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“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus”
(Ac.4:33)
My conversion to God was based on the issue of Christ’s death and resurrection.
God guided me in such a way
that
my faith be based on the most basic points of Christian faith: Jesus
Christ’s birth from a virgin, and His death and resurrection! My main
difficulty was focused on accepting both the authenticity of the Bible and the
resurrection of Christ, because it is written:
“And if Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain………
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
(1Cor.15:14, 17). When I was finally persuaded about the authenticity of the
Bible (especially by the
Messianic prophecies but also by
undeniable historic extra-biblical facts concerning Jesus’ life
and the life of the people of Israel) and the resurrection of Jesus, my soul was
seized by admiration, awe, fear and trembling. The historical proofs, joined
with the “bona fede” of a man of a simple and good will, helped me to seize the
object of faith, which is Jesus Himself.
My research turned into
certainties…
and into works of faith!
All my life was changed. Darkness was replaced by light.
I realized that it took more “faith” to be a silly
unbeliever and an atheist, such as I was, than to be a serious believer. Then,
I fell on my knees and asked God for the forgiveness of my sins
and for the salvation of my soul, on the basis of the verse:
“that if you confess with your mouth the
Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved.” (Rom.10:9).
I know for sure that God did not pay attention both to the extremely limited
knowledge I had about Himself and His will and to the very limited knowledge I
had about myself, but He accepted my “commitment” to Him just as I was.
He knew that I had given Him, in a childish simplicity, sincerity and
honesty all I was and had. I had not kept “a key” for myself “just in
case when…”. He forgave me and saved me for now and for eternity! Since that
day, He “organized” a lot of testing and afflictions I could never have imagined
but He also planned and accomplished such blessings, both material and
spiritual, far beyond the capacity of my imagination! I was humbled not so much
from my failures as from the blessings He bestowed on me in His mercy and grace!
The only thing I did since the day of my conversion was to
study
His Word
and try wholeheartedly and sincerely to
apply
it in my life in the fear of God. My key words were: “John, repent truly in
your heart for your failures and shortcomings”. I wish I knew how He sees me
but irrespective of this wish of mine I try and I will continue to try my best
in deep gratitude to be agreeable to Him.
Christ’s work on the cross
The central message of the Bible is Christ’s redemptive death on the cross and
His resurrection. The Bible says that He “declared to be the Son of God with
power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead.” (Rom.1:4). HE died at our place so that
we may be saved from God’s judgment.
His resurrection is the seal of God’s approval that Christ has paid by
His blood our sins. His resurrection was the proof of the justification, which
was imputed to us, of our reconciliation to and of our peace with God. This is
confirmed by the following verses: “…It shall be imputed to us who believe in
Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of
our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom.4:23-5:2).
When Jesus was on the cross, HE cried out: “IT
IS FINISHED”:
The work of our salvation that He had come to effect was finished, by offering
Himself (Isa.53:12; Joh.10:11; Rom.5:6) according to His Father’s instructions.
In this way, God’s justice and love for us were manifested:
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each
other.”
(Ps.85:10).
On the cross, the severity, the justice and the love of God were manifested…
Jesus Christ’s cross became the place of meeting and reconciliation of man
with God. Christ’s
mission
was
accomplished!
His
mission was to save those who were not worthy (the weak, the sinners and even
His enemies like you and me), provided we would sincerely repent
and believe in Him.
The sin’s penalty was fully paid and man could be accepted by God. How
regrettable it is to see men trying to “save themselves” by their good works!
They try to accomplish what is already accomplished while their salvation
depends on what Jesus has done! They try to open an open door!
Forgiveness is granted only on the basis of Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross; it constitutes the miracle of His divine grace.
Jesus Christ’s death was not a haphazard event of a common man. It was the death
of a certain man in a certain period of history, decided in advance, before the
world was created, for the salvation of the world and
took place when the time was fulfilled!
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.”
(Php.2:8).
He was “…the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world” (Rev.13:8) for our salvation. The glory of such a
salvation belongs “to Him who loved us
and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev.1:5).
Everything was accomplished according to the Holy
Scriptures! Thus, it was proved
that “all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness” (2Tim.3:16).
