Hope Fellowship Blog

R.A.I.S.E.D. Part 3

Yesterday I posted the first two articles in our series of posts about the truth of Easter from Acts 2. Peter speaks clearly about the resurrection and why it is essential to Christianity. What we learn about the resurrection from Acts 2. To do so, each point will fill out the acronym “R.A.I.S.E.D”

"R" Really Dead

"A" Always the Plan

"I" IMPOSSIBLE for death to hold Jesus 2:24; 26:8

Look at verse 24, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” It is impossible for Jesus to be held in the grip of death.

The same word for “pangs” here is used elsewhere of labor pains. Labor pains on a pregnant woman indicates that there is going to be a baby born. Pregnancy by it’s very definition is not permanent. Jesus is unable to be held by death, like the labor that will eventually expel the baby, Jesus cannot stay dead it is, in fact, impossible because of His very eternal nature. Like we sing, “death in vain forbids him rise.”

Because he is man his death was possible. Because he is God it was impossible for death to hold him. But look here and notice who raises Jesus-- God the Father. Nine times in the book of Acts we are told God raised Jesus from the dead. The argument typically goes like this: You killed him. God raised him.

All throughout Acts Peter and the apostles are banging the drum of the resurrection. Paul asks Agrippa, “Why is it thought incredible that God raises the dead?” And that should be our question really-- if God is God, does he not have power over death? It was actually more impossible for Jesus to stay dead than it would have been for him to rise because of his eternal nature as the second member of the trinity.

Isn’t God the only one who could really have power over death? We all look for ways to stave off old age and eventually death, but I’ve yet to see an over the counter drug or a prescription for someone who is dead-- we all know that though we can fight all we want before death, once we die that is it.

We try so hard all of our lives to fight against death when it is God who has the power over it all along.

There is only one who has conquered death and risen from the grave, never to die again. There is only one for whom it is impossible for death to hold him. As in Adam all die, but in Christ all are made alive. He is the firstborn from the dead.

But here is a beautiful truth. If we believe in Christ, and are in Him, it is as impossible for death to hold us as it was with Jesus because Jesus conquered the grave in order that we might be brought into newness of life.

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