UPSETS!!

The NCAA tournament has begun and a number of the favorite teams have gone down already – some just barely, others were soundly beaten. 

Throughout history upsets have taken place in the world of sports, war, award shows, politics, box office results, and reality television.  Even the Bible has had its share of upsets (think of David vs. Goliath)!

But the greatest Biblical upset of all time has to be the triumph of Jesus of Nazareth who was beaten, crucified, killed, and buried by the forces of evil captained by non-other than Satan.  Because of His come-from-the grave (or behind) appearance, people worldwide can experience the forgiveness of sins, the power to live a new life, and the hope of eternity in heaven.  *See the lyrics of Carmen’s song THE CHAMPION just below.

What is needed to appropriate the benefit of Christ’s actions on our behalf is to repent from our selfish and sinful rejection of God’s authority over our lives and to place our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.  And when we place our faith in Jesus, Satan’s grip upon our life and eternal destiny is upset and we become a victor, a champion for all time.

THE CHAMPION by Carman

In the vast expanse of a timeless place,
Where silence ruled the outer space,
Ominously, towering it stood,
The symbol of a spirit war
Between the one name Lucifer,
And the Morning Star, The ultimate of good.

Enveloped by a trillion planets,
Clean as lightning and hard as granite,
A cosmic coliseum would host the end
Of the war between the lord of sin and death,
And the Omnipotent Creator of man's first breath,
Who will decide who forever will be the Champion.

The audience for the 'Fight of the Ages' was
assembled and in place.
The angels came in splendor from a star.
The saints that had gone before were there:
Jeremiah, Enoch, Job.
They were singing the "Song of Zion" on David's harp.

The demons arrived, offensive and vile,
cursing and blaspheming God.
Followed by their 'trophies' dead and gone.
Hitler, Napoleon, Pharaoh, Capone,
Tormented and vexed and grieved.
Waiting for their judgment From the Throne.

Then a chill swept through the mammoth crowd
and the demons squealed with glee,
as a sordid, vulgar, repulsive essence was felt.
Arrogantly prancing, hands held high, draped
in a sparkling shroud
Trolled by demons, Satan ascended from Hell.

Then Satan cringed, the sinners groaned!
The demons reeled in pain as a swell of power
like silent thunder rolled
With a surge of light beyond intense,
illuminating the universe,
In resplendent glory appeared the Son of God.

Then a Persona, yes, Extraordinaire appeared in center ring.
God the Father will oversee the duel.
Opening the Book of Life, each grandstand hushed in awe as
majestically He said,
"Now here's the rules. He'll be wounded
for their transgressions,
bruised for iniquities"
When He said, "By His stripes they're
healed," the devil shook!
He screamed, "Sickness is my specialty.
I hate that healing junk!"
God said, "You shut your face, I wrote the book!"
Then the Father looked at His only Son and said,
"You know the rules.
Your blood will cleanse their sins and calm their fears."
Then He pointed His finger at Satan and said,
"And I know you know the rules.
You've been twisting them to deceive My
people for years."
Satan screamed, "I'll kill you Christ!
You'll never win this fight!"
The demons wheezed, "That's right, there
ain't no way."
Satan jeered, "You're dead meat, Jesus,
I'm gonna bust you UP tonight!"
Jesus said, "Go ahead, make my day!"

The bell rang, the crowd cheered, the fight was on,
And the devil leaped in fury.
With all his evil tricks he came undone.
He threw his jabs of hate and lust.
A stab of pride and envy but the hand that
knew no sin blocked every one.

Forty days and nights they fought, and
Satan couldn't touch Him.
Now the final blow saved for the final round.
Prophetically Christ's hands came down
And Satan struck in vengeance!
The blow of death felled Jesus to the ground.

The devils roared in victory!
The saints shocked and perplexed as wounds
appeared upon His hands and feet.
Then Satan kicked Him in His side, and blood and water flowed.
And they waited for the 10 count of defeat.

God the Father turned His head,
His tears announcing Christ was dead!
The 10 count would proclaim the battle's end.
Then Satan trembled through his sweat in
unexpected horror, yet...
As God started to count by saying,

"...10..."
"Hey wait a minute, God..."

"...9..." "Stop!
You're counting wrong..."

"...8..."
His eyes are moving...

"...7..."
His fingers are twitching...

"...6..."
"Where's all this Light coming from?"

"...5..."
"He's alive!"

"...4..."
"Oh - nooooo!"

"...3..."
"And yet,"

"...2..."
"Oh...Yessssss!

"...1..."
He has won!
He has won!
He's alive forevermore!
He is risen, He is Lord,
He has won!
He has won!
He's alive forevermore,
He is risen!
He is Lord!

Proclaim the news in every tongue,
Through endless ages and beyond
Let it be voiced from mountains loud and strong
Captivity has been set free, salvation bought for you and me
'Cause Satan is defeated,
And Jesus is The Champion