The Victory We Have In the Risen Christ

Noel Merrick Gth, Pastor/Teacher

I. Introductory Remarks.

As Christians we are celebrating the most triumphant and victorious day in the history of mankind. This is the day Jesus defeated death and hell and gave us as His people a sense of immortality.

As we celebrate this great and significant event that took place almost 2000 years ago, I would like to focus our hearts on, in this message, the victory that Jesus accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection.

II. The Death and Suffering of Jesus.

Before we can really appreciate the victory that we have in Jesus Christ, because of His resurrection, we need to fully comprehend and understand the amount of suffering He went through on our behalf and the great price that He paid for our victory.

Matthew's gospel, in Chapters 26 & 27, gives us a detailed description of the suffering that Jesus went through for us. In these two chapters of scripture we find many of the sufferings that Jesus endured on our behalf so that we could have the victory we now have in Him.

1. He was betrayed by one of His disciples.

2. He suffered an agonizing night in the garden of Gethsemane.

3. He watched as one of his most beloved and loyal disciples denied Him three times.

4. He faced the Sanhedrin where the chief priests and elders rejected His testimony.

5. He endured the crucifixion and the nailing to the cross.

6. The greatest price He probably paid was that of being rejected for a time by His own Heavenly Father when He cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me".

The Book of Isaiah gives us a vivid account of the suffering that Jesus would go through because of the sins of mankind.

Isaiah 53:1–7 KJV 1900

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.

III. The Death, Burial and Resurrection: The Purpose for Which Jesus Came.

Although Jesus accomplished many wonderful things in the few short years that He had among the people as God in the flesh, it was this moment in His life and ministry for which he was sent for.

John 1:29 KJV 1900

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

1 John 3:5 KJV 1900

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

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Hebrews 9:26 KJV 1900

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 9:28 KJV 1900

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

It was at this moment on the cross that Jesus was actually taking on the sins of the world. he was, in fact, becoming sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV 1900

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus, at this moment in time, was now taking the sins of mankind upon Himself by becoming sin, and God could no longer look upon Him and it was in this moment of darkness that He cried out with a loud cry, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"

IV. The Victory that Was Accomplished Through the Cross and The Resurrection.

When Jesus went to the cross and then rose from the dead, He accomplished a great victory for mankind. In this portion of the message I want to look at some of the things that He as accomplished for us so that we can walk in the fullness of the victory He has made available to us.

1. We Have Been Delivered From Death And Hell And Given A Sense Of Immortality.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest victory that has ever taken place, because in His resurrection, we have now been delivered from death and hell.

Revelation 1:18 KJV 1900

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

1 Corinthians 15:53–57 KJV 1900

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

Death is one of the things people fear the most, but because of Jesus' resurrection and victory that was accomplished through it, we can have peace with God and hope for the future. There is no sting in death.

2 Timothy 1:10 KJV 1900

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

2. We Have Been Given A Living Hope And An Incorruptible Inheritance.

1 Peter 1:3–4 KJV 1900

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

This hope is a very powerful element in our lives as it holds us steady during the many storms of life and causes to grow and mature in Him as He desires.

Hebrews 6:19 KJV 1900

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

3. We Have Power And Victory Over The Devil.

1 John 4:4 KJV 1900

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

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Romans 8:31 KJV 1900

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:37 KJV 1900

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

The following illustration illustrates this truth very well for us:

In his book "Forever Triumphant", F.J. Huegel told a story that came out of World War II. After General Jonathan Wainwright was captured by the Japanese, he was held prisoner in a Manchurian concentration camp. Cruelly treated, he became "a broken, crushed, hopeless, starving man." Finally the Japanese surrendered and the war ended. A United States army colonel was sent to the camp to announce personally to the general that Japan had been defeated and that he was free and in command. After Wainwright heard the news, he returned to his quarters and was confronted by some guards who began to mistreat him as they had done in the past. Wainwright, however, with the news of the allied victory still fresh in his mind, declared with authority, "No, I am in command here! These are my orders." Huegel observed that from that moment on, General Wainwright was in control.

Huegel made this application: "Have you been informed of the victory of your Savior in the greatest conflict of the ages?... Then rise up to assert your rights... Never again go under when the enemy comes to oppress. Claim the victory in Jesus' Name." Huegel observed, "We must learn to stand on resurrection ground, reckoning dead the old-creation life over which Satan has power, and living in the new creation over which Satan has no power whatever."

4. We Have Been Given Victory Over Sin.

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Romans 6:4–7 KJV 1900

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 8:10–11 KJV 1900

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

5. We Have Been Given Great Power As A Result Of The Resurrection.

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Ephesians 1:18–20 KJV 1900

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

V. Concluding Remarks.

1. We must confess this great victory that Jesus has accomplished for us and walk in it understanding that this is the manner in which the Holy Spirit is working in our lives.

2. We should live no longer to ourselves but unto Him who died and rose again.

3. We should seek those things which are above where Christ is as well as setting our mind and affections on the things above, rather than the thing of the world.

The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death – that is not the great thing – but that we are to live here and now by the power of the resurrection; not so much that we are to live forever as that we are to, and may, live nobly now because we are to live forever." (Phillip Brooks)

I encourage you today to allow Jesus to complete His victory in your lives by receiving Him as Lord and Savior and giving yourselves 100% to Him for His service.

Dare To Believe

The Path to Restored Faith & Belief

I. Introductory Remarks.

Luke 24:1–6 KJV 1900

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

· Easter is the day we as Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

· This is the most significant event that ever took place in the history of our faith.

· It is an event that has given to us the measurement of time as we know it.

· Time as we know it was divided by this great and momentous event.

· So let us celebrate this day and give glory to the one who has conquered death for every man, because it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that our faith is based on.

