Complete Victory
Notes
Transcript
Intro; This morning I want to look at Easter from a different prospective, but with the same outcome.
The Apostle Paul in his writings, often uses analogies of one preparing/training themselves for a sporting event with the intent of winning.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Paul states in these scriptures that for one to be victorious, to win the prize, one must exercise, train, be disciplined, be willing to make sacrifices and endure hardships.
Victory- the act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle or competition
This Easter morning, I want us to look at the training/preparation of Jesus for the battle that lie before Him that He would have “Complete Victory” over the enemy!
Text; Heb. 10:12
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
This scripture is a beautiful picture of Jesus who has won “Complete Victory!” Jesus was able to sit in the authority of God because His race was won, He defeated the enemy, SIN!
This is in contrast to the Levitical priests who never were able to sit down on the job, because the sacrifices they offered day by day, generation after generation, never took away SIN.
Jesus Christ was sinless, the perfect Son of God who came to earth in a body prepared by God Himself. He did make the perfect sacrifice and He did complete His work, and when He finished, He was able to return to heaven and be seated forever and ever.
Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He had to prepare for this perfect act of obedience when He took flesh upon himself.
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
Let’s look at the training and preparation of Jesus’ obedience for His willful sacrifice He made for us.
1. Obedience as a Boy; Luke 2:41-49
1. Obedience as a Boy; Luke 2:41-49
Jesus was brought up by godly parents who instilled in their Son the commands, customs and worship of God.
The Feast of the Passover was the most important celebration in the life of the Jewish people. It recounted the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt by the hand of God. That deliverance was by the sacrifice of a lamb, and it’s blood smeared over the doorposts as a signal to God to “pass over” their house when He destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt.
The blood of the lamb that had saved the Hebrew people from destruction in Egypt, looked forward to the perfect eternal sacrifice Jesus would make by His blood for all believers.
[46] Isn’t it amazing, that in the four gospel accounts, that not one really speaks of the childhood of Jesus after his birth except Luke. And the only instance that is recorded is with Jesus being in the temple listening and asking questions of the teachers during the Passover. I’m sure the conversation had to do with what God had done in the past in Egypt.
[49] Jesus is learning about his Father’s business. What do you think His Father’s business was?
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
I believe at the age of twelve Jesus was preparing for “Complete Victory”
2. Obedience In Temptation; Luke 4:1-2
2. Obedience In Temptation; Luke 4:1-2
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Jesus had just been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Now he is being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The question that needs to be asked is “why”? To test his identity.
During the temptations by satan, the devil addresses Jesus “if You are the Son of God”
Satan spoke three temptations to Jesus [hunger, worship and tempting God] but they were all driving at the same point;
Would Jesus act independently of God?
The devil tempted the first Adam and got him kicked out of the garden into the wilderness. Jesus went into the wilderness to defeat the devil that man could be brought back to the garden.
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Being obedient to the Lord in temptation secures “Complete Victory in Christ”
3. Obedience Through Suffering; Luke 9:22
3. Obedience Through Suffering; Luke 9:22
Luke 9:22 (NKJV)
22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
As we read earlier in the scriptures that “Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered” [Heb. 5:8], I want to share with you some things He suffered for our sake during His last week here on earth.
Jesus had constant conflict with the the elders, the scribes, and the chief priests more than once during his last week, testing Him and his claim to be the Christ.
Jesus heart was broken as He wept over Jerusalem because they were blind to who He was.
Judas agreed with the chief priest to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver wasn’t much money at all. It’s the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). The Son of God was insulted to be betrayed by one of His disciples, but also at such a cheap price.
Jesus predicted Peter’s denial of Him
Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane over the coming Cross while his disciples slept. [Alone]
Jesus was arrested like a criminal by a mob of people who some had previously praised Him
Jesus went through four trials starting that night {Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod, Pilate again}, with false witnesses that couldn’t even agree.
He was mocked, spat upon, slapped and had his beard pulled out during the trials, and spoke not a word against them
Jesus was falsely accused of blasphemy against God and sentenced to be crucified
Peter denies knowing Christ, even curses his name
Barabbas, a murderous criminal was released in place of Jesus at the cry of the Jewish people, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Jesus is scourged by the Praetorium Guard, stripped of his clothing, a scarlet robe put on Him, a crown of thorns placed on His head and a reed put in His hand so they could mock Him as king.
He was paraded through town carrying his cross and crucified between two common criminals that mocked Him
Religious leaders and common folks walked by and mocked Him while hanging on the cross
The soldiers gambled for His clothing while He was watching
He even forgave those who abused Him, because of their ignorance in doing so
And at the ninth hour of the day, after hanging on the cross for three hours, after all that He had previously endured physically, emotionally and spiritually, the unimaginable happened,
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”
Jesus for the very first time in eternity, was separated from the presence of His Father because of our SIN!
Then Jesus cried out “It Is Finished” and committed His Spirit into the hands of His Father!
Now if the story would have ended here, it would have been a good and credible life that Jesus lived in obedience to God. And even more noble than most, that Christ lay down His life to cover our SIN! But that would not have been a “Complete Victory”
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
But thank God it did not end there! Jesus’ obedience to God was not just to die for mans SIN, but to Rise Again the third day from the dead and give us eternal life!!
4. Obedience to Eternal Life; John 10:17-18
4. Obedience to Eternal Life; John 10:17-18
John 10:17–18 (NKJV)
17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus was not only obedient to His Father as a boy, in temptation, through suffering unto death, but also in the Resurrection!!
Luke 24:1–8 (NKJV)
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words.
Close;
Jesus claimed “Complete Victory” over sin and death because He was obedient to His Father. And now He sits at the right hand of authority, always interceding on our behalf, waiting for you to claim “Complete Victory” over the enemy by being obedient to Him.
Will you trust Him and obey Him this morning?