Text: 1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV
Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV
MESSAGE
The last enemy to be defeated according to the Bible is death. From the fall of man, death has prevailed over the entire humanity with exceptions like Enoch and Elijah who never tasted death. We noted yesterday that God’s ultimate verdict is that sinners will die. This death is in two stages, physical death and then the eternal separation from God.
Note that the Bible also said that all men must die once and after this is judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The first death is general but the second death is for those who do not accept the love of God in Christ Jesus (John 3:17).
Those who have accepted Christ have eternal life and this is because Jesus conquered death and won our deliverance (Hebrews 2:14-15). This is no small thing. Never forget that the most lethal tool in the devil’s arsenal is death. Jesus laid out the various stages of the devil’s operation which is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Once a sinner dies in sin, that fellow has no chance for the abundant life that Jesus came to give to humanity.
The devil thought that by killing Jesus, God’s plan for humanity would be defeated and man would be eternally lost. But in doing this, the devil was fulfilling the purpose of God. Scripture says that God played the devil and if the devil had known he would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
The death of Christ was a victory for us. The Bible says that through the death of Christ, we have deliverance from the fear of death and hell. This means that Christians who have been saved are not afraid of death or hell because the death of Jesus was the price for our death. Amen.
When Jesus said it is finished on the cross, He also destroyed the power of death. That is why our text and reading of the day say that death was swallowed up in victory.
Have you given your life to Christ? If yes, it means you have passed from death to life. Before this time, death hangs upon a man’s life but by coming to Christ, death is swallowed up and life is transferred. That is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when you come to Christ you have become a new creature and old things have passed away. Praise God.
The only unfortunate person is the fellow who has continually refused the life offer that Christ is presenting. That fellow will live with a death sentence passed over his head unless he flees for refuge in Christ. Jesus Christ has conquered death through His sacrificial death on the cross, you can be victorious over death and hell also if you will accept Christ today.
The choice is yours.
REFLECTION
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2 NKJV
When Christ defeated death at His resurrection, He gave life to those who believed. This life of Christ has made us free from sin and its consequence – death.
PRAYER
Father, thank you for the victory that the death and resurrection of Christ gave me over sin ajd