In this message, I want you to see the hope that we as Christians have in Jesus Christ. The message of the resurrection of Christ has something for everyone, believer and unbeliever alike.

The resurrection of Jesus...

· is a message of salvation to all of those who are lost and without hope in this life.

· is a message of hope to all who have failed God in one way or another.

· is a message of restored faith and belief to those who have given up.

· is a message of joy and peace to those who are sinking in the mire of self pity and despair.

· is a message of purpose and destiny to those who are without direction and meaning in this life.

· is a message of Christ's compassion and mercy in His dealings with mankind.

· is a message of who Christ is. As the disciples failed to perceive the true nature of Christ prior to His resurrection, He uses the power of His resurrection to reveal His full nature.

The disciples and followers of Jesus who had been with Him prior to His crucifixion experienced all of these feelings and emotions that were just mentioned because of His death and the events leading up to it.

These are also common emotions that each one of us deals with from time to time.

Interactive Question

What kind of extreme emotions have you experienced?

A. Total despair and bitterness from a sense of loss or failure.

B. A sense of hopelessness and loss of faith

C. Depression and despair due to loss of purpose & destiny

D. All of the above

My desire it that you would allow the message of Christ's resurrection minister and heal the area in your life that is in need of attention.

Through the power of His resurrection He is able to touch you today because He is alive forevermore!

My prayer is that through this message, you will be able to grasp the significance of what took place on this momentous day in the history of our planet – so momentous that time as we know it has been divided by this historical event.

· The week of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection was a week that began with tremendous excitement and great expectations for these early followers of Christ.

· The followers of Jesus were ready to crown Him as their King, only to have all of their hopes and expectations crushed because of His death.

· They were unable to grasp the significance of what was taking place. Their belief in Christ was so shattered that even after His resurrection they were slow to believe.

All of Jesus' disciples and other followers forsook Him, one betrayed Him and one denied Him. says they all forsook Him.

They had lost hope in the One who came to redeem them from the curse of the law.

Peter was mired in self-pity and despair.

Matthew 26:75 KJV 1900

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

They had given up all to follow Christ

and now they were filled with bitterness and total disillusionment.

They no longer had the direction or meaning to life

that they had experienced during the 3 1/2 years they had been with Jesus.

They were now lost and without hope.

They were in need of a Savior.

But all of this was about to change because of the resurrection of Christ –

if only they would dare to believe once again.

The Title of this message is Dare to Believe, The Path to Restored Faith and Belief.

The beautiful thing about the resurrection of Christ is that Jesus understood and sympathized with their weakened condition.

His immediate purpose following His resurrection was to restore their belief in Him.

II. The Path to Restored Faith and Belief.

As we begin to look at how Jesus went about restoring their faith and trust in Him I want you to see the compassion and understanding that Christ exercised in mending their fragile souls.

1. He began to plant and replant the seeds of truth.

The empty tomb speaks and plants the seeds of faith and belief. They are reminded of what Jesus had told them concerning rising from the dead.

Luke 24:5–8 KJV 1900

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,

Mark 16:7 KJV 1900

But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

The women go on to share with the disciples, but their words seemed like idle tales. They still did not believe, but enough of a seed was planted for them to begin to investigate the truth concerning the resurrection of Jesus.

Luke 24:9–11 KJV 1900

And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Luke 24:12 KJV 1900

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Whenever the truth of God's Word comes into our hearing, whether it is for the first time or for a particular situation in our life, we have the choice of listening to the voice of doubt and unbelief or beginning an investigation of looking into the source of what we have heard. Peter could have listened to his doubts, but he chose to investigate further. eg. the Bereans.

· We must dare to believe even in the midst of the most intense and severe circumstances and bitter disillusionment.

What would have happened to Peter if he dared not to believe? His life would have ended in intense bitterness and resentment. But he resisted his doubts and dared to believe just as you and I must do at times.

When we do, God is faithful to reward us by opening the scriptures once again to our understanding so that we can see through the eyes of faith where we are going.

2· Jesus began to open their Understanding to the Scriptures.

We see this with the two men on the road to Emmaus who have the scriptures opened to them by Jesus – .

Luke 24:27 KJV 1900

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

These men were with the disciples when the women came to them with the report that Jesus had risen from the dead. The seeds of restored belief and faith had been planted in their hearts and now Jesus is opening their understanding to the word.

When we have an openness in our heart that puts us on an investigative course, God is faithful to open our understanding to His Word.

In order to see and believe in Jesus or in a fuller revelation of Him and His will for our lives, we must first have our understanding opened to it in the Word. This is what sustains our faith more than any personal experience. Experiences have a way of fading, but the word of God never fades or dims in our understanding.

3. Jesus Becomes Real -

We See Him as the Living Resurrected Christ.

The more we experience the reality of Jesus Christ through His written Word the more we experience His manifested presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:36 KJV 1900

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

4. We Receive the Complete Picture and Revelation of Who Christ Is.

Luke 24:45–46 KJV 1900

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

God's desire is to open our understanding so that we can see and experience His fullness, so that we will be fully equipped with every good thing to fulfill all that He has called us to in this life.

When we are able to see the full revelation of all God's attributes, we are not only healed from the despair and hopelessness, we are now able to fulfill the divine purpose and destiny He has laid out for our lives.

There is nothing more fulfilling than this! The disciples went forth in the power of the Holy Spirit in a conquering attitude after their belief was restored. We can do the same.

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Ephesians 1:17–23 KJV 1900

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

III. Concluding Remarks.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to dare to believe God for what is needed the most in your life. It doesn't matter how much you have sinned, how many times you have failed God or how many times you have closed your heart to Him. Open your heart to Him today and dare to believe, because He has risen from the dead and is alive forevermore.