***This series is taken from a sermon preached by Bob Roberts at Word of Life Slavic Baptist Church on December 24th, 2023. Find this section from the sermon at the bottom of this post. Note: The sermon is being interpreted into Russian for the largely Slavic congregation.***
The first accomplishment on the cross was to pay the debt we could never pay. He took the consequences we were unable to endure. This payment was not paid to evil or the devil. The devil desires nothing more than our complete destruction, but He has no ultimate power over death himself because he is destined for the same fate. And while we as humans unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) proclaim allegiance to this evil being through our rejection of God, Satan is not an equal to God. He is a created being who has rebelled against God and has been deceiving humanity for millennia so that we might also suffer the fate that awaits him. The Lake of Fire is not Satan’s domain to rule, but it will be his final punishment for the murderous rebellion he has incited against a holy, loving God. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20)
God warned Adam and Eve at the beginning of creation that rejecting Him would lead to death. He could have immediately punished them with death, but instead, He provided a covering for them and promised a coming Deliverer who would crush the head of the serpent. While we all will physically die, we have been gifted resurrection life through our great serpent crusher, Jesus Christ!
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise [or crush] your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Hebrews 2:14-15
Jesus Christ took the weapon out of the hands of the enemy and used it to completely and eternally crush the enemies of sin and death! He is both the Suffering Servant and the Conquering King.
Questions to Consider
- Read Revelation 21. How do you see the concept of “already/not yet” in these passages? Why can we place our hope completely in the sinless, eternal life to come through Jesus Christ? (Revelation 21:5-6)
- Because in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin and death, how should that affect our daily thoughts, choices, actions, and responses? (Ephesians 1-2; Romans 6; Romans 12)