OUR JOY IS FOUND IN OUR VICTORY   #394

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Pam and I almost always begin our days with prayer, Bible study and readings from one of our favorite devotionals, “Streams in the Desert.” As we were driving to Clearwater for one of her doctor appointments, she read today’s message from our devotional. Wow! It really spoke to me, because it was right in line with what I have been consciously trying to implement more frequently in my life…living in the Victory! Here are some of the powerful words. “There are no enemies to your growth in grace, or to your Christian work, that were not included in your Savior’s Victory. Remember, The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them because…I will hand them over to you.’ And Joshua said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous because the Lord is with you.’  Whenever your enemies are closing in on you, Claim Victory! Whenever your heart and your flesh fail you, look up and Claim Victory! Be sure you claim your share of the triumph that Jesus won, because He didn’t win it for Himself, He won it for YOU!  Count Christ’s Victory as yours.”

Now let’s turn to the Word of God for the foundational Scripture for today’s blog. Jesus, when talking to His disciples after their last supper, shared with them the ugly truth about what they could expect in the future. He ended that presentation with this two-fisted proclamation: “In this world you will have many trials and sorrows…BUT, take heart, because I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) So, what does “I have overcome the world” mean to us? It’s all part of the Victory plan referenced in the above devotional presentation. Since Jesus has overcome the world, so have we!

When Jesus walked out of the tomb on that blessed Sunday morning, spiritually speaking, it was a new world. The Old Covenant had just ended; the New Covenant had just begun. Jesus not only defeated death, but He fulfilled every prophecy and every promise in the Bible. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, we inherit everything that the cross represented, and everything the resurrection represented. We are now in Christ, and with that identity comes unfathomable power, power that guarantees us victory over the dark domain.

This is our powerful inheritance when we say “yes” to God’s Gift of Grace.  We are grafted into God’s family as His Child; our sins are forgiven because Jesus shed His blood to pay OUR sin-ransom; we inherited eternal life because Jesus defeated death when He walked out of that tomb; we inherited the indwelling Holy Spirit so we can be victorious in this fallen world; we are no longer a sinner, but rather a Saint (a follower of Jesus Christ, a holy one set aside for a sacred purpose); we are heir to ALL the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, which includes spiritual healing and revelation, and we’re heir to ALL the promises in the Bible, which number around three thousand. That, My Friends, is “hitting the spiritual jackpot.” 2 Peter 1:3 sums it up this way: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine power gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life.” Our victory springs from the truth of that Scripture.

As I have said before, God has done ALLof the work for us.  When Man(kind) proved its inability to overcome the dilemma of sin, God provided a Redeemer to save us from ourselves. Under the Old Covenant’s sacrificial system, the blood of bulls, rams, and turtledoves only covered our Sin until the next Day of Atonement. But under the New Covenant, the precious, sin-free blood of Jesus Christ provides for us the righteousness needed for forgiveness of our Sin. That was God’s plan even before He created the world. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God now sees His New Creation (us, the transformed people) as His “holy” (sin-free, and set aside for a sacred purpose) Children. We inherit Christ’s righteousness when we accept Him as our Savior.

Now ask yourself this question: “What do I have to do to receive this incredible Gift of Grace?” The answer is simple: accept and believe that God’s love for YOU allowed Jesus to pay the penalty for YOUR Sin. “That’s it?” “That’s wonderful!” you say. And I reply, “Yes indeed, but there’s more!”  Now that you’re sin-free, you qualify for eternal life. This is spelled out very clearly in Revelation 21:27: “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter (the New Jerusalem – or heaven, to some); Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (This is a reference to those who are in Christ.)

God’s plan, as revealed in Ephesians 1:10-11, was this: “At just the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us (in Christ) in advance, and He makes everything work according to His plan. This plan was designed to give everyone on earth the opportunity to hear and accept His Gift of Grace.  Whether that happens or not depends on each person’s choice. (Remember, God’s first gift to us was free-will.) Some people will hear this message and accept it; others will reject it. That choice is ours to make, and it seals each one’s eternal destiny.

So, you may be saying to yourself, “Its great that our eternal destiny is sealed, but what about those of us who are alive right now and struggling to become the person God wants us to be in this fallen world?” Because God is LOVE, His plan for our salvation is perfect!  He didn’t forget about us; in fact, He gifted us with the indwelling Holy Spirit so we can be victorious right here, and right now. Man(kind) had from Creation until 2021 years ago (the coming of Christ) to struggle with the dilemma of Sin. Romans 5:6 is our report card on that endeavor: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came, at just the right time, and died for us sinners.”

God knows that we, through our own best effort, are no match for the wiles of our enemy, satan! Therefore, the purpose of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to empower us to do immeasurably more than we can do through our own volition. That statement is substantiated with this truth found in John 15:5: When Jesus was talking to His disciples, He said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing.” So, who is the Holy Spirit? The essence of Jesus Christ living in us!

As I noted five paragraphs above, “God has done all the work for us!” He made it possible for us to be cleansed of our sins, and as a result, we have been grafted into His family as His Children. This process qualifies us for eternal life. Then He gifted us with the indwelling Holy Spirit so that we can be victorious in this fallen world. That salvation package was given to us “in the blink of an eye” when we accepted His Gift of Grace. His desire for us now is that we continue growing in the likeness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:3, listed six paragraphs above, tells us how and why that happens. As Christians, we are totally equipped to live victoriously in this crazy world. Satan wants to direct our focus to our circumstances and our feelings, but the answer to whatever it is we’re facing will be found by focusing on the Truth of God’s Word! Jesus has overcome the world, and so have we! We just have to believe that, and walk in that promise. That very truth is the source of our wisdom, courage, strength, confident assurance and joy. That’s how we experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

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May God bless you abundantly as you begin, or if you’re continuing, this journey.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)