Tag: victory
The last trumpet mystery!
Scripture reading for July 25: 1 Corinthians 15
“I tell you this, brothers; flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is you sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:50-55
There were those in the Corinthian church that were doubting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To the natural mind, a dead person can not be revived. So if we only think rationally, we know that Jesus Christ died a horrible death through crucifixion and was certified dead by Roman soldiers who pierced His side and thrust the spear through His heart. He was placed in a tomb and it was secured by a large group of soldiers to guard against someone stealing the body. These men were bribed to say that Jesus’ body was stolen while they slept. But if the resurrection of Jesus was just a fake stealing of a dead body, those trusting in Jesus have believed in vain. Salvation is a hoax and believers are most to be pitied because their faith is worthless.
But Jesus did die. Jesus was buried and His body lay in a tomb for three days. Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples, the women, and over five hundred at one time! (1 Corinthians 15:5-7) He appeared to Paul, who was writing this letter. Paul explained the mystery that in Christ, we who believe now have eternal life. At the last trumpet, our bodies will be transformed in a twinkling of an eye! Mortal flesh will put on immortality! Perishable bodies will be transformed to glorious bodies like that of Jesus’ resurrected body! We will put on the image of the Man of Heaven forever and ever! Death will be swallowed up in victory!
Have you ever been tormented by a fear of death for yourself or a loved one? How does this passage of Scripture help you to have a new world view of life here now and after death? Have you shared this ‘mystery’ with someone close to you?
Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for revealing this great mystery of victory over death and the grave! My fear of death is gone and I love to share this Good News of eternal life with my family and friends. I rejoice in the victory over death won for me by my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!
The wiles of the devil
Scripture reading for April 18: 1 Chronicles 17-21
We have an enemy who is known to be crafty and who uses schemes and strategy to gain access to God’s people. His motive is to steal from them, kill them, and ultimately destroy their souls in Hell. (John 10:10) Several passages of scripture admonish God’s people to flee temptation and resist the devil. (Matthew 6:13) We are in a cosmic battle with evil forces of darkness and are in need of God’s help.
David was a man after God’s heart but he was also prone to temptation and did not always resist. We all remember the time he stayed back in Jerusalem when his army went to war. (1st Chronicles 20:1) It is interesting to note that the incident with Bathsheba is not mentioned here. But David came and took the crown off the head of the king of the Ammonites who Joab and the army had defeated. This crown weighed around 75 pounds and was full of precious stones. David placed that crown on his own head. (1st Chronicles 20:2)
Right after this, David returned again to Jerusalem and Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census! (1st Chronicles 21:1) This was evil in God’s sight because it was motivated by pride and not by God’s direction. (1st Chronicles 21:7) It appears that Satan gained an inroad in David’s life. We know David was not fighting the Lord’s enemies but stayed home to engage in sexual sin. He had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, killed. He took this massive crown belonging to a pagan king and placed it on his own head. After this Satan was able to incite him to sin that cost the lives of 70,000 Israelites! Afterwards, David did repent and he bought the threshing floor of Arunah as a place of sacrifice for his sin. This site became the site of the temple where God’s presence would dwell and where anyone who had sinned could bring a sacrifice with humility and find forgiveness and restoration!
David’s latter Son, Jesus Christ, would offer Himself in this temple to be the final sacrifice for the sins of the world, bringing victory over Satan. Is there a ‘scheme’ of the devil that has hold on your life and is causing death and destruction? Resist the devil today by declaring the victory of Jesus and His blood!
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in you faith, . .”
God stopped the earth for Joshua!
Scripture reading for March 4th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed to the Lord. God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
This miracle is amazing because of what happened to bring it about. For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating 24,000 miles per hour! The moon would stand still too! It is orbiting the earth! Only God could make this happen! The hail storm that killed the enemy but did not affect the Israelites is also a miracle! (Joshua 10:11)
Joshua brought the five kings out of the cave they were hiding in and had his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) They got a visual picture of victory and what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20) God alone got the glory for these victories!
What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord today? Why not take time to humbly ask God for directions to victory?
Rejoicing in the Victory!
Scripture reading for November 27th: 1st Corinthians 12-15
Key Scriptures: 1st Corinthians 15:54-57 “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory: Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
Death has been the great ‘swallower’ of mankind since the sin of Adam. The grave has swallowed up all of mankind as it is “man is destined once to die”. (Hebrews 9:27) (With a two exceptions in Enoch and Elijah) But Jesus Christ paid the penalty of death for the sins of all mankind. All who put faith in His sacrifice will have the victory that He enjoyed by His obedience–resurrection from the grave! The great ‘swallower’ is now overcome by resurrection life through our Lord Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
Rejoicing in Victory: “On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 26:7-8)
Rejoice in God’s victory over death!
