The Cross and the Resurrection in the Revelation of Jesus

“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.--Revelation 1:18 (NKJV)


“Behold, I Am Alive Forevermore.” With those words Christ gives affirmation to the truth we gather to celebrate at this time each year.
All we can do in light of the Resurrection is to simply give thanks to God. We can certainly be grateful for the things Christ did, witnessed to in the Word: that He cleansed the lepers; that the deaf were made to hear; that sight was given to the blind; that the dumb could speak; that there was comfort for the sad, acceptance for the outcast, and hope for the hopeless.
But His sacrificial death and Resurrection are the things He did most worthy of our praise and thanks, for without a cross and a Resurrection; there would not even be a church.

“I Am He Who Lives, And Was Dead.” The cross is the center of our faith. It is where the Love of God was shown and our lives were redeemed. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the culmination of all that gave meaning to His life. His last words from the cross were, “It is finished.” We miss the mark if we fail to understand that His death was His greatest purpose in life. When we understand that, then we begin to understand why so many false teachings raise objections to Christ’s death and/or His Resurrection. The truth of the Gospel witness must stand or fall at these two points: 1) Did Jesus in fact die on a cross? 2) Was He in fact raised from the dead?
There are those that suggest that Jesus did not really die, but only swooned, or fainted, on the cross. This theory also suggests that He was revived by the coolness of the tomb, and got up, rolled away the stone, and walked out. That’s a pretty slick trick for a man who had been beaten half to death, lost large amounts of blood, had spikes driven through his feet, and had a spear thrust through His heart. No, His death was real. Not only was His death real, but it was the worst kind of death we can imagine. And this death was made even more hideous for Him, when we consider who He is. If this was the worst death that could happen to a human being then how much more gruesome for one that was the very Son of God, the King of glory. What a stark opposite there is between the glories of heaven and the place called Skull Hill. His death was not only real, it was more real than any death ever before. Not only was His death real, it was done voluntarily. When we finally understand the hideousness of this death and we understand it was done by Christ’s willing choice, we will finally understand the agony of Gethsemane. He willingly chose to take our sins upon Himself and die for us but that also meant He willingly allowed himself to be separated from His Heavenly Father. The literal meaning of our free translation of “I was dead” is “I BECAME dead.” There is voluntariness and willingness wrapped up within that idea of becoming. Christ Himself witnessed to His own voluntary offering of Himself beforehand, in His statement, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself”; and on the cross, when His life is not taken away from Him, but He says rather, “Into your hands I commend my Spirit.”

“I Am Alive Forevermore” Not only do we have the certainty of the death of Christ here, but we also have the certainty of His Resurrection. They rolled a stone in front of the tomb—they put a seal on the tomb—they stationed soldiers—but the grave could not hold Him. There have been some objections that “Jesus wasn’t the first to come back.” The examples given are the Shunammite woman’s son, Jairus’s daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus. But the one significant difference between Jesus and all those others is that they all RETURNED to the grave. Jesus says in this text in Revelation, “I am alive FOREVERMORE.” His Resurrection to a heavenly existence with a glorified body is not to be confused with previous resurrections of earthly bodies to an earthly existence.

“I Have The Keys Of Hades And Of Death” Jesus is the Lord over death and the grave. We certainly have in this passage several powerful statements concerning the risen Lord. But not only does He say: “I am the first and the last”; “I am He who lives”; “I am He who was dead”; and “I am alive forevermore.” He also says: “I have the keys.” I am reminded of a game we used to play when I was a Boy Scout, called “Capture the Flag.” The object of the game was to sneak into the enemy’s territory and steal the flag and get back to your own territory without being captured. If captured, you would be placed in an area that served as a prison. The game ended when someone stole the other team’s flag and made it back safely. The inevitable shout at the end of the game was, “I’ve got the flag! I’ve got the flag!” All the prisoners would then be freed, and victory was declared. In a manner of speaking, that is exactly what Jesus did by His death and Resurrection. He went into the enemy’s camp, stole the keys, and came back. And here in this passage, He makes the proclamation of victory: “I have the keys!” The prisoners are freed, the grave is no longer a prison-house to which death holds the key and Death need no longer be feared.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2:14,15

Jesus Christ took the worst symbol of suffering ever known on earth—the cross—and made it a symbol of the greatest triumph. He took the thing that gives greatest fear—death—and made it the doorway to our greatest hope. Praise God for a risen, living Lord!

