Naylor Community Christian Church
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 23
Luke
23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you
the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you
are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what
our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
44
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was
torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
-- this morning, we are continuing our
sermon series called “Afterlife,” a journey through what the Bible has to say
about what happens to us after we die -- about heaven, hell, and everything
in-between
-- in our first message, we discussed how
humans are tripartite beings -- creations with three parts -- body, soul, and
spirit -- and how the Bible teaches that when we die, we immediately go into
the presence of God -- not as incorporeal spirits without a body -- but as souls
and spirits in a new heavenly body
-- last week, we looked at what happened
to people before the cross -- before the death and resurrection of Jesus --
where did they go when they died?
-- and we looked at how the Bible teaches
that the people who lived and died before the cross and resurrection of Jesus all
went to Sheol/Hades -- those who believed in God and put their faith in the
coming Messiah, were sent to Abraham’s bosom or Paradise -- the rest were sent
to the part of Sheol/Hades that was the place of torment
-- and finally, we talked about those
people in our day who die apart from Christ -- who die in their sins because
they have not received Him as their Lord and Savior -- and how when they die,
they also go to the place of torment in Sheol/Hades, just like the unbelievers
who died before the first advent of Jesus
-- we ended last week with the question, “What
about the people who were believers in Christ before His coming? -- those
people from the Old Testament times who believed and died and were sent to the
region of Sheol/Hades known as Abraham’s Bosom or paradise”
-- we know that believers in our day are taken
to be in the presence of the Lord at the very moment of death -- but where are
the believers who lived before Christ? -- are they still in Abraham’s Bosom in
Sheol/Hades?
-- and that is what we are going to
address this morning
II. Where was Jesus?
-- I want to begin by looking at the
story of Jesus’ death and resurrection from the Gospel of Luke -- look back at
Luke 23:39-46
Luke
23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you
the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you
are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what
our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
44
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was
torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
-- so, this is the familiar story
from Luke of the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary -- Luke tells us that
Jesus died on Good Friday at the ninth hour -- that would be around 3:00 pm
-- Jews in Jesus’ day marked the
start and beginning of their days differently than we do -- for us, a new day
starts and ends at midnight -- 12:00 am -- but for the Jews, their day started
and ended at 6:00 pm -- but they regarded the “first hour” as 6:00 am, which
was the start of the work day
-- so, as Luke says here, Jesus was on the
cross on the afternoon of Good Friday -- he tells us that at the sixth hour, darkness
came over the land because the sun quit shining -- six hours beginning at 6:00
am gives us 12:00 noon as the time the darkness started -- and then Jesus died
at the ninth hour, which would have been 3:00 pm
-- and this is important, because we read
in the gospels that the Jews did not want Jesus and the two thieves to be left
on the cross on the Sabbath, which began at 6:00 pm -- so, Pilate sent his soldiers
to hasten the death of those on the cross -- they broke the legs of the thieves
so they would die quicker, but they found Jesus was already dead, as confirmed
by piercing His side and watching as blood and water poured out
-- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took
Jesus’ body and rushed to get Him buried before the start of the Sabbath --
they placed His body in a tomb in the garden, but didn’t have time to properly
anoint it with the traditional spices
-- skip down to verse 55
Luke 23:55 The women who had come
with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was
laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they
rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
-- the women saw where Jesus’ body was
laid, and then went home to prepare the spices to finish the burial process --
of course, they couldn’t do that on the Sabbath, so they stayed at home until
the Sabbath had ended
-- Luke 24:1-8
Luke 24:1 On the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but
when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they
were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like
lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their
faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among
the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he
was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the
hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then
they remembered his words.
-- so, everybody here is familiar with
this story, right? -- very early on the first day of the week -- on Sunday
morning -- the women went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away and the
body of Jesus missing -- and they were greeted by angels who told them that
Jesus had risen from the dead, just as He had proclaimed
-- now, here’s the question -- Jesus died
on Friday and was buried before the Sabbath -- the Bible tells us that He was
resurrected on Sunday, which is why we recognize today as the Lord’s Day -- but
where was Jesus on Saturday? -- from the time that He died until He was
resurrected on Sunday? -- what was He doing?
-- we know that He had not gone to be in
the presence of the Father -- in John 20, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in
the garden where His body was buried -- and He tells her in verse 17, “Do not
hold on to Me, for I have not yet returned to the Father” -- in other words,
Jesus had not ascended to Heaven -- He had not gone to be in the presence of
God the Father yet
-- so, where was He?
