"...upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the grave will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)
Jesus was crucified by the world He came to save. On that cross Jesus prayed for His murderers "Father forgive them, that do not understand what they do”, and then uttered His final words “it is finished”. He then dismissed His spirit, died and was laid in the tomb.From a baseball analogy it was the bottom of the ninth, and there were two outs. The destiny of humanity was at stake. Day one passed, strike one. Day two passed, strike two. The hope for humanity was riding on that final pitch which came at sundown on Day three; and then it happened….Jesus rose from death, He turned on that final pitch and knocked death, sin and hopelessness out of the park, a walk off homer that sealed the eternal Victory over death for humanity.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery…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 VICTORY. “Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
The church is the body of Christ. It is composed of all who Jesus died for. It will be “called-out” of death and this world, changed from a weak, sinful body of flesh and blood into an immortal spiritual body that will have abundant never ending life - the same life that Christ Jesus now has...
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive…The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:20-49)
October is the month of baseball's World Series, but the really important game of life was settled on the cross - and we are all winners!
"...for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 3:23-25)
"For the wages of sin is death, yet the gracious gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus, our Lord" (Romans 6:23)
P.S. The game is over but the ticker tape parade will be conducted later on the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem - see you there!