Living Hope

1PE 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

I love the fact that the believer has hope. This hope is given to us a gift from our heavenly Father. The grounds of the hope is because of his abundant mercy. It is in His mercy that we find hope. It begins with the hope of salvation that is found in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
We can also see the character of that hope. It is a lively hope. This means that it is living and full of life. That in itself causes it to be bright, active, and filled with joy. It springs up like a fountain and it is continually fresh when we draw from it. The hope of unjust men dies... When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of the unjust perishes. Proverbs 11:7 Hitler would be a prime example. He saw all that he had hoped to build fall apart around him. When there was no hope left for him he committed suicide. Our hope will never perish. The difference for us is the means by which we were begotten into the hope… the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Why does that bring hope? It is because we have a risen savior. Because our savior has risen we have a different life. “For our life is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”: (PHI 3:20) and we are looking for Him, who is our hope. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (TIT 2:13)
Because I have a risen Savior I can trust every word He says because He said He would be killed but also He would rise again. If he didn't He is a liar and can't be trusted. But He did rise and I can trust his words. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the father but by me.” (John14:26) The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) I can trust in the hope that I have in Him.
This means that I have access to the throne of God. EPH 2:18 says that: ...through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. EPH 3:12 says that we have... boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. HEB.4:16 tells us to… come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
It also means I am rescued from the wrath to come. Paul wrote: For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thes. 1:9-10 ) He also said in the same letter, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thes. 4:14-16)
This is the hope we live in. Walk daily in that hope!

The Fathers Heart

Luke 15:20-24 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

This passage is from the very well know parable that Jesus told about the prodigal son. Many times the emphasis is placed upon the return of the son and the Father’s acceptance of him. This gives those that have been distant from God the hope of returning. They see that they can find forgiveness. It helps us in forgiving those that backslide.
What we really must take notice of is the Fathers Heart because in this we see the heart of the Father. Notice first that He was watching for him – While he was still a great way off his father saw him. God watches for our return. It is His desire. He employs the Holy Spirit to convince our heart to return to Him. And the Father had compassion for him. He had pity for His son. He saw his condition and had compassion. And so our heavenly Father saw our condition. We were lost and without hope and while we were yet sinners He sent Jesus to die for us. It hurts to see our kids goof up. Often the pain we feel is because of the condition they have brought upon themselves. In an even greater way God sees our condition and His heart hurts for us. This is why He is so persistent in bringing conviction by the Holy Spirit.
We also see that the Father ran to his son. No matter how far you go from God, the moment you turn towards Him, He is there, ready to forgive and restore. God is ready to embrace you. The father in Jesus Parable fell on his neck (which means that he threw his arms around his neck and embraced him, or as a friend of mines says, “hugged ya good”. And he kissed him! Hugs and kisses for this kid that just came from the pig parlor! The context of the sentence means to kiss earnestly or to kiss much. The kiss was used of the father to the prodigal as a sign of acceptance and reconciliation.
Now the son came back with a repentant heart. He did not come as a son but came with the desire of being a servant. His Father heard his confession and chose to forgive and restore him – beyond what he expected. His Father gave him the best and beyond what he expected. When we come back to God with a heart of repentance God does so much more than we ever expect. It is His delight to restore us, not as servant, but as children. He will accept our service but He sees us as His children.
When the father restored him he did not just let the son come home. He let the son know how he saw him. God does the same. The “robe” restored him to a position of son-ship and honor. For us, it is symbolized by being clothed with the righteousness of Christ. It reminds us of where we are now and calls us to holy living.
And the Father gave him a ring and shoes. The “ring” restored him to a position of authority. The son was now to represent the father and his kingdom. The “shoes” the father gave him immediately restored and elevated him above servanthood, which means he became a free man. The Father has given us shoes and as children we are now shod with shoes to carry the gospel of peace wherever we go. We are free, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).“As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).
And finally there is the celebration. This pictures reconciliation, full acceptance, and the great joy of the occasion. The father fed the son and celebrated his son’s return. Both facts are important. All that a child of God needs is fed to him. He is fully accepted into the family; therefore, all the food of heaven is laid out before him. It is there to nourish him. But even more: there was celebration and great joy over the son’s return. The whole household celebrated in joy. But the greatest joy was the fathers. It is also the heavenly Father’s great joy when one returns. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10
The Father’s Heart is one of Compassion and Restoration. It is a generous heart that rejoices in giving mercy and grace. It is a heart that seeks to have the broken hearts return to Him and rejoices when they do. Let us seek to have that same heart and make sure that we do not take His Heart for granted.

