A Message for the Anxious, the Searching, and the Hope-Starved

Chris Cousine

Apr 20, 2025

Scripture: Revelation 1:17–18

Thanks for popping by, I pray this Easter has been a good one. With that, I’d like to have a chat about a little thing that happened a couple thousand years ago.

Let’s be honest: death makes everyone uncomfortable. It’s the unspoken backdrop to all our efforts at wellness, productivity, and distraction. Even in Alberta—where we pride ourselves on grit and resilience—the shadow of death never really goes away. You feel it in the silence after a funeral. In the empty chair at Easter dinner. In the panic of a bad diagnosis. In the quiet ache of getting older.

And here’s the hard truth: you will die. Whether you’re rich or poor, fit or sick, religious or not—death bats 1.000.

That’s what makes the message of Easter so utterly disruptive. Because it doesn’t just say that Jesus came back from the dead. It says something far more shocking: death couldn’t hold Him.

Why not?

In Revelation 1, the risen Christ appears to the Apostle John—an old man exiled for his faith—and says, “Fear not… I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I hold the keys of Death and Hades.”

So why couldn’t the grave hold Him? Let’s walk through it—briefly—and ask what that means for you.

1. Because of Who He Is — The First and the Last

Jesus didn’t just defeat death as a man—He defeated it because He’s God in the flesh.

You might have heard people say Jesus was a great moral teacher. A prophet. A revolutionary. But Jesus Himself said things no mere man could say. “Before Abraham was, I AM.” “I and the Father are one.” “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” The religious elite didn’t misunderstand Him—they tried to kill Him because they knew exactly what He was claiming: divinity.

And then He died. Crucified by the very people He came to save.

But here’s the twist: death didn’t get the final word. Because Jesus wasn’t just another victim of human cruelty. He was—and is—the eternal Son of God, the Alpha and the Omega. And when God takes on flesh, dies, and walks out of the grave three days later, it’s not just a miracle—it’s a declaration.

That means you are not the centre of the universe, and neither am I. Our lives aren’t random. Our decisions matter. And whatever else you believe, you’re going to have to deal with the reality that 2,000 years ago, something happened that broke history in two.

2. Because of What He Did — He Died in Obedience

Jesus didn’t just defeat death—He dismantled the reason death exists in the first place.

According to Scripture, death is the result of sin. Humanity rebelled against the Creator, and the penalty was separation—physical, spiritual, and eternal. And deep down, we know it’s true. We’re not just people who make mistakes. We’re people who break things—promises, relationships, ourselves.

Jesus, the only sinless One, chose to die. Not as a martyr, not as a symbol, but as a substitute. He absorbed the wrath we deserved. He stood in our place. And because He was innocent, death had no legal claim on Him.

The tomb didn’t give Him up. It couldn’t hold Him.

If you’ve ever felt too far gone, too stained, too damaged—this is good news. Jesus didn’t come for people who have it all together. He came for people who know they don’t. And that includes you.

3. Because of What He Has Now — Authority Over Death

Jesus now says, “I hold the keys of Death and Hades.”

Let that sink in.

He doesn’t just survive death—He owns it. He governs it. He decides who lives, who dies, who rises again.

In Alberta, we like to think we’re in control. We plan, hustle, and build as if we can outmaneuvre fate. But Jesus says: You don’t have the keys. I do.

That’s not a threat. It’s an invitation.

Because the One who holds the keys isn’t your enemy—He’s the same One who died to save you.

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So… What About You?

Let me ask you something. Who holds the keys to your death?

If your answer is “I don’t know,” then I want you to hear this clearly:

Jesus offers you what no government, no wellness plan, no relationship, and no ideology ever can: eternal life. Not a life free of pain—but a life free of the fear of death. A life anchored in the One who rose again and lives forever.

He’s calling you today. Not to clean yourself up first. Not to figure it all out. But simply to come.

Come with your doubts. Come with your wounds. Come with your fears. And find that the tomb is empty, the King is alive, and the door to life is wide open.

So why couldn’t the grave hold Him?

Because He’s the eternal Son of God.
Because His death wasn’t defeat—it was victory.
Because He now rules over death itself.

And here’s the Easter hope:

If death couldn’t hold Him—it won’t hold you either… if you belong to Him.

So come. Before it’s too late.