Many Christians struggle with a fear of physical death. I am convinced that these fears derive from death’s mysterious nature and human imagination. Therefore, it is my goal to provide Believer with some Biblical truths regarding death, thus, reducing it’s mystery… and removing the fear within the Christian.

Truth #1 - DEATH IS AN ENEMY
1 Cor 15:25-26 - 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Death is not a romantic idea to be embraced. It is not a heroic act to pursued. It is not humorous experience to be scoffed. It is not a glamourous fashion to be displayed. IT IS AN ENEMY!

Truth #2 - DEATH IS CONQUERED
1 Cor 15:54-57 - 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”55″Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the great hope of the Christian faith. Death is conquered by the power of God. THE ENEMY HAS BEEN DEFEATED!

Truth #3 - CHRISTIANS ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS
Rom 8:37-39 - 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We understand that Christ has conquered sin and death, and that He has made all Christian conquerors alonside of him… BUT WAHT DOES IT MEAN THAT WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS?

Truth #4 - DEATH HAS BECOME THE P.O.W. OF THE CHRISTIAN
1 Cor 3:21-23 - 21So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas[a] or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Don’t miss that point - death is ours!!! It belongs to us just as Christians belong to Christ… as a servant. DEATH IS THE SERVANT OF THE CHRISTIAN!

We are at war. Sin and death are the enemy. The enemy has been defeated. Christ is it’s conqueror. Christians are more than conquerors of death. Death is not complete annihiliated… yet!!! Until it’s annihiliation, we hold it captive. It is our slave… our P.O.W.!!!

Big Question - How does death serve the Christian?
1. As a window allowing us to see Christ
2. As a threshold we cross to embrace Christ
3. As an mirror by which we reflect Christ

NEVER FEAR CHRISTIAN… YOU ARE NOT A SLAVE OF DEATH… IT IS YOUR SERVANT!!!

The following is the memorial speech I gave at my Papa’s funeral.

Certainly, God gave the world a gift on Oct 25, 1929 for that was the birthday of my grandfather Kenneth Chappell. To his parents, he was a gift. To his siblings, he was a gift. To all of his family and friends, he was a gift. A few years later, God gave my grandmother, LaNell Chappell, a wonderful gift when He brought such a loving husband to her. Shortly after they were married, God gave them a daughter and a son – and these children received an immeasurable gift when being raised by such a good father. And now, all of us, who are his grandchildren and great grandchildren, have been given a gift to have such GRAND and GREAT PaPa. He was the spiritual patriarch of our family, and our family has been given a great GREAT heritage. So today, when we mourn our loss and celebrate his life, we learn that even today is a gift… because today there is much joy in honoring and remembering my grandfather.

Now, if PaPa was here right now, he would probably be a little uncomfortable because he never liked being in the spotlight. Whenever I needed to be corrected as a child, he would look at me and say “hey boy… hey boy” in that deep voice of his. And today, he would be saying it again because he was a humble man… who never wanted a lot of attention on himself… and today I think he would say “Hey boy… hey boy… everything good about me in only because of the Lord.” I think Papa would want us to talk more about Jesus than about him.

So here’s what we’re going to do - We will remember some specific things about our Papaw… I will share some thoughts on behalf of Papa’s grandchildren… my uncle Val will share thoughts on behalf of PaPa’s children… we will sing a few of my PaPa’s favorite songs… Pastor McLaughlin will bring a message… but our end goal is to see that the life lived by my PaPa is like a big mirror that reflects the beauty, and majesty, and love, and grace, and glory of his Lord Jesus… and as we remember PaPa, we remember Jesus… Ok?

So what are some things we grandchildren will miss about our PaPa?

1.We will miss the good old days at the old house in Clio. We will miss long walks in the back woods… where PaPa carved our initials in the tree bark… and told us to look for Indian Joe… and taught how to shoot slingshots and BB guns… and made us feel like we were strong enough to push over trees.

