Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Jesus Lives and So Shall I

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Col. 3:1

Jesus Lives and So Shall I
Words by Christian F. Gellert

Jesus lives, and so shall I.
Death! thy sting is gone forever:
He, who deigned for me to die,
Lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me with the just;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives and so shall I! Isn’t that great news? Jesus’ death and resurrection took away the sting of death for those who know Him. Death no longer has the victory – Jesus does!

He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
Romans 6:8-9

Jesus lives and reigns supreme;
And, his kingdom still remaining
I shall also be with Him,
Ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised; be it must:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we have eternal life. Those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ will live and reign with Him, forever in glory. Doesn’t that make your heart glad?

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Rev. 11:15

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. Rev. 22:3-5

Jesus lives, and God extends
Grace to each returning sinner;
Rebels He receives as friends,
And exalts to highest honor.
God is True as He is Just;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and by His grace,
Victory o'er my passions giving,
I will cleanse my heart and ways,
Ever to His glory living.
The weak He raises from the dust;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

These verses speak to God’s amazing grace – grace that is extended to each returning sinner and grace that gives us victory over our passions.

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21

The Law was given so that people would see their sin, and the seriousness of their sin in contrast to our Holy God. But as we see in Paul’s letter to the Romans, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that grace reigned through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus. In response to this gift of grace, we should follow the example of this hymn writer who says “I will cleanse my heart and ways.” As we see here in Paul’s exhortation to the Romans, we can have victory over our passions when we let righteousness reign instead of sin:

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:11-14

Jesus lives, and I am sure
Naught shall e'er from Jesus sever,
Satan's wiles, and Satan's power,
Pain or pleasure-- ye shall never!
Christian armor cannot rust;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Nothing will separate us from Jesus. This hymn offers such encouragement! You probably have these next verses memorized, and if you don’t, I encourage you to commit them to memory:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Paul pretty much sums it all up there. Nothing can separate us.

Jesus lives, and death is now
But my entrance into glory
Courage! then, my soul, for thou
Hast a crown of life before thee;
Thou shalt find thy hopes were just--
Jesus is the Christian's Trust.

Remember that death has no victory since Jesus has conquered it So death is now simply our entrance into glory! It has no power – therefore, be courageous in your Christian life – there is a crown of life awaiting you. You can confidently fix your hope on Jesus and know that you will find your hopes were just when you are in your heavenly home.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13

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