Stay Down! Ok, Get Up. REPOST

Keys of Death and Hades

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
 Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
 Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today
By: Charles Wesley, 1707-1778

Listen as you read.  This is a neat orchestral karaoke version.

Below is video content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Please enjoy this podcast and the transcript below.

On Tuesday we considered how Christ finished the work the Father had given Him to do thus opening paradise.  He did this by defeating death.  Today we are going to think about a couple ways that defeat is described in lines 2 and 3 of this stanza.

What Battle?

Descended into…

The hymn alludes to a battle, so you may wonder what battle is it talking about?  Some have likened this to the idea that Christ descended into hell, which is expressed in some versions of the Apostles Creed with the words “he descended into hell.”  There are a few different Scriptures that can be interpreted to support this, but none of them explicitly state this, so it is a bit of a stretch.

One other way of making sense of the line in the creed is to acknowledge there were different versions, some not including this line.  Some newer versions substitute dead for hell, which is probably a more accurate acknowledgement of the fact that in the ancient world Hades was often equated with the grave, rather than hell.

For all this controversy, there is no debate among Christians as to whether Jesus descended into the grave.  It is clearly described in a number of the gospel accounts, and helps to clear up the possible confusion.  Either way, it is widely accepted that Jesus defeated death based on a number of different verses, not the least of which are Jesus’ own words.

[The Son of Man] laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”  Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV

Arm Wrestling

In these verses, John has a vision of Jesus as the Son of Man.  Jesus declares He died, but is alive forever, and that overcoming death has earned Him the keys of Death and Hades.  

I think of it like arm wrestling.  Jesus fought Death for the right to have final authority over Death.  Jesus won the match or battle, so He gets to keep the keys, saying effectively who comes and goes.  You can not take someone’s keys unless you have authority over them.  

Thank Jesus for winning that battle.

Stay Down!  Ok, Get Up.

Jesus demonstrates His victory over death through His resurrection.  Can you imagine what that must have been like?  For a couple days Death thought it had won.  Then on the third day, there was an earthquake and everything changed.  It is as if Death tried to tell him, “Stay down!”, until it realized it had no dominion over Him, so it conceded with “Ok, get up.”

He did die, but now He lives.  I like how these verses say it with the double doubles of “he died he died” and “he lives he lives.”

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. Romans 6:9-10 ESV

We are invited into a similar transaction, dying to sin and living to God.  As we enter into that activity by faith, we ensure that Death will have no dominion over us either.  Like Christ, we may very well descend into a grave, but also like Him we will leave it behind one day.

Thank Jesus for making that possible.

Alleluia!

Jesus, thank You for fighting the fight and winning the battle with death.  Thank You for demonstrating your victory by rising to life, and giving me the hope I will as well, even if I die.  Until then, may Your resurrection power be at work in me helping me to live for Your glory.  In Jesus name.   Amen.

Grateful Thinking!

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Podcast 40.3 (5.3 Replayed)

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”… When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28, 30 ESV

Jesus went to the cross out of love and obedience to the Father.  He went there to redeem us by offering His life as a perfect sacrifice.  He finished His work.  Give Him praise!  

  Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

[The Son of Man] laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV

John has a vision of Jesus as the Son of Man.  Jesus declares He died, but is alive forever, and that overcoming death has earned Him the keys of Death and Hades.  You can not take someone’s keys unless you have authority over them.  Thank Jesus for winning that battle. 

Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. Romans 6:9-10 ESV

Death no longer has dominion over Him.  His life was not taken from Him, instead He willingly laid it down, then took it up again.  He rose to life and invites us into that life.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live your life to God, like Jesus, our Risen Lord.

  Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 ESV

One thief on the cross beside Jesus chose to acknowledge Him for who He was by rebuking the other thief, and followed it with a simple request, remember me.  Christ has opened paradise to all who will acknowledge Him for who He is.  How can you acknowledge Him today? Not sure? Ask Him to show you.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
  Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
  Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time,
Be Resonant.

