Photo by Jenny Venturo
Jesus, God in the flesh, died in the place of guilty sinners. He was buried but rose again. Turn from your sin and trust Jesus alone for the gift of eternal life.
He Was Buried:
The last two weeks, we studied the first incredible sentence—God Himself died for you, a guilty sinner. But that’s not all. Let’s go on to the next phrase: He was buried, but rose again.
“Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid . . . since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there” (Jn. 19:41; 42b). “So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard” (Matt. 27:66). “. . . putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism” (Col. 2:11b-12a).
Jesus was dead. God, the Creator of everything, was dead. His disciples laid Him in a tomb. The tomb was sealed, secure, guarded. No one could steal Him away and claim that He was alive. He was dead and in a tomb. And if you are a Christian, your old self is in that tomb too. And there it must stay. Dead. Sealed inside. Gone. Because Jesus died for you, so may die your sin nature to be figuratively “buried with Him in baptism.” Forever. He Was Buried.
But Rose Again
“ ‘He is not here, for He has risen, as He said’” (Mat. 28:6a). “ ‘God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it’” (Acts 2:24). “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus ” (Rom. 6:9; 11). “ . . . that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2: 14b-15). “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26). “ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15: 55-57).
Jesus was dead. But He did not stay dead. In triumph He conquered death, rising up again, the victorious champion. Death is the just penalty for sin. But death has no more power. And just as death has no power over the Redeemer, it has no power over the redeemed. Death has no claim over the believer. Jesus has rescued us from death. But Rose Again.
You have just heard the most wonderful news you could ever hear. But what can we do with it? Next week, we will answer this question, studying what we should do in response to this fascinating message!
Read the entire series here.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission. All rights reserved.