The Cross: Christ's Victory and Our Invitation
Summary
Today’s reflection centers on the profound meaning of the cross and the victory Christ accomplished through his death and resurrection. As we enter Holy Week, we remember that Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem was not a random act, but a deliberate fulfillment of prophecy, orchestrated to reveal God’s redemptive plan. The cross is not merely a symbol of suffering or a means for personal forgiveness; it is the decisive victory over the powers of evil, sin, and death. Jesus’ crucifixion was not a defeat, but the very moment when the forces that opposed God were disarmed and shamed.
This victory is not just about our individual salvation or a ticket to heaven. God’s story is much larger—it is about the renewal of all creation, the uniting of heaven and earth, and the restoration of our original calling as God’s image-bearers in the world. We are invited to participate in this ongoing work, living from the victory Christ has already won, not striving toward it as if it were uncertain. The weapons of accusation, fear, and death have been rendered powerless by the cross, freeing us to live boldly and sacrificially for God’s kingdom.
Following Jesus means embracing the way of the cross ourselves—dying to self, pride, and comfort, and being willing to stand against evil, even at great personal cost. The call is not to shrink the gospel down to personal benefit, but to see ourselves as part of God’s grand story of redemption. Each of us must wrestle with the meaning of the cross: not just as a historical event, but as a personal invitation to surrender, to follow, and to participate in God’s mission of love and restoration. The victory of Jesus is offered to all, and the invitation stands for each of us to respond with our lives.
Key Takeaways
- The cross is the ultimate victory over evil, not merely a symbol of suffering or personal forgiveness. At the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities that stood against God’s purposes, turning what looked like defeat into the greatest triumph in history. This victory is cosmic in scope, affecting not just individuals but the entire creation. [46:41]
- God’s story is bigger than our personal salvation; it is about the renewal of all things and the restoration of our vocation as image-bearers. When we reduce the gospel to “going to heaven when we die,” we miss the fullness of God’s plan to unite heaven and earth and to work through us for the transformation of the world. Our lives are meant to reflect God’s goodness here and now. [56:20]
- We are called to live from victory, not toward it. Though evil still exists, its power has been broken by Christ’s death and resurrection. The weapons of accusation, fear, and death no longer have ultimate authority over us, freeing us to live courageously and faithfully in the face of opposition. [57:55]
- Following Jesus means embracing the way of the cross—dying to self, pride, and comfort, and being willing to stand for truth and love, even when it costs us. True discipleship involves surrendering our own agendas and ambitions, taking up our cross daily, and allowing God to reveal and transform every part of our lives. [01:01:13]
- Each person must personally wrestle with the meaning of the cross and respond to Christ’s invitation. It is not enough to know the stories or wear the symbol; we are called to surrender our lives, trust in Christ’s saving work, and follow him, no matter the cost or the response of others. The victory of Jesus is an open invitation to all who will receive it. [01:07:05]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[22:45] - Worship: Jesus Paid It All
[23:12] - Gratitude for Christ’s Sacrifice
[24:30] - Prayers for Healing and Renewal
[26:09] - Announcements and Community Life
[28:03] - Easter Sunday Activities Preview
[30:31] - Food Giveaway and Children’s Dismissal
[33:13] - Palm Sunday Reflections
[34:08] - Jesus’ Intentional Fulfillment of Prophecy
[35:03] - The Horror and Meaning of the Crucifixion
[37:52] - The Story of the Archbishop and the Cross
[41:10] - Seeking God and Wrestling with the Cross
[44:18] - The Full Gospel: More Than Forgiveness
[46:41] - The Cross as Victory Over Evil
[51:38] - The Significance of Passover and Exodus
[53:19] - Barabbas and the Substitution of Christ
[55:21] - Implications: Living the Full Story
[57:55] - Living From Victory, Not Toward It
[01:01:13] - The Way of the Cross in Discipleship
[01:07:05] - What Does the Cross Mean to You?