If we have been crucified with Jesus by faith,
then we are dead to the world and our dept does not exist anymore! You cannot
say to a dead man: You owe or you do not owe. He has escaped from the LAW and
passed into another world, where the LAW cannot follow him. God has “…blotted
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.” (Col.2:14-15). It is a pleasant message for all those who are
disappointed from themselves. Law made me to die and obliged me to take refuge
in Christ. We should not, therefore, turn our eyes to ourselves but we must set
our eyes on the Beginner and Finisher of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ! Now,
being new creatures, He wants us to live for Him.
Christ’s resurrection and its eternal results
Only one person has ever defeated death... That person is Jesus Christ. He is
alive and soon, one day every true believer will live with Him forever!
Death has no more the final word. Satan’s defeat was predicted right from the
dawn of mankind! In Genesis 3:15 it is written:
“And I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and
you shall bruise His heel.”
God’s plan of mercy and grace were conceived before eternity.
In spite of the difficulties, man’s enmity, the bloodshed throughout the ages,
the apostasy etc., nothing could stop God from the accomplishment of His plans.
Jesus Christ’s resurrection was not a haphazard event. It was foretold by
the prophets (Ps.16:10;
Ac.1:22) and by Jesus Himself! (Mt.20:19; Mrk.9:9;
14:28; Joh.2:19-22). So, the Old Testament Scriptures and Jesus’ words were
fulfilled (Lu.24:45-46), and constitute the proof that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God! (Ps.2:7; Ac.13:33; Rom.1:4). The Bible tells us that He appeared after
His resurrection to Mary Magdalene, to certain other women, to the apostles and
to many other believers, even to Paul who persecuted Christ’s Church! In
addition, our Lord’s resurrection was attested by angels (Mt.28:5-7; Lu.24:4-7),
by the apostles (Ac.1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:33) and even by His enemies
(Mt.28:11-15). His resurrection was followed by His exaltation (Ac.4:10-11;
Rom.8:34; Eph.1:20; Php.2:9-10). He gave, in this way, many infallible proofs!
“…It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us”
(Rom.8:34).
If Christ had not been crucified and raised from the dead, our sins could not
have been forgiven (1Cor.15:17) and God could not have justified us (Rom.4:25;
8:34). Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection are the basis of our
lively hope and for our own resurrection (1Cor.15:19; 1Pet.1:3).
So, we can preach the Good News with boldness and
assurance.
We should not forget that He is coming again to receive to Himself those who
belong to Him! We should not, also, forget that Christ’s work has much more
extended, far reaching results:
“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in heaven.”
(Col.1:20).
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ. The Easter message is one of hope
and victory over death, for it recalls that Christ rose from the dead on the
third day after His crucifixion. Easter symbolizes the love of God and the
certainty
that man’s soul is immortal.
There is no Easter without Jesus!
Unbelievers
consider Jesus’ death and resurrection as foolishness; believers accept it as
truth and receive salvation by God’s grace. And let us never forget what is
written in the Bible in a very solemn way:
“He that believes on the Son has
everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God stays on him.”
(Joh.3:36)
The news that He was alive should not have surprised the apostles. Many times He
had foretold His crucifixion and resurrection. In fact, time and again, He told
them that He would go to Jerusalem, die and rise again. Jesus
“was delivered into death for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom.4:25). Through
His death, the penalty was paid for our sins:
·
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”
(Gal.3:13), and
·
“For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him.”
(2Cor.5:21).
Through His resurrection, we are given a living hope, the proof that His
promises are true (1Pe.1:3-5). Without a living Savior, there is no hope:
“If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain…” (1Cor.15:17). He lives!
“…I am the first and the last: I am he
that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen…”
(Rev.1:17-18).
If this is not a victory, what then can be called victory?
Christ’s work was the product of His love for us
The work of our salvation was the product of God’s great love for us:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Joh.3:16).
His Son emptied Himself from the honors and authorities in heaven (Php.2:6-11)
in order to save us. We were lost and did not know what we were doing. Jesus
“...who, being in the form of God, did
not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly
exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and
of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php.2:6-11).
We can, therefore, understand the unfathomable and unconditional love of God.
If God’s justice was applied …we would
have been consumed, but His compassions did not fail (Lam.3:22). Let us pay
attention to a great truth: It is never said that God was reconciled with man
but that man was reconciled with God! God always loved man and wanted to be
his friend. He forgave us in His mercy; He saved us
by His grace; He regenerated us by His Holy Spirit; He gave us power against sin
and our passions; He added spiritual gifts in our life; He gave us newness of
life and eternal life! Out of his love
“…He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”
(Rom.8:29).
