03/04/2021
After becoming Christians do we still feel threatened by the world? Do we allow what is in the world to have any remnant of undefeated rule over us? As victors in Christ, what more can the world do to us that we mustn’t grant it the power to do? On the cross Jesus overcame the world, and as He did, we overcame it as well. So now we must ask ourselves... are we living out the victorious life that has already been won for us? Do we realize that death has no dominion over us, and that fear is banished from us by the love of God?
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Galatians 6:14 ESV
How is it that we were crucified, and yet still attempt to live in conjunction with the world? When Jesus overcame the world on the cross it was also our complete victory that was won, and yet we don’t always act like conquerors... we want to pick and choose from what the fallen world offers as if we are negotiating a peace settlement, and not by demanding the world’s complete and unconditional surrender to Jesus... and through Him to us. This struggle to see ourselves as spiritual victors is not new. Listen as Andrew Murray clarifies, in simple terms, our status as conquerors with these words...
“Be aware that when the world crucified Christ, it crucified you with Him. However, be aware also that when Christ overcame the world on the cross, He made you a conqueror too.” - Andrew Murray
So as followers of Jesus, and even more, as having already been crucified with Him, and having become heirs and joint heirs with Him, how is it that we let the world intimidate us, woo us, or cause us to tremble in fear? Our help comes from the Lord, where it is absolute in its strength, and in claiming this we obtain an absolute confidence and peace when confronting the world.
“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””
Hebrews 13:6 ESV
It was the year 2015 on a beach in Libya that 21 Coptic Christian men were led in a single file line onto the sand where one by one they were beheaded by ISIS Muslims. They were offered their lives if they would denounce Jesus Christ as their savior, and become Muslim; yet one by one they calmly claimed Christ as their Lord and Savior then were martyred without resistance... the world had no hold on them, and their faith in Christ sustained them. They might have been kneeling in sand, and not hanging from a cross, and the instrument of their death might have been a knife, and not a hammer and nails, but nonetheless, this was their cross.
So as we think about what occurred on the Cross at Calvary, on the beach in Libya, and in thousands of other places around the world, and throughout the years, we must ask ourselves why it is that the temptations we face each day, or the harm that the world threatens us with, can seem so great and insurmountable. Why is it that we tremble in fear, surrender our peace, or lose sight of our conquest, that has already been won for us in Jesus? Why is it that our faith is challenged so mightily? How is the defeated world which Jesus conquered, and we claim joint victory over, able to challenge our faith?
Most of us will never face martyrdom, but we will face temptation and sin in our everyday lives, and quite often we will be confronted with physical harm of some type. So in these circumstances will we ask the Lord for His help, and courageously claim victory from our own crosses? In every instance will we pull the cloak of Christ’s peace over us in the tumultuous times we find ourselves facing, and lean trustingly on Him?
Think on these things today, and step, without reservation, into an eternally victorious life.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus, and for allowing us to share His cross and the victories that were won there over sin and death. Thank you Father for banishing fear from us as we surround ourselves with your love, and our faith in your promises. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who ushers us through our life in this world, and beyond the portals of death into eternity with you. Praised be your name for the peace and calm that we find in you when we are confronted by evil, and harm. Strong is your right hand that none can withstand, and perfect is your victory against every challenge. You are merciful Lord, and by your grace we find the celebration of victory in our lives. Hear our prayers for help Holy Father, but most of all hear us as we approach you in humble contrition... asking fervently in prayer for forgiveness. Cover us in the victorious blood of Christ, and find us shielded by His redemptive sacrifice from all unrighteousness. See us as worthy Lord, and bring us into your loving presence for all eternity, where we will dine with you and worship you always.
Rich Forbes