[01:09:21] - Invitation and Closing Worship
Study Guide
Small Group Bible Study Guide: The Victory of the Cross
---
### Bible Reading
1. Colossians 2:14-15
“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”
([46:41])
2. Hebrews 2:14-15
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
([46:58])
3. Revelation 12:11
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
([01:02:38])
---
### Observation Questions
1. According to Colossians 2:14-15, what did Jesus accomplish on the cross in relation to the powers and authorities? ([46:41])
2. In Hebrews 2:14-15, what does it say Jesus’ death did for those who were afraid of death? ([46:58])
3. The sermon said the cross is not just about personal forgiveness but a victory over evil. What evidence from the Bible passages or the sermon supports this? ([46:41])
4. In Revelation 12:11, what are the two things that help believers overcome, and what attitude do they have toward their own lives? ([01:02:38])
---
### Interpretation Questions
1. The sermon says the cross is the “decisive victory over the powers of evil, sin, and death.” How does this change the way we see Jesus’ death compared to just thinking of it as a sad or tragic event? ([46:41])
2. The pastor mentioned that God’s story is bigger than just our personal salvation. What does it mean that God wants to “renew all things” and restore our calling as his image-bearers? ([56:20])
3. The sermon says we are called to “live from victory, not toward it.” What does it look like in real life to live as if Christ’s victory is already true, even when we still see evil in the world? ([57:55])
4. The pastor shared that following Jesus means “embracing the way of the cross”—dying to self, pride, and comfort. Why do you think this is necessary for true discipleship? ([01:01:13])
---
### Application Questions
1. The sermon challenged us not to shrink the gospel down to just “going to heaven when we die.” In what ways have you been tempted to make faith mostly about your own benefit? How can you start to see yourself as part of God’s bigger story this week? ([56:20])
2. The cross means the weapons of accusation, fear, and death have been rendered powerless. Is there a specific fear or accusation that has been holding you back? What would it look like to live as if that power is broken? ([57:55])
3. The pastor said, “Following Jesus means embracing the way of the cross—dying to self, pride, and comfort.” What is one area of your life where you sense God asking you to “die to self” right now? ([01:01:13])
4. The sermon talked about living boldly and sacrificially for God’s kingdom. Can you think of a situation this week where you could take a risk for God’s kingdom, even if it costs you something? ([01:02:38])
5. The pastor asked, “What does the cross mean to you?” Take a moment to reflect: Is the cross just a symbol or story to you, or is it a personal invitation to surrender and follow Jesus? What step could you take to respond to that invitation this week? ([01:07:05])
6. The sermon mentioned that God wants us to want him, not just be overpowered by him. How can you intentionally seek God’s presence and want him more in your daily life? ([41:24])
7. The pastor shared a story about someone who was deeply moved by the cross and eventually changed his life. Has there been a moment when the meaning of the cross became real to you? If not, what questions or doubts do you still have? ([40:56])
---
Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite group members to pray for courage to live from Christ’s victory, to surrender areas of pride or comfort, and to see themselves as part of God’s big story of love and restoration.
Devotional
Day 1: The Cross as Victory Over Evil Powers
The cross is not just about forgiveness, but the decisive victory of Jesus over the powers of sin, death, and evil.
On the cross, Jesus did more than bear our sins—He disarmed the spiritual forces that stood against God’s purposes, making a public spectacle of them and triumphing over them. This victory means that the weapons of accusation, fear, and death have lost their power over those who belong to Christ. As you reflect on the cross, remember that you are not fighting for victory, but from a place of victory already won by Jesus. [46:41]
Colossians 2:15 (ESV):
"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
Reflection:
What is one area of your life where you feel defeated or oppressed by fear, accusation, or shame? How might living from Christ’s victory on the cross change your response today?
Day 2: The Fullness of the Gospel Story
God’s story is bigger than just our personal salvation; it is about His purpose to redeem and restore all creation.
It is easy to shrink the gospel down to a message about going to heaven when we die, but God’s plan is to unite heaven and earth, to restore His good creation, and to invite us to be His image-bearers in the world. Our salvation is part of a much larger story—one in which God is making all things new and calling us to participate in His kingdom work here and now. [56:20]
Romans 8:19-21 (ESV):
"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."
Reflection:
How can you join in God’s work of restoration and goodness in your neighborhood or workplace this week? What is one practical step you can take today?
Day 3: Living From Victory, Not Towards It
Because of Jesus’ finished work, we live from a place of victory, even as we face ongoing struggles and opposition.
