Champion Over the Grave
Notes
Transcript
The entire month of March we have been exploring that Jesus is the CHAMPION!!! Champion of the Marginalized, the Oppressed, the Lost, the Truth, Over Sin and now this morning OVER THE GRAVE.
The key is that the all the other areas where He is Champion hinges on this morning - that HE IS CHAMPION OVER THE GRAVE!!!
Thank you Student Ministries for reminding us that HE HAS WON!!!!!
Therefore I am going to keep it simple today...
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
Jesus set people free while He walked this earth, but the key is that He is still setting people free - but most of all HE SET THOSE BOUND BY DEATH and who could be bound by death FREE!!!!
I am going to discuss some basic but very important information this morning...
1.Jesus Laid Down His Life and the Devil Killed Him
1.Jesus Laid Down His Life and the Devil Killed Him
- Satan thought he had won the victory - but this was God the Father’s plan all along!!!
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Gen 3:15 tells us that the serpent would bruise the heel of man - in prophetic reference to the killing of Christ - this is the moment in time of its occurrence -
however - Satan thought he had won but in this moment he really lost!!!
Jesus had satisfied the price of all mankind’s sin!
His perfect, sinless blood shed for the forgiveness of all who would believe and confess Him as Lord of their lives.
Jesus had crushed the head of the serpent when He died - because He had overcome the curse of death caused by sin...
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
That is right! The death of Christ satisfied the wages of sin - and instead replaces it with eternal life to all who confess and BELIEVE!!! and live their life that what Christ taught us is TRUTH!
Yes, Satan killed Jesus, but in reality, Jesus laid down His life to pay the price for our sin!
What a CHAMPION!
2. Jesus Descended Into Hell Setting Free Captives and Retrieving the Keys to the Grave
2. Jesus Descended Into Hell Setting Free Captives and Retrieving the Keys to the Grave
The Bible is very clear that there is a very real place called SHEOL, the Greeks said Hades --- it is the grave, it is where all of mankind goes at the end of this shortened life here on earth. NONE escapes, and all are appointed to die once.
Sheol was necessary to hold the spirits of ALL who died. It was part of the punishment and the curse of sin. Man was created to be with God and commune with God, but man was separated from God when sin entered the world in the Garden.
Now man was condemned to die for that sin, and still remain apart from the presence of God.
However, there is a paradise side of Sheol for those who followed God’s law and demonstrated Faith - and there was a side of destruction - also called Abaddon - and torment. A place of punishment for those who rejected Gods’ plan.
Ever wonder what went on Saturday - Jesus was setting the captives free!
That is right - He was emptying the captives from Paradise so they could enter into the Presence of God.
You see, the death on the cross satisfied the penalty of sin for all who came before Christ, lived with Him and who would come after Him, if they believe, confess and surrender to His Lordship!
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
This is why Jesus came!!!
He however knew that Death would not hold Him!!!
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
This verse refers to Jesus quoting the Psalmist prophetic Word - that He would conquer the grave and rise again!
And as much as He would not remain in the grave, neither would those in faith who died before Him...
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—
8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
He led a crowd of captives from Sheol into the very presence of God!!!!
Even the godly before experienced resurrection — ponder this verse in Matt 27
52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.
Now we are told by Christ Himself
18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
You see Jesus is the CHAMPION OVER THE GRAVE — HE CONQUERED Death and the Grave and now holds the KEYS for all who follow Him to live ETERNALLY!!!
and all who die with faith in Christ now go directly into the presence of God...
8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
Isn’t that the desire of humanity - to never die, but live eterenally? Not an eternal state of this imperfect body and world, but in the restored state of creation - in perfection and justice without sickness, or hate, or evil. This is the promise of ETERNITY WITH CHRIST!
Just remember:
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.
13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.
14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
This tells us that those who do not have faith in Jesus or set Him as Lord of their life are still destined for the grave and eternal judgment...
3. Jesus Rose from the Grave and Ascended into Heaven
3. Jesus Rose from the Grave and Ascended into Heaven
YES - Jesus ROSE AGAIN! HE is ALIVE FOREVER !!!
1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.
3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.
7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
You see, Christ having risen from the dead means one day His church will as well!
22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
So the Christian will live eternally while those who reject God’s plan of salvation will be punished…
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Do not be deceived, God will not be mocked.
Having not only CHAMPIONED THE GRAVE through His RESURRECTION - Jesus ascended into heaven - as all sacrifices for sin, needing to be accepted by the Father, and there He sits at the right hand of God the Father....
From there He intercedes on behalf of those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior, and one day He will judge the world according to their faith and acceptance or rejection of Him.
For those of us who follow…Jesus tells us
1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.
He is Champion for eternity!!!
Conclusion
Conclusion
The question today is what will you do with Christ.
Jesus does not want you to simply say a prayer and go on your way and think all is ok!
He wants you to follow Him, to surrender to His way of living and Lordship
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
Jesus wants you to follow Him, and learn from Him and obey Him...
Therein is a promise of ETERNAL LIFE - because HE IS CHAMPION OVER THE GRAVE!