-- here’s where things get
interesting
-- turn over to Ephesians 4:9-10
Ephesians
4:9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower,
earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than
all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
-- so, we learn here that Jesus
descended to the lower earthly regions or, as some other translations say, to
the depths of the earth
-- Paul is not referring to Jesus’ Advent
-- His laying aside of His deity and His descent to earth as the God-Man -- as
the baby born in the manger who died on the cross -- if that were the case,
Paul would have said, Jesus descended to earth
-- but that’s not what we read here -- it
says that Jesus descended to the lower, earthly regions or to the depths of the
earth -- what does that mean?
-- remember what we’ve been talking about
over the last couple of weeks -- before the resurrection of Jesus, what happened
to somebody when they died? -- they went to Sheol/Hades, right?
-- now Jesus came to live as one of us --
to fulfill the Law by living a truly holy and righteous life through the power
of the Spirit -- He was born in a manger, just like any other human baby -- He
grew up just like any other human child -- He matured and became a man, just
like all the other Jewish men around Him -- and then, at the age of 30, He
began His ministry on earth that culminated in His sacrifice on the cross
-- the Bible tells us that He was like us
in every way, except that He remained sinless -- so, He was born like us -- He
grew up and matured like us -- and He died like us
-- and what happens to those who died in
Jesus’ day? -- they went to Sheol/Hades
-- what happened to Jesus’ soul and divine
Spirit when He died on Good Friday? -- He went to Sheol/Hades, just like
everyone else so that He could experience fully what everyone up until that
point had to experience
-- that’s why He told the thief on the
cross in Luke 23:43, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” -- last week, we
talked about how Jesus was referring to the place of joy and pleasure within
Sheol/Hades when He referred to Paradise in this verse
-- so, where was Jesus on Saturday -- in
between the cross and the resurrection?
-- Good Friday -- Jesus died and went to
Sheol/Hades like all other people before Him
-- and on Saturday, Christ’s physical body
rested in the tomb, while His soul and divinity rested in Sheol/Hades
-- that’s what we read here in
Ephesians 4 -- in verse 9, it says that Jesus descended to the lower, earthly
regions -- to the depths of the earth -- in other words, Jesus was in
Sheol/Hades from the time He died until the resurrection on Sunday morning
II. Jesus’ Ministry in Sheol/Hades
-- so, Jesus went to Sheol/Hades,
just like everyone else who died from the beginning of time up until that point
-- but this is Jesus we’re talking about -- yes, He was born and lived and died
as a man, but Jesus was not just a Man -- He was the God-Man -- fully Man and
fully God
-- so, when Jesus got to Sheol/Hades, He
didn’t passively take up residence like everyone else before Him -- His
ministry was not over -- His purpose was not fulfilled -- yes, Jesus went to
Sheol/Hades just like everybody else, but He came with a purpose -- He came
with a mission
-- He came as the Redeemer -- as the One
who paid the penalty for sin on the cross of Calvary -- as the One who paid the
price of sin for every single person who was in Sheol/Hades
-- so, what did Jesus do while He was in
Sheol/Hades? -- two things
-- for the first one, hold your place
right here but turn over to 1 Peter 3:18-20a
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— 20a to
those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of
Noah while the ark was being built
--
skip down to 4:6
1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason
the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be
judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according
to God in regard to the spirit.
-- the first thing Jesus did when He
reached Sheol/Hades was to preach to the souls in prison or captivity -- better
translation would be to proclaim Himself to the souls in
captivity -- to the souls who were confined to Sheol/Hades
-- why does Peter call this “prison” or “captivity?”
-- because the people were confined to Sheol/Hades -- they were captives there
-- even those who were in Abraham’s
Bosom or Paradise were locked up in there and could not leave -- as we read in
the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Abraham said there was a chasm there
that separated Paradise from the place of torment, and no one could go from one
side to the other -- so, in a very real sense, everyone in Sheol/Hades was in
captivity -- you couldn’t go from one side of Sheol/Hades to the other -- and
you couldn’t leave Sheol/Hades -- you were locked in
-- so, Peter tells us that Jesus went and
preached to the spirits who were there in Sheol/Hades -- now remember, there
are two distinct groups in Sheol/Hades -- there are those who are in Paradise
and those in the place of torment
-- Jesus’ overall message to both of them
was the same -- I am the One that was promised from before the beginning of
time -- I am the Messiah -- the Anointed One -- the Redeemer -- the One who has
paid the penalty on the cross of Calvary for the sins that you committed
-- for those who were in the place of
torment, Jesus’ message was that He was the One they had rejected -- He was the
One that they had turned away from and refused to put their faith and trust in
-- He was the One they had disobeyed when they refused to follow the Law of God
-- therefore, they were still in their
sins, and would be judged accordingly
-- for those who were in Paradise -- in
Abraham’s Bosom -- Jesus’ message was that He was the One they had been waiting
on -- their faith had become sight -- their hopes were realized -- and the
penalty for their sins had been paid -- they were forgiven
-- as Irenaeus of Lyons, one of the early
church fathers wrote, “It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended
into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His Advent there also, and [declaring]
the remission of sins received by those who believe in Him.”
