April 7, 2023

He is alive!

Isaiah 25:7-8

George Dalton
Friday's Devo

April 7, 2023

Friday's Devo

April 7, 2023

Friday's Devo

April 7, 2023

Friday's Devo

April 7, 2023

Big Idea

He is Risen!

Key Verse | 1 Corinthians 15:54

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

Isaiah 25:7-8

7  And he will swallow up on this mountain
    the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    the veil that is spread over all nations.
8      He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    for the LORD has spoken.

"How do we know Jesus actually rose from the grave?"

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Dive Deeper | Isaiah 25:7-8

The winds howled, the lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and the rains poured over the cottage on the beach. The storm raged deep into the night. The family vacation was interrupted by a sudden, violent storm. I woke early before the sunrise to a deafening quiet. I walked out on the beach, sat, and listened to the smooth rhythm of the sea rolling. As the sun came up over the horizon and the sounds of a new day awakening washed over me, I could not hold back the tears of gratitude. Grateful for the protection and covering during the storm and for the sounds of God's mercies new this morning.

This must have been how the disciples felt when they saw Jesus again. The confusing storm of the crucifixion was done. They had seen their friend, leader, and king be laid in the tomb and a large stone rolled to seal His grave. And now as the sun comes up on that Sunday morning, they find the grave empty, and Jesus stands in their midst again. Though Christ had warned them of the coming storm, they did not understand. But God reappeared in their lives again.

We read today that God had spoken through the prophets in the past that He would defeat death and wipe away the tears (Isaiah 25:7-8). We are grateful that God loved us so much that He gave His Son for us. We celebrate Jesus coming out of that grave to give us, who have accepted His death as payment for our sins, the hope of salvation (Romans 6:23).

Someday, the trumpet will sound, and Jesus will again stand in our midst, and the storm of death will be removed. The tears and ache of loss will be replaced with the joy of being with our Lord forever. The peace that comes to God's children within the raging storms of life in this broken world is the hope and assurance of the day of Jesus' return. "O death, where is your sting?" (1Corinthians 15:55b) My King is a risen King who will come back for me.

This month's memory verse

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

– Philippians 4:4-5

Discussion Questions

1. Are you looking forward to Jesus' return?

2. What in this world are you holding on to that prevents you from surrendering fully to our King?

3. Is there a recent storm Jesus carried you through? What did you learn from Jesus' provision in the storm?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Big George!! How awesome to see your smiling face on The Journey!! Love your devo man. I have sat through many beach-side storms and they are really wicked - but there is an element to them that is truly a primal connection. Q1. TODAY! However, I am thankful that He was patient with me and hadn’t come by the time I came to truly know Him. Until He comes back or calls me home, I am called to accept my mission behind enemy lines and to proclaim, witness and teach. Q2. CONTROL! A big part of that is busyness. I’m not very good at relaxing unless I’m really physically tired. Q3. There are seasons where my life seems like an F5 tornado in a Kansas trailer park. Most of the issue is spiritual. Paul’s call in Ephesians 6:10-20 keeps me focused.
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Hugh Stephenson

The truth that death will be swallowed up in victory is a real mind-bender. Speed round from the notes – Death will be devoured. Consumed. Death is gone and eternal life is here. We will be present in our resurrect-n bodies. My physical body is gone, and my spiritual body is here. “The image of the Lord "swallowing" death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims.” (NET Bible notes) “And here on this mountain, GOD will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples, The shadow of doom darkening all nations. Yes, he’ll banish death forever.” (Message)
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Hugh Stephenson

In a recent class I asked the teacher if my resurrection body would be my 63-year-old body or my 19-year-old body. https://www.gotquestions.org/resurrection-body.html Fairly early on in our journey Amy and I came to the same view about death. We are ready whenever He is ready. We are thankful for our life and our marriage but felt at peace with whatever His timing turned out to be. So…when I don’t have any of the stuff; the material toys and joys, the comforts of life- when I think about that…then it’s as if there is nothing keeping me here. An eternal perspective in more natural.
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Michael Sisson

Re: Isa 25:8 Isaiah 25:8 (NASB) He will swallow up death for all time, And >>>the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,<<< And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. See Ps 56:8 (NASB)
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Michael Scaman

He will swallow up the covering of death for all people ( or perhaps all sorts of people) - a stunning statement. Isaiah ties together the line of David's kingship with God's kingship, the salvation of the Jews and the world and Jesus as somehow God himself up together. How? God is holy and his people who are tinged with sin to the core will be holy: God calls heaven and earth to a trial of sorts laying out indictments against Israel at the start,. It changes to a salvation song in the second half of Isaiah . And the city that was compared with Sodom in chapter 1 becomes holy to the Lord at the end. God glory on the throne in 6 changes to Jesus glory in chapter 52: God is seen high and lifted up in Isaiah 6 shutting Isaiah's mouth with his awesome holiness; Jesus is high and lifted up in Isaiah 52 sprinkling nations and the high and shutting the mouths of kings; and lifted up one is dwelling with the humble opening mouths made pure God's salvation goes to Jews and gentiles, the nations: David is promised a descendent will sit on his throne forever and Isaiah promises even the nations will hope in the root of Jesse. Believers from places like Cush will not be second class. The tent pegs of the kingdom expanded.
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Chris Landry

Source: fully from ChatGPT. Prompted to write a puritanical Devo about Isaiah 25:7-8 in light of Christian theology: Oh, how sweet it is to meditate on the promises of our Lord God and His holy Word! Indeed, there is none greater than the promise spoken through His prophet Isaiah, that He will one day swallow up death forever. This promise is not merely a temporal one, but rather, it speaks to the eternal destiny of our souls. Death is the great enemy of man, the result of our sin and rebellion against God. But in His infinite mercy and grace, our God has provided a way of escape from the wages of our sin through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is through His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection that Christ has swallowed up death forever. By bearing the weight of our sins upon the cross, He has taken upon Himself the punishment we deserve, and in doing so, He has reconciled us to our heavenly Father. Death no longer has power over us, for Christ has conquered it. As we prepare to celebrate Easter this weekend, let us remember the great sacrifice that our Lord made for us. Let us reflect upon the depths of our sin and the weight of our guilt, and in doing so, let us recognize the magnitude of His love for us. For it was out of His great love that He willingly endured the cross, despising the shame, and triumphing over death. May we, as His redeemed people, live our lives in light of this great promise, knowing that we have been set free from the bondage of sin and death. And let us give all glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has swallowed up death forever, and in Him, we have eternal life.
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Amy Lowther

1. Yes. 2. Nothing. 3. Yes. Jesus will carry you through ANYTHING, helping you in areas of what to say, what to do, and where to go even if the person who started the storm takes FOREVER to give you the key points of what started the storm.
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, George! And thanks too to Hugh for sharing Dr. C's insight about the Lord swallowing death as countering ancient mythology about death hungrily swallowing its victims. Whoa. This promise of what lies ahead is wonderful, and I love that it reappears at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21:4-- "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This week I have taken every opportunity I have to remind people of the 2000-year-old Easter morning tradition throughout church history: that when someone says, "The Lord is risen!" the response is, "He is risen indeed!" Every year, on my way to my seat at church, when I greet people with, "The Lord is risen," I hear, "Yes!" or "Hallelujah!" or "Amen!" or some other variation of not knowing the "Christians' secret handshake." I've been pleading, especially to our high school students, "Don't let this tradition die with you!"
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Hugh Stephenson

Sue- Love the "secret handshake". Chris- ChatGPT. Wow. "Open the pod bay doors HAL."