Posts Tagged ‘ Death ’
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you.
Isaiah 43:2, CSB
The gospel is overcoming the fear of death and uncertainty, knowing Christ has overcome sin, death, and the forces of this world through His death and resurrection.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
2 Timothy 1:7, CSB
The gospel is overcoming fear, hatred, and sin in the power of Christ’s blood and of the Holy Spirit through repentance, faith, grace, and love.
The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.
Proverbs 29:25, CSB
So much in this world can intimidate us and bring us fear, but God is in control and will carry us to His side when we pass from this life.
One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all.
Psalm 34:19, CSB
Jesus’ body is not in the tomb, so we can be courageous in the face of hatred and persecution for our faith in Christ, for He is overcoming all enemies.
God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
Romans 3:25, CSB
Jesus’ body is not in the tomb after dying for our sins, so we can know our sins are forgiven forever and hope for eternity with God.
One of the funniest moments of the 2003 film “Elf” was Buddy the Elf seeing a feral raccoon, spreading out his arms, and asking, “Does someone need a hug?” (It did not go well.)
Something I like to tell people is that on January 9, 2000, Jesus hugged me in welcome to His Family. On July 26, 2000, I finally returned the hug.
It is nice to think about receiving a comforting hug when life feels overwhelming, things are generally crazy, or having just gone through a horrible situation.
It is also nice to look back through the Bible and see how God has been there for His people:
In the Exodus, God said He rescued Israel with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, 7:19; Psalm 136:12).
Within Israel and their Exile, God welcomes those who come to Him humbly and for His glory (1 Kings 8:41-43; 2 Chronicles 6:32-33; Ezekiel 20:34).
We can see how God has been taking care of His people, yes even under judgment at times.
What is the most comforting is that God came to us to take the punishment we deserve for disobedience. He promised to do this when He spoke with Abraham 4,000 years ago (Genesis 15), and there are so many places that it is laid out in the Hebrew Scriptures (such as Genesis 22, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9:26).
Good Friday is good, because we see the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who saw all the sinfulness of this world, come to us in the midst of our fear, pain, and anxiety. The one who stretched out His arm with His might hands came to comfort us with those strong arms and hands.
So, on that terrible Friday 2,000 years ago, Jesus opened His arms for us. We are the feral raccoons, rooting around in garbage and attacking the God who loves us. He took the punishment we deserved, holding back God’s wrath for those of us who will believe.
Yet this same God who took on His own wrath, with those same strong, mighty, scarred arms, reaches out to us to hold us and comfort us.
When we look at the cross, we see God opening His arms to us.
Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Matthew 21:19-20, CSB
Christ has freed us, most importantly from the curse of sin and death. Nothing we do matters if we are not living in obedient faith in Jesus.
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21, CSB
Jesus is our life and power, sharing His righteousness and power to overcome sin and death with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17, CSB
We can all share the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He can save anyone from death and can control death, so let us proclaim that Christ overcame death to grant eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21, CSB
Life is hard. God is good. We can make life more difficult or better with the words we say, so may we share God’s words and grace with those around us.
a simple man of God 