What does it mean that Jesus Christ conquered death?

Most obviously, the statement that Christ has conquered death refers to His resurrection. He who was dead is now alive (see Revelation 1:18). These three words—Christ conquered death—define the most important difference between Christianity and all other religions. No other religious leader ever predicted his own death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21), based his claims about himself and his teaching on that prediction (John 2:18 –22; Matthew 27:40), and then kept that promise (Luke 24:6).

Jesus’ resurrection marks the first time in history that someone rose from the dead never to die again. Others who were resurrected eventually died a second time (see 1 Kings 17:17–24; 2 Kings 4:32–37; Mark 5:39–42; John 11:38–44). Jesus’ resurrection was a true and total defeat of death. As the Holy Son of God, Jesus overcame death once and for all, as Peter explained: “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24). The triumphant, risen Christ said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Keys are a symbol of authority. Jesus is sovereign over death. Christ’s conquest of death was permanent and eternal.

Christ conquered death because He was sinless. The curse upon mankind in the Garden of Eden, brought about by their sin, was plainly stated: “You will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Ever since, we have seen the truth of Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” But Jesus Christ had no sin (1 Peter 2:22); therefore, death had no power over Him. Jesus’ death was a voluntary sacrifice for our sin, and, given His sinless perfection, His resurrection logically followed. “I lay down my life,” Jesus said, “only to take it up again” (John 10:17).

The fact that Christ has conquered death has eternal consequences for us. The good news—the gospel—is grounded in Christ’s victory over death. Without the resurrection, there is no gospel; indeed, there is no hope for us at all: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Christ has risen, and, as fellow conquerors with Him, Christians “have passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14). Christ “has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

The fact that Christ has conquered death means that believers have also been granted victory over death. We are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), which means that Jesus’ resurrection is the first of many: believers who have “fallen asleep” (died) will be likewise resurrected. Jesus promised His followers, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

The fact that Christ has conquered death is a fulfillment of prophecy. The psalmist predicted the Messiah would overcome death: “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:10). Other prophets filled God’s people with the hope that the Lord would one day abolish death: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8), and “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54–55).

Death is the devil’s most powerful, terrifying weapon against us. At the cross, Christ defeated Satan on behalf of us helpless sinners: “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31; cf. Colossians 2:15). With the empty tomb, Christ destroyed the devil’s most powerful weapon, death. Satan, our accuser, is now powerless to condemn Christians. We will not share his fate (Revelation 12:9–11; 20:10, 14).

When Christ conquered death for us, He removed the “sting of death,” sin (1 Corinthians 15:56)—that is, we will not be judged by God according to our sins; rather, we will stand before God robed in Christ’s own perfect righteousness. That is why believers in Christ “will not be hurt at all by the second death” (Revelation 2:11), and “the second death has no power over them” (Revelation 20:6). Christ has received our death penalty for sin and, through His death, has conquered death (Revelation 20:14).

Believers “are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). What can separate us from the love of God in Christ? “Neither death nor life” (verse 38). Christ has conquered death, and believers stand firm on Jesus’ words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25–26, BSB).

Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost

 

Pentecost was a major Jewish festival long before it became a Christian feast. All adult male Jews living within 30km radius of Jerusalem were obliged to participate in the festival. In addition, many Jews and converts to Judaism from all over the world went on a pilgrimage to attend the festival. Thus, the Acts of the Apostles attests that on that faithful day, which became the first Christian Pentecost: ‘Now, there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem…. Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs’ (Acts 2:5, 9-11).

 OUTDOORING THE CHURCH:-

Beloved, the Church was born in the life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It then had to be outdoored. The timing and circumstance of its outdooring was very crucial. Our God, being the most strategic One, wisely chose the Pentecost festival, which had such great attendance and great network of people, to outdoor the Church with the spectacular outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-12).

 

By this strategic choice of God, as many as three thousand people would become Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Many of these converts would become a great network to spread the good news of salvation to various parts of the world.

 Among the manifestations on that Pentecost day, there was the ‘tongues of fire’, the medium by which the Holy Spirit filled the disciples (Acts 2:3-4). The rest of this homily focuses on the significance of the tongues of fire.

 We will consider:

 * The presence of the Holy Spirit as fire

* The significance of the appearance of the Holy Spirit as tongues

* Tongues of fire

 THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS FIRE:-

Water, we know, has no shape or form but takes the shape of its container. Similarly, the Holy Spirit, the Living Water (John 4:10-15; 7:37-39), has no physical form, but manifests His presence to us in various forms. On the day of the baptism of our Lord, the Holy Spirit took the form of a dove (John 1:32). On the day of Pentecost, He appeared as fire (Acts 2:3). What is the significance of this? There are several lessons from this, but I wish to limit myself to three of them.

