We Win!!

phone call - it was from someone at the fire or police department. They said, you might

want to go check out the church, there’s some boys up there playing on the PA and they

are broadcasting for the whole town to hear. It just so happened that day that it was my

older brother and one of his friends. They thought they were just speaking over the

speakers inside. Now that is being a public spectacle. And that is a picture of what Paul

tells us Jesus did in his ress. to the powers and authorities. You see in those days the

Romans went off to fight against various enemies, most often against a group that had

tried to rebel. When they conquered that enemy, as they most often did, they would bind

them together by the hands in a single file and then they would have this big celebration.

The celebration would begin with a parade. At the front of the parade would be the

conquering General. Then following him would be those soldiers who had acted

heroically in the battle. Then the rest of the army. And then at the rear of the prociession

would be all those who had been conquered and they would be paraded in front of the

population and would be smattered with insults, jeers and anything the people might feel

like throwing at them. You didn’t want to be the main attraction in a parade like that.

That they called a public spectacle.

So friends on one side you have these powers and authorities, beginning with

Satan himself and going through the demons and evil spirits, and then all those

governments and earthly powers who have aligned themselves against Christianity.

Those who through the years have tried to wipe it out, including most recently the Soviet

Communist party. On the other side you have Christ, the conquering general who leads

his army of faithful down the street, dragging behind them those opponents who had

believed they were the stronger.

Now my question to you is, which side do you choose? The winners or the losers.

If you are with the army of Christ, guess what? WE WIN. Jesus disarmed the powers

and authorities when he went to the cross and arose the 3rd day.

Not only does this mean he is more pwerful than the earthly kingdoms, but he is

also more powerful than any other philosophy or religion.

a Muslim became a Christian in Africa. "Some of his friends asked him, ’Why

have you become a Christian?’ He answered, ’Well, its like this. Suppose you were going

down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which

way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive--which

one would you ask which way to go?’" What a great question. And what other answer

could you give than that you would seek help from the man who was living, would you

not? Listen to these words from Max Lucado entitled, The Movement Continues”

The belief of French philosopher Voltaire. The Bible and Christianity will pass

away within 100 years. He died in 1778. The movement continues.

The pronouncment of Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. God is dead. The dawn of