-- through His very own body and blood,
Jesus had suffered and paid the price that they owed -- and they were now
judged righteous in the sight of God -- not because of anything they had done
-- but because Jesus had died in their place and paid the penalty
-- that was the message that Jesus
preached to the spirits who were in prison -- in captivity in Sheol/Hades -- that
was the first thing Jesus did in Sheol/Hades
-- the second thing Jesus did was to
shatter the very gates of Sheol/Hades -- look back at Ephesians 4:8
Ephesians
4:8 This is why it says:
“When
he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
Ephesians
4:9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower,
earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than
all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
-- after showing Himself to the
inhabitants of Paradise as the long-awaited Messiah -- as the One who would
redeem them of their sins -- Jesus shattered the gates in preparation for a
grand exit -- and after the resurrection -- when Jesus ascended to heaven on
Easter Sunday -- we read here that He led captives in His train -- that He gave
gifts to men -- the gifts were the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with the
Father, and eternal life with God
-- in the Gospel of Matthew, in Chapter
16:16-20, when Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God -- the Messiah --
Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will
not overcome it”
-- in other words, “on this message -- on
this proclamation -- on this truth that I am the promised Messiah -- I will
build My Church -- and the gates of Hades will not overcome it -- they will be opened
-- they will be shattered”
-- Jesus was announcing that He would go
to Sheol/Hades and open the gates so that the captives might be freed -- so
that all those who believed in Him would ascend with Him to heaven to be with
God forever
-- this teaching of Jesus emptying the
Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise side of Sheol/Hades is known in the church as the
Harrowing of Hell -- more accurately called “The Harrowing of Hades”
-- to harrow means to cause distress to
something -- to disturb it -- to destroy it -- and the term, “The Harrowing of
Hades,” literally means that Jesus disturbed and destroyed Hades -- not all of
it -- just the side we call Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom
-- this side no longer exists -- it has
been harrowed -- it has been destroyed -- and all the captives that were in
there -- from Adam and Eve all the way up to the thief on the cross -- were
carried in Jesus’ train to heaven when He ascended to be with the Father
-- Hades could not contain Christ because
death could not hold back God’s power and life
--
through His death and resurrection, Christ destroyed both sin and death -- He
shattered the very gates of Hell and freed us from its power forever -- and when
He ascended to heaven, He carried the church with Him
IV. Closing
-- as I was preparing this message,
I had spent some time pondering and studying these passages and praying to God
to give me His word -- to open my eyes to His truth
-- and after that prayer, I woke
with the words of a song reverberating in my ears -- it’s the Mercy Me song, “And
Then Christ Came” -- let me share with you a few of the lyrics from that song:
Like a soldier with no armor
In the middle of the battle
I was broken
I was broken
It was only getting darker
In the valley of the shadow
I was hopeless
I was hopeless
I never thought that I would ever see the
day
When every single chain would break
Or hear the voice of Heaven call my name
Then Christ came
Changing everything
He took my sin and shame away
Now every song
I sing will be for Him
Ever since the moment He walked in
Then Christ came
-- think about what it must have been like
for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob -- for David and Adam and Eve and all those Old
Testament saints -- they were living in a place of Paradise -- they were in
Abraham’s Bosom -- but they were still trapped in that place and their hopes
were still not realized -- they still had not seen the promised Messiah they
had waited for for so long
-- but then Christ came -- in the fullness
of time -- in the moment that God had ordained so long ago -- Christ came into
Sheol/Hades and proclaimed the victory -- He had overcome the enemies of sin
and death -- He had overcome the power of satan and the evil forces in the heavenly
realm -- He had overcome our original sin nature and the results of the fall
-- and He shattered the very gates of Hell
and He looked back over His shoulder and said, “Come, follow Me” -- and He led
the captives out and freed them for all eternity
-- when Christ comes, that is what
He does -- when Christ comes, the chains of sin and death fall -- the
consequences and the sufferings of this life fade away -- and we are ushered
into His presence forever
-- oh, what a glorious day it was in
Sheol/Hades when Christ came to change everything -- to take their sin and
shame away -- and to bring them with Him to heaven
-- so, where are the Old Testament
saints today? -- the people who died looking forward to the coming of Jesus? --
all of those who were in Abraham’s Bosom in Sheol/Hades?
-- they are in heaven with Jesus at
this very moment -- all because Christ came
-- let us pray
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