Judgment, Defeat, and Victory

John 12:30-33 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

The cross...this was the instrument God used to punish the sins of this world; your sins and mine. On the cross an innocent Man died a horrific death. He was beaten and tortured until He was unrecognizable. As He breathed His last breath the devil must have rejoiced, thinking he got the victory. However, he failed to anticipate what God was really doing and what He was in the process of accomplishing. The brutality that was witnessed, by all who saw it, was God's wrath being poured out on His Son as payment for our sins. The sins of the world were being judged, and Jesus was voluntarily paying the price. On that cross Jesus was openly striking a fatal blow to Satan's head, fulfilling what God foretold in the Garden. In Colossians 2:14-15 we read, "He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him." This was all done so that all those whom the Father would draw to the Son could call upon the Name of Jesus, in repentance, and receive eternal life, by grace. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, and because He rose again on the third day, we who are His children, by faith, have been set free from sin. We are free from its bondage and from the fear of death. We now have life, and in Christ we have it more abundantly! My question for us today is this, "Now that we have this abundant life, who are we living it for; us, the world, or Jesus?" Jesus took up His cross for us, so shouldn't we take up ours for Him, die to the world, and be alive to serve Him?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).