Though evil still exists in the world, its power has been neutralized by the cross. The weapons of the enemy—accusation, lies, and fear—have been rendered ineffective for those who are in Christ. This means that even when we face hardship, persecution, or spiritual battles, we do so knowing the decisive battle has already been won. We are called to stand firm, resist evil, and live boldly as people who belong to the victorious King. [57:55]
Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV):
"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."
Reflection:
What fear or accusation has been holding you back? How can you remind yourself today that Christ’s victory has set you free from its power?
Day 4: The Call to Take Up Your Cross
Following Jesus means dying to self and embracing His way, even when it is costly or uncomfortable.
Jesus overcame by His death, and He calls His followers to do the same—to take up their cross, die to their own ambitions and desires, and follow Him as King. This is not a one-time event, but a continual process of surrender, letting go of pride, self-importance, and comfort for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. True life is found on the other side of this surrender, as we trust Jesus and live for His purposes. [01:01:32]
Revelation 12:11 (ESV):
"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."
Reflection:
What is one area of your life where God is asking you to surrender or “die to self” today? What step of obedience can you take in response?
Day 5: Personal Response to the Cross
Each person must personally respond to the meaning of the cross and the invitation of Jesus.
It is not enough to know the stories or wear a cross as a symbol; the question is, what does the cross mean to you? Jesus invites each of us to receive His offer of salvation, to trust in His saving work, and to follow Him no matter the cost. This is a personal decision that shapes how we live, love, and serve. The victory of Jesus is offered to all, but each must choose to respond and surrender their life to Him. [01:07:35]
John 1:12 (ESV):
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
Reflection:
Have you personally responded to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him? What does the cross mean to you today, and how will you live differently because of it?
Quotes
Jesus doesn't didn't just happen in on Palm Sunday and he just happened to stroll in but he was carefully planning every move that he made and he wanted to make sure that it fit perfectly with the scriptures that that foretold this and pointed to him and pointed to this day. And so he gives these disciples instructions I want you to go in this town I want you to find a donkey and this cult and I want you to untie and I want you to tie and come back and and all these instructions seem like this kind of frivolous maybe but in reality Jesus was connecting all of these dots. [00:34:03]
But sometimes we do miss what Jesus is doing don't we sometimes we don't know the scriptures very well. And sometimes we don't see what's right before our very eyes. Later that week there was a horrible brutal gruesome death of Jesus as he was nailed to a cross. And it seemed to illustrate the the raw power and victory of evil over good over the humble love of Jesus. There were lots of would-be messiahs that were crucified in the ancient world. [00:34:53]
The Romans had become experts in crucifixion. They knew how to do it to inflict the most pain and the most suffering the most torture. And what set Jesus's crucifixion apart from all the other crucifixions that the Romans were doing, what is it that that causes us to look back at that Friday and say that's a good Friday? It's abundantly clear in in all the four gospel accounts of Matthew Mark Luke and John that the crucifixiction of Jesus not only killed him but the executioners were trying to shame and humiliate Jesus at every step. [00:35:30]
Nobody proclaimed "What a beautiful event this is." Nobody said "Wow look at the love of God dying for my sin." Nobody thought to myself "What a marvelous event to see all of these scriptures being unfolded being fulfilled right here before my very eyes." No the first witnesses they were horrified. They were disgusted. They were shocked. The discip the disciples of Jesus were left in utter despair. But in a few short years one convert to Christianity Paul writes that the son of God loves me and gave his life for me. [00:36:28]
This wasn't just Paul's evaluation of the crucifixion of Jesus but today we see the crucifixion as the greatest act of divine love. And that's why we call it Good Friday. It was Paul's conclusion. And it's been the conclusion of millions of Christians through the years who have followed Jesus that Israel's God had raised Jesus from the from the dead, vindicating him, vindicating his life, vindicating his death. That therefore his death was no shameful defeat but rather it was an extraordinary victory. [00:37:27]
The point is God wants us to want him. God is not interested in just overpowering us with his presence and his majesty and his glory. He could do that. You know he could show up in this place and we'd all fall down to our face. We would be overwhelmed with the very presence and majesty and glory of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords creator God. But he doesn't want to subdue us in that manner. Instead he wants us to re respond to his love for us by having us want him. [00:41:27]
