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After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.

Winning is fun. And there are many different ways that winners express their joy. Olympic champions cry tears of joy as they stand at the top of the podium while their country’s anthem is played. Baseball players stomp on home plate and are mobbed by their teammates when they score the winning run. NASCAR drivers hang a checkered flag out of their window and do donuts on the infield after they cross the finish line first. Champions are not shy about expressing their joy in victory.

Jesus was not shy about proclaiming his victory either. But his victory had nothing to do with the Olympics, baseball, or NASCAR. No, his victory was concerned with defeating sin and temptation. It was not a game, and the stakes were high. Our eternal life was at risk. If Jesus were to be defeated, we all would have had to suffer forever and be separated from God.

Jesus did not want to lose us, and so he entered the arena that is this sinful world. He was born here. He lived here. He suffered and died here. And through it all, he defeated every temptation the devil could throw at him. He never once sinned. He was perfect for us. And after dying on the cross to take our sins away, he rose from the dead to forever guarantee our victory.

And like any champion, Jesus proclaimed his victory. Except he did not do it from the top of a medal stand or the infield of a racetrack. No, after being made alive again, Jesus went right into the arena where the enemy was and proclaimed his victory. He announced to the devil and all his enemies that he, in fact, is the champion. Jesus has won the victory! And he freely gives us the award that he won. Through his victory for us, we are now forgiven and saved and on the way to heaven. His victory is our victory, and we can now live our lives in a way that proclaims that victory for all to see and hear.

Dear Jesus, thank you for winning the victory over sin, death and hell, and sharing your victory with me. Help me to live in that victory. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.