 Firstly, fire is used to purify metals (e.g. gold). Similarly, the Holy Spirit purifies us. He applies the precious blood of Jesus to purify us – to cleanse us of our sins. To purify us, He first convicts us of our sins (John 16:8). That is, He pricks our conscience and makes us aware of our sins, feel guilty about them and then readily confess them. Thus, on Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit convicted thousands of people who were listening to the sermon of Peter. The burning of the spiritual fire in the hearts of the people made them ask the Apostles how they could be saved: ‘Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”’ (Acts 2:37). Peter then admonished them: ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:38).

 Beloved, like the Pentecost day converts, may we feel in our hearts the merciful and yet purifying heat of the fire of the Holy Spirit anytime we sin. With such spiritual burning sensation, let us not waste any time to seek God’s forgiveness; when we confess may He instantly cleanse us of our sins. Amen!

 We have elaborated on the fact that the presence of the Holy Spirit as fire signifies His purifying work. The second lesson is derived from the fact that fire destroys things. Similarly, the Holy Spirit destroys things. However, being holy fire, being the fire of ‘Love Divine’, He does not destroy good things. The holy fire destroys only evil. Thus, we read in Acts 13:6-12, how Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, defeated the evil of Elymas the magician. Similarly, beloved, may the fire of the Holy Spirit destroy any evil that may approach us. Amen!

 Thirdly, fire is powerful. This is evident in its ability to destroy things. Fire, therefore, signifies the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, on the day of Ascension, Jesus instructed His apostles to remain in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Ten days thereafter, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to boldly witness to Jesus as risen from the dead and the Saviour of the world.

 Similarly, beloved, may the fire-power of the Holy Spirit make us all great witnesses or ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Amen!

 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS TONGUES:-

Human tongue signifies speech. Therefore, the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues means that He is the One who enables us to proclaim the good news. Thus, in our Creed, we affirm that the Holy Spirit ‘has spoken through the prophets’. May He continue to touch our tongues and speak through us. Amen!

 

TONGUES OF FIRE:-

On Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit appeared not merely as tongues but specifically as ‘tongues of fire’. We know that our tongues cannot remain silent when touched by something hot. When, for instance, a very hot food touches our tongue, we cannot but speak even if we do not understand such heat-on-tongue induced utterances. Similarly, the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit signify His spiritual burning of the timid and silent tongues of the Apostles. Peter, who became timid from the moment of the arrest of Jesus, became not only courageous to stand before thousands of people but also eloquent (Acts 2:14-41; cf. Acts 4:31).

 Beloved, may the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit set our tongues on fire so that we eloquently proclaim the good news of salvation. Amen!

 CONCLUSION:-

Beloved let me sum up. On this Pentecost day and beyond,

* May fire of the Holy Spirit purify us, destroy any evil that approaches us and empower us to be credible witnesses of Christ.

* May the Holy Spirit who appeared as tongues touch our tongues.

* May the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit set our tongues on fire so that we eloquently proclaim the good news of salvation. Amen!

Overcoming Eight Strategies Of Satan (Matthew 7:21-27)

Satan would like you to think that God does not require the same type of obedience under the New Covenant as He did under the Old Covenant, but he is a liar. All acts of disobedience are sin, regardless of how small or large. It is through our obedience that we enter into a relationship where we become one with God.

 Jesus said if we obey His teaching, He and the Father will come and live within us. If we obey, we will be saved and inherit eternal life. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto                          you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).

It is reverent submission and obedience to God that rewards us with the ultimate victory over Satan. Jesus said:

“Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly - disregarding My commands.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Paul told the Romans:

For it is not merely hearing the Law (read) that makes one righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be held guiltless and acquitted and justified. (Romans 2:13)

There are eight basic strategies Satan employs to lead you step by step into rebellion and disobedience against God:

He will cause you to doubt God and His Word.

He will tempt you to murmur against God.

He will cause you to turn away from God.

He will cause you to reject God's voice and His Word.

He will steal the fear of God out of your heart.

He will cause you to fear man more than you fear God.

He will cause you to reject God's will and follow your own self-will.

He will deceive you into compromising what God has spoken to you.

If you allow even one area of disobedience to God or His Word to remain, Satan has a stronghold he will use to lead you further into disobedience.

 Examine each of these eight areas in your own life as you wait in the presence of God today.

 Make this declaration: Through God's power, I will not doubt Him or His Word. I will not murmur against God, turn away from Him, or reject His voice, His Word, or His will. I will not fear man more than I fear God. I will not compromise.

Renewing The Spirit Of Your Mind

 

Renewing The Spirit Of Your Mind (Psalm 119:9-16)

We must continually take authority over every aspect of our hearts and minds, our thoughts, desires,  emotions, intentions  and bring them under control of the Holy Spirit.

 This renewing of our minds to the mind of Christ must be a continual daily process. As we fill our minds with a knowledge of Christ , His will, thoughts, desires, and purposes  and bring our hearts and minds into submission to the Holy Spirit, we are being renewed “in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10).

