The Apostles' Creed (part fourteen)

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (John 3:14-18).

Some years ago, death claimed a woman who was loved and respected by the members of her congregation. Many tears were shed during that funeral, but no one wept as much as the woman’s grieving husband. That evening, one of the grandchildren had a question for her mother: "Why did grandpa cry?" The mother replied, "I guess it’s because he will have to live alone now. Grandma can’t be with him anymore." After thinking about this, the little girl asked: "Why does God have people born when He knows they’re going to die?" That’s a question all of us need answered.

First of all, God creates people so that they can be a blessing to others during their years here on earth. Think of all the individuals who have brought goodness into your life—parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, children and grandchildren, friends and strangers. So many people have touched your life with an act of kindness, a word of encouragement, a hug of comfort. And so it is with you—by your life, your work, and your support of church and charity, you have brought goodness to the members of your family and your community, to casual acquaintances and to people you’ve never even met. God has blessed you, and made you a blessing.

Secondly, God continues to fill this world with new generations of people so that they might live in His kingdom forever. That’s the main reason. God does not create us that we might die, but that we might live. You see, when that grandmother died, she didn’t really die, she just moved on to a place which we call heaven. To properly understand this, remember that you and I are made up of two parts: the body and the soul. When the first man was created, God began by forming a body from the dust of the ground. Then the Lord breathed into that body the spirit of life, and Adam became a living being (Genesis chapter 2). Every person is made of these two parts. When death occurs, it separates the soul from its body. The body is laid in a grave and soon returns to dust, but the spirit goes back to the God who gave it. At the moment of death, the soul of each Christian is lifted up to heaven, where it remains until the day when Christ returns and the dead are raised. On that wonderful day, our bodies will be reborn in perfection and every believer will live with Christ, body and soul united once again and forever after. Though the body dies, the soul lives—and in the end, both will live together once more—this helps us understand Jesus’ words to Martha: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26). That deceased grandma lives. All who died with faith in Jesus are alive. If you die trusting in Jesus’ love and care for you, you will wake up in heaven. We believe this. Whenever we recite the words of the Apostles’ Creed, we conclude with this hope: "I believe in the life everlasting."

You might recall the famous atheist Madyln Murray O’Hare. During one interview, she was asked about life after death. She responded as follows: "Of course, I don’t believe in any life after death. We are just like all other animals. When we die that’s the end." I feel sorry for everyone who agrees with such a bleak philosophy. How blessed we are! It is by God’s grace that we have hope in life everlasting. Our hope is not wishful thinking or an attempt to avoid ugly reality. Death is not the end. There is life eternal for all who believe in Jesus as their Savior from sin, death and hell.

He gave His life to make our eternal life possible. The words of Jesus which began this message were spoken to Nicodemus. At that time the Jewish Church had a Supreme Court, and Nicodemus was one of its members. He had heard about Jesus, a man who was popular because of His teachings and miracles. So one night Nicodemus visited Jesus in private to find out just who He was and what His teaching was all about. During that evening together, Jesus emphasized two very important truths: first, all people are sinners and desperately need to be saved from God’s punishment. Second, Jesus is the Savior, the only one who can offer rescue from the grave where all sinners end up.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Nicodemus knew the story of the serpent well, even though it had taken place over a thousand years earlier when Moses led God’s people from Egypt to Palestine. In spite of the Almighty’s loving care and protection, the Israelites had repeatedly grumbled about their situation, even threatening to give up on the Promised Land as a hopeless dream and return to slavery in Egypt. Suddenly their campsite was overrun with poisonous snakes; thousands were bitten and hundreds died. When the terrified people pleaded with God for mercy, He told Moses to make a snake out of brass and lift it up on a pole where it could be easily seen. The Lord promised that anyone who looked at the brass snake would not die from snakebite. All who believed in God’s promise looked up at the pole and lived.

"So", Jesus said, "I must be lifted up." Of course, He was speaking of the day that He would be crucified. As the serpent was lifted up on a pole, so Jesus was lifted up on a cross. As everyone who looked up at the snake continued to live, so everyone who looks up to Jesus will receive life everlasting. Our Savior promised, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We can live in spite of sin’s attempts to poison us, when we have faith in God’s promise of salvation.

