AT THE CROSS
AT THE CROSS
Resurrection Sunday, April 16, 2017, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
At the Cross, the war of the ages was fought and won over 2000 years ago. We must acknowledge and appropriate the bounty of His victory. To fight the good fight of faith is to arm ourselves with a settled conviction that the warfare is accomplished.
To participate in spiritual warfare apart from the revelatory truth that our adversary has been defeated is asking for defeat.
Jesus has finished the work. The weapons or our warfare are mighty “through God”.
This is not the Joshua syndrome of “taking the land,” and then the failure to take all the land. This is the higher ground. Jesus took it!!! In Christ we sit, walk, and stand postured in the heavenlies with His victory.
We are not fighting to beat the devil. The good fight of faith is to believe, receive, and appropriate Calvary’s spoils.
The only battles the enemy has won are those in which we did not engage him. Through the victory of Jesus Christ at the cross, we have the right to come against Satan in the name of the Lord, standing on the conquered, solid resurrection ground of Jesus’ finished work.
The Word of God reveals eight absolutes of the triumph of the Cross:
- Jesus triumphed over principalities and powers.
- Jesus bound the strong man.
- Jesus slew the dragon.
- Jesus killed the giant.
- Jesus judged the prince.
- Jesus dismantled Satan’s kingdom.
- Jesus abolished death.
- Jesus divided the spoils.
Jesus didn’t go to hell (Eph. 4: 9-10; 1 Pet. 3: 18-19) to finish the victory. He went there to announce it! The complete and total triumph of our Lord is best summed up in His own words, uttered just prior to His epochal achievement at the Cross.
John 14:30, AMP: I will not talk with you much more, for the prince of the world is coming. He has no claim on me. (He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and has no power over Me.)
Col. 2:15, NIV: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross.”
Matthew 28: 1-6: In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the tomb. Behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: For fear of him, the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. The angel answered and said to the women, Fear not you; for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen.”
We have been delivered, rescued, and preserved by the finished work of Jesus Christ by his death on the Cross and His Resurrection. Our Lord has delivered us from the “power,” or "authority,” of the kingdom of darkness and sin.
Col. 1:13: Jesus has “delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”
On Calvary, the stronger Man prevailed. Jesus is stronger than the devil. He bound the enemy and then began to seize and plunder his goods.
Luke 11:22: “When a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted…”
At the Cross, the Death Conqueror stripped the devil of his weapons and carried off his belongings. The Cross took away the whole armor of Satan. On Golgotha’s hill, the devil’s faith was destroyed and the faith of God was inaugurated.
Hebrews 12: 1-2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus, the Rock of ages, is stronger than the devil. Everything about our King is superior. Death was not able to hold Him down! It could not seize or retain the one who is the resurrection and the life.
Jesus’ once-and-for-all blood sacrifice triumphed over Satan, bound the strong man, and slew the dragon. The greatest Son of David also killed the “giant.” Throughout the Old Testament, the Philistines were perpetual enemies of Israel, thus typifying demon forces. Goliath, there champion is a type of Satan. Like the “giants,” or Nephilim, in Noah’s day who were “bullies or tyrants,” Goliath was an intimidator, a spiritual terrorist.
Jesus Christ, the servant of Jehovah, the seed of David, was chosen for the contest of the ages. David killed Goliath. Jesus overcame the wicked one. Let us arise in prophetic praise and prayer to declare unto principalities and powers that their champion has been defeated.
Eph. 3: 10-11: His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The warfare is accomplished. The giant has been slain. When Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures and rose again for our justification, he also judged the prince of this world.
John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of world be cast out.”
There is a difference between the “earth” and the “world.” The earth is forever the Lord’s (Ps. 24:1). The world is a temporary order, a system, an arrangement of things. Satan is the prince of this world. Faith overcomes the world (kosmos).
John 12:31 states that when Jesus finished the devil at the cross, Satan was “cast out.”
Jesus knowing that His hour of being offered was near, declared the time of Satan’s judgment to be “now.” “Now” was over 2000 years ago. He then announced that the Holy Spirit would come to convince of us this truth.
John 16: 8-11, NJV: When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment; in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer. In regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Much of Christendom knows the Holy Spirit as the One who convinces men of sin and their need of a Savior. He is the One who reveals Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb. But the same Holy Spirit desires to convince us that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.
In Luke 24:13-35, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the “same day”, Resurrection Sunday. The two disciples were talking and bewildered at all the things which had occurred that week in Jerusalem.
Jesus arrested!
Jesus found innocent!
Jesus crucified anyway!
Jesus rises from the grave.
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and to His Disciples.
Jesus Disappears!