For
the time being, “…we are children of
God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He
is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
(1Jo.3:2). And much more: “…To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and his Father;
to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev.1:5).
Did we deserve such a compassionate treatment? No, absolutely not! God
demonstrated His love: “…For when we were yet without strength, in due
time Christ died for the ungodly………while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us………For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by
his life (Rom.5:6-10).
This is the most pleasant and encouraging message for all those who have
despaired from themselves.
Romans 3:23-24 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus.”
So, let us take heart, for “there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus…” (Rom.8:1).
Paul ‘sold’ everything, all his prerogatives in order to ‘buy’ that precious
“pearl”, which was Jesus Christ.
Paul was
glorying in the cross of Christ because Christ had suffered for and
substituted him on the cross; because he was reconciled with God;
because He had been redeemed from the slavery of sin; because he could
now live a holy life.
Paul had now
the power to resist sin and stand against the wiles of Satan and do
all things through Christ who strengthened him (Php.4:13). Satan was
defeated and judged and Paul was transferred from Satan’s dominion, from
darkness, to the wonderful light of Christ and under the sweet dominion of
Christ’s grace. God, in His grace, had written His law in his heart
(Heb.10:16 and 8:10). He knew that he had everlasting life because his
name was written in the Book of the Lamb and because he would reign with
Him, etc.!
Do we glory in all these things?
If we could obtain righteousness by the Law of Moses or by our good works, then
Christ is crucified in vain.
By faith and repentance, I have been crucified and died with Jesus and now I
live with Christ and for Christ. The sacrifice on the cross, the blood of
Christ, is my only hope. When we were at our worst, Jesus gave His life to save
us.
Conclusion:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to
a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
(1Pe.1:3). If this is not a victory, what is then a true victory? His victory is
also our victory! We can enjoy that victory in our personal life
IF WE CONSENT to walk according to the instructions given to us
in Rev.12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.” We
must make ours,
by faith,
Jesus victory on Golgotha so that we may win. Our great enemy has been defeated.
The cross is the only weapon against Satan! We must never move from our position
and from our privileges in Christ.
Reconciliation and its prerequisites
God’s purpose was, first, to reconcile us with Himself and
that we have peace with Him and
second,
to reconcile us men, among ourselves!
This is the meaning of:
·
Eph.2:16: “and
that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity”,
and of
·
Eph.4:1-3: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk
worthy of the vocation with which you are called, with all lowliness and
meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one
another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace”!
If God does not have our consent, He cannot realize His purpose and work in us.
For those who are lost or have lost their orientation or have become
backsliders, it is indispensable to take refuge in Christ’s sacrifice. If we
ever understand the importance of the Lord
Jesus Christ’s
sacrifice, we cannot move away from this truth! Christ’s cross does not leave
any place for our personal or for our religious or for our denominational pride.
Unfortunately, the Deceiver tries to focus our attention on things which, though
Biblical, are of secondary importance and make us lose from our sight the truth
of the cross of Christ. The cross and our arrogance cannot coexist just like
light and darkness. One cannot say that he is “holier” than his neighbor: If
I deserved a cross and you deserved a cross, what is, therefore, the difference
between us two? If there is no difference, that means that, in reality, there is
no problem of superiority between you and me. The cross constitutes, also,
the solution to all racial problems! May the Lord give us such a heart and help
us to take the proper humble stand before God and men! In addition, the fact
that we were redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice means that we do not belong to
ourselves: “What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are
bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God’s.” (1Cor.6:19-20). We conclude, therefore, that there are
certain prerequisites:
truth, humility and commitment.
Preaching of Christ’s death and resurrection
Paul, the apostle, was asserting that Christ did not send him to baptize but to
preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words (that is with human reflections,
ideas or speculations), lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect
(1Cor.1:17). Jesus told His apostles before His death
and resurrection, what was going to happen… The apostles, when they understood
the meaning and importance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they never changed
the theme of their preaching and teaching. Christ’s crucifixion and
resurrection are
not a theory but
historic facts. His death and resurrection are the central points
of the Gospel and are emphasized in the Epistles of the apostles.
This is the reason why
“…with great power the apostles gave
witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” and that is why
“…great grace was upon them all.”
