Sabbath: Christ’s Victory Over Death
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Matthew 27:62-66; John 10:17-18; Matthew 27:51-53; John 20:11-29; 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.
Memory Text: “When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, ’Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead’” (Revelation 1:17-18, , NCV).
Central to the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. Paul made this point very powerfully when he wrote: “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:16-18, NKJV). We will look at this in more detail next week.
Thus, no matter all the emphasis Paul put on Christ’s death, and how important it was — “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, NKJV) — it really does us no good apart from His resurrection. That’s how crucial the resurrection of Jesus is to the entire Christian faith and the plan of salvation.
However, it’s hard to understand why the resurrection of Christ and with it our resurrection are so important if, as many believe, the dead in Christ are already enjoying the bliss of heaven as they have “gone home to be with the Lord.”
All that aside, this week we will look at Christ’s resurrection and all the convincing evidence He gave us to believe in it.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 12.
—In Exodus 3:1-6, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God when the Lord appeared to him from a burning bush.
—Isaiah 6:5, when the prophet saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, he cried out “woe is me”! For I am lost…for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
—Daniel 10:8-12, when Daniel received a vision of a glorious Christ, his strength left him. He fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground. However,the angel touched him and told him not to fear.
—In our memory text, Rev 1:17-18, John’s dramatic response to seeing the glorious Son of God and Jesus’ comforting actions and words. Jesus also describes Himself and repeats the command to John to write what he has seen, the present things and what lay in the future.
***Jesus’s victory over death is central to Christian faith.
***Christ’s victory over death is where all the wounds of sin are healed (guilt,anxiety,depression,anger or whatever).
***Jesus Christ’s victory over death is eternal life for us, as God’s free gift in Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6:23)
Love you all and may God be the glory💙💙💙
—In Exodus 3:1-6,Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God when the Lord appeared to him from a burning bush.
—Isaiah 6:5,when the prophet saw the Lord sitting upon a thron,high and lifted up,he cried out “woe is me”!For I am lost…for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
—Daniel 10:8-12,when Daniel received a vision of a glorious Christ, his strength left him.He fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground.However,the angel touched him and told him not to fear.
—In our memory text,Rev 1:17-18,John’s dramatic response to seeing the glorious Son of God and jesus comforting action and words.Jesus also describes Himself and repeat the command to John to write what he has seen,the present things and what lay in the future.
***Jesus’s victory over death is central to Christian faith.
***Christ’s victory over death is where all the wounds of sin are healed(guilt,anxiety,depression,anger or whatever)
***Jesus Christ’s victory over death is eternal life for us as God’s free gift in Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6:23)
Love you all and may God be the glory💙💙💙
Yes, indeed, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” – 1Cor.15:16-18. From the Beginning, man existed in this world as a living soul, made in the Image of the Creator, yearning to live and not die. This re-assurance is given to the believer of the Christian Faith!
I agree with the lesson writer that Paul’s statement – 1Cor.2:2, “does us no good apart from His resurrection. That’s how crucial the resurrection of Jesus is to the entire Christian faith and the plan of Salvation.” I am looking forward to the Scriptures expounding on ‘Christ victory over death.’