2.We will miss the way he gave us nicknames – like Rock, and Catfish, and Blakers, and Clayford, and Sweetheart…

3.We will miss him at family holidays and get togethers. We will miss him reading the Christmas story before we open presents… we’ll miss him sitting at his spot at the table during family meals… and the way he would always fall asleep in his big chair with his head tilted to the side… and snore so loud that it would hurt our ears.

4.We will miss the way he loved to take us fishing… and somehow he would always catch bigger fish and more fish than us… whether in the little ponds in Clio or Saginaw, or at the AuSable, or Virginia, or down south at family reunions, we loved to fish with him.… we’ll especially remember how he laughed at Blake when he asked Papaw if hushpuppies came from the ocean… fishing with PaPa was always so fun!

5.We will miss the way he showed us affection. We will miss the way he held us in his big strong hands… and his handshakes that wiggled our hands back and forth… and how he would hug us from the side and squeeze us in really close… and how he would sometimes tug on our hair for no reason and rub our head.

6.We will miss the way he played games with us. We will miss his skill at Dominos and Hand and Foot… and how he would help Paige look for keys to the small play houses… and how he would sometimes hit the wrong colored ball when we played pool because he was colorblind…

7.We will miss many other random things – like the way he laughed so hard during Dennis the Menace that we’d have to shut the movie off… and how he made the best popcorn with the perfect amount of butter and salt… and how he would help us tie our shoes… and how he would put coffee in our sippy cups… and how nice it was to see him in the morning drinking a cup of coffee and just looking out the window.

Last night, the grandkids were hanging out, and some things were said that speak volumes about his life:

1. Blake said it so well when he said “I wanted everyone that I know to know him”… what a compliment it is for grandson to want all his friends to know his grandfather.

2. Clayton said “I loved how he was so fun and we were always laughing with him”… surely there was joy whenever PaPa was near.

3. Paige said “I love how much he loved MeMaw, and how he always called her ‘Shug’”… oh that all men could learn to love their wives like PaPa loved his.

4. And Kendon said “the fact that so many people would come to his funeral says how influential his life was”… wouldn’t it be great if we all could live a life with such impact.

Now, it is certainly true that PaPa was a good man… the best I’ve known alongside of my father. The fact that all of you are here today is a testimony to that. But we all must be very clear about one thing when we remember him – THE THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT HIM ARE A RESULT OF GOD’S WORK IN HIS LIFE… AND THE GREATNESS OF HIS CHARACTER IS A RESULT OF HIS PERSONAL DESIRE TO LIVE LIKE JESUS…

So as we reflect on PaPa, we magnify the greatness of the Lord and Savior of his life – Jesus Christ! So here are some ways that PaPa was like Jesus:

1. Just like Jesus, Papa loved to pray. Over and over in the Gospels we read about Jesus withdrawing from the crowds in order to pray. In Luke chapter 11, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray… In the same way, PaPa has taught many of us what it means to be a man of prayer.

2.Just like Jesus, Papa lived a holy life. It’s weird to say this, but none of us the grand-children can actually remember a time when PaPa sinned. Now surely, PaPa was not a sinless man like our Lord Jesus… I’m sure MeMaw could tell us a few good ones… but the point is that he lived is such a way where he turned away from sin, and toward the ways of God. He pursued holiness.

3.Just like Jesus, Papa loved little children. In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus says “let the little children come to me.” Now, we all know grouchy old men who avoid children at all costs. Papa was the opposite. He loved children and welcomed them just like Jesus.

4.Just like Jesus, Papa made strangers feel loved. We read stories in the gospels like the woman at the well… where Jesus met a woman and immediately she felt loved and known by him. For many of you in this room, PaPa was the first man to greet you when you first came to this church… You immediately felt loved and known by him. That’s because he was welcoming you just like Jesus would.

