The Cross, the Place of Strategic Victory for Mankind

Jesus Christ made perfect peace with God on behalf of all mankind at His first advent. He will provide the basis for no more human wars at His Second Advent.

There was an enemy that hindered any relations between God and man. That enemy was sin. Jesus Christ was the valiant warrior who overcame sin.

The concept of Jesus Christ as a warrior began prior to His first advent and will continue until the Armageddon campaign of the Tribulation. Zech 14:3‑4.

At the Cross The Lord Jesus Christ won the greatest battle in all of human history. He won the battle over sin.

Since the ousting of Adam and the Women from the garden of Eden, for the past 6,000 years, man has been trying to defeat the sin that is within him. Every member of the human races has known, knows and will know he is a sinner and every member desires to overcome that sin. It is the universal battle for man.

We try to defeat the sin in our lives with: Drugs, alcohol, sex, money, power, approbation, morality, laws, and even religion. Yet as hard as man has fought the battle with sin, man has been unilaterally defeated by it.

Ultimately there is only one way sin can be defeated and that is through the cross of Jesus Christ. 2,000 years ago, The Lord came to earth in the form of man and waged the greatest battle the universe has ever seen. And for once, man's fight was not in vain. This time a man defeated sin.

Because of the victory of this one man, all of mankind can gain victory. Our Lord's victory was the greatest military campaign ever witnessed in the universe. Using the analogy of a military campaign we note that all freedom and security comes through military victory. Based on His victory, we have eternal freedom and security, we have eternal life.

^{Rom 5:21}

So that, as sin reigned in death,

even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The victory of our Lord, which can be the victory of every member of the human race, did not come easy and did come without a cost. The Cost: The Father personally judging and forsaking His son, the Son willfully laying down His life. John 3:16-18 w/

Mat 27:46

In order for Christ to win the battle that He waged, He had to prepare Himself and apply some outstanding principles. These principles have been employed by all excellent militaries throughout history to win battles and wars. And as Christ applied them to win the greatest battle of all time, we too need to emulate them in order to win the tactical battles we fight every day.

First we need to note that Christ came to fulfill a 'plan of operation' to overcome sin. He came to fulfill the Father's Plan.

The purpose of a military operation is the attainment of an objective assigned to a designated force. Judges 7:4‑7 (Gideon),

Gen 14 (Abram)

The objective determines the interpretation of orders, guides decision making and guides the employment of the means at your disposal.

God the Father formed the plan and gave orders to His Son. The Son interpreted the plan and made certain decisions while on earth to fulfill the plan.

This is necessary in order to:

1) Neutralize and destroy the power of the opposing forces in battle, Satan and Sin.

2) Possess a location to attain the ultimate objective. He came to earth as a Man.

The principle of the objective was the fulfillment of the Plan of God through the attainment of spiritual perfection. Christ accomplished this by employing the following Principles:

1. Principle of Offensive. Offensive action is the only means by which a decision is gained in warfare. When successful, the offensive brings victory; whereas, the defense can only avoid defeat. Therefore, the only effective way to win a war is to act on the offensive.

John 3:16 is the offense provided by the Father, “He sent His uniquely born Son…….”

2. Principle of Mass. The term "mass" is used in the military to define combat power. Success in warfare is attained by the employment of mass in a main effort at the proper time, at the proper place for the accomplishment of a definite purpose.

Christ brought the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God to the Cross to sustain Him during the battle physically, mentally and soulishly. Mat 4:1, 4 Deut 8:3

‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’

3. Economy of Force. The economy of force is the application of the principle of mass. Economy of force is the means by which military mass is deployed in a main effort. The time and place of the main effort are determined; then men and means are conserved by reducing their employment in other directions to the minimum, consistent with tactical and strategical safety.

Christ grew to ultra spiritual maturity and remained sinless. He utilized to the fullest extent the Word and the Spirit. He shed Himself of all distractions from accomplishing the objective.

^{Eph 2:8}

Being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

^{2 Cor 5:21}

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

4. Principle of Movement. The term "movement" is a technical, military category referring to the maneuver of combat arms and their support units. Under the principle of offensive, it means to bring military mass into close contact with the enemy to secure a decisive result.

The man with the Word and Spirit bore our sins!

^{Col 2:14}having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,

which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

5. Principle of Surprise. Surprise in some form is essential to obtain maximum effect in battle with minimum loss. Satan wanted Him stoned to death. The Father waited until the Roman cross was available and then acted.

^{Mat 27:22}

Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” T

hey all said^*, “Crucify Him!”

6. Principle of Security. Security is defined in military science and tactics as all measures, which are taken to guard against observations, surprise and hostile interference with effective maneuver. Security is designed to gain and maintain the power of freedom of action.

He was trained, tested and tempted and remained without sin. (Impeccability)

He maintained His stance as the perfect sacrificial Lamb.

^{Heb 4:15}

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,

but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

7. The Principle of Simplicity. "Simplicity" is used in a technical sense in the subject of military science. Simplicity means that all military plans, at any level of command, must be simple and free from complicated maneuvers. Orders have to be direct and free from contingencies. Frequent changes of plan should be avoided, and the unity of command should be observed.

Christ bore our sins once and for all. Salvation is only attained through Him.

John 14:6; Acts 12:4 (no other name).

^{Rom 5:15}

But the free gift is not like the transgression.

For if by the transgression of the one the many died,

much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man,

Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

^{John 14:6}

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one can come to the Father except through me."

8. Principle of Cooperation. Meaning that all elements of a mission work together for the accomplishment of that operation. This includes the principle of teamwork.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad - The Lord is God, the Lord is One.

All three members of the trinity worked in accord to fulfill the Plan.

9. Summary. All of this emphasizes that God has a plan for your life, a plan carefully designed by God the Father, accomplished by God the Son, empowered by God the Holy Spirit. It reflects His omniscience, His sovereign decisions, and the fact that He has not given us a plan which calls for us to operate on our own devices, our own personalities, our own concepts and our own human dynamics.

We are to receive the work of Christ and operate under the same divine power He did, the Word and the Spirit. Therefore, we have been given the delegation of that same divine power.

The name of the Plan is Grace; the name of the power is Omnipotence.

The name of the Strategic Victor of the Kingdom Conflict that brought you:

Eternal life, Freedom and Security is Jesus Christ !