Conquering The Fear Of Death

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
–Romans 8:1

Faith helped Moses overcome the fear of loss and the fear of other people. There is a third fear that Moses learned to conquer through faith: the fear of death. Hebrews 11:28 says, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that He who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.”

Exodus 12 contains the story of the last plague God sent to Egypt. God said, in essence, “I am going to send the death angel throughout Egypt to kill the firstborn of every house. But there is one way to escape My judgment: if you take the blood of an innocent lamb and place it on the doorposts of your home, when I see that blood I will pass over you in judgment.”

I am sure some people argued with Moses when he relayed God’s instructions. “Just the blood of a lamb? That cannot be enough! Don’t we need to make more sacrifices? Don’t we need to take some kind of oath before God? Don’t we need to learn to be kinder to the Egyptians? Surely there is something else we have to do.” No, God said there was only one way to be saved from the plague: the blood of an innocent lamb.

God’s provision for the Israelites to escape the plague foreshadowed His provision for every one of us to escape the judgment for our sins. You see, the Bible says we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and the punishment for sin is eternity in hell (Matthew 25:46). Maybe you are fearful of death because you wonder, “What awaits me on the other side of the grave–if anything? How can I know for sure I am going to be welcomed into God’s presence instead of sent to hell?”

There are not many ways to escape that judgment; there is only one way: by believing and trusting in Jesus, the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. The Bible says the instant that you put your faith in Jesus Christ, God no longer sees your sin; He sees the blood of His Son, and He passes over you in judgment. Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

If you are fearful of death, there is only one antidote: faith in God’s provision for your sin–His Son, Jesus Christ.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Fearless Faith” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2020.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org