5.Just like Jesus, Papa was a servant. Matt 20:28 says that “the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We all know that PaPa was the epitome of what it meant to be a servant. Many of us would say that he was the most humble man we’ve ever known. He continually put the needs of others before his own… and in doing so, he was acting like Jesus.

6.Finally, just like Jesus, Papa loved his bride. Over and over in the New Testament, the people of God are referred to as the Bride of Christ. Simply stated Christians are the bride, and Christ is the groom. In Ephesians 5 we read these words about grooms and brides – “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church, and gave himself up for it.” So we see that the one of the primary roles of a husband is to give himself up for his bride just like Jesus did… to sacrifice for her. PaPa was a man who would sacrifice anything for his bride. He loved his wife, served his wife, and would do anything for her well being. As my Papa loved his bride this way, He was reflecting the love of His Savior – Jesus – who sacrificed his very life for his Bride by dying on the cross 2,000 years ago.

If we remember anything about PaPa today let’s remember what he would want us to remember - that all of his greatness came as a result of his great desire to live like Jesus lived… and love like Jesus loved. Praise be to God for the life he gave to my PaPa, Kenneth R. Chappell.

YES… IT’S TRUE!!!

We are welcoming Shane Claiborne, author of the Irresistable Revolution, to speak at APEX - Mon, Feb 11 at 7:30. Shane is a radical follower of Jesus who believes we should turn off our TV’s, pick up our Bibles, and rethink the way we live. He has ministered among the homeless in the inner city of Philedelphia… among the lepers in Calcutta with Mother Theresa… and even in the suburbs of Chicago with Willow Creek Community Church. He is passionate about inviting churches across the US to live in a way that displays the love of Jesus…

This event is open to all of APEX and to the general public. Admission is free, however, an offering will be taken to benefit local community organizations. Shane will give a presentation followed by a time of prayer and Q&A.

YOU NEED TO BE THERE!!!

So the other day I was at a stop light… While waiting for the red to turn green I looked over and saw a vehicle that you would describe as “pimped out”… Of course, all ghetto-fabulous vehicles must include the SPINNERS!!! You know what I’m talking about - those rims which keep on spinning even when the car is stopped… Amid the moment I had an epiphany… Let me explain:

If you think of the Church as a vehicle that is advancing the gospel from point A to point B, then you would agree that the church should always be moving. In order for the gospel to advance to new people and places the Church must be “on the move.”… This is not a complex concept:

THE CHURCH SHOULD BE MOVEMENT MINDED

The problem is that that the church tends to forget that it’s point is to be “on mission.” We get so busy focussing on our own programs, our own people, and our own buildings that we complete forget about advancing the gospel. Simply stated - the church has such a tendency to be inward, not outward. This is comparable to a car that is always kept in the garage while it’s owner continually works on it… but never drives it… Isn’t the point of the car to be driven?

THE CHRUCH SHOULD NOT BE MAINTENANCE MINDED

All of us who spend a lot of time in “churchland” would agree that things are always busy… There is always an event to plan… or a sermon to preach… or a study to lead… or a bathroom to clean… or a budget to balance… or a new technology to integrate… The list goes on and on and on… However, the point of all this is that busy-ness does not equate to movement… and doing ministry does not always equate to being missional.

CHURCH IS OFTEN JUST LIKE THE SPINNER… WE LOOK BUSY BUT WE ARE ACTUALLY STANDING STILL

Brothers and sisters - if we are to truly become the Church we must fight against the tendency to become spinners. In our attempts to become refined, relevant,trendy, and cool, we cannot forget that the movement of the gospel is the point!

Is she the world’s cutest baby girl or what???

23″Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Cumin… Who’s ever heard of cumin?

Q. What is cumin?
A. A spice… a seed… a means to add flavor to your food
Q. In what part of the world does cumin originate?
A. Egypt and the Mediterranean
Q. What types of food use a lot of cumin spice?
A. Mexican and Indian

Why would Jesus mention spices like cumin?

