“Victory Through Jesus”

I Corinthians 15:53-58

53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord

Introduction

I

t is imperative that we get to the place where we are willing to accept that all that is necessary for our “success in salvation” has already been done by the Lord. Many believe that they have, but since faith, itself is misunderstood, people are confused about what can be accepted “by faith.”

Man is naturally selfish, but when we are told that all that we have to do is “believe” and we can “have,” we wonder why we do not “get.” Just “getting” is not indicative of faith. Faith requires “a sacrificial investment” of some sort.

Faith is shown through one not worrying about what he has invested or how he might “suffer” for it. Faith accepts that because one has been obedient, his need is met.

We are promised that God will increase whatever we are willing to give to Him, but without a doubt, if there is no “deposit,” there will be “no return.”

Main Thought

The Word lets us know that we are blessed even to have access to victory, but we must remember that that access is ours only if we surrender our lives to Jesus.

The church world has come to the point where God’s “value” is determined by His “taking care of things” for us. This means, then, that our focus is on victory in what is “human,” rather than what is “of God.” Too often, we believe that victory over outside “challenges” is true victory, rather than true victory being victory over the flesh.

The true “deception” plaguing the people of God, today, and being perpetuated by many “men of God” is the deception that “despite (my) spiritual state, all I really need is a little ‘help.” This is deceptive because there is no “despite my spiritual state.” God is preparing a people and that people will be comprised of those (and only those) who are willing to serve Him on His terms—those “terms” being one’s willingness to forsake all that he knows, all that he thinks that he knows, and all that he believes to be true—in order to “worship (Him) in spirit…”.

Though we should have “grown up” and beyond this by now, far too many of us still attempt to relate to God as to a “fairy godmother,” who exists to intervene in every little detail of our lives. While God could do this, if He did, He would be “micromanaging” millions of lives. Besides, contrary to how we would like things to go, God’s contrary to how we would like things to go, God’s “point” is not to change all of our situations for us, but rather, the being who encounters the situations. If we are not the ones to adapt to the changing circumstances of life, there will be no victory to be seen, for apart from this, we will struggle continually with every test that comes our way.

Perhaps, we should stop and question ourselves as to what we really want others to know of God. Do we want them to see His grace, mercy, and provision, or do we want them to believe that He is no stronger than they? Like it or not, it is our conduct and our “handling” of our situations that will determine what men think of Christ.

Too many, today, are unhappy serving Christ, and if asked why, largely would have no answer. However, the truth of the matter is that one cannot attempt to live for God and look out for himself at the same time. God will not allow it and since He will not, Man is destined to unhappiness.

As opposed to continually “fighting,” “resisting,” and “second guessing” the Lord, it is essential that we accept that everything that God allows is a blessing, for it is only this that will lead to our salvation. Those who are determined to serve God no matter the cost can accept this and exhibit joy. On the contrary, those whose primary interest is in themselves perpetually will be unhappy.

That which is allowed to come to us is allowed because we must first know what our problems are—so that we might let them go! It’s on the order of having a 150 pound tumor that God says He’s ready to deliver from. All of us, to a person, would gladly accept our deliverance. Unfortunately, we do not see “deliverance” from our “human mentality” in the same way. You see, though He stands ready to deliver us from that which is killing us, we are unwilling to let it go!

We fail to accept what God promises because this is not what we are looking for. We do not look for that which carries with it requirements, even if this is the only thing that will save us. Having our own preconceived notions and ideas and being stiff-necked, rebellious, and “hard-headed” is the biggest reason that our minds must be changed and made one with that of Jesus.