(Audio/Video/Text)
Title: Lest We Forget…
Intro:
Friends there’s a lot to unpack here, and I’m going to suggest that some of what we deal with today will be relatively straight-forward, and needs not to be investigated as thoroughly as some other key points (one doozy in particular), so, although we are covering v.7-10 this morning, we will spend most of our time unpacking verses 9-10 to gain fuller understanding.
(read/pray)
Verse 7: But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
The one note I do want to make about this verse is the fact that Paul has been stressing our unity in Christ, but there is this word here, “each”, that reminds us that The Father does not just see us as his legion, his army, all in the same uniform, all with the same haircut, standing by to do his bidding.
He created us, he knows us, he made us uniquely, individually, and gives to us, not corporately, but gives grace to EACH of us, intimately, individually, and then we, led by the spirit and bond of peace, put ASIDE our differences (like the Jews and Gentiles Paul was writing to), to praise Christ in UNITY, because of what he has given to EACH of us.
Verse 8: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
Paul here is quoting Psalm 68:18, here is that verse in it’s entirety in the NASB
You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.
Notice anything different about Paul’s citation and the original verse?
Dave Guzik:
When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men: Paul did not quote the passage exactly as it appears in Psalm 68. Either he altered it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or under similar inspiration he quoted from an ancient translation (called a Targum) that quotes the Psalm in this manner.
Psalm 68:18 reads: You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men. There is certainly enough room in the language of the original Hebrew to allow Paul’s reading, even though it is unusual.
“It is enough for me that the apostle, under the inspiration of God, applied the verse in this way; and whatever David might intend, and of whatever event he might have written, we see plainly that the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense of the Spirit of God.” (Clarke)
OK, now we get to the thick stuff:
Verse 9-10 Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
(What?)
Chuck Smith: Jesus comforts the Spirits in Hades who have not died before the Messiah came.
Jesus tells us that prior to His death, Hades was separated into two compartments: in one compartment those who were being tormented, the unrighteous; in the other compartment those who were being comforted in Abraham’s bosom. For we are told in Hebrews chapter 11, when it lists off these great men of faith in the Old Testament, that they all died in faith not having received the promise. But they saw it afar off and they embraced it, and they claimed they were just strangers and pilgrims. But they all died in faith, not having received the promise, because God has reserved some better thing for us that they apart from us could not come into the perfected state.
When Jesus died, His Spirit went into Hades, but into that compartment where Abraham was comforting those who had died in faith. As they were awaiting the fullness of time when God would fulfill the promise of sending the Messiah. For they all died in faith, but they could not ascend into heaven because it was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could put away their sins. All they did was foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereby sins could be put away and man could have access on into heaven. So Jesus preached to those souls that were imprisoned, and on the third day when He arose again, He led the captives from their captivity. He opened the prison doors to those that were bound. He led them from their captivity, and the graves of many of the saints were opened, and they were seen walking in the streets of Jerusalem after His resurrection from the dead, Matthew 27.
So, “He who has ascended” is the one who, first of all, descended into the lower parts of the earth. In order to open the prison doors to those that were bound, in order to lead those who had by faith been waiting for the Messiah in order to lead them on into glory.
Dave Guzik: It’s not quite that complex…here’s a simpler reading
Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean: In this, Paul demonstrated how the words He ascended in Psalm 68:18 had reference to the resurrection of Jesus, speaking first of His rising from the lower parts of the earth, and secondly of His ascension far above all the heavens.
Some think that the phrase lower parts of the earth refers to Jesus’ preaching to the spirits in prison described in 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. While this aspect of Jesus’ ministry in Hades following His work on the cross is true (and prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18), Paul did not necessarily refer to it here.
Matthew Henry: It’s even simpler than that…don’t miss the main point.
(For what it’s worth, this one is my favorite)
As much as if he had said, “When David speaks of Christ’s ascension, he intimates the knowledge he had of Christ’s humiliation on earth; for, when it is said that he ascended, this implies that he first descended: for what is it but a proof or demonstration of his having done so?’ Into the lower parts of the earth; this may refer either to his incarnation, or, to his burial, according to that of Ps. 63:9, Those that seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth. He calls his death (say some of the fathers) his descent into the lower parts of the earth.
He descended to the earth in his incarnation. He descended into the earth in his burial. As Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so was the Son of man in the heart of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens (v. 10), far above the airy and starry (which are the visible) heavens, into the heaven of heavens; that he might fill all things, all the members of his church, with gifts and graces suitable to their several conditions and stations.
Observe, Our Lord humbled himself first, and then he was exalted. He descended first, and then ascended.
Conclusions/Points/Applications
- EACH of us was individually created/called/blessed with the gift of salvation in Christ. BECAUSE of this we unify in the CHURCH to bring glory to CHRIST.
- Christ is the conqueror. The conqueror of death, the takes captive those forces who attempt to keep us captive, he FREES us, that we may live as we were originally designed, to bring glory to CHRIST. (are you seeing a pattern here?)
- To do this, Christ first humbled himself, he DESCENDED to the earth and into the earth (whatever your reading may be, the point doesn’t change) so that he could ASCEND to the Father. We celebrate that sacrifice when we imitate that sacrifice, and, in so doing, bring glory to CHRIST.