Because in Deut 14:22-23 God commanded His people to give a tenth of all their fields produce. Obviously mint, and dill, and cumin would be something that is produced in a field. Therefore, a good Torah-observant Jew would tithe a tenth of each. But seriously… how difficult would it be to count out a tenth of all your cumin seeds? It would be SOOO hard. But the Pharisees prided themselves on meticulously adhering to the OT Law.

THE PHARISEES WERE UNBELIEVABLY COMMITTED TO OBEYING THE MINUTE DETAILS OF THE LAW.

Why did Jesus mention justice, mercy, and faithfulness?

Jesus says that the Pharisees, who were unbelievably committed to obeying the law, missed the “more important matters” of justice, mercy, and faithfulnes… He says the should have practiced the “latter” without neglecting the “former.” In essence, Jesus is setting up 2 clear categories:

1. Former = Tithing a tenth of spices (aka - issues of personal morality )
2. Latter = practicing justice, mercy, faithfulness (aka - issues of changing the world)

PERSONAL MORALITY MATTERS, BUT SO DOES THE SUFFERING OF THE WORLD

Why does Jesus conclude with gnats and camels?

Because in Lev 11:21-23 God told His people that they were NOT to eat gnats… so the Pharisees would go to great lengths to keep them out of their food. However, a few verses prior in Lev 11:4 God also told His people that camels were off limits…

What is the point of all this?

The camel is bigger than the gnat… DUH!!!

Camel = neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness
Gnat = practicing tithes of mint, dill, and cumin

IT IS A BIGGER DEAL TO NEGLECT THE SUFFERING OF THE WORLD THAN IT IS TO PRACTICE PERSONAL MORALITY

TODAYS CHRISTIANS ARE MUCH LIKE THE PHARISEES - WE DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF PRACTICING PERSONAL MORALITY… BUT WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF FOLLOWERS OF JESUS BECAME MORE CONSUMED WITH CARING FOR THE WORLD? WHAT IF WE STARTED LIVING OUT JUSTICE, MERCY, AND FAITHFULNESS? WHAT IF OUR CHRISTIAN FOCUS BECAME OUTWARD RATHER THAN INWARD?

This is my favorite moment of 2007

The “Good News” that we’ve forgotten:
Here is the gospel of Jesus… as I understand it at this moment… and this is GOOD NEWS…

1. The world is a messed up place… (think zits, hip replacement surgery, Chernobyl, weeds in your lawn, etc…) we are imperfect people living in an imperfect place… However, that’s not how things started out to be… Man was created to be in perfect relationship with God & His creation…
2. Somewhere along the way, something went wrong… That something was Adam’s disobedience to God… The result was imperfect humanity and a break in the relationship of God and man…
3. To be united with God demands perfection - Holiness… This is why God gave his people the Law… and demanded they live by it… If they could not do so, death would be the result…
4. No person could live it out perfectly… Until Jesus came on the scene!!!
5. As the GOD-man – infinite in holiness, completely sinless, & perfectly righteous… Jesus lived perfection on behalf of all humanity… satisfying God’s demand for human perfection… for all people of all time…
6. As the GOD-man - Jesus absorbed all the sin of humanity … died on the cross while bearing it… satisfying the demand of God for death as a result of sin… for all people of all time…
7. As the GOD-man – Jesus overcame the ultimate result of sin – DEATH… He did this by rising from the grave 3 days after his crucifixion… This resurrection is the defining moment of Christianity… Believing this takes faith – since it’s not like people rise from the dead everyday… If the resurrection did not happen then all of Christianity is completely in vain – THE BIGGEST HOAX EVER!!!
8. During Jesus’ time on earth… and even after his ascention into heaven… people have been invited to be a part of His Kingdom… His kingdom on earth – The church… and His future kingdom – Heaven…
9. To be a part of the Kingdom (both present and future), we must acknowledge that our imperfection separates from a perfect God…
10. We must trust that the infinite nature of Jesus’ goodness and holiness was able to absorb the imperfection of all humanity of all time… He did this by dying on the cross…
11. We must repent from sin… and imitate the death of Jesus… How??? By dying to our human nature, fleshly desires, and sinful tendencies…
12. We must commit to living like Jesus…

AND, it’s GOOD NEWS to live like Jesus lived!!!
Don’t you agree??? Isn’t it the best possible way to live???

