Saturday, April 15, 2006
Holy Saturday, Easter Eve - Rest and Descent
Read: I Peter 3:19-22
...also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... (I Pet. 3:19).
In between the services of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Saturday gets
little notice or recognition. It is, however, a most opportune time to address a
little-publicized event that is recorded in I Peter 3 and the Apostles' Creed: in
between “was crucified, dead and buried” and “the third day He rose again from
the dead,” you find, “He descended into hell.”
There He is, in hell. Why?
Why does Jesus do anything and everything? He does it for you.
He is not there to suffer. He has already suffered an eternity of hell on the
cross, because it was there that God forsook His Son and damned Him for the
sins of the world. By the time Jesus died on the cross, the judgment was done
and the sacrifice complete. “It is finished,” preached the Lord, and “Father, into
Your hands I commend My spirit.”
No, Jesus is not there to suffer. He descends into hell to demonstrate His
complete victory over His enemies—your enemies.
Historically, wars on earth usually involve land: one army is here, the other
is there, and each one tries to rob the other of real estate. Everyone knows that
an army has won the victory when its commander can march into the enemy's
palace and sit in their king's throne. Like a high-stakes game of “capture the
flag,” it indicates that the foe is defeated. A recent parallel would be the famous
scene of U.S. Forces entering Baghdad and toppling the statue of Saddam
Hussein, signifying the end of his oppressive regime.
If hell is the one place where the Lord is absent with grace, one would think
it could be the last stronghold of opposition. Here, the devil and his angels
could plot their comeback strategy and operate at least upon on the pretense of
power. But it is not so; and to demonstrate His complete victory for you, Jesus
marches into hell to proclaim His victory over sin and grave, devil and hell.
When the Lord puts His name on you in Baptism, the devil paints you with a
bullseye. He will use every affliction possible to convince you that the Lord is
weak or uncaring or angry. You must always remember that the devil is a liar.
And when he whispers such temptations into your ear, remember the descent
into hell. You are no match for the evil one; but so thoroughly is Satan beaten
that Christ can march into hell, declare His victory and the devil's defeat...and
then march right back out again.
The old evil foe has been toppled, and he will never have any power again.
That victory is yours in Christ, who descended into hell and declared His
victory for you.
---------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, Good Friday, I went to the Tre Ore Service and Good Friday Vespers. The extended readings of the passion account from the Gospel of John, combined with the Reproaches, had its desired effect I think. I was reminded that what happened on the cross was not just something that happened 2000 years ago in a land on the other side of the world, but it was done because of me, and for me. The love of God in Christ, for us, is a thing to glorious to comprehend. Even though I cannot understand it, I certainly accept it and rejoice in it.
Today is the 50th anniversary of my baptism. I am convinced that this was an act by God, wherein He adopted me into His family as a son. I think it is very important to see it in this way, not as some declaration I make announcing my faith in God to the world, but as an act of the gracious God saving me from my sins. As is said in the Small Chatechism, By nature I am spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God, as the Scriptures teach; therefore, "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him."
1 Cor. 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of
God, for they.are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
Eph. 2:1 You were dead in your transgressions and sins.
Rom. 8:7 The sinful mind is hostile to God.
Eph. 2:8-9 By grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.
1 Cor. 12:3 No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
See here for an explanation of baptism. ¶ 4/15/2006 08:09:00 AM
Read: I Peter 3:19-22
...also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... (I Pet. 3:19).
In between the services of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Saturday gets
little notice or recognition. It is, however, a most opportune time to address a
little-publicized event that is recorded in I Peter 3 and the Apostles' Creed: in
between “was crucified, dead and buried” and “the third day He rose again from
the dead,” you find, “He descended into hell.”
There He is, in hell. Why?
Why does Jesus do anything and everything? He does it for you.
He is not there to suffer. He has already suffered an eternity of hell on the
cross, because it was there that God forsook His Son and damned Him for the
sins of the world. By the time Jesus died on the cross, the judgment was done
and the sacrifice complete. “It is finished,” preached the Lord, and “Father, into
Your hands I commend My spirit.”
No, Jesus is not there to suffer. He descends into hell to demonstrate His
complete victory over His enemies—your enemies.
Historically, wars on earth usually involve land: one army is here, the other
is there, and each one tries to rob the other of real estate. Everyone knows that
an army has won the victory when its commander can march into the enemy's
palace and sit in their king's throne. Like a high-stakes game of “capture the
flag,” it indicates that the foe is defeated. A recent parallel would be the famous
scene of U.S. Forces entering Baghdad and toppling the statue of Saddam
Hussein, signifying the end of his oppressive regime.
If hell is the one place where the Lord is absent with grace, one would think
it could be the last stronghold of opposition. Here, the devil and his angels
could plot their comeback strategy and operate at least upon on the pretense of
power. But it is not so; and to demonstrate His complete victory for you, Jesus
marches into hell to proclaim His victory over sin and grave, devil and hell.
When the Lord puts His name on you in Baptism, the devil paints you with a
bullseye. He will use every affliction possible to convince you that the Lord is
weak or uncaring or angry. You must always remember that the devil is a liar.
And when he whispers such temptations into your ear, remember the descent
into hell. You are no match for the evil one; but so thoroughly is Satan beaten
that Christ can march into hell, declare His victory and the devil's defeat...and
then march right back out again.
The old evil foe has been toppled, and he will never have any power again.
That victory is yours in Christ, who descended into hell and declared His
victory for you.
---------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, Good Friday, I went to the Tre Ore Service and Good Friday Vespers. The extended readings of the passion account from the Gospel of John, combined with the Reproaches, had its desired effect I think. I was reminded that what happened on the cross was not just something that happened 2000 years ago in a land on the other side of the world, but it was done because of me, and for me. The love of God in Christ, for us, is a thing to glorious to comprehend. Even though I cannot understand it, I certainly accept it and rejoice in it.
Today is the 50th anniversary of my baptism. I am convinced that this was an act by God, wherein He adopted me into His family as a son. I think it is very important to see it in this way, not as some declaration I make announcing my faith in God to the world, but as an act of the gracious God saving me from my sins. As is said in the Small Chatechism, By nature I am spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God, as the Scriptures teach; therefore, "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him."
1 Cor. 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of
God, for they.are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
Eph. 2:1 You were dead in your transgressions and sins.
Rom. 8:7 The sinful mind is hostile to God.
Eph. 2:8-9 By grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.
1 Cor. 12:3 No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
See here for an explanation of baptism. ¶ 4/15/2006 08:09:00 AM
