The Lord’s Message:  Victory Through Our Risen Lord and Savior

The Lord’s Message:  Victory Through Our Risen Lord and Savior
Date:  May 25, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  1 Corinthians 15:51-58

            This morning, we are wrapping up our sermon series on the pinnacle of the Christian Faith, the Resurrection.  We first began looking at proof that Jesus was resurrected from the grave.  Even though this event happened almost 2000 years ago, we found plenty of proof.  The proof is found in the historical records, the 500 eyewitnesses, and the reaction of the High Priest and the Sanhedrin that Jesus was resurrected from the grave.  The next question is that if we follow Jesus, will we also be raised from the dead?  Paul gave us the assurance that just as Christ was raised from the dead, the believers in Him will be raised as well.  What kind of body will we be raised in? Using Jesus’ resurrected body as an example, we discovered that our resurrected body would be an eternal, transcendent, imperishable, glorious, and spiritual body.  Last week, we answered the question of “How Can I Face Death?”  We can face death with the confidence of knowing that death for believers in Christ is only a portal to pass from this life on earth to eternity where we will see Jesus face to face.  This Sunday, we are left with looking at all the victories that Jesus accomplished while here on earth as we prepare to celebrate His Ascension next Sunday. 

            Let us pray.

            Through Jesus the war has been won.  The battle still goes on, but the war is won.  I am not talking about wars here on earth.  I am talking about the war in Heaven between God and Satan.  Satan has tried to defeat God and has failed.  The war came down from Heaven to earth, when God sent His Son, Jesus, to become one of us to save us from sin.

When God sent Jesus to be born as one of us, Satan used King Herod to kill Jesus.  God protected His Son, by sending an angel to warn Joseph in a dream, Matthew 2:13-15. 

After Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and lit on top of Jesus’ head.  God spoke from heaven and said this about His Son, Matthew 3:17. 

Jesus then was guided by the Holy Spirit to go into the desert where He would be tempted by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights.  Jesus stood up to all the temptations and did not sin.  In Luke 4:13, we are left with this ominous note. 

That opportune time came when Jesus was on the cross, feeling the weight of our sin, and God the Father had turned His back on His Son.  Satan was behind the people hurling insults at Jesus saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down off that cross and save yourself.”  Jesus simply replied in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Later, Jesus simply said to God, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit,” and He died.  I can just imagine that Satan and his demons were just besides themselves with joy.  That is until Sunday morning came, and Jesus came out of the tomb.  Their joy turned to horror.  He Lives!  He Lives! 

The death and resurrection of Jesus brings us victory over sin.  Paul says in Romans 6:23. It gets better.  Not only do we have victory over sin, but we have victory over the power of sin.  Look what Paul says in Philippians 2:13.   As a Christian, we cannot say that the devil made me do it.  That is a cop out.  It gets even better.  Not only do we have the victory over sin, and the power of sin, but one day, we will have the victory over the very presence of sin.  This is confirmed in Hebrews 9:28.   This is sanctification.  John Wesley called this going on towards to perfection.  We should all strive to achieve this every day.  We should be thankful to Jesus for the victory over sin, the power of sin, and one day the presence of sin. 

Jesus suffered and died on the cross.  His resurrection gives us the victory over suffering.  In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul explains how the grace of God works in our lives to gives us the power to overcome suffering.  In this world, we know that we are going to face suffering, disappointment, or defeat.  This can cause us to lose all hope.  How are we to overcome this in a victorious manner?  First, we need to realize that being a believer of Jesus and living a faithful life does not exempt us from suffering.  Second, when as a Christian, we do suffer, God gives us the strength and the grace to endure the suffering.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  We received this strength and instead of focusing on ourselves, we focus on Jesus.  We listen to what Jesus has to say to us.  Jesus says that He would never leave us or forsake us.  He can turn any tragedy into triumph.  We are thankful to Jesus for the victory over suffering. 

Lastly, His resurrection gives us the victory over death.  In 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55, victory over death has been won.  Even though it still appears that death has the final victory over all life, that is from our perception.  If we look at it from God’s perception, we see a different picture.  By resurrecting His Son from the grave, God demonstrates to us that life is more powerful than death.  In Hebrews 2:9, we are told that God had to taste death, before God could destroy death. An eternal God can not taste death unless He becomes one of us, a human being.  God loves us that much.  After God tasted death, He destroyed the power of death, Hebrews 2:14.  This gets even better.  After God destroyed the power of death, He destroyed the fear of death, Hebrews 2:15.  We should be thankful that God destroyed not only the power of death, but the fear of death through the resurrection of Jesus. 

Our Lord came to die for us in order that we might not have to die.  He gave us the affirmation of this by His victory over death.  We should take this as proof that we will also be rescued from death and that we would live as He lives.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have victory over Satan, sin, death, and the grave. 

Daily we should thank God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to us.  We should thank Jesus for coming to save us and give us the victory through Him.  We should thank the Holy Spirit for guiding to us to live as victors over sin and death.  The war is won! 

When life brings with it hardships and disappointments, we should keep these words in our mind,1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Continue to read your Bible, live the Bible, and be the Bible for others.  Amen.