Jesus Christ Is Alive!

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. - Revelation 1:18

    ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death’

    Ever entertain great thoughts of Christ and you will have great delight in him. A great Savior gives a great sense of security to those who trust him. That sense of security promotes, not licentiousness, but dedication. It produces joy and peace which keeps the heart ever leaning upon Christ. If you would rise above the cares of the earth and the toys of time, you must set your affection on Christ and let your thoughts of him be elevated. Earth diminishes as Christ rises. The way to grow in grace is to let your thoughts of Christ grow.

    As we look at Revelation 1:18, my singular object is to set before you the greatness of Christ, our ever living God and Savior. I want you to see him, ‘high and lifted up.’ I want, by the Spirit of God, to inspire your heart to

    Bring forth the royal diadem

    And crown Him Lord of all!

    May God make Christ glorious in your heart. I have no other desire. I know of no better way to show you Christ's greatness and glory than to give you his own description of his own glorious Being. this is how the glorified Christ described himself to John: ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen.’

    Our dear Savior is alive

    That great God who came into this world as a man, that God-man who lived as our Representative to establish righteousness for us and died as our Substitute to put away our sins, that very same God-man is alive today! And Christ is exactly the same now in heaven as he was when he was here upon the earth. It is true, he has undergone the great change of glorification and exaltation, but he is essentially the same. His nature, his heart, his love, his will, his grace, and his purpose are all unchanged (Heb. 13:8). He who is now the Light of heaven is the same Christ who was born at Bethlehem. He who now sits upon the throne of glory is the very same Christ who stilled the troubled waters, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. He who is now clothed with majesty is the very same Christ who bore our sins in his body on the cursed tree. Meditate upon the character of our Lord during those forty days between his resurrection and his ascension. Those forty days of his glory on earth will serve as a picture of our Savior's character today. It seems that Christ made it a point to show us five specific things about himself after his resurrection. By his gracious appearances to his disciples, he seems to have said, ‘What I am now, I will forever be.’

    1. The risen Christ was loving, tender, and forgiving toward his sinful people

    Remember, all had forsaken him. All were, for a time, overcome with sinful unbelief. The only one of our Lord's disciples who seems to have understood and believed what he taught about his death and resurrection at the time was Mary Magdalene who anointed him for his burial. Yet, his love toward his own was unquenched. His forgiveness was free. His tenderness was evident. The Lord first appeared to Mary (John 20:11-17). Then, he sent special word to Peter to confirm his love to his fallen disciple (Mark 16:6-7). He stooped to remove Thomas' unbelief (John 20:26-29). Then, he lovingly restored Peter to his fellowship and confirmed his place among the apostles (John 21:15-19). Believer, that is just the way Christ is today. Our Savior's heart is full of love, tenderness, and forgiveness toward his erring disciples.

    2. The risen Christ was constantly with his beloved church

    The gospel writers only tell us of specific appearances; but Christ appeared to his disciples whenever they met. When one searched for him, she found him. When two or three gathered to talk of him, he was present. When the twelve met, he was there. When five hundred brethren gathered in his name, immediately he was present with them. This is exactly the character of our Savior today (Phil. 4:4).

    3. The risen Christ opened the scriptures and taught his disciples things concerning himself (Luke 24:27, 44-47)

    Is it not true today? When the Son of God is our teacher, our hearts burn within us as he talks to us about himself. Blessed is that assembly where Christ is taught and where Christ is himself the Teacher!

    4. The risen Christ was full of grace toward helpless, perishing sinners

    For the sake of lost, justly condemned sinners, the Son of God sent his disciples into the world to proclaim the glorious gospel of his grace, telling them that ‘repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.’ And he told them to begin by preaching the gospel to the people of Jerusalem who had crucified him! Our Savior is full of grace to sinners!

    5. The risen Christ, just before he ascended back into heaven, told his disciples that the success of their labor was entirely dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit, whom he would send upon them (Luke 24:49)

    This is a blessed word of comfort and assurance. We need never fear failure. We need never look to ourselves for success. The Spirit of God works by us, and he cannot fail! Do you understand these things? Christ in glory is exactly the same as he was when he was upon the earth. He is loving, tender, and forgiving. He is constantly with us. He opens the Scriptures to us. He is gracious to sinners. And he promises the power of his Spirit to those who wait for him!

    Christ's work of redemption as our substitute is finished

    Our Savior says, ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead.’ Though he is alive, he was dead; and his death was the death of death for all his people. By his death on the cross, Christ made a complete and final atonement for sin (Heb. 10:10-14). He did not merely make atonement possible, or merely provide a way by which men could have atonement for their sins. He actually satisfied divine justice and atoned for our sins. ‘He is the propitiation for our sins’ (1 John 2:2). He obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12). So gloriously effectual is the death of our Lord Jesus Christ that there is no possibility of condemnation for those people for whom he died (Rom. 8:1, 34).

    The love which compelled our Lord to die for us is the love which rules the heart of that Man who rules the world

    What could be more comforting and assuring? ‘If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life’ (Rom. 5:10). That God-man who rules the world is himself ruled by the love of his heart for us! What then shall we fear? His love is free and everlasting, without cause, without beginning, without limit, and without end. If the God who rules the world loves me, all is well with me. Nothing shall harm me in time or eternity.

    The purpose for which Christ died will certainly be accomplished

    ‘He shall not fail’ (Isa. 42:4). There shall not be one lost soul in hell for whom Christ died. He has paid the debt for his elect. Therefore, his elect cannot be charged with sin. The law and justice of a righteous God will not allow it!

    ‘Payment God cannot twice demand,

    First at my bleeding Surety's hand,

    And then again at mine.’

    It is nothing short of blasphemy to suggest that the Son of God was born into this world, lived, and died for the purpose of saving any who are not saved by his grace. To say that Christ died for and endeavors to save those who perish in hell, is to say that he died in vain for them, that he could not perform what he desired to perform. In other words, it is to deny that he is God! Our God and Savior is no failure! He is mighty to save! ‘The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied’ (Isa. 53:10-11).

    Because he was raised from the dead and ever lives in heaven, we are assured that the merit of Christ's sacrifice is eternally and perpetually effectual

    Our Savior died once, but he will never die again, because there is no need. That death of his, which took place two thousand years ago, is just as fresh and meritorious with God as if it had happened this morning.

    ‘Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

    Shall never lose its power,

    Till all the ransomed church of God

    Be saved to sin no more!’

    Any sinner who comes to God upon the grounds of Christ's death as the sinner's Substitute, God will not turn away. God himself cannot reject the merits of his dear Son!

    Our Lord's mediatorial rule shall not fail

    This, too, is the text. ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen.’ That is to say, ‘I shall never die again. I will reign for ever and ever, to accomplish my purpose as the covenant Head and Mediator of my people.’ This great Christ, our ever living Savior, ‘is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him’ (Heb. 7:25). Because he died and lives for ever as the immutable Priest over the house of God, he has power to save forever all who trust him. Our sovereign Lord will fulfill all his covenant engagements (Isa. 42:1-4; 53:10-12). In eternity, he assumed the responsibility of our salvation; and, in the end, all for whom he is a Surety shall be with him in glory (John 10:16). This ever living Christ will subdue all his enemies beneath his feet (Isa. 45:20-25). Either by the scepter of his mercy or by the rod of his wrath, all men and women will be brought in subjection to the Son of God (Phil. 2:9-11). Our dear Savior is alive! His work of atonement is finished and complete. His mediatorial rule shall not fail.