We believe in everlasting life because God gave His beloved Son to die for us. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. During World War II, America was fighting on multiple fronts. A father who had watched his son put on a uniform and fly overseas remarked sadly: "It isn’t easy to send him off when you don’t know where he’s going nor what’s going to happen to him." It wasn’t easy for our Father in heaven to send His Son to this miserable earth, knowing exactly what was going to happen to Him. Jesus would be ridiculed by the Church that should have welcomed Him. He would be condemned by the legal system that should have honored Him. He would be rejected by the people whom He came to save. In spite of knowing all this would happen, God the Father sent His Son anyway, because He loved the world—loved us. God sent His Son to face suffering and death for our benefit, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

King David rejoiced in the promise of life everlasting; the 23rd Psalm concludes with this hope: goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Jesus said, Because I live, you also will live (John 14:19). In the 15th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of our hope in the face of death: Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…Death has been swallowed up in victory. Peter tells us that God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4). St. John sums it up when he writes, this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1 John 5:11). David, Jesus, Paul, Peter and John—these are only a few of the many voices in the Bible who reassure us of life everlasting.

How do you describe heaven to your children? Our words always seem inadequate. How do you describe ice to a man who has lived his life in a desert? How do you describe heaven using earthly language? Scripture begins by telling us what we will not have in heaven—there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death, no more tears. There will be no worry or sadness, fear or hatred, depression or loneliness. Instead, the Bible promises that we will have pleasure and joy, because we will join all the faithful in being close to God forever. Jesus described heaven like a wedding banquet where we celebrate coming home to live with our God; it will be like a holiday gathering and family reunion rolled into one, a time of love and companionship that is never marred by angry words, bad behavior, or a time when you have to leave.

These blessings were intended for everyone—Peter writes, The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But human beings are strong-willed, stubborn, and rebellious. In spite of God’s offer, some prefer to live life on their own terms. They feel no guilt for their actions and see no need for a Savior. Those who reject Christ also reject life everlasting. Jesus warned, whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. As tragic as this is for the unbeliever, the result is joy for us because heaven will be free from anyone who loves fighting, gossiping, cheating or being rude. None are allowed to spoil paradise with their sins; either you come to Jesus to be cleansed of your impurities, or you are denied entry into God’s eternal kingdom.

Heaven is for believers. Your race and ethnic background make no difference. It doesn’t matter if you were a success in life or a failure. Your age and intelligence are irrelevant. It doesn’t even matter if you were a ‘good’ person or a ‘bad’ person—so long as you face death trusting in Jesus’ mercy, eternal life is yours.

Now, what do we do about it? Suppose you were on an ocean cruise when the ship suddenly sank, taking all the lifeboats with it. You find yourself floating in the water with a bunch of other survivors, but there is nothing to hang onto and everyone is in danger of drowning. Then a ship comes along and drops a lifeboat; quickly you haul yourself in. But now what would you do? Would you row back to the ship to be pulled up, dried off, warmed up? Or would you first try to help other survivors get into the lifeboat with you?

We are drowning in an ocean of sin. God has sent us the lifeboat of His Church. You have been pulled from the dangerous water; soon you will be lifted up into heaven where you will be dried off and made comfortable. But before this happens, don’t you feel compassion for those still in the cold water, slowly losing hope as death approaches? Will you reach out and invite them to join you in the lifeboat, so that when you are lifted to heaven you won’t regret leaving them behind? How much do you care about the unbelievers in your life—people who are relatives, coworkers, friends and neighbors? You feel compassion when the evening news shows you the victims of disaster in other places—but do you feel the desire to pull them into the Church so that their suffering might be replaced with joy?

What are you doing to pull unbelievers into the Church, that Christ might lift them to heaven? Do you support mission work? Do you encourage people to consider working for the Lord professionally as pastors or teachers? Do you speak of Jesus’ love with others? Do you pray ceaselessly for the advancement of God’s kingdom? Praise the Lord if you do these things! But the time is short—every day people die and are condemned forever. Keep on working, giving, praying. There is life everlasting, and it is not just for us, but for everyone we help bring into God's lifeboat.