Tuesday of Holy Week: Jesus teaches at the temple, predicts the future, & more. Watch the video: https://t.co/e15MZLmwAN — Crossway (@crossway) March 31, 2015

The New Testament makes clear that this anti-kingdom host is organized, not disorganized. Satan gives them direction and empowers them (Mark 3:22). In Mark, Satan is “the prince of demons” (3:22); in John, “the prince of this world” (12:31), and in Paul, the spirit infecting the “principalities” and “powers of this dark world”: “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:11–12). These evil, immortal spirits are more powerful than the human spirit, and Jesus does not challenge Satan’s claim that he could have offered Jesus all the kingdoms of this world (Gr. kosmos, in the sense of an organized system opposed to God; Matt. 4:8–10). Satan’s activity is evil: to destroy the kingdom of God (Matt 13:38; Mark 4:15; Luke 22:3, 31). Jesus invaded Satan’s realm, and the demons recognized his superiority and the supernatural power that crushes them (Mark 1:24). Christ routed Satan and his demonic horde (Mark 1:24; 3:22). As a result, Satan lost his ascendancy over the worl...

Tuesday of Holy Week according to God's Word: pic.twitter.com/kFU7BLctGo — Crossway (@crossway) March 31, 2015

XVII. Religious Liberty God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the righ...

Read this- : http://t.co/6RKvZ7nNhm via @DennyBurk — (@GarrettConner) March 31, 2015

Marriage = Biology (Not Bigotry): https://t.co/Mi9xclnhr6 — Sean Slick (@slicksc1) March 31, 2015

The public debate over Indiana’s new religious freedom law is (almost) enough to drive this Baptist to drink. The conversation has been the most uninformed and ignorant I’ve seen in years. This culminated in a panel on one of the Sunday talk shows suggesting that the law would return us to the days when signs would hang in stores detailing who would not be welcome to do business there. The law, of course, does nothing of the sort. Indiana merely passed a state version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the law that passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in 1993 and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The act was supported by a coalition spanning from the far Left to the far Right. RFRA, of course, does not grant anyone the right to “discriminate” or deny service to anyone else. All the law does is articulate that religious freedom is a factor to be weighed in making court decisions about the common good, that the government must show good cause in rest...

In John’s gospel, Jesus mediates both God (1:18; 14:6–7) and eternal life to those who have faith in him (i.e., who accept Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God). In the end, God will resurrect their bodies to eternal life (6:40, 54) and unbelievers will be condemned (5:28–29). In other words, the Fourth Gospel also teaches a realized and future eschatology. John’s emphasis, however, is on enjoying now the life that is eternal. This is realized by receiving the words of Jesus (6:63; 12:49–50). In this way the faithful know (i.e., have fellowship with) God (17:3). After his death and resurrection Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to be his Surrogate with his disciples (John 14–17). Waltke, B. K., & Yu, C. (2007). An Old Testament theology: an exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach (pp. 166–167). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

In Danny Akin’s book  10 Who Changed the World   we read short edifying biographies of bold missionaries from the past who followed Christ with reckless abandon to share the Gospel.  Each chapter of the book gives us a summary of different people who were greatly used by God to  spread the Gospel to ends of the earth.  Think of each chapter as a snapshot of a missionary’s life and service, with a biblical exposition mixed in within it so that we could apply truth ourselves. I plan to post encouraging notes I take down as I go through the book. I pray it will encourage you.  ------------------------------ In chapter 1, Akin covers the life William Carey and then teaches from Matthew 28 v16-20 throughout the chapter. Here is a brief summary about William Carey. William Carey may have been the greatest missionary since the time of the apostles.  …He rightly deserves the honor of being known as “the father of the modern mis...

According to the Bible, what happened Monday of Holy Week? pic.twitter.com/b8VC80BNiW — Crossway (@crossway) March 30, 2015

Danny Akin - Preach the Gospel & Make Disciples - Acts 18 from Southeastern Seminary on Vimeo .

Mark Liederbach - Be Still, God is With Us - Psalm 46 from Southeastern Seminary on Vimeo .