Every generation must wrestle with this meaning of the cross. Every individual must wrestle with the meaning of the cross. What does the cross mean to me? To properly understand the cross I think it's important that we remember the story of God and how all throughout the scriptures they all point to Jesus. All the scriptures point us to Jesus. But sometimes we have the desire when we read the scriptures we have the desire to ask the question well what's in it for me, how does this help me? [00:42:13]
But you see God has this big story and it's not about us. It's about him. It's about what he's doing in this world. It's his big story that he has for us which is bigger than us. Now certainly there's a lot of different substory lines in the big story of God and and part of those substory lines one of those includes us and our salvation, our forgiveness of sin. But we've got to be careful that we don't focus only on our part of the story, thus making us the center of the story and and thus reducing the story down and truncating it down. [00:42:54]
Recently we've we've got several generations who've been taught the gospel. The gospel is Jesus died in my place to save me from hell or Jesus died on the cross so that we can go to heaven when we die. Now that's part of the gospel but that's not the whole gospel. That's not the full gospel. That's not the full story of God. In the Nazarene church in the Nazarene tradition we've got this history of we want to tell the full story of salvation. It's more than just forgiveness. [00:43:48]
But at the cross all the forces that rage against God and God's purposes were overthrown and disarmed. The crucified Christ is the greatest victory over the powers of evil. So how can this cruelty, this horrific violent death of Jesus, how can this be a victory? Too often we see the cross and the crucifixion as the defeat. And then we see Easter Sunday and the resurrection as the victory but that's not how the scriptures paint this picture of the cross. [00:44:44]
On the cross the principalities and the powers were finished. They were disarmed. So it's more than Jesus just dying there for the forgiveness of our sins. But Jesus was winning a victory on the cross. Colossians 2:15 says "Having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross." Hebrews 2:14 "Since the children have flesh and blood he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death that is the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death." [00:46:31]
The moment that Jesus died the grip of death was broken. Death could no longer hold its prisoners. The graves had to open. This is some wonderful news isn't it? Peter Joshua says it this way: When death stung Jesus it stung itself to death. 1 Corinthians 2:8 says,"None of the rulers of this age understand it. For if they had they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Now Paul's not saying that the powers didn't recognize who Jesus was. Oh they recognized who Jesus was. [00:49:34]
They recognized him much quicker than the disciples, much quicker than the religious leaders recognized him. So they knew what they were doing. They knew who he was but they didn't know that he was going to win a victory through their attempted to put him to death. Well Jesus came preaching and teaching. The kingdom of God's at hand. The kingdom of God is available for anybody who wants to enter in. If you want it we've got it for you. And he preached that this kingdom of God will transform us individually from the inside out as well as transform this world that we live in. [00:50:26]
The cross is a victory over death and sin and all the evil powers of the world. The cross is the climax of Jesus victorious kingdom work. Now here's where I'm trying to cut out some of my sermon. I'd like to get into Passover. Do you know why Jesus came to Jerusalem to die on Passover? Why didn't he come at the feast of the tabernacles? Why didn't he come on the day of atonement Yam Kapor if it's all about the forgiveness of sins? That would make more sense wouldn't it? But Jesus comes at Passover. [00:51:20]
And God has done the same thing for us. Jesus said "All authority in heaven and on earth is mine." Now go and make disciples of everywhere in all nations everywhere teaching them to obey everything that I have taught you. The victory's already been won. Praise God. We've got the work to go do because he likes to use us. This was his purpose from the very beginning to use us as his instruments here in this world. [00:52:53]
Jesus was the substitute. The perfect lamb of God. The one without sin gave himself for the one who was full of sin and even unrepentant so that he might repent. So that he might have a way to come and experience salvation. We don't know what Barabus' response was but as I said I'm going to cut that out of the sermon and we'll move on to some implications. [00:54:30]
We cannot reduce the story of the Bible or minimize the gospel message. We must refuse to allow ourselves to think that going to heaven when we die is the ultimate goal of God. By doing so we undermine the resurrection. By doing so we undermine the message of reuniting the new heavens and new earth together. By doing so we miss this climax that we read about at the end of Revelation where God brings together heaven and earth and the dwelling place of God is with man forever and ever. [00:55:31]
The gospel is not how to escape this world and move into some non-physical universe or non-physical experience somewhere that we might call heaven. The gospel is God saving the world which includes you and me as well. We were created by God for a purpose. Before there was sin God had a vocation for us to be involved in, work for us to do, to be his imagebearers in this world and to govern this world and to rule this world, to have dominion over this world as God himself. [00:56:11]
