VICTORY ON THE CROSS
(Heb 9:22; John 19:28-30)
Happy New Month! I especially welcome you to the month of April. It's that month of the year again! When we remember and celebrate the passion of Jesus Christ. Our theme for the month is ‘Victory on the Cross’.
The death and resurrection of Jesus, the two halves of the redemption story! A perfectly orchestrated redemption story that could only have been written by the Author of our faith. The protagonist? Mankind.
But this was not just a drama. No. It is the greatest act of all time; an act of redeeming grace. And it was staged on a hill far away where an old-rugged cross, an emblem of suffering and shame, stood. Jesus died, was killed by the very people He came to redeem. Yet it was necessary that He died. Redemption could not have happened any other way; without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. (Heb 9:22). He bled till He was just flesh and bones (John 19:34, Lk 34:39). He lived to die.
A brief synopsis of this event: it started before Christmas, before His earthly birth. The Bible tells us that He was ordained as the sacrificial lamb before the foundation of the world. The endgame was simple: a life for a life. Seedtime and harvest is an eternal law; to get back the lives of a lost mankind, a life needed to be given in exchange. And Jesus willingly laid down His own (John 10:17). Moreso, He had to die the most shameful death, a cursed death in fact because only by doing so would the curse of sin be broken off mankind (Gal 3:13-14). The twist in the plot was that the enemy did not know that it was all a divine set-up, that this act would be his undoing. I love how Paul writes in 1 Cor. 2:8 that if the princes of this world (that is the powers of darkness) had known what the endgame and ultimate goal was, they would not have crucified the King of Glory. Their mistake was their greatest undoing. It got us our freedom and our victory at last! Victory from the power of sin and shame (Romans 6:14). Victory from sicknesses and afflictions! Victory from curses! We are the redeemed of the Lord! (Ps 107:2). Thank You Jesus!!
When Jesus died, just as He drew His last breath, He declared that it was finished. Finished! Over! Sin dealt with the final blow! No more would sin have dominion over us; no more would the fear of death keep us bound (Heb 2:14-15); no more did we have to fulfil the law to be declared righteous; satan’s legal hold on mankind was officially and forever broken - he no longer had any legal claim to our body, soul and spirit; we were made free once and for all…we are FREE indeed!! Our victory was established at the cross, and consolidated by His resurrection. Praise God! I tell you, this makes ALL the difference! This is the defining moment and building block of our faith right here; THIS is what gives us credence as Christians (1 Cor. 15:12-20). By the death of Jesus, we stepped into the era of redeeming grace.
A song writer wrote: “Jesus By Your Blood You crushed Principalities, by Your Name, You established Authority, Jesus The Righteous One. Jesus You have Conquered All. Jesus Your Reign over all!” (Colossians 2:15). Another writer wrote: No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand;Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand. The Victory of the Cross!
In the series, we shall examine Victory on the Cross; Hallelujah He arose; No power of hell; Voices of Jubilations; Victory in Jesus. Come along!