 There is absolutely no way a Christian can live in one-hundred percent victory over Satan and his strategies unless this continual renewal of the mind is taking place. To arm yourself with the mind of Christ, you must daily saturate your heart and mind until it is filled with the Word.

 

Paul said, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). The renewal mentioned here is not referring simply to the natural mind with its natural abilities in retaining knowledge. He was not talking about filling our heads with “head knowledge” of the Word, Christ, and power He has given us over all the power of the enemy, or who we are in Christ.

The “spirit” of your mind refers to thoughts, attitudes, and desires which have been brought under the dominion and control of the Holy Spirit. It is the portion of your mind which brings you into fellowship with Christ and directs its energies toward pleasing God and fulfilling His will.

 To be renewed “in the spirit of your mind” where you have armed yourself with the mind of Christ, you must fill your thoughts with God's Word and meditate on it continually day and night until the Word becomes an integral part of your life; until your thoughts, desires, intentions, and purposes are continually being transformed and molded into Christ's image.

 As your mind is renewed daily and you go out into battle against Satan armed with the victorious mind of Christ you will not be defeated, regardless of the circumstances you face. Armed with the victorious mind of Christ, you will not be worried or fearful and you will not become weary or faint in your mind. You will be strong, immovable, and victorious over every attack, every obstacle, and every circumstance Satan may use against you.

 God has revealed to me that Satan is now amassing his forces to come against the Church in a massive counterattack to stop the advance that we are making into his territory. He has already initiated his battle plan, but as we meditate on these truths together God is giving you advance knowledge, a spiritual breakthrough, so you will know what is happening, how Satan is attacking, where he is attacking and you will be able to activate your mind for battle.

 Make this declaration:

My mind is being renewed in knowledge after the image of God who created me.

 

 

Set Your Mind For Victory

Colossians 3:1-16 , “ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

 Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

Before Jesus came to this earth, He set His mind. He determined beforehand and set a predetermined course of action to do the will of God. Jesus knew He would be rejected, despised, and crucified, yet He set His mind to do the will of God regardless of what He had to endure. He did not allow anything to divert Him from completing the work He came to do. He set His mind on winning the war!

 We must set your thoughts upon Christ, the Word, God's will, and His plan and purposes. In order to live in one-hundred percent victory in our minds and win the war against Satan, we too must set our minds that we are going to walk in the victory God has provided for us. We must take authority over our thoughts, desires, and intentions and focus them on Christ, the Word, and upon fulfilling God's will.

 Paul told the Romans:  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)

 He told the Colossians in Colossians 3:1-3, To “set your mind on things above” is to desire and seek after those things. You must see to it that your interests and desires are centered in Christ. “Setting the mind” means that a person fills his thought life and sets a thought pattern upon Christ, the Word, God's will, His plan and purposes. You must make a predetermined effort to program your thoughts and keep them centered upon Christ and things above instead of allowing them to be constantly filled with the cares of this life, your selfish desires, fear, unbelief, worry, doubt, or temptation.

 Paul told the Philippians to think on things that were pure, lovely, gracious, excellent things worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). There are Christians today who have programmed themselves for failure and defeat by focusing on their circumstances instead of setting their minds for victory. You do not have to be one of them!

 Make this declaration:

Today, I will think only on things that are true, worthy of reverence, honorable, seemly, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and excellent.

 

"You have not yet struggled to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin"

 Dear brothers/ sisters 

Hebrews 12:4 (AMP) says like this :-

"You have not yet struggled to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin"

Do we know that this time of technology and the internet the thinking , lifestyle of many have come down ..people say we have developed but infect their life style have come down considerably even of believers too.

Do we know that this kind of warfare  is not so easy as the words of God says above even Jesus Christ battled in the Garden of Gethsemane that He literally sweat blood. Please understand it wasn't easy for Jesus and it would not be easy for us also.

But the price of not fighting the battle in the present age of darkness with the powers darkness  surrounding us will lead us into  perpetual immaturity and spiritual stagnation.

Please note that the writer of Hebrew warned us of this, just to admonish those who are falling behind ...

God bless you all 

Please share these prophetic words which meant a lot to you.

What is the unpardonable sin?

                                       What is the unpardonable sin?

The unpardonable/unforgivable sin or “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter” (Mark 3:28), but then He gives one exception: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin” (verse 29).

According to Jesus, the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is unique. It is the one iniquity that will never be forgiven (“never” is the meaning of “either in this age or in the age to come” in Matthew 12:32). The unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30).

The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit. Standing before the Light of the World, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable.

 The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation,

1.    cannot be duplicated today.

2.     Jesus Christ is not on earth,

3.    and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit.

The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.

God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; “to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable”.

Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). And the testimony of Paul is proof positive that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12–17).

If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin.

God is waiting with open arms. Jesus’ promise is that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). Our Lord will never fail. “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).