In this Resurrection Day sermon, Pastor Joe Babij explains how Jesus’ bodily resurrection represents complete victory for those who believe in Jesus over mankind’s five great enemies. Pastor Babij concludes with a crucial question: are you by faith and repentance on the side of Jesus the conqueror, or are you still defeated and dead in your sins?
1. The First Enemy to Be Conquered: Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21)
2. The Second Enemy to Be Conquered: The Law (Romans 8:3-4)
3. The Third Enemy to Be Conquered: The Wrath of God (Hebrews 2:27; Romans 5:8-9)
4. The Fourth Enemy to Be Conquered: Satan (1 John 3:8)
5. The Fifth Enemy to Be Conquered: Death (1 Corinthians 15:26, 54-58)
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amen it is good to sing to the Lord this morning because he is risen amen so this morning I’m going to be looking at several passages of scripture and so I want you to listen and if you have your Bibles you can turn or going to try to have it on the screen if we can but this morning I want you to focus your attention really on what happened on the cross and where it led to the resurrection is what essentially makes Jesus different from all the Earthly would-be prophets and Messiahs they did not rise from the dead victoriously they all died they left their the their decaying corruption in the grave but not so with Christ he is risen the resurrection proved all that went before was true and demonstrated that Jesus is the Divine son even as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1 and verse number four he says who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the Dead that the resurrection declared the true identity of Jesus that he was Jesus God’s son and the term declared in scripture declared to be the Son of God is really an interesting word it means to fix it means to determine it means to mark off but it’s an interesting word when we move it into English it’s the Greek word horizon we get the word horizon from it scripture is saying that Jesus is fully Divine God’s son and the Bible says that in his resurrection he was declared the Son of God with power and this does not mean that the resurrection made Jesus the son of God it demonstrated that he was the Son of God the point being as clearly as the Horizon divides the earth from the sky so the resurrection divides Jesus from the rest of humanity his eternal deity was strikingly and clearly manifested through his physical Resurrection an agnostic professor once said to a little girl who believed in the Lord Jesus he says there have been many who have claimed to be Christ how can you be sure who told you the truth which one do you believe and without hesitation the youngster replied I believe the one who rose from the dead see my friend the resurrection enables us to see Jesus as he really is and who he is he’s God and this is the good news without Jesus there is no good news without Jesus there is no hope for everlasting life without him no Freedom From Slavery of sin and its condemnation without Jesus we cannot move from Faith to sight in the promises of God on one occasion Michelangelo turned to his fellow artist and said with frustration in his voice why do you keep filling Gallery after Gallery with endless pictures on the one theme of Christ on the cross and most of all hanging dead he asked them why do you concentrate on that passing episode as if it was the last word as if the curtain dropped down and disaster and defeat ensued and then he says that Dreadful scene was only a few hours but to the unending eternity Christ is alive Christ rules and Reigns and triumphs Michelangelo was right even though the cross is vitally important because of the Redemption Jesus accomplished for us there we must not emphasize his death to the exclusion of his resurrection victory and that’s what it was it was a great victory it was the greatest Victory ever accomplished it was accomplished and finished by Jesus Christ on the cross so that very word victory assumes some battle or conflict conflict took place in the great Resurrection passage that we read this morning the Apostle Paul also said there and he proclaimed but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ so it is obvious from this passage that it is not we who fight in order to win the victory it is God who gives us the victory it is it is and it was God himself who took the initiative in other words Redemption and salvation are entirely of God and it also means that we could have done nothing in order to fight and win in such a battle and why is that because we are children of Adam dead in our sin and we can do nothing at all whatsoever to save ourselves there was also a story once told of a little boy who fell into a pit and as night with all the dangers of wild beasts Drew near he couldn’t get out he trembled with fear in a crowd from the town gathered around and one person told them that he was a foolish boy to fall to a pit another said he was naughty to be playing near the hole he should have known better a third person told them to get out as he got in but he could not do so another threw a stick to for him to hold on to stick broke of all things so many even lectured him that when he did get out he must never fall in again and as night Drew near a very strong kind man went down into the Pit himself and picked the boy up and lifted him out see it’s kind of a picture of us that we have not just fallen into the pit but we were dead in the pit unable at all whatsoever to rescue ourselves we were spiritually dead as the Bible says in Ephesians 2 and you were dead in your trespasses and sins and that’s why we are dead because of our sins and