Bridleing the Tongue

One of the cool things I see about James and the other writers of the New Testament is that they include themselves in their admonitions. James says, “For we all stumble in many things.” He does not exalt himself above his students or to the people he is writing to but stands, conscious of his own weaknesses. Yet he is ready to follow his own instruction.

We all stumble. No one is exempt. Everyone must heed these words. That is because we all stumble at many things…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everyone must be careful of their tongue and recognize the danger that they can do with it or they will continue to stumble and do damage if they don’t (or refuse to) see or acknowledge it.

There is a danger in justifying what is said or the tone in which it is said. Instead of using soft and healing words we can be guilty of using harsh and hurtful ones. Some folks want to call it being strong or honest but in fact they can be neither. Something can be said that is true but how we say it can reveal our motive for saying it. Gal 6:1 says if we see someone in a fault we should seek to restore them. All too often we want to punish them. We may use correct words but still with harshness. Many times our tone reveals our motive for saying anything.

In vs.3 and 4, James uses the visual of a bridle and a rudder of a ship to illustrate the need to get a handle on our tongue. The bridle is used to control the direction of the horse, the whole horse. The same is of the rudder with a whole ship. But a steady hand must be kept on both at all times or they can both drift or, in a sudden situation go in a direction that was not intended. If something startles the horse or a sudden squall comes up on the lake or the sea and there is no steady hand then things get out of control quickly. The same is true for the tongue. We need to be careful to “keep a hand” on our tongue at all times so that it doesn’t get out of control when we are in a sudden situation. We also need to be careful that it doesn’t drift into places it does not belong. We need to stay on course. This takes a watchful eye and a steady hand on our tongue at all times. Not ours…but the hand of the Captain of our soul. It takes listening to His direction and cautions to keep us on course and moving on the right path. He will let us know if our grip is too loose or too lax on our tongue. It doesn’t have to be tight or taut so much as it just needs to be firm and steady. If we look to Him we can learn to have just the right grip and move a little closer to being perfect.

Stricter Judgment

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. James 3:1

So you want to be a teacher, huh? Are you ready for the judgment? This verse is part of the passage that speaks about the tongue and the use of it. The teacher uses words to instruct as well as counsel and minister to others. The one that would “teach”(on any level) must be careful of what he says because there is judgment on several levels
He is judged by those that he teaches. Does he live by the words that he uses to instruct? Does he pursue the direction that he points to? Those that hear his words will judge the validity of those words by how the teacher lives.
If his listeners are discerning then they will, by a good teacher’s own instruction, judge the teachers words against the bible. Not the verses that he uses but his explanation of them
He will be judged by his peers. Fellow teachers are also fellow students. They will judge his words by their own study of the bible. Some things may be opinion but another teacher will be quick to spot something out of context or a concept that is taught and has nothing to do with the passage being considered. If a teacher only concerns himself with the thought of being true to God’s word and the sense of it, if his goal is to please God first and foremost, then he has nothing to fear and will welcome the judgment of God. He can stand in the face of his peers or his students and hold his ground, if he must but he must also be willing to change it as well if he sees that he has been wrong and flawed in what he taught. He can be confident that what he teaches his “students” is correct and does not worry about acceptance or rejection because he pleases the Master. He has surrendered his own tongue to the one that has created it

Confidence

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6

There are times when we just don’t seem to be making progress in our spiritual life. It is good to know that when God starts a project that He sees it to its completion.

God started something in our life. It was a new life, created in Christ Jesus and we are His workmanship.(Eph.2:10). He continues this work throughout the rest of our life until we are finished with our race and go to meet Him face to face.

