Grace and Peace Episode 21
Presbyterian Church of Easton
February 2, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
43Q. What further benefit do we receive from Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross?
A. By Christ’s power our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead, we may offer ourselves as a sacrifice of gratitude to him.
44Q. Why does the creed add, “He descended to hell”?
A. To assure me during attacks of deepest dread and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from hellish anguish and torment.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in 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 Jesus died a battle for our souls began. The devil had had the upper hand from the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God. From then on all people were stained by sin. And there was nothing anyone could do about it. And because of this sin, we were alienated from God and condemned to hell.
But then a savior arrived. He had no sin because he was God. And yet he accepted our penalty. He paid the price. He died on a cross so that we would no longer be condemned. He defeated the Devil and freed us from the bondage of sin.
As a result of what Jesus did for us, we are now reconciled with God. We are free from the power of sin. We are promised eternal life.
All of this comes to us, not from anything we have done, but by the grace of God. God sent his Son to die for us. So that we are free from death and filled with the hope of heaven and future resurrection from death.
When Jesus woke from death in the tomb the Devil was there to prevent all of this. And for three days a battle raged. But, Jesus defeated the Devil. And he emerged victorious from the tomb. And so we are filled with Easter hope and faith in our faithful savior, Jesus Christ.
We thank you, O Lord, for this good news. Your death means our life. Your suffering means our freedom. Your resurrection gives us hope in everlasting life. Out of our gratitude, we will serve you. We will love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. And we will love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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