(Ac.4:33). Our Lord Jesus Christ had not only spoken about His resurrection but
had identified Himself with the
‘resurrection’ itself: Jesus told
Martha, “…I am the
resurrection
and the life. He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live.”
(Joh.11:25). Since God’s justice and love were manifested on the cross of
Christ, we also, must have the cross and the resurrection as the central theme
of our preaching, but in the proper way: “… to preach the gospel: not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
Eloquence should not make vain Christ’s cross. For the worldly people the
cross is a paradox, I should rather say “foolishness” (1Cor.1:18) but for the
Christian all the meaning of his “religion” and of his life is contained in the
cross. The cross of Christ and His resurrection are
the
solid foundation for his joy and peace.
Unfortunately, “…the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but to us which are saved it is the power of God.”
(1Cor.1:18). Jesus has become
our bridge of reconciliation! Someone said: “We
are not diplomats, but prophets; and our message is not a compromise, but an
ultimatum.”
If we forget or neglect to give the message of the cross, we risk being led into
error and deformation of the truth.
Paul knew, however, that on account of the preaching of the cross, he would
suffer persecution (Gal.5:11). He squarely refused to make a fair show in the
flesh by accepting the circumcision in order not to suffer persecution. When he
went to Athens, the Athenians mocked him (Ac.17:18, 32). Even when he was
brought to be judged before kings he spoke about the resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust (Ac.24:15). This holds good also to us whenever we
speak about Jesus’ resurrection as well as about of our future resurrection…
Enemies of the cross
Paul was weeping
as he was seeing that certain people were walking in a way that rendered them
enemies of the cross: “For
many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Whose end is
destruction,
whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.”
(Php.3:18-19). Enemies of the cross? Yes, enemies of the cross because their God
was their belly and their glory was in their shame, and minded earthly things…
(v.19 and Rom.16:18). The various religions, Islam, Buddhism etc. are, indeed,
enemies of the cross! The worse enemies of the cross are, nevertheless, those
that profess to be Christians
who are afraid and ashamed of taking an open position in favor of Christ; those
that give their vote in favor of Barabbas and deliver Christ to be crucified…;
those that for political reasons (to fish some votes), or for an economic or
social profit, put on equal footing the teaching and the mission of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tit.2:13) with the teachings of Mohamed or Buddha
etc.; those that remove the Bible from the Christian hotels in order not to…
offend Islamist customers; and those that prevent the distribution of the New
Testament in secondary schools, universities etc., etc. In the same way, enemies
of the cross are the workers of the gospel
who remove from their «gospel» the
Christ’s cross, the Christ’s blood, the «rights» of God from their own life and
from the life of other believers! Yes, those whose religion is just a pure and
simple ritual mixed with false traditions; those who use only part of Christ’s
words and avoid to speak about repentance,
about hell
and condemn sin; and those who mix philosophy, psychology, sociology and give
false security and comfort,
smooth things and deceits
(Isa.30:10),
to make people feel pleasantly… because they have itching ears
(2Tim.4:3). May the Lord prevent us
from such things in due time, before it is too late. Paul knew very well
that every doctrine that was not embedded in the cross of Jesus would lead
people astray. How sad it is, in our days, to see that the cross of Jesus,
His resurrection and the invaluable blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our
sins and our redemption, in general, are
so rarely
preached!
We understand that the enemies of the cross, about whom Paul were speaking, were
“Christians”, not rejecting in words the cross of Christ but living in a manner,
which showed that they were enemies to the pure gospel, most probably, in the
following ways: a) by an immoral life; b) by a heart that had never truly been
regenerated by the Holy Spirit; and c) by living in the indulgence of known sin!
Paul was weeping over them! Do we?
Much injury is done to the true religion because of such ‘Christians’.
Nowadays, some are accused as homosexuals or immoral, some as lovers of money,
some as dictators, some as behaving like worldly diplomats without sincerity,
some as teachers of false doctrines, some as watering down the Word of God in
order either to make it ‘more attractive’ or not to be considered as
‘fundamentalists’ but as being of a “broad mind”, etc. Because of such people,
the Gospel of our Lord and Savior is blasphemed!
Who is the Victor and who is the defeated foe?