The Life Application Notes say: “God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Paul is describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus and continues until Christ returns.”

God is working in each of our lives. He is causing us to grow in grace and faith. He is knocking off the rough edges, smoothing us out and polishing us up until the day His work in us is complete. Don’t be discouraged when things are not going fast enough. Just relax and stop working so hard and just allow the growth to just blossom. When was the last time you heard a flower grunting and groaning and working at trying to bloom? It just does. Even in the desert, in the harshest of circumstances a flower grows...and without working is beautiful, as God created it to be.

Remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When you feel imperfect, inadequate, or painfully aware of your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.

Love..and Obedience

John 14:14-26 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

In this passage two things are connected for us by Jesus, Love...and Obedience. If a person loves Jesus, he will keep the commandments of Jesus. Literally, what Jesus is saying is, "If you keep loving me" you will keep my commands.
Obedience does not bring love; it is love that will bring obedience. In other words, continued love prevents disobedience. It seems that obedience is the indicator of our love for Jesus. I don’t know how many times I have heard it said...He (or she) really loves the Lord ...but…It is the conjunction but, that changes everything. It is a word that is used to indicate an exception. They love the Lord...but they are living together…violating His word. They love the Lord…but they refuse to forgive someone for having done something to them. They love the Lord…but they continue to live to themselves, their own way and doing their own thing. We often use this to describe a person that we like/or love and we don’t want to admit that by their lifestyle, they are in rebellion to God. Why is it that we say that we love Jesus…and we would do anything…even die for Him and yet we cannot or will not do what it takes to live for Him…do obey His word?
There are two things we need to understand about this obedience and love. The first is that obedience is not optional for believers. Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” This is the correct translation. Jesus is not giving an optional commandment, “If you love me, and it is comfortable, and it fits into your life style, then keep my commandments.” He is saying that the man or woman who truly loves Him will keep His commandments. To the believer, there is no option. He loves Jesus; therefore, he keeps His commandments. By doing this the believer is not claiming perfection, but he or she is claiming to love Jesus and to believe with all his heart that Jesus is the Son of God. The believer may fail, they may fall but it is not a life style. The believer doesn’t excuse sin and doesn’t ignore sin. Instead, the believer makes it a life’s goal to please Jesus in all that is said and done. It is the heart’s desire of the believer to please Jesus.
What it means to love Jesus must be clearly understood. To love Jesus is not an emotional thing. Don’t get me wrong. it involves emotions, but it is not based upon emotions. It is not about feelings. Otherwise my life becomes confusing and up and down. If I am feeling good today I am loving Jesus, and feeling bad tomorrow I am not loving Jesus. Loving Jesus is not a changeable experience and it is not an up and down emotion. It is not an emotional love that changes with feelings. To love Jesus is not just a rational or mental commitment. Of course it involves the mind, but it is not just deciding that Jesus is the Son of God and adopting His teachings and morality as one’s standard in life. It is not just living by His teachings and doing the best a person can. It is not a matter of the mind alone, not a matter of disciplining one’s life to keep the law and its rules and regulations.
To love Jesus is a matter of the heart and of the spirit: a matter of man’s most vital part, man’s innermost being, all that a man is. The heart is the seat of man’s affection and will (devotion). The heart attaches and focuses our affection and will and devotion to an object or a person. The heart causes a man to will to give himself either to good or bad. To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart and affections and will (his devotion) upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. It means that a man gives his affection and will, all he is and has to Jesus Christ. It means he... freely accepts Jesus. If we freely accept Jesus, why is it that we fight Him so much for control?
To love Jesus means that we sacrificially give all we are and have to Jesus. But just giving worldly goods and giving of your time is not enough if you are going to hold back on the rest of your life and continue in your own sin and rebellion. Rebellion doesn’t necessarily always look like rebellion. At least we don’t think it does. If sin dominates our lives then it is the sin that is loved more than the Lord no matter how much we want to convince ourselves otherwise. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments were:
And to love Him (God) with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12:33 (NKJV) All have sinned and fallen short,(Rom 3:23) but God’s grace is greater. But God’s grace should cause us to love Him all the more, not become an excuse to sin.