Has anyone heard or read this statement anywhere? “Helping people discover their victory and true identity through Jesus.” Anyone know the organization that has this as their mission statement? I hope that you have realized that this is our mission statement. It is on the front of the bulletin every week.
Close to 20 years ago, God gave me a vision for a ministry based on Revelation 2:17. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”
This ministry is threefold. First, to lead others to victory over their sins. Then to feed them the Word of God that comes from heaven. And finally to help them discover their true identity in Christ. It was from this vision that whitestone ministry was born. So, over the next five weeks we will revisit the original call on the life of this church and how each of us can be more involved in the fulfillment of that calling.
Let’s begin with 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’”
Paul tells us that the day would come when we would have immortal bodies. Bodies that will never die. He tells us that it would be in fulfillment of Isaiah 25:8 where God says he will swallow up death forever.
Let’s understand something about death. Death is not a messenger of God. Death is an enemy of God. Death was created by the actions of man when they sinned. Death is an ally of Satan. If possible, death would have taken us all at the moment of birth. Deaths final destination is the lake of fire.
On the 18th of June in 1815, the Duke of Wellington’s army marched to face Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of the French, at Waterloo. The future of England was at stake.
Since telegrams and telephones had not been invented yet, the news of the battle was spread from hillside to hillside by semaphores, which were coded flags. The main news was coming from a ship. As the ship neared land, the flag spelt W E L L I N G T O N --- D E F E A T E D and then the fog rolled in blocking the view of the ship. “Wellington defeated” went across England and the citizens were in despair.
But when the fog lifted the next day, the entire message was seen. “Wellington defeated the enemy.” Despair was replaced with rejoicing.
So it was with Jesus. When He was placed in the tomb, it seemed that death had claimed him. All of his followers were in despair. But on the third day, He rose from the dead, defeating the enemy, and giving us victory. That is why we can rejoice.
But what exactly do we have victory over? Revelation 2:17 states that those who are victorious receive the Word of God and their ministry. It is important therefore to understand what it means to be victorious.
Let’s read 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 “For sin is the sting that results in death and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” When Paul wrote this, I can imagine that perhaps he had a scorpion in mind. Its deadly tail coiled to strike its victim and deliver a dose of deadly poison. But the death of our Lord Jesus Christ rendered the scorpion harmless. And scorpions with no poison are harmless. The scripture states the law was the poison that gave sin its power.
But you have victory over the law.
Let’s look at what Paul has to say about the law. Romans 6:14 “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”
Remember last week I mentioned that the Jews had a total of 1224 laws to obey? That was a burden. And James 2:10 points out
“For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.”
Suppose a loved one is pulled one day by a police officer for speeding. They get a ticket. They go to court. The judge asks, “How do you plea?” They reply “Guilty.” because they know they are. His gavel hits the desk and he gives them the death sentence. You ask “Why?” “For murder.” he replies. “When they broke the law against speeding they broke all the laws including murder.”
How would that affect your viewpoint of the justice system? Would you live in fear or rebellion? So it was with God’s law. Most lived in fear of God, others in rebellion against him. It almost sounds as if the law of God was not a good idea. So why was it given?
Look at Galatians 3:19 “Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised.”
The law was given to allow us to measure our sins and our need for a savior. The law was given for God’s people to live by until the coming of Jesus and his death. Going back to the courtroom there is one in the room who stands and declares, “Your honor, the penalty for his crime has already been paid by me.” And the judge says to your loved one “You are free to go because you have been declared innocent.”
We are no longer under the law, so does that give us the freedom to live a life filled with sin? Absolutely not. Now we have a life that allows us to choose to live righteously. When you saw the one who stood up in the courtroom and spoke up for your loved one, how would you treat him? Would you treat him with love and appreciation or with contempt? How do we treat Jesus for breaking that burden of the law? We should treat him with love and show it by obeying the law willingly.
Now since sin has lost its deadly power we have victory over sin.
First, we must understand what sin is to know what it is that we have victory over. Let us read 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”
Sin is anything that does not reflect the holiness of God. When I stop and think of how many actions I do in a day that does not reflect the holiness of God, I am speechless. In fact, the Bible states that all wicked actions are sin.
Next, why is sin so bad? Sin is hostile to God. Sin can never please God. Sin separates us from God, leading him to turn away and not listen.
So how can we live sinless lives? We can’t. But God made provision for us. Romans 8:3 “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
On July 31, 1838, a new Emancipation Proclamation Act was passed that abolished slavery in Jamaica. At the stroke of midnight, 10,000 people were set free from slavery. However, slaves living in the remote areas did not know that their were now free. For many years, they continued in slavery because their former masters kept the news from them. By law, they were free but ignorance from the truth kept them in bondage.
The same is true today. Jesus, through his death, has set us free from the bondage of sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s struggle with this fact. “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:15, 18-19)
Just as their former masters were still dominating the slaves, sin continues to desire to dominate us. The results of that domination are found in Romans 8:5-6. “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
I have told you today that you have victory over sin. Sin is no longer your master. But you can continue to be a slave to sin if you chose. You can think sinful thoughts that will lead to sinful actions. Or you can think thoughts that please God that leads to actions that pleases God.
So we have victory over the power that gives sin it’s poison which gives us victory over death.
So if death is the end of life and we as Christians will not die, then why are so many Christians dying? The Bible is not talking about eternal life on this earth. In fact, the Bible paints a picture of our bodies being like tents that wear out. It seems with every checkup I get from the doctor I have sprung a leak or developed a new tear in my tent. The death we have victory over is an eternal death.
Hebrews 9:27 tells us “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,” We will all taste physical death. And we will all be judged. Those who are followers of Jesus will stand before him to be judged on their deeds to receive their rewards.
Those who have not accepted the gift of salvation will stand before another throne. Let’s look at Revelation 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The first death is the physical death we all will face. It is this second death that we have victory over. As followers of Christ, we will not find ourselves suffering this second death for all of eternity. This lake of fire was designed to be the final judgment against Satan and his demons, death, and the grave. It is not God’s intention that anyone should perish in this lake of fire. People go there willingly because they love the world more than God.
I think the most heart-breaking scenario of all is how people can reject this victory. God has given us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why would you refuse it? What is more important in your life than the assurance of a life free of guilt and burdens? You can have a life in such close relationship to God that when things are tough there will be a sense of peace that overwhelms you. The life you are living may be gone tomorrow but eternity is eternal. Once you step from this life, you cannot change things. Whatever you decide here shapes your forever.
Let me finish with one more story.
There was a missionary who came to Africa to preach the Gospel. One day he was going to preach somewhere and he rode on his horse. When the horse got to a certain location, it stopped and refused to move. The man got off the horse and looked round to see what was there. He saw a big snake near a big stone and he was scared.
Having heard stories of dangerous snakes in Africa, he started to calculate what solution could help. He decided to quietly move back to his horse and go back home, saying that he would apologize to the congregation for not coming. He then heard the Holy Spirit say he would have failed in his duty, if he did that. He summed up courage, picked stones, and threw them at the snake. To his surprise, the snake did not move. He moved back and threw more; then he realized that it was already dead. This means he was occupied for about 30 minutes, by a dead, harmless snake.
Satan is a dead harmless serpent. Colossians 2:13-15
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 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.
Satan has no hold on you. He was disarmed on the cross. Jesus publicly shamed him by his victory over death. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus than walk like it. The devil cannot harm you because you have been given authority over him. Don’t listen to his lies that would discourage you.
If you are not a believer today is the day. You can have victory over the law, sin, and death before you leave here. Remember no one is promised tomorrow. You see it on the news everyday. You read it in the papers everyday. Take the offer now.