30 Mar 2015 Nine Traits of Church Bullies March 30, 2015   19 Comments Church bullies are common in many churches. They wreak havoc and create dissension. They typically must have an “enemy” in the church, because they aren’t happy unless they are fighting a battle. They tend to maneuver to get an official leadership position in the church, such as chairman of the elders or deacons or treasurer. But they may have bully power without any official position. Church bullies have always been around. But they seem to be doing their work more furiously today than in recent history. Perhaps this look at nine traits of church bullies can help us recognize them before they do too much damage. Read it here-  Nine Traits of Church Bullies  

A quick Scripture guide to what happened on Palm Sunday: pic.twitter.com/dlgffq6dPs — Crossway (@crossway) March 29, 2015

“No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.” - Spurgeon — Garrett Kell (@pastorjgkell) March 29, 2015

I saw this on  http://thomrainer.com/ Check out the article he linked it to right here-  (Click)

The summit of the narrow way will at length be ours. We shall cease from our weary journeyings, and sit down in the kingdom of God. We shall look back on all the way of our lives with thankfulness, and see the perfect wisdom of every step in the steep ascent by which we were led. We shall forget the toil of the upward journey in the glorious rest. Here, in this world, our sense of rest in Christ at best is feeble and partial: we hardly seem at times to taste fully “the living water.” But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect shall be done away. “When we awake up after His likeness we shall be satisfied.” (Psalm 17:15.) We shall drink out of the river of His pleasures and thirst no more. Ryle, J. C. (1889). Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots (p. 391). London: William Hunt and Company.

         “Art thou become like unto us?”          — Isaiah 14:10 What must be the apostate professor’s doom when his naked soul appears before God? How will he bear that voice, “Depart, ye cursed; thou hast rejected me, and I reject thee; thou hast played the harlot, and departed from me: I also have banished thee for ever from my presence, and will not have mercy upon thee.” What will be this wretch’s shame at the last great day when, before assembled multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked? See the profane, and sinners who never professed religion, lifting themselves up from their beds of fire to point at him. “There he is,” says one, “will he preach the gospel in hell?” “There he is,” says another, “he rebuked me for cursing, and was a hypocrite himself!” “Aha!” says another, “here comes a psalm-singing Methodist—one who was always at his meeting; he is the man who boasted of his being sure of everlasting life; and here he ...

 BILLY GRAHAM  ON MONEY Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you.” —HEBREWS 13:5 Tell me what you think about money, and I will tell you what you think about God , for these two are closely related. A man’s heart is closer to his wallet than anything else. -------------------------------------------- Money represents your time, your energy, your talents, your total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain in value and we cannot take it into the next world. Graham, F., & Toney, D. L. (2011). Billy graham in quotes. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Our friends are the ones we imitate and follow. We adopt their language and life patterns. We tend to spend money where they spend money. We value what they value. We raise our children like they raise their children. We pray like they pray. We trust their counsel and heed their rebukes more easily than that of those who are not friends. There’s a reason that Paul says, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33; cf. Deut. 13:6). It’s because our friends play a large role in forming who we become as we imitate one another (see James 4:4). ... The local church community should be a place where Christians participate in forming and shaping one another for good through all the interpersonal dynamics of friendship. Christian friends are surely valuable inside or outside the local church, but friends within a local church will be formed by the same ministry of the Word, giving them the opportunity to extend that ministry more carefully into one another’s lives throughout the week....

The church is a society of people who have a greater treasure than anything in this world. Members of the church pool their money together to support the ministry of the congregation, help with the relief of the poor, and spread the gospel around the world. Out in the world, wealth makes you important. Not so in the church. So James tells his readers that God has a different kind of economy:   My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be...

WHY GOD DOESN’T REMOVE OUR SINFUL CRAVINGS IMMEDIATELY Posted by  Pastor J.D.   on March 17, 2015 Every Christian I know has had the experience of coming up against the same sin— again —and wondering,  “Will this struggle ever end? Why doesn’t God just  remove  this?”  (If you  haven’t  had that experience, just give it time.) This seems to be a frustration common to all believers, and not just with sin, either. When we experience any prolonged suffering or pain or discomfort, we have to ask,  Why? This isn’t the question of a skeptic trying to prove that God doesn’t exist—the famous apologetic “problem of evil.” No, this is the  personal  question of a believer trying to discern what in the world God is doing with the continued struggles in his life. It is the question of someone who reads,  “For those who love God, all things work together for good,”  and trying to reconcile that theological truth wit...

