He Lives to Rule All Things for His Church

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He Lives to Rule All Things for His Church

He Lives to Rule All Things for His Church is a great Ascension theme.  It doesn’t talk about how he physically ascended into heaven or how he will return in judgment on the Last Day, but it’s still a good Ascension Sunday theme.  You see Ascension is the final of the big three festivals of the Christian church. Christmas – the birth of our Savior has always been a big deal.  Easter – the recent celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead has always been high on the list.  And the third really big festival that the church has always celebrated is… Ascension.  The problem is that the 40th day after Easter Sunday every year always falls on a Thursday.  The rest of society isn’t on board with Ascension like they are with Christmas.  So this third great festival of the church year kind of gets forgotten.

I want to jump to the discussion in out sermon about Jesus’ descent into hell from out 1 Peter 3 sermon text.

He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits– 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. This verses places Jesus descent into hell – that we often confess in the creed – he descended into hell – that happened after Jesus resurrection.  Even though it says that he preached to them.  Don’t think Jesus was giving the damned a second chance.

Think of Jesus doing the Lambeau Leap in the wrong stadium.  He is rubbing it in their faces.  I won.  It’s over.  Why did Peter pick Noah?  He mentions Noah in the previous chapter as an object of persecution – I’m sure a few people pointed and laughed as he built a big barge in the back yard.  Peter is about to use Noah’s rescue as an illustration of Baptism.  Before we leave this verse, why don’t we need to be afraid of the final judgment?  He Lives to Rule.  On the Last Day who’s the one who will judge you?  Jesus.  Satan lost; you belong to God.

Want to hear more?  Watch this week’s message taken from 1 Peter 3: He Lives to Rule All Things for His Church.

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