the body will be a complete resurrection. We will have resurrected bodies just like we have now, but without the effects of sin and death. A 2.0 body, if you will. It will be a renewed body that will allow you to see the Lord with your very own eyes. Mark this, in death you will not be forgotten in dust and ashes, and you will not become an eternal floaty spirit bouncing on the clouds of heaven without a body, but rather, you will be raised from the grave imperishable because Jesus has risen from the grave Himself. As Jesus has a body and is resurrected to life, you too will be raised with a renewed body unto eternal life. Indeed, this changes everything, does it not?
And so, today we gather here in this church to hear the bold promises that Jesus is alive and will not forget us in death. We gather here in this church to hear the valiant promise that the grave is not our final resting place. We gather here to hold to the Lord’s promises, against all appearances, that even though our world is shrouded in death, that we will be raised bodily on the last day.
In a way, your gathering here today is a gathering to protest sin, death, and the devil. Actually, it is so much more than a mere protest. You are here to laugh and mock sin, death, and the devil. It is a gathering this day to declare that you are children of God. Dear Baptized Saints, you belong to Jesus because you are baptized into His life, death, and resurrection! Yes, you are children of God, and you can gladly say this because the Redeemer lives.
So, today you and I confess with a boldness that sin cannot disturb our souls any longer, for our Redeemer lives. You and I snub our noses at the evil foe, for our Redeemer lives. You and I chuckle at death, for our Redeemer lives.
Yes, today’s service is us mocking, scorning, snubbing, and laughing at sin, death, and the devil because our Redeemer lives. So, lift up your heads, raise your chin, smile, laugh, and tell sin that you have comfort even stronger, Jesus cleansing sacrifice. Tell Satan that He can drop his ugly accusations because his tyranny is unraveled. Tell death that it cannot end your gladness, for it has been swallowed up in victory.
Dear Baptized Saints, mock, scorn, snub, and laugh at sin, death, and the devil because your Redeemer lives and your Redeemer is your sure defense. Jesus is your power, might, and victory.
Jesus Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father so that we might walk in newness of life. Jesus lives. This is most certainly true. This is the message of Easter, for me, for you, and for the entire world.
Blessed Baptized Saints, Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Our Redeemer lives! Alleluia!
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