“Do you wish to see God’s love? Look at the cross. Do you wish to see God’s wrath? Look at the cross.” – Don Carson pic.twitter.com/D40A1kDwBa — The Gospel Coalition (@TGC) March 3, 2015

If you have no interest in actually committing yourself to an actual group of gospel-believing, Bible-teaching Christians, you might question whether you belong to the body of Christ at all! Listen to the author of Hebrews carefully:   Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Heb. 10:23–27) Our state before God, if authentic, will translate into our daily decisions, even if the process is slow and full of missteps. God really does change his people. Isn’t that good news? So please, friend,...

XIII. Stewardship God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12:15; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19. 

John embraces the notion that Jesus is the Servant so openly here that we should probably also see the Servant behind his distinctive description of Jesus’ death and ascension as his being “lifted up” (hypsoō, John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32) and “glorified” (doxazō, 7:39; 12:16; 12:23; 13:31; 17:1, 5, 24). With these expressions, John may intend for his readers to hear an echo of Isa. 52:13 (LXX),8 where the Lord says, “My Servant shall understand and be exalted [hypsōthēsetai] and glorified [doxasthēsetai] greatly.” As with the other gospels, therefore, in John, Jesus’ rejection was a necessary fulfillment of God’s will as it was described long before in Isaiah’s description of the Servant of the Lord. Jesus was rejected because Isaiah had said that the Servant of the Lord must be rejected, and Jesus was the Servant of the Lord. Thielman, F. (2005). Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach (pp. 188–189). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Women also play a surprisingly prominent role in John’s Gospel. In John 2:1–11 a fascinating interaction takes place between Jesus and his mother. When she tried to persuade Jesus to intervene and to provide wine for a wedding feast, he made it clear that he followed the mandate of his Father instead of his mother. Still, she was confident that Jesus would do something to help and instructed the servants to do whatever he requested. The encounter with the Samaritan woman demonstrated Jesus’ compassion and love for a woman who was an outcast (John 4:4–42). Jesus reveals that women and Samaritans are not outside his saving purposes, even if the disciples were scandalized that Jesus conversed with a woman. She became the means by which the rest of the Samaritans in the village heard the good news about Jesus. Near the end of his ministry, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus’ encounter with Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary, is sketched in by John in some detail (John 11:1–44...

So great multitudes who were affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, were elevated to a high degree, and made a mighty ado, when Jesus presently after entered into Jerusalem, exceedingly magnifying Christ, as though the ground were not good enough for the ass he rode to tread upon; and therefore cut branches of palm trees, and strewed them in the way; yea, pulled off their garments, and spread them in the way; and cried with loud voices, “Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest;” so as to make the whole city ring again, and put all into an uproar. We learn by the evangelist John, that the reason why the people made this ado, was because they were affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus, John 12:18. Here was a vast multitude crying Hosanna on this occasion, so that it gave occasion to the Pharisees to say, “Behold, the world has gone after him,” John 12:19, but Christ had at that time but few tr...

No better illustration of the variableness of human nature exists than the inhabitants of Jerusalem who one week were hailing Jesus as their king (“Hosanna! … Blessed is the King of Israel!”) and the next week were calling out for his crucifixion (John 12:13; 19:15). Ah, but God is unchangeable. And the characteristics of his kingdom do not change either. He rules as well today as he ever did, and he will rule forever. Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 763). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

They plotted to take his life (11:53, 57). They harassed his disciples (9:22; 12:42; 16:2). They even sought to kill Lazarus after Jesus raised him from the dead (12:10-11)! Finally, of course, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, bound, deserted, denied, interrogated, struck, flogged, mocked, crowned with thorns, made the center of what amounted to a lynching, and was crucified, causing him to suffocate to death. Mildly previewing the response many had to Jesus, John introduces his book by writing, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (1:11). As I have reflected on this Gospel, one thing is so obvious it is easy to miss. If you want to know who Jesus is, consider one indisputable clue: the strength of the opposition Jesus received when he talked about who he is. The fate that every historian agrees befell Jesus and the fate that every local church remembers in the practice of the Lord’s Supper—violent rejection and crucifixion—suggests that something wa...