The victor is Christ and the defeated is Satan. That victory was not for HIMSELF
but for us… For you and me! For you and me, so that our sins may be blotted out
and that we may have everlasting life. Jesus said:
“And I, if I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (Joh.12:32) And this was done in
order to restore us to our previous position of glory and honor before the fall
of the human race into sin. His victory became our victory! The resurrection day
is waiting for us... Then, God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Rev.21:4). Our Lord Jesus
Christ assured us that the ruler of this world, that is Satan, had nothing in
Him (Joh.14:30). Peter says that the
Lord Jesus Christ “did no sin” (1Pet.2:22); Paul says that He “knew no sin”
(2Cor.5:21); and John says that “in Him was no sin” (1Joh.3:5).
It was then,
in the days of His death and resurrection
that
the judgment of this world took place and it was then that the ruler of this
world was cast out (Joh.12:31). The Holy Spirit confirmed through the Apostle
Paul, in 2Th.2:8, that when the lawless one will be revealed,
“…the Lord will consume with the breath
of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”
Jesus, in order to achieve His goal,
‘partook
of flesh and blood, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil, and release those, who through fear of death, were
all their lifetime subject to bondage’
(Heb.2:14-15). And again, we were informed through the lips of John the Apostle
that the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of Satan who
has sinned from the beginning (1Jo.3:8). Again, the same apostle informed us
prophetically that the Devil, who deceived men, will be cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone together with the beast and the false prophet. And they will
be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev.20:10).
If what the Lord has achieved is not a great victory, then what is victory?
Our situation and His mercy and grace
The Bible says:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was
seen by over five hundred brethren at once”
(1Cor.15:3-6).
Jesus did what He did for us while we were without strength, ungodly, sinners
and even His enemies. Yea, while we were dead in trespasses and sins, God, who
is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made us
alive together with Christ and raised us up together, and made us sit together
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For
by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph.2:1-9).
Isaiah the prophet said: “Surely
He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned, every one, to his own way; and
the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all”
(Isa.53:4-6). In addition, when Jesus was on the cross He prayed for His
enemies: “…Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…”
(Luc 23:34).
If His death and resurrection as well as His forgiving spirit are not an
unprecedented victory, then what is true victory?
Also, there is something else that we should never forget. And this is
that “…we have a great High Priest who
has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.” (Heb.4:14-16). Jesus was tempted in all
points as we are, yet without having sinned; He gives us, poor human beings,
however, the possibility to come boldly to the throne of grace
“that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need”.
If this is not an incomparable victory, then what is true victory?
Consequences:
For Jesus and on the whole world
The consequences for Jesus our Lord who obeyed to the end, was to be highly
exalted and be given the name which is above every name
‘that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those
on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’
(Php.2:9-11). His kingdom shall never be destroyed; it shall break in pieces and
consume all kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (Dan.2:44). All peoples,
nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away (Dan.7:14).
For us believers
The consequences for us will be beyond any imagination, provided we overcome
Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony and if we do not
love our lives to the death (Rev.12:11). Yes,
if our repentance is genuine
and our faith without hypocrisy, then God will grant us salvation and victory.
Christ is able to save to the
uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to
make intercession for them (Heb.7:25). When the Bible says to the “uttermost” it
means to the “uttermost”. No condemnation, victory over sin, victory over all
our weaknesses, victory over the flesh and victory over the Wicked one!
But how was that triumph achieved? By the shedding of His blood! By His
blood in which there was no sin circulating…
His
miraculous birth and His resurrection are, consequently, the two pillars of our
Christian faith. Each and every true Christian must accept, by simple and
sincere faith,
these two
great “miracles” in order to be counted as a true believer!
He who believes in Jesus’ resurrection and does not believe in His birth from
the Virgin Mary through the intervention of the Holy Spirit and vice versa is
fatally mistaken!!! This is the reason why death and
Satan could not retain Him in the grave. “Whom God has raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held of
it.” (Ac.2:24). He was reviled, He was bruised, He was spat upon, He was
despised but He did not consider all these as a hindrance. And He went out
conquering and to conquer (Rev.6:2). He partook of our flesh, He was found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross (Php.2:8). We, in turn, can become victors
and overcomers if we make proper use of His blood, if we use properly His Holy
Word, if we proclaim His Word and if we imitate Him in His decision to do God’s
will, whatever the cost might be… There is no other way for us to become
victors, unless we learn to resist to blood, striving against sin (Heb.12:4).
