The Accomplished Plan of Salvation (5)
September 29th, 2015, Kichijouji Bible Study
Gotthold Beck
2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy,
2:2 then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind.
2:3 Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves.
2:4 Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.
2:5 Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus:
2:6 In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping.
2:7 Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be,
2:8 and lived in all humility, death on a cross obeying.
2:9 Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing.
2:10 And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall wherever they’re residing.
2:11 Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.
The tombstone of our Lord Jesus signifies the false victory of the devil. Jesus was certainly crucified and killed. The eyes that saw the crowds and were deeply moved with compassion were now closed.
When Jesus' body was laid in the tomb, the hand that had once healed blind, deaf, mute, crippled people and lepers had no power now and was hanging loosely. The voice of Jesus that once calmed the raging waters, that once called the dead back to life, that spoke of life and hope, that drove away the evil spirits, could not be heard anymore.
Jesus, who said a few days ago, “I am the resurrection and I am life,” was now dead. Jesus' body was laid in the tomb and the door of the tomb was covered with a large stone.
If Pilate put a sign on the tomb on that day, he would certainly have written on it, “Jesus, the King of Jews.” If the devil put a sign on top of the tomb, it would have read, “Jesus of Nazareth who was defeated by me.”
If the Lord God placed a sign at the door of the tomb, he would have written on it, “Inside lies the human race covered with sins.” Jesus was certainly killed. Jesus came down to this world in human form. However, because Jesus had the power to give life, he could come back to life once again after he was buried in the ground. It is because he died once, that he can still give eternal life to all those who seek it.
John
12:24 Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain.
If a grain of wheat dies, it will produce a lot of grain. Likewise, Jesus dies and gives an eternal life to all his believers.
Acts
2:32 It was this very Jesus whom God raised, and of that we are all witnesses.
Among many miracles recorded in the Scripture, the greatest of all miracles is certainly the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is the most remarkable incident throughout the history of the world.
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest proof that he is the only way that leads us to salvation. The resurrection of Jesus is the finest revelation of strength of the Lord God. This itself is the most significant truth of the Gospel too.
Jesus was resurrected. He came back to life from death. Paul wrote to the believers of his time;
1 Corinthians
15:14 and if the Messiah has not been raised, then our message means nothing and your faith means nothing.
15:17 and if the Messiah has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still imprisoned by your sins.
15:18 Yes, even those who have died believing in the Messiah are lost.
15:19 If we have set our hopes on the Messiah in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.
Jesus resurrected nevertheless. He came back to life.
This exactly is our joy, foundation and strength. How does the Bible explain the purpose of this resurrection of Jesus? His resurrection was the proof that the Father God had accepted Jesus as the sacrifice. And the Lord God clarified it through three remarkable incidents.
Firstly, he proved it by tearing the curtain of the temple in two from top to bottom. The curtain of this temple in Jerusalem was used to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place so to speak. In those days, great priests were allowed to enter the Most Holy Place once a year with the blood of an innocent animal.
The Lord God revealed his presence at this Most Holy Place. The people of Israel were not permitted to enter the Most Holy Place because of the sins they committed. Even the great priests were only allowed in there once a year.
They were allowed to enter there only when they offered blood of sacrifice. Shed blood signifies the sacrificial death on behalf of someone else in order to redeem their sins. The resurrection of Jesus proved that he was the true savior. When Jesus opened the way of salvation, the curtain of the temple was torn.
The wall of separation was now removed. Because of the shed blood of Jesus, we are permitted to come close to the Holy Lord any number of times each day instead of once a year, without fear and filled with joy. It is an unimaginable privilege. The resurrection of Jesus certainly proved that the Lord God accepted Jesus as the sacrifice.
Furthermore, with the empty tomb, the Lord God declared that the sacrificial death of Jesus was good enough to save all mankind. The tomb of Jesus was merely the symbol of the false victory of the devil. There was a tomb, but no one was in there.
There actually was a linen cloth left in the tomb but they did not find the body of Jesus. The empty tomb was where the Lord God manifested his power of almighty. The empty tomb tells us that the salvation is certainly in our hands. The empty tomb proves that the Lord God recognized the work of Jesus as the accomplishment of salvation. The empty tomb is the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb was where the prophecy was realized. What does the empty tomb tell us? Let us find it out from these verses.