#WorldDownSyndromeDay pic.twitter.com/Up8Y3ccdYs — The Gospel Coalition (@TGC) March 21, 2015

But God delights in unity : “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). Christ himself dwells in the midst of unity. Our unity is his cross becoming real in our hearts, as we demote Self for his sake and exalt him more. By our unity in Christ, we are not just being nice; we are being prophetic. We are saying to all the divisive, selfish idols of this world, “Jesus is Lord, and you’re not. Jesus makes life sweet, and you don’t. Jesus brings us together, and you can’t. You have no claim on us here. We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the crucified Friend of sinners, and we will have the whole world know it by our strong and joyous unity in our Savior.” Ortlund, R. C., Jr. (2012). Preaching the Word: Proverbs—Wisdom that Works. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (pp. 103–104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

On Sunday nights we have been marching verse by verse through Proverbs.  Tomorrow night, Lord willing, we will be looking at Prov 6 v12-15. Proverbs 6 v12-15 New International Version (NIV) 12  A troublemaker and a villain,     who goes about with a corrupt mouth, 13      who winks maliciously with his eye,     signals with his feet     and motions with his fingers, 14      who plots evil with deceit in his heart—     he always stirs up conflict. 15  Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;     he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. Ray Ortlund said this about Proverbs 6 v12-15.  I remember sitting in the back row of a Christian meeting some years ago. The leader was up front. Then I noticed a man over at the right end of the back row leaning back in his seat, looking slyly ...

Complementarianism and the Next Generation : 9Marks  by Daniel Schreiner Daniel  Schreiner has written a great article for 9marks in their newest journal.  Daniel is a good friend with whom I had the  privilege  to serve together with on a church staff and now he  currently serves as an associate pastor  at Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon.    Here is a quick blurb from his article and a link below to read the rest .   Most millennials have never heard of complementarianism. And I confess that in my eight years in student ministry, I haven’t done much teaching on this issue. I know I’m not alone. Here in Portland, Oregon, I get together with other pastors and youth workers at least a couple of times a month to discuss various ministry topics and to pray. Not once has the topic been women in the church. It would just be awkward. Okay, I admit, it would be  me who would make things awkward. Because to many ...

Billy Graham sayings on sin-

Evangelism and missions are not imperiled by the biblical truth of election, but empowered by it, and their triumph is secured by it. Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice” (John 10:16). This means that there are elect sheep scattered throughout the world (John 11:52). They will be there among “every people, language, tribe and nation” when the missionary arrives to issue God’s absolutely essential call through the gospel (Revelation 5:9). Therefore Jesus says he must bring them in. And he says they will heed his voice. In other words, the triumph of the ingathering of world missions is a certainty because of the truth of election: he does have other sheep. Piper, J. (2000). The pleasures of God: meditations on God’s delight in being God (Rev. and expanded., p. 153). Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers.

Scripture recounts the resurrections of several people before that of Christ, including the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17–24) in the Old Testament and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–15), Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:41–42, 49–56), and Lazarus (John 11:1–44) in the New Testament; however, each of those resurrected people later died again. Jesus’ resurrection was distinct from those examples. The resurrection of Christ was more than simply a return to life; it also involved a significant transformation of His body. There was continuity between the body laid to rest in the tomb and the body that came forth from the tomb; the same body that was buried was also raised. That was also true of the earlier resurrections. However, in Jesus’ resurrection, there was also an element of discontinuity. His body experienced a dramatic change. He was the same person with the same body, but His body had been glorified. Sproul, R. C. (2014). Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introducti...

I often think I could willingly die for the doctrine of justification by faith without the deeds of the law. But I must earnestly contend , as a general principle, that a man’s WORKS are the evidence of a man’s religion. If you call yourself a Christian, you must show it in your daily ways and daily behaviour. Call to mind that the faith of Abraham and of Rahab was proved by their works. (James 2:21–25.) Remember it avails you and me nothing to profess we know God, if in works we deny Him. ( Titus 1:16 .) Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “Every tree is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:44.) Ryle, J. C. (1889). Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots (pp. 329–330). London: William Hunt and Company.