Jesus walks along with them; their eyes were held that they should not know Him. They tell Jesus of His “mighty deed and word.” Their words were filled with human indecision and doubt. They are men torn between faith and disbelief, not certain of either one. When they say, We were hoping that it was He who would redeem Israel, they show their disbelief. But when they say, Today is the third day; they speak like men who are on the edge of recalling Christ’s word to them. On the third day I will rise again. They are bewildered and confused by the miracle of the Resurrection.
Because they limit themselves to human thoughts and suffered from the sickness of great doubt, the Lord calls them foolish and slow to believe all that the prophets had spoken. Indeed it still happens that a man believes only in part, and not in full. One might believe Jesus died on the Cross; but not believe in the Resurrection: Ps. 16:10: You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
It was necessary that Christ suffered---that was the dishonor---but also that He enter into glory.
To the disciples’ credit, they believed for their hearts burned with them as He opened up the Scripture to them. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved is the criterion of the standard of living for all men. The life of Jesus Christ is now the gauge by which all men are judged. Just as Noah condemned his world by his righteous life (Heb. 11:7), so Jesus condemned the devil and cast Him out.
One of these two disciples named by Luke is Cleopas. I did research on Cleopas. It is believed He was the brother of Joseph, which would make him Jesus’ cousin. According to church history, Simeon, the Son of Cleophas, succeeded James as Pastor at Jerusalem.
After the preaching of the Gospel by Jesus to the disciples, they believed. As we learn the truth, grow in grace, and judge ourselves righteous in Christ, we will progressively cast Satan out of our thinking, preaching, and singing.
Finally, the day will come when even the memory of our adversary shall perish.
Heb. 2: 14-15: Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death---that is, the devil---and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Jesus put the devil down and rendered his kingdom inoperative, without authority. Our glorious Lord brought about the demise of the one who had previously held men captive to the fear of death by abolishing death itself. Satan and his demons knew that Jesus had come to dismantle their kingdom.
The crescendo of Jesus’ defeat of Satan reaches its apex in the truth that the one who is the resurrection and the life confronted the last enemy and abolished death itself.
Jesus swallowed up death in victory. (1 Cor. 15:54).
All Satan has left is his roar of suggestion. Satan is not God’s adversary because Jesus defeated him at the Cross.
What glory! What a victory! What spoils! At the Cross, Jesus became the Victor so that we don’t have to be victims! The New Covenant is His last will and testament. The Benefactor of all things is the Testator who died that we might become heirs of salvation, then rose from the dead to become the Executor of His own will!
As in the days of the four courageous lepers, the enemy has been defeated, and the table is spread with divine spoil. All things are now ready. Come and dine!
Like King David who recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away and then sent a present, or blessing, of all the spoils to the elders of Judah (1 Sam. 30: 18, 26), our Lord Jesus Christ has determined to share His inherited wealth with His people. We are joint-heirs with Christ, heirs together of the grace of life (Ro. 8:17). By His blood, we have become partakers of the commonwealth of Israel.
At the cross, He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. (Eph. 2:14)
The grandest poetic Old Testament chapter detailing the crucifixion of Jesus makes mention of His mighty spoil:
Is. 53:12: I will divide Him a portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul unto death…
After the victory at the Cross, Jesus ascended and measured Himself into five ministries: the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Our portion is the Lord Himself.
John 20: 19-23: Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, (Resurrection day), when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be with you. When He had spoken, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then Jesus spoke to them again, Peace be unto you. My Father has sent Me, even so send I you. When He said this, He breathed on them, and, Receive the Holy Spirit; Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.
We can interpret this scripture no other way except the Lord gave the disciples power to forgive sins. In forty days, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit Himself descends in all His might, lavishing upon the apostles and disciples every spiritual gift and power to work wondrous deeds, such as raising the dead.
The power to forgive sins is a divine power. If we do not forgive, then we will not be forgiven.
Never come into the house of the Lord with your tail between your legs, downcast and defeated. Come in shouting, clapping and dancing! Celebrate the victory of our King. Arise with God’s kind of faith, and soar into the heavenlies on eagles’ wings of prophetic prayer, praise and worship. Announce His triumph at the Cross. Announce His triumph to the powers and principalities. Then go to the darkest places of the earth. Tell the good news of Jesus’ victory there---
When Peter and John entered the empty tomb on Resurrection morning, the napkin that had graced the Head of the church lay in a place by itself, neatly folded. By Eastern custom, this meant that Jesus would not pass by that way any more!
Death had been conquered one time. The warfare was accomplished.
Mt. 28: 18-19: Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore…
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture references as noted, otherwise K.J.V. I entered into the labors of Blessed Theophylact, Gospel according to Luke and John; Whose Right It IS by Kelly Varner. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.