because of our offenses against God and there’s no better word to describe man in his fallen and depraved condition than being dead just as a physically dead person does not respond to physical stimuli so a person spiritually dead is unable to respond to spiritual things a corpse does not hear the conversation going on in the funeral parlor he has no appetite for food or drink he feels no pain he’s dead and just so the Inner Man of the unsaved person his spiritual faculties are not functioning they cannot function until God gives that person life it was one Old Saint from the past who brought this to the attention of his readers and hearers of his day that were steeped in spiritual darkness and spiritual death and he said there are five enemies that have to be dealt with before anyone could be saved there’s sin there’s the law there’s the wrath of God there’s Satan and there’s death all of those have to be conquered before anyone could be saved and scripture affirms that Jesus definitely dealt with these five enemies quite effectively on the cross of calvary no one but the perfect unblemished Lamb of God could have borne that punishment in his body on the tree on that day so this morning I really want you to take notice of the five enemies to be conquered before anybody could be saved all five enemies had to be conquered before there could be Resurrection before there could be life see Resurrection is Victory and it is not so much that Jesus is pictured hanging on a cross but what was accomplished there on the cross what was the what was conquered and defeated there on the cross that’s the important thing so here’s the first enemy to be conquered and it’s the enemy of sin we were born into this world as Sinners every single one of us our hearts are depraved and so we grow up in sin and we commit sins of word we can commit sins of thought we commit sins of deed we do not love the Lord with all our heart our mind and our soul and our strength like the Bible requires for us to do as creatures of God God has given us the holy law of the Ten Commandments and we break them and we’re guilty we we deserve Eternal punishment where it says in Romans chapter 6 The wages of sin is death and not only physical death spiritual death but if someone doesn’t believe in Christ even Eternal death so how did Jesus defeat this enemy of sin well by becoming sin it says in scripture II Corinthians 5 21 he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that’s what he did for us so sin was dealt with in a substitute and the result of that was that the sins of God’s people or the sins of those who believe were covered and substitution means that one person is put in the place of another substitution must be a sufficient and a satisfactory sacrifice and out of that sacrifice we get the word atonement and the idea of his atonement is a covering that our sin has to be covered in another way to say the conclusion of that is that we’re forgiven by God and the way God covers sin of one who comes to believe and follow Jesus Christ as Lord and savior is by his blood the Bible says by the shedding of blood and the washing and cleansing of the blood we can be forgiven even in in the Hebrew the book of Hebrews the Bible tells us the blood of Christ through whom the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God to do what to cleanse your conscience from dead Works to serve the Living God in other words our faith communicates to our conscience that we have been pardoned only through the precious and shed blood of Christ and there’s a big theological word that comes in view here and it’s the term expiation and expiation means sin is placed upon Jesus or someone else in other words my sin is removed from me and the punishment is removed from me and given to Jesus so what Jesus offered to God the father was done for us so then when when really your own son sins cry out against you the blood of Christ speaks on your behalf when when our conscience cruelly condemns us the blood of Christ cries for forgiveness see Christ’s atonement fully satisfied the demands of God’s righteousness so that forgiveness and mercy are guaranteed to those who receive Christ in Humble and repent in faith we accept the responsibility of our sin and so believe in God’s word that in the death of Christ sin is dealt with conquered and we can have forgiveness because of that now that means that either your sin is conquered in Christ or you are still under its condemnation they’re they’re that’s the only two positions someone could be in so the first enemy to be conquered is sin the second enemy to be conquered is the law our own sin made the law of God our enemy and the law had to be given in order that we might see and that we cannot even keep it the law could not save us because we could not keep it the the law with the law actually does is condemn us in our sin and the law was really never given to save anyone even the book of Romans communicates in Romans 8 verse 3 and 4 it says for what the law could not do week as it was through the flesh God did sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin he condemned sin in the flesh so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in US now the question is what is the requirement of the law you know the requirement of the law is perfect obedience that’s the requirement so how did Jesus conquer the demands of the law for Sinners Like You and I Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience the first Adam when he came he failed to obey God and sin came into the world and plundered us all into sin into the realm of sin and because of sin death passed upon all of us and that’s the really the real reason why