Sunday: Christ the Victor
Daily Lesson for Sunday 9th of March 2025
Although there is an enemy at work whom Christ Himself refers to as the (usurping) “ruler of this world,” the true king of the universe is Jesus Christ. Jesus wins the victory for us, and in Him we can have victory, even in the midst of hardship and suffering. Indeed, the work of Christ counters the enemy at every turn.
We have seen that Scripture describes the devil as:
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The deceiver of the whole world from the beginning (Revelation 12:9, Matthew 4:3, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 1 John 3:8);
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The slanderer and accuser of God and His people in heaven (Revelation 12:10; Revelation 13:6; Job 1:1-22; Job 2:1-13; Zechariah 3:1-2; Jude 1:9); and
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The usurping ruler of this world (John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11, Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 5:19).
Read John 18:37. What does this tell us about Christ’s work to counter the deceptions of the enemy? What does it mean that Jesus is King?
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Though Scripture teaches that Satan is the arch-deceiver, slanderer, accuser, and usurping ruler of this world, it also teaches that Jesus is the victor over Satan in every way:
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Jesus came “ ‘into the world, to testify to the truth’ ” (John 18:37, NASB);
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Through the cross, Jesus supremely demonstrated God’s perfect righteousness and love (Romans 3:25-26; Romans 5:8), thereby disproving the devil’s slanderous allegations (Revelation 12:10-11); and
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Jesus will finally destroy the kingdom of the devil, who “ ‘knows that his time is short’ ” (Revelation 12:12, ESV; compare with Romans 16:20), and Christ “ ‘will reign forever and ever’ ” (Revelation 11:15, NLT).
In the end, no matter what Satan does, he is already a defeated foe, and the key for us is to claim Christ’s victory for ourselves every day, moment by moment, and also to claim the promises that the Cross has offered us.
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In the great controversy, we know which side wins. How do our day-by-day choices impact which side we ultimately end up on? How can we make sure that we are on the winning side even right now? |
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The Bible is not in any spiritual illusion concerning the human condition right soon after creation until Jesus returns. Throughout human history, humanity is shown being in sin and spiritually struggling. One can easily be tempted to conclude that humanity was created spiritually weak. Even though the Bible does not say how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden before they fell into sin, but biblical clues suggest it was not long. Since then, human beings have got higher propensity to live in spiritual darkness than in spiritual light. The Bible provides the following human spiritual condition over the ages:
1. Before the flood - “Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)
2. Time of the Judges - “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25).
3. Before the first advent of Jesus Christ - People sat “in darkness” until Christ, the light, came (Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:16).
The Bible also gives us a clear picture of the current spiritual condition of the world today. Increasing lawlessness, violence, and immorality (Matthew 24:12). People rejecting God’s truth and embracing falsehood (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The Bible continues to warn us that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the end-time, more evil and spiritual darkness (Matthew 24:37-39). There is more moral decay and corruption perhaps than any other time in human history. People are calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Human society is more and more embracing wickedness, arrogance and rebellion against God (1:28-32). Many people are living in a lie! The biblical truth is rejected, and sin is promoted.
The above scenario sounds gloomy. What hope do we have? Did Jesus really win over evil? Yes, Jesus is the victor. While the current global spiritual condition sound depressing, and evil seems to have won, there is hope in the midst of spiritual darkness. This is the time to look up to Jesus to save us. The time to fortify our faith in Jesus is now. The time to put on the whole armour of God is now. The time to escape “Babylon” is now. The time to stand up and be counted on God’s side is now. The time to put into action the Three Angels’ Message is now. The time to embrace the love of God in our hearts is now. The time to live a godly life is now. The time to say goodbye to the world is now.
“That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.' Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish." – Joel 2:12-13 (NLT).
I am sure that most of you have heard the expression, "Dead but not lying down". Perhaps some of the saddest stories I have heard are of the end of World War 2 where soldiers of the defeated Axis powers continued to fight and lose their lives after the official ending of the war because the message had not reached them.
The outcome of the Good vs Evil war is assured but Evil does not accept the defeat lying down. Every day we still face Evil, and it still has the power to deceive us. The Australian adage is relevant here:
I reiterate that the notion that Evil has been overcome and is a spent force is very hard to communicate in a world where last year we saw hundreds of thousands of young men killed in wars over ideologies and territories. To the people affected by these wars, our message that Evil has been overcome must sound like wishful thinking at best, and fake deceptive news at worst. The notion of a spiritual dimension to all this simply does not make sense to the secular mind.
There is a chapter in Micah that speaks of the battle thus:
... and here is how God wants us to respond:
And that is the way to act in the face of the doomed wriggling snake that can still bite!
We can see our many defects if we examine ourselves in the light of the Truth. We immediately need to look to Christ for mercy because He paid a high price for these sinners.
We all should come to the realization that it is the daily choices that we make that will ultimately determine our eternal destiny.
May God give us the strength to make the choices that lead to Heaven and home!!!!
John 18:37 – Jesus' reply here is profound; it reveals His purpose in life. He understood that He was born to fulfill a specific work assigned to Him before His birth, and His entire life bore witness to this calling.
He came to reveal the Father and invite us to join Him to do likewise as a member of the heavenly family. This raises a question — could we not say that every person is born with a calling, a purpose to fulfill in life? Not merely a record being 'summed up' at the end of life, but in the specific, personal, daily walk by faith God has given each of us?
If we offer ourselves as faithful vessels for God, allowing His will to be reflected in our lives, do we not also participate daily in the great work for which Christ was born? After all, we have received the same divine resources that sustained Jesus — faith, love, and the assurance that our God will complete the good work He has begun in us - Phil. 1:6.
Just as Jesus, in His humanity, was sanctified daily, so too are we. His life demonstrated the work of the Spirit of God, and we are called and enabled to do the same. No matter our circumstances, we can rest in the certainty that God will never abandon the work of His hands - accomplishing His purpose through His marvelous Mercy and Grace in each one of His faithful children; causing us to be victors just like Him - Rom. 8:27-29.
After sin entered the world, human nature became corrupted, and our inclination toward sin became much stronger. In the Bible, Jesus refers to people as "children of Satan" in John 8:44 when speaking to those who rejected Him and sought to live in rebellion against God. This is a spiritual analogy, reflecting how sin aligns us with the rebellious nature of Satan rather than with God’s righteousness.
Originally, we were created as God's children, bearing His image (Genesis 1:27), with a natural inclination to love and obey Him. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world and distorted human nature. As a result, humanity developed a stronger inclination toward evil, selfishness, and rebellion. Romans 5:12 explains that sin came into the world through one man, Adam, and as a result, death and sin spread to all people.
This bent toward evil is often described as the "sinful nature" or the "flesh" in Scripture (Romans 7:18-23). This nature tends to pull us away from God and lead us toward sinful desires. Without God's intervention, we are spiritually separated from Him and more aligned with Satan's ways.
However, through Christ, we are offered a way back to God and freedom from the power of sin. When we place our faith in Christ, we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) and are adopted as children of God (Galatians 4:4-7). The Holy Spirit begins to transform our nature, giving us the power to overcome the sinful nature and live in alignment with God's will (Romans 8:1-14). While the battle between the flesh and the Spirit continues, God provides the strength and grace to live a life that reflects His image more fully.