ICS Daily Devotions
Redemption On The Cross
Luke 24:46-47 (NKJV) Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
When Jesus’ death and suffering have fully met divine justice, God raised Jesus from the dead. God, the Father recognized that His son had completely paid the price for mankind and redeemed them. Jesus could not stay in Hades because He was sinless and justice for sin was paid by His blood. Therefore, He resurrected from the dead. The time came after three days when the power of God went into the deepest depth.
Ephesians 1:19-20 (NKJV) And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
God’s power reached into the lowest parts of the earth and raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus rose triumphant! He was the “first fruits” of the dead. Praise be to God that we will have the same resurrection when Jesus comes again. Jesus experienced a physical resurrection when He was able to show His nail pierced hands and sides to His disciples. He also ate in their presence. While it was a physical body, it was also a transformed body, whereby it is both spiritual and physical. Jesus was able to appear to the disciples though they were behind locked doors. His appearances and
disappearances took place during the 40 days he was with them before the ascension.
Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 5:17 (NKJV) For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
If sin has been dealt with by Christ’s death on the cross then there will be no more power in the sting of death! God has decided to wipe away the handwriting requirements of the law that was against us. Nobody was able to completely fulfill the requirements of the law. Salvation is possible because Jesus has completely satisfied the divine justice of God. He has taken your place and my place in His suffering on the cross and in Hades. Jesus has removed the hindrance of the penalty of sin from us on the cross of Calvary! In his death and suffering, He has triumphed over the principalities and the powers and disarmed them so that death has no more hold over us.
God’s perfect love for us which He sends Jesus to die on our behalf removed all forms of fear and torment about death. We have the victory in Christ! We can only boast in the Lord and we can boast about who we are in Christ. It is the triumph of life over death, the triumph of forgiveness over sin, the triumph of grace over law. It is a victory that we will all be united in heaven regardless whether we pass on to glory before Christ return or when Christ return. We will be with the Lord for eternity!
Sermon Series: Resurrection Sunday