The post Stay Down! Ok, Get Up. REPOST appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Keys of Death and Hades – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SMPOf55v3c
Descended into… – https://avondhupress.ie/easter-celebrates-undying-flame-life/empty-tomb-of-jesus-at-night/
Arm Wrestling – http://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/arm-wrestling.html

Tomb Borrower Defeats Grave REPOST

Empty Tomb

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
 Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
 Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today
By: Charles Wesley, 1707-1778

Listen as you read.  This is a short but beautiful cello version.

Below is video content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Please enjoy this podcast and the transcript below. It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Let’s think about this.  He is alive because He has the authority to take His life up again after He laid it down.  He had to lay it down because our sin had a consequence.  The consequence was death.

Borrowed Tomb

There is a powerful line in a song we sang on Easter Sunday called Resurrecting, from Elevation Worship.

The tomb where soldiers watched in vain,
  was borrowed for three days.
His body there would not remain.
  Our God has robbed the grave.

Where Thy Victory, O Grave?

Who borrows a tomb?  Only someone who knows they will be able to return it, having only needed it for a short time.  Jesus had a grave, but the Father robbed it.

Though when we sing this powerful stanza we are asking the rhetorical question, “Where thy victory, O grave?”, it could just as well be Jesus making the inquiry.   In fact, He had already asked those questions through the prophet Hosea hundreds of years before.

I will set these people free from the power of the grave.
    I will save them from death.
Death, where are your plagues?
    Grave, where is your power to destroy?  Hosea 13:14 NIrV

The grave thought it had defeated Christ, but it was only a fleeting illusion.  He conquered the grave when He left it empty.  Alleluia!  Take a moment and thank Jesus for leaving that tomb empty, and in so doing, giving you hope you will one day do the same.

Dying Once

Some versions of this stanza say “Dying once” instead of “Once He died”.  That is the one I am more familiar with so I like how it rolls off the tongue, possibly more from familiarity, but I have to admit the one here is actually more clear.  He was not dying once, he died once.  And He did so, because He had to.

Consider these two Scriptures.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

We have all sinned.  The wages of sin, what you get for doing it, is death.  Ergo, we all have earned the right to die.  Jesus traded us what He deserved, life eternal, for what we deserved, death.  His death dealt with sin, once for all.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.    Hebrews 9:28

Sacrificial Lamb

When Jesus died once for all He was satisfying the wrath of God in a way the sacrificial system of the Old Testament could never do.  The Tabernacle/Temple sacrifices had to be repeated  over and over because they could not really deal with sin by perfecting the conscience of the worshipper.  Hebrews 9 explains this beautifully, but these two verses capture it well.

Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  Hebrews 9:25-26

Once for All

Only Jesus was able to offer the perfect sacrifice.  Thanks be to God, He did!  Take a moment and thank Jesus for dying once, and in so doing, saving you for the wages of sin and offering you the gift of God, eternal life.

Alleluia!

Jesus, thank You thank You for offering the perfect sacrifice, once for all, to save me from my sin.  Thank You for demonstrating victory of the grave by leaving that tomb empty.  I will ever sing praises to Your matchless name.  Alleluia!   In Jesus name.   Amen.

Grateful Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 40.2 (5.2 Replayed)

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 ESV

Jesus Christ is alive again.  Because He lives, we have a living hope into which we have been born again.  Our Father’s great mercy has accomplished this.  Bless Him for raising Jesus and in so doing, giving us life and hope and peace.

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:  “Death is swallowed up in victory.”“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 ESV

What an incredible rhetorical question!  What a remarkable statement of faith!  Jesus’ body having perished, put on the imperishable, and in so doing, swallowed up death in victory. Even though we may die, we will live.  Alleluia! 

Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!

 

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 ESV

He accomplished His Father’s will, and will come a second time, having dealt with sin, to save us.  And who are we?  Those who are eagerly waiting for Him.  You may be waiting, but are you eager?  Ask Him to make you eager.

Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV 

You have victory over sin, death and the grave.  You could never have accomplished this, but Jesus already did.  Thank Him.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
  Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
  Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.