But God didn't turn his back on us. He came after us to forgive us and to save us from the power of sin, to break the bonds of sin, to set us free so that we could go back to doing what we were created to do. Being his imagebearers, being genuine human beings here in this world, reflecting the goodness of God here in this world, seeing the transformation here in this world that God created. He said it was good. It was good. It was good. It was good. God hasn't given up on you or me or this world. [00:57:04]
We live from victory not towards victory. Certainly evil still abounds in our world but it has been defeated. The fact is the more aware of the principalities and the powers are of this the more ferocious though they become. The powers have not been liquidated but they've been neutralized. The weapons that they have have been rendered ineffective. What are the weapons that the evil likes to use against us? A couple of them are accusation, lies, deceptions and fear. [00:57:50]
But both of these weapons have been destroyed through the cross. Colossians 2:14 declares that God has taken the decrees of our indebtedness and he has wiped it off. He's nailed it to the cross. He's canceled all of our debts. There's no longer any grounds for accusation because of the cross, because of what Jesus has done for our sin. Hebrews 2:14 declares that death is finally lost in its finality. So to be threatened with death is no longer going to work because we know death is not the end. [00:58:32]
We don't wrestle with flesh and blood but with powers and authorities. And the good news is that we wrestle with defeated powers and defeated authorities in this world. We work from victory not towards it. My third implication is this. We know how disciples of Jesus are to overcome. We may not like it but we know how the disciples of Jesus are to overcome. Jesus overcame by his death and so do we. And that's the call for all of us to take up your cross. [01:00:24]
But sometimes we need to die to our pride and our own self-importance and our own knowledge. Revelation 12:11 says "They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Some of us are afraid to go and talk to a neighbor because we're afraid of embarrassment. We're afraid of rejection. We're afraid to make somebody feel uncomfortable speaking the truth to them in love. It's uncomfortable. It's not easy. [01:01:36]
But we triumph by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony as long as we don't shrink back for fear of death. Evil gains only when it's not resisted. You probably heard the saying "All that evil needs is for enough good men to keep silent." And too often good men and women keep silent because they don't want to be embarrassed. They don't want to look like a religious nut. They don't want to look too radical. They want to just kind of fit in and get along. [01:02:13]
If we do a quick survey of the human liberation movements in this past century we can see several examples of people who took stance against evil even unto their death. Mahatma Gandhi in India, Martin Luther King Jr in America, Leenza in Poland, Nino Aino in in the Philippines. Aino is kind of an interesting study. In the early 80s he was arrested and put in prison by by Ferdinand Marcos the dictator of the Philippines. He was speaking out against Marcos's oppressive policies. [01:02:41]
But while he was in prison he read the New Testament and he began to see. He also developed a serious heart condition and through some pressure through the United States Aino was allowed to leave the Philippines and to go to Boston for surgery. And while he was recuperating he read the New Testament and he began to see even more clearly. Although he could have remained in the safety of the United States he felt constrained to return to his homeland, the Philippines, knowing full well the probability that he might be killed. [01:03:13]
Inspired by the victory of the cross he felt that even if he were to be killed it was worth it. In August 1982 he left the US, flew back home through Taiwan. When his plane landed at Manila International Airport, soldiers boarded it to escort Aino off. Just after passing the front door of the plane, gunshots rang out. Mr Kino fell down the stairs onto the airport tarmac dead. A bullet through his head. They have his clothes that he was wearing, those blood soaked clothes kept in a museum in the Philippines. [01:03:56]
But in this coat pocket were some papers of a speech that he was going to give to the press corps. And the opening line of his speech is "The willing sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to the insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God or man." This is how we are called to live. It's not about us. It's about God. It's about his kingdom. It's about his purposes for this world that he loves. [01:04:36]
What does the cross mean to you, what does the cross mean to you? Sometimes we see people that that um wear a cross around their neck and and I think it's a good question to ask you know what does Jesus mean to you and sometimes they'll give me try to give me a history lesson what the stories they remember about Jesus you know but I I try to redirect them what does Jesus mean to you because you personally have to answer. Because you personally are going to stand before Jesus and you're going to give an answer for how you lived your life and what he means to you. [01:05:21]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Apr 14, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?