Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Two
Christ Having the Keys of Death and Hades
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 1:17~18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead; and He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not fear; I am the First and the Last; and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
I. “I am the First and the Last and the living One”—Rev. 1:17b-18a: (Monday)
A. The Lord Jesus is not only the First but also the Beginning, and not only the Last but also the End—21:6; 22:13.
B. Christ is not only the First and the Last but also the Beginning and the End; this assures us that having started the church life, He will surely accomplish it—cf. 2 Tim. 4:5.
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II. “I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever”—1:18a: (Tuesday)
A. Christ entered into death, but death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24), because He is the resurrection (John 11:25).
B. The more living we are, the more we are the testimony of the living Jesus—Rev. 12:11.
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III. After His death in the flesh, Christ in His living Spirit as His divinity went to the abyss to these rebellious angels to proclaim God’s victory, accomplished through His incarnation in Christ and Christ’s death in the flesh, over Satan’s scheme to derange the divine plan—1 Pet. 3:19-20a. (Wednesday)
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IV. In Romans 10:7 abyss points to the place Christ visited after His death and before His resurrection, which place, according to Acts 2:24 and 27, is Hades, for Acts 2:24 and 27 reveal that Christ went into Hades after He died and rose from that place in His resurrection—Rom. 10:7; Acts 2:24, 27. (Thursday)
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V. In Revelation 1:18b the Lord Jesus says, “I have the keys of death and of Hades”: (Friday, Saturday)
A. In the church life, however, we are no longer subject to death and Hades—Phil. 3:10-11.
B. Although death tried its best to hold Christ, it was powerless to do so—Acts 2:24.
C. Because Christ is the One in the church who is the Holder of the keys of death and Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us—Rev. 1:18.
D. In the church life the keys of death and Hades are in the Lord’s hand—Rev. 1:18.
E. If we give the Lord Jesus the ground, the opportunity, and the free way to move and act among us, both death and Hades will be under His control—Matt. 16:18; Rev. 20:14.
F. We should praise the Lord that Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—1:18; Heb. 13:15; 1 Pet. 1:7; Rev. 19:5-6.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
…I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades—Rev. 1:17-18.
Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it—Acts 2:24.
Word of Appetizer
Why is it very important for us to see that Christ holds the keys—the authority—of death and of Hades?
Because Christ in the church is the One who holds the keys of death and of Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us. In the church life, the keys of death and of Hades are in the Lord’s hand. It is impossible for us to deal with death; we simply do not have the power to handle death. Whenever death comes in, many are overcome by it. But if we give the Lord Jesus the standing, the opportunity, and the free way to move and act among us, death and Hades will be under His control.
Spiritual Burden
Christ is not only the First and the Last but also the beginning and the end; this assures us that since He has begun the church life, He will surely complete it. Christ is the living One; the emphasis is that He is eternally living and is living in us.
Because Christ in the church is the One who holds the keys of death and of Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us; in the church life, the keys of death and of Hades are in the Lord’s hand.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
“I am the First and the Last and the living One.”
“I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever.”
“In this Spirit He [Christ]…went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.”
“I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth, and to him was given the key of the abyss.”
In Revelation 1:18b the Lord Jesus said, “I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
The Experience of Life
Christ is not only the First and the Last but also the beginning and the end; this assures us that since He has begun the church life, He will surely complete it. This Christ, who walks in the midst of the churches, who is the Head of the churches, and to whom the churches belong, is the living One; therefore, the local churches manifested as His Body should also be living, fresh, and strong.
Christ is the living One; the emphasis is that He is eternally living and is living in us; the more we live, the more we are a testimony of the living Jesus.
Practice and Application
It is very important for us to see that Christ holds the keys—the authority—of death and of Hades; in the church life, we are no longer under the dominion of death and of Hades; because Christ in the church is the One who holds the keys of death and of Hades, death and Hades should not have any power over us.
If we give the Lord Jesus the standing, the opportunity, and the free way to move and act among us, death and Hades will be under His control.
We should praise the Lord that Christ holds the keys of death and of Hades.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Living the life of Christ is calm, tranquil, peaceful, and quiet (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that the first aspect of the expression of living the life of Christ is forbearance.)
T2 Living Christ means forbearance but without anxiety (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that forbearance is the totality of a proper Christian life.)
Day 2
T1 The Greek word for forbearance means not only being content with less than what we are due but also having sweet reasonableness (Phil. 4:5-6).
(Please illustrate that forbearance is all-inclusive because it contains all Christian virtues.)
T2 Forbearance is the Christ we actually experience (Phil. 1:21, 4:5).
(Please illustrate that all our failures and frustrations in the Christian life are due to our lack of forbearance.)
Day 3
T1 A forbearing person is one who always fits in, whose behavior is always suitable (Phil. 1:19-20).
(Please illustrate that forbearance also includes peace, meekness, and tenderness.)
T2 The human life of the Lord Jesus was full of forbearance (Phil. 1:19-20).
(Please illustrate that using the example of how the Lord Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus illustrates that the Lord’s life is the best explanation of forbearance.)
Day 4
T1 Prayer is general, having worship and fellowship as its essence; petition is special, being for particular needs. (Phil. 4:6-7).
(Please illustrate that when we pray and make petitions, both should be accompanied by thanks to the Lord.)
T2 Believing that our environment is appointed by God (Phil. 4:6-7).
(Please illustrate that if we want to live a life free of anxiety, we must realize that all our experiences, whether good or bad, are appointed by God.)
Day 5
T1 Six aspects that regulate the life of living Christ (Phil. 4:8-9).
(Please illustrate that out of many Christian virtues, what six did Paul select as the regulating aspects?)
T2 All human virtues are created by God (Phil. 4:8-9).
(Please illustrate that our human virtues are created vessels to contain divine virtues, just as a glove is made in the image of a hand to contain a hand.)
Day 6
T1 When we teach people how to do things, we mainly teach them the secret (Phil. 4:11-13).
(Please illustrate that Paul not only learned the secret; he had been initiated and learned certain basic principles.)
T2 The basic principles of church life are entirely different from the basic principles of the world (Phil. 4:11-13).
(Please illustrate that what are the basic principles of the church—the Body of Christ?)