With this John makes clear the proper foundation of biblical, Christian ethics: the new, spiritual birth, which enables believers to act righteously and to be purified when they sin. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning” (3:6). Conversely, “no one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (3:6). In characteristic black-and-white fashion, John contends that there are only two kinds of individuals—those who are born again and those who are not. The former’s life will exhibit a characteristic pattern of righteous behavior; the latter’s conduct will be sinful in keeping with their unregenerate nature (cf. Titus 1:15–16). Köstenberger, A. J. (2009). A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters: The Word, the Christ, the Son of God (p. 267). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Paul says, “I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18), and, “to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted” ( Titus 1:15 ). Moreover, Jeremiah tells us that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). In these passages Scripture is not denying that unbelievers can do good in human society in some senses. But it is denying that they can do any spiritual good or be good in terms of a relationship with God. Apart from the work of Christ in our lives, we are like all other unbelievers who are “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Eph. 4:18). Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 497). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

The New Testament clearly shows, however, that in that context judicial correctives have a significant place in the maturing of churches and individuals (1 Cor. 5:1–13; 2 Cor. 2:5–11; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14–15; Titus 1:10–14; 3:9–11). Jesus instituted church discipline by authorizing the apostles to bind and to loose (i.e., prohibit and permit, Matt. 18:18) and to declare sins remitted or retained (John 20:23). The “keys of the kingdom,” first given to Peter and defined as power to bind and loose (Matt. 16:19), have usually been understood as authority to formulate doctrine and impose discipline, an authority now given by Christ to the church in general and to commissioned pastors in particular. ... The purpose of church censure in all its forms is not to punish for punishment’s sake but to call forth repentance and so recover the straying sheep. Ultimately there is only one sin for which a church member is excommunicated—impenitence. When repentance is apparent, the church is to d...

We read in John’s gospel that Lazarus had been dead for four days before Jesus arrived. The only power in the universe that could bring that corpse out of the tomb was the power of God. Christ did not invite Lazarus out of the tomb ; He did not wait for Lazarus to cooperate. He said, “Lazarus, come out,” and by the sheer power of that imperative, that which was dead became alive (John 11:43). Lazarus cooperated by walking out of the tomb, but there was no cooperation involved in his transition from death to life. In similar fashion, Paul says in Ephesians that we are in a state of spiritual death. We are by nature children of wrath, and according to Jesus, no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). Paul continues:   But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in th...

God’s words are not just true, they are effectual. God speaking is God acting.     •      In Genesis 1, the void could not resist him.     •      In Ezekiel 37, when Ezekiel calls out to the valley of the dry bones with God’s Word and Spirit, the bones didn’t say to Ezekiel, “We don’t want to get up.”     •      In John 11, when Jesus calls out to the corpse of Lazarus, Lazarus didn’t say to Jesus, “Not now, ask me again next year.” No, when the voice of God rings out in gracious, creative power, not even death or unbelief can resist him. God’s voice is irresistible because it is powerful and because it is the voice of love. Do you see a typological pattern developing here? Could it be that God is doing things among physical realities to teach us something about spiritual realities? If God’s Word effectually creates every time, what do you think happens when Jesus calls out to sinners to come to him in...

Part of the curse is the separation of soul from body (Ge 2:17; 3:19, 22; 5:5; Ro 5:12; 8:10; 1 Co 15:21). Death is an enemy, not a friend (1 Co 15:26) and a terror (Heb 2:15), so horrible that even the one who would triumph over it was overcome with grief, fear, and anger at the tomb of his friend Lazarus (Jn 11:33–36). Jesus did not see death as a benign deliverer, the sunset that is as beautiful as the sunrise, or as a portal to “a better life.” Looking death in the eye, he saw it for what it was, and his disciples followed his example. After the deacon’s martyrdom, we read, “Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him” (Ac 8:2). The reason that believers do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Th 4:13) is not that they know that death is good, but that they know that God’s love and life are more powerful than the jaws of death. Although believers, too, feel its bite, Christ has removed the sting of death (Jn 14:2–3; Php 1:21; 1 Co 15:54–57; 2 Co 5:8). That...