“I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I
have the keys of death and of hell” (Revelation 1:18)
"Leadership" Magazine contained an article about
"little Philip, born with Down's syndrome, who attended a
third-grade Sunday School. The other children did not accept Philip and his
differences, but because of a creative teacher, they began to, though not fully.
At Easter, the teacher brought 'Leggs' pantyhose containers; the ones that look
like large eggs. The children were each given one, told to go outside and find
some symbol of new life, put it in the egg-like container, and return to share.
After some time, they came back and put the containers on a table. Surrounded by
the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each flower,
butterfly, or leaf, they would 'ooh' and 'ahh.' Then one was opened that was
empty. A child exclaimed, "That's stupid; that's not fair; somebody didn't do
their assignment.' Philip said, 'That's mine.' The boy retorted, 'Philip, you
don't ever do things right! There's nothing there!' Philip insisted, 'I did so
do it. It's empty; the tomb was empty!' Silence followed. From then on Philip
became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection
most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral his class of
eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday
school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg."
To some extent, all of us are not fully accepted by the people of this world.
There are those who will say about us, “That’s stupid;
that’s not fair; somebody didn’t do their assignment.” And it’s true; for
every one of us has fallen short and we can’t completely measure up, even to our
own standards. But much like little Philip, we have a Creative Teacher who cares
for us. And, not unlike the empty egg, which meant so much in relation to little
Philip, we have an empty tomb which offers us the right to be a “full member” of the “class.”
The Lord appeared to the apostle John, the human writer of the Book of
Revelation, long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, when John was in exile
on the barren Island of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea. Jesus identified Himself in
the following interesting manner: “I was dead, and behold,
I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of hell”
(Revelation 1:18). It was important for Jesus to make it precisely clear who He
was, for John had just fallen “at His feet as a dead man”
(Revelation 1:17). One can only hope John fell on soft sand, because he was an
elderly man at the time.
It’s important for you and me to know precisely who Jesus is. The Book of
Revelation was likely written in 90 A.D. Jesus had experienced the painful death
of a criminal on a Roman cross, several years before 40 A.D. He had been killed
over 50 years before He appeared to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos.
His appearing was a shock for John, but it should be even more of a shock and
wonder for you and me: Jesus Christ is ALIVE!
The resurrection of Jesus was not the only time in Scripture a dead person
came back to life. Elijah prayed and the Lord brought back a widow’s boy from
death (1 Kings 17:22 & context). Jesus cried out, “Lazarus,
come forth” (John 11: 43) and a man was made alive after four days in the
tomb. A young man named Eutychus fell out of a third floor window and was
killed. The Apostle Paul prayed and Eutychus was restored to life (Acts 20:10 &
context). There are other instances, but these show us that God can and will
restore life, when life as we know it is gone. Death is only a doorway, and when
God wills, the door works in both directions.
The circumstances of Jesus were unique in every way. For instance, He lived
in eternity with God the Father before He was born in Bethlehem on this earth
(Micah 5:2). He was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23). He would
be from Galilee (Isaiah 9:2). Though He would become a Child, He is God (Isaiah
9:6). He would “inscribe” us on the “palms of (His) hands”
(Isaiah 49:16). He would be “wounded for our
transgressions… and by His stripes we are healed”
(Isaiah 53:5). “The Lord…
laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
His death was personal - He died for you and me. There’s a death sentence on
every one of us, and He paid the price we could not pay. He authenticated Who He
Was and Is, by walking with ease on feet that had been stabbed with iron spikes.
As John the Apostle described it, some years before the Book of Revelation
was written, “That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested, and
we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was
with the Father …” and he concluded, “and these
things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:1-4). You are
invited to share John’s excitement, his joy, for through faith, you can
experience the presence of the Risen Christ.
John did not seem to have expected to see Jesus again in this life, for he “fell at His feet as a dead man” (Revelation 1:17) – he
was surprised and full of wonder. I think we spend far too much time looking to
this world, or else we, also, would live lives of continual surprise about our
Risen Lord. These Scriptures are for today. The Kingdom of Heaven is just as
close to us now as it was 2000 years ago. Through the Spirit it is right here.
Little Philip, who was described at the beginning of this sermon, is with the
Lord. He has not lost anything - in fact, he’s gained everything. As a Down’s
Syndrome person, he would have had difficulty finding full acceptance. It should
be mentioned that nobody else is fully accepted either, for this world is not a
friendly place.
Philip is with the Lord; he doesn’t have Down’s Syndrome anymore; he knows
more than we ever dreamed, and is in a place of utter love. John and many others
are there also. Except for Jesus, those in Scripture who were raised from the
dead, grew older from that point and then died once more. But, if like Philip,
they trusted in the Lord, they are with Him right now, and as John put it, their
“joy is full.”
Little Philip’s empty egg was a reminder of the empty tomb. Jesus is alive,
and when you trust in Him, you will be with Philip, with John and with the Lord
- forever. Let’s pray:
Lord, thank You for Your resurrection which shows us the power of God. I
want to be with You – forever! You indeed have “the keys
of death and hell” and can deliver me. I trust in You now and receive
You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
