CROWN OF LIFE EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH

Pastor John C. Schneidervin

Fifth Sunday In Lent April 6, 2003

Hebrews 5:7-9

Learn From Jesus How To Prepare For Death

1. Through Prayer

2. Through Submissive Obedience

Text: Hebrews 5:7-9

7 During the days of Jesus¹ life on earth, he offered up prayers and

petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from

death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he

was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made

perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Sermon:

How many of you keep up with the news reports on the war with Iraq? How can

we imagine what our troops have been going through? Death is at their elbow

every day. How do they face it? If we were in their boots, how would we

prepare ourselves to face death?

Death is no respecter of persons. It comes to all, and not just to those in

combat either. People of all ages die, not just the elderly, but young

adults and children as well.

We all must prepare for death. But how? Jesus faced death to save us. How

did he prepare for it? Let¹s learn from Jesus how to prepare for death.

The context informs us Christ Jesus is our great high priest, who

sympathizes with our human weaknesses in times of trial, because he knows

firsthand what it is like to suffer in order to do God¹s will.

Christ Jesus was a human being in every respect we are, except he was

without sin. Being sinless, he did not have to suffer death as the

punishment for sin. Eternal life and glory were his in heaven. But before

he entered the blessedness of heaven, his heavenly Father had a mission for

him to do for our benefit--to suffer the torments of hell and to give his

life into death as the sacrifice for the sins of us all. To do his Father¹s

will, Jesus would have to submit himself in humble obedience to suffering

the tortures of hell and the agony of death, not for any sins he had

committed but for our sins.

The first half of verse 7 states, ³During the days of his life on earth, he

offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who

could save him from death.² This verse takes us to Gethsemane where Jesus

faced the coming pains of hell and death on the cross. There he prepared to

suffer our death and damnation, which led him to say, ³My soul is

overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.²

He met our death and damnation head on through prayer. The agony within his

soul welled up in cries from his lips to his heavenly Father, the only one

who could save him from death. His pleas were couched in tears of woe over

what lay ahead of him. The coming tortures of hell and the pains of death

on the cross so agonized his soul that he began to sweat intensely in drops

which fell like drops of blood. The burden of the world¹s sins and the

horrors of the world¹s death and damnation so gripped his soul that Jesus,

being a human being like we are, recoiled from it. He did not refuse to

accept it, but he dreaded the awful terrors of being forsaken by God his

Father. In agony he prayed, ³My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be

taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.² And again he prayed,

³My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I

drink it, may your will be done.²

It was not possible for the cup of death and damnation to be taken away from

the world¹s sinners unless he did drink it to the bitter end. Being willing

to suffer it, his prayer was answered. His Father sent an angel to

strengthen him for it, as Luke has told us.

In Gethsemane Jesus, our substitute, faced death and damnation and agonized

over the torments which he would suffer for all our sins. Can we imagine

what we would go through physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically,

and spiritually if we were about to be lead up to a gallows to be hung for

the crimes of another person and have to suffer his torments of hell too?

This was what Jesus agonized over for us. We were the criminal guilty of

the wrongdoing; he was the innocent Savior about to suffer our punishment.

He was our great high priest who would offer the one perfect sacrifice to

pay for our sins to reconcile us to God--himself. Even the thought of his

doing so hurt him, and caused him intense agony. But he went through with

it so we would be forgiven sinners who would not have to even sip that cup

of damnation which he drank fully for us.

Yet, because we are sinners, we must die. Death is what our sins have

earned. When we must face death, what thoughts will go through our minds?

Since the prospect of death and damnation made Jesus cringe and recoil, what

dread of death and hell might terrorize our minds?

When we face death, we can expect the devil to conjure up our every

wrongdoing and heap guilt on our consciences to terrorize us. We can expect

him to even make the good, righteous acts of kindness and service we have

done by faith look like the worst evil, selfish deeds. The devil and our

conscience will both try to trouble us with the painful knowledge of our

past sins and stir up agonizing feelings of guilt, which will make us afraid

of death and being damned to hell.

I remember a person who appeared to be dying. Repeatedly I heard the words

whispered, ³I¹m sorry. I¹m sorry.² I could see that either the devil, or

his conscience, or both, were plaguing that person with feelings of guilt

over things in his past. Thanks be to Jesus, who assumed the guilt of us

all and suffered our punishment, I was able to tell that person God had

forgiven all his sins and he should not be troubled by them any more.

Likewise, we should not be troubled by guilt and terrified by hell when we

are facing death. To prevent this from happening to us, we must be prepared

for the attacks of the devil and our conscience. Let us learn from Jesus

how to prepare for death. Read Hebrews 12:2 aloud with me: ³Let us fix our

eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set

before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right

hand of the throne of God.²

Let us fix our attention on Jesus. When he was facing death and damnation

for us, he concentrated on the joys awaiting him at the right hand of God in

heaven. He focused on his resurrection and his ascension and all the

blessedness he would enjoy in heaven, which enabled him to endure the death

and damnation he suffered on the cross for us.

Since his death has won our forgiveness, salvation from hell, and

everlasting life in heaven, let us prepare for death by fixing our minds on

Jesus, the author and source of our salvation. As soon as the devil and our

conscience attack us with the knowledge of our past sins and stir up the

fires of hell before our eyes, let us be prepared to tell them, ³In Jesus my

sins are forgiven! You cannot charge me with what God has already forgiven.

You cannot charge that I am a sinner when God has declared me righteous. Be

gone! Heaven is open to me. As soon as I die my guardian angels will carry

me in the palms of their hands and on their wings to the everlasting life

and glory Jesus has prepared for me. On the last day my body will rise to

live eternally. In this confidence I will die and you will not shake it.²

Let us learn from Jesus to prepare for death through prayer. When he was

facing in Gethsemane the agony of death and damnation, he prayed and was

strengthened by an angel. Let us pray for God¹s help and strength as well.

For good reason. Read aloud with me what James 5:16 and 1 John 5:14,15

assure us of: ³The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and

effective...This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we

ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he

hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.²

God will surely answer our prayers. God has saved us by the death of his

Son, washed away our sins in our baptism, brought us to faith, and has kept

us in the faith throughout our lives. When we reach the end of our lives,

just when we are about to enter the glory he has prepared for us, he will

not drop us like a hot potato to leave us perish in hell. He will answer

our prayers for the spiritual strength we need to pass through death into

life.

I have heard true accounts of our gracious Lord¹s strengthening his

believers just before they died. Sometimes he has sent his angels to

strengthen them, as he did for Jesus, and a dying Christian has said, ³Look!

There¹s an angel in the corner of my room!² Sometimes the Lord himself has

appeared to a dying Christian, who then said, ³I see Jesus by my bed.²

Sometimes dying Christians, unable to speak, have reached out for someone,

probably the Lord or their guardian angel who had come for them. So let us

pray, as Jesus did, for strength, confident our prayer will be answered.

Then we will be ready to die when our time comes as Jesus was.

Although Jesus was the God/Man verse 8 states: ³He learned obedience from

what he suffered.² Jesus was not subject to death for any sins of his own.

His Father¹s will, however, was that he suffer the pains of hell and die as

the sacrifice for the sins of the world. As horrible and dreadful as such

suffering was, he endured it in submissive obedience on Calvary. Thus

Philippians 2:8 states, ³He humbled himself and became obedient to

death--even death on a cross!² Thus on Calvary¹s cross when the time was at

hand, Jesus said, ³Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.²

Verse 9 of our text then states, ³And, once made perfect,² meaning once he

had reached his goal of the cross, the tomb, and the right hand of God, ³he

became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.² By obeying

his Father¹s will to suffer our pains of hell and to die our death, he

became the author and source of our salvation. Through him we have been

saved and will receive eternal life.

Again, let us learn from Jesus how to prepare for death. He is our source

of eternal salvation. So what do we have to fear? Like Jesus, our Father¹s

will is that we should pass through death to enter eternal life. Since this

is his will for us, when our time comes let us obey it as Jesus did.

Believing in his loving Father¹s divine care and protection, he put his soul

into his Father¹s hands and let go of his bodily life on earth, knowing his

Father would take his soul to himself in heaven. By faith, knowing Jesus is

the source of our salvation and eternal life, when the time comes let us

follow him into death, saying, ³Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.²

Then we just let go, knowing that the next moment we will be carried on

angel¹s wings to heaven and on the last day our body will wake from the

sleep of death to live eternally. Let this comfort us through life and

prepare us for death.

Amen.