Matthew
28:6 He is not here. He has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying.
28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee, and you will see him there. Remember, I have told you!”
28:8 So they quickly left the tomb, terrified but also ecstatic, and ran to tell Jesus’ disciples.
28:9 Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They went up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
28:10 Then Jesus told them, “Stop being frightened! Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
28:11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened.
The empty tomb is a place of hope. Verse 6, “He has been raised, just as he said.” The empty tomb is a place of joy. Women quickly left the tomb, being ecstatic, and ran. The empty tomb is a place of consolation. “Stop being frightened.” The empty tomb is a place for worship. It is written that they worshiped Jesus. The empty tomb is a place to serve him. It is also written, “Go and tell my brothers.”
As we have seen so far, we can recognize that by the torn curtain of the temple and the empty tomb, the Lord God has accepted Jesus as the sacrifice. After the resurrection, the Father God let Jesus sit at his side according to the Bible. The throne at the right-hand side is the seat of glory. The right-hand side is the seat of strength. The right-hand side is the seat of dignity.
Hebrews
1:3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty.
Jesus was actually resurrected. “It was this very Jesus whom God raised, and of that we are all witnesses,” so confessed people of those days. When Jesus was resurrected, we were given proof that Jesus would come back again. Jesus might come today.
Jesus came down to this world in human form. However, he had the strength to give life and because of this, he could come back to life after he died. Jesus sacrificed himself and died to pay the price for our salvation. Now, resurrected Jesus can give, not only the forgiveness of sins, not only everlasting joy but also the eternal life to whoever seeks it.
John
12:24 Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces a lot of grain.
If a grain of wheat dies, it will produce a lot of grain. Likewise, Jesus died and gave an eternal life to all his believers. All believers have experienced how Jesus led them from darkness to the light, from slavery to liberation and from death to life.
The tomb of Jesus was a false victory of the devil. His resurrection was an overwhelming victory of the Lord God. Furthermore, the Ascension of Jesus, that is to say, his being raised up to heaven, was the revelation of the glory of the Lord God. Jesus actually lived in this world for 40 days after he came back to life.
After his resurrection, Jesus allowed his disciples to touch him. He let his disciples touch the nail marks; he had suppers with them and even prepared breakfast for them according to the Bible. And 40 days later, Jesus was taken up to heaven while his disciples were watching.
Acts
1:9 After saying this, Jesus was taken up while those who had gathered together were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
1:10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, two men in white robes stood right beside them.
1:11 They asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go up into heaven.”
Hebrews
9:24 For the Messiah did not go into a sanctuary made by human hands that is merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, to appear now in God’s presence on our behalf.
The Ascension was a wonderful homecoming of Jesus. 33 years prior to the ascension, Jesus gave up all the glory he had in heaven and came down to this world in order to be born from a virgin. Jesus glorified his father and accomplished his father's plan of salvation before he went back to his home in heaven. Let us keep in mind that even after Jesus went back to heaven, all wounds and nail marks still remain on his body. Let us see from next few verses how joyously Jesus was welcomed when he went back to heaven.
Psalms
24:7 Lift up your heads, gates! Be lifted up, ancient doors, so the King of Glory may come in.
24:8 Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
24:9 Lift up your heads, gates! Be lifted up, ancient doors, so the King of Glory may come in.
24:10 Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord of the heavenly armies― He is the King of Glory.
Father God prepared the glorious throne for Jesus when he came back to his home in heaven and let him sit down with himself on his throne. Jesus was given a name above all others and he was crowned as the Lord of all things.
Ephesians
1:20 (his mighty strength) which he brought about in the Messiah when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm.
1:21 He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come.
1:22 God has put everything under the Messiah’s feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church,
1:23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.
Philippians
2:9 Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing.
2:10 And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall wherever they’re residing.
2:11 Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. The crucified savior is now the Lord, who overcomes all things.
Acts
2:36 Therefore, let all the people of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!
Inside Jesus dwells the eternal life. Therefore, those who have accepted Jesus are given the same life that he has, needless to say, by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the eternal life. The plan of salvation of the Lord God has been completely accomplished. The eternal lives are already prepared for all people and all they need to do is to choose it. It was for this reason that John wrote in his letter;
1 John
5:12 The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this life.
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