Scripture reading for September 26th: Hosea 10-14
Key Scriptures: Hosea 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”
Hosea had a Word of God for the remnant that would trust in Him. God, who alone had the power over death, would ransom them from the grave and redeem them from death! God asked two questions of “death” and the “grave”. The answer was that “death” and the “grave” would have no plague or power to destroy God’s people or to negate God’s power over them! This verse was quoted by Paul in the New Testament and given to encourage Christ’s church about the certain victory they have in Christ!
Rejoicing in our victory through Christ: “”Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1st Corinthians 15:55-56)
We Overcome by Faith!
Scripture reading for November 24th: 1st John 5
Key Scriptures for over-comers: 1st John 5:2-5 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God, over-comes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
John’s desire was that the churches he served would be over-comers. Love is the only pathway to overcoming the world, flesh, and the devil. We do this by faith in God’s Word and commands. Our faith brings loving obedience and perseverance in trials. We obtain the victory here through faith and ultimately the victory of eternal life in God’s presence! Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith!
Observations for over-comers: Faith motivated by God’s conquering love brings over-coming victory to those who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your Presence, O Lord.” (Psalm 89:14-15)
Redeemed from the curse!
Scripture reading for August 18th: Galatians 3
Key scriptures for over-comers: Galatians 3:11-14 “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written; “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Those that were under the law were also under the curses of the law found in Deuteronomy 28:16-68. These curses would overtake those who lived in sin by breaking God’s laws and commands. No one could be justified by the law, because no one could keep the law because of their sin natures. But Jesus Christ, Son of God, came to earth and was not tainted by a sin nature because of His virgin birth. He, through the Holy Spirit, perfectly obeyed God’s law and offered Himself to redeem sinful man from the curse of sin and resulting eternal death! Hallelujah! We are redeemed and marked by the Holy Spirit for eternal life!
Observations for over-comers: Living by faith in Jesus Christ is to live in freedom from the curse of sin and eternal death and shout the victory to all who will listen. “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lords right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” (Psalm 118:15-17)
We have the Victory!
Scripture reading for July 26th: 1st Corinthians 15
Key scriptures for over-comers: 1st Corinthians 15:55-58 “”Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
The “sting of death” is sin in a person’s life that has not been repented of and confessed to Christ Jesus, our Lord. This “sting” is eternal death and separation from our Lord forever in the Lake of Fire made for the Devil and his angels but not intended for man! The “Law” of God, the Ten Commandments, powerfully reveals sin in each human heart, but it cannot save or deliver from sin’s sting. But thanks to God sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to fully obey the law and offer Himself as payment for man’s sins, we have the victory! Not only that, but we can fearlessly do God’s work and know we will receive a reward of eternal life that is “out of this world!”
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers stand firm in the truth of the Gospel and nothing moves them away from faith in Jesus Christ. They stand firm in the victory of Christ’s cross and resurrection! “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.” (Psalm 18:34-37)
Sunday rest and reflection!
March 9th, 2014
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the wonderful Name of Jesus–our Joshua! I hope you have enjoyed the study of Joshua as much as I have! Joshua was a man of faith and a strong leader. He tried to listen to God’s instructions and God honored him with victory and possession of the Promised Land. He and Caleb obtained their inheritance through faith and patient endurance. They never cast away their confidence and received their reward!
Let’s gather today with others on the journey of faith to worship our Father and His only Son, Jesus Christ! He has demonstrated His love for us and longs to meet with us. Come expecting the Presence of our Lord!
In His Love, Pastor John
The sun stood still!
Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12
Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to. Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies. God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!
The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives. Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23) As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel. A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem. A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon. God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory. (Joshua 10:7-8) Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on. God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites! The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone. Joshua prayed to the Lord. God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)
This miracle is very interesting because of what must have happened to bring it about. For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating! This would be very difficult because the earth is rotating at 24,000 miles per hour! (Joshua 10:11)
At the end of this story, Joshua brought the five kings out of the cave and had his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25) They got a visual picture of victory and we see what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan! (Romans 16:20)
What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits? With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) If we ask Him in faith for what we need, He is able to deliver even the most difficult and humanly impossible requests. All we have to do is ask in faith, believing! Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord? Ask Him today!