The Daily + This Sunday & Immanuel
Good morning Immanuel. Though death may bring us low today, we know that our tomorrows are held in the hands of the risen one.
“But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’ (Revelation 1:17-18)”
There is a reality about death that we all know to be true–so true that it seems crass and even unkind to point it out. Death is permanent. It is final. Death is never in the past tense; it is always ongoing, always with us.
So when Jesus says, in Revelation 1:17-18, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades,” it should grip us. I died, and I am alive. I was dead, but I am the living one.
If this seems like a small thing to us, a mundane thing, an uninteresting thing, then we have lost touch with reality and mortality. The Bible tells us death is an enemy, and we know it is one we cannot defeat. But Jesus did. He didn’t just rise from the dead; he left the corpse of death in his own grave.
And when he says he is “alive forevermore” and has “the keys of Death and Hades,” it is a promise. He did not just defeat death for his own sake but for ours. And we can be certain that he will return and do away with death forever. So while death is yet a fearful enemy, its days are more numbered than our own. Though death may bring us low today, we know that our tomorrows are held in the hands of the risen one.
April 23, 2023 - This Sunday At Immanuel
Sunday Morning
SERMON - This Sunday, Pastor TJ will continue our sermon series in Ephesians 4:13-16.
HOLY COMMUNION - Join us as we observe Holy Communion this Sunday. Come and feed on the tangible reminder of the grace of Jesus at our 9 am and 10:45 am services.
CELEBRATION OF GRADUATING SENIORS - Join us at our 10:45 am service to celebrate Immanuel's high school and college graduates! Let's honor this important milestone as the next generation continues to make the real Jesus non-ignorable!
Seminars
9 am: Studying the Bible Together led by Dr. Tom Cox in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
9 am: First Word Seminar led by Dr. Russell Moore in the Cafe
9 am: Student Seminar led by Vince Greenwald in the gymnasium (ongoing for grades 5-12)
10:45 am: Next Steps 4, led by Tony Shepherd in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
College Lunch - Led by Vince Greenwald in the Cafe after the 10:45 am service
Celebrating Wins
GOSPEL COALITION ARTICLE - TGC recently published an excellent article by Pastor TJ Tims on pastoral succession. We are thankful for the faithful, Christ-honoring ministry of our leaders!
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