Game Changing Words: Substitution & Victory

Good Morning,

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21

Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, Johnny was the ideal donor. 

"Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." 

Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room; Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. 

As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?' Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He'd thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life.

Each of us has a condition far worse than Johnny’s sister. Sin and separation from God required Jesus to voluntarily give not just His blood, but His life as a substitute for us. No other cure is adequate. Here is the raw truth, Without the sacrificial substitution of Jesus on the cross, we have no hope. Period 

Yet there is more. Jesus didn’t stay dead! He conquered death in victory when He rose that Easter morning. And in His victory over the grave, He makes it possible for us to partake in that same victory. For those who have accepted Jesus’ substitution personally, there is an eternal hope of life with Him in heaven. Eternal: forever, never ending. That’s a long time! This is a powerful hope not just for the future, but a hope that provides an eternal perspective on everything we face in the present.  As Hebrews 6 puts it, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Substitution and Victory. Two words that can change the course of your life today, tomorrow, and forever. 

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor.15:55-57 

Questions to ponder this week:

1. On what or in whom are you putting your hope for the future? Will it stand the test of eternity?

2. If you have already placed your hope in Jesus, how is it impacting your outlook on the week ahead?

Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC