Understanding The Victory.

Text:

1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why did Jesus die?

For the forgiveness of our sins.

Colossians 2:13–15 NLT

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.

To redeem us/deliver us.

Galatians 1:4 KJV

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

2 Corinthians 1:10 KJV

Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

To reconcile us back to God.

Romans 5:10 KJV

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.

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 NLT

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

To establish a New Testament

Matthew 26:28 KJV

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

A new agreement had to be put into action.

Hebrews 10:1–10 KJV

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Old Covenant, the Old Testament was an agreement between God and Israel. As long, as the sacrifices were made, as long as there was atonement, through sacrifice on a daily/yearly basis, the Israelites could have a relationship with God.

The law, is good, but the law was not perfect. Because it could not provide perfect cleansing. Why? Because they had to keep purifying, the sacrifices had to continue, everyday, every year.

And if the law could’ve provided perfect purification, then they wouldn’t have had any guilt. But those sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year, Hebrews declares.

All the sacrifices did was cover the sin, I did not take away the sin.

But the Old Covenant, pointed to something better that was going to happen. It was a foreshadow of good things to come.

The LORD was going to establish a New Covenant.

And in this covenant, sin wasn’t going to be covered.....it was going to be taken away, it was going to be washed, in the blood of the Lamb.

In this new covenant, the Law wasn’t going to be written on tables of stone, but written on the hearts of his people and the LORD would cause his people to walk in his ways.

Not only that, with this New Covenant, with this New Testament, there would no longer be any restrictions. This new agreement wouldn’t just apply to the Jewish, it would be for both Jew and Gentile alike. What does that mean? Jew and non-jews have an opportunity to be reconciled back to God.

But listen to what the writer of Hebrews also says here:

Hebrews 9:18 KJV

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Hebrews 9:18 NLT

That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal.

Blood was used to consumate an agreement between two parties. If you do x,y,and z, then I will do this for you. And that agreement was sealed with blood.

That is the reason, that in the Old Testament times, and during the times of Jesus that when a man and woman married, the marriage was consummated when the man went into the woman. Because back then you didn’t have sex outside of marriage, because if you did, it was a major transgression of God’s law.

The marriage was consummated, it went into full affect because the blood was there!

There were other agreements, and when agreements were made it went into affect by blood.

Hebrews declares:

Hebrews 9:13–17 KJV

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Let’s break this down:

if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer could clean people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity, how much more can the blood of Christ, purify our consciences from sinful deeds, so that we can worship the living God?

Jesus is the mediator, he is the go between, between us and God, he is the one who made things right for us, we could not do it.

Jesus died, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them.

Jesus died to set them free (it says, but he also died to set us free) from the penalty of sins they had committed under the first covenant.

If someone leaves a will behind, guess what......you don’t get the inheritance......UNTIL THAT PERSON DIES!

So what is our inheritance? 1. The Holy Ghost is our inheritance. 2. Eternal life is our inheritance!

The Holy Ghost is your inheritance! Remember God said I will put my laws in their hearts, and cause them to walk in my ways.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 KJV

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 KJV

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

WELLLL in order for that to happen Jesus said:

John 16:7 KJV

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

So Jesus, had to die in order for this agreement to go in affect. But guess what, something else had to happen for this agreement to go in effect:

Look at the last part:

“but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

If Jesus simply died and that was it......he couldn’t send the Holy Ghost.

But in order for this New Testament, this New Covenant, this New Agreement to into affect.

Jesus had to die!!! And in three days be raised from the dead!

Then Hebrews says:

Hebrews 9:15–18 KJV

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Why did Jesus come back to life? Why was he resurrected?

So that he would be the first fruit of the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:23 KJV

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Paul talks about the order of the resurrection.

Christ is the first fruit, he is the first of the harvest......then Paul declares that all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. And guess what, if you don’t belong to Christ.....you won’t be in that resurrection. So Jesus got up so that he could be the first fruit of the great resurrection harvest in the last day.

He came back to give us hope

1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

1 Corinthians 15:19 NLT

And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

Our hope in Christ doesn’t just apply to this life. It’s more to serving Christ than the benefits that we receive in this life. Our hope extends beyond this life to something that God has greater for us in the next life.

Paul summed it up like this “eyes haven’t seen, ears have not heard, neither has it enter into the heart of man, what the Lord has prepared for them that love him.”

He came back so that he could be our Great High Priest.

Hebrews 10:12–14 KJV

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

And because he is our Great High Priest:

Hebrews 4:14–16 KJV

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:25 KJV

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Close:

What happened when Jesus was resurrected?

When Jesus got up, all power in heaven and earth was given unto him.

When Jesus got up, he was glorified.

When he got up he robbed the grave of its victory, He took the sting out of death.

But let me go a little more in-depth:

First, his body was transformed. He died with a physical body, he rose with a spiritual body. Romans speaks of this fact:

1 Corinthians 15:35–38 KJV

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

When Jesus died, they put him in a tomb. His body was planted.

His body was buried in brokenness. But 3 days later early on Sunday morning, it was raised in glory.

His body, after he was whipped, after he was bruised, after, he was nailed to the cross, after he died, he was buried in weakness. But he was raised in strength.

Jesus when he died, he died with a natural human body. But he was raised with a spiritual body.

And guess what yall?

Our bodies will be buried in brokeness, but we’re going to be raised in glory.

Our bodies are going to give out on us one day, and we are going to be buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.

Our bodies will be buried as natural bodies, but when Jesus comes back, he’s going to raise us from the dead with spiritual bodies!!!

Paul then says in verse 50:

1 Corinthians 15:50 KJV

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

You cannot go into the kingdom like you are now. We’ve got to shed these old bodies, we’ve got to put off this sinful bodies, because these natural human bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

But then Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:51–56 KJV

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Do you Understand the Victory that Jesus secured for you? Do you get it now? Do you understand the importance of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection?

If you do then:

Let’s Celebrate:

Because Jesus died and rose again we have hope (expectation).

We expect God to rescue us from the grave.

We expect God to rescue our saved family members, our saved friends, we celebrate today because if Jesus hadn’t gotten up, we’d never be able to send them again.

But today I’m going to celebrate!

John 11:25 KJV

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: