TUESDAY 23rd
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Today we come to the last of our letters in the word Saviour, V for victorious.
We have a dual aspect look at this word, first to remind ourselves that our Saviour was victorious and secondly that we share in his victory.
Way back in the garden of Eden, our fore-parent, Adam along with Eve failed. God had given them an instruction and they chose to disobey, and the rest is sad history. But thank God there was a second Adam, the man Christ Jesus who came, and he lived an obedient life and as a result was victorious. Where Adam failed, Christ triumphed. Let us allow Scripture to speak:
1 Corinthians 15:21-28 ‘For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.’
It is continued in verses 45-50 ‘Thus it is written, the first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.’
Back in the garden of Eden, God had declared ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ (Genesis 3:15) In this single sentence God was predicting and proclaiming the final victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over the devil and sin and of the final destruction of the devil himself. Back then as far as time was concerned it was something that would happen a few thousand years later, but in God’s purpose it had already happened! The victory was already a guaranteed victory. And try as he would in all manner of ways to bring humankind to destruction, in God’s plan the devil was defeated and through the victorious and conquering Saviour at Calvary it became a reality.
And what a victory, for the victory has brought about everything that we have been considering in our words taken from the word SAVIOUR and so much more. He the second Adam has conquered and triumphed. He has fought the battle and won the fight, he who was the Lamb slain has become the Lion who has conquered. He who was taken and executed at the hands of cruel men, was raised triumphant and victorious by the power of God. (Acts 2:22-24 ‘Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.’)
Isaiah 53 portrays for us a picture of the suffering servant, which is prophetic of the death of Jesus. Isaiah says this ‘He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’ (v3) Isaiah has much more to say, but overall, it is the picture of a pathetic looking man, who has become ridiculed, beaten, and crushed. At first it does not seem to speak much of triumph and victory and yet it was through his suffering, his humiliation and his death that he won the victory! Thanks God the story did not stop the moment his dead body was placed in the tomb and the stone was rolled in place. There was something big about to happen! Isaiah continues in the same chapter with ‘Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.’ (vv10-12)
Isaiah prophecies that the one who suffered and died will see his offspring (v10) it also continues that he would divide the spoils which speaks of someone having conquered and taken from the enemy camp. (v12) This takes us into the New Testament and to the resurrection story in Luke and the good news I mentioned ‘He is not here, he is risen’ The one who was despised and rejected is now the conquering victorious Saviour, he has taken the spoils, and he will see his offspring, all those who come to him by faith, who are born again by the Spirit of God.
I will close with some verses of Scripture, that show us that the man who hung on the Cross is now seated upon the throne! Victorious.
Philippians 2:5-11 ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
Thank you for the cross, Lord
Thank you for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing grace
Thank you for this love, Lord
Thank you for the nail pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace
Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious
High and lifted up
Jesus Son of God
The Darling of Heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb
Darlene Zschech CCLI788682