Oras Ng Pag-aaral 4th Qtr. | Ang Tagumpay Ni Kristo Laban Sa Kamatayan | Lesson 7

CHRIST’S VICTORY OVER DEATH

Memory Text
“When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead.’ ”
Rev. 1:17, 18, NCV

INTRODUCTION:
No matter ALL the EMPHASIS we put on CHRIST’S DEATH, and how IMPORTANT it was, it really does us NO GOOD apart from HIS RESURRECTION. That’s how CRUCIAL the RESURRECTION of JESUS is to the entire CHRISTIAN FAITH and the PLAN of SALVATION.

1. CHRIST IN THE TOMB (SUNDAY)
CHRIST’S MISSION seemed to have ENDED with HIS DEATH on the CROSS. Now JESUS was LYING in a TOMB hewed out of a ROCK, closed with a large SEALED STONE, protected by ROMAN GUARDS (MATT. 27:57-66), and watched by invisible DEMONIC POWERS. Using the EASTERN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE—in which a FRACTION of a DAY stands for a WHOLE DAY—JESUS mentioned that He would “be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (MATT. 12:39, 40, NKJV). JESUS underscored that He would be KILLED but on the THIRD DAY He would RISE AGAIN (MATT. 16:21; MATT. 20:17-19). The CHIEF PRIESTS and the PHARISEES were aware of those STATEMENTS and took MEASURES that they hoped would PREVENT His RESURRECTION.

All SECURITY MEASURES taken to keep JESUS LOCKED in the TOMB only made HIS VICTORY over DEATH and over the HOSTS of EVIL even more NOTICEABLE. The PRIESTS and PHARISEES surely had HEARD of the MIRACLES of JESUS. They had SEEN some of HIS MIRACLES too. And yet, they THOUGHT that a GUARD over the TOMB could stop JESUS, the one who was ABLE to do so MANY MIRACLES, from being RESURRECTED. They also put a GUARD around the TOMB in case the DISCIPLES might STEAL the BODY and then CLAIM that JESUS had been