Let those who have ears hear… If one has gone astray, let him come back to the
first love in order to become a victor…
God has given us many and wonderful promises. One of the most precious
and important promise is that we will have, as soon as we are justified by faith
“…PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Rom.5:1). His promises will be inherited if we do
not become sluggish, but imitate those who had faith and patience (Heb.6:12) and
if we do not live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and rose again
(2Cor.5:15), we will be given authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and
over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us
(Lu.10:19).
Nothing, absolutely nothing, will be able to separate us from the love of
Christ! Whether tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or
peril or sword! In all these things, we will be
more than conquerors
through Him who loved us (Rom.8:35-37). We will overcome the Wicked one
(1Jo.2:13) because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world
(1Jo.4:4) but also and mainly because we have believed that Jesus is truly the
Son of God (1Jo.5:5). To him who overcomes Christ will give white garments, and
will not blot out his name from the Book of Life. Jesus will confess his name
before His Father and before His angels (Rev.3:5). He will make him a pillar in
the temple of His God, and he shall go out no more.
He
will grant him to sit with Him on Christ’s throne (Rev.3:21). Christ confirms:
“He who overcomes shall inherit all
things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Rev.21:7).
It is also a promise and a
guarantee of the resurrection of all true
believers (Rom.8:11; 1Cor.6:14; Php.3:21 1Jo.3:2). As He lives, they
will also live.
Let us examine ourselves:
·
Have we received Christ as our personal Savior
and as
Lord of our life?
Are we now children of God?
“…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His name”
(Joh.1:12).
·
Have we been set free from the dominion of sin?
There are many Christians who sincerely believe that their sins are forgiven but
they have great difficulty to believe that they have been set free from the
power or slavery of sin. They live the experience of chapters 6 and 7 of
Romans but not of chapter 8 as overcomers. God does not only forgive our sins
but He also purifies us and delivers us from our bad habits and passions,
which have become our second nature (1Jo.1:9)!!!
God can save to
the uttermost! An “up and down” life is not a normal Christian life!
·
Do we want to be winners?
If yes,
we must
deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow HIM (Mark 10:21). If not,
we are not worthy of HIM (Mat.10:38;
Mat.16:24).
Let us never forget what our Lord taught all His hearers: “… If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me……… And whoever does not bear his cross, and come after me,
cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 9:23,
14:27).
Have we given our all to Christ, who gave His all for us?
Christ did everything for us. Now everything depends
on us. Do we live in an unfailing and spontaneous repentance and do we proclaim
repentance (Lu.24:47)?
·
Have we received the unction of the Spirit? The Holy Spirit
interprets the Word of God and gives us His unction
so that we may not be in need to be taught
(1Jo.2:27); He gives us power against sin and leads us in the right way
and He bestows on us gifts to make us able for service. However, we
should never forget that God gives
the Holy Spirit and fills the heart of those who obey Him (Ac.5:32). God
pours out His Spirit on man and makes
His words known to him provided man pays attention at His rebukes
(Pr.1:23), that is, when he accepts and obeys His reproofs (AV).
The Holy
Spirit guides them in all truth –
THOSE WHO LOVE THE TRUTH
–
(2Thes.2:10-12),
intercedes
in their favor, comforts them and helps them when they cross
difficult moments in their life.
·
If we are weak and stumbling, let us look to Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith (Heb.12:2).
Let us not be discouraged on account of the adversities of life. God is faithful
and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that we may be able to
bear it (1Cor.10:13). Let us not be discouraged when Satan tries to sift us as
wheat. Our Lord has prayed for us and His prayer is always valid that our
faith should not fail (Lu.22:31-32). Let us submit to God and resist the
devil and he will flee from us (Jas. 4:7).
·
Have we understood
that the only way to face our problems and
afflictions is to commit our way to the LORD, trust also in Him and wait for God
to bring things to pass? (Ps.37:5).
Let us pray to God that He makes us wise to that which is good, and simple
concerning evil and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under our feet shortly
(Rom16:19-20). Then we will see the victory of Jesus and we will live and enjoy
the privileges and power of the cross and Christ’s resurrection! Then we will be
able to repeat with Paul “But
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.”
(Gal.6:14). Finally,
let us not forget that “…we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things
done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
(2Cor.5:10).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen.
John BALTATZIS
www.sporeas.com
www.sporeas.gr
www.sporeas.eu
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