Victory is Already Won

It is hard to believe it has been 24 years since the 9/11 attack upon the Twin Towers in New York City. I will forever remember that day, where I was, the images that came into my home through the TV, and the shockwave that was felt around the world. Many filled churches that week back in 2001 with candlelight services seeking solace from God and from one another. 9/11 was this generation’s pearl harbor, an event that became our battle cry against the evils of this world. This week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk reminds us that the battle rages on and will continue to do so until Christ returns. What brings me comfort at a time like this? Here are a few thoughts.

The most comforting truth to me is that death has lost its sting because Jesus Christ defeated sin and death. No amount of evil can change that. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 says, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Sometimes it may seem as if the victory goes to evil, sin, and death. With Christ, this is not the reality. 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

With this in mind, what are we to do? We are to stand up, pick up our cross, and follow Christ. This does imply persecution from the world, but that will be short lived compared to the eternity that awaits those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” If we get discouraged and begin to feel that we are losing the battle, that evil is winning, and all is lost, remember the victory belongs to the Lord! (Proverbs 21:31)

Pastor Phil Newby