Paul says Christ is the eternal God, who laid aside His eternal rights to fulfill His eternal purpose of seeing all creation bring glory to Him as men and women walk in intimate love relationship with their Creator. We considered how God took on flesh in the person of Christ to bring us a revelation of Himself and of how He has designed life to be lived.
We looked at how He came to do what we could not do for ourselves. He came to rescue us from our sin. He lived a sinless life and ended that life by dying a sacrificial death on the cross, where He dealt with the problem of sin, so we might have a personal relationship with God.
In verse 8 Paul says that Jesus was “obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Jesus obeyed the Father’s plan to rescue the human race. As is always the case with choosing to obey God, Jesus trusted the Father completely. Specifically, Jesus trusted the Father to do two things - to bring victory through Him and to bring vindication to Him.
Today, let’s consider how the Father brought victory through the obedience of His one and only Son.
A. The Father has brought victory through Him.
Jesus obeyed the Father, trusting that the Father would provide a joyous victory over sin, hell, Satan, and death.
“He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.”
- Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)
1) By His crucifixion, Jesus won victory over sin and hell.
The human race is corrupted by sin.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” - Romans 3:23 (NLT)
“No one is acceptable to God!” - Romans 3:10 (CEV)
Consequently, we are all under the condemnation of eternal death.
“The wages of sin is death” - Romans 6:23 (NIV)
“God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” - Ephesians 5:6 (NIV)
But Jesus came to erase the problem of sin and to endure the penalty for sin. He did this by His crucifixion, where He experienced our hell for us, so we wouldn’t have to.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” - Romans 5:8-9 (NIV)
God’s wrath against sin was poured out upon Christ at Calvary, so that it need not be poured out upon us for all eternity.
When John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Messiah, He called Him the “Lamb of God.”
“Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!” - John 1:29 (Amplified)
Paul also referred to Christ as our “Passover Lamb.”
“Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.” - 1 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
The expression, “Lamb of God,” or “Passover lamb,” has a rich Old Testament background. The “Passover lamb,” was sacrificed at the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. God was going to send the death angel through Egypt, and the first born of each family would be put to death. However, the Lord told Moses to have the people sacrifice a lamb “without defect” (Exodus 12:5). They were instructed to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorway to their homes. On that night, they were to eat the roasted lamb, along with unleaven bread and some herbs. The Lord said, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13 NIV). What a beautiful picture this is of those who have placed their faith in Christ.
“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” - Romans 3:25 (NLT)
“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur
sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.” - John 5:24 (Amplified)
“Christ took your cup of grief, your cup of the curse, pressed it to his lips, drank it to its dregs, then filled it with His sweet, pardoning, sympathizing love, and gave it back for you to drink, and to drink forever!” - Octavius Winslow
Have you drank from Christ’s cup of forgiveness? Have you received His gift of eternal life made possible by His payment for your sins on the cross? Have you accepted Him as your Savior? If so, then because of Christ’s victory over sin and hell, you can face eternity with
confidence - knowing you will be in the eternal presence of God.
2) By His resurrection, Jesus won victory over Satan and death.
“We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying.” - Hebrews 2:14-15 (CEV)
Satan uses the inevitability of death to convince people that if they are going to live life to the fullest, they must not live for anyone but themselves. Consequently, they end up living life on the lowest possible level - for themselves.
Through His conquest of death, Christ has taken away the fear of it. His resurrection lets us know we can look forward to much better things beyond the grave. So, we need not worry about what we’re missing out on in this life. This world offers nothing for us compared to the joys awaiting us in eternity. Consequently, rather than living life on the lowest level - for ourselves - we can live life on the highest level - for God and for others. Because of Christ’s victory over Satan and death, you can face life with confidence - knowing that you can live for the eternal purposes of God.
Paul summed up well when he said:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” - Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
A young man who had been a drug addict and through his addiction had contracted AIDS, came to know Christ as his Savior. In a radio interview, he was asked him if he ever questioned God about why he had allowed such a horrible thing to happen to him. The young man’s reply was this, “Yeah, I ask God ‘why’ all the time. Why out of all the people in the world did you choose me? Because now I’m going to spend eternity with You!”
What he was saying was the same thing Paul said in Philippians 1:21. Life is short, but eternity is forever! The world looks at this young man and grieves that he was so young and he had such a short time to live. But now he is really living. With his eye on eternity, he is living in the reality of the victory Christ won for him over sin, hell, Satan and death.
“The best use of one’s life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” - Oswald Sanders
How are you living today as a Christian? Are you seeking to live for the eternal purposes of God or the temporary pleasures of this world?
If Satan cannot take you from this earth to hell; he will make your life a hell on earth. If he can get you, as a Christian, to lose sight of the victory you have in Christ, he will succeed in stealing your joy, your purpose, your peace, and your significance.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” - John 10:10 (NLT)
Conclusion: Note how Paul summed up that victory:
“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” - Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)
Let today be a day in which we turn our focus to the cross of Christ and the victory won there for us.
“The Christian community is a community of the cross, for it has been brought into being by the cross, and the focus of its worship is the Lamb once slain, now glorified. So the community of the cross is a community of celebration, ceaselessly offering to God through Christ the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving. The Christian life is an unending festival. And the festival we keep, now that our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us, is a joyful celebration of his sacrifice, together with a spiritual feasting upon it.” - John Stott
