VICTORY AT THE PLACE OF FEAR                              1 Corinthians 15:50-58

 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? {grave: or, hell} (v55)

Recall that an eminent psychiatrist said that a clear understanding of one’s identity rests on four things (D274) The first, a sense of belonging was considered. Let’s consider now the second thing, (2) A healthy attitude to one’s death. Jesus had predicted His death since early in His ministry, so it is not surprising that He saw the end approaching. John begins his account of what happened in the upper room with these words: “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love’ (John 13:1) In the hours before His death, Jesus’ heart was not filled with fear but with perfect love. And perfect love, John tells us, so powerfully that it drives out every fear (1 John 4:18) I do not believe however, that Jesus was free of all apprehension as He thought about His imminent death, but certainly there was no fear in His heart. His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane indicates this distinction. The painful experience He went through there was, I believe, not caused by a fear of death but by the knowledge that He had to bear the consummate weight of human sin. In consequence, be temporarily forsaken by the Father. It was the prospect of that among other things, which caused Jesus such tremendous turmoil in the garden.

PRAYER LINE: Lord Jesus, if there is a fear of death in my heart – or any other fear – sweep through my soul with Your perfect love and cause all fear to dissipate in Your precious Name I ask it. Amen. (EDWJ)

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When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.