Jesus is way better than Barney…
Because living like Jesus means no longer being able to act like Barney… We cannot cover our eyes and ignore reality…. The gospel is loving our neighbors… The gospel is loving our enemies… The gospel is helping the sick and the poor… The gospel is sharing the message of the Kingdom…

THEOLOGY MUST BECOME ETHICS!!!
After all, James himself says – “Faith without works is dead”

Getting Very Specific:
Specifically, it got me thinking about Justice… or the lack thereof… For instance:
1. How is it that we can watch a late night infomercial about starving kids in Africa and not really care???
2. Or how can we ignore the hundreds of thousands of orphans in Africa because their parents die early due to AIDS…
3. Or how is it that I can walk by a homeless guy downtown immediately judging him as an alcoholic… meanwhile protecting the $20 in our pockets???
4. Or how is it that there are 4000 babies dying today from abortion and we just accept it as women’s rights???
5. Or how is it that a teenage girl in Uganda can be sold to a man for a few bucks as a sex slave and we just ignore and say we need to “fix things at home” first…
6. Or how is it that groups of young African boys can be abducted around age 12 and be forced to kill their friends… and we don’t even know about it…

The Point:
As Christians, we sometimes act as foolish as Barney… we must admit that we often ignore the reality of the above situations… How??? By simply avoiding them…

- Have you ever changed the channel because you didn’t want to feel guilty?
- Have you walked on the other side of the street to ignore the beggar?
- Have you ever been embarrassed of the protesters?
- Have you felt compelled to give to a mission organization, but then didn’t?
- Have you felt compelled to participate on a mission trip, but then didn’t?

Especially if we live in America, we ignore reality in order to feel OK…

But we’re not OK… I believe American Christianity owes the world a huge apology… Why??? Because we call ourselves Christians, (which means “little Christ”), and then intentionally ignore the basic messages of Jesus…

To be concluded tomorrow…

People Become Barney:
Consider this scenario – You have a baby boy… Like a good parent, you believe in feeding your child, so you do so… Now imagine being that little baby boy… You see mommy/daddy presenting you with your food day after day… The tasty daily delicacies always comes by means of this little shiny object – a spoon… So you grow to love seeing the spoon…

Now we have all watched little kids laugh hilariously when mom or dad do that little thing where they put the spoon in front of their kid’s face, then remove it quickly… Kind of teasing their child in a joking way… Hopefully you know what I’m describing…

The reason a little child laughs so hard is because they really believe that the spoon is appearing and disappearing… Their mental capacity actually makes them think that the spoon exists when they can see it… but when they can’t see it, they no longer believe it exists… Kind of like Barney…

Mental Maturity/Immaturity allows you to discern truth from lies…

Getting a Little more Personal:

In the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the author goes to great lengths to talk about the basics of making money… It’s a great read… very helpful to me while I was in my early 20’s… One thing I’ll always remember is one little section that talked about how people will start to believe HUGE lies in the hopes of making lots of $$$… This is why people often fall for scams and such… because of the HOPE of making lots of $$$…

They start to revert back to mental immaturity in hopes of getting something they really want!!!

Or stated another way – we ignore reality in order to better ourselves…

Tying It All In:All this talk of Barney, spoons, and money scams got me thinking…

It got me thinking that I am Barney…
I am the kid who thought the spoon disappeared…
I am the adult who got suckered into a money scam…

I AM THE ONE WHO HAS IMMATURELY IGNORED REALITY

More to come tomorrow…