we all die and if we were really honest with ourselves we have not lived anywhere near close to even a little bit of obedience to God let alone perfect obedience so examining ourselves by The Ten Commandments really should cause great concern as to our standing with God so if if you would this morning examine yourselves by The Ten Commandments would you be found innocent or guilty let me just give them to you in simple form the first commandment have you always worshiped the true God and no one else the second commandment have you ever had wrong thoughts about God and always worshiped him as the Bible has taught Third Commandment have you ever used the name of God thoughtlessly or as a swear word fourth Commandment have you always set aside Sunday as a special day of worship for God and his with his people the fifth commandment have you always respected and loved your parents and obeyed them the sixth commandment have you ever thought of murdering someone or had hateful thoughts about other people because Jesus said if you are angry with your brother you have already committed murder have you ever committed adultery or had adulterous thoughts about someone else have you ever stolen anything commandment number nine have you ever lied commandment number 10 have you ever been jealous of other people’s possessions now if we were to be examined by God right now based on that If we’re honest we’re all guilty because it says this in the Book of James it says for whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has been guilty of it all so what that means is that the law shows us we are sinners and under God’s condemnation so we’re guilty under God’s just penalty the second Adam Jesus Christ did not fail though it says in scripture for in as in Adam all die so also in Christ all will be made alive those who know Jesus will be made alive so how did Jesus satisfy the requirements of the law Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the law and perfectly fulfilled the demands of the law that means that all those who receive Christ humbly in repentant Faith are freed from the condemnation of the law of God see Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly so all those who believe in Jesus are free from the law see that has to had to be conquered on the cross a third and that means that either the law is fulfilled in Christ for you or that you’re still under its judgment a third enemy that needed to be conquered is the wrath of God or the anger of God and how did Jesus Vanquish the wrath of God well he did it by satisfying God’s holiness see we’re enemies of God because of our sin and Jesus death provided a satisfaction for God’s holiness so at the cross of Calvary Jesus made it possible for a holy God to be a big word propitious and that means to be favorably favorably inclined toward us even though we were guilty and our guilty Sinners Jesus satisfied God’s holy Justice enabling him to save a people who deserves only judgment in fact again in the epistle to Hebrews the writer says there therefore he had to be made like his brethren in all things so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of his people another big word propitiation a great theological word and it means that Jesus bore our sin and guilt that Jesus faced the wrath of God instead of us and he was innocent he fully paid it for us because the debt was so big we could never pay it on our own so propitiation is something done with a view to God an offering is made to God that satisfied the demands of God’s law and his Justice and when Christ gives himself as a propitiatory sacrifice he satisfies God’s requirements of Justice because God requires the death penalty for sin Jesus had to die as a man his just demands that his life would be poured out and as it tells us in Isaiah 53 as a result of the anguish of his soul he will see it and be satisfied by the knowledge of the righteous one my servant will justify the many as he will bear their iniquities so that’s that means that God’s Wrath and Justice toward me and you was satisfied for all who put their faith in Christ as their high priest and Christ is more than a high priest he is the great high priest he is the prophet and he is the king and Jesus did not satisfy the demands for himself but for me and for you by taking upon himself my sin and my guilt that that’s what the gospel is all about that Jesus Christ was the sacrifice in his blood in which he said in our place and because of that he is the one who satisfies and conquers the wrath of God and then the word of God tells us this that God the Father poured out his wrath on Jesus all the anger for toward sin and sinners he poured out on Jesus where it says in Romans chapter 5 but God demonstrate his demonstrated his own love toward us and that why were we were yet sinners Christ died for us and then it tells us this much more than having now been justified by his blood we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him so the only way anybody can be saved from the anger of God against our own sin is to believe in Jesus because Jesus Took the anger he took the Wrath so the final judgment that there is a day that has been set with certainty that God will judge the world in all those who have not repented will receive God’s justice and all those who have repented and trusted in his son Jesus Christ will receive Mercy and will escape the just wrath of God I love this passage of scripture in John chapter 3 verse 30 36 where it says he who believes in the son has eternal life but he who does not obey the son will not see life but the wrath of God abides on him just think of that for a moaning either the wrath of God has been removed from you and put on Christ or you’re still under it there’s no other place to be there’s no middle ground either you’re there or you’re not now if you neglect the only great means of Salvation to escape God’s Wrath well then you will stand alone to face the justice of God it will not be a matter then at the Judgment of how can you escape but the cold former reality in front of God There Is No Escape Jesus is the escape now from the wrath of God so a Christian can stand and declare I’ve been saved my whole position has changed from one one of being unsaved to being saved one of of being condemned to one of being free from God’s condemnation in other words we are moved from one place to another place of not being a Christian to a place of becoming a real Christian a persevering right to the end of our life because we know Jesus is the only way the truth and the life no one can go to the father except through him so it becomes a lifelong pilgrimage for someone who becomes a Believer it’s not oh I believed in Jesus and I go on to live my old sinful life no your sinful life is done it’s dead it’s put in a grave it doesn’t mean you become perfect what it means is that your desire now is to follow Christ see Jesus Christ’s death satisfied God’s judgment on sin and that means God appeased his wrath towards you he sent it to Christ and not you but if you don’t have Christ as your savior that wrath is still there and that’s why there’s such a place as hell I don’t want to see anybody go there to be separated from God from all eternity would be a horrible existence you think things are bad in this world sometimes in this world we still have mercy in this world we still have Grace we woke up today to the sun shining we woke up today with ears to be able to hear the truth from God’s word that’s God’s grace and mercy to us we could never forget the very breath that we breathe and the life he gives us and the family gives us and the food that we’re all going to go eat this afternoon is all God’s grace in hell that’s there’s none of that there and don’t ever think that you’re going to go there and have a party with your buddies you’re not there’s no party in hell Satan and the Antichrist and the false prophet and the Beast are all going to be in hell but they’re not going to be reigning there going to be under God’s judgment there also see the only answer conclusion that we could have is let’s get saved from the wrath of God and believe in Jesus today let’s not put it off one second because we’re not guaranteed tomorrow but there’s a fourth enemy that needs to be conquered and you know what that enemy is that enemy is Satan himself in fact how did Jesus defeat Satan the only way he could have defeated Satan destroy him in fact listen what it says in first John chapter 3 verse number eight the one who practices sin is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning the Son of God appeared for this purpose for what to destroy the works of the devil that’s another reason why Jesus came and died on the cross on that cross Satan probably thought he was gaining the victory he won but on that cross he lost he was defeated on the cross see Satan still works in the sons of disobedience but he no longer works in those who are believers Satan also hides himself in order to Blind and deceive people you know the greatest thing an enemy could do is that you would never expected there that’s that’s the greatest strategy to have and that’s what he does he blinds people I’m not there this is not this is not the work of Satan no it’s the work of Satan when Satan when he Satan keeps people blinded from the truth of the Gospel from the light of the Gospel so either you still live in the domain of Satan in which you are his slave or you have been transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son Jesus Christ there is no in between there’s no straddling the fence on these things these must be conquered and they’re all conquered in one person Jesus Christ so you cannot bypass Christ for it says in Colossians 1 13 for he delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son Satan had to be defeated and he was and finally he will be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second death and then this Last Enemy that had to be conquered is death itself isn’t death an enemy every time I go to a funeral and I if the coffin’s open or closed it’s just a sad occasion like this shouldn’t be happening but death came into the world because of sin so how did Jesus defeat death not he didn’t know how he defeated death he rose from the dead he defeated death by rising from the grave and what does the scripture say in Corinthians it says verse 15 verse 26 The Last Enemy that will be abolished is death we know when we get to the new Heaven and new earth in Revelation The Book of Revelation there is no longer any curse or death there’s no crying there’s no tears there’s going to be a new Heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells that’s where I want to be I pray you want to be there too I really do I pray that you want to be there so this is why we celebrate today and for that fact we should celebrate every day because his resurrection proved that he is what he said he would be and what he would do he is the Son of God and by rising from the dead it did prove that God accepted his sacrifice on our on the behalf of Sinners and anybody who now believes in Jesus Christ the Bible says he has the authority not only to forgive you but to give you eternal life so as I started out Resurrection is Victory there could not have been Resurrection if all these enemies were not defeated and what does it say in First Corinthians 15 verse 54 to 58 listen what it says it says but when this perishable will have put on the imperishable and this Mortal will have put on immortality then will come about the saying that is written death is swallowed up in what in Victory oh death where is your Victory O Death where is your Sting the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law but but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through who through Jesus Christ through the Lord Jesus Christ that’s where we get the Victory and then you know the next verse says this therefore because all that stuff is done for you be steadfast immovable always a bowing in the work of the Lord knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord in other words go on to live your life don’t worry about your your eternal life or where you’re going with your doc when you when you die because if you believe in Jesus he’s taking care of all of it just go work for him and all that work you do for the Lord all the good things you do for the Lord after salvation not for salvation none of it will be in vain even if it’s a cup of cold water to someone who needs it it’s not in vain in the Name of Christ and he knows everything that we do see we’ve got to live a normal everyday life for God for Christ and he takes notice of everything so either you are alive in Christ and Victorious or you are dead in your sins and defeated I don’t know about you but I want to be on the victory side and the Victory side is with Christ Christ died to save us and now he lives to keep us and Brethren there is no gospel without Jesus Christ there is no salvation without Jesus Christ there is no forgiveness without Jesus Christ there is no peace without Jesus Christ there is no Christianity without his death his shed blood and his toning substitutionary sacrifice and his resurrection there is no such thing as Christianity without that and that’s what makes it so different than every other religious system from the beginning to the end all of God’s gracious purposes are carried out by Christ in Christ and through Christ it is Christ who is the head of his church he is the Son of God he is the savior of the world he rose from the grave he ascended on high he is at the right hand of God the Father with all authority and Power in heaven and in Earth and he’s coming back again and when he comes his Saints will come with him because the next time he comes is not to die on a cross the next time it comes is to reign as the King on this Earth and we will be reigning with him that’s God’s plan and all in the word of God everything substantiated in Scripture so where are you going to be what side you’re going to be on it’s either or and if you don’t know Christ day is today for sure the invitation here is what Jesus did on the cross is applicable to any person any person who comes to him he will in no wise cast that person out doesn’t matter how much sin you have in your life it doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been sinning anyone who comes to him he will in no Wives cast out so I prayed this morning for you who do not believe that you may come and believe in Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and you would ask him to save you knowing from scripture that Jesus receives Sinners that’s what he does and Friends Jesus is willing to take you just as you are and wash you and make you wider than snow and make you acceptable before the father that’s what he does that’s his job that’s his job but see the question is do you believe that and I know one thing you do what you believe and if you say you believe something and don’t do it you don’t believe it right so if you believe this that Jesus Christ died in the place of Sinners you are one he is the savior you come to him with your sin he’s the one who took care of all these enemies that you would believe in him and he will give you eternal life that means the resurrection means Jesus Is the Victor Jesus has risen from the dead and has overcome and defeated all the enemies that stood against us and sought to undo us and that kept us slaves of sin and death he’s undone at all so you see if you have come to receive Jesus Christ as your lord and savior I can’t do that for you I can show you and point you and tell you but I cannot do it for you you must do it yourself when you do that you can have great joy Triumph and confidence that there is Victory in Jesus and why is that because Jesus became sin because Jesus lived a perfect life because Jesus satisfied the Holiness of God because Jesus destroyed the works of Satan because Jesus rose from the grave in Resurrection Victory and because he rose from the dead we who believe in him will raise in Victory and those who do not believe in him will raise also in Resurrection to be judged where are you going to be see that’s what this day is about it’s about understanding very clearly where we are with God so where are you I pray if you have any questions you would talk with me later or someone else in our church and that you would really make sure that if you were to die today you would know a hundred percent you would be 100 sure if you died where you would go because there’s only one or two places you can go there’s no the Bible does not teach Purgatory sorry it is not found in Scripture the Bible teaches there is a heaven that’s entered in through Christ and there’s a hell you don’t have to do anything to enter you’ll just stumble into it so where are you today I pray that could be answered by you and if you do answer it believe me today would be a different day for you it’s a day of Christ’s Resurrection